As a Christian, I have often heard people that are turned off to Christianity tell me that Buddhism is the kind of faith that attracts them. The idea of peace, and of being in harmony with the universe appeals to them, and Buddhism, to them, embodies that sort of ideal. The problem is, in many years of encounters with people of all faiths, I have yet to meet many Buddhists who live the kind of faith that Buddhism preaches. I could say similar things about Islam. Despite all of its protesta...
When people come and go on JoeUser, one of the things that constantly amazes me is the perception that, because someone is highly ranked on the site, they are a "target". The shameful thing about this is that it's a perfect metaphor for life. Too often people will look at someone who's successful and feel it is their duty to bring that individual down in order to bring themselves up. Not only is it flawed thinking, it rarely ever works as planned. See, success is not a "zero sum game". Tha...
In keeping with the wishes of the yard nazis, we've been working hard on our yard. Our yard looks better than 90% of the yards in town now, but it is entirely possible that will not be enough. But the problem is, the illegals. See, we have an illegal immigrant problem on our property. As quick as we clear them away, they're back, in ever increasing numbers. We live on a hill, and these illegals invade, crossing our border with reckless abandon. And nothing we can do will keep them out. ...
Anyone who really knows me knows how important travel is to me. I'm just not one of those people that's ever done well chained to one place. Like a dog continually seeing the view of the same inside of the fence, I have to get out to what's BEYOND the fence, to travel, to move around. So the last two and a half years, without a vehicle suitable for long range travel, were sheer torture. In all that time, we made ONE lengthy trip as a family, back to the community where I grew up. One trip in suc...
JU's resident psychoanalyst decided to make his big entry by launching a load of personal attacks against JU regulars. In writing about me, he made the following summary: GideonMacleish - writes for the sake of writing - loves to hear his own voice - the louder the better. Arrogant. In that summary, he proves he knows absolutely nothing about me. The part about being arrogant is true; I've admitted as much so many times over that this individual's "revelation" is nothing more than d...
Ever hear a song and just wish you wrote it? A song so perfect, so real, so magical that you wish you could your muse would have snagged it and sent it your way? Below is a list of some of the songs I really wish I'd wrote, but just wasn't cool enough (or alive enough) to have done so. Highway Patrolman, by Bruce Springsteen The Freshman, by the Verve Pipe Mr Tambourine Man, by Bob Dylan City of New Orleans, by Steve Goodman Pancho and Lefty, by Townes van Zandt Mr. Tanner, by ...
I hate living in the future, but sometime's it's a necessity. Since the beginning of the year I have been searching for anyone who endorsed my campaign in 2006, and for Libertarian and independent activists in my district. I'm pleased to report I'm hitting score after score. The legislature's in session right now so activists are a little more out and about than at most times during an "off year". This also means they're invariably a little ticked off that things didn't go their way in the...
Jared gnawed at his fingers mercilessly. What was it, nine hours? Ten? Nearly half a day since his insides had filled with the fluid elixir that intoxicated him and left him clamoring for more. His friends continually harped on him about how it would be the death of him, how he would end up dead in some gutter somewhere with nobody but the rats to mark his passing. He knew it all and yet he could not quit. Years ago, he had tried twelve step groups, but the results were always the same. A few...
OK, I'm a little confused. Ever since 9/11, a select group of far left liberals (read: NOT mainstream Democrats) has demanded that we were the reason 9/11 happened...and that other countries hate us because of our hegemonic tendencies. And while mainstream Democrats weren't among the sandwich board kooks shouting on main street, they certainly didn't raise much of a protest while the fringies stood on their soapboxes. Now today I read about presidential hopeful John Edwards' plan to educat...
I bank at a large bank. Oh, it wasn't a large bank when I started going there, but you know, the buying and selling of financial institutions is and has always been big business. Anyway, I go there, and I haven't had a lick of trouble with them. Really. Honestly. Until today. See, I went in to cash my paycheck and the cashier dutifully informed me there is a balance of -$15 something on my account. Really? I had a couple of debits since my last deposit (LAST Thursday) but there should have...
Because our local kook at large has taken it upon himself to become the world's foremost authority on scripture as well as economics, I thought I would take him to task. What follows is the result: There are those in our community who demand that it is the moral responsibility of our society to redistribute the wealth of this nation among the poor. They use the words of Jesus to compare our poor to beggars outside the gates of the wealthy, suffering despite the wealthy's callous disregard, wh...
As many of you know, I used to be a hard core socialist. I was the socialist of all socialists. I was involved with radical communist organizations in the city of Chicago, and I read Marx and Che Guevara (as well as biographies of both). But as time went by I began to see just how wrong I was. See, to this day, I care deeply about the plight of the poor. If my study of socialism taught me anything, though, it taught me that the answer to poverty does not lie in socialist revolutions, it does ...
One year ago, we were recovering from the worst wildfires in Texas history. We were exhausted, worn down, and worn out...but we were not beaten. Although we would continue to nail "hot spots" for the next several days, the worst was over --for now. I remember thinking shortly afterwards how the fires had helped bring the community together. Oh what a difference a year makes. One year later, the community is more divided than ever. The churches sit mostly bare, except for the ultra pious...
I don't often admit this, but I am, technically, a Hoosier (thanks, Peyton and company for making it OK to say that again!) I was born in Indiana, but we didn't stay there long. But I can't deny that my family roots run deep; on a trip to the Tippecanoe battlefield, I was astonished to see a name that ties DIRECTLY onto my family tree among the list of the fallen. Tippecanoe, for those who don't remember their history well, was in the VERY early part of the 19th century. Now, when you're a ho...