Current Event
On Saturday, a bomb detonated on West 23rd Street in Manhattan at 8:30 p.m., injuring 29 people. A man claiming allegiance to the Islamic State stabbed nine people at a mall in central Minnesota. On Sunday, four commando-style gunmen, armed with AK-47 assault rifles and grenades,
Current Event
On a recent trip out West, we took time out for a baseball game at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. It was a fun game, with the local taco joint promising the tortilla treat to all in attendance if the Diamondbacks scored at least five or six runs. There were
Current Event
Maybe I just shouldn’t go here. Maybe today’s angle would be better left unstated — like we sometimes do with that younger generation and the teens around the house… we don’t say anything — just stay silent. We sit back, allowing reality to slowly sink in, wondering at what
Current Event
On Friday, before a friendly audience, Hillary Clinton made the following remark: “To just be grossly generalist, you can put half of Trump supporters into what I call ‘the basket of deplorables.’ Racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, you name it.” Clinton apologized the next day. Before getting to the point
Current Event
“That the flag was still there”… in the United States of America… The flag was still there in 1814, after Francis Scott Key watched British ships bombard the Baltimore Harbor, penning his infamous poem. The flag was still there in 1991, only 10 days into the Persian Gulf War, when
Current Issue
Man, I have so much to learn. Time and time again, I think I forget that simple but profound concept... I have so much to learn. As I feel like I’ve said more frequently these days, let me not throw you under the bus along with me; I’ll
Daily Life
I think we get so rattled up about the wrong things. Please understand me. It’s ok to agree, disagree, or have an opinion. In fact, dare I say, it’s ok to express that opinion — albeit we could all do a little better job of articulating such in a
Current Event
With the most frequent conversation this week posed somewhere along the lines of either (a) the relationship between patriotism and protest, (b) the right of free speech vs. disrespect of law enforcement and the military, and (c) the consistency within the combination of our public and private behavior, did you
Current Issue
With the recent acts of questionable protest and patriotism, it got me thinking. (Ok, true — I think a lot.) But I return to where this week’s conversation started: what are we focused on? Many are focused on the NFL quarterback who refuses to stand for the national anthem. For
Current Event
Calling this a post a perspective on the freedom of speech isn’t entirely accurate. That’s a bit too simplified. Do we believe in it? Do we not? Said freedom is embedded in our Constitution, although U.S. courts have often struggled to define what it means and what
Current Event
My recent time away allowed for some increased observation. It’s a fun exercise… you sit back, relax, take a little bit of extra time, maybe where never intended… Breathe, say very little, refrain from comment… You watch what everyone else is doing. You watch it. Consider it. No judgment.
Daily Life
For the past three and half weeks, we’ve had the great privilege and pleasure of hearing multiple perspectives and passions from people I deeply respect. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: respect is more important than consensus. Respect implies that we are listening. Respect