What's Tony Thinking

Talking ‘Bout My Generation and Other Notes at the Weekend

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February 10, 2024 — You’ll miss us when we’re gone. Maybe. The British writer, Mary Harrington, took the occasion of King Charles’s cancer diagnosis to reflect at UnHerd on his (and my own)  oft-maligned generation, the boomers. Harrington — who is not a boomer — swims against the stream of negative critique of boomers writing, “But there are boomers... Read More

Judge Others, Lest You Be Judged

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February 9, 2024 — I remember when everyone was against “judgment.” “This is a ‘judgment free zone.'” Or “Hey, no judgement!” People would say what they couldn’t stand about church and church people was “all the judge-y-ness,” which is kind of judgment, but well never mind. Prayers of confession were out — too judgmental. “I come to church to... Read More

Election Or Exorcism?

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February 5, 2024 — Last week I posted a blog in which I confessed my deep quandary about how people can possibly support Donald Trump when the guy ridicules those who serve in the U.S. military, even or especially those have been wounded or killed. He calls them “suckers” and “losers.” Same guy who refused, as President, to be... Read More

Groundhog Day and More at Week’s End

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February 2, 2024 — Looks like spring is on the way. At least if you take the Groundhog’s predictive capacity seriously. No shadow when the little guy crawled out (or was pushed), so spring will come early. And here in Seattle it looks like it. Almost balmy weather and sunshine after a very grey and very wet January. Crocuses are... Read More

Live With Fleming Rutledge

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January 31, 2024 — Fleming Rutledge, author of the book Epiphany: Season of Glory, joined the conversation this week in our webinar on her book where we focused on the chapters, “The River,” and “The Wine.” Here’s the link to the video. While I started reading Fleming in the 1980’s, it was not until 2008 that we met and... Read More

I Don’t Get It

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January 30, 2024 — Yesterday Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about the three U.S. soldiers who were killed in an Iran-sponsored attack in Jordan. Here’s what he had to say, as cited in the newsletter from historian Heather Cox Richardson. “At a press conference today with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Washington, D.C.,... Read More

Another Week, January 27, Time for a Few Deep Breaths

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January 26, 2024 — Stepping Back From the Edge. In the wake of the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries, did you find yourself awake at night, terrified that Train Trump is on a downhill run, gathering speed, with “next stop, the White House”? If so, tune in to Ezra’s Friday podcast with longtime Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg who argues... Read More

A New Ted Lasso . . . from Korea

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January 25, 2024 — “Navillera” is a 12-episode Korean series, available on Netflix, that had — for us (Linda discovered it) — a message and power similar to the popular Apple series “Ted Lasso,” which ended last year after three seasons. It’s different than Ted Lasso. It’s Korean, set in Korea with a Korean cast. In place of a... Read More

Coda: On Grace

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January 23, 2024 — Yesterday under the heading “O.D.’ed on Politics, Desperate for Grace,” I wrote of my discouragement with the state of American politics and quoted, and echoed Nadia Bolz-Weber on her own need for grace. I got several appreciative responses and some that pushed me a little bit, in a good way. As in saying, “Is grace... Read More

O.D.’ed on Politics, Desperate for Grace

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January 22, 2024 — With the Iowa Caucuses (where fewer than the number than usually turnout for a Seattle Seahawks game) made Trump “inevitable,” I went into a spiritual tail-spin. The bad cold that so many have had, then dental surgery didn’t help. Now on the edge of the N.H. Primary, tomorrow, it looks as if Trump will seal... Read More