Worldwide Stew

Gavin Newsome on the Trump Administration and Democracy

When I started Worldwide Stew, I intended the Blog area of the site to be generally positive in tone. I would reserve the Opinion area of the site for news and opinions about science, health, politics, and fun stuff.

And then we ended up with what can only be called a fascist Administration(Merriam-Webster definition at the link). At this point, the scaffolding that held up any form of democracy is quickly eroding, like hurricane-force winds along the shoreline.

What matters to me?

Asking Why am I here? is probably wasting time. It’s like a termite trying to eat a sequoia. It’s too big and carries little action.

You’re probably better off asking two other questions:

• What things matter to me?
• What things matter to the people I care about?

There’s a host of other questions you can (and should) ask. But these are awesome places to start or reset. Begin with either one, then tackle the other one.

Deputized on Ash Wednesday

It’s Ash Wednesday. I feel a little sad about that. Why? When I think of Ash Wednesday, here’s the thing I remember most.

I was a chaplain at Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital in Dallas. Even though I wasn’t Catholic, each Ash Wednesday I was deputized to impose Ashes on the foreheads of anyone who wanted them. I received Ashes and then was deputized to impose them on others. I would visit every unit at the hospital to make sure people could get Ashes if they wanted them. There were always lots of questions: