Would you like to know how many people have visited this page? Or how reputable the author is? Simply
sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.
 None SHARE 
|
|
Richard Girard is a polymath and autodidact whose greatest desire in life is to be his generations' Thomas Paine. He is an FDR Democrat, which probably puts him with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders in the current political spectrum. His answer to all of those who decry Democratic Socialism is that it is a system invented by one of our Founding Fathers--Thomas Paine--and was the inspiration for two of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt, who the Democrats of today would do well if they would follow in their footsteps. Or to quote Harry Truman, "Out of the great progress of this country, out of our great advances in achieving a better life for all, out of our rise to world leadership, the Republican leaders have learned nothing. Confronted by the great record of this country, and the tremendous promise of its future, all they do is croak, 'socialism.'
OpEd News Member for 946 week(s) and 3 day(s)
165 Articles, 1 Quick Links, 770 Comments, 5 Diaries, 4 Series, 0 Polls
Articles Listed By Popularity
List By Date
List By Date
Page 4 of 9 First Last Back Next 5 6 7 8 9 View All
(7 comments) SHARE
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
The South's Gonna Lie Again The re-emergence of Confederate thought and sentiment in the 21st Century is a carefully orchestrated piece of propaganda orchestrated over the last 150 years making Lee, Davis, and Jackson saints, and demonizing good men like James Longstreet. It is an immoral ploy, worthy of a look only due to it's growing success, beginning in the 1930's,and it's relation to todays oligarchs.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014The South's Gonna Lie Again The re-emergence of Confederate thought and sentiment in the 21st Century is a carefully orchestrated piece of propaganda orchestrated over the last 150 years making Lee, Davis, and Jackson saints, and demonizing good men like James Longstreet. It is an immoral ploy, worthy of a look only due to it's growing success, beginning in the 1930's,and it's relation to todays oligarchs.
(14 comments) SHARE
Saturday, February 28, 2009
The Tao of Government Assume nothing and embrace the beginner's mind. Mao the dialectic materialist was wrong, power comes not from the barrel of a gun, but from our belief in its existence. Although the expression of power maybe very real, without the strength of our belief in it, government would fall like a house of cards.
Saturday, February 28, 2009The Tao of Government Assume nothing and embrace the beginner's mind. Mao the dialectic materialist was wrong, power comes not from the barrel of a gun, but from our belief in its existence. Although the expression of power maybe very real, without the strength of our belief in it, government would fall like a house of cards.
(1 comments) SHARE
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Safecracking One of the constant refrains that I hear is "What good does it do to write the truth, if no one listens?" I think the greatest source of mental deafness is the lack of a good bulls**t filter, and time. The purpose of my articles is to give people a Reader's Digest condensed version of the facts, and what I believe they mean. The Purpose of this article is to help them build their own BS filter.
Thursday, March 31, 2011Safecracking One of the constant refrains that I hear is "What good does it do to write the truth, if no one listens?" I think the greatest source of mental deafness is the lack of a good bulls**t filter, and time. The purpose of my articles is to give people a Reader's Digest condensed version of the facts, and what I believe they mean. The Purpose of this article is to help them build their own BS filter.
(4 comments) SHARE
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
We Matter! Clarence Thomas says we have no right to dignity. The reality is that without dignity and its handmaiden respect, we have no rights.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015We Matter! Clarence Thomas says we have no right to dignity. The reality is that without dignity and its handmaiden respect, we have no rights.
(3 comments) SHARE
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Of Prophets and Loss The prophets of the Old Testament fulfilled a very important function in ancient Israel: they reminded the Jewish people and their kings of their duties to both God and one another. In our secular world, we still need someone to remind us of our duties to the world, humanity in general, and one another in particular. We need people to remind us that we are our brother's keepers, and the Earth's stewards. We need more gadflies.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015Of Prophets and Loss The prophets of the Old Testament fulfilled a very important function in ancient Israel: they reminded the Jewish people and their kings of their duties to both God and one another. In our secular world, we still need someone to remind us of our duties to the world, humanity in general, and one another in particular. We need people to remind us that we are our brother's keepers, and the Earth's stewards. We need more gadflies.
(14 comments) SHARE
Monday, July 14, 2014
In the Heart of Madness How does one stay sane in a world gone mad? Where narcissism is celebrated as a desired trait, and acting like a sociopath is considered the best way to get ahead in business. Selfishness is the one consistent symptom in all mental illness, so common we have to ask if it is not a form of neurosis in itself. We may never know: societies based on selfishness don't survive for long.
Series: The Madness of Selfishness (8 Articles, 8111 views)
Monday, July 14, 2014In the Heart of Madness How does one stay sane in a world gone mad? Where narcissism is celebrated as a desired trait, and acting like a sociopath is considered the best way to get ahead in business. Selfishness is the one consistent symptom in all mental illness, so common we have to ask if it is not a form of neurosis in itself. We may never know: societies based on selfishness don't survive for long.
Series: The Madness of Selfishness (8 Articles, 8111 views)
(6 comments) SHARE
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Ignorance of Reality Is Called Delusion The recent law-enforcement raid on Rentboy.com in New York City may at long last remove the blinders from the gay community on how precarious their position really is with law enforcement. They have refused aid to sex workers in their struggles, not understanding that, to many cops, gays and lesbians are every bit as No Human Involved (NHI) as any sex worker. Now thousands of closeted men's names are in police hands.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015Ignorance of Reality Is Called Delusion The recent law-enforcement raid on Rentboy.com in New York City may at long last remove the blinders from the gay community on how precarious their position really is with law enforcement. They have refused aid to sex workers in their struggles, not understanding that, to many cops, gays and lesbians are every bit as No Human Involved (NHI) as any sex worker. Now thousands of closeted men's names are in police hands.
(1 comments) SHARE
Sunday, August 22, 2010
A Terrible History We have to ask ourselves a simple question: in the murder of President Kennedy, is it really necessary to find a "silver bullet" to break open the case, or do we have sufficient information already to accomplish this task. I think we know enough, or very nearly enough, to figure out who the primary players were and why.
Sunday, August 22, 2010A Terrible History We have to ask ourselves a simple question: in the murder of President Kennedy, is it really necessary to find a "silver bullet" to break open the case, or do we have sufficient information already to accomplish this task. I think we know enough, or very nearly enough, to figure out who the primary players were and why.
(8 comments) SHARE
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Marxism for Fun and Profit Karl Marx is a perplexing historical figure. His insistence on a violent overthrow of all existing institutions makes him a pariah to disciples of Gandhi and King, his lack of empathy and self-awareness weakens his arguments. But what he meant by a Communist state has never been achieved, his observations on the pitfalls of laissez-faire capitalism are generally correct, and his, fully developing all human potential, noble.
Thursday, November 15, 2012Marxism for Fun and Profit Karl Marx is a perplexing historical figure. His insistence on a violent overthrow of all existing institutions makes him a pariah to disciples of Gandhi and King, his lack of empathy and self-awareness weakens his arguments. But what he meant by a Communist state has never been achieved, his observations on the pitfalls of laissez-faire capitalism are generally correct, and his, fully developing all human potential, noble.
(3 comments) SHARE
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Cutting Our Own Throats Part One Economic inequality in America is destroying the hearts, the minds, and the very soul of the nation. Franklin, Jefferson, and Madison all spoke out against danger to the Republic of too much wealth being gathered in too few hands, and now their worst nightmare has come to pass. We mus act now, to prevent the plutocrats from establishing an oligarchic despotism, while we may do so without violence.
Series: Pulling Back Conservatism's Curtain (6 Articles, 8210 views)
Wednesday, April 30, 2014Cutting Our Own Throats Part One Economic inequality in America is destroying the hearts, the minds, and the very soul of the nation. Franklin, Jefferson, and Madison all spoke out against danger to the Republic of too much wealth being gathered in too few hands, and now their worst nightmare has come to pass. We mus act now, to prevent the plutocrats from establishing an oligarchic despotism, while we may do so without violence.
Series: Pulling Back Conservatism's Curtain (6 Articles, 8210 views)
(4 comments) SHARE
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Democracy and Republic I am tired of the misrepresentation of our democracy by conservatives and libertarians. The type of democracy the Founders warned us against was a direct democracy, where the people voted on every law, much like the referendum system here in Colorado. We need to "rectify the language," as Confucius is purported to have said, and take caution with the meanings of the words we use.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007Democracy and Republic I am tired of the misrepresentation of our democracy by conservatives and libertarians. The type of democracy the Founders warned us against was a direct democracy, where the people voted on every law, much like the referendum system here in Colorado. We need to "rectify the language," as Confucius is purported to have said, and take caution with the meanings of the words we use.
(9 comments) SHARE
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Paranoid-A Rock and Roll Epistle This is my last article before the election. I showed a friend of mine this article, and she said I was overstating the situation, that it was not quite so dire. She also said that I had named the article properly, because it expresses my--and many others--darkest fears of a Romney-Ryan victory. If God forbid it happens, I hope that I'm wrong and she's right.
Saturday, October 27, 2012Paranoid-A Rock and Roll Epistle This is my last article before the election. I showed a friend of mine this article, and she said I was overstating the situation, that it was not quite so dire. She also said that I had named the article properly, because it expresses my--and many others--darkest fears of a Romney-Ryan victory. If God forbid it happens, I hope that I'm wrong and she's right.
(3 comments) SHARE
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Forcing Their Hand If the Democrats do not stand up with Howard Dean, Keith Olbermann, Ed Schultz, and the rest of us, they do not deserve to retain power in the Congress next November.
Saturday, December 19, 2009Forcing Their Hand If the Democrats do not stand up with Howard Dean, Keith Olbermann, Ed Schultz, and the rest of us, they do not deserve to retain power in the Congress next November.
(1 comments) SHARE
Friday, December 24, 2010
War-A Rock and Roll Epistle "War (Huh, yeah),What is it good for? Absolutely nothing (Uh-huh, yeah)" So sang the late Edwin Starr in 1970, covering a song Barry Gordy was afraid to let the Temptations release. It reached Number One, and earned Starr Best Male R&B Vocal at the Grammys. If there were any real justice in the world, it would have earned him a Medal of Freedom, and a ticker tape parade down Broadway.
Friday, December 24, 2010War-A Rock and Roll Epistle "War (Huh, yeah),What is it good for? Absolutely nothing (Uh-huh, yeah)" So sang the late Edwin Starr in 1970, covering a song Barry Gordy was afraid to let the Temptations release. It reached Number One, and earned Starr Best Male R&B Vocal at the Grammys. If there were any real justice in the world, it would have earned him a Medal of Freedom, and a ticker tape parade down Broadway.
(7 comments) SHARE
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Dignitas The biggest casualty in the war on the middle and working class has been millions of American's dignity. In the military, one of the first parts of breaking you down to be a good soldier is robbing you of any sense of dignity you might have. The difference is, the military then builds you back up with a new sense of dignity tied to your membership in the military. The ownership class wants it to remain destroyed.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011Dignitas The biggest casualty in the war on the middle and working class has been millions of American's dignity. In the military, one of the first parts of breaking you down to be a good soldier is robbing you of any sense of dignity you might have. The difference is, the military then builds you back up with a new sense of dignity tied to your membership in the military. The ownership class wants it to remain destroyed.
(3 comments) SHARE
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Children of a Lesser God, Part 1 In 1948, Harry Truman said, "Out of the great progress of this country, out of our great advances in achieving a better life for all, out of our rise to world leadership, the Republican leaders have learned nothing. Confronted by the great record of this country, and the tremendous promise of its future, all they do is croak, 'socialism.'" This has not changed in 67 years, but the real socialism today belongs to the rich.
Thursday, August 20, 2015Children of a Lesser God, Part 1 In 1948, Harry Truman said, "Out of the great progress of this country, out of our great advances in achieving a better life for all, out of our rise to world leadership, the Republican leaders have learned nothing. Confronted by the great record of this country, and the tremendous promise of its future, all they do is croak, 'socialism.'" This has not changed in 67 years, but the real socialism today belongs to the rich.
(12 comments) SHARE
Sunday, January 18, 2009
The Forty Percent Solution President Obama needs to remember two Presidents on his Inaugural Day: Lincoln and Kennedy. Lincoln in his first annual message to Congress reminded all of us that without the worker, the capitalist's wealth could never exist. Kennedy reminded us in his Inaugural Address that if we did not help the poor, the rich could expect no safety.
Sunday, January 18, 2009The Forty Percent Solution President Obama needs to remember two Presidents on his Inaugural Day: Lincoln and Kennedy. Lincoln in his first annual message to Congress reminded all of us that without the worker, the capitalist's wealth could never exist. Kennedy reminded us in his Inaugural Address that if we did not help the poor, the rich could expect no safety.
(3 comments) SHARE
Friday, October 1, 2010
The Devil You Say Let us imagine for a moment that the beliefs of the Religious Right are not wrong in terms of what is going to happen, but how? What if their focus on who the Antichrist is should be directed at someone they trust, like, Glen Beck for example, rather than Barrack Obama? What if the Devil, feeling he could not be stopped, left a note in a half mad blogger's e-mail, bragging about his plan? The following is the result.
Friday, October 1, 2010The Devil You Say Let us imagine for a moment that the beliefs of the Religious Right are not wrong in terms of what is going to happen, but how? What if their focus on who the Antichrist is should be directed at someone they trust, like, Glen Beck for example, rather than Barrack Obama? What if the Devil, feeling he could not be stopped, left a note in a half mad blogger's e-mail, bragging about his plan? The following is the result.
SHARE
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Teacher's Pet The authoritarian Right and their GOP stupidity machine lackeys force me at times to turn articles into dissertations, because I do not know how well informed my audience is in the social sciences since Reagan & Co. placed them somewhere between recess and lunch in terms of relevance. The talk of secession makes me assume the worst, and rouses the spirit of Andy Jackson in me to go and hang a few gentlemen.
Thursday, September 10, 2009Teacher's Pet The authoritarian Right and their GOP stupidity machine lackeys force me at times to turn articles into dissertations, because I do not know how well informed my audience is in the social sciences since Reagan & Co. placed them somewhere between recess and lunch in terms of relevance. The talk of secession makes me assume the worst, and rouses the spirit of Andy Jackson in me to go and hang a few gentlemen.
(1 comments) SHARE
Monday, January 23, 2012
Built on Shifting Sands Modern conservatism is a house, built on shifting sands. Its sole moral basis is "I've got mine, and I'll kill you if you try to take the smallest crumb." It lives by Burke's Vindication of Natural Society, which asserts that the sole purpose of the rest of us is to serve the rich. Is that with or with out gravy?
Monday, January 23, 2012Built on Shifting Sands Modern conservatism is a house, built on shifting sands. Its sole moral basis is "I've got mine, and I'll kill you if you try to take the smallest crumb." It lives by Burke's Vindication of Natural Society, which asserts that the sole purpose of the rest of us is to serve the rich. Is that with or with out gravy?
