Category Archives: Politics

ISIS and the Republican Party: Brothers in Arms

Posted on May 18, 2015 by hessd

The first scholar of political language I ever ran across was Murray Edelman. From his book, The Symbolic Uses of Politics, I learned that one way to assess the meaning of a political expression is to see how it lines up … Continue reading →

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Accountability and Trust

Posted on April 21, 2015 by hessd

I am going to say a few words in favor of accountability here.  Nearly everyone I know who is a fan of “accountability” will be disappointed by what I have to say and some will feel betrayed.  I don’t think … Continue reading →

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Hillary’s last chance to prepare for 2020

Posted on April 17, 2015 by hessd

2016 could be a really interesting election. Or not. If the R’s nominate a right-wing flame thrower, Hillary Clinton (hereafter “Hillary,” meaning no disrespect) the Democratic Nominee Presumptive (hereafter DNP) can just coast to the middle of the spectrum and … Continue reading →

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There are no “social genes”

Posted on March 15, 2015 by hessd

Well…there are and there aren’t.  If I had seen this title written by someone else, I would have reached into my very large store of “yes, buts” and started replying.  In this particular case, I wrote it myself and I … Continue reading →

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What does “moral fact” mean?

Posted on March 6, 2015 by hessd

One of the great advantages of writing a blog is that you get to decide what the title of a blog is. That is a luxury not shared by people who publish in newspapers, so I don’t really know who … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Society, Theology, Words | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Selma

Posted on January 20, 2015 by hessd

Selma has been nominated for an Academy Award as the best film of the year. One of the things that means is that it is going to get talked about a lot. Since it is about race relations in the … Continue reading →

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Obamacare and “Death Panels”

Posted on January 11, 2015 by hessd

This is a question that has gotten a lot more attention than it deserves.  Let’s take a look at it.  A “death panel” would have to be a number of people (panel) that is empowered to take an action or … Continue reading →

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The President as Cherrypicker in Chief

Posted on November 22, 2014 by hessd

The Constitution identifies the President as the Chief Executive.  He is Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.  Since the President is the principal source of major congressional considerations, he is often called the Chief Legislator.  It was not until President … Continue reading →

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President Obama Doesn’t Get It

Posted on November 8, 2014 by hessd

This essay is going to wander into some disreputable places, so let me start with the easy stuff.  First, I’ve been blogging for several years now and I have learned that “President Obama Doesn’t Get It” is a better headline … Continue reading →

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Not a Democrat any more. Maybe.

Posted on October 31, 2014 by hessd

On November 4, the state of Oregon will start counting votes.[1]  Measure 90 will either win or lose.  If it loses, Oregon will continue to have closed primaries in May, in which Democrats cast their ballots for the candidates they … Continue reading →

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