Rural Requiem

Coles County Board remarks in early August.  Earlier in the meeting, it became public information that County Board member Gail Mason had not only petitioned to be on the Democratic primary ballot for re-election, she had also decided to vote in the Republican primary. Doing so is an illegal act in Illinois.  It was this mind-blowing revelation that was a springboard for much of my comme...

More to Consider. It's easy to attack trigger warnings. It's far more difficult to explore their origin story. Illustration by Nicholas Konrad/The New Yorker

Excerpt: 'Politicians are known by their fruit. “Politicians are known by their votes and the policies that they promote, ” Miller went on to say. We know how she started her career on Capitol Hill. We know what she has voted to bring home to our district: Nothing at all. She’s the farmer that brings nothing to the farmer’s market but takes the biggest subsidy check home to cash anyways. She’s got...

I don't shy away from tough issues and difficult conversations. This is one of those issues that you always bring up . . . or hate to hear someone talking about in the next room you're about to walk into before tasting some of what just was hauled out of the smoker out back.  Regardless of your position, or your assumptions on what my positions might be, I urge you to listen, and get engaged...

You won't want to miss how much the Coles County Board missed in the contract they signed for $3.1 million dollars to replace the Coles County Courthouse windows. You won't believe the amount we are set to save per month. It's offensive. And, that's just the beginning of this continuation of our series on these Windows to Nowhere.  Last time, we began a history lesson in the 90s regarding Cou...

We shouldn’t be asking the National Guard to sacrifice anything else at all. They shouldn’t have to sacrifice anything in their college and university education.  We need to be thinking more about how we can better serve each of them!

Coles County Board Member, and former Sheriff, Darrell Cox, said everyone would benefit from these $3.1 million new courthouse windows. When the community finds out how much of their taxpayer money is being blown out the windows, quite literally, I think they will look a little bit harder into the history of some of their board members.  In this podcast, we explore the Coles County Board's en...

It couldn't fall any further from the tree before you begin to wonder if it wasn't fruit to begin with.  There were bridges to nowhere long before there were windows to see how out of touch a county board could truly be. On one side, you meet James Di Naso, one of the leaders of the Concerned Taxpayers of Coles County. He has been at Coles County board meetings for 6 years. Here is his public...

I cannot believe that some Progressive Democratic House members are yet again calling for the Senate's filibuster to be nuked in order to force through a narrow vote on a pro-choice rights bill. Makes no sense.  Here, I have a conversation about this century's filibuster history, intermingled with rural county board broken logic regarding pandemic relief funds, $3.1 million out of $9.8 millio...

So, don’t blame Mary Miller. Blame the culture that dangles a character such as Graven in front of a Miller, providing a shelter from seeing the direct results of all actions and definitive non-actions. That culture is often a beast we feed daily. We often lend it our ears, and spread it by mouth. 

This candid exploration of suicide in America's military since September 11th leads into a broader conversation about our culture's political and tangible human failures in the realm of mental health. It's a tough conversation. Be prepared to face an honest exchange of perspectives, painful experiences, and difficult lessons learned.

The first 10 minutes of this podcast are as raw as they are jaw dropping . . .  It will leave you needing to hear the rest of the conversation.

Earlier version was missing the first 10 or so minutes. Here you go.  Outrage and the need to eradicate the voices of others is not owned by either fringe. Both sides want to burn the library. They just have different reasons.

Outrage and the need to eradicate the voices of others is not owned by either fringe. Both sides want to burn the library. They just have different reasons. 

Debate primarily to learn. What are the chances the person you debate will ever change their position? Exactly. It's the other people that matter.

The politicians that focus on stoking anger and anxiety in voters about gas prices seek to bring out the worst in us.