Archive for February, 2009
Obama – Spending or Investing, Big Differences
President Obama has proposed a huge federal budget. In actual adjusted dollars the budget is the largest since 1945, just as we were coming out of WWII. The Republicans are shouting and whining and crying the traditional refrain: “The Liberal are spending our money! Run for your life!” Obviously, there is much spending – but […]
26Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | ContinuedThe Curious Case of Nadya Suleman – Octo-Mom
Is Nadya Suleman crazy, or what? She had six children by in-vitro fertilization, then had a whole bunch of frozen embryos implanted, resulting in eight babies at one birth. She now has fourteen children. She has no husband and no job. She lives with her mother in a home that is about to be foreclosed. Is she crazy, or what? This is a case of immaturity meeting Dr. Frankenstein.
25Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 5 comments | ContinuedPromoting the Liberal Myth
There seems to be a mythology of the liberal cause. The term ‘Liberal’ is used as a noun to describe a secret sect of devil worshipers. The implication is something like this: Liberals meet in secret places, conduct secret rituals, and are the root of the new world order meant to destroy freedom and prosperity. Liberals prefer socialism to capitalism. Liberals prefer dictators to democracy. Liberals want to reward terrorists. Liberals think Labor Unions should run businesses. They are like the Freemasons, except they are more organized and more evil.
23Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Promoting the Liberal Myth | ContinuedIraq – Oil and Terrorism
In January of 1991 GHW Bush launched an offensive to push Saddam’s army back to Iraq out of Kuwait. After driving Iraqi forces out of Kuwait, Bush, Cheney and his advisors decided to end the push. Others pressed Bush to continue into Baghdad and topple the Iraqi government. However, Bush and Cheney knew the end […]
21Feb2009 | Cole James | 3 comments | ContinuedCaring For An Old Dog
Sadie is almost sixteen years old, her birthday is next July. She is beginning to show the inevitable signs of aging. Sadie has moved from the definition of ‘Senior” to something resembling ‘Elderly.’ Watching her age is painful – and presents moral and economic delimas. Sadie is half Schnauzer and half Cocker Spaniel – sort […]
20Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Caring For An Old Dog | ContinuedColbert and Conan – String Dancing
What can we say – these two are great comedians. Steven Colbert and Conan O’Brian often play off each other – they make fun of each other and politicians should take a clue of how to react. Conan invented the ‘string dance’ and Colbert imitated Conan. Here they are together:
18Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Colbert and Conan – String Dancing | ContinuedMortgage Conundrum – Who Deserves Help?
Last week 60 Minutes did a segment on an elderly woman who seems to be the victim of predatory lending. The bias of the program was clearly designed to support the case of the woman and to discredit the lending agency. This problem is not so simple.
18Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | ContinuedThe Sentence – confusing a simple thought
The sentence is the most simple form of expressing a thought. The sentence must have a subject and a predicate – well, not exactly. The subject and predicate can be explicit, or simply understood. We are assuming of course that one wants to express a complete thought. But a sentence may also have an object, may have modifiers, may have connectives, and may have independent elements. So what is so hard about that? Please feel free to help with this understanding.
17Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | ContinuedWhere Have All the Liberals Gone?
So many people are unclear today about what it means to be liberal and conservative, democrat or republican, Methodist or Episcopalian. I think it would be a good idea to examine these things and to make conscious decisions and form intentional and reasonable conclusions about current events, rather than subscribe to an ideology or system of beliefs because our parents did, because the media is in an uproar, or because of the all-to-common cult of personality.
16Feb2009 | bryan | 5 comments | ContinuedA United Methodist Perspective
I am a United Methodist. My wife and I joined a United Methodist church in Sugar Land, Texas before moving to Nashville, TN, and when we moved to Iowa, we transferred our membership to a church that was just down the street from our house. We went through the ceremony for becoming a member of […]
16Feb2009 | bryan | 2 comments | ContinuedHomeless Community
This writer has worked and volunteered at the same social service agencies dedicated to cleaning up the river banks, to rescuing the downtrodden, to saving the helpless, threading the eye of the needle as a gateway to Heaven. We will walk through the Pearly Gates and God will thump us on the forehead with his middle finger, look at us in disgust, and then invite us in to the ultimate shelter from damnation. We will be seated in the middle row, the homeless will have front row seats.
9Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | ContinuedBobby McFerrin
Check this out. The classical singer Bobby McFerrin with some classical interpretations. McFerrin is to music what Jim Carey is to comedy. No, wait, that discredits McFerrin – he is incomparable. Here is Ave Maria, all voice with no instrumental accompaniment – a fascinating expose by a true master. The theater is in the round. […]
8Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Bobby McFerrin | ContinuedNon Combat Troops – An Oxy Moron
We should take all ‘non-combat troops’ out of Iraq. That is one of the compromises proposed as a resolution to the conflict in Iraq. The suggestion is that American troops will not be dying in Iraq. That sounds pretty good to most of us. But is there such a thing as ‘non-combat troops?”
8Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | ContinuedLincoln and Obama, Saving the Union
What is President Obama really saying about the economic stimulus package before Congress. Here is what I heard, “It is of the right scope, and addresses the right issues.” What does he mean by that? Does he agree with all of the details of the package? When Abraham Lincoln faced the Ciivil War, the most […]
6Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | ContinuedBeyonce – “At Last” – along with Etta James
Beyonce demonstrated her great talent, a beautiful voice, with her rendition of “At Last” at the Presidential Inaugural Ball for Barack and Michelle Obama. It seems Etta James, the original recording artist of this great song, felt slighted and took offense at the Beyonce interpretation. Here they are – you decide for yourself which rendition is most appropriate for the occasion.
6Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | ContinuedBuddy Holly
Buddy Holly, a real American talent. True Love Ways: Live in 1958: The day the music died: And here is Don McClean singing American Pie:
3Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Buddy Holly | ContinuedIdentity Confusion
Who am I? Sounds like something Descartes might have asked – but I am not nearly so complex a creature as Descartes. There are a few things that are certain. I know I am a father and a grandfather. But those are mere biological truths (I defer here to Descartes). But the ideal of world politics, of a world community, of being an active participant in my world – leaves me a bit confused. I am just trying to figure out if I am liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican. It seems to me that the question is most often defined in terms of economics – and sometimes in terms of culture.
2Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued