JACK'S BLOG
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Opinion“Global citizenship is the idea that all people have rights and civic responsibilities that come with being a member of the world, with whole-world philosophy and sensibilities, rather than as a citizen of a particular nation or place. The idea is that one’s identity transcends geography or political borders and that responsibilities or rights are derived from membership in a broader class: ‘humanity’. This does not mean that such a person denounces or waives their nationality.” -- Wikipedia That’s a lot of very high sounding ideals, but to truly understand it, we have to look at some real world examples.
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9/6/2019 0 Comments An open letter from a skeptic to all my friends and family who believe in man-made climate changeOpinionPlease respect me as I respect you and let’s agree to disagree. I don’t accept the theory of man-made climate change. Never will just as you cling to it assiduously. The issue then is how we go forward in disagreement. For that I have a modest proposal. Let’s begin by identifying the one point on which we agree. Climate change is real.
If, as you believe, idiots like me will forever interfere with your efforts to prevent it and, as I believe, it will occur regardless of our efforts, shouldn’t we focus on how to live with it? 10/4/2018 0 Comments What has inspired the #WalkAway Movement? Why are people leaving the Democratic Party now?OpinionI walked away from the Democrats long ago, thus I have no problem understanding their reasons. I am confused only by what has taken others so long. When I turned twenty-one, I registered as a Democrat which may have surprised those who knew me, because three years earlier I had campaigned for Richard Nixon. I handed out campaign literature and drove voters to the polls because I knew a little too much about JFK's crime family connections to feel comfortable supporting him even though he was the nominee of the party of President Truman. Obviously, I have been on a political odyssey.
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Imagine that God revealed himself to us, all of us. Now, imagine the surprise and then the anger of those atheists who campaigned aggressively against religion in all its forms and expressions. I believe that is what we have been seeing since the election of President Trump. First surprise at the defeat of Hillary Clinton and then anger as the nation flourished as it hasn’t in decades. By every objective measure, it’s as though the people, the economy, industry, agriculture, and all the rest breathed a sigh of relief as taxes were lowered and oppressive government rules and regulations were extinguished.
Only those who continue to cling to false hope and ill conceived ideology in the face of the success of their opposition, also cling to their hate and anger.
OpinionThe difference is simple. Police enforce laws, investigate crimes and apprehend perpetrators. Secret police enforce/protect a government/regime, and control or eliminate opposition. In some cases, legitimate police forces have functioned as secret police forces, as with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
OpinionI floated this article under the noses of the members of RallyPoint, a blog for those who serve/served in America’s Armed Forces, and the responses were pretty much what you might expect.
Some of the responses I expected but didn’t see should have come from the atheist members of the blog. Inasmuch as I am a believer, though not an observant member of any organized religion, I suspect that the atheists and the other believers might be surprised by my response. OpinionOnce again, since the Parkland shooting, I am reminded of how grateful I am that I do not live in a democracy. “What’s the problem with a democracy?” I hear you cry (thinking that we really are a democracy). What’s wrong with majority rule?
...and I wonder why you, why anyone would have to ask. Think about it. What is more democratic than the Internet? OpinionMany Americans perceive President Trump as the Devil himself, incarnate. They call for his impeachment. I’m told that a petition begging that end collected more than a million signatures in less than a week. Well, collect away. I don’t care how many sign. A hundred million. Two hundred million. We don’t decide who will be impeached and who won’t, not even We the People. The law decides and it's clear. “SECTION 4. The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” -- The United States Constitution
OpinionI have often joked about falling off the Earth. During my almost six years in the military service, it seemed that I had. I am a native of Baltimore and the Civil Rights Riots occurred and the Orioles won their first World Series championship while I was attending Infantry School and then serving in Vietnam. Laugh In and Star Trek appeared on TV while I was stationed in Hawaii where broadcasts were aired by tape delay a week later, but no one was watching. Thus, I was disconnected, oblivious to the popular culture of the time. Literally, it was as though I had fallen off the Earth. Now, I have a new excuse and a new joke. I suffer from Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). The operative word is “Transient”. It passes. It’s temporary and I have no memory of anything that occurs during an episode. The brain loses the capacity to form short term memories. My wife tells me that I keep repeating the same thing, “Something’s wrong”, but I don’t know what. And, if she asks me about anything happening during a TGA episode, I can’t answer correctly. When it’s over, I announce that I was abducted by aliens. That’s my new joke.
10/26/2015 2 Comments Are you celebrating or disappointed in the outcome of Hillary's testimony at the #Benghazi Committee?OpinionYou may be celebrating if you support Hillary. She appears to many to have won. Won what? You may be disappointed that she didn't break down in tears and confess. Confess what? Let's take a deep breath and think.
The hearings before the House Select Committee on Benghazi is not a trial. There is no jury. There won't be a verdict. Think of it more as a pretrial to determine if there is sufficient evidence to proceed with a trial. In the military, we would have likened it to an Article 32 (Uniform Code of Military Justice) Investigation to determine if a crime has been committed and if so who should be charged? Did you expect Hillary to trip up and blurt out something incriminating? Why would you think that? Hillary is an accomplished liar. She lied to herself about her husband's philandering for many years so that she wouldn't have to confront the ugly truth of her dysfunctional marriage. She lied as she was caught stealing the silverware and chinaware as she and Bill exited the White House. She lied in countless investigations to avoid being fined and punished for her complicity in the White Water and other scandals. Her tangled web of lies surrounding her mishandling of classified documents while Secretary of State is unraveling with every revelation. Did you seriously think she would confess like the culprit in an episode of the old Perry Mason Show? The time to deliberate over the testimony and hard evidence won't begin until the hearings end. Anyone leaping to conclusions at this point is driven by opinion rather than truth. |
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