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The Supreme Court strikes back
On Friday, Feb. 20, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s signature trade policy. Justice’s found Trump’s blanket executive branch tariffs on most foreign goods to be unconstitutional. I wrote a quick column (gift link) in response that fell back on some of the issues caused by tariffs in Minnesota and specifically on…
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Handling the sheer scope of coming change
My latest column uses an antique car to explain the human impact of today’s changing technology. You should check it out (gift link). And, if you’re interested, let me explain the sobering reasons why I wrote it. I knew a forester who saw climate change in the trees before most in northern Minnesota would acknowledge…
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Minnesota’s immigration story never ended, we just lost the plot
Today’s column (gift link) tells a story of a beloved children’s author from Minnesota, but not the one that most people know about. Of course, like many, I grew up hearing the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her semi-autobiographical “Little House on the Prairie” series. It was practically required reading. My mom read a…
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A bad bet for our future
Like some of you, I yearn for relief from the stressful condition of our world today. Quite often, this comes from sports. Because of my job, I am constantly engaged with the news, but when I feel the familiar pangs of anxiety, I switch to sports. Sports, sports broadcasting and sports talk are gleefully, unapologetically…
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The language of a culture renewing itself
I grew up on the historic land of the Anishinaabe, though that certainly wasn’t something discussed. After a few generations, the past becomes a story told to the teller’s liking. My family lived an immigrant story. My grandfather bought the 40 acres of swamp that would become our junkyard, and that was all we needed…
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And now we’re arresting journalists
Journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were arrested this week after documenting a protest that took place in a St. Paul church on Jan. 18. The indictments of the protesters and journalists implied that there was some real threat to the church-goers there. This is a dubious claim, but regardless, the arrest of journalists covering…
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Time unites a divided reality
This moment in history will define our times. Federal agents scooping people up, clashing with protestors in the streets of my home state. Not just in Minneapolis, but across the state, including communities up north. Perhaps some legitimate criminals were arrested, but many innocent people were terrorized. And yet, I found myself frozen for a…
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Are we going to fix problems, or make them worse?
Today’s column (gift link) provides an example of the challenge facing opinion writers like me. To persuade, one’s argument must be clear. You also have to reach people who don’t agree with you. Today, we’re facing an unprecedented use of federal force to patrol a peaceful American state, my state. This action already caused needless…
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Protecting our last great institution
Today’s column (gift link) makes a simple argument for public libraries. And yet, it emerges from a mind boiling with frustration. I want to shake people. I want to tell them, “I know things are bad. We don’t have to make it worse.” As all the money in our substantial economy rushes upward like oil…
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At hospitals, crisis abounds, and so does danger
We were at my dad’s place in Chisago County over the post-Christmas weekend when we heard about the security officer killed at a nearby hospital. It was close to home, literally. But it also resonated because I spent time researching mental health for a column series earlier this year. We don’t yet know all the…
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Bipartisan friendship finds the common thread
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Please enjoy this gift link to my Christmas column about a bipartisan friendship on the Iron Range. People often associate the Iron Range with its quirky political tradition, a northern gothic tableau replete with loud characters and a genial sort of corruption that somehow passes for lovable. I learned…
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Suppressing environmental debate is not winning
Today’s column (gift link) is another entry in my “observations that will please no one” series. Enjoy? On Dec. 2, U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber and two GOP colleagues tried to make a political issue out of meetings between environmental groups and the Biden White House during the last administration. I was pulled between two reactions.…
