Idealized versions of rural life only obscure the potential for unspeakable atrocities — Something about the television show Little House on the Prairie always creeped me out. The theme song is like the score of a horror film, the first note is somewhat discordant and the sound slowly builds as the wagon rolls into view. The shot of the little girl running down…

I learned to forge a suit of armor that protected me from conservative contradictions — For a long time, I thought there must be something wrong with me. I hated school. Every day, I hated it. The stress was so terrible that I couldn’t eat. I had to wear suspenders to keep my pants up. Belts didn’t work. No matter how tight we pulled them…

If you primarily consider yourself a “blogger,” you’ve got to level up — I’ve been around since the stone age of the internet. I didn’t get email until my last year of college. I remember seeing people launch web pages and thinking, “Wow, I need to get one of those fancy web page things!” So, I went down to Waldenbooks and bought a…

Let’s work together to make life easier for kids — Somebody shared a meme. It showed a statue of a dog. The statue’s head shined because passers-by couldn’t help themselves from reaching out to give it a pat. Consider that for a moment. Tens of thousands of people, each of them different in their own way, yet similar in their…

The rigid parameters of rural thinking form a cage — I’d worked with Jeff for a few weeks out on the farm, about half a year before he took his own life. I can’t remember if I was driving yet. I suspect I wasn’t. His dad had sent him to work at our place to see if a change of…

The key to progress lies in tethering yourself to reality — Some of the best times of my life were spent playing make-believe with childhood friends. We’d gather together and come up with big ideas and laugh and have a wonderful time. Then we’d go our separate ways and all our big plans were lost to the wind. This routine continued…

Democrats obstruct progressives, Republicans hate Democrats — I was disappointed to stumble across an article yesterday in which Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman took a casual swipe at Progressives. In a contentious election cycle, does it really make sense to use language which can alienate one of the main groups necessary for securing a victory? Unfortunately, attacking Progressives…

There is a callous indifference to human suffering in the United States — My wife is an English teacher. Last year she worked with a child who had escaped the war in Ukraine. Fortunately, the little boy still had both of his parents, but my wife had to help him through an extremely difficult transition. I remember the look on her exhausted face…

Don’t forget to look back and recognize how far you’ve come — My wife showed me a picture of her new classroom with her name on the door. “You did it,” I said. “Did what?” “You achieved your objective. Ten years ago you said you wanted to be a teacher at the local school district. Now you are! Congratulations!” She has a…