Today is [Last Sunday was] the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, observed by the Catholic Church since 1914; I learned about this in an excellent column by Janice Andersen in our church newsletter, which can be read here: Janice Andersen: An ever wider “we“. A separate, younger observance is the United Nations World Refugee Day. […]
Today I was driving in a nearby quiet neighborhood. I was meeting another car in a street narrowed to one lane by two vehicles parked on opposite sides. The occupant of one, a young man, was sort of a traffic cop, though that wasn’t necessary. But it was a nice touch. But mostly I noticed […]
My first post about the 20th anniversary of 9-11-01 is here. My personal quest is to learn from our nations experience in the last twenty years, and help make a contribution to a better world in what time I have left. Another, possibly final, post on the topic will be published on 9-11-2021. * September […]
Individual citizens, like myself, and you, will decide whether this experiment called the United States of America will succeed or fail. January 6 was the first and very major wakeup call about a genuine crisis attacking our democracy. The assault continues. We sit idly by, and we invite disaster. Related posts: August 30 and September […]
A few years ago I heard about a book then a film called “The Hunger Games”. It didn’t much interest me. I neither read the books, nor saw the movie. That changed Monday night: I was invited to a showing of the movie and I went. It is described as a “dystopian” novel and thus […]
President Biden’s remarks on leaving Afghanistan August 31, 2021. Here’s some commentary about it: Just Above Sunset: Some Explaining. More About 9-11: post of September 6, 2021 * I’ll click ‘publish’ on this when August 31 begins in Afghanistan, 9 hours before Minnesota. The intention of this post is strictly to encourage each reader to […]
Thursday’s post, Seeing Ike, began with some comments about Afghanistan, but I said not a single word about the terrorist attacks on the same day. Why? Very simply, when I wrote the piece – published at 12:16 pm CDT, terror attacks in Kabul were not at all on my radar. Kabul time is 9 hours […]
As I write, I’m watching some talking head being interviewed by Andrea Mitchell, passionately arguing that the current situation in Afghanistan is the problem of the last three American administrations, leaving the Bush administration, which started this, out of the problem. The problem, basically, the guy suggests, is Obama and Biden missteps. I gather, he […]
The program below is tomorrow (Thursday) evening, Aug 26. The 20th anniversary of 9-11 is a couple of weeks ahead; and August 31, is the self-imposed deadline President Biden has set for American departure from Afghanistan. On August 31 I plan to do a post reflecting on 9-11-01. Check back. * Here’s a message from […]
Primer on Afghanistan, published August 19, here. * The school year begins in my local school district on August 31 (Grades K-6 and 9); and September 1 (the rest). In Minnesota, the traditional start of the school year used to be the day after Labor Day, this year September 7. Times are no longer traditional, […]