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I Don’t Hate President Trump. When I’m Not Angry or Outraged by Trump, I Pity Him.

August 17, 2025

When I went to the website of The Washington Post yesterday morning, this was the photo dominating the top of the screen. My reaction was to literally laugh out loud. In this handshake, President Trump is clearly trying to “look tough.” His brows are furrowed and he is looking down at the shorter President Putin. … More I Don’t Hate President Trump. When I’m Not Angry or Outraged by Trump, I Pity Him.

Thank You, Senator Thom Tillis

June 29, 2025

I’m sorry this post is so late, but I’ve spent most of my day working on two different service projects. Because my vision of America is a land where we help each other out. But I want to end the day acknowledging the service of one of my elected officials here in North Carolina: Senator … More Thank You, Senator Thom Tillis

The Books of Summer

June 18, 2025

Reading the news these days can be enough to bum me out. Last week it was National Guards and Marines arresting people in LA exercising their rights to free speech and (generally) peaceful protests. This weekend it was two politicians, their spouses, and one golden retriever shot for the “crime” of being a Democratic politician … More The Books of Summer

Motivational Music Monday: May Day/Cinco de Mayo Edition

April 28, 2025

We have two holidays coming up this week: May Day and Cinco de Mayo. Now, ironically, Cinco de Mayo is not a big deal in much of Mexico. Like St. Patrick’s Day, which is a religious day in Ireland, not a party day, or at least it was… Most of Mexico doesn’t really celebrate Cinco … More Motivational Music Monday: May Day/Cinco de Mayo Edition

The Griffin List: An Addendum

April 9, 2025

I got a question from a friend about my blog post yesterday on the Griffin List. So I’m adding this post to make things clearer, because this is a very important issue. In my first post (click here to see that), I was focused on the photo ID issue. That’s because it could be especially … More The Griffin List: An Addendum

Celebrating Ramadan with Feasting and Philoxenia at the Divan Center

March 28, 2025

Last night I had a very special opportunity to celebrate the Islamic spiritual practice of Ramadan, even though I am not Muslim. Ramadan is one of the most sacred traditions in Islam. It commemorates the revelation of the Qur’an through a month in which Muslims shift their focus from their material world to their spiritual … More Celebrating Ramadan with Feasting and Philoxenia at the Divan Center

Motivational Music Monday: Let’s All Jump on the Peace Train

March 24, 2025

It hasn’t been a great week or two for Peace. The ceasefire in Gaza has collapsed. If there ever was a ceasefire between Russia and the Ukraine, that also has ceased ceasing bombing each other. But we can only manifest what we believe is possible. So this week’s song invites us all to jump on … More Motivational Music Monday: Let’s All Jump on the Peace Train

How Did You Celebrate Earth Hour? Here’s How I Spent Mine

March 23, 2025

I didn’t end up planting butterfly/bee plants, like I suggested in yesterday’s post. That’s probably best for them, because my prior planting experiments have not ended up well for the poor plants. Instead, I spent my money at my local Farmers Market, the Cary Downtown Farmers Market. That was intentional. Most US families can’t live … More How Did You Celebrate Earth Hour? Here’s How I Spent Mine

Save the Date: April 5 Is a Nonviolent National Demonstration in Support of the Constitution

March 19, 2025

Last week, I was feeling at least a little bit better about our national politics? For better or worse, our government was funded. There was at least a possibility about a ceasefire with Gaza and Israel and Russia and Ukraine? And many court decisions had ruled against what the Trump administration had been doing, and … More Save the Date: April 5 Is a Nonviolent National Demonstration in Support of the Constitution

Motivational Music Monday: St. Patricks Edition

March 17, 2025

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! How about celebrating with some inspirational words of blessings from one of my favorite Irish writers, John O’Donahue, set to music? Here is the link: https://youtu.be/dWG8tWUiGfo?si=4NRmbDERH_E2KE9y Enjoy!