Lavoy Finicum will no doubt be painted as a martyr by the occupiers of Malheur refuge in Oregon. I see him as more victim than hero. And I may condemn his actions, but still I mourn his death.

Mr. Finicum seemed to belong to a different time. The ridiculous figure under the blue tarp became eloquent when talking about his loves — the sun and wind on his face, the ranching life, his family. I know absolutely nothing personal about him, but he stirred …

On Rachel Maddow’s show, Bernie Sanders referred to several organizations that had just endorsed Hillary Clinton as “the establishment”, thereby triggering a severe episode of hyperventilation. I am no mind reader, but I think that what was meant was that these organizations are “big players”. In a game of chess, they would be kings and queens rather than pawns. This does not in any way devalue the causes they support. On women’s reproductive rights and women’s health in general, we trust Planned Parenthood. On LGBT …

  There is a glaring contradiction at the center of Trump’s rhetoric. He claims that government in general, and the federal government in particular, is inefficient and wasteful. The president, he says,  is incompetent, weak, and makes “terrible deals”.  In that respect, Trump sticks close to the general Republican and Libertarian core belief, “Business, free markets — good! Government — bad! If Trump is elected, however, he will build a wall between the US and Mexico, he will deport roughly 12 million undocumented immigrants, and he will somehow enable border agents to tell Muslims …