Author Archives: 34orion

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About 34orion

Winston Churchill once said that if you were not a liberal when you were young you had no heart, and if you were not a conservative when you were older then you had no brain. I know I have both so what does that make me?

The MS St. Louis, Yom HaShoah, and Lessons Not Learned

Posted on April 24, 2025 by 34orion

In May 1939, as Nazi persecution escalated in Germany, a German ocean liner named the MS St. Louis quietly left the Port of Hamburg. Aboard were 937 passengers, most of them Jewish refugees desperate to escape the tightening grip of … Continue reading →

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Big Lies, The DOGE Dodge, and Unfunny Punchlines.

Posted on April 14, 2025 by 34orion

When I was in high school, there was a joke that asked, “What are the three great lies of man?” The joke was both racist and sexist, so I’m only going to share one of the “lies”: “I love you.” … Continue reading →

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Being Unc-Adjacent, Hard Truths and The Myth of Elon Musk.

Posted on April 7, 2025 by 34orion

Your last text to me ended with the question: “Why all the hate for Elon Musk?” I’m tempted to respond with a question of my own: “Why all the love for Elon Musk?” But that would be a snarky way … Continue reading →

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A Rant, Being a Dutch Uncle, and Trump’s War on the Undocumented

Posted on March 31, 2025 by 34orion

Dear Nephew, Forgive the letter format, but it’s easier for me to type with all ten fingers than just my thumbs. Before I begin, I want to be transparent about my feelings regarding immigration. In 1936, my father and his … Continue reading →

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Posted on March 28, 2025 by 34orion
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Cherry Blossoms, The Garden State, and Presidential Role Models

Posted on March 24, 2025 by 34orion

People often get the wrong idea about New Jersey. The image they conjure when the state’s name is mentioned is that of the New Jersey Turnpike between the George Washington Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing, which offers stunning views of … Continue reading →

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The Whataboutism Poll

Posted on March 21, 2025 by 34orion
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Anniversaries, Going Brazilian, and Gratitude

Posted on March 13, 2025 by 34orion

Thirteen years ago today, I met Elaine. I was on an eighteen-day cruise up the coast of Brazil with a transatlantic passage that would make port in Morocco, Portugal, and Italy. It did not start well. My first dinner partner … Continue reading →

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The Brazilian Constitution, Mar-A-Lago and the Democracy of the Beach

Posted on March 10, 2025 by 34orion

Brazil’s democracy is among the youngest in the world. After decades of a repressive dictatorship, supported in part by the U.S., Brazil adopted its current constitution in 1988. It did not hold its first presidential election until 1989. Despite its … Continue reading →

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The Smoking Snake, My Dad, and The Forgotten Lessons of The Greatest Generation

Posted on March 5, 2025 by 34orion

My wife met my father for the first and only time in the last month of his life. Three months earlier, I had met this gorgeous, smart, funny woman on an eighteen-day cruise up the coast of Brazil, with a … Continue reading →

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