Yeah, I know. These days, it can be pretty hard to find inspiration for people like us. (I mean the actual liberals reading this, not the National Review columnists who spend six hours a day at this site looking for things to get pissed off about. God, don't you have...

In a recent column for The American Prospect, author and blogger Maud Newton writes about how America needs the "stinging insight and singular comfort" of Mark Twain's satire. Of course, she's right — what would Twain say about this current administration, filled with more liars, crooks and cheats...

My home state of Texas has given so much to me — margaritas, Willie Nelson, and a college education, in order of importance — and asked for so little in return. Sure, I pay my taxes, and mouth the words to "Texas, Our Texas" at sporting events, but I've never...

Remember when people used to care about government, and the people who made it work? Remember when politicians used to be interesting, colorful, original and unafraid to speak their minds?

Me neither. I'm from Texas, and by the time I was old enough to vote, even the most exciting statewide...

If you assumed that Laura was the only member of the Bush family even remotely interested in literature, prepare to be shocked. Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida seems to have caught the reading bug, too — just in time to help out a billionaire Republican donor. The Palm Beach...

How many banned books did you read this year? It's probably more than you think. Take a look at the list of the most frequently challenged books of the last decade — you'll find the usual suspects (Heather Has Two Mommies, The Catcher in the Rye, The New Joy...

It's the first day of fall, and the publishing industry is worried. As the year comes to a close, you can expect more articles like this one from the AP, reporting on the breathless search for the Great American Novel of 2005. "Nothing's going to be Gilead this year,"...

I was a student at Texas A&M University in College Station when the George Bush Presidential Library opened less than a mile from my apartment. My roommates and I were excited — not because of Bush, who we all disliked intensely, but because of the three class days that got...

In turbulent times like these, it's good that some people in DeLand, Florida, are remembering what really matters: passing references to oral sex in critically acclaimed novels. But before you judge: This one involves children. Specifically, 16- and 17-year-old high school students, who, as you know, are delicate and innocent...