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.

Going uphill requires resources

Posted on February 19, 2020 by hessd

The summary I found for the recent movie, Downhill, starts like this: “Barely escaping an avalanche during a family ski vacation in the Alps, a married couple is thrown into disarray…” I don’t mean to imply that that is inaccurate, … Continue reading →

Posted in Love and Marriage, Movies | Leave a comment

Heaven as dessert

Posted on February 10, 2020 by hessd

I don’t think this is a totally crazy metaphor. I think it’s mostly crazy. Let me deal first with the instance in which I think it is not crazy. The way heaven is pictured in some of the slave songs … Continue reading →

Posted in Paying Attention, Theology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

I feel so judged

Posted on February 5, 2020 by hessd

There was a time—even I remember it—when someone who was really good at something, was admired for it.  Or “respected;” it depends to a certain extent on what it was.  I don’t think we are entirely out of that era—not … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Political Psychology, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Because I’m worth it.”

Posted on February 1, 2020 by hessd

It’s a powerful sentiment. No question about it. It is a sentiment, however, not a fact. I think it works as well as it does because it sounds like a fact. We are accustomed to statements about “worth” and this … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Economy, Political Psychology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Songs of discipleship and impeachment

Posted on January 27, 2020 by hessd

On Sunday, January 26, we sang a really interesting hymn at our church. It was called “From the Nets of Our Labor.” I hadn’t ever sung it before and melodically, I don’t think it has much to offer. The text … Continue reading →

Posted in A life of faith, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

You want transparency? I’ll give you transparency!

Posted on January 22, 2020 by hessd

Today’s essay is about a wonderful new pun.  It isn’t my pun.  It isn’t even my kind of pun.  I’m just a fan. I make a point of that because what I had in mind writing on today was how … Continue reading →

Posted in funny, Getting Old, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Telling the Truth about American History

Posted on January 14, 2020 by hessd

I hope that was a provocative title.  That’s why it is there.  Some will think that it is a simple and obvious standard and that “lying about American history” is the alternative.  Others will think it presumptuous to assert that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Hello, Mark Galli

Posted on January 4, 2020 by hessd

I had never heard of Mark Galli before today.  He is the outgoing editor of Christianity Today, which is described—except by President Trump—as “an evangelical journal.” [1]  According to his interview with Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs in the New York Times, he … Continue reading →

Posted in Living My Life, Political Psychology, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

2019 in the rear-view mirror

Posted on January 2, 2020 by hessd

I freely grant that this end of the year reflection is an indulgence. [1] Except in the religious sense, we think of of that word in the context of “self-indulgent” mostly. That context puts many of these meanings (see the … Continue reading →

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Happy birthday, Dale

Posted on December 29, 2019 by hessd

One of the treasures of 2019 was an acquaintance with the word paraprosdokian. None of my online dictionaries has it, but Wikipedia—bless their hearts—has this. A paraprosdokianis a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence, phrase, … Continue reading →

Posted in funny, Words | Tagged , , | Leave a comment