Author Archives: Joyce

The Enlightenment ended at noon on January 20, 2017. All the tenets of the Enlightenment, such as reason instead of tradition and democracy instead of tyranny, have now been revoked. The United States Constitution, containing all the hopes and dreams … Continue reading →

“Republican institutions don’t protect against tyranny when powerful people start defying political norms,” wrote economist Paul Krugman, prophetically, in The New York Times on December 19, 2016. And he meant “Republican” with a small “r”. He was describing the type … Continue reading →

As a so-called liberal, I should be disappointed in President Barack Obama, right? No gun control, Guantanamo still open, an immigration policy that is no policy at all, drones, no universal health care, an NSA run amok, vicious unchained violence … Continue reading →

It was a natural. I was interviewing the town’s new library director and we fell to talking about the books that changed our lives. “It’s a fabulous thing, the serendipity of finding a book that changes your life,” she said. … Continue reading →