Connecting the Dots

Food for Thought: Political-Religious Strife from the Vikings to Jan. 6

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The Big Picture –  By Glynn Wilson –  WASHINGTON, D.C. — On a cold, dreary winter day in the nation’s capital, I’m thinking maybe I’ve finally hit the old man codger wall. When you live for nearly three-quarters of a century, they say, there are some things you don’t recognize about this world anymore; also…

House Rules: Fear and Loathing Signifying Nothing

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Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. – Macbeth after he hears of Lady Macbeth’s death, in Act 5, scene 5, lines 16–27. The…

To Hell With the 21 Rebels Holding Up the House by Refusing to Elect a Speaker

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They Should Be Locked Up Along With Donald Trump – The Big Picture –  By Glynn Wilson –  WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Confederate rebels who wanted to break up the United States in the 1860s failed in 1864, and similar rebels failed to take over the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. But 21 insurrectionist…

What Can an Irish Rock Star Teach America About Freedom?

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It turns out quite a lot, if people would listen… The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — How can art influence life and make the world a better place? One thing’s for sure. You can’t do it by being oblivious to what’s going on around you. And what can an Irish…

Glynn Wilson’s Year in Review for 2022

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The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the years roll by and print becomes ever less relevant — and this is supposed to be the year of gratitude — I am more grateful every year that I do not have to crank out more irrelevant and ridiculous news to fill…

From the Sublime to the Ridiculous: Elon Musk’s Head and Twitter May Explode

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A cold rain is falling. But I’m out of my bed. As the coffee is calling. Can’t get this out of my head. The Big Picture -  By Glynn Wilson -  WASHINGTON, D.C. — What do Napoleon Bonaparte, Thomas Paine, William Wordsworth, Edmund Burke, Immanuel Kant, Fredric Jameson, and Bob Dillon have in common? And…

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes: A Mental Health and Media Crisis Converge

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“If we weren’t all crazy we would go insane.” – Jimmy Buffet and the Coral Reefer Band, 1977 The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Here’s a Sunday challenge: Do a Google search for “mental health crisis.” There is no doubt a mental health crisis grips this country, and probably the…

The Twitter Files: The Removal of Donald Trump

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The Big Picture –  By Glynn Wilson – #TheTwitterFiles  WASHINGTON, D.C. — If I had a bank account like Elon Musk, I might very well be hanging out somewhere around Palm Beach, Florida this weekend, since it’s expected to hit 80 degrees for a high in the sun. Clearly Elon Musk is not a golfer.…

Thanksgiving Rebooted: Take a Break and Have Some Fun

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The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — It was with no small amount of trepidation that I hit the ON button to turn on the television Sunday morning. And with great relief, there was no immediate report of a mass shooting. So let’s reboot this Thanksgiving and start again. While some…

What To Say on Thanksgiving 2022? At Least It Ain’t 2020 Anymore

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — So I woke up at the crack of dawn on the day before Thanksgiving and felt pretty good. Even though it was 32 degrees outside, it was 68 inside, and I remembered to make the coffee the night before. All I had to do was hit the button on Mr. Coffee and…

Liz Cheney Was Right – Attorney General Merrick Garland Punted

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The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Liz Cheney was right. Cheney Says Trump Faces ‘Multiple’ Criminal Referrals, and Hints the Justice Department Should Not Wait Merrick Garland didn’t listen. Pressure Mounts on Justice Department to Bring Charges Against Trump Now we are stuck with Trump for two more years, with…

Global Population Reaches Eight Billion People: Is This Really Something to Celebrate?

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The Big Picture –  By Glynn Wilson –  WASHINGTON, D.C. — About the time Lewis and Clark were rafting up the Missouri River to search for a land and water route to the Pacific from 1803 to 1806, the global population topped one billion people. It took more than a century to reach two billion,…

Democrat Katie Hobbs Beats Trump Republican Kari Lake in Arizona Governor’s Race

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It looks like a miracle considering where Americans get their information – The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Uh, oh. It’s been one week since Election Day, and it appears Republicans are on the verge of winning the 218 seats they need in the House to take majority control in…

Still Waiting on Election Results: What About the Future of Human Life on this Planet?

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The Big Picture –  By Glynn Wilson –  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tick, tock. Tick, tock. It’s been three days since the midterm elections and we still do not know which party will control the next Congress and set the national agenda, not in the House or the Senate. But one thing is crystal ball clear.…

#CodgerPower – You Want a Civil War? Mess With Social Security and Medicare, Republicans

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The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — This is it folks. Another major turning point in our lives in this crazy 21st century hellscape world. It’s been a strange week since I came down from the mountains and set up camp inside the Beltway again just in time for Halloween and…

Ask an Expert: Why Does Life Have to be This Hard?

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The Big Picture –  By Glynn Wilson –  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Do you ever find yourself asking: Why does this crap (whatever crap you are dealing with) have to be so hard? I know I do, and see it all the time in others. Another way to put the question: Why does life have to…

You Can Be Inspired, Yet Disagree, With Nature Writer Edward Abbey

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The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – CATOCTIN MOUNTAINS, Md. – What would you do if you knew you had just one week more to live in a place that feels like home, knowing there are more stories to discover and tell? Maybe vow to come back next year and tackle the other stories?…

Happy Birthday: Living Beyond the Curse of 64

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The Big Picture -  By Glynn Wilson -  THURMONT, Md. — If you are reading this today, October 15, 2022, then I’ve defied the odds and outlived the curse of 64. I’m now alive and well and 65-years-old. According to my doctor here, I’ve got the heart rate of a professional tennis player and the…

The Wizard of Id – Anti-Christ

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The Big Picture –  By Glynn Wilson –  When French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician René Descartes first posited his theory, Cogito, ergo sum, “I think, therefore I am,” he could not have foreseen a Wizard of Id like Donald Trump taking over America and saying just because he thinks documents are declassified, therefore they are…

Goodbye Summer 2022: Hello Midterm Election Fall

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The Big Picture –  By Glynn Wilson –  CATOCTIN MOUNTAINS, Md. — It’s drizzling rain in the mountain woods, hovering around 72 degrees on this last day of summer. We will transit the autumn equinox about 8 p.m. tonight, and fall will officially begin — with only six weeks to go until the critical midterm…