Red State/Blue State

Why would any group choose to behead someone? In the 21 st Century,  the words barbarians and beheadings should both be viewed as arcane language. Instead, we see South and Central American drug cartels plus groups of extremists fighting in the Middle East using beheadings as a frequent and popular method of murder. For those of us living in the relative shelter and peace of the Continental United States, it’s hard to fathom the black hole of hatred and darkness seen and used by these people. Why do they behead people? One clue concerning the Islamic extremists leads us to the time of Mohammed. Even in the prophet’s time, (570 AD to 632 AD), he was condemned for an act of violence which left seven-hundred Jewish men beheaded at the siege of Banu Qurayza. In certain parts of Italy and in the U.S., the Mafia and drug cartels of South America use beheadings to serve as warnings to those who would stand in their way. Sadly, we probably have not reached the end of this appall...

Can we have Peace in the Modern era? What would it take to bring about world peace? I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the elusive quality of peace. Specifically, after the beheading of a journalist named James Foley, I wondered why a group of people would resort to such a barbarous and medieval act. In the name of religion, it’s sad to admit that many of our most barbarous acts of violence take place under the auspices of religious fervor. Why can’t some bunch of zealots start a Jihad for Peaceful Co-existence? It just doesn’t happen this way. Peace has the distinction of being all things to all people. The ever-changing definition reveals the subjective nature of peace.   My ruminations have led to the idea that human nature can never realize the concept of a world at peace. Our peace is not the same peace sought by those who live in different parts of the globe. Our foreign allies must struggle with a different definition of world peace. The type of peace we all know...

One way to suggest the type of president that Obama is may be explained by the advertising world. There's a different way that Mad Men may look at the Presidents. The Ad Men of Manhattan would look at the last half century or so of Presidents and attach labels to them based on their appeal to the American Public. They would be “Hot and Cold”. The list is as follows:   Kennedy: The first Television President...was Cool. Definitely Kennedy was cool. He was ultra-cool, a younger man’s president with young children. He appealed to women and knew the power of the new and all-powerful age of television. Indeed, he won the debate with Nixon through the appeal of his cooler look, as compared to Nixon’s “hot & sweaty” appearance. The adage- “Never Let ‘em see you sweat” was born with that debate. And through Kennedy’s tragic and untimely death, his image was further cemented in the public’s mind of a young man, never aging and alway...

  Thanks to Thomas Pynchon, I became aware of the definition of Entropy while reading, “The Crying of Lot 49”. While watching the roll-out of Obamacare, entropy immediately came to mind. A definition of the term  is clearly needed here.   I wish I could provide it, but the science is far too complex for my tiny mind. The best description I can bring forth is that entropy defines the energy within any given system.   We know from the law of thermodynamics that over time, in any given system, the energy will decrease. Eventually, this will lead to the death of the system, but to quote from the scientific analysis of thermodynamics, “interesting things continue to happen at increasingly low levels of energy.”   That sounds like a deliberately provocative statement. Of course interesting things may happen…but the fact that they may happen at increasingly low levels of energy makes me think of dying.   There is something about the waning energy ...

My bent is naturally leaning towards a progressive government. I'm fiscally conservative by nature, yet the arc leans toward progressive policies on social issues. I've got to say lately I've become more and more resigned to the fact that I'm disappointed in all GOP candidates and elected office-holders. Not because I believe the Democratic candidates are so far morally superior. But the policies of the Republicans have pushed them out of the middle completely. There should be common ground on many divisive issues. All Americans should have backed banking and finance reform and worked to carve out a strong bill. Instead the Dodd-Frank bill was rendered toothless in many respects because of GOP opposition and pressure from big banking interests. Campaign finance reform should be a national cause from both parties. Instead the Tea Party groups are sponsored again by big money interests and powerful lobbies. It's not that Democratic candidates don't have the...

  The latest rap from Obama’s base is that he didn’t do enough to “change” Washington. They complain that he came in as an agent of hope and change and now it’s even more partisan. Obama is seen as a creature of Washington, according to his leftist critics. He’s too conventional.   One thing I would ask: Are they living in the real world or the Land of Oz? Since when is one man solely responsible for changing a nation? Martin Luther King represented generational change that took a lifetime. It’s my belief that the electorate has changed. The makeup of the voters has changed. The Eisenhower years, and the Obama years, may seem a bit flat to some. Maybe because there are no new wars? The impression remains that he has worked behind the scenes to get things done.   His legacy will be Health Care. He has taken the country off of a “war footing” (the Military Industrial Complex). His oratory, his personal style, and his capture of Osama Bin Laden remain highli...

“Lawrence of Arabia” starring Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness and Omar Sharif, and directed by David Lean is one of my favorite films. Watching coverage of the continuing crises in the Middle East makes me realize that all we need to understand about the Middle East region can be found in this classic film. 1. About the ARAB SPRING: “THE TRICK IS NOT MINDING” You will be burnt! Playing with matches at the beginning of the film, an officer exclaims loudly that it really hurts when you are burnt by a match. “Of course it hurts. The trick is not minding” replies Lawrence. You are going to have to take some good solid licks when mucking around in the Middle East. Not in the same sense, hopefully, as described by George C. Scott, portraying a General in “Dr. Strangelove”, who exclaims in an animated tone when chastised for advocating nuclear war, “Well, of course I’m not saying we aren’t going to get our hair mussed a little bit!” We don’t want to go quite as far as the deranged General, ...