Monday, April 27, 2026
Bears!
Wow! There were lots of fantastic haiku about bears this week. I was quite taken by this one and its sartorial insights:
Smokey and Pooh Bear
A sartorial contrast
No shirt or no pants?
A sartorial contrast
No shirt or no pants?
Another poster went to one of my favorite bears:
Favorite bear is Pooh
Loves snacks and all his good friends
Piglet, Eyore, Owl.
Loves snacks and all his good friends
Piglet, Eyore, Owl.
Craig A makes a good point:
Sea kayaking in
British Columbia; the
Best bears are not seen!
British Columbia; the
Best bears are not seen!
While Sleepy Walleye has a northwoods memory (and I hope someday to name a second home "Doomed Cabin"):
Howard sits in ambush
Waiting for the rogue black bear
Protects doomed cabin.
Waiting for the rogue black bear
Protects doomed cabin.
Intriguingly, our two Northern Virginians both seem disappointed in Smokey The Bear. First IPLawGuy:
Smokey comic book
An inspiration! Real Bear
Just slept at the zoo.
An inspiration! Real Bear
Just slept at the zoo.
Then Des:
Drove 2 hours to
see Smokey’s gravesite. Who’d have
thought they’re closed Mondays?
see Smokey’s gravesite. Who’d have
thought they’re closed Mondays?
This anonymous entry was more Smokey-positive:
Love the bear who says
Only you can prevent fires!
Forest bear who cares 🌲
Only you can prevent fires!
Forest bear who cares 🌲
Christine brought a different perspective:
Paddington Bear, chic...
Gallooshes, rain hat and coat
A forever friend.
Gallooshes, rain hat and coat
A forever friend.
IPLawGuy had complaints against a second bear:
Gentle Ben, sort of
a Shark Jump after Flipper
Prefer Mr. Ed.
a Shark Jump after Flipper
Prefer Mr. Ed.
But there was one he likes:
Yogi was smarter
Than the Average, Breezly
was just as clever.
Than the Average, Breezly
was just as clever.
An anonymous poster also liked Yogi:
Who was Boo-Boo to My
Yogi? To be crazy—Your
Bud always says ,”yes!”
Yogi? To be crazy—Your
Bud always says ,”yes!”
And this anonymous poster offered a good one:
I want to have tea—
With a bear. Eatgrowl my scones—
In one gulp eclairs!
With a bear. Eatgrowl my scones—
In one gulp eclairs!
Sunday, April 26, 2026
Sunday Reflection: The Other Side
On Friday, I took my clemency clinic students on a field trip. I rented a big van and we drove north 100 miles to FCI Sandstone, a medium-security federal prison.
It was not their first time in a prison; nearly all of them had spent two or more days in a federal prison already this semester to work with our clients- not just in Minnesota, but Alabama, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota.
We met with four people with very different pathways to being incarcerated in the same place, and had an intense conversation for nearly two hours. We saw the shops where they work, and the RDAP program where people overcome the challenges of addiction. We ate lunch with them.
On the way there, the mood was lively-- people seem to revert to middle schoolers if they are in a big van, and there was a lot of singing. A lot.
But on the way back it was different. There were serious conversations, very different perspectives on what we had all seen together, and a consensus on what is important.
I go to prisons often, and feel compelled to by what Jesus directs. I am not that great at feeding the hungry or clothing the naked, so visiting those in prison is what I can do. What Jesus said, specifically, is "that when you visit those in prison, you visit me."
What I too often forget is what visiting Jesus is all about. It's not like Jesus would get much out of meeting me! But I would get a lot out of meeting him. And that is exactly the way it is when I actually do visit those in prison-- I am the one who is handed a gift, who is changed, who is the receiving party.
And who is grateful.
Saturday, April 25, 2026
You know, it is not every politician that we trust around little kids... but these guys, I do.
Friday, April 24, 2026
Haiku Friday: Bears!
I've often thought that our national animal really should be the bear. Bears are much-loved by Americans, after all. Let's haiku about them this week-- whether it is a panda, a terrifying Grizzly, or a familiar teddy bear. Here, I will go first:
Forests would improve
If bear patrols were in charge
Litterbugs would scram!
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun....
Thursday, April 23, 2026
PMT: Who wins the delay?
Despite the bluster on both sides, the war in Iran seems to be in some kind of weird limbo. The Trump administration is calling it a "cease-fire," but the truth is that both sides are blockading commercial ships, which is an act of war. Still, the shooting-at-each-other seems to be on hold.
Who is advantaged by that? Certainly Iran is under pressure as they are stopped from exporting goods (principally oil and gas) to raise money. But the U.S. is in a more complicated jam.
It has been well documented that Iran's drones and missiles are much cheaper and easier to make than the U.S. interceptors that have been relatively successful at blunting attacks. It could be that the pause is allowing Iran to re-stock, while it could be harder for the U.S. to do so. In addition, our military deployments there have become very long, which is taxing our ships and sailors. The USS Gerald R. Ford, an aircraft carrier, has been at sea for over 300 days, the longest for that kind of ship in 50 years. The Ford suffered a fire in its laundry that caused extensive damage during this deployment, leaving 600 sailors without bunks.
A re-start to hostilities could quickly see the US running out of interceptors and more, if the worst were to happen. It may be that the shooting war is behind us.
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Those who give us hope: All Are Neighbors
It's going to be a pretty interesting evening over at Baylor tonight. There are two (intentionally) competing events, happening in close proximity to one another at the same time.
The first (though perhaps not the largest) is a Turning Point USA rally at Waco Hall. It was originally supposed to feature Donald Trump, Jr., Tom Homan (the man who backed ICE out of Minneapolis earlier this year), and someone named "Benny Johnson," who has a podcast or something. A few days ago, though, Donald Trump Jr. backed out. I'll say from experience here-- if Tom Homan is your top speaker, it's going to be a pretty disappointing night.
The second event is sponsored by a coalition of groups and will feature Theologian Paul Raushenbush and Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson. In a counterpoint to the Turning Point event, this more progressive group is expected to describe and aspire to a more inclusive Baylor of the future-- one that does not (try to) exclude LGBTQ people.
My friend (and former editor) Bill Whitaker made an important point over at the Waco Trib: It's pretty odd for Turning Point to hold rallies at colleges, given that founder Charlie Kirk was adamant that college is for suckers: He even wrote a book titled "The College Scam."
Meanwhile, the Baptist General Convention of Texas is upset about the counter-event, and they are threatening to pull their support and cut ties with Baylor. Which (given the paucity of their support relative to the wealth of their meddling) might be the best thing to happen to Baylor in a while.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
The Onion and Infowars
So here is some great news: according to the New York Times, The Onion is finally succeeding in its quest to take over Infowars, the web site founded and maintained by Alex Jones.
Jones, a far-right media "personality," owes over a billion dollars to the families of victims of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, after he falsely claimed- over and over-- that the whole thing was fake. As of now, he continues to appear on the outlet, despite the fact that he is bankrupt and Infowars is in receivership.
Basically, the Onion wants to run Infowars as a parody of itself. As an Onion loyalist for over two decades, I'm all in on that....
Monday, April 20, 2026
The warm days come
Ah, I loved the picture Desiree painted:
The ground thawed, so it’s
time to dig! Soon okra and
butterflies arrive!
time to dig! Soon okra and
butterflies arrive!
And CraigA, too:
Warm April transition
from jeans to shorts, shirts to T’s,
sneakers to flip-flops.
from jeans to shorts, shirts to T’s,
sneakers to flip-flops.
IPLawGuy seemed a little confused:
George, "Here Comes the Warmth"
Does not work. Why don't you go
with "Here Comes the Sun"?
Does not work. Why don't you go
with "Here Comes the Sun"?
But then it got weird:
Here Come the Warm Jets
Eno's guitar sound, he said,
Not urination.
Eno's guitar sound, he said,
Not urination.
Anonymous, I am right there with you:
Bye, poofy parkas
Wooly hats, scarves and mittens!
I’m ready for warm 🌞
Wooly hats, scarves and mittens!
I’m ready for warm 🌞
And Christine as well:
I change my closet
In springtime; leave some sweaters
For a cool eve'ning.
In springtime; leave some sweaters
For a cool eve'ning.
Finally, I enjoyed anonymous's image of tulips:
Green buds on spare branch
I take you to my soul
The heart springs tulips.
I take you to my soul
The heart springs tulips.
Sunday, April 19, 2026
Sunday Reflection: Trump/Jesus
As most people have seen, President Trump recently posted (then deleted) an image of him as Jesus, healing a sick man. I can't bring myself to re-post that image, so instead I offer you the variation above, which at least includes Grimace and the Hamburglar.
One thing that Trump loves to do is provoke people on the other side, and this particular stunt hit a little more broadly than he intended, given that it upset a number of his own supporters, as well.
The threat of Trump supplanting Jesus isn't, well, people thinking that Trump is Jesus. The threat is something subtler.
In short, Trump gives certain people two things they long for: Identity and meaning. They wear the swag, they post the sign, they support him no matter what he does-- it isn't so much that they believe in his policies; it is that being his supporter is who they are.
And that is where Jesus gets supplanted. Faith, at its best, provides those same two things: identity and meaning.
And that's how we got here...
Saturday, April 18, 2026
More JD Vance
Yesterday, JD Vance accused Iran of "economic terrorism" and then said "two can play at that game!" Which... is saying we are engaging in economic terrorism?
Perhaps he was inspired by legendary detective Frank Drebin:
Friday, April 17, 2026
Haiku Friday: What comes with the warmth
I love living in a place where there is such richness in the change of seasons. When the warm days come, everyone is suddenly outside, and you can barely drive down the block. So let's haiku about that beautiful shift today-- new clothes, activities, hopes. Here, I will go first:
Good-bye, pile of boots
Your place of honor usurp'd
Thanks for your service.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun!
Thursday, April 16, 2026
PMT: No One Asked, Melania
There were a lot of strange things going on in the past week-- the "Trump as Jesus" post, the idea that blockading the Strait of Hormuz would promote trade, pretty much everything J.D. Vance did, even while asleep-- but the oddest might have been the press conference held by First Lady Melania Trump.
Though no one seemed to be saying much at all about her (she hasn't exactly been top-of-mind), she took to the airwaves to insist vigorously that she never had a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. The statement mostly seemed to make people think that she must have had a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, of course.
Even Fox News, usually ready to explain away any bonkers thing coming out of the White House, said that this one was "out of left field." When asked, Melania's spokesperson "explained" that "The lies must stop!"
Which made things even stranger, because no one had really been talking about her, at least until that press conference. Now we all wanted to hear more about those lies!
Her husband-- who has been urging people to move on from the Epstein files-- seemed as baffled as everyone else.
What's that all about?
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Those who give us hope: Hungarians
In voting out Victor Orban as Prime Minister in Hungary, the people of that nation finally steered away from authoritarianism. The man they chose instead, Peter Magyar, is also conservative, and once a part of Orban's party-- but promises to value democracy and to move back into closer community with Europe, where Hungary has been a thorn for years.
To his credit, Orban conceded defeat and didn't, say, inspire his followers to take over the Capitol in a violent stampede. In the end, he did respect that essential element of democracy and receives credit for that.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Low Midterm Grade! High five!
I'm a little obsessed with mascots, and above you will find one of my favorite mascot photos of all time. Inexplicably, it appeared on the home page of my university, linking to a story about writing to students who did poorly on midterms.
What is this cat doing? He seems to be giving the thumbs-up to bombing your test, which (as a professor) isn't the message I would give.
Of course, this does seem to be the message given to J.D. Vance, who is somehow viewed as the leading Republican candidate for 2028 despite having bombed his mid-terms. I mean... so far we have seen the following:
-- He went to Italy and visited the Pope, who immediately died.
-- He went to Hungary to stump for Victor Orban, who immediately lost the election.
-- He flew over to Pakistan to jump into the peace negotiations with Iran, which immediately failed.
But... high five!
Monday, April 13, 2026
On baseball
There were lots of great entries last week, but I have to say that this poem by Sleepy Walleye is one of the very best I have seen in the 19 years of the blog:
Gritty and greasy
Grand old Tiger Stadium
Steel girdered Mecca
Dark and cavernous
Probe through the crowded concourse
Churning masses. Noise
Decipher the codes
The clues painted on the walls
Where do I belong?
A portal revealed
Sunlight and emerald green
Exhilarating!
Grand old Tiger Stadium
Steel girdered Mecca
Dark and cavernous
Probe through the crowded concourse
Churning masses. Noise
Decipher the codes
The clues painted on the walls
Where do I belong?
A portal revealed
Sunlight and emerald green
Exhilarating!
IPLawGuy knows his team:
I cheer the Rangers
Once were the Senators, right?
Move was a good plan.
CraigA tugged at my heart, too (with the news from Richmond):
It is nuts: after
years of debate the Squirrels
have a brand-new nest!
years of debate the Squirrels
have a brand-new nest!
Anonymous is telling truth:
Cubs’ Harry Carey
Best announcer in baseball
Trademark ‘Hooooly cow!”
Best announcer in baseball
Trademark ‘Hooooly cow!”
Desiree ventures into Christine's turf:
Watching the Bulls in
Durham — no lollygagging,
no crying. Just joy!
Durham — no lollygagging,
no crying. Just joy!
While Christine keeps it general:
Sweet crack of the bat
Immaculate uniforms
It's time to play ball.
Immaculate uniforms
It's time to play ball.
Chicago was well represented:
White Sox claim to fame
Fan who is now the pontiff
Southsider Leo*
*(Daaaa Pope!)
Fan who is now the pontiff
Southsider Leo*
*(Daaaa Pope!)
And this anonymous entry has me completely baffled!
Greased pigs ran like wind,
Nun massaged, shenanigans—
Theatre and thrills.
Nun massaged, shenanigans—
Theatre and thrills.
While another is profoundly local:
Went to Twins game one
It was cold and power went out
Left by inning two.
It was cold and power went out
Left by inning two.
Sunday, April 12, 2026
Sunday Reflection: The Blooming
It is that time (well, in Minnesota, almost that time) that the landscape shifts from white to brown to green and bursting with color. It's an amazing transformation, that rebirth!
It is odd, though, that Jesus did not often refer to this, other than frequent references to agriculture (sowing and reaping, etc.). I suppose, though, that the part of the world he lived in did not have the dramatic changes we see in this particular part of North America-- and it is important not to layer our reality over his (in fact, we must do the opposite and layer Jesus's reality over our own if we want to understand).
The lessons in the Gospels are about universal truths, but the setting is not universal. Sometimes that is worth remembering.
Saturday, April 11, 2026
Worth re-watching in mean times
Friday, April 10, 2026
Haiku Friday: Baseball is back!
Do I care about major league baseball? Not very much! Is it back anyways? Yes!
Admittedly, some people (like IPLawGuy, pictured above), do care about opening day-- he is usually there, scorecard in hand. So, if you know a lot or a little, let's haiku about pro ball this week. Here, I will go first:
Old Ernie Harwell
That voice meant it was summer
(He made a lot up).
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern, and have some fun....
Thursday, April 09, 2026
PMT: Was Minneapolis the template for Iran?
Watching events play out in Iran, it is hard (at least from our perspective here in Minnesota) not to see the parallels between what happened with Minneapolis and what is happing in Tehran.
Basically, the pattern is this:
1) Suddenly create a violent "surge"
2) Give only vague or shifting justifications (ie, fraud, violent immigrants/nuclear weapons, regime change, shipping, etc...) for the action
3) Underestimate the resistance
4) Realize that the action is very unpopular
5) Claim a deal has been reached (though it hasn't) and withdraw.
Of course, that last point is still just wishful thinking in Iran at the moments, but you can see it as a real possibility right now with the new cease-fire.
In both actions, the Trump administration acted with confidence that the people would capitulate, and imagined that it would be much more popular that it was.
Certainly, the destruction in Iran has been far different than the destruction here, but that disparity does not undercut the similarities between the justifications for intitial action and withdrawal in both.
Wednesday, April 08, 2026
Those who give us hope: The Big 10!
With Michigan's victory in the Final Four, the Big Ten conference has achieved something rare: a trifecta of championships in football (Indiana), Men's basketball (Michigan) and Women's Basketball (UCLA). The last time this happened, it was the SEC in 2006-2007, 19 years ago.
Though it has added east and west flanks, the Big 10 still has its critical mass in the midwest, where winters are colder and glamour is rarer. Yet, even in the modern age, it prevails.
It must be a bitter pill for the SEC, that saw itself as ascendant not that long ago...
