Thoughts, opinions, transcripts, etc.
I passed two priests in front of the Catholic church on Mt. Diablo Boulevard in Walnut Creek on Christmas morning. Christmas was on Sunday this year and they were greeting their people as they entered for morning mass. I nodded to them and said “Merry Christmas” and kept trotting along with my daughter in our… Continue reading This is my church
For the last many years, my childhood friend, Jose Antonio Vargas (we just called him “Jose”) has been challenging documented and undocumented Americans alike to define what it means to be American. I decided to take him up on that question. How do I define American? It’s the freedom to struggle, and the freedom to… Continue reading The triumph and tragedy of Jose Antonio Vargas
2003 Mardi Gras Marathon finisher I ran my first marathon in college. It was my junior year and I decided to take a brief respite from alcohol (I would take another one about fifteen years later) and train for a marathon. There was no impetus behind it. I just wanted to do it for me and I… Continue reading Taking the long road
I've been thinking more about how the role of government should be defined. I've always leaned toward the environment economics view of the role of government: to properly handle negative externalities. These are costs that the free market ignores and the results can be catastrophic. The most common example is clean air and water. When a factory… Continue reading The role of government
I’m a straight white guy with no physical disabilities. That gives me a head start. On days like today, Martin Luther King Day 2018, in the wake of #metoo and #shithole, a year after the Kaepernick Kneel, I tried to reflect. People don’t stare at me, judge me, ask themselves questions silently but still show… Continue reading What Can I Say
I’m very slowly and deliberately starting the process of building my own political career, and in exploring every option, I looked at the Republican platform through the lens of a new recruit. I was curious because I like to be contrarian. I will need to stand out, and being a fairly normal, pretty moderate, left-leaning… Continue reading Why I’m not a Republican
I can encapsulate my 2017 in three quick topics. Fatherhood This year began with a very high high and a very low low. The high was Norah, born just a month before the new year. I was excited to be a new dad again and go into it seasoned this time. I wanted to soak… Continue reading The 3 things that mattered to me in 2017