You can (and should) read the entire piece via the link above. Here are a few excerpts:
“Whenever I set foot in City Hall, I feel like I’m putting myself at risk,” says Casto, a leader of Indivisible Springfield, the local chapter of the national progressive movement. “I do it because if I don’t stand up and the next person doesn’t stand up, our democracy is gone.”
She views the Haitian immigrant debate as a humanitarian issue, not a political one. “This is a failure of our shared humanity,” she says. “If even one mother is taken from her babies, if even one man is treated like a criminal just for trying to survive, then none of us are truly free. Their humanity doesn’t stop at a border.”
“Our Haitian and immigrant neighbors didn’t come here to take,” she says. “They came here to live. To contribute. To belong. Many of them fled political violence, instability, and natural disasters most of us can’t even imagine living through. They came here with faith in a promise this country was built on.”
Here’s Pastor Carl Ruby of Central Christian Church:
“The Bible is very clear that one cannot honor God and dishonor immigrants and refugees,” he says. “Some claim to be Christians but then espouse immigration policies that dishonor the Christ they claim to follow. Cruelty and dehumanization are always wrong.”
… “Our entire nation will be devastated if Homeland Security deports millions of our most ambitious workers.”
And finally, let’s hear from Magdala, a Haitian immigrant:
“The Haitian people may have a different culture and speak a different language, but we are the same people in God’s eyes.”
Now swap out “Haitian” for “Somalian” and “Springfield” for “Minneapolis” and read it again. Different chapter, same humanity… and sadly, the same insanity of ICE brutality.
Here’s are a couple of photos of some signs I saw outside a church in Cambridge, Massachusetts back in November.
“Where is God in all of this?” It’s a great question for any self-professed Christian. ‘
“What am I going to do about it?” is a great follow-up question too.
Warren Buffett is one of the richest people in the world.
But I’m not talking about his bank account.
Over his lifetime, the “Oracle of Omaha” has amassed a wealth of wisdom about how to live. Check out this excerpt from his Thanksgiving letter to shareholders last year. (It was his final one, as he turns over the company reins to others.)
“Greatness does not come about through accumulating great amounts of money, great amounts of publicity or great power in government. When you help someone in any of thousands of ways, you help the world. Kindness is costless but also priceless. Whether you are religious or not, it’s hard to beat The Golden Rule as a guide to behavior.”
Help someone… anyone… and help the world.
And your kindness account can never be depleted. Quite the opposite: the more you give, the richer you become.
Here’s to a year filled with heaping helpings of helping!
Warren’s full letter to shareholders is here. The excerpt above comes from his “final thoughts” at the end of it.
1 response to “Warren piece”
Kevin Sullivan
Praise Warren. He also said, “You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong”. He really may be an oracle.
Below is a post I made way back in 2015. (TBH, I didn’t even think I had a blog back then, but apparently so.) Reposting now in tribute to Bob Weir, who passed away this past weekend at the age of 78. (Also note that the “final show” referenced in my original post wasn’t really the final show… Bobby kept on truckin’ with Dead & Co. and The Wolf Bros. pretty much until the end.
“These songs are … living critters and they’re visitors from another world — another dimension or whatever you want to call it — that come through the artists to visit this world, have a look around, tell their stories. I don’t know exactly how that works, but I do know that it’s real.” – Bob Weir in a 2022 interview with NPR.
20 years ago, I couldn’t stand the Grateful Dead. I don’t like the smell of patchouli and I don’t care for $5 grilled cheese sandwiches made on the carburetor of a ’72 VW Microbus.
18 years ago, I married my wife, who is a big fan of the Dead. So I’ve listened to more than my fair share of their music since then. And it’s grown on me. Granted, I still could do without an 18-minute version of a 2-minute cover song (looking at you, “Good Lovin'”) or “Drums > Space.” But I really do enjoy many of their songs, and have a great appreciation for the fan base they’ve cultivated over the last 50 years. Whether you love them or hate them (and there doesn’t seem to be much middle ground), you have to admit that they are one of the most generous bands around, in the sense that they view music as a gift to be shared, and not commerce to be peddled. Tapers have always been welcome at their shows, and their bootlegs have helped them grow their fan base.
Two nights ago, The Grateful Dead played their final show at Soldier Field in Chicago. (Some would argue they played their final show 20 years ago when Jerry Garcia passed away.) We are on vacation and went to see a live stream of the show on a Jumbotron at an outdoor bar in Florida. It was my first time seeing them live (or semi-live on a Jumbotron). There were plenty of other fans there watching as well. How many bands could pull that off – having people spend a vacation night watching one of their concerts from a thousand miles away?
I know that there are a lot of preconceived notions about Deadheads, but as a passionate live music fan I tip my hat to them, because they obviously love live music. The Dead may not be the most technically precise band around, but they have a groove that runs a mile deep and have built a passionate community around that. More bands should be like them.
2 responses to “Eternally Grateful… still”
Chuck Wiggins
I’m ambivalent at best about the Grateful Dead’s music, but there’s no discounting the incredible community built around it. And there’s one song that transcends my ambivalence and reins among my all-time favorite songs from anyone – Unbroken Chain.
Yes, I’m the kinda guy who reads the blog posts of the guy who creates the daily Bizarro comic strip.
Here’s the lead-in to the latest post, which is called “Morality Tale (With Bananas)”:
There’s a ton of inspiration in that. Starting with the words of wisdom from Jane herself:
Each one of us matters, has a role to play, and makes a difference. Each one of us must take responsibility for our own lives, and above all, show respect and love for living things around us, especially each other.
Then from Stephen Jay Gould, who said her work “represents one of the Western world’s great scientific achievements.”
Think about that for a second. And ponder the idea that Jane started her work without any degree, in a male-dominated field. There’s no doubt she had to ignore the doubters at every turn.
Then, some words of encouragement from the guy who does the Mutts comic strip:
I know the best way to honor her is for us all to carry her mission forward.
Have some woman in West Chester, Ohio read the story, and send the main photo from it to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for potential use in his “Lookalikes” segment. (I don’t know who you are, but thanks Kathleen Bentley!)
Watch what happened on Monday night.
File this in the “Never in a Million Years” category.
I’m so happy that Cincinnati Magazine got a shout-out, and the crowd cheering “Freekbass! Freekbass!” was surreal. It should be noted that the amazing photo that served as inspiration for the late-night lunacy was the handiwork of Devyn Glista.
(And yes, Jimmy looks more like the guy from Night Moves.)
Kevin Sullivan on Warren piece: “Praise Warren. He also said, “You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long…” Jan 15, 08:48
Damian on Eternally Grateful… still: “Thanks for reading, and thanks for sharing that song, Chuck! You’re absolutely right that the Deadhead community is amazing.” Jan 15, 08:17
Chuck Wiggins on Eternally Grateful… still: “I’m ambivalent at best about the Grateful Dead’s music, but there’s no discounting the incredible community built around it. And…” Jan 14, 09:05
Kevin Sullivan on Spoken and Unspoken: “You lived the brotherhood Damian, and that is a full plate. Peace to you and peace to John.” Nov 18, 16:54
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