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src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs_v3/opinionator/opinionator_post.png" alt="Opinionator - A Gathering of Opinion From Around the Web"/></a></div><hr/><div id="content" class="hfeed"><div class="post-138568 post type-post status-publish hentry category-townies entry " id="entry-138568"> <header class="postHeader"><div class="postMetaHeader"> <span class="kicker"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/townies/">Townies</a></span> <time datetime="2013-01-10T16:55:29+00:00" title="January 10, 2013, 11:55 am"> January 10, 2013, 11:55 am</time><span class="postMetaHeaderCommentCount commentCount"><a class="commentCountLink icon commentIcon hidden" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/forced-entry/"></a></span></div><h1 class="entry-title">Forced Entry</h1> <address class="byline author vcard">By <a href="/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/author/elbert-ventura/" class="url fn" title="See all posts by ELBERT VENTURA">ELBERT VENTURA</a></address></header><div class="entry-content"><div class="inlineModule"><div class="entry categoryDescriptionModule"><div class="thumb"><img alt="Townies" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs_v3/opinionator/pogs/townies45.gif" width="50" height="50"></div><p class="summary"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/townies/">Townies</a> is a series about life in New York, and occasionally other cities.</p></div></div><p>The only time in my life I’ve ever participated in a break-in was a few years ago, when my wife and I were still living in Dupont Circle. The safely gentrified D.C. neighborhood was hardly a felonious hive. But there were pockets of criminality in that garden of yuppie complacency, and our unloved, rent-controlled building was one of them.</p><p>Like all D.C. apartment buildings, it had a name; the sorrier the place, the posher the name. For the sake of my neighbors, whose names I’ve changed, and their privacy, let’s call it “Eldridge Mews.” I saw my first meth dealer there (on the first floor), witnessed my first mugging (across the street), and fled my first building fire (in our basement).</p><p>And yes, there was my first break-in. But let’s be clear: I was merely an accomplice. The perpetrator was Raymond, our building’s custodian, a burly 40-something with a gaptoothed grin. <span id="more-138568"></span></p><p>It had been a couple of days since anyone had seen Dorothy, the octogenarian who lived down the hall from me on the fourth floor. Rosie, a law student who lived downstairs, was beginning to worry, as was Scott, a veteran in his 50s. We made up an informal committee of caretakers for Dorothy. Clustered outside her door that day, our knocks went unanswered. We could hear some muffled sounds, but we couldn’t make out any words.</p><p>I barely knew Dorothy. My first encounter with her was much like the next dozen or so. I would be waiting in front of our lethargic elevator when I would hear the clacking of locks coming undone from the door behind me. I’d turn around and catch the door creaking ajar, and a pair of eyes would peer out. Dorothy would stare and not utter a word. I’d return a feeble smile and turn back to the elevator, still working its way up from the earth’s core.</p><p>One day, Dorothy’s door opened a bit wider. She eyed the garbage bags in my grip. “Are you throwing out your trash?” she peeped. “Yes, I am,” I replied. “Do you mind taking mine out, too?” she asked. “Sure thing,” I said. She handed me a knotted CVS shopping bag, thanked me and shut the door.</p><p>From then on, that became a routine of sorts. Every other day, I’d empty my garbage, knock on Dorothy’s door, and take hers down as well. It didn’t seem like she saw too much of anyone else. Scott would visit once in a while, as would Rosie. And every few weeks, a woman would show up to help her run errands in the outside world.</p><p>Bits and pieces of her life dribbled through the cracks of our mundane chitchat. She worked as a secretary or transcriber for the government during the war. She was at one point a backup singer in a jazz band. She had been living in Washington for decades and had seen unimaginable changes come to the city. Of family and friends, I didn’t know, ignorance born less of incuriosity than a reluctance to ask. An old woman living like a hermit probably would not have happy stories to tell.</p><p>On the day of the break-in, my neighbors and I huddled in the hallway trying to figure out what to do. Dorothy clearly was incapacitated. We could hear her voice so we knew she was conscious, but how badly hurt was she? Could we wait for the management company to come over with the key, or the police and paramedics? We decided our best course was to have Raymond barge through the door.</p><p>Raymond was game. We stood behind him as he rammed his shoulder into the wood. He did it again, and again, and again. After about a minute of this, we heard a crack. Raymond gave the door one more ram and it finally succumbed.</p><div class="w592"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/01/10/opinion/0110TOWNIES/0110TOWNIES-tmagArticle.jpg" id="100000001995653" width="592" height="459" alt=""/><span class="credit">Harry Campbell</span> <span class="caption"></span></div><p>We all came in on Dorothy, lying on her stomach on the floor. She raised her head as we marched in, her face a rictus of horror. “Oh, oh, oh!” she cried. Rosie asked if she was O.K. “Oh, oh! You scared me!” she protested. Raymond and Scott picked her up gently and laid her on the bed. “What are you doing?!” she demanded to know.</p><p>Rosie called the paramedics, while we turned our attention to Dorothy. She told us that she had slipped and fallen. She wasn’t quite sure how long she’d been on the floor, nor did she care to talk about her ordeal. Frankly, she seemed more interested in complaining about our appalling invasion of her home. “I thought I was going to get raped!” she said.</p><p>We gave her some water and alternated between apologies and assurance while Rosie let the paramedics in. They loaded Dorothy onto a gurney, which she fought weakly. From her doorway, I watched as they wheeled her into the elevator. It didn’t occur to me as the door slid closed that that would be the last time I would see her.</p><div class="w190 right module"><div class="entry"><h6 class="kicker">Related</h6><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/townies/">More From Townies</a></h5><p class="summary">Read previous contributions to this series.</p><ul class="refer"><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/townies/">Go to All Posts »</a></li></ul></div></p></div><p>A day or two later, Rosie visited her at the hospital. She reported back that a distant relative had been informed of what had happened and had come out to Washington. It was decided that living alone was no longer an option for Dorothy, that she was in bad shape and had to be moved to an assisted-living facility. Rosie said Dorothy was devastated and could barely hide her resentment at our meddling.</p><p>A few months after the incident, my wife and I moved out of the neighborhood to somewhere farther north on the Red Line, a not-uncommon passage for the newly married in this city. Rosie left for the brownstones of Capitol Hill, and later, Brooklyn. I have no idea where Raymond is these days. A couple of years ago, I ran into Scott at the health club where he works. For a while he kept up with Dorothy, but eventually lost touch. He didn’t know what became of her.</p><p>He told me that our old building was now nearly half-empty, with the management company not bothering to fill in the vacancies. Eldridge Mews was close to being sold to a developer, he explained, to be converted into condos. But last time I drove by, the building looked the same.</p><p><em>Townies welcomes submissions at <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/mailto:townies@nytimes.com" target="_blank">townies@nytimes.com</a>.</em></p><hr/><div class="w75 left"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/01/09/opinion/townies-elbert-ventura/townies-elbert-ventura-thumbStandard.jpg" alt="Elbert Ventura"/></div><p><em>Elbert Ventura is the managing editor of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://www.democracyjournal.org/index.php">Democracy: A Journal of Ideas.</a></em></p></div></div><div class="entry-meta"><meta name="emailThisHash" content="+gg4RGwEOGcoaD4crxFHuw"><div class="shareTools shareToolsThemeClassic shareToolsThemeClassicHorizontal articleShareToolsBottom " data-shares="facebook|,twitter|,google|,save,email,showall|Share,print" data-url="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448oe_/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/forced-entry/" data-title="Townies: Forced Entry" data-description="Was I an accomplice to a rescue, or a break-in? "></div></div><hr/><div class="module nav nocontent"><div class="subColumn-3 opposingFloatControl wrap"><div class="element1"> <span class="previous kicker">Previous Post</span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/things-i-saw-no-52/">Things I Saw — No. 52</a> <span class="byline">By JASON POLAN</span></div><div class="column"><h4>Related Posts from Opinionator</h4><ul class="relatedPosts"><li><h6><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/arianna-huffington-and-me/" title="Arianna Huffington and Me">Arianna Huffington and Me</a></h6></li><li><h6><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/28/whitman-in-washington/" title="Whitman in Washington">Whitman in Washington</a></h6></li><li><h6><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/05/a-terminal-case-of-the-slows/" title="A Terminal Case of the ‘Slows’">A Terminal Case of the ‘Slows’</a></h6></li><li><h6><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/19/how-small-is-too-small/" title="How Small Is Too Small?">How Small Is Too Small?</a></h6></li><li><h6><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/06/harriet-jacobss-first-assignment/" title="Harriet Jacobs’s First Assignment">Harriet Jacobs’s First Assignment</a></h6></li></ul></div><div class="element2"> <span class="next kicker">Next Post</span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/the-spectacular-rise-and-fall-of-fitz-john-porter/">The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Fitz John Porter</a> <span class="byline">By RICK BEARD</span></div></div></div><a id="postComment"></a><div id="commentsContainer" class="commentsContainer"></div><script type="text/javascript">// NYTD.jQuery(document).ready(function($) { NYTD.commentsInstance = new EmbeddedComments($, 'NYTD.commentsInstance'); 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This week features an essay by Elbert Ventura, the managing editor of Democracy: A Journal of Ideas. </em></div><div class="box module nocontent verticalTabSet"><h4>Inside Opinionator</h4><div id="tabWidget-7" class="wrap"><div class="tabsContainer"><ul class="tabs"><li class="selected"><div class="pointer"></div><div class="wrap"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs_v3/opinionator/pogs/thestone25.gif" alt="The Stone" class="left"/> <a href="javascript:void(0);">The Stone</a></div></li><li><div class="pointer"></div><div class="wrap"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs_v3/opinionator/anxiety/anxiety25.gif" alt="Anxiety" class="left"/> <a href="javascript:void(0);">Anxiety</a></div></li><li><div class="pointer"></div><div class="wrap"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs_v3/opinionator/draft/draft25.gif" alt="Draft" class="left"/> <a href="javascript:void(0);">Draft</a></div></li><li><div class="pointer"></div><div class="wrap"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/09/16/opinion/Cavett_New/Cavett_New-custom1.jpg" alt="Dick Cavett" class="left"/> <a href="javascript:void(0);">Dick Cavett</a></div></li><li><div class="pointer"></div><div class="wrap"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs_v3/opinionator/pogs/inside-education25.png" alt="Schooling" class="left"/> <a href="javascript:void(0);">Schooling</a></div></li><li id="overlayTrigger_controller" class="moreContributors"><a href="javascript:void(0);">More Contributors</a><div class="opposingFloatControl tabOverlayShadow clearfix hidden"><ul class="element1 flushBottom"><li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/disunion/" class="wrap"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs_v3/opinionator/disunion/disunion25.gif" alt="Disunion" class="left"/> <span class="author">Disunion</span> </a></li><li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/fixes/" class="wrap"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs_v3/opinionator/pogs/fixes25.gif" alt="Fixes" class="left"/> <span class="author">Fixes</span> </a></li><li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/linda-greenhouse/" class="wrap"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/09/16/opinion/Greenhouse_New/Greenhouse_New-custom1.jpg" alt="Linda Greenhouse" class="left"/> <span class="author">Linda Greenhouse</span> </a></li><li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/stanley-fish/" class="wrap"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/09/16/opinion/Fish_New/Fish_New-custom1.jpg" alt="Stanley Fish" class="left"/> <span class="author">Stanley Fish</span> </a></li><li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/the-conversation/" class="wrap"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs_v3/opinionator/pogs/theconversation25.gif" alt="The Conversation" class="left"/> <span class="author">The Conversation</span> </a></li></ul><ul class="element2 flushBottom"><li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/things-i-saw/" class="wrap"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs_v3/opinionator/things-i-saw/things-i-saw25.png" alt="Things I Saw" class="left"/> <span class="author">Things I Saw</span> </a></li><li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/thomas-b-edsall/" class="wrap"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/01/08/opinion/Edsall-profile/Edsall-profile-custom2-v2.tiff" alt="Thomas B. Edsall" class="left"/> <span class="author">Thomas B. Edsall</span> </a></li><li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/timothy-egan/" class="wrap"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/09/16/opinion/Egan_New/Egan_New-custom1.jpg" alt="Timothy Egan" class="left"/> <span class="author">Timothy Egan</span> </a></li><li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/townies/" class="wrap"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs_v3/opinionator/pogs/townies25.gif" alt="Townies" class="left"/> <span class="author">Townies</span> </a></li><li class="allContributors"><a href="/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/contributors/" class="wrap"><span class="author">All Contributors and Series »</span></a></li></ul></div></li></ul></div><div class="tabContent"><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 13, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/what-is-a-hacktivist/" title="What is a ‘Hacktivist’?">What is a ‘Hacktivist’? </a></h5><p>The death of Aaron Swartz is sure to heat up the ‘lexical warfare’ over the meaning of the word ‘hacktivism.’</p></div><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 10, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/the-joy-of-zadie-smith-and-thomas-aquinas/" title="The Joy of Zadie Smith and Thomas Aquinas">The Joy of Zadie Smith and Thomas Aquinas</a></h5><p>Bringing together the writing of two very different thinkers to illuminate a fundamental question.</p></div><div class="entry"><p class="more"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/the-stone/">More From The Stone »</a></p></div></div><div class="tabContent"><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 12, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/12/someones-knocking-at-my-door/" title="Someone’s Knocking at My Door">Someone’s Knocking at My Door</a></h5><p>A Hungarian novelist awaits a visit from hate and violence personified.</p></div><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 5, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/05/diary-of-a-creep/" title="Diary of a Creep">Diary of a Creep</a></h5><p>I’m a creep. I know this because people — mostly but not always random strangers — tell me so.</p></div><div class="entry"><p class="more"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/anxiety/">More From Anxiety »</a></p></div></div><div class="tabContent"><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 12, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/12/writing-about-what-haunts-us/" title="Writing About What Haunts Us">Writing About What Haunts Us</a></h5><p>I’ve been trying to lie about this story for years.</p></div><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 5, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/05/rapturous-research/" title="Rapturous Research">Rapturous Research</a></h5><p>I have a compulsion: I am addicted to looking things up.</p></div><div class="entry"><p class="more"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/draft/">More From Draft »</a></p></div></div><div class="tabContent"><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 11, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/back-when-i-was-packing/" title="Back When I Was Packing">Back When I Was Packing</a></h5><p>A movie-spawned fascination with Lugers bumps up against the reality of today’s assault weapons.</p></div><div class="entry"> <span class="date">December 14, 2012</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/14/only-in-my-dreams/" title="Only in My Dreams?">Only in My Dreams?</a></h5><p>Waking life can be as surreal, alarming and absurd as the other kind.</p></div><div class="entry"><p class="more"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/dick-cavett/">More From Dick Cavett »</a></p></div></div><div class="tabContent"><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 11, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/the-dicey-parent-teacher-duet/" title="The Dicey Parent-Teacher Duet">The Dicey Parent-Teacher Duet </a></h5><p>When does a helping hand become a total nuisance?</p></div><div class="entry"> <span class="date">December 20, 2012</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/preparing-students-for-a-newtown-like-disaster/" title="Preparing Students for a Newtown-like Disaster">Preparing Students for a Newtown-like Disaster</a></h5><p>Children are already thinking about gunmen in schools, every time they have a lockdown drill.</p></div><div class="entry"><p class="more"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/schooling/">More From Schooling »</a></p></div></div><div class="tabContent"><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 11, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/a-strange-sail/" title="A Strange Sail">A Strange Sail</a></h5><p>The short but pitched battle between the Hatteras and the Alabama was unique, and had long-lasting military consequences.</p></div><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 10, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/the-spectacular-rise-and-fall-of-fitz-john-porter/" title="The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Fitz John Porter">The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Fitz John Porter</a></h5><p>Arrogant and incompetent, or a Civil War hero wronged by a petty former commander?</p></div><div class="entry"><p class="more"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/disunion/">More From Disunion »</a></p></div></div><div class="tabContent"><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 10, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/the-longest-nights/" title="The Longest Nights">The Longest Nights</a></h5><p>Gray skies and short days are conducive to creativity, or, in any event, to work.</p></div><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 3, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/beginnings/" title="Beginnings">Beginnings</a></h5><p>A 2013 wish list, for Congress, the NFL and certain individuals far too self-regarding to mention here.</p></div><div class="entry"><p class="more"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/timothy-egan/">More From Timothy Egan »</a></p></div></div><div class="tabContent"><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 10, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/forced-entry/" title="Forced Entry">Forced Entry</a></h5><p>Was I an accomplice to a rescue, or a break-in?</p></div><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 3, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/arianna-huffington-and-me/" title="Arianna Huffington and Me">Arianna Huffington and Me</a></h5><p>The first in a month of Townies essays from Washington, D.C.</p></div><div class="entry"><p class="more"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/townies/">More From Townies »</a></p></div></div><div class="tabContent"><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 9, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/things-i-saw-no-52/" title="Things I Saw — No. 52">Things I Saw — No. 52</a></h5><p>The artist draws things he saw in Michigan, Indiana, New York and Canada.</p></div><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 3, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/things-i-saw-no-51/" title="Things I Saw — No. 51">Things I Saw — No. 51</a></h5><p>The artist draws things he saw in Michigan and Ohio.</p></div><div class="entry"><p class="more"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/things-i-saw/">More From Things I Saw »</a></p></div></div><div class="tabContent"><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 9, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/robert-borks-tragedy/" title="Robert Bork’s Tragedy">Robert Bork’s Tragedy</a></h5><p>Judge Bork was a tragic figure, not because he was dealt an unjust hand when he was rejected for the Supreme Court — he wasn’t — but because of his inability to understand what had happened.</p></div><div class="entry"> <span class="date">December 26, 2012</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/26/the-n-r-a-at-the-bench/" title="The N.R.A. at the Bench">The N.R.A. at the Bench</a></h5><p>The National Rifle Association has taken an increasingly active role in judicial nominations.</p></div><div class="entry"><p class="more"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/linda-greenhouse/">More From Linda Greenhouse »</a></p></div></div><div class="tabContent"><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 9, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/the-obama-coalition-vs-corporate-america/" title="The Obama Coalition vs. Corporate America">The Obama Coalition vs. Corporate America</a></h5><p>How much does the shape and scope of the president’s electoral success threaten the policy-making ascendancy of big business?</p></div><div class="entry"><p class="more"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/thomas-b-edsall/">More From Thomas B. Edsall »</a></p></div></div><div class="tabContent"><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 9, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/hagelian-dialectic/" title="Hagelian Dialectic">Hagelian Dialectic</a></h5><p>Brooks and Collins on the defense nominee and the intertwined fates of his former colleagues Biden, Clinton, Lieberman, McCain, Graham — and Obama.</p></div><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 2, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/the-fiscal-riff/" title="The Fiscal Riff">The Fiscal Riff</a></h5><p>Brooks and Collins on some other cliffs we might fall off and the overlooked virtues of constitutional monarchy.</p></div><div class="entry"><p class="more"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/the-conversation/">More From The Conversation »</a></p></div></div><div class="tabContent"><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 8, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/08/for-drug-users-hope-in-a-swift-response/" title="For Drug Users, a Swift Response Is the Best Medicine">For Drug Users, a Swift Response Is the Best Medicine</a></h5><p>An initiative in Vermont has shown that, for drug offenders, quick intervention and treatment, not drawn-out court punishments, work best.</p></div><div class="entry"> <span class="date">December 19, 2012</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/at-years-end-news-of-a-global-health-success/" title="At Year’s End, News of a Global Health Success">At Year’s End, News of a Global Health Success</a></h5><p>The stunning drop in global child mortality is proof that poor countries are not doomed to eternal misery. Here’s how it happened.</p></div><div class="entry"><p class="more"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/fixes/">More From Fixes »</a></p></div></div><div class="tabContent"><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 7, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/favoritism-is-good/" title="Favoritism Is Good">Favoritism Is Good</a></h5><p>An argument for the double standard, abetted by a new book about fairness.</p></div><div class="entry"> <span class="date">December 24, 2012</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/24/religious-exemptions-and-the-liberal-state-a-christmas-column/" title="Religious Exemptions and the Liberal State: A Christmas Column">Religious Exemptions and the Liberal State: A Christmas Column</a></h5><p>A new book asks, should religion enjoy a special status not granted to other world views or systems of belief?</p></div><div class="entry"><p class="more"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/stanley-fish/">More From Stanley Fish »</a></p></div></div><div class="tabContent"><div class="entry"> <span class="date">January 7, 2013</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/favoritism-is-good/" title="Favoritism Is Good">Favoritism Is Good</a></h5><p>An argument for the double standard, abetted by a new book about fairness.</p></div><div class="entry"> <span class="date">December 24, 2012</span><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/24/religious-exemptions-and-the-liberal-state-a-christmas-column/" title="Religious Exemptions and the Liberal State: A Christmas Column">Religious Exemptions and the Liberal State: A Christmas Column</a></h5><p>A new book asks, should religion enjoy a special status not granted to other world views or systems of belief?</p></div><div class="entry"><p class="more"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/stanley-fish/">More From Stanley Fish »</a></p></div></div></div><script type="text/javascript">NYTD.TabSet("tabWidget-7");</script><script type="text/javascript">new NYTD.Blogs.TabSetOverlayRevealer('overlayTrigger_controller').init();</script></div><div class="box module nocontent ad" id="MiddleRight"><div class="bigAdContainer"> <script type="text/javascript">/*<![CDATA[*/// if ((typeof adxpos_MiddleRight != "undefined") && (typeof adxads[adxpos_MiddleRight] != "undefined")){document.write(adxads[adxpos_MiddleRight]);} ///*]]>*/</script><script type="text/javascript">// if ((typeof adxpos_MiddleRight == "undefined") || (typeof adxads[adxpos_MiddleRight] == "undefined")) { if($("MiddleRight")) { $("MiddleRight").hide(); 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Beginning with why numbers are helpful and finishing with the mysteries of infinity.</p></div><div class="entry"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/living-rooms/"><img alt="Thumbnail" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs_v3/opinionator/pogs/livingrooms75.gif" class="w75 right"/></a><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/living-rooms/" title="Living Rooms">Living Rooms</a></h5><p class="summary">The past, present and future of domestic life, with contributions from artists, journalists, design experts and historians.</p></div><div class="entry"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/specimens/"><img alt="Thumbnail" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/specimens/specimens-75.gif" class="w75 right"/></a><h5><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/specimens/" title="Specimens">Specimens</a></h5><p class="summary">This series by Richard Conniff looks at how species discovery has transformed our lives.</p></div></div><div class="box module nocontent feeds"><h4>Subscribe</h4><div class="entry subColumn-2"><div class="column"><ul class="rssCcolumn flushBottom"><li><a title="Subscribe to Opinionator RSS Feed" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/feed/">Opinionator RSS</a></li></ul></div><div class="column lastColumn"><ul class="rssCcolumn flushBottom"><li><a title="Subscribe to Townies RSS Feed" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130114235448/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/townies/feed/">Townies RSS</a></li></ul></div></div></div><div class="box module nocontent ad" id="Box1"> <script type="text/javascript">/*<![CDATA[*/// if ((typeof adxpos_Box1 != "undefined") && (typeof adxads[adxpos_Box1] != "undefined")){document.write(adxads[adxpos_Box1]);} ///*]]>*/</script><script type="text/javascript">// if ((typeof adxpos_Box1 == "undefined") || (typeof adxads[adxpos_Box1] == "undefined")) { if($("Box1")) { $("Box1").hide(); 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