The Writer's Poke

Some things, such as National Security, are never attainable. Make the promise that you can attain it anyway. Make it clear that your opponents do not want to attain the worthy ideal, and will do anything within their power to stop you.

Lanesboro is one of my “what if?” places. What if we moved here? What if we opened a coffee shop downtown and lived on the second floor above it? After a recent day trip to Spud Boy’s Diner, my head was full of “what if?” thoughts. A quick real estate search showed that two storefront locations were currently available in downtown Lanesboro. One was right next to Spud Boy’s, a prime location, and it included a one bedroom loft. The other, just off the main street, included a two bedroom apartment. The asking price for both was roughly what we paid for our current house. Breakfast at Spud Boy's Diner. I asked Linda what she thought about moving to Lanesboro to open a coffee shop. Surprisingly, she didn’t immediately scream “NO!” Not that this is her typical reaction to my silly “what if?” propositions, but she often is my voice of reason. For this idea, however, she said, “Well, it would be quite a life change, but it would be doable.” The doable “what ifs?” are th...

Make policies to defend the strong so that they will be able to protect the weak.

When you see the little Tower, you're there.  A few days ago, the idea of climbing the Elba Fire Tower crossed my mind. It would be a good excuse for us to make a pit stop at the St. Charles Bakery, a bakery we had never been to before, and maybe it would make up for the last time we climbed the Tower. The last time we climbed it, I had uncontrolled asthma, and that made it quite a challenge to climb the 633 steps (plus or minus) to the top. A few days ago, I was feeling pretty darn good, but for a variety of reasons, it would take five days before we actually made the drive over to Elba. And, for the last few days, my right Achilles’ heel has been hurting. Just the joys of growing older, although to be honest, I've been dealing with gout and general pain for almost fifteen years now. A nice day for a climb. Doesn't look that much of a climb from a distance...  Temperature-wise, it was a perfect day for a climb – about 70, and not too sunny. Before maki...

Keep your friends close, but keep your billionaire friends closer.

Control the narrative, control the truth.

Declare victory, even if you haven't actually won.

If all else fails, blame Obama.