I was reading the  Honolulu Star-Advertiser  this morning, and noticed a  farewell column in The New York Times by David Brooks.   He is one of the stars of op-ed ( opposite the editorial page ) news writing, and I'm sad to see him go.  He made a lot of sense.   Of course, there are some others who did not like him.   Chump Lady,  for example.  Here is how she started her column today. Columnist David Brooks says goodbye to his New York Times gig and lectures us all on morality. Which is always rich coming from the guy who left his wife for his much younger research assistant.   Say it isn’t so! David Brooks is leaving his job at the New York Times as finger-wagging moralist,   deli meat snob , and righteous   scold of single mothers . He doesn’t say exactly what his next job is, but you know he’ll be quoting Edmund Burke. The Guardian   had a particularly telling critique, beginning with: The New York Tim...

Before I get into baseball, a further look at the fractious Epstein matter.   First some history : March 2005:  Police in Palm Beach Florida begin investigating Jeffrey Epstein after the family of a 14-year old girl reported she was molested at this mansion. He bought the place in 1990. Two miles south is Mar-a-Lago, which Donald Trump has owned since 1985. Epstein's home was razed  soon after it was sold in 2019. May 2006:  Palm Beach police charge Epstein with multiple counts of unlawful sex with a minor. June 2006:  Clearly, Epstein influenced State Attorney Barry Krischer, who sent the case to a grand jury that heard from only one accuser, so the only judgement was to charge Epstein with one count of solicitation of prostitution. July 2006:  FBI becomes suspicious and opens investigations into Epstein's activities not only in Florida, but also New York and elsewhere. 2007:  Federal prosecutors prepare an indictment against Epstein. June 2008:...

About The Donald bringing an end to Democracy in the USA,   The Independent   featured Sir Michael Caine, a 91-year actor: One such person who shared their thoughts on the incident was   Get Carter   and   I nterstellar  actor Caine, who simply wrote on X/Twitter: “Calm down Trump.” He followed this up with a post referencing one of the most famous quotes from his 1969 film   The Italian Job , which saw him memorably utter: “You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!” Caine wrote in the second post: “You’re only suppose to sign a cease fire [sic].” Many concurred with the actor’s words, celebrating its succinctness, with one person stating: ‘Excellent, no notes. ”   Thomas Friedman of the  New York Times  remarked on this incident.  If you can't access that newspaper,  Raw Story  has a coverage.  Here are Friedman's first two paragraphs.  The drama going on between President Trump and President Volodymy...