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.

Hating and Fearing Muslims

Posted on February 12, 2016 by hessd

I am going to want to talk about the American campaign against Islam today. It is going to take me a little while to get there because this campaign mobilizes the power of tribalism; we are going to need to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Politics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Philosophy of “One Life to Live”

Posted on February 8, 2016 by hessd

My dad had a wonderful mind. That mind, and his gentleness, were perhaps his best features. He kept the gentleness as his mind began to slip away from him so he never became one of those irascible Alzheimer’s patients who … Continue reading →

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

Can the Republican Party survive 2016?

Posted on February 5, 2016 by hessd

This season of primary elections is confusing. I grant that. But it may be the last one like this we see for quite a while, so it might be worth our while to try to get some sense of what … Continue reading →

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

Black Quarterbacks

Posted on January 29, 2016 by hessd

How do blacks act? I think that is a genuinely stupid question. I wouldn’t put it in this essay at all if I didn’t hear it on the radio most days.  Ordinarily it isn’t said; it is presumed. Last weekend, … Continue reading →

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

Survivor’s Guilt

Posted on January 24, 2016 by hessd

Are we guilty just for having survived intact? Would it be better if we were obligated to those who have not? Continue reading →

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

My “Going Home” Plan

Posted on January 21, 2016 by hessd

I’ve been in a lot of conversations lately that have to do with death and afterwards. And yesterday, Bette and I met with an “estate planner,” hoping to find a way to leave our property as gently as we hope … Continue reading →

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

Concussion

Posted on January 16, 2016 by hessd

I have seen the movie Concussion three times now. [1] And I have read the book twice. So I think it would be fair to say that I am a fan. I tend to talk about movies that I liked … Continue reading →

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Auden wrote a mountain

Posted on January 11, 2016 by hessd

Every year I climb a mountain of a poem, getting, each year, a step or two closer to the top. If it has a top. It is W. H. Auden’s, For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio. We read it … Continue reading →

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

Does a Marriage Ever “End?”

Posted on January 9, 2016 by hessd

I have had occasions where I felt I needed to explain what kind of a married man I am/was. Here is the distinction I chose: I am romantic, but I am not sentimental. When I read Lucy Kalanithi’s account in … Continue reading →

Posted in Living My Life, Love and Marriage | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Heba Macksoud v. the Victim-Industrial Complex

Posted on January 2, 2016 by hessd

I am on the verge of saying that America has a Victim-Industrial Complex. Our society teaches  how to be a victim in the same focused and careful way special teams coaches teach punters how to fall down as if they … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Psychology, Society | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment