Religion

Faith is a personal relationship with a supernatural entitiy or entities. Its natural to want to share a satisfying relationship with others.

When two or more people gather together to celebrate their individual relationship with the supernatural they cross into the realm of religion. As the group gets larger, humanity (less than supernatural) takes over and the group becomes an "organized" religion.

Problems begin when groups of people who believe that they have exactly the same personal relationship find out that they don't and splits and schisms begin.

The situation gets even worse when some religions think their relationship and/or organization is "better" than the expressed relationship and/or organization of others.

With years of separation and contempt the differences can and often devolve into prejudice, hate and violence.

There is a way back - focus on your personal relationship and allow others to have their own personal relationship. This would apply equally to those who may be within your religion or individual organization and those who are in other religions or church. But also to those who choose not to have a relationship with a supernatural entity or those who don't believe that a supernatural entity exists.

iCommunications

The impact of the PCs and the Internet on communications has been great.

The Apple PC entered the market in 1976, the IBM PC in 1981. However, these are other notables before them. Personal computer junkies will also recall fondly the Altair 8800, RadioShack and Commodore PCs which were the ones used and built upon by Gates and Wozniak.

The Internet became available to the public (first in the US) about 1994. But, it grew from a network of computers operated in support of the US Department of Defense, Energy, State, etc.

The citizens of the world like the increased communications ability and information availability made possible by the PC and Internet. Governments and the mainstream media who had a near monopoly on information are adjusting reluctantly to regular citizens possessing greater access and near instantaneous communications.

Ah, the Internet

Information and alternative analysis is more readily available and accessible at nearly any of your local library. The Internet and all of its instruments: websites, blogs, social networks, etc. almost makes the need for political parties and traditional (print and broadcast) media as sources of info and news nearly redundant.

The parties and media keep thinking they can put the genie back in the bottle and have us all, only get our info from their websites, blogs, etc.

Pity. They should have been more responsible with their information dissemination pre-Internet.

Though, the parties and traditional media have been good for something recently. they have been very entertaining. Their disappearing and recanting sources. The illusory photographs. It is magical.

If you knew then....what you know now...?

That was the media question most over used in 2006.

If voters knew then that the Carter Administration would allow inflation to run rampant, energy supplies to become so vulnerable and fail miserably in trying to settle the Iranian hostage situation would the voters have elected Jimmy Carter President?

If voters knew then that Richard Nixon was an insecure individual prone to enable so much illegal activity in his name would the voters have re-elected him President?
If Deep Throat knew before the election then what he conveyed to W&B after the election.....?

If....if.....if. Reality happened.....Voters didn't and voters did. Deep Throat didn't and W&B did eventually. Move on to the solution space for today's issues and problems.

Our Representatives, Presidents, and Supreme Court Justices are not chosen to second guess each other. They are chosen to make considered decisions with the information they possess at the time to defend and protect the Constitution and Americans.
We can argue about whether chosen individuals do a good job or not in making those decisions. However, let's leave the analysis of history to historians.

By all means read history. By all means learn the lessons of history. But don't be held captive in the present from future action by a consideration of your place in history or your desire for the recognition of your peers with a Pulitzer.

Only English should be Mandatory

For the purpose of conducting business between the US government and its citizens, all the other languages should be optional.

Its a nice gesture to have street signs, menus, advertising, etc. in multiple languages to assist our guests and visitors.  And Hotel's are very wise to have concierges that speak several languages, especially in NY and DC.

And our hospitals, police departments and courts should have a means to provide translator services for those guests and visitors that require legal or medical assistance during their visit to the US.

But, there is no compelling reason to "require" providing voting ballots and other US government to US citizen communications in languages other than English when the requirements for naturalized US citizenship is a demonstration of competency to read, write and speak English.

Merry Christmas

If I meet you on the street and wish you a Merry Christmas, I'm wishing you the joy that I feel from my celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Please don't think that I am evangelizing Christianity or diminishing the celebration of other religions or festivities. Especially don't think that I'm slighting or slandering your faith or beliefs.

And feel free to wish me the glad tidings of your holiday spirit, in your way and/or say "Thank you".

No More O.J.

I believe and respect that a jury of his peers found O.J. Simpson not guilty of murdering his wife, Nicole and Ron Goldman. I believe he did murder his wife. It is unbelievable that a TV program is being aired to promote his latest book.

I don't blame the book publisher of his latest book. I don't blame the Fox network for airing the program. I don't even blame O.J. for writing the book.

I'm just going to ignore them all and hope that most people do likewise.