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BAD NEWS FOR THE ULTRA PIOUS
If my reading of the calendar is right, today would mark a very bad day for the ultra pious in our midst. Two things have gone violently astray. On this day the President of the United States finally ended his evolving soul searching and announced that he would no longer oppose weddings of gay people. …
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THE POWER OF PRAYER (THREE)
As I am a non-believer in religious exercises, it may seem unbecoming for a fellow with my mind bent to raise the issue of the power of prayer. In this essay I do so not with an accusatory sense of purpose. My interest is purely curiosity. I do not wish to deride those who believe…
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THE ULTIMATE DECIDER
A good many years ago my eldest brother married a woman named Rose Wilson. Rose may have been the kindest woman known to mankind. As my mother would have said, “She had a big heart.” Although I did not see much of Rose because of my living in Kansas City, Chicago, and New York, I…
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WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU…
It may come as a surprise to some younger readers that there was a time in this country when there was no such thing as instant communications. As a matter of fact, my family did not have a telephone until some time in the vicinity of 1935. My mother, who was home all day, was…
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FORMS OF ALLIED MILITARY ADDRESS
It is fortunate that during World War II, a good many of the Allies spoke English. Of course there were the Brits, who included the Scots, the Irish, and the Welsh. Then there were the Australians and the Canadians. All of them spoke English. My thought here today is to recognize the forms of address,…
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COPENHAGEN SNUFF
At the moment, I am involved with this essay on the horns of a modest dilemma. The dilemma has to do with the Republican Party whose candidate in the year 2012 in all likelihood will be Mitt Romney. As it turns out Mitt Romney is a Mormon. This may be hard to be believed in…
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OXYMORON
One of the most interesting features of the English language, or I suppose of many other languages as well, has to do with the term, oxymoron. The word is taken from the Greek words for sharp and dull. The definition is a figure of speech in which two incongruous or contradictory words exist side by…
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GOD IS A REPUBLICAN
I have never been known for clear thinking on ecclesiastical matters. As a matter of fact, I am perhaps the last one to catch on to the fact that God is a Republican. I could have deduced that from my own reasoning, but a cloud of uncertainty hung over my identifying the Republican Party and…
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THE POPE’S BUTLER
Those of you who follow the news from abroad or, more specifically, from Vatican City may be aware that the Pope’s butler is in a heap of trouble. Apparently the Pope’s butler, who has access to the body of His Holiness, was alleged to be the person who has leaked salacious gossip to the Italian…
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A POLYGAMY OF ESSAYETTES
I am well aware of the fact that the three essayettes to follow may be called a trio of essayettes. But I have elected not to do that. I have elected to call them a polygamy of essayettes. There is nothing wrong with trio or, if there is a fourth essay, calling it a…