Stan Grimes
Articles by Stan Grimes
September 19, 2009
I have been in a writing drought lately. All of the insanity broadcast on our media corporations (owned by GE and other super-rich corporations) has made me crawl inside my office closet. I don´t want to come out, but I have to eat. Though the birthers, Joe Wilson, nauseate me, I know President O...
August 17, 2009
The President´s in town so let´s bring out the guns and show him "yes we can." That has been the theme lately when the President calls a town hall meeting. I don´t recall any big show of guns when G.W. Bush made his rounds or John McCain for that matter. Why are the boys bringing out their toys f...
August 07, 2009
Everyone knows that First Amendment Rights allow for the freedom of speech and the freedom to practice one´s religion. We are seeing the right being used in the much publicized town hall meetings being organized around the country. Freedom of speech is necessary for a democracy to survive, b...
August 01, 2009
The Birther movement among Republicans is like a cancer that just won´t go away. In fact the movement seems to be picking up more popularity among conservative voters. If Congressmen and women want to have any relevance in the world of government, they must squash the strange wing nuts in th...
July 21, 2009
A group of strange ultra conservative Republicans called the "Birthers" still to this day dispute President Obama´s citizenship in America. It´s amazing to me that such people exist and that this group of people believes the misinformation they are spreading. It´s "crazy" and would definitely qual...
July 19, 2009
One must wonder what the heck ever happened to good news and good journalism. The passing of Walter Cronkite is not about the end of a great commentator, but the act represents the end of intellectual and professional treatment of the important events of our time.
I had the dishonor of hearing...
July 06, 2009
I bid thee farewell dear Sarah. Though someone will miss you, don´t count on me. In my most un-humble opinion you´ve made a fool of America and Alaskans alike (they are the same thing aren´t they?). Now your explanation for stepping down from the governorship leaves me breathless and totally conf...
June 10, 2009
On a gray day in November of 2008 Americans went to their polling districts and cast a vote. It was a vote for change. Change from what? You might ask. What kind of change did we need? After all, things hadn´t changed much in fifty years. Most people were working, most were living as usual from...
May 19, 2009
Way back when (oh boy, here it comes) I was youngster I took my girlfriend to the county fair. I had twenty bucks to spend and that was it. I actually thought this was going to be my lucky night, but that´s a different story all together.
I bought my lovely date a soda and some popcorn. In the...
May 14, 2009
Okay so let me get this straight. A large group of Notre Dame students are protesting President Obama´s upcoming speech at the school´s commencement ceremony. Am I right? They are protesting because the President´s belief in pro choice. Am I right again? This section of the Notre Dame student p...
May 07, 2009
What is it exactly making our conservative neighbors nervous? I have a theory, I always do. I think it´s a generational nervousness. You know, like when you first let your son or daughter use your car to go out with their friends. I think that is what the Republicans are going through. Th...
May 04, 2009
Does the Republican Party remain relevant? I think it´s a question germane to our nation´s future. If the answer is no than have we become a nation ruled by one party´s ideology? If the answer is yes we must then ask what will Republicans do to find power in an almost powerless ...
April 14, 2009
Perhaps I´ve been barking up the wrong tree when I choose various Republican politicians for the "GOOPER" award. Maybe, just maybe, I should be choosing various media outlets as the real culprits in this national right wing move to obstruct the critical choices our president must make.
When...
April 02, 2009
I have been seriously thinking about who should win this week´s GOOPER award. It´s been a tough decision. So many potential winners, Eric Cantor, Mitch McConnell, John McCain, and of course John Boehner. I just couldn´t come up with a winner. Instead, I have chosen the entire R...
March 28, 2009
Am I alone with this feeling of being in the middle of a political crossfire? On one side Republicans decry foul and Democrats urge, "full steam ahead." In the center of all this you and I sit with our mortgages due and our food bills increasing with each day. We don´t understand why things can´t...
March 21, 2009
My sincerest congratulations go out to Governor Sarah Palin for winning this week´s GOOPER award. She has worked hard and deserves it. We all knew she would make the list eventually. Her need to obstruct and be an obstructionist far out weigh her desire to govern the good citizens of the gr...
March 14, 2009
Yes, there is another one, a GOOPER winner. Governor Rick Perry (R) from Texas is refusing $555 million dollars of stimulus money for the unemployed workers of his state. His reasoning is that after the money is used, the state will have to foot the bill for the extra money given to its unemployed...
March 11, 2009
I refused as long as I could, but millions of viewers have requested that I once again go to the well and pull out a GOOPER award from the seemingly bottomless list of GOOPER prospects. Just to clarify this entire matter I am totally against it, but hey popularity has its pull. Hence, I present to...
March 08, 2009
"I heard the news today oh boy about a lucky man who made the grade (Beatles)." Fact is, I haven´t heard much good news lately. Old gray-haired men fighting in our nation's capitol because they each have some misguided ideology and to hell with the will of the American people. That same attitude ...
March 03, 2009
Obama is playing hoops with the GOOPS and they´re losing. Obama is a brilliant politician (and human being). I´m sure in his eyes the infighting of the GOP does nothing but help his game and believe me he has his game face on. He is playing a 3-2 defense causing Rush to shoot from outside and Mich...
March 02, 2009
This has been a tough week for choosing a GOOPER Of The Week. There were so many candidates. Some that really trashed my view of reality were Bobby Jindal (still putting politics over people), Sarah Palin (no sir by golly we don´t need no bailout money in Alaska), Joe the Plumber (I´ll slap the sn...
February 24, 2009
Bobby Jindal is the newest member of my GOOP (Grand Old Obstructionist Party). In fact he has earned a five-star rating for his recent announcement that he just might not take any of the government´s stimulus money for unemployment in his wounded state of Louisiana. His rebuttal to the Presi...
February 13, 2009
The GOP should in fact change the acronym, which has stood since President Lincoln proudly held the party as a badge of honor. GOOP is much more apropos for the twenty-first century, Grand Old Obstructionists Party. After all, since Bush´s election eight years ago obstructionism has been the shibb...
February 04, 2009
The radical right wing of the Republican conservatives are so angry about President Obama´s victory in the presidential election, they could just scream. I have been watching Ann Coulter´s recent interviews. That lady scares me. She is either bipolar or attention deficit. The radical...
January 28, 2009
Partisanship continues to thrive in our nation´s capital. No big surprise I guess. Even though one of the most popular presidents to come along in a very long time is now leading us in a bipartisan way. There are so many haters out there. Personally, I have come across several Obama haters...
January 18, 2009
After five days of suffering a life threatening fever carrying with it alternating bouts of chills and hot night sweats, it was refreshing finally to be chilled in a different way. The chills of truth broke through my body as I watched Barack Obama taking the whistle-stop train ride from Philadelph...
January 09, 2009
If one is given to the pursuit of the mundane, I guess the recent media coverage of Sarah Palin´s weak counter-punch at the all-elusive left wing liberals "out to get her" would be interesting. However, I hate to be the bearer of bad news to our great media pillars of fame, it is old and worn...
January 06, 2009
"Five Hundred up front before we can admit you for CT-Scan," the lady at the business desk said dryly. "Five hundred?" I couldn´t believe it. "Yes sir.´
That´s basically how the conversation went. I have bee trying my best to give birth to a kidney stone and have been feeling much like someone...
December 20, 2008
If the colonials would have waited for someone "qualified" to slip the word to Great Britain that they were separating from their motherland, this country would probably now be known as Southern Canada. Qualifications were hard to find in the eighteenth century. By today´s standards none of our fo...
December 14, 2008
Implications, perhaps accusations, are being thrown out all over the place especially in our media. Is the line once again drawn in the sand between North and South? I´m not talking Civil War Part Deuce here, but they´re definitely is a dichotomy between the interests of the Southern Senators and ...
December 07, 2008
Payday to payday, that´s how it is. Many people know what it is. It´s called living the American dream, only it´s being done payday to payday. It is painfully true that many people are an accident away from bankruptcy, a lost job away from bankruptcy, or a broken vehicle away from bankruptcy. Th...
November 19, 2008
Okay, it appears our "lame duck" Congress is not going to bail out the Big Three. That´s okay, I guess. If Congress members can live with putting over two or three million hardworking blue-collar workers out of business, I guess we will see General Motors flushed down the toilet with little guilt ...
November 16, 2008
Sarah Palin has declared that she is waiting for God to open the door for her future place in politics. Sarah, He has already opened the door. It´s a long highway we know as the Al-Can Highway that leads to Alaska along a very scenic road, but you better go now. I hear the highway can be difficul...
November 10, 2008
When one thinks of Carl Sandburg, it´s usually in the framework of the author´s biography of President Lincoln. However, Mr. Sandburg was a fair poet. He authored a book entitled, "The People, Yes." "The People, Yes" was a book length poem and a very poignant one at that. Although redund...
November 08, 2008
The Mormon Church and other religions rounded up millions of dollars to push into action Proposition 8 in California. This is just another blur in the ideology of separation of church and state. The Mormon religion specifically has little to stand on when it comes to defying state laws and proposi...
November 06, 2008
Lyrics are a very personal and intimate form of poetry. Sometimes known as sonnets, odes, or elegies, lyrics express a writer's deepest emotions, feelings, and thoughts. Lyrics are song-like and generally rhyme. Most often lyrics are set to music. We call them "songs." Brilliant deduction, eh...
October 31, 2008
North Carolina´s Senator Elizabeth Dole created an ad attacking her opponent for having attended a "Godless Americans" meeting held in her honor. I ask, "So what?" Is that the same as attending a meeting with Osama Bin Laden? Godless Americans are simply a group of atheists, a little radica...
October 28, 2008
I was born during the Truman Presidency and didn´t really understand much about politics until the Kennedy victory in the sixties. I have to laugh at some of the shenanigans being pulled by both sides of the political coins, but especially by the desperate Republican camp. I haven´t seen this kind...
October 24, 2008
My morning ritual includes drinking a cup of coffee, watching CNN, and checking the mail. Pretty dull huh? Today, my ritual was somewhat interrupted when I checked our mail and low and behold I found a picture of Barack Obama juxtaposed next to Mr. Ayers, the once home grown terrorist. The flyer ...
October 11, 2008
Finally, the moment many of us have been waiting for. John McCain on Friday proved that he is a real hero. Sure, we have all known that he was a war hero tortured in the jungles of Vietnam, but now, now he has shown us what a true hero can do. A true hero can reach beyond the narrow-mindedness of...
October 09, 2008
One has to wonder about crowd psychology. That is, when bunches of people get together they act differently than they would under a normal setting…say at home or at work. But, when they are in the protection of a crowd they say and do things that are often out of character for them. Let´s hope th...
October 08, 2008
Tuesday´s debate between Senators McCain and Obama was relative uneventful in my eyes except for McCain´s "That one" statement when referring to his opponent. Now, this may seem insignificant to McCain backers and maybe even to some Obama supporters, but is it insignificant?
McCain´s camp has sa...
October 05, 2008
Obama is palling around with a terrorist? Amazingly old news that Sarah Six-pack would have known if she had watched the primary, but of course we don´t know if she watches television (they may not have television in Alaska, I don´t know). The McCain campaign has made it clear that they are going ...
October 01, 2008
I was sitting on my back steps this evening enjoying one of the last nice evenings we´ll have in Indiana for a season and I began thinking about the economic crisis in our country. You know the one. It´s the crisis that many are protesting against like it´s not really going to happen, except our st...
September 15, 2008
My mother, God rest her soul, at election time voted straight Republican ticket. Why? Funny you should ask. Her response each time I would ask such an absurd question, "I´ve always voted Republican, my parents voted Republican, and my husband votes Republican."
"Why mom?"
"Don´t get smart wit...
September 08, 2008
Pack your saddlebags we´re heading for Alaska. Seems Sister Sarah Palin´s former Pentecostal minister announced at a meeting she attended that Alaska is going to be a safe haven for Christians when the end of the world arrives. Be sure to pack your long undies because I hear it´s...
September 01, 2008
The answer is as big as the universe (almost). A poem comes in many forms. Most poems I read today are free verse in style meaning there is not necessarily a rhyme or rhythm (beat or cadence). This style of poetry has its obvious advantage. It doesn't tie the author down to a singsong, ly...
August 02, 2008
Skin pigmentation is a physiological event unpreventable and inevitable for all of us. It´s not some kind of intellectual enlightenment or spiritual awakening. Yet, for some reason unknown to me our country believes it´s important. Otherwise why do we talk about it so much? We worry ab...
July 08, 2008
What must you do to get your poetry published? Having any kind of literary creation rejected by a publisher can be disheartening. Even when you know that "it's nothing personal." It sure feels personal, right? Right. You poured your heart into a work of art and "in a heartbeat" it's rejecte...
June 29, 2008
You've gone and done it. You've written one of the best poems in your life. You've poured your sweat and guts into this one and it's the biggest of the big ones. What's next? Do you print it up and place it in a picture frame for your family and friends to read? Do you send it in a Christm...
June 20, 2008
Are the two First Lady nominees, "fair game?" In other words can the media and party opponents chew them up and spit them out like they do each other? Shall we drag them into the muck of political arrogance? Can we catch them in their bathrobes smoking a joint with their lovers? "Fair game" soun...
June 07, 2008
John McCain has a one-way campaign plan, Iraq. It´s the only foundation he has to fasten his future on. He has no idea about the economy and much like our current administration he is unaware of the wants of this country´s citizens. He wants to continue giving the rich and ultra rich ...
May 29, 2008
It´s not so much that the sun dares to shine. It´s more that the sun decides to shine when I´m not shining. I have been diagnosed with the illness of depression. Perhaps, I should call it a disease. Illnesses can go away, but diseases tend to linger until they either kill you ...
May 11, 2008
All the world's a stage
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts…(Shakespeare)
Each man/woman plays many parts in a lifetime. We are children, boyfriends, girlfriends, basketball player, student, teacher, par...
April 28, 2008
Barak Obama, Reverend Wright, media, media elitists, elitists, bitter statement, stan grimes
April 18, 2008
For as many years I've been alive I never actually saw someone die. In this case it was my mother. In failed attempts to vocalize what I saw and felt, I wrote this poem. Please forgive its rudimentary form. I'm not the greatest poet aroun.
Your last breath
labored gasp
came like drizzling
...
April 01, 2008
Some top Democrats are suggesting that Hillary and Obama combine their efforts, winner takes Presidency; second-place takes Vice-Presidency. Apparently the Demos chiefs are concerned that Mr. McCain is getting a head start for the general election in November.
Will John McCain ever get a head st...
March 25, 2008
One need only look in one´s mirror to find the beginning of a journey, a journey through this mixed bag of marbles called life. To survive this process we refer to as living, one´s bag of marbles must have the skills necessary to use the biggies to knock out the smallies. If the player...
March 06, 2008
In the state of Indiana sixteen or seventeen County Homes remain open for business. There are ninety-two counties in the state. What is a county home? It´s a place for people with Social Security benefits, MEDICAID benefits, or other retirement benefits to live. The people living in these ...
March 03, 2008
Books do not sell themselves. Sorry. Today´s new authors must know how to multi-task. That is, they must learn how to market what they have written. Not an easy task you say. You are absolutely right. After all writers are in tune with putting their thoughts on paper and writing a story ...
February 16, 2008
You´ve seen the commercial, "Help, I´ve fallen and I can´t get up." Sure, hasn´t everyone? The elderly lady in the commercial pushes a button and suddenly the world of good guys come to her home and she is carried off to good-guy land. Doesn´t seem to work that way f...
February 04, 2008
"First published by Inkwell Newswatch (IN), http://www.fwointl.com/in.html
January 23, 2008
Want to publish your novel on the Internet? It´s a tough road. I´m not sure how you feel about it, but I think the Internet is a big vacuum and many good writers get sucked into a black hole and are never heard from again. Why is that? I have a few ideas.
The Internet has been a g...
January 22, 2008
Now that the primaries are beginning to bloom in several states, we are starting to see what each candidate is really made of. A couple of nights ago we saw Hillary and Barak exchange unpleasantries worth of an exchange between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in his evil empire. Watching Mitt´...
December 30, 2007
Christmas is over and I’m glad, my checking account is glad, and my nerves are glad. It is an interesting holiday however. Though our country is as close to a recession as it can get, we consumers continue to spend millions of dollars for Christmas presents. What’s that about? In my mind it has ...
November 21, 2007
2008 Debates: Are We There Yet?
Remember how your children would annoy you from the backseat of your car when you took them to Sea World or some other American wonderland? “Are we there yet, mom?” I remember those days. Your nerves are rattled as your driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic on t...
October 26, 2007
Several months ago I wrote an article about atheism and I have read many rebuttals, discussions, and some downright arguments about my comments. In this article I stated that Christians hate the atheist and are afraid that atheism just might be correct in its paradigm of thought.
I must admit th...
October 24, 2007
Could a legitimate third party candidate have a chance in 2008? No, I don’t mean a Ross Perot (his ears were too big) or a Ralph Nader (blah, blah, blah). I mean a real plausible candidate. The Christian Conservatives have been making passive threats to create a third party if Republicans don’t come...
August 14, 2007
The cemetery lay behind us. I could still see my father's freshly filled grave, flowers covering all that I knew about him. Our 1948 Chevy sputtered in the freezing temperatures. At seven, I had no idea about death and all its tributaries. I only knew my father must have been cold without a bla...
August 12, 2007
I found this very sacred ritual on a usenet group. I thought it to be funny and I take no credit for its creation. All credit goes to its creator. Moral of this article: "Don't take anything too seriously."
THE CHOCOLATE RITUAL
Copyright 1993, John Shepard,
Performed at Dragonfest, August ...
July 23, 2007
I received an email from a friend. He asked me why Americans thought they had to be the greatest country on earth. I had no real answer for him. I ask you why do we believe we must be or that we are the greatest country on the planet?
We do not provide universal health coverage for our citizen...
July 16, 2007
Living in a small Midwest community has always been a great experience. We live twenty-five miles away from an industrial community and sixty-five miles away from a metropolitan area. It’s like having the better of two worlds. Like many communities, we have had some growth problems. We have los...
June 20, 2007
The Pope has given us some commandments for the highway. He wants his followers to drive like Jesus would. Does that mean we have drive over a lake without taking the bridge? If your car sinks, you aren't a true believer. Wow, such pressure. I don't think I can do it.
The Pope is suggestin...
June 18, 2007
Mike Nifong has been disbarred from practicing law. He will lose his status as Durham County's Prosecuting Attorney. If the victims' attorneys have their way Mr. Nifong will be thrown to the courthouse floor and kicked in his genitals until he loses his home and any assets amounting to over 50 ce...
May 28, 2007
Just so happened my birthday fell in the middle of Memorial Day holiday festivities this year. Only, it wasn't too festive for me. I had so many mixed emotions this year. I'm a year older now (sixty-one and counting, ugh!), our loved ones are still sinking in the quagmire of war, and my parents ...
May 07, 2007
J.K Rowling author of the marvelous "Harry Potter" books was living on the edge of poverty when she finally published her first Potter novel. Of course, we have all heard the tales of Stephen King's pre-famous life. He was rejected 600 billion times before finally publishing his famous novel, "Ca...
May 01, 2007
The number of authors good and bad out there in the writers' world that are unpublished is phenomenal. How will they all get published? They won’t. That is an honest appraisal of authoring and publishing. Historically, not all authors have been taken in by the strong wings of a “great” publ...
April 28, 2007
I think I’m getting paranoid. Am I the only one that feels disconnected from the world in which I live? Does anyone else sense that our country is teetering on the edge of insanity? We hear almost daily that our country is divided, but is it really? Is it politically divided or is the populace r...
April 18, 2007
I like to think myself as a writer. Perhaps I’m not a great writer, but nevertheless I am a writer. In real life I am a Social Worker. I am a Social Worker and a social thinker, but in my heart I am a writer. So many tragedies occur in this world and I want to write about all of them, but I can’...
April 03, 2007
If there's a process in writing you must never pass by, it's proofreading. I currently have a book on the market "Squirrel Mountain Trilogy." The concept I think is good, not many typos, but the red flag is up on the character connections. Why? I didn't proofread the story. I was so enamored wi...
March 25, 2007
Out of the millions of writers on this planet, very few find themselves in the limelight of success, maybe 1 or 2 percent. The rest of us continue to write knowing we will not make it to the top of the heap. Why? Simple, we are writers, born to be, destined right or wrong…talented or not talented...
March 15, 2007
John Couey's jury recommended the death penalty. Sorry, death is too good for him. What could be worse for him? Feed him to the prison population. Let them feast on his sorry bones. Give him to Mr. Lunsford. I think Mark would gladly take care of him in short order. Instead, we (the over-taxe...
March 09, 2007
Religion and politics have become perhaps more entwined than ever in the history of our country. The two structures, or cultures, are not morally compatible. When I say this, I refer to the well-known fact that politicians often give up their "spiritual beliefs" for the sake of becoming a player i...
March 04, 2007
Mitt Romney threw his hat in the presidential race. Jerry Falwell threw his hat in a burning bush somewhere south of West Virginia. Evangelicals, charismatics, Methodists, Baptists, and Catholics are looking around for their shadows. Punxsutawney Phil has them folks. What's all the fuss? Mitt's...
February 19, 2007
What are Sunday mornings like without god? Nice. The house is quiet, a cup a coffee and sleepy dog. I listen to a little Ben Harper, David Gray, Pink Floyd, and a touch of Blue October. I ponder the week I left behind and the week yet to greet me. I listen to the sounds of the world around me. ...
February 12, 2007
Much of my life has been spent working with persons with mental and physical disabilities. I worked years ago in a home with four adult guys with mental retardation. One of the fellows' we'll name Fred was blind; one of the other guys we'll name Joe (perfect eyesight). The guys had all been invit...
February 03, 2007
If your neighbors are having a domestic quarrel, husband throws a chair at his wife and wife decides to slit husband’s throat and you decide to jump in between them, you have just committed yourself to something you will never finish. You see, domestic disputes are unpredictable and take many path...
January 22, 2007
Living payday to payday isn't such a bad thing. I do it all the time. The exciting thing about it, yes I said exciting, is the adventure. Each day I feel like Indiana Jones waiting for a nefarious bill collector's call. It's like smelling "napalm in the morning," if I may coin an old movie adag...
December 20, 2006
In my article about Tara Conners. I referred to her as Miss America when in fact she is Miss USA. My apology to the Miss America organization....
December 20, 2006
One hears a great deal of speculation about Barak Obama's sudden popularity among Democrats and even some Republicans. Analysts have said it's because he is black and others have said he is a neo Ronald Reagan. Still others have said it's because he is young and handsome, has a great presence arou...
December 19, 2006
I came home from work today to perform my usual chore, letting the dog out to pee (if I don't, they start crossing their legs). Per habit I turned on CNN to watch the latest news. Lo and behold, what did I see? The Trumpster gave Miss America a second chance. I am sure that Americans have been...
November 24, 2006
Recently I purchased an E-Book Reader from http://www.ebookwise.com and I must say it is the best purchase I have made since buying my first computer. For a mere $125.00 you can have the world of ebooks in your hands. I am an avid reader and have grown tired of the "popular" or "famous" writers. ...
November 12, 2006
A lady says to me, "How can you not believe in God?" I pondered the question and replied with the obvious, "How can you believe in a God?" Her patent answer was, "Faith." Interesting isn't it, or is it? She gave me, sincerely I might add, the usual explanations, "this world can't be an accident,...
November 09, 2006
Is it possible that politicians have finally seen the light? Americans want a voice; they have a voice. Republicans and Democrats alike need to clean their ears out and listen to the people who own this country; the people called Americans. The silent majority has left its cave behind and spoken,...
November 06, 2006
Of course the commercial we all have seen on the television screen is the American Express commercial emphatically telling you "don't leave home without it." And, that may be true if you're heading to Paris, London, or New York, but I say don't leave home without your pocketknife.
My father al...
October 28, 2006
Mention the word atheism and the sympathetic mewling begins. Religionists begin to whimper and pray like someone caught on the wrong end of the Titanic. If instead one says, "I am a secular humanist," the whimpering seems to cease. Why is that? For the most part the two are synonymous. I think ...
October 24, 2006
Over three years ago President Bush announced to the world that major combat efforts were over in Iraq. Over two thousand dead soldiers and over twenty thousand wounded soldiers later, President Bush urges America to "stay the course." One might ask, what course? There is no course; however, ther...
August 28, 2006
Love survives through all of life’s obstacles. It’s like a weed. It can grow in the midst of the concrete world around it. It’s the proverbial flower, the rose bursting through the lonely heart, and of course it grows better with a little fertilizer and water. Nevertheless, it is a weed. There ...
August 17, 2006
Have you ever noticed that for some people life is black or white, right or wrong, good or bad? There is no gray. There is no “maybe.” Why is that? I was taught from the time I could wet myself, that life is full of colors and they’re all beautiful. Man, I loved those great big Crayon boxes. ...
August 08, 2006
My wife lies awake at night thinking about the super husband she “could” have married. Instead, she married this half-witted, clumsy, un-mechanic, un-carpenter, un-plumber, and basic all around untalented Don Quixote. Actually, a Don Quixote failure (The Man From LaMancha I’m not).
Okay, let me...
August 04, 2006
A couple of weeks ago two young men dressed in dark suits knocked on my door. “Have you found Jesus?” Said the shortest one. I wanted to answer. “No, does he live around here?” Of course, I didn’t, but it did lead me to an interesting thought. Should we put an Amber Alert out for Jesus? And, how wou...
July 28, 2006
Since the beginning of the human species and the development of even the most rudimentary brain, blame for humankind’s failures or weaknesses had to be blamed on something or someone external of the self, hence, god.
Mankind’s first gods were rather basic creations, the wind, the sun, and the rain....
July 26, 2006
Religionists get all riled up when news agencies trumpet the “all out war” between Israel and Hezbollah. Armageddon is whispered in Christian chapels all over Christendom. The Second Coming is shouted from the rooftops of zealots everywhere. Christ is coming again and he’s going to judge all you...
July 24, 2006
All my collections are collecting dust. I always start collections with an enthusiasm matched only by competitors on the “American Idol.” I started several years ago to collect walking canes. I now have three. Soon after that, I began collecting old bottles. I have six. Next came my fascinati...
July 20, 2006
War is insanity. It is a situation in which generally normal men and women are placed into abnormal circumstances. How can you keep perspective? Rockets are exploding around you, comrades are falling, children are screaming, and the air is filled with the smell of smoke and death. Once experien...
July 05, 2006
I walked into my office a few months ago (early as usual) knowing quite well, what awaited me; at least twenty voice mails and thirty emails. I turned the lights off to my office, locked the door, and walked away from the agency. I couldn’t face it. Since I am usually at work before anyone else, ...
July 04, 2006
Are people getting bored with their gods? Millions of people buy these tabloid newspapers with movie stars and nasty rumors pasted across front pages. Have we begun to worship Hollywood icons instead of our mythical gods? Since Christians, Muslims, Jews, and the likes can’t find any daring pictur...
July 01, 2006
I watched as family and friends shed their winter wraps when they entered the funeral home doors. The stoic look on their faces was a Grimes characteristic. No one smiled much in our family. Life had not been that pleasant for them. I could tell family from friends. Our family’s somber approac...
June 29, 2006
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is what? Poisoning our children? Is he an enemy to democracy? Two political scientists, Jody Baumgartner and Jonathan S. Morris of East Carolina University, found college students watched the Daily Show more than hard-lined network news. They also found that colle...
May 30, 2006
A person suffering from Bipolar disorder experiences two extreme emotional swings. Often they are manic. So much so, they perceived by others as out of control. An individual in a manic stage will suffer thoughts of grandiosity as evidenced by such activities as sexual promiscuity, violent behavi...
May 24, 2006
Was Jesus married to Mary Magdalene? Did they have kids? Fred and Anna Maria Christ? Fred never learned to walk on water because his feet lost their webbing through evolution. Anna worked the streets of Bethlehem trying to turn a few tricks. It takes money to keep the church going (they didn?t ...
May 21, 2006
Depression, literally millions of people suffer from it. Do you have more bad days than good? Do you cry for no apparent reason? Are you sad, and do you stay sad more often than not? Do you feel a sense of hopelessness and a profound sense of emptiness? Do you sleep a great deal? Do you stay a...
May 19, 2006
Gee, I hate it when I learn things I should have known years ago. I learned today I have been speaking English unofficially for almost sixty years. That?s right, if you have speaking English, it?s been unofficially. Apparently, our President has declared that English will be our official language...
May 11, 2006
Many years ago, I drove from Indiana to California and back again. I drove an old American Motors vehicle that spewed blue smoke like a mosquito fogger. I would pull into a gas station exclaiming to the attendant (yes, they still had attendants), ?Fill it up with oil and check the gas.? It was th...
May 08, 2006
A major discussion today among environmentalists is alternative fuels. Even our beloved President has thrown in his two-cents? worth for hydrogen. Among discussion are such products ranging from corn oil to camel dung, batteries, solar, and wind-powered vehicles. Other possibilities include garba...
May 07, 2006
For almost twenty years I threaded the eye of righteousness. Yes, I thought that all things happening to me were a result of god?s mood. I was a Mormon. I paid my tithing, my fasting donations, my building donations, and my missionary donations. I attended every function possible and held almost...
May 03, 2006
Nuestro Himno, the Spanish version of our National Anthem, has drawn a great deal of ire from citizens. Mexicans waving their homeland flag at Monday?s nationwide protest has drawn an equal amount of ire. Mexicans wanting amnesty or citizenship have our lawmakers in turmoil. What to do?
When I ...
April 28, 2006
While working on some paperwork and trying to get caught up with my deadlines, a head popped into my office and said, ?I?m still praying for you.? It was one of my coworkers. She feels the need to stop in every once in awhile and tell me that she?s praying for my travel down the road to perdition....
April 26, 2006
We are losing our children in this country. We are losing them and never finding them again. Natalee Holloway is only one of hundreds of thousands of children in this county missing, missing and never to be found. Every forty seconds a child is reported missing or abducted according to the Vanish...
April 24, 2006
According to the great social thinker, Max Weber, we are all like birds in a cage. The more money and material wealth we have the bigger our cages. Yet, we are trapped in a cage no matter our wealth. The rich person has a large cage to fly around in, but he/she still has to conform to social rule...
April 23, 2006
If your neighbors are having a domestic quarrel, husband throws a chair at his wife and wife decides to slit husband?s throat and you decide to jump in between them, you have just committed yourself to something you will never finish. You see, domestic disputes are unpredictable and take many paths...
April 22, 2006
The suicide rate among soldiers is the highest it has been since the 1990s according to ?Voice Of America? news. 83 soldiers killed themselves in 2005 as compared to 67 in 2004. Soldiers serving in Iraq or Afghanistan committed 25 of the 83 suicides. The military offered several reasons for this ...
April 20, 2006
I just don?t care anymore about Tom and Katie. I don?t know either one of them personally. I guess I just don?t want to know them. I?ve seen the Scientology couple enough. I?ve heard the anti-Ritalin spokesman more than I need to. I saw his tirade on television more than I want to. I saw him j...
April 18, 2006
Mayor Giulani did more for the Republican Party in one day than the President has done in over five years. But, the great prophet of evangelical thinking, Jerry Falwell, will not support Giulani should he make a bid for the Whitehouse. That is so typical of ultra-conservative thinking. Ask not wh...
April 16, 2006
Religion and politics have joined hands in this country. Christians have somehow developed the idea that America is a Christian nation. Not so. There is no mention of the man Jesus in our Constitution. America was founded on deism, not Christianity. Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to ...
April 14, 2006
What exactly is a ?public servant?? Could it be someone, who listens to the public and tries his/her best to address the concerns of those he or she serves? Why aren?t our public servants listening to what their bosses are telling them? The majority of Americans are not happy with the war in Iraq...
April 14, 2006
The great political philosopher Machiavelli wrote his most renowned work, “The Prince,” in 1513. It was a book that provoked a great deal of controversy in the early 16th century. The book’s main premise was that a prince had to keep control over his territories at any cost whether through deceit,...
April 11, 2006
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld insists that President Bush wishes for diplomatic solutions to Iranian nuclear issues. This stated after many speculations by news reporters that military action against Iran was on the table in the White House. We must wonder though the credibility of Mr. Rumsfel...
April 10, 2006
It?s that time of year again. Get out your calculator, your 1040s, 1098s, Schedule As, 4137s, and let?s rock n? roll. It?s time to put on your mathematician hat, roll up your sleeves, and pretend you know something about your taxes. That?s right. You do know something about your taxes, don?t you...
April 08, 2006
I grew up in a racist culture. In the 1950s, racism was alive and well. My stepfather used the ?N? word quite frequently. After all, the great state of Indiana owns at least co-bragging rights to the birth of the KKK. Kids I went to school with used the ?N? word. Our state history books showed ...
April 08, 2006
?Passion of the Christ,? ?The DaVinci Code,? ?The Jesus Papers,? ?The Holy Grail,? and other artistic endeavors have renewed (if that?s possible) interest in Christianity. Christians are buzzing and non-believers are burning with interest in these creations, some old?some new. It is reminiscent of...
April 04, 2006
Meritocracy refers to a society in which individuals of status, wealth, and income are assigned their status through competition (merit). In other words, if you have a Masters Degree in Social Work you have been given more ?merit? than a bus driver has. The USA and many countries determine status ...
April 02, 2006
When we read ?In Flanders Fields? we think of white crosses lined perfectly, militarily if you will, along or near the battleground upon which our young soldiers gave their lives, We see them laying in near serenity,but by the picture above it is obvious that the average American hero is not buried ...
April 01, 2006
MEDICAID Funding cuts have been happening across the United States over the past three to five years. Almost every state in the union has experienced funding cuts for mental health programs. The Feds claim that no decrease in services will occur because of these cuts. How would they know? Speaki...
March 31, 2006
Families of victims of the 9/11 attacks and the New York Times battled the city of New York for release of 911 phone call tapes made during the horrific nightmare. New York was forced to release these tapes to the families and today the tapes were made public. Whereas most of the families did not ...
March 30, 2006
This story is not for the faint of heart. If you are a female reading this article please believe me when I say I have lost my mind and I am in critical need of psychotropic medications. If you happen to be a male reading this article please believe me when I say I swam in a sea of estrogen at my ...
March 29, 2006
In 1946 the Japanese government weak from its destructive losses of World War II and with encouragement from General Douglas Macarthur, created a constitution. Within the content of this constitution, one very important article was written which is central to the country?s foundation, the denouncem...
March 28, 2006
"There are several gaps in our defense," so said Senator Norm Coleman, R-Minnesota. That statement is a definitive understatement if ever there was one. If millions of people can walk across our borders in the dark of night or in the dazzling light of day, one would easily make that claim. Sudden...
March 28, 2006
Approximately a half-million people demonstrated peacefully on the streets of Los Angeles on Saturday. Thousands of others demonstrated in cities across the United States protesting the bill before the Senate making it a felony to be in the United States illegally and would penalize employers for h...
April 05, 2003
Tom DeLay called Representative Cynthia McKinney a ?racist.? Now, I would say that is quite a large step for someone who has had to step down from the House of Representatives because of ?political? issues. Of course his resignation has nothing to do with his implied involvement with Jack Abramoff...