Of course every photo blog needs a picture of Mt. Rushmore. This was the 3rd time I had visited there. Private concessioner have taken over the management of the park. You now have to pay for pretty much everything and it isn’t cheap! Continue reading Mt. Rushmore – 2009
The title of the post is directly from the title of the article I am going to discus. Basically what the Republicans seem to be saying is that banks should have all the control on how to foreclose on a loan and the government should get out of that and other financial transactions that are best left to private industry hands! In other words let the free market rule. The symbol of the Republican party is an elephant. Of course the thing most remember about elephants besides the fact that they are huge and have very tough skin is that … Continue reading Republicans: Consumer bureau too powerful
A fellow blogger who happens to be a Quaker asked an interesting question recently. It was “Why didn’t Jesus write a book while he was on earth and settle this thing once and for all?” I know Jesus, like most of the twelve apostles was probably illiterate but I’m sure he could have written a book if he thought it was important. Why didn’t he choose to do that? As my friend said a book directly from Jesus would, or at least should, have settled all the many many current day differences among us Christians. I have wondered about this … Continue reading Why Didn’t Jesus Write a Book??
When President Obama was campaigning in 2008 he made it a point to say that there were some circumstance where he would use the military might of the U.S. to right something that was morally wrong. See the article referenced by the link below. It seems that Libya forces who are backing Gadhafi are rounding up dissidents in the middle of the night and making them “disappear”. This seems very similar to the killing fields of Cambodia, Sudan, and several other countries where George W Bush and some of his professors basically sat on their hands. When President Obama was … Continue reading Moral Duties….
It was interesting to see this mural that was being painted on the side of the Walnut Tavern in Yankton SD. The town had a lot of history relative to Missouri River commerce in the 1800s. Continue reading Yankton SD – 2009
The above sculpture was on the front of one of the government office buildings in Omaha NE. I’m not sure what the underlying meaning of the sculpture is? But it certainly got my attention! Continue reading Omaha NE – 2009
There are many places in the red letters where Jesus appears to conditionally forgive sins. If you break certain rules your sins are not forgiven. The most obvious of these are sins against the Holy Spirit. I must admit that I don’t really understand that condition as much as I would like. But that is not the only place where Jesus appears to withhold forgiveness. There are many others. Several of them have to do with corrupting children. He in no uncertain terms says that if you cause a child to sin, faith or no faith, you will not see … Continue reading Does Jesus Conditionally Forgive Sins??
That is a question being address by a group of young people who descended on Capital Hill challenging lawmakers to address the bloated defense spending that imperils their schools, communities, and futures. American Friends Service Committee (A Quaker organization) is proud to be associated with this group of young people. See the article about these young people at http://afsc.org/story/1-trillion-contest-winners-visit-capitol-hill The basic question being asked is what could we have done with the money we spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars? As a result of all this spending many in the U.S. congress today are stripping aid to towns and … Continue reading What Could We Do with $1 Trillion Dollars???
Our 25th wedding anniversary is coming up soon and it looks like we will be heading for Virginia and the journey through hallowed ground. I wanted to go to Disney World but my wife vetoed that idea. I guess I just have to work harder to convince her that Disney World is not just for kinds. Anyway getting back to the trip she didn’t veto. Virginia, for those you you who are U.S. history buffs know, is very rich with early American history. Most of the first six or more presidents were from Virginia. It was also the scene of … Continue reading Journey through hallowed ground…
Many if not most Christian evangelical denominations insist that they are the only ones who 100% understand the nature of God. They each believe everyone else is wrong to one degree or another. There sometimes seems to be more arguing with fellow Christians among themselves than there is any sharing of the Word with those outside their current brand of beliefs. In that regard it is nice to see at least one Christian organization that is not out to prove everyone else is wrong. click the following link to see an article by a Quaker author about being peacemakers. http://www.friendsjournal.org/personal-peacemaking … Continue reading You are WRONG!!!
Screen glare is one of my pet peeves. My laptop computer is aging and I would really like to get a replacement. But it seems all laptops now for sale have the mirror like screens! I guess they are handy if you want to continuously check to make sure your hair is combed or maybe to keep anyone from sneaking up on you from behind but as far as reading what is on the screen they are the dumps. You almost have to be in a completely dark room to be able to use them. I know the colors … Continue reading Screen Glare!!!
Many believe that those who control the wealth and/or power in this country are pretty much above the law. That is at least compared to us slobs in the trenches. A case in point is Clarence Thomas who broke federal laws and will get away with it because of the power he holds. It seems the Supreme Court justice was “unaware” that he needed to report his wife’s $700,000 stipend from a radical right lobbying group on his annual disclosure forms for the past several years! Here is an excerpt from that article (the source can be found via the … Continue reading Above the Law??
The Republicans in congress seem hell-bent on eliminating the healthcare bill passed by Congress in 2009. They say they want to start over again but don’t really say just what it is that they hate so much. Is it: giving those who can’t afford even basic healthcare a change to get it? preventing the insurance companies from declaring “pre-existing conditions” for wherever they don’t want to have to cover? requiring everyone to have at least a minimum level of healthcare insurance the same way most States currently require auto insurance? requiring that most of the money collected for insurance actually … Continue reading A Healthcare Alternative to Obamacare….
Let’s take a closer look at one of the murals from the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D. They really are made of corn and are changed every couple of years. Continue reading Corn Palace Mural – June 2009
I am going to jump on my soapbox here for some ranting so be forewarned. But it is not that serious of stuff. I live in a pretty rural area so I can’t get any channels with an antenna or even get cable TV out here in the hinterland. I am pretty much only have one choice and that is satellite TV. Sat TV works out pretty good most of the time. It even gives me an instant weather forecast by going out right before storms hit. But the thing I have the most grip about is how they package … Continue reading The thing about Cable and Satellite TV….
Divorce is one of those things that gets very different treatment in different Christian denominations. The red letters are pretty clear as to what Jesus thought of it. Matt 5:31-32 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Matt 19:8-9 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the … Continue reading Divorce–A Christian Perspective
I was at the Corn Palace in Mitchell S.D. when I was a kid in the 1960s. It was nice to visit it again and to see that it is still around. Continue reading Corn Palace – June 2009
Here is a different view of the Mackinac Bridge. It was taken in 1993. Continue reading Mackinac Bridge – 1993
I’m sure most of you seniors out there know the source of the title of this post but I’m also sure many of the younger generation don’t’. It was a favorite quote of Popeye The Sailor Man. It goes something like this “I am what I am and that’s all that I am.. I’m Popeye the sailor man” This saying has become somewhat of a mantel in my life lately. It seems that even after twenty five years of marriage my wife is still not done trying to change me into someone more to her liking. I guess that is … Continue reading I am what I am…..
There is an article in the Christian Science Monitor (see the link at the bottom of the post) about how the Republicans want to cut spending on the federal budget. When Mr. Bush was in office and borrowing hundreds of billions of off budget dollars to fund his wars there was not a squeak from any of them. They suddenly got religion after the fact I guess. I wonder if it has anything to do with a Democrat now holding the White House??? Anyway, here is an excerpt from the article. One of the plans is the measure passed by House Republicans, which cuts … Continue reading Cutting Spending (Republican Style)…..
Here in Indiana where I live there are two things that are almost certain about the month of March. The first one is March Madness and that is the high school and college basketball playoffs. The second thing is the final snowstorm of the season. Basketball, and other amateur sports, seems to be in the blood of many Hoosiers. I must admit I am not one of those however. In earlier years I did follow the playoffs but didn’t really watch many of them. Now I have no idea who would be even playing in any of the games. … Continue reading The Thing about March….
RJ's Corner - Having My Say 