The View from a Drawbridge

Tag: freedom

  • Sanctuary Cities

    I was talking to a friend of mine the other day about sanctuary cities. He happens to fall on the opposite end of the political bell curve, so debates with him can be interesting. And yet we never get hostile with each other, and still manage to be respectful. Why is that such a dying…

  • A Message to the World

    Hello. I’m an American. Never in my life did I imagine that I would say this, but I am ashamed of the state of my country. I am embarrassed at the face we are currently showing to the world. This is not who we are. Never again will I look at another country and assume…

  • Seattle Speaks

    So many of us are in a state of shock, trying to adjust to this new world we’re living in. We are wondering how we’ll fit in now if we’re women, minorities, immigrants, or part of the LGBT community. I know I’ve really been struggling with this. Fortunately, there’s a place that I have been…

  • The Anatomy of a Great Day

    Have you ever had one of those days when everything seems to be wonderful? I had one about a week ago. (Thank you. More please.) So I decided to sort of dissect the day to see what I could do to increase its frequency. I got up at 5 am, and was well rested for…

  • Mercy, Mercy Me, It’s Jubilee!

    Did you know that Pope Francis announced a special Jubilee on the theme of mercy from December 8, 2015 to November 20, 2016? I didn’t. Probably because I’m not Catholic. (Truth be told, I’m not even Christian.) Do you even know what a Jubilee is? Again, I didn’t. But it’s actually kind of a big…

  • This Takes the Cake

    Sometimes I can’t believe there’s still a need to write about this sh… uh… stuff, but here goes. I just read the most appalling article about Christians who are to the right politically and their take on the State of Oregon’s fine on Sweet Cakes by Melissa when that business refused to make a wedding…

  • Independence?

    I’m feeling particularly patriotic today, because marriage equality was recently made the law of the land here in the United States. Every once in a while, for all its flaws, this country gets it right. That makes me feel good. So, one of my traditions on Independence Day is that I take some time to…

  • “American Blogger Killed”

    When I read that headline the other day, my blood ran cold. Because, hey, I’m an American Blogger, so I take stuff like this personally. (Okay, so my notoriety isn’t that overwhelming, but it still strikes a chord.) According to the Reuters article, the blogger in question, Avijit Roy, was based in Bangladesh, which, let’s…

  • When Luxuries Become Necessities

    I don’t own a clothes dryer, and I don’t particularly miss having one. It’s really not that inconvenient to hang things on a rack to dry. It takes about as long as it would to load the dryer. And I save on electricity and repair bills and space. I also don’t own a hair dryer.…

  • The Mysterious Death of a Decisive Woman

    I met one of the most fascinating women I’ve ever known during my sophomore year in college. She shared my major and was extremely intelligent, so it was natural that I’d have been drawn to her. But the more I knew, the more intrigued I became. I can say without hesitation that she was like…