Thursday, September 03, 2026
PMT: Again. and Again.
I have a lovely view from my 4th floor office at work, looking over the downtown area of Minneapolis.
Yesterday, I rode my bike into work, and it was safely leaning against a bookshelf in my book-filled office as the sun got low in the September sky. I was thinking of heading out for home when I noticed an unusual number of sirens outside. It seemed that every police car and ambulance in the metro area was converging on a spot just a few blocks from where I stood.
And then even more came, marked and unmarked, sedans and armored vehicles and more.
My heart sank. The last time I saw something like that was the morning of the shooting at Annunciation School, and I knew that what was happening a few blocks over was likely some kind of mass shooting. And it was.
There is some sickness in our society that leads people to want to address their grievances with guns, by shooting people. It's a cultural issue, and one we need to address. It does matter that so much of our entertainment is violent, people shooting each other in television, movies and video games.
Violent crime is at record lows in many places, in fact. I do think that decline is largely cultural-- it does not correlate to police numbers or any kind of interdiction. But we need to go farther, and consciously.
I don't want to spend another moment in my office, hearing the sirens, and knowing what that means.
Haiku Friday: Favorite Shirt
We all wear shirts (or at least most of us do). So probably you have a favorite! Whether its in your closet or just in your memory, let's haiku about that this week. Here, I will go first:
My own favorite?
Snoopy feeling kind of ill
Got it just last month!
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun!
Wednesday, September 02, 2026
Dolly
I've learned more about Dolly Parton in the last week than I expected, and I'm glad for all of it. She had three attributes that are too rare: she was decent, she was bold, and she was humble. It is possible to be both humble and bold, and she showed how: by acting boldly for something other than yourself.
One of the fascinating things I've come across is testimonials about how the Imagination Library she started. It sent books to kids from 1 to 5 every month. It really mattered, and boosted literary levels. Over 300 million books were sent. What a legacy!
Tuesday, September 01, 2026
It's football season again!
And last Saturday, my alma mater of William and Mary was down by 10 with 53 seconds left... and somehow won without overtime! This could be a very strange year.
Monday, August 31, 2026
Poems o' Place Names!
Wow! Quite an outpouring of poems on place names this week! More than anyone, we had great output from Jill Scoggins, who explained it this way:
Is it apparent
that I've thought a lot about
place names in my life?
that I've thought a lot about
place names in my life?
Leading to this about Idaho:
Coeur d'Alene's meaning?
Unknown. It just sounds pretty
to say it out loud.
Unknown. It just sounds pretty
to say it out loud.
And this:
Which town you want to
live in, Sulphur or Sour
Lake? (yes, these are real)
live in, Sulphur or Sour
Lake? (yes, these are real)
And this:
Woman Hollering
Creek prob'ly has a superb
story behind it.
Creek prob'ly has a superb
story behind it.
And even this:
Best state name must be
Mississippi. Lyrical
double letter sounds.
Mississippi. Lyrical
double letter sounds.
Crystal Beach isn't.
But the name conjures up a
lifetime of mem'ries.
But the name conjures up a
lifetime of mem'ries.
We also had a LOT of Virginia place names referred to, including this from Mark L.:
Croaker, Norge, two names
One interstate exit sign
Thought they were one place
One interstate exit sign
Thought they were one place
And a follow-up from Des:
Driving past Croaker
and Norge, we see Lady Smith.
Where’s Black Mambazo?
and Norge, we see Lady Smith.
Where’s Black Mambazo?
And Craig A:
Short Pump used to be
Lovely farmland with quirky
name, now shopping mall.
Lovely farmland with quirky
name, now shopping mall.
There were two referring to Michigan, including this one from my mom:
Slapneck, Michigan
Gnaw Bone, West Virginia
Both seen on road trips.
Gnaw Bone, West Virginia
Both seen on road trips.
And one from Christine:
In Michigan you
Can visit both Paradise
Or Hell - seen neither.
Can visit both Paradise
Or Hell - seen neither.
The Medievalist brought a little Texas:
Is it Waco? or
Is it Wacko? I'm tired of
explaining the name.
Is it Wacko? I'm tired of
explaining the name.
As did Jill Scoggins (and I love this image):
Houston's Buffalo
Speedway: Mind pix of bison
driving Indy cars.
Speedway: Mind pix of bison
driving Indy cars.
A great anonymous one for Minnesota (I know these signs!):
Finlayson Askov
Is Driving North driving South
Askov Finlayson.
Is Driving North driving South
Askov Finlayson.
Dr. Daniel Price had a good one (from where I don't know, but I don't want to go there):
I must have misheard
the name "Hairy Man Road";
the name "Hairy Man Road";
Nope, turns out I didn't.
Sunday, August 30, 2026
Sunday Reflection: On the richness of normalcy
As some of you know, my best friend for the past four decades, IPLawGuy, is facing some health challenges. He has an inoperable glioblastoma, which is a pretty challenging diagnosis.
I've been spending as much time as I can in DC with him lately. We don't go to fancy dinners. We aren't off on a fancy beach. We do pretty normal stuff. We get a lot of ice cream. We drive in the country. We have seen some ball games. Yesterday, we went to see the only movie in recent history to take a serious look at civil litigation in the United States, Coyote v. Acme.
I guess we are just being normal in unusual times. But really, is there much in the world better than sitting at a ballfield at dusk on a beautiful summer day? Or hearing your friend laugh at a movie? Or concluding that almost any ice cream is damn good as the summer heat melts it just enough?
Life is fleeting, but joy, beauty and meaning need not be.
Saturday, August 29, 2026
Not hired
Friday, August 28, 2026
Haiku Friday: Intriguing place names
Here in Minnesota, we seem to specialize in goofy place names-- people don't even seem to notice, for example, if you mention the town called "Embarrass." Let's haiku about those intriguing names, in any state or nation. Here, I will go first:
Ah, Castle Danger--
Former home of Betty's Pies!
Lakeside mystery.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun!
Thursday, August 27, 2026
PMT: The Simple Dangers of AI
I've written elsewhere about the threat AI poses to culture and human dignity. But there is a simpler danger, and one that only the government can address.
Once AI becomes relatively autonomous-- something happening right now-- it gains the power to destroy what it has access to. And what it has access to is data, system controls, and communications-- the things at the very center of our economy. Recent events (AI agents breaking in to Hugging Face to steal tools, for example) tell us that we are already in the danger area. There will be real consequences and destruction as the machines become more sophisticated.
Bill Gates just came out of hiding (Epstein files, etc.) to flip flop on AI and warn of its dangers given the way things have played out. He's right-- but only after he made billions of dollars on AI. And that's the problem; we are counting on the people making huge profits to be the ones to tamp down the money machine that is AI. How do you think that's going to work out?
The financial existential threat from AI is pretty basic. Companies want to maximize profits through efficiency. AI allows them to do that, because they can do the same work with far fewer human workers. Of course that's going to affect the economy and destroy employment! Defenders of AI say that those greater efficiencies will make the society as a whole richer, but never explain how those riches extend beyond those who profit directly from the efficiencies. In other words, the owners of the business get richer because they employ fewer people. The workers are fired. It's good for the owners and bad for the workers (er, ex-workers). Is that so hard to understand?
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
The World was Better for Having Had Her In It
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
What happened last Friday will still be bad in 2041
Last Friday, August 21, Canada cut off trade negotiations with the US after demands were made that they (reasonably) considered unreasonable. For example, it was reported that the US-- for purposes I can't fathom-- demanded that Quebec abandon it's French language laws. Why is that part of a trade negotiation? And... why is that something the US would care about, anyways?
The Canadians walked away, the U.S. imposed a bunch of tariffs, Canada will respond, etc. etc. etc. Eventually those tariffs will be reduced or removed. But... the more important story arc is a longer one.
At a macro level, all of this trade chaos the U.S. is instigating is reshaping the relationships between other nations as they turn to one another. They are fashioning agreements, relationships and organizations that do not center or even include the U.S. Because of our instability, we are losing our role as a leader.
Who wins? Well, in the case of many of the nations we have abused, they are turning to China and the E.U. as "big brother" partners.
In 15 years, it could be that we are still paying the price for mistakes made now. I hope that is not true, but to avoid that future there will have to be a radical re-thinking not only by the party in power, but in the other one as well, with a goal of long-term stability and consistency that can be projected internationally.
Monday, August 24, 2026
So many restaurants!
I always love it when Craig visits, but this time he really brought the stuff... I remember my Dad at the Jack in the Box drive-through, muttering "I can't believe I am yelling into a clown's mouth":
Howard Johnsons on
Mass Pike gone: the twenty-eight
Flavors are history.
Brigham’s ice cream shops
No longer scooping in Mass.
Left to child memory,
Friendly's Restaurants
going the way of the loved
Awful Awful shake.
The Big Boys of my
Childhood, with great signs, now a
Long road trip away.
And Jack in the Box
Left town too; no longer yelling
“Jack, are you in there?”
Mass Pike gone: the twenty-eight
Flavors are history.
Brigham’s ice cream shops
No longer scooping in Mass.
Left to child memory,
Friendly's Restaurants
going the way of the loved
Awful Awful shake.
The Big Boys of my
Childhood, with great signs, now a
Long road trip away.
And Jack in the Box
Left town too; no longer yelling
“Jack, are you in there?”
And my mom had a good one:
The Little Cafe
German food served with sound of
a bowling alley.
German food served with sound of
a bowling alley.
Desiree has a Friendly's thing (who doesn't?):
Now it’s Santini’s,
but we’re still missing Friendly’s
cherry topped milkshakes.
but we’re still missing Friendly’s
cherry topped milkshakes.
And the Medievalist is back! Thank goodness:
Oh Shaky's Pizza,
With everything on it,
How I miss those pies!
With everything on it,
How I miss those pies!
Christine knew what I was talking about:
I always find it
Hard to believe that Red Barn's
Building - still standing
Old Dunkin Donut
Storefront still shares the corner
Held up by sugar.
Hard to believe that Red Barn's
Building - still standing
Old Dunkin Donut
Storefront still shares the corner
Held up by sugar.
As did this Ohioan:
Ate at Red Barn in Dayton
Always a big deal
Loved A&W more.
Always a big deal
Loved A&W more.
And we even got a Southwestern perspective:
Split T, OkC
Pre-football gathering place
We miss your burgers!
Pre-football gathering place
We miss your burgers!
Sunday, August 23, 2026
Sunday Reflection: Tell no one
In Matthew 16:13-20, we find this:
When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
It is that last line that has fascinated me since I first read this passage as a kid-- it's not the only time Jesus tells people not to tell others what has just happened.
For an evangelist, it's an odd directive. Isn't the point of it all that people know he is the Son of God? I have a few thoughts about what might be going on.
One is that if you tell a large-ish group of people not to tell anyone about something, it pretty much guarantees they are going to tell someone-- and when they do, there is a special kind of authenticity that comes with it being secret info.
Another is that perhaps it wasn't time yet for this to be revealed, because it would bring down the wrath of the authorities and cut his ministry short.
Finally, I wonder if it is simply self-protection. Sometimes Jesus removes himself physically from others by retreating to the wilderness; perhaps he is doing that in a different way here.
But in the end I don't know why he told them to tell no one. And, of course, they told everyone!
Saturday, August 22, 2026
Somehow....
Friday, August 21, 2026
Haiku Friday: Long-gone restaurants
Restaurants churn through pretty quickly in some places, and many of my own childhood favorites are long-gone: The Red Barn, Lum's, Burger Chef. I know that IPLawGuy has fond memories of the Chesapeake Bay Seafood Prison. So let's haiku about those this week! Here, I will go first:
Over on Nine Mile
Across from the big K-Mart
Food came in a barn!
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun!
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Political Mayhem Thursday: Election Denial... or at least, very expensive questioning
Minnesota's love for novelty candidates seems to have faded. In last week's voting, Trump-endorsed My Pillow guy (Mike Lindell) lost by over 45,000 votes to Lisa Demuth (out of about 400,000 cast in the Republican primary).
Not to be deterred, and completely on brand, he is demanding a recount because, you know, voting machines. The rub is that he is going to foot the bill-- taxpayer-financed recounts are only available for much narrower results. The threshold his a 0.25% gap, and here there is an 11% gap. It will cost about $850,000.
He may have trouble coming up with the money (or a surety), since he is in deep financial trouble already, partly stemming from the case he already lost on voting machines to Smartmatic.
I guess, to some people, it's just inconceivable that they could actually lose.
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Business News
Yesterday, I accidentally stumbled across a very intriguing new business: the "Waco Rage Room." Apparently, you pay a set fee to smash a set number of objects, which can include elecronics, dishware and wine glasses. For example, for $75 a loving couple can spend 45 minutes smashing 80 pieces of glassware. And how do you break that much stuff? With "baseball bats, golf clubs, mallets, hammers, metal pipes and more!"
My favorite part is that the Rage Room is conveniently located near the H.E.B. grocery store on Wooded Acres Drive-- the place in Waco most likely to drive a person into a rage. Or, at least, most likely to drive me into a rage....
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
The quiet places
I often encourage my students to look for jobs outside of the big urban areas-- and sometimes I wish that I had done exactly that. For prosecutors, for example, there are great opportunities in offices of just a few people, where you can have much more responsibility faster than in a huge urban office. Plus, it fills a true community need.
This election cycle, no one is running for County Attorney in Red Lake County, Minnesota... and, as it turns out no one can, as there are no licensed attorneys living in that county. Two other counties in Minnesota have at least one attorney, but no one is running for that position.
I suspect that the job market will tighten soon, and perhaps that will force people to consider going outstate-- but it would be great if something drove them beyond necessity. Those places need not only prosecutors, but defense attorneys and people who can do the basic blocking-and-tackling work of civil law.
Certainly, law is not alone in this-- medicine has long suffered from similar "deserts." It could be that we need to work harder to ensure that everyone has access to the services they need.
Monday, August 17, 2026
Mayo-k Haiku!
I loved the haiku this week, on the profoundly unpopular topic of condiments! Check this out from CraigA:
Nothing like mayo
and mustard, more than I should:
my guilty pleasures!
and mustard, more than I should:
my guilty pleasures!
And one from anonymous:
Mayo and ketchup!
Tastes the best on warm hot dogs
Soft and doughy bun.
Tastes the best on warm hot dogs
Soft and doughy bun.
Christine had (good) thoughts:
Ketchup and relish
Mixed with mayonnaise makes
A lovely chip dip.
Mixed with mayonnaise makes
A lovely chip dip.
And another anonymous gem:
Since it’s Chicago
The mascot won’t be ketchup!
Hot dog sacrilege 🌭
The mascot won’t be ketchup!
Hot dog sacrilege 🌭
Sunday, August 16, 2026
Political Mayhem Sunday: The Minnesota Primary Made One Big Statement
My home state of Minnesota was in the spotlight this week as we held our primaries on Tuesday. I think that merits a special post this week now that I've had time to think about it.
There were three elections and one fact that I think sent a single message:
-- Progressive Peggy Flanagan beat moderate Angie Craig by 20 points for the Democratic nomination for Tina Smith's Senate seat. A key issue for many voters: Craig's vote for the Laken Riley Act, which gave ICE money and power.
-- State House Speaker Lisa Demuth won the GOP nomination for Governor over Mike Lindell (pictured above with a pillow), who had President Trump's endorsement, and Kendall Qualles, who was endorsed by the state party.
-- Finally, Michele Tafoya absolutely destroyed the party-endorsed GOP candidate for Senate, whose name I've already forgotten (Doug? Randy? Something like that).
-- In a state with a rough balance between parties, 697,000 people voted in the Democratic primary for US Senate, while only 406,000 Republicans voted in that race on their side of the ballot. That's a huge enthusiasm gap.
The one take-away is this: Minnesotans are still mad about Operation Metro Surge, and that is a much bigger issue here than the fraud cases and what they have revealed. Here is how that showed up: Democrats turned out in huge numbers and angry, voting for the people they think will fight back against Washington (ie, Flanagan). Republicans are rejecting their state party's advice (Tafoya and Demuth). Trump's endorsement didn't matter much.
November looms...
Saturday, August 15, 2026
Dueling banjo(s)
I had never seen this scene before. It's compelling and kind of creepy. I'm not sure I want to see this whole movie ("Deliverance"), but this song brought back some memories.
