Fsrcoin
MY BLOGS
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The Rational Optimist
http://www.rationaloptimist.wordpress.com/
Commentary of Life, Society, Politics, and Philosophy
LATEST ARTICLES ( 1303 )
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Trumped
You expect some pithy comments on Trump statements. I won’t so dignify them.That a billionaire TV personality with hair issues would get a lot of attention as... Read more
Posted on 27 July 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
America’s Streets Are Not Paved With Gold
This poem came to me during July 4 fireworks surrounded by thousands of fellow citizens of every hue and stripe gathered in joyful celebration of America – righ... Read more
Posted on 23 July 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Iran: The Deal
Better had we never negotiated. This deal makes Iran a more empowered adversary than a nuclear-armed Iran would have been. How nukes could have actually... Read more
Posted on 19 July 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
What Is a Business For? Is Profit a Dirty Word?
At a recent social event, most guests sanctimoniously agreed it was somehow disgusting that anyone should make a profit providing health care. Read more
Posted on 15 July 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Pope Francis: Is Consumerism Bad?
Pope Francis has denounced consumerism as a “poison” that threatens true happiness, and is an assault upon the poor. What does he say does bring true... Read more
Posted on 11 July 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Greece At The Rubicon
When the Euro was set up, they knew it was a fraught proposition, binding themselves to each other financially. The Germans in particular, fearful about giving... Read more
Posted on 07 July 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Christians, Gays, and Sin
Even before the Supreme Court’s gay marriage ruling, I wrote that gays (and the left in general), having basically won this fight, should ease up and be... Read more
Posted on 05 July 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Introverts Versus Extroverts – A Personal Take
Are you an introvert or extrovert? I sure know which I am. (Why do you think I’m sitting here by myself writing a blog?)One of my book groups has read Susan... Read more
Posted on 01 July 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Great Mutilated Coin Scam
“Waste, fraud and abuse.” How often we hear that from politicians promising to clean up government. I just roll my eyes, because if it were that simple, it woul... Read more
Posted on 27 June 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The End of (Working Class) Men*
American women earn only 78% of what men do. We’ve all heard this cause celebre. It’s utterly bogus. Women’s pay averages less than men’s because they do... Read more
Posted on 23 June 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
America’s Political Decay
A favorite book of mine is Francis Fukuyama’s The End of History (1992). He argued that centuries of ideological conflict had essentially ended with the... Read more
Posted on 19 June 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Yosemite Rocks
California is full of exceptionally cheerful people – judging from our recent trip there. Store clerks, flight attendants, passers-by, etc., all over.We... Read more
Posted on 15 June 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Human Hubris and Skyscrapers
“Hubris” is a favorite word of misanthropic cynics. For the Greeks it meant overweening pride – that presages a fall. For many moderns it means humans too... Read more
Posted on 11 June 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Middle East: The Case for Not Doing
A previous post critiqued Andrew Bacevich’s “limits of power” take on world affairs. He derided what he saw as vain attempts to control history, which can’t be... Read more
Posted on 01 June 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Waiting For Snow in Havana
Carlos Eire was eight, with normal childhood concerns, a love for fireworks and pools, and a loathing for lizards, until Fidel Castro came along and ruined... Read more
Posted on 28 May 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Fighting the Secret Plot to Make the World Richer*
President Obama is battling for “fast track” authority, to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP, a trade deal among 11 big countries) without having... Read more
Posted on 25 May 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Tufts Graduation – Madeleine Albright and Drinking Urine
Photo by Dan Della PentaLast weekend we attended our daughter Elizabeth Robinson’s graduation from Tufts University. She got a degree in International... Read more
Posted on 22 May 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Police, Blacks, Prisons, Drugs, and Neighborhoods
America – “Land of the Free” – leads the world in locking people up. Yes, our incarceration rates exceed those in the most repressive countries like Russia or... Read more
Posted on 18 May 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
“I Want Frida Kahlo’s Face Tattooed on My Ass”
We recently attended Albany’s Tulip/Pinkster-fest, with numerous vendor booths. The first modern one was held in 1972, reviving an old festival; I was actually... Read more
Posted on 13 May 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Visit to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum – A Humanist Monument
It was a little before 10 AM; I was enjoying the lovely weather, in my comfy lounge chair outdoors, working on a coin catalog, when my wife drove up and, with... Read more
Posted on 09 May 2015 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY