whats really wrong

well, i decided to write a rant. my other blogs don't seem to be that exciting to people, so here goes.

i have figured out the secret to solving all the problems in this country:
term limits.

congressmen are in the re-election business and thats about it. if they weren't so busy pleasing their constituents (pick a senator and just look at what their big issues are: ie, orrin hatch =utah=nuskin=fda regulation), then maybe some real progress would be made.

another thing to add to term limits: no gifts of any sort. i realize that a lot of lobbyists would be out of jobs, but if congressmen had to buy their own lunches, their focus and perspective might be a little less tainted. but what congressmen are going to vote themselves out of their cushy salaries and free lunches?

"It is, however, vast anonymous wealth which corrupts, since there are no superpersonal restraints on it, such as bring the true statesman completely into of the service of the political organism, and place him above corruption." --Francis P. Yockey

Ralph Waldo Emerson's Birthday

This Day in History: May 25, 1803

Essayist, philosopher, and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston on May 25, 1803.
A popular, if unconventional preacher, young Emerson's sermons consisted of personal reflections on spirituality and virtue. He avoided expounding doctrine or engaging in scriptural exegesis. Increasingly dissatisfied with traditional protestant theology, Emerson resigned from the ministry in 1832. By the end of the decade, however, he was the leading exponent of transcendentalism, a philosophy that maintains the universality of creation, upholds the intrinsic goodness of man, and grounds truth in personal insight.

"We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; we will speak our own minds...A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men."

From the 1830s on, Emerson was a member of the transcendentalist community that not only shared radical religious views, but also embraced forward-looking social reforms including abolition, temperance, and women's suffrage.

A prolific writer and thinker, his collected essays earned international acclaim, and, for decades, Emerson remained a popular lecturer.

Source: Library of Congress & Wikipedia.org

quote of the day

“While the laughter of joy is in full harmony with our deeper life, the laughter of amusement should be kept apart from it. The danger is too great of thus learning to look at solemn things in a spirit of mockery, and to seek in them opportunities for exercising wit.” —Lewis Carroll, author (1832–1898)

to my dear and loving husband

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee, give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay,
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let's so persevere
That when we live no more, we may live ever.
-anne bradstreet (1612-1672)

feature: einstein

Quote of the Week: "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
—Albert Einstein, U.S. (German–born) physicist (1879–1955)

Trivia Question of the Week:
Einstein was unaware of the future of atomic weapons development when he addressed the issue in the “Atlantic Monthly” magazine in November, 1945, and again in November, 1947. What did he think should be done with the secret of the atomic bomb at that time?
A: Give it to a world government founded by Russia, the U.S., and Great Britain
B: Give it to Russia to maintain a balance of power
C: Hand it over to the United Nations
D: Destroy all traces of its development

Try your hand at a riddle Einstein himself created here.

Ellis Island national monument

This Day in History: May 11, 1965

Ellis Island was incorporated as part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument on May 11, 1965.
From 1892 to 1954, over twelve million immigrants entered the United States through the portal of Ellis Island, a small island in New York Harbor in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty.

Photo: New Americans arrive at Ellis Island in 1902.

The Main Building on Ellis Island is now a museum dedicated to the history of immigration and the important role this island claimed during the mass migration of humanity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Popular exhibits at Ellis Island include a Wall of Honor inscribed with more than 600,000 immigrants' names and the American Family Immigration Center, where visitors can search ship logs for passenger information and ship photos to find out more about their relatives who immigrated to this nation. This seems relevant in light of recent events and debates about immigration. Immigration is such an integral part of the history and purpose of this nation.

Source: http://www.nps.gov/elis/