Mr. Blunt — You have blood on your hands

bloody handI recently contacted both of the Senators from Missouri and my Congresswoman, Ann Wagner.

The reason for my contact was to support President Obama in his push to institute some sanity in gun regulation and control by executive action. This dysfunctional Congress is unable and unwilling to address this important issue. Meanwhile 30,000 Americans a year continue to Continue reading “Mr. Blunt — You have blood on your hands”

Powerball

So I am standing in line at Sam’s (go figure that there was a line in Sam’s), and the guy powerballbehind me starts talking about the $900 million Powerball. I comment how it is amazing how people go crazy when the jackpot gets this high as it would be life changing for most folks if they won $2 million.

He then comments that maybe if he won he would buy the Rams.

He thinks a minute longer then goes, “Nah, no worth it.”

Rev. Joe’s Random Thought # 7,072

yeah I know you did not ask!

Have you noticed that people talk about social media, especially Facebook, in terms of drug addiction? Anything thought about in those terms cannot be good in the long run. The question then becomes the same as for any agent that modifies our body or mind. Is the good it does more than the harm/side effects? No answers just the question.

Rev. Joe’s Random Thought # 4,502

yeah I know you did not ask!

It seems like a natural disaster or personal tragedy brings out the best in many folks. A sense of community and shared responsibility, dare I say socialism exists. People are willing to go to extremes to help and give what they have for complete strangers.   How wonderful it would be if this attitude caring and love persisted when our situation was less urgent.

3:39 a.m. – Random Thoughts

Staring at the unseen ceiling at 03:39 a.m. with random thoughts trying to rattle their way into or maybe out of my thoughts…

  • Life is a machine for generating regrets
  • Never regret being kind, even when it does not work out the way you intended.  It was still the right thing to do
  • It’s worn and trite and all too true… when it is all said and done all we have are each other
  • When I was young used to think old age was the way God prepared folks so they could let go of life. Now as someone on the cusp of that phase of my life, I think old age and the ungraceful exit so many people get to make is proof that there is no god, that there is no intelligent design.
  • We need to remember that most of us most of the time are really doing the best we can
  • Not only do we need to forgive each other, we need to forgive ourselves
  • All too often we take things far too seriously when it is just the other person stuck in their own bag of skin

Rev. Joe’s Random Thought # 7,416

yeah I know you did not ask!

By any definition of the word terrorism that I can think of, drive-by shootings fit into the category of terrorism. So why are we not mobilizing against this internal terrorism? Sadly, the answer that I can come with involves race and class.

There is not a lot being reported on this, but one study I did find cited the following statistics from 2006:

“During the six-month period covered in this report, 549 drive-by shooting incidents were reported in the news media as identified by Google, claiming 156 lives and injuring 465 individuals.” 1

Earlier in the document the authors made the statement that they believed drive-by shootings to be vastly under reported.

  1. Drive-By America from Violence Policy Center

The Little Blue Book by George Lakoff and Elisabeth Wehling

The Little Blue BookThe main point of this book is that words matter. And the words that we debate with have been chosen by the conservatives to the detriment of progressive causes.

Someone recently posted on Facebook a quote by Robert A. Heinlein that sums up our current political situation nicely:

“You can sway a thousand men by appealing to their prejudices quicker than you can convince one man by logic.”

The authors phrased it thusly: Continue reading “The Little Blue Book by George Lakoff and Elisabeth Wehling”

Things That Go Bump in the Night

The Wee Dog has developed a habit of coming on-board the bed in the middle of the night. When she does this she either snuggles in between Robin and I, or she tries to clean my face. The first I do not mind; the second I am desperately trying to redirect.

Lily stands maybe 14 inches at the shoulder. Our bed stands 32 inches above the deck. This means the critter must get a running start to jump 2 ½ times her height, and she can only do it on my side of the bed. On a good leap she just barely clears, and it is usually the thump of her legs hitting the side of the bed that awakens me. Occasionally she misses and Continue reading “Things That Go Bump in the Night”