Tag Archives: Donald Trump

Where totalitarianism comes from

Posted on April 6, 2021 by hessd

The book I am reading now has three quotes at the beginning: one by JeanCasson, a Toulouse resistance leader and poet; one by Robert F. Kennedy; and one by Hannah Arendt.  The book is about the adventures of Virginia Hall, … Continue reading →

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The Norms of Political Rhetoric

Posted on March 12, 2020 by hessd

Here are two observations made in Thomas Edsall’s column in the New York Times today.  I think the two comments belong in different contexts, but I am going to join them today, because I think they also mean more together. … Continue reading →

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Hello, Mark Galli

Posted on January 4, 2020 by hessd

I had never heard of Mark Galli before today.  He is the outgoing editor of Christianity Today, which is described—except by President Trump—as “an evangelical journal.” [1]  According to his interview with Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs in the New York Times, he … Continue reading →

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“You will govern in the interests of rage…”

Posted on October 29, 2019 by hessd

This week, Jenni Russell, a columnist for The Times of London offered some language I would like to think further about.  She was writing about Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his electoral strategist, Dominic Cummings, but I think that we … Continue reading →

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Clan Donald

Posted on May 27, 2019 by hessd

It is not possible to spend time in the Scottish highlands without coming across Clan Donald. And for an American, traveling in Scotland in 2019, it is unnerving to think that I have been living in an area dominated by … Continue reading →

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I believe in the integrity of the atom

Posted on July 6, 2018 by hessd

On the morning of the 4th of July, a friend of mine [1] was greeted with a cheery, “Happy Birthday.”  I’m sure he responded to the sentiment in a gentle way, but inside, he felt himself strongly rejected the idea.  … Continue reading →

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The End of the Enlightenment?

Posted on June 28, 2017 by hessd

What’s the matter with Kansas? wondered Thomas Frank [1]. They don’t seem to vote in favor of the programs and candidates that would benefit them most. I like the way Frank framed the question, but I’d like to take it … Continue reading →

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Thinking about Chinese dominance

Posted on April 14, 2017 by hessd

I grew up at a very favored time in the U. S. We had fought and won a war against “the Axis powers.” We had a nuclear monopoly in the world. We were the last undamaged economy in the world … Continue reading →

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Attending the Inauguration

Posted on January 19, 2017 by hessd

Spoiler alert: I’m not going to attend. Of course, I wasn’t invited. But my Congressman, Earl Blumenauer of the 3rd Congressional District of Oregon, isn’t going to attend either and he actually was invited. The Daily Kos said today that … Continue reading →

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It’s our story and I’m sticking to it.

Posted on December 30, 2016 by hessd

Everybody knows the line, “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.” I discovered today that it comes from a Saturday Night Live regular I had never heard of—Kevin Quinn. I haven’t messed with it much in producing the title … Continue reading →

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