Author Archives: Gavin Stevens

About Gavin Stevens

Humptulips County is the wholly fictional on-line residence of Stephen Ellis, a would-be writer, an avid fan of William Faulkner and his Yoknapatawpha County, and a retired lawyer.

The Theory and Practice of Rainbows

Posted on January 16, 2009 by Gavin Stevens

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day, right there in Alabama, little black boys and little black … Continue reading →

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Where Do These People Come From?

Posted on January 9, 2009 by Gavin Stevens

Police Captain Rick Myers said it’s unusual for a masked robber to wait in line at a bank. CBSnews.com, Strange Stories, January 10, 2009 The above quote comes from an on-line story about a bank robber in Stow, Ohio who … Continue reading →

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Thanks, But No Thanks

Posted on December 29, 2008 by Gavin Stevens

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that despite President Bush’s low approval ratings, people will soon “start to thank this president for what he’s done.” CNN on-line article, December 29, 2008 Condoleeza Rice is living in a dream world of … Continue reading →

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Christmas Morning

Posted on December 25, 2008 by Gavin Stevens

It is early this Christmas morning and, as is my habit, I am awake long before the others enjoying the quiet and the anticipation. Strangely, in a time of shared and extended family, this is the time of Christmas I … Continue reading →

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A Christmas Gift

Posted on December 23, 2008 by Gavin Stevens

Old age is a flight of small cheeping birds skimming bare trees above a snow glaze. William Carlos Williams We are snowed in at our house in Humptulips County. We haven’t seen this much snow in our County in recent … Continue reading →

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Blunt Truths

Posted on December 12, 2008 by Gavin Stevens

“Tyrant! You are a tyrant!” Washington State Justice Richard B. Sanders to Attorney General Michael Mukasey at the annual Federalist Society dinner, 2008 I don’t normally find myself in much agreement with Justice Richard Sanders of our State’s Supreme Court. … Continue reading →

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A Thanksgiving Prayer

Posted on November 24, 2008 by Gavin Stevens

Steve Inskeep: “What does it mean to be American?” Junot Diaz: “It is a question that as individuals and as a country we wrestle with every day. It’s the wrestling with that question that defines us, not any of the … Continue reading →

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Palinopsia

Posted on November 13, 2008 by Gavin Stevens

palinopsia pal·i·nop·si·a (pāl’ə-nŏp’sē-ə)n. Abnormally recurring visual imagery. The American Heritage® Stedman’s Medical Dictionary What is the hold that Sarah Palin seems to have on the American media establishment? There doesn’t appear to be any real substance to her, yet the … Continue reading →

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Seeing is Believing

Posted on November 10, 2008 by Gavin Stevens

There is a report this morning that President-elect Obama is working on a plan to close Guantanamo immediately upon taking office. It is essential that he follow through on this matter immediately upon taking office, without qualification, hesitation or backtracking, … Continue reading →

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Lessons From the Long, Dark Night of Our Soul

Posted on November 5, 2008 by Gavin Stevens

Yesterday marked a series of signal events in our history, the foremost of which was the election of a young, African-American man as the 44th President of the United States. His election generated immediate hope and energy in a country … Continue reading →

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