Upcoming Events:
Saturday, 13 December, 6 pm
Book Talk, “Unexpected Variations on the Theme of Christmas,” Garden Wall Bookshop (formerly Kismet Books) 101 N. Main St., Verona, Wis.
Friday, 16 January, 6 pm
Book Talk, Signing and Sale, An Apartment in Paris, Benjamin's Mess, The Gathering Place, 715 Campus St., Milton, Wis.
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The Weekly Screed
by David Benjamin “Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, don’t we consider it his duty to escape?” — J.R.R. Tolkien PARIS — The first college classroom I ever entered contained a long table, at the head of which presided John Bennett, a reputedly distinguished…
by David Benjamin “… I don’t have good news. [The Artistic Committee] were interested in participating but the language was of great concern. ACT is very firm about not using swear words or using the Lord’s name in vain. Also our audiences frown upon any ‘f’ words so we really keep the dialog clean …”…
by David Benjamin “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words…
by David Benjamin “I think it would be appropriate to move the age for permitless carry to 18. There’s really no reason why a legal adult should not be able to defend themselves.” — Rachel Malone, Gun Owners of America MADISON, Wis. — An irony of the midterm election—perhaps the most ironic election season…
by David Benjamin “The cup of forbearance had been exhausted… now, after reiterated menaces, Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon the American soil. She has proclaimed that hostilities have commenced, and that the two nations are now at war.” — President James K.…
by David Benjamin ‘You remind me of a man.’ ‘What man?’ ‘The man with the power.’ ‘What power?’ ‘The power of hoodoo.’ ‘Hoodoo?’ ‘You do, remind me of a man.’ ‘What man?’…” — Cary Grant & Shirley Temple, The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer PARIS — Once, in my early worklife, on a Wednesday,…
“Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different.” — C.S. Lewis PARIS — We’ve lost an oasis. We had a pretty faithful routine. Each time we’ve flown into Paris, we climb to our aerie atop the Fifth Arrondissement, settle in and take an afternoon anti-jet…
by David Benjamin “Stairs can kill us, if we do not walk circumspectly.” — Blaise Pascal PARIS — When I’m out and around, I don’t think about the stairs. I just face them when I get home and slog my way up—more slowly than when we bought this place—five floors up and just beneath the…
by David Benjamin “They framed an ad that is chilling and kind of classic in its way. It features a portrait of this very scary looking, disheveled, wild-eyed black man. As [Lee] Atwater once said, by the end of this campaign, you’re going to think that Willie Horton is Michael Dukakis’ running mate.” — Bill…
by David Benjamin “A clear conscience is the sure sign of a bad memory.” — Mark Twain MADISON, Wis. — Last weekend at my 55th-year high-school reunion, I drifted from the crowd and found, alone at a table, a woman whose name tag—featuring her 1967 yearbook photo—read Linda. Hesitantly, I sat with her.…