Are They Trying Too Hard?

 

February 7, 2026

 

I just read part of a mystery novel whose protagonist is a friend of Agatha Christie. It’s part of a series. The friend solves the mysteries with (in this case at least) no input from Agatha.

 

Here’s the thing about contemporary authors writing about the early 1900s – post WWII era: The writing and the dialogue purport to be in line with the style of the era, but in most cases (as in this one) they are overly formal. And the trend is almost invariable.

 

I think the reason that I like the real thing—novels about the era that were actually written in the era—is that the writing flows so much better. Read an Agatha Christie or a Dorothy Sayers or a Georgette Heyer (yes, she did contemporary novels as well as the Regencies); the dialogue isn’t at all formal, and the writing has a very light hand.

 

So why do modern authors make the narration and the dialogue of that era so stilted?

 

Just asking.

 

 

I Think He Gets the Point of Lawmaking

 

February 8, 2026

 

Kudos to Rep. Scott Cupp of the Missouri legislature, who said, “We should not be using the rationale of ‘We need the money’ in what guides us in drafting what’s best for the citizens of Missouri. If you are pursuing something for monetary gain, it really compromises your ability to make the decisions you would normally say would be best for the citizens of the state.”

 

If lawmakers would use that principle, and would also not use the rationale of “What’s in it for me?” when making decisions, I think the whole country would be in better shape.

 

 

Facts of ICE

 

February 8, 2026

 

OK, all you legislators and administration officials who don’t understand why American citizens are protesting the actions of ICE, I will try to explain it as simply as I can:

When you physically attack a person solely because of the color of his/her skin, IT IS ILLEGAL.

When you have thrown a complete stranger to the ground and kicked and pepper sprayed him after he is handcuffed, IT IS ILLEGAL.

When you arrest people outside courtrooms where they are in the process of confirming their citizenship, IT IS SENSELESS. They are clearly not causing trouble.

IT IS ALSO—and I know you don’t get this part, because of how your brains are wired—CRUEL. These people have been working for quite some time, and probably paying a lot of money, to gain their citizenship. Now you’re throwing all their efforts and money away for no reason. If they were criminals, they wouldn’t be in the citizenship court. 

 

Am I going to fast? Too many words?

 

When J.D. Vance’s family no longer has Secret Service protection, will his wife and kids be subject to ICE harassment because they don’t look White enough?

 

Or will Congress and the courts have stopped the illegal search and seizure of human beings going about their lawful business by then?