Category: Rule of Law

Dinner and hard truths

Snowy walk to meet friends for a “modern take on authentic Mexican food.” Because people are afraid to go out lately, the restaurant has had to shorten its hours. We received great service from our server, and we chatted at the end of our meal. She shared her well-founded fear of being dragged off by ICE goons on her way from work because of the color of her skin, despite being an American-born citizen.

Cabaret, speaking to our times

The evening began with pre-show drinks at a pop-up Kit Kat bar before a sold-out performance of Cabaret at the Guthrie. Having revisited the story through the movie, a touring Broadway production, and Isherwood’s Berlin Stories over the years, the play’s dark themes felt timely tonight. Tomorrow, the daily news of rising authoritarianism in our own country awaits.

Where graffiti is encouraged

You just don’t see graffiti in Palm Springs, except here, on my cycle ride today. This is the site of a now-demolished fashion mall, an improvement and a monument to pragmatism, IMHO. A governing board oversees this site, applying just a few rules. Elsewhere, a call to the city’s graffiti-abatement hotline promptly summons a cleanup crew.

What’s the purpose of having law?

It was too cold to walk, so I pedaled an exercycle while being unchallenged by my Japanese serial drama. Keito, the central character, is a highly ethical reporter working for a weekly tabloid that covers corrupt politicians and other scandals. As she uncovers yet another case with mitigating circumstances, she asks, “What’s the purpose of having law?”–A good question for the times we live in.

Life in a Representative Democracy

Picked up mail-in ballots for the upcoming US Senate and Minneapolis School Board Primary from the mail room downstairs. Today we celebrate the ratification of the Declaration of Independence, rejecting the idea of a king who is above the law.

Ghosted

Wandering the halls, I searched for remnants of the hotel’s old identity, now meticulously erased by last week’s rebranding, not even a shadow remaining. The hotel’s management had paid off a former US president so they could remove his name and brand from the building.

Parkland Shooting Survivor

Attended a packed Westminster Town Hall Forum to listen to 18-year-old David Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 Parkland mass shooting. He talked about gun violence: root causes, the law that prevents the government collecting statistics, and ways we can participate.