Author Archives: hessd

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About hessd

Here is all you need to know to follow this blog. I am an old man and I love to think about why we say the things we do. I've taught at the elementary, secondary, collegiate, and doctoral levels. I don't think one is easier than another. They are hard in different ways. I have taught political science for a long time and have practiced politics in and around the Oregon Legislature. I don't think one is easier than another. They are hard in different ways. You'll be seeing a lot about my favorite topics here. There will be religious reflections (I'm a Christian) and political reflections (I'm a Democrat) and a good deal of whimsy. I'm a dilettante.

Make Northern Idaho College Great Again

Posted on March 30, 2023 by hessd

When I first began taking political science seriously, it was moving rapidly to the left and demanding a much higher level of empirical support for its propositions. The Old Guard, deplored by my first political science professors, were “conservative” about … Continue reading →

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Foster, by Claire Keegan

Posted on March 25, 2023 by hessd

We are not cheap moviegoers, really. It is just that we do stay and watch until the last credit has appeared on the screen. That is how Bette and I found out that the movie we had just seen, The … Continue reading →

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Far enough away to enjoy it

Posted on March 23, 2023 by hessd

I want to share with you today my favorite line from “The New Ashmolean Marching Society and Students’ Conservatory Band.” Yesterday, the Plaza Singers–a choral group at the Senior Center where I live– sang it and some other songs from … Continue reading →

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Packaging Ourselves

Posted on February 25, 2023 by hessd

I liked Michelle Goldberg’s column in the February 24 New York Times. I liked it for some good reasons and some not so good. Among the not so good is that she said she had been working on the topic … Continue reading →

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The ashes of Ash Wednesday

Posted on February 20, 2023 by hessd

This Wednesday, a lot of Christians are going to have a mixture of ash and olive oil applied to their foreheads. I am not. There are two reasons, one of which isn’t really very respectable. It is that it seems … Continue reading →

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Two Cheers for White History Month

Posted on February 2, 2023 by hessd

First, my congratulations to you for having gotten beyond the title. If your political sensitivities are at all like mine, you are not at all likely to read a column with a title that means what you think that one … Continue reading →

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Dominant Cultures

Posted on January 28, 2023 by hessd

As a common practice, “dominant cultures” and “majority cultures” are used interchangeably. When I argue that easily misused expressions like “dominant” should be used very carefully, I am told that it really doesn’t make a difference. And that may be … Continue reading →

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But do your own research

Posted on January 4, 2023 by hessd

This phrase has become more common recently at the end of a sentence, the first part of which contains some outrageous and controversial assertion. It gives the speaker all the room they need to say whatever they want to say, … Continue reading →

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The Count of Monte Cristo as a Plot Device

Posted on January 2, 2023 by hessd

I’ve been paying a lot of attention to Alexander Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo recently. He’s not an easy character to write. He needs to stretch the limits of our believability by what he knows and what he can … Continue reading →

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Peace on earth to…somebody

Posted on December 26, 2022 by hessd

Here is the way Luke puts it. “And all at once with the angel there was a great throng of the hosts of heaven, praising God with the words: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace … Continue reading →

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