Dan Rodricks

If you caught Jordan Klepper’s most recent report on election deniers on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” you’d think half the country had lost its mind, or, at the very least, had never had a class in American government, had never developed the ability to think critically, had never grown up. Klepper travels among … Continue reading On Americans who support election deniers, doubters and other dopey politicians on the right

The 2022 election isn’t really about ideology. It's not about whether the nation should spend trillions on fixing infrastructure or addressing climate change. It’s not about forgiving student loan debt or closing our southern border with Mexico or even abortion rights. The latter is clearly on the minds of many voters. But something much bigger … Continue reading Do level-headed Americans still outnumber those who’ve lost their minds? We shall soon see.

Whenever I get into this subject, I'm sure it always sounds self-serving — the importance of local journalism and the American public’s support of it. But let’s give credit where it’s due. As I worked on my Friday Sun column, I had a question: How did majestic old St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church in East … Continue reading Local journalism fills in the blanks

I believe my fascination with World War I has come to an end. I watched the new adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s “All Quiet On The Western Front” on Netflix and realized, during a hand-to-hand combat scene when un soldat français takes a shovel to the face, that I can no longer stomach visions of the “war … Continue reading Goodbye to all that

I would like one person who lives in Maryland’s 1st District to tell me one thing Rep. Andy Harris has done that was beneficial to that person or that district in the 12 years Harris has been in Congress. (We already know about the Salisbury post office renaming, that doesn’t count.) Go ahead. Let’s hear … Continue reading Andy Harris supporters: Why this guy?

I very rarely take photographs of the fish I rarely catch. I am too eager to release them back to the rivers, ponds or bays. But I thought I should try and get a photo of this wild brown trout because it was so large and had so much power and tested my skill to … Continue reading Not a good photographer of fish

Ben Civiletti, who died on Sunday at his home near Baltimore, served as U.S. Attorney General when the abuses of Watergate were still fresh and the Department of Justice badly needed reforms. It is worth noting that one of the men at Civiletti’s right hand during that period of recovery from Watergate was the present … Continue reading Ben Civiletti, Merrick Garland and the push for independence at DOJ, then and now

With yesterday’s vote by the January 6 House committee to subpoena his testimony, Donald Trump gains yet another opportunity to remain on the national stage. Once upon a time, former presidents disappeared into the golden sunset of horse rides and fishing trips, planning their libraries and playing with grandchildren. Trump remains a criminal suspect, a … Continue reading Trump subpoenaed and diminished, but the damage done

Over five decades as a columnist, I have accumulated a lot of stuff because people have given me a lot of stuff. A man in Friendsville, western Maryland, gave me a wooden coat rack for giving him a ride on a winter day. When I returned from covering the 40th anniversary memorials for the D-Day … Continue reading Mystery photo: People give me stuff like this

The Baltimore Orioles of 2022 won 31 more games than did the Baltimore Orioles of 2021, and the franchise had its first winning season since . . . well, it's been a while. They last made the playoffs in 2016, and they had a great season in 2014, an overall good run during the Buck … Continue reading Thank you, Orioles. That was pretty good.