One of my neighbors is just an old-school type of guy. He continues to burn off the leaves around his house instead of composting them or using some other more environmentally friendly method of disposing them.  In many ways he continues to hang on to the ways of the past. He is radically conservative anti-Obama in a very Red State so he fits quite nicely in his environs; much more so than I do.  We seldom agree on things of a political nature. But…. despite our political, and often environmental, differences we continue to be good neighbors and pretty good … Continue reading Old School….

On the Senate floor Tuesday, Elizabeth Warren argued for the need to strengthen Social Security benefits, now that cuts to the program seem more likely. “With tens of millions of people more financially stressed as they approach retirement, with more and more people left out of the private retirement security system, and with the economic security of our families unraveling, Social Security is rapidly becoming the only lifeline that millions of seniors have to keep their heads above water,” Warren said. “And yet, instead of taking on the retirement crisis, instead of strengthening Social Security, some in Washington are actually fighting … Continue reading Run Elizabeth, Run….

This came in a calendar from my new friends over at Union for Concerned Scientists. I just gave them a donation.. Continue reading It’s Called Science……

Be forewarned that in this post I am attempting in some meager way to come to the defense of the Republican party that I seem to rail against so frequently. It is a mistake to link the current right-wing ideologues to the conservative movement or even the Republican party in general. They are not the same. The core of the Tea Party is libertarian in nature and focused on shutting down all forms of government and to destroy the American safety net that has been in place for the last century or so.  The conservative movement, of which in some … Continue reading Right Wing Ideologues And The Republican Party….

I admit that I find the gospel of partnering with God for the healing of the world much, much harder than the gospel of God loves you and wants to give you a ticket to heaven. It’s harder emotionally, physically, financially, socially and culturally. It’s tiring. Without the Holy Spirit, without worship, without community I’d give up and go back to that old gospel. It was easier in those days, for sure. It was easier when it was about me and my blessing, my healing, my salvation and inviting other people to enjoy my amazing new life. It was much … Continue reading The ‘Other Gospel’ was easier

The snapshot above was from a Time Magazine article about the 25 best inventions for 2013. Many of the inventions they noted were pretty frivolous in nature but not this one.  Of course we all should have expected that our current drone program is only the beginning. There are trillions of dollars more to be made by our military industrial complex before drones have run their course. This is just a logical next step.  Before long we will be able to kill thousands of our enemies, along with those deemed “collateral damage”, and still make it home for supper!! And … Continue reading A World Gone Mad???

Continue reading Playing Chess With A Pigeon….

War Crimes and Misdemeanors HEY PRESIDENT OBAMA: The Nobel Peace Prize committee is calling. They want their medal back. The coveted award, which many felt was premature, at best, when bestowed during the president’s first year in office, was seriously tarnished in the eyes of many by his escalation of the war in Afghanistan and other military endeavors. But Obama’s role in waging drone warfare—particularly in Pakistan and Yemen—has made a mockery of the prize that Alfred Nobel said should go to the person “who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations.” Obama’s drone … Continue reading No Flesh In The Game……

“No man can be condemned for owning a dog. In fact you admire him, ’cause as long he’s got a dog he’s got a friend, and the poorer he gets the better friend he has.” – Will Rogers, 8 May 1927 Wouldn’t it be nice if, in some ways, we were more like our canine friends. They don’t judge us on how much money we make or how many friends we have on FaceBook. They simply love us for who we are. It doesn’t matter that we might be physically or mentally impaired in one way or another, or even … Continue reading Man’s Best Friend…

Legislators in Mexico City, the largest city in North America, are preparing to push through certain measures that would decriminalize and regulate the consumption of marijuana in the Mexican capital, a move that may speed pot legalization elsewhere in the continent SOURCE:  North America’s Largest City Moves to Legalize Pot | TIME.com. I want to warn you up front that this post has no deep knowledge behind it.  I have not studied all the statistics and history of legalizing marijuana, nor do I have any personal experiences with it. I am only speaking from my knowledge of history and what … Continue reading Legalizing Pot….

They say it’s the little things that matter. All the little moments that make up our day to day lives. We never seem to appreciate them, nor do we seem to acknowledge the long and impossible road behind us. We rarely stare in the rear view mirror to see what we’ve accomplished so far. We rarely enjoy the ride. We want to get to the destination as fast as possible. We don’t want any dead ends, we don’t want hours and hours of endless nothing. But the thing is, life’s just a matter of perspective. We become who we think … Continue reading Day to day lives….

Continue reading That’s What It Should Be All About….

When the votes are tallied in Virginia’s race for governor on Tuesday, over 300,000 citizens will be missing from the voting rolls – including 20% of the state’s black population. The reason is not low turnout or voter ID, but a growing and often invisible barrier to voting that is upending elections around the country. Over 5 million Americans are barred from voting because they have criminal records, according to a report this year from the Sentencing Project. The crackdown on ballot access is so intense, a majority of states actually bar former convicts from voting even after they are … Continue reading Ex-felons face barriers to voting rights