Quite often in my conversations on-line the topic of terrorist attacks comes up because around the country it is a unifying theme about how we live our lives today. People are somewhat to very concerned that before the election there will be an attack. They have surmised (rightly or wrongly) that homeland security is very difficult to do, that there are holes in the safety net that protects us and they think Al Qaeda must make a statement soon in order to remain relevant as a "topic of disc...
(I wrote an article "There Ought to Be a Law" to express the opinion that I felt that maybe our society should pull back a bit on making sports such a central feature of our kids life and provide a level playing field for maybe (if their parents chose) getting them involved in Sunday Schools by making Sunday mornings sports free. Many respondents (and I appreciate all views, even those 180 degrees opposed to mine) expressed outrage about interference into their lives by doing something like...
We want the world to be happy, like us. We want terrorism removed from the Middle East. We will say that we want democracy, free trade and general abundance. Of course, to do this, we might have to do a little inventing. But Americans won't mind, they like invention. Since the war ended in Iraq last year the quiet voices in the Bush Administration (Wolfowitz, in particular, but Rumsfeld to a degree) have been considering what our "next best move" is in the Middle East. Now that Mr....
“I think a presidential election year is a marvelous thing. I think Senator Kerry is a patriot. And I think what ... what we’re doing is, we’re seeing an attempt to sort of draw the lines between the two parties in this country. And I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Franks said." There seems to be a certain amount of sentiment suggesting John Kerry should be given little or no credit for his service in Viet Nam. Kerry was awarded 3 purple hearts and regardless of how you try and slice ...
A few weeks ago there was a bunch of hoopla over John Kerry's Hollywood Star-studded cash bash when personalities like Whoopi Goldberg and John Mellencamp made derogatory statements about President Bush and the administration. John Kerry said at the end of the night that "Hollywood conveys the image of America" which many neocons saw as absurd and insulting. Michael Moore (not a Hollywood insider) is the right's whipping post for how the film industry misrepresents American culture and valu...
Every 4 years one of the seminal events of politics used to capture the attention and television audience with its glitz and grandeur, suspense and drama. They were shown on all networks and received great ratings because they provided a peak at the democratic process. My parents were glued to their sets as each political party laid before the American people their positions on the issues that confronted them. Men like David Brinkley and Eric Severeid provided commentary on the real and un...
There are many issues that surround the death penalty and the debate goes on now 7,000 years into real human history. Both those for and against can make compelling philosophical arguments why their position is correct. Of course, 99% of those who make such arguments will never be in a position personally where it will be an issue. Perhaps the focus, then, should be on where there might be a middle ground available to both sides, the application of the penalty itself. There are 3 areas ...
( footnote: I would like to thank all those people who took the time to read and/or comment on the blog "No Constitutional Amendment against Lefties." Once again, the conversation showed the intelligence and decorum of the JoeUser! ") The 1992 election was winding down and the American people were still undecided about whether they would vote for George Bush or Bill Clinton. Networks were doing audience participation "town hall meetings" and "round table discussions" about whom the voter...
The current political hysteria over the menace of Lefty marriages in the U.S. and the threat it poses to our Righty society has now reached the point where many church and social leaders want to pass a Constitutional Amendment banning Lefties from marrying. The language of the amendment: "We hereby define marriage as a union between two right handed people." fits scriptural reasoning in the old testament because we read in Exodus when God speaks to Moses at the burning bush, "Go and tell Pha...
The American healthcare systems (it would be inappropriate to say there was only one) have begun to reach the point where the costs to the retired (actually, those over 40 probably qualify) that Americans are beginning to see that comprehensive reform of the system(s) is necessary before they become bankrupt. Most Americans are fairly sure it is not on the Republicans priority list to do so and President Bush is the flagbearer for the party. Make no mistake about it, the retired vote and th...
Imagine a TV Show where the host challenged you, the final contestant with the following situation: "For the top prize of $50,000, we have placed a liberal beyond the curtain and you need to tell us the following: 1. Do they support Abortion? 2. Do they attend church less than once per week? and finally: 3. Do they support gay marriage? If you said: Yes to all three you would probably be wrong. I say that because while th...
Arlen Specter, Chairman of the Senate Judicial Committee, is a Republican from Pennsylvania where he has served as a conservative representative for over 20 years. Specter is generally considered to be fiscally conservative and has fought against government expenditure for such programs as healthcare for many years. Democrats are said to see him as less moderate than many in the Senate but someone who can be reasoned with on matters of substance. But Specter has "pro-choice" stamped on his...
The 2004 Election has been the most emotional in my lifetime, perhaps in history besides Lincoln-Douglas in 1860. (Of course, a bit of a war broke out over that one.) However, now that the election is over, the politicians and candidates have called for reconcilliation and healing of the rift between right and left. Before you shout me down telling me to "shut up" (thank you Mr. O'Reilly) consider a few things you are doing by the efforts on both sides to make our country totally contenti...
The United States of America has always been about the concepts of freedom and responsibility. It was founded on those principles 225 years ago when a group of mostly rich, mostly well-educated people got together and decided that representation in a government was more important than loyalty to the King of England and freedom to achieve was more important than supporting decisions of a government that didn't have your interests at heart. A poll taken among the new citizens of the united co...
Early this Spring, while the snow was still on the ground in New Hampshire a group of my friends was sitting around drinking coffee after church on Sunday morning discussing the primaries and what we saw as the 3 frontrunners for the Democratic nomination for President. The group thought Howard Dean was the strongest candidate because he had been most vocal against the Iraq War (which we all had supported) and was an outsider in Washington (like Bill Clinton). Most of us scoffed at the time...