TheWiseOldFart

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Evangelicals are not Christians by definition. According to the Bible, a Christian is “ someone whose behavior and heart reflects Jesus Christ .” Evangelical leaders preach from the Old Testament, completely ignoring the teachings of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. The facts are clear. The biggest misconception about religion in America, and something Christian leaders would like you to believe, is that most of our Founding Fathers were Christians. Historians confirm that Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison and Monroe practiced a faith called Deism . Deism is a philosophical belief in human reason as a reliable means of solving social and political problems.  In reality, a number of the key American Founders were neither Christians nor deists, but theistic rationalists. Theistic rationalists believed in a powerful, rational, and benevolent creator God who was present and active in human affairs. We must remember that the primary reason the men who create

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Past and present American presidents frequently address the American people on national holidays. This past 4th of July weekend was no exception. President Biden spoke to his supporters touting the greatness in principle of the United States, and what this celebration of our country’s Declaration of Independence  means to every American citizen. However, the mood was quite different on Tuesday when Trump spoke to his Neo-Nazi supporters on his failing social media platform, Truth Social. He failed to talk about the importance of the day, and instead attacked everything good about our patriotic American President, and the millions of voters who voted for him in 2020. He spoke in front of a video screen which once again proved that Trump and his Klan have no class and in fact harbor great hatred for the nation of our Founding Fathers. The screen said: “F**k Biden and f**k you for voting for him.” Maybe I’m wrong but I always believed that a President of the United

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart What I refer to as “the great change” began in January of 1981. Ronald Reagan’s efforts to remake the “Party of Lincoln” into what it has become today, the American Fascist Party. Today’s RINOs choose not to serve the American people, but to rule over us. Reagan began wars on minorities, the working class, and women. He demanded loyalty without dissent and openly supported our nation’s wealthiest Americans. For eight years he violated the First Amendment as he accepted Evangelical Christianity as our nation’s only religion.  What was once the “Grand Old Party” has devolved over the last 42 years. It has become the party of greed, negativity, and has moved so far to the right many right wing politicians have embraced the fascist ideas of Donald Trump. No longer are these men and women supporters of individual rights, small business, or family values. Today these anti-Americans seek control over the lives of everyone, controlling their physical and mental activiti

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Thanks to Vladimir Putin, James Comey, the mainstream media, and millions of white supremacists, our nation’s people had four very long years to learn about the “real Donald Trump.” Not only was he revealed as a sexual predator, a lifelong criminal, and an obese old, white man who hated his country and planned to destroy democracy and create a fascist regime, two weeks prior to his eviction from the White House he proved to be our nation’s biggest traitor by attempting to overthrow the government of the United States of America. It is an undeniable fact that Trump will be remembered as the worst president in history forever. Never again can any man or any woman be allowed to devote their every effort for four years to destroy the country they were elected to lead. I constantly refer to Trump’s victory on November 8, 2016 as “illegitimate.” One story, which is now hidden from the American people by our government and a complicit mainstream media, proves tha

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart “Baltimore, Maryland: Two dead, 28 injured.” This headline was not the first story on the front page of “Google News.” That’s no surprise. It happens every day somewhere in our nation. These happen so frequently, Republicans have ceased offering their “thoughts and prayers.” During a block party in South Baltimore, on the 4th of July weekend an 18-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man were shot and killed by what appears to be a lone gunman. 28 others were injured, some remain in critical condition. “Just two days into the month, it is one of three mass shootings in July and one of 338 mass shootings in the US in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive.” Since 2017 there have been more mass shootings than days on the calendar, and our government does not give a damn. They continue to do nothing with the exception of stuffing their war chests with money from the NRA gun lobby. It is our government who is the reason why the United States has become the most dan

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart In 2023 the Supreme Court of the United States of America is composed of six justices who are on the extreme right of our political system. Their sole purpose is to overturn advancements made in our nation’s social system over the last 70 years. Intelligent and clear-thinking Americans were shocked on June 24, 2022, when these prejudiced five men and one woman overturned a 49-year-old decision by a legitimate Court and returned all American women to third-class citizens. They celebrated after creating one of the darkest days in American history as they removed the Constitutional right of women to make personal decisions about the future of their own mental and physical health. In March of 1961 President John F. Kennedy extended affirmative action to include creating racial equality within our colleges and universities. This week the same six “bad actors” ended affirmative action in America once and for all. What’s the next fascist act by these biased pretenders:

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart American politicians constantly claim that the United States of America is “the greatest country in the world.” I’m required to inform you of one fact: they are full of s**t. The rankings of developed nations places America as 12th in a few evaluations, but most frequently 18th. The most definitive issues involve the protection and guarantees of quality of life. A survey conducted in 2022 rated the United States 21st in the “World Happiness Report.” Here are the top ten. Finland — 7.821 Denmark — 7.636 Iceland — 7.557 Switzerland — 7.512 Netherlands — 7.415 Luxembourg — 7.404 Sweden — 7.384 Norway — 7.365 Israel — 7.364 New Zealand — 7.200 Let’s look at the criteria used for ranking the “greatness” of nations. Quality of Life (14.52%): a good job market, affordable, economically stable, family friendly, income equality, politically stable, safe, well-developed public education system, well-developed public health system. Entrepreneurship (14.17%): connected to t

                                                          Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart The categories on which nations are ranked related to their “greatness” can be summed up as “the quality of life for all of their nation’s people. Look at the following list. [ Quality of Life (14.52%): a good job market, affordable, economically stable, family friendly, income equality, politically stable, safe, well-developed public education system, well-developed public health system. Entrepreneurship (14.17%): connected to the rest of the world, educated population, entrepreneurial, innovative, provides easy access to capital, skilled labor force, technological expertise, transparent business practices, well-developed infrastructure, well-developed digital infrastructure, well-developed legal framework. Agility (13.96%): adaptable, dynamic, modern, progressive, responsive. Social Purpose (13.49%): cares about human rights, cares about the environment, gender equality, religious freedom, respects

                                                                 Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Time is a cruel mistress. As we age it is impossible to maintain the physical abilities we enjoyed when we were half our age. However, I hope that life has taught us many valuable lessons and therefore we are wiser and possess more knowledge about the world we live in and the reality which exists around us. I will be 77 years old in just over a week. When I turned 70, I began to fall into a trap. Memories of my past made me sad. Although many of them will be cherished forever, I allowed myself to believe that the future would never contain great joy and I would fail to find excitement in my meager accomplishments as a much older man. This form of “defeatism” must be quashed. I am learning to accept what I cannot do and treasure what I can do. Everything in our society confirms one fact: Agism is a serious problem in 21st century America. The late-night comics, who are getting older themselves, cons

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Although the United States of America is only arriving at its 247th year, the list of tragic events which affected all Americans continues to grow. One of these tragedies involves the cowardly attacks on September 11, 2001.  The truth is that there were many instances ignored by those in power. From foreign men attending flight school in Florida without showing any interest in landings. Most importantly our president and vice-president ignored briefings by our national security agencies that an attack on our nation was imminent. They both decided to ignore these warnings and take vacations although they had only been in office for less than eight months. The facts prove that the attacks on 9/11 might have been prevented if George W. Bush and Dick Cheney had taken the warnings from our top security leaders seriously. Possibly the greatest tragedy is related to how their failures after the debacle destroyed many protections promised by the Bill of Rights for all

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   As of today, June 24, 2023, the United States of America remains the only nation to use nuclear power to murder tens of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.  [Hiroshima: 70,000–126,000 civilians killed 20,000 soldiers killed 12 Allied prisoners of war Nagasaki: 60,000–80,000 killed (within 4 months) 150+ soldiers killed 8–13 Allied prisoners of war Total killed: 129,000–226,000.] Governments declare and create wars. The military executes these tragedies. Regardless of the nation or the situation, innocent civilians are always victims of their governments, offering their lives and their quality of life for those who are designated to serving our nation, while our elected officials frequently profit from the carnage. In the 1980’s our political and corrupt government created one national holiday in February and declared it “President’s Day.” This was a self-serving and terrible decision. Prior to this mistake, we, as a nation, celebrated Abraham Linco

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   This is one of the headlines from Ohio today, June 22, 2023. One I have seen far too often. “2-Year-Old Accidentally Shoots And Kills Pregnant Mother After Finding Gun, Police Say” Prior to 1976 when the NRA became a lobby for gun manufacturers and gun sellers, there was a free pamphlet offered to everyone suggesting measures to safely store guns inside the home. It no longer exists. The instructions were simple and would prevent one of the biggest problems in America today. The NRA, a gun safety organization, suggested keeping all guns stored in the home unloaded. Most importantly, the weapon and its ammunition should be locked and stored in separate locations.  “Laura Ilg, 31, was 33 weeks pregnant when she called police Friday afternoon to report that her son got a hold of a gun and shot her in the back, Norwalk police said in a press release published by local newspaper the Norwalk Reflector. “Responding officers kicked down the front door to find Ilg stil

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart America has Never Been a Great Country, but in the 21st Century The United States of America has become “unique,” and not in a good way. Our incompetent and corrupt government has intentionally separated our nation from all others who have changed and created a better quality of life for their people. In 2023 Americans are chanting, “ask not what we can do for our country, ask what has our country done for us?” Over the seven decades our government has sent thousands of out finest young men and women to death in four unwinnable wars: Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Those who serve in Washington continue to ignore our needs and wishes and serve the rich and powerful. Our freedoms, guaranteed by the Constitution, are being removed one by one as the First, Fourth, Fifth, and 14th Amendments are ignored and violated daily. It is an undeniable fact that America is the most warlike country in the world. The Pentagon’s annual budget amounts to more than five tim

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   White supremacy, pervasive racism, white privilege, and bigotry in far too many other situations are real, and undeniable. Let me tell you a personal story about a young, white man who had personal experience with these issues. A man who was not raised in the deep South or another red state, and learned that extreme racism is a reality in all 50 states to some degree. I was born in Lewiston, Idaho in July of 1946. Before my sixth birthday my family moved to Los Angeles, California. This great city, composed of diverse people and people who encourage free thought and the exchange of ideas, remains my favorite place to live if I could afford it today. Let me inform you that I trust no one in power in the 21st century. Every one of these groups has proven that they are not worthy of my acceptance because their lies are unending. I especially detest the worst of the worst, professional politicians. I know that political parties are destructive to any nation’s futu