Nashville, TN – The Hermitage We always make an attempt to visit presidential homes and libraries while we are on our frequent road trips, even the ones we don’t like.  President Jackson is among that group. He was an extreme egotist and an avowed racist who didn’t consider people of color human. Some of the story boards there bravely mentioned those fact. Every one is always … Continue reading Andy Jackson..
With the approach of the 2014 midterms, perhaps the least consequential American election season in a generation, it’s worth asking a perennial question: should you even bother to vote? Many people have basically given up on the democratic project, arguing that the American system is completely rigged by the rich and that nobody on the ballot truly represents their interests…. Still, we know for a … Continue reading The case for voting even if America is a corrupt plutocracy rigged by the rich…
County Fair, IN – Helping each other One thing that makes up the heart of America is our willingness to help each other. The picture above was taken years ago at my local county fair. They have motorcycle races as one nights main events. Â Different classes compete for trophies. My favorite is the under 50cc kids as shown above. The “big” kids were always on … Continue reading Helping Each Other..
You know the more you read and observe about this Politics thing, you got to admit that each party is worse than the other. – Will Rogers, 31 December 1922 You know Will it took me a lot of years to discover what you did. I finally gave up on both political parties after it was obvious that those yahoos in congress were not going … Continue reading Each Worse Than The Other….
Omaha, NB – Spirit of Nebraska’s Wilderness Park The pioneer spirit that makes us a unique country is epitomized by the sculptures that adorn much of downtown Omaha. I will be spending the rest of this week giving you a glimpse of them. Omaha is a city well worth the visit. We spent four days there in 2012. Continue reading Wilderness Spirit
“Somebody would have found America though, even if he [Christopher Columbus] hadn’t, for you couldn’t hardly get around without running into it. Why they didn’t find it sooner is more than I will ever know. . . Being an Indian, I don’t mind telling you personally I am sorry he ever found it. The discovery has been of no material benefit to us, outside of … Continue reading About The Invaders…
Statue of Liberty, NJ – Liberty State Park I guess it is about time I included this one in my search of America. It has become endemic of what it means to be American. Of course the famous words are: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost … Continue reading Lady Liberty…
They say that deafness is a hidden handicap in that it is not an obvious affliction. Maybe I should wear a sign 🙂 . Sometimes when I tell people I am deaf it doesn’t seem to get through to them. What many do is to apparently just speak louder. For those who I have difficulty reading their lips,and that seem like most people, I hand … Continue reading Maybe I Should Wear A Sign…
Milwaukee, WI -Art Museum Even though the Milwaukee Art museum was designed by a Spanish architect it is very much American in its character. The movable wings are supposedly a sun screen but I kind of thing they are more for looks. Continue reading Wings…
I am again going to talk about the two-sided coin of Christianity. The last time I mentioned it was to relate the idea of faith and works. That is practicing what we preach or accepting Jesus as the Lord of our daily lives as well as our savior. This time the two-sided coin concept will take on a different topic. When Jesus told us the … Continue reading The Two-Sided Coin….
Omaha, NB -Durham Museum What makes American does not just include it bright side but also its dark side. I came across this sign in the Durham Museum in Omaha a few years ago. One of America’s dark sides was our treatment of the original inhabitants of our continent. As they were systematically being destroyed they were not even consider human beings. Killing a native … Continue reading Human Beings…
When I glanced out one of the back windows this very crisp morning I was again reminded of the changing season and of the upcoming holidays. Â The burning bush and the fir bush juxtapositioned next to each other was a red/green delight. Continue reading The Changing Seasons…
Chicago, IL – Marshall Fields Department Store Almost every major town in America has their own variety of the Marshall Fields Department store. They were for the most part build in the beginnings of the 20th century. For those who follow the PBS series one very enterprising American also went to build on in London by the name of Selfridge. You could say they were … Continue reading The Multi-Level Department Store…
There’s another benefit to having this outlook. The developmental psychologist Carol Dweck has shown that having a growth mindset — where you think your outcomes come through effort rather than innate talent — leads to success for kids and grownups alike. Thinking about your thinking dispositions — rather than how innately smart you are — helps cultivate that attitude. SOURCE: Harvard Says The Best Thinkers … Continue reading The Best Thinkers Have These 7 ‘Thinking Dispositions’
Arrived in the Canada capital today. More sentiment here to be annexed by Mexico than by America. They know us too well. If we get any nation to join us it will have to be some stranger. We only have one reason for wanting Canada and a modification of the Volstead Act will eliminate it. Waiting instructions. Will Rogers — 11 October 1926. When we … Continue reading Canada and the Volstead Act…According to Will…
Somewhere in Kansas During the early years of America the middle of the country was known as the Great American Desert. Very few of the people who braved the frontier on their way to Oregon or California stopped there. But those who did set up the idea that this desert could grow food and indeed they do. Continue reading The American Bread Basket…
“There’s a lot of people out here in the working field doing what Governor Walker wants us to do: he says he wants us to be out here working,” said Branch, who identified herself as a supporter of Burke. “I was hoping that Mr. Walker would see [the complaints] and take account of these workers out here … he just needs to take a walk … Continue reading This Is Scott Walker’s Idea Of A Living Wage
I snagged this from a Facebook friend (thanks Joyce) With all the politics going on here I need some less serious posts. Not that weight gain is less serious 🙂 but Garfield’s rationality is very amusing. But then again I do have a big head, both literally and figuratively… Continue reading Lighten Up….
Monticello, VA – Jefferson I can’t image what America would be today without the words and ideas of Thomas Jefferson. For anyone who has visited my main blog at RJsCorner knows that he is one of my primary heroes. The sculpture above is just outside the visitor’s center at Monticello. In some very insignificant ways I like to think of myself as a chip off … Continue reading An American Hero…
“Well, we cuss the lawmakers . . . but I notice we’re always perfectly willin’ to share in any of the sums of money that they might distribute.” – Will Rogers, 7 April 1935 Being that we are coming up on an important election day in America I thought I would ramp up some of my feelings about politics here. I know for most, including … Continue reading We Cuss The Lawmakers….
Bent’s Old Fort, CO Bent’s Old Fort is one of my favorite historical sites. It is in a pretty out-of-the-way place in Colorado but well worth the visit. I appreciate that it was not a military fort but a commercial one. They say that the fort in the mini-serious “Centennial” was based on it. The restoration is impeccable. It feels like it is a working … Continue reading Frontier Forts
The instant the Ebola crisis hit American shores, the inevitable happened. The GOP blamed President Obama for it. First, it was the lame brained borderline racist charge that Obama either deliberately or through sheer incompetence did nothing to seal the borders to keep the virus at bay. The only slightly more intelligible attack was that Obama did nothing to command the Centers for Disease Control … Continue reading Republican’s Blame Ebola on Obama Ploy Backfires…
Baltimore, MY – 1812 War I guess to one degree or another all our wars are part of what makes us American. Thank heavens the war of 1812 only lasted a few years. The photo above is from a display at the museum on the Baltimore harbor. It does seems strange that the perhaps least significant war would product two national songs still being sung. … Continue reading War of 1812
Coexist was founded in 2006 in the United Kingdom. The organization formed as a direct response to heightening tensions between religious and cultural groups across the world, as evidenced by a 2002 Gallup Poll of the Islamic world. As a result of the poll, Elgawhary says, “people got to see what opinions the Muslim world had of the outside world and the West, and also … Continue reading Coexist Foundation
Memphis TN – The Grand Ole Opry Even before I went deaf I was not too much of a fan of country music but it is very American. The picture above was taken at the Grand Ole Opry. I know the woman is Minni Pearl but I forgot the gentleman’s name. The original building downtown is still open for tours but the ensemble (I doubt … Continue reading Country Music
I grabbed this picture off one of my friends Facebook pages. It made me LOL. 😉 I am somewhat new to Crocs, that is the shoes shown above. I just personally discovered them for myself this year. They are very practical for around the homestead in the warm weather months. I like to take strolls through my kingdom in the early morning after I … Continue reading What A Croc….
Southern Indiana – Feed Mills Feed mills were once a very integral part of America. It is where farmers took their grain to be processes into something edible. There aren’t too many small ones around now but the ghosts still inhabit the countryside. Continue reading Ghosts from the past…
I recently got another copy of the book “Leaves of Grass” by Walt Whitman. This one had a thorough description of the history around the book. It is interesting to see that Whitman continued to edit the poems contained in the book throughout his lifetime. Here is a little about that from my friends at Wikipedia: Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by the … Continue reading Leaves of Grass…
Galena, IL – U.S. Grant Country When you go to Galena you almost step back in time. The downtown area is unblemished with chain stores. About the only thing that puts you back to reality are all the cars parked throughout the town. Too bad they couldn’t relegate them to a distant parking lot. Galena is the final home of Ulysses S. Grant and his … Continue reading Galena…
Now that I have had two posts here about mandating morality it’s probably time to address this general issue. I’m sure that after reading these posts some people question whether I believe there is any moral foundation. They are calling me a moral relativist. A recent article in The Week news site very much characterizes where I stand on this issue. Lets read some quotes … Continue reading Who are you calling a moral relativist?
Williamsburg, VA – Early America I have been to Colonial Williamsburg on four different occasions and am still fascinated by the place. Its quality of preservation is second to none. A lot of early American history took place on that ground. It was perhaps the intellectual capital of America in its time. If you go you must have dinner at one of the recreated inns. … Continue reading Colonial Williamsburg…
Islamic Sharia law was fairly dormant in the Indonesian province of Aceh until a massive earthquake and tsunami struck in 2004, killing more than 130,000. But as residents rebuild, Sharia officers have strengthened their grip, threatening rights of religious minorities and women…. There are two groups that are actually threatened by this formalization of the Sharia. The first group is religious minorities. More than 20 … Continue reading Mandating Morality Part 2 – Sharia Law…
St. Louis, MO — The Arch St. Louis was very critical in the opening of the western half of our country. It was the starting point for a long journey across the “great American Desert” that is now occupied by so many of my conservative friends 🙂 It was indeed the archway to the west…. Continue reading Archway To The West…
Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits.  Fanatics will never learn that, though it is written in letters of gold across the sky. It is prohibition that makes things precious.  Mark Twain I have recently come across several sources of what I consider mandating morality. That is trying to force your version of morality on others. Our personal view of morality can come from … Continue reading Mandating Morality Part 1- Prohibition
Philadelphia, PA – 1787 The Constitutional convention is very much at the heart of what it means to be an American. Without all those broad-minded thinkers, especially James Madison, our country would not have survived as long as it has. Continue reading The Constitutional Convention…
In fact, Raven tells Oprah that she rejects the notion of labels completely in all areas of her life. “I’m tired of being labeled,” she says. “I’m an American. I’m not an African-American; I’m an American. “The remark seems to catch Oprah off guard. “Oh, girl,” Oprah says, shifting in her chair. “Don’t set up the Twitter on fire… Oh, my lord. What did you … Continue reading Don’t Label Me …
RJ's Corner 