State park trail entry point.

Journey Home

Tales from the pilgrimage.

Living in Society

Politics mostly social commentary.

  • Caucus Politics in Perspective

    Conventional wisdom is there are two tickets out of Iowa after the Democratic caucuses scheduled Feb. 1, 2016—the front-runner and one other. 2008 caucus results might be used to argue there could be three, but 2016 is no 2008: two tickets is the number. If New Hampshire ratifies the Iowa results, we will have our… Read more

  • On a Murder

    The premeditated killing of an Iowa Children’s Museum employee by a mall security guard in Coralville on Friday will have ripples in the community beyond the current news cycle. It was murder, the very definition of the word. “In cases like this, where the shooter confesses to premeditated murder, there is a case to be… Read more

  • O’Malley in Mount Vernon in Caucus Season

    MOUNT VERNON—In his family’s modest living room, Nate Willems introduced former governor Martin O’Malley to about 75 guests on Thursday. O’Malley announced for president May 30 and was a regular presence in Iowa during the run up to the 2014 midterm elections. Because of that, Democratic activists are sympathetic to his message and polite. Not… Read more

  • Letter to the Solon Economist

    A Bloomberg/Des Moines Register poll published last week contrasted how Democrats and Republicans weigh subjects in their approach to selecting a candidate running for the 2016 nomination for president in their respective parties. Republican likely caucus goers surveyed were most interested in the budget deficit, national defense and taxes; Democratic likely caucus goers surveyed were… Read more

  • Favorite Places – Linn and Market

    I have been spending time near Linn and Market Streets in Iowa City for most of my adult life. I lived on Market Street after getting my master’s degree—my last long stint of bachelorhood before marrying in 1982. Within a small radius, so much happened that anytime I return, the trip is imbued with memories.… Read more

  • Enraptured in Fandom

    We’ve seen it so many times before progressives should be used to it. The folks at Run Warren Run, financed partly by MoveOn.org, threw in the towel and are “suspending operations,” according to the MoveOn.org website. Hard to run a campaign when Senator Elizabeth Warren said repeatedly she’s not running for president in 2016. Fanboys… Read more

  • Memorial Day 2015

    Memorial Day is mostly about the Civil War. These shirt tail relatives and at least one direct ancestor pictured here (Thomas Jefferson Addington) made it back, but many did not. Men from this Virginia county fought both for the Union and the Confederacy. The photo was taken Memorial Day, 1912. I favored the Confederacy when… Read more

  • Why Reducing Air Pollution Matters

    We hear plenty of political chatter including the words “climate change.” This discussion among politicians isn’t about science. It’s about the power of money in politics. The tactics of the moneyed class have been to attack the messengers who would reduce air pollution, presenting so many falsehoods about climate change it’s hard to keep up.… Read more

  • Next Chapter

    It seems like a month since I’ve taken a breath. The Honey Locust trees are in bloom all around Big Grove. Apples and pears are forming in our small stand of fruit trees. Nature’s relentless cycle advances, ready or not. There is pressure to keep up with a diverse life during spring. It increases these… Read more

  • Time to Find Franklin’s Hand

    The sinusitis mentioned in recent posts has taken a toll. The yard work is set back, with seedlings standing tall, waiting transplant. I have a full basket of news stories to write and prospects of other work. There is a lot to do. Yesterday I called off at the warehouse due to incessant coughing. I… Read more