“Each time a man stands for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
- Robert Francis Kennedy

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan ~ to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
- Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address

"Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others for theirs."
"If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich."
"Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future." - John F. Kennedy

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in" - Greek Proverb

"A healthy democracy requires a decent society; it requires that we are honorable, generous, tolerant and respectful." - Charles W. Pickering

“What is objectionable, what is dangerous, about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents.” - Robert Francis Kennedy

"A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave."
"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
"There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed."
" Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart." - Mahatma Gandhi

"Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." - Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Some basic truths I have learned -
The first rule of communication is to listen.
The first rule of wisdom is to say "I don't know".
The more you learn the more questions you will have.
We see everything according to our nature. A person cannot see a better world than what his nature allows him to see.
To enter into life, one has to die to self.
One should keep on learning every day for one's entire life.
Winning is NOT the only thing - How you play the game IS more important!
Honor, dignity, earning trust, and helping others when and how you can is key.
A "real man" has no problem saying he's sorry.
A free press is essential to a free democratic society.
Your political opponent is not an enemy nor un-American.
We are all just human so forgiveness is essential.
Some of the most un-Christian people I've ever met profess to be devoutly so.
All bullying is wrong and is a form of terrorism.
"We pray in our time, God answers in his."
All the girls know all the words to all the songs.

"Friendship…a dear balm. A smile among dark frowns; a beloved light:
A solitude, a refuge, a delight." - Percy Bysshe Shelley

"Today our country is being psychologically divided by the confusion and the suspicions that ... spread like cancerous tentacles of 'know nothing, suspect everything' attitudes. I don't want to see the Republican Party ride to political victory on the Four Horsemen of Calumny -- Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry, and Smear." She denounced the pursuit of "selfish political gain at the sacrifice of individual reputations and national unity" -- an approach that played into the "totalitarian techniques" of "confuse, divide, and conquer" ... "that, if unchecked, will surely end what we have come to cherish as the American way of life." - Sen. Margaret Chase Smith (R) Maine 1950 on McCarthyism

“Good fortune is as light as a feather, but nobody knows how to pick it up. Misfortune is as heavy as earth, but nobody knows how to stay out of it’s way.” — Zhuangzi

illegitimis non carborundum - WWII British Army Intelligence
Non comica semper phuckem - Me

"Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine."
"All who joy would win must share it. Happiness was born a Twin."
"They never fail who die in a great cause."
"The heart will break, but broken live on."
"Adversity is the first path to truth." - Lord Byron

"I learned the value of hard work by working hard." - Margaret Mead

"So, let us not be blind to our differences. But let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal."
"Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies. Those whom God has so joined together, let no man put asunder."
- John F. Kennedy

"Kindness is the language the deaf can hear and the blind can see"
“The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.” - Mark Twain
"Learning never exhausts the mind" - Leonardo Da Vinci
“Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.” - Orhan Pamuk

One essential truth that I have discovered, that tempers any inclination I might have to judge others for their actions or inactions is this - People can ONLY do, WHAT they can do, WHEN they can do it. Any of us might push ourselves to excel and/or to exceed our expectations for ourselves but we should never impose those expectations on others.

“My hand is not the color of yours, but if I pierce it, I shall feel pain. If you pierce your hand, you also feel pain. The blood that will flow from mine will be the same color as yours. The same god made us both. I am a man.” - Chief Standing Bear, Ponca Tribe, Nebraska 1879

"Winds in the east, mist coming in, like something is brewing and about to begin. Can't put my finger on what lies in store, but I fear what's to happen all happened before."

"Government should be an opportunity for public service, not private gain. And I want to make sure that public service is valued and respected because I want to encourage America's youth to pursue careers in government. There is nothing more fulfilling than to serve your country and your fellow citizens and do it well. And that's what our system of self-government depends on." - George H. W. Bush

"As you grow older you will discover you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others" - Audrey Hepburn

"Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright that God may love thee. Speak the truth always even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no harm"

" I put no stock in religion. By the word religion I have seen the lunacy of fanatics, of every denomination, be called the will of god. I have seen too much religion in the eyes of too many murderers. Holiness is in right action, courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves, and goodness. What god desires is here [points to head] , and here [points to heart], and what you decide to do every day, you will be a good man ......or not."

While we were of different political parties and beliefs, I greatly admired Senator John McCain. He made mistakes but owned them and didn't blame others for them. He worked tirelessly for justice and accountability. He stood for principle and the rule of law. He had integrity and a great sense of humor. He was not a saint but a good and honorable soldier, a good and honorable American, and a good and honorable man. He understood service to our country was a privilege and served with distinction. I remember watching him on tv while I was at Ft. Bragg, get off the plane with the other POW's and walk with difficulty and courage across the tarmac. I will miss him, the Senate will miss him, all Americans will miss him. God speed, sir.

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."
"It is more agreeable to have the power to give than to receive."
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."
- Albert Einstein

"If honor were profitable, everybody would be honorable." - Thomas More

"The wicked flee when no man pursueth" - Proverbs

"What looks large from a distance, close up ain’t never that big." - Bob Dylan

"Courage is fire and bullying is smoke" - Benjamin Disraeli

“Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.” - Reinhold Niebuhr.

"Hope has two beautiful daughters, Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and courage to see that things don't remain the way they are.
- St Augustine

You can serve one of two sets of principles, Privilege & Power or Justice & Truth.

"All truth is partial" - Mahatma Gandhi

"Reason is the organ of truth, but imagination is the organ of meaning"
- C. S. Lewis

To those I have connected with on this site who are also "dog people", I sadly report that my much beloved Golden Retriever, Boo (aka Boodle, The Tank, Thumper, Happy Dog, and Great Unmade Bed), prematurely succumbed to her cancer the Sunday before Christmas 2016. Please give your own doggies a hug in remembrance of our remarkable companion who loved everybody and was loved by everybody in return. We miss you terribly, Boodle - you were the best!

"Freedom for all is the hope of love and forgiveness. Stand and face this truth and your heart will find it's voice"

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." - Mahatma Gandhi

“There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?” - Robert Francis Kennedy

Don't tell me you can't if you haven't even tried.
And remember - It ain't over 'till it's over!

A pessimist is a man who feels that all women are bad...an optimist hopes so.

I'm an idealist without illusions.

I have been a student, a soldier, a commercial diver and fisherman, and a small business owner. I have lived in interesting times. I have three grown daughters who are the lights of my life and of whom I am immensely proud, five grandchildren for whom I wish a better world, a boisterous goofy Golden Retriever, and am in love with a wonderful woman who is my best friend and, amazingly, is in love with me. I have always been possessed with a burning curiosity about just about everything, especially the sciences, history, and philosophy. I do not condone those who bully others nor suffer fools, greed-heads, or the intentionally ignorant gladly. I learned poker and chess when I was 9 years old. Poker paid for some of my college expenses. I learned Texas Holdem in the early '70's, in San Antonio, Texas, from a bunch of good old boys who thought no soldier boy from Seattle could win at their game and that their hot rod pickup could beat my motorcycle in a street drag race - they were wrong on both counts. We became fast friends. I've been riding and playing ever since. Travelled to almost all the States by car, motorcycle, boat, or plane, learned to fly, and even had the good fortune to visit Norway, Denmark, and France. Books, boats, bikes, libraries, movies, exploring, cooking, friends and family, all my doggy companions, watching sports (men's and women's college, pro football, sailing, the Olympics, the Tour de France, Women's World Cup, and the America's Cup) have been my interests. Music - Blues, Rock, Jazz, Classical, Ragtime, and Opera. In the end, I am an idealist without illusions.

“I care not for a man’s religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.”
"Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be."
"No man is good enough to govern another without that other's consent."
"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong." — Abraham Lincoln

"The one principle of hell is, 'I am my own.'"
"The world which we see is our own mind turned inside out."
- George MacDonald