Two oddly congruent developments are happening in 2026: the “No Kings” rallies, and celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. What is remarkable is how the two are in harmony: The complaints so eloquently made by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration closely track the fears expressed by those involved in the “No Kings” movement.
Monday, March 30, 2026
On Spring
I'm glad the haiku came out for Spring!
We had this from CraigA (who is not above a little gloating and/or sneezing):
Ahead of Minn; VA
Is now in Yellow Season.
Pollen everywhere!
Is now in Yellow Season.
Pollen everywhere!
Des is hopeful yet grouchy:
Temps go up and down.
Rain, pollen. I want summer.
I’m Spring Curmudgeon.
Rain, pollen. I want summer.
I’m Spring Curmudgeon.
IPLawGuy is looking forward:
Easter; time for Hope
Season of new beginnings
For the world, and me.
Season of new beginnings
For the world, and me.
And Anonymous is dazzled:
Winter’s color’s grey
Spring is red, yellow, purple
Dazzling beauty.
Spring is red, yellow, purple
Dazzling beauty.
Sunday, March 29, 2026
Sunday Reflection: No Kings
It was quite a day in St. Paul yesterday. I also had a piece in the Waco paper, where I said this:
The Declaration of Independence was commissioned and drafted in the spring and summer of 1776 by a “Committee of Five” appointed by the Continental Congress. Thomas Jefferson was the initial drafter, and other members of that committee included Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman of Connecticut and Robert Livingston of New York. The short document they produced was rooted in the grievances of the colonists and reflected their deep values. They did not craft them casually; they knew that what they were saying constituted treason punishable by death. Considered in the current context, the words they wrote carry resonance. Consider the following complaints voiced by our Founders against the King:
“For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world”
Like King George III, the Trump administration has choked trade with the rest of the world. Trump’s primary tool has been a confounding and often-changing regime of tariffs that have left entire sectors of our economy in tumult. He has hit some limits after an adverse Supreme Court ruling, of course, but seems determined to continue to use this tool to benefit his own purposes and punish those countries that displease him. The power to regulate commerce with foreign nations is expressly given to Congress in the Constitution, but that power — like the power to declare war — currently lies unclaimed.
“He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither….”
The spare words of the Declaration of Independence make one thing very clear: We are meant to be a nation of immigrants. The Trump administration’s attacks on immigration and immigrants has threatened even those already naturalized as citizens, and their efforts to restrict new migration and remove people already here is already changing communities for the worse. While premised on anecdotes about crime, it ignores the data that shows criminality among immigrants to be lower than that among people born in the United States.
"He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good."
For Americans who value the rule of law, these are hard times. It is clear that the administration considers criminal laws to be “for thee, not for me,” as they shield evidence in criminal cases against ICE agents, intimidate the judiciary and disregard court orders in record numbers. The resistance to accountability breeds contempt for the government, and predictably claims of corruption (warranted or not) are becoming legion.
“He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us...”
The events of Jan. 6, 2021— the sight of insurrectionists scrambling through the broken windows of the Capitol as a scaffold and noose were erected outside — will live long in our history, and in a dark place. “Excited” is a good verb to apply to Trump’s role, too, as his words that day before the assault on the Capitol urged a burgeoning crowd to action in a speech that was filled with violent imagery and in which he literally urged people to march to the Capitol. While Trump defenders argue that his directive to “fight like hell, and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore” was not an explicit call to violence, it certainly did “excite” the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and many others in attendance.
“He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.”
Here in Minnesota, this complaint has special resonance, where a suddenly super-sized and over-funded force of ICE agents made the winter miserable. “Sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people” is about the best description I have seen of Operation Metro Surge. Famously, though, that goal was not achieved, and the people of Minneapolis won out in the end.
People certainly have the right to criticize the “No Kings” protesters, and to defend the president and his policies. But there is no denying the spirit of those protestors — or their long and shimmering web of connection to those who crafted the words within the Declaration of Independence that we still find inspiring.
Saturday, March 28, 2026
Maybe politicians shouldn't do podcasts....
Friday, March 27, 2026
Haiku Friday: Hopes for Spring
It's officially spring! Not that you would know it here, necessarily, but we know it is coming. Spring brings new hopes, new beginnings, warmth we have been longing for. So let's haiku about that this week! Here, I will go first:
That verdant garden
A place to read, eat, to breathe
Winter's ice retreats.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable formula and have some fun....
Thursday, March 26, 2026
PMT: The State of Money and Clemency
This video by Bloomberg makes some pretty good points about clemency. My interview appears at about 13:40.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Those who give us hope: The Millions on Saturday
A remarkable thing is going to happen on Saturday: Millions of Americans are going to gather all across the country for No Kings rallies. Here in Minneapolis, we are going to gather at the state Capitol, joined by Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez, and thousands of our neighbors.
There is a way in which this is a tradition going on 250 years now here in the USA. Consider these admonitions and complaints about the government from the Declaration of Independence, referring to the then-King, and remember our current grievances:
--" He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that
purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing
to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the
conditions of new Appropriations of Lands."
-- "He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good."
-- He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large
districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of
Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and
formidable to tyrants only.
-- He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
-- He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of
Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
-- He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
-- For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders
which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
-- For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
-- For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses:
-- He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
-- He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us...
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
It's that time! The Minnesota High School Hockey Hair Team
Monday, March 23, 2026
On napping (or not)
In a low for the year, there were only two haiku this week-- so I guess I was wrong about the universal appeal of a good nap! The two I got were great, though. There was this one from the Medievalist, which really captured the reality:
Eyelids are heavy,
Things are going dark quickly,
Head droops and I snore.
Things are going dark quickly,
Head droops and I snore.
And this from anonymous:
When I reached eighty
An afternoon nap feels nice
I wake up refreshed.
An afternoon nap feels nice
I wake up refreshed.
Sunday, March 22, 2026
Sunday Reflection: In Judgment
Jesus clearly teaches us not to judge others. "Judge not, lest you be judged," is pretty straightforward.
In my adult life, though, I've had two jobs over the past thirty years: Prosecutor and professor. Both of those jobs have as an essential part of their functions the judgment of others. As a prosecutor, I was tasked with choosing who to accuse of a crime, and proving that they did it. Pretty judgy! And as a professor, a big part of my job is assessing the performance of my students and judging them.
I've always been aware of the tension between my faith and these roles. As a prosecutor, I often had the vision in front of me of Jesus saving the adultress in John 8; in that vision, I was a person holding a rock.
I do try to perform these roles with fairness and humanity, but that does not absolve me. I don't have a clear answer for why this is ok, and I have never been totally comfortable with it.
"Someone is going to have to do these tasks," I tell myself sometimes, "so it better be someone who can imbue it all with kindness, like me." Which is too generous to myself.
There probably are few jobs that don't carry similar contradictions-- but this one is mine, and sometimes it feels quite heavy.
Saturday, March 21, 2026
Take what you want from this....
Friday, March 20, 2026
Haiku Friday: Napping
I never stopped being a toddler in one important way: I have always enjoyed a good nap. So let's haiku about that this week! It can be about you, your dog, that relative who falls asleep in front of the TV, whatever. Here, I will go first:
The best napping couch
Gets some direct Sunday sun
Blessed day of rest.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun!
Now it is your
Thursday, March 19, 2026
PMT: Treasure, but not blood
For a century, people have been predicting that war would soon be fought by flying killer robots. It seems-- with the advent of AI guidance and the proliferation of combat drones-- that we are nearly there.
Once soldiers are effectively removed from the risk of combat, I fear that civilians will suffer much more; we are seeing that already. In the current conflict (well, war) with Iran, military deaths are low and civilian deaths are high as the war has been fought by flying unmanned killing machines targeting (on both sides) civilian or civilian-adjacent buildings and objects.
We are now into a phase of the Iran War where increasingly oil facilities are going to be targeted by both sides, threatening an ecological disaster and well as an economic one. Things are likely to get worse before they get better.
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Those who give us hope: The 12 seeds
The NCAA basketball tournaments are coming just as we are most in need of some distraction!
One of the oddities of these tournaments, at least on the men's side, is the unusual number of times that an underdog 12 seed beats a 5 seed in the first round. In 33 of the last 39 men's tournaments, at least one 12 seed has beaten a 5 seed.
They are the kind of underdogs that give us hope!
Here are the 5 v. 12 matchups coming up this week in the men's tournament:
5 Texas Tech vs. 12 Akron
5 Wisconsin vs. 12 High Point
5 Vanderbilt vs. 12 McNeese State
5 St. Johns vs. 12 Univ. of Northern Iowa
I'm hoping Akron can take down Texas Tech, but we will all watch and see....
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
It's funny because it is kind of true-ish
Yes, this is from the Onion, but the underlying premise is something that fascinates me: That Donald Trump does not seem to have people his own age (or within 40 years of his age) that he seems genuinely close to. It appears that his wife is mostly somewhere else, his kids are off on their own, Elon Musk took off, and he doesn't appear to have a close buddy around. Susie Wiles certainly has a lot of contact with him, of course, but it is rare to see them together.
In his first term, he had Steve Bannon close and Melania seemed more engaged-- and he also had his daughter and son-in-law right there, and it is no secret that Ivanka is a favorite of his. At the start of this term, Elon Musk seemed to be close to him. But now?
Maybe I'm very wrong (I don't have a great point of observation), but his life seems lonely. And that might not be good for him, or for any of us.
Monday, March 16, 2026
Regarding Spring Break
There were some thoughts out there on this week's topic. IPLawGuy offered a poem, but it's rooted in exaggeration (he isn't so slow and I'm not so patient!):
Mark shows great patience
My ski skills pale; I am slow
Add comic relief.
My ski skills pale; I am slow
Add comic relief.
And I liked this anonymous entry, which seemed to be commentary on our ski trip:
They conquer the snow
Retreat to Shenanigans
Then conquer some beers.
Retreat to Shenanigans
Then conquer some beers.
And this one:
I wait for the bloom
Of a righteous Spring in Land
Will it not come NOW?!
Of a righteous Spring in Land
Will it not come NOW?!
And I'm not sure who this is, but it sounds like a great Spring Break!:
Sitting on canal
In Amsterdam, sun on face,
Drink red beer—My friend.
In Amsterdam, sun on face,
Drink red beer—My friend.
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Sunday Reflection: In the Blizzard
My normal church service today was canceled due to an epic blizzard here in Minnesota. And for a blizzard to be epic in Minnesota, it has to really be something!
Other than a wind coming up now and then, there really isn't much weather discussed in the Gospels. (It does come up in other parts of the Bible, such as in Acts). The lack of a reported impact of weather on events is odd, because people in that time were profoundly affected by weather-- there was no heating or air conditioning, and most people worked in agriculture. So one would expect a heat wave or rainstorm to come up now and then and alter events.
Of course, it could be that as important as those things are to people, they may not have been important to the story being told in the Gospels.
I've never been to the Holy Land; it is something I should do (though maybe not right now). I would imagine it is hot and dry, so maybe variations in the weather just aren't as significant.
Still, I have always somehow inserted weather into the Gospel stories on my own. When the 70 are sent out to evangelize, I have always imagined them trudging through the rain, for example. Why do I do that? Perhaps, I suppose, it is a way of making it relatable to my own experience... and it doesn't take away from the story, after all.
Saturday, March 14, 2026
Friday in St. Paul
Last night I went to see Patti Smith here at St. Catherine's in St. Paul-- one of a number of performers who have chosen to come here after the ICE invasion this winter. She was fascinating, as usual, and gave us a version of this song, which she wrote with her late husband Fred "Sonic" Smith back when they lived in suburban Detroit. In fact, if you go to about 3:10 of the video she visit the American Coney Island downtown and then shows off some of the Diego Rivera murals at the DIA-- treasures, all.
Friday, March 13, 2026
Haiku Friday: Spring Break
IPLawGuy and I had a great time skiing in Colorado- our 20th year of enjoying Spring Break on the snow. (As an IP Lawyer, he doesn't officially get Spring Break, but he makes it work, which I appreciate). So let's haiku about Spring Break past or present, real or imagined, official or just kinda seized. Here, I will go first:
Ah, the snow and sun!
Some moments to float and fly
Then look at the map.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern, and have some fun.
Thursday, March 12, 2026
PMT: A nation at war
IPLawGuy and I have been off in Colorado for our annual ski trip, which was a great adventure (and no one got hurt!). We had blue skies and just enough snow to make it worthwhile.
But, unless I hunted down a news site, there was no way to know we are a nation at war, relentlessly bombing military and civilian targets and killing hundreds of people while the world economy is destabilized by a new oil crisis. No one (except us) seemed to be talking about it, and if you saw a television it was always playing sports.
Of course, there is a reality beneath all of this avoidance: the war doesn't affect most of us at all, except through higher gas prices. Most people don't have a kid in the military, or family in that region where the war (prinicipally in Iran and Lebanon) is destroying homes and schools, or any direct financial or emotional stake in the conflict.
And that seems to be a recipe for tragedy, that one nation can so casually wreak havoc in a whole region with little cost to itself (at least in this moment). It makes war seem easy, which must be alluring to those who have the ability to start them.
Or do we care this time?
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
People who give us hope: Bill Kurtis
Bill Kurtis, the announcer and scorekeeper for "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!" is retiring, according to a report in the NY Times. He is 85, and succeeded Carl Kassell 12 years ago. His last show will be on May 23. Everyone loves Kurtis's voice, whether on the radio or in many other roles he has held, including as a CBS news anchor and as the narrator for the epic film "Anchorman."
When the news is terrible, it's good to laugh at it, and that is what Kurtis gave us over several administrations. And we need it now more than ever!
