A dramatic escape was cited by Israeli media as the reason that Yuval Vagdani, a soldier in the Israeli army, managed to escape justice in Brazil.

Dad called them pillow parties.

I was 16 or 17 when he brought it up, once, over dinner. Mom, Dad, my little brother, and I were watching TV. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was a thing then, and 60 Minutes was asking and telling plenty. It made me uncomfortable. I wasn’t out to my family. I was barely out to myself.

Dad, an ex-Marine, wasn’t helping. He hated the thought of a gay man serving in the military. When the segment ended, he muted the TV to make sure we could hear him clearly.

“You know what we used to do with ‘em?” It was rhetorical. He continued before we could answer. “We’d throw pillow parties for ‘em.”

He explained: pillowcases, heavy rocks, a group of Marines, and an unsuspecting, suspected gay man asleep in the barracks. A bruised bedtime story. A sadistic Semper Fi sleepover. A pillow party. And if you want to see such hate in action, watch Stanley Kubrick’s Vietnam War movie “Full Metal Jacket.”

Great family dinner conversation, Dad. Pass the potatoes.

Uh oh, nukes coming in. Should we retaliate?

This strikes me as the stupidest question a human being could ask – and, just possibly, also the last. Our enemy of the moment is loosing hell on us (if warning signals are accurate), so let’s do the same back at them. If we kill more of them than they kill of us, we win! Yes, human life – all life – will likely be destroyed in a nuclear war, but that’s just the way things work. That’s not our concern.

Among the global superpowers, this scenario remains etched into the meaning of self-defense: the ability to retaliate, no matter the consequences of doing so. The marketing slogan, of course, is “deterrence.” As long as the bad guys understand that we have the capability to retaliate, they won’t start a nuclear war. Hence, staying safe as a nation means maintaining our ability to create Armageddon.

It's certainly the human paradox of the era. Are we stuck with it?

The Columbus Dispatch reported (City finances purchase of Idea Foundry and Gravity Experience Park in Franklinton January 13, 2025) that the City of Columbus has purchased The Idea Foundry and Gravity Experience Park for $7.5 million. The purchase was made with taxpayer grant agreements made out to Columbus Next Generation which is the City’s non-profit development arm. Next Generation Executive Director Boyce Safford, who is a former City of Columbus Development Director has served in his role since 2013 and is paid $168,062 annually. Some may recall that Director Safford told a group of minority business contractors at an April 2009 meeting that “they need to contribute to Columbus officials’ political campaigns if they expect to win contracts from City Hall” (Columbus Dispatch City officials advice upsets contractors, April 11, 2009.)