Archive for Gary Clark
Gary L. Clark is an author. After a thirty year career he retired to become a writer. He has written three novels, one is published He recently completed the annotation of a self-help book on faith-based self-help. Mr. Clark is the Editor of thefiresidepost.com. He lives in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Josh Has Joined thefiresidepost.com
Josh was once a good boy. He lost his way. We find him today hanging out with the outlaw of his family – Ohg Tone. Seriously, Josh is my nephew, and a fine writer. I have watched him over the years, watched him grow in to a young man, watched him explore religion, watched him […]
31May2016 | Gary Clark | 2 comments | Continued
Shouts of Despair Go Unheard
I work with others. Mostly volunteer work – but I find my self in the horrid trenches of the front line battle against despair. The Four Horsemen of Terror, Bewilderment, Frustration, and Despair march the earth seeking human souls. What do I see? What do I hear? Last week a man happened upon me – […]
17May2016 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Shouts of Despair Go Unheard | Continued
“…misogynistic narcissist or the underwhelming oligarch?”
My son, Bryan, used the title of this post in a sentence the other day. He was referring to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Well? What do you think? I looked up the words to be sure I understood what Bryan was suggesting – very interesting. Donald Trump is a misogynistic narcissist – among other […]
4May2016 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
“…an organized, nationwide system of care…”
Civilized industrial nations have searched for many years for an appropriate response to public health. Individual health care financing in the United States was somehow attached to one’s job as a part of the benefit package. A good job came with good health insurance. By 2008 there were fifty (50) million individuals without health insurance. […]
18Apr2016 | Gary Clark | 3 comments | Continued
More Notes On Political Correctness
We have insisted for a while now that ‘political’ correctness’ is simply about manners. My standard line is simple: political correctness was one thing in my fourth grade classroom with Mrs. Kingsborrow, another thing on the elementary school playground, and quite another in my mother’s kitchen. The political right wing of America is embroiled in […]
13Apr2016 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on More Notes On Political Correctness | Continued
The “Shoulds” of Life Have Me Down
I have been a responsible man for most of my life. Some would challenge that point – because my failures have stood out like atomic bombs. As a Senior Citizen I don’t face too many life changing events or decisions. But I do have some responsibilities and those become the burrs under my saddle – […]
10Apr2016 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on The “Shoulds” of Life Have Me Down | Continued
Anger Disguised As Political and Religious Reasoning
Most of the extremist people I know, left or right, have troubled backgrounds. There is no other way to say it. Today I am going to use a dear troubled friend as an example. Of course, the name has been changed. Some will argue that this is mere anecdotal reasoning and thus not comprehensive enough […]
7Mar2016 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Anger Disguised As Political and Religious Reasoning | Continued
Our Social Media Audience Influences What We Share
Coming to you straight from St. Joseph, Missouri – a place I call home. Our homes are built on many years of experience. What appears to be clutter is often a memory of time gone by. Most of my social media ‘friends’ are from around northwest Missouri. St. Joseph schools educated me, work took me […]
3Mar2016 | Gary Clark | 2 comments | Continued
Another Senseless Death from Drug Addiction
Another young man from St. Joseph died this past weekend – apparently from long term drug addiction. I knew him. I knew him when he was about seven years old. I also knew his family. He was second generation drug addict. Not his parents, as far as I know, but many of his aunts and […]
2Mar2016 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
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20Jan2016 | Gary Clark | 0 comments | Continued
Is Ted Cruz The Republican Obama?
Bear with me please. Barack Obama stormed the castle in 2008. He conquered the dragon – and no one saw it coming – well, perhaps Dick Durban. But everyone today concedes that Obama is a masterful politician. Like him or not, agree with him or not, Obama came to play hardball. He came with masterful […]
15Jan2016 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
Mixed Blessings, Home Remodeling, and painting the carpet
I have been furiously cleaning house for visitors over the holidays. I am faithful about this chore, every eleven years I clean the house whether it needs it or not. This time it is so bad that I decided the best way to cover the dirt was to simply paint it. I have been painting […]
22Dec2015 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Mixed Blessings, Home Remodeling, and painting the carpet | Continued
A Rebuttal of Trump Criticism….
My colleague, Nancy, posted this on facebook – we thought it rose to the level of an observation worth documenting and sharing. Two videos follow – one with Chuck Todd and a second with excerpts from a ‘focus group’ that seems to portray Trump supporters as fearful, less educated, and naive Americans. (Note: Nancy is […]
15Dec2015 | Gary Clark | 3 comments | Continued
There is No Such Thing As Christianity – Only Christians
al-Qaeda, ISIS, ISIL, Sunni, Shiite, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Mosque in St. Joseph, Missouri – all seen as representative of Islam. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Jehovah Witness, 7th Day Adventist, Presbyterian, Clarksdale Missouri Baptist, Mormon, and United Methodist – all seen as representative of Christianity. These diverse religious organizations claim the mantel of their respective […]
16Nov2015 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on There is No Such Thing As Christianity – Only Christians | Continued
Terrorism – Let Go and Let God?
The world walks a fine line between revenge and justice, discrimination and acceptance, fear and love. There will be no justice until we all stop acting out of fear. Promoting Islamophobia is an act of fear – not faith. These are serious times for serious people. Clearly religious wackiness on both sides only serves to […]
15Nov2015 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Terrorism – Let Go and Let God? | Continued
Tuberculosis and Political Correctness
My father was born in 1923. His would be considered an upbringing in poverty. With many children in the home, the depression, and some abuse of alcohol by his father – life was difficult. Difficult lives are almost always made more difficult by prejudice. In a strange twist of irony, political correctness in the early […]
22Oct2015 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Tuberculosis and Political Correctness | Continued
Walking the Roof of Methodist Hospital – Circa 1972
It was literally ‘the good old days’. Data Processing. No MIS or IT or IS. We processed data – and the data came in the form of punched cards. Everything was ‘batch’ processing – almost no ‘real time’ interaction. But that is an aside for the purposes of this post. This story is about walking […]
17Oct2015 | Gary Clark | 3 comments | Continued
Mr. Mullinax
I was once a young man, in a land far away. Well, about two miles from where I sit today. Methodist Hospital hired me as a Computer Operator three weeks before my first child was born. Actually, Larry Koch hired me – he was the Computer Operations Manager. His boss was John Mullinax. John was […]
13Oct2015 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
Sexting, The Secret Codes of Youth
I am right up front on this one. I had no idea. But this should come as no great surprise to anyone. Perhaps a degree of initial shock – but after some brief contemplation – not surprising. R U getting this? The coded language of texting and internet chatting had to contain sexual references. Sex […]
9Dec2014 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Sexting, The Secret Codes of Youth | Continued
“Let It Begin With Me”
Occasionally we hear quotes, slogans, sayings, something that seems innocuous on the surface, but resonates with wisdom upon further inspection. Al-Anon, a program for the families and friends of Alcoholics, has official slogans which are raised to the level of proverb, of wisdom, of scripture in the program. One such saying is “Let It Begin […]
8Dec2014 | Gary Clark | 4 comments | Continued
The Irony of Ohg Rea Tone – the Conflict of Ideology
Ohg Rea Tone struggles, like others who believe wholeheartedly in their own point of view. The simple twist of fate put Mr. Tone on the left side of most issues. Had the shoe of the other foot fallen a few millimeters to the right, Mr. Tone would sound the same, look the same, feel the […]
10Mar2014 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on The Irony of Ohg Rea Tone – the Conflict of Ideology | Continued
The Ressurection of Ohg Rea Tone
Ohg Tone and I have been friends for forty years. I first remember him when my oldest daughter was two years old. Ohg showed up and brought sarcastic humor into my family. As crude as he is – there is always a spark of humor. Ohg became a writer for thefiresidepost.com in 2007. After five […]
25Dec2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on The Ressurection of Ohg Rea Tone | Continued
Faith or Ideology – Checking Personal Morality
This guy “Francis, Pope” made some comments recently regarding Christian ideology. He must be famous or something because the internet is frying cables in dispensing his remarks. Who he is is not as important was what he said. I believe that words and ideas stand alone, regardless of who conjured them. Mr. Francis said something […]
10Dec2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Faith or Ideology – Checking Personal Morality | Continued
A Personal Fight With Social Injustice
Most of my adult life people have treated me as if I am particularly intelligent. Some have openly called me intellectual. My thought was usually that they were mistaken, that I am well read and speak well. When I take a shower and dress in a suit I present pretty well. I did not receive […]
5Dec2013 | Gary Clark | 3 comments | Continued
Why Bother With Grammar?
I write. But that does not mean that I write correctly. I am a college graduate, but that does not mean that I use proper grammar. I write intuitively – meaning that my sense of grammar drives my structure – and I am sometimes wrong. Any sophisticated endeavor requires both art and science. The late […]
4Dec2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Why Bother With Grammar? | Continued
Redneck Christmas Shopping
Sorry folks, this is no joke. There are redneck jokes, and those jokes work because they point out the lack of sophistication of a class of people. For instance, you might be a redneck if you go to family reunions looking for girls. Humor is found in the absurd, the ludicrous, the unexpected. Redneck jokes […]
1Dec2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Redneck Christmas Shopping | Continued
Mars conjunct Mars – A Friendly Warning
My friend of many years does the Astrology thing. My personal aversion to Astrology is less than my aversion to other more acceptable organized religions. My friend happens to test genius on IQ tests. He is also well educated with terminal degrees. He reads, he thinks, he ponders, he hikes mountains and canyons, his is […]
27Nov2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Mars conjunct Mars – A Friendly Warning | Continued
Job – More Fun With Christians
DarkMatter2525 has come through again. This time with the satirical interpretation of the Book of Job. The humor is blatant, the sarcasm unveiled, the truth challenged. My view is that these folks are doing a great service to humanity. Any healthy Christian faith must recognize the absurdity of the literal interpretation of the Bible. Comments […]
26Nov2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Job – More Fun With Christians | Continued
Bible Biology – Esau and Jacob
Bible biology is always a complex matter. If there were no complexities in bearing children (like a sterile woman) what use would we have of God? Take the case of Jacob and Esau. They would not exist without the intervention of a loving God. Well, one might have to understand that God is loving but […]
26Nov2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Bible Biology – Esau and Jacob | Continued
Climate Change Is About Rate Of Change And Individualism
We have argued before that climate change is about rate of change. Our planet has been as much as fourteen degrees hotter than our current temperatures and life flourished. Dinosaurs roamed the lush tropical forests of South Dakota. Scientists have known for years that we are not going to bake in the oven. The question […]
20Nov2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Climate Change Is About Rate Of Change And Individualism | Continued
Testing! Nuclear Testing! Guess How Many Nuclear Tests Have Been Conducted
Other than a few lost tribes in the Amazon people are aware of nuclear bombs. We know some things, like which countries have the capability, which countries want the capability, which countries we do not want to have the capability, and which countries have nuclear warheads mounted on intercontinental ballistic missiles. All scary things by […]
16Nov2013 | Gary Clark | 2 comments | Continued
For Miranda, A Special Granddaughter
Billy Collins is an inspirational modern poet. There is some amusing irony in this particular Colbert episode with Collins. Collins speaks to writing out of a ‘persona’. The irony is his interviewer is Colbert – a man who lives his life in a persona separate from himself. But this post is not about Colbert or […]
2Nov2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on For Miranda, A Special Granddaughter | Continued
“Life Has Killed The Dream I Dreamed”
Have you ever felt like Fantine? Remember her – that forlorn girl of Victor Hugo’s imagination? Hugo was a master of the forlorn, of les miserables. We live in an unfair world. That has been the case in my life – but life often favored me. My life was blessed with work and play, blessed […]
28Sep2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on “Life Has Killed The Dream I Dreamed” | Continued
Preparing For The Emotional Downtime of Winter
I am a sunshine guy. I much prefer hot weather to cold. With St. Joseph, Missouri, as my hometown my weather experience is of all extremes. Northwest Missouri is like that – the joke is this: If you don’t like Missouri weather wait a day and it will change. Being a sunshine guy does not […]
17Sep2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Preparing For The Emotional Downtime of Winter | Continued
Stupid Jokes From the Web
All of these jokes were taken directly from a facebook post. Enjoy. Recently, when I went to McDonald’s I saw on the menu that you could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets. I asked for a half dozen nuggets. ‘We don’t have half dozen nuggets,’ said the teenager at the counter. […]
6Sep2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Stupid Jokes From the Web | Continued
Self Pity Sarcasm
Generally speaking, sarcasm is toxic. Sarcasm poisons conversation, debate, and relationships. However!!! Once in a while sarcasm is an effective tool for dramatizing that which needs to change. Here are a few sarcastic comments on self-pity: The Pity Train has just derailed at the intersection of Suck it up and Move On, and crashed into […]
18Aug2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Self Pity Sarcasm | Continued
The Somber Occasion of An Abortion
My friend, Jubila, and I were having our daily debate about how smart we are as compared to the people with whom we disagree. Generally speaking my friend and I are thought of as liberals so it should not surprise anyone that we think highly of ourselves. Oh if life were so easy. It is […]
16Aug2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on The Somber Occasion of An Abortion | Continued
Comments on Co-Dependency – From a Friend’s Facebook Post
(Update for clarification on May 26, 2014. We recently heard a long time member of Al-Anon, the support program for family and friends of alcoholics, comment that she is not co-dependent. She said that she can be a bitch with or without the alcoholic. The point is that co-dependency is a therapeutic term – not […]
15Aug2013 | Gary Clark | 2 comments | Continued
Jesus For Dummies
Christianity has spread around the globe – or at least some version of Christianity. The question is: What is the correct truth? or perhaps: Is there a definitive truth? or: Is truth personal? A little background might help. For the purpose of limiting our discussion to Christianity we will start around 1500 C.E. There was […]
14Aug2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Jesus For Dummies | Continued
Emerging Ideas on Medical Marijuana – Rethinking the Bias
This writer has changed horses. I have been in the stable for awhile – uncertain of the future direction. The recent documentary by Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN provided a compass with true north as the central bearing. Marijuana is probably not as devastating as we once thought. Note the qualified ‘probably not as devastating’. […]
12Aug2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Emerging Ideas on Medical Marijuana – Rethinking the Bias | Continued
Random Humor From the Internet
I just took a leaflet out of my mailbox, informing me that I can have sex at 79. I’m so happy, because I live at number 71. So it’s not too far to walk home afterwards. And it’s the same side of the street. I don’t even have to cross the road! ~~~~~ Answering […]
6Aug2013 | Gary Clark | 2 comments | Continued
Drunk Jokes II
A drunk went to a police station wishing to speak with the burglar who had broken into his house the night before. “You’ll get your chance i court,” said the desk officer. “No, no, no!” said the man. “I want to know how he got into the house without waking my wife.” ************************************************************************************************** “My sponsor […]
5Aug2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Drunk Jokes II | Continued
Twenty Dollars for Sex
Rodney Dangerfield said he suggested he and his wife have sex like they did before they were married. She said, “OK, give me twenty dollars.” And from the net: On their wedding night, the young bride approached her new husband and asked for $20.00 for their first lovemaking encounter. In his highly aroused state, her […]
26Jul2013 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
Alcohol is Not a Truth Serum
My volunteer work takes me to the front lines of the war on addiction. Yesterday I was quietly minding my own business, in a place known for alcoholism traffic, when a staggering drunk passed by. Ron was a happy drunk. He laughed when he told the obvious, “I’m pretty drunk”. Personally, I don’t believe anyone […]
26Jul2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Alcohol is Not a Truth Serum | Continued
…The Fight Started —
My wife and I were watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while we were in bed. I turned to her and said, ‘Do you want to have Sex?’ ‘No,’ she answered. I then said, ‘Is that your final answer?’ … She didn’t even look at me this time, simply saying, ‘Yes..’ So I said, […]
19Jul2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on …The Fight Started — | Continued
Crude Jesus, Christmas, Church Jokes
JESUS: Jesus walks into a hotel. He hands the room clerk three nails and says, “Can you put me up for the night? I don’t care who you are, get back in the boat and help us row. I don’t care who you are, drop that cross one more time and you are out of […]
23Jun2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Crude Jesus, Christmas, Church Jokes | Continued
Jesus in Pencil
Art – That element of human communications dubiously defined by subjection. Kitch – that which we all know is scorned by people who identify themselves as artists – that is how we know it is kitch. Jesus – That man who changed the world. Apparently a historical figure, the likeness of Jesus has been debated […]
18Jun2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Jesus in Pencil | Continued
Government Intrusion Into Our Lives – Not What It Used to Be
The headline for this post is a little misleading. Our government has not changed so much as our attitude toward our government. I am a senior citizen and for as long as I can remember the mailman always read Dagwood Bumstead’s mail – well, the postcards anyway. The mailman often had some snide remark about […]
16Jun2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Government Intrusion Into Our Lives – Not What It Used to Be | Continued
Father’s Day – 2013 – Notes on My Father
My father was a tough guy – a product of both nature and nurture. His formal education consisted of six grades in elementary school. He landed on Omaha Beach at age 21, marched across France and Germany, earned six battle ribbons, a purple heart, and four bronze stars for valor. He worked thirty-six years […]
16Jun2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Father’s Day – 2013 – Notes on My Father | Continued
The Oddities of Genius
Have you ever known a genius? Genius is usually a word used to describe certain traits of intelligence. We might say a genius has a passion for learning and has unique processing capabilities. They generally show a creativity and intelligence beyond their peers. Some definitions are more fixed or measurable, like the score on an […]
15Jun2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on The Oddities of Genius | Continued