Category Archives: Rant

Who Do You Call, If Not the Police?

Posted on June 9, 2020 by John Swinburn

This era, whatever we call it, could usher in massive changes to global society. The death of George Floyd at the hands, make that the knee, of Derek Chauvin sparked outrage that may look to many like an enormously over-sized … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Rant | 4 Comments

A Short and Cynical Critique of Society

Posted on February 17, 2020 by John Swinburn

We sometimes fail to see massive changes in society because they occur in response to much smaller—seemingly innocuous—changes. For example, governments at all levels, over time, began to mimic customer service practices originally initiated by businesses. The idea was to … Continue reading →

Posted in Just Thinking, Politics, Rant | Leave a comment

Extinction

Posted on January 22, 2020 by John Swinburn

I wonder at what point I would finally break. What would it take for me to risk everything including my family, my friends, and my life to achieve freedom or democracy or whatever it is you might call an environment … Continue reading →

Posted in Anger, Democracy, Frustration, Government, Greed, Power, Rant | Leave a comment

Commitment

Posted on December 9, 2019 by John Swinburn

From time to time, I am surprised by the source of my own questions. This morning, for example, I asked (through Google) how Mexican per capita household annual income compares to that figure in the United States. I would not … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Poverty, Rant | Leave a comment

Muddling

Posted on July 26, 2019 by John Swinburn

My visit with my oncologist yesterday was not quite as cheery as I’d hoped, nor was it terrifying. She reviewed my latest CT scan with me, showing me on her notebook computer images that looked liked a tree’s roots or, … Continue reading →

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An Unhappy Place in My Head

Posted on July 3, 2019 by John Swinburn

Yesterday, I finally began the slow, arduous task of painting the deck. Even though I haven’t yet found someone to complete the replacement of deck boards, I decided paint needed to go on the scraped and sanded boards. Only one … Continue reading →

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Things on My Mind

Posted on May 6, 2019 by John Swinburn

I learned yesterday that one of my brothers, from whom I unfortunately have been estranged for more than two years, is in the hospital. He is to undergo a heart catheterization and placement of a pacemaker as a prelude to … Continue reading →

Posted in Anger, Family, Frustration, Government, Politics, Rant, Regret, Stream of Consciousness, Writing | Leave a comment

Cancer Journal (more or less) 17 and Other Stuff

Posted on January 24, 2019 by John Swinburn

The bright sun and cerulean sky belie the frigid temperature this morning. According to my computer’s weather app, it’s 25 degrees outside. Last night’s weather forecast called for clear skies this morning but carried a warning: Though it might appear … Continue reading →

Posted in Cancer, Health, Rant | 2 Comments

Filtered News and Compartmentalized Compassion

Posted on July 8, 2018 by John Swinburn

The horrific, deadly flooding in Japan, not widely reported in Western media yet (it seems to me), is a nightmare of epic proportions. Two million people have been ordered to evacuate in western Japan. Hiroshima has been hit hard by … Continue reading →

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Speed Limits in Samoa

Posted on May 23, 2018 by John Swinburn

The laziness, pomposity, and idiocy of the American people should have been evident long ago. Ongoing attempts to adopt the metric system have all failed. That rejection of an invitation to join the rest of the world has put us … Continue reading →

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Mourning, Anger, and Bleak Despair

Posted on August 18, 2017 by John Swinburn

Today, this day after the monstrous attacks in Barcelona and other parts of Spain, I mourn for the dead and injured and their friends and families. And I mourn for civilization, an experiment our species going terribly wrong. We are … Continue reading →

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All Things in Moderation

Posted on July 17, 2017 by John Swinburn

The purposes of our trip to Oklahoma and Kansas were twofold: 1) take a long-delayed road trip, with the intent of “chilling” a bit; and 2) gather material from and become familiar with Kansas—Manhattan in particular—as a resource for a novel … Continue reading →

Posted in Essay, Frustration, Government, Philosophy, Politics, Rant | Leave a comment

In Disgusted Defense of Ann Coulter’s Right to Speak

Posted on April 28, 2017 by John Swinburn

As I read news of the cancellation, reinstatement, and subsequent cancellation of Anne Coulter’s speech at the University of California at Berkeley, I question the intelligence of the people who violently oppose the her speech. Do those people not understand … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Intellect, Philosophy, Politics, Rant, Ruminations | Leave a comment

I Rant, UU Rant, We All Rant

Posted on April 23, 2017 by John Swinburn

This morning, I listened to a Unitarian Universalist (UU) minister deliver a message that, depending on one’s perspective, might be considered either uplifting or lodged between belief and infuriating bewilderment. There was nothing wrong with the message, nor the mode of … Continue reading →

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Musings on the Day After the Fourth

Posted on July 5, 2016 by John Swinburn

Last night, I sat on my deck watching explosions of fireworks in the deep distance and hearing the faint percussive thuds of the remote blasts. The air was hot and muggy, defining July in central Arkansas (and much of my home state of … Continue reading →

Posted in Depression, Frustration, Independence Day, Philosophy, Politics, Rant | 2 Comments

Recollections of Writing

Posted on August 17, 2015 by John Swinburn

I spent the better part of the day yesterday reading posts from an old blog I had been able to restore from a backup file. Either I’d forgotten I’d created the backup or had tried to restore it unsuccessfully in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Memories, Politics, Rant, Writing | 2 Comments

Steam

Posted on July 8, 2015 by John Swinburn

I admit it. I am intolerant of raw stupidity, stupidity fueled by emotional reactions to issues that require intellect for understanding. Were I more understanding, I might grasp that emotional responses are the only ones available to some people; I … Continue reading →

Posted in Emotion, Empathy, Intellect, Rant | 5 Comments

A Constitutional Rant

Posted on June 23, 2015 by John Swinburn

I wish, sincerely, Second Amendment advocates and “strict constructionists” of the Constitution would do their effing homework. Just for the record, here’ s a brief synopsis of the real world: U.S. Constitution (absent the first ten amendments) was adopted in … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Rant | 5 Comments

An Invitation to Lewd and Lascivious Behavior

Posted on May 10, 2015 by John Swinburn

My post about the local writers’ event at which I will read tomorrow got me thinking, which is not always a good thing. I will admit to a bit of indignation at something that probably doesn’t deserve a moment of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Just Thinking, Philosophy, Rant, Writing | 3 Comments

Oh, Please, Make Them Go Away

Posted on May 3, 2015 by John Swinburn

I just read a news article that reported on Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s order to the Texas State Guard to monitor a Navy SEAL/Green Beret joint training exercise (Operation Jade Helm). Apparently, right-wing militia conspiracy theorists convinced the Governor the exercises are a … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Rant | 1 Comment

Choking

Posted on April 28, 2015 by John Swinburn

I know the streets of large cities are filled with disaffected youths. I understand that their arrogance is hard to accept and harder still to deal with. I realize there’s a massive gulf between my experiences and the lives of … Continue reading →

Posted in Peace, Poverty, Racism, Rant | 1 Comment

Silliness on Steroids

Posted on February 11, 2015 by John Swinburn

I’m not sure what possessed me to think about the idiocy of competitive eating at this hour. Not that it matters, of course, as almost everything I post at this hour arises from thoughts with no logical connection to the time … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Just Thinking, Rant | Leave a comment

Slaughter of Tradition

Posted on February 9, 2015 by John Swinburn

My tendency to abandon tradition in the kitchen has become a more intensely practiced habit of late than in the past. Lately, breakfasts have been the subject of my passion for twisting what has long been socially accepted as satisfying and right … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Rant | Leave a comment

Power

Posted on July 6, 2014 by John Swinburn

UPDATE: The problem was not Entergy, it seems. Though the power was not restored as estimated at 10:30, I got a text saying it was restored at 12:22 p.m., along with this odd explanation of the cause: “Public Inflicted Damage.” … Continue reading →

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Carry On

Posted on June 7, 2014 by John Swinburn

Hello.  Would you mind waiting in the lobby while I slit my wrists?  OK.  I’ll be down shortly, if I don’t bleed out first.  No, it’s nothing you said.  It’s more what you and people like you do. You and … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Rant | Leave a comment