The definition of diversity is to be diverse, (pun intended) so I show you here what diverse means. This gives a pretty good description, but maybe it is more important to understand what is the opposite of diverse. Some of … Continue reading Diversity – The Definition
This post is a teaser for a new, or at least updated, special series coming to RJsCorner soon about the Quaker version of Christianity. I must admit that I am pro-life in all regards. The Quaker belief that “There is … Continue reading About War & Other Such Things
Some cling to traditions as if it were life itself. I am not one of them. To me, traditions are too often used to cling to prejudice and a fanatical resistance to change, any change. I saw that on display … Continue reading Some Cling To Traditions…
I HATE WAR!! I wanted to say that up front in this post. If anything shows the potential for the extinction of the human species it is war. I am a lifelong reader of history and it is obvious that … Continue reading I Hate War!! …
I don’t know why I have these times when so much flashes across my brain? The thoughts come and go quickly unless I write them down. Getting down to it, I think one of the primary reasons the world is in such a turmoil has to do with neighborhoods. For us in the U.S. it is about being bogged down in the Middle East. We have made enemies in pretty much every country in that region for one reason or another. Let’s face it, our nation building of the 21st century is an abject failure. When will we ever learn. … Continue reading It’s All About the Neighborhood.
I have certainly had some fun visiting the rendezvous in the last few years. They are becoming my favorite venue for my micro-RV trips. With temperatures in the 60s today and much of November, it doesn’t feel like winter (thank goodness) but I am still in the mode of looking back with my picture portfolio. So, I have gathers some pics to celebrate rendezvous. Someday, if I live long enough I just may try to join some of these folks. As usual, click on any pic to see a larger slideshow view: As you can see, my favorite flavor … Continue reading Rendezvous…
The quotes below come from input from Irish high school students when asked about having religious studies in their school system. The wisdom of these kids’ words are way beyond their years. By giving all children the opportunity to learn about the beliefs and values of diverse groups in society, the government would be providing for their education in some of the liberal democratic values on which the State itself is based. They include openness to a range of views along with inclusive and respectful citizenship. MANUS CHARLETON Perhaps, as religion is one of the greatest causes of conflict in … Continue reading Teach theology, not religion
I have been holding off on this post so as not to offend some people’s views of that holiday. My friends at Red Letter Christians have spurred me in thoughts once again. This time it is about Memorial Day. I have always found it strange that we as a nation celebrate our wars. Some even seem obsessed with them. To me war is the failure to accomplish our goals in a Christ-like manner of peace. “Bound together by Christ, not nationality” is a real but seemingly pretty naive thinking in today’s world but that is my reality. I know I am … Continue reading Memorial Day Is Not On the Church’s Calendar
President Bush’s use of drones and elevated them to an extreme level. We are told that the innocent lost of life because of these drone strikes are one of the primary reasons so many hate us in that part of the world. They strike so quietly and devastatingly to strike terror into innocent citizens of those Middle East countries. Yes, we are known by some as terrorists in that part of the world. If only we could have admitted our mistakes as soon as they happened we might be in a very different place in our world. But given the … Continue reading U.S. Reveals Death Toll From Airstrikes
I think I heard somewhere that the U.S. has more than a thousand military bases throughout the world and I suspect many of them are located in the Middle East. We as a country seem to be so fixated on telling others how to live that we spend huge amounts of money and our citizens’ lives trying to do just that. Here are some words about that: Every year the United States seems to be torn between further retreat from the Middle East and deeper military involvement in it. Over the past four decades, America has bombed pharmaceutical plants in … Continue reading How America has waged an eternal war in the Middle East
From the title it is hard to determine where this post is going. We can be wrong about almost anything in this life and there seems to always be someone around to alert us of that fact. If we get something set in our minds that just isn’t true then we are the worst kind of wrong. But… that is not where this post is going. :) Finally, here is the full question, were we wrong to separate from mother England, especially through violence? Looking back with hindsight it is always easy to judge the past by today’s criteria. I … Continue reading Were We Wrong??
It’s an incantation repeated among Obama’s neocon critics: the Iraq surge worked; things were going swimmingly until we withdrew; the same thing will happen in Afghanistan if we pull out completely. Let’s assume it’s true, that we could keep peace and order in these countries if we kept tens of thousands of troops (or more) on the ground. Here’s my question: Why on Earth would we do such a thing? How does it serve American interests to spend vast quantities of blood and treasure serving as a national police force for countries on the other side of the globe with … Continue reading Obama’s Neocon Critics…
a world that is boiling over in violence and cut-throat theocracy makes me nostalgic for the days it was merely “simmering in resentment and tyranny Source: How the refugee crisis is teaching us the value of Hussein, Mubarak, and Gadhafi Don’t we all wish for the “good old days” when Saddam ruled with an iron fist and as a result kept the lid on the Middle East. Yeah his bravado rankled many but we for the most part just ignored him. He did kill thousands of his own people to maintain control but millions have been killed in the aftermath … Continue reading The Good Old Days…
For those of you who haven’t visited here much I will state up front that while I am very much a social progressive but I am also a fiscal conservative. I too think as indicated in this editorial cartoon by Jack Ohman “where did the Republican party go?” They once were the party of small government and keeping expenses under control. During those days I voted Republican about as often as I voted Democrat. But those days now seem to be a distant memory. The new GOP seems to be made up of screamers who want infinite military budgets so that can go … Continue reading The New GOP…
Spouting Off… Being Loud But Not Being Obnoxious One of the things I missed the most about my hiatus from RJ’s Corner is spouting off. It does the heart good to question everything and sometimes put forth a thought or two. I plan on doing that rather frequently in the future here on the new/improved blog so get used to it! :) I hear all the latest rumbling (as in ready to explode in a bout of diarrhea) about how the peace accord worked out with Iran is so worthless. Some seem to think that our only solution to conflicts … Continue reading How About…
RJ's Corner - Having My Say 