It appears that Israel conducted airstrikes inside Syria near the capital, Damascus.

   Beyond what should be "baseline" troubling questions---the widening of any military conflict, with a premise that war results in killing and therefore is bad, but, in limited instances, justified---I have to ask, what do we know and from whom do we know it?

   There are reports that Israel struck shipments of rockets and other arms meant for guerillas who would use those items against…

   We send too many people to too many places to die. Syria is the latest country at which our military has been pointed.

   TV of the 1960s started, for most people, in black-and-white. The screens bore images of shades between black and white, mostly gray. About 1965 many households had color TVs. That was about the time the military conflict in Vietnam heated up. August brought us the Tonkin Gulf resolution, a blueprint for how a government can defraud the American public into…

   Most United States troops have withdrawn from Iraq. That was a military conflict—not a "war," as Congress only has followed the Constitution five times in our history to declare war: War of 1812, Mexican-American War, Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II. Thousands were killed and maimed, but "war," as defined by the Constitution, it was not.

   We still have troops in Afghanistan. Why they are there is a fair question. One reason could be to continue to prop up a…

I finished my fifteenth Mini-Marathon! Congratulations to all who participated!

   It promises to be cool this morning. We will stream live from Creation Café, 337 West 11th Street, on the first floor of the former Buggs Temple. As the sergeant used to say on "Hill Street Blues," be safe out there. If you begin to feel like you need to stop, do not hesitate to walk to the side and say that to a course official. They will summon transport to take you to the finish line.

   Best of luck to everyone

   Tomorrow is the big day! The weather forecasts seem uncertain. At 5:18 a.m. Friday the predictions are cool temps with rain held off, except for a few showers, until after the race is completed. Our "after" party—and a "live" stream of "Civil Discourse Now" at our usual 11 a.m. start—will be at Creation Café, located at 337 West 11^th Street, on the first floor of the former Buggs Temple. I have heard the food there is great.

   First, to answer Kurt Lorey’s questions…

   When I was hit with MS in 1994, by the second day in the hospital, I could not walk. This year will be my 15^th consecutive Mini®. These blogs about the Mini® will be a combination of memories of doing the Mini® and advice, based on those memories, of how to do it. I had no clue, in 1999, about the proper approach to the race. All advice given in this, or any other column, is not given as a healthcare professional. I do not have the formal training received by M.D.s, so check…

   The Mini-Marathon® is this Saturday, May 4. The weather forecast is chilly temperatures and rain. This is my account of why the Mini®—this will be my 15^th in a row—is important to me.  To paraphrase the title of The Ventures’ song, I walk—do not run—the 13.1 miles. Considering that in 1994, by the second of nine days in the hospital, I completely had lost use of my legs, doing those 13.1 miles is pretty good.

   I lay on the ice-covered asphalt of the crosswalk, staring…