Friends-- My step-father of 35 years died this morning. His name was Conrad Royksund. He was 86 years old. He was born into poverty on a farm near Puyallup, WA. He was the first member of his family to attend college and earned a PhD from the University of Chicago. He paid his way through all of that by fishing in Alaska. He spent his professional career as a college professor. I met him when I was just 3 years old and don't actually have any memories of my life befor e he was in it. He was intimidatingly smart, funny as hell, and worked his ass off. He taught me to meet people with kindness and decency until I was certain they could not be trusted. He taught me to meet ideas with carving knives until I was certain they could. I will remember him as one of the bravest, most curious, and funniest people I have ever met. He left this world with a satisfied mind. We are so grateful. Dan Hubbard
Social commentary, political opinion, personal anecdotes, generally centered around values, how we form them, delude ourselves about them, and use them.
This is the ordinary face of a lamentable man.
during the last election, but when one of his misguided supporters
said that Barack Obama was an Arab, he stopped and said, "No!"
When someone told Paul Broun that someone needed to shoot
Obama, Broun admitted there was some frustration, all right.
It does not matter what one's political opinions are: human decency
demands that Broun should have stopped, right there, and said
that talk of assassination, just talk about assassination, had no place
at his rallies, nor anyone else's. That is not acceptable: period!
"The congressman just moved on."