Life
Let The Wild Man Out
I don’t mean to be chauvinistic – but this post is about men in particular. More specifically, how do boys become men? There are many ideas – participate in sports, become an Eagle Scout, join the military, go to college, get a job and get married and have children – these events will make men […]
28Feb2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Let The Wild Man Out | Continued
Finding Meaning in the National Debate About Debt
We have had a major crisis in our house recently that started with a heated conversation about our budget, and I thought that I would share the events that led to our household meltdown so that we might learn from my mistakes and apply those lessons to our national debate about money. It was budget […]
18Feb2011 | bryan | Comments Off on Finding Meaning in the National Debate About Debt | Continued
Buy American
There use to be a time when there was no need to campaign for “buy American”. Buying American made products was the norm especially in the 1950’s when our country was strong pre and post war. But those times are gone and the reality is they will probably never return – at least not with […]
13Nov2010 | Cole James | 3 comments | Continued
The Redneck Walks The Immigrant Trail
The trail ends at Saint Joseph, Missouri. Some say it also begins there. The Immigrant Trail has not yet been officially documented by historians – but the trail exists today. When documented there is good cause to believe there will be a trail of tears. But I get ahead of myself. I live just outside […]
8Sep2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 4 comments | Continued
Lessons On Exercise For Seniors – And The Need For Stretching
I am a senior. That is somewhere between middle age and elderly. Everyone wants to live a long time but no one wants to be old, as the saying goes. I am just another person trying to delay feeble living. I have learned a few hard lessons along the path to regular exercise. I wrote […]
26Aug2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Lessons On Exercise For Seniors – And The Need For Stretching | Continued
Hunting For Jesse James Gold
When I was a child my parents would often take our family on picnics at Houston Wyeth Park in St. Joseph, Missouri – we just called the place Wyeth Hill. Wyeth Hill runs along the top of the Missouri River Bluffs in northwest St. Joseph. The hill overlooks downtown St. Joe to the south, the […]
25Aug2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 14 comments | Continued
Youth Violence – Not Just Fight or Flight
Mark Twain used youth violence as a humorous anecdote necessary to the maturing process of young boys. In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer two boys (one is Tom) confront each other on the street; they taunt, tease, dare, and then scuffle. Tom is victorious when the other boy cries ’nuff!’ Not one sociologist at the time raised a stink about Twain’s portrayal of youth violence.
22Aug2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
Mel Gibson to Lead Tea Party
Actor, Director, Producer Mel Gibson is negotiating terms to take over leadership of the Tea Party in America. Every candidate must demonstrate proper character traits consistent with Tea Party advocates. Candidates must be willing to demonstrate these character traits in a very public manner – there should be no sense of shame or fear of […]
14Jul2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
The Short End of The Regulation Stick
The hard earned emotions of our life influence our thoughts. They distract us from our initial purpose. I often begin a post and when finished I have to change the title to reflect the actual post – the burr under my saddle led me off course. Many of us have burrs under our saddles that […]
5Jul2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
The Need For A Really Big Government to Intervene in the Gulf
British Petroleum, along with their contractors, has created the worst environmental disaster in history. But that does not clearly state the magnitude of the devastation. We too often throw words around – words like environmental disaster – and then a real disaster strikes and we sound like the boy who cried wolf. As President Obama […]
26May2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Sins of Our Father – and Other Life Prejudices
At some point in each or our lives we have to ask ourselves – who am I? Social order forces the question. We cannot live a complete life without someone challenging at least one of our belief systems – and often our entire concept of proper culture. Prejudices must be examined and rethought – for […]
22May2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Sins of Our Father – and Other Life Prejudices | Continued
Do Mother’s Day Cards Really Describe Your Mother?
How did you find the energy, Mom To do all the things you did, To be teacher, nurse and counselor To me, when I was a kid. Does that little diddy describe your mother? For years I wanted to honor my Mother on Mother’s Day (as defined by Hallmark Cards). I went shopping at all […]
9May2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
America is the Definition of Cosmopolitan
Everything about America that is considered great and wonderful is the result of the melding of cultural ideals brought here by immigrants. People across this country enjoy Mexican Restaurants – as long as there are no actual Mexicans in the place.
8May2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on America is the Definition of Cosmopolitan | Continued
What Would Peter Think of Wendy At Victoria’s Secret?
One of my favorite stories is the tale of Peter Pan. As an actor, I have always wanted to play Peter, but I grew too tall. I loved the way Peter was committed to remaining young, not following the establishment and becoming a man. His conviction of youth impacted his relationships with everyone, especially Wendy. […]
7May2010 | Dawn | 1 comment | Continued
Latino Food Section At Walmart, As Seen By A Redneck
Down the road in St. Joe, Mo, there is a pig processing plant. I think they slaughter like 2,000 pigs a day – and it takes a gob of Mexicans to get the job done. They have about 2,500 workers, about one fourth of which are either Hispanic, Latino, or just plain old Mexican. Most […]
27Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Latino Food Section At Walmart, As Seen By A Redneck | Continued
Intellectual VS Emotional Struggle With Death Penalty
I am not a great intellectual liberal – just an average intellect liberal. I try to understand issues at practical and ethical perspectives. For instance, it is unethical to bomb cities – but I agree that Harry Truman was right to use the A-Bomb for extremely practical reasons – he avoided the imminent invasion of […]
23Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Sense Of Inadequacy Follows Us All The Days Of Our Lives
Any self concept, any value, any perspective, learned in youth – through osmosis – follows us all the days of our lives. We often have a sense of right and wrong, which we sometimes call this our conscience, based on prejudiced childhood learning.
21Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Sense Of Inadequacy Follows Us All The Days Of Our Lives | Continued
The Criminal Paradigm, Fiddling around on the Roof
We were watching the old Topol character in Fiddler on the Roof. He portrays a man who struggles with tradition, struggles with the idea of changing ideology, struggles with changing his cultural prejudices. The movie is so universally accepted because all people relate to changing times and changing cultures, and the gut wrenching emotion those […]
16Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 8 comments | Continued
Underemployed – What Does This Mean?
Underemployment has taken on several new meanings in this struggling economy. David Shuster of MSNBC asked one of his guests what the term means – the response: “It means that people are working part time in stead of full time. What? It seems as if the pundits just make stuff up to fill their 30 […]
2Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Underemployed – What Does This Mean? | Continued
Reflecting On The Music Of My Mother
I was fumbling around on youtube this morning and found this Patsy Cline rendition of Tennessee Waltz. My mother introduced me to this song. She was not trying to – this was one of the songs she sang while wringing out the laundry in her wringer wash machine. Hearing Patsy Cline sing this old song […]
1Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Reflecting On The Music Of My Mother | Continued
Tiger Woods Treated For Texting Addiction
With denial protecting the psyche celebrities are falling victim to the addiction of texting. Tiger Woods has done the public a service by admitting his addiction and receiving specific treatment for his malady. Evidence now shows that texting addiction leads to moral degradation. With information from known associates of Mr. Woods we learn that the […]
1Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Tiger Woods Treated For Texting Addiction | Continued
Weight Loss Myths – And Why People Believe Them
My Doctor said, “Don’t worry about your weight, worry about your health.” That philosophy works for a skinny guy like him, In my case, I am healthy. All of my blood work comes back in the normal ranges. But I also carry almost forty pounds over the recommended weight for my somatotype. When I was […]
31Mar2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
Addicted to Chocolate
I am all about chocolate. With a desperate last effort to lose weight before my knees collapse from the sheer force of gravity I am coming to the reality that I may be a chocoholic. Normally I am offended by the ‘oholic’ suffix because it is just so cliche’. My present medical condition seems to […]
28Mar2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
The Redemption of Tiger Woods
The redemption of Tiger Woods did not happen with blubbering confessions of sin, orchestrated by treatment programs based solely on anecdote. The redemption of Tiger Woods can only happen with consistent trustworthy behavior over time.
22Mar2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Redemption of Tiger Woods | Continued
Children of War – The 20th Century Bleeds into the 21st.
The sins punished for generations are War, Poverty, Hunger, Ignorance, Physical Illness, and a general disregard of others by society. These sins compound daily – the accruing interest to be paid by succeeding generations.
12Mar2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Children of War – The 20th Century Bleeds into the 21st. | Continued
Brainwashing Tiger Woods – Failures of Addiction Therapy
Future psychologists will look back on this era of addiction treatment in much the same manner that they presently look back on 19th century mental asylums. The real sadness is that progressives in the present mental health community already recognize the deplorably foolish tactics of many addiction treatment centers.
20Feb2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 6 comments | Continued
Tiger Woods Statement (Video)
Tiger has spoken – now the analysis begins. What did he say? What did he mean? Is he in denial? Is Tiger covering something? Has Tiger been completely honest? We have our own thoughts on these matters – but we will wait for an opportunity to speak responsibly on the subject of Tiger Woods, Tiger’s […]
19Feb2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Tiger Woods Statement (Video) | Continued
Spiritual Responsibility
To think that any particular faith, such as Christian or Muslim, is more favorable to God than another is an astoundingly arrogant notion – and it is irresponsible.
10Feb2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Spiritual Responsibility | Continued
Clutter, Hoarding, Pyschological Diagnosis or a Busy Family
So what is it with people who hoard ‘things’ – who place their ‘things’ around the house with indiscriminate frivolity? Is this just a value system learned in childhood, the symptoms of a life too busy to sort through the ‘things’, or are these people nuts and require treatment with Tiger Woods? And the more important question: Am I one of ‘those’ people?
10Feb2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
The Problem is Heterosexuals in the Military
My son is a flaming heterosexual. He does not attempt to hide this fact, but neither does he go around broadcasting his sexual preferences. Our family chose to just ignore his life style. When he was twenty years old he joined the Navy. It was some time during his four year tour of duty that […]
3Feb2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 6 comments | Continued
St. Joseph, Missouri, Urban Trail in Winter
I happen to be in St. Joseph, Missouri, today. The NFL playoffs brought me to town to visit old friends. We arrived early and I decided to take a hike along the City’s Urban Trails. The scenery is spectacular in Winter. But the scenery points out the enigma of St. Joseph Leadership. Check out the […]
17Jan2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Curse The Kansas City Chiefs
Cursed. Or cursed. We can only know for sure that we curse our favorite NFL Team – the Kansas City Chiefs. Clark Hunt made a valiant effort last year to change the course of dismal tomfoolery exhibited virtually every Sunday in the fall football season. But this team has to rank among the all-time worst […]
6Dec2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Curse The Kansas City Chiefs | Continued
Comments on a Life of Chaos
Did you ever know anyone who just seemed to live their life in constant chaos? Most likely. Chaos can become a part of our cultural understanding of the world around us. People raised in chaos often live chaotic lives. Some attempt a life of moderation – but under duress often resort to extreme chaos or […]
28Aug2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Comments on a Life of Chaos | Continued
12 Steps – A Program of Recovery
To continue this dialogue on 12 step programs – it seems only natural to describe the 12 steps. Distortions abound. Some clarity about this process might be useful to students of health care, people in the Ministry, medical professionals, and especially to those suffering from a hopeless state of mind and body. From page 59 […]
27Aug2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 5 comments | Continued
George Carlin on Saving The Planet
Check out George Carlin in this youtube video. What is your take? Is Carlin opposed to modern environmentalists – or is Carlin being sarcastic? Check it out – what do you think? Listen closely – what is Carlin’s message? I agree wtih Carlin. The planet will be fine – but we humans will no longer […]
21May2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
Boy Scouts Fight The ACLU
Last year I went down to St. Joe, Mo., to participate in a Boy Scout Pine Wood Derby. Well, actually I was more of a spectator than a participant. But some of those events are small and even the spectators feel like we are somehow participating. This particular event was at a ‘district’ level. There […]
13May2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Abortion and Common Sense
Abortion is not black or white, liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican. Abortion is a problem of humanity – and this era of Abortion in American will be studied by future historians. The folks looking back will recognize the futile and selfish partisan bickering that prolonged the agony of a health care disaster. Both fanatical […]
6May2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 8 comments | Continued
Middle School Social Regulation, Part II
As noted in a previous post I have been assigned the job of head chauffeur for my grand daughter in middle school. Her parents moved out of State and she stayed behind to finish the school year. She lives with her grandmother. Enough of that – I pick her up every day from school and […]
17Apr2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Middle School Social Regulation, Part II | Continued
Taxing Tobacco
Tobacco taxes our health care system with many chronic ailments. And tobacco is taxed by the government. On Wednesday, April 1, 2009, the federal tobacco tax on a pack of cigarettes will go up $.62, from $.39 to $1.01. This must surely be a good thing, right? Well, like other efforts at social engineering, it cuts two ways.
30Mar2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Middle School, Learning to Say NO!
The adventures of grandpa as the driver for my thirteen year old granddaughter continue. Her family moved to Texas or Wyoming, I can never remember which, and she is staying with her Nana to finish out the school year. She was not ready to punch cows, and lasso boys. Anyway, my job is of after-school-driver. […]
9Mar2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Middle School, Learning to Say NO! | Continued
Middle School, Crash Course in Social Regulation
I have been relegated to driver – and drivers are best seen and not heard. The girls chat, and chat, and chat. I think they call each other on their cell phones and talk to each other in the car. I drop the first girl off and twenty seconds later she is calling one of the remaining girls in the car. Chat, chat, chat. That is how it goes. They talk about how other students were dressed, what was said in response to question from the teachers, and other things that I do not quite understand. They speak the language of the future – I speak the language of the past.
5Mar2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
The 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 | Continued
Caring 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 | Continued
A 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 | Continued
Homeless 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 | Continued
The Changing Face of Etiquette
As we, our culture, are catered to by technology and the marketing machine, we begin to feel more entitled to the things that we consume and the benefits of our service industry. The idea of serving others is lost on those who become complacent with being served themselves.
20Jan2009 | bryan | Comments Off on The Changing Face of Etiquette | Continued
Breed Specific Legislation
BSL is another rights stripping phenomenon that has gained momentum through fear tactics. This is another example of individual’s willingness to accept anything from the media as the gospel truth. BSL has snowballed in that last couple of years. What this type of legislation does is either outright ban a certain breed of dog or […]
3Jan2009 | Cole James | 2 comments | Continued
Belonging II-Motorcycle Clubs
Motorcycle clubs, also know as MC’s, have been around since 1903. They come in a variety of forms, but they all follow a similar doctrine. The media and Hollywood has generalized all motorcycle clubs into hoodlums who terrorize law abiding citizens. Just a few examples of movies with negative impacts on this culture are The […]
22Dec2008 | Cole James | Comments Off on Belonging II-Motorcycle Clubs | Continued
Drug Court – Systemically Flawed
A quick check of the court briefs in the local newspaper gives startling evidence of losing the war on drugs. The paper reported six people sentenced to prison – all for drug charges – five methamphetamine and one cocaine. We are talking about rural northwest Missouri. The first Drug Court was established in Dade County […]
21Dec2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
The Modern Retreat to the Castle Keep
The worry is not that we are getting more or less safe, but that our perceptions of safety are changing. We have recreated the walled and gated villas of the past and, between our fenced yard, our attached garage, and our parking garage at work, can go entire days and weeks without seeing someone from our neighborhood, let alone someone from around town. We are creating a sense of safety that is grounded in separation rather than reality. We are raising a generation of children who are housed in homogeneous zones that have a comfortable, rhythmic vibration of sameness.
20Dec2008 | bryan | 2 comments | Continued