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 … 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 churches are closed down in Aceh over the last two years. They also banned 14 Islamic religious sects, like the Ahmadiyya, the Shia. We didn’t expect that. The second victim is women. There are various, … 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 … 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 one person, usually a parent or other authority figure, telling us what we are to believe about this or that. It can come form one group who think they have it right and others need … 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 just say?” “I mean, I don’t know where my roots go to,” Raven explains. “I don’t know how far back they go… I don’t know what country in Africa I’m from, but I do know … Continue reading Don’t Label Me …
If the old guard on the partisan Christian right envisions itself to be crumbling, there’s nothing more apt than a forceful restatement of terms, preferably with a fresh face. But if it’s crumbling, it’s because the foundations are weak, and illustrating that inadvertently isn’t going to make its last gasps any more graceful. Far from being the death knell for the American Christian left, Vicari’s book might be little more than a signal that this is the Christian left’s moment to rise. SOURCE: Christian conservatives have a terrifying new bogeyman: The Christian leftist – The Week. Another interesting article from … Continue reading Christian Conservatives’ Bogeyman….
A Historic Village someplace in the U.S The last post/picture was about boxes so it seems a natural that this one be about cans. I must admit that I have lost track of just where this picture came from but … Continue reading Cans…
To maybe entice you over to my pictorial blog site I am pulling another post from there for this Saturday’s picture day. Click on the mosaic map to the right to see some more entries… A nip is definitely in the air here in Indiana so that takes my thoughts to Pumpkins. Halloween is the first event related to pumpkins but since that is a pagan holiday I don’t celebrate that one :) so that leaves Thanksgiving. I can’t imagine a Thanksgiving meal with a healthy slice of pumpkin pie. Pumpkins are very American. They were grown by native Americans … Continue reading An Ode To Pumpkins
Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, KY – Boxes I know that boxes are not an American invention but we can certainly learn a lot about our history and where we come from by studying them and that is just what … Continue reading Boxes…
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, an oncologist and one of the country’s leading health care experts, says by age 75 he would opt out of medical treatments in order to not prolong his life in favor of letting nature take its course. Emmanuel joins Judy Woodruff to discuss his provocative essay published in The Atlantic, “Why I Hope to Die at 75.”…. So, as we age, as we get older, we are actually going to become healthier, that the falling apart, the disabilities, the dementia, they’re going to become ever smaller parts of life. And that was a very, very compelling theory, … Continue reading A doctor’s argument against living longer
West Point, MS – Military Academy West Point is very much a part of what it means to be American. Those of you who follow me over at RJsCorner know that I am not a big supporter of our current … Continue reading West Point…
“The money was all appropriated for the top in hopes that it would trickle down to the needy. Mr. Hoover was an engineer. He knew that water trickled down. Put it uphill and let it go and it will reach the dryest little spot. But he didn’t know that money trickled up. Give it to the people at the bottom and the people at the top will have it before night anyhow. But it will at least have passed through the poor fellow’s hands.” Will Rogers – 4 December 1932 The first time I remember hearing about “Trickle Down” policy … Continue reading Trickle Up….
Door County, WI – Pumpkins and such A nip is definitely in the air here in Indiana so that takes my thoughts to Pumpkins. Halloween is the first event related to pumpkins but since that is a pagan holiday I … Continue reading An Ode to Pumpkins…
Drug and medical-device companies paid at least $3.5 billion to U.S. physicians and teaching hospitals during the final five months of last year, according to the most comprehensive accounting so far of the financial ties that some critics say have compromised medical care…. Some doctors have earned tens of thousands of dollars annually from drug companies by flying to various cities to give paid speeches, while some surgeons have received even larger amounts from medical-device makers, partly from royalties on products they helped develop…. One former Senate staffer who was closely involved in the effort to pass the Sunshine Act … Continue reading Doctors net billions from drug firms….
Mount Rushmore, SD – The Greatest Presidents I have been to Mount Rushmore several times in my life. It seems every time I go they have remodeled the place closer and closer to the sculpture. If I had to decide … Continue reading Mount Rushmore…
I was going through some of my past scans and ran across this one recently. It was from 2012 but I didn’t keep the source info. I can only assume it has some validity but just looking at is now tells me a lot about our American healthcare system. Before I get started here I want to let you know about a basic fallacy of Obamacare at least as I see it. Too many people make the complaint that Obamacare has not brought down the cost of healthcare. If I remember right that was not the purpose of the ACA. … Continue reading Wasting Healthcare Dollars….
Menlo Park, NJ – Edison Home Menlo Park is in northern New Jersey and that is where Thomas Edison did most of his inventing. This is a picture of his house not far from his labs. It seems he didn’t … Continue reading Menlo Park
The name Rockefeller is deeply synonymous with turning oil into gold. Familial patriarch John D. Rockefeller founded Standard Oil in 1870 and bought up most of the oil refineries in the United States, eventually controlling over 90 percent of the American oil business. “Competition,” he said, “is a sin.” That empire, in inflation-adjusted terms, made him the richest man in history with a fortune estimated at $336 billion in 2010 dollars. The Standard Oil monopoly, meanwhile, was broken up and evolved into the global oil brands Exxon-Mobil, Amoco, and Chevron. But the times they are a-changin’, and you don’t need … Continue reading Why the Rockefellers are betting on renewable energy
Chicago, IL – Art Institute of Chicago The painting American Gothic has come to represent rural America to many of us and even people around the world. Grant Wood who has the painter proved to be a quintessential American. I … Continue reading American Gothic…
This is going to be one of those posts that jerks at my soul. I remember hearing the title phrase pretty frequently when I was growing up. It usually meant that the speaker was surprised at what I had done and usually disapproved of it. Today it seems so many people are doing things, abominable things, in the name of God. Almost every war in my lifetime has been in the name of God. So much hatred is spewed in his name. If God is really paying attention to all of us puny human beings I wonder if he is … Continue reading What In The Name Of God Did You Do?????
RJ's Corner - Having My Say 