Archive for 2015
The Futuremobile takes charge
The Futuremobile takes charge by David Benjamin BORDEAUX, France — The development of driver-optional “autonomous” automobiles, all the rage at the ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) World Congress, has begun to haunt me with premonitions of a pedestrian future. I picture George, a typical American working stiff. He’s finished his shift. Nearing his car, he punches…
Read MoreThe movie drumstick
The movie drumstick by David Benjamin PARIS — This familiar movie scene is always guy-intensive, with squads from the Tactical Police, the bomb unit, the FBI and a few Homeland Security kibitzers, along with our unattached hero and — for gender balance — one gorgeous starlet with no lines and very little control over her…
Read MoreWhy did Scooter scoot so soon?
Why did Scooter scoot so soon? by David Benjamin “I’m going to punt.” — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker PARIS — One night during my service as a weekly newspaper editor in Massachusetts, I was taken intimately aside, in the Town Hall parking lot, by one of the members of the Board of Selectmen. Let’s call…
Read MoreHow much does America suck?
How much does America suck? “The American dream is dead.” — Donald Trump PARIS — From a European perspective, the infestation of Mexicans pouring across through cheesecloth southern border of the United States looks almost tolerable compared to the millions of refugees fleeing Syria and the Middle East. These displaced paupers are inundating the Balkans,…
Read MoreNo entrance
No entrance by David Benjamin “Every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance.” — Jean-Paul Sartre PARIS — Yesterday, coming up the stairs in our 17th-century no-elevator building, I paused wearily on the 108th step. It wasn’t just a matter of fatigue. I was gripped by a…
Read MoreThree-word philosophies
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2015 The Weekly Screed (#735) Three-word philosophies by David Benjamin “… And when this happens, and when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s…
Read MoreGod's great afterthought
THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 The Weekly Screed (#734) God’s great afterthought by David Benjamin “…the unborn, though enclosed in the womb of his mother, is already a human being, and it is an almost monstrous crime to rob it of life which it has not yet begun to enjoy. If it seems more horrible to…
Read MoreInternet zombies
MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2015 The Weekly Screed (#733) Internet zombies by David Benjamin “Yea, thou [sic] I walk through the valley of the shadow of death/ 95,000 Americans killed by illegal aliens since 9-11.” — Americans for Legal Immigration PAC MADISON, Wis. — Good old Homer has cut me off. This is a shame, because…
Read MoreLand of the aggrieved, home of the whiny
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2015 The Weekly Screed (#732) Land of the aggrieved, home of the whiny by David Benjamin “I am the most fabulous whiner. I do whine, because I want to win.” — Donald Trump MADISON, Wis. — Excuse me for a moment while I compare Donald Trump, red-state narcissist, to the Rev. Martin…
Read MoreStop playing defense, Zorba. Play the Game(s) your way!
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2015 The Weekly Screed (#731) Stop playing defense, Zorba. Play the Game(s) your way! by David Benjamin TO: Alexis Tsipras, Prime Minister, Hellenic Republic Dear Prime Minister Tsipras: Please accept my belated congratulations on your triumph last month in the Greek-bailout plebiscite. Although this was, in many respects, a Pyrrhic victory, it…
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