“Hope is the thing with feathers / That perches in the soul / And sings the tune without the words / And never stops — at all — ”
Sunday, April 06, 2025
Sunday Reflection: Moments of Joy
Can we talk about joy?
Everyone I know who has a profound faith aspect in their lives has been propelled towards joy through that faith. It sounds odd, I know-- we often think of faith as somber and hard-- but it has certainly been a part of my own journey.
I think the root of that joy is in the freeing nature of the essence of faith-- that there is a God and it is not me. To know that there is a creator of the universe, an order to things that we may not understand (and that is ok) uncorks something in us. And of course it does!
There are times I have expected joy but did not feel it: when I won a trial, or an award of some kind. But when I do feel it is when I may not expect it: when I am skiing, or driving and singing, or in church. It comes up unbidden, real, alive, good. Like that still, small voice it is something that is beyond me.
I want more of it.
Saturday, April 05, 2025
Maybe we aren't doing this right?
Friday, April 04, 2025
Haiku Friday: Memorable concerts
On Sunday, I saw Kraftwerk in Minneapolis-- the first time I have seen them since the 1990's, in Detroit. (That's actually a photo I took at the concert above).
Let's haiku about memorable concerts this week! Here, I will go first:
Ramones in August
Warehouse in Anacostia
Sweat revelation.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern, and have some fun!
Thursday, April 03, 2025
PMT: It's Tariff Time Again!
Yesterday, President Trump imposed a new round of tariffs, largely directed at our top trading partners (though not, this time, Canada and Mexico). I have some thoughts:
-- I DO think we need to capture some of the manufacturing that has shifted wholesale to China. This is one way to do that-- but it is going to produce a shock to the system we may not be ready to handle, because of Chinese products our own manufacturers need, and the low-value products we are not good at producing.
-- One anomaly is that if we really wanted to restrict China, we would probably not also smack around the alternative low-cost producing countries, like Vietnam and India. What this combination of actions will spell is the end of $5 shirts at Wal-Mart and cheap toys at Target. That's fine with me, but it will matter to a lot of people.
-- It might be surprising to some that the EU makes up a higher percentage of imports than China. I suspect there are two core causes of that: (1) that products from the EU, like cars, tend to have high value; and (2) it could be that much of what comes from the EU is not manufactured goods but services.
-- The point of this, according to Trump, is to encourage manufacturing in the US. Some of that might happen-- but it will take a while. And in the meantime, a slew of side-effects (including inflation) will be something we have to deal with....
Wednesday, April 02, 2025
1 1 1 1
Something unusual is happening with this year's Final Four in the Men's tournament: All four of the # seeds made it through, the first time that has happened since 2008, and only the second time in the history of the tournament. Kudos to the people who did the seeding-- but it also speaks to the way talent is getting more concentrated in a few schools due to NIL money and the transfer portal.
Tops seeds making it through has historically been more true in the women's tournament, and that was the case this year (with the exception of #2 seed UConn, which won out over #1 seed USC, which was missing their star player, Juju Watkins):
So we are looking at 8 teams left in the two tournaments, and 7 are #1's. This could get kinda boring, huh?
Tuesday, April 01, 2025
On the road
I like driving-- I like it a lot. When I was a little kid, driving represented freedom, the ability to go wherever you wanted. Hey, you want a candy bar? Just drive on down to the store and get one.
And when I grew up I learned that my sense of things was exactly right. Even now I will be driving to work and think "if I wanted, I could just drive on out to California." I don't, but freedom is having the option to do something as much as it is the doing.
I like the feeling of driving, too-- the way a car is an extension of your body that makes you much, much faster. I've had a variety of cars, but I always look for the same thing when I buy one: if I decide I want a candy bar, will it feel good to get there?
Monday, March 31, 2025
What you call yourself...
Quite an intriguing set of haiku on the subject of names!:
IPLawGuy's haiku only makes sense if you know his name is Tom/Thomas (it's not really IPLawGuy):
Peeping not for me
No one thinks I am a saint
sometimes, I do doubt.
No one thinks I am a saint
sometimes, I do doubt.
And I am intrigued that someone named "Desiree" would focus on her last name (given the amount of commentary she has probably heard about her first name), but here you have it:
Loved my last name so
I kept it. Aurora, Rose,
Florence would be proud.
I kept it. Aurora, Rose,
Florence would be proud.
Jill Scoggins has a revelation:
No middle name but
have never missed it. Most I
know hate theirs. Spared that!
have never missed it. Most I
know hate theirs. Spared that!
And Anonymous would rather have a real-lady name (as opposed to "Anonymous"):
Can’t I be Audrey?
Sophie, Vanessa, Carla?
My name is so plain!
Sophie, Vanessa, Carla?
My name is so plain!
Sunday, March 30, 2025
Sunday Reflection: Who you hang out with
Many churches will be reading the parable of the prodigal son today, but what fascinates me is what comes right before it, in Luke 15:
1Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3So he told them this parable:
Let's be clear about what is going on here: The Pharisees are upset with Jesus because he welcomed those they considered sinners. Jesus doesn't deny it, either (instead, he gives us that famous parable).
How in the world can it be that so many Christians see it as part of their faith to NOT associate with those they consider sinners? The reject LGBT people from their families and churches; they shun their own children for drug use; they push away those most in need precisely because they are in need. Jesus says to forgive 7 x 70 times, but they won't go beyond once.
It's one of those areas where people do harmful things because they are "Christian," but their actions are the opposite of what Jesus modeled and taught. How did we get here?
Part of it, I think, is the tendency of Christians, and especially ministers, to treat any snippet of the Bible-- Paul's Epistles, the Book of Exodus, whatever-- as equal or greater than what Christ actually taught. They fail to provide context or relation to Jesus. In other words, if you can find something that justifies your meanness somewhere in the Bible, you are justified as a "Christian," regardless of what Jesus himself directed.
So what's being worshipped: Jesus or the Bible?
Saturday, March 29, 2025
So, this is about Boston, right?
Friday, March 28, 2025
Haiku Friday: How do you feel about your name?
For most of us, we did not choose our names-- our parents did, and they stuck. I asked my parents once how they came up with "Mark," and they told me they liked the hard consonant letter before "Osler." Which.... I get, but there is not a lot of deep meaning there!
So let's haiku about our names this week! Here, I will go first:
A neighbor told me
"Mark" sounds like a dog talking
Which is kinda true...
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern, and have some fun!
Thursday, March 27, 2025
PMT: Signal App, blah blah blah, HILLARY'S EMAILS!
[So, I asked AI for an image of "Hillary Clinton and her home email server," and it gave me this fascinating depiction. Most intriguing is the third arm, apparently belonging to someone else, helping her out. And, of course, it doesn't look much like Hillary Clinton. I do like the shirt, though.]
As most people know by now, the nation's leaders (except, oddly, the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) used a group chat on Signal to discuss a then-occurring military operation against Houthis in Yemen. Here is a sample:
Look, the operations of government don't always handle sensitive data well. When I was at DOJ, I received a Top Secret clearance-- and they mis-spelled my name on the letter informing me of this.
However, this was apparently a very serious breach. I kind of understand how they got there-- this is a bunch of people new to government at this level, and in their previous jobs at Fox News, venture capital, etc., the way you kept things from becoming discoverable in later lawsuits is to use signal, which erases after a period. It is designed to allow discussions without subjecting those discussions to becoming known when someone is sued.
Which, of course, isn't great on its own.
But the need to protect war secrets is different-- the point is not to avoid discovery in future civil suits; It's to make sure enemies don't get the information in real time. That means a different kind of protection, which the government has developed over time.
But these are people more worried about future lawsuits and civil (or criminal) discovery than they are about the Russians.
To put it in a nutshell, using Signal protects them. Traditional data security protects us.
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
With Hope
Anne Lamott has a piece in The Washington Post that I very much identify with. The essence of it is that even with all that is happening, that has happened, she still has a strong sense of hope. She says this, after quoting Emily Dickinson:
Really? High, piping birdsong that never stops?
This is very nice, but in the past four months, few of us have heard chirps and whistles. With the theological understanding of a bright third-grader, I am probably the most hopeful among my friends, with a cranky optimism and decades of teaching Sunday school under my belt. Still no birdsong, no trill of the dark-eyed junco, no chirp of the backyard sparrow. Instead, nearly every day I have felt tapped lightly, as if by an arm of the pygmy octopus, which weighs about an ounce, like a cherry plum. Tap, tap.
I feel that tap, tap, too. And then she concludes with this:
Something’s happening here, and I wish it would speed the hell up. Our role will be to spill peacefully out into the streets, when we get our marching orders. It is still cold and will be for a while, and we’ll need the warmth of heaters and fires for a while, the light of the little sunrises and sunsets we create in the fireplace, but I tell you, something is rising, unscripted, elemental, incremental. It always does, right about now, like clockwork.
Don't you just love good writing? It may be the thing that saves us.
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
So much going on!
This past Sunday, the "family panel" at my dad's show was a great time-- my family is pretty good at stuff like that, it turns out. I loved seeing people appreciate my dad's work, and hearing their stories about him.
And the excitement continues-- on Thursday this week, I'll be at William & Mary to talk to some classes and for the showing of "Unlikely Allies," an excellent documentary that tells the remarkable story of Weldon Angelos, the history of the First Step Act, and is also the only movie that features both me and Snoop Dogg. Details here!
Monday, March 24, 2025
Working
Great haiku about work this week, from people we are well familiar with here at the Razor-- and, oddly, all four are from Virginia (3) or North Carolina (1).
First, it is always great to hear from CraigA, and I get to see him this week!:
Retired: glad to be.
Yet, loved my life’s profession:
Good, meaningful work.
Yet, loved my life’s profession:
Good, meaningful work.
IPLawGuy made up a new word, and I love it:
Researching, Writing!
Adminstrivia, though
How do I avoid?
Adminstrivia, though
How do I avoid?
Des is kind of a hero, right?:
Convincing the old
Salts to protect Right Whales. Tough,
but so rewarding.
Salts to protect Right Whales. Tough,
but so rewarding.
And Christine does what she loves:
The soil calls me
Raking, mulching and planting
Bird chorus surrounds
Raking, mulching and planting
Bird chorus surrounds
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Sunday Reflection: Christianity and Politics Today
A lot of commentary has taken on the idea of "Christian Nationalism," which conflates Christianity with MAGA-style American nationalism. It exists, and it's abhorrent to many Christians who see it (as I do) as antithetical to much of which Christ actually taught.
I'm not going to repeat those arguments here. But I do have another points to make.
The deeper (and related) threat to Christianity may be the failure of Christians to take up a leadership role in combatting decaying moral and democratic norms under the Trump administration. For much of American history-- abolition of slavery, the Civil Rights movement-- faith leaders expressed righteous moral judgment on a government that failed to live up to the ideals of faith and the Constitution, both of which focus on sacrifice to a greater good, the value of human dignity, and a genuine concern for the least of those among us. Now, the closest, fleeting moment we have had of that was the brief encounter between Bishop Mariann Budde and President Trump at the National Cathedral. That moment came and went-- there is no movement behind it, no groundswell from those who share her faith.
Christ condemned cruelty and arrogance over and over, while preaching the importance of supporting those with the least. It is the right platform for a moral challenge to this administration, but no one seems to be carrying that flag.
One underlying issue may be similar to what we have seen with both Columbia University and the Paul Weiss law firm. In both instances, they cowered and caved before Trump's threats and compromised their principles because their finances were threatened. Churches have done this for a long time-- the Ministers avoid controversy (and thus avoid clear moral statement on the issues of the day) because they fear the reaction of their richest members. Sermons at those churches are about as compelling as a pageant contestant's answers to questions, as broad platitudes take the place of true moral challenge to the problems of the world.
Perhaps this will change. Perhaps a champion will rise and carry the true cross.
Or perhaps the church has become marked with a timidity never borne by Christ.
Saturday, March 22, 2025
March Madness!
Friday, March 21, 2025
Haiku Friday: Work
It defines so much of our life, yet we haiku so rarely about it-- work. I love my vocation and what I get to do, but I realize I am lucky that way. So let's haiku about jobs this week: the one you have or the one you had or even the one you dream of. Here, I will go first:
Happy vocation:
85 youthful faces
Look at me, ready.
Now it is your turn. Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern, and have some fun!
Thursday, March 20, 2025
Hockey Mayhem Thursday
Yes, it's that time again-- announcing the 2025 Minnesota High School Hockey Hair Team!
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
No monarchs, please
As you know, I hate monarchies. I'm appalled at the way some Americans slobber all over the British monarchs, a strikingly unaccomplished family that still pretty much gets everything for free.
We are a people formed out of rejecting monarchy-- specifically, the British monarchy-- and yet we somehow seem to be slipping back towards it as norms of democracy are challenged and our leaders are chosen more on vibes and how we think he (and we are talking about males here) kind of is rather than what he actually does.
I worry that our new international friends, like the Russians and the Saudis, are not democracies. It's not a good trend....
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
March Madness is Here!
[I asked AI for a picture of "Wallace Shawn playing basketball," and this is what I got. And, really, there is so much to love: the basketball awkwardly attached to his chest, the basketball net that is floating in mid-air behind him, the odd group of teenagers at the edge of the court, watching. Seriously, though-- we really think we are ready to trust AI with important tasks? Yikes!]
I love March Madness, and I've already completed my bracket. Many of my favorite teams (Michigan, Yale, Wisconsin, Baylor) are in the tournament, though I did not pick any of them to win it all.
Like a lot of people, I find the early games more exciting that the actual Final Four, which (with some notable exceptions) usually involves the same old same old. This year, though, Duke is fun to watch and the favorite to win in some people's minds is Auburn, a team that has its moments but is rarely in this lofty position.
First round upsets? Well, keep your eye on Drake....
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