My new hat came in the mail the other day, a friend from Canada suggested it to me. The hat is for the embattled name of  Lake Ontario; the cup is for Maria; the shirt is for James Talarico, who is running for a Senate seat in Texas and whose opponent ridiculed him by calling him James Jamesafreako, a pathetic and creepy ridicule, even by middle school nastiness. Talarico, a former school teacher, knew what to do. He sold Talafreako T-shirts, which have sold out a hundred times, and I bought one. I love it.

I can’t stand our cruel and dumb political battles, but I like the idea of “soft” politics, where I can make a statement and laugh without calling anybody names or hating people who are different.

I’d sleep in my hat if it wouldn’t fall off.