Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

The Department of Inquiring Minds is open again.  It is one of five departments I run with a free hand to manage as I see fit because, you see, I am a management guru.

So, here is a list of inquiring minds questions:

SOCCER PLAYER SUPPOSED “INJURIES: “  Why do soccer players feign serious injuries whenever they fall on the field?  Looking at them, as I have done a few times during the World Cup, you would think they would never be able to get up.

Then, as quick you could blink a couple times, the “injured” player is up, running up and down the field. 

That’s probably when the player realizes the other player with whom they collided would not get a “red card.”  So, play continues.

See how much that I, a golfer, know about soccer.  I even used the name “red card.”

WHO DO SO MANY NEW YORK FANS BEHAVE THE WAY THEY DO AT PRO GOLF TOURNAMENTS?  Well, the answer is fairly simple:  Two reasons:

• First, many of them carry cell phones and use those phones to bet on outcomes in the middle of matches or even between shots.  That often prompts over-the-top protests because so much money is at stake.

• Second, too much beer flows.

At the last Ryder Cup in New York, fans blew through common courtesy as they roasted European players and, even, their wives.

Then the NY fans did the same in the recent U.S. Open when they mercilessly booed the player who eventually surmounted the attacks,  American Wyndom Clark.

My solution is also fairly simple:  Ban both phones and beer.

And, until that is done, I advise pro pro golf administrators to avoid booking tournaments in New York.

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Another way to put the point in this blog headline:  The middle ground is missing in politics today.

Especially at the national level where both sides – Republicans and Democrats – always think they are right.  So, never the twain shall meet somewhere in the middle.

And, president Donald Trump only adds to the tension when he shoots his mouth off without any regard for the outcome he produces.

Writing in The Atlantic magazine, David Graham referred to the loss of checks and balances in the current system.

“In an interview with The New York Times early this year, Trump was asked, ‘Do you see any checks on your power on the world stage?  Is there anything that could stop you?’

“’Yeah, there is one thing,’ he said.  ‘My own morality.  My own mind.  It’s the only thing that can stop me, and that’s very good.’”

Well, not to me.

Regarding his power, Trump says “there are no limits. I know there are, but, you know, there are no limits.  We defeated them totally militarily.’”

See, speaking out of both sides of his mouth almost always illustrates Trump as words that happen to cross his brain emerge from his mouth.

More from Graham:

“If after his humiliating defeat in the war with Iran, his approach suggests delusion, but it also suggests something about Trump’s view of the presidency as a monarchical office.  During his first term in the White House, he pushed back repeatedly against the rule of law.

“In his second term, he has also raged against restraints from other branches of government, his own aides, and even reality.  His administration has clashed with and sometimes defied the courts, grabbed powers from Congress, and attempted to establish vassal states in other sovereign countries — or take away parts of them entirely.”

Checks and balances have gone away under Trump with a recalcitrant Congress.

“Trump came into his second term as president with a blueprint, courtesy of Project 2025.  He has blown through traditional restraints on his power, often by simply acting without seeking or waiting for permission.  Congress is now stocked with more MAGA loyalists, and so is the administration — which means aides are more eager and willing to do what Trump wants.”

The primary benefit of a checks and balances system is that it prevents any single branch of government from accumulating unchecked authority.  By distributing power across separate co-equal branches (such as the executive, legislative, and judicial), it safeguards against tyranny, enforces the rule of law, and protects citizens’ rights.

Key advantages of this system include:

• Prevention of Tyranny:  By allowing each branch to limit and review the actions of the others, no single individual or group can take total control over the government.
• Promotes Accountability:  Leaders are held accountable for their actions, as policies and decisions require multi-branch approval, review, and justification.
• Encourages Compromise:  Because branches must negotiate and cooperate to enact policies, the resulting laws and regulations tend to represent a broader spectrum of public interest rather than the will of a simple majority.
• Protects Civil Liberties:  Judicial bodies can strike down unconstitutional laws or executive actions, ensuring that fundamental human rights and due process are upheld.
• Improves Decision Quality:  Forcing policies to undergo rigorous scrutiny, debate, and supervision helps catch flaws, prevent rash decisions, and maintain the integrity of the political system.

Again, my point is that middle ground is gone.  Compromise is viewed as a dirty word.  A checks and balances system doesn’t exist.

And, all of us Americans, are worse off for the loss.

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

If you read the headline on this blog and if you knew about the history of politics in Oregon, you might say, “what?”

Could tax and regulation cuts really be proposals from a group appointed by a Democrat, Tina Kotek, as she runs for re-election as Oregon Governor?

All I can say is, “who knows?”

Here is the way the media reported this development from a group called the Oregon Prosperity Council:

“Overhaul the state’s economic development agency, Business Oregon, strengthen higher education and workforce development, reduce duplication and excessive regulation, and increase the supply of and funding for industrial land.”

And, oh yeah, reduce taxes!

Kotek’s opponent in the general election, Republican Christine Drazan, went on record with this comment:

“We all know this council was an election-year gimmick, but these recommendations are a meaningful start and deserve strong bi-partisan support.  Let’s build on the ideas that create jobs, fix our economy and make Oregon more affordable.  That includes bold tax cuts for families and businesses.  I’m ready to get to work.”

Some media outlets also reported that Drazan was skeptical Kotek would set out to implement the recommendations.

The report, released late last week, completes a process Kotek launched in December.  As her re-election campaign loomed, the governor expressed new interest in the state’s economy and appointed the Prosperity Council.

She hired Tim Knopp, a former Republican Senate minority leader, to be her liaison to the council and named Renee James, a former president of Intel and founder and CEO of Ampere Computing, and Curtis Robinhold, executive director of the Port of Portland, to chair the effort.

The council’s report defined the state’s economic ills with a few grim stats: Oregon ranks 49th in the nation in private sector job growth; workers’ paychecks are growing at half the national rate; and unemployment in Oregon is 21 per cent higher than the national average.

In response, media outlets reported that the group made 10 immediate recommendations for “Oregon’s Long-Term Prosperity,” a few of which are listed below.

This key conclusion from the group:  Kotek and the Legislature need to send visible signals that Oregon is open for business.”

Here are four of the short-term suggestions:

1. Trim the Corporate Activity Tax:  Raising the threshold for who pays the tax would make a big difference for small businesses, while costing the state little.  
2. Estate tax:  Oregon has the most punitive estate tax of the 13 states that levy such taxes.
3. Qualified small business stock deduction:  The 2025 Trump tax bill included an expansion of an existing tax break for people who sell equity stakes in small companies. In the February session, Oregon lawmakers “disconnected” from that tax break.
4. Modernized research and development tax credits:  There is less analysis on the cost of this incentive, but ECOnorthwest, which staffed the Prosperity Council, said a comparable program would be Oregon’s semiconductor tax credit, which costs about $40 million a year.

Back to a couple bottom lines:

• All this will be subject to political winds as Kotek and Drazan face off against each other again after Kotek won four years ago.  Betters – not me – suggest that Kotek is likely to win again, though she faces a few political headwinds that could give Republicans a chance at the top political job in Oregon for the first time in more than 40 years.
• The Legislature, now in Democrat control and likely to remain there next year, will face the same pressure Kotek does to consider tax and regulation reductions, a tough swallow for many Democrats.

Again, a hackneyed phrase comes to mind – only time will tell.  But, for a political junkie like me, will be fun to watch.

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

With attribution, I borrow this blog headline from a great article the Washington Post carried this morning by one of sports great writers of time, Rick Reilly.

He says betters – yes, they are betting on pro golf even as shots are being played – are ruining the sport.

He’s right.

So, he says do what the Masters Golf Tournament does:  Ban cell phones on the course.

Good idea!

I have another:  Ban beer and other hard drinks.

It’s time for those who administer pro golf do something more than think about new tournament schedules as they have been doing recently.

Take action to save the game!

One more idea.  Don’t schedule high-end tournaments to avoid abhorrent fan behavior that was displayed in two recent cases in New York – the U.S. Ryder Cup last year and the U.S. Open this year as Wyndom Clark survived hours of taunts, even on his backswing, to win his second U.S. Open Title.

Without further ado from me, I choose below to run Reilly’s column in total because it is so well-written.

*********

Pro golf can get ugly. Remember lime-green pants from the ’70s? John Daly’s haircut from the ’90s?

But the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen in golf was on Sunday at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in New York: Bros with a live betting app on their phones, cold White Claws in their hands, tried to can-open his head.

I’ll drop $1,000 on Wyndham Clark to lose and then keep screaming at him until he does.

They heckled him all day, chirped at him, messed with his mind.

“Don’t choke, Wyndham!” they yelled. “The bogeyman’s coming!” they yelled. They rooted for his ball to go into the bunker or the rough or out of bounds. They cheered when his ball trundled off the greens. They yelled at him as he drew the club back. Some of the Jabronis got thrown out for it.

“We were playing 9, which is parallel to 1,” J.T. Poston, who finished tied for fourth, told reporters, and when Clark “hit his drive on the first tee, we could hear fans yelling for it to go in the fescue. That was different.”

“They definitely didn’t want me to win,” Clark admitted afterward. He won anyway.

True, years ago the Aussie Greg Norman and Scotsman Colin Montgomerie got heckled at U.S. Opens. And last year at the Bethpage Ryder Cup on Long Island, idiot-patriot American fans crucified Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, playing for Europe. No, Clark is an American. Playing on an American course. Trying to win the American Open.

Some people don’t like Clark because he can be abrasive. I get it. What happened at Shinnecock didn’t feel like that. These mooks probably don’t know the first thing about Clark. But he was the leader all week, so the weekend odds on him to win wouldn’t buy a bowl of soup. The thing to do was bet on somebody down the leaderboard — Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns, Poston himself — and then get on the course and ride Clark until he broke.

An Irish fan living in New York named Desmond McGoldrick posted online about the “horrible behavior” at Shinnecock on Saturday, with an “infestation of young men” who were “betting on players making putts, and when they missed, yelling obscenities at them.”

I’ve been working on a golf book for the past two years, and I can tell you the phone-app wrecking of the sport is getting worse. Jabronis have realized they can’t do anything at an NFL or NBA game to improve their chances of cashing in, but they sure can at a golf tournament, where the traditional cocoon of silence before a shot is just waiting to be trashed.

Remember Bryson DeChambeau at the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst in North Carolina, getting ready to swing, and some moron yells, “Hey, Bryson! I’ve got a hundred bucks on you to shoot over 70.5 today!”

There are countless ways you can bet on golf now, right in the palm of your hand, and right next to the actual athletes competing. You can bet player versus player for the day. You can bet player versus player on that hole. With the PGA’s ShotLink data measuring every shot, you can even bet who will hit it closest to the pin.

At the Lake Tahoe celebrity golf tournament in 2023, former tennis professional Mardy Fish had the lead on NBA star Steph Curry standing on the final tee box. Just as Fish was about to swing, a fan broke the quiet by yelling: “Hey Fish, f— you! You suck.”

Ohh-kay.

Fish reset, took the club back and this time the guy got him at the top of the backswing with a screeching birdcall. Fish’s ball went flying into the trees.

“He said he bet on Steph to win,” Fish recalled later. “And you start thinking about it, and you’re like surprised this stuff doesn’t happen more often with all the betting nowadays.”

Curry did win that day, which means a fan being an absolute swine pays nicely now in golf.

Fans are carrying mini-casinos in their pockets, and they’re itching for action. This slope is already slippery; if something isn’t done, it’s going to turn into a cliff. If you’re a Vegas whale, what’s to keep you from putting a million bucks on Scheffler to win and a few $500-a-day hecklers on the course to torture his opponents?

“It’s going to keep happening in golf with the whole DraftKings and betting live going on,” golfer Jon Rahm said a few years ago. Golfers need to try not to be affected, he said, but the PGA Tour “needs to at some point also protect the players.”

That point has arrived, and there’s a way to do it.

Ban the phones.

The Masters figured it out: Fans are not allowed to bring phones on the grounds. Makes for a heckler-free, bro-free experience. You can still bet before you leave your hotel, but it’s not as fun when you can’t chug, bet, chug on every hole.

“Not possible,” you say. “People have their admission tickets on their phones now.”

Doesn’t seem to hurt the Masters attendance any.

Believe it or not, people still know how to use a printer.

“Okay, so why hasn’t the PGA Tour done anything to try to slow this down?” you ask. “Is it because both DraftKings and FanDuel are ‘Official Betting Operators’ of the PGA Tour? To the point where TV golf coverage now runs on-screen updates of players’ odds to win? Which means they’re in bed with the bookies?”

Bingo. You win a free White Claw.

Someday, a golfer who doesn’t have the titanium guts of Wyndham Clark is going to lose a major because of these fools.

Don’t think so? Bet me.

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

The course where I play most of my golf in Oregon – Illahe Hills Country Club in Salem, Oregon – again made GolfWeek magazine’s list of top private courses in Oregon.

If order matters, Illahe was 9^th on the list.

It strikes me as good place to be, except that there is no way at least one other course on the list – Astoria Golf and Country Club – is better than Illahe.  Far from it.

I have been a member at Illahe for more than 40 years and there is no course I would rather play than this one, which has existed for more than 60 years.

It is a great place as it caters to old guys like me, but also emphasizes the importance of junior golf.  That’s great because the young girls and boys who play are the next generation of those who value the game we love.

Just out of full disclosure, here is the list of top private courses in Oregon:

1. Eugene Country Club, Eugene, Oregon

2. Waverley, Portland, Oregon

3. Pronghorn (Fazio), Bend, Oregon

4. Pumpkin Ridge (Witch Hollow), North Plains, Oregon

5. Columbia Edgewater, Portland, Oregon

6. Bend Golf Club, Bend, Oregon

7. Portland Golf Club, Portland, Oregon

8. Astoria, Astoria, Oregon

9. Illahe Hills, Salem, Oregon

10. Willamette Valley, Canby, Oregon

As I wrote earlier, I think Illahe belongs higher, at least one spot higher. 

Over my years in Oregon, I have managed to play each of these tracks.  And each deserves recognition, except Astoria.

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

This blog headline refers to the fact that many fans at the U.S. Open Golf Tournament late last week and over the weekend couldn’t help but root – loudly and over-the-top – against an American golfer, Wyndam Clark.

Fan behavior made me never to want to go to New York for any athletic endeavor.

This conduct recalled the same problem at last year’s Ryder Cup golf tournament when NY fans cast aspersions against the European Team.

If there is good news, here it is:

• Clark won the U.S. Open despite the taunts.
• The European team won the Ryder Cup.

Golf deserves better than the behavior of fans in New York.

Here are excerpts from what Golf Digest wrote about the Open under this headline:  Police kick out fans for taunting Wyndham Clark on a day full of abuse from spectators.

“Wyndham Clark wasn’t just playing against the field Sunday on his way to a second career U.S. Open victory.  He also had to hold his own against a vocal and partisan crowd at Shinnecock Hills that wasn’t just rooting for his rivals but openly against him.

“On a handful of holes during the final round, police escorted spectators from the course who openly heckled Clark.

“Ultimately, it didn’t stop the 32-year-old Colorado native from holding on to win by one shot over Sam Burns, shooting a closing 73 for a four-under 276 total.”

In the past, Clark has paid a price for his temper, including last year at U.S. Open at Oakmont when he damaged a locker after playing badly.

Since then, he has taken several actions to atone for his bad behavior:  He has apologized profusely for his conduct, he has attended anger management classes, and he has reimbursed Oakmont for the damage he caused.

More from Golf Digest:

“Carrying a six-shot lead into the final round, Clark was the target of vitriol from the first tee.  Fans greeted him with light applause when his name was announced by the starter for his 2:30 p.m. tee time.  The quiet was then broken by a spectator yelling ‘Canada hates you.’  It was a reference to Clark wearing a USA hockey jersey during last week’s RBC Canadian Open, and just one of many swipes taken throughout the afternoon.

“After hitting his tee shot, fans then cheered ‘get in the bunker,’ a refrain repeated throughout the round, fans openly rooting when he missed greens and failed to hole putts.”

In part, Clark was the victim of being paired in the final twosome with fan-favorite Scottie Scheffler, who was celebrating his 30th birthday and hoped to pull off a comeback win that would have allowed him to complete the career Grand Slam.  Scheffler ultimately finished with a one-over 71 and in a tie for fourth place, four shots back of Clark.

It should be added that I like Clark for several reasons:

• In life, everyone, Clark included, should be given a chance to recover from blunders.

• In college, he transferred to the University of Oregon so he could play for a great college golf coach, Casey Martin.

• And, he is a very good player who knows how to recover from bad shots.

So, play on, Clark – and play well.

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

I don’t keep track of Donald Trump’s record.

If I did, I would be throwing up all the time because Trump has made such a mockery of the American presidency. Yet, presidents often rise or fall on the basis of what they do or don’t do from the Oval Office. 

So, Trump should fall.

Here are examples of Trump’s record that come to mind:

• He went to war with Iran without checking with Congress or explaining his reasons to the American people, the voters.  And now, as tough negotiations to end the war continue, one result is clear – not much has changed in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz is mostly open, as it was before the war.

So, this is a major blemish on Trump’s record, enough to prompt other commentators to weigh in.

From the New York Times: 

“He accepted the rose-colored assessment of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who predicted that the Iranian regime would quickly fall.  Trump dismissed the views of his aides who told him that Netanyahu’s forecast was farcical.  Trump ignored the Constitution and refused to seek congressional approval for the war.  He did not listen to European and Asian allies who opposed his war.  He failed to plan for Iran’s obvious ability to close the Strait of Hormuz.  He made threats about destroying Iranian civilization that succeeded only in diminishing America’s moral standing. 

“For his sins, he has now agreed to a peace framework that the entire world understands is a defeat for him.  It is a setback for America, too.”

From The Atlantic Magazine: 

“Trump’s description of the current regime in Tehran as a bunch of swell guys was brewed in a heavy-duty vat of wishful thinking.  It’s an extreme version of Trump’s tendency, when he’s been outplayed by powerful enemies, to describe his opponents as basically reasonable people.  (He has done the same over the years with dictators and autocrats in North Korea, Russia, and China, among other countries.)  This is his way of assuring the public that he did not get taken to the cleaners — because, of course, his affable partners would never do that.”

From the Washington Post:

“Trump’s plummet will intensify what is causing it, his self-absorption and self-indulgence. Recently, he waged war carelessly, pursued a fixation incontinently, and named a building contemptibly.

“He unleashed America’s military competence, in conjunction with Israel’s, for a defensible purpose:  Preventing a genocidal and theologically demented regime from completing the Holocaust (it has called Israel “a one-bomb country”) and punishing God’s foremost enemy, America.  But this worthy U.S. goal became a casualty of presidential frivolousness.”

• He transformed the White House lawn into a cage fight venue to celebrate his 80^th birthday.

• He declined to do anything to celebrate America on its 250th birthday, preferring, as always, for everything to be about him.

• He has turned the presidency into a way for he and family to gain money – notice, I didn’t say “earned” – instead of working for America.

• Several years ago, on his way to the White House for the second time, he was found guilty of sexual assault against E. Jean Carroll, only one of the alleged crimes he has escaped, at least so far.

• Just after losing his first bid for re-election, Trump instructed supporters to invade the U.S. Capital and do all the damage they could, then later refused to accept responsibility or to ask “his troupe” to stop the damage, even as he continued to proclaim that he won.  Call that what it was, sedition.

Or, consider various promises Trump made that he did not fulfill and probably never intended to fulfill as he told lies, which is what he does as a matter of routine.

Ending the Ukraine War:  Repeatedly promising to end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office, this goal has remained unachieved.

Reducing Everyday Costs:  Promising to lower grocery prices and overall costs of living, many everyday goods and services have remained persistently expensive.

Border Wall Funding:  Pledging repeatedly that Mexico would pay for the border wall, the multi-billion-dollar project was funded by American taxpayers.

Health Care Cuts:  Vowing not to touch Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security, his administration’s proposed budgets have drawn criticism from organizations for targeting these safety nets.

Healthcare Protections:  Promising to protect individuals with pre-existing conditions, his administration supported legal efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Replacing Obamacare:  Pledging on day one to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare system remained fundamentally intact with ACA subsidies ultimately allowed to expire.

So, Trump’s record fails and promises are not kept.

Can we survive for two more years?

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

The headline on this blog states an amazing truth based on Scripture.

We do not earn our way into the presence of God through achievements, trophies, or success.  We enter only because of what Christ has already accomplished for us.

Just consider this verse, Ephesians 2:8:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”

So, rest in this reality if you choose to accept it.

And on this Sunday, it is appropriate to emphasize this reality as we rest in it.

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

The quote below, drawn from New York Times conversation between columnists Bret Stephens and Frank Bruni, summarizes Donald Trump perfectly.

“From Bret Stephens:  Thanks, Frank.  It wasn’t an easy column for me to write, because I supported the Iran war from the outset and thought the cause was necessary and just.  But facts are stubborn things, as John Adams said.

“And the central fact of our time is that we are led — I am using that verb in the loosest sense — by a man whose idea of courage is bullying, whose idea of honor is knavery, whose idea of loyalty is convenience, whose idea of patriotism is self-idolization, and whose idea of principle is anything that suits his need and his pleasure.  Now excuse me while I throw up.”

So, excuse me while I join Stephens.

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

In retirement, I have had a bit of time to reflect on what I’ll call “mysteries” in the Bible.

With this result:  The mysteries, some of which I list below, call on me to rely more than ever on God, who is, as the Bible defines it, “my rock.”

Mr. Google adds this:

“In the New Testament, particularly in the writings of the Apostle Paul, a ‘mystery’ does not mean a puzzle to be solved, but rather a hidden divine secret that was once concealed but has now been revealed, such as:

• The Mystery of Christ:  Refers to the embodiment of God in human history, reconciling the world to Himself.

• The Mystery of the Gospel:  The inclusion of all people — Gentiles alongside Jews — into the same spiritual inheritance.

• The Mystery of God’s Will:  The ultimate cosmic plan to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”

So, as I thought about this, here is my list of mysteries that have occupied my mind:

1. God will be always there – or, as the word is used, He is omnipresent.

• God knows all – or, as the word is used, He is omniscient.

• God is all powerful – or, as the word is used, He is omnipotent.

• How can we comprehend what heaven will be like?

This requires two things.  Contemplating what heaven will be like and, then, wonder of wonders, contemplating that we will be there for ALL time, though the use of the word “time” may not apply in this case.

There are hundreds of verses in the Bible describing, up to a point, what heaven will be like.  But we cannot know anything about heaven for sure until we get there, just as I cannot know if I will “behold streets paved with gold” as the Bible says, or whether there will be great golf courses around every bend.

• How can we comprehend eternity? 

Just contemplate that for a moment.  As humans, we think in terms of periods of time – seconds, hours, days, months, years, decades, etc.

But, with God, time doesn’t matter.  It never ends.  Never!

So, allow these mysteries to accompany your mind for a while and they will confirm a choice you have made to love God.