“Author Archive”
Stories written by sherry
“ORATION ON THE DIGNITY OF MAN”
PICO DELLA MIRANDOLA
PARAGRAPHS 1-7
I once read that Abdala the Muslim, when asked what was most worthy of awe and wonder in this theater of the world, answered, “There is nothing to see more wonderful than man!” Hermes Trismegistus concurs with this opinion: “A great miracle, Asclepius, is man!” However, when I began to consider the reasons for these opinions, all these reasons given for the magnificence of human nature failed to convince me: that man is the intermediary between creatures, close to the gods, master of all the lower creatures, with the sharpness of his senses, the acuity of his reason, and the brilliance of his intelligence the interpreter of nature, the nodal point between eternity and time, and, as the Persians say, the intimate bond or marriage song of the world, just a little lower than angels as David tells us. I concede these are magnificent reasons, but they do not seem to go to the heart of the matter, that is, those reasons which truly claim admiration.
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December 26th, 2008 | Posted in Web-Only Content | Read More »
By Kelley Bell Wenzlaff
“Courage is to fear as light is to darkness.”
The election is over. It is time to decompress and accept the will of the people and move forward. It is time to put an end to the fears of the past and find the hope of tomorrow, and do that with courage. Fear is a powerful motivator, but not a long term nor healthy motivator. The better call is for Courage.
In the words of the great depression era journalist Dorothy Thompson:
“Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.”
Courage is what this nation needs to feed our collective soul. Courage is our creed here in the land of the free and the home of the brave. It is our birthright, and the home to which we must return.
November 25th, 2008 | Posted in Web-Only Content | Read More »
Laws must be justified by something more than the will of the majority. They must rest on the eternal foundation of righteousness. That state is most fortunate in its form of government which has the aptest instruments for the discovery of laws. The latest, most modern and nearest perfect system that statesmanship has devised is representative government. Its weakness is the weakness of us imperfect human beings who administer it. Its strength is that even such administration secures to the people more blessings than any other system ever produced. No nation has discarded it and retained liberty. Representative government must be preserved.
October 24th, 2008 | Posted in Web-Only Content | Read More »
National Security Presidential Directive 51 (NSPD-51), signed by Bush and released without comment by the White House on May 9, 2007 has given George W. Bush and subsequent presidents the dictatorial powers hinted at in NSPD-51. To quote from NSPD-51: “This policy establishes ‘National Essential Functions,’ prescriptive continuity requirements … that will enhance the creditability of our national security posture and enable a more rapid and effective response to and recovery from a national emergency.”
Under NSPD-51, only limited of government will continue, which may or may not include Congress and the courts. NSPD-51 assures us: This which usually refers to the informal and voluntary recognition of jurisdiction among courts, is a troublesomely ambiguous phrase in this context wherein the president determines this as he “coordinates.”
Unfortunately, NSPD-51 provides limited “guidance” to state and local governments, as “This directive…shall be protected from unauthorized disclosure, provided that, except for Annex A, the Annexes attached to this directive are classified and shall be accorded appropriate handling, consistent with applicable Executive Orders.” In other words, all the details are secret and even the non-secret “Annex A” remains undisclosed by the White House.
October 17th, 2008 | Posted in Print Edition | Read More »
Continuity of Government” (COG) Provisions activated in 2001
By Tom Burghardt
Ten months before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld approved an updated version of the U.S. Army’s secret operational Continuity of Government (COG) plans.
A draft document published by the whistleblowing website Wikileaks entitled, “Army Regulation 500-3, Emergency Employment of Army and Other Resources. Army Continuity of Operations (COOP) Program,” dated 19 January 2001, spells out changes in Army doctrine.
October 7th, 2008 | Posted in Web-Only Content | Read More »
by Len Hart The Existentialist Cowboy The 9/11 Commission co-chairs claim that they were misled, perhaps deliberately, by the Bush administration and Pentagon brass. Because 911 was an act of mass murder overtly covered up by the Bush administration, the many lies by Bush amount to more than mere obstructions of justice or cover ups. [...]
September 9th, 2008 | Posted in Web-Only Content | Read More »
Bob Barr may be the lone candidate in the Lone Star State as a result of a blunder made by both major political parties– missing the deadline to submit the names of their candidates for Texas State ballot access. “Unless the state of Texas violates its own election laws, Congressman Barr will be the only [...]
September 1st, 2008 | Posted in Web-Only Content | Read More »
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