There are many long term issues that need attention such as immigration, infrastructure, health care, gun carnage, climate change and new energy proposals that will not get fair and serious hearings in the present political climate. The same goes for long standing foreign policy decisions in regard to the Middle East and China. Unfortunately, most…

Tom Oliver, Betty’s cousin and a good pal, recently came up to Potlatch to hang out for a couple days. When he’s in town he frequently stops by with his Lab, Fischer, who is Rucker’s brother. It’s a reunion of sorts and always enjoyable for us and the dogs. This last trip he said something…

By any standards, contemporary American politics has come off the rails. Two hundred and thirty-four years of constitutional government and democracy is being threatened with irreparable damage. This is especially apparent in the most recent maneuvers on Capitol Hill by the Republicans who seem hell-bent on tearing up the very fabric of American democracy. Meanwhile,…

After a late start and several interruptions, the flowers are all set in their places, the gardens are ready for the summer and fall seasons. It’s been a struggle this year, but the effort will pay dividends until the first frost in late November. The perennials – azaleas, peonies and native mountain laurels, dogwoods and…

Last evening I met longtime friends for dinner. It was a wonderful time, finally getting together after almost eighteen months. Much too long. I believe they shared my joy in all of us being together after the long dark pandemic. The only thing that could have made the reunion better would have been if Betty,…

This morning I was thinking about what Theodore Roosevelt would say if he were alive. His leadership was extraordinary given what we experience today. There was corruption and serious partisanship then as well, but Roosevelt stood out for his honesty and principled behavior as well as his many accomplishments. Both Democrats and Republicans frequently exhalt…

A friend recently forwarded this article to me and I found it most interesting even though I don’t agree with all the writer’s characterizations. The author, Charles. D. Hayes, is an unabashed liberal and a self-taught philosopher. He was a U.S. Marine and a police officer before a career in the oil industry. His insights…

This past Sunday I went to a party for a dear friend who is a former colleague from my teaching days. The occasion was her 95th birthday. It was a wonderful time and a heartwarming experience. She continues to be an inspiration for all who know her. For me she has been a lodestar since…

How many times have you heard winning politicians rationalize their post-election actions by saying that elections have consequences? At the same time the single vote of each of us has consequences and makes us individually responsible for what ensues from an election. Yet how many times have you cast a vote too quickly or too…

It’s a rainy day in our little mountains and in our nation. The rain here will soon pass and give way to warm sunny days, but I’m not so sure about the rest of the country. Today’s ouster of Liz Cheney from leadership by the Republican right threatens dark days ahead for our constitutional government….