Monday, September 30, 2024
On Autumn
You all make me love Fall all over again! And I do love hearing from CraigA:
War Zone: acorns from
the mighty oaks plunking every
rooftop, shed, and car!
the mighty oaks plunking every
rooftop, shed, and car!
And Christine (glad you are ok!)
Hurricane season
In the south, even NC
Rain falls, tree tops sway.
In the south, even NC
Rain falls, tree tops sway.
Desiree:
Leaves, leaves go away.
They’ll be back another day.
Time to wax the skis.
They’ll be back another day.
Time to wax the skis.
And The Medievalist:
The days grow shorter,
Twilight on the city of
Minneapolis.
Twilight on the city of
Minneapolis.
And even this anonymous poet:
Hurricane season
Peaks in the fall; Northerners
Don't have to worry.
Peaks in the fall; Northerners
Don't have to worry.
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Sunday Reflection: For us? Against us?
In John 9 we find this story:
John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.
Elsewhere (Matthew 12:30) Jesus says the opposite-- that "those who are not for us are against us."
Ministers worldwide have worked hard to either harmonize these two things or to avoid the subject altogether. I'm not sure I can do better than either group. Good thing I am not a minister!
I've always understood both of these to be about people who are in the squishy middle. After all, it isn't those who are "for us" or "against us"-- it's people who aren't really in either.
Maybe we could think of that group as sadly unfocused-- pick a side already!-- but it could be that they just haven't engaged with the question. And in that way, they are both for AND against us.
For example, think about people who really have no opinion about climate change. They either don't care one way or the other, or have never really thought about it. To people seeking to address climate change, those people (seen as not being against us) are for us in the sense that they are not resisting the changes sought. They also (seen as not being for us) are against us in that they are not pro-actively a part of the solution.
But mostly, here is how I think of those neither for- or against- people: as an audience. They are the ones we can persuade, and then real things, accomplishments of the spirit, can happen.
[Note: the illustration is supposed to be Mitch McConnell driving out demons]
Saturday, September 28, 2024
The storm...
Friday, September 27, 2024
Haiku Friday: Autumn
It's officially autumn now! I have always loved this time of year the best (though lately I have really appreciated summer). Let's haiku about Fall this week! Here, I will go first:
Leaves, pumpkins, apples
I love scents of Autumn
Where is that sweater?
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun!
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
PMT: New York Mayor Indicted by Feds for Corruption
[Note: The above is not an actual photo of Eric Adams. Instead, it is what AI gave me when I asked them for an image of "New York Mayor running from a mob of prosecutors]
Yesterday, federal prosecutors in Manhattan charged the Mayor of New York, Eric Adams, with corruption-- we don't have further details because the indictment is sealed. It's remarkable that in the long history of New York and corruption, this is the first time a sitting mayor has been indicted.
One thing to note here is the worth of an independent Department of Justice, which was willing to charge a prominent Democrat right before an important national election.
The other thing is... well, didn't people see this coming? The guy clearly did not live in New York when he ran for Mayor, among other red flags.
On Coffee
I'm not one of those people who "needs" coffee. If there is no coffee, I'm fine-- I've gone weeks with no coffee.
However I do like coffee. I especially like the smell of it, that warm aroma. I like to put my hand over the mug and feel the warmth, and to start with a cup of black coffee and then perfect it with a little sugar and a little milk and maybe, sometimes, some vanilla.
And I like to sit in a ramshackle coffee shop-- yes, I prefer ramshackle over "clean" or "Starbucks"-- and watch the people and pretend to read something as I do so. In Waco, it was wonderful to eavesdrop on students doing group projects, especially the ones who were doing it poorly or with great drama. And the coffee was great.
A friend once told me about a man from Turkey who owned a little store near my friend's house in Chicago. People would come in and get a cup of coffee and run out to drink it in the car and it just enraged the store owner-- he believed that coffee should be enjoyed sitting down with friends.
And maybe that is the difference between needing coffee and liking it.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
The Weight
I have a short piece out now (for the Federal Sentencing Reporter) that is kind of about this song-- it is even titled "The Weight." I hope that you will download and read it-- just go to this link and then click "download."
Monday, September 23, 2024
On the dance
I meant for this topic to be broader, but everyone construed it to be about the homecoming dance-- which actually worked out well (though it sounds like there was a fair amount of heartache).
CraigA is back, and has a take (and, hopefully, pictures):
We had cotillion:
Rented tux and formal dress.
A high school clown show.
Rented tux and formal dress.
A high school clown show.
It didn't go well for IPLawGuy (but things improved for him):
Never went to one
No self confidence at all
Nor prom. Still bitter
No self confidence at all
Nor prom. Still bitter
Christine poses a mystery:
I was told someone,
asked me to homecoming, but
alas, a rumor
He never knew I
found out, but I still carry
Memory, knowing.
asked me to homecoming, but
alas, a rumor
He never knew I
found out, but I still carry
Memory, knowing.
Desiree has a different perspective now:
Couldn’t get a date
to save my life in high school,
no hoco for me.
Now as a mom and
teacher I cheer the parade,
gasp at the dresses.
to save my life in high school,
no hoco for me.
Now as a mom and
teacher I cheer the parade,
gasp at the dresses.
And Jill Scoggins brings in the fascinating world we call Texas:
Enormous fluffy
mums as big as my head. That’s
Texas Homecomings.
mums as big as my head. That’s
Texas Homecomings.
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Sunday Reflection: Beauty
I grew up around people with a particular and wonderful superpower: to see beauty anywhere. It always seemed to me to be a form of God-connection; being able to see the corners of creation that others didn't. It's hard to articulate this exactly, but that feels connected to the way that so much great art has been inspired by the divine.
Over the course of my life, I've come to know people who are the opposite: who obsess over the ugly, the despoiled, the repulsive bits of the world around us. It's tiring to be with them, and it must be hard to see the world that way. I have to think that seeing creation this way must distance a person from the divine.
Yes, there are ugly things out there, stuff we humans have ruined, mostly. But it's worth it to see the good.
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Interesting commentary on the weirdness of the week
Friday, September 20, 2024
Haiku Friday: The Dance
This is the time of year for homecoming dances. Where I live, you know all about because you see awkward and not-so-awkward kids out and about in nice clothes, perhaps sitting at a restaurant or taking pictures by a lake. I remember our homecoming dances in high school well-- and they were both awkward and not-so-awkward, depending on the year.
Let's haiku about that this week. Here I will go first:
Putting on a tie
Not a normal part of life
An assist from Dad.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun!
Thursday, September 19, 2024
PMT: Biden and Clemency
Rachel Barkow and I have a piece at the New York Times (online yesterday, probably in print in the next week or so) setting a clemency agenda for the last months of the Biden administration. It is my 4th piece in the Times, with the earlier ones in 2014, 2016 & 2021. You can read the latest one here. This is part of what we said:
End-of-term clemency chaos has become an unfortunate presidential
tradition, as presidents scramble after ignoring this crucial power for
most of their time in office. That is how we ended up with Bill Clinton unloading 140 pardons on his last day in office, including one to the wholly undeserving Marc Rich, a fugitive financier; George W. Bush
wrecking his relationship with Dick Cheney by refusing at the last
minute to give a full pardon to Scooter Libby, Mr. Cheney’s chief of
staff, for obstructing a federal investigation; and Donald Trump issuing pardons to undeserving cronies and celebrities....
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Another night in the burned-down hellscape of Minneapolis (at least if you believe Donald Trump).
The truth is that this is a remarkably beautiful city. I passed by the same point twice today-- the one pictured about at dusk, with the moon rising.
This morning I passed that spot on my bike, riding into work. My route takes me past neighborhood after neighborhood of beautiful homes, little stores and restaurants, and parks. This city had the wisdom to reserve the lakeshores as parkland, and that has made life in the cities so much better.
Then this evening I went to a law school reception a hundred yards away, looking out over the clean water of the glacial lake towards the downtown in the distance.
It's a good place-- the most beautiful place I've ever lived. And it is doing just fine, thank you.
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
CosMc's breaks new ground!
According to their website, it looks like so far they have opened up mostly in the Dallas area, which tracks.
I do wonder about their mascot, Cosmo. It looks like he has six fingers on one hand and four on the other, among other oddities...
Monday, September 16, 2024
Tree Poems
Thank you for the excellent tree haiku! We had this from Christine, who is describing the tree I pictured (I think- it is at the foot of the street where we both grew up):
The tree stands alone
symmetrical, with deep roots
Traffic whizzing near.
symmetrical, with deep roots
Traffic whizzing near.
Desiree knows trees, and I can just see this one from her description:
On the street corner,
our neighborhood star- white trunk,
huge leaves…sycamore!
our neighborhood star- white trunk,
huge leaves…sycamore!
The Medievalist has a Texas slant:
My favorite tree
Is the burr oak in backyard,
Plant'd many moons ago.
Is the burr oak in backyard,
Plant'd many moons ago.
And I loved this anonymous entry:
Pink mimosa tree
Perfect backyard kid climbing
I could see the world! 🌍
Perfect backyard kid climbing
I could see the world! 🌍
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Sunday Reflection: "The people on television said..."
Above is a clip of the last presidential debate, in which Donald Trump made the bonkers claim that immigrants in Ohio are eating cats and dogs. What interests me most, though is what you hear at about 1:50 of this clip, where Trump defends the thoroughly debunked claim by asserting that "the people on television" said it was true.
He seemed completely sincere in this, the fact that belief in something is justified because people on TV proclaim it. And, it seems, he is not alone.
The odd thing is that at the same time we have (1) An amazing number of people believing the most outlandish things if someone on television or the internet makes the claim, and (2) a striking reduction in belief in God, which is rooted in millennia of human experience and an entire world full of evidence.
I suppose one dynamic in play is that a belief in God makes us each less important (as there is a higher power), while conspiracy theories seem to make the hearer and proclaimer more important. One leads towards humility, the other goes in another direction.
Saturday, September 14, 2024
This is worth it just for the "Fabulous Baker Boys" scenes....
Friday, September 13, 2024
Haiku Friday: Favorite tree
I took this picture of my favorite tree last winter-- I think it is a good thing to have a favorite tree. Let's haiku about those this week. Here, I will go first:
Lakeside sentinel
Trunks akimbo, leaves dismissed
Bare in your beauty.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun!
Thursday, September 12, 2024
PMT: The Debate, part 2
[Photo above, oddly enough, was taken at the Republican booth at the MN State Fair]
I'm still a little amazed at how the presidential debate turned out. I'm realizing in full that Harris did exactly what she wanted-- she provoked Trump into being undisciplined and saying crazy stuff, and then just let him go with it. Shockingly effective.
It is odd to hear cries from Trump supporters that Harris isn't articulating enough specific policy, when Trump's plan for health care-- after nine years of engaging with the issue-- is that he is examining "concepts" for a plan now.
There is something on my mind about all this, too.
Yesterday was the 23rd anniversary of 9/11/01. That should be a reminder to us all that leadership, and picking good leadership, isn't a game or way to express our own emotions. There are very real dangers in this world, and a steady hand at the top is important. That disaster reflected a lot of failures by our government, and the cost was horrible. I worry that we treat politics like sports too often; that we are fans of one team or another. Insofar as politics is the form we use to choose leadership, it has to be more than that, or we are all endangered.
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
The Debate
Well at least that was better than two elderly guys yelling about golf.
Some takeaways:
1) Kamala Harris should have just answered the questions, especially the first one (are people better off now than they were four years ago)-- the answer is clearly "yes," if you remember September of 2020.
2) There was a real turning point. Trump was composed and making sense-- and winning the debate-- until Harris made fun of his rallies. After that he lost his composure and went on a weird series of rants, which is exactly what Harris wanted.
3) You could almost see Trump thinking "Don't talk about eating pets... they said don't talk about eating pets..." before blurting out some nonsense about immigrants eating pets.
4) ABC did the best job of fact-checking the most egregious lies. Trump people say that they only fact-checked Trump, but he was the one telling the most egregious lies.
5) In the end, only one of the candidates came off as presidential-- having that gravitas-- and it was not the former president.
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Sounds of the water
The sounds of my childhood were defined largely by the fact that we lived close to Lake St. Clair-- on a dead-end street, which meant to go anywhere you had to go to the lakeshore.
I remember the summer sounds of speedboats (Ruhhh-boom... Ruhhh-boom) and the autumn sound of a freighter's foghorn (O00000h-Ahhhh). Sometimes I still listen for that at night, even though I live far from the water.
Monday, September 09, 2024
Poems of Autumn's arrival
It was a bountiful harvest of haiku last week-- thanks everyone!
Desiree's home state is not ready for Fall:
“Slow your roll, Fall!” says
the Old Dominion. “I am
still bringing the heat!”
the Old Dominion. “I am
still bringing the heat!”
Nor is the Medievalist's (at least his adopted state):
In Central Texas,
It’s ninety-five and sunny,
All the leaves are green.
It’s ninety-five and sunny,
All the leaves are green.
Amy begs to differ:
Wearing it today—
Bark brown brightened with creamed butter—
Color you could eat.
Bark brown brightened with creamed butter—
Color you could eat.
And also has a bug problem:
But fall reverie
Still loses to mosquitoes
Til they’ve had enough.
Still loses to mosquitoes
Til they’ve had enough.
Jill Scoggins is looking forward to it:
Brown leaves in green grass.
Cool mornings. Early apples.
Fall is on the way.
Cool mornings. Early apples.
Fall is on the way.
And I loved this anonymous entry:
Mowing the lawn still
Winter is coming soon stark
Mornings bear new light.
Winter is coming soon stark
Mornings bear new light.
Christine and I share this gratitude:
September arrives
Finally cooler weather
At least for a while.
Finally cooler weather
At least for a while.
Sunday, September 08, 2024
Sunday Reflection: "Tell No One"
In Mark 7, we get this story about Jesus:
They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
It's a pretty simple story, except the parts that aren't. Of course people are amazed that he could heal the man who was deaf. And of course Jesus couldn't help but heal the man who needed help.
But why would Jesus tell those present not to tell anyone about what happened? After all, it didn't work at all-- they proclaimed it even more zealously! So, this seems to be Jesus failing at something, since he did not succeed in silencing those present.
One question (beyond Jesus not succeeding) is why Jesus did not want them to talk about the miracle they witnessed. Was he actually playing the psychology of it; that is, did he know that if he told them not to talk they would do the opposite? Or was he worried about being overwhelmed, and was sincere in his request?
That failure to stop people from talking is so... human. And isn't that part of who Jesus was?
Saturday, September 07, 2024
The Full Interview
Friday, September 06, 2024
Haiku Friday: Signs of Fall
The weather is getting cooler-- time to break out the sweaters (at least in Minnesota). Let's haiku about signs of fall this week. Here, I will go first:
A single red leaf
Silent sidewalk sentinel
Curves upwards to me.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun!
Thursday, September 05, 2024
PMT: Doomed to a close race
Not so long ago, I didn't think that the 2024 presidential race was going to be close at all-- it appeared that Joe Biden would stumble along, playing into Trump's hands at every turn, until all hope was lost of him.
That changed, of course, with his stepping away. Kamala Harris has managed to pull even with Trump or even a little bit ahead. And I suspect that we will stay right there for the next few months barring any huge development (ie, Kamala Harris saying "Yes, I am a communist," at the debate or Trump driving a monster truck over Taylor Swift several times).
The problem, as several pundits have noted, is that for both sides there is a deep and firm well of committed partisans who could never be convinced to vote for the other side. Trump goes this way and that back and forth on abortion, yet his supporters (even the ones who came to his side because of that issue) don't seem to care anymore. They like him because he is Donald Trump, the person they like.
For Democrats, the common bond is not liking Trump, of course, but what got them close was the fact that Harris will motivate some people to vote who, with Biden in the race, probably wouldn't have voted at all.
It's sad that policy matters so little at this point, but there we are.
Wednesday, September 04, 2024
The BIG Big 10....
The first rankings are out for this college football season, and something shocking is in those numbers: of the top ten ranked teams, nine of them are in either the Big 10 or the SEC. The only team outside of those conferences in the top ten is Notre Dame.
Part of that has to do with expansion of those two leagues. One of the SEC teams (Texas) and one of the Big 10 teams (Oregon) is new to that league. But still...
One thing that happened was that at least one team from outside those two conferences kinda blew it already. Florida State was in the top 10 and expected to excel, but is now 0-2 after losing two ACC games (to Georgia Tech and Boston College, neither of them powerhouses).
I'm not so happy about this consolidation of power... but I am still watching.
Tuesday, September 03, 2024
The End of the Fair
Now that summer is over (at least in Minnesota), it's time for the State Fair to end, as well. It's been a great year for the fair, with record attendance on several days. The fairgrounds will soon be covered with snow and polar bears.
If you aren't from here, it's probably hard to understand the cultural impact of the Fair, where people eat unusual food, act like the Butter Queen (technically, Princess Kay of the Milky Way) is actual royalty, and go to the same attractions that their great-great-grandparents did.
For many people, tomorrow will be the first day of school, which is its own kind of holiday: Such potential! Such vulnerability! Such newness!
So let's go get that....
Monday, September 02, 2024
Storm poems
There were some great poems this week! I was really impressed with this anonymous entry:
Petrichor is the
Scent right after rain. Distinct.
Earth's lovely greeting.
Scent right after rain. Distinct.
Earth's lovely greeting.
Medievalist! Come inside!:
Thunder shook the air,
Lightening flashed in sky,
Hard rain in my face.
Lightening flashed in sky,
Hard rain in my face.
Desiree was a storm victim:
Trapped in school. Waiting
for the storm to end so I
can escape from work
for the storm to end so I
can escape from work
Jill Scoggins had a better experience:
On the deck, watching
two waterspouts dance. Fearful
and fascinated.
two waterspouts dance. Fearful
and fascinated.
And Christine visited twice (thank you!) with this:
Suddenly, big drops,
crashing like water balloons
from the sky, ka-boom.
crashing like water balloons
from the sky, ka-boom.
And this, a familiar scene:
Watching live radar
Ominous orange and red
March across my screen.
Ominous orange and red
March across my screen.
Sunday, September 01, 2024
Sunday Reflection: The Harvest
There is something sacred about this time of year, the time of harvest. Jesus told a lot of stories that involve a harvest, and there is a reason for that-- in a society that depends on agriculture, it is when the payoff happens.
I do love Autumn. It has always seemed like the most spiritual of seasons, as the easy days of summer fade and the challenges of the rest of the year arise. Because most of my life has been on the academic calendar, it is also the time to start anew with new students and new classes, often with new colleagues.
It is, really, the time of the year that I find it easiest to feel close to God and my fellow people. So, let's celebrate the harvest!
