Mother of the Heartland

Father of water, Mother of the heartland
Pioneer dream, Native stand

The Mighty Mississippi brings life and blood
Fertile farmland, Miserable flood

Breadbasket of America, Fruited Plain
Joy when flowing, Frozen pain

Seasons change, Bright golden leaves
Den of eagles and thieves

Fresh water, Flooded misery
Storied banks, Ancient history

Huck Finn, Mark Twain and Tom Sawyer
Riverboat gambler, Tug boat captain & small town lawyer

Fried catfish and Delta dog
Minnesota lakes and Arkansas bog

Published February 2019

By: Old River Pedler

​Mystery, Menace, Meaning......Fall on the Eastside of Minneapolis

The cool wind blows the many colored leaves. The Vikings become the topic of conversation and the cold season ahead starts to enter the subconscious Minnesota mind. The fall in Minnesota, the brief beauty after the muggy summer and before the brutal chill of winter, brings the bounty of the harvest and the sweatshirts of football weather.

Fall on the Eastside of Minneapolis is a special time. The many trails along the Mississippi are colored with bright trees, the numerous churches all seem to have festivals and the spirit, or should I say spirits, of Halloween haunt the streets and alleys of a historic immigrant neighborhood now bursting with new condos and microbrews.

In old Europe, especially in Ireland, natives celebrated the departed and their souls. All Hallows' Eve, shortened to Halloween, was a remnant of local pagan traditions that the Catholic Church incorporated with the religious holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. Trick or treating became a way for local children to dress and honor the restless souls said to wander the earth the night of Hallows' Eve. The ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain marked the end of the harvest and the start of the dark season with great bonfires. The early founders of America, the Puritans in New England, frowned upon these traditions and believed the honoring of spirits was the work of the Devil and the handiwork of witches. Ensuing groups of immigrants, especially the Irish and Catholics from Southern Europe, brought...
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Published November 2018

By: Polish Roots

What America can learn from a long weekend in the Upper Peninsula 

Two decades ago, I graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in political theory. Fresh out of college, my desire was not to attend law school or work on Capitol Hill, but rather to go out and see America. Really see America. I had a crazy idea to go out and visit every congressional district in America. My great adventure throughout the United States lasted over five years and took me to every part of the nation. I worked various jobs along the way and set up numerous hosts throughout the journey. Along the way I passed through Michigan a number of times and I was always impressed by the beauty, history and people of the state.

This past Memorial Day weekend I returned to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the first time in almost 15 years.  I was reminded of the raw, rugged beauty of the area, the industrious nature of the people and the challenges and benefits many of those in the upper regions of the Midwest face. There is an enormous amount the rest of America can learn from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Published July 28, 2018

By The Sault News

Celebrating East Side's Churches

The local media gives a great deal of attention to local beer festivals, Art a Whirl, Gay Pride events and Aquatennial parades. So be it. Live and let live. However, if you want to see one of the great forces that built the Eastside of Minneapolis and literally built some of the most amazing buildings in the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota, then the local media should cover and residents should visit the stunningly beautiful churches along the Eucharistic procession.

Nearly 500 Catholic parishioners and 50 priests and altar servers march through the streets of Northeast Minneapolis carrying the Eucharist and stopping at seven separate historic Catholic parishes during the annual Northeast Minneapolis Eucharistic Procession. Bystanders, bicyclists and beer hall enthusiasts stop, stare and snap photos as a block long procession publicly honors the Eucharist while halting traffic along such busy thoroughfares as University and Broadway Avenues.

Demographic changes, families leaving for the suburbs and concerns about crime and poor schools led many Northeast Catholic families to leave the neighborhood and the churches they grew up in. Many churches experienced serious decline over the last three decades where church funerals were much more common than baptisms.  An increasingly secular society and a much-publicized clergy sex abuse scandal no doubt contributed to declining church attendance. Yet, over the past decade, some amazing changes have occurred.

Published June 27, 2018

By Northeaster Newspaper

When Men Battle in the Trenches

When men battle in the trenches,
Coaches plan, owners plot, quarterbacks lead offenses

Friday night lights, Saturday college glory, Sunday tradition
Man cave parties, cable package specials, big screen addition

Pads and tackles, helmets and hits, hardcore fans, smash mouth
Vikings and Packers, Steelers and Ravens, NFC North, AFC South

Scheming coordinators and pass down defenses
Interception and fumbles, touchdowns clear the benches

Wealthy owners, taxpayer funded stadiums and a glorious Super Bowl
Yet, these trophies are not the highest goal

Published October 16, 2017

By Military News and The American Legion

The Personal and the Public, the Importance of Memorials

Nearly twenty years ago I graduated from Georgetown University. The colors of Georgetown are blue and gray because at the time of the Civil War many of her sons fought on both sides of the conflict. It was the hope of school fathers that the colors together would represent the Union of North and South. Fresh out of school I took a different course than my fellow graduates. Law school or working on Capitol Hill was not in my future. Instead, I took my Rand McNally Road Atlas and Michael Barone's Almanac of American Politics and set out to visit every congressional district in America. Without funding, the journey took me half a decade as I worked various jobs, and bummed gas money and a spare couch from everyone and their cousin. It was a great rite of passage and education for a young man interested in politics and American history.

Published September 2017

By Civil War News

As the boxing and entertainment worlds start to focus on the upcoming McGregor/Mayweather fight, it is a good time to remind the nation of the virtues of boxing. Let us rejoice for a minute in the spirit of manly virtue. Millions will enjoy the spectacle of two strong men wanting to hurt the other very badly. Away with political correctness. Away with critics of boxing and violence. Hard to promote concussion awareness when the whole purpose of boxing is to literally hit your opponent so hard you knock some of his brain functions "out." Let us also not play the politically correct race card. Let's speak honestly about race and boxing. When it comes to boxing, not all ethnic groups are equal.

Published August 2, 2017

By Indianapolis Recorder 

Minnesota: Yes to Immigration, No to Jihad

The cold tundra of Minnesota was a foreboding land to early settlers. French fur traders came to the bountiful lakes of the Northern Territory in search of hides and pelts. German and Norwegian farmers came for some of the richest farmland in the world. Flour mills in Minneapolis hired Irish and Polish workers and iron ore mines on the great Mesabi Range brought in Swedish and Eastern European immigrants. Today, many immigrants come from Mexico and Central America. They work in restaurants, at summer farms, and on roofing and construction sites. Programmers from India and Asia work in the many high-tech jobs the Twin Cities provide. Except for the proud Native American tribes, some of whom have become very wealthy from casino gambling revenues, all citizens of Minnesota are or were descendants of immigrants.

Published December 22, 2016

By American Thinker

Want to understand the election? Read Shakespeare.

Published November 15, 2016

By Washington Examiner

Trump: Powerful message more important than the flawed messenger

The intelligentsia of both major parties wrote him off as a buffoon and a clown. The establishment media from the New York Times and Washington Post was merciless in its editorials and opinion pages as were more conservative outlets such as National Review and The Weekly Standard.

Published October 28, 2016

By The Hill

The Hunt

  

Published September 7, 2016

By Hunting Life

The Sacred Red Rock

Published August 23, 2016

By First People

Shooting as a Sport Rather than a Crime

Published July 11, 2016

By Washington Times

The American Pioneer, Iron Will that Settled America

Published July 1, 2016

By The Trapper

Published June 24, 2016

By Cleveland Plain Dealer

Fairy Tales of the Night

Published May 29, 2016

By Lucid Dreaming Experience

Prayer of The American West

Published May 1, 2016

By The Harvest News

Classic Country New South

Published March 1, 2016

By The Nashville Key

American Dream, American Tradgey

Published February 11, 2016

By North Coast Journal

Watchman of the Wild

Published February 2, 2016

By World Bird Sanctuary

Rugged  Beauty, Hearty Souls

Published January 23, 2016

By The Doddridge Independent

Tale of the American Gun

Published January 20, 2016

By Gun Owners of America

Ode to the American Railroad

Published January 14, 2016

By Lake Superior Railroad Museum

Land of Taos and Trinity Site

Published January 4, 2016

By Santa Fe New Mexican

Prayer of the Eastside  Catholic

Published December 15, 2015

By Catholic Spirit

BYU vs. Georgetown: Things more important than basketball

In the 1980s and 1990s Georgetown University (I am a 1998 graduate) became nationally known for its men's basketball team. A national title under coach John Thompson (his son is the current coach) and such players as Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutumbo, Alonzo Mourning and Allen Iverson made the school a fixture in the NCAA Tournament.

Published March 12, 2011

By Salt Lake Tribune

MN/WI, Dayton/Walker: A Tale of Two States

Published March 4, 2011

By MinnPost