Veterans Day display at our local Senior Center …photo by Joe
I have traveled extensively interviewing a good number of U.S. Military Veterans on a range of issues. From these interviews, I’ve crafted a position paper on the military that is, number one, quite comprehensive, and two, in regard to Veterans issues, a multi-level series of things to make sure Veterans are taken care of across the board in this country. These are people willing to make the “ultimate sacrifice,” and we, all of us, should be just as willing to help them at every turn. That includes, as just some examples: comprehensive physical healthcare; just as comprehensive mental healthcare; advantages in buying homes, advantages in getting, say, a college education; and on, and on… For a look at our overall Military position paper, see…
While reading an Audubon Magazine recently, I came across an article about Native Americans starting to reclaim more of their land. The article starts out with a damning, but wholly true, statement: “Since settlers arrived in the United States, tribal nations have lost nearly 99 percent of their lands through treaty cessions, forced migration, theft, and devastating government policies designed to erode Native sovereignty and culture.” The article goes on to note that many tribal nations are finding ways to regain some of their ancestral land they lost, by purchasing property, cultivating land donations, and partnering with conservation groups. Their aim, in this “Land Back” movement, is to heal generational trauma, enhance their culture and language, and revive traditional hunting, gathering, and cultivation practices — while protecting and restoring key habitats. Our administration would be 100% behind this movement. And our campaign’s Native American Issues position paper spells out, in detail, and through a lot of cross-country research, how we’d help do just that. Note: This position paper was also used in the college textbook “Social Justice (Opposing Viewpoints),” which was published by Cengage Learning.
A number of democratic socialists won in the recent America midterms. This is problematic, especially since my faith, Catholic, expressly rejects the tenants of socialism. Nonetheless, socialism is spreading in parts of Europe and, again, starting to come to America. At the library the other day, I picked up this book to understand more about the dynamics of socialism. It noted that since 1989, there had been a revival of socialism in Eastern Europe — which, basically, involved the conversion of communist parties into social democratic parties. These, the book posits, were injected into a world “…dominated by capitalistic economic power and hegemony.” What’s more, there is a Socialist International body, with a good number of European and Latin American members. One of those members is Bolivia, which was under Evo Morales for years. He promised the indigenous people land reform, nationalized Bolivia’s gas and oil industry, and forged close links to Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela. Note: The Catholic Church believes socialism denies the legitimacy of private property, and, in tandem, advances an atheistic, materialistic worldview. Note 2: Our campaign has crafted an economic paradigm that revolves around “distributistm,” but not in a socialism sense, but rather a Christian one. See…
I was in Uganda in recent weeks, kinda, sorta… For a newspaper article, I interviewed a local woman who started a Christian non-profit that ministers to the poor in Uganda. A nurse, her organization, among other things, raises funds for healthcare for the rural poor there. As just one example, the organization puts together “Birth Kits” ($20 apiece/American) for women there. The poverty is so stark that women going to give birth at local hospitals have to bring their own medical supplies. The kit includes a clean razor blade to cut the umbilical chord, soap, bleach, a plastic sheet, gloves for the physician, an outfit for the baby… The neonatal fatality rate in Uganda is 22 deaths per 1,000 births, a good deal above the international average. The director, when in Uganda, also buys artwork and crafts at local markets (see photo), to help support the local artisans. Then when back in the States, she sells the artwork at craft festivals, and such, to help fund the Ugandan “Birth Kits,” and also fund a “Feeding Program” there, etc. A significant part of our administration’s foreign policy spins around getting a lot more help to the poor in the Third World. See…
Bluffton, Ohio (pop. 4,500), was recently named the “Second Most Bicycle Friendly Town in Ohio.” It has an extensive set of walking/bicycle trails, including this section on the village’s east end. During my cross-country research for our platform, I interviewed Dan Burden in High Springs, Florida. Time Magazine called him one of the “top environmentalists” in the country. He had developed a tremendously innovative “Walkable Community Model,” which cities/towns were starting to adopt across the country. It is our campaign’s position that this kind of infrastructure needs to go in in towns all across the country, and our transportation paradigm, in general, needs to shift dramatically — for a number of reasons. This is all outlined in our Transportation position paper… Staying with Bluffton, a “Celebrate Recovery” Christian 12-Step recovery meeting has recently started up there. Our society, at this point, is tremendously saturated with addictions and compulsive behavior: alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, addictions to screens, eating disorders, compulsive debting, workaholism… This, in turn, plays havoc with the individual, their family, and society at large. And is, actually, at the root of a lot of the social problems in America. To understand this more, click on the two audios on this page. (Among other things, I have a background as a counselor, specializing in addictions and dysfunctional family dynamics.) Note: I once sat in on a graduate level law class at Notre Dame University (I was there to give a talk that night on campus). The topic of Saddam Hussein and his unconscionable gassing of the Kurds came up. [The overarching theme of this day’s class was around “human rights.”] I noted that, if a lot of scientific studies are correct around global warming, America is, in a very real sense: “…gassing the world.” And that one, of many, of the consequences to this will be scores of displaced people. In setting off these types of, what will be quite horrific events (for the victims), does this make us, in a very real sense: “a terrorist nation”? It got awful quiet in the room. Note: American hubris sometimes blinds us to our own negative impact culpabilities as a nation — and there are many. See the first podcast at this link, for my take on “America as a Terrorist Nation.”
Back in the saddle, ‘er rather: Back on the ladder…
In late May, as mentioned in an earlier post, I fell off a rather high extension ladder, shattered my wrist and also broke a bone in my elbow (of the same arm). I was operated on, a plate was put in the wrist, and when the cast came off, I’ve spent the last month, or so, doing exercises to rehab. While not ready for the Browns training camp yet, I’ve gotten most of the motion back, and was able to start painting again this last week. Demonstrating yet more of my kinship with the “average Joe,” medical co-pays have built up, causing some financial difficulties that I will have to budget for with a payment plan, with several local medical services over the next year. Note: There are many Americans in this kind of healthcare boat, some a lot worse. Our healthcare platform would make it a lot easier for these people, as it should be.
Catching up on the last month, or so… I did a newspaper article interview with a local man who has a 1966 Catalina classic car. His father was a classic car collector, and he grew up bonding with his dad over cars (as is often the case in America). I interspersed some ‘classic car quotes’ throughout the article. Example: “Sons grow into their father’s car legacy, one bolt at a time.” Note: Our campaign asks Americans to consider going back, in some regards, not necessarily to the 1960’s, but rather: the 1950’s. See… I also did some ‘foreign relations’ studying about Sudan, a country in tremendous turmoil right now. Civil war, looming famine… An article in National Geographic noted: Sudan has experienced a coup, a global pandemic, record setting floods, and a 2019 revolution. [It is also one of the poorest countries in the world.] Our administration’s foreign affairs policy would spin around trying to bring much more help to these kinds of countries. The gospel message demands nothing less. See… In another National Geographic Magazine story about Native American resurgence in the U.S., it was noted that an organization called, “Braiding the Sacred,” has a goal of bringing back Indigenous farms, and foods, across the country. The organization is currently working with more than a hundred farmers in a dozen Native American nations. Our administration would help subsidize these kinds of initiatives, as part of a tangible amends package to the Native Americans for past atrocities. See… I also conducted an interview with a woman from a nearby town, who has since gone to Nashville, where she is making it as a singer there. She said her life, for a time, was derailed with addictions to alcohol and OxyContin. However, she found Celebrate Recovery, a Christian 12-Step program, and she is doing quite well now. Our society, at this point, is saturated with addictions (alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, shopping, compulsive debting, workaholism, compulsive eating disorders…). I was an addictions counselor for the better part of a decade and have seen this first-hand — including how it is affecting society at large. To heal the country at its roots, this needs to be comprehensively addressed. See…
Our village is in the process of developing a History Museum. And a cadre of Historical Society members here have gone to other small town history museums throughout the area — to take notes. (*I’m in the front right, at the Delphos, Ohio Canal Museum.) For years in my town, in the newspaper and on the town Facebook page, I have touted the importance of having a Historical Society, of having a History Museum. And, finally, the ball got rolling (through a combination of things, not just my editorializing). Chronicling the continuity of heritage in a town is SO tremendously important. God puts us in a place to learn from each other, to learn from the past, to have continuity of community, and so on. With people moving towns, on average, every five years now, we are losing that sense of place, losing that sense of heritage. That’s wrong. Many of us would do well to stay in one place, build a continuity of geographic life, if you will, and exhort our adult children, when possible, to stay close to home as well. The following are several blog entries which, in various parts, speaks to the importance of local “heritage.” Search Results for “small town heritage” – Vote for Joe
Bluffton’s Annual Classic Car Show this June featured, well, all sorts of classic cars — like this Mustang. Part of our platform is to ask Americans to consider going back to a time in America when the pace of life was slower, neighbors knew neighbors (way more than they do now), and the streets, and schools, were once again safe for our kids. I once told Ohio Magazine that I used to “…be concerned about our kids doing okay in school, now I’m more concerned about them being shot to death in school.” For more on the sociological paradigm shift I’m proposing, *see… During this time, I also did an interview with a man who, in his retirement, regularly volunteers at a non-profit local thrift store (…the proceeds going to a Third World outreach), he is the football announcer in the booth at the high school football games, and he keeps the stats at the high school basketball games. It’s his way of helping to support the local kids. He is your quintessential man-about-town… And staying with local volunteers, I also interviewed a man who is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospherics’ Cooperative Weather Observation Program. He records the minimum daily temperature, daily rain totals, snow totals, frost depth, etc. Between him, and his son-in-law, who took over when his father-in-law died, they have done this, without missing a day: FOR 77 YEARS! Besides sending the data to NOA, the information, back in the day, was also published in local newspapers, broadcast on local radio shows, and so on. Another great example of the spirit of volunteering in this country. *See other blog entries that include inserts about volunteers we’ve encountered across the country, and so on.
Catching up on the Summer of 2026 (continued): FIFA World Cup. I had a chance to watch a few of the World Cup matches this summer with my daughter, Sarah, who was back in Bluffton for a few days with her family. Her and her husband, Gabe, now have three young children, and were all here. Sarah was quite an athlete, including being quite good at soccer. She played high school and college soccer. And the year after she graduated from Franciscan University in Ohio, she was asked to be head coach of the Women’s Soccer Team at Franciscan. She did that for four years and was quite successful. After having her second child, Sarah stepped down. Having the World Cup, primarily in America this time, has, concurrently, sparked more interest in soccer in America. And that’s good. With the emergence of more and more data on CTE in football players, even starting at a young age, parents have to think twice about allowing their kids into the ‘football fray,’ if you will. I was recently reading the book “The Big Scrum (How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football)”. At the beginning of last century, football was such a violent sport that, each year, there was a good number of deaths on the gridiron. There were so many, in fact, that they were talking about banning football. Roosevelt, in turn (as U.S. president) in 1905, called some of the top NCAA administrators together to get them to install rule changes that would make the sport less violent. This happened. And football was saved. Fast forward to 2026… With the emergence of CTE, and it being actually quite prevalent now, I believe a U.S. president, of Roosevelt’s ilk, needs to step in to lobby for significant changes to football at this point. I mean, think about it. America, right now, is absolutely addicted to football. But do we want to sacrifice our son’s brains at the altar of this sport? What parent would do that? A football addicted parent. That’s who. Note: The following are some my blog entries on the modern dangers of football…
