In the military, you don’t follow your bliss. You follow your orders. And your orders are in pursuit of a mission. You may — or may not — understand the mission. The higher-ups sending you may not understand it either. It may even be a stupid, self-destructive numnuts scheme, FUBAR (look it up). But their … Continue reading Following Orders, Refusing Orders: Ploesti, Richmond, Me, and — Well, Higher-Ups
Scamtown races [With Apologies to Stephen Foster] The Scamtown Trumpers sing this song Doo-Dah, doo-dah Our Scamtown race will be eight years long, Dum-Dee-Doo-Dah-Day! We’ll get the best tax immunity scam, Doo-Dah, doo-dah IRS can’t touch us cuz of our old man Dum-Dee-Doo-Dah-Day! Oh yeah, we’ll cheat all night, you bet we’ll grift all … Continue reading Scamtown Races — A Todd Blanche Tune
[Adapted from a presentation by Sue Fry, an attender at Spring Friends Meeting in North Carolina, on July 12, 2026.] My subject today is Elizabeth Gurney Fry. I’m guessing that some readers will know nothing about her – and some may know a lot. She was a truly amazing woman – and also a great … Continue reading Guest Post: Elizabeth Fry
A Jewish-Quaker’s Anguished Spiritual Journey Sandy Green [NOTE: Reprinted with permission from Types & Shadows, The Journal of the Fellowship of Quakers & The Arts, Issue #108. More info on FQA at: fqaquaker.org] Here’s a Summary of My Story: I am a Jewish Quaker, an Anti-Zionist Jew, I am a Survivor of Sexual Abuse Who … Continue reading Guest Post: A Jewish Quaker’s Anguished Journey (Long Read; Worth It)
A strange urge came over me on Friday. I think it had something to do with testosterone. And gravy. I’ll get to gravy in a minute. For the other thing, you may have heard that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced this past week that servicemembers over 30 will be tested for “Low T.” Those with … Continue reading Hegseth: Not A Prediction, But — A Shot In The —Um—Arm?