Civics classes should be about American’s sins and glories since it is a country founded by remarkable individuals with some serious flaws. An important part of our history was that many of our founders were slave holders. They owned other … Continue reading Teaching the Dark Side In Civics Classes
I have been loosely following the latest Supreme Court nomination, so I thought I would put out some thoughts that go contrary to an Originalist’s view of the Constitution. Plainly speaking it makes no sense to me in that it … Continue reading An Originalist’s View of the Constitution
This post is a little history lesson for you about some of our founding fathers and the philosophical stands they took. The particular focus of this post is about what they thought about those who represent us in our governing ourselves.
Continue reading “An Exact Portrait Of The People At Large…”
A Well-Informed Electorate Is a Prerequisite for Democracy
I have let it be known many times here at RJsCorner that I believe the main reason we have survived as long as we have as a country is because of the wisdom of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Their words put a firm foundations under our democracy. The Jefferson quote above may just be the most important one he gave us concerning the future of our democracy in our current days.
Continue reading “The Next President”Is democracy going to be that short 250 year period in earth’s history when we thought people could rule themselves? Given what has been happening the last decade or so, it seems we might not not up to the task. In the beginning of our American democracy Thomas Jefferson said: Are we up to that task today? It seems not. We in the US allowed a completely incompetent con-man to snake his way into the Oval Office. Anyone who cared to do even a minimal amount of study would have found that he was totally unprepared for the job. He … Continue reading The Twilight Of Democracy?
With all the cards beginning to fall around the Oval Office, it is hard to see how its current occupant will survive even one term in office. His daily lies about almost everything are now coming down to “I didn’t know it was against the law…” That argument has been tried many times over the history of our country but is struck down by the founders as being totally invalid. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. That is a saying that goes back all the way to the founders of this country. Just because you don’t know about a … Continue reading Ignorance Of The Law
For this “Seeking-Wisdom” post, I want to try and bust a few bubbles before diving into this category much further. We all must recognize that the inspirational figures in our lives are for the most part like all of us in that they are multifaceted. They have characteristics beyond those that inspire us. For instance, Thomas Jefferson is one of my top sources of seeking wisdom. Even today, 200+ years after they were written, his writing and insight simply astound me! But then there is the fact that he was a slaveholder who likely fathered several children from his “visits” … Continue reading Seeing Them For Who They Are…
This being a primary election day here in Indiana, democracies are on my mind. Two of the most beautiful and delicate things in the world are orchids and democracies. They both need constant nurturing to thrive. An orchid needs the right light and temperature. It needs constant watering or it will die on the vine. The same thing is true for democracies. Too many in this country seem to think that our democracy is as rugged as Rambo. We can mistreat it and ignore it and it will always come fighting back. If you want to see the fallacy of … Continue reading Orchids & Democracies
I seem to be getting a bit of flack lately about my spiritual beliefs that run counter to most of the churches today. To help understand where I come from I am bringing back some quotes from Leo Tolstoy I … Continue reading The Kingdom Of God… And Leo Tolstoy
Thomas Jefferson is my favorite writer of all time. He was not a good public speaker but he sure knew how to put pen to paper. He was also a very prolific writer. His archive spans thousands of letters and treatises about a wide variety of topics. He loved studying history as his library showed but more so he loved dreaming of the future. I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past. So good night! I will dream on. Thomas Jefferson to John Adams August 1, 1816 Anyone who has been around RJsCorner … Continue reading The Dreams Of The Future..
My recently adopted theme for my life is Hope Is Sweeter Than Despair These words were written by Thomas Jefferson in one of his many letters written in 1786. That was ten years after our Declaration of Independence and three … Continue reading Hope Is Sweeter Than Despair
I am a dreamer, always have been and always will be. When times are bad I dream of better times. When times are good I thank the Lord. I have always dreamed that every citizen of our country has at least an ounce of empathy and two ounces of brains. I have come to doubt that belief, especially since the person in the Oval Office doesn’t even seem to pass the bill. I guess this particular dream will have to wait a while before it can be realized. Now don’t misunderstand me, I don’t expect everyone to be overflowing with … Continue reading An Ounce Of Empathy & Two Ounces Of Brains
I don’t know how many readers ever look at the quotes I rotate through the header of RJsCorner. I try to change them weekly but sometimes that task falls in the proverbial crack. In the current header is a quote from Thomas Jefferson about staying too long that seems especially relative to the folks in Washington DC. Too many in our national congress have overstayed their time there, especially in the leadership roles. I truly believe that the GOP leader in the senate is one of the basic problems with that institution’s gridlock. What will it take short of death … Continue reading Staying Too Long..
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??
RJ's Corner 