“If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.” – Noam Chomsky, linguistics professor and political activist (b. 7 Dec 1928)
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Thought For the Day: If We Don’t Believe In Freedom of Expression For People We Despise, We Don’t Believe In It At All
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Tagged Believe, Despise, Don't Believe, Expression, Freedom, Noam Chomsky, People, Thought For the Day
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First Principles: The Great Principles of Right and Wrong Are Legible To Every Reader; To Pursue Them Requires Not the Aid of Many Counselors
“The great principles of right and wrong are legible to every reader; to pursue them requires not the aid of many counselors.” – Thomas Jefferson (1775)
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Aid, Every Reader, First Principles, Great Pinrciples, Legible, Many Counselors, Pursue, Require, Right and Wrong, Thomas Jeferrson
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Happy St. Nicholas Day 2023!!
The spirit of this day is a celebration of generosity and a very historical person. Saint Nicholas of Myra was a 4th century Greek bishop who also served the church in Finland. While he is the basis of Santa Claus, he was also very involved in church, theological disputes, and the rescue of children from being sold into slavery by impoverished parents who felt they had little to no other choice. As such, if I were to be a Catholic or Orthodox Christian, there is no doubt that he and St. Francis of Assisi would be my patron saints.
But of all the moments in his life that stand out to me, it makes me smile most in a very not so Christian moment in his life. In confronting a lying Gnostic at the Council of Nicaea, in 325, it is said he broke the nose of a particular Gnostic leader who tried to defame the divinity of Christ and otherwise insert errant doctrines into the statement of faith by point of force. I find that very relatable in my own imperfections. And honestly, it rings true that I would likely do this, too. The body of that Gnostic leader is said to have been exhumed and he did indeed have a broken nose.
Other stories about the real St. Nicholas have to do with his providing dowries so that young girls might get married (a common practice of that time) and bringing back at least three children from the dead. It is said that he originally used a mule to deliver presents to local orphanages. When he was transferred to Finland, reindeer were more useful in delivering such gifts. This became entwined with the legends of Santa Claus using reindeer to similarly deliver gifts.
Whatever the case, Nicholas died on December 6 in 343. Today, we remember his death with St. Nicholas Day. We at Aloha Promises Forever wish you and each of you and yours the very best of Happy St. Nicholas Days!
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged 2023, 4th Century, Children, Christ, Church, Defame, Divinity, Dowries, Errant Doctrines, Finalnd, Generosity, Gnosticism, Greek Bishop, Happy St Nicholas Day!, Historical, Impoverished Persons, Mule, Myra, Orhphanage, Reindeer, Rescue, Santa Claus, Slavery, Spirit, Theological Disputes, Thought of the Day
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The Naughty List
The Naughty List
by Michael Doyle
When the truth's told even in the best of times
A heart should beware of the easiest rhymes
Keeping an eye out for the details of the Devil
Is best because we know he's never on the level
There's a crass commercialism that makes a contest
Of who can out Christmas who and be the best
As if the modern age lost its way and isn't teasin'
In having completely forgotten the reason for the season
The Coca-Cola Santa isn't here for any such fights
But he is okay with turning on the bright lights
Everywhere parades and decorations are on display
It's just too bad that we haven't time enough to pray
With all the hustle and bustle here and there, about
There's no question that we have room enough to doubt
What it is that we need to save this from being tragic
Is to find the spark of a bit more Christmas magic
Today's Christmas is different than it never really was
And we have to be careful for no real reason, just because
The things that we wish for can come their own kind of true
It sometimes feels like a dark side point of view
It pays to be careful of playing up too much dazzle
To much gimmickry can become a frustrating frazzle
Though harks may yet herald and the angelic host sing
You can only be Christmas king in the joy that you bring
And if it is that you bring no real joy at all?
Maybe your kind of holiday already came in the Fall
The message here is to be careful of what you wish
Because you might fall onto the naughty list!
While holy God and repentant sinners may reconcile
The purpose of Christmas is more than just to smile
But to spend a little time in soulful reflection
It's the best way to make the true Christmas connection
(c) December 6, 2023 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Because, Best, Best of Times, Beware, Bright Lights, Careful, Christmas, Christmas Magic, Coca-Cola Santa, Contest, Crass Commericalism, Dark Side, Decorations, Details, Devil, Display, Doubt, Eye Out, Fights, Forgotten, Heart, Hustle and Bustle, Level, Modern Age, Parades, Poetry and Poems, Point of View, Pray, Question, Real Reason, Reason For the Season, Rhymes, Room Enough, Teasin', The Naughty List, Time Enough, Told, Too Bad, Tragic, True, Truth, Wish
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First Principles: The Natural Progress of Things Is For Liberty To Yield and Government To Gain Ground
“The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground.” – Thomas Jefferson (1788)
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Tagged First Principles, Gain Ground, Government, Liberty, Natural, Progress, Thomas Jefferson, Yield
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Thought For the Day: Perjury Is Often Bold and Open. It Is Truth That Is Shamefaced – As, Indeed, In Many Case Is No More Than Decent
“Perjury is often bold and open. It is truth that is shamefaced – as, indeed, in many cases is no more than decent.” – Charles Darling, 1st Baron Darling
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Tagged Bold, Case, Charles Darling, Decent, Open, Perjury, Shamefaced, Thought For the Day, Truth
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The Bones of Rock-N-Roll
The Bones of Rock-N-Roll
by Michael Doyle
The bones of rock-n-roll flowed through with authority
In the American zeitgeist that Frank Zappa made legendary
Spinning tales from hippies to yuppies in a vast conspiracy
It became tragically hipper as it grew to become legendary
He was as vehement in his woe and travails of morality
As he was flamboyant in his presentation as he saw reality
Free speech was comically weighed on Lady Justice's scales
As Zappa wove his dark side merry go around of musical tales
Zappa didn't overly moralize or seek out to preach
But instead to encourage thinking and to subtly reach
Society around him to think and through this maybe smile
It was something in his humor that glowed through his style
A listen into the rabbit-hole is revealing of hipster guile
Where glimpses of hypocrisy satirize into a mind-numbing smile
It's a satire of our country’s blank-eyed habits gone for broke
In so much truth told that it would traumatize the sleeping Woke
The whining of conformity became a freak out of some enormity
As Zappa stepped America into the spotlight of truthful comedy
Providing us insight into the squalor and levels of hypocrisy
Formed in the lyricism of the urban scenesters in their frivolity
Zappa didn't overly moralize or seek out to preach
But instead to encourage thinking and to subtly reach
Society around him to think and through this maybe smile
It was something in his humor that glowed through his style
Funk-infected sounds crunch the denseness of the avantgarde
Shared risibly and, yet innocent, with a swarthy regard
Like a wounded coil flaring statements filled with flimsy values
In a world remarkably intense and smattering of multi-colored hues
Speaking the evil-like slime that passes prime on television
Gorgeous melodies are played on the vibraphone with precision
Madcap narratives capped these songs with a sense of bawdiness
That was only matched by its surreal sense of naughtiness
Zappa didn't overly moralize or seek out to preach
But instead to encourage thinking and to subtly reach
Society around him to think and through this maybe smile
There was something about his humor flowing into his style
(c) December 5, 2023 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Authority, Avantagarde, Bawdiness, Blank-Eyed Habits, Bones, Brok, Cales, Conformity, Curnch, Encourage, Fee Speech, Flamboyant, Flimsy Values, Frank Zaapa, Frivolity, Funk Infected, Hipster Guile, Hues, Humor, Hypocrisy, Lady Justice, Lyricism, Melody, Morality, Musical Tales, Narrative, Naughtiness, Percision, Poetry and Poems, Preach, Rabbit-Hole, Reach, Reality, Rock-n-Roll, Satirize, Sleeping Woke, Smile, Society, Spotlight, Style, Surreal, Television, Truthful Comedy, Urban Scensters, Vibraphone, Whine, Wounded Coil, Zeitgeist
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Thought For the Day: Life Is Composed of Lights and Shadows, and We Would Be Untruthful, Insincere, and Saccharine If We Tried To Pretend There Were No Shadows
“I don’t believe in playing down to children, either in life or in motion pictures. I didn’t treat my own youngsters like fragile flowers, and I think no parent should. Children are people, and they should have to reach to learn about things, to understand things, just as adults have to reach if they want to grow in mental stature. Life is composed of lights and shadows, and we would be untruthful, insincere, and saccharine if we tried to pretend there were no shadows. Most things are good, and they are the strongest things; but there are evil things too, and you are not doing a child a favor by trying to shield him from reality. – Walt Disney, entrepreneur and animator (5 Dec 1901-1966).
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Adults, Children, Compose, Evil, Fragile Flowers, Good, Insincere, Learn, Life, Lights and Shadows, Mental Stature, Motion Pictures, No Shadows, Parent, Playing Down, Pretend, Reach, Reality, Saccharine, Shield, Strongest, Thought For thee Day, Understand, Untruthful, Walt Disney
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First Principles: In All Very Numerous Assemblies, of Whatever Character Composed, Passion Never Fails To Wrest the Scepter From Reason
“In all very numerous assemblies, of whatever character composed, passion never fails to wrest the sceptre from reason.” – James Madison (1788)
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Assemblies, Character, Fail, First Principles, James Madison, Numerous, Passion, Reason, Scepter, Wrest
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(Questions of Life) However Inspired
(Questions of Life) However Inspired
by Michael Doyle
However it was inspired
Life came to be fired
Sparked a billion years ago
And continued on in its flow
Though no man was there
Science believes it clear
Neurons appeared 400,000 year ago
But who can truly know?
From the neuron formation
Came just enough information
To provide the first cause for action
To be sparked into visible traction
From this primordial splash of soup
Lucy arose from this full-tilt loop
Giving us this gift we often give away
A billion years have passed to lead us to today
Given all this time that we've had to mature
We may be facing a smackdown by Mother Nature
This major fail might be taking away all of this
It seems kind of sad for what might be a near-miss
We seem to be handcuffed to this losing position
Unless we have the courage enough for transition
All the little flashpoints along the way
Were warnings, so all the other predators say
In the end, there'll be no one left to question
Why we never seemed to have the least hesitation
Until it was much, too much, too late
To find the necessary courage or even debate
The better ways, more importantly, the necessary ways
To bring us through this darkness to better days
Until, at last, we can only raise our hands in prayer
While wondering why God only pauses in disbelief to stare
How is it that we have run full-tilt, edged to the brink
Feeling the fools for having failed to think?
All this comes from two neurons brought together
You'd have thought things would have turned out better
.... Maybe it's time to take a drink?
(c) December 4, 2023 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Better Days, Better Ways, Billion Years, Billion Years Ago, Brink, Brought Together, Courage, Darkness, Debate, Disbelief, Drink, Feeling the Fools, Fired, First Cause, Flashpoints, Flow, Formation, Full-Tilt, Gift, God, Handcuffed, Hands, Information, Inspired, Least Hesitation, Life, Losing Position, Lucy, Major Fail, Mature, Mother Nature, Near Miss, Necessary, Neurons, Pause, Poetry and Poems, Prayer, Predators, Primordial, Question, Questions, Sad, Science, Smackdown, Splash, Stare, Think, Thought, Through, Time, Traction, Transition, Turned Out Better, Two Neurons, Warning, Wonder
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