They know no better.

Far too many Americans have been bamboozled by Republicans. Because Republicans tell idiots what they want to hear. That capitalism is good. That big corporations are good. That government is bad. That war is good. That only Republicans are true patriots. That without Republicans around to defend us from our enemies, America would be in dire peril. That Democrats are bad. That Barack Obama is a socialist. The list of crap coming from Republicans is endless. And idiots buy into it. Precisely because they are idiots. They know no better. --Jim Broede

Out of sight.

I like history. Because it tells me so much about the past. I don't believe everything I read in history books. But much of it I accept. Especially the parts that I like. I pick and choose. And accept what seems most credible. I'm fascinated by characters that lived long, long ago. I want them to come alive again. And in some ways, I do retrieve their spirits. And I have imaginary conversations with them. The sad part is that many who have lived, haven't made it into history books. They have vanished completely. Not a trace. Kind of interesting. The things historians consider eventful. Wars, for instance. They are chronicled in detail. But I'd rather read about those who withdrew to their distant retreats and practiced love. They're hidden away. Out of sight. Rarely seen in a history book. --Jim Broede

The ultimate goal.

I think life is fantastic. Incredible. The greatest invention ever. Yes, he's my hero. The creator. Oh, life can be painful and disappointing. But if one can hang on long enough, there's so much to savor. One has to feel his way. And discover. Because there are so many ways to live. One even has the opportunity to turn bad into good. And the negative into the positive. Some of us, of course, don't find life so fascinating. And commit suicide. Yes, it's possible not to love life. Maybe when one is bogged down in misery. In painful throes. But if one learns to survive, one also learns to love. That's the ultimate goal. To love. Life itself. --Jim Broede

The meaning of life.

I want to postpone death. I wonder why? Is it because I'm afraid of death? Or is it because I want to live? But maybe death is living. In another way. In another dimension. But still. I'm afraid. To some degree. Because of the possibillity that death is nothingness. A total loss of consciousness. But then, maybe it's a new kind of consciousness. Far superior to human consciousness. Hardly conceivable in our three-dimensional world. A new form of life. Maybe we learn there is no such thing as death. It's merely a figment of our imaginations. Life is not static. I've been changing. I'm not the same being I was at 40. But there was no reason for me to fear what I'd become at 74. It would have been sad if I had been denied the opportunity. To thrive. To begin to better understand the meaning of life. --Jim Broede

Why I like Obama.

We Americans are uncivil to each other. Especially when it comes to politics. Yes, politics brings out the worst in us. We have a good and decent president. In Barack Obama. Maybe the best we've had in a long, long time. But still, the so-called loyal opposition is downright nasty. Questions his faith. His motives. Even questions whether he's a native born citizen of the USA. Republicans are united in opposition to virtually any legislation favored by Obama. I think they literally hate him. And the saddest thing of all, I suspect some of 'em hate him because he's black. They'll never admit it. But that's the nature of the worst kind of racist. Hiding behind a facade. Anyway, here's what Obama had to say about incivility at a prayer breakfast this morning. Click on it. Gives us something to think about. That's why I like Obama. --Jim Broede

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/04/AR2010020401728.html

Our biggest enemy. Ourselves.

So we ain't going back to the moon in the near future. Too costly. But I don't want the savings spent on more wars. The point being that if we had channeled our war-mongering budget of recent years on moon shots, we'd probably be colonizing the lunar surface by now. Our social programs would be in good shape, too. And the same goes for our nation's sagging infrastructure. But we gotta have a defense. Against our enemies. But we don't have a defense yet against our biggest enemy. Ourselves. --Jim Broede

Living in the land of sissies.

New Yorkers are being shown for what they really are. Sissies. Afraid to put suspected terrorists on trial in their city. For fear that might make their beloved city a target for a terrorist attack. My gawd. What have we come to? New Yorkers have allowed terrorists to intimidate them. Even the city's mayor has called for moving the trials out of New York. And across the nation, scaredy cat Americans are objecting to housing convicted terrorists in U.S. prisons. I guess there's a fear that they may escape and terrorize the hell out of America. You'd think that every terrorist is some sort of bogeyman. Too dangerous to keep anywhere on American soil. Even in our maximum security prisons. And many of our conservative politicians don't even want terrorist on trial in American civil courts. Preferring, instead, military tribunals. I guess the fear is that an American jury might exonerate a terrorist and set him free on American streets. Well, I'll tell you. We Americans have certainly been terrorized. Maybe we'd better check under our beds every night. To make sure a terrorist isn't hiding there. --Jim Broede