It’s 1997. I’m six. And two nights after Michael Jordan’s improbable “Flu Game,” I watch as Steve Kerr sinks the game-winning shot to give the Chicago Bulls their second-straight NBA title, the team’s fifth in seven years. The Bulls’ league dominance started before I was even born, but I feel a part of it nonetheless. … Continue reading Reviving My Love for the NBA
This morning, Politico published leaked audio from a speech then President-elect Donald Trump gave at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, briefly after the election. The content of the tape—even the portions onto which everyone is latching—isn’t very shocking. Politico’s headline, “Leaked Trump tape: ‘You are the special people’,” at first glance seems … Continue reading Audio from Bedminster
I drove an hour south of St. Paul yesterday to explore a Minnesota state park and take some photos. The sun had raised the temperature to just below freezing: the perfect weather for a hike. Still, I went prepared. Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park is a relatively small natural area (only 1,646 acres). The forest was once … Continue reading Nerstrand Big Woods State Park + Valley Grove Church
Since the election, I've seen a massive uptick in campaigns to get people to call their representatives. That's good, because contacting your representatives is one of the most direct ways you can play a role in shaping our democracy. Pressuring members of Congress will be critical in our efforts to oppose President Trump. I've been preaching … Continue reading How to Contact Your Representatives
I attended the #LoveHopeRise March in St. Paul on Saturday. The event was the first action of the new Love Hope Rise Coalition. Featuring a pre-march social justice fair with various progressive Twin Cities organizations, the march was specifically designed for people with children as well as for people new to demonstration activism. While I … Continue reading Weekend Photography: #LoveHopeRise + St. Paul Skyways
Today, amid the chaos of a presidential transition that would be laughable were it not so frightening, the Senate voted 81-17 to approve a bill that would "provide for an exception to a limitation against appointment of persons as Secretary of Defense within seven years of relief from active duty as a regular commissioned officer of … Continue reading The Cowardice of Democrats, and Why I Support Absolute Obstructionism in the Era of Trump
Kathleen Parker, the conservative Washington Post columnist, penned an article on January 6 with the eye-catching headline, "If Obama is a Muslim, is Trump a Russian spy?" As the piece starts, it appears to urge caution to liberals who are wont to imply or explicitly state that Trump is a tool of the Russians. After a brief "history refresher" … Continue reading Kathleen Parker’s Confused Column Inconclusive on Validity of Conspiracy Theories
One of the changes I noticed in myself over the course of 2016 presidential election is that I gradually filtered the content I consumed to the point that everything I read was politically focused. At the start of 2016, I was stumbling happily through the internet to find intriguing stories on a variety of topics. … Continue reading Escaping Political Writing
Though it's been getting colder and colder in Minnesota, the snow production in the Twin Cities has been lackluster thus far. I'm of the opinion that if it's going to be cold it should at least snow. Placate us with some pretty scenery, Mother Nature. Yesterday, the snow started to come down in a respectable quantity. … Continue reading Finally, Some Snow
The Washington Post published quite the humdinger last night. The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency, rather than just to undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system, according to officials briefed on the matter. Intelligence agencies have identified individuals with connections … Continue reading As leftists, we need to treat the CIA’s claims of Russian election manipulation skeptically.
