Little Things

Sixty seven years ago the Allied forces assaulted the beaches Normandy.  Many small details blasted into those moments creating memories that defined the lives present – both survivors and casualties.  Back home, my dad was only 10 years old, following the war in morning papers and newsreels.  What he remembers most vividly from that day was the radio broadcast that evening when the Liberty Bell was tapped gently with a hammer, seven times, as if to spell out L-I-B-E-R-T-Y returning to the world.  It was one of the few times in the last century the fragile and precious bell sounded.  But that day it was needed.

It may seem like a small gesture, given the blood running heavy enough to crimson the surf on the shore of France.  But it gave meaning to the people who were not there.  Little things like this define the moments that make up the memory of a culture, a people with shared history and talk.  Little things, small personal details, are what burn into our personal memories and make them real.

Little things are the stories that make up our lives.

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Lying

According to author James Stewart, lying is a national crisis.  This undermines “the ideals of fair play, integrity, and trust to which people of goodwill everywhere aspire,” according to the author, and he’s made a good career out of speaking on this topic.  His book “Tangled Webs” is selling well.

But is lying worse than it ever has been, as Steward insists?  I think so, but at a slightly different depth than he has plumbed.

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Inflation and “Real”

Price inflation has been a part of our economic world since the last Depression.  The total US Dollars floating around has increased just a tiny bit more than the size of our economy, making them just a bit less more valuable with time.

Inflation is rarely questioned because we are used to it and it’s not large.  It’s even considered good policy because it penalizes taking money out of the economy by stuffing big piles of cash into a mattress.  But it also covers up a lot of sins and makes it much easier to fudge the numbers.

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Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a special holiday, and not just because it honors those who gave their lives for our nation.  It was a spontaneous holiday that came about because it seemed necessary more than politically expedient.  There was little official about it until long after it was part of our national calendar.

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Be Happy, Be Gay

Minnesota will vote in November 2012 on constitutional amendment that will forever ban same-sex marriage in this state.  If approved, it will join a few other seemingly random scribblings at the end of our constitution such as the authorization to pay a bonus to Persian Gulf War veterans and a fundamental right to hunt and fish.

The nature of these odd things that don’t appear to belong in a constitution make the intention clear. They also make it obvious how we have to campaign against the amendment – by having a lot of fun with it.

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