PHOTOS FROM OUR 2018 CRUISE LISBON TO AMSTERDAM
REFLECTIONS ON ANACORTES, MY HOME TOWN
I was going through the wonderful Anacortes Museum (https://www.anacorteswa.gov/333/Museum) photo collection and was reminded of my own life growing up in Anacortes. I was reminded of the lines from Lewis Carroll's classic book Alice in Wonderland. Alice asks the White Rabbit, "How long is forever?" The White Rabbit responds "Sometimes just one second." In my case, while the events may have happened a "forever" ago, in my mind it seems like just yesterday. For example, I clearly can see what is…
OUR SEABOURN CRUISE IN EUROPE
Over the past years Lita and I have made numerous trips on the seaborn cruise line ships. This year we are flying from Seattle to Amsterdam and continuing on to Lisbon Portugal in late May. After spending two days in Lisbon, At the 4 seasons Ritz, we will board the seaborne Ovation cruise liner. The ship was completed in 2017 and began service in 2018. There are 12 decks, 5 restaurants, 2 swimming pools. It has a crew of 450…
THE JUDGMENTAL AND SELF RIGHTEOUS BIAS OF BISHOP THOMAS JOSEPH TOBIN
Thomas Joseph Tobin is an American Bishop in the Roman Catholic Church at Providence Rhode Island. He was born in 1948 and after studying in Rome was ordained to the priesthood in 1973. Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop in 2005. Bishop Tobit falls into that category of American prelates whose self-righteous conviction that they are on the exclusive high moral ground closes all doors to other viewpoints. This is a Bishop who became involved in a public dispute…
THE STORY OF THE CONVERSION & EXECUTION OF TOKICHI ISHII
In 1918 a 47 year old Japanese man, Tokichi Ishii, was hanged for murder in Tokyo. The story of his life and conversion to Christianity has been written by the man himself, while waiting in prison for his execution. His autobiography, A Gentleman in Prison, The Story of Tokichi Ishii, Written in Tokyo Prison, was translated to English and published in 1920. His story became one of the most famous in Japan. He was a notorious Japanese thief and murderer. He…
WISDOM FROM NURSERY STORIES AND FABLES
There can be a lot of wisdom in stories created for children and in the form of fables passed from one generation to another. Here are just a few examples I believe represent learning experiences for us all The Velveteen Rabbit is a children's book written by Margery Williams and illustrated by William Nicholson. It chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit's desire to become real through the love of his owner. It was originally published in 1922. This selection from…
DONALD TRUMP’S NATIONAL POLITICAL DEMOLITION DERBY
For the uninformed, a demolition derby typically consists of five or more cars that compete to win by the drivers deliberately ramming their vehicles into one another until there is only one left that is capable of being driven which becomes the "winner." Popular at county fairs and festivals, the mechanical mayhem is very loud, dramatic and chaotic to watch, as cars repeatedly crash into each other until there is only one left that is capable of driving. Soon, the…
THE HEAVENLY HEIGHTS OF EVANGELICAL HYPOCRISY
I was amazed to read that a conservative political analyst and commentator, Mona Charen, was loudly booed at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in March of this year. This is the largest annual gathering of conservatives. She surprised those in attendance when she criticized President Trump for his sexual misconduct and for the hypocrisy of the the GOP as well as evangelicals in failing to condemn his conduct even though they were quick to condemn others for the same…
MONEY TALKS AND GUNS KILL
We have had a recent history of tragic mass shootings. Here are a few of the more deadly attacks. December 2, 2015 14 killed, 22 injured San Bernardino, CA June 12, 2016 49 killed, 58 injured in Orlando FL nightclub shooting September 23, 2016 5 killed Burlington, WA October 1, 2017 59 Killed, more than 500 injured Las Vegas February 15, 2018 17 killed 14 wounded in Parkland FL Before the recent Florida school killing,…
PUBLIC SERVICE INVOLVES AN OBLIGATION OF HONESTY, INTEGRITY AND CHARACTER. SO, WHAT HAPPENED TO AMERICA?
It is not an exaggeration to point out that the president, his staff, Congressional leaders and appointed agency heads are continually exposed for their lies, political hypocrisy and evasion of truth. Concealment and attempted cover up is regularly exposed. Appointed agency heads are grossly unqualified for their job or just plain incompetent. Worse, they have an open agenda of undermining the purpose for the agency as a regulatory body. Personal financial or political interests are too often the motive for…