An open letter wishing a happy birthday to the greatest man I know, my son, Adam Roland Hansen.

 Dear Adam,

Today is your 52nd birthday—and with it comes another moment for me to tell you just how much you mean to me.

You are a man of great intellect and uncommon decency. From the day you were born on July 31, 1973, you have brought honor and pride to our family name. You have grown into someone I not only love with all my heart, but also admire deeply for your integrity, compassion, and steadfast moral compass.

You embody the very best qualities that any father could ever hope for in a son: honesty, strength of character, empathy, and wisdom. You are truly a Renaissance man—curious, thoughtful, and dedicated to always learning and growing. You have consistently strived to become the grandest version of the greatest vision of your highest self, and in doing so, you’ve helped others around you to rise as well.

There is a quiet nobility in the way you live your life, in your sense of justice, your kindness toward others, and your unwavering commitment to doing what is right. You are not only a fine human being—you are one of the finest I have ever known.

I am beyond proud to call you my son. It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to watch you become the man you are today. I respect you. I admire you. And I love you—deeply, truly, always.

Happy Birthday, Adam. May this year bring you the same measure of joy and peace that you so often bring to others.

With all my love,

Dad

Concerning Tyrant Trump

I am placing below a copy and paste of a Facebook posting that I find very interesting. 

I will not be drawn into debate over this post. I am aware of the arguments of people who disagree with the statements below. I am posting this for all those who may be living in fear in this moment so you know you are not alone. I want to share this piece in solidarity.

This is where I stand. The 45/47th President, his power hungry cronies taking positions of authority in his Cabinet and administration, and the majority of Republicans in Congress are a real and active threat to me, my way of life, and all or most of the people I love.

Some people are saying that we should give Trump a chance, that we should "work together" with him because he won the election and he is "everyone's president." This is my response: 

- I will never respect or support a leader who says he hates Democrats—roughly half the country. It's the job of the POTUS to work for the entire country, not just his cult. 

•I will not forget how badly he and so many others treated former President Barack Obama for 8 years and Biden cleaning up his mess...Lies about his legitimacy and hatred for his principles and his attempts to work within the system.

•I will not "work together" to privatize Medicare, cut Social Security and Medicaid.

•I will not "work together" to subvert the Constitution by illegitimately pushing unfit Cabinet nominees through on recess appointments without the advice and consent of the Senate.

•I will not "work together" to build a wall.

•I will not "work together" to persecute Muslims.

. I will not “work together” to persecute transgender people. 

 I will not "work together" to shut out refugees from other countries who seek asylum.

•I will not "work together" to lower taxes on the 1% and increase taxes on the middle class and poor.

•I will not "work together" to help Trump use the Presidency to line his pockets and those of his family and cronies.

•I will not "work together" to weaken and demolish environmental protection.

•I will not "work together" to sell American lands, especially National Parks, to companies which then despoil those lands.

•I will not "work together" to enable the killing of whole species of animals just because they are predators, or inconvenient for a few, or because some people want to get their thrills killing them.

•I will not "work together" to remove civil rights from anyone.

•I will not "work together" to alienate countries that have been our allies for as long as I have been alive.

•I will not "work together" to slash funding for education.

•I will not "work together" to take basic assistance from people who are at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder.

•I will not "work together" to get rid of common sense regulations on guns.

•I will not "work together" to eliminate the minimum wage.

•I will not "work together" to support so-called "Right To Work" laws, or undermine, weaken or destroy Unions in any way.

•I will not "work together" to suppress scientific research, be it on climate change, fracking, or any other issue where a majority of scientists agree that Trump and his supporters are wrong on the facts.  

•I will not "work together" to criminalize abortion or restrict health care for women.

•I will not "work together" to increase the number of nations that have nuclear weapons.

•I will not "work together" to put even more "big money" into politics.

•I will not "work together" to violate the Geneva Convention.

•I will not "work together" to give the Ku Klux Klan, the Nazi Party and white supremacists a seat at the table, or to normalize their hatred.

•I will not "work together" to deny health care to people who need it.

•I will not "work together" to deny medical coverage to people on the basis of a "pre-existing condition."

•I will not "work together" to increase voter suppression.

•I will not "work together" to normalize tyranny.

. I will not “work together” with anyone who stormed the Capitol on January 6th, trying to overturn the 2020 election

•I will not “work together” to eliminate or reduce ethical oversight at any level of government.

•I will not "work together" with anyone who is, or admires, tyrants and dictators.

•I will not support anyone that thinks it's OK to put a pipeline to transport oil on Sacred Ground for Native Americans. And, it would run under the Missouri River, which provides drinking water for millions of people. An accident waiting to happen.

•I will not "work together" to legitimize racism, sexism, and authoritarianism.

This is my line, and I am drawing it.

•I WILL stand for honesty, love, respect for all living beings, and for the beating heart that is the center of Life itself.

•I WILL use my voice and my hands, to reach out to the uninformed, and to anyone who will LISTEN: that "winning", "being great again", "rich" or even "beautiful" is nothing... when others are sacrificed to glorify its existence.

Now it is your turn. Copy, paste, and add your name to the top. This needs to be heard loud and clear.

Signed

Terri Joseph 

Political Parties in the United States of America

 Political parties in the United States of America have been, are, and always will be the subject of much criticism. None-the-less, back in early American history in 1787, James Madison wrote The Federalist No. 10 in which he put forth that factions are inherent in society.

The beliefs held by political parties are not cast in stone, nor are political parties stable and permanent. Political parties in the United States have come and gone, risen and fallen, restructured, dealigned, realigned, changed, and evolved.

If you are curious about the history and transformation of U.S. political parties, you might find Copernicus Election Watch, The Parties from EdGate.com to be quite interesting.