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A Tyrant??

RJ Walters

I got this snippet from a Facebook friend a while ago. Of course you know who that reminded me of.  I don’t have to say the name this time.  In this same vein, a few months ago I DVRed a series on satellite TV entitled Einstein. I recorded ten episodes from season one.  The latest episode I watched was when he was living in Germany during the 1930s and was exposed to the rise of hitler. Some of the parallels to today were troublesome. I don’t believe that a tyrant could dismantle our country but we must stay ever vigilant … Continue reading A Tyrant??

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God’s Wrath vs. God’s Grace…….

RJ Walters

The following is part 2 of a  series of posts which will subsequently be compiled as an In-Depth report here on RJsCorner came from my other blog RedLetterLiving.net. “How can you believe that God’s grace isn’t sufficient, that many of God’s children will languish in hell forever, that they’ll never be restored to their Father, that evil will claim victory in so many lives? How can you believe that?” Gulley, Philip; Mulholland, James (2009-03-17). If Grace Is True: Why God Will Save Every Person Some think the idea of universal salvation is a new thing but in reality it goes … Continue reading God’s Wrath vs. God’s Grace…….

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Cigarette Aren’t Addictive..

RJ Walters

I still remember the words in this blog’s title coming from each of the cigarette company CEOs while testifying before a congressional committee in 1994.  They all stood up and swore that cigarettes addiction was a fallacy.   About that time I had been free from cigarettes for about two years after 25 years of use.  Breaking that addiction was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.  To hear those seven guys tell me that lie shocked me but it wouldn’t by any means be the last time that happened As Yoggi Berra used to say … Continue reading Cigarette Aren’t Addictive..

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Waterford VA

RJ Walters

  Waterford Virginia is perhaps the most iconic town I have been through. It is located in Loudoun County about 50 miles from DC.  You won’t find any franchises or many other businesses for that matter. Nor will you find cars speeding by. Here is a little about Waterford from Wikipedia: After falling into disrepair in the early part of the 20th century, the Waterford Foundation was formed to help save and preserve Waterford and its history. In 1974, the Waterford Foundation helped create an innovative land preservation program in which the historic properties of Waterford are protected through open space … Continue reading Waterford VA

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Universal Salvation… If Grace Is True

RJ Walters

Universal Salvation is not believed by many current Christian denominations but I became convinced to make it my worldview primarily by the book cited below. The following series of posts which will subsequently be compiled as an In-Depth report here on RJsCorner came from my other blog RedLetterLiving.net. I’ve never experienced a God of wrath. I’ve heard such a God preached. I’ve read of such a God. I’ve encountered wrathful people who claimed to be acting on God’s behalf. I’ve even allowed such sentiments to tarnish my view of God. Yet, in the midst of all these distortions, I never … Continue reading Universal Salvation… If Grace Is True

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Leaves Of Grass and Other Unfinished Things…

RJ Walters

I’m sure there is a name for someone who can’t stop working on something and to call it finished. I looked around but couldn’t find the word.  One glaring example of this was Walt Whitman’s collection of poetry called Leaves Of Grass.  Never mind that it was a book of poetry that was very unconventional in its time and that the subject matter was often sexual in nature, the point of this mention is that he just couldn’t finish it. It did major changes throughout its eight editions or so.   Now finally getting down to the point of this post … Continue reading Leaves Of Grass and Other Unfinished Things…

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Not Good Enough For Me..

RJ Walters

I gotta send you this snippet about the Republican Healthcare plan that no one seems to like, except that 25% of us who ignorantly cling to this president. But the key that hopefully locks this plan away is that the Senate bill has hidden text that exempts them and their staff from having to use the plan they are trying to push down our throats. See this link for a video about that. Not Good Enough For Me I just pray that there are at least a handful of GOP senators who have the welfare of their constituents in their … Continue reading Not Good Enough For Me..

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Nauvoo IL – Mormon Settlement

RJ Walters

   Nauvoo Village was one of several settlements established and then all but abandoned by Mormons due to battles with their neighbors.  The first was in Ohio, the second in Missouri, and then came Nauvoo in Illinois. This was the site that it’s founder Joseph Smith was killed and Brigham Young took over the leadership. Mauvoo has recently been been called the “Williamsburg of the Midwest” and to some degree they deserve that title but in others they fall short. Many of the building have been restored to the 1840s but many are still in private hands. Unlike Williamsburg there … Continue reading Nauvoo IL – Mormon Settlement

Life On the Margins3 Comments

$600 Billion, But….

RJ Walters

Annually we spend in excess of $600 billion on our military to protect us from foreign invaders at the same time the GOP is not willing to spend $20 billion to keep millions of us from dying of treatable diseases and ailments. I don’t know maybe it is just me but I don’t see an ounce of logic in that fact.  For one thing, we have not been invaded by more than a handful of discontents since 1812. Yes, I admit that by some fluke in structural design a handful of USA haters managed to kill three thousand or so … Continue reading $600 Billion, But….

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More & More.. and then the Chinese Way..

RJ Walters

   I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since our American culture is now almost totally geared around consumer spending. We simply can’t keep the paradigm going if we spend less this year than we did last. It seems that houses today MUST have  master suites with at least 150 square foot closets and 200 square foot bathrooms. The general rule is that the family now needs 1,000 square foot of house for every member.  Two kids = 4,000 SF minimum. But a point of this post is one of the items that kind of sneaked up on me was that … Continue reading More & More.. and then the Chinese Way..

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Caterpillar Tractors..

RJ Walters

   Caterpillar Tractors and such are very much a part of my search of America.  So, when I was near Peoria Illinois recently I had to stop in at their museum at the headquarters building.  What I found amazed me.  I never realized the size of much of their equipment. Peoria is a wonderful city to tour and this exhibit is one of the prime destinations. If you are ever in the area stop by the city and this museum. Continue reading Caterpillar Tractors..

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The Good Old Days??

RJ Walters

   Everything has two sides, a good side and a dark side, a happy side and a sad side, but nothing is totally black and white.  How’s that for an opening sentence. :) The main crux for this post is about all those who want the “good old days” back  as to mean when we didn’t have so much technology in our lives. They constantly complain about how so many people seem to be glued to their cell phones and such. But if they thought it through would they really like to go back fifty year or more? Would they … Continue reading The Good Old Days??

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RV Museum..

RJ Walters

On my most recent uRV trip I visited the RV Museum in Elkhart Indiana.  Being that I have spent the last three years converting my twenty-five year old pickup truck with a six foot cap into a rat-rod micro-RV I wanted to learn a little more about the beginnings of that idea. John Steinbeck, who as one of my favorite authors when I was growing, up wrote a book entitled “Travels with Charley” about when he custom built a pickup truck into an RV he named Rocinante (Don Quixote’s horse) and traveled around the country with it. I have read that … Continue reading RV Museum..

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Celebrating Bad Grammar??

RJ Walters

     I ran across a blog site today that celebrates bad grammar.  The author claimed that using proper grammar was just too conformist. He wants to be a radical so he uses bad grammar. I kinda think that he has a deeper underlying reason? Celebrating our mistakes in life leads to nothing more than going deeper and deeper down the well. Eventually we run out of light to even find our way back. It’s kind of like that cable show that celebrates obesity. I think it is called something like “My Big Beautiful Life”. The star dances around, at least … Continue reading Celebrating Bad Grammar??

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Simple Yet Evocative

RJ Walters

  I came across a blog site (The Drabble)  the other day that spoke to my heart.  Actually the site came across me by “liking” one of my very short posts. The words simple, yet evocative pieces that capture what it means to be human described the purpose of the site.  Simple yet evocative says it all for me.  It is hard to do both but when it is done successfully it is genius and many of the posts I reviewed on that blog did just that. I have been on a “Simplicity” binge for about 5 years now. For me … Continue reading Simple Yet Evocative

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Creativity and Age..

RJ Walters

Let’s face it, most people believe that old people just can’t be creative.  Of course, the definition of old varies widely among those with that belief. Some think if you are past 30 you are drained of creativity. You can call this bias if you want since it is pretty much ingrained into our society. I think the average age of the employees of Silicon Valley tech companies is about 30. But in reality, some people get more creative as they grow older.   A 2016 Information Technology and Innovation Foundation study found that inventors peak in their late 40s … Continue reading Creativity and Age..

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High Tech/High Touch And The Good Old Days

RJ Walters

   Back in the beginnings of this technology race we are currently in there was a saying “High Tech/High Touch” meaning that as technology becomes more prevalent we need to also be exposed to more real thing we can feel and touch.  That saying, along with so much more seems to have been lost on the ash heap of time. But I personally kind of enjoy seeing and visiting the time when we weren’t so dependant on our techie stuff. Continue reading High Tech/High Touch And The Good Old Days

Life On the Margins2 Comments

Making For A Better Life

RJ Walters

    I have been spending some serious time lately trying to come up with better ways to spend the remaining time of my life here on earth.  How can I be happier and less stressful about my life in particular and in general the world today? Several reasons probably prompted this search. One is that I turned 70 not long ago. This birthday hit me much harder than any other. I don’t think I really had a mid-life crisis so maybe this is my version of it to be called late-life crisis.  The other primary reason is my recent … Continue reading Making For A Better Life

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Taking The Long View..

RJ Walters

 I will say upfront that I am a regular customer at Amazon. I shop there more than everywhere else combined, except for food and medicine that is. I am an Amazon guy. When Jeff Bezos came upon the scene in the late 1990s with the simple idea of selling books online I thought he was a guy for the 21st century. He was taking the long view when most CEO’s were anguishing over the next quarter’s profit. Amazon has grown even beyond my expectations. Their two-day delivery is beyond belief in the corporate world. I saw the other day the following quote … Continue reading Taking The Long View..

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Ignorance Outshines Wisdom

RJ Walters

“I don’t suppose there ever was a time when everybody knew as little about what they were talking about as they do today.” – Will Rogers, 19 September 1933 How does ignorance come to outshine wisdom? Of course, that is not true for all of us but the percentages seem to be drifting in that direction as our recent elections showed us. The religions of 81% of Evangelicals who put Trump in office requires all their members to proclaim that the earth is only 6,000 years old. They refuse to accept any scientific knowledge that says differently. Ignorance has trumped … Continue reading Ignorance Outshines Wisdom

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Inside the Loony Bin Beltway – So. So.

RJ Walters

  I have to admit here that I am disengaging from the beltway loony bin more and more as each day passes.  The cable news outlets are now erased from my satellite lists. I now get my network news totally from the PBS Newshour and the Sunday Fareed Sakara program. Yeah, I know he is on cable news but he is really different!  He simply says things others don’t have the courage to say. So, here goes on what I know about this last week.  Finally, the dark side of Bill O’Rielly has taken him down. He is such a nasty … Continue reading Inside the Loony Bin Beltway – So. So.

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Aspie Trait #4 – We Just Don’t Understand Body Language.

RJ Walters

  Understanding body language, things like facial expressions and tone of voice are important for social interactions. But many of us Aspies are just not very good at those type things.  To us, it is a strange and mysterious thing so we often tend to misinterpret what is actually being communicated. Without recognizing these things our response to some conversations seems inappropriate. We generally take many things literally and based on the facts in front of us instead of as they may be intended. Of course, I have a more difficult time of tone of language than most Aspies since … Continue reading Aspie Trait #4 – We Just Don’t Understand Body Language.

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Inside The Loony Bin – Get Over It..

RJ Walters

The title above seems to always be said by the winner in most circumstances, particularly the political ones.  But of course, the opposite usually happens. The losers fixate on the loss and how it happened. They concentrate on revenge going forward and little else matters to them. Of course, that usually accomplishes nothing. Instead of revenge they should look to the future for opportunities to accomplish things that promote their foundation causes.  In other words, they should just get over it! This NOT getting over it is what has caused us to be where we are today inside the beltway loony bin and out. … Continue reading Inside The Loony Bin – Get Over It..

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Aspie Trait #3 – We Are Good Writers But Not Good Speakers..

RJ Walters

  This week’s Aspie trait is one that is powerful for me. I have always been a good writer. In high school and college, I almost effortlessly got A’s in all my composition classes. Writing just came easily for me. If I add up all the posts I have written in the last ten years on the various blogs I have started, the number likely exceeds 10,000 posts.  I discovered I have hyperlexia which means that my comprehension for reading, writing and typing far exceeds my verbal comprehension. Public speaking is just difficult for me along with many other types of social … Continue reading Aspie Trait #3 – We Are Good Writers But Not Good Speakers..

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Inside The Loony Bin – What About Truth?

RJ Walters

This week’s Loony Bin report is about truth. To me, the very foundations of a person is that he speaks the truth. One who regularly lies is simply not to be trusted in any regard. Without truth, there is no meaning to much of life’s interactions. I don’t think I am unusual in this regard, but given the recent presidential election, I am questioning that belief. Taking a drone level view of the Loony Bin, I don’t really see any permanent damage that the current executive branch can do to the country. What is done in the next four years can … Continue reading Inside The Loony Bin – What About Truth?

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A.B.C.D vs Q.I.U.T.G

RJ Walters

Some people live their lives one way and some another. Some think that for today they need to do A.B.C.D and then tomorrow repeat that sequence and continuing to do that the rest of their days. And then there are others who think that for today they need to do W.Q.E.T.Y and then tomorrow H.P.I.Y and avoiding as many repeats as possible. I don’t know what makes some people A.B.C.D and some the opposite, but I know that my wife is of the former type and I am at the other end. Most of the adventures we have been on … Continue reading A.B.C.D vs Q.I.U.T.G

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Aspie Trait #2 – We are honest to a fault

RJ Walters

We Aspies are usually brutally honest and speak our mind. Our allegiance is to the truth, not people’s feelings. Most people learn not to tell the truth all the time. Sometimes white lies need to be said so as not to hurt friends’ feelings. But white lies just seem immoral or at least illogical to many of us Aspies. Of course, being brutally honest is not the way to make friends at least at a casual level so many of us lack those kinds of friendship growing up. I realize that I sometimes hurt people’s feeling here on RJsCorner by … Continue reading Aspie Trait #2 – We are honest to a fault

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We Have No Purpose Anymore..

RJ Walters

I have to admit up front that for much of my life I just didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I “grew up”. Strangely, it wasn’t until several years into my retirement that I finally put that question to rest. So, I am NOT the poster child for gaining purpose in life, but maybe my shortcomings in this area might be a lesson for others. A fundamental problem with this country and many others around the world is that too many just don’t have any idea what the meaning of our country is supposed to be about? … Continue reading We Have No Purpose Anymore..