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Passed by the Legislature, struck down in court

Nine years in the Minnesota Senate teaches you plenty. You see good ideas rise, bad ones fall and a whole lot in between. But lately, the thing that keeps jumping out at me is that more and more laws from the last few years aren’t surviving in court. The pattern is hard to miss. A controversial bill flies through the legislature. Party-line votes shove it across the finish line. Headlines roar and political points are tallied. Then it ties up the courts for months or sometimes years before finally getting tossed as unconstitutional. A fast legislature can pass laws. A thorough ...

Salsa time

“Your everlasting summer you can see it fading fast / So you grab a piece of something that you think is gonna last.” — Steely Dan, “Reeling in the Years”, 1972 My wife and I have been doing a bit of salsa recently. I mean the sauce, not the dance. Her new titanium knee is much better than her original one, but not to the point where she’s ready to sashay to the beat of a peppery Latin tune. Turning our homegrown tomatoes, peppers and onions into salsa is a way to preserve a smidgen of summertime. In my imagination, we’ll open a jar of salsa on a subzero winter day, ...

Is there trouble ahead for farmers?

I’ve had conversations with farmers this summer that include, “This is the best crop I’ve ever seen.” Then we quickly remind each other that nothing is in the bin yet. Farmers can never appear to be exuberant. Restraint must be shown. Being a farmer means you are an odd mix of hopefulness yet filled with dread. You plant a crop or buy some feeder cattle. In either case, you’ve gone long in the market. You hope for the best. All the while, you’re aware of a hundred things that can go wrong. While there is time for harmful weather, pestilence, disease, terrorism, ...

Leave No Trace speaks out strongly for resource protection

This weekend we embark on the last big weekend of the summer, the three-day Labor Day weekend with all of its normally nice weather and fun times. Many of us will spend at least part of the holiday outdoors. We’ll camp, hike, swim, go boating or fishing, or have a picnic. We’ll connect with the natural world. As we’re enjoying ourselves, it’s good to take at least a few minutes to think about how we treat our natural resources, We should ask ourselves if we’re using them responsibly, if we’re preserving them in a way that will make them pristine for many years to ...

Statement from Bishop Zielinski on Annunciation school shooting

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Our hearts are heavy as we grieve with Annunciation School as well as the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis following the tragedy that took place this morning. We extend heartfelt prayers for the victims, their families, the school community, and the local Church. May Christ, the Divine Healer, bring peace, comfort, and strength in the midst of this unimaginable sorrow. In moments like this, we are reminded of the sacred trust placed in us to care for and protect the children in our Catholic schools. Please be assured that in the Diocese ...

Down by the Danube

Life close to the river: this was among the first and most enduring impressions I had of Ulm — how much life, activity, and relaxation happens around — and on — the Danube River. Below is my second of three articles about my time participating in the Hans Joohs Exchange in Ulm, Germany. This article highlights the daily life and the vibrant festivals that Ulmers enjoy on the Danube River. One of my first views of the Danube River in Ulm was from the Stadtmauer, the city wall that still stands along the river. Once it was a means of protection for the city; today, ice cream ...