Dear Senator McCain,

You and other conservatives have, for a while, been calling on President Obama to arm the rebels in Syria. While we would all love to see the perpetrators of the violence face some sort of comeuppance — and if it’s the kind that deprives them of political and military power, so much the better —…

Dear Seattle Mariners,

The purpose of the game is not to get to the end of the inning as fast as possible, nor is it to leave base runners in scoring position for all three of the outs. Indeed, despite the fact that you have a bat and someone throws you a ball, nothing says you must swing….

Anne Frank, looming large

I really don’t know how it happens sometimes, how it ends up that I read a book from the pile next to the bed, and the next one I pick up relates to it — matches it in theme, style, subject. I don’t stack them up that way. Sometimes if there is a large number…

More Blogathon Winners

Here are a few more good reads I’ve discovered through the blogathon experience. Popcorn Homestead by Joan Lambert Bailey takes you on a brief trip through her life in metropolitan Tokyo. It’s a unique opportunity to see what living in Japan is like, read about it in real time, and not have to read Japanese!…