Steve Fernlund and The Long Way Home

I’ve had two lines of thought this week on The Long Way Home. The only thing that ties the two lines together is that they both focus on our country's near-term future.  The first is the role of federal judges in tempering the current and future administrations' excesses. As a baby boomer, I learned about the US government in our Civics class. Remember those? The Constitution created three co-equal branches of our federal government: legislative, executive, and judicial. After living under a regime where the King of England had absolute power through decrees (executive orders) that bypassed the will of his legislators and judiciary, the framers of the Constitution wanted to prevent any branch of the government from accumulating excess power. Since ratified in June of 1788, there has been a constant struggle as one or more branches try to exert more power than the others.  My recollection of the introductory lesson in high school was that the three branches of government were i...

The social media site I like to call the Book of Face helps me learn more about human behavior, and it scares me sometimes. In the age of social media and 24/7 news cycles, constructive dialogue is rare. An insidious tactic on Facebook from all sections of the political spectrum is "whataboutism," a simple rhetorical maneuver that ends any attempt at meaningful discussion. When someone you’re communicating with starts their following sentence, “Yeah, but what about…?” you know the discussion is over. "Whataboutism" is a common rhetorical tactic that involves responding to an accusation or criticism by deflecting it with a counter-accusation, often related to a different issue. It's a way of avoiding the original point, oftentimes because the original point is contrary to what we feel and believe. On St. Patrick’s Recovery Day, I reposted an article on Facebook titled “Minnesota State Sen. Eichorn arrested on suspicion of soliciting a minor.” The post contained a...

Social media taught me that we can hardly expect politicians and their handlers to demonstrate truth and honesty when most of us have a truth and honesty problem of our own. Spin, the antithesis of truth and honesty, runs wild. “Truth" and "honesty" are closely related. Truth refers to a state of being in accordance with facts or reality. It's about what is, regardless of personal beliefs or opinions. A statement is considered valid if it aligns with verifiable evidence. The earth is round, the climate is changing,  and vaccines work. Honesty involves being genuine and sincere in one's words and actions. It's about having integrity and avoiding deception. It emphasizes the intention to be truthful. A person can be honest, believing what they say is the truth while still being wrong. And there’s the rub. People can honestly believe something that is not true. And that’s where social media “discussions” go off track, insults are hurled, and reality is denied.  ...

I wrote a column two weeks ago that hasn’t seen print and maybe won’t. It’s about how weak leaders lose respect whenever they are the first to scream and shout. The White House meeting, which ought to have been private, inspired it. In the meeting, the trio of Trump, Vance, and Rubio dominated the President of a European ally for all to see. My writing may have been extreme, so I kept it private, for now. On March 4, Politico’s Meredith Lee Hill reported that Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), the chair of the House GOP's campaign committee, told Republican lawmakers during a closed-door meeting to stop holding in-person town halls amid a wave of angry backlash from people over cuts made by the new administration. Town hall meetings are vital for politicians to stay connected with their communities and effectively represent all their constituents' interests. They encourage citizens to participate in the democratic process. They are, or should be, nonpartisan.  Take Minnesota House Dis...