Articles written by Jerry Curtis - Page 2

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About me - Jerry Curtis

I am a retired U.S. Navy officer, former Economic Development Analyst, ex-community college vocational education adviser, and erstwhile computer office software instructor. My wife and I live quietly in the south of Denver, CO, in the beautiful front range

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Religion & Spirituality > Thoughts on God Why God does not intervene in the world more often: 2 of 64
God does not seem to directly intervene in the world at all nowadays. One tenet of the Judeo-Christian tradition is that God has played an active role in his relations with the so-called "chosen people" of Israel, and later in the New Covenant through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus. Both traditions relate a pa... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Fire: 3 of 95
From ember's sleep I rise and lick That which is dry and prone to me I smoke and rise to kindling's stick And turn to char, to blacken free... ...That which I consume and change its form All in my path my own life's fuel I burn and roar with windy storm Lascivious bent, unfeeling cruel... ...To those would stay my windward s... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: God's will: 2 of 58
If God willed all Did He cast adrift Our world so large That even He will not lift? If God wills all Why does He not lift This world off course That He cast adrift? If mankind's will Does counter God's Then is prayer futile Does it reduce the odds That we His children Lose His loving Gaze, Because we mostly go Our selfish wa... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Democratic Leaders US elections 2008 commentary: Geraldine Ferraro plays the race card: 1 of 29
It has been said that politicians usually get in trouble when they say what they truly think. Geraldine Ferraro is no exception. She is in trouble after her ill-advised comments that Barack Obama is somehow the beneficiary of a political quota system that gave him a leg up in the process. "If Obama was a white man," she said... More..
Arts & Humanities > The World Wars Speculations on if Hitler could have won World War II: 1 of 29
Had Nazi Germany won World War II, the face of Europe, Asia and possibly the US and Canada would have been changed radically. Of course, the fictitious study of "alternative history" has to take into account imaginary time lines, and one has to decide at what point to proceed from. The point I have chosen is 1940, when Hitle... More..
Arts & Humanities > African History Assessing the future of Africa in the 21st century: 1 of 26
Now almost seven years into the 21st Century, the outlook for Africa's future looks about as grim as its past. Civil wars in Liberia and the Congo, man-made famine in Zimbabwe, the epidemic of AIDS, and the threat of international terrorism based in East Africa all make for a discouraging mess of seemingly unsolvable problem... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Ethnicity & Gender (Other) Are gay rights issues parallel or different from race-related civil rights in the US?: 1 of 24
Gay "rights" issues are radically different from race-related civil rights in the US. Every American citizen has civil liberties guaranteed by our Bill of Rights, and whenever these rights have been violated either by reason of race or gender, they have provided a proper focus for the struggle to redress those violations. Hi... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Civil War: 1 of 24
We are the ghosts of Shiloh Twenty thousand of us dead Some were killed In the hornets nest Some in the surgeon's bed Now we fly as eagles Over lines of blue and gray We hear the shouts "They're comin' boys!" As dead spirits float our way The Minnie balls and grape shot Rake those human ranks so clean They fall like wheat Be... More..
Arts & Humanities > Poets & Poetry Does the best poetry come from the heart or from the mind?: 3 of 65
Good poetry comes first from the mind, and when it resonates emotionally, it targets the heart. Human beings are psychological combinations of intellect and emotion. To communicate completely and effectively, poetry must operate on both levels. Accordingly, poetry is both a craft and an art. Craft without art is dull and lac... More..
Education > Education (Other) Should the education system allow teachers and principals to "hit" students if they are misbehaving in class?: 2 of 42
As a former victim of corporal punishment in my early Catholic school days, I know how it feels to be struck (slapped, paddled, belt-whipped) by people in authority, who were supposed to nurture and educate me. Instead, they terrorized me and taught me self-defense mechanisms that centered on repression, timidity and fear of... More..