Informed Speculation

You know the moments: the Miracle on Ice comes to mind.  For Texas Tech and college football fans, the Graham Harrell pass to Michael Crabtree to knock off #1 UT.  The Immaculate Reception.  Those moments that will stand frozen forever in the minds of the sports fans fortunate enough to witness them. Such is Landon [...]

Political differences only count for so much – for me, they pale next to service for one’s country.  In that spirit, I pay last respects to an ex-Marine who served his country during the Vietnam War.  Murtha was much derided by the right for his criticism of the Iraq War - a war that turned out [...]

I suppose it would be better than nothing, but the only real plan floated to save the Cactus Cafe (see my post below) thus far is far from perfect: The storied Cactus Cafe could be finding a new home on the University of Texas campus — the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center. Texas Exes CEO and executive [...]

I care about music. That’s obvious to everyone who visits this blog. I care about music so much I based my decision on where to live on my love of music. Austin, TX, is my home for one reason and one reason only: I came here to see the greatest live music on the planet.  [...]

NOTE: For the sixth consecutive year, I am moving this post from 2005 to the top in honor of the great civil rights leader.  It’s a tradition I’m happy to continue, and will probably observe as long as this blog is active… Today’s OpinionJournal contains a moving piece by Roya Hakakian, the co-founder of the Iran Human Rights [...]

…here’s an idea for Veteran’s Day, and a very simple one. Why not send them an email or text message, or even phone them up, and simply thank them for their service? It takes only a very small amount of time, but it’s an effective way to ensure they are remembered… God bless all of [...]

Charlie Mars, a singer-songwriter from Tupelo, MS,  is enjoying a decent-sized hit currently with the charming, easy-on-the-ears pop of “Listen to the Darkside”.  Written to a young woman named Abigail who has apparently been hurt by a man unaware of her considerable charms, the song entreats her: If you want to come over, Come over [...]

Dead of brain cancer at 77…you can’t, of course, look at the man’s life without considering the massive scandal that is Chappaquiddick…but I’ve never felt entitled to sit in judgment of anyone, no matter how grave the sin, and I believe that human beings are complex mixtures of good and evil – all of us, [...]

I’ve been openly skeptical of Al Franken’s ability to remain focused on his new job and not partisanship, so let me just say I am very happily surprised at his first piece of legislation: a bill to provide funding for service dogs for wounded soldiers. My own favorite charity is an organization that provides service [...]

Just saw a news flash that perhaps the most celebrated newsman of all time, certainly of the television era, has passed away. Some Americans will never forgive him for editorializing on the air about the unwinnability of the Vietnam War after Tet, and we will see much ink spilled in that vein. Longtime readers know, [...]

Continuing with my semi-regular tradition of posting music clips on the weekends (and no, it’s not Michael Jackson – you can go to approximately 3 zillion other websites for that), I’m posting today on one of the true greats.  Though he either can’t sing anymore or has just quite trying, few would deny that Bob [...]

There are few moments in American history greater than June 6, 1944.  From a distance of 65 years, it is still enough to take your breath away.  The D-Day landings in Normandy, France, were the beginning of the end of the vile Third Reich of Adolf Hitler, but for the thousands who literally gave the [...]

When summer comes around, and a hot-natured person like myself wonders why the hell he chose to live in a place where the average daily high is over 90 for four straight months, it’s easy to forget what first brought me and so many others to this place.  For some, it’s the natural beauty of [...]

Jack Kemp was a man who was easy to like.  Of course, I never met him personally, but his public persona was optimistic and he famously argued for the need for Republicans to have a ‘big tent’ philosophy.  His other (political) claim to fame was his advocacy of tax cuts and supply-side economics.  All of [...]

I recently blogged about Roger L. Simon’s memoir, a tale of a former liberal activist in the movie business turned 9/11 Republican, so it is only fitting that I now link to Simon’s remembrance of another Hollywood liberal who became a  George W. Bush supporter in the wake of that dreadful day, actor Ron Silver, [...]

…particularly when the half-loaf is the unfinished final novel of the late David Foster Wallace, the greatest writer of my generation. The Washington Post reports that Little, Brown will publish “The Pale King” in 2010; the New Yorker has an excerpt (it goes without saying that it’s brilliant).  Also in the New Yorker is a [...]

What can I say, on this day, about our new president? Shall I admit again that I thought he should have waited until 2012?  Well, I did think that, and I said so. Was I harshly critical of him in the campaign, finding him less than believable as he jettisoned campaign finance reform, then called [...]

I know it’s not at all fashionable to praise George W. Bush, but as I watched his farewell address to the nation tonight, I saw vintage Bush…the faults (the halting delivery, the mangled words), yes, but also the worldview that endears him to me even as it infuriates so many (including some of you).  For [...]

To all veterans, past and present: words can never convey the gratitude we owe you for your service to our great country, so I’ll make it simple: Thank you.

If you read conservative blogs and magazines regularly, you already know that Dean Barnett passed away today at the too-young age of 41.  A sad day…I mentioned his work often, though not of late, and read him even more than I linked to him.  RIP… Now, we stand a week away from the election that [...]