Forty years ago today my attention was riveted on a man setting foot on the moon. Six years earlier, November 22, 1963, a television news anchor named Walter Cronkite helped us through the agony of one of the darkest moments in my lifetime: the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Somehow it seems almost fitting that the […]
I play golf at a private club where those I play with, quite predictably, are predominately conservative to right-wingers. And I am the vocal counter agent to all of their views. Many of them would be surprised, however, at how many of the silent ones come up to me privately and encourage me not to […]
UPDATE: Carol Ashley joined this conversation July 11 (her substantial contribution follows the initial post.) This will be held open till July 21, 2009. Dick Bernard: This is the first blog post I have specifically posted in Draft form. I solicit specific, brief, comments to my regular e-mail address. When this paragraph is removed, the Draft […]
Yesterday while I was donating blood, I asked the nurse if she had watched any of the Michael Jackson memorial or other goings on surrounding his death. Mostly, she was non-commital, but her response was pretty succinct and wise. There are two things certain in our lives, she said: we are born, and we die. […]
Moderators note: Mary Ellen apparently had e-mail long before I knew what it was. She defines for me the best among the many ‘progressives’ I know: “with it”, but carrying many bedrock ‘conservative’ values as well! Thanks, Mary Ellen! Mary Ellen: I was amused to see my ancient email address mentioned in [your] P&J#2028A [an […]
Early July 4 I received a long, rambling e-mail whose focus was Tea Bags, specifically, the need to send a million Tea Bag faxes to the U.S. Congress to protest taxes. The e-mail came with an Orange, California PO Box address and included the disclaimer that because it included a postal address, it could not be considered spam. […]
For several years now, we’ve gone to the annual 4th of July Parade in nearby Afton MN. Afton is a tiny place on the St. Croix River, part of Minnesota’s eastern border, and mostly known for its big Marina and as an artsy place. Yesterday we were there. On the 4th of July Aftons population increases […]
Less than 24 hours after I’d heard soon-to-be Senator Al Franken speak at the State Capitol, the home town St. Paul Pioneer Press carried a short article headlined “Poll: Franken’s national numbers are negative“. Reading further in the six paragraphs, the numbers gleaned from the national survey (Rasmussen) showed 44% of those surveyed had an […]
This noon Senator Al Franken stood in front of the Minnesota State Capitol to acknowledge the end of the 238 day quest to ratify his election to the United States Senate. I went over to the event, and I was glad I took the time to attend. The crowd was perhaps a few hundred. Perhaps […]
Moderator: A previous writing on this general topic is at #3, published April 3, 2009. Guns: Guns are used for sport. I have absolutely no interest in such sports. But as long as my safety is not seriously threatened, I believe individuals should have the right to engage in such sports and use any reasonable […]