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.

Pick two

Posted on January 10, 2018 by hessd

You can have it fast and you can have it good and you can have it cheap. Pick two. I heard this from a patient on The Good Doctor who said he was in real estate and cited the “pick … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Time on and time off

Posted on January 9, 2018 by hessd

Nearly all the words I know about work presuppose there is a task to be done and a place to do it. Whatever else there is—the person who is supposed to do the work, for instance,—gets pushed to the margins … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Old, Living My Life | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

IOYK

Posted on January 2, 2018 by hessd

“I’m Old, You Know.” Since the time I invented that acronym, I have learned that it also can man “if only you knew.” There are lots of circumstances in which this particular excuse is more or less appropriate, but I … Continue reading →

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

The Good Patient

Posted on December 25, 2017 by hessd

I have very slowly become a fan of the ABC show The Good Doctor. The friction that is the basis of the show—Dr. Shaun Murphy is better than everyone else at the hospital in diagnosis and treatment and worse than … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Theology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Matthew pairs Jesus and Moses

Posted on December 23, 2017 by hessd

Matthew spends a lot of time in his gospel presenting Jesus as the new Moses. It has not been lost on scholars, for instance, that in Matthew, Jesus’s first sustained teaching was on a mountain. Moses went up the the … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Biblical Studies, Theology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Do revolutions eat their children?

Posted on December 18, 2017 by hessd

Usually, yes. They do. I don’t think it is unavoidable, though, and I’d like to think about it with you today. The “revolution” I have in mind today isn’t really a revolution in the strict sense; it is the women’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Paying Attention, Politics, Society, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Recharge your battery!

Posted on December 13, 2017 by hessd

There is a new ad by a product called 5 Hour Energy that I found really appealing—until I had a chance to think about it. [1] Then I found it appalling. Today I’d like to write about the appalling part. … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Living My Life, Paying Attention, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wise Men. Not too smart though.

Posted on December 11, 2017 by hessd

I am going to write today about the geopolitical savvy of the Wise Men.[1] They were academics who studied the stars and when they saw one that portended a new king of the Jews, they knew immediately where to go. … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Biblical Studies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

My first victory lap

Posted on December 10, 2017 by hessd

The first day of my first victory lap is December 17, 2017. That will be the day after I turn 80. I can hardly wait. What is a “victory lap?” It’s an old story, well known by my family. Not … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Assembling a Convidium

Posted on December 9, 2017 by hessd

Nope. Not a word (yet) so far as I know. I hope to have the better known “colloquium” after all the members of the convidium see the movie clips. So, for instance, there are two reflections on forgiveness that I … Continue reading →

Posted in A life of faith, Living My Life, Theology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment