Until the boredom was erased and the print took on a life of its own, before the student’s eyes were connected to reality, until the realization came that the book held in his hands was not an inanimate thing, nor even a symbol of awe, but rather a throbbing, living reality in free perspective, this neophyte turned the page to the threshold of poetry, thinking it a dead thing of the past for which archaeologists could probe with blade and spade. Aye, may poetry rest in peace, or so he thought....

Muslim countries are conditioned if not to hate America, at least to scoff at its seemingly senseless modernity. Because of the religious strictures of Islam, there is little room for tolerance in other cultures. Granted, Britney French kissing Madonna — or is it now called Freedom Tongue? — on TV, or Michael Jackson using dental whitener strips on his skin are not our best illustrations of American freedom, still, we are a superpower that says others are either for or against us — and we re...

As soon as a liberal leaning blogger expresses his/her views, the right-stuff bloggers zero in with carefully selected — almost canned — arguments. An expression I used “citizens are entitled” was quickly answered that there are only rights in the constitution and the expression is thus relegated to the nasty term of entitlements. Many followers of the right-stuff are robotic, attuned to the Neo-cons sound bites of self-reliance, individualism, entrpreneurism, less government but for defense...

Why can’t Americans speak politics on an ideal level in lieu of always dredging up irreverent issues having nothing to do with a sense of justice and democratic principles? Why is it so important to so many that “under God” be held sacred in the pledge, rather than simply “under the guidance of democracy?” Why do we go ballistic over private matters such as a woman’s right to choose, or sex-orientation? As JillUser explained in a blog that if her father had not come out of the house with a gun...

While the current Martian landing and another to follow are in search of signs of life, present and past, astronomers are discovering by the satellite WMAP [microwave probe] that the universe is stranger than fiction in that far from finding signs of life it is baffled by this map indicating only 4% of the universe is made of known stuff, let alone life. Dark matter, 23% of the universe, is still not understood and another 73% consisting of dark energy is totally mysterious other than it act...

Resolve: Public education sequentially for 14 years and within the framework of pupils' unique craft abilities and intellectual capacity at no cost. Equal footing in positive pursuit of citizen goals culturally and economically. Workplace environment of dignity and an aim to guarantee wages 50% above variant poverty lines. Enhance standards and individual responsibility for decently maintained housing and by subsidy if necessary.   Maintain a clear publication...

Though a full third of the nation is poorly educated are they without common sense, too? -- hardly. Common sense, however, is constantly bombarded with the amoral static and sophistry of the right wing, such as: Every one should be free to pursue the American dream of wealth -- without stating the odds are equivalent to winning the lottery -- let alone the ultimate dream of good health, happiness and helping the less fortunate. Fifty percent of Americans own stock therefore com...

Atheism, agnosticism, and humanism are not faiths; they are philosophies. They have no right to infringe upon traditional customs regarding the symbolic value of beliefs. Examples: “In God We Trust,” the White House Christmas tree, and Christmas trees across the nation; prayer in Congress, Christmas Day, and all other religions celebrating their faith. However, the Ten Commandments without purging cannot be displayed on public soil or buildings. Purged of its uniquely religious overtones its d...

Brad Wardell pointed out in one his recent articles on the character of America, that the federal government is but a small part of governance compared to all that is done on state and local levels. This is not an isolated view among conservatives who still carry the vestige of rugged individualism in their hearts pumping through their veins governmental malnutrition as though the US were just any country advocating the law of power, rather than enlightened, constitutional law. That locals have ...

It seems the boring, heard-that-before Democratic presidential primary run is nothing but fodder for the media, particularly the talking heads who, with their symbiotic guests, serve no other purpose than to flex their egos. Everybody in the media wants to be a celebrity — Chris Matthews adores himself while straddling the fence, Shawn Hannity thinks he’s the guru of the neo-cons and Reaganite Catholicism, James Carvelle pretends to be the champion of the little people, Robert Novak endures as...

In the fifties the slogan for Big Business was “What’s good for General Motors is good for the country.” The inference, of course, is that the largest company and employer is bound to have a beneficial effect on the economy in profits, growth, improving wages and growth of the middle class to sustain business activity. Today this economic concept is lost. “What’s good for Wal-Mart is not necessarily good for the country.” For the implication here is that this current largest company and emp...

What happened to Samantha Runnion was torture and murder — terrorism of the worst kind because it is a deplorable act of personal, up front horror wreaked upon an innocent child. Where was congressional outrage for this as was demonstrated in behalf of “Under God”? Far too long now is the indifference of a national community to countless incidence of terror against our children. Far too long has been the inaction in face of the horrendous crimes of rape, kidnapping and murder committed agains...

I was embarrassed during the 2000 campaign when the Democrats kept harping on the soaring DOW, which to the average person means very little since the books are always cooked to suit the whims of the time. The millions of modest stockholders that politicians are always heralding possess a piece of the action by pensions mainly in mutual funds which seem never to rise or fall very much. There are scandals, of course, where a corrupt company cajole employees to invest in their employer, such as ...

I find it intriguing that there are folks who are adamantly for or against capital punishment as though there were some ironclad a priori causation for such views. Those for it, seem always to fall back on the “eye for an eye” rationale; those against resort to taking a life is God’s matter and not one of humankind to sit in judgment. In practice neither is valid; for there are innumerable variables in deciding the appropriate sentence. Nevertheless, what is a priori is that murder is wrong. ...

Built into the teaching profession is the saccharine psychology that teachers love children. Perhaps in a vague sense this is true; however, the sentiment of loving children is essentially maternal and a throw back to the one-room-schoolhouse, and should not be perceived as a prerequisite to good teaching — unless the concept is linked to Socrates’ pejorative of “midwife of ideas.” Socrates cared for ideas when they were his but scorned ideas of others that did not measure up to his own. A mat...