NPR: Linton Weeks

How About You Be The Decider

NPR: Linton Weeks — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:31:00 +0000

You think you're so smart. You think it's easy being the president of the United States. OK, pal — here's your chance.

One of the attractions of the new George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas — scheduled to be dedicated on Thursday — is Decision Points Theater, an interactive experience.

What Boston Means To America

NPR: Linton Weeks — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:56:00 +0000

As a city, Boston is at the crux of this country's past, present and future.

This was brought home on April 15 — Tax Day, Patriots Day, Marathon Day — when two deadly bombs exploded on historic Boylston Street near the finish line of the 117th running of the Boston Marathon.

The tragic blasts occurred so close to the Boston Public Library that the building — home to the personal book collection of Founding Father John Adams — is included in the crime scene.

The bombs struck at the very heart of the heart of America.

Perhaps as much as any place in the country, Boston is an anchor threa

A Brief History Of Secret Recordings

NPR: Linton Weeks — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 20:01:00 +0000

Secret recordings are becoming a tradition in American politics.

Like buttons, bunting and backslapping at barbecues, surreptitious audio and/or video surprises continue to pop up in political settings — with more and more frequency.

The latest is an unauthorized recording of a tough-talking strategy session held by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and his 2014 re-election campaign staffers.

The First Gun In America

NPR: Linton Weeks — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 16:56:00 +0000

Guns and America were born around the same time and grew up together. Like feuding cousins, their histories have been linked ever since.

Often helpful in American history — and often harmful — the portable gun has been inarguably influential in the national direction. The American Revolution would not have been won without guns. Precious lives at numerous school shootings would not have been lost without guns.

Maybe We Should Retire The Word 'Retire'

NPR: Linton Weeks — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Retirement ads are everywhere these days. The Villages lures retirees to come live, love and golf in Florida. USAA offers financial counsel to retiring military personnel.

The Bush Family Checklist

NPR: Linton Weeks — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:03:00 +0000

And the Bushes just keep on coming.

In recent memory, there was George H.W. Bush, 41st president of the United States. Then there was George W. Bush, 43rd president.

An Age Old Problem: Who Is 'Elderly'?

NPR: Linton Weeks — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:08:00 +0000

When exactly does someone become elderly?

A recent New York Times story calls a 69-year-old woman elderly. Philadelphia Metro considers 70 to be elderly.

V Reasons To Love Roman Numerals

NPR: Linton Weeks — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:42:00 +0000

Pope Benedict XVI has left the Vatican.

Love the Catholic Church or not, you have to admit the Roman numerals following a pope's name are distinctive. They set the pope apart from the rest of humankind. (As if he needs it.)

Roman numerals always stand out.

5...4...3...2...1... We Have Sequestration

NPR: Linton Weeks — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:36:00 +0000

Only a few more hours until the sequestration is scheduled to kick in. You can feel the tension. The anxiety. The pre-panic attack.

On Wednesday, a dank and dire dread hangs in the air like malware. "Countdown to Budget Crisis," reads the Atlanta Journal-Constitution headline. "Sequestration Is Two Days Away," a CBS affiliate reports.

It's A Trap! 4 Possible Presidential Pitfalls

NPR: Linton Weeks — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 20:41:00 +0000

You are Barack Obama and you find yourself hacking away in the weeds of sequestration — and some frustration. What's going on?

After all, you won a second term as President of the United States. You withstood the hooks and slices of a nasty campaign. Your approval rating is on the rise. Over President's Day weekend you played golf with Tiger Woods.

Rethinking The U.S. Presidency: 3 Alternative Realities

NPR: Linton Weeks — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 10:13:00 +0000

Did you pay attention to the State of the Union Address? Were you struck by the countless complexities President Obama has to deal with? The economy. The national budget and deficit. Health care. Tax reform. Education. Jobs. Energy. Climate change. The national infrastructure. Immigration. Gun violence and on and on and on.

It's all too much.

How To Pick A Pope (With Latin Subtitles)

NPR: Linton Weeks — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:27:00 +0000

For lovers of the lapsed language Latin, the selection of a new pope is an ecstasyfest.

The Roman Catholic Church is so steeped in centuries-old traditions, Pope Benedict XVI announced his surprise retirement on Monday the old-fashioned way — in Latin.

"Fratres carissimi," the Pope's retirement announcement began.

Eerie Echoes From The First State Of The Union

NPR: Linton Weeks — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 15:13:00 +0000

Guns, immigration, support for diplomats abroad, and the nation's financial situation.

These are key issues facing President Obama as he delivers the first State of the Union address of his second term on Tuesday night, Feb. 12.

Surprisingly, these were also key issues facing President George Washington some 223 years ago, when he gave the very first state of the union speech.

It was January, 1790.

Are Shooting Ranges The New Bowling Alleys?

NPR: Linton Weeks — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:31:00 +0000

The traditional American shooting range is extending its range.

In Summerville, S.C., for example, the ATP Gunshop & Range stages community-minded blood drives and Toys-for-Tots collections. Twice a week there are Ladies Nights, where women can learn to fire pistols and receive free T-shirts.

The Freestate Gun Range in Middle River, Md. has staged competitive, poker-style target games and Zombie shoots.

Forget 2016. The Pivotal Year In Politics May Be 2020

NPR: Linton Weeks — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:40:00 +0000

Now that President Obama is ensconced in his second term, speculation about the future of American politics is wildfire-ish.

In a post-inaugural story, the Associated Press reports that the name of Democratic Vice President Biden "has surfaced as a potential presidential candidate in 2016." Politico says Biden is intoxicated by the prospect.

Research news organizations have recently reported that on occasion the Subway sandwich chain's $5 footlong measures 11 inches instead of 12 — as advertised. Sure enough, the bacon, lettuce and tomato jewel we bought Friday fell a little short.

But it was delicious.

Saying No To The Inauguration

NPR: Linton Weeks — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:45:00 +0000

As supporters of President Obama prepare for his toned-down but glammed-up second inauguration over the long weekend of Jan. 19-21, the president's detractors are making other plans.

Across the country, disenchanted Americans are engaging in forms of protest — some public, some private — to signal their displeasure with November's election outcome.

How do they NOT love Obama? Let us count the ways.

In varying degrees, Obama's critics do NOT want the president imposing tighter gun-control laws. They do NOT believe he is a U.S. citizen.

The Great American Signature Fades Away

NPR: Linton Weeks — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 17:36:00 +0000

Much has been made recently of the loopy signature of Jack Lew, the Treasury secretary nominee whose name — if he is confirmed — will appear on new U.S. currency.

Lots of other people have screwy and inscrutable signatures that are every bit as illegible as Lew's. You can find a few of them on the Internet, including the hen scratchings of actor Johnny Depp, writer J.K.

The Second Amendment: 27 Words, Endless Interpretations

NPR: Linton Weeks — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 17:34:00 +0000

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is like:

an Etch A Sketch. You can make it into pretty much whatever you want.

an optical-illusory M.C. Escher staircase that climbs back into itself.

How can something apparently so simple — a 27-word sentence — be so confusing?

A Lull Until New Year's? Not So These Days

NPR: Linton Weeks — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:17:00 +0000

Time was, the stretch following Christmas Day until New Year's Day was a quiet, sleepy spot on the American calendar. The six-day span hung like a lazy hammock between the holidays.

Not anymore.

Nowadays, the WAC — Week After Christmas — is busy and abuzzing. All around the country, Americans continue to celebrate — Kwanzaa, the Christmas afterglow and the coming New Year.

It's a mashup week that morphs from cozy fires to fireworks, from prayer books to party hats, from holly berries to hangovers.

When Someone You Know Loses A Child

NPR: Linton Weeks — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 21:06:00 +0000

Amid the aftershocks of the senseless shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., our ever-more-complex society goes on to publicly discuss what happened and how to avoid such tragedy in the future.

But there are also private considerations and quieter questions of how to respond — on a personal level — to suffering parents.

What can you say to parents who have lost a child? What can you do?

No one is an expert when it comes to this most horrific, most out-of-the-natural-order-of-things disaster.

Table For One, Please. A Solo Thanksgiving

NPR: Linton Weeks — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 14:03:00 +0000

This is America, where Thanksgiving is portrayed in popular culture as a time for gatherings of loving families and friends, holding hands while saying grace over a roast turkey, passing casseroles and footballs, reminiscing about the past and dreaming of the future.

But.

Do We Really Need A Second Inauguration?

NPR: Linton Weeks — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 13:03:00 +0000

For the sake of argument, let's agree that when we use the word "inauguration" in this particular post, we are talking about the multiday, ball-bestrewn, soiree-soaked, tuxedo-dappled extravaganza that costs tens of millions of dollars and often leaves many Americans out in the cold — figuratively and literally.

We are not referring to the inaugural parade and solemn swearing-in ceremony planned for Jan. 21, 2013. The 57th inauguration of the U.S.

5 Foul-Ups In The Romney Campaign

NPR: Linton Weeks — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 16:43:00 +0000

File this under the Strange Case of the 2012 Presidential Campaign. It was a long, tortuous trip that ended up at a very familiar destination: the re-election of President Obama.

But along the way, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney did garner more electoral votes than a lot of losers, including John McCain in 2008, Bob Dole in 1996 or Jimmy Carter in 1980.

Romney must have done some things right. And he must have done some things wrong.

On Election Day, Romney was asked by a reporter if he had regrets.

5 Truisms About the 2012 Election...That Weren't True

NPR: Linton Weeks — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:48:00 +0000

The balloons have fallen, the bunting's down, and President Obama has been re-elected.

That means Mitt Romney has been defeated — and with him, many election aspects that we presumed to be true. (You know what they say about presume — it makes a pres out of u and me.)

Maybe it's because we're sailing into a new and uncharted century. Maybe it's because of climate change or polar shift or Mayan calendrical mayhem.

Nonvoters: The Other Abstinence Movement

NPR: Linton Weeks — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 21:12:00 +0000

To many Americans, the right to vote in a presidential election is a sacred and precious opportunity. To others, the right to not vote is just as meaningful. And they exercise it.

In just-released data, the Pew Research Center reports that about 43 percent of Americans of voting age in 2008 didn't participate in the presidential election.

The report goes on to say who nonvoters prefer in the election coming up on Tuesday between President Obama and Mitt Romney.

Why The White House Glass Ceiling Remains Solid

NPR: Linton Weeks — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:37:00 +0000

Will the United States ever elect a woman president?

When President Obama — or Mitt Romney — leaves the Oval Office, there will be a handful of highly touted female candidates for consideration as top-of-the-ticket nominees for both major parties.

On the Republican side, the list includes Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Govs.

Pumps And Polls: Why Americans Wait In Lines

NPR: Linton Weeks — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 19:10:00 +0000

Please line up for this multiple choice quiz:

Days before the deluge descended and the chaos commenced, Americans along the Eastern Seaboard waited patiently in single-file lines to try to influence their destiny. Were they ...

A) Waiting to buy gasoline at a station before Hurricane Sandy hit?

B) Showing up to participate in early voting for the 2012 election?

C) All of the above

When A Robot Comes Knocking On The Door

NPR: Linton Weeks — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 10:03:00 +0000
Peter Remine says he will know it's time to get serious about rights for robots "when a robot knocks on my door asking for some help."
Remine, founder of the Seattle-based American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Robots, says the moment will come when a robot in an automobile factory "will become sentient, realize that it doesn't want to do that unfulfilling and dangerous job anymore, and ask for protection under state workers' rights."
Bit by bit, we are growing more comfortable with digital devices in our daily lives.

Debates and Debauchery: Drinking Games In 2012

NPR: Linton Weeks — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:48:00 +0000
Here's a new idea for a Presidential Debate Drinking Game: Every time someone says "Presidential Debate Drinking Game" today, take a drink. Just kidding.
But drinking games have become a familiar part of the American political landscape — like buttons, bunting and bumper stickers. Where there are political rallies, there are protesting groups. Where there are campaign speeches, there are fact checking teams.