Category Archives: Uncategorized

Party Animals?

Posted on April 21, 2016 by hessd

Michael Lind is a centrist Democrat. This piece (which was published in the New York Times on April 16) represents what he hopes is happening. On the other hand, he may be right and it doesn’t really matter what he is … Continue reading →

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Faith Healing

Posted on April 2, 2016 by hessd

For reasons I don’t entirely understand, I am thinking about faith healing today. In the expression “faith healing,” there is no question about what “healing” means. Understanding what “faith” means is more difficult. To introduce this speculation, I want to … Continue reading →

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The Polls Don’t Lie

Posted on March 31, 2016 by hessd

Of course, they don’t tell the truth either. The New York Times/CBS poll came out last week. I discarded the rest of my electronic New York Times and called up the poll. What do these 1,252 potential voters have to … Continue reading →

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A Marriage and a Seismic Upgrade

Posted on February 24, 2016 by hessd

Last week, Bette and I went to see a British movie called 45 Years. The critics were nearly giddy about it; the viewers not so much. Great direction; great script; great cast. So I had my doubts. It is, in … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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Mothers as “Designated Worriers”

Posted on May 11, 2015 by hessd

It’s Mother’s Day today. Or Mothers’ Day. An addition to a chalked sign I saw today said, “…and to all nurturers.” Mother’s Day is so hard these days. There are ways I think it is hard and needs to be. … Continue reading →

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Foul-mouthed and Free

Posted on April 28, 2015 by hessd

I heard a story yesterday that was unlike any I remember having heard before. Today, I’m going to tell it to you, cutting back a little on the narrative and expanding a little on the theoretical implications. It is…sigh…what I … Continue reading →

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