A recent blog that someone wrote about their current faith journey got me to pondering. When I was younger and someone would tell me about the doubts they were having about their faith, I would feel that person was "losing" their faith. As I've grown older, I've come to realize that many times they are "finding", rather than losing their faith. Having several children, I've come to realize that up to a certain stage in their life, children will believe anything you tell them. When it comes...
Recently, I saw a blogger bashed for taking the position on abortion that "I think abortion is wrong,but I support a woman's right to choose". I didn't state it on that blog,but that has been the "official" line I have taken. I am not a fence sitter; however. I have VERY strong opinions, I'm just strong enough in them to not feel the need to defend them, or proselytize you to them. If you would prefer I say "I think abortion is completely repugnant, but I support the right for people to do...
Theodora "Tonie" Nathan was born in 1923 and received a bachelor's in journalism from the University of Oregon in 1971. But she indelibly embedded her stamp on history in 1972, after she accepted the vice presidential nomination for the fledgeling Libertarian Party, running as the running mate of John Hospers. Although the pair were on only two state ballots and received about 3,000 votes, they made history when Minnesota elector Roger MacBride refused to cast his ballot for Richard Nixon and ca...
A few years ago, a friend of mine, after his third child, decided it was time to get snipped. So, he spoke with the doctors about it, and found out something interesting: In the state of Wisconsin, at least, a married man MUST have his wife's permission to have a vasectomy! Contrary to a statement on a recent blog, it is not required (in Wisconsin, at least) for a woman to receive her husband's permission to have an abortion. There's an obvious double standard here that I just don't get. ...
I have spent the majority of my online time over the past week or so doing research, some of it which I have shared here. And I'm loving it. Sure, initially I felt silly as I brought forth the subject of an "essay" I'm working on to individuals in conversation who are well aware that I am not currently enrolled in school. But now that I have found a rhythm, things have flowed, and most of my research has been pretty fruitful. Sure, I will have to come back later for source citations. Sure,...
Benjamin Butler began his political career as a Democrat, winning the office of Massachussets state rep. in 1853, and state senator in 1858. He served the Union in the Civil War, and served in Congeress afterwards from 1867-75, and from 1877-79. He gained a reputation in the House when he authored the tenth article of impeachment against Andrew Johnson, and served as the lead House prosecutor in Johnson's removal trisl (his poor performance is often cited as a factor in Johnson's acquittal...
James Weaver (1833-1912) enlisted as a private in the Union Army and fought at Shiloh, and went on following the war to hold post as the District Attorney of Iowa's second judicial district in 1866. In 1867, he was appointed the federal assessor of internal revenue, and quickly became disillusioned with Ulysses S. Grant, and joined the Greenback Party, which had been organized in 1876 around the platform of expansion of paper money. Weaver ran for, and won, a seat in Congress with the part...
I was raised up doing genealogical research. To my mother, a Mormon, it was essential. It is only recently, however, due to current circumstances, that I have begun to mull that there may be a dark side to those who use it improperly. Friends of my mother's at the church taught her where to look for ancestors and such. One flaw in the ointment; however, is that these tools can often be used to locate LIVING individuals as well, something my mother is well aware of and has done repeatedly in...
I love blogging, and I really DO blog for myself (no, really). Some of my blogs are basically personal notes shared with the general public for my later use. But, all in all, it's stuff I find interesting. But, on the bigger screen that is Joeuser, these articles make little more noise than a butterfly fart. I love them, but the articles themselves are dud articles, the bane of a point whore's existence. Most of my third party platforms pre-election qualified (although one of them made...
First the good news: I got my hubcap back. But, yesterday, I was forced to deal with the unmistakable reality that I have blown a headgasket. Now, mind you, I have never replaced a headgasket. Frankly, I never intended to. But, as finances do not permit replacing the car or taking it to a *competent* mechanic, I am undergoing this torturous process myself, whilst using borrowed wheels for the route. It is my hope to have the car fully functional this weekend. If not, you may hear me scr...
The Republican Party's first presidential candidate, John C. Fremont's political career is all but forgotten, and memories of him are confined to the explorations he led into western lands and the writings that resulted. Born in 1813 as the illegitimate child of a prominent Virginia woman and a penniless French immigrant, Fremont felt compelled to be a social climber, and sought out politically influential patrons to assist him in this arera. He married the daughter of Thomas Hart Benton, ...
The second of three (I erronously stated two earlier) former presidents to run as third party candidates, Fillmore had served as vice president under Zachary Taylor, and assumed the office upon Taylor's demise, serving from 1850-1853. He was selected in 1856 as the candidate for the American "know-nothing" party, which had formed in 1849 around a strong opposition to immigration, especially by Roman Catholics, who, they claimed, were subservient to a foreign prince (the pope). Cl...
They were a typical conservative couple. He was a middle school vice principal, a young and well respected educator. She, a stay at home mother,and anti-abortion activist, radical enough, in fact, to be a member of Missionaries to the Preborn, a VERY radical organization (this will bear relevance later). They were also friends of ours. Shortly after the birth of their second daughter, they were hit with some news that they took hard. The daughter had a rare genetic disorder that inhibited ...
In the wake of so many lists of left/right inconsistencies, I was pondering a few the other day. Feel free to add more (or inconsistencies of the right as well; equal opportunity here): Leftists: Believe that a woman has a right to abort a fetus without the father's consent, but if she chooses to keep it, that father better pay for it till it's 18. Believe that developmentally disabled individuals are wonderful individuals, worthy of respect and esteem, but they should be terminated whe...
In a previous blog I wrote (and on similar blogs), ParaTed2k made an astute observation. Press=Participation. My own example in this area underscored that greatly. Back a few years when church burnings were going on throughout the south, Reggie White's church in Tennessee was burned. Because of White's high profile, businesses and individuals in the Green Bay and Oshkosh (where I lived at the time)/Appleton/Neenah/Menasha area contributed and volunteered, churches pleaded for donations, and W...