politics
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
Seichel – The Fourth Dimension
Seichel – a Yiddish word with a variety of meanings, a variety of definitions – but essentially implying wisdom. That may not help much in understanding seichel because the word “Wisdom” is not universally understood. My take is this: Wisdom is a state of being, a state of being that adds the fourth dimension to […]
15Jun2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Ron and Rand Paul are Dead Wrong
Son, Ron Paul brings an interesting perspective to the political conversation. He is wrong, Dead Wrong. Ron Paul does not understand the process of government. He does understand that there are serious problems with the manner in which our present Federal Government is being run. But that alone does not make him correct. I think […]
2Jun2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 9 comments | Continued
Please Don’t Profile My Pit Bull
Profiling is an act of discrimination. Discrimination is the act of stereotyping, of generalizing, of lumping all the coal in one bucket. There are laws in America against discrimination based on race, color, creed, gender, ethnicity, physical ability, mental ability, height, weight, and color of eyes. Anywhere discrimination exists the Federal Government is there to […]
28May2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Please Don’t Profile My Pit Bull | Continued
New Congressional By-laws To Change Government Process
Just about everyone in the United States agrees that there is a problem in Washington, D. C. Some blame the Democrats, some the Republicans. Some blame liberals, some conservatives. Anyone placing this sort of blame is a part of the problem. What the partisans fail to realize is that we are all on the same […]
19May2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
The Cat-Fighting Congress
What madness. Congress is in the process of grilling the Oil Executives on the catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. The Oil Executives are clearly blaming the other guy. No surprise there. But the astounding quality of these hearings is the hypocritical Congress pointing out the blame game being played by the Oil Industry. Check […]
12May2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Elana Kagan – Supreme Court Nominee (Editorial)
As the editor of thefiresidepost I am proud to support the President of the United State in most of his endeavors to help create a more perfect union. With that in mind we pass along to you some commentary from the White House on Elana Kagan, the Supreme Court nominee: President Obama announced this morning […]
10May2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Elana Kagan – Supreme Court Nominee (Editorial) | Continued
The Gulf Oil Spill is the Dust Bowl of the Gulf States
Another catastrophe of man made destruction has struck the Gulf of Mexico – threatening the coastal region with chaos. Chaos to both nature and human economics. One goofy GOP Congressman stated that nature would absorb the oil – not to worry. The Dust Bowl of the 1930’s ravaged the Midwest but nature eventually reclaimed the […]
10May2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
The Right to Privacy In America
With the imminent retirement of Justice Stevens another Justice will be appointed – by the President with advice and consent of the Senate. The Supreme Court is the third branch of government, charged with looking over the other two to insure the boundaries of the Constitution are not violated. This is no simple task in […]
9May2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Right to Privacy In America | Continued
Obama’s American Revolution – 2010
We are ready. We are ready for change. We are ready for a Revolution. The American people have already demonstrated a powerful desire for revolution. Witness the elections of 2006 and 2008. Democrats have registered to vote in historic numbers. Barack Obama – a relative unknown – won because he represented the best chance […]
9May2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Obama’s American Revolution – 2010 | 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
How Do We Characterize A Person As A Terrorist?
The recent bombing attempt in Times Square, in the middle of Manhattan, was a near miss for the United States. (And certainly for Saturday evening theater goers in New York). The bomb failed to discharge, an alert street vendor alerted police, a hastened search led to Faisal Shahzad, a 30-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen from Pakistan. […]
4May2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on How Do We Characterize A Person As A Terrorist? | Continued
The Threat of Fascism in 21st Century America
Fascism – a scary word. Most of us do not know what fascism means – we just feel certain it has something to do with a bad method of government or of economic systems. Fascism is a word like Communism or Socialism or Marxism – we don’t feel the need to understand the exact meaning […]
3May2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Threat of Fascism in 21st Century America | Continued
Legal Mexican Disguises To Avoid Arrest
There is a misconception across this country that Mexican-Americans in Arizona can be arrested for looking like a Mexican without a driver’s license. An arrest could happen – but there are measures, completely legal, to avoid unnecessary arrest. We recommend simple disguises to thwart the Sheriff and his Deputies. We begin with the standard Groucho […]
1May2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Missouri Bureaucracy Fumbles The Ball
Modern government is a real enigma, particularly in Missouri. 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 […]
30Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Missouri Bureaucracy Fumbles The Ball | Continued
Immigration – A Self Correcting Union
“We the People of the United States of America, in order to form a more perfect union…. ” The preamble to the Constitution of the United States does not claim perfection – but rather seeks a government format that can progress toward a more perfect union. The political label ‘progressive’ has been dissed for many […]
28Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Immigration – A Self Correcting Union | Continued
Was Sarah Pa-ling Born In China?
This just in from the Nomadic View: Sarah Palin was born in China. The evidence is mounting. Why did Sarah Pa-ling resign as Governor of Alaska? What are the residency requirements in Alaska? Just what is Sarah Pa-ling’s story? Pa-Ling was born in China – as the picture clearly proves. Watch her closely – do […]
28Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Was Sarah Pa-ling Born In China? | 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
The Problem With Liberals 1965 – 2010
After the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 the liberals of both parties felt emboldened. They were ready to challenge the fertile ground of poverty, aging, war, college education, and woman’s rights. These were and are noble issues. By some definitions the liberal movement of that era was quite successful. But there were some […]
26Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Problem With Liberals 1965 – 2010 | Continued
George W. Bush – Alone With His Thoughts
All or nothing! On Wall Street: On Foreign Affairs: Thoughts about New Orleans:
26Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Is Immigrant Synonymous with Criminal?
The solutions to the problem of immigration can only be effective if we understand the phenomenon for what it is. Immigration is a result of human trauma, of human oppression, of human rights violations, and of how people treat their neighbors.
24Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 4 comments | 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 Federal Government is BIG Because Locals Are Not Responsible
The big toot in the news today (and for the past forty year) has been anti-Big Government. Ronald Reagan swept the electorate on his charge that ‘Government is the problem.’ We have to ask why. Why has our Federal Government grown to such a behemoth? The answer is really quite simple – it is because […]
19Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Federal Government is BIG Because Locals Are Not Responsible | Continued
Regaining Respect for the Office of the Presidency.
We, in this country, have a proud history of respect for the office of the President. We rally around those who inspire us and lead us through troubled times. We have worked to separate the man from the office, and we have been successful in the past. There have always been jokes about the President, and comedians are supposed to push the envelope, to go where you don’t expect them to go. Something has changed, however, in the last decade. Where there was once reverence for the office and a certain degree of respect for the man in the White House, there is now complacency about the treatment of the Presidency. In previous generations, bad jokes about the President would have been met with a frown or, at best, a nervous chuckle. But today, the Presidency is the bread and butter of late night routines and gets only slightly better treatment in the mainstream media.
18Apr2010 | bryan | 3 comments | Continued
Patriotism in WWII Versus Today (Tea Party Patriotism)
How times have changed. After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in late 1941 America shifted gears. People payed their taxes as a patriotic duty. Food was rationed, rubber was rationed, gasoline was rationed. Men volunteered for the military – women volunteered to work in factories. Everyone contributed. So what is different today? Did someone attack America […]
16Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 5 comments | Continued
Politics – Individual or Team Sport
Way back in about 1970 the folks down the road in St. Joe, Mo, voted to have non-partisan politics for their City Council. So no one ran for office as a Democrat or a Republican – just interested community citizens. The idea was that partisanship caused too much bickering. The people in St. Joe wanted […]
15Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Politics – Individual or Team Sport | Continued
The Romantic Tax Protest – Where Is Zorro When You Need Him
The romantic hero, the person who fights the establishment, the archetype who defends the poor, who fights the tax collector, steals from the rich to give to the poor – Where is Zorro when you need him? Where are Robin Hood, The Three Musketeers, and Jesus – all great heroes who challenged the established norm? […]
14Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Romantic Tax Protest – Where Is Zorro When You Need Him | Continued
Tea Party Movement Based on Emotion – Not Political Ideology
There is a really sad truth about the Tea Party Movement. The majority of the protesters are not sophisticated political operatives. I know many of them personally. These are people who have lived the good American life – they worked and struggled, they saved some money, their children went to public schools, they drink cheap […]
14Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 5 comments | Continued
Obama To Appoint Tina Fey To Supreme Court
Have you ever actually read a Supreme Court ruling? Those stuffy old people are really boring. Most of us don’t get what they are talking about – so we are left to our politicians to interpret for us. That will no longer be the case when Obama appoints Tina Fey to the Supreme Court. Even […]
12Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Obama To Appoint Tina Fey To Supreme Court | Continued
Personal Experience With Tea Bag Mentality
This is a sad post for me to write. I live in northwest Missouri – in the isolated world of simple people relishing ignorance. The reverse discrimination against education and professionalism permeates the culture. My sadness surrounds my family – a people proud of being in the lower economic class. Most of them are adamant […]
12Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 30 comments | Continued
Social Solidarity in a Troubled World
When people suffer anxiety and fear, whether from physical insecurity, economic strife, or terrorism, they form what Robert Muchembled calls social solidarities. These systems of survival come in a variety of forms. Many folks form loose confraternities around causes: Global Warming, Abortion, Guns, Political Parties, Civil Rights, Feminism, Gay-Lesbian Rights, and even around faith based […]
7Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Social Solidarity in a Troubled World | Continued
Racists and Birthers Are Not Just Dim-Witted Rednecks
In 1776 immigration was unchecked in the American colonies. The people living here decided to form their own government and bypass the King’s tax man. Those folks wrote some rules that defined our form of Government and who was eligible to hold office. The President had to be a natural born citizen – meaning that […]
1Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Racists and Birthers Are Not Just Dim-Witted Rednecks | Continued
The Dark Art of Rovian Politics – Flavored With Threats of Violence
The campaign for Party control of our country has entered a troubling time. The GOP Camp is stirring the pot, adding the spice of violent threats, flavoring with acidic language, hoping for a secret potion. The stew is beginning to boil, steam is wafting, dark clouds forming, and the warlock is pleased. The dark arts […]
30Mar2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
Why Fear Matters
Al Quaeda, the terrorist organization founded and run by Osama Bin Laden, has set the standard of values for many of the radical right wing in America. Do unto others as they have done unto you seems the common refrain – a refrain based in fear. This is a remarkable mentality given two precepts […]
25Mar2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 7 comments | Continued
Tea Bag Protesters Encouraged by GOP Representatives
Warning to readers – the following videos are disgusting examples of free speech in America. Irony abounds when the Teabaggers claim that President Obama is pushing the country toward socialism, communism, Nazism, and totalitarianism. The United States of America is a Republic, governed by representatives of the people. The people elected President Obama and the […]
24Mar2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Tea Bag Protesters Encouraged by GOP Representatives | Continued
Limbaugh Republican Political Strategy Fails
One year has passed. Barack Obama is President. The Patron Saint of Republicans is Rush Limbaugh – and Rush Limbaugh called for the failure of the new President. The strategy was simple minded – block every legislative effort, force failure, then recapture the Congress in 2010, then the Presidency in 2012. The passage of the […]
23Mar2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
“…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