Roger Ray
- Founding Pastor, Community Christian Church of Springfield, MO
Springfield, Vero Beach
retired writer
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Articles by Roger Ray
Gun Violence, No Way to Prevent It ?
For a decade now, the satirical news site, the Onion, has run this same headline every time there is another large mass shooting.
Trump Lies Are Off the Charts
As Harris has risen in the polls, in these past few weeks, Trump’s lies and name-calling have just gone off the rails. We're down to the wire. I was awakened one day this past week by a text message from one of my very few conservative friends. He is my age, an educated professional, and a pretty fair racquetball player who regrettably gets all of his environmental, financial, and political information from Fox News.
The 10 Commandments on Classroom Walls?
When a politician does something stupid just to get attention, my usual response is to avoid giving them attention. However, Louisiana’s new governor, Jeff Landry, has rung a bell that deserves a moment’s reflection. Earlier this summer, Landry signed legislation requiring every classroom in the state to display a poster-sized copy of the Ten Commandments in every classroom from kindergarten to state universities.
You Are Probably Not a Capitalist
Those of you who became adults in the 1970’s, as I did, may recall this famous book, Future Shock, by Alvin Toffler—actually, by Alvin Toffler and his wife, Adelaide Farrell—but in 1970 women didn’t always get the credit they deserved. The premise of the book is that our society was suffering from a kind of psychological shock that came from the world changing too fast. One is forced to wonder what Toffler and Farrell would have to say about the third decade of the 21st century.
Are We Witnessing the Evolution of the Cult of Trump ?
To seriously talk about what we mean by a cult, we have to consider, as painful as it is to think about, the mass suicide at Jonestown in 1978. In 1973, more than 1,000 psychiatrists came together to publish their belief that the presidential candidate, Barry Goldwater, was unfit to hold the office of president. Some even said that he was a dangerous lunatic. Don’t you miss the days when Barry Goldwater seemed like a dangerous presidential candidate?
Norms Are Not Enough
You can have a better world, but only if you understand that you have to make it happen. You can't simply rely on elected officials and corrupt institutions. President John Kennedy once referenced what he called “an ancient Chinese curse” in a speech delivered in 1966, saying that the Chinese often cursed their enemies, saying, “May you live in interesting times.” The proverb is neither Chinese nor ancient, but it is ironically true, isn’t it? Cursed or not, we are living in interesting times.
Alexei Navalny, A Profile in Courage
Most of us will never be as courageous as Alexei Navalny, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, or Martin Luther King but we can still work towards social justice On March 1st, huge crowds gathered in the streets of Moscow to attend the funeral of Alexei Navalny in spite of government efforts to stop any public display of grief for Navalny.
I'd Rather Vote For Charles Manson for President
Many years ago, I heard the famous author and psychiatrist, M. Scott Peck, say in a lecture that if you need therapy but can’t afford it, pretend that you are an alcoholic and go to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. It is actually pretty good advice. AA literature is the best distillation of psychological insight and treatment that you are going to find anywhere.
Lessons Learned By and From Hitler
I was born in 1956, just 11 years after the end of World War II. So, the adults who filled my childhood days had all grown up in the midst of that global war. Oddly enough, mentions of that world war were few. It was a profound and horrifying nightmare that all of the adults knew about but the adults in my world elected to only speak of it rarely and only then in hushed and somber tones, usually beyond the hearing of children.
Israel is Losing This War on Moral Grounds
It is December and it is now a time of year for office parties, family gatherings, festive decorations, and a flurry of gift giving. . . but it doesn’t feel much like it, does it? I live in southern Florida now so decorations that involve snowmen and tinsel covered pine trees are always out of place but much more than that, it is difficult to be aware of what is going on in the world and to even fake being jolly right now.
U.S. Government Rife with Personal Corruption
In a recent interview, former President, Barack Obama, was asked by Hasan Minhaj how he keeps from becoming hopelessly depressed by the current direction of our country regarding civil rights, abortion rights, affirmative action, and voters’ rights. In his famous calm manner, he replied that the current generation has lived through a remarkable period of time, lasting more than a century, in which we saw a slow but steady march of progress.
The Plight of the Progressive Church
Soon it will have been 20 years since I was a fellow at Harvard Divinity School. That was a wonderful time in my life, my first time to sit in a classroom as a student since my grad school days in the 1980’s.
From Pandemics to Presidents, How Old is Too Old ?
You never get to finish one election before the talking heads in our 24 hour news cycle insist upon speculating, nearly full time, about the next one. At present, it seems to be nearly unavoidable that Joe Biden will run for re-election in 2024, when he will be 82 years old, and if Donald Trump manages to secure the Republican nomination again, he will be 78 years old on election day. Bernie Sanders will be 83 but I know that none of you want to hear me talk about him anymore.
Weak approach to Russia fails to slow invasion of Ukraine
A star-studded cast did not save last fall’s movie, Amsterdam, from undeserved obscurity. I loved it even though it referenced a very serious and historical attempt at taking over the government of the United States by a fascist cabal of rich people in a lighthearted fictional comedy. However, near the end, Robert De Niro brilliantly plays an actual American hero, Maj. Gen.
Indigenous Native American Culture Redux
For several years I taught a course in Western Religions for a couple of our local colleges. In one of those colleges, the textbooks were predetermined by the dean, and I faced an online text I had not seen before. My course covered Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The Taliban in America
Israel Is Now a Province of Red State America On Thursday, Benjamin Netanyahu and the most right-wing government in Israel’s history took office. Even before it was sworn in, the Cabinet-to-be had attained marked notoriety. A gaggle of mainstream Jewish leaders met at the Israeli embassy in D.C. to complain about the Jewish supremacist, and anti-LGBTQ policies favored by high-ranking ministers in the new government.
The Taliban in America
Roger Ray It was disappointing but not surprising that the Afghan Taliban decided to ban all women from higher education. It has been just over 10 years since the Pakistani, Malala Yousafzai, was shot in the face by a Taliban assassin in retaliation for the 15-year-old’s advocacy for educational access for women. She had become the world’s most famous teenager and even won a Nobel Peace Prize as the civilized world turned its ire towards the Taliban’s blatant misogyny.
Taliban in America
The Taliban in America December 22, 2022 Dr. Roger Ray It was disappointing but not surprising that the Afghan Taliban decided to ban all women from higher education. It has been just over 10 years since the Pakistani, Malala Yousafzai, was shot in the face by a Taliban assassin in retaliation for the 15-year-old’s advocacy for educational access for women.
The Twists and Turns of Friendship
I have recently returned from a three week-long trip to Asia. It was a long-delayed journey that had been postponed until I could be away long enough to justify the amount to time that it takes to get there and back. I thought that I had timed the trip well but the one thing that I had not factored in was the monsoon season in Thailand. We have all heard of monsoons but if you have never been in one, it is difficult to describe.
Gratitude for Social Security
Over its more than 87 years, Social Security has given Americans a lot to be thankful for. Together, through our Social Security system, we protect ourselves, our families, and our communities against the devastating loss of wages in the event of retirement, disability, or death. Social Security represents the best of American values, including reward for hard work, sturdy self-reliance, and shared risks.
Raphael Warnock Must Win
Michael McMullen spent years agonizing over the failing pension plan that put his golden years at risk. He wrote numerous postcards and made countless phone calls urging Congress to step in and safeguard his future. But not until he and fellow Georgians elected Raphael Warnock to the Senate in 2021 did the Democrats have the final vote needed to pass legislation stabilizing that plan and other multiemployer pension funds on the brink of collapse.
Families, Dysfunctional and Otherwise
I was one of about a thousand audience members crowded into a downtown auditorium in Louisville, KY 35 years ago, to hear the famous author and psychiatrist, M. Scott Peck. His book, The Road Less Traveled, sold more than 7 million copies, which made everything else that he ever wrote an instant best seller.
Should Anyone Have to Earn a Living?
The other day, I caught myself using the phrase “earn a living.” For the first time in my life, I questioned myself. The idea that one must “earn a living” is the fundamental assumption of capitalism. When you stop to think about it, that’s some extreme libertarianism. Americans are constitutionally guaranteed the right to speak freely, worship as they choose, purchase and own a firearm and keep their homes private from prying government officials.
Don't We All Represent “Diversity”?
It was only a few years ago that I learned I’m a “cis white male.” As such, I guess I’m a dime a dozen. Ordinary. Not representative of “diversity.” I get it. I’m a historian so I know something about how various peoples have suffered extreme, even murderous, prejudice and exploitation over time. I’ve taught about slavery, the Holocaust, and various forms of discrimination against women and minorities, among other groups and peoples. The list goes on and on.
Club Q Trans Folk and Cis Folk
While touring Thailand last month, I made several attempts at mastering the art of creating a meal off the various “street food” offerings on a virtual fleet of little carts blocking sidewalks everywhere, even inside shopping malls. Unlike the popular tourist sites in Thailand, street vendors rarely speak a word of English, and my Thai cannot be trusted with something as important as ordering lunch.
Republicans Gerrymander Every State They Control
As the dust settles from the November 8 election, it’s clear that the Republicans have managed to take control of the US House of Representatives. In that 435-seat body, winning 218 seats gives a party majority-control, and the GOP has reached 219 seats. With three of the four undecided seats leaning Republican, the margin is likely to end up at 222-213, a squeaker of a majority.
No One is Forcing You to Eat the Crickets
Fried crickets in Bangkok street food fair submitted by Dr. Roger Ray While touring Thailand last month, I made several attempts at mastering the art of creating a meal off the various “street food” offerings on a virtual fleet of little carts blocking sidewalks everywhere, even inside shopping malls. Unlike the popular tourist sites in Thailand, street vendors rarely speak a word of English, and my Thai cannot be trusted with something as important as ordering lunch.
Midterm Election Vote Against Authoritarianism
Ralph Nader, the legendary consumer advocate and former Green Party presidential candidate, has a message for the Democrats: Crush the GOP in 2022. Nader sees the Republican Party's embrace of authoritarianism as an existential moment for U.S. democracy, and the midterm elections as the key moment to defeat this rising tide of fascism.
Filibuster to Codify Roe v Wade
The 2022 midterm election represents a unique and historic opportunity to protect our democracy and our right to equality before the law against an unrelenting offensive being waged by the reactionary right. In an unprecedented move, the Democratic Party has committed itself to altering the Senate filibuster to pass voting rights, protect democracy, and codify Roe v Wade—but to do so they must maintain a majority in the US House and gain two seats in the Senate for a majority of 52.
Will Political Compromise Cause the Death of Us ?
I’ve been single for a long time. In fact, I’ve been single ever since the mid 90’s when Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks pretended to be single and made meeting the perfect person to seem to be almost inevitable and easy. . . which, by the way, it is not.
Did Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott Commit Human Trafficking ?
Republican Governors Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbot of Texas have pulled some repugnant, grandstanding stunts in their efforts to assume the mantle of Donald Trump’s base, and further their vainglorious presidential ambitions. What seems to them as a clever “gotcha’” stunt to embarrass President Joe Biden and federal immigration officials, is really a massive kidnapping and human trafficking scheme, which has drawn the Justice Department’s attention for possible criminal sanctions.
Decentralization Is the Key to Diversifying a Company's Portfolio, Says James William Awad
Diversification is one of the most challenging decisions a company can make, especially if the company is fresh on the market. The rewards are astonishing, as a successful process ensures that the company stays on top of the industry for a very long time. There are many success stories out there.
Privatizing Secrecy
Thanks to Donald Trump, secrecy is big news these days.
The Crusade on Critical Race Theory Is Censorship
The right is obsessed with Critical Race Theory (CRT). It is hell-bent on censoring it where public schools are deprived of teaching students some inconvenient truths about the dark side of history in the United States. The censoring of CRT will deprive students of a chance to gain knowledge of the U.S.’s racism in the past and the overt and institutional racism of today; and how they connect. After all, present conditions are the results of past events. The past influences the present.
American Imperialism is Destabilizing the Global Economy
There is much that Michael Hudson and I agree on, especially with regard to the growing economic and political influence of finance capital in the last half century. We differ, however, in our analyses of how the growing global weight of finance capital destabilizes the global capitalist economy (and especially USA & UK variants) as well as its role in the US economic empire–that is, imperialism.
The Future of Autocracy
Here’s a nightmare scenario: Unable to recruit enough soldiers from the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin takes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un up on his recent offer to send 100,000 North Koreans to join the Russian president’s ill-fated attempt to seize Ukraine. Kim has also promised to send North Korean workers to help rebuild that country’s Donbas region, parts of which Russian forces have destroyed in order to “save” it.
Why Does American Media Love British Royalty
In general, the mainstream media all make certain basic assumptions, like the necessity of maintaining a welfare state for the rich. Within that framework, there's some room for differences of opinion, and it's entirely possible that the major media are toward the liberal end of that range. In fact, in a well-designed propaganda system, that's exactly where they should be.
9-11 Turned Us into Terrorists
The 19th century German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, warned us, saying: “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” On that Tuesday morning of September 11th of 2001, the monsters showed up in New York, in Washington, D.C., and in Pennsylvania.
The 1970s Echo in Today's Union Revival: "Pour Myself a Cup of Ambition"
Unions are clearly having a moment. A diverse group of working people are forming labor unions at Starbucks, Amazon, REI, Apple stores, Google Fiber, and more. Women and people of color are often at the helm of this new surge, which echoes another pivotal moment for labor fifty years ago. In the early 1970s, workers sounded a call for rights and respect. People of color and white women had gained new access to the job market following the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Europe’s Border with Africa
Editor’s note: Migrants quoted in this story requested to use their first names only because their immigration status remains uncertain. Crossposted with permission from palabra It was already dark on the evening of May 11, 2022, when Mahmoud, 30, from Egypt, clambered to the front of the rescue boat. The rough sea bounced the vessel up and down as he climbed onto a metal ladder on the side of a larger ship, assisted by two women in white helmets and orange waterproof jackets.
"We-They" Test for Good Places to Work
Yesterday I went into a local Starbucks and asked the barista behind the counter a simple question: “How is it to work here?” He was understandably cautious in answering me. After all, I could have been a corporate stooge (Starbucks is doing whatever it can to bust unions, including firing workers who appear to be disgruntled and may be trying to organize a union). Then he said, reluctantly, “they treat us okay.” “They.” That was the key word.
Unbridled Capitalism - a Failing System
Some of her Catholic biographers have denied that she ever said it and others have spun like a top trying to interpret her words in a way that would make them not mean what she clearly did mean, but I find it to be entirely plausible that, sitting in the offices of the Kansas City Star, possibly not expecting to be quoted to closely, the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, Dorothy Day summed up the problem of poverty in America saying: “Our problems stem from our acceptance of this...
Black and BIPOC Movements
Two years have passed since we witnessed and participated in the George Floyd Rebellion. The righteous rage over the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor sparked the second iteration of the Black Lives Matter Movement and this time around it was more pronounced with polls estimating between 15 million and 26 million marched during the summer of 2020 making them the largest protests in U.S. history[1].
Election Suppression is Racism
I want to discuss a very important issue but one that will seem to be sufficiently complicated that you may not have paid much attention to what little media attention it has received and more than that, it may strike a lot of people as not being a church topic, that is, it may seem to be far too deep into the weeds of politics to be an appropriate topic for churches. I want to talk about our nation’s many moves towards voter suppression.
Deliberate Misrepresentation
While US and western mainstream and corporate media remain biased in favor of Israel, they often behave as if they are a third, neutral party. This is simply not the case. Take the New York Times coverage of the latest Israeli war on Gaza as an example. Its article on August 6, "Israel-Gaza Fighting Flares for a Second Day" is the typical mainstream western reporting on Israel and Palestine, but with a distinct NYT flavor.
Biden Pelosi Postmortem on Taiwan Trip.
A secret recording of the meeting has come into our hands. (President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, Sec of State Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and White House aide Tara Write) Biden. Let me bring this small meeting to order. We are all here. And this is a new White House Aide, Tara Write, who will provide visuals if we need them. The purpose of this meeting is… by gosh what is the purpose of this meeting.
Play Online Bingo for Real Money- All You Need to Know!
Online bingo for real money has become extremely popular in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and many other countries. Playing online bingo could be an excellent pastime for retirees looking to fill their days with excitement. Bingo is claimed by many to have remarkable health benefits - both physical and mental. The motto of 'bingo as you please' has caught on with seniors all over the world.
Actual Innocence Is Not Enough
After losing in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Arizona’s attorney general appealed the decision to the Supreme Court. During those oral arguments, state prosecutors repeatedly argued that “innocence isn’t enough” of a reason to throw out Barry Jones’ conviction. On Monday morning, by a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court concurred: Barry Jones’ innocence is not enough to keep him off of death row.
The Plan to Blow Up the Internet to Protect Kids
The California Legislature is aggressively pursuing several wide-sweeping and radical proposals to regulate the Internet. One especially problematic bill is AB 2273, the California Age Appropriate Design Code Act (AADC). Framed as a protect-kids-online bill, the AADC would radically reshape the Internet — and harm both kids and adults alike. The AADC requires businesses to adopt protective practices for children. On the surface, this sounds pretty good.
Kansas Shows Abortion Rights Can Win in Red States
There's no place like home. No statement rang more true as the country recently turned its attention to my home state of Kansas. We're known for three things: The Wizard of Oz, our amazing barbecue, and our conservative voter base. But our ballot initiative on abortion shook that last notion up. In a referendum, Kansas voters decided between protecting abortion rights or passing a constitutional amendment to restrict them. The amendment was supposed to be an easy victory for anti-abortion forces.
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