This weblog is a place for me to park thoughts about politics and spirituality--the two things I comment about, aside from my children, more than anything else. 

Three of the most cogent statements I have heard in my life are

     "If you are not outraged you are not paying attention,"

     "No matter how cynical I get, it's hard to keep up," and

     "If you see a screwed up situation ask yourself who is making money on this deal and you are probably three quarters of the way to understanding it."

The first of these is, of course, a bumper sticker of some enduring currency.  The second is received wisdom from Lily Tomlin.  The third I came up with myself, thirty plus years ago (although a Rush Limbaugh has his own version:  "follow the money.")

The result of carrying these three lens around is that one can have a lot to say, which I do.  This is where I will put it  down.

"there is a spirit" is about being and becoming a Quaker.  When people find out I am a Quaker they sometimes ask what Quakers are about and, if they know me well, how in the world I ended up as one (It's similar to their reaction when they learn I was once a Marine Corps Sergeant).  Now I will have a place to direct them.  It's not a simple thing.  It once seemed strange that I should find myself a Quaker but, hey, having identified with just about everything else in 55 years I suppose it's not so strange.  And, actually, it's not my doing.

"ceasar has no idea what's going on" is about politics.  The reference is to a sage named Chad Mulligan who, upon hearing "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's..." responded with that phrase.  It sums up my view pretty well, having had more than a passing interest in politics since the time of Barry Goldwater's run for President.  The people who are running things are pretty much like most of the rest of us, which is to say they know right from wrong, they just also know reasons why doing what they know is right is not practical, in this or that given situation.  We have a representative government, in the United States, in that the people in power are acting pretty much the way most Americans would act if they got into power. 

This doesn't even sound very interesting to me, but that's what it's about.  Like every other weblog in the world, it's about the person who is writing it.  I don't expect a lot of hits.

5:41:49 AM