“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” – Ronald Reagan
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First Principles: Freedom Is Never More Than One Generation Away From Extinction. We Didn’t Pass It To Our Children In the Blood Stream. It Must be Fought For, Protected, and Handed On For Them To Do The Same
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Blood Stream, Extinction, First Principles, Fought For, Freedom, Generation, Handed On, Pass Our Children, Protected, Ronald Reagan
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Thought For the Day: One Day Your Life Will Flash Before Your Eyes. Make Sure It’s Worth Watching
“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it’s worth watching” – Gerard Way
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Eyes, Flash, Gerard Way, Life, One Day, Thought For the Day, Watch
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Healing Scars Into Stars
Healing Scars Into Stars
by Michael Doyle
We can beat ourselves up in the void,
In all the shame we try to avoid.
Waltzing through interconnecting rooms of shame
This is where we learned to wear our blame.
We tell ourselves that we're different,
Acting humble and somewhat reverent.
We'd give our lives to learn to be strong,
If only we could find where we belong.
Wound by wound, we become more alone,
Learning that we have no exterior skin of stone.
We wonder what it is for which we must atone,
Until a stranger's voice becomes a friend over our phones.
These are the moments that we feel,
Moment by moment, we learn to be real.
We find it is the love of such a friend
That brings us to "okay" and the pain ends.
It's somewhere there in the extended hand,
That smile of love that understands.
With it we learn to reach and extend far
And with hopeful eyes to look up into the stars.
(c) August 29, 2025 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Alone, Atone, Avoid, Belong, Different, Extended Hand, Far, Feel, Friend, Heal, Hopeful Eyes, Humble, Learn, Lives, Moments, Okay, Pain, Phone, Poetry and Poems, Real, Reverent, Rooms of Shame, Scars, Shame, Skin of Stone, Smile of Low, Stars, Stranger, Strong, Understand, Voice, Void, Waltz, Wonder, Wound
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First Principles: My Faith Demands That I Do Whatever I Can, Wherever I Am, Whenever I Can, For As Long As I Can With Whatever I Have To Try To Make A Difference
“I have one life and one chance to make it count for something… My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.” – Jimmy Carter
Posted in First Principles
Tagged As Long As I Can, Demand, Difference, Faith, First Principles, Jimmy Carter, Try, Whatever, Whatever I Can, Where I Am, Wnenever I Can
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Thought For the Day: The Actions of Men Are the Best Interpreters of Their Thoughts
“The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts.” – John Locke, philosopher (29 Aug 1632-1704)
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Action, Interpreter, John Locke, Mankind, Thought, Thought For the Day
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What One Bullet Can Do
What One Bullet Can Do
by Michael
It's funny,
What one bullet can do,
Taking away peace...
As it stunned me.
Watching time run out for you
And taking from me, my peace.
Replacing peace with strife,
Removing what had been bliss.
What's left is a gaping hole.
It should have been my life, not your life.
What was happiness is now emptiness.
There is only shadow, where once I had a soul.
It's tragic,
What one bullet can do -
Taking my peace.
Losing you is more than tragic.
Losing all the dreams we had for you.
My prayers don't bring me peace.
You were born for more.
I loved to talk about your dreams.
I lived for making these come true.
Like a mighty eagle, you'd soar...
Or blow bubbles in childlike scenes.
Nearly all of my world revolved around you.
The shooter was a man with an issue,
A troubled soul without much of a clue.
A hurt person decided to hurt children that day.
His/her/his issues had nothing to do with you.
The pain had ate away all the good they might do.
Shots fired to kill would not drive their demons away.
I heard your last prayer as you laid down to sleep.
We talked about your dreams for your tomorrow.
The sin they have committed is worse than any crime.
I can only pray, the Lord your soul to keep.
All I have left is a heart full of sorrow.
Some monsters come in the daytime.
(c) August 28, 2025 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Ate Away, Bliss, Born, Bubbles, Bullet, Crime, Cue, Daytime, Demons, Dream, Dreams, Eagle, Emptiness, Gaping Hole, Good, Happiness, Heat Full of Sorrow, Hurt Children, Hurt Person, Issues, Keep, Kill, Last Prayer, Life, Lived, Loss, Monster, More, My World, Pain, Peace, Poetry and Poems, Prayers, Shadow, Shooter, Shots Fired, Sin, Sleep, Soar, Soul, Strife, Stun, Talk, The Lord, Tiime, Tomorrow, Tragic, Troubled Soul, True, You
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First Principles: A Strong Defense Is the Surest Way To Peace. Strength Makes Detente Attainable. Weakness Invites War
“A strong defense is the surest way to peace. Strength makes detente attainable. Weakness invites war, as my generation – my generation – knows from four very bitter experiences. Just as America’s will for peace is second to none, so will America’s strength be second to none. We cannot rely on the forbearance of others to protect this Nation. The power and diversity of the Armed Forces, active Guard and Reserve, the resolve of our fellow citizens, the flexibility in our command to navigate international waters that remain troubled are all essential to our security.” – Gerald R. Ford
Posted in First Principles
Tagged America, Armed Forces, Bitter Experience, Detente, First Principles, Forbearnce, Gerald R. Ford, Nation, Peace, Power, Resolve, Security, Strength, Strong Defense, War, Weaknesss
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Thought For the Day: But You Have To Give Your Whole Life To A Cello. When I Realized That, I Went Back To the Guitar and Just Turned the Volume Up A Bit Louder
“But you have to give your whole life to a cello. When I realized that, I went back to the guitar and just turned the volume up a bit louder.” – Ritchie Blackmore
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Cello, Guitar, Louder, Realize, Ritchie Blackmore, Thought For the Day, Volume, Whole LIfe
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Dress Rehearsal
Dress Rehearsal
by Michael Doyle
It seems like life knows its resistance,
And all we have is our persistence.
We're dedicated to getting our message through.
Sometimes it feels like it's all we can do.
Sparks from the stage blaze a mystic fire.
Night after night, we are filled with desire.
The girl over there with the golden voice,
She knows we really have no choice.
The set list creates the story
Of our lives in our full glory.
Note after note, we live and play.
We keep our dreams on display.
We somehow want our narrative
To speak for itself in the declarative -
Who we are and who we will be.
It's an open letter without any mystery.
No one has a heart of stone,
And our chorus isn't sung alone.
The tempo has its own way
To be the song we're meant to play.
The set list creates the story
Of our lives in our full glory.
Note after note, we live and play.
We keep our dreams on display.
These songs can only be played one way.
I heard it from the singer as he'd say
We have to play it like a heartbeat,
Like we have coming up from the streets.
Life is a dress rehearsal, gone by like a blur
Of dreams we chased after as they occurred.
Retentive of every note played as it should,
We still hold these dreams -and they feel good.
The set list creates the story
Of our lives in our full glory.
Note after note, we live and play.
We keep our dreams on display.
(c) August 27, 2025 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Choice, Chorus, Declarative, Desire, Dreams, Dress Rehearsal, Feel, Fire, Full Glory, Golden Voice, Heart of Stone, Lives, Message, Mystery, Narrrative, Open Letter, Persistence, Poetry and Poems, Resistance, Set List, Song, Sparks, Stage, Story, Tempo
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First Principles: We Cannot Learn From One Another Until We Stop Shouting At One Another, Until We Speak Quietly Enough So That Our Words Can Be Heard
“In these difficult years, America has suffered from a fever of words; from inflated rhetoric that promises more than it can deliver; from angry rhetoric that fans discontents into hatreds; from bombastic rhetoric that postures instead of persuading. We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another, until we speak quietly enough so that our words can be heard as well as our voices.” – Richard M. Nixon
Posted in First Principles
Tagged America, Deliver, Difficult Years, Discontent, Fever, First Priinciples, Hatred, Heard, Lean, One Another, Posture, Promise, Rhetoric, Richard M. Nixon, Shout, Speak Quietly, Voice, Words
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ALOHA PROMISES FOREVER 