Thank you for the info about Minneapolis! So grateful people are speaking out. It's so infuriating. As a clergy person I considered going to Minneapolis to gather with other Clergy protesting. However I stayed home due to the impending snow storms and wrote a public/private policy for my church. ICE has been present in my area (Harrisburg PA). Now I'm wondering if I made a mistake in staying but sadly I believe I'll get a chance in the future.
An aside- as I listened to this episode I thought of Gowan Pamphlet, an enslaved man in Williamsburg PA who started the First Baptist Church. It's still going today. When Gowan was free, he made his surname Pamphlet after Thomas Paine's Common Sense pamphlet! I've heard him (historical interpreter) many times in Colonial Williamsburg. So glad a private foundation runs CW- it's not under the rule if the current Administration. I shudder at what has happened in Philly at Independence Hall.
Thank you so much for highlighting what's happening in Minnesota and especially for playing that voicemail. It's been very scary. And just to let people know, it's not "just" in the city. I live in a northern suburb and ICE has been all over here too. Plain clothes ICE took a man who is a legal employee at a Mexican restaurant not far from my home that my friends and I go to often. I also work downtown Minneapolis and hear stories of friends with kids in Spanish immersion day cares who are afraid for their kids and day care employees. This is a nightmare. I have a group of parents in the area that I've been working with for years to get better people on our local school board and so many of them are stepping up and protesting and working on mutual aid for people, so that is what gives me hope.
All I could think when Sarah was saying no soft food was MASHED POTATOES!! I’m so curious! I have no food texture sensitivities but my husband really really dos so I find it super interesting
I hate what is happening all over our country. I live in Memphis and know that we could easily be in the same situation as Minneapolis.
I have an 18 year old who has never been interested in politics no matter how hard I tried. Constantly said “my vote doesn’t matter, I don’t want to deal with it”. Tonight, I brought up the murder of Renee Good. We chatted for a bit, and I asked “do you see now why it matters that you vote?” His reply - a firm “yes”.
There’s hope in our young people. They see what this administration is doing and will fight with us to save democracy.
I didn't listen to the episode until today, but the soft food conversation reminded me of the best first assignment/icebreaker I've ever created. It may be helpful to others in the community trying to teach persuasive writing and critical thinking.
It is for an online, undergraduate criminal law and procedure course. The course goal is to have them be able to apply legal concepts to scenarios. I introduce the concept of recognizing a rule and then applying it to facts. Then they have to answer the following question, referencing a rule about dessert (and it's totally ok to make up the rule!): What is the worst dessert and why? Then I give an example that argues that pudding is the worst dessert because humans have a primal desire to chew their food.
The answers are so much fun, and it gives them an introduction to thinking about how rules are going to inform their analysis of every factual scenario they will see during the semester and during their careers as criminal justice professionals.
I also highly recommend this question if you need a fun conversation starter with your friends or kids!
I need everyone to know that having a cinnamon roll with chili (for the savory/sweet) is the superior and time honored way to eat chili in parts of the Midwest. It is even served this way in school cafeterias today.
So many nuggets listening to their takeaways from “Common Sense.”
The nugget in Outside of Politics, almost to the end, Beth’s “Well…” just before “you do you,” cracked me up. I kinda felt the same. This is not meant to pile on Sarah at all! What I loved was the disagreement handled between two people. And no love lost. ☺️
Ladies, THANK YOU for getting back to your strong, uninhibited, honest, and passionate selves!! I get that it’s exhausting to be so passionate on EVERY podcast, but I so appreciate your decision not to be so measured and “both sides-y” anymore. We can acknowledge the reasons people voted for Trump and Republicans while also showing how seriously destructive to our government and culture that choice has been. I’m one of those people who don’t see myself voting for a Republican for a LONG time, if ever, and I voted for John McCain in ‘08. My bro-in-law is one of our KY reps, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and believe me, the Republicans take full advantage of people who behave “nicely” (which I’ll admit out of respect for other family members I do when we’re together). I’ve heard a visceral hatred of Dems and libs for years and seen the smarmy gaslighting, manipulation, and power plays that are their MO to get them what they want, and what they want IS NOT NOBLE OR VIRTUOUS - it’s pure power and money. Living in a smallish KY town has given me the chance to hear that the reasons regular people voted for Trump & Republicans are also not always noble - I’ve heard plenty of racism, xenophobia, lgbtq-phobia, misogyny, antisemitism, and support of violence. The noble and virtuous Republicans have left that party. We have to motivate people to register as Dems, to run for office, and to get out and vote.
There's so much to this conversation, but I want to focus on the section on Common Sense and the comment "take the sacrifice seriously" which resonated deeply with me. As part of America 250 I am volunteering with the National Archives to transcribe the pension files of Revolutionary War soldiers and their widows. (https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/citizen-archivists-revolutionary-war-pension-project.htm)
In order to claim a pension, the soldiers (or their widows) had to recount their service in the war so many of these documents end up being a treasure trove of first hand accounts of how ordinary citizens served. Many just list dates of service, locations where they were stationed, and who they served under. But others have details of battles and conditions they were facing as well as glimpses into their lives at home.
I'm focused on the files of soldiers from my state (RI) and I know the exact places where they were stationed and have walked there myself. I have come across two soldiers so far who were participated in the crossing of the Delaware with General Washington.
I started on the project because it was interesting to me and I wanted to help. But reading these men and women's stories, and maybe being the first to do so since they were filed in early 1800s, has created a tangible, human connection to their sacrifice which is even more pronounced because of the bleakness I feel about our current political situation. I've continued to dive into transcribing these records because this service of witnessing the stories of our first Revolution has turned out to be the perfect way for me to honor our country this year.
Wow. That is so amazing. On one hand I'm glad we don't make veterans write an essay about their service to get benefits anymore, but I'm glad those soldiers did so we have all the records in one place and preserved. VA disability ratings are still a bunch of hoops, not sure how useful those will be to future historians.
Thank you so much for sharing Natalia. Our thoughts are with all of you in Minneapolis. I don’t know how to help. But I will be reaching out to my representatives. Thank you Sarah & Beth, as always, for giving us the news with credibility & heart. Two things I’m having a hard time finding these days.
Thank you for sharing about what is happening in Minneapolis. Most of my closest friends live there, and we are in communication about how bad things are. How it feels like a war zone. Yet, I am so proud of how Minnesotans are standing up for and caring for each other. I am planning to attend a wedding there next month and took extra days off for a “winter vacation” (I miss true winter) I was looking forward to spending time with my friends again after a trying year. In fact, my last trips to Minneapolis were in September to visit my friend and her dying husband, and then in October for the funeral. Our “grief group chat” has turned into a “Minneapolis-under-siege chat” Now my widow friend is going out to be an observer. A young widow observer. I will admit to having a small pity party for myself (crying) when thinking about this trip, but then snapped back to reality and realized I better put my money where my mouth is. It’s apparently where I’m supposed to be. So, barring any miracles in the next couple weeks, I am planning to bring a whistle, get involved in some mutual aid, and just generally be ready for anything to help support my friends and the community. What a time.
Thank you for sharing and amplifying voices of the Minneapolis listeners. I keep thinking about protesters and how in Jan. 2016 there was an armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. Those people were protesting too. They let them stay for over a month at the refuge before being forced out and no one was killed. I’ve also been thinking about Iranian protesters and how they want change so badly thousands are sacrificing their lives. What will the cost here be? What are we all willing to sacrifice? What are we willing to change?
My daughter goes to a Catholic school and she just did a report on the blessed Ulma family. TLDR during WWII they sheltered two Jewish families, eventually resulting in all of their deaths. The Pope beatified the entire family. What really spoke to me was the idea that faith demands action. It's not enough to just quietly believe something, there will be moments where we'll all have to ask ourselves what actions we're willing to take. I live in awe of all the brave, empathetic people I see reflecting their values in the world in the face of great evil. I think your question is one we'll all be grappling with this year.
Adding on to the comments from fellow Minnesotans...it feels very scary here...even in the suburbs. All week, we received messages from our school district about plans and protections, trying to reassure families that school is a safe place for all kids. Our district has now put together temporary online classes for those in need...yeah, we all know how online school works so well. Our city has posted on their website resources to help those in need as well as how our law enforcement is available to support and protect us. My husband's work has a factory in rural MN and apparently ICE went to the parking lot, looked up license plate numbers until they found a non-white person, called in to the factory office (without identifying themselves) to claim they witnessed that person's car get hit and they should come outside and deal with it. Thankfully, the office staff called the rural police department which came and managed to get ICE off the property. This was in the red part of the state; it feels like even the people that were for this administration before know it's gone too far.
A crispy buckwheat cracker started an extensive and expensive dental journey for me a few months ago (broken tooth>root canal>crown>tooth extraction>begin of dental implant) so I am very aware of food textures as I have been primarily eating on one side of my mouth since October. Luckily I don't mind softer foods as I've forgone a lot of crunchy and chewy foods for now the time being.
There were far more important things than this in this episode but…Sarah doesn’t like PBJ sandwiches??? Never have I felt more excluded from a conversation 😂 A PBJ sandwich is my comfort food.
Ok you have a point. My PBJ sandwiches are mostly peanut butter with a very thin layer of jelly. My brother eats them with a thick layer of jelly and I can’t do that.
Thank you for the info about Minneapolis! So grateful people are speaking out. It's so infuriating. As a clergy person I considered going to Minneapolis to gather with other Clergy protesting. However I stayed home due to the impending snow storms and wrote a public/private policy for my church. ICE has been present in my area (Harrisburg PA). Now I'm wondering if I made a mistake in staying but sadly I believe I'll get a chance in the future.
An aside- as I listened to this episode I thought of Gowan Pamphlet, an enslaved man in Williamsburg PA who started the First Baptist Church. It's still going today. When Gowan was free, he made his surname Pamphlet after Thomas Paine's Common Sense pamphlet! I've heard him (historical interpreter) many times in Colonial Williamsburg. So glad a private foundation runs CW- it's not under the rule if the current Administration. I shudder at what has happened in Philly at Independence Hall.
Thank you so much for highlighting what's happening in Minnesota and especially for playing that voicemail. It's been very scary. And just to let people know, it's not "just" in the city. I live in a northern suburb and ICE has been all over here too. Plain clothes ICE took a man who is a legal employee at a Mexican restaurant not far from my home that my friends and I go to often. I also work downtown Minneapolis and hear stories of friends with kids in Spanish immersion day cares who are afraid for their kids and day care employees. This is a nightmare. I have a group of parents in the area that I've been working with for years to get better people on our local school board and so many of them are stepping up and protesting and working on mutual aid for people, so that is what gives me hope.
All I could think when Sarah was saying no soft food was MASHED POTATOES!! I’m so curious! I have no food texture sensitivities but my husband really really dos so I find it super interesting
I hate what is happening all over our country. I live in Memphis and know that we could easily be in the same situation as Minneapolis.
I have an 18 year old who has never been interested in politics no matter how hard I tried. Constantly said “my vote doesn’t matter, I don’t want to deal with it”. Tonight, I brought up the murder of Renee Good. We chatted for a bit, and I asked “do you see now why it matters that you vote?” His reply - a firm “yes”.
There’s hope in our young people. They see what this administration is doing and will fight with us to save democracy.
I didn't listen to the episode until today, but the soft food conversation reminded me of the best first assignment/icebreaker I've ever created. It may be helpful to others in the community trying to teach persuasive writing and critical thinking.
It is for an online, undergraduate criminal law and procedure course. The course goal is to have them be able to apply legal concepts to scenarios. I introduce the concept of recognizing a rule and then applying it to facts. Then they have to answer the following question, referencing a rule about dessert (and it's totally ok to make up the rule!): What is the worst dessert and why? Then I give an example that argues that pudding is the worst dessert because humans have a primal desire to chew their food.
The answers are so much fun, and it gives them an introduction to thinking about how rules are going to inform their analysis of every factual scenario they will see during the semester and during their careers as criminal justice professionals.
I also highly recommend this question if you need a fun conversation starter with your friends or kids!
Loved this episode. I have lots of nods and “yes ma’am’s”. Cinnamon rolls are great but need more CINNAMON. Not more sugar.
AMEN!
I need everyone to know that having a cinnamon roll with chili (for the savory/sweet) is the superior and time honored way to eat chili in parts of the Midwest. It is even served this way in school cafeterias today.
I am in shock and don't know how to process this information :P Learn something new everyday!
My Iowa friends swear by this and I think it looks horrible. I will not be convinced.
So many nuggets listening to their takeaways from “Common Sense.”
The nugget in Outside of Politics, almost to the end, Beth’s “Well…” just before “you do you,” cracked me up. I kinda felt the same. This is not meant to pile on Sarah at all! What I loved was the disagreement handled between two people. And no love lost. ☺️
Ladies, THANK YOU for getting back to your strong, uninhibited, honest, and passionate selves!! I get that it’s exhausting to be so passionate on EVERY podcast, but I so appreciate your decision not to be so measured and “both sides-y” anymore. We can acknowledge the reasons people voted for Trump and Republicans while also showing how seriously destructive to our government and culture that choice has been. I’m one of those people who don’t see myself voting for a Republican for a LONG time, if ever, and I voted for John McCain in ‘08. My bro-in-law is one of our KY reps, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and believe me, the Republicans take full advantage of people who behave “nicely” (which I’ll admit out of respect for other family members I do when we’re together). I’ve heard a visceral hatred of Dems and libs for years and seen the smarmy gaslighting, manipulation, and power plays that are their MO to get them what they want, and what they want IS NOT NOBLE OR VIRTUOUS - it’s pure power and money. Living in a smallish KY town has given me the chance to hear that the reasons regular people voted for Trump & Republicans are also not always noble - I’ve heard plenty of racism, xenophobia, lgbtq-phobia, misogyny, antisemitism, and support of violence. The noble and virtuous Republicans have left that party. We have to motivate people to register as Dems, to run for office, and to get out and vote.
There's so much to this conversation, but I want to focus on the section on Common Sense and the comment "take the sacrifice seriously" which resonated deeply with me. As part of America 250 I am volunteering with the National Archives to transcribe the pension files of Revolutionary War soldiers and their widows. (https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/citizen-archivists-revolutionary-war-pension-project.htm)
In order to claim a pension, the soldiers (or their widows) had to recount their service in the war so many of these documents end up being a treasure trove of first hand accounts of how ordinary citizens served. Many just list dates of service, locations where they were stationed, and who they served under. But others have details of battles and conditions they were facing as well as glimpses into their lives at home.
I'm focused on the files of soldiers from my state (RI) and I know the exact places where they were stationed and have walked there myself. I have come across two soldiers so far who were participated in the crossing of the Delaware with General Washington.
I started on the project because it was interesting to me and I wanted to help. But reading these men and women's stories, and maybe being the first to do so since they were filed in early 1800s, has created a tangible, human connection to their sacrifice which is even more pronounced because of the bleakness I feel about our current political situation. I've continued to dive into transcribing these records because this service of witnessing the stories of our first Revolution has turned out to be the perfect way for me to honor our country this year.
Wow. That is so amazing. On one hand I'm glad we don't make veterans write an essay about their service to get benefits anymore, but I'm glad those soldiers did so we have all the records in one place and preserved. VA disability ratings are still a bunch of hoops, not sure how useful those will be to future historians.
Thank you so much for sharing Natalia. Our thoughts are with all of you in Minneapolis. I don’t know how to help. But I will be reaching out to my representatives. Thank you Sarah & Beth, as always, for giving us the news with credibility & heart. Two things I’m having a hard time finding these days.
Thank you for sharing about what is happening in Minneapolis. Most of my closest friends live there, and we are in communication about how bad things are. How it feels like a war zone. Yet, I am so proud of how Minnesotans are standing up for and caring for each other. I am planning to attend a wedding there next month and took extra days off for a “winter vacation” (I miss true winter) I was looking forward to spending time with my friends again after a trying year. In fact, my last trips to Minneapolis were in September to visit my friend and her dying husband, and then in October for the funeral. Our “grief group chat” has turned into a “Minneapolis-under-siege chat” Now my widow friend is going out to be an observer. A young widow observer. I will admit to having a small pity party for myself (crying) when thinking about this trip, but then snapped back to reality and realized I better put my money where my mouth is. It’s apparently where I’m supposed to be. So, barring any miracles in the next couple weeks, I am planning to bring a whistle, get involved in some mutual aid, and just generally be ready for anything to help support my friends and the community. What a time.
Thank you for sharing and amplifying voices of the Minneapolis listeners. I keep thinking about protesters and how in Jan. 2016 there was an armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. Those people were protesting too. They let them stay for over a month at the refuge before being forced out and no one was killed. I’ve also been thinking about Iranian protesters and how they want change so badly thousands are sacrificing their lives. What will the cost here be? What are we all willing to sacrifice? What are we willing to change?
My daughter goes to a Catholic school and she just did a report on the blessed Ulma family. TLDR during WWII they sheltered two Jewish families, eventually resulting in all of their deaths. The Pope beatified the entire family. What really spoke to me was the idea that faith demands action. It's not enough to just quietly believe something, there will be moments where we'll all have to ask ourselves what actions we're willing to take. I live in awe of all the brave, empathetic people I see reflecting their values in the world in the face of great evil. I think your question is one we'll all be grappling with this year.
Adding on to the comments from fellow Minnesotans...it feels very scary here...even in the suburbs. All week, we received messages from our school district about plans and protections, trying to reassure families that school is a safe place for all kids. Our district has now put together temporary online classes for those in need...yeah, we all know how online school works so well. Our city has posted on their website resources to help those in need as well as how our law enforcement is available to support and protect us. My husband's work has a factory in rural MN and apparently ICE went to the parking lot, looked up license plate numbers until they found a non-white person, called in to the factory office (without identifying themselves) to claim they witnessed that person's car get hit and they should come outside and deal with it. Thankfully, the office staff called the rural police department which came and managed to get ICE off the property. This was in the red part of the state; it feels like even the people that were for this administration before know it's gone too far.
Dear Lord the lengths they are going to
A crispy buckwheat cracker started an extensive and expensive dental journey for me a few months ago (broken tooth>root canal>crown>tooth extraction>begin of dental implant) so I am very aware of food textures as I have been primarily eating on one side of my mouth since October. Luckily I don't mind softer foods as I've forgone a lot of crunchy and chewy foods for now the time being.
I am between the root canal and the crown step right now. This sucks.
I hope your crown works out for you. I managed to mess it up the same day and started crying because I knew something was wrong.
There were far more important things than this in this episode but…Sarah doesn’t like PBJ sandwiches??? Never have I felt more excluded from a conversation 😂 A PBJ sandwich is my comfort food.
Crunchy peanut-butter could solve this problem
Crunchy peanut butter is my favorite.
I also don't eat PBJ sandwiches. To me, jelly is disgusting and there's no way I'm eating it. I can do plain peanut butter.
Ok you have a point. My PBJ sandwiches are mostly peanut butter with a very thin layer of jelly. My brother eats them with a thick layer of jelly and I can’t do that.
I’ve never liked jelly but I love a peanut butter and sugar sandwich
jelly is really pretty to look at though