Monday, June 30, 2025
On the long days
Only three poems this week, but fortunately they were good!
We had this anonymous entry:
Walking in sunshine
Is better than in darkness
I can see my path.
Is better than in darkness
I can see my path.
And this from our winner, Christine:
Late in the eve'ning
Distant fireworks explode
With the setting sun.
Distant fireworks explode
With the setting sun.
And another anonymous:
I embrace the green
One with leaves,blades of grass,I
Inhale sweetness,peace.
One with leaves,blades of grass,I
Inhale sweetness,peace.
Sunday, June 29, 2025
Sunday Reflection: Among the Chosen
On this past Friday, I walked from work down LaSalle to the Plymouth Congregational church for a meeting of the Justice for All Coalition that I co-founded a few years ago. It's a big urban church that I didn't know, so I wasn't sure how to get in for the meeting. I tried four doors, and they were all locked.
Eventually I spotted people going into a basement doorway, and others coming out with food. Happy to have finally found a portal into the building, I headed in the door.
A friendly guy at the door asked what I needed, and I tried to explain my predicament. He nodded and happily brought me to the end of a line nearby. I figured, at first, that it was a line to get into the church, perhaps through metal detectors (this was so soon after the political murders here, and state legislators were coming to the meeting).
I started to talk to the others in line, and it became clear that I was in the food shelf line-- the church hosts the Groveland Food Shelf for people in need-- rather than some line to get into the church.
Luckily I had (uncharacteristically) arrived a little early so I stayed in the line, long enough to see the food that was being distributed. I enjoyed the company and was really impressed with the food, which included lots of the things I buy for myself, which it should. The people in line were friendlier than the people in other parts of my life.
After a while, I headed off to the meeting (without taking food). It was such a worthwhile diversion. I was tempted to write here that I was "mistaken for someone in need," but the truth is that I was, I am, someone in need-- and that moment fed my soul.
Saturday, June 28, 2025
A great song
I always liked this song-- but not until recently did I know that Prince wrote it and gave it to the Bangles:
Friday, June 27, 2025
Haiku Friday: The Long Days
It's that time of year when the days are the longest, something that is especially significant if you live here in the North. So let's haiku about that this week. Here, I will go first:
The long long twilight
I love the subtle colors
Pink red purple black.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable formula and have some fun!
Thursday, June 26, 2025
PMT: New York tea leaves
On Tuesday, New York voters in the Democratic primary for mayor delivered a surprising victory to NYC State Representative Zohran Momdani, who won by a surprising margin over former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Momdani was little known before the campaign, and is only 33 years old-- about half the age of Cuomo. He ran a vigorous campaign that emphasized get out on the streets, while Cuomo stuck mainly to staged appearances in the usual places.
The outsider beat the establishment candidate, and some are signaling this as a sign that perhaps Democrats are no longer going to listen so closely to the old heads who told them to support Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, as it was their turn. I sure hope so. I agree with Karen Tumulty at the Washington Post, who suspects that the result is connected to a "Biden hangover."
It was about a decade ago that IPLawGuy looked around at Biden and Trump and Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and said "these people are old." I think you can throw in Netanyahu and Putin, too. Anyways, they are all ten years older than that now, and the desire for generational change after the painful Trump-Biden campaign is growing. Of course, in 2024 that desire for generational change did not get Kamala Harris over the hump... but I sense the mood has changed since then, even in these short months.
It might be that the 2026 elections are a bloodbath for incumbents. I jus hope they leave the good ones!
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
It's the off-season for mascots
Football season is a few months off. Basketball season is in the rear view mirror. It's the off-season for mascots, but that is kind of my favorite time to spot them-- like Goldy Gopher crashing a wedding, pictured above. Or making music videos:
The one Big Ten mascot who genuinely gives me the creeps, though, is the Purdue Boiler-head guy, who apparently spends his summer at the Jersey Shore. I'm ok with the Big Ten expansion, at least in part because now we get more of the wacky antics of Donald Duck knockoff, the Oregon Duck:
Hurry, football season!
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Maybe he'll be great!
One thing history has shown us is that when the US participates actively in Middle East wars, we become a target of terrorism. That means that over the next several years we will have to be especially vigilant to prevent another 9/11.
Speaking of which, Pro Publica (always a good read) has a fascinating piece up about the current head of the Department of Homeland Security's Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, which leads nationwide efforts to fight terrorism and targeted violence. That would be Thomas Fugate, pictured above in the Pro Publica article.
Mr. Fugate graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2024, worked on the Trump campaign and had an internship at the Heritage Foundation. Which, um, well, he did do Model UN! But give him time-- he is only 22.
The anti-terrorism unit doesn't have so many people to supervise anymore, it turns out. It's gone from about 80 employees to less than 20 in this administration, consistent with a lot of other agencies and divisions that would seem to be pretty important.
Of course, this is just one of many governmental units (including the FBI) which are tasked with fighting terrorism. Still, it does seem that its main job-- nurturing partnerships to detect and fight terrorism-- would be pretty important right now.
But then again... maybe he'll be great!
Monday, June 23, 2025
On dissent!
Wonderful work this week! There were two from Christine. This came in on Friday:
At local rally
I am not alone; No KINGS
Community strength
(My sign said NOPE (the E a crown))
I am not alone; No KINGS
Community strength
(My sign said NOPE (the E a crown))
And this one on Sunday:
My No Kings signage
Is not sufficient for my
Anger this morning.
Is not sufficient for my
Anger this morning.
I loved this anonymous one:
Sign I carried read
“We have a constitution,
Not a king.” Amen.
“We have a constitution,
Not a king.” Amen.
And this:
They’re coming for us
In black with covered faces
Please don’t look away.
In black with covered faces
Please don’t look away.
Des went to the memory bank:
We came with signs, hats.
Women’s March made history.
A fam’ly affair!
Women’s March made history.
A fam’ly affair!
And I agree with Tim:
That's not the right way
With your guns and knives and hate
Peaceful protest wins.
With your guns and knives and hate
Peaceful protest wins.
And this anonymous one:
Defended clinics.
Now, existential danger
Requires action.
Now, existential danger
Requires action.
And another:
The fingers of fear
Clutch hearts, still we march,knowing
No other way: Fight!
Clutch hearts, still we march,knowing
No other way: Fight!
Sunday, June 22, 2025
Sunday Reflection: And what of the Gaserenes?
I have always loved this passage from Luke 8:
26Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. 28When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”— 29for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) 30Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. 31They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss. 32Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. 34
There is so much going on here! First of all, you have a guy who is so tormented that he is living naked in "the tombs," and then he thinks that Jesus is not there to help him, but to torment him. And then-- and I have thought about this a lot over the years-- he says that his name is "Legion," because so many demons were inside of him.
Ok, here is the twist: the demons, not wanting to go back to the "abyss," ask Jesus to send them into some nearby pigs-- and Jesus does it! Why is Jesus granting this grace to, you know, demons? And then the new hosts of the demons plunge to their deaths in the lake.
The Gerasenes, a mixed population of Jews and Gentiles, were the real losers in all of this as their herd was destroyed. They are one of several bystanders who end up the loser in the Bible (most prominently, I remember the multitudes who followed Moses through the Red Sea but were swallowed up).
I'd like to think that Jesus then somehow made the Gerasenes whole, but it could be that there is an inherent judgment of them in all this, as they had not taken care of the man with the demons.
Whenever I read a story about Jesus, I think about which character I am. Too often, we make ourselves Jesus-- but that just is not who we are, right? So in this story I think we are Gerasenes (or Gaderenes in some other Gospels)-- the people who did not take the man out of the tombs, clothe him, and tend to his needs.
That is the reading that is consistent with the rest of what Jesus taught, where over and over we are told to care for those in need....
Saturday, June 21, 2025
Reviews of the Parade still coming in...
Friday, June 20, 2025
Haiku friday: Dissent
[Photo: Jeffery Plansker, Detroit, No Kings Day]
Dissent has a great tradition in our country, and we are seeing some of it right now. Let's haiku about that this week. Here, I will go first:
Hard to ignore now
Unless you really try hard
Which is what they do.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllabe pattern, and have some fun.
Thursday, June 19, 2025
PMT: Political Violence
At some point, we will have to accept a basic fact: That words and images matter.
Over the years, those who have made money off their speech have told us that violent and misogynistic music does not make anyone violent or misogynistic, that TV shows or video games full of guns and violence don't make anyone more prone to violence, and that political takes, no matter how awful and vile, don't really drive anyone to violence.
It's all hogwash. Of course people are affected by what they see and read. No, not everyone who plays violent video games becomes a murderer-- but it doesn't take many to wreck lives.
Does anyone really believe that rhetoric doesn't matter?
After all, Christians believe that talking about Jesus and giving out Bibles will create more Christians (and historically, they have been right). Politicians believe that waves of ads will make people vote one way or another (and they are correct about that). People on dating apps think the right photo or description will bring them love (and sometimes they are right). In all sorts of ways, we recognize the link between words and images and the actions of those who view those words and actions.
So, if you are saying that someone is "like Hitler," stop. If you are describing pro-choice people as "murderers," stop. If you can't talk about politics without describing someone as "evil," stop.
We can and should disagree about policies and who should be in office. But when we go further and describe people in negative terms that really do demand action (because evil should be addressed), we are the problem.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
The best pizza
To me, the "best pizza" is often the one I am eating. Life is too short to eat bad pizza, so I usually go to places where I know I will like it.
Is clam pizza from Modern Apizza in New Haven the best? Yes it is. If I am in New Haven eating it.
Is Jet's pizza on the porch of my Mom's house the best? Absolutely, if I am on that porch.
Is a hot pizza from Hello Pizza in Edina, eaten in the back yard on a warm evening the best? Yes, until it is gone.
Is Dominoes pizza in front of the TV in a hotel room the best. No, it's not-- which is why I don't do that!
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
More Mayhem in Minnesota
When I lived in Waco, it seemed like crazy and tragic things kept happening there. Then I moved to Minnesota, and...
The murder of Melissa Hortman and her husband and the attempted murder of two others by an anti-abortion zealot is tragic on many levels, the most obvious being the loss of life-- which is a bizarre goal for a "pro-life" shooter.
Like many people in Minnesota, I had various connections to the victims, though many people I know felt the loss much more directly. I also sense a loss of optimism among my fellow Minnesotans, a shift in the culture that may or may not heal....
Monday, June 16, 2025
Relaxation!
Maybe is says something about our society that I got far more of a response on the topic of "Snoopy" than I did on "Relaxation." But, still there were some gems, like this sad reflection from IPLawGuy:
Students get a break
working professionals, no
Us, eat what you kill.
working professionals, no
Us, eat what you kill.
More upbeat was this anonymous entry:
Concerts in the park
Blanket, picnic basket, friends
Glorious music.
Blanket, picnic basket, friends
Glorious music.
And this from Christine:
Red orbs, vine ripe, sliced...
Fresh picked corn, kernals burst, sweet...
Grandmas best china.
Fresh picked corn, kernals burst, sweet...
Grandmas best china.
And another anonymous entry:
Balcony beckons.
Greets the meadow verdant,Trees
Wave their leaves,welcome.
Greets the meadow verdant,Trees
Wave their leaves,welcome.
Sunday, June 15, 2025
Sunday Reflection: Mr. Frakes
Like many people, I grew up in a family that was intertwined with another family-- the Frakeses and Oslers share a cabin, a complex set of friendships and memories going back over half a century (which is when this photo was taken outside the "Holidome" at the Holiday Inn in Ironwood Michigan).
Jack Frakes-- who was always known to me as "Mr. Frakes"-- passed away in April, two years after his best friend, my dad. One irony is that both were named John, but went by Jack and Spike, respectively, in their intertwined professional careers. He was different than my dad in some important ways, and that was good-- it doesn't add much value if your second dad is the same as the first one, after all. I am headed to Detroit for his memorial today.
You can read his obituary here. It does a great job of describing so much about him, but (inevitably) it doesn't quite contain what I will miss the most, which is his reliable presence.
Saturday, June 14, 2025
Everybody gets detention...
Of all the Marvel films, I like the Spiderman ones the best-- because they are so relatable....
Friday, June 13, 2025
Haiku Friday: Relaxing
It's summer (pretty much), and time for relaxation for many people-- travel, the beach, hanging out in the backyard. So let's haiku about that this week! Here, I will go first:
I'm reading a book
IPLawGuy is shocked
But hey, it's summer.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern, and have some fun!
Thursday, June 12, 2025
Political Mayhem Thursday: The Parade
The huge military parade scheduled for Saturday to commemorate the US Army/Trump's birthday promises a lot of drama, if nothing else. And that's kind of the point.
Even more than in his first term, provocation is what this president seeks. It's the key to good television-- especially reality TV-- and that is the milieu he comes from. If there are protests, that may well be the reaction he is seeking. It gives himself something to react to.
Provocation isn't a great principle for governing.
Wednesday, June 11, 2025
The case for public media
Federal funding is threatened (again) for public radio and television. Sigh.
If that happens, it won't get rid of public media-- it will just mean that the strongest stations, in affluent markets, will survive while stations in rural areas shrink or die. It also means that federal influence will be gone. Put it together, and basically public media will become more liberal-- the opposite of what those trying to de-fund it want. But, logic is not much in play here, just retribution.
The fact that public media doesn't rely on advertisers has been very important in American life. For example, children's programming was long captive to advertisers like cereal companies, who supported shows that were as devoid of real content as a box of Sugar Smacks. Then the Children's Television Workshop came along on PBS. That changed everything, and many of us grew up watching television that had some real value.
And that will still happen-- just not in the areas who need it the most, many of them represented by red-state legislators.
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Why Los Angeles?
Across the country, immigration enforcement has radically changed in the past 140 days. Quotas have been established. Federal agents who normally do other things have been re-assigned to immigration duty. The warrant requirement has been something of renewed interest.
It was nearly inevitable that resistance would arise and meet a flashpoint, and it seems we are there now.
So, why Los Angeles?
In part, of course, it is because there are a lot of immigrants there. My own hunch is that relatively few actual undocumented people participating in the protests-- they understandably fear arrest. But I do think that immigrants who are citizens are often upset by what is going, and certainly all kinds of people who rely on immigrants.
And also, I think that the administration has chosen California to provoke a reaction. They want the fight, and want it to be there.
Monday, June 09, 2025
On Snoopy!
So many great poems about Snoopy! I loved this one from anonymous:
Wartime Flying Ace
Wooed French girl over root beer
"Curse you, Red Baron!"
Wooed French girl over root beer
"Curse you, Red Baron!"
And CraigA:
Snoopy the hockey
Player was the best; bird bath
Rink, Woodstock, and all!
Player was the best; bird bath
Rink, Woodstock, and all!
So good to see Sleepy Walleye!:
C'mon Mark Osler
Let's see a photo of the
Paper Mache head.
Let's see a photo of the
Paper Mache head.
[I wish I had a photo of that halloween costume my dad made!]
IPLawGuy had a good one:
Flying Ace Snoopy
exciting, brave, thrilling, but
Joe Cool was the man.
exciting, brave, thrilling, but
Joe Cool was the man.
And Christine:
Toted everywhere
A constant companion
Well worn and loved
Lovingly repaired
He now sits on a bookshelf
Reminder of youth
(my brother's Snoopy)
A constant companion
Well worn and loved
Lovingly repaired
He now sits on a bookshelf
Reminder of youth
(my brother's Snoopy)
Des knows:
Eating popcorn at
Thanksgiving— Snoopy is a
culinary champ!
Thanksgiving— Snoopy is a
culinary champ!
And another great anonymous one:
Snoopy loved to kiss
But Lucy didn’t like it
(“Get the iodine!”).
But Lucy didn’t like it
(“Get the iodine!”).
And this:
He had breakfast with
Us every farm morning ,Mom
Read Snoopy’s antics.
Us every farm morning ,Mom
Read Snoopy’s antics.
And also this one:
Snoopy had the joy!
Christmas dancing on piano
Prize-winning light show.
Christmas dancing on piano
Prize-winning light show.
Sunday, June 08, 2025
Sunday Reflection: On Sacrifice
One of the hardest lessons for us Christians is one that Jesus taught over and over: that to follow this faith you have to seek sacrifice, not advantage and power. To the rich young ruler, he said to sell all he had. To the apostles, he said that he who serves the others is the greatest. His parables often centered on those virtues of humility and sacrifice that he embodies in his actions.
And yet, Christians in the US seem generally to feel entitled-- to power, to respect, to be affluent. At the banquet, they go to the front instead to the back table as Jesus taught. They pray in public to gain favor like the Pharisees Jesus condemned, rather than in a closet like he suggested.
This wrong-headed group, sadly, too often includes me. I have to continually remind myself to hold up on feeling entitled or wanting to be honored, because my instinct is to want all of it.
But... no one said Christianity would be easy.
Saturday, June 07, 2025
Once upon a time...
Friday, June 06, 2025
Haiku Friday: Snoopy
I've been thinking a lot about Snoopy lately. He's a beagle. His best friend is a bird. He is smarter than his owner. There was a lot going on with that dog! So let's haiku about him this week. Here, I will go first:
That dog has talents
Like doghouse dancing at night
Flying ace by day.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun.
Thursday, June 05, 2025
Political Mayhem Thursday: The Problem of Pro Bono
One of the more unexpected elements of the 2nd Trump administration has been its attacks on many prominent law firms, demanding through executive orders that they be restricted from government contracts, lose security clearances for their lawyers and even banning their people from government buildings like courthouses. Several capitulated and came to agreements that (among other things) required that they provide up to $100 million each of free service to causes Trump supports.
It was a lousy deal. Firms that fought the executive orders have been successful in court. Meanwhile, the capitulators are on the hook for a loosely-defined commitment to Trump-- and now Trump has said that the kind of pro bono work he expects includes defending coal companies, police accused of brutality, and the like. None of it is the kind of pro bono work that these firms use to lure good talent as associates.
While what the firms are expected to do is probably unpleasant, the deeper harm is what they can't do now. Historically, big-firm pro bono work has included serious initiatives to protect freedom and staunch government over-reach. Because their pro bono work now essentially has a Trump veto (as most or all of their pro bono work falls under their commitment to Trump), their ability to play that role is restricted-- and that is bad for all of us.
Fortunately, there are a lot of other lawyers who are stepping up. As the Trump administration drives out good people from government work, I suspect that some of them will be among those who fill the gap...
Wednesday, June 04, 2025
Finland and Minnesota
Aside from the obvious sovereignty distinction, Minnesota and Finland have a lot in common:
-- Both have a population of about 5.7 million people
-- Helsinki's population is about the same as Minneapolis/St. Paul
-- The climate is similar and both enjoy the northern lights
-- Lotsa Lutherans!
-- Both enjoy strong economies with a high standard of living
-- Both border hostile territories infested with badgers
If I were to go study a criminal justice system, it would be Finland's. At the same time we Americans chose to rachet up incarceration (the 1980's-90's) they chose the opposite-- and we both ended up with lower crime. I want to know more about how they got to less incarceration and less crime at the same time.
Tuesday, June 03, 2025
Bad day, good life
Yesterday I got up and the car wouldn't start. So I got my bike, and it had a flat tire. After attending a funeral, I got the call from the repair shop that my car was "dead."
There was a moment of feeling sorry for myself. But, fortunately, context heals everything. If the worst thing to happen to me is a car not starting, life is pretty good, after all. And life is pretty good!
Like most people, I sometimes let minor setbacks feel like a big deal when they really are not. What has come with age is the ability to quickly talk myself out of it-- to replace that pathetic self-pity with genuine gratitude.
Spring, sometimes, makes that easy.
Monday, June 02, 2025
Summer is coming!
And we at the Razor are ready! I kinda like the way Tim is thinking about this:
Summer bike to park
Or take the RV camper
Near edge of a lake.
Or take the RV camper
Near edge of a lake.
And perhaps I'll share a Leinie with Craig:
Time with family
and friends; celebrating with
cold Summer Shandy.
and friends; celebrating with
cold Summer Shandy.
Medievalist, me too!:
Lots of writing left,
Four articles in motion,
Lots of coffee, naps.
Four articles in motion,
Lots of coffee, naps.
Anonymous is living right:
Beach walks every day
Outdoor concerts in the park
Backyard barbecues!
Outdoor concerts in the park
Backyard barbecues!
And IPLawGuy has some plans:
Find a companion
Or at least start the process
Oh, and lose some weight.
Or at least start the process
Oh, and lose some weight.
