‘War” did not end for the U.S. in Afghanistan. “Congress shall have Power ... To declare War ...” U.S. Const. Art. I, § 8. The last day the U.S. was in a war was September 2, 1945. After 9/11, a lot of the rest of the World supported the initial responses of the U.S.

U.S. forces hit camps in Afghanistan where terrorists (remember the reasons?) trained for 9/11 & U.S. forces required materiel. Lots (LOT$) of money (pallet$ of bundle$ of C-note$) was lost on mountainsides & in…

5 Enjoying the preseason? This is what happened in a preseason past, after the reporter slipped a “Mickey” into things. But you know what? That gave me a “reasonable and even” view of a game I only ever had watched. 1/8

The night-long conversation was bizarre. The orange bear, @ 1st, made more sense, her/his/its voice quite mellow. The bear’s pal, no more than 3 feet tall, was swaddled in brown rags and only grumbled. The TV was tuned to a traveling team of acrobats from China.…

When people discuss public education, some things are lost. Several of the best teachers from whom I learned were right-wing as could be. In 8th grade Lance Alter was our teacher for Reading. He also taught English, later on in the academic sojourn. 1/5

Sophomore year we had to write a book report (one of several). He asked if I had a book in mind. After a pause, he said I might like “this” book. Until then I’d read sci-fi (e.g., The Foundation trilogy) or political novels (e.g.,…

4 “This way?” I asked Debi and gestured toward a door marked “President” beside a chair w/a very large, motionless man. Firing the club “President” was easy. I opened the door & yelled: “That’s disgusting and a violation of team morals policies! You’re fired!” 1/9

Guys with hand trucks materialized. “I figured you’d need them to move stuff,” Debbie said & added: “This franchise has a vibrant history w/moving companies.” They had that office cleared in 5 minutes. They left a…

Umtell: a cheat, bully, coward, spoiled as hell, not the sharpest knife (or spoon) in the drawer but felt entitled to > everything; i.e., a classic American “businessman.” He grabbed & guzzled his 3rd (by my count) bottle of single malt. His BAC had to be fast approaching his IQ. 1/10

Things moved fast. A woman (had to be Debi), early 20s, entered. The leather of a satchel in her hand matched her bodice (w/plunging neckline) and boots. Umtell grabbed the satchel and tossed it…

2: He shuffled, didnt offer a cut & dealt off the bottom of the deck badly. He caught my stare. I asked “Why bother stacking the deck when you’re using marked cards?” His voice came from behind me: “Because I can.” I turned around. His face filled the TV screen. 1/10

A voice-over explained how Bill Umtell was the first pro sports owner to realize American cities will whore themselves out to get an NFL® team. His realization meant his team might have the worst record, but it…

A hot, Hoosier 105% humidity day had glued the polyester suit I’d worn for the nonexistent job interview to my skin via sweat, but at least I looked presentable. A mask dangled from an ear. The bartender kept track of beers vs money on the classmate’s tab. 1/9

Mid-afternoons on weekdays are “down” time in most bars, even more so in a club. The 2 other habitues were playing gin as the TV played sports. One gin player, in his 60s, looked familiar. He bitched for another round. Bartender…

For your amusement ... c. 2021 by mark small. a novel: "Sideline$" CH 1. Liberal arts degrees land one in odd places. In high school I was skinny and short, so sports were not my “thing.” I was president of the Latin Club. Yes, a real “chick magnet.” In college I was only slightly heavier, plus I was a hippie. 1/5

At least I was creative. I could figure out how to solve things, in general, just not how to end my unemployment after they made me receive my degree. I didn’t want to leave…

Ignorance has driven the COVID outbreak. Many who question viability of vaccines and cite “variants” as support also scoff at evolution as “only a theory.” But theory is “carefully thought-out explanation for observations of the natural world that has been constructed using the scientific method, and which brings together many facts and hypotheses.” The Field Museum. Where possible it is subject to testing. Stanford Encyc of Philosophy.

Variants have emerged because COVID has been…