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6.18.13 Bruce Kluger Across America this month, parents are once again attending cap-and-gown ceremonies as they escort their children another click down the road that will one day lead them out of our lives. And once again I have to ask myself, has it all been worth it? READ POST
3.18.13 Bruce Kluger The response to the new documentary film, The World According to Dick Cheney, has been nearly unanimous. Critics agree that while it is meticulous and exhaustive, it's missing one crucial element: contrition on the part of the subject himself. “If you want to be loved,” Cheney says on camera at one point, “go be a movie star.” Some things never change. READ POST America's Bully 1.9.13 Bruce Kluger In just the past 16 years, the American Family Association—whose mission is to rid the nation of “ungodliness and depravity”— has sprayed its venomous indignation like buckshot, boycotting any group that bears the faintest whiff of gay inclusion. But last month, it crossed the line when it chose a new and more defenseless kind of victim: children. READ POST Where Are the Heroes? 10.19.12 Bruce Kluger When I recall the things I admired most about my childhood heroes, I’m reminded that, these days, we’re far less discriminating about what constitutes heroism. Yet don't we encounter heroes, up close, every day? Isn’t there someone in all of our lives whose character imprints on us the same awe we feel when we read about patriotic glory? READ POST Obama vs. Romney...vs. Seamus?! 10.03.12 Bruce Kluger & David Slavin Tonight, President Obama and Mitt Romney will face off in their first debate. But a third, unspoken participant will be looming over the proceedings: Seamus, the beleaguered Irish Setter, who 29 years ago took that infamous car trip with the Romney clan... READ POST The Ryan-Romney Express 8.11.12 Bruce Kluger NORFOLK, Va. — Republican Mitt Romney anointed Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, an ardent conservative and devoted budget cutter, as his vice presidential running mate on Saturday, and the two men immediately embarked on a tour of battleground states... READ POST Colorado and Warner Bros. Can Help Change Gun Laws 7.27.12 Bruce Kluger The state of Colorado and Warner Bros. studio have unwittingly found themselves at the center or another tragic shooting. Can they pool their considerable resources and, once and for all, help to stem the gun violence that continues to plague America? READ POST The GOP's War on Children 5.23.12 Bruce Kluger As in most election years, noisy battles have been raging as the nation’s political armies gear up for what promises to be an even noisier fall. This means we’ll continue to hear about the many “wars” America is currently engaged in—from “the war on terror” to “the war on Wall Street.” But another aggressive fight has been brewing just beneath the radar, and it's one that involves our kids. READ POST Bullying in America: A National Crisis 1.26.12 Bruce Kluger Two days after Christmas, a 15-year-old Staten Island girl threw herself in front of a bus, in yet another shocking incident of bullying-related suicide. That this tragedy is now considered a textbook example of today's bullying epidemic speaks both to the depth of the crisis and our failed efforts to curb it. This is a problem without a solution... READ POST 9/11: The American Family Survives 9.7.11 Bruce Kluger Ten years ago, 19 men in four jets tore a fiery hole in history and, in doing so, dealt a staggering blow to our national family. But I'd like to believe that, like the closest of families, we have demonstrated a remarkable resilience—an ability to bicker and cohere, to bellow and console, to raise fists and join hands.... READ POST Amy Winehouse: A Lesson For Kids 7.25.11 Bruce Kluger The death of singer Amy Winehouse, 27, came as no surprise, given her long history of substance abuse—though as a parent, I feel like I dodged a bullet. Winehouse's notoriously dangerous lifestyle didn't appeal to my kids, so I never had to worry about them adopting her as some kind of a revolutionary role model. But I wonder about those countless other cultural influences that rain down on their heads every day... READ POST DSK Shocker! 7.1.11 Bruce Kluger The shocking new revelations about the hotel maid at the center of the Dominique Strauss- Kahn story are about to get even more shocking. Tomorrow morning, the New York Post will reveal an exclusive report about the housekeeper's ties to international terrorism. While details of the story have yet to be released, here's a sneak peek at the paper's front page.... READ POST Happy Father's Gay 6.19.11 Bruce Kluger Here's a remarkable Father's Day video, courtesy of the inventive mind of Clay Weiner. No preamble is needed—it pretty much speaks for itself. Happy Father's Day, everyone... READ POST Has America Lost That Loving Feeling? 6.14.11 Bruce Kluger I recently reconnected with an old friend on Facebook, and confessed to her a long-kept secret: that I'd been in love with her...in seventh grade. Although I'm happily married, the incident made me wonder: Is passion always around us—alive and pulsing—and we’re just too distracted to see it? In other words, as the old song goes, where is love?... READ POST In Christina's Memory 1.13.11 Bruce Kluger Of all the tragedies that befell Tucson last Saturday, the one that seemed to tear most deeply at the heart of our nation was the murder of nine-year-old Christina-Taylor Green. If there was one splinter of hope that arose from this child's appalling death, it was to remind our leaders about their moral obligation to the children of America... READ POST Not All Earmarks Are Evil 12.29.10 Bruce Kluger Will the current political posturing over Congresssional earmarks upend America's efforts to improve our kids' literacy and, in the process, make for a stronger and better educated nation? Author and public policy provocateur Steve Cohen explores the faceoff between doing what's politically expedient, and doing what's right... READ POST What is Marlo Thomas Up to Now? 8.25.10 Bruce Kluger First she showed women they could be independent. Then she showed kids that they were “Free to Be…” Then she launched a campaign to save children's lives. What on earth could she be up to now? Coming this fall…MarloThomas.com. Share. Laugh. Dream... READ POST Tweeting American 8.19.10 Bruce Kluger We now live in a culture in which electronic town squares like Twitter demand that we sum up our thoughts and feelings in 140 characters or less; in which politicians boil down their constituents’ complicated needs into terse, feel-good platitudes—when, in fact, reality is a lot more long-winded... READ POST Terrorism in Times Square 5.5.10 Bruce Kluger This week, an unsuccessful car-bombing drew crowds and rattled nerves in Manhattan's Times Square. But for locals, it was business as usual. Especially after 9/11, we New Yorkers know we're America's canary in the coal mine—and we wouldn't have it any other way... READ POST Republicans, Heal Thyselves! 3.14.2010 Bill Persky and Bruce Kluger After a year of contentious infighting, bitter feuds and stalled legislation, President Obama has taken a new tack in his attempt to achieve bipartisanship on Capitol Hill, forcing face-to-face negotiations with his staunchest critics. But perhaps there’s an easier solution. Maybe if the president and his enemies met in the self-help aisle of a well-stocked bookstore in D.C., they could finally find a way to dialogue... READ POST In the Closet...Still! 3.3.2010 Bruce Kluger About a year ago, I posted a link to a "video op-ed" on YouTube created by musician John Forster, whose talent for sharp and timely comedy is matched only by his doggedness in fighting the good fight. Now John's going after America's mind-bogglingly dumb "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy... READ POST
12.23.2009 Bruce Kluger & David Slavin Just when Barack Obama thought his toughest decisions were behind him—his Afghanistan strategy, tackling unemployment, what to say to Tiger Woods if he calls—now he has to draw up a Christmas gift list. What will the current “decider” decide to give this season…to both the naughty and the nice?... READ POST
12.12.2009 Bruce Kluger & David Slavin As scientists, environmental experts and all manner of government officials descend on Denmark for the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Conference, the question remains: do the conscientious congregants have an actual plan of action—or are they just a windy gaggle of greenhouse gasbags? READ POST
11.2.2009 Bruce Kluger I can't think of a better way to start a new week than with a good laugh. Permit me to share a wonderful piece by legendary writer- producer-director Bill Persky (Kate & Allie, The Dick Van Dyke Show, That Girl) on modern technology. It appears in the today's edition of USA Today.. READ POST LettermanGate: One Week Later 10.8.2009 Bruce Kluger For all the breathless media attention devoted to David Letterman's bizarre sex- and-extortion saga, here's what I find most compelling: that Letterman successfully navigated his way through three explosive crises—personal, professional and legal— by simply telling the truth.… READ POST
9.16.2009 Bruce Kluger Like most parents, I try to help my children learn to be decent and civil, and to guide them to goodness. But for the past seven days, I’ve felt like putting my foot through my Sony Trinitron—because every time I turn it, some idiot is undermining my lesson plan with yet another exhibition of bad manners… READ POST Drawing Inspiration 7.26.2009 Bruce Kluger Who said the voting ended last November? Entrepreneur Magazine has announced the five finalists for its Entrepreneur of 2009 Award. Please excuse the midsummer lobbying, but I urge you to cast your vote for Peter Reynolds, the award-winning author and illustrator and founder of FableVision… READ POST
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