Category Archives: opinion

Kitten Karma

Posted on September 19, 2026 by 34orion

My wife is a cat person. I am a dog guy. Somehow, three kittens, one airport encounter, and a little “kitten karma” turned that difference into a lesson in love, politics, and keeping your blood pressure under control. Continue reading →

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Not America’s Mayor

Posted on September 7, 2026 by 34orion

Rudy Giuliani was once called “America’s Mayor.”

It was a fine title. Grand, flattering, patriotic—and, as it turned out, issued before anyone bothered to read the fine print.

On September 11, 2001, he was my mayor, and in that terrible moment he gave New Yorkers something we desperately needed: steadiness, visibility and hope.

Twenty-five years later, history has had time to clear the smoke.

My latest: Not America’s Mayor. Continue reading →

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Dolly Would

Posted on August 29, 2026 by 34orion

A long layover, a Dolly Parton rabbit hole, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, and one uncomfortable question: how much of our happiness are we willing to hand over to politics?

Dolly had a pretty good answer Continue reading →

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The Ted Lasso Way

Posted on August 9, 2026 by 34orion

Six years ago, when everything felt broken, a fictional football coach showed up with a yellow sign that said BELIEVE.

This week, watching Washington turn grievance into theater yet again, I found myself thinking about Ted Lasso, Anthony Fauci, optimism, and one line that feels especially useful right now:

“Don’t fight back. Fight forward.”

New piece: The Ted Lasso Way Continue reading →

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Six Years Ago, Today

Posted on June 2, 2026 by 34orion

Six years ago I flew home from pandemic lockdown in Brazil believing America still knew the difference between leadership and a late-stage infomercial host with a persecution complex.

I was wrong.

A little jet lag, a little heartbreak, a little rage, and just enough dark humor to survive reading the headlines. If you’ve ever looked at the news and thought “how did we get HERE?” — this one’s for you. 🇺🇸🔥

Read before they replace the Statue of Liberty with a gold-plated grievance monument. Continue reading →

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The Absolut Worst

Posted on April 25, 2026 by 34orion

This week I had lunch with the guy who literally wrote the book on Absolut advertising. And it got me thinking: what if I pitched Absolut today?
So I did. With a little help from AI.
The results are… something. 🍸 Continue reading →

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When The Wolves Howl

Posted on April 4, 2026 by 34orion

An old Russian parable about wolves and survival isn’t just a story—it’s a strategy. When the howling starts, loyalty has a shelf life, and someone always gets pushed off the sled. Continue reading →

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Making Airport Lines Great Again

Posted on March 29, 2026 by 34orion

After 3.3 million miles, airports once meant escape and possibility. Now they feel like a monument to Trump’s ego—longer TSA lines, performative fixes, and policy driven less by competence than by the refusal to ever admit being wrong. The magic didn’t fade. It was suffocated. Continue reading →

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Washington Knew. (Trump, Not So Much.

Posted on March 14, 2026 by 34orion

Which brings us to our current journey of historical dementia, perpetrated by a president who is no doubt psychologically altered, a secretary of defense who is more concerned about bringing on the rapture than the consequences of war, and a Congress that is vertabraically challenged. These are the men who not only forgot history but are now rediscovering it at a cost to the American taxpayer of roughly $1 billion a day. Continue reading →

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How Many Donald Trump’s Does It Take To Change A Light Bulb?

Posted on February 21, 2026 by 34orion

A routine medical visit becomes a reflection on public life: fear, noise, and why humor may be the only response that refuses to play the same game as power. Continue reading →

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