Life
Nebraska Mall Shooting
Son, Another tragedy in America, this time in Nebraska. A nineteen-year-young man walked into a mall with his step-father’s assault rifle and killed eight people before killing himself. The young man had a troubled life; the state estimated that it had invested $265,000 on his previous ‘treatment.’ This is not the first troubled youth to […]
9Dec2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Nebraska Mall Shooting | Continued
The Mormon Bible – and Mitt Romney
Son, Mitt Romney has said that he will ‘put his hand on the Bible” and take the oath of office. My question is simple, which Bible is he going to put his hand on? I think it is a fair question – he is taking an oath to defend you and me, your children and […]
7Dec2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 6 comments | Continued
The politics of admitting mistakes
Son, Several candidates for President have long histories. Many of them have run for other offices like Senator, or Governor, or Mayor. In the process of seeking those offices they necessarily catered to the limited population of their respective ambitions. Romney and Giuliani were pro-choice. Giuliani has been married three times. Huckabee raised taxes. Clinton […]
4Dec2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The politics of admitting mistakes | Continued
Bush, bewildering logic
Son, President Bush is live on TV as I write. “Iran was dangerous. Iran is dangerous. Iran will be dangerous if they have the ability to have nukular weapons. Who is to say that they don’t have a covert operation to have a nukular program” This in response to a new finding by the National […]
4Dec2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Bush, bewildering logic | Continued
Mom sings the doo doo song
Son, Your Grandma is a character. She is aging and has lost some of her height. When she was in her thirties she was almost five foot tall, but not quite. As she ages she is getting shorter. There were seven children in my family, my father worked two jobs outside the home and my […]
2Dec2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Mom sings the doo doo song | Continued
Gays and Aids, A Connection?
Son, The HIV virus is non-discriminatory. It does not care about your race, creed, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. Sadly, many people have viewed the result of HIV, AIDS, as largely a phenomenon of gay sex. Why? When AIDS hit the scene in the early 1980’s it was predominantly in the gay men community – […]
2Dec2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Gays and Aids, A Connection? | Continued
Imus and Sharpton – still haggling
Son, Good for Don Imus. He has overcome adversity and is returning to the Radio airways. I am not an Imus kind of guy – I may be a smart-alack like him – but our philosophies are different. But this is not about me – it is about redemption from the pettiness of Al Sharpton. […]
2Dec2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Imus and Sharpton – still haggling | Continued
The Alamo – The Tigers get no respect
Son, There is a big game tonight in college football. You know that I am only a casual observer of college sports – but even casual observers have to take note of this game. The Missouri Tigers haven’t won a conference football championship since 1969. They were not even ranked when this season started. Today […]
1Dec2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Alamo – The Tigers get no respect | Continued
Republican CNN YouTube Debate – November 28
Son, A new event is happening in America. The CNN YouTube Presidential Debate. I am skeptical but hopeful. I remember the first televised debate between Kennedy and Nixon in 1960. That event ushered in a new technology – we are seeing another. I’ll try to keep up. A question to Giuliani on Immigration – the […]
29Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Republican CNN YouTube Debate – November 28 | Continued
Oprah and Barack – transcending race
Son, A curious phenomenon is taking place. Oprah Winfrey is going on the stump for Barack Obama. So what? It is not unusual for celebrities to endorse candidates for political office. But this phenomenon is unusual, for several reasons. Oprah does not normally do this. Oprah has been on television for 25 years and has […]
26Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Oprah and Barack – transcending race | Continued
Media Hosts fail as Celebrities
Son, A tragedy has befallen American Journalism. Cable and satellite feeds have created monster celebrities in the field of journalism. Everyone wants to be Walter Cronkite. The problem is that hey have not earned the stature. Wolf Blitzer, Chris Matthews, Tim Russert, Bill O’Reilly, Shawn Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, to name a few. These people have […]
25Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Media Hosts fail as Celebrities | Continued
Mizzou – Show Me State heroes
Son, This was a big night in Missouri. The MU Tigers are going to the first Big 12 Championship Game in their history. They managed a win over the formidable Kansas Jayhawks. When I say managed, I mean that they took a forceful early lead and then managed the game. I don’t think the general […]
25Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Maslow and dumpster diving
Son, Abraham Maslow was something of a management scientist. He published a work in 1943 describing a ‘hierarchy of needs’ which he used to describe human motivation. Dumpster diving is generally thought of as meeting the basic need of subsistence. For this reason dumpster diving is considered a function of the poor, the homeless, […]
24Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Step 9 – Justice
Son, Step Nine of Twelve is very clear. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. We are talking about Justice. Justice is not easy. This concept seems reasonable and most of us believe that we are fair and honorable people. But many of us […]
23Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Step 9 – Justice | Continued
Border Wars – MU and KU
Son, Many years have passed since that last great border wars between Missouri and Kansas. The previous height of conflict was 150 some years ago. The United States Civil War smashed the last barriers of civility and the borders were on fire. Today’s conflict will be settled, we hope, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. […]
22Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Border Wars – MU and KU | Continued
Exercise – jog-a-long in the snow
Son, I just did my first winter jog-a-long of the season. It is 30 degrees outside with a wind chill index of twenty degrees. The wind is from the north and there is mixed snow and rain. The snow is sticking on the grass but not on the pavement. I have not made this sort […]
22Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Exercise – jog-a-long in the snow | Continued
Dumpster Diving to save the world.
Son, What is dumpster diving? That depends on perspective. Are you the diver or the divee? (The divee is the business that fills the dumpster with ‘waste.’) Everyone in our country should slow down for a day or two and reflect on our use and abuse of our material wealth. The size of our economy […]
21Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Old ladies and dumpsters
Son, Our discussions about dumpster diving is cause for reflection. Cause to reflect back to the 1950’s, when I was a boy. How times have changed. I remember when I was a child, my mother’s Aunt Ann was in her fifties when her husband died. They had no children. Aunt Ann was that slobbery mouth […]
21Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
Of Mental Illness, church, and family
Son I wrote recently about depression. Meriwether Lewis was my inspiration – a man of undaunted courage who also suffered from depression. As noted, my case is mild, requiring a daily mental and physical discipline to keep all systems balanced. The discipline also requires staying connected socially. After all, at our primitive core, we are […]
21Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Of Mental Illness, church, and family | Continued
Step 8 – Responsibility
Son, Step Eight of Twelve is where the rubber begins to hit the road. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. The essential character trait is Responsibility. In the process of working these steps our candidate for sanity has already done a ‘fearless moral […]
18Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Step 8 – Responsibility | Continued
MU and KU – Show me the money
Son, A very big event is unfolding for Missouri and Kansas. The 2007 Thanksgiving weekend in Kansas City is unfurling a Super Bowl event. The MU and KU football programs are meeting at Arrowhead Stadium for bragging rights. But this is much more than just bragging rights. This is about very BIG money. Ka-Ching. Ka-Ching, […]
18Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on MU and KU – Show me the money | Continued
Who is Lindsay Lohan?
Son, I was in a Blockbuster Video Store the other day, rummaging around in the pre-viewed movies. Much to my joy I found a DVD titled A Prairie Home Companion. Garrison Keillor has been one of my favorite entertainers for twenty years, and the price of the previously viewed movie was right – so I […]
17Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Who is Lindsay Lohan? | Continued
Step 7 – Humility
Son, Step Seven of Twelve is the essence of the entire program. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. The essential character trait is Humility. Without humility adversity will overwhelm us. But first, some clarity about what humility is – and what it is not. Humility is actually a very healthy self-esteem. Humility recognizes that […]
16Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Step 7 – Humility | Continued
Democratic Debate – November 15
Son, The debate is on. Again, I will try to capture what is happening as it happens- sometimes this works – sometimes I should just go to bed. The commentators – Senator Clinton must reassert her self as the leader. They have to clarify their positions on Iraq and Iran. Campbell Brown – It will […]
16Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Alcoholism and Drug Addiction – diseases
Son, Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, is a disease. The Fireside Post has many articles on addiction. We should be clear that we are talking about a pandemic disease. Here are some sticking points – is addiction self induced? Is addiction merely criminal behavior? Is addiction a moral dilemma – a sin of Biblical proportions? The answer […]
15Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction – diseases | Continued
Step 4 – Courage
Son, Step Four of twelve is a big boy – the success of this step takes nothing short of courage. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Addiction causes problems, no argument here. The problems are generally beyond what the addict understands. But the addict knows that to look closely at self means […]
15Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Step 4 – Courage | Continued
Step 5 – Integrity
Son, Step Five of twelve is a big boy – Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs. “Confession is an ancient discipline,” according to the AA 12 x 12. We are not talking about a Sunday chat during half time of the Chiefs Game. Addiction steals […]
15Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Step 5 – Integrity | Continued
Step 6 – Willingness
Son, Step Six of twelve is an exercise in attitude, separating the men from the boys – Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. The essential character trait is willingness. This encompasses everything essential for spiritual growth. The wording is challenging, the thought process even more so. Check it out: […]
15Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Step 6 – Willingness | Continued
Funny Quotes from a friend
Son, I have some goofy friends and they occasionally send me some goofy stuff. It is a slow news day so I thought – what the heck – share this with our readers. Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself: “Lillian, you should have remained a virgin.” — Lillian Carter (mother […]
14Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Funny Quotes from a friend | Continued
marrying robots: what are the down sides?
Dad, I read an article recently on MSN about a guy who wants to legalize marriages between humans and robots. He thinks he has a chance in Massachusetts. I think that this is a great idea. Too long have we been restricted to marrying one another. Even Gay Marriage, so controversial, is restrictive in that […]
14Nov2007 | bryan | Comments Off on marrying robots: what are the down sides? | Continued
Step 3 – Faith
Son, Step Three of twelve begins a mental discipline. Made a decision to turn our will and life over to the care of God as we understood him. So three frogs are sitting on a log, one decides to jump in. How many frogs are on the log? Three – he made a decision – […]
13Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Step 3 – Faith | Continued
Step 2 – Hope
Son, Step Two of twelve states clearly – and with confidence: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. That is a mouthful, especially after the brutality of Step One. They tell us we are powerless – not much hope there. And our lives are unmanageable – if that […]
13Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Step 2 – Hope | Continued
Step 1 – Honesty
Son, Step One of 12 Step Programs states simply: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol (insert your own problem), that our lives had become unmanageable. I have said before that there are consequences to belief systems. Well, what would be the consequence of believing that you had become powerless, that your life had become […]
13Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Step 1 – Honesty | Continued
Hyperbolic Jesus
Dad, I have been described, with flattery and contempt, as inflammatory and as one who lends himself to exaggeration. I have never given this much credence, because I know that the only thing I know for a fact is that I know almost no facts. In college I made great marks from listening to lectures […]
13Nov2007 | bryan | Comments Off on Hyperbolic Jesus | Continued
Exercise – the age factor
Son, I was out walking again today. My brain almost refuses to accept the age of my body. “Come on,” the brain says, ” if you had not been so lazy you would not be in this mess.” My body argues in return, “You are Management, production has lagged because of inept management.” I feel […]
12Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
12 Step Programs – maturing over time
Son, The Alcoholics Anonymous movement was off and running with the publication of their basic text, ‘Alcoholics Anonymous.’ This text has taken on biblical proportions within the movement and is referred to affectionately as the Big Book. The movement spread throughout Ohio and to New York City. In 1938 John D. Rockefeller gave the movement […]
12Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on 12 Step Programs – maturing over time | Continued
12 Step Programs, the beginning of A.A.
Son, Let’s talk about 12 Step Programs, Treatment Modalities, personal tantrums, drug addiction, the criminal paradigm, and hope for the future. You have entered a world of faith, a particular faith. My response is one of a pleased parent. Your choice of a mainstream denomination pleases me. A 12 step program accepts a variety of […]
12Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on 12 Step Programs, the beginning of A.A. | Continued
Exercising back to health
Son, When I was 30 years old I ran a 15K race organized by our local Parks Department. They also had a 5K and a 10K run simultaneously. The reason for a 15K was because that was the distance between the North Side Park and the South Side Park, traveling along the parkway. 15 kilometers […]
10Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Exercising back to health | Continued
“Amen”, and “You got that right”
Son, We have written about motivational speaking, the ministry, teaching, and political stump speeches. They are not much different. At least not from the presenter’s point of view. Every successful presenter must read and react to his or her audience. In a recent post you wrote about going to see Hillary Clinton at Simpson College […]
10Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on “Amen”, and “You got that right” | Continued
Hillary Clinton at Simpson College
Dad, Last weekend I went to Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa to attend a weekend class. On Saturday, I was in the building next to the gymnasium where Hillary was to give her speech. I slipped out of class and went to watch. She is a dynamic speaker and a brilliant politician. When she came […]
9Nov2007 | bryan | Comments Off on Hillary Clinton at Simpson College | Continued
I walked today – and I was careful
Son, This chronicling my new found attempt to get into shape has not gotten off to the start I had hoped for. There are bumps in the road of new exercise programs. Particularly if one has lived a sedentary life for about five years – and has begun the steep descent into the depths of […]
9Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Hate Crimes, revisiting the Jena 6
Son, Some people have responded in a rather angry fashion to a post I wrote on hate crimes. Some people really oppose the idea of hate crimes. But we use descriptive words like ‘hate’ to further identify and segregate a number of offenses. When a man beats his wife – it is not just assault […]
9Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Hate Crimes, revisiting the Jena 6 | Continued
Going for a walk – I hope
Son, I have been sick all week. After my strenuous walk last week – the violation of self thing – I became ill. I canceled all of my planned exercise for the week while I recuperated. Yesterday I thought that perhaps I had a minor heart attack while exercising. I thought I might have been […]
9Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Going for a walk – I hope | Continued
Podcasts
Occasionally Bryan likes to put a podcast together. Here is our work to date: the fireside chat -episode 001
6Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Government up side down
Son, My friends call me a liberal. That is because I live in a small town in the midwest where everyone hates hate crimes, and anyone who supports them. There is a real dichotomy in the lexicon of liberal and conservative. I am opposed to the Federal Government having more power of surveillance on the […]
5Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Government up side down | Continued
Exercise – violation of self
Son, As you know, I have been trying to get back into shape – just one more time in my life. My age plays a role and I do not yet understand that role. My brain thinks I am 30 years old – my body is not cooperating. The last five years has seen me […]
4Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Immigration
The Fireside is an online magazine. Here are some articles on immigration: Where is Woody Guthrie? Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform Immigration – Underground Railroad English – a Mandatory Language Closed Borders – Unworthy Immigrants Dead Immigrants
4Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Immigration | Continued
Blogging – Journalism with attitude
Son, This morning, Sunday, November 4. 2007, CNN’s Reliable Sources is having a discussion on blogging. You and I have been grappling with the issues of blogging and journalism for months. The professional journalists on CNN all write blogs. It seems the major news outlets are beginning to embrace the world of blogging. What are […]
4Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Blogging – Journalism with attitude | Continued
The Jesuits at Sillary – imposing culture
Son, Sometimes we are a little hard on contemporary Christian fundamentalists. We don’t like their aggressive evangelism – their attempts to force their culture on us. That is a statement of perspective – their perspective might be that they are trying to save us from going to hell. Christianity has as rich history of abusing […]
3Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Jesuits at Sillary – imposing culture | Continued
Walk Fast, Run Slow – but exercise
I am beginning my third month of irregular exercise. It is irregular because I get going pretty good and then I over do it. Then I have to take extra days off to heal. My brain will not cooperate – it thinks my body is young and healthy and strong. The memories of two-hour racquetball […]
2Nov2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued