Mike Pilewski writes about life, politics and culture in the United States
These are crazy times. On one TV channel, mobs are destroying cities in England. On another channel, mobs are destroying San Francisco. The first is presented as news, and I’m supposed to be shocked by it. The second is presented as entertainment, and I’m supposed to enjoy it. Is this sick or what? Obviously the makers of Rise of the … >>
What do you do if your career comes to an end and you have no way of getting a job? You go in search of opportunity — like the millions of Irish farmers who fled the Potato Famine in the 1850s, or like the hoboes who rode the rails during the Great Depression. Joining their ranks will be famous plagiarist … >>
Well, it’s happened. My favorite bookstore has gone out of business. The Borders chain had been struggling since about 2007 and had already closed some of its stores. After an attempt at restructuring failed, the company announced last week it would be closing its 399 remaining stores. This will put 10,700 people out of work. This is a big loss … >>
My time in Catholic grade school was pretty uneventful. It was a small school, so all the students knew each other — and the teachers, half of whom were nuns, knew all of us. There were no drugs or bullies. There were a couple of kids who tried to bend the rules from time to time, but it was all … >>
Where were you the day the aliens arrived? If you watch the TV series V, which starts this Monday night on Pro7, you’ll have the answer. The aliens in the series cordially call themselves the Visitors. They cure disease and give teenagers rides in their space shuttle. They ask only for some water and minerals to take home with them. … >>
My dad never goes to the supermarket. Well, he does, but he just calls it “the market”. Why exaggerate? If Americans are having a good time, they’ll say things are “great”. Not Dad. To him, everything’s “fine”. He means the same thing, but it sounds more honest. I find this refreshing. For decades, an inflation of intensifiers has been corrupting … >>
A few years ago, in the early stages of the Iraq war, some Americans complained that the military action was illegal. This puzzled my brother-in-law. “How can a war be illegal?” he asked me. I was flattered at the chance to show that my years of studying history and political science had not been in vain. I told him about … >>
My e-mail in-box is always good for surprises. A few weeks ago, Saif Gaddafi made me an interesting offer. Now Barack Obama has invited me to dinner. What should I talk to him about? What would you ask him if you had the chance? I’m not concerned about policy, because he is the person who was elected. He should know … >>
The US Civil War had ended, and the slaves were free. They just didn’t know it, because nobody had told them. Many found out only when occupation troops arrived. The war had been over for two months when Union troops finally showed up in the last Confederate area, Texas, in June 1865. On June 19, General Gordon Granger stood on … >>
There was a time when politicians used to be quoted for saying wise things — things like “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not to their own facts.” (Daniel Patrick Moynihan) These days, they’re usually quoted for things they shouldn’t have said. Republicans know they have a chance of beating Barack Obama in next year’s presidential election because … >>