I am still humbled each time Google reminds me in its page-one results that my thoughts are not so unique. However, since In God We Trust remains my national motto, re-affirmed this week by Tea Party - ie, Republican - members of the U.S. House, this American has no problem naming his new blog effort as such. After all, Montreal is only a few-hour drive up the Northway from Albany, and so it should be no surprise that folks north of my home share much with me in their perception of the democracy based in Washington DC.
"God the Geometer" image courtesy Wikipedia.
Why I should be so moved by the Tea Party's actions this week is worth explaining. Nine months ago I was let go by the dot-com I worked at for several years, along with others, in a corporate downsizing. Before leaving, my colleagues and I were keenly aware that the global economy had fallen to pieces. A strange situation, to witness unemployment go to levels I'd never seen in my 40+ year lifetime. Only old stories, long in my head from my parents and grandparents, could help me understand the new place our economy had gone to since 2008.
So it was with great despair that I witnessed the old politics of distraction, once again, being played out in Washington. But there was a quiet, 1950's MIT engineer hold-out, among the two parties that mostly went along with the theater: U.S. Representative Pete Stark of California. As I learned from a Wikipedia search (followed by a Facebook "Like"), Congressman Stark is the only un-closeted Atheist member in either chamber. And as a tribute to brave Pete, I've named my new blog effort accordingly.
- Lawrence Kelley
"God the Geometer" image courtesy Wikipedia.
Why I should be so moved by the Tea Party's actions this week is worth explaining. Nine months ago I was let go by the dot-com I worked at for several years, along with others, in a corporate downsizing. Before leaving, my colleagues and I were keenly aware that the global economy had fallen to pieces. A strange situation, to witness unemployment go to levels I'd never seen in my 40+ year lifetime. Only old stories, long in my head from my parents and grandparents, could help me understand the new place our economy had gone to since 2008.So it was with great despair that I witnessed the old politics of distraction, once again, being played out in Washington. But there was a quiet, 1950's MIT engineer hold-out, among the two parties that mostly went along with the theater: U.S. Representative Pete Stark of California. As I learned from a Wikipedia search (followed by a Facebook "Like"), Congressman Stark is the only un-closeted Atheist member in either chamber. And as a tribute to brave Pete, I've named my new blog effort accordingly.
- Lawrence Kelley
