Life
Dick Cheney, misunderestimating power
Son, I wrote in another post on Dick Cheney’s view of the power of the Presidency. I was essentially reporting and summarizing a program on PBS Frontline. twelve hours have passed and some thoughts have bubbled to the surface. Dick Cheney has been around a long time. He was present in the Nixon Administration and […]
17Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Dick Cheney, misunderestimating power | Continued
Dave Ramsey, meet Joel Osteen
Son, We have talked several times about Dave Ramsey, monetary guru of Christianity. I have been wandering around the Dave Ramsey Web site and I see a great deal of information on debt management, how to get out of debt, and how to stay out of debt. This man is important in America today. I […]
17Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 12 comments | Continued
Cheney’s Law – Frontline on PBS
Son, The power of the presidency. Vice President Dick Cheney has been working for three decades, often behind closed doors, to validate the President as the ultimate and last authority over the executive branch. Some of his friends claim that he has changed since September 11, 2201. The commentator on the PBS program Frontline reports […]
17Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Cheney’s Law – Frontline on PBS | Continued
cloth diapers…
Dad, My wife and I have flirted with cloth diapers for a long time. We had some that our mother-in-law gave to us when our daughter was born, but all we had were the safety pins and old plastic diaper covers from about the middle of last century. After having a dirty diaper in my […]
17Oct2007 | bryan | Comments Off on cloth diapers… | Continued
United Way – uniting community?
Son, There are many social service agencies in all communities that compete for the limited local dollars available. The imperative of local communities is that they respect the dollars donated and use these dollars wisely. The United Way was formulated, I think in the 1960’s, to offer the synergy of cooperation among social service agencies. […]
16Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
life with no TV (or TV with no life)
Dad, As you know, my wife and I don’t watch much television. In fact, we have only one small TV and it is only connected to the VCR and DVD player in our bedroom. Our living room has no television, and the chairs are arranged so that when you are sitting in that room you […]
16Oct2007 | bryan | 3 comments | Continued
Parenting – the baby wipe metaphor
Son, I just read your great post on making your own baby wipes. You and your wife are examples of what parenting should be. The baby wipes are but one manifestation of parental love – that outward sign of parents who put real energy into their children. Parenting takes energy. Good parenting comes to life […]
16Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Parenting – the baby wipe metaphor | Continued
Abortion – conflicting messages
Son, I just saw President Bush on TV stating that he believes, “…health care should be private because medical decisions should be between the patient and their doctor…” Whoa – Where did I hear that before? I don’t think the President was aware of what he was saying. President Bush just presented the fundamental argument […]
16Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
home made baby wipes…
Dad, My wife and i have been making our own diaper wipes for a few years now. I love that they have no alcohol in them, and that we don’t have to buy packaged wipes and throw away the wrapper every time we run out of wipes. They are also biodegradable and can be flushed. […]
16Oct2007 | bryan | 2 comments | Continued
President Bush – inspiring talk
Son, I am watching a live broadcast of President Bush talking in a town-hall style format. He is on a roll and is actually doing a pretty good job. I don’t seem him like this very often. He just said, with force, vigor, and even some charisma, (I can’t type fast enough so I’ll have […]
15Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Collecting on Soviet Debt – adventures in email
Son, Do you like the title. It is a come-on. Wal Mart would call it a loss leader. Anything to get the customer in the door. So this is really about getting someone to come look at us, and I’ll try to work in something about the Soviet Union to validate the title. It struck […]
15Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Collecting on Soviet Debt – adventures in email | Continued
Writing, Blogging, Journalism
Son, I am trying to get this sorted out in my own mind – so I’ll just think out loud right here. Writing has many forms, creative, essay, informative, technical, and business to name a few. Each form has a function. With creative writing we expect to see plenty of colorful adjectives expounding on the […]
14Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
KU Fans – don’t know any!
Son, The KU Jayhawks are on a roll. Downhill. They are picking up steam but their train isn’t pulling any freight. They ain’t nobody. They haven’t played nobody. No freight, no load, no body. I don’t know any KU Fans but before I run into any, and they will becoming out of the woodwork like […]
14Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on KU Fans – don’t know any! | Continued
European immigrants wanted to own property
Son, The idea of owning property is a value brought by the early illegal European immigrants to this country. Jamestown was founded on trade – the idea of making money. By the time of the European migration to this continent all of the land in Europe was taken. If land was not inherited, it could […]
13Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on European immigrants wanted to own property | Continued
Revelation – Oracle of the Bible
Son, I have been mildly amused at the seriousness with which some take the Book of Revelation in the Bible – the oracle of Christianity. Earlier manuscripts called it The Apocalypse of John. Apocalypse is sometimes translated Revelation in English. It begins, The revelation of Jesus Christ, unto his servant John… It is a book […]
13Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Revelation – Oracle of the Bible | Continued
Blogging – Breaking Rules of Journalism
Son, We are in a time in history of rapid change; and some folks don’t like it. They don’t like it because change often requires challenging, if not breaking, established rules and protocols. Bloggers are struggling to get the respect of the professional journalist community. I think that is a mistake. I am not interested […]
13Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
renting vs. buying
Dad, My wife and I have been talking about our plans for the future, and the issue of buying property has come up, as it usually does when we have this conversation. We are comfortable with renting, and we have come to that place through a long process of evaluating our lifestyle. We do not […]
13Oct2007 | bryan | Comments Off on renting vs. buying | Continued
Chris Dodd – White Hare
Dad, I have been spending some time looking at Chris Dodd. I like his demeanor and his politics. He has a lot to offer and I think that I would like to see Barack as his VP on the ticket. It is early, and I am looking around, and I am influenced and intrigued by […]
13Oct2007 | bryan | Comments Off on Chris Dodd – White Hare | Continued
Blogging in China
Son, So I have been blogging with you for less than two months. Actually, I never read a blog before two months ago. But I think of myself today as a blogger. I write things and I watch the statistics. It is about 2:00 on Friday afternoon. There has been about a three hour lull […]
12Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Blogging in China | Continued
Al Gore or Gandhi?
Dad, Like all of his other supporters, I would like to congratulate Al Gore on winning the Nobel Peace Prize. He has big shoes to fill. On February 2, 1977, Jimmy Carter addressed the nation in a cardigan sweater and asked us all to do our part and turn down our thermostat and wear a […]
12Oct2007 | bryan | 2 comments | Continued
Cowboy Diplomacy and noblesse oblige
Son, Noblesse Oblige – the idea that nobility carries with it obligation. The idea is as old as Tunk’s Mountain. The term is French and it means the ‘obligation of the Nobility.’ History has shown that when the Noble Class fails to share the wealth with the people, the people will ultimately revolt. The American […]
12Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Al Gore – Ozone Man
Son, The sweet smell of vindication. Time will ultimately tell the truth. Al Gore has been awarded the Nobel Prize for his lifetime achievement in bringing the issue of Global Warming to the attention of humanity. In 1992 Al Gore was a Vice Presidential Candidate, running with Bill Clinton on the Democratic ticket. They were […]
12Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Al Gore – Ozone Man | Continued
Sabre Rattling – a necessary evil?
Son, Is there any evil that is necessary, that is somehow justified? The problem is in the definition of evil. Evil is a complex concept – debated by the intelligencia. Let’s reduce the idea to something more simple, focusing on one element. It is not evil to be clear about consequences. Actually – it would […]
12Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Sabre Rattling – a necessary evil? | Continued
The Al Gore Situation,
Dad, I think that I agree with you about the Al Gore situation. I would be interested to see him in action in another presidential race, but I think that it is a long shot. Even on the environmental issue, he has a lot of questions to answer, but I would tune in for the […]
12Oct2007 | bryan | Comments Off on The Al Gore Situation, | Continued
Father Guido Sarducci, an American Priest
Son, I was watching some old news clips on television and they had this Priest from the late 1970’s. He was giving a sermon on how God keeps a tally in our lives. He has a sort of Italian accent but I think he must be second generation immigrant because he capably introduces capitalist ideology […]
12Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Father Guido Sarducci, an American Priest | Continued
Al Gore – political Tea Leaves
Son, There are people who would like for Al Gore to run for President again. Tomorrow the Nobel Prize committee will announce their selections and Al Gore is a nominee. He is attracting some attention for sure. There is an active Draft Al Gore movement. I happened to be watching a couple of Hollywood Awards […]
12Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
Serenity Prayer – full version
Son, What has become known as the Serenity Prayer was actually written by a protestant minister in 1934. Reinhold Niebuhr wrote the prayer as a routine closing for a Sunday Sermon. The Prayer has been condensed and cleansed of the reference to Jesus. This was useful to use the prayer as a method of inclusiveness. […]
11Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Obama – The Soul of Black Folk – Incarnated.
Son, You are young and you support Barack Obama. The elder statesmen of politics dismiss Obama for that very reason – only the young and inexperienced support him – but what do they know? Young people do not have the experience of time – so you are left to your intuitive hope and faith for […]
11Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
The Bible – faith, truth, knowledge?
Son, So we have been talking about faith and truth and knowledge. Let’s put this discussion this in context. For one to say, “I know the Exodus out of Egypt is true because the Bible says so,” is , by the definition of the word know, a position that must be defended with facts beyond […]
10Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Bible – faith, truth, knowledge? | Continued
Truth – an understanding
Son, We talked about faith and knowledge – there is another confusing word TRUTH. Let us begin with an example: Ptolemy postulated about 200 CE. that the Sun and the stars rotated around the earth. This became the known truth for about 1700 years. It was a very convenient scientific truth because it fit the […]
10Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Faith and Knowledge – differences
Son, You and I talk often about faith. It struck me that perhaps we are getting mixed up on semantics. Faith and knowledge are different things. Knowledge requires proof, faith does not. There is a new show on television with Jeff Foxworthy as the host. It is called, “Are you smarter than a 5th grader?” […]
10Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
Bill Maher and Chuck Hagel…
Dad, I was watching this clip this morning from Bill Maher: I like Chuck Hagel – he strikes me as an individual who is not influenced by political pressures to cater to the party’s wishes. I think that he probably is not running because he knows that he does not conform enough to win a […]
10Oct2007 | bryan | Comments Off on Bill Maher and Chuck Hagel… | Continued
Bill Maher on Morning Joe
Son, I am listening to MSNBC’s Morning Joe. Bill Maher will be on, but first a few comments about last evening’s Republican debate. How did Fred Thompson do? Joe says ‘…you would expect him to be more prepared.” He didn’t make any major mistakes and that is a good thing. I watched the debate and […]
10Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
The Republican Debate – 8:00 PM CST – today
Son, I am watching the Republican debate and hope to sort something out – here they go, I’ll grab what grabs me: Fred Thompson stumbles out of the gate with a crafted answer – his pause reflected a person unsure, and afraid he might make a mistake. Afraid he would fluke out of the spelling […]
10Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Dates in Black History, 1875 – 1925
Son, I am cleaning my office and found some old notes from college. I have written recently about racism and thought these significant dates might be enlightening. 1875 – Civil Rights Act – dealt with public accommodation. 1877 – The end of Reconstruction. 1883 – Supreme Court decision overturning the Civil Rights Act of 1875. […]
10Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Dates in Black History, 1875 – 1925 | Continued
Fearists: the new face of terror…
Dad, We need a new term. You approached the idea of terrorism in other forms in a previous post. We need to identify that terrorists use violence, but many use fear and it is almost as destructive. I think if you use fear to influence others’ actions or to bring about social or political change, […]
9Oct2007 | bryan | 3 comments | Continued
Domestic Terrorism – an oxymoron
Son, Your terrorism post inspired me. Terrorism is not about ideology – it is about power and control from sick people. These are people who will have their way at any cost. Domestic terrorism takes many forms – usually disguised as something else. Sometimes we call it Domestic Violence – that usually refers to a […]
9Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Calcium build-up solutions
Dad, Any idea how to get calcium build up out of my dishwasher? I have this white stuff, I guess it is calcium, caked all inside my dishwasher and it is not cleaning the dishes anymore. Bryan
9Oct2007 | bryan | 8 comments | Continued
Doing better in school
Dad, My daughter went to school without a fit for the second time today. We have been showering her with stickers and praise, and that seems to be working. I have made an effort to focus on her during the few hours that she and I are home together before she goes to school. Of […]
9Oct2007 | bryan | Comments Off on Doing better in school | Continued
People of Color – urbanites?
Son, Do you like the title of this post? Both terms are often used, erroneously, to describe a part of the American population. Bill O’Reilly uses the term ‘people of color.’ Urbanite has become a code word for a particular culture – implying color and crime. Your nephew lives in very rural northwest Missouri. He […]
9Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Strategies for reducing energy – and other lifestyles
Son,I am very pleased with your awareness of your impact on the environment. I was in my twenties during the gasoline crunch of the 1970’s. Conserving was all the rage – for all the wrong reasons. It was about money – about saving money for yourself. That can be a strong motivator – but as […]
8Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 4 comments | Continued
reducing my energy consumption…
Dad, I have been thinking a lot lately about how much energy I use. I try to evaluate my lifestyle all the time to find out if I can improve and better live out the values that I claim to have. I just read an interesting article on phantom power, and there is a good […]
8Oct2007 | bryan | 3 comments | Continued
Interpol – fighting terrorism
Son, 60 minutes is interviewing the Secretary General of Interpol – an international police agency. Astoundingly, prior to September 11, 2001, the Interpol offices were not even open on the weekends. That has changed. Their mission is to give international assistance to police agencies around the world. The staff is made up of police officers […]
7Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Interpol – fighting terrorism | Continued
Herm Edwards – KC’s embarrassment
Son, I am a fair weather Kansas City Chiefs fan. But even mildly interested folks like myself are embarrassed this year. The Kansas City Chiefs had one of the most potent offenses of this decade. Today they were shut out in the infamous Arrowhead Stadium. ( OK – they scored a touchdown with three seconds […]
7Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Garth Brooks – ticket follow-up
Son, Garth Brooks was to have a one-time concert in Kansas City, Missouri. The brand new Sprint Center – a KC downtown initiative, would host the concert. The problem was with tickets. How does one get them? Brooks is a real thoughtful guy – selling his gold tickets for $31. The concert organizers went to […]
7Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Garth Brooks – ticket follow-up | Continued
Democratic Choices for President
Son, Some anti-Obama guy keeps writing comments on our blog to criticize anyone who supports Barack Obama. That is his privilege and we have an ‘open comment’ format for that purpose. He likes to make it personal – that says more about him than it does about his choice of candidates – he has not […]
6Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 4 comments | Continued
Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Below is an excerpt from A Toolkit For Christian Education and Action on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, brought to us by our brothers and sisters at Sojourners/Call To Renewal “The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in […]
6Oct2007 | bryan | 4 comments | Continued
Ira Glass and the new church experience…
Dad, Ira Glass is a master storyteller. His talent comes not from his ability to spin a story, but from his keen ability to recognize one and nurture it along with questions and encouragements. He is interested in people’s stories, in their lives and the interesting things that happen to them as unique persons. From […]
6Oct2007 | bryan | Comments Off on Ira Glass and the new church experience… | Continued
Remembering Bill Clinton
Son, This next year will see an unusual recalling of a particular Presidency. Hillary Clinton will likely be the Democratic nominee. She is proud of Bill Clinton’s Presidency – and is not afraid to say so (Al Gore should have been so smart.) Allow me to cast a particular viewpoint on that time in America’s […]
6Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Washington Post and Faith
Son, I asked my brother to comment on some faith issues because I do not feel qualified – and I feel that he would have something to offer. He sent me an email with a link to the Washington Post. I don’t think he understood that I was inviting him to comment on our blog. […]
5Oct2007 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Washington Post and Faith | Continued