EDITOR’S NOTE: Jim has an interesting take on how racist views (or the lack of racism) might come about through ancestral memories. In true Jim style, it’s an interesting story about coming of age, military life and much more. As we embark on Black History Month, join Jim as he finds out what it means to be Black on a…
Category: Jim Heffernan
Join Jim Heffernan’s Virtual Book Club -“Stamped from the Beginning”
By Jim Heffernan I learned of the book club kits from Bill Landau’s column “Tales from the Library.” He talks about the new trend of “library of things” and the book club kit was mentioned. Reviewing the list of titles – “Stamped from the Beginning” seemed the only title with current political content — and it’s on the top banned…
BOOK REVIEW: Divided We Fall by David French
By Jim Heffernan Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation by David French 278 pages, Published 9/22/2020 Available at Tillamook Public Library, Amazon (print, audio and e-book) and Powell’s I am as “blue” a Democrat as you’re likely to find outside a mental health facility. I go to sleep each night with the thought that…
“I’ve been thinking” – On MLK Day: Finding the true meaning, the real man
By Jim Heffernan When most white people think of MLK day, I believe they’re either annoyed at banks and post offices being closed or grateful for the day off or the extra pay. I’m sure there are some who are even unsure what MLK stands for – Martin Luther King, Jr. Many of his words reverberate in my head and…
BOOK REVIEW & READING: Building Community: Rural Voices for Hope & Change by Neal Lemery
EDITOR’S NOTE: We recorded this reading by Neal Lemery in March 2020 and it’s been available on the Pioneer’s YouTube site. We did an introduction to Neal’s new book and we had planned to share the reading as Neal embarked on author’s tours … that never happened. So from the archives and always a delight – enjoy a reading by…
“I’ve been thinking”: An Ephiphany – Never Forgotten …
By Jim Heffernan January 6 has been rolling around in my brain. Not just January 6, 2021, and the shame attached to that particular day. There was something else about January 6 that seemed somehow familiar but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Finally, from an almost forgotten corner of my mind, I had a “little e” epiphany…
I’ve been thinking …. A little logic goes a long way
By Jim Heffernan Looking back, I wonder why my parents did not resort to murder as a solution to the problem of raising me. I was a classic “rebel without a cause”. I rejected them and their church, preferring the approval of my “hoodlum friends”. Finally, at the age of 17 and after way too many “second chances”, my father…
“I’ve been thinking …” – Make America Greater
EDITOR’S NOTE: Here’s a commentary from Jim Heffernan, whom we introduced a couple days ago with his brief book review (he’s got more of those in the works, too) of local author Derrick Josi’s book, “An Industry Worth Fighting For.” You’ve probably seen Jim’s name before as he’s a prolific “letter to the editor” writer. When he sent the Pioneer…
