Years ago, I had a boss who called me into his office one afternoon to “pick my brain.” As the big bosses in the company rarely acknowledged us bottom feeders, I was surprised and flattered. I shouldn’t have been.
Turns out “picking my brain” meant two hours of haranguing me over an incident involving my colleagues and our immediate superior in the hopes that I would knuckle under and take management’s side – which I didn’t. But the boss putting the squeeze on me left me shaken to my core.
I couldn’t help but think of this as former FBI Director James Comey riveted the nation with his testimony on his relationship with President Donald J. Trump, which was by turns folksy, candid, gutsy, self-deprecating and dramatic. I recognized a fellow traveler, someone caught between doing his job and serving the boss who threatened that job. ...
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Read MorePresident Donald J. Trump seems hell-bent on alienating as many American allies as possible. His presidency was only hours old when he put Australia in his crosshairs. Now working his way through the alphabet, the president has tweeted proudly that he’s the reason many of the Middle East’s Arab countries are freezing out Qatar as a hotbed of terrorism.
Except that Qatar is the site of an American military base from which we launch our airborne stand against ISIS. Meanwhile, buddy-buddy Saudi Arabia is where most of the 9/11 terrorists came from. A complex situation, n’est pas? And complexity is not Trumpet’s strong suit. ...
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Read More“These are the times that try men’s souls,” the great American patriot Thomas Paine wrote. We could use the strength of Paine and people like him at this moment.
Yesterday’s terrorist attack in London – which left seven dead and dozens wounded, including 21 critically – was not merely a momentary victory for the terrorists. It was a win for the strongmen of the world like President Donald J. Trump, whose response to them is more hatred and more irrational violence. Notice I wrote, “irrational violence.” ...
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Read More“LOFT Pride 2017,” held at The LOFT Community Center in suburban New York June 3 to kick off Pride Month, was a thoroughly satisfying experience for me as an author of gay-themed novels and not just because I sold a lot of books and met interested book club leaders. Under breezy, sunny skies amid a rainbow of picnic umbrellas and tents, people of all shapes, sizes, colors and persuasions enjoyed food, shopping, a pet costume parade, a runway strut, performances by drag queen Sutton Lee Seymour, guitarist Ryan Cassata and others and just good old-fashioned conversation. That was the big takeaway for me. ...
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Read MoreSo President Donald J. Trump has pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord – a decision with fewer practical consequences than symbolic ones.
Practically, much if not most of the U.S. – states, cities, corporations, individuals – is committed to the accord. There’s nothing Trump can do about companies or people acting responsibly where the environment is concerned.
But the effect of the pullout is real in the sense that it absents the U.S. as an entity from the moral leadership it has exerted in the past. Into that vacuum sweeps China, Russia, you name it and the question becomes, Having relinquished our position as world leader, can we ever get it back? ...
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Read MoreOccam’s Razor is a philosophical principle attributed to the medieval English Franciscan friar William of Ockham that basically says that the simplest explanation is probably the correct one.
I couldn’t help but think of this with regard to the brouhaha over Montana congressional candidate Greg Gianforte body-slamming the reporter who dared question him about his views on health care. Everyone is up in arms about the disrespect for the First Amendment and the Fourth Estate and I, as a journalist, concur. ...
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Read MoreLook for me this summer as I take my new novel, "The Penalty for Holding," on the road. This Saturday, June 3, I’ll be among the vendors at "LOFT Pride 2017" – the LOFT’s third annual Pride celebration – from noon to 5 p.m. at 252 Bryant Ave. in White Plains. This is a fun event, with food, music, a costume contest, a pet parade and more – rain or shine.
Then join me June 13 at Bloomingdale’s White Plains from 5 to 8 p.m. at the "Fashion Food Faire," presented by T. Fraser Productions. I'll be "modeling" an outfit at Bloomie's La Provence restaurant. But also check out my table where I'll sign copies of "The Penalty for Holding" as well as "Water Music," the first book in my series "The Games Men Play."
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