Author Archives: filistro

About filistro

Filistro is a Canadian writer and prairie dog who maintains burrows on both sides of the 49th parallel. Like all prairie dogs, she is keenly interested in politics and language. (Prairie dogs have been known to build organized towns the size of Maryland, and are the only furry mammal with a documented language.)

Hex Wrench

Posted on March 31, 2011 by filistro

I am not a witch. I just wanted to get that out of the way right up front, lest I be accused of lacking objectivity when I talk about Carole A. Smith, who is indeed a witch and has suffered quite … Continue reading →

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On Wisconsin

Posted on March 26, 2011 by filistro

Meanwhile, back in Wisconsin…things just keep getting crazier. Now we have the bizarre story of Carlos Lam, a deputy prosecutor for Johnson County, Indiana, who e-mailed Governor Walker to advise setting up a “false flag” operation. This would have been a … Continue reading →

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Saving Baby Joseph

Posted on March 24, 2011 by filistro

 Joseph Maraachli, born January 22, 2010, suffers from the Classic Infantile form of Sandhoff disease. The thirteen-month-old has been in a vegetative state since last fall, has minimal brain function, and will inevitably die sometime within the next two … Continue reading →

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A Matter of Style

Posted on March 21, 2011 by filistro

I’m speaking of the president’s style, which seems to be getting a lot of unwelcome attention lately. And I’m not referring to his personal style, which is generally impeccable. I can’t remember when America has had such a graceful and … Continue reading →

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Prohibiting Poultry Paparazzi

Posted on March 19, 2011 by filistro

On Saturdays we like to put up a selection of micro-posts featuring interesting news items that might have been overlooked during the past week. One such nugget caught my attention. The story is actually getting a lot more attention in … Continue reading →

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How Did It Come To This?

Posted on March 17, 2011 by filistro

Lately I’ve been brooding over this photograph: Isn’t it stunning? Less than 25 years ago, right here in America, but this image might as well be from another era on a different planet.

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The Duke and the Dauphin

Posted on March 12, 2011 by filistro

This week Chris Matthews called Gingrich and Huckabee the “Duke and the Dauphin” and said they were “working the back country like the charlatans on the riverboats.” He was referring, of course, to the two unsavory low-lifes in Adventures of … Continue reading →

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Science and Conscience

Posted on March 10, 2011 by filistro

Around the middle of February, something quite significant happened, and almost nobody noticed. The Obama administration quietly moved to rescind most of the provisions of the Bush-era “conscience laws” that allowed health care workers to opt out of providing services with … Continue reading →

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Bad Boys

Posted on March 5, 2011 by filistro

If I see one more piece about Charlie Sheen, I think I’ll scream. What is this ongoing American fascination with Bad Boys? Women love and desire these juvenile, self-absorbed jerks. Men envy them. It’s crazy. During the 2000 election, Maureen … Continue reading →

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In Order to Form a More Civil Union

Posted on February 28, 2011 by filistro

Note: filistro has just returned from vacation. This is the last of her previously-written articles, but it seems appropriate to publish now, in light of the recent addition of Hawaii to the civil union states, plus Obama’s decision to not enforce … Continue reading →

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