Author Archives: hessd

Unknown's avatar

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.

How to be a Beta Person

Posted on April 11, 2014 by hessd

The previous post was my best shot at how to be an Alpha—a person who, in the seemingly random distribution of resources, gets a card marked A.  Today, let’s consider how to be a Beta person—someone who got a card … Continue reading →

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

How to be an Alpha Person

Posted on April 8, 2014 by hessd

Some years ago, I wrote a short essay on the providence of God.  Here is the scene with which that essay began. Let’s imagine that each of us is on a team with a special skill and that the teams … Continue reading →

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

Is the free speech of rich people guaranteed?

Posted on April 5, 2014 by hessd

Yes.  It is.  And it will continue to be guaranteed until one of the five justices who gave that answer drops dead or retires and is replaced by a liberal.  That would be the first and last in the top … Continue reading →

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

What to wear to the commons

Posted on April 2, 2014 by hessd

  “Nobody washes a rental car,” runs an oft-repeated conservative lament. “Farmers don’t prevent their cattle from overgrazing and killing the commons” runs an oft-repeated liberal lament. You can’t exactly say either of these is false, but I think we … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Political Psychology, sociability, Sustainability | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Racism and Sin

Posted on March 28, 2014 by hessd

Am I a racist?  No.  I’m not. There.  That takes care of the substance of the matter.  I have blasphemed in public and I will be chastened by a lot of people whose social and political views are very like … Continue reading →

Posted in Living My Life, Political Psychology, Politics, Theology, Uncategorized, Words | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Mother Nature holds all the cards

Posted on March 25, 2014 by hessd

I want to think out loud for a little while today about the Oso landslide in Washington.  When I heard the news on Monday morning, my first thought was that they are now naming the landslides the way they name … Continue reading →

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

Giving up haggis for Lent

Posted on March 21, 2014 by hessd

I’d like to think about “giving up X for Lent” today.  I am honestly respectful of the notion that additional resources ought to be devoted to experiencing Lent—the dark season of the church—fully.  I am pretty open-minded about just how … Continue reading →

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

Being nice to Siri

Posted on March 18, 2014 by hessd

Siri, would you set an alarm for 3:30 please? Siri, set an alarm for 3:30. Damn it, Siri, I told you to set an alarm for 3:30 As you know, “Siri” is a “personal voice search assistant.”  She (Siri has … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Old, Sustainability, ways of knowing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Permanent Love

Posted on March 14, 2014 by hessd

I grew up hearing my mother tell a causal attribution joke.  That isn’t what she called it, but that’s what it is and that’s why I telling you about it.  As she was growing up, both “bums” and “limburger cheese” … Continue reading →

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

The King’s Speech

Posted on March 11, 2014 by hessd

The King’s Speech won the Oscar for best picture in 2013.  I’m not surprised anymore.  Several weeks ago, I got a DVD with a full commentary track and I have been living inside this story ever since then.  The intricate … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments