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If you only read a few Bubbler posts, these are the best ones.

Get busy living, or get busy dying

This is what Morgan Freeman’s character says in Shawshank Redemption, and it couldn’t apply more to the way we’re approaching this pandemic. America was founded on taking risks. Starting with the Founders, who gave up their lives, their savings, friends, and comfort, this country has always been about fearlessly forging ahead and creating. And building. The westward expansion was a journey into the unknown for many. But it was about the pursuit of a new life. A better life. And people were willing to risk their lives to do it. The coronavirus is here, and America has decided to…

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If we save even just one life…

“If can save even one life, it was worth it.” This isn’t a new statement or idea, but we’ve been hearing it a lot lately as some public officials discuss how we need to address the coronavirus pandemic. Andrew Cuomo, the Governor of New York, has been saying this as the case and death toll expand in New York. It’s his justification for every step he takes. And because no one wants to look heartless or careless, no one will address the concept. But I will. This idea is, in fact, a horrible way to address public policy of…

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If only it were a computer virus…

Why couldn’t the greatest virus of our time be a worldwide computer virus? Can you imagine if all of our technology was infected, and the only way to survive the pandemic were to quarantine ourselves from our phones, tablets, and desktop computers? Manufacturers would be firing up to see how quickly they could produce land line phones for homes so we could stay connected. Newspaper publishers would have to procure exponentially more paper to produce all of the news we’d need. Families and kids would have to buy dozens of Mad Lib booklets to keep conversations rolling until they…

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Social distancing: practice makes perfect

We’re told that one way to combat, or slow, the coronavirus pandemic is social distancing. And there’s all sorts of news segments about what it is and how to do it. But haven’t we already been practicing social distancing since, well… the advent of the smartphone? I’ve been observing social distancing for years. At any restaurant, you can see people sitting at the same dinner table all ignoring each other and looking at their phones. The only reason people run into each other in the streets is because they’re all ignoring each other while they stare at their phones….

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The secret history of conservatives and race relations

Perhaps the greatest ongoing miss by the Republican Party’s marketing department – the worst marketing department in the history of marketing departments, is on race. It’s not a stretch to say nearly no one knows the conservative history as it relates to racism. As we head into the 2020 election, now would be the perfect time for President Trump to address race in this country. By sharing the Republican history on race, he could single-handedly change the Democrat narrative that all conservatives are racist. Did you know Martin Luther King was a registered Republican? Were you aware that Lincoln,…

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The impeachment of Trump is a hate crime

The impeachment of Donald Trump is a hate crime and should be tried as such. Efforts to impeach him began before he was even elected. For the record, that’s before the Ukraine phone call. (I would say after his Russian collusion, but then, we have since learned that didn’t happen.) It’s clear that the Democrat hatred for Donald Trump is, at times, irrational. That’s not even worth searching for, and posting a link, to prove. And since we know they have hatred for Trump, and we know there are no impeachable offenses (this will be verified soon, for those…

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Perhaps we need offended training

Sensitivity training has settled comfortably in as the solution for when a co-worker, college student, or celebrity says something that may offend the easily offended. There has always been an element of watching what one says in public. That’s how things like class and decorum were determined. But as we’ve given more weight to the politically correct, watching what one says is becoming not only a full-time job, but also quite a guessing game. There’s no way to know who will find what offensive. And the scales of society have tipped to give weight to the offended. Perhaps we…

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The lost art of looking out the window

Growing up, we took many long road trips from Wisconsin to places like Florida, Louisiana, Colorado, and North Dakota (to name a few). As I look back on those road trips, and the ones I’ve taken since, as an adult, the one thing that stands out is the view from the car. There’s really no other way to see America than to drive around and look. Sometimes, you see fascinating buildings, landscapes, houses, people, or just other cars that you’ve never seen before. And the calm that accompanies these views allows us to practice the art of introspection. There’s…

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Donut control

I was just at a donut shop, and someone behind me asked the person behind the counter for a dozen donuts. Not an unusual request, of course. The donuteer asked the customer, “Do you want me to put it together for you?” Who on earth would leave the selection of a dozen donuts to the counter attendant? The risk that they would blow it and select poorly is simply too great. The only people who allow that kind of silliness from their donut shop are those who don’t care about the people for whom they’re buying the donuts. And…

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