A lot of evil exists in the world and it cannot be attached to religion alone. Being void of a subscription to a higher power beyond your own intellect is dangerous, too. Being a marine and and educator, I wonder how your stream of thought is so entirely narrow minded. You live in a small town. Do you know 1 Christian, 1 Jew, 1 Bahai Faith, 1 Muslim, 1 Sic, 1 Buddhist or 1 of any religion that practices hospitality, laying their life down for their brother, doing what Jesus and other prophets have asked? The church is still picking up the slack of the government. I know a friend in Santa Monica who is 55 and rides his bike because his head gasket blew. He has been in a bind for six months and then turned around and loaned my friend $2,000 to publish his book. Why? Because he purposely lives a life of inconvenience to serve others. I am a political scientist and it is necessary to focus on 2 sides of every problem. When the Ukranian army recently marched to the Russian command in order to speak, the Russians were poised to kill. But they lowered their guns to speak because the Ukranians sang an old Russian battle song. Dietrich Bonhoeffer sacrificed his life in WWII so others could live. You can't be an outsider ranting about religion. You must walk a day in a religious man's shoes. Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Father Larry Rosebaugh, Phil Berrigan, Dan Berrigan, Bob Graf, Jimmy Carter. You can start with peeking into the lives of those men and women and see where you end up. Violence is an act of anger and hatred. Maybe the Islamic state expects moral perfection of their brothers. Religious or not, they won't get it. They can only do it by taking the log out of their own eye.

jane,
you are such a genuine person who really cares about the welfare of others.
your writings are a great witness of that.
cheryl

Thanks, Cheryl, and its a pleasure to get to know you.

Dear Ed: I am a fellow writer with you at the Reader. I do not think the Holocaust was a religious crime but I want to compliment you on your research in all your articles that support your arguments. Hitler, who may have claimed to be on a religious quest, was a self centered ego maniac, not a prophet. He was delusional and strayed from the truth of God. He enlisted followers to commit murder. True religious people serve others not matter what their faith is. Thank you for listening.

There's always at least one bad cap. Of course, you are nice :)

I love mango, it's a very good fruit and natural full with vitamin :) you're nice. bye.

:)

Zzzzzzzzzz.

Don't forget: When voting to do an investigation in the first place, Board Chair Miernicki, and Member Harala both voted on the item. They should have abstained because of their involvement in the action. This is their own documented "conflict of interest".

I don't think they should scrap the secondary technical school. It is less than 20 years old. Its easy to guess that Kraus Anderson will build high end condos or something. How visionary.

You always get it right, Amy Goodman. You feed my soul.

it is easy to get caught up in the material world at christmas. i still feel i need to remember that giving can be simple, kindness, love, and compassion. may we all remember thos that may be hurting this christmas. thanks jane.

Thanks for extracting my basic point out of the article. Thanks for your readership.

I am a lone star supporter of Obama & its only vittreal that has killed him in this country.

Why do sports have to be a benign profession where they only are required to make happy moments? Why can't they take a stance? LeBron James wore a tshirt "I can't breathe" in front of Prince William and Duchess Kate. Society bleeds into sports. Its not a separate entity. And you are right. I grew up in a St. Paul suburb where a lot of people had mindful stereotypes of Blacks when one was not even living in our suburban borders. Thank God Minnesota is so diverse now they can't draw the line in the sand.

Concerned... in most cases I don't have any quarrel with social statements being made on one's professional platform. I just firmly believe that the Ferguson community may have chosen a moment to address their societal grievances that wasn't appropriate. The young Brown shouldn't have challenged the officer involved. Did he deserve to forfeit his life? NO, and we will probably never know the truth about that night. At the end of the day I belive he was shot out of fear. The officer feared what could have happened to him if Brown had taken control of his weapon. I grew up IN St. Paul and in 7th grade experienced the first bussed segregation in the city. I remember it well and the feelings I had about my new black classmates. It was a white neighborhood and few if any of the white kids were interacting with them. It was quite awkward. I felt bad about that and couldn't imagine how they must have felt everyday. It couldn't have been a positive experience. I was in Ferguson a week and a half ago and the people there are mostly down. Some are still angry...

Harry.....babies' skin dries at a faster rate than that of older children....they do need oiling. It *protects* that soft little thing from peeling like it had a bad sunburn. It also protects from things like 'cradle cap'. LOL!
Maybe, however, it would be a good idea to implement the use of baby oiling while teaching. We are, after all, 'tactile' creatures. Touch is such an immense part of a baby's world, and it seems there are times in our lives when our tactile needs are left unassuaged. Childhood and adolescent years come to mind....unless of course, you live near a really nice (and useful) beach, as mentioned.
Oiling is useful in old age, just to hopefully keep us running smoothly, but I think it is rare we find someone willing enough to 'oil' these old hides.....oil ingested helps. ROFLOL!
Oiling baby feet is gratifying, as you watch the smile erupt across an often toothless grin..... In old age, that toothless grin is rarely evinced by any massage of the feet with anything....especially oil. UGH! I HATE old feet!
As in Ecclesiastes, there is time for every purpose.....oiling of babies is as good a beginning as any.....

WOW! You and MK hit 70 the same year.....???? And here was me, thinking you were so much younger! LOL! Age is irrelevant in my world. I feel much the way I did at my 6th B'day. Frank and Blanche gave me my 'first birthstone ring'. Little thing that turned my finger green when I wore it. (It came 'glued' to the front of my card.) and finally broke from having to adjust it to my tiny fingers so often. It did, however, make me appreciate my birthday. I made my First Communion pretty much the same time. The two events have had amazing impact on my adult life, and I LUV b'days, and May! (I still have my 6th birthday and First Communion cards. How funny is that????)
"They" say, that the age you 'feel' is directly linked to how long you will live.....GOOD GRIEF! My children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren will probably be left wondering if GOD will ever call me home...... Oh well, only the good die young.....I already missed that boat! ROFLOL!

I was so impressed with this one, I sent it out to those on my "Patriot Lists". In the past, I wasn't sure letting them know you and I were at all 'linked' in life was such a good idea for you. Today, however, I simply said, "Chuck it!" You should survive!
Most who have read the piece have thanked me for sending it out, so I guess it was a good idea after all.....

I LUV how you weave a story!
You sound like a true 'brown' thumb, though I suspect you may be over embellishing just a bitty.....? I have found growing things to be an excellent hobby in my old age, but I prefer growing things inside. I'm not comfortable with bugs, worms, or any other critters that keep outside soil 'healthy'. Miracle Grow is my kind of 'healthy' growing medium.
I also find it less than 'easy' to get up or down in the garden outside. I'm pretty sure Arthur Ritis and Rue Mat Roid are alive and well here as well. Therefore, I have taken to planting things that 'come back' all on their own. The fact that the furnace is in the crawl space under the house, there is no insulation in the crawl space walls, and the garden sits right up against the front of the house has, in the past, allowed many plants considered to be 'annuals' to actually survive the hard Illinois winters as 'perennials', therefore making my gardening even easier those years I decide to try my own brown thumb at outdoor gardening.
You know, I used to highly respect Abe Lincoln, and even started writing poetry after reading, "Oh Captain, My Captain" in fourth grade. Now I have come to understand what a truly evil person he was.....still doesn't negate the fact that so many good citizens have given the full measure of their devotion to America. I've always been proud that Darlin' Daddy was a Yankee Doodle Dandy!
(Have you guessed yet that I am playing 'catch up' with some of your excellent articles??????)