With the Republican Party on the political ropes, so to speak, about the war, and the Democrats increasingly under siege from their left on the issue of cutting war funds, it’s been hard to keep pace with developments the last few days. In between just doing life-stuff, I think I try harder than most to make sense of what is going on these turbulent days in international relations. But things still slip past my radar; and that’s what friends are for.

A recent email from my friend, Lydia, gave me a much-needed heads-up that I feel compelled to share here.

I admit I had turned off the TV except to watch late-night whodunit CDs – my cognitive junk food. It’s a mental health break from CNN infomercials and the puffed-up posturing of politicos on C-Span.

Lydia had followed some of my musing about the chaotic bifurcations in American domestic politics, and how ripe anti-immigrant xenophobia is for whichever candidates choose to pluck this poisonous but low-hanging fruit.

The advantage, as males, of having women for friends, is we can share the complementary strengths we have from our respective socialization as a way of overcoming our weaknesses. Men are trained to compartmentalize, to set aside certain …

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