Life
George Carlin on Saving The Planet
Check out George Carlin in this youtube video. What is your take? Is Carlin opposed to modern environmentalists – or is Carlin being sarcastic? Check it out – what do you think? Listen closely – what is Carlin’s message? I agree wtih Carlin. The planet will be fine – but we humans will no longer […]
21May2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
Boy Scouts Fight The ACLU
Last year I went down to St. Joe, Mo., to participate in a Boy Scout Pine Wood Derby. Well, actually I was more of a spectator than a participant. But some of those events are small and even the spectators feel like we are somehow participating. This particular event was at a ‘district’ level. There […]
13May2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Abortion and Common Sense
Abortion is not black or white, liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican. Abortion is a problem of humanity – and this era of Abortion in American will be studied by future historians. The folks looking back will recognize the futile and selfish partisan bickering that prolonged the agony of a health care disaster. Both fanatical […]
6May2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 8 comments | Continued
Middle School Social Regulation, Part II
As noted in a previous post I have been assigned the job of head chauffeur for my grand daughter in middle school. Her parents moved out of State and she stayed behind to finish the school year. She lives with her grandmother. Enough of that – I pick her up every day from school and […]
17Apr2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Middle School Social Regulation, Part II | Continued
Taxing Tobacco
Tobacco taxes our health care system with many chronic ailments. And tobacco is taxed by the government. On Wednesday, April 1, 2009, the federal tobacco tax on a pack of cigarettes will go up $.62, from $.39 to $1.01. This must surely be a good thing, right? Well, like other efforts at social engineering, it cuts two ways.
30Mar2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Middle School, Learning to Say NO!
The adventures of grandpa as the driver for my thirteen year old granddaughter continue. Her family moved to Texas or Wyoming, I can never remember which, and she is staying with her Nana to finish out the school year. She was not ready to punch cows, and lasso boys. Anyway, my job is of after-school-driver. […]
9Mar2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Middle School, Learning to Say NO! | Continued
Middle School, Crash Course in Social Regulation
I have been relegated to driver – and drivers are best seen and not heard. The girls chat, and chat, and chat. I think they call each other on their cell phones and talk to each other in the car. I drop the first girl off and twenty seconds later she is calling one of the remaining girls in the car. Chat, chat, chat. That is how it goes. They talk about how other students were dressed, what was said in response to question from the teachers, and other things that I do not quite understand. They speak the language of the future – I speak the language of the past.
5Mar2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
The Curious Case of Nadya Suleman – Octo-Mom
Is Nadya Suleman crazy, or what? She had six children by in-vitro fertilization, then had a whole bunch of frozen embryos implanted, resulting in eight babies at one birth. She now has fourteen children. She has no husband and no job. She lives with her mother in a home that is about to be foreclosed. Is she crazy, or what? This is a case of immaturity meeting Dr. Frankenstein.
25Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 5 comments | Continued
Caring For An Old Dog
Sadie is almost sixteen years old, her birthday is next July. She is beginning to show the inevitable signs of aging. Sadie has moved from the definition of ‘Senior” to something resembling ‘Elderly.’ Watching her age is painful – and presents moral and economic delimas. Sadie is half Schnauzer and half Cocker Spaniel – sort […]
20Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Caring For An Old Dog | Continued
A United Methodist Perspective
I am a United Methodist. My wife and I joined a United Methodist church in Sugar Land, Texas before moving to Nashville, TN, and when we moved to Iowa, we transferred our membership to a church that was just down the street from our house. We went through the ceremony for becoming a member of […]
16Feb2009 | bryan | 2 comments | Continued
Homeless Community
This writer has worked and volunteered at the same social service agencies dedicated to cleaning up the river banks, to rescuing the downtrodden, to saving the helpless, threading the eye of the needle as a gateway to Heaven. We will walk through the Pearly Gates and God will thump us on the forehead with his middle finger, look at us in disgust, and then invite us in to the ultimate shelter from damnation. We will be seated in the middle row, the homeless will have front row seats.
9Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
The Changing Face of Etiquette
As we, our culture, are catered to by technology and the marketing machine, we begin to feel more entitled to the things that we consume and the benefits of our service industry. The idea of serving others is lost on those who become complacent with being served themselves.
20Jan2009 | bryan | Comments Off on The Changing Face of Etiquette | Continued
Breed Specific Legislation
BSL is another rights stripping phenomenon that has gained momentum through fear tactics. This is another example of individual’s willingness to accept anything from the media as the gospel truth. BSL has snowballed in that last couple of years. What this type of legislation does is either outright ban a certain breed of dog or […]
3Jan2009 | Cole James | 2 comments | Continued
Belonging II-Motorcycle Clubs
Motorcycle clubs, also know as MC’s, have been around since 1903. They come in a variety of forms, but they all follow a similar doctrine. The media and Hollywood has generalized all motorcycle clubs into hoodlums who terrorize law abiding citizens. Just a few examples of movies with negative impacts on this culture are The […]
22Dec2008 | Cole James | Comments Off on Belonging II-Motorcycle Clubs | Continued
Drug Court – Systemically Flawed
A quick check of the court briefs in the local newspaper gives startling evidence of losing the war on drugs. The paper reported six people sentenced to prison – all for drug charges – five methamphetamine and one cocaine. We are talking about rural northwest Missouri. The first Drug Court was established in Dade County […]
21Dec2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
The Modern Retreat to the Castle Keep
The worry is not that we are getting more or less safe, but that our perceptions of safety are changing. We have recreated the walled and gated villas of the past and, between our fenced yard, our attached garage, and our parking garage at work, can go entire days and weeks without seeing someone from our neighborhood, let alone someone from around town. We are creating a sense of safety that is grounded in separation rather than reality. We are raising a generation of children who are housed in homogeneous zones that have a comfortable, rhythmic vibration of sameness.
20Dec2008 | bryan | 2 comments | Continued
Selling Your Home Using A Lease Option
The housing market today is in shambles and it’s no secret. You will be hard pressed to sell your home at fair market value. Even if you can afford to sell for less it has become about impossible. So what can we do short of letting the bank take it back? If trying to sell […]
20Dec2008 | Cole James | Comments Off on Selling Your Home Using A Lease Option | Continued
Pay Day Loans and Porn
There are scavengers among us. They prey on the poor, the oppressed, and, strangely enough, the military. There are some things that the poor, the oppressed, and the military have in common. Loneliness, desperation, and a lack of money. I think that it is time to call a rat a rat. Two of the industries […]
13Dec2008 | bryan | Comments Off on Pay Day Loans and Porn | Continued
The Counter Culture Personality
I recognize that there is an inherent selfishness in many of the current social movements. Coordinating efforts to reduce waste and to organize distribution to the needy are certainly valuable, and could be more effective in reducing waste and assisting the needy than digging through the trash. Sometimes, though, it is our individualism, maybe even […]
12Dec2008 | bryan | 1 comment | Continued
The Freegan Insurrection
My wife and I have been attempting to evaluate our lifestyle for some time now, hoping to live out our values as followers of Jesus and to create a sense of equity in our lives with the less fortunate. We have taken up recycling and composting, selling off our excess and getting back to the […]
12Dec2008 | bryan | Comments Off on The Freegan Insurrection | Continued
Santa Claus Is Coming – So, You Better Watch Out
My family has been working on simplifying our life for years. We have sold most of our stuff, paid off our debts, downsized in apartments, streamlined our food budget, etc. We drive old cars and shop at the thrift store. We are not saints and are not trying to be, but the lengths that we […]
12Dec2008 | bryan | Comments Off on Santa Claus Is Coming – So, You Better Watch Out | Continued
The Poverty Paradigm – Misunderstanding Charity
We talk charitably about social justice, often with the liberal view of defending the disenfranchised. Taken out of context we might be seen as classic do-gooders who only enable irresponsibility. That is the common refrain for shallow, heartless capitalists who do not realize that there is profit in assisting the impoverished. Dr. Muhammad Yanus, an […]
12Dec2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The Poverty Paradigm – Misunderstanding Charity | Continued
Thoughts on Misunderstanding Charity
The holiday season is upon us, and everyone is geared up for the giving season. I think that a conversation on the merits of charity is essential at this stage of the game. I read an article on Trying To Follow a while back about clothing drives. It has some great fodder for conversation. In […]
12Dec2008 | bryan | Comments Off on Thoughts on Misunderstanding Charity | Continued
Do What You Do On Purpose
‘I have talked and written at length in articles for this magazine about the lifestyle choices that my wife and I have made for our family, but I feel it would be appropriate to spend some time on why we make those choices. Having a purpose in your decision is as important as the decision […]
10Dec2008 | bryan | 1 comment | Continued
A Chat About Laughing – A Social Regulator
My son and I chat every day – usually on line – (We live in different States). Sometimes we cut and paste the conversations into an article, usually when it is relevant to something that is being discussed here at The Fireside Post of when it is relevant to a current event. This one is […]
9Dec2008 | bryan | Comments Off on A Chat About Laughing – A Social Regulator | Continued
5 gifts that can change the world
It is that time of year when I scramble to get the last gifts before all of the other saps try scrambling to get the last gift, thus, I beat the crowd My family has been trying to get away from the obligatory knick-knack purchases that we have always ended up getting for those that […]
9Dec2008 | bryan | 3 comments | Continued
Axioms of Simple People
The world often seems over populated with simple people. Simple people generally expose themselves rather quickly. They may be conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican, Christian or atheist, black or white, rich or poor. We recognize them through their life axioms. The simplified axioms seem harmless on the surface – but that is the problem. […]
8Dec2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Axioms of Simple People | Continued
The Scout Initiative: Naming Social Injustice
I have been thinking more about how to deal with social injustice, and I dug up this clip from To Kill A Mockingbird. There are layers of great stuff in this clip: There are several examples here of the actions that make a social movement. When Atticus learns that the Sheriff is not around, he […]
6Dec2008 | bryan | 1 comment | Continued
A Conflict of Ethics
All of us have ethics. We may not think consciously about them – but we have them. Sometimes these ethics are in conflict with each other – when that happens we find Hamlet, struggling with self doubt, pondering, “To be or not to be?” Ethics do not follow a smooth continuum of linear progression, with […]
6Dec2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on A Conflict of Ethics | Continued
The Two Nap Dilemma
My children are in different stages of development. That makes life hard when you are trying to be appropriate with them and maintain your own sanity. My son doesn’t really need two naps during the day. He has been sleeping for about an hour in the morning and for a little over two hours in […]
6Dec2008 | bryan | Comments Off on The Two Nap Dilemma | Continued
OJ – Celebrity Tragedy
OJ Simpson has been a darling of the media for forty years. Few celebrities reach this level of achievement, we might think of Elvis and the Beatles. We could debate the similarities of these celebrities – rags to riches, riches to rags, stardom and tragedy. But OJ is strikingly different. Elvis Presley was a confused […]
5Dec2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on OJ – Celebrity Tragedy | Continued
The Value in Hunting
Every year folks from all walks of life participate in hunting. From the poorest redneck to the high brow elite, young and old, men and women all enjoy hunting. Some are strictly trophy hunters only going for the big buck, tom turkey or whatever their fancy. Some of us hunt for the combined thrill and […]
24Nov2008 | Cole James | Comments Off on The Value in Hunting | Continued
Drive Free, Retire Rich
Dave Ramsey has good advice for managing the expense of owning an automobile in America today. Check him out at Drive Free, Retire Rich We Love Our Cars The normal way of thinking Dragging a Payment What they don’t tell you After Six Years What if… Let’s Think Differently A Major upgrade Let’s keep going […]
16Nov2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Drive Free, Retire Rich | Continued
The G.O.P.’s Five Stages of Grief (Video)
Grief is an emotional response to loss. Our original curiosity was around the five stages of grief after the election – but the folks who produced this video recognized the grief began before the cancerous terminal patient died. Curiosity drove us to enter “Election Grief” in the youtube search engine. This one video stood out […]
13Nov2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The G.O.P.’s Five Stages of Grief (Video) | Continued
Keeping up with the Jones’
Economists tell us we need credit to make the world go round. Rarely is anything bought with cash anymore. Unsecured credit is available everywhere you look. We all want the next big thing before our neighbors. So do we become our surroundings? Most of us have been there or are close to someone who has. […]
11Nov2008 | Cole James | Comments Off on Keeping up with the Jones’ | Continued
Oh Deer! Concerns Raised About Venison
By Carla Baranauckas They’ll be harder to spot in a North Dakota blizzard than they were in a Maine meadow. (Pat Wellenbach/ Associated Press). Schools are closed in some districts in North Dakota today, but it’s not because a blizzard hit the state on Thursday, shutting down some of the main highways. In places like […]
10Nov2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Oh Deer! Concerns Raised About Venison | Continued
Of Courage Undaunted
Mental illness strikes at the soul of man. The insanity degenerates with the ‘righteous’ who are quick to pull the sin card. Meriwether Lewis, that great American icon of exploration, suffered a mental illness that we know of today as depression.
6Nov2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Redneck Gazette – Obama Uses Common Sense
Redneck Gazette Second Edition Punkin Center, Missouri, BR-777 Obama Uses Missouri Common Sense Fannie Mae is goin fishing We been listening to that fella Barack Obama. It sounds like he uses plain old Missouri Common Sense. Figure this out. Obama is talking about that over on Wall Street. We think that is in a big […]
3Nov2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Redneck Gazette – Obama Uses Common Sense | Continued
Bubble Wrapped Kids
Halloween has got some of us all reflecting on our childhoods when we would gather with our friends and run around the neighborhood in our plastic masks. Or like the times my friends and I would play baseball using the four street corners as bases. Today people would hardly let their kids walk to a […]
31Oct2008 | Cole James | Comments Off on Bubble Wrapped Kids | Continued
Rebuilding the Kansas City Chiefs
Every 10 years or so, professional sports teams go into rebuilding modes. When teams are saying rebuilding, it means out with the old in with the new. Aging players are let go, traded or benched for the new fresh stock of prospective rookies. The New England Patriots have been successful in building their team from […]
28Oct2008 | Cole James | 1 comment | Continued
Thrift Stores-Savings and Charity
Over the course of this year we have seen everything go up in price. Gas has hit over four dollars per gallon and the price milk is up 30%. With rising energy costs, living expenses and the high rate of unemployment, we are all searching for ways to cut costs. Thrift stores can be a […]
27Oct2008 | Cole James | Comments Off on Thrift Stores-Savings and Charity | Continued
Lincoln’s Rhetorical Flourishes, Shame on McCain/Palin
The idea of responding to Sarh Palin is contemptible. Responding to McCain is bad enough. But McCain has put the country in this position – and respond we must. The latest attack by Palin is to suggest in a demeaning manner that Barack Obama “… knows something about rhetorical flourishes.” Be whatever you want, Sarah […]
24Oct2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Lincoln’s Rhetorical Flourishes, Shame on McCain/Palin | Continued
I Am A Pregnant Teen
It was difficult for me to sleep last night. I was checking the statistics on our magazine yesterday. The statistics page gives us two views of where our readers came from. ‘Referrers’ lists the other sites that reference our site. ‘Search Engine Terms’ is a list of the key words individuals used to search the […]
22Oct2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
The Prophecy of Barack Obama
Two years ago Barack Obama decided to run for President of the United States. There were others. Seasoned politicians. Politicians who have been representing people in an official capacity for years. Each of the candidates spoke to the people. Each presented their case. Obama said, “This is about change.” We the people cheered. Think of […]
21Oct2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 6 comments | Continued
Embracing Casino Gambling
Casino gambling has spread across this great nation. In Punkin Center, Missouri, where this writer lives, we see our neighbors leaving to go to “the boat.” Wow, we think, right here in Punkin Center. But that is not all. Casino issues are on ballots across this country. The Presidential election will draw big crowds – […]
19Oct2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Men At Work
We were driving down the street this morning and we noticed three men putting in a retaining wall. We saw a couple of shovels and a wheelbarrow. There were stacks of those pre-formed hex-shaped concrete ‘stones.’ The men had dug out the bank and were placing the stones in place. No more mowing of a […]
14Oct2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Men At Work | Continued
Paul Newman – Salad Dressings, Gunslingers and Plastic Jesus
Paul Newman led a life we can all admire and hopefully emulate. He wasn’t just a good actor, he was a great humanitarian. This writer is not fully qualified to write a biography of this man, we would just like to host a brief celebration of his life. This writer’s first introduction to Paul Newman […]
12Oct2008 | Cole James | 4 comments | Continued
Obama’s Journey – Don’t Stop Believing
Barack Obama is on a journey. The destination is unknown, but every mountain, every valley, every raging river will be crossed with determination, with hope, with optimism. The forest is full of danger, the valley in the shadow of death, Obama fears no evil. Obama knows that the truth is with him. His cup is […]
12Oct2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Finding Love On-Line For Old People
This writer is a member of the AARP – that should tell you something. We are on the AARP e-mail list. Yesterday we received an email titled, “Ohg, Find Love On Line.” We are laughing as we write – the imagery of old people and internet dating was just too much for our sensibilities. Perhaps […]
11Oct2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Immigration – Underground Railroad
We are talking about people. Suffering people. oppressed people. Oppressed by poverty, by repressive land owners, by corporate greed, by poor health care, and by an unresponsive government. North, they are told. North to a land of opportunity. A land where they will not be subjected to the fierce drudgery of poverty. They have relatives […]
11Oct2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | 11 comments | Continued