Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
DECEMBER 21, 2024 – With the Christmas song, Do You Hear What I Hear? (and its first verse line, “Do you see what I see?”) ringing inside my head, I’m compelled to ask, Who in this country does not hear and see what’s happened to our precious democracy? Who does not hear, who does not …
DECEMBER 3, 2024 – Judging by the colored blonde hair with dark roots, the long pink sparkly false nails, the oversized ring, the expensive blanket cape, the high black shoes . . . the middle-aged woman across the aisle and one row up on the flight back to Minnesota was definitely not from my zip …
DECEMBER 2, 2024 – If you’re a Democrat the paper version of The Times these days will make you crazy. Musk, Patel, RFK, Jr., a former security guard-turned-county sheriff as director of the D.E.A.; sheriff, RFK, Jr., Patel, Musk . . . Gaetz, Hegseth, Gabbards; Gabbards, Hegseth, Gaetz, in case you’ve forgotten about the roster …
NOVEMBER 29, 2024 – Perhaps the soundest investment advice I’ve ever encountered was in an article in the Business Section of a Saturday edition of The Times—years ago when a paper copy was tossed somewhere in our yard, bushes or front basement window wells (the delivery system deteriorated to the point where we were forced …
NOVEMBER 26, 2024 – Back on a suitably balmy early evening in October 2018, I ventured over to Target Center in downtown Minneapolis to witness the goings on surrounding a Trump rally inside the home of the Timberwolves. The festivities were a mere five blocks from my office. I’d tried to garner a ticket to …
NOVEMBER 25, 2024 – Reactions vary among the roughly 73 million voters who voted for Kamala Harris. Some people are scandalized and looking into permanent residency, even full citizenship requirements, in Canada, Costa Rica, Ireland or Portugal. Others are in the ring with a bunch of fellow angry Democrats accusing the Harris campaign and party …
NOVEMBER 20, 2024 – I’m pretty sure that Elon Musk’s name was not on the ballot earlier this month. But as it turns out, his influence was—next to Trump’s name. The owner of X contributed over $118 million toward the effort to elect (“re-elect”?) Trump, and more than ever in American democracy, money buys influence, …
NOVEMBER 18, 2024 – Blogger’s note: At the end of my post on October 9, 2019, the second part of a story about a trip to the ER up at the lake, I wrote, In the lobby, my wife was chatting away with three guys in camouflage. These cheerful musketeers were awaiting care of their …
NOVEMBER 17, 2024 – Last night before sailing off to Nod, I read more of Ian Frazier’s latest book, Paradise Bronx: The Life and Times of New York’s Greatest Borough. I highly recommend it. Currently, I’m reading all about the Bronx in the opening stages of the Revolutionary War. Of course, it’s all about the …
NOVEMBER 16, 2024 – Today was another glorious day in the “tree garden,” where I took full advantage of the unseasonably fair weather and blasted well beyond my goal of “bud-capping” 500 trees. As of nightfall, the count was closer to 600, though a far cry from my record of 1,000 two years ago, but …
NOVEMBER 15, 2024 – Our culture has long been “anti-elitist” but Trump’s recent cabinet appointments signal that we’re deep into territory hostile toward experts and expertise, with growing antipathy toward government and governance. Experts aren’t always right and non-experts aren’t always wrong, but context is everything. Back in the distant past when I managed a …
NOVEMBER 14, 2024 – Lately, I’ve been so focused on serious, heart-wrenching matters in my own little sphere, I’ve had little time or desire to focus much on the larger world. When I do raise my head for a wider view, however, I find perverse relief in a painful diversion: The Appointments. They are straight …
NOVEMBER 11, 2024 – Today the world rotated yet again and made all of us a day older. In my own little corner of the globe I experienced enough to fill at least two episodes of the current season of my imaginary Netflix series. Otherwise put . . . to capture for posterity the details …
NOVEMBER 10, 2024 – Today on the medical front it was a day of rest before tomorrow’s round of tests. In the interim . . . back to politics . . . * * * As I read with amusement the continuing cascade of self-criticism by mainstream Democrats and the more acerbic attacks by progressives …
NOVEMBER 7, 2024 – “What in the world happened to the Republican Party?” Democrats had been asking ever since Trump assumed unquestioned and unquestionable control of it. In the run-up to the 2024 election, pundits predicted that if Trump lost, the party would lie in ruins. After Trump’s decisive defeat of Harris on Tuesday, however, …
NOVEMBER 6, 2024 – Early this morning before the rest of the household was up, I quietly went downstairs, fixed myself my usual breakfast, then slipped out of the house and out of town. The election results had taken their emotional toll on us all, and for the sake of everyone’s blood pressure, I wanted …
NOVEMBER 5, 2024 – 7:10 a.m. – Today’s the day, the tipping point in our political history; the day we’ll all look back on as a turning point—one way or the other—in our individual lives and collectively. The stingy November light of daybreak is hampered further by a gray, low-slung sky. Rain pelts the windows …
NOVEMBER 4, 2024 – As an American I’m a product of our “make a quick buck” culture and have pursued a number of “get rich quick” schemes. My first was an attempt when I was five to sell my older sisters’ Jack and Jill magazines to the neighbors. I had no takers, but not for …
NOVEMBER 1, 2024 – Allow me to kick back for a moment and savor the thought that not only will the Duly Defeated soon fade from the national consciousness, but for the first time America will elect a woman as president. As if that alone isn’t cause for celebration, we’ll be in bonus territory in …
OCTOBER 29, 2024 – After watching/listening to vice president’s uplifting campaign speech this evening, I was schooled by our older son, who also heard Harris’s rallying cry. Cory himself is not voting for Trump, but he understands why a lot of men—regardless of race—are Trump supporters. I realized that if I wanted to understand better, …
OCTOBER 28, 2024 – It’s no secret among people who know me that I see no redeeming trait in the Republican candidate for president. In fact, I see only a disposition and impulses that have already damaged our country and body politic. In the second go, if he wins or seizes power, he will do …
OCTOBER 27, 2024 -Today was Trump’s much publicized rally in Madison Square Garden. I was there . . . well, not exactly, but I watched a video of his complete appearance. The content and delivery inspired the title to this post. As Trump “speeches” go, a portion of it was actually a speech, but most …
OCTOBER 26, 2024 – With a few exceptions, my readers probably agree: there’s way too much big money in politics. At the time it was decided the 2010 landmark Supreme Court case, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission got a lot of us all stirred up. The decision unleashed a wave of criticism and predictions …
OCTOBER 24, 2024 – Today I exercised the franchise. For the past few election cycles I’ve cast my vote early. It’s become such an ingrained personal custom that waiting until Election Day itself seems almost negligent; similar to serving an Answer to a Complaint on the very last day before you’d be in default territory …
OCTOBER 23, 2024 – For book club this month—the month of Halloween—our group is reading Frankenstein by Mary Wollstoncraft Shelley. You all know the story[1]—man creates uncontrollable monster. Last summer the sequel was published under the title, Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass, by one Ramin …