“We shall go on to the end, we shall resist throughout the world,
we shall resist on the seas and oceans,
we shall resist with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our rights whatever the cost may be, (more…)
June 4, 2012
NOT June 4, 1940
June 2, 2012
Quehanna Trail — “backpacking wonderland” or FRACKING “…that endangered life and property.”
We’ll be on the Quehanna Trail in the Moshannon Strate Forest in three days. Described in Backpacking Pennsylvania (Mitchell) thusly – “This region epitomizes expansive isolation with deep forests, wetlands, beautiful streams, open meadows, and scenic glens…This is a backpacking wonderland.” BUT… (more…)
May 20, 2012
Fran (and Paul) and Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT) walk to Pittsburgh.
PNC bank funds mountain top coal mining that destroys the environment. This includes poisoning rivers and streams, and one result of this is a documented increase in disease and birth defects in the immediate vicinity of this work. But what can you do (more…)
May 14, 2012
Student course evaluations — what do they mean, how should they be used?
Put my Spring grades in a couple of days ago. Of 21 students, there were two A’s (one of them was almost a last-minute gift with the help of departmental extra credit), three A-‘s, but no B+’s, and so on. Wonder what my course evaluations will look like considering (more…)
April 19, 2012
What role for civil disobedience and arrest in our work for justice?
Meaningful and focused civil disobedience resulting in arrest can be a significant part of peaceful action for justice, but there is no reason for arrest to become the activists’ Red Badge of Courage. (more…)
April 12, 2012
Do old people get “X” rated?
The average duration for sex is said to be about twenty minutes. You might think that was reasonable. But wait. Most recently, Fran and I leaped (more…)
April 8, 2012
On Easter — What/Who is a Christian?
Interesting that of all my friends’ Easter-related Facebook posts today, exactly one was a traditional religious message. Most posts represented secular spin-offs from Easter, while a few related to spring and the attendant seasonal renewal. I’m a universalist Quaker who could be indentified with faithfulness to continuing revelation in the Christian tradition (there’s a book in those words – must ask in person if interested). I may not be “traditional” but at the same time am not really comfortable with an emphasis on the accoutrements of Easter (eggs, clothing, food, etc.). Family gatherings are beautiful, and if this is the opportunity, that’s wonderful. But that does not make it Easter.
April 6, 2012
Fran – my partner in crime (?) at Lockheed-Martin
On Good Friday of 2012, Fran and I attended the annual Brandywine Good Friday observance at Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest military manufacturer and war profiteer. On this occasion, Fran chose to enter the grounds of Lockheed Martin (more…)
March 25, 2012
Those in power write the history to suit their purpose.
Back from a hike with Fran through Valley Forge. As an historical symbol, Valley Forge has always been a bit of a stretch for me, comparable to using a cracked Quaker bell to represent the Declaration of Independence. It was Washington’s winter quarters for one winter of the war, with the greatest loss of life arising from disease in the warmer spring weather due to unsanitary conditions at the encampment (there were no battle casualties). I noticed that the story of Valley Forge has changed from what I once was told. (more…)
March 15, 2012
Paul enters the political foray with a letter published in the Philadelphia Bulletin during the Vietnam War.
One of my first forays into the public arena in support of truth and justice was my Letter to the Editor published in the Philadelphia Bulletin. My letter called for a Court Martial of General Curtis LeMay, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, for wanton disobeying of orders. (more…)