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.

Who took my phone book?

Posted on July 7, 2019 by hessd

  So…I ran into my old friend Ted Nelson last week. That’s a real person. I’m not making any of this up. Ted is co-author of a very popular text (Mathematics for Elementary Teachers: A Conceptual Approach) now going into … Continue reading →

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The Hunger Games for Democrats

Posted on July 1, 2019 by hessd

When I began watching the Democratic debates this week, I started thinking of this as a sort of tournament. Each candidate is not so much a way of envisioning who the Democratic Party should be this year and next, but … Continue reading →

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Abortion and Whack-a-mole

Posted on June 12, 2019 by hessd

Gov. Janet Mills, of Maine, is in the process of putting on the books a law that will allow physicians’ assistants and nurse practitioners to perform abortions.  I had not thought of that approach and when I read it in … Continue reading →

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Goodies-in-the-hamper time

Posted on June 10, 2019 by hessd

Below you will find the text of the prayer of confession we used at our church this week.  I liked it a good deal when I first read it.  Now I have worked with it a little since then and … Continue reading →

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Jesus had two dads

Posted on June 8, 2019 by hessd

Just playing around a little. This picture was sent to me along with a rash of other church signs. Some of them were quite witty, but this was my favorite. This is exactly the kind of prompt I was anticipating … Continue reading →

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Teaching alienation to citizens

Posted on June 7, 2019 by hessd

Peter Berger says in one of his early books on sociology that “society” is a show that is meant to be seen only once.  It’s like a magic act.  The first time the illusion is complete.  Later on, you begin … Continue reading →

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Signs of Scotland

Posted on June 4, 2019 by hessd

You wouldn’t think it would be that hard.  You start in…oh…York, England and drive about 200 miles north and somewhere in there, before you get to Edinburgh, Scotland, you should see a sign that says “Welcome to Scotland” or some … Continue reading →

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Posted on June 3, 2019 by hessd

The Battle of Culloden, 1746 I had a chance to visit the battlefield this year. “Culloden”—just the name itself—has the kind of clout that an American might feel about “Gettysburg.” [1] It’s a big deal. This is the piece of … Continue reading →

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Biblical tools and “sharing”

Posted on May 30, 2019 by hessd

In July, I’m going to try something I have never tried before.  I am going to try to begin a Bible study based on a scholarly examination of the Bible with fellow residents at Holladay Park Plaza, where we live.  … Continue reading →

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Clan Donald

Posted on May 27, 2019 by hessd

It is not possible to spend time in the Scottish highlands without coming across Clan Donald. And for an American, traveling in Scotland in 2019, it is unnerving to think that I have been living in an area dominated by … Continue reading →

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