This is going to be one of those very philosophical posts so fasten your seatbelt. It is this idea of a fundamentally sinful humanity that inspires the harsh, punitive sentences of our criminal justice system — including capital punishment. It also provokes visions of merciless suffering in hell after death. We deserve severe punishment because we are free agents who knowingly choose to do what we ourselves know to be wrong. On the far side of a chasm stands a very different idea of humanity — one elaborated by Socrates and other characters in several Platonic dialogues. It holds that virtue is … Continue reading Paul or Plato??

Not all things creative are visual. Some are simple unsaid words and thoughts. Like most kids I read Huckleberry Finn at an early age. It was not one of my favorite books, I was more into Steinbeck and London at the time. But when we visited Mark Twain’s home in Hannibal Missouri I discovered that his legacy goes way beyond his most popular books.  I have come to very much appreciate his words above… Continue reading I Recognize It But…

I must admit that I do quite a bit of my shopping now on Amazon. I go to the mall on maybe a monthly basis but that is more for the exercise than for shopping.  But then again most of the shops in our college town mall are clothing stores and since my total repertoire in that area can be fitted in a two foot space in my closet there is really not much there for me. Things are changing for all us consumers. Netflix is causing a big shift in the video market, Apple tunes and such have taken over … Continue reading Going Out Of Business Sale….

I see in the headlines that a New Jersey Senator is in trouble for passing out favors to his rich friends. The photo above was taken at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library a few years ago. President Wilson started out his political career as governor of NJ. It is obvious from this shot that they had similar problems one-hundred years ago. Continue reading What's Old Is New….

In order to assure his victory Netanyahu flatly said there would be no Palestinian State while he was prime minister. Those words just might result in some tough love for US/Israeli relations. Bibi might finally realize that his actions have consequences. The current day Israel was at least partially created by a United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 back in 1947 which mandated a two state solution for the Palestinian territory. There have been several attempts in recent years for the UN to once again declare a two state solution to the problem but the U.S. has threatened a veto each time … Continue reading Tough Love… The Consequences Of Your Actions…

  The Palestinian problem is the primary driver for so much of what happens in the Middle East. To see a solution taken off the table by Israel is tragic for all the world.  Give peace a chance….. Continue reading A Sad Day For The Possibility of Peace In The Middle East…

I started thinking about this post after I saw a PBS Special about Gunner Myrdal entitled “American Denial”. Myrdal was a famous Swedish sociologist that in the 1940s was asked by the Carnegie Foundation to study the “negro problem” in the U.S. He had a long and deep admiration of the United States and particularly the American creeds of equal chance, equal opportunity and equal justice.  He spent several years investigating before he published his foundational report.  Here is a little from Wiki about the man and his work: Myrdal believed he saw a vicious cycle in which whites oppressed negroes, and … Continue reading The American Creed..

I’m not sure what this piece of equipment is but I think it is a seeder. Whenever I look at these century old things I now marvel at the American ingenuity that it took to create it. Continue reading American Ingenuity…

I’ve heard it said the best way for Washington to create peace in the Middle East is to stop providing U.N. cover for Israel and eliminate the U.S. money that fuels Israel’s defiant behavior (more than $20.5 billion given just during the Obama administration). In effect, it’s Parenting 101: Make Israel responsible for its actions…. Toward the end of his diatribe to the GOP, Bibi offered up a simple remedy:“If Iran wants to be treated like a normal country, let it act like a normal country.”Presumably, that would include following international law. Great plan, Bibi. Heed it. SOURCE: War, War, and More War … Continue reading Parenting 101

Today is James Madison’s birthday. I have made it clear here on RJsCorner that he is my favorite political figure in history. He was a short and hard-working  and modest guy. This country would be very different if he had not lived.  Here is a quote of the ten things about him that many probably don’t know.  Click on the source below to see the entire article. Madison really was the Father of the Constitution. He arrived 11 days early for the event, presented his Virginia plan of checks and balances as the foundation of the Constitution, and then worked … Continue reading Happy Birthday James Madison..

I have been blogging for about eight months now over at InSearchOfAmerica. It is quite different from this one in that it is dedicated to looking at all the great things about this country that I have discovered throughout my many years. Over there I talk about what is right about America. I continue to be amazed by how great this country is in so many ways. I am now in the process of putting in somewhat detailed travelogues documenting my many trips around this great country. It is fun posting there even if my visit count is only 10% of … Continue reading It's All A Game….

I know jelly fish in the wild is something you don’t want to tangle with but those I encountered in the San Francisco Aquarium were very surreal… Continue reading Surreal..

Originally posted on RJ's Corner – Old Version:
I know I have a sizable percentage of women who follow this blog so I thought I would spend this post telling you about how guys bond. At least the guys I know.  I’m sure you all know and that guys bond differently than women.    When a woman feels emotional about something it is usually very obvious.  Not so much for us guys. I think I am more girly, as Arnold puts it, than most guys. I readily admit that I shed a few tears during some movies and such… Continue reading Guys Bonding….

I have seen two vastly different examples of American justice in the last few months. Example 1 – Five months ago it was discovered that an elected official in our county has been stealing funds from us for the last ten years. Since that time she has been free to do whatever she want while the evidence has been gathered. It seems that over the last ten years she has stolen about $400,000 in our very small county mainly by charging totally personal things like food, vacations, TVs to a county credit card. She was finally indicted this week and the trial … Continue reading The Inequality of the Current Justice System…

Those GOP yahoos have tried 50+ times to repeal it. I kinda of think it is just too late for that.  They will have to put it along side Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid as one of the”socialist” things to eliminate in the future. That is if they ever have a friend in the White House again.   Continue reading Hurry, Hurry Repeal It….

    One thing I like about my lifetime study of American history is that as Solomon said “there is nothing new under the sun”. Almost everything happening today has some corollary in the past. The John Kennedy quotes from more than fifty years ago could have just as easily been made today. It is hard for me to imagine that Kennedy was born almost a century ago.  As standards go he was a very young president much like our current one. I, like so many of my generation, will always remember him as a young man cut down in … Continue reading Looking Back to See a Path Forward…

There are those, too many in my mind, that are adamant in taking away affordable healthcare to 10 million of our citizens. Without offering any viable alternative they insist that those ten million go back into the uninsured pile whose only access to healthcare is an emergency room and a band-aid. It is widely acknowledged that when the ACA was written it was NOT the framers intent to give subsidies to some areas of the country and not others.  The Framers themselves have loudly come out with those facts. So why is this challenge even in front of the Supreme … Continue reading Declaring The Supreme Court Unconstitutional…

If Fox New is famous for anything it is about putting themselves in the center of the news. It seems that this behavior is getting one of its stars Mr. O’Reilly in hot water recently. He is getting caught with too many personal embellishments lately. When Brian Williams did that recently he got a six-month non-paid vacation, but I’m sure Mr. O’Reilly won’t even get a slap on his wrist. After all if Fox News were to put him on forced hiatus they would probably have to do the same with almost their entire staff. But that is not the saddest … Continue reading A Snippet Here…. When You Put Yourself In The Center Of The News..

In some way or another we are all damaged goods. Yes, we have been enhanced by some life experiences but we are also tainted by others. Whether we will personally admit it or not we all have dark sides. We all have things in our past that we would do differently if we had the chance. In other words we have all had experiences that affected how we look at life. Too many of my Christian brothers use this fact as a reason to do nothing. The clergy in their pulpits constantly remind them that they are nothing but miserable sinners and … Continue reading We Are All Damaged Goods…

  Makes sense to me now if they would only add it to the GOP political platform….   Continue reading A Man Deserting a Woman…

One of the things I enjoy doing is taking pictures of reflections off glass buildings. When I was in Ottawa a few years ago those opportunities were abundant but this one was taken at the 911 Memorial Plaza in NYC. Notice the WTC footprint water wall in the foreground. Continue reading NYC Reflections..

Just a quick snippet to add some info to this morning’s post. Why Bibi and Barack Can’t Get Along But the real challenge the two have faced is their different policies in the Middle East. Obama came to office reaching out to Iran and pushing for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Netanyahu opposed warming ties with the militantly anti-Israel theocrats in Tehran and refused in early meetings with Obama publicly to embrace the possibility of a Palestinian state. The outcome of their latest confrontation remains to be seen. Netanyahu faces a tough election this month and the White House’s increasingly public criticism may … Continue reading A Snippet Here….