As you have probably noticed, the recent mass shootings have once again brought the gun control debate back to the news cycle. In light of all the misinformation and propaganda being thrown about, I decided to put down some thoughts, opinions and…yes, facts, into a post! First let me state my qualifications – or lack of such! I am not a lawyer. I am not a constitutional scholar. BUT, I have been an avid amateur historian since I was 8 years old, having devoured the entire world book in the few years following and MANY tens of thousands of pages since. Much of my reading involves the actual words of the founders of this country, as well as the events of the Revolution as well as many events that have followed. Adams, Washington, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson, etc. are all personalities I have read extensively on. I also have read quite a bit on the writing of and the amending of the US Constitution. Read More…
I was born in Philadelphia in November of 1953 – a baby boomer, for certain, albeit on the younger end of that generation. Although many periods in history are full of upheaval and change, there is something unique about the speed and severity of the changes which started to occur as I entered primary school. The sequence of events are fairly well known, but to see them close at hand as a growing child was quite alarming. Read More…
It completely amazes me that a failed (in life and love, etc.) writer of FICTION and promoter of selfishness and godlessness has become the newest darling of the right. I would write more on the subject, but I honestly don’t know what to say! The gulf between what the right wing claims to stand for (morals, compassion, religion) and the Fiction Writer are just too large. Ayn claims religion is WORSE than the opiate of the masses…which makes her more Marxist than Marx himself.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with being an atheist! I could claim that mantel myself. But there is something wrong with the evangelical right wing taking her in their new champion!
I really like my kids! Kids, I call them, but of course they are fully grown and capable adults! I sometimes wonder how they turned out so well. After all, we did not give them any formal education in the ways of life – no sunday school, hebrew school or long talks about education, hard work, etc.
In fact, we were a very laid back family – more interested in living day to day and making a living and a life.
But children seem to have paths of their own. Ours really never rebelled in the same way we did – maybe they didn’t have as far to go…that is, maybe our way looked pretty good to them, and they had little to rebel against?
I recently founds these words written by one of my daughters – about her experience as a camp counselor for children with AIDS. She was 16 years old, but her world view shows a maturity which I still respect today.
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I’ve worked with children for years.
I would like to think that I have made an impact on some of their lives. At the least, I know I’ve helped to steer them in the right direction. Ironically, all these children I think of as mine have no idea what they have done to change me.
For just one week a few summers ago, I participated in a volunteer program at the local YMCA camp. The program was named “Bright Feathers” and was for children affected or infected with the HIV virus. I knew little about the disease at the start. I knew nothing about the children. Read More…
I thought the following was interesting – it is a personal reply to me from a guy who is VERY high up within the GOP political establishment. He seems like a very reasonable and educated guy, so I put the question to him – how can you folks (the GOP) stand what is going on?
His answer is quite informative:
“The Tea Party is a short term destabilizing force in current-day party politics, and the GOP does not want it to survive, period. Now, we’re not going to affirmatively and visibly attack them, however soft power is being used to subsume/absorb them into the GOP, as they grow weary of the game and fizzle out. The main complaint about the Tea Party, and let’s be clear here, that is the identified source and origin of most of this, is that they are an unorganized group of political amateurs, who have forsaken responsibility and moderation for publicity and the quick flash of what they perceive is “power.” Read More…
I think most of us – at least those who pay attention to economics, know that we are in real trouble in terms of the basic financing of our Federal Government. After all the BS dies down, the problems remain – and the BS does nothing to solve them all. Read More…
One of the biggest historical mistakes we can make today is to accept the often repeated talking point that the GOP is “the party of Lincoln”. As with most successful lies, this one appears to be true on the surface – that is Abe ran on the ticket called the Republican Party – which was quite new at the time – when he ran for President. However, a brief study of his politics as well as the reason for the formation of the Republican Party of the time will show any interested reader that Lincoln was very much a urban liberal – who would certainly be of the Democratic Party today! Read More…
Justice, fair play and freedom, respect for authority – these are words we hear often when growing up, The classic American upbringing teaches us to respect authority, starting with our parents and then extending to our teachers and then to the local street crossing “safetys” and, finally, to the nice local police officer. Read More…
It seems that chance encounters often offer the best opportunity for seeing the world from another point of view….and so it was with a 10 minute cab ride I took in Boston today! Read More…
