Aug 23, 2016

To Make and to Take

When Man honors more what Men take from Men;

When what he keeps is the highest measure;

When what he does is not the greater treasure,

Than what he has from others taken...

Then wisdom and wealth will become confused,

And the fool and failure will be those who make;

And raised high, revered, will be those who take,

And Man will better love the user than the used.

Featured Posts

The Real Cancel Culture

Here is the real "cancel culture". When the reactionary right ascended to power preaching that "government is the problem" they began the...

Divide and Conquer

The more we promote cultural individualism the less political power The People will have. We are being divided into smaller and smaller...

Rule of Law vs. Law and Order

Contrary to two generations of propaganda promoted by government officials of both major parties, the liberties, rights and freedoms...

Government Is Not The Problem - Power Is

It is a misconception that the Founding Fathers mistrusted government. They had a profound appreciation for the role of government in...

Conspiracy Theory and The Leader Principal

Those in the thrall of the Leader Principal are conditioned to understand that anything that opposes, undermines or otherwise calls into...

Government Of, By and For The People Sounds Good - Until You Decide The People Are The Problem

In a Constitutional Democracy - in which the overwhelming majority of the population is enfranchised (since the 1960s) - the premise that...

Careful What You Wish For

Based on an old eastern European folk tale.

It Just Doesn't Matter

So I've been quietly observing the whole emerging Constitutional Crisis as both a political history junkie and a citizen. I have several...

Just Say No - A Solution to the Party Candidate Selection Problem

The Electoral College is not the problem. Democracy and Populism are not the problem. In the United States, the problem is We The People...

Reigniting Democracy

Now that's I've annoyed all my conservative friends, I'll annoy all my liberal friends. Love him or hate him - Mr. Trump has done the one...

A Peaceful Transfer of Power

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In a winner take all system only the winners win - here's the fix

How much does your vote count? According to 2012 presidential election data compiled by the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at Corn

The Case for Third Party Politics

Perhaps because I’ve been known to express an opinion or two about the state of our political process, many people have been asking me...

I Lost My Socks on Nine Eleven

I lost my socks on nine eleven, Somewhere on West Side Drive. To a perfect girl with shoes so wrong; For a forced march - an evacuation....

Strength

We are taught that strength lies in imposing our will upon others. We are taught that winning is strength. This is the strength of...

To Make and to Take

When Man honors more what Men take from Men; When what he keeps is the highest measure; When what he does is not the greater treasure,...

Burning Bright

Memories of the Day

What it means to be One-way

If you are of a certain age and you are from rural Maine, you know what the term "One-way" means. It has nothing to do with highway...

What Muhammad Ali taught me about my father

Muhammad Ali passed away Friday, June 3rd, 2016. I will leave the obituaries and tributes to others more informed. However, I found it...

Both sides are wrong - it is not a zero sum game, but it is

Every election cycle eventually gets down to the one central point around which all societies revolve. After a while the peripheral...

Glory

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Dying for the Cause is a Myth

Human beings have always placed value on self-sactifice. Many of our most celebrated heroes, our cultural and moral role models, have...

Imagining Lincoln's War on Terror

President Lincoln's Address to the Nation on September 14, 2001 Our nation has suffered a grievous loss. Terror has touched our shores in...

Cuba: Choosing the starting point of history

US relations with Cuba are changing. Thawing. Returning to what were once close ties. Many people are outraged. Others are relieved....

American Classic Stakes Everything on $200 Million Rebranding

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Simple marvel

Take a few moments to observe your hands. Marvel at what they do. Turn a doorknob, light a candle, brush your hair. Twist a cap, use a...

Understanding the Trump Appeal

Whether you love him or hate him, Donald Trump's remarkable run for the White House has important lessons for the psychology of the...

Go Ahead - Let It Snow!

Go ahead and snow, Winter creep. Drop an inch, a foot, Drop a heap! I don't care What you do now, So what If I have to plow? My shovel's...

What Might Have Been

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Divisible by Zero - A Serial Novel (3)

Jeannie Powell sat down across the table from them. Zeke sat next to his mother, his hands resting on the wooden surface. He was still....

Divisible by Zero - A Serial Novel (2)

Spring, 3rd Grade She stopped by Kenny’s mother’s house on her way back from the school. She refused to call it Kenny’s house, even...

A Day In Cliche

It's as clear as mud: It's always darkest just before the dawn. Before throwing in the towel, it was time to circle the wagons. God helps...

Divisible by Zero - A Serial Novel (1)

Deborah frowned and muttered, “Aw, shit,” under her breath. She waved her hand towards the customer service desk as she began to peel off...

We Need Barbara

From her earliest childhood, she was fascinated by people, by the society in which she lived, and how that society had come about....

The Storm

Past, Present & Future

For your internet sharing pleasure...

Why White is Black and Black is White – The Paradox of Color

Sometimes the smallest or simplest little thing you learn can profoundly alter your view of the world. Learning about the paradox of...

Education of a Boy - Shoot First Laugh Later

This one's a little long for a blog post, so please download the full text by clicking on the "download full story" link following the...

1984 Is Sneaking Up on Us!

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The Stone - The Alchemist's Quest for Modern Banking

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Time Will Tell

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History, Memory, Myth

It's been about a year. What a year. On 9/11 I talked to my Dad on the phone. He was blithely unaware of what was happening, why I was...

Handbook for Would-be Supreme Leaders

**Editorial Note 11/19/15** The following is excerpted from notes I started for some story or other after the 9/11 attacks on NYC and DC....

The Story Never Ends

Why can I never seem to finish writing? It's 3am. Since my "retirement" from a real job, my schedule has turned upside down. During the...