The snakes in the grass called the 24-hour news cycle

J.P. Devine

Published
February 8, 2013

The snakes in the grass called the 24-hour news cycle

Just as I was preparing to set the back deck on fire to get some warmth in the house, all Gehenna broke loose on the news.
Published
February 1, 2013

Silence is gray in the brave new world of ebooks

She sits there in her comfy chair in total darkness and utters not a word. I don't think she knows that the power went out just as I was really getting into the rerun of reporter Andrea Mitchell's interview with Hillary Clinton.
Published
January 25, 2013

My life with guns

When I was 22 years old, I killed a cop. I was serving in the Air Force in San Francisco, and I stood no more than six feet away from him, and I shot him four times and he fell, but not before my ears started ringing and kept ringing for three hours.
Published
January 18, 2013

ON THE EDGE: The holidays tree

It's still there. Through all of the rush and clamor, the fiscal plummet, Lance Armstrong's confession, the spilled wine and tears, it's still there.
Published
January 11, 2013

ON THE EDGE: The land of ice and snow

It's out there and it won't go away now. It will be there for Easter probably. It's cold stuff and wet and corroding and dangerous. Snowmobilers and skiers like it. Kids like it, and my snowplow man who works harder than I do and makes much more money, is happy to see it come.

Published
January 4, 2013

ON THE EDGE: Avoid it like the plague

It's here. If you don't have it, the guy next to you in line at the market or sitting in the next chair at the barber shop does. They all have the same excuse, "Don't worry, I'm over it now."
Published
December 28, 2012

ON THE EDGE: Return to abnormal

I miss John Boehner. I miss Harry Reid, "Plan B" and Eric Cantor. I even miss Donald Trump and Mitt. I miss the terrible anxiety of the fiscal cliff, and the push and shove of the hordes rushing through the mall. This week I pulled back the sheets to reveal that I am not only a political junkie, but an unabashed stress junkie.
Published
December 21, 2012

ON THE EDGE: Lemme tell ya about cliffs

With the horrible specter of the fiscal cliff approaching, the "shudder" has become the national gesture. It's almost Christmas, and people are looking scared. I've seen that look before. As most of you know, I'm a lot older than I seem. I may appear to be 38, but it's an illusion.
Published
December 14, 2012

ON THE EDGE: Oh, for a silent night

Is there any truth to the rumor that the CIA used "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" as a torture device when interrogating prisoners? An apocryphal tale perhaps, but I can see its value.
Published
December 7, 2012

ON THE EDGE: The Santa at the end of the bar

There are pictures around somewhere, ancient snapshots taken with even more ancient box Kodaks, of me sitting in some Great Depression-era Santa's lap. I do remember my first visit to Santa. It began in the caged elevator of Famous Barr Co. in St. Louis, somewhere around 1938.