In today’s super-heated political atmosphere, a bass note that goes through much of what passes for “discussion” goes something like this: We are on the edge of The Apocalypse if The Other […]
Retorts: What’s lost since the first “9/11”
Prejudices prevail all around the world
“Oh, the rich folks hate the poor folks And the poor folks hate the rich folks All of my folks hate all of your folks It’s American as apple pie.” – Tom […]
Retorts: (We couldn’t) get into hot water
Jim Tortolano’s Retorts has the week off. Here is a classic Retorts from years past. Pat Ryan, in his sci-fi novel “Alas Babylon,” wrote that “civilization is like snow in the […]
Retorts: Ugliness is bad for business
We can’t do much about the way we look, but we can do plenty to make the world around us look attractive, comforting, inspirational and practical. We spend a whole lot of […]
Towering achievements and let-downs
At last, the Orange County Tribune’s long-delayed “Tributes and Tribulations” list, taking note of the praise-worthy and cringe-worthy events and trends in and around the communities of Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Stanton […]
Retorts: Not ready for roughing it yet
The Retorts column by Jim Tortolano is taking a week off. This is a classic “Retorts.” Pat Ryan, in his sci-fi novel “Alas Babylon,” wrote that “civilization is like snow in […]
Retorts: New Red scare in Little Saigon
In the Cold War Fifties, one popular political slogan was “Better Dead Than Red!” Most of us look back on that era ruefully, as a time when there were “Communists under every […]
Retorts: The long road to acceptance
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” – Martin Luther King For a lot of us who have been around a bit, the current gear-grinding over the issue […]
Retorts: Maybe you can buy happiness
“Not having is no excuse for not getting.” – Anonymous. The devil, or just another devilishly intriguing sort of critter, whispered in my ear the other day. It used the magic words […]
Who’s watching now? And who cares?
You may remember the War on Drugs from the Eighties. You probably also realize that Drugs won, as evidenced by the march of decriminalization and legalization across the Republic. Today’s bogeyman is […]
