Category Archives: Politics

Are the people of Feathertown, Tennessee, Idiotēs?

Posted on June 1, 2014 by hessd

I think so.  I am going to offer some information about Feathertown from Barbara Kingsolver, who invented it and described it in her marvelous novel, Flight Behavior.  She has set a major dilemma in Feathertown: what to do about the … Continue reading →

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“Eating Right”

Posted on May 28, 2014 by hessd

There are lots of other ways to say that.  One of the common ones, “eating healthy,” I reject on grammatical grounds.  It means “eating healthfully,” but no one says that anymore and saying it just changes the subject from “food” … Continue reading →

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A Bucket List for America

Posted on May 22, 2014 by hessd

“America” is not an expression I use much.  It has “Fatherland” or “Mother Russia” connotations that make me uncomfortable.  When Republican presidents end their speeches, they say “God bless America;” when Democratic presidents end their speeches, they say, “God bless … Continue reading →

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“Flopping”

Posted on May 21, 2014 by hessd

John Dickerson asked on the Slate Political Gabfest recently what should be done about all the floppers.  I had never heard that expression applied to politics, but I understood what he meant right away. He had a political application in … Continue reading →

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College Recruiting and Sexual Abuse

Posted on May 17, 2014 by hessd

This is probably one of those essays I will eventually wish I had written and not posted.  I take a little courage from the experience of Hannah Arendt who wrote about the trial of Adolph Eichmann and called it “the … Continue reading →

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Speak softly and carry on with your shtick

Posted on April 20, 2014 by hessd

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) lectured Secretary of State John Kerry recently on the Obama administration’s conduct of foreign policy.  One of McCain’s heroes, he said, is President Theodore Roosevelt, who is identified with the maxim, “Speak softly and carry a … Continue reading →

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A school stabbing. Everyone lived.

Posted on April 13, 2014 by hessd

A student goes wild in a crowded school and attempts to kill as many of his fellow students as he can.  That’s not even an unusual story anymore.  Here’s what’s unusual: nobody died.  Not yet, at least. So what’s going on?  … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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