Category:Featured | The Fireside Post
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Featured

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Obama Holds U. S. Military Accountable

President Obama announced a few days ago that he was sending 30,000 more America troops to Afghanistan.  They will be supplemented with around 10,000 NATO troops.  That meets the leaked request from the military.  But the President gave the Generals some goals to meet.  That is very appropriate. A bunch of blowhard senators  (John McCain […]

3Dec2009 | | Comments Off on Obama Holds U. S. Military Accountable | Continued
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The Necessity of a Public Trail For Terrorists

Five terrorists are being brought to New York from Gitmo to be tried for masterminding the assault on the World Trade Center in on 911.   This trial must not only happen – it must be very public. Court sanctioned evidence must be presented and tested.  Guilty or innocent – the trial must go on. The […]

23Nov2009 | | Comments Off on The Necessity of a Public Trail For Terrorists | Continued
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Nobel Prize for Audacity of Hope

President Barack Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  Some ask why.  What has he done.  He has been the President for a mere nine months.  Wars continue.  The economy struggles.  The Middle East continues to defy peace.  What has President Obama done? President Obama has inspired a future of hope, a future of […]

9Oct2009 | | 1 comment | Continued
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President Obama Is Not Like Other Liberals

President Obama is not in the same league, the same class, the same stratus as the rest of us liberal thinkers.   The rest of us enjoy a good old fashioned fight.  President Obama seems to steer clear of roughhousing.   Who does he think he is – the President? Keith Olberman loves a food fight.  If […]

6Oct2009 | | Comments Off on President Obama Is Not Like Other Liberals | Continued
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Jon Stewart – We Need A Public Option

Jon Stewart demonstrates again why the Daily Show garners more Emmy wins than the other shows in their category.  The writing is brilliant and Stewart pulls off the theatrics.   The health care debate happening in our Congress has degenerated into a lame excuse for legislative action. Polls show that 65% of the population want a […]

1Oct2009 | | 1 comment | Continued
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Delonte West, Bi-Polar Cavalier Carries Guns

Dimemag.com has an interesting and misleading story about Delonte West, that wacko white guy playing basketball for the Cavaliers.   West claims problems with Bi-Polar disorder.  Here is the deal, there are millions of people with Bi-Polar and they never carry guns.  The story begins with this: On Friday when the news broke that Delonte West […]

22Sep2009 | | 7 comments | Continued
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GOP McCarthyism in 2009

Here is a montage of video clips comparing the rhetoric of 2009 right wing proponents with Senator Joe McCarthy.  This is a must see for those who continue to support the far right.

21Sep2009 | | Comments Off on GOP McCarthyism in 2009 | Continued
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America Deserves Truth About “Tea Parties”

Tea Party leader Mark Williams was on CNN on September 14, 2009.  He is nuts and anyone who follows him is nuts too. Anderson Cooper hosts a respectable program with balanced perspective.  His regular guests include Reagan insider David Gergen and Clinton insider James Carville.  Here is an excerpt from the interview with Mark Williams: […]

15Sep2009 | | Comments Off on America Deserves Truth About “Tea Parties” | Continued
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A Personal Reflection On Ted Kennedy

In 1988 I was serving on the Professional Consultation Committee (PCC) of a local hospital.  The PCC was a citizen advisory board to the Department of Spiritual Health with a staff of Clinical Pastoral Educators.  More simply put, our committee assisted the hospital chaplains.  1988 was the year Michael Dukakis ran as the Democratic nominee […]

26Aug2009 | | Comments Off on A Personal Reflection On Ted Kennedy | Continued
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The Conscience Clause, Death Panels, and Health Care Reform

The idea of legalizing a medical conscience for Health Care providers originated with the debate around abortion.  The idea was simple enough: If a physician was morally opposed to abortion, he should be allowed to follow his conscious.  Fair enough.  But the conscience clause evolved under the Bush Administration, growing nasty tentacles of religious dogma. […]

14Aug2009 | | 1 comment | Continued
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Of Weight Gain and Aging – No Excuses Please

It seems like decades past that I attended a class in college on Physical Activity.  Actually, it was only about forty or fifty years ago.  I remember talking about height and weight, about charts and graphs, and about the relevance of somatotype.  Now, decades later, I am wondering about the relevance of young adult measurements […]

10Aug2009 | | 4 comments | Continued
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“…Anger Can Blind Human Vision…” – Malcolm X

The Elijah Muhammad’s of 21st Century America are found in the right wing radio personalities and in the fringe of the Republican Party. People like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter, and the entire FOX media system. These are people who use distortion of reality to ferment, distill, and bottle the anger of misguided masses. They sell their potions of angry snake oil from the backs of their wagons every day. They have but one target – any form of civil progress as debated and negotiated by our representative Government.

7Aug2009 | | 3 comments | Continued
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The Rat In The Corner – Iran, Health Care, etc.

To paraphrase Henry Kissinger:  Never back a rat in to a corner – he will come out fighting.  Always leave your opponent an escape route – a means by which they can save face.  President Obama recently used a phrase much as this when referring to Iran.  He said something like, “We are trying to […]

10Jul2009 | | 3 comments | Continued
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Marketing War to Children

At a Fourth of July carnival last weekend, I was pushing our double stroller and sweating to the tinny sound of bad music while my children begged their grandparents for tickets to ride the Ferris Wheel. I was looking around and considering the impact that these events have on my children, since I remember being naively fond of them when I was young. It was almost as though things came into focus all of a sudden when I realized that about half of the games and vendors and rides had guns.

9Jul2009 | | Comments Off on Marketing War to Children | Continued
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Celebrity Medicine, The AMA, Ethics, and Health Care Reform

What is going on with medical practitioners and celebrities?  Michael Jackson is just the latest in an ever increasing list of celebrities who have died at the hands of their enabling medical doctors.  Where is the American Medical Association (AMA) on this issue?  Is the AMA the go-to-guy for advice on health care reform? This […]

29Jun2009 | | 1 comment | Continued
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Michael Jackson, Legendary Hero or Villian

Michael Jackson is dead at age 50.  Already the hype has taken over the airways.  Even in death Jackson continues to shock the sensibilities of the entire populace, fans and foes.  Farrah Faucett died today at age 62 – no offense intended but Farrah has been bumped off the news cycle.  Michael Jackson was as […]

25Jun2009 | | 2 comments | Continued
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Is Ten Percent Too Much For Health Care?

President Obama is having his fourth news conference as I type.  He is suggesting health care will cost us ten percent of our national budget if we do not gain control over costs.  Is that a bad thing?  How do we measure the health of our population against other priorities? When President Eisenhower left office […]

23Jun2009 | | 1 comment | Continued
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Tobacco Legislation – Save Our Children

President Obama signed legislation today placing tobacco under the authority of the Food and Drug Administration.  Well, finally!.  Nicotine is a drug; a very powerful drug.  Nicotine should be regulated, as much as heroine or cocaine or methamphetimines. Actually, regulation is not the correct word, or correct response to nicotine.  Nicotine has an addiction rate […]

22Jun2009 | | 2 comments | Continued
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Tehran, Iran, is not Birmingham, Alabama

Riots erupt.  The police respond.  Riot gear is employed with relish.  The authorities are determined to quell the violence – determined to stop the demonstrators.  Unwittingly – it is the authority of government that is the source of the violence.  But Tehran, Iran, is not Birmingham, Alabama. Limited access to actual events on the ground […]

20Jun2009 | | Comments Off on Tehran, Iran, is not Birmingham, Alabama | Continued
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Obama Apologies – Appropriate? Or Not?

Does President Obama apologize unnecessarily for America?   President Obama faces the world with legitimate humility, humbled by the embarrassment of the past administration.  President Obama is working hard to remove the plank from our own eye before trying to remove the splinter from adversaries.   We live in a harsh and brutal world, a world of […]

18Jun2009 | | Comments Off on Obama Apologies – Appropriate? Or Not? | Continued
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Confirmed As A Friend – Social Networking

Friends.  What a wonderful concept.  Everyone hopes to have at least one.  There are actually psychological studies affirming the value of friendship.  That affirmation comes with caveats – such as your friend has to actually like you for who you are.  Cyber friendships on social networking sites bring all of the joys and pitfalls of […]

11Jun2009 | | 4 comments | Continued
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Of Fear, Faith, and Foreign Affairs

Fear and faith do not live in the same home.  The word ‘faith’ conjures images of peace of mind, hope for the future, for the fellowship of man.  Faith speaks to the lion lying with the lamb – and the lamb can sleep with both eyes closed.  Fear exists in a troubled mind, a troubled […]

5Jun2009 | | 1 comment | Continued
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The Seven Points of Obama’s Cairo Speech

United States President Barack Obama is carrying the dove of peace.  The dove is in a cage, surrounded by the guards of ignorance, prejudice, deep anger, and fear.  President Obama would like to release the dove – but he knows he must first educate the guards.  The President is in the middle east, holding the […]

4Jun2009 | | 2 comments | Continued
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Christian Sponsored Terrorism

The Associated Press has composed a list of recent abortion-related violence.  As an aside, we find their headline rather ironic – because it suggests the violence is a result of abortion.  But more important than the headline are the facts of fundamentalist Christian violence (we prefer to call this behavior Christian Terrorism). We have written […]

1Jun2009 | | 3 comments | Continued
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The Rise And Fall of 20th Century Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism is always reactionary, always combative, always fearful, and often militant.  The term originated with American Protestantism and gained momentum in the early 20th Century, but may now be aptly applied to a variety of religions and politics.  According to Merriam-Webster fundamentalism is “a movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set […]

28May2009 | | 4 comments | Continued
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Cheney Is Afraid Of The Rule Of Law

Dick Cheney is speaking this morning, again.  But this time he is not being interviewed – he is giving a prepared speech.  His words are designed to discredit the President of the United States – something he abhorred when his President was in office.  Cheney continues to manipulate information to suit his needs – we […]

21May2009 | | 1 comment | Continued
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Obama’s Notre Dame Speech

Thank you, Father Jenkins for that generous introduction. You are doing an outstanding job as president of this fine institution, and your continued and courageous commitment to honest, thoughtful dialogue is an inspiration to us all. Good afternoon Father Hesburgh, Notre Dame trustees, faculty, family, friends, and the class of 2009. I am honored to […]

17May2009 | | 1 comment | Continued
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The Radical Right’s One Per Cent Solution

We have recently done a series of posts, with progressive concern, about the danger posed to this country by the Extreme Radical Right Wing.   What is the Radical Right Wing?  If we are to believe the media ratings companies like Nielsen – and we look at the ratings for Rush Limbaugh and Shawn Hannity – […]

16May2009 | | 2 comments | Continued
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Liberal Blog Proud of President Obama

We are proud of our President.  And we are considered by the radical right to be far left liberals.  But President Obama has thrown some change-up shots across home plate.  We used to say, “Never throw a change-up to a weak hitter.”   The weak hitters are swinging like lunatics at some of President Obama’s policy […]

15May2009 | | 2 comments | Continued
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Boy “Scouts Train to Fight Terrorists…”

The New York Times has a stunning article in their May 13 edition on the Explorer Boy Scout Program.  The Explorer Program has twelve specific areas of training – training youth for future careers.  Who can argue with that?  The Times is reporting on a new Explorer Program to train youth to fight terrorism and […]

14May2009 | | 5 comments | Continued
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Just Keep On Walking

Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal writer and former GOP speech writer, is an occasional guest on Morning Joe.  A couple of weeks ago the topic of the day was torture.  American torture.  American torture of others – America committing war crimes as defined by the Geneva Convention.  We wring our hands, questioning – What to […]

8May2009 | | 2 comments | Continued
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Swine Flu, Pandemics, and Paid Sick Leave

Fast forward to the swine flu – and other possible contageous diseases that might one day strike at the heart of America. The Center for Disease Control is advising people to stay home from work if they are sick. But the financial burden of a sick day has been transferred to the employee – taking a sick leave in today’s work world means loss of potential income – or more accurately – a loss of future income.

3May2009 | | 1 comment | Continued
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Political Candidates as Supreme Court Justices

Justice David Souter is rumored to be retiring from the Supreme Court.  Appointed by President George H. W. Bush, Souter has surprised everyone with his more liberal perspective on the constitution.  There will be pressure on President Obama to appoint a woman or a Hispanic – political pressure is always present. President Bush the First […]

30Apr2009 | | Comments Off on Political Candidates as Supreme Court Justices | Continued
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The Conservative Manifesto For American Bloodshed

The deceptive elements of evil are alive and well within the right wing conservative movement. These people worship at the alter of false Reaganism. They quote Reagan as an opponent of government, when the obvious fact is that Ronald Reagan was the head of the government. The right wing of the early 21st Century distorts the words of President Reagan to serve their own evil purpose. Ronald Reagan NEVER advocated an armed revolution against the United States of America.

29Apr2009 | | Comments Off on The Conservative Manifesto For American Bloodshed | Continued
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Arlen Spector Switches Political Parties

Senator Arlen Spector, a long time Republican from Pennsylvania, is reported to be poised to switch political parties.  Senator Spector has always been his own man, not necessarily following party lines.  (Don’t we all wish there were more of these types of politicians).  The powerful punch of this news rests in the power structure of […]

28Apr2009 | | 1 comment | Continued
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Radical Fanatics Are A Threat To America’s Safety

There is not a nickel’s worth of difference between the Left Wing Radicals of the 1960’s and contemporary Right Wing Radical fanatics. Both groups talk of revolution. Both groups oppose the government of The United States of America. Both groups have representatives who intentionally terrorize America. Both groups are responsible for the fear and hate and divisiveness that grips our country in troubled times.

27Apr2009 | | 7 comments | Continued
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John Denver on Global Warming

John Denver was one of the most popular folk singers of the late 20th Century. He had the capacity to resonate with each of us – even folks in the big cities loved his music. Denver spoke to a harmony with nature, to the love of nature, to respect for nature.  What would John Denver […]

27Apr2009 | | Comments Off on John Denver on Global Warming | Continued
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The Two-Edged Sword of Justice

President Obama demonstrates his wisdom. He is reluctant to pursue charges against Bush administration officials for possible war crimes conducted during their ‘war on terror.’ Justice is a funny thing – and the Constitutional Lawyer in Barack Obama speaks to him of justice – but his maturity speaks to him of the bitterness of vengeance.

23Apr2009 | | 2 comments | Continued
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Obama and Nixon – Greeting Nasty People

President Barack Obama recently attended the Summit of the Americas. While there he met that Venezuela wacko President Chavez. President Obama has been criticized by the conservative media for his graciousness in the face of evil. We do not dispute the atrocious behavior of Chavez – but we would remind all that diplomacy is not always easy – and being gracious in the face of nasty people is difficult. Here are a few examples in recent history.

20Apr2009 | | 5 comments | Continued
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Feral Children – Raised by Republicans

New opportunities for scientific research into nature and nurture continue to present themselves. At issue today, after thirty years of degenerate evolution of the Republican Party, is the social and intellectual skills of feral children raised by Republicans.

There are common traits now understood by anthropologists. The commonality originates in a nurturing environment of isolation, confinement, and strict conformity toharsh rule.

Warning to Readers – this post shifts from humor to very serious and graphic depictions of human behavior.

19Apr2009 | | Comments Off on Feral Children – Raised by Republicans | Continued
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The NRA Supports Mexican Drug Cartels

It is the law of unintended consequences at its most maddening extreme.  In their asinine attempt to keep all forms of arms available, with the least regulation or restriction, the Nation Rifle Association has made heavy weapons available to the Mexican Drug Cartels. We don’t have enough James Bonds around to control the bad guys. […]

16Apr2009 | | 1 comment | Continued
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Indicting George Bush for War Crimes

This writer is convinced that our former President, George W. Bush, committed war crimes. Specifically, the President authorized torture by water boarding and other means of interrogation – in violation of the Geneva Convention. Our country is a country of law. Situational justifying the breaking of law is a common defense in the lower courts. It does not work there – and it should not work for the President. But our life is more complicated in 2009.

16Apr2009 | | 8 comments | Continued
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Fact, Fiction, Science, and the Story of God

Understanding science and the way that we interact with our world is valuable information, and speculating on the specifics of the stories if the Bible are valuable to a deeper understanding of their significance. We have to admit, however, that there will always be an element that we cannot explain, and that we have a choice every day whether or not we accept that unexplained part as the mystery and power of the story, or shrug it off as a delusion of the minds of men.

9Apr2009 | | Comments Off on Fact, Fiction, Science, and the Story of God | Continued
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The Phenomenon of Modern Guns

My age is classified in the category of Senior. Does that by itself suggest anything about my understanding of modern guns? No, it does not. Just checking for any preconceived bias. By chance I have owned guns in one form or another for about 35 years. In 1976 I shot Marksman on a police combat course with a four inch stainless steel Ruger Security Six 357 Magnum. That was a mouthful, but it points out that modern guns are very different than the arms defined in the 2nd Amendment. And that was 35 years ago. Modern guns of the 21st Century are just plain scary.

7Apr2009 | | 24 comments | Continued
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Mr. Gates Goes to Washington (Again)

Yesterday, Secretary Gates took his place in the new administration as an agent for change and an advocate for a more responsible approach to our defense budget. Strangely enough, the supposed champions of fiscal responsibility have been the first to cry foul.

7Apr2009 | | Comments Off on Mr. Gates Goes to Washington (Again) | Continued
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Does Our Economic Attitude Matter? A Hole in the Bucket.

Well, they (whoever they is) measure consumer confidence. What do you suppose that is about? Consumer confidence is a measurement of the confidence people have about their ability to sustain their life style – in a manner of speaking. The consequence of positive attitude is that people will spend their money because they have confidence that more is coming. Negative consumer confidence implies that people will not spend their money. Attitude does matter. Gratitude rhymes with attitude for a reason.

7Apr2009 | | Comments Off on Does Our Economic Attitude Matter? A Hole in the Bucket. | Continued
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Sunday Is For Religion, Tuesday Is For Politics

We obviously have a system that promotes a separation of Church and State. The week begins with Sunday at Church – then we take a day to cool off and return to a mentality of sanity, so we can go vote. Most elections are held on the first Tuesday of November or April. Church is always on Sunday, no matter which month. And that is how America works – faithfully keeping religion separate from politics.

5Apr2009 | | 3 comments | Continued
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Michelle Obama, The New Princess Di

President Obama and the First Lady, Michelle Obama, have taken the stage in Europe.  While the G-20 Summit frames the visit by the American President, Michelle Obama has become an iconic presence.  Like Princess Diana of Great Britain, Mrs. Obama is known for her compassion, style, charisma – and her high  profile marriage. The public […]

3Apr2009 | | 3 comments | Continued
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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 | | 2 comments | Continued
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Obama’s War – Afghanistan

At what point does President Obama assume responsibility for a war?  Is accepting responsibility for the war the same thing as owning the war?  When does any President ‘own’ a war?  This is a curious talking point for the 24/7 news media.  Historically, we generally do not tag our Presidents as owners of wars that […]

28Mar2009 | | 2 comments | Continued