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About me - James Ruhnke

Vietnam veteran. Awarded a purple heart. 15 years as a Chicago Police officer. I consider myself an amatuer historian so I write a lot about politics and conflict. I pop in a few satirical pieces because nothing is more fun than pulling the legs of people

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Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Funerals
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Funerals are about the biggest waste of time and money that society has ever come up with. I mean, you are about to spend a small fortune and have people dropping in from all over the country. For what? The person is dead! First there is the dealing with the funeral director. Like a car salesman, he tries to sell you the most... More..

Politics, News & Issues > War in Iraq Predicting the end of the war in the Middle East
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Predicting the end of WHICH war? I'll assume we are interested in the Iraq war here and I will give my educated guesses on that subject. I will rely on history as my basis for the following assumptions. 1...We cannot "Win" in the normal sense of either forcing the other side to surrender or to take the enemy capitol. We alre... More..

Politics, News & Issues > Homeland Security Perspectives on 9/11: The politics of culture, the culture of politics
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Before I begin, I suggest that you read the article on this subject by Tamer Soliman. It is very enlightening. President Bush believes that putting capitalism (he calls it democracy) into the middle east will solve the problem of terror. But, as usual, he is preaching to the choir. He never addresses the real reasons that te... More..

Politics, News & Issues > War in Iraq Why the War in Iraq is justified and how Americans should respond
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I really dislike the premise that, automatically, I am to assume that the war is justified and then come up with ways to support it. Some folks say that we are at war and there is no turning back. They say that our only choice is to win it. I say, nonsense.With the above logic applied, it would have been just for Germany to c... More..

Politics, News & Issues > War in Iraq Analyzing the war on Iraq: Justified or not
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Justified? Are you kidding me? Forget about all of the most recent excuses for invading a sovereign nation and go back to Colin Powells' testimony before the U.N. That was when he laid out our reasons AT THE TIME. He said that Saddam had WMDs and was persuing nuclear weapons. He said that Saddam had "links" to Al Qaeda and t... More..

Entertainment > Movie Characters & Performances Forrest Gump: Who he was and why he's a hero
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Forrest Gump is what I would call an "opposite-hero". The vast majority of movies portray their hero as a willing, knowing and active participant of the story. Take, for instance, "Patton". The entire cast and events of WWII revolve around the center of the Patton character himself. Patton makes things happen and then seizes... More..

Politics, News & Issues > People in the News Controversial radio host Don Imus: Should he be fired for his remarks?
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No. There is such a thing as a stupid moment and Imus has had a beauty. But, Mr. Imus is one of the most benevolent men alive. He has worked tirelessly for sick children of all races and has raised millions of dollars for their care. His radio/TV program is the best source for news and commentary on todays events. I get a re... More..

Politics, News & Issues > News Industry Making informed decisions on whether to trust the media
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At the very beginning of televised news America was blessed with real newsmen. The standards set by Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite and Eric Severied seem unobtainable today. These original commentators believed that the truth came first. Fame and fortune would be a natural result of hard work and ethical reporting. Today,... More..

Politics, News & Issues > War in Iraq Saddam sentenced to death: Was it right to hang Hussein?
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I have seen the video of Saddam Hussein's execution. I must admit that I was surprised by the dignity that he displayed as he was about to be hanged. No crying or begging. Actually, he died as you would expect a head of state to die. Obviously, he seemed to be resigned to his fate but I saw no indications of remorse. He must... More..

Religion & Spirituality > Religious Concepts (Other) What is the root of all evil
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Evil is not something that is totally human. No one thinks a cat is evil because it kills a mouse. It wasn't evil. It was hungry and it has to eat to survive. If you agree with me to this point, allow me to lead you in a different direction. Animals do kill for reasons other than hunger. They can kill out of jealousy, dislike... More..

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