Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

I love that joke.

It’s very simple and elegant in form (if somewhat morbid in subject). Unlike an ordinary joke it has no setup i.e. it does not create an expectation and then break it. Classic one liners are usually just aphorisms that don’t evoke a story. They just restate something that people already believe true in an interesting way. In this joke, a single continuous sentence causes an entire scene to unfold in the listeners mind.

Can anyone think of a similar joke? I’m starting a collection.

The Left’s Deal with the Devil

The Democrats face a dangerous quandary. People who support Obama because he is black are in conflict with those who support Hillary because she is a woman. Regardless of who wins the nomination, those who support the loser based on racial or gender identity may feel so betrayed that they will sit out the general election and cost the party the Presidency.

I think this is trap the logical consequence of the genteel fascism of identity politics that the Left adopted in the 1960s. It may become a permanent bar to their power from here on out.

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Trusting Each Other

How can you trust someone when they tell you repeatedly that they believe that you are an evil person? How do you trust someone when they tell you repeatedly that you are responsible for all the troubles in their life? How do you trust someone to manage an institution when they repeatedly tell you that they believe the institution an inherently corrupt failure?

I think this is the core problem that leftist African-American politicians face when trying to gain broad support from white Americans.

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Happy Easter

Easter is the “principal feast of the ecclesial year”. Roman Catholics (and many millions of others, of course) celebrate today the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the hinge event in all of world history.

My best wishes and prayers for the day, and for a happy and fruitful Easter season, to all of our readers.