Never Forget December 29th, 2015 @ 7:44 am PST
Today is the 125th anniversary of the massacre at Wounded Knee in South Dakota. I read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee as an assignment in high school and then I read it again on my own a few years after college. It’s heart-wrenching and awful, and certainly one of the most important pieces of […]
On a New Deal November 7th, 2014 @ 9:51 pm PST
In the final analysis, the progress of our civilization will be retarded if any large body of citizens falls behind. Without the help of thousands of others, any one of us would die, naked and starved. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
On Immigration July 15th, 2014 @ 6:55 am PDT
I hope that every American, regardless of where he lives, will stop and examine his conscience about this and other related incidents. This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when […]
#FridayFive: Patriotic Movies July 4th, 2014 @ 8:53 am PDT
Read the Friday Five …The American Crisis December 18th, 2013 @ 5:45 am PST
One of my favorite quotes was first published two hundred and thirty-seven years ago today: These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and […]
Mall Parking Lots / on Holidays April 19th, 2013 @ 9:39 pm PDT
I knocked out a quick four miles after watching all the drama in Boston on Friday night. I spent most of the run thinking about Miranda rights and terrorism and democracy. And when I wasn’t thinking about those things I was thinking about how much I wished I could talk to my mom about those […]
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness July 4th, 2011 @ 4:45 pm PDT
With the exception of my senior year of high school — when I was out of my mind with piss, vinegar, and hormones — I spent every childhood 4th of July in Bristol, Rhode Island with my dad. My son is (astonishingly) ten months old now and I have spent most of the day wondering […]
#FridayFive: Ways to Be Patriotic (According to Television) July 2nd, 2010 @ 6:05 am PDT
Read the Friday Five …Stars and Stripes Forever April 17th, 2005 @ 11:38 pm PDT
Everything in this country would just be a whole lot better if everyone simply listened to a bit more John Philip Sousa. I mean, really. Why do we have to wait until July 4th? This stuff is just terrific. How can you hear these things and not want to go vote and settle the West […]
Jonathan Edwards and Benjamin Franklin May 24th, 2002 @ 11:36 am PDT
On Jonathan Edwards’ Resolutions and Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanacks