{"id":9351,"date":"2025-07-19T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=9351"},"modified":"2025-08-14T02:29:42","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T02:29:42","slug":"a-mural-america-changes-and-doing-our-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-mural-america-changes-and-doing-our-job\/","title":{"rendered":"A Mural, America, Changes, and Doing Our Job"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20250225ff\/20250630-DSC09200WalmartNewGroceryEntranceA-658.JPG?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Brian H. Gill's photo: Sauk Centre Walmart Supercenter grocery entry, after the 2025 remodeling, mural by Lili Lennox at left. (June 30, 2025)\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Sauk Centre Walmart grocery entrance&#8217;s new mural by Lili Lennox. (June 30, 2025)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Things keep changing. That&#8217;s hardly a new idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;Everything changes and nothing stands still&#8221; <br>(&#8220;\u03c0\u03ac\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1 \u03c7\u03c9\u03c1\u03b5\u1fd6 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03bf\u1f50\u03b4\u1f72\u03bd \u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b5\u03b9&#8221;, quoted by Plato in &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cratylus_(dialogue)\">Cratylus<\/a>&#8221; )<br>(<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikiquote.org\/wiki\/Heraclitus\">Heraclitus<\/a>, Wikiquote)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ll be talking about the new mural in my town&#8217;s Walmart, how this isn&#8217;t the America I grew up in, changes that have been for the better, and why the latest thing in looming dooms \u2014 looks both familiar, and not all that distressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-mural-america-changes-and-doing-our-job\/#sauk\"><strong>Sauk Centre&#8217;s Walmart Still Here: So is Downtown Sauk Centre<\/strong><\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-mural-america-changes-and-doing-our-job\/#marvelous\">A Marvelous Mural, Mainly<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-mural-america-changes-and-doing-our-job\/#america\"><strong>America Has Changed: Good News, Actually<\/strong><\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-mural-america-changes-and-doing-our-job\/#good\">Good Ideas and Perspective<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-mural-america-changes-and-doing-our-job\/#crises\"><strong>Crises du Jour, Doing Our Job<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"sauk\"><\/a>Sauk Centre&#8217;s Walmart Still Here: So is Downtown Sauk Centre<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20250225ff\/20250630-DSC09210WalmartNewGroceryEntranceC-658.JPG?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Brian H. Gill's photo: Sauk Centre Walmart Supercenter grocery entry, after the 2025 remodeling. (June 30, 2025)\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Okay, it&#8217;s just a sign: but &#8220;Thank you, Sauk Centre&#8221; is a nice touch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, change happens. Take the Walmart Supercenter here in Sauk Centre, for example. Construction started in the summer of 2006. They opened mid-April, 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some folks, when they learned that we&#8217;d be getting a massive new employer and customer magnet near the Interstate, seemed convinced that we were doomed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Others didn&#8217;t think it would &#8216;destroy downtown&#8217;, and figured that more folks coming off the Interstate meant more folks stopping for gas, getting something to eat, and maybe even shopping for stuff that wasn&#8217;t at Walmart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s how I saw it, too. Nearly two decades later, Sauk Centre&#8217;s downtown is still here. Not exactly the same, but it&#8217;s still here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was getting my hips replaced in 2006, but took a few photos as Sauk Centre&#8217;s new business took shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>(From <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/JournalArchive\/seasonarchive2006.htm\">Sauk Centre Journal, 2006<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/JournalArchive\/seasonarchive2006.htm\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/images\/journal\/wal-mart060724saukcentre.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Wal-Mart Supercenter digging in at Sauk Centre\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sauk Centre Wal-Mart diggings. July 24, 2006.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/JournalArchive\/seasonarchive2006.htm\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/images\/journal\/walmartsupercenter061108saukcentre.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Wal-Mart supercenter in Sauk Centre\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sauk Centre&#8217;s Wal-Mart supercenter: it&#8217;s starting to look like a store. November 8, 2006.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, finally, we had the official store opening, and life went on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>(From <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/JournalArchive\/seasonarchive2007.htm\">Sauk Centre Journal, 2007<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/JournalArchive\/seasonarchive2007.htm#walmartopen\">Wednesday, April 18, 2007.<\/a><\/strong> Sauk Centre&#8217;s Wal-Mart Supercenter is now open.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/JournalArchive\/seasonarchive2007.htm#walmartopen\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/images\/journal\/wal-martsupercenter070418saukcentre.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Wal-Mart comes to Sauk Centre\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wal-Mart&#8217;s Grand Opening in Sauk Centre. April 18, 2007.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The first impression I had, walking inside, was that the place was big. Really big. Sauk Centre being the size it is, I knew quite a few of Wal-Mart&#8217;s night shift, who were lined up to greet people coming in for the Grand Opening this morning.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/images\/journal\/wal-martgrandopening070418sauk_centre.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"First impression of Sauk Centre's Wal-Mart: big!\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">First impression: this place is big! April 18, 2007.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>&#8220;About 7:30 this morning, the Sauk Centre High School Choir sang Doo-Bee-Doo-Bee-Doo, or something of that sort, the store manager and Sauk Centre&#8217;s mayor said a few words, and finally, right around 8:00, a humungous scissors cut the ceremonial ribbon&#8230;.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The next big change in the Sauk Centre Walmart came this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They spent a few months shuffling merchandise around: adding a version of hide-and-seek to my weekly errands there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It wasn&#8217;t just playing musical chairs with shelving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They put glass-front doors on the eggs and dairy section&#8217;s refrigerated shelving, which adds a few steps to reaching stuff, but probably takes less energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pharmacy&#8217;s computers were upgraded, involving the usual steep learning curve and\/or glitchy new system. I&#8217;ve very likely not noticed other changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, on May 30, I missed the big &#8216;remodeling is done&#8217; ceremony:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.saukherald.com\/stories\/walmart-remodel-unveiled,80876?\">Walmart remodel unveiled<\/a>&#8221; <br> Sauk Centre Herald (June 5, 2025)<br>&#8220;The Walmart Supercenter remodel project was officially unveiled May 30 as the store welcomed guests to a ribbon cutting ceremony at 8 a.m. in Sauk Centre&#8230;.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>I did, however, noticed that stuff I picked up was staying put. Which was a nice change of pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"marvelous\"><\/a>A Marvelous Mural, Mainly<\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20250225ff\/20250630-DSC09204WalmartNewGroceryEntranceB-329.JPG?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Brian H. Gill's photo of mural by Lili Lennox, in the Sauk Centre Walmart Supercenter. (June 30, 2025)\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mural by Lili Lennox. <br>Larger version at the end of this post: <br><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-mural-america-changes-and-doing-our-job\/#floor\">Floor-to-Ceiling Mural<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Eventually, I used the grocery entrance and noticed their new artwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;d expected a fresh coat of paint as part of the remodeling, but not anything like that mural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I meant to bring my camera along the next week, but forgot. And forgot, again, the week after that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eventually I <strong>didn&#8217;t<\/strong> forget, spending an interesting few minutes getting the whole mural into one picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve lived in Sauk Centre since the 1980s, so I immediately recognized two downtown locations: the bakery and Mainstreet Theatre. Although I&#8217;ve never seen Sauk Centre&#8217;s movie theater festooned with lights like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sauk Centre&#8217;s bandshell is larger than the mural shows it, and down by the lake: not in Main Street, as the mural&#8217;s perspective implies. But that&#8217;s just nitpicking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The mural-in-a-mural, that little bit of a viking ship&#8217;s sail inside the band shell, isn&#8217;t just a flight of fancy on the artist&#8217;s part. Sauk Centre&#8217;s Roger Reinardy and other folks created &#8220;a 3D musical interpretation&#8221; there in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The band shell mural was new to me: I really don&#8217;t get out much these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Getting back to the new Walmart mural: a Minnesota artist created it, Lili Lennox. While discovering that, I saw that Sauk Centre businesses have become more &#8216;mural conscious&#8217;:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hometownsource.com\/union_times\/free\/local-walmart-stuns-with-unveiling-of-completed-remodel\/collection_8212c4d2-9c75-4901-bc08-c3876e8b1acc.html\">Local Walmart stuns with unveiling of completed remodel<\/a>&#8221; <br>hometownsource.com (May 22, 2025)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lililennox.com\/\">Lili Lennox: Murals and Fine Art<\/a><br>lililennox.com, Golden Valley, MN<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitsaukcentre.org\/attractions\/muraltour\">The Sauk Centre Mural Tour<\/a><br>Visit Sauk Centre (Sauk Centre Convention and Visitors Bureau)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitsaukcentre.org\/bandshell-mural\">Bandshell Mural<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The &#8220;Local Walmart stuns&#8230;&#8221; article, by the way, is on a site that makes you sign in before reading. I didn&#8217;t. I caught the artist&#8217;s name in a Google search result summary for hometownsource.com, which might be a reasonable &#8216;for more information&#8217; resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"america\"><\/a>America Has Changed: Good News, Actually<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/sledding-with-my-dad-good-memories\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20240526ff\/20230620-PrairieHomeCemeteryFrom9thStSo-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Google Street View's image: Prairie Home Cemetery, seen from near 9th Street South and 9th Avenue South, Moorhead, Minnesota. (February 2022) via Google Street View, used w\/o permission.\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">More than six decades later: new buildings, new snowfall, old memories. (February 2022)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/freedom-of-speech-on-the-whole-i-like-it\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20240526ff\/20240702-Pogo-BrightlyBurningBook-detail-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Walt Kelly's Pogo. (March 30, 1953) Howland Owl, Mole MacCarony, and The Cowbirds; in a discussion of owl migration. Mole MacCarony, in reference to an ignited 'Captain Wimby's Bird Atlas', says 'There's nothing quite so lovely as a brightly burning book'.\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;There&#8217;s nothing quite so lovely as a <br>brightly burning book&#8221;. <br>The Hon:Mole MacCarony in Pogo. (March 30, 1953)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This isn&#8217;t the America I grew up in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The political situation \u2014 actually, that hasn&#8217;t changed much. We&#8217;ve got new folks in charge, with new slogans and different quirks and preferences; but there&#8217;s the same quaint notion that &#8216;freedom of speech&#8217; only applies to remarks supporting the &#8216;proper&#8217; viewpoint. And that&#8217;s another topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Society as a whole \u2014 apart from the usual doomsayers, prognosticators, and passionate proponents of one Great Cause or another \u2014 that&#8217;s changed a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For instance, when I was in Walmart this week I noticed a few families shopping. <strong>Families:<\/strong> mother, father, kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of that may be the increased number of Hispanic, or whatever the currently-proper term is, folks living around here. But I&#8217;ve seen families with my congenital melanin deficiency, too. That is very much <strong>not<\/strong> the way it used to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I mean, folks got married and had kids back when I was growing up. Humans, and human nature, hasn&#8217;t changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But in public? You&#8217;d see a mother and kids in the grocery or downtown. On Sunday, you&#8217;d see a mother and kids \u2014 and a father \u2014 at church. But the father wouldn&#8217;t be interacting with the kids, any more than absolutely necessary. And he&#8217;d <strong>never<\/strong> be caught actually holding a baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The current habit many fathers have, acting as if they&#8217;re part of the family \u2014 in public \u2014 that&#8217;s a huge change from the America of my youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"good\"><\/a>Good Ideas and Perspective<\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/veterans-day-2017\/#eugenics\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20130220ff\/20150212-EuthanasiePropaganda-165.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"NSDAP's Office of Racial Policy's eugenics poster from Neues Volk, promoting the removal of 'Lebensunwertes Leben', 'life unworthy of life'. (ca.1938)\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Public information poster. (ca.1938)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>I didn&#8217;t notice anyone with an obvious physical or mental disability in Walmart this week. But the &#8216;disabled parking&#8217; spots were full when I arrived, so I had to wait for one to open up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I didn&#8217;t actually <strong>have<\/strong> to wait. But it&#8217;s a whole lot easier on me if I park in one of those close-to-the-entrance spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Disabled parking got started in the mid-1970s, along with now-commonplace features like curb cuts: those little ramps at intersections that let folks on wheels cross the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think such things are good ideas. Partly because I think letting folks with imperfect bodies cross streets and get into stores nearly as well as their neighbors makes sense. And partly because I&#8217;m one of those folks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I also think good ideas can be rushed straight off the edge of sanity. A decade or so back now, I argued against a nifty idea that might have made accessible ramps mandatory for all buildings. <strong>All<\/strong> buildings. Think about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s put this in perspective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, you might see someone in a wheelchair, or otherwise not physically fit, in public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Six decades back, things were different. The town I grew up in had, as far as anyone might casually notice, one disabled person: a middle-aged man with a rather noticeable case of kyphosis \u2014 a hunchback, in other words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fargo-Moorhead hadn&#8217;t grown to its current population then, but the odds were that a great many other of the 80,000 or so folks living there weren&#8217;t quite standard-issue, one way or another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since I&#8217;m arguably Lebensunwertes Leben, life unworthy of life,<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-mural-america-changes-and-doing-our-job\/#1\">1<\/a><\/sup> I see my culture&#8217;s increasing tolerance for folks who can&#8217;t live what used to be called a &#8220;quality lifestyle&#8221; as a good thing. For the most part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"crises\"><\/a>Crises du Jour, Doing Our Job<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/crosswords-or-the-end-of-civilization-as-we-know-it\/#driven\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20220318ff\/20220323-CincinnatiPostClipping-img-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"'Crossword Murder,' The Cincinnati Post. (December 18, 1925; page 15) Clipping from lansow91 and Newspapers.com\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;Crossword Murder&#8221; headline in the Cincinnati Post. (December 18, 1925)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>A hundred years ago, chaos stalked the streets as madness ran rampant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Experts and journalists warned us that crosswords were hurting our eyes, rotting our memories, imperiling families, destroying marriages, and making people commit murder. And yet, somehow, we survived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Time passed, the crises du jour changed, and now I&#8217;m seeing today&#8217;s experts and journalists telling us that we&#8217;re doomed for new-and-improved reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think we&#8217;ve got real problems. We always have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some problems, at least their technical aspects, are new. Most \u2014 my opinion \u2014 are pretty much the same ones we&#8217;ve always had. Just repackaged, with new labels and a fresh coat of paint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, arguably, some of the same old problems become less common, while others elbow their way to the front of the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of our job was, and still is, noticing and correcting today&#8217;s societal ills while noticing and preserving what&#8217;s going right. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1928-1942, 2239; for starters)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I had planned on talking about some of today&#8217;s more front-of-the-line issues. But then a reliable old program I use stopped being reliable, and I saw how long this week&#8217;s post had become. So that will wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides, I&#8217;ve talked about that sort of thing before:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/the-grand-canyon-the-petrified-forest-and-the-big-picture\/\"><strong>The Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, and the Big Picture<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (March 22, 2025)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/the-grand-canyon-the-petrified-forest-and-the-big-picture\/#free\">Free Will, Living With Consequences, a Good Idea, and Very Good News<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/the-grand-canyon-the-petrified-forest-and-the-big-picture\/#waiting\">Waiting Ten Thousand Years: Not an Option<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/the-grand-canyon-the-petrified-forest-and-the-big-picture\/#long\">Long-Haul Projects<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/venice-biennale-holy-see-pavilion-art-and-cities-of-refuge\/\"><strong>Venice Biennale Holy See Pavilion: Art and Cities of Refuge<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (May 4, 2024)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/venice-biennale-holy-see-pavilion-art-and-cities-of-refuge\/#loving\">Loving America Anyway<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/good-nutrition-radioactive-breakfast-cereal\/\"><strong>Good Nutrition, Radioactive Breakfast Cereal<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (June 24, 2023)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/good-nutrition-radioactive-breakfast-cereal\/#change\">Change and Constants<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/crosswords-or-the-end-of-civilization-as-we-know-it\/\"><strong>Crosswords! Or, the End of Civilization As We Know It<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (March 26, 2022)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/crosswords-or-the-end-of-civilization-as-we-know-it\/#its\">It&#8217;s Still the End of Civilization as We Know It<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/couneys-baby-incubators-vs-the-progressive-era\/\"><strong>Couney&#8217;s Baby Incubators vs. the Progressive Era<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (February 8, 2021)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/couneys-baby-incubators-vs-the-progressive-era\/#efficiency\">Efficiency, Eugenics, and Me<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"floor\"><\/a>Floor-to-Ceiling Mural<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s a closer full-height look at that new mural:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20250225ff\/20250630-DSC09204WalmartNewGroceryEntranceB-658.JPG?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Brian H. Gill's photo of mural by Lili Lennox, in the Sauk Centre Walmart Supercenter. (June 30, 2025)\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mural by Lili Lennox in the Sauk Centre Walmart Supercenter. (June 30, 2025)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><sup><a name=\"1\"><\/a>1<\/sup> How society deals with its defective denizens, and my home town:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Curb_cut\">Curb cut<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Curb_cut_effect\">Curb cut effect<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Disabled_parking_permit\">Disabled parking permit<\/a> (&#8220;This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may only interest a particular audience&#8230;.&#8221;)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Eugenics\">Eugenics<\/a> (&#8220;&#8230;a set of largely discredited beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population&#8230;.&#8221;)[<strong>I strongly suspect <\/strong>it&#8217;s more &#8216;rebranded&#8217; than &#8216;discredited&#8217;]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Eugenics_in_the_United_States\">Eugenics in the United States<\/a> (&#8220;This article&#8217;s lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points&#8230;.&#8221;)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fargo%E2%80%93Moorhead\">Fargo-Moorhead<\/a> [My home town]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Life_unworthy_of_life\">Life unworthy of life<\/a> (AKA Lebensunwertes Leben) [slogan once used by eugenics advocates]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kyphosis\">Kyphosis<\/a> (AKA hunchback: correctable, these days)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Timeline_of_disability_rights_in_the_United_States\">Timeline of disability rights in the United States<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Things keep changing. That&#8217;s hardly a new idea. &#8220;Everything changes and nothing stands still&#8221; (&#8220;\u03c0\u03ac\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1 \u03c7\u03c9\u03c1\u03b5\u1fd6 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03bf\u1f50\u03b4\u1f72\u03bd \u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b5\u03b9&#8221;, quoted by Plato in &#8220;Cratylus&#8221; )(Heraclitus, Wikiquote) I&#8217;ll be talking about the new mural in my town&#8217;s Walmart, how this isn&#8217;t &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-mural-america-changes-and-doing-our-job\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"A new mural in a store that was new two decades back. Changes and constants in America, a crisis of yesteryear, good ideas, and doing our job.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"A Mural, America, Changes, and Doing Our Job","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[215,154,192],"tags":[16,31,173,84,27],"class_list":["post-9351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-being-catholic","category-discursive-detours","category-journal","tag-america","tag-citizenship","tag-economics","tag-family","tag-history"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Dwtw-2qP","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9351"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9352,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9351\/revisions\/9352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}