The Post-Partisan Emporium

  Biting Your Share LINH DINH [Osaka, 11/25/18] Vietnamese in Pakse live in seven neighborhoods, several of which they’ve named themselves. There are hoods named  Rock [Đá] , New Serenity [Tân An] and New Abundance [Tân Phú]. This morning, though, I wandered into Thà Hín. Even with a Lao name, it’s mostly populated by Vietnamese, and this I only found out by meandering through it. There was a  Vietnamese temple  with an attached kindergarten. Near it, I had an 87-cent  breakfast of cháo canh , a  Nghệ An  udon soup that’s practically unknown in most of Vietnam. Walking by a house, I heard a familiar song, played loudly enough to indicate it didn’t annoy the neighbors. Everyone around was Vietnamese. “Destined to be lonely, I cannot love anyone” [“Đời tôi cô đơn nên yêu ai cũng không duyên”], and it kept going along that line. I must have heard that at eight or nine years old. Seeing a curious stranger, the man who played this sappy song came out, so we...

  Call the Exorcist James Howard Kunstler “Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Always.” ? Gandhi, You might be among those who have noticed that the people in authority in our country appear increasingly insane. It ought to be self-evident that this is deeply disturbing, but I will explain anyway to allay any residual mystification. In a sane human society, authority is granted to those who are trustworthy. People earn trust by demonstrating their allegiance to reality. Things generally work better when the people running them maintain cordial relations with reality. Now, you understand why so many things don’t work in the USA.      What more subtle minds are asking these days is: when does this insanity tip over into evil? Especially the insanity evinced in our authority figures. How about when someone positively refutes reality in the act of doing harm...