Liberty Drip

  I don’t remember it firsthand but there was surely a time in this great country of ours when we had culture. There was surely a time when men of all social strata took their wives to the theatre (live theatre, not the movies) or to the opera. I’m sure there was a time when museums were relevant. I’m willing to bet that books were discussed. I bet ideas were shared and dissected. I’m sure there were spirited debates around water coolers and on construction sites. I’m sure there was a time in this country when people could tell you who the first president was or who the speaker of the house was. I don’t remember such marvels, but I have no doubt they were real. It’s impossible to believe that we always sat in waiting rooms or in restaurants staring at devices, at street fights and clever cats, at the same stale jokes being repeated over and over again. There was a time when we engaged one another in conversation. This cannot be the stuff of imagination. This was real. I’ve heard ab...

 It's early morning and the gray is giving way to what will be a clear but muggy South Florida day. I am the eleventh person in one of lines formed on the sidewalk outside the Pembroke Pines DMV. I have business inside and although I have arrived two and a half hours before the office opens, I know there is a chance I won't get in. Readers who live in South Florida will understand that not having a driver license and a car is just not an option down here. I need to drive to feed my family, to run my business. Our lousy, unreliable public transportation system just doesn't cut it. I stand out there for close to two hours. Luckily, I brought my iPad and I'm reading to pass the time. Others are watching videos on their phones or listening to music or striking up conversations with their neighbors. I like to read. So I read. Around 8:30, I am now standing outside the building and a Very Mean Woman who works for the DMV is yelling at people, telling them they'd better ha...