When my father told me he was taking me to see the power plant,1 I was very excited; and looked forward to seeing a plant that somehow produced significant amounts of electricity.
As it turned out, the “power plant” was a building near the river.
My main — and only — visual memory of the place is a large room dominated by a massive cylinder: rounded, with its axis parallel to and roughly even with the floor. I’m pretty sure it was painted a light green.
I also remember being disappointed. And trying to not show it. I don’t know what my age was at the time: probably around nine or ten, fourth or fifth grade.
I’d learned enough about plants to know that a plant producing significant amounts of electricity would be unusual. But I hadn’t yet learned that “plant” can mean something besides those green, growing things.
I sincerely hope I expressed adequate appreciation to my father, for showing me the place that helped keep the lights on in our town. I’ve never forgotten that visit.
Now that I’ve been, and still am, a husband, father, and now grandfather, I appreciate my father showing me important parts of our home even more. As I’ve told the kids, and my wife, my father’s a hard act to follow.
Not perfect. I’ve talked about that occasionally. But he set a pretty high bar.
Learning From the Past, Not Repeating It
From “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” trailer. (1953) The ‘good old days’ had their problems, too.
My father’s example, and what I learned from thinking about it, helped me when my wife and I were raising the kids.
So did having access to what the Catholic Church has been saying about being human.
Some of it parallels what my native culture says. Some — not so much.
I’ll touch on a few of the main points. Bear in mind that this isn’t even close to an exhaustive discussion
Human beings are people. Each human being is a person. Each of us matters. Not being just like each other is okay: we’re supposed to be different. Married couples and their kids matter. So do single adults. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1658, 1934-1938, 2201-2206, 2258-2317, for starters)
This is important: my wife and I didn’t have a “right to a child”. That’s because a child is a person, not property. (Catechism, 2378)
Again, married couples and their kids matter.
But sometimes couples can’t have children: what about them?
They’ve got options: including “adopting abandoned children or performing demanding services for others.” (Catechism, 2479)
Our children had a duty to obey us, while we were raising them. My wife and I had duties, too, which included remembering that each of our children was a person. Part of our job was educating them, showing them how to make good decisions. (Catechism, 2217, 2221-2230)
So far, that sounds old-fashioned.
But since we’re Catholic, our job as parents did not include telling them what sort of jobs they should have, who they should marry: or whether they should get married. (Catechism, 2230-2231)
Working With Real People in the Real World
First chapter of the Book of Sirach, in German,rendered by an anonymous artist. (1654)
Something I like about being Catholic is that our rules are simple. Take, for example, “love one another” and “honor your father and mother”.
Simple, right?
“I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” (John 13:34)
“Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD, your God, has commanded you, that you may have a long life and that you may prosper in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” (Deuteronomy 5:16)
“Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12)
But for the last two millennia, the Church has been working with people who aren’t perfect, living in a world that is far from ideal.
So we’ve got explanations and guidelines for how those simple rules should work in everyday life: and when life is less routine than usual.
Our current catechism discusses ‘love one another’ and ‘honor your parents’ in paragraphs 2196 through 2246, outlining how the ideas apply to social units from parents and children up to the societies we’re living in:
1 The power plant my father showed me was torn down a little over ten years ago. This brief article tells its story, and includes sources for more information:
“Old Moorhead Power Plant” Entry from North Dakota State University on PocketSights walking tours
There wasn’t anything special about the back yard at 818.
But 818 is the place where I spent the bulk of my childhood, so it’s a place I often go on trips down memory lane.
Let’s see, where to start. Directions are as good as any. Our house was on a north-south street, facing west, so the back of the lot was at the east end. The driveway ran along the lot’s north side. It was just wide enough for a car, leaving a foot-wide strip of dirt next to the house. I liked the lily of the valley patch that grew there.
The garage was in back, maybe 20 feet past the house. A white picket fence ran from the northeast corner of house to the garage, with a gate by the house. A concrete slab, about 10 by 10 feet, ran between the fence and the back porch.
As a child, it felt like a spacious area. And, for the sort of neighborhood we were in, it was.
At any rate, the back porch’s outside door faced north. Turning right, I’d soon be on the grass, with the garage on my left and a rhubarb patch next to the garage.
Firecrackers and Rhubarb Crisp
(Mostly) edible plants in a Shakopee, MN, park.
Rhubarb is one those things we can eat, except for the parts we shouldn’t.
Like pretty much everything else, rhubarb’s history is complicated.
Adding to the chaos fascination, not all “rhubarb” are the “hybrids … of Rheum in the family Polygonaceae”:1 plants that folks speaking today’s American English call “rhubarb”.
The leaves of our rhubarb look tasty, and have an abundance of toxins.
One of those toxins, oxalic acid, is good for cleaning metal, killing mites, and shutting down our kidneys.
Rhubarb is also part of the new “Edible Landscape” garden project in Shakopee, part of Minnesota’s Metro. I like the idea, but hope they got the heads-up about those edible plants in their garden.2
On the other hand, some folks have used rhubarb leaves as seasoning. I suppose it depends on how much someone eats, how they prepare the leaves, and individual risk tolerance where nifty tastes are involved.
My folks told me that rhubarb leaves were toxic and that I shouldn’t eat them. So I didn’t. But I did set off lady finger firecrackers on the leaves. My parents didn’t object. I’m not sure why.
This was in the late 1950s, when American culture wasn’t as remarkably and selectively risk-averse as it is now.3
Getting back to those rhubarb plants. The stems — good grief, turns out they contain emodin, which apparently can damage genetic information.4 I wonder if anyone’s thought of doing a study showing that water is bad for us?
Anyway, rhubarb stems may not be 100% absolutely idiot-proof safe. But they do make good eating. It’s been decades since I’ve enjoyed rhubarb crisp: something we’d have as a treat, after the rhubarb was ready.
That’s a pleasant memory.
Half-Remembered Flowers
“Clematis”, Arboretum Review, J. R. Gilbert, Agriculture Extension Service, University of Minnesota. (1973)
I don’t know who was responsible for maintaining the rhubarb patch. More accurately, I don’t remember.
It’s been upwards of six decades since that was current information.
I do remember that Grandma Hovde had a small flower garden along the east side of my room.
She was living with us by that time, which puts it in the mid and late 1950s. I don’t know or remember when she moved in. As far as my memory went, she had always lived upstairs at 818.
Her flower garden included a trellis, on the wall at the south end.
When I started writing this, my memory told me hollyhocks grew there. My wife told me this was — unlikely. She’s right. Hollyhocks don’t need or use trellises.
At the time, and into my teens, I’d have known what the trellis-flowers were. But decades have come and gone, and that memory is no longer accessible.
I do remember that my grandmother was not satisfied with how her trellis-flowers grew. I thought they looked fine, but didn’t have her knowledge.
Those trellis-flowers might have been clematis. That’d make sense, given the location, although photos I’ve seen of clematis don’t quite match what I remember.5 But again: it’s been decades since that was current experience.
Snapdragons and Making Sense
Best, and shortest, video I found that showed why they’re called snapdragons.
My grandmother’s snapdragons, on the other hand, grew quite well. During one year, at least.
I remember her showing me why they’re called snapdragons.
(Very) gently squeezing and releasing the flowers make them open and close like a mouth.
Again: a pleasant memory.
I’ve been thinking: maybe the flowers on that trellis were hollyhocks. But again, photos I looked at this week don’t match what I remember. At all.6
Finally, here’s part of why — one reason — I think enjoying pleasant memories and flowers is okay:
“For from the greatness and the beauty of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen.” (Wisdom 13:5)
Remembering how I should see pleasant memories and flowers — I’ve talked about God and priorities before. Flowers and a house, too:
Phytochemistry and potential toxicity (stems contain emodin, which “represents a genotoxic risk for humans” – thus sayeth an EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS))
Tuesday morning, January 27, 2026. Sewer repair outside work begins.
Last week I talked about incidents, politics, and the news in my home state, Minnesota.
This week I’m talking about a comparatively pleasant matter: sewer repair.
Before anything else, though: good news, at least for us. Our household’s sewer connection is now in good working order, and should stay that way for a long while.
Tuesday afternoon, January 20, 2026: Sauk Centre Utilities crew checking out the ‘city’ sewer out front.
A little over two and a half weeks ago, I was dealing with what I thought was clogged toilet. Then someone, I think it was one of the kids, noticed water in the basement, coming from our main drain.
By afternoon, the kids had learned that nobody in town could deal with what we were experiencing. But they had gotten in touch with an outfit about an hour down the road who could and would.
That was good news.
So was a crew showing up later that day, with equipment and know-how. They checked our sewer pipe, talked with Sauk Centre Utilities, and learned that — no surprises here — our sewer pipe was blocked.
That wasn’t, actually, the only possible explanation for the minor mess in our basement. There might have been trouble in the municipal system. But by that time Sauk Centre Utilities had been out front, taking a look in the municipal sewer.
Our basement could have been in much worse shape. The water that’d leaked out was clear, but almost certainly was not clean.
The crew had confirmed that our sewer was blocked. They’d also seen — literally, they had a camera — that whatever was wrong needed someone with more experience.
Back to good news: they made a smallish hole through whatever was blocking the pipe. This let us handle waste water normally, provided we didn’t overload the system.
As I recall, they also got water out of the basement — there wasn’t much, happily — and removed some damaged stuff. I think that’s when they steam-cleaned the affected areas.
Several days later, during the last week in January, we learned more about why our drain didn’t drain.
Unavoidable Delay, Pipe Rot
“…Strong Wind and Snow Event”. weather.gov (January 20-21, 2026)
We’d have learned more on Saturday, January 24, but the chap who needed to come out with equipment and experience had the flu.
That wasn’t good news for either or any of us, but our drains were draining, so it wasn’t bad news either.
He said he’d come Monday, and he did. Even better, by that time he was over whatever had been ailing him. There’s a variety of the flu going around, which might explain how we’ve been feeling. And I’m wandering off-topic.
He determined where and how deep our sewer pipe was, and what was giving us trouble.
Basically, the cast-iron pipe running from our house out to the municipal sewer system was in bad shape.
I wasn’t surprised. We live in an old farm house that’s now on a street corner in Sauk Centre. What we had until last month was probably the original connection to Sauk Centre’s sewers.
Besides “pipe rot” — corrosion, not the organic process — whoever had installed the pipe set it on dirt, which had slumped over the decades.
A Tip of the Hat to Plumber St. Cloud
Street and utilities work in Sauk Centre. (2006)
Back to good news.
When Sauk Centre pulled up our streets and utilities, two decades back now, the contractors ran new plastic pipe out to where our old cast iron pipe ended.
My guess is that this made connecting the new and existing pipes easier, and maybe cheaper. Less expensive than good old-fashioned cast iron pipes, that is.
Before I forget, this is the outfit that got us re-connected with Sauk Centre’s sewers:
My hat’s off to the company, and the folks who came here. Beyond just being technically competent, they explained what they were doing, let us know when we shouldn’t run water: in short, gave us information we could use.
Tuesday, January 27, 2026: Digging in the Cold, Cold Ground
Tuesday late morning, January 27, 2026. Trench digging, there goes the sidewalk.
Excavation equipment makes digging an eight-foot-deep trench a practical possibility in late January, here in central Minnesota. But it’s still not easy.
This isn’t the first time someone’s needed dirt removed and replaced in winter, so the crew came prepared with an assortment of shovel and pick attachments for their excavator.
Reasonable Precautions
Tuesday, January 27, 2026. Around midday, they reached the pipe by the house.
They also brought along a portable retaining wall. I don’t know what it’s called. You see it there, on either side of the ladder. Frozen soil makes middling-fair structural material, but there’s no sense taking crazy chances.
By midday Tuesday-before-last, they’d reached the drain pipe coming out of our basement and started replacing the old cast iron drain leading to our street. It’s Sauk Centre’s street, but you know what I mean.
Utilities, and Living Where the Edge of Town Used to Be
By Tuesday afternoon, January 27, 2026, they were close to the city sewer line.
These days, the shortest route to Sauk Centre’s sewer would be straight west from our basement. Instead, our old cast iron drain takes a northwest heading after passing through our basement wall.
You read that right. Our sewer drain exits the house through the basement wall, not below the floor.
Sauk Center’s sewers are, or were, apparently, above the level our our basement floor, at least in this part of town. Why, I don’t know.
My guess is that when municipal utilities were run out here, this was the last house before you got into someone’s field. Houses south and east of us have that low-to-the-ground, shallow roofed look you’ll see in (comparatively) newer neighborhoods.
Our front yard, looking north. The shrub that isn’t there anymore is on the left. (July 2, 2017)
Besides making more work for the folks digging that trench, taking that northwest course involved digging up a shrub that’d been there when we came here, in 1990.
On a more practical note, Sauk Centre’s sidewalk that runs in front of our place wasn’t disturbed. But we’re missing several square yards concrete, between the sidewalk and our front stoop. That’ll need replacing come spring or summer.
This could have been a much bigger — and more expensive — replacement job. As it is, we’re looking at a whole lot more ‘maintenance’ costs this year than we expected. But, again, Sauk Centre’s sidewalk doesn’t need replacing, so that’s one less expense.
Plus, we get a little wiggle room in terms of when the job needs to get finished. I hope.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026: Sewer Work (Almost) Done
Doesn’t look like much, but they dug that through frozen soil in under two days. January 28, 2026.
“…I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours….” (“Three Men in a Boat” Jerome K. Jerome, (1889) via Wikiquote)
You can’t see it in that photo, but there’s gravel showing through dirt at the bottom of that trench. The crew from Plumber St. Cloud put stone on the trench bottom before setting down the drain pipe.
I gather that this’ll make for less settling under the pipe, and maybe give more time before someone has to dig down and replace it. I hope so, anyway.
Old Pipes, New Pipes
Looking down the length of the trench. Not scenic, but it looked good to me. January 28, 2026.
The old cast iron drain pipes are still down near the new one, off to one side. Those two vertical bits, top center in the photo, are a new feature. I gather that they’re there to give access to the horizontal drain.
Another look down the trench, with street and houses in background. January 28, 2026.
Another photo, from the same spot, this time showing houses across the street. I took this mainly to give a better sense of how deep the trench was, and how far above the ground those pipes went. They’ve been cut off at ground level and capped since then.
Finishing Touches: Now and Come Spring
Late afternoon Wednesday. Time to fill in the trench. January 28, 2026.
By sunset on Wednesday, January 28, the crew had filled in the trench. The job’s not quite over, though. Come spring, there will have been settling; which is why there’s a pile of dirt off to the right, past the edge of that photo.
“Landscaping” strikes me as a fancy term for anything having to do with our yard, but that’s what’ll be done after the snow’s gone. There’s sidewalk to replace, dirt to smooth over, and grass to plant.
But as I see it, the main work has been done. We’ve got reliable sewer access again, and that’s a good thing.
Back to Routines
It was COLD outside. (January 22, 2026)
At the time, the process of getting our drains reconnected with Sauk Centre’s sewers felt like it was moving along at a lethargic snail’s pace.
But considering how the very cold weather had been affecting so many other folks here in central Minnesota, I’m impressed that we got a temporary fix done so fast, and most of the job done in not much over a week.
Again, my hat’s off to Plumber St. Cloud and everyone who was working here.
That said, I’m really glad that we’re getting back to our usual household routines. And that one of the kids is recovering from part of the process.
In this context, “the kids” means our son and one of our daughters: both adults, living with me and my wife. We’re not your ‘typical American family’, which is a cartload of topics I may or may not get to: some other time.
Something Extra in the Air
I’m not particularly affected by extra stuff in the air. My wife is. A lot.
Very early on, I learned that getting her flowers was a bad idea.
Our daughter, the one who lives in this household, is even more affected by stuff in the air. What she deals with has nothing to do with having ‘delicate sensibilities’, any more than someone who’s allergic to ragweed pollen is being highfalutin.
After the crew cleaned up the sewer water that’d leaked into our basement, and removed some damaged material, they steam-cleaned the area.
This was a good idea. We had to assume that microcritters were in that water, and we emphatically didn’t want them setting up shop in our house.
I’ve gathered that sewer water has a distinctive aroma. So I’m told. It’d have to get pretty thick before I’d notice. If I saw as well as I can smell, I’d be legally blind.
Whatever they used for the steam cleaning had a fresh minty smell to it. For most folks, that’s probably a refreshing change from the previous stench.
I didn’t, couldn’t, notice the new aroma. My wife and the kids, on the other hand, could detect it. For two of them, it was tolerable.
For our daughter, the basement and most of the ground floor was uninhabitable for more than a week. So until recently, she’s been living on the next level up. Maybe that’d have been necessary, even without the added aroma. There was a lot of chemistry happening down there.
Finding Morals, Within Reason
“Every thing’s got a moral, if only you can find it.” “Alice in Wonderland”, the Duchess. (1866)
During one of our daily online chats, I told our oldest daughter that I’d been trying to find ‘a moral’ in our sewer repair experience.
She told me that not everything has to have a moral — some ethical lesson.
Her assertion’s truth and usefulness is a philosophical rabbit hole I’ll ignore.
She did, however, have a point.
The Duchess in “Alice in Wonderland” is not a good role model.
But I did spot a few facets of this household’s sewer problem that arguably ‘have a moral’.
One way or another, they involve how what I say I believe affects — or should affect — how I act.
In these cases, acting ‘morally’ — following rules taught by the Church — was easy. Sometimes it’s not. But I’ve noticed that the principles behind ‘all those rules’ are just plain common sense. Even the ones I find hard to follow. And that’s another topic.
Health
Being and staying healthy is okay. So is not being healthy, and trying to get healthy. It’s part of being alive. Getting well, helping others get well, and scientific research with those goals, are all good ideas. Ethics apply, just like with everything else we do. (Catechism, 1410, 1500–1510, 2292-2296)
If I made being or getting healthy my top priority, that’d be a problem. Putting anything or anyone where God belongs is idolatry, and a very bad idea. (Catechism, 2112-2113)
Neighbors
Finally, whatever I’m doing, I should keep the common good in mind:
“1906 By common good is to be understood ‘the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.’ The common good concerns the life of all. It calls for prudence from each, and even more from those who exercise the office of authority. It consists of three essential elements:” (Catechism)
Changing “the sum total of social conditions…” is beyond my abilities. But I can act as if respecting other folks is a good idea. (Catechism, 1905-1912, for starters)
Part of that involves following through on agreements. (Catechism, 2410)
Folks with Plumber St. Cloud, for example, agreed to fix our sewer with the understanding that we’ll pay them. Which we will.
But what about the job itself?
Let’s say we didn’t feel like getting our sewer connection fixed. Shouldn’t we have a right to let it go? After all, it’s our property, our choice.
Home Maintenance and the Universal Destination of Goods
Since I’m a Catholic, I think that private property is a good idea. I also think everyone else matters, so I can’t say “MINE“, and stop there. The universal destination of goods is an idea that deserves more attention than I’m giving this week. (Catechism, 1937-1938, 2211, 2213, 2237-2238, 2401–2406, 2415, 2456)
Here’s how that, and the idea that other people matter, applies to sewer repair.
In the short run, getting our sewer connection fixed won’t benefit many folks outside this household. And the Plumber St. Cloud crews and their families, to the extent that our trouble gave them work which I assume resulted in paychecks.
In the not-so-short run, getting our sewer connection repaired benefits our immediate neighbors; since waste water we produce has to go somewhere. I’d better leave it at that.
The same goes for replacing our sidewalk and smoothing out our front yard.
This isn’t even close to being an HOA neighborhood, thankfully, and our place has a ‘lived in’ look. But I figure we all benefit if one yard isn’t an outstanding eyesore.
Hot topic from yesteryear: “Charity Begins at Home”, Louis Dalrymple in Puck (NY). (December 28, 1898)
Minnesota and Minneapolis have been national news for more than a month now.
This is my home state. I’m not happy about what’s in the news, and concerned about what’s dropped out of the news.
Ignoring the mess isn’t an option. So this week I’ll talk about what’s allegedly been happening, and why I take so much of what I read with a few bulk lots of salt.
A few headlines highlighted our cold weather, but most of the sound and fury has been over some folks allegedly enforcing laws, and other folks allegedly expressing their indignation over an unseemly and improper effort to catch up on law enforcement.
This has been going on since December.
The activists have also been expressing shock over allegedly unjustified assaults which resulted in the death, on the seventh of this month, of someone with unalloyed virtue. They’ve also been expressing horror, disapprobation, and outrage: again, allegedly.
Then, last Saturday, the 25th, another allegedly-innocent activist was killed.
I’m not, putting it mildly, happy about the situation.
I could emulate Mark Twain’s hypothetical reader:
“…the reader of the Deerslayer tale dislikes the good people in it, is indifferent to the others, and wishes they would all get drowned together.…” (“Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offences” , Mark Twain (1895) via Gutenberg.org) [emphasis mine]
But that’s not an option, for reasons I’ll get to later.
Apparently (Over-) Cautious: an Alleged Disclaimer
Problematic news isn’t new. “Appeals to Passion, Venom, Sensationalism, Attacks on Honest Officials, Strife, Distorted News, Personal Grievance, Misrepresentation”. (1910)
Why scatter “allegedly” through that summary, and elsewhere in this post?
I don’t know nearly enough about what has been happening to be certain about who has been doing what and why they’ve done it. And what I suspect might be the reality behind the news inspires more than the usual degree of caution.
Political? No! Perturbed? Yes
Chicago Tribune cartoon, politicos about-facing the day after an election. (1927)
Since how I see the current mess overlaps politics, and some of what I say may sound “political”, I’ll present a disclaimer. Or maybe an admission.
I live in Minnesota, but not in Minneapolis. My state’s “Metro” — Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the suburbs — are a couple hours down the road from my home. I am profoundly glad I do not live there.
I’m a Catholic. I take my faith seriously.
That doesn’t make me liberal, conservative, or in line with any other political position.
It does make me obliged to have —
Respect for the human person, the individual
Interest in the well-being and development of societies
A desire for least a measure of security and stability for societies and individuals (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1905-1912)
So, even if I felt like it, I can’t sit back and munch popcorn while the usual suspects put on their dog and pony shows.
I’m just some guy living in central Minnesota. So changing the world is not something I can do. Which is fine by me. That level of responsibility would be scary.
I am, however, personally responsible for what I can do: taking a part in public life, as far as my circumstances permit. (Catechism, 1913-1917)
That’s why I’m touching on what we’re being told, how I see it, why I think people matter, and whatever else comes to mind.
About that —
Since I’m not on the same page as The Establishment,1 the folks in my society whose opinions matter, I may sound like a conservative.
But I’ve been paying attention. So either standing firm on a conservative platform, or jumping on the liberal bandwagon, is not an option.2
Out of Step With The Establishment: Five Decades and Counting
Partisan pressure and poppycock: nobody has a monopoly.
My teen years and the Sixties overlap.
Many long-overdue reforms got traction then.
I’m not happy about how some worked out.
Others: well, making new rules and regulations is one thing; encouraging folks to take ideas like “love your neighbor” seriously is emphatically a work in progress.
In my youth, I was not in step with The Establishment: which seemed increasingly frantic to make us more panicked by un-American influences, than by their efforts to protect us. I’ve got my faults, but striving to maintain that status quo wasn’t one of them.
Years, and decades, passed.
This country’s current self-described best and brightest have different quirks, preferences, and peeves. These days they’re ‘protecting’ us from other bogeymen, the ones they fear.
Freedom: lawful speech and a banned comic.
And I’m still not on the same page as the folks who promote freedom by telling us what to think, what to say, and how to say it.
On the other hand, I think many or most are sincere: that journalists, for example, objectively and without bias report exactly how they feel about events they see as newsworthy.
Minnesota: Good Grief, Another Month
Now, about the mess in my home state. The one that’s been running since December.
‘We Interrupt Your Worship to Bring You Our Message’
Disrupted worship Sunday, released Friday. The law at work in Minnesota. (January 24, 2026)
“…A group of protesters led by Levy Armstrong interrupted a service at the church, which was chosen because one of its pastors also serves as a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director at a time Minnesota is the subject of an aggressive immigration crackdown by the Trump administration….”
About that incident: All I know about what happened is what little I’ve seen in the news.
I’m pretty sure that someone disrupted a worship service in the Metro. Possibly because a person who’s the wrong sort was a pastor there. It also looks like some judge decided that the disruptors shouldn’t be in jail.
I think there can be good reasons for having “due process”. I don’t know why a judge decided that folks who’d “interrupted” a worship service should be released. Maybe there were legitimate reasons for springing them.
But I don’t see someone ‘interrupting’ worship this way as acceptable, or prudent, behavior. Not even if the intent is to draw attention to a perceived injustice. Of course, I’m one of ‘those religious people’, so I wouldn’t.
These particular folks weren’t Catholic, but I am a Catholic, so taking all faiths seriously is a ‘must’ —
“843 The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as ‘a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life.'” (Catechism)
The Annunciation attacker only killed two. (2025)
Maybe this month’s disrupted worship service isn’t getting much attention because nobody got killed.
Some disruptions are lethal.
Two people, kids, died in an attack on Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis last August. Then the attacker killed himself.
It wasn’t all bad news. The death of two Catholic schoolkids was treated as a serious crime. All in all, the situation could have been a lot worse. (“Death and Evil: But Also Light and Hope” (September 6, 2025))
Alternatively-Legal Immigrants
“Welcome to All”, Puck (NY)’s view of immigrants. (1880)
The trouble in Minnesota, and now elsewhere, is allegedly due to Federal law enforcement catching up on long-standing violations of laws regarding immigration.
What gets lost in the shouting is that the problem isn’t folks coming to this country.
It’s that they’ve allegedly come to this country and stayed here by non-legal means.
And that a distressing number of these ‘rules are for other people’ immigrants have committed crimes besides non-legal entry while they were here.
In fairness, folks whose forebears have been in America legally for generations occasionally commit crimes, too. What fractions of which groups commit crimes: that’s something I lack both zeal and resources to dig out of public records.
Another detail that’s easy to miss is that, as far as I can tell, letting folks come to this country and settle down is still legal. Researching what those laws are, and who they affect, is another task I’m not starting this week.
Immigrants, Rules, and Unchanging Principles
Irish immigrants as pests: Puck (NY). (1882)
Instead, I’ll take a quick look at how being a Catholic, and someone whose ancestors arrived after the Pilgrims landed, affects my view of immigration.
Being a Catholic — there’s a lot written about how I should see immigration. But basically, it’s what Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2241, says:
“2241 The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.
“Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.“ (Catechism) [emphasis mine]
That seems straightforward enough. Political authorities and the common good — that’s a can of worms I’ll leave alone this week.
Obeying laws? The basics aren’t all that complicated.
Rules, ethics — natural law — are written into reality’s source code. They’re just there. They haven’t changed, and won’t. Some things are simply wrong. Always. Everywhere. (Catechism, 1950-1960)
Rules we make up, positive law, “varies greatly”; and that’s okay. Folks living in different times and places, cultures and climates, may have different rules (Catechism, 1957)
Positive law — like Minnesota Statutes 176, 256, 609, … for example — should line up with natural law: ‘don’t steal’, in those cases. Sometimes it doesn’t. When that happens, we’ve got problems. (Catechism, 1957-1958, 2273)
Finally, since my ancestral homelands are in various parts of northwestern Europe, not this continent, I can’t reasonably see immigrants as a threat.
And since a fair fraction of my ancestors are Irish — perpetually inebriate troublemakers in the eyes of some — I’m inclined to be cautious about ‘what everybody knows’.
It’s Just Fraud, Pay No Attention
Public corruption: not a new problem.
It’d be nice if everyone, from the panhandler getting room and board in the city jail to the highest in all the land, were paragons of virtue whose actions could bear the closest scrutiny.
Expecting perfection isn’t reasonable. But if taxes are supposed to bankroll alleged social services, it’d be nice if that money went to real social services.
“The FBI has ‘surged’ investigative resources and personnel to Minnesota, bureau Director Kash Patel said on Sunday, in the latest instance of the Trump administration’s fraud investigations that have largely targeted the state’s Somali immigrants.
“Federal officials in recent weeks have portrayed Minnesota’s Somali community as a hotspot for fraud involving millions of federal dollars intended for social services. Immigrant-rights advocates have accused the administration of using the fraud investigations as an excuse to target Somali immigrants more broadly.
“The FBI declined to provide further details about Patel’s comment. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Patel on Sunday referenced ‘recent social media reports in Minnesota,’ without being more specific. But his X post came two days after an online video documented allegedly inactive daycare facilities that had received public funds as part of a wider network of allegedly fraudulent activities….”
There’d been rumblings in local and regional news before that. The alleged fraud got a bit more attention come December.
Which is when Operation Metro Surge, a catchy name for the protests, demonstrations, or whatever I’m supposed to call them, started in Minneapolis — and are now popping up elsewhere.
Since then, alleged tax funding of non-existent alleged social services has seemingly become a non-issue that never happened.
Coverage of heroic and dedicated protestors/activists/whatever, on the other hand, has eclipsed the Winter Olympics. In my news feed, at any rate.
Headlines and Me
REMEMBER THE MAINE! (1898), and what we’ve learned since then.
I figure the dedicated protestors/activists/whatever are sincere.
Nobody with an ounce of sense goes outside this time of year in Minnesota, unless there’s a really good reason: striving for some cause, shoveling the walk, or enjoying winter sports.
What’s actually been going on in my state: that’s something I don’t know.
I am, however, very concerned at the way allegations of massive and long-term fraud disappeared from the news: replaced by coverage of heroic protestors and brutish agents of the law. Which, I’ll grant, is just my viewpoint.
I’m also impressed at how hard it is to find verifiable information either confirming or refuting claims that a few folks in my state have been enjoying the benefits of running social services which only exist on paper.
I’d prefer believing that Minnesota’s Brobdingnagian alleged fraud scandals were just politics as usual. But the way occasional ‘fraud’ headlines faded when an FBI investigation made international news — is unsettling.
As far as I can tell, the alleged mishandling of public funds has barely been recognized, let alone dealt with, by the folks who matter in my state. Seeing the sound and fury over protestors and bogeymen as a distraction is uncomfortably easy.
But that, again, is just my viewpoint.
I remember McCarthyism’s dying gasps, and haven’t felt an urge to join some Great Cause du Jour since my youth.4 I’ve also developed the opinion that bogeymen, no matter how frightening, aren’t necessarily our biggest problems.
It’s (Not) Simple
Things are seldom this simple.
Critical thinking — the sort that involves analyzing and evaluating first, then forming a judgment — is more than I have energy or inclination to thrash out.
John Tenniel’s ‘Drink Me’ illustration for “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, Lewis Carroll. (1865)
Besides, it’s kind of boring. Apart from humorous bits like this:
“…It was all very well to say ‘Drink me,’ but the wise little Alice was not going to do that in a hurry. ‘No, I’ll look first,’ she said, ‘and see whether it’s marked ‘poison’ or not;” for she had read several nice little stories about children who had got burnt, and eaten up by wild beasts and other unpleasant things, all because they would not remember the simple rules their friends had taught them: such as, that a red-hot poker will burn you if you hold it too long; and that if you cut your finger very deeply with a knife, it usually bleeds; and she had never forgotten that, if you drink much from a bottle marked ‘poison,’ it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later….” (“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, Chapter 1, Lewis Carroll (1866) via Wikisource)
Humor notwithstanding, learning “simple rules” like Alice’s is a good start.
So is learning to think about what’s said, who’s saying it and why, and which hot buttons they’re pushing. Loaded language is arguably easier to spot when someone who’s “them”, not “us”, uses it.
Thinking isn’t as easy as reacting to slogans the ‘right sort’ use. But reality isn’t nearly that simple, and — well, I’ve learned that the ‘right sort’ can be wrong.5
Labels, Attitudes, and America: Then and Now
Ku Klux Klan at U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., August 1925. A ‘good old days’ I do not miss.
I sometimes indulge in nostalgia, but I do not yearn for the ‘good old days’.
“After all, the KKK is an old American institution.” (John E. Ranking, member of HUAC (1946) in “The Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi A History”, Michael Newton (2010). via Wikipedia))
By the time I was paying attention, HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee), had earned a reputation for being part of the problem, not a solution.
Meanwhile, using “un-American” as a one-size-fits-all label for ‘anything or anyone I don’t like’ had — my opinion — encouraged the notion that to be un-American was a good thing, and that “American” was a pejorative.
“There’s nothing quite so lovely as a brightly burning book”. (1953)
I’m not denouncing some politico, promoting some panacea, or protesting against ‘those people over there’.
So I don’t lean on words like these, assuming that nobody checks up on what I’ve been saying, or imagining that the labels are accurate and complete:
Fascist
Socialist
Racist
Un-American
Intolerant
Satanic
That’s not even close to an exhaustive list, but you get the idea.
Bogeymen
“The Usual Irish Way of Doing Things”, Thomas Nast. (1871) Warning Americans against the Irish threat.
I’d better start wrapping this up with a few assertions of my own.
Versions of Reality Lite often include sincerely-held views like this: all [group] are [adjective].
An example that’s been out of fashion for some time now is that all [Irishmen] are [irresponsible].
Dire threats to the American way of life like me have lost appeal as bogeymen. Partly, I suspect, because — by learning to act, dress, and talk drably — we could pass as Anglo. And that’s another topic. Topics.
Times change, and so has what the ‘proper sort’ perceive as dire threats.
St. Mary’s, a few miles down the road: torched in 2016. (WCCO (June 2016))
Being Irish isn’t, as far as I’ve seen, a problem in today’s America. Movies like “Going My Way” and “Top o’ the Morning” helped, or maybe reflected, changing attitudes.7
Occasionally I’ll run into assertions that ‘those religious people’ foment discord and discontent: discord and discontent that the ‘proper sort’ don’t like. That, of course, makes us perceived threats to the very fabric of society. I don’t see it that way, but I am one of ‘those religious people’, and a Catholic to boot, so I wouldn’t.
But frothing radio preachers of yesteryear indirectly and very unintentionally led me to become a Catholic. So seeing ‘those religious people’ in a dubious light is something I sort of understand.
Acting as if Humans are People
Kleinstkindergrab, babies’ graves in Karlsruhe main cemetery. Photo by Ikar.us. (August 2, 2008)
I said I’d explain, “later”, why I won’t emulate Mark Twain’s hypothetical reader; so I’ll wrap this up with something I’ve said before. Often.
“…I think human beings are people. ALL human beings. Who we are, what we’ve done, or who our ancestors are, doesn’t matter. Every human being is a person, made ‘in the image of God’: no matter how young or old, healthy or sick, that person is. Again, since human life is a gift from God, it’s precious, sacred. (Genesis 1:26–27, 2:7; Catechism, 355-357, 361, 369-370, 1700, 1730, 1929, 2258-2317)…” (“Attack on Lawmakers: Politics, Life, and Making Sense Anyway”, Each Human Life Matters (June 21, 2025))
And as if that — thinking that all human beings are really people and shouldn’t be murdered, even when it’s legal — wasn’t bad enough, there’s my obligation to love God, love my neighbors, and see everyone as my neighbor. Always. (Matthew 5:43–44, 22:36–40; Mark 12:28–31; Luke 6:31, 10:25–27, 29–37; Catechism, 2196)
It’s not easy. But I think it’s a good idea, anyway.
I’ve talked about people, politics, and living with uncertainty, before:
A I don’t know how the legal part of this “Cities Church protest” will turn out. But I’ve noticed that American laws aimed at a particular group often end up being applied to other groups. And I’m pretty sure the journalist’s legal trouble will be packaged as a “freedom of speech” issue in the news. My opinion? this isn’t simple:
Don Lemon, Wikipedia (January 30, 2026)
“…Cities Church protest and attempted federal charges (2026)
In January 2026, Lemon livestreamed an anti-ICE protest inside Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, during a worship service. Activists alleged that a pastor associated with the church also held a leadership role within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Lemon interviewed protesters and congregants during a multi-hour livestream.[57]
Following the protest, officials within the U.S. Department of Justice sought to bring federal charges against Lemon. According to reporting, prosecutors considered charging him under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act), codified at 18 U.S.C. §248, which prohibits the use of force, threat of force, or physical obstruction to interfere with a person’s exercise of religious worship; and under 18 U.S.C. §241, a Reconstruction-era civil rights conspiracy statute commonly associated with the Ku Klux Klan Act.[58][59]
A federal magistrate judge ultimately declined to approve the proposed criminal complaint, stating the government had not presented sufficient probable cause at that stage, and no charges were filed. Lemon stated he was present as a journalist, and his attorney argued his conduct was protected by the First Amendment.[59][60]
On January 29, 2026, Lemon was taken into custody by federal law enforcement.[61]…” (Wikipedia (10:10 a.m. CST / 14:10 UTC, Friday, January 30, 2026) [emphasis mine]
First Amendment to the United States Constitution (1791) (“…respecting an establishment of religion; prohibiting the free exercise of religion; or abridging the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the freedom of assembly, or the right to petition the government for redress of grievances….”)
4 Alleged fraud, real incidents, and time-tested strategies:
Wikipedia
2020s Minnesota fraud scandals (“The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. (January 2026) (Learn how and when to remove this message)”)
Cui bono? (“to whom is it a benefit?” — a reasonable question)
Dead_cat_strategy (AKA deadcatting: one way politicos distract attention from what they’re doing)
6 Times and labels change, principles — and appeals to unreason — not so much:
Wikipedia
1960s (“This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) / This article is written like a personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay that states a Wikipedia editor’s personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic. (June 2025) / This article may contain original research. (June 2025)”)
Ad hominum (fancy name for mudslinging, these days “un-American” is out, “fascist” is in)
I don’t know what, if any, name the neighbors had given “LGN”: pronounced “Elgin”.
I’m not even sure that the little grey cat belonged to our neighbors at 1010. But she, or possibly he, came from their yard very regularly when my father and I were outside and near the front of the house.
Now, cats act like cats: but they also have personalities. They can act aloof, hostile, seemingly-oblivious, vaguely interested in you: or possibly in something behind you.
But I have never met a cat as delighted to see me, or maybe it was my father, as Elgin.
He, or possibly she, would approach us at something a tad faster than a cat’s usual walk.
She, or possibly he, would have managed more speed, if — I’ll skip the he/she thing and arbitrarily use “she” — she’d have been marginally faster if she hadn’t been rubbing her left, then right, cheek on the grass as she approached.
I’ve never seen a cat other than Elgin do that.
Once near our feet, she’d stick around for behind-the-ear skritches and other non-verbal greetings from us. Being us, my father and I would also make appropriate vocal greetings.
These conversations with Elgin didn’t last long. At some point she’d head back to the yard north of 1010, after which my father and I would get on with whatever we’d been doing.
To my knowledge, Elgin never followed us back to the door of 1010, or indicated an interest in anything other than friendly greetings.
Finally, about calling her “Elgin”, or LGN. Elgin was a distinctly small cat: ‘kitten-size’, but didn’t grow in the time we knew her. She was also gray, so my father called her our LGN, or Little Grey Neighbor.
Ethics and Rules That Make Sense
Fervent demonstrations, Minneapolis. (May 2020) This year’s SNAFU could be worse, and that’s another topic. Topics.
My father and I have a common interest in and affection for animals. He’s long-since deceased, but I’m using present tense because — that’s a discussion for another time, involving last things1 and a whole mess of other topics.
How I feel about animals matters, to me, but what matters a great deal more is what we’re told about how we’re supposed to treat them. That brings me to ideas like ethics, rules, and why I don’t trust strong feelings: mine, or those expressed by others. All of which deserves much more time and attention than I’ve got this week.
Old Rules, and Reminders
Cheshire Cat, King, Queen, and Executioner. (1866) A judicial discussion in Wonderland. (Hierarchy of authority is a topic for another day.)
So I’ll discuss, briefly, what the Church says about animals and how we should treat them.
Oddly enough, animal welfare connects with one of the Decalogue’s rules.
It’s been years since I saw a particular single-panel cartoon showing Moses on Mount Sinai.
Looking at the words “don’t be a jerk” on a stone tablet, Moses tells God, “trust me, you need to be more specific”.
That’s not how we got the Decalogue, but the cartoon made a point. Many, maybe most, of us need to be told, or at least reminded, how the basics, like “do not steal”, affect how we should act.
Like this bit —
“You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out grain.” (Deuteronomy 25:5)
Loving Animals, But Loving People More
Detail, Hogarth’s ‘Second Stage of Cruelty’, Tom Nero beating his horse. (1751) Subtle, no. But Hogarth has a point.
Not muzzling an ox may have profound metaphoric and spiritual significance.
But I figure there’s also a more obvious meaning, beyond the example given: don’t mistreat animals.
Upwards of two and a half millennia later, treating animals humanely is still a good idea.
Which is why a discussion of “you shall not steal” includes this:
“2415 The seventh commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation. Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present, and future humanity. Use of the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be divorced from respect for moral imperatives. Man’s dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation.
“2416 Animals are God’s creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory. Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals.
“2417 God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom he created in his own image. Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing. They may be domesticated to help man in his work and leisure. Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice, if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives.
“2418 It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly. It is likewise unworthy to spend money on them that should as a priority go to the relief of human misery. One can love animals; one should not direct to them the affection due only to persons.“ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Respect for the integrity of creation) [emphasis mine]
As usual, I’ve talked about this sort of thing before:
“1021 Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ. The New Testament speaks of judgment primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also repeatedly affirms that each will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. the parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of Christ on the cross to the good thief, as well as other New Testament texts speak of a final destiny of the soul -a destiny which can be different for some and for others.
“1022 Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven-through a purification or immediately,-or immediate and everlasting damnation.
At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love. (St. John of the Cross, Dichos 64.)
Something new each Saturday.
Life, the universe and my circumstances permitting. I'm focusing on 'family stories' at the moment. ("A Change of Pace: Family Stories" (11/23/2024))
I was born in 1951. I'm a husband, father and grandfather. One of the kids graduated from college in December, 2008, and is helping her husband run businesses and raise my granddaughter; another is a cartoonist and artist; #3 daughter is a writer; my son is developing a digital game with #3 and #1 daughters. I'm also a writer and artist.
I live in Minnesota, in America's Central Time Zone. This blog is on UTC/Greenwich time.
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Blog - David Torkington
Spiritual theologian, author and speaker, specializing in prayer, Christian spirituality and mystical theology [the kind that makes sense-BHG]
