William Ashworth

We have two cats who graciously permit us to live with them. One, Rosie, is a Siamese-tortoiseshell mix with short, smooth fur; the other, Maggie, is a Norwegian forest cat with long, shaggy fur. Shaggy Maggie. The length of Maggie's fur is particularly striking in the muff around her neck - a characteristic of that breed - but it actually grows long all over her body. Unfortunately, that includes her rear end Read More 

Conservative: of or constituting a political party professing the principles of conservatism, such as (a) tending or disposed to maintain existing views, conditions, or institutions (b) marked by moderation or caution; [or] (c) marked by or relating to traditional norms of taste, elegance, style, or manners.

- the Merriam-Webster online dictionary

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When did conservatives stop being conservative?

 

When did a political philosophy that used to stand for preserving the old order and demanding respect for existing institutions begin trying to overthrow the old order and destroy existing institutions? When did acting with prudence morph into acting with reckless disregard? How did "freedom" manage to become synonymous with "to hell with you, buddy, I've got mine"?

 

Read the Merriam-Webster definition above. Can anyone still pretend that these words come anywhere close to describing today's principal claimant to the conservative banner - the modern Republican Party?

 

So what happened?  Read More 

I am a former government worker.

That's not a confession, that's a point of pride. I was a librarian; I worked for a county library system. For eighteen years, I helped people find information they needed in a collection of books and journals and other documents which they owned but  Read More