When the Microphone Belongs to the School

The closing line of the graduate student address at Sarah Lawrence College’s 98th Commencement on May 8 was “Free Palestine.” It was not an aside. It was the final beat of remarks delivered from the institutional podium by a student the College had selected, platformed, and presented to the assembled community as the voice of […]

Continue Reading

The Fearless Democratic Downfall

Someone should really have a serious conversation with the chieftains of the Democratic Party. It’s high time for a pulse check—a true heart-to-heart. Are the events of the past few months really what they had in mind? Perhaps circumstances simply got away from them. A few candidates are demonstrably out of step with the Democratic […]

Continue Reading

Preposthumous Non-Sobriety

My pursuit of non-sobrietyhas ended: I have closed the spigot,and risks of my inebrietyhave tended to make me a bigot.No longer will I give assentto excessive use of booze;for my past boozin’ I repent,and have decided now to choosesobriety; I’ve closed all tapsof booze, replacing booze with joyI now get from post-prandial naps,no longer shikker […]

Continue Reading

Israel in Three Words

I’m in Jerusalem, and I need some water. It’s late afternoon, the sun is still shining bright, lots of people milling around the Mamilla area. As I head to the grocery store (run by the same Arab man I’ve known for 20 years), I’m thinking only of quenching my thirst. The problem is I’ve had […]

Continue Reading