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Judging The Past By The Criteria Of The Present..

RJ Walters

I saw a short snippet on the PBS Newshour a while ago about a drive to remove Woodrow Wilson’s name for several Princeton building because of his not rejecting racism strongly enough in his times. This is very much in line with my latest favorite words found in the title of this post.  It is easy to look to the past with the wisdom of hindsight but in my mind it is simply not valid to do that.  For you sports nuts out there this is often called “Monday morning quarterbacking”. It easy to see problems when you take them … Continue reading Judging The Past By The Criteria Of The Present..

Philosophical Thoughts2 Comments

Which Came First??

RJ Walters

“Which came first, the chicken or the egg??” has been the question of the day for as long as I remember. But I have a different version now. Which came first a ranting populace or radical right radio?? Lets look at that question some in this post. I know that Rush Limbaugh has been around a long time now.  He has made millions of bucks ranting about almost everything. I also know that there is a faction within our population who simply adore him and listen to him constantly. He is without a doubt their hero.  He has been so … Continue reading Which Came First??

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Good Guys With Guns???

RJ Walters

“The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun.” LaPierre and gun-rights advocates point to research that supports this argument, chiefly a 1994 study by Gary Kleck, a Florida State University criminologist. Based on a telephone survey of about 6,000 people, Kleck concluded that guns are used defensively to stop a range of crimes, from simple assault to burglary to rape, up to 2.5 million times a year. But other academics and statisticians have criticized Kleck’s conclusions, saying he relied on firearms owners’ self-reporting their defensive gun use — problematic … Continue reading Good Guys With Guns???

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Looking Beyond Self…

RJ Walters

Danforth’s new book argues that religion does have a place in politics, but in a different manner than we’ve seen in recent years. What’s missing in the modern political world,  Danforth writes, is “the commitment to look beyond the self and serve the public good” — something encouraged by religion. Source: The positive role religion can play in politics | Minnesota Public Radio News For more than a decade, John Danforth, who is also an ordained Episcopal priest, has written extensively on the negative use of religion as a divisive force in American politics. Now he turns to the positive, … Continue reading Looking Beyond Self…

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When Is ENOUGH, ENOUGH

RJ Walters

The epidemic of gun violence in America has become the new normal. We can’t just blame it on the brokenness of the world, pray for peace, and move on, worried that anything more will be seen as politicizing tragedy. What is tragic is that those who have the ability to DO something about this crisis refuse to offer more than simplistic sentiments on Twitter before getting caught in a circular argument about our rights as Americans…. Tell your elected officials that while the NRA may give them a positive rating — and bankroll their campaigns — they’re failing the American … Continue reading When Is ENOUGH, ENOUGH

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Why Are We Crippling Obamacare with Private Insurance Companies When Medicare Can Do The Job??

RJ Walters

A threat by the nation’s largest health insurer to pull out of ObamaCare is a sign of the industry’s growing angst about the viability of the federal exchanges, sources close to the industry say. UnitedHealthcare’s warning sent new shockwaves across the healthcare sector after weeks of mounting anxiety among private insurers whose participation in the exchanges is critical to the viability of the president’s signature law. In the last month alone, insurers have learned that the Obama administration has significantly lowered its expectations for new customers and will have far fewer federal dollars to help cushion insurer losses. Source: New … Continue reading Why Are We Crippling Obamacare with Private Insurance Companies When Medicare Can Do The Job??

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Troubled Souls….

RJ Walters

Mr Cummings, who taught me English at school was an almost registered “Odd Man.” You could see even then, and I was about eleven when he taught me, that most of his conversations were with himself, which he engaged you in if you were in his room or class, but they were not quiet conversations. He was always urgent, engaged, non-conformist and anxious not to waste a breath on just getting by…. He made me realize that troubled people are often the bravest and most determined people you will meet. That for them to wake up and live an unexceptional … Continue reading Troubled Souls….

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It’s Not About Race….

RJ Walters

OK, I think the title probably got your attention. Maybe I should have said it is not totally or even mostly about race. Prejudices and discrimination in this country come from a myriad of sources.  With this post I won’t try to convince you that any particular one is greater magnitude than the others but only that it exists on many different arenas. I will give you several different examples but will say that I believe there is one cause for most of it. It’s about physical differences and handicaps — As a deaf man for almost thirty years I … Continue reading It’s Not About Race….

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To Be Old and Wise….

RJ Walters

I have been playing around with the header of RJ’sCorner for a few days now. I hope at least a few of you guys notice the improvements.  The saying above is new to the header. It is about wisdom and how it is only accomplished through years of experiencing the dichotomies of life. I am one who appreciates the wisdom of those who have lived a long time on this earth. They have probably experienced things that I have not. They have lessons to teach.  One of my favorite books is Having Our Say – The Delaney Sister’ First 100 … Continue reading To Be Old and Wise….

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I Am Sick Of People Saying “I’m Not Allowed To Say Merry Chritsmas”!!

RJ Walters

The War on Christmas has been going on for a decade or so now, and though it may not rage with quite the fury it once did, it still serves everyone’s interests. The conservative Christians who gear up for the war every year get to feed their sense of persecution and the belief that their lives are a righteous struggle against the large and sinister forces working to destroy them. Conservative media get something to shake their fists at them for a couple of months. And the rest of us get to feel superior and mock them for being so … Continue reading I Am Sick Of People Saying “I’m Not Allowed To Say Merry Chritsmas”!!

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Taking Personal Responsibility…

RJ Walters

In my mind taking personal responsibility is a big part of the bedrock of what makes the U.S. a success story among the nations of the world. We encourage, some would even demand, that each of us take personal responsibility for our well being and especially for our future needs. The graphic to the right pretty well sums up the benefits and obstacles associated with personal responsibility. It starts with self control and eventually peaks with wisdom. Self control means that we make the choices necessary to provide the desired outcomes. All of us need to take personal responsibility for … Continue reading Taking Personal Responsibility…

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Inequality as a Religious Test

RJ Walters

But if you believe that every human being is made in the image of God — imago dei; if you believe that every individual person represented in economic statistics is a child of God; if you believe that in nearly all religious traditions, loving your neighbor as you love yourself follows directly after loving God; and if you believe, regardless of your conception of God, that human beings are all brothers and sisters tied together, then income inequality is a spiritual issue, a moral issue, and a religious test of our belief. Source: Inequality as a Religious Test | Sojourners … Continue reading Inequality as a Religious Test

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There Is Nothing Wrong With Myth….

RJ Walters

There is nothing wrong with myth, as it is an ingrained part of a cultural and religious traditions. Here is a little about mythology from Wikipedia: As a collection of such stories, mythology is a vital feature of every culture. Various origins for myths have been proposed, ranging from personification of nature, personification of natural phenomena to truthful or hyperbolic accounts of historical events, to explanations of existing ritual. …  A culture’s collective mythology helps convey belonging, shared and religious experience, behavioral models, and moral and practical lessons. Lets look at a couple of ways that myth is created: There … Continue reading There Is Nothing Wrong With Myth….

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About Those Refugees…

RJ Walters

I don’t know which GOP rally the picture to the right was from but I know it was from one of them. This guy is seen to represent the supposed base of the GOP. (Why do all those guys holding signs like this one look the same?) They seem to be deathly afraid of someone, anyone, getting something they don’t deserve.  In that regard they just seem to hate the refugees almost as much as ISIS. When I say “supposed base” it is not without an underlying feeling. Outside of Fox News I don’t see much of the phobia happening. … Continue reading About Those Refugees…

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Streaks Of Inspiration…

RJ Walters

I embrace change, it is what keeps life interesting and challenging for me.  To that end I am adding yet another subcategory to RJsCorner. It is called “Streaks Of Inspiration” and is found under the”About Life” category header above. I am approaching almost 3,000 posts here. Most are about my observations of daily life around this planet earth. But then there are some where an idea hit me almost like a streak of lighting. It suddenly appeared in my consciousness, often when I am in the show and allow myself to fully contemplate life. :) Many of the posts that … Continue reading Streaks Of Inspiration…

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About Religion…

RJ Walters

Religion today seems more about interfaith competition than “love your neighbor”. It seems to be “love your neighbor as long as he is a Lutheran/Baptist/etc.   Spiritual but not Religious The above words (I failed to capture the source) and the graphic are perhaps the primary reasons I now claim to be “spiritual but not religious”. I just see too much politics and interfaith competition to make me want to stay part of any particular religious organization of today.  Each religion and each religious denomination seems to be at battle with everyone else for the mantle of God’s people. I … Continue reading About Religion…