Other Recent Articles
My First Tattoo
Oceanside, California, is located on the border of Camp Pendleton, that really big Marine base. I was there. Not Camp Pendleton, Oceanside. It was 1969 and I was doing what I would later learn was called a ‘walkabout’. I was drifting with the wind, facing the draft, Vietnam, adulthood, and ultimately responsibility. Oceanside was […]
26Sep2016 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
When Peaceful Protest Becomes A Lynch Mob
The near riots and riots in recent memory have the same feel as the mob rule of a hundred years past – the difference being the color of the skin of the protestors. Make no mistake about it – these protests are about justice. Immediate justice. In every case the protesters are compelled to […]
23Sep2016 | Gary Clark | 2 comments | Continued
BREAKING NEWS!!!
BREAKING NEWS!!: We just realized today that, based on historical statistics, our mortality may be in jeopardy. Seriously, we cannot support the idea of immortality with any historical facts. And even more serious – aren’t these statements obvious! So why did I start with “BREAKING NEWS!!!” I was born at about the same time as […]
21Sep2016 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
Donald Trump Jokes
“Last night, Donald Trump said if he’s elected, he will employ a ‘deportation task force.’ It’s not really necessary, because if he’s elected most people will probably leave voluntarily.” –Conan O’Brien “The Boston Globe just reported that according to his campaign staff, Donald Trump wouldn’t take any vacations as president. I think that’s because he […]
15Sep2016 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Donald Trump Jokes | Continued
“Undocumented Immigrants” Are Not Criminals
There are graduated laws identifying the seriousness of offense. The undocumented immigrant ‘violation’ is in the nature of a misdemeanor – more like a traffic violation than an armed robbery. Our system of justice uproots lives and sends someone to prison in only the most egregious of violations. To uproot and deport someone on the […]
5Sep2016 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on “Undocumented Immigrants” Are Not Criminals | Continued
Clinton Trump Debate Can Go Off The Rails
WOW! We are in for a treat. Maybe I should restate that – if we like fireworks we might like the Clinton Trump Debates. If we like the idea of diplomats debating world affairs we are probably not going to enjoy the evening. Let the debates begin – with more potential for fireworks than any […]
30Aug2016 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Global Warming Is Not Intuitive
Science is not always intuitive. Science is often counter-intuitive. We humans like to keep things simple. We also like to answer the question “Why?” Thus we look at nature and when there is no immediate, obvious, answer we, over time, have been inclined to just give God credit. The result has been a slow response […]
24Aug2016 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Global Warming Is Not Intuitive | Continued
“Conservative” Does Not Mean Smaller Government
Ronald Reagan hijacked the term “Conservative” and twisted it to his own political purpose. Remember his famous quote, something like this: “Government does not solve the problem, government is the problem.” The dingbats get goosebumps every time they hear that quote. More military they say, but less government. The government should leave my social security […]
24Aug2016 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
Ignorant Voters Challenge One’s Sanity
I actually know some of these people. This conversation showed up on my facebook page. These people are angry because Obama will not let them vote a ‘split ticket’ in the August Primary Election. They throw terms around like “constitutional rights” and “denied the right to vote”. These people are Trump supports and they are […]
5Aug2016 | Ohg Rea Tone | 4 comments | Continued
Oh Lord Won’t You Give Me?
I loved and love Janis Joplin. I like the song she sang, Mercedes Benz, because it reminds me of a Church I attended with a friend when I was about 16. It was located in South St. Joseph. There was a neon sign outside proclaiming PENTECOSTAL SOMETHING OR OTHER CHURCH. A bright white two story […]
31Jul2016 | Nancy Belle | 0 comments | Continued
thefiresidepost.com is back – Down Because of User hits
Some computer got a hold of thefiresidepost.com and started adding subscribers automatically – they hogged the entire server and we were shut down while we searched for a solution. We are going to delete 95,600 subscribers. Anyone who currently subscribes to thefiresidepost.com and want to continue subscribing must sign on and sigh up again. We […]
26Jul2016 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Refried Beans In My Chili
OK – right up front, I am an anomaly. Just about every group of people that I run across eventually figures this out. This reality struck me yesterday when I was thinking about supper. Bored and not willing to invest the time in some cuisine of taste and health I rummaged around in my pantry, […]
22Jun2016 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
White Suits
Mark Twain enters my mind, Takes a seat, and I become his front porch. For a man with such great potential Of explosive wit and verbiage– He says nothing as he strikes A match… …And lights a fine Cuban cigar. The sun is shining brightly so That the white suit he so […]
21Jun2016 | Josh Clark | 1 comment | Continued
When “Political Correctness” Inhibits Honesty
I have some friends, 300+ on facebook. They represent every aspect of American society. Rich and poor, old and young, educated and uneducated, wise and not-so-wise, liberal and conservative, black and white and gray, and some very opinionated. I have been reluctant to post dramatic political points of view for fear of alienating someone – […]
16Jun2016 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
My Practicality
My practicality is a pesky little imp. Like a gremlin sabotaging my Creativity. My creativity rests in the bosom Of Mystery; And this fair lady–she always beckons. She pleads with me to embrace her, Ungrip the secure and chase her. And I start to run– But I find myself tethered. […]
9Jun2016 | Josh Clark | 3 comments | Continued
Once Upon a Time in St. Joe
Once Upon a Time in St. Joe The dross falls away and she stands revealed. I have been talking at length with a dream. The coal train moves on; her rails course the fields. The nights fall, the conversations appeal, We meet for coffee, she takes hers with cream. The dross falls away and she […]
5Jun2016 | Josh Clark | 4 comments | Continued
Introduction from a Casual Observer
Hello everyone! My name is Josh Clark and I’m the newest contributor to this most intriguing online magazine. I feel compelled to give some backstory on myself as an introduction. Foremost, I see myself as a poet. I say this unapologetically. I have no true passions in life to speak of, save three–writing, love, and […]
1Jun2016 | Josh Clark | Comments Off on Introduction from a Casual Observer | Continued
Josh Has Joined thefiresidepost.com
Josh was once a good boy. He lost his way. We find him today hanging out with the outlaw of his family – Ohg Tone. Seriously, Josh is my nephew, and a fine writer. I have watched him over the years, watched him grow in to a young man, watched him explore religion, watched him […]
31May2016 | Gary Clark | 2 comments | Continued
My Curiosity Defeats My Timidity
As the title eludes, I like to think I have a defense from fear. Many long years ago, my eldest son was about three. Our yard was fenced in and the best place for him and his sister to be in the summer. Our house was not air-conditioned. This particular day I was visiting with […]
28May2016 | Nancy Belle | 0 comments | Continued
A Vet on Jules Street
From a facebook post by my Brother’s son: A Vet on Jules Street (A haibun) It seems like an odd duality really, in regards to time. Memory can do this. I’m taken back to when I was a boy sitting on my Grandparent’s front porch on Jules Street; so many years ago, but just yesterday. […]
23May2016 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Sadness, Depression, Grief, The Deep Struggles of Life
Let’s get personal about the issues of sadness, depression, and grief. I can see these things playing out in my family – my parents, siblings, in-laws, my children, my nieces and nephews. These sensations are not all-or-nothing. There seem to be degrees of sadness, a continum. My personal life has covered the spectrum. I believe […]
17May2016 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
Shouts of Despair Go Unheard
I work with others. Mostly volunteer work – but I find my self in the horrid trenches of the front line battle against despair. The Four Horsemen of Terror, Bewilderment, Frustration, and Despair march the earth seeking human souls. What do I see? What do I hear? Last week a man happened upon me – […]
17May2016 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Shouts of Despair Go Unheard | Continued
Where is Woody Guthrie
It was hot. And dry. The wind blew and a dust storm raged. People finally just started calling it a dust bowl. The Midwest was overwhelmed with drought, the country overwhelmed with depression. People got tired. They got hungry. They got desperate. They could not feed their children. But they heard a story, a story […]
15May2016 | Ohg Rea Tone | 4 comments | Continued
“…misogynistic narcissist or the underwhelming oligarch?”
My son, Bryan, used the title of this post in a sentence the other day. He was referring to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Well? What do you think? I looked up the words to be sure I understood what Bryan was suggesting – very interesting. Donald Trump is a misogynistic narcissist – among other […]
4May2016 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
“…an organized, nationwide system of care…”
Civilized industrial nations have searched for many years for an appropriate response to public health. Individual health care financing in the United States was somehow attached to one’s job as a part of the benefit package. A good job came with good health insurance. By 2008 there were fifty (50) million individuals without health insurance. […]
18Apr2016 | Gary Clark | 3 comments | Continued
More Notes On Political Correctness
We have insisted for a while now that ‘political’ correctness’ is simply about manners. My standard line is simple: political correctness was one thing in my fourth grade classroom with Mrs. Kingsborrow, another thing on the elementary school playground, and quite another in my mother’s kitchen. The political right wing of America is embroiled in […]
13Apr2016 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on More Notes On Political Correctness | Continued
The “Shoulds” of Life Have Me Down
I have been a responsible man for most of my life. Some would challenge that point – because my failures have stood out like atomic bombs. As a Senior Citizen I don’t face too many life changing events or decisions. But I do have some responsibilities and those become the burrs under my saddle – […]
10Apr2016 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on The “Shoulds” of Life Have Me Down | Continued
Karma and Life Lessons
Shorthand, I know what it is, but can’t read it. Many years ago at Lowy Enterprises. I received a promotion to work with Dave in Accounts Receivable. At high school I refused typing and shorthand because I didn’t plan on being any man’s secretary, Hah. So, one of my new jobs was to take dictation […]
5Apr2016 | Nancy Belle | 1 comment | Continued
Anger Disguised As Political and Religious Reasoning
Most of the extremist people I know, left or right, have troubled backgrounds. There is no other way to say it. Today I am going to use a dear troubled friend as an example. Of course, the name has been changed. Some will argue that this is mere anecdotal reasoning and thus not comprehensive enough […]
7Mar2016 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Anger Disguised As Political and Religious Reasoning | Continued
Our Social Media Audience Influences What We Share
Coming to you straight from St. Joseph, Missouri – a place I call home. Our homes are built on many years of experience. What appears to be clutter is often a memory of time gone by. Most of my social media ‘friends’ are from around northwest Missouri. St. Joseph schools educated me, work took me […]
3Mar2016 | Gary Clark | 2 comments | Continued
Another Senseless Death from Drug Addiction
Another young man from St. Joseph died this past weekend – apparently from long term drug addiction. I knew him. I knew him when he was about seven years old. I also knew his family. He was second generation drug addict. Not his parents, as far as I know, but many of his aunts and […]
2Mar2016 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
The Progressive Vote Will Not Be Cast For Hillary Clinton
NPR and MSNBC want you to believe that it doesn’t matter who the nominee is. Tow the line anyway. the person, the character of the nominee is irrelevant. Fox News wants you to believe the same thing. They are wrong.
1Mar2016 | bryan | 1 comment | Continued
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20Jan2016 | Gary Clark | 0 comments | Continued
Is Ted Cruz The Republican Obama?
Bear with me please. Barack Obama stormed the castle in 2008. He conquered the dragon – and no one saw it coming – well, perhaps Dick Durban. But everyone today concedes that Obama is a masterful politician. Like him or not, agree with him or not, Obama came to play hardball. He came with masterful […]
15Jan2016 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
Mixed Blessings, Home Remodeling, and painting the carpet
I have been furiously cleaning house for visitors over the holidays. I am faithful about this chore, every eleven years I clean the house whether it needs it or not. This time it is so bad that I decided the best way to cover the dirt was to simply paint it. I have been painting […]
22Dec2015 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Mixed Blessings, Home Remodeling, and painting the carpet | Continued
Jelly and Rocket Science
Someone I love has a favorite expression, “it’s not rocket science”, he will say this when someone is having difficulty understanding his direction. Last Summer I attempted to make Elderberry Jelly. It had been nearly two decades since the last time I made this loved delicacy. Nearly every where I have lived as an adult, […]
19Dec2015 | Nancy Belle | 0 comments | Continued
A Rebuttal of Trump Criticism….
My colleague, Nancy, posted this on facebook – we thought it rose to the level of an observation worth documenting and sharing. Two videos follow – one with Chuck Todd and a second with excerpts from a ‘focus group’ that seems to portray Trump supporters as fearful, less educated, and naive Americans. (Note: Nancy is […]
15Dec2015 | Gary Clark | 3 comments | Continued
Does Race Really Matter?
Transcript from Walla Walla Union Bulletin, Walla Walla, Washington December 20, 1950 Seattle (AP) – A blow on the head with a baseball bat in a neighborhood altercation was fatal Tuesday to Merritt Scotten, 33 year old Seattle pipe fitter. He died of a skull fracture Saturday night. Leon W. Venson 28 a neighbor has […]
25Nov2015 | Nancy Belle | 1 comment | Continued
Barking Dogs and Refugees
Nearly thirty years ago, I was living through a particularly rough patch of life. My husband and I were divorcing. All the usual ugliness that comes with divorce was going full force. My family was literally diminishing before my eyes. My oldest son was in the Navy on board the USS Forrestal which was in […]
18Nov2015 | Nancy Belle | 0 comments | Continued
There is No Such Thing As Christianity – Only Christians
al-Qaeda, ISIS, ISIL, Sunni, Shiite, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Mosque in St. Joseph, Missouri – all seen as representative of Islam. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Jehovah Witness, 7th Day Adventist, Presbyterian, Clarksdale Missouri Baptist, Mormon, and United Methodist – all seen as representative of Christianity. These diverse religious organizations claim the mantel of their respective […]
16Nov2015 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on There is No Such Thing As Christianity – Only Christians | Continued
Terrorism – Let Go and Let God?
The world walks a fine line between revenge and justice, discrimination and acceptance, fear and love. There will be no justice until we all stop acting out of fear. Promoting Islamophobia is an act of fear – not faith. These are serious times for serious people. Clearly religious wackiness on both sides only serves to […]
15Nov2015 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Terrorism – Let Go and Let God? | Continued
The Cost of Illegal Immigration
Sometimes, I think with my heart and project my motherly instincts and experiences in an effort to understand others. In the case of illegal immigrants, I have often thought, if I were a Mexican mother living in the deplorable poverty and enduring the crimes that, reportedly, occur in Mexico. If the opportunity came, I would […]
13Nov2015 | Nancy Belle | 1 comment | Continued
Starbucks vs Christmas Cheer or Lack of
OK, here’s my tilt on the subject. I don’t recall Starbucks declaring an affinity to any religion. Not that they haven’t, I just haven’t heard anything about it. They are a business in the business to make money by making coffee. I have never had a Starbucks product. Probably never will, I find spending more […]
12Nov2015 | Nancy Belle | 0 comments | Continued
Social Regulation, Political Correctness, Merry Christmas, and the Media
Sometimes we hear someone huffing with anger, “I can say Merry Christmas if I want to!!!” And they are correct in their assertion – while being incorrect in their anger. Some act as if Congress passed a law against saying Merry Christmas – no such thing has happened, and it will never happen in the […]
10Nov2015 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Social Regulation, Political Correctness, Merry Christmas, and the Media | Continued
Ben Carson Humor – 2015
Ben Carson is that neuro guy – which seems to be an enigma given his loose tongue. No matter – there are some really creative people running around with high tech opportunities to mix humor, politics, and technology. Enjoy:
9Nov2015 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Ben Carson Humor – 2015 | Continued
Life After Tuberculosis
As suggested by a good friend and cousin of mine, I will try to shine a light on a personal experience regarding Tuberculosis, the “Curse of King Tut”. The year was 1965 early Autumn. My mother’s estranged husband was taken to Mount Vernon, MO. This was at the time a ‘sanitarium’ for individuals with ‘lung […]
31Oct2015 | Nancy Belle | 3 comments | Continued
Tuberculosis and Political Correctness
My father was born in 1923. His would be considered an upbringing in poverty. With many children in the home, the depression, and some abuse of alcohol by his father – life was difficult. Difficult lives are almost always made more difficult by prejudice. In a strange twist of irony, political correctness in the early […]
22Oct2015 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Tuberculosis and Political Correctness | Continued
Walking the Roof of Methodist Hospital – Circa 1972
It was literally ‘the good old days’. Data Processing. No MIS or IT or IS. We processed data – and the data came in the form of punched cards. Everything was ‘batch’ processing – almost no ‘real time’ interaction. But that is an aside for the purposes of this post. This story is about walking […]
17Oct2015 | Gary Clark | 3 comments | Continued
Political Correctness – Applying Manners Across The Board
I grew up in a lower class mixed race neighborhood. At age twenty-two, with no college training, I went to work in an office, wearing a coat and tie. I was rude and crude. But I have to say that by today’s standards we were all somewhat rude and crude – times change and polite […]
14Oct2015 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Political Correctness – Applying Manners Across The Board | Continued
Mr. Mullinax
I was once a young man, in a land far away. Well, about two miles from where I sit today. Methodist Hospital hired me as a Computer Operator three weeks before my first child was born. Actually, Larry Koch hired me – he was the Computer Operations Manager. His boss was John Mullinax. John was […]
13Oct2015 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued