Friday, February 20, 2026
Haiku Friday: Hygge
"Hygge" is a Danish word for the idea of creating a warm, inviting atmosphere-- probably the best American equivalent is the way we use the word "cozy." This time of year, it is pretty important as a survival tool in northern climes, as winter drags on.
So let's haiku about that this week! Here, I will go first:
Wood fire warmth, cider
The long, low light over snow
Happy indoor cat.
Now it is your turn. Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern, and have some fun!
Thursday, February 19, 2026
PMT: Iran, again?
News outlets are reporting that the United States has positioned naval and air forces for a potential strike against Iran, probably directed at Iran's nuclear facilities (again- this happened already back in June of last year). The strike is likely to be coordinated with Israel, and would happen in the context of civil unrest and mass protests against the Iranian leaders.
Some commentators are urging caution. Military strikes always bring great risk, and there may be a sense of over-confidence after the success of the Venezuela strikes only a few months ago. Iran is in a dangerous neighborhood (see above), and capable of sophisticated technology and tactics; it was Iranian drones that largely changed the trajectory of the Ukraine-Russia war.
It could be that the positioning of forces is, at least in part, a negotiating tactic-- and there is no doubt that a negotiated outcome would be best.
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
People who give us hope: Norway
Yes, they are great at the Winter Olympics-- they lead in medal total, despite being a nation of only about 5.5 million, which is a little less than the state of Minnesota.
But what really impresses me right now is that they are taking the Epstein files seriously, and there have been consequences for supporting a known pedophile. Thorbjorn Jagland, the former Prime Minister of Norway, has been charged with "gross corruption" after details emerged of his activities with Jeffrey Epstein, which included connecting Epstein to international figures. Meanwhile, Crown Princess Mette-Marit is facing intense criticism as well, after the 1,000+ mentions of her in the Epstein files show a relationship that went on long after Epstein was convicted of child sex offenses.
So, you go, Norway!
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Oh, you missed the Super Bowl ads?
Me too! (I pretty much just watched the halftime show). But here are the best:
Monday, February 16, 2026
Poems re the Winter Olympics
All these poems and only one mentioned hockey! That was from CraigA:
Hockey, hockey, hock-
Ey, hockey, hockey, hockey,
And more hockey!
Ey, hockey, hockey, hockey,
And more hockey!
Curling, however, got plenty of love. I.e. from Jill Scoggins:
Curling: Still the best.
The sport that couch potatoes
happily get behind.
The sport that couch potatoes
happily get behind.
And IPLawGuy:
Curling is way fun
Also not very easy
Want to play again.
Also not very easy
Want to play again.
And Jill Scoggins again:
But really, when we
address curling, we should put
"sport" in quotations.
address curling, we should put
"sport" in quotations.
And again:
Curling is the “sport”
where you can drink beer when it’s
not your turn to play.
where you can drink beer when it’s
not your turn to play.
But Anonymous talked about ice dancers:
Ice dancing couples
You make it look so easy!
How do you do it?
You make it look so easy!
How do you do it?
And Christine the pairs:
Flying through the air
Not a trapeze in their sight
Doing loop-dee loops.
Not a trapeze in their sight
Doing loop-dee loops.
(and also the sliders):
Flexible flyer
Not compatible with the
Skeleton ice slide.
Not compatible with the
Skeleton ice slide.
And IPLawGuy had info:
Vienna's Quad God
Went to High School with daughters
Now local hero.
Went to High School with daughters
Now local hero.
And Anonymous had the lone snowboarding poem:
She flies a board,
Defies wind like an eagle—
Glory obscures pain.
Defies wind like an eagle—
Glory obscures pain.
Sunday, February 15, 2026
Sunday Reflection: The Transfiguration
This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible, from Matthew 17:
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
There is a lot going on here, and much of it I don't completely understand (which is true of almost all of my favorite things).
As a kid, I remember hearing the story of the transfiguration and thinking "Having your dad say he is proud of you, and then telling everyone to listen to you-- that's a pretty good day."
As an adult, I'm struck by the way that this must have come down for Peter, James and John. Suddenly, Jesus's true nature is revealed in so many ways at once: the dazzling white shows his divine nature, the appearance of Moses and Elijah his role in history, and God's words reveal Jesus to be his son. How did they explain that to everyone else?
There are these moments that something you kinda knew but weren't sure of is revealed with clarity. I feel that way about Minnesota right now: I always thought that there was true community here, but in the last few months that was revealed with blinding clarity. It's a good thing to know, even if it is not of quite the quantum of the transfiguration....
Saturday, February 14, 2026
Uh-oh....
This is local news here in Minnesota... but it will be of interest to others!
Friday, February 13, 2026
Haiku Friday: The Winter Olympics!
I love the Olympics! And we are lucky to be enjoying them right now. Let's haiku about that this week! Here, I will go first:
Oh, mogul skiers
My knees hurt just watching you
But yet, you survive!
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern, and have some fun!
Thursday, February 12, 2026
PMT: El Paso Airport mysteries
Yesterday I woke up and saw some alarming news: for "security" reasons, the FAA was closing the El Paso airport for 10 days.
El Paso is a place I know. From 2002-2010, I went there every year to train defense attorneys on the federal sentencing guidelines. I liked it a lot; great food, fascinating people, and mountains nearby. It also was (and is) one of the safest cities in the US, despite having the often-dangerous Juarez just over the border.
I enjoyed flying into El Paso. The airport is the only decent-sized airport for hundreds of miles-- there are a lot of wide-open spaces in West Texas and Southern New Mexico. That's why it seemed so odd that they would close this particular airport so abruptly and for so long.
The closure didn't last long-- later in the day the airport was re-opened at the direction of the White House.
According to the New York Times, here is what happened:
-- Justified or not, there was concern about Mexican drug cartels using drones in the area.
-- The Defense Department lent the Customs and Border Protection agency a military grade drone-destroying laser. No one notified the FAA.
-- Then they used the high-energy laser to destroy a "party balloon" that they thought was a drug cartel drone.
-- After the party balloon was eliminated for good, they closed airspace around the airport until after a meeting between bureaucrats that was scheduled for February 20.
I have so many questions! First, what kind of party balloon was this? I imagine something like Snoopy or a big number 3. Also, maybe they could have moved that meeting up instead of closing the airport for 10 days? And isn't it nice to have the news be kind of funny once in a while?
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
People who give us hope: DC Grand Jurors
In the five years I was a federal prosecutor, I indicted hundreds of people in front of grand juries. I never lost an indictment (technically, a loss is termed a "No True Bill"), and neither did most of the people I knew who did that job. Because the prosecutor controls the grand jury in a way not possible elsewhere in law-- there is no defense attorney or judge present-- you really have to have a bad case or a terrible error in presentation to get a No True Bill.
And yet... the DOJ seems to be getting a lot of them lately, particularly in DC. There was the sandwich-throwing guy, of course (he got a No True Bill on felony charges and then was acquitted of a misdemeanor), but more recently-- and probably more significantly-- the DOJ failed to get indictments on six Democratic members of Congress who had produced a video telling service members that they did not have to follow unlawful orders.
The Grand Jury is supposed to be a guard against bad cases, but it has rarely served that purpose in modern America-- until now. Thanks for giving us hope, Grand Jurors of DC!
And just in time.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
A message from Waco
William Richter of Waco made this video and sent it to me yesterday. I think it is really beautiful.
The song ("Bridge Over Troubled Waters") is one that stirs a deep emotional reaction in me. My parents had several Simon and Garfunkel albums, and they were in heavy rotation when I was young. The mournfulness of this one runs deep.
Monday, February 09, 2026
Newspaper poems
You guys sure showed up this week!
Here is something I did not see coming: not one but two tributes to the Richmond Dispatch! First, this one from Craig:
Love newspapers: a
Foundational part of my
Life since my childhood.
Small town papers like
the Townsman, Mid-York Weekly,
Center Daily Times.
And the Boston Globe,
the New York and Seattle Times,
and Richmond Dispatch!
Foundational part of my
Life since my childhood.
Small town papers like
the Townsman, Mid-York Weekly,
Center Daily Times.
And the Boston Globe,
the New York and Seattle Times,
and Richmond Dispatch!
Then also from Des:
Richmond Times Dispatch
helped us follow Aloka,
the monks to DC.
helped us follow Aloka,
the monks to DC.
IPLawGuy cares about this, and put in poems once:
I "read" the "funnies"
Before I knew how to read
intro to sports, news.
Before I knew how to read
intro to sports, news.
Twice:
The Fairfax Journal
The Evening Star, The Post
Delivered them all.
The Evening Star, The Post
Delivered them all.
Three times:
Bond Villian Jeff Bezos
Sucking up to Trump to get
Government contracts.
Sucking up to Trump to get
Government contracts.
And one more time (though a little off-theme):
MAGA hates "Deep State."
It's Gov'ment workers, but
Fed'ral contractors.
It's Gov'ment workers, but
Fed'ral contractors.
And an anonymous entry:
Comes a time we’ll read
Our paper in the sand—truth
Hastily erase .
Our paper in the sand—truth
Hastily erase .
And finally Christine had a strong entry:
Turn first to comics
Then horoscopes and sport scores
Finally the news.
Then horoscopes and sport scores
Finally the news.
Saturday, February 07, 2026
On the radio
On Thursday, I got to talk a little bit on NPR's "All Things Considered." The topic was latest crazy story out of Minneapolis-- the federal prosecutor who said "My job sucks" at a hearing here this week. You can listen here.
Much as I love newspapers, I love radio. I grew up with "All Things Considered" as the background noise, as my parents were devotees. I still listen when I can, and it is a thrill to be a tiny part of it every once in a while.
Friday, February 06, 2026
On Newspapers
After yesterday's terrible news about the Washington Post, I thought it might be a good time for nostalgic-- or not-- poems about newspapers. Here, I will go first:
Always nearby me
At home or when traveling
My daily truth bomb.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun!
Thursday, February 05, 2026
PMT: The diminishment of the Washington Post
The Washington Post announced yesterday that it was chopping 300 jobs from a staff of 800-- cuts that mean no more sports reporting and huge cutbacks in other areas, including cultural reporting and international news. What has been an exodus of subscribers (due to a variety of factors, including editorial shifts pushed by owner Jeff Bezos) will become a flood, inevitably leading to further cuts.
It's heartbreaking for those of us who count on the Post as a secondary paper (which I have for decades), but worse for those who have relied on it their whole lives. When I read about the cuts, I thought immediately of IPLawGuy, a lifelong Northern Virginia resident who explained to me the role of the Post in that area-- that it was a local paper that still had a big sports section, local news, and comics, despite its concurrent role in national politics.
In a way, it is fitting that we learn that the Kennedy Center will be torn down about the same time that the Post revealed its self-immolation. It seems that Washington's cultural touchstones are just being bulldozed all at once.
For political discourse there is a huge cost, as the Post has been home to objective and investigative reporting that few other papers (or other media outlets) could match.
My friend Ron Fournier has often (and correctly) placed the demise of objective journalism at the feet of us, the readers. We have declined to pay for journalism as we have turned to other sources-- either because we don't have to pay for them, or because they confirm our own biases. (Well, not me, actually; I subscribe to three papers and another for my mom, and still get home delivery.)
There is a connection between our failed cultural, political, and journalistic institutions and at some point we are going to have to rebuild all three from rubble or worse.
Wednesday, February 04, 2026
People who give us hope: The singing resistance of Minneapolis
I love this new/old form of resistance. It's non-violent, compelling, and sends a great message of unity.
I've written about this a few times before, of course, but there is a critical mass building around this idea day by day, and I expect that this weekend there may be some huge singing event that will change the dialogue yet again.
Meanwhile, regular life is going on here, but kind of in a super-charged way. Last night there were political caususes for both parties, and reported turnout was very high. I get the sense that people want to do something, and political activity is one that they reach for (though more on the DFL side than Republicans, for the moment).
No one wants to hear me sing, and that's ok-- but I'm proud to be a in a city that is embracing beauty in a dark time.
Tuesday, February 03, 2026
More singing....
I just think this is so beautiful-- my neighbors taking on injustice through mass singing. My nephew mentioned that this happened as Estonia broke from the Soviet Union; most of the population showed up to sing for their freedom.
Monday, February 02, 2026
Bruuuuuuce!
Such good haiku about Springsteen this week! We had these two from Des:
Hot take— best line in
a song: “You ain’t a beauty
but, hey you’re alright”
a song: “You ain’t a beauty
but, hey you’re alright”
The River makes me
tear up every time. Such sad
quiet hopelessness.
tear up every time. Such sad
quiet hopelessness.
And IPLawGuy chimed in:
Nor really a fan
Until I saw Springsteen live
HIgh crowd energy!
Until I saw Springsteen live
HIgh crowd energy!
Darkness on the Edge
A bitter album I love
Spoke to me when young.
A bitter album I love
Spoke to me when young.
And then, on a more current note, this anonymous poem:
Who have we become
When "Dude I'm not mad at you"
Is a death sentence.
When "Dude I'm not mad at you"
Is a death sentence.
And more from IPLawGuy:
Music with messages
In our country's DNA
Listen, think and act.
In our country's DNA
Listen, think and act.
kids will remember
Those who stood up and spoke up
Repressors will fade.
Those who stood up and spoke up
Repressors will fade.
And from Anonymous:
Soft bunny ear hat
And his Spiderman backpack
Return sweet Liam.
And his Spiderman backpack
Return sweet Liam.
And finally, and just right, is this from CraigA:
The Boss: Giving voice
and song to wounds, the wounded,
and victims of hate.
and song to wounds, the wounded,
and victims of hate.
Sunday, February 01, 2026
Sunday Reflection: My very own faculty statement
One thing academics have struggled with is coming up with statements in their individual capacity about what is going on. Institutions are fearful of making bold statements because they fear retribution (including for their students). We professors, though, shouldn't have that same fear. I wrote a statement on my own behalf, which is set out below. I thought it was important to both name the harm and call for an end to that harm.
An Open Letter to those who have eyes to see or ears to hear:
I write in my individual capacity as a member of the faculty of the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, Minnesota to address the wrongs that I see as a teacher, a scholar, a neighbor and as a Christian. My objection to the realities of “Operation Metro Surge” in our city are rooted in my chosen vocation, which directs me to care deeply about our students, to engage with and support our neighbors, and to search for and value the truth. As a Catholic institution, our focus on human dignity means that we cannot turn a blind eye to the degradation and harm done to people in our midst.
St. Thomas Law was founded on and animated by the idea of community. The value of supporting one another, even when we disagree, is a core ethic here. That means that we cannot stay silent when members of our community are threatened and harmed. I condemn the actions of the federal government that have terrified and harmed people in our community because of the color of their skin, the accent in their voice, or their expression of fundamental First Amendment rights. It seems that all in our community are at the very least adjacent—by blood, love, faith, or friendship—to someone who has a been harmed in some way by the actions of ICE and the federal agents working with them. There has been too much blood on the snow, too many people forced into hiding, and too much carelessness in the enforcement of our laws.
As a scholar, I am appalled by not only the assault on human dignity that has been at the center of Operation Metro Surge, but the assault on truth. With each death and lesser tragedy, those in power have made claims that are facially false and brutally offensive to those who have suffered. People who understand the normal mechanisms of a rational criminal law system are united in calling for a vigorous truth-seeking investigation into potential crimes committed by federal agents, and vigorous prosecution where those truths reveal a crime.
Not all moments are equal, and this one is extraordinary for our community, for our state, and for our nation. Operation Metro Surge must end now.
