politics
Congress Jokes
The Democrat and the Republican Congressmen were arguing. One said, “I’ll bet you five dollars you do not even know the preamble to the Constitution. The other said, “I pledge allegiance to the United States….” The first interrupted and said, “I didn’t think you would know it,” and handed over five dollars. “He’s so conservative […]
3Jun2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Congress Jokes | Continued
Trash Talk – The Elixir of Human Life
My predecessor at thefiresidepost.com, Ohg Rea Tone, was entertaining – if not always correct. He slung sarcasm like a pig in a sty. Mr. Tone recognized the elixir of human life was trash talk. Those moments in life when humans harmoniously agree on everything are just the one minute break between rounds. We can tell […]
18May2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Trash Talk – The Elixir of Human Life | Continued
Nostalgia from the Left and the Right – Shallow Thinking Prevails
The baseball player was right about one thing – Nostalgia is not what it used to be. Rewriting history to favor any particular opinion is not new or unusual. What is different is the opportunities of expression. Social media, for example, allows for immediate dissemination of whatever nonsense is popular at the moment. Little effort […]
9May2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Nostalgia from the Left and the Right – Shallow Thinking Prevails | Continued
Corresponding With an Inmate in the Missouri Department of Corrections
Geez – corresponding with an inmate in the Missouri Department of Corrections can be very rewarding – and very frustrating. I am learning the rules as we go. My friend Joey is serving time for his fourth DWI. I do not dispute the sentence – DWI is a serious offense. Driving while intoxicated is responsible […]
1May2013 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
Prop 8 As A Catalyst For Positive Change
Irony is afoot. The latest polls show that there are now more Americans supporting Gay Marriage than before the turbulent reaction to California’s Proposition 8. Proposition 8 is a California initiative which denies the right of same sex couple to marry. I have to ask, “Why?” Why this swift change in ideology? What argument is […]
27Mar2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Prop 8 As A Catalyst For Positive Change | Continued
The Conumdrum of the 2nd Amendment in the Post Modern Era
We humans have crossed a threshold, a military threshold. When the Constitution and Bill of Rights were written there was an equality of arms between a ‘militia’ and any government. Governments of that era did have canons – but these were of limited mobility and accuracy. Most militia men living along the Potomac did not […]
5Mar2013 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
Military Priorities – Education, Health Care, and Golf
The Sequester is upon us. I just saw a feed on CNN that the military is going to cut back on military funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. One might think these nuts have their priorities out of whack. Anyone who talks revenue increases confine themselves to taxing the top 2% income bracket. But what about […]
28Feb2013 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
The Gun Control Debate is no Longer About Guns
The vitriolic language from the far right over Second Amendment rights tells a story beyond the fear of losing the right to a thirty round clip in the favorite 9mm semi-automatic hand gun. This debate is not about guns – this debate is about fear of government. That is one way to say it – […]
14Feb2013 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | ContinuedObama, Racism, And Gun Violence in South Chicago
A family buried their daughter today. 15 year old Hadiya Pendleton was killed earlier this week by that crazy phenomenon of irrational gun violence. Did I mention that Hidiva was black? Did we note she was killed on Chicago’s South Side – the epicenter of gun violence in new reports. This is tough to talk […]
9Feb2013 | Ohg Rea Tone | 4 comments | Continued
Gabrielle Giffords is a Real Champion
Wow, check out Gabrielle Giffords testifying before congress. The former Representative from Arizona was seriously wounded last year is one of those now obnoxious shootings that have come to be common in America. Ms. Giffords suffered extensive brain trauma when a bullet passed through her head. She has come to testify before Congress – to […]
30Jan2013 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Gabrielle Giffords is a Real Champion | Continued
Creepy Ad by drawtheline.org
My first take on this ad was that it was produced by some anti-abortion provocateur to discredit the celebration of 40 years since Roe V. Wade. This smooth talking black guy is offering a rose and a glass of wine as a toast to the judicial victory. I interpreted an image of Obama – clearly […]
24Jan2013 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Creepy Ad by drawtheline.org | Continued
Colbert and O’Reiley on Racial Insensitivity
Here is another great video from Colbert: The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
10Jan2013 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Colbert and O’Reiley on Racial Insensitivity | Continued
Lt. Gen. Boykin Conservative Video and Response
YIKES!!!! Check out the video and a response by a thoughtful man in Virginia. The following diatribe was cut from a conservative email floating around the country – this is an example oof how really crazy some people are – We are not talking about a healthy think-outside-the-box crazy – but dangerous crazy. Here […]
6Jan2013 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Lt. Gen. Boykin Conservative Video and Response | Continued
15 Amp Rovian Politics
Lee Atwater and Karl Rove can take credit for the partisanship of America’s 21st Century politics. By playing on the ignorance of the masses, the lack of critical thinking, the fears, the prejudices, and the perverted glory people find in righteous indignation at the expense of others – Atwater and Rove changed the face of […]
3Oct2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
The Crusades of the Religious Fundamentalists
The 21st Century is shaping up much like that of a thousand years past. A few Muslims poked us in the eye and all of our kinfolk came out of the woods to defend our honor – something like that. We do not intend in any way to suggest the the horrid attacks on our […]
2Oct2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
When The State Fails To Protect The Citizens
Long ago, in a less complicated time, my family lived in a quiet neighborhood. The homes were close together in that old neighborhood. This was not suburbia. The lots of the Harris Addition were fifty feet wide and one hundred and fifty feet deep. The depth was measured from the street to the alley. Our […]
4Aug2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on When The State Fails To Protect The Citizens | Continued
Old Women Talk and Gay Marriage
My mother is eighty-five years old. She has been living alone the past two months after my father, her husband of sixty-three years, passed away. She asked me to help refinish her dining room table – and what are you gonna’ do? So I sanded and polished while she sat and talked. I was surprised […]
7May2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 8 comments | Continued
Drop Secret Service Protection, Arm The Candidates
FOX News is making a big toot about a recent law that bans protesting within a certain distance from anyone who is protected by the Secret Service. FOX is proud to note that “Obama signed the Law” – as if the President acts alone in passing laws. The Republican House passed the law. The Democratic […]
22Apr2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
An Open Letter To Obama Haters
Once again my friend Herb Shane has posted something on facebook that is so well done that I am compelled to cut and paste it into a post on this site. Thanks Herb. Open letter to the Obama Haters: To your distress, for most of the rest of your life, you will bear this: […]
11Apr2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 8 comments | Continued
Atticus Finch Killed A Dog!
Is context important? Atticus Finch was a lawyer who defended a black man charged with raping a white woman. The locals were pretty angry with Atticus. And angry people will do just about anything to discredit the perceived source of their unhappiness. Imagine the headlines in the morning paper after Atticus shot the rabid dog. […]
10Apr2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Atticus Finch Killed A Dog! | Continued
George Carlin on the GOP of 2012
He may not be a saint in the eyes of all – but George Carlin has a way of getting to the truth. Carling strikes quickly. He is accurate and very precise. So why do working people continue to vote to support corporate greed?
6Apr2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on George Carlin on the GOP of 2012 | Continued
Profiling the Usual Suspects – We Are All Guilty
The facts are not yet clear. They are muddled more every day by people with agendas who leak information. One thing is certain – everyone with a comment about Trayvon Martin’s death has an opinion based on limited data. It seems the profiling did not end with the assessment by the neighborhood watch man accused […]
29Mar2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Profiling the Usual Suspects – We Are All Guilty | Continued
Trayvon Martin – Racism – and the Media Message
We live in difficult times. The murder of Trayvon Martin in Florida has refocused our Nation’s conscience on racism. After a month of media review it appears that the murderer, George Zimmerman, was an over zealous wannabee-police-officer neighborhood watchman. Zimmerman was looking for his chance to be a hero. He saw a young black man […]
24Mar2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Trayvon Martin – Racism – and the Media Message | Continued
80 Miles Per Hour – Republican Math
One of the people in this car is a Republican. There is clear Republican math being used. If we cut taxes we will reduce our revenue thus we will not hove as much money and so our debt will go down. The Republicans must have different size tires on their car. Video: Woman can't explain […]
21Mar2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
“…a false sense of urgency.”
We are worn out from GOP primary fatigue. Is that redundant? Doctor John Sharp, Harvard Medical School psychiatrist and author of The Emotional Challenge, recently said, “…fatigue dis-emboldens us.” The 21st Century has proven to be fast and furious. War is present. Facebook dominates. Ipad, ipod, smart phones, wi if, financial upheaval – economic uncertainty, […]
13Mar2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on “…a false sense of urgency.” | Continued
Save Yourself – Then Pull Up the Ladder
It is not in the nature of man to escape danger and then abandon fellow humans who face the same danger. We see examples in every war of courageous self sacrifice to rescue fellow soldiers. We often see firefighters or police officers risk their own safety to help others. The idea works well at an […]
8Mar2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
“…Universal Masculine Purity” – The Conservative Ideal
Are we ready to return to the morale of Victorian England? It was the age of ‘class structure’. It was the age of male domination. It was the age of female submission. It was the age of child labor in textile mills. It was the age of long work days and poor health and nutrition. […]
29Feb2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on “…Universal Masculine Purity” – The Conservative Ideal | Continued
Santorum – The George McGovern of the GOP?
1972 was a desperate year for liberals. Civil Rights Acts were passed, anti Viet Nam protesting succeeded, Martin Luther King was gone, Robert F. Kennedy was gone, Richard Nixon was steamrolling with the Kissinger detente, women’s rights were on the table – and desperation to regain the White House led to fanatical overdoses of liberalism […]
14Feb2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
The Passion of Gun Lovers and Pit Bulls
Gun lovers can sure be passionate. We might have used the word fanatical – but that word has negative connotations. Is it possible to be passionate about guns and not be fanatical? Yes. Is it possible to be passionate about anything and not be fanatical? Yes. I wrote a post last week titled The Phenomenon of Modern Guns. That post instigated a healthy debate by gun lovers – and leads directly to this diatribe of values examination.
11Feb2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 13 comments | Continued
The Coming Culture of Mean-Spirited Dissent
Mean-spirited dissent has replaced statesmanship as a guiding principle. The maddening downward spiral of political retribution has become the norm. The madness is magnified and given inertia in direct correlation to the speed of modern communications and the unleashing of vast amounts of money in SuperPacs. There is no time for thoughtful reflection. Every encounter […]
29Jan2012 | Ohg Rea Tone | 4 comments | Continued
Traditional Conservatives – An Oxymoron
There was a time when to say someone was conservative was to say that they were invested in healthy tradition. Change for the sake of change was a foolish notion. In the world of the twenty-first century the conservatives have changed the meaning to something more like: Progress for the sake of Progress is a […]
5Nov2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
NFL Dispute – Three Parties: Owners, Players, Public
The NFL Labor dispute is really aggravating. Such a labor dispute might be none of our business – except we the public are heavily invested in the NFL. There are times in our history when labor disputes have so directly impacted the public at large that our government has been forced to intervene. Think of […]
24May2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on NFL Dispute – Three Parties: Owners, Players, Public | Continued
A Lax Regulatory Culture
Law, regulation, rules, structure, order, justice, fairness, equality – whatever we call the excretion of government – some of us will agree and some will not. From the Code of Hammurabi to the speed limits in Punkin Center, Missouri, rules have given structure and order to the culture of mankind. Hammurabi, as noted in the […]
23Apr2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Birther Bullstuff, Obama, Trump
Donald Trump with Meridith Vieira – This episode is a tragedy of American Journalism. Vieira let Trump ramble around without challenge. NBC should step up, as a network that claims professional journalism, and correct this travesty of justice. It is a travesty because millions of people get their world view from the NBC Today Show […]
7Apr2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Treachery On The Trail To The Presidency
Every four years scores of people venture out on the trail to the Presidency. Ultimately only one will finish the journey – will reach the goal. There is danger at every turn. One false step and the candidacy can be doomed. Some recover from a slip or a slide – some perish, dashed on the […]
26Mar2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Treachery On The Trail To The Presidency | Continued
From Egypt To Wisconsin – Protests Were Inevitable
Form the earliest times of humans organizing into tribes the leaders were aware of simple realities: Throw a few crumbs to the masses – enough to feed their children – and you could stay in power. Deny the masses and suffer protest and eventual stripping of power. Government leaders across the globe – from Egypt […]
20Feb2011 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
In 1993 Former President Clinton and the 103rd Congress implemented Title 10,654 otherwise known as the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. While there was some resistance, this was a great way to get bipartisan support on a delicate issue. With every bill passed there will always be an inherent flaw, but for the most part […]
27Nov2010 | Cole James | 1 comment | Continued
Respecting Farmer John, And Others With Whom We Disagree
The political climate in 2010 America makes for tough friendships. Actually, the problem rests with widespread, instantaneous information that is neither accurate nor useful. We at thefiresidepost.com write opinion. We are right up front about our process. We do not uncover secret plots by Muslims breeding like rabbits and take over the world by shear […]
14Oct2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Respecting Farmer John, And Others With Whom We Disagree | Continued
Moms For Motherhood Denied By GOP
President Obama was mocking the variety of wacko groups springing up as ethical family values organizations. The President noted a fictitious group he called Moms For Motherhood. He immediately qualified that he just made up the name. We think the President cleverly used sarcasm to denounce the most recent scam of political operatives. We […]
8Oct2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | 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
Americans For Big Government
Ohg Rea Tone has been tapped as the new President and CEO of Americans for Larger Government. We are building our mailing list and support network. Please subscribe to this issues of thefiresidepost.com by clicking above on “what is a subscription,” then enter your email address in the space provided. You will receive any updates […]
6Sep2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Muslim Rednecks
I know a bunch of Rednecks. They live in my neighborhood and gather at my family functions. Their language is unique, something like Ebonics but with a twang. There are not many Muslims around Northwest Missouri – or at least they don’t publicly admit to their faith. About a hundred years ago regular Catholics did […]
25Aug2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Inside The Minds of Rednecks – And Consequences
I recently had breakfast and invested my Saturday morning with a Redneck. It was not his idea. My truck needed repair and I wanted a sure fix. A sure fix that did not cost me a bundle of anxiety and an empty pocket book. (Pocket Book is a funny term). I’ll call my Redneck friend […]
24Aug2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 29 comments | Continued
Searching for Honesty and Integrity in Nationally Known Politicians
Sometimes I just write satire, or just sarcasm. The folly of national politics seems somehow unworthy of serious commentary. But however foolish the politicians seem – the business of our government is serious. Real people are directly and immediately impacted by political decisions. Real wars are fought. Real soldiers die. Real debt is incurred. Generations […]
16Aug2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Hello, My Name is John Boehner And I Am An Addicted Politician
Oh! My! GOD! I said it. I actually accepted responsibility for my atrocious public service. I am an addicted politician. Like many others I thought I could control myself. My hopes for the future of my golf game depended on my control over my tan – but again, vanity won and here I am. I […]
9Aug2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 10 comments | Continued
Americans Against Illegal Immigration
Ohg Rea Tone has been tapped as the new President and CEO of Americans Against Illegal Immigration. We are building our mailing list and support network. Please subscribe to this issue of thefiresidepost.com by clicking above on “what is a subscription,” then enter your email address in the space provided. You will receive any updates […]
6Aug2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Americans Against Illegal Immigration | Continued
Americans for Support of Our Troops
Ohg Rea Tone has been tapped as the new President and CEO of Americans for Support of Our Troops. We are building our mailing list and support network. Please subscribe to this issue of thefiresidepost.com by clicking above on “what is a subscription,” then enter your email address in the space provided. You will receive […]
6Aug2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Americans for Support of Our Troops | Continued
Americans for Christian Islam
Ohg Rea Tone has been tapped as the new President and CEO of Americans for Christian Islam. We are building our mailing list and support network. Please subscribe to this issue of thefiresidepost.com by clicking above on “what is a subscription,” then enter your email address in the space provided. You will receive any updates […]
6Aug2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Americans for Christian Islam | Continued
Religious Tolerance Is An Oxy-Moron, Let The Spitting Begin
It seems the very definition of religion would deny tolerance. What are some words that are synonymous with religion? Superstition? Superhuman? Faith? Grace? Devotion? Ritual? Or phrases: Fundamental set of beliefs? A Particular set of beliefs? Ritual observance of faith? Strict faithfulness? Deep conviction? Which of these words or phrases represent tolerance? None! The inherent […]
4Aug2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Religious Tolerance Is An Oxy-Moron, Let The Spitting Begin | Continued
A Soldier’s Funeral, A Sour War
We Americans should never forget the cost of War. And the death of a soldier warrants more than an incremental ticker on Page Two B
22Jul2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued