A Complicated Oath
I’ve got a complicated relationship with my military service—like trying to explain your first marriage to a room full of therapists with clipboards. I was in the South Dakota Army National Guard for seven years, back when the Cold War was still giving everyone anxiety hives and nuclear winter was a trending fear. I didn’t […]
The Liberal Wing of the Wyoming Democratic Party
…Yes, Apparently There Is One Let’s not kid ourselves—Wyoming is deeply conservative and proudly Republican. It has been since before statehood. But here’s the twist: that same frontier heritage that bred “rugged individualism” also fostered a culture of mutual aid and collective survival. It’s the paradox baked into our two nicknames—The Cowboy State and The […]
Liberal Wyoming Co-ops: A Parable of Subversive Pragmatism
Let’s not kid ourselves: Politically speaking, Wyoming is so red it makes a firetruck blush and a stop sign reconsider its career. It’s been conservative since before it had a flag to wrap itself in. But like everything in this cult—and the American West in general—it’s a little more complicated than that. Because tucked inside […]
Fighting Homelessness: The Grant’s Pass Problem
Here’s the thing: homelessness is real. It’s big. It’s everywhere. It’s not complicated—but it is difficult. That doesn’t stop people from getting frustrated with how little progress we’ve made. And frustrated people? They do desperate things. Enter Grant’s Pass, Oregon. When cities feel they have to “do something”—anything—about visible homelessness, they often reach for a […]
Liberal Wyoming
Part 2… Voter ID Wyoming is undeniably conservative and deeply Republican – it has been since before it became a state. But there’s another side to its history, one shaped by frontier life and a culture of cooperation, which gave rise to both the ‘rugged individualism’ we associate with modern conservatism and a strong streak […]
The Not-So-Conservative Cowboy State
I’m not here to gaslight anyone—Wyoming is conservative. Deeply, historically, and institutionally conservative. It’s been that way since before we had stars on the flag. But what’s also true, and less often said, is that Wyoming’s frontier history gave rise to two seemingly contradictory values: the “rugged individualism” beloved by modern conservatives, and a culture […]
On the Coming Semiquincentennial
…or the Quarter Millennial, or whatever we’re calling it. As I write this, the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the Shot Heard Round the World, and the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere (and William Dawes, for the sake of historical completeness) has just passed. Next year, supposedly, we’ll be celebrating the […]
Econ and Accounting 101: Tariffs, Wages, and What That Means for Your Wallet (and Your Sanity)
Lately, the news has been full of talk about tariffs—cue the ominous music—and suddenly, everyone thinks we’re in the middle of a trade war. There’s also renewed chatter about the minimum wage, and whether or not it should go up. Both topics bring out a lot of macroeconomic hand-waving about inflation, retaliation, and confused arguments […]
The Parable of Alice and Bob
On the Nature and Expectations of DivinityStorytime with Step-Pope Richard Before we start… A Note on These Parables This is part of the Screen Door Series. The Cult of Brighter Days is a gloriously mismatched congregation—atheists, pagans, Buddhists, progressive Christians, cosmic agnostics, and at least one guy who swears he channels divine wisdom from raccoons. […]
The Empathy Solution
By Pope Robert, Envoy of the Four Winds, Human Apostate, Protector of the SW Territories, 2nd Mountain to the Right, Welcomer of Dawn The Great Leader of the country met with his Finance Minister to address a growing crisis: the nation’s finances were in disarray, and some debts would remain unpaid. The Finance Minister struggled […]