Author Archives: oddmanout215

Q&A on A.C. casinos that crapped out


Swamp Rabbit joined me in the shack to puzzle over an online obituary for Showboat, Revel and Trump Plaza: A time few could imagine during the not-too-distant glory days of casino gambling has arrived in Atlantic City, where two casinos … Continue reading →

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Message in a bottle to literary agents


Swamp Rabbit broke the seal on the bottle of Wild Turkey I’d just given him. This was his reward, in advance, for his advice today. It’s a tradition here at my shack in Tinicum. I told the rabbit I’ve been around … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction, life in the big city, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Robin Williams, media vultures and the art of fiction


Swamp Rabbit was watching the news on my laptop and feeling blue. The media vultures were picking over details of comedian/actor Robin Williams’ life, as if trying to shed light on why he killed himself. I tried to help the rabbit feel less … Continue reading →

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We tortured. It was wrong… That’s all, folks!


Swamp Rabbit was looking over my shoulder at my laptop, chewing Lucky Charms and getting crumbs all over the keyboard. “How come you don’t do that blog no more?” he said. “I used to like readin’ all them lies you … Continue reading →

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Tone-deaf Obama sings Walmart’s praises


Swamp Rabbit and I had just watched a PBS show about “nightmare bacteria” — insidious, human-killing organisms resistant to all antibiotics. Pretty scary. Then we saw a news item about Barack Obama appearing at a Walmart to praise the company … Continue reading →

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Preaching to the choir about the GOP


I read to Swamp Rabbit part of Charles Pierce’s reaction to the Republicans’ successful effort last Wednesday to block a Senate vote on whether to raise the minimum wage to $10.10: Can we just drop the pretense now and admit … Continue reading →

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There’s corrupt, then there’s Christie


Swamp Rabbit was hopping mad about the persistently chilly weather. “Can’t even take my Easter swim, that pond scum out there is colder than ice cream!” He’d been hunkering down in the shack all day, nursing a bottle of Wild … Continue reading →

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Adelson is like a stream of bat’s piss


What would Alexis de Tocqueville think of democracy in America in 2014? How would Thomas Jefferson describe it? I doubt that either man would know what to make of the fact that one mind-numbingly greedy gnome might have the power … Continue reading →

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Obama to EU: Frack, baby, frack


From Common Dreams: Speaking after a meeting with European leaders at the [European Union]-US summit in Brussels on Wednesday, President Barack Obama suggested that the U.S. is open to exporting fracked shale gas, once promised as the source of American … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, environmentalism, globalization, humor, Iraq war, Obama, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Pro-union Democrats an endangered species


Swamp Rabbit is a big fan of Robert Reich, Secretary of Labor during the Bill Clinton years, long-time economics professor and a high-profile advocate for workers’ rights. I’ve noted elsewhere that Reich often writes variations on the same column and … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, globalization, Great Recession, humor, liar, mainstream media, plutocracy, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment