A Socio-Political Blog
I’m a little skeptical by nature. Whenever someone’s argument seems too perfect, filled with too perfect evidence with too perfect quotes, I tend to become perfectly suspicious. If I am in their presence in a face to face discussion, I will politely smile and say, “Well, that does seem rather compelling” and slowly back away. …
I’m confused….What are we trying to accomplish? Does either side of the political fence think that total annihilation of the other side is plausible? Is that the goal? If it isn’t then why aren’t we working together or even listening to each other? Why are the arguments so extreme? Does anyone really think either party is going to…
I heard a radio ad the other day that chastised Congressman Bruce Braley (currently running to replace Tom Harkin in the Senate) for supporting a Carbon Tax. The woman in the ad said, “Call Congressman Bruce Braley now and tell him that you think that a Carbon Tax is a bad idea.” I was…
I went to “Orientation” with my 14 year old son who is attending Washington High School in Cedar Rapids. The evening was an introduction to the philosophy, achievements and curriculum of the school, hosted by the principal, Dr. Ralph Plagman, and several department heads. It was followed by break out sessions in 14 different classes. The teachers…
This is a post where I am starting with no idea where I’m going. I’m not sure how I feel and I am hoping to discover my thoughts in an exploration of the issue. The issue is: Trash Talking. Actually, this goes deeper and much bigger than just that; it is the concept of engineering, rather…
Soon, the airwaves will be filled with images of Dallas, Texas, from November 22nd, 1963 as this year marks 50 solar revolutions since that fateful day. Americans love to re-visit events annually, but decades, semi-centennials and centennials make us agog with retrospectives. The Kennedy Assassination will perfectly fill the bill for melancholy remembrance in units of ten. I…
The other day I posted a comment on Facebook about the sadness I was feeling at the end of my summer visitation with my sons. I did so to open a forum with others who might understand this unique melancholy. The floodgates opened. Literally hundreds of people responded who knew exactly how I was feeling. Along with people who were…
I realized something. (Pause. Wait for fanfare to subside) Many of the arguments we are having over politics are not always about policy as much as they are about perceptions. My evidence is anecdotal, but my observations are pretty consistent. Both sides will admit that their side has done many of the things that they are up in arms…
A friend posted an indictment of President Obama’s surveillance policy (as a realization of the Patriot Act) with regard to wiretaps by the NSA. You can find it here at: http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-times-obama-nsa-phone-scandal-editorial-nyt-2013-6. It was of particular interest because it was from the editorial board of the New York Times, a paper considered by many to have a…
This morning in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier this rebuttal appeared to a column that I had written the week before: http://wcfcourier.com/news/opinion/guest_column/questions-for-liberals/article_f518ea5c-ced4-11e2-9026-001a4bcf887a.html. I will also offer my column if anyone wishes to use it as a reference: http://wcfcourier.com/news/opinion/guest_column/have-you-taken-stock-of-your-jeopardized-liberties-lately/article_b252beb0-c947-11e2-b3ad-0019bb2963f4.html. For the record, I consider Van Miller to be a friend, and I have tremendous respect for him and the business…