The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters
A general category for things related to our society and how we interact with one another.
Third World countries (now known as “developing nations”) are countries with a low “Human Development Index.” First World countries (like the United States, Japan, and Germany) score much higher on the HDI. A nation’s HDI is determined by its literacy rate, poverty rate, life expectancy, etc. There is indeed a Second World, though the expression isn’t exactly parallel to the other terms, and these days, few mention it.
Read moreWe need wilderness whether or not we ever set foot in it. We need a refuge even though we may never need to go there….We need the possibility of escape as surely as we need hope. –Edward Abbey
Read morePower is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. –Orwell, 1984
Read moreA 15 year old girl is receiving death threats for an anti-war video she made. It is available at Peace Takes Courage. I caution you in advance…the images are disturbing, but you should watch it.
Read moreThe cure for all the ills and wrongs, the cares, the sorrows, and the crimes of humanity, all lie in the one word ‘love’. It is the divine vitality that everywhere produces and restores life. –Lydia Maria Child
It really just can’t get any more obvious than this. Ms. Child is reminding that if we approach life and the people in our world from a place of love, then all the bad things in life really would go away.
Read moreA shadowy freedom fighter known only as “V” uses terrorist tactics to fight against his totalitarian society. Upon rescuing a girl from the secret police, he also finds his best chance at having an ally.
Read moreI don’t know how it occurred to me, but I think I’ve found the answer to completely disspell the myth of Intelligent Design (creationsim). Understand that the raft of scientific evidence supporting evolution has me completely convinced of it’s veracity as a scientific fact. I don’t for a minute believe God created everything in seven days, but it doesn’t hurt my faith one bit. However, we, as member’s of the human race, do test my faith. So consider the theory of creationism from a theological perspective.
Read moreIn “Official and Confidential: The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover,” author Anthony Summers quotes Susan L. Rosenstiel as saying she once observed Hoover in a black dress and high heels at the Plaza Hotel. The story isn’t very credible. Rosenstiel’s husband was involved in organized crime, and Susan was once convicted of perjury in an unrelated case. Additionally, why would the head of the FBI put himself in a position to be easily blackmailed?
Read moreIt is Easter. Last year I wrote a reflection on Holy Week, and decided I wanted to write something this week. The thoughts for this reflection come from the topics that will be discussed today in the Sunday School class I?m leading on the Social Principles of the Methodist Church.
Read moreWe started our series on Smart Thoughts with Mark Twain, so it shouldn’t surprise you that I love many of his writings, and have lots of his sayings on this site. On of my favorite writings by Twain is his “The War Prayer.” It’s a short essay, and if you have never read it, you should.
Read moreAfter reading of a Marine Reservist placed on TSA’s no-fly list because gun powder was found on his boots, I wrote the following to my congressional delegation. I would invite you to take action as well.
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