Don’t talk to strangers. That advice is widely given, especially to children. Don’t talk to strangers because they pose a threat to your safety. Don’t make eye contact. March forward. Avoid the homeless people on the street corner. Don’t exchange glances with politicians looking for votes or with folks ringing bells next to kettles. No commitment. Don’t talk to strangers.
65 is no longer a magic number
Life’s milestones are measured in different ways. Births, deaths, weddings, divorces, funerals are markers on life’s timeline. For the more numerically inclined, there are birthdays. The numbers that increase with each trip around the sun clearly stamp crucial passages. A first birthday is always a big deal for a new family member. At 13, the teenage years begin. Sixteen-year-olds look
Will ‘National Restoration’ soon begin?
Come January, the National Restoration just might begin – a restoration of voting integrity, of the rule of law, of checks and balances, of strengthened treaties with our long-time allies, of rededication to environmental health, of renewed respect for science and facts. Time to make America decent again, sane again, democratic again. But will that restoration actually begin? Yes, but
You wouldn’t know it, but I live a life of privilege
I live a privileged life. I don’t worry when I’m walking down the street about that guy I see if he’s following me. When I’m with a group of my friends, I don’t worry about people mistaking us for a gang. In my younger days, I could have a first-floor apartment. Even better, when I get stopped for having a
George H.W. Bush example for better politics
In these divided political times, it takes an event of great significance to be able to bring the country together. There is infighting over even the smallest of political issues, as politicians and parties fight for advantage. Often, it seems like the two political halves of the country couldn’t even agree on what kind of pizza to order. A recent
How will future generations commune with the dead?
My wife spends many hours communing with the dead. She’s found friends who lived in Civil War-era St. Cloud, then a city of about 2,100, while doing research for St. Cloud State University Archives and Stearns History Museum. These folks have come to life, not by time travel or supernatural powers, but through the pages of the city’s early newspapers.
Measures needed to increase turnout, protect the vote
Minnesotans voted in record numbers on Nov. 6, again leading the nation with the highest voter turnout – almost 64 percent. Stearns County’s turnout reached 70 percent compared with the national average turnout of about 50 percent. That is the highest percentage of voter participation in Minnesota for a midterm election since 2002 and the raw turnout of 2,593,922 was
We should keep Thanksgiving special
Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, the Christmas holiday season is in full swing. However, something I see every year is that Thanksgiving, the traditional American holiday of being grateful and enjoying time with family and friends, is increasingly being absorbed into the Christmas season. Whether you are in favor of this trend or not, I believe it is