Government
The First Family – Obama’s are Marital Inspiration
President Obama and First Lady Michelle are celebrating Women’s History Month. The kicked off the month with a White House gathering of women from the Girl Scouts to local Georgetown groups. We find their intriguing presentation more than the typical political theater – the Obama’s are an inspiration to harmony in marriage. Check this out: […]
9Mar2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The First Family – Obama’s are Marital Inspiration | Continued
Dick Cheney’s Pre-Existing Condition
To say that a snow storm in Washington D. C. proves there is no global warming is like saying that Dick Cheney received good health care proves there is no need for health care reform. Cheney has had five heart attacks – the first when he was in his late thirties. He has changed jobs […]
25Feb2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Dick Cheney’s Pre-Existing Condition | Continued
Canadians Have ‘Canadian Style’ Health System
What does it mean to have a Canadian Style Health System. Steven Colbert has managed to qualify the distinct differences between health care in the United States and health care in Canada. Republican House leader John Boehner would have us believe the Canadians are a bunch of socialists who deny their children their basic human […]
23Feb2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Canadians Have ‘Canadian Style’ Health System | Continued
Glen Beck is the Disease in America
Glen Beck has topped himself. He somehow has managed to equate evolution with progressive politics. His comparison of revolution to evolution is totally insane – but the real fear is the platform given to him by the ‘conservative movement’ in America. These folks think they are carrying out Ronald Reagan’s vision – but Ronald Reagan […]
23Feb2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Glen Beck is the Disease in America | Continued
Huckabee with Michelle Obama
Governor Mike Huckabee is a real gentleman – too bad he is also a wacky fundamentalist Christian and works with the yellow journalists at FOX News. His interview with the First Lady was enduring. It seems Huckabee understands that Michell Obama is the First Lady – she is not the President. Huckabee correctly follows a […]
21Feb2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Huckabee with Michelle Obama | Continued
Angry Electorate Kicks the Family Dog
Many are ready to condemn the President. People are hurt – and are responding with anger. Any good anger management program teaches how to best focus or direct the anger. The classic story concerns the frustrated employee who comes home at night and kicks the family dog.
17Feb2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
How to Lose a Political Majority in Ten Months
This past decade should have taught the politicians in Washington D. C. a thing or two about how to lose a majority in Congress. The shenanigans on the hill are just not well tolerated by the voting public. Each of the two dominant political parties have won and lost majorities by foolish political wrangling. Did […]
15Feb2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on How to Lose a Political Majority in Ten Months | Continued
Political Party Custom and Nature
World War Two in Europe was winding down. There was talk of an armistice – a mutually agreeable peace treaty. The allies, Soviet, English, and American, called for an unconditional surrender – there would be no armistice. Some criticized ‘unconditional’ as too severe. These terms seem to apply to the current atmosphere in Washington D. […]
13Feb2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Political Party Custom and Nature | Continued
“Democracy is no Harlot…”
The 2010 Tea Party shenanigans are dangerous. They use the name “Tea Party” to denote an affiliation with the historical Boston Tea Party that preceded the American Revolution. The Boston Tea Party was a direct revolt against King George’s tax on imported tea – taxation without representation. This modern version bears little resemblance to the […]
12Feb2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Angry At Government – Or Just Angry
The word ‘angry’ is being thrown around with loose abandon. Editorials across the free press note the ‘anger of the voters.’ There is legitimate anger. But there is also illegitimate anger. Does legitimacy make any difference? Is anger the same whether legitimate or not? Is an angry voter a rational voter? The essence of anger […]
12Feb2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Angry At Government – Or Just Angry | 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
Obama meets House Republican Conference 1/29/10
President Obama is a very unusual man. He has a striking intelligence – nothing really special about this – there are a lot of smart people. There are lawyers and Medical Doctors and PH.D’s in the House and Senate. Our Government is well populated with intelligence. What strikes us about Obama is his phenomenal patience.
30Jan2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Obama meets House Republican Conference 1/29/10 | Continued
Is A Partisan America About to Lose The Future?
Petty squabbling is consuming The United States Government. There is gridlock on Capital Hill. It appears that most people in Congress are running for reelection in 2010 and their message is to blame the other party. Is this leadership? Is this the solution to the mounting problems of America? We need only to look back […]
29Jan2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Partisanship – Conflicting Opinions or Theological Hatred?
Churchill negotiated a settlement in a Catholic/Protestant Ireland in the 1920’s. He later said that he knew he had been fair because neither party was happy with the results. It seems to us that we can know President Obama has been fair and non-partisan because both the left and the right are protesting his policies.
28Jan2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Partisanship – Conflicting Opinions or Theological Hatred? | Continued
Make Hay While The Sun Shines
The Democrats thought the sun was shining. The election of 2008 swept the Democrats back into power in Washington D.C. – or so they thought. It now appears that Washington is not so different than Punkin Center, Missouri. Here in Punkin Center we live and die by old sayings. The relevant saying aptly applied to […]
26Jan2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Make Hay While The Sun Shines | Continued
Really Tired of Liberal Complaining
It is just me – or has the left wing of the liberal loonies gone completely Rovian. You surely remember Karl Rove – the master of negative Rovian Politics (RP’s). Liberal wackos like Arianna Huffington and Ed Shultz are taking their cues from Mr. Rove. In rural Missouri parlance it is called: Bitch! Bitch! Bitch! […]
28Dec2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
A Personal Note From President Obama on Christmas Eve
This personal note came in the form of an email. I was surprised because I was not aware the President had my email address – usually he just sends a text message. Anyway, I felt compelled to share the message. Merry Christmas all. Ohg — Although it’s Christmas Eve, I wanted to share some exciting […]
24Dec2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
The Humble Process of a Confident Barack Obama
President Obama is a confident man, a humble man who does not always have to be right. President Obama easily accepts the input of others – he seeks the input of others.
23Dec2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Humble Process of a Confident Barack Obama | Continued
Obama’s Oslo Noble Prize Speech 2-10-09
President Obama has accepted the Nobel Peace Prize with a historic speech delivered in a time of war. We present here the video and the full text: Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Distinguished Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, citizens of America, and citizens of the world: I receive this honor with deep gratitude and […]
10Dec2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Obama’s Oslo Noble Prize Speech 2-10-09 | Continued
“the shifting sands of charity… the firm bedrock of law”
Winston Churchill was a young man of twenty two when he gave his first political speech. He referenced the Government’s Workmen’s Compensation Bill before the Parliament in England. “He said the bill, ‘removed the question from the shifting sands of charity and placed it on the firm bedrock of law‘.” (Churchill: A Life, by Gilbert, […]
10Dec2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on “the shifting sands of charity… the firm bedrock of law” | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Obama Holds U. S. Military Accountable | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Necessity of a Public Trail For Terrorists | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on President Obama Is Not Like Other Liberals | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | 7 comments | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on GOP McCarthyism in 2009 | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on America Deserves Truth About “Tea Parties” | Continued
The Image of God, Health and Fitness for Seniors
Man was made, we can all agree on that. Man grows old, we can all agree on that. Some say we were made out of a lump of clay, some say we swung down from trees to walk upright. In any case, here we are. What is our image, how do we present ourselves, and […]
14Sep2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Image of God, Health and Fitness for Seniors | Continued
Letterman on Bush, McCain, Palin, and Clinton
David Letterman is taking over late night television. With this monologue, it is easy to see why. His writers are superb, and Letterman knows how to tell a joke. Is this merely a case of art reflecting reality – or are these just jokes?
28Aug2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Letterman on Bush, McCain, Palin, and Clinton | 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
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on A Personal Reflection On Ted Kennedy | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | 4 comments | Continued
“…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 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Obama Apologies – Appropriate? Or Not? | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Obama Speech in Cairo, Egypt 6-4-09
President Obama spoke in Cairo, Egypt. The text of the speech follows the video. I am honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo, and to be hosted by two remarkable institutions. For over a thousand years, Al-Azhar has stood as a beacon of Islamic learning, and for over a century, Cairo University has […]
4Jun2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Obama Speech in Cairo, Egypt 6-4-09 | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | 4 comments | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Obama on National Security, Text and Video, 5-21-09
We are proud of our President for being mature, honest, moral, and non partisan. President Obama continues to do as he said he would do – he looks for practical solutions while protecting our safety and the integrity of this great nation: Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy Remarks […]
21May2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Real ID’s: Why Are We Frustrated With Government
Modern government is a real enigma. We all agree that we need government, but we all want “the gov’ment” to leave us alone. In many ways conservative and liberals are alike – no one wants big brother government – but everyone wants equality and protection. Everyone hates bureaucracy – but everyone also has their pet […]
20May2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Health Care Distortions by Conservatives
The Conservatives For Patients Rights (CPR) proudly defines four ‘pillars of patient’s rights.’ These rights are: Choice, Competition, Accountability, and Personal Responsibility. This group defines the basic application of these rights in the following video. We do not disagree with the four principles, but we take exception to the interpretation. Watch the video and we […]
17May2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
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 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued