State park trail entry point.

Journey Home

Tales from the pilgrimage.

Living in Society

Politics mostly social commentary.

  • IDP Hall of Fame Celebration – Overnight Reactions

    CEDAR RAPIDS–It was a great night for Iowa Democrats as the state party hosted five announced presidential candidates during its annual Hall of Fame celebration at the Cedar Rapids Convention Complex yesterday. Former Cedar Rapids mayor Kay Halloran, one of seven inductees, received the outstanding supporter award. Congressman Dave Loebsack reminded the audience of her… Read more

  • Austerity Comes To Iowa

    Elections matter. They have mattered for a long time. A more pertinent maxim for political life in 2015 Iowa, however, is: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” ~ George Santayana. If elections matter, understanding the intellectual context for them, from a conservative perspective is equally important. In the 20th Century… Read more

  • First Press Pass

    The Iowa Democratic Party approved my press credentials to attend the Hall of Fame Celebration Friday night for Blog for Iowa. This is the first time the five declared candidates for president will speak from the same stage. It is a key milestone on the road to the Feb. 2 Iowa Democratic caucuses. Going forward,… Read more

  • The Meaning of Crickets

    Is the sound of a cricket in the house good luck or bad? Early morning found me interrupted by chirping—loud and pronounced. I turned on the light of my mobile phone and shined it behind a bookcase, trying to locate the insect. He’s here for the second day. It’s a long cricket walk from any… Read more

  • Coping with Iowa’s Coarsening

    At a convenience store in North Liberty yesterday, a young guy was fueling his large black pickup truck. A companion was riding shotgun, both clad in blue jeans and dark T-shirts. The brief moment would have passed unnoticed except for the full-sized Confederate flag flying on the passenger side of the cab. Another flag, the… Read more

  • Rob Hogg Forms Exploratory Committee For US Senate

    When I spoke to Rob Hogg about his July 8 announcement, he emphasized it was an exploratory committee to consider a run for U.S. Senate against incumbent Chuck Grassley. If Hogg was precise about framing the discussion, it matches his personality, and represents a desire to be clear when it comes to elections and the… Read more

  • Governing The Undocumented

    IOWA CITY–Johnson County announced acceptance of applications for a new Community ID program on Wednesday. The county seeks to become more welcoming, and to resolve a practical public safety issue problem—undocumented residents prefer to stay in the shadows. “Johnson County will be the first community in the Midwest, and the first outside a major metropolitan… Read more

  • Lincoln Chafee In A Small Field

    That Lincoln Chafee’s presidential campaign gets noticed is largely attributable to the small field of five announced Democratic contenders. Just by the fact of inclusive blogger to-do lists, Chafee gets an article mention here and there… not unlike this one. Maybe it would be best if Chafee became president and imposed his will on a… Read more

  • Cranking It Out

    In high summer, garden harvest is it. We eat a lot of fresh foods not available the rest of the year, and purchase less from outside suppliers. Just having garden produce in the house means we eat more of it. Our plates are filled out with green beans, sauteed kale, and other dishes—our cooking is… Read more

  • On Jim Webb for President

    Jim Webb announced his campaign for president via email to supporters July 2, cross posted it on his web site and social media, then spent the Independence Day holiday weekend with family in his home state of Virginia. When the Des Moines Register posted an article titled, “Presidential hopefuls discuss patriotism on July 4th,” the… Read more