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The Journeying Progressive: Laura from Washington, PA

http://journey4progress.blogspot.com/2013/10/laura-from-washington-pa.html

Laura from Washington, PA. Do you remember when we were explorers? Laura from Pennsylvania certainly does. When I grew up, I wanted to be an astronaut. I wanted to work for NASA. I mean yes, I liked dolls and makeup and stuff, but what I really wanted was to go up in space, where nobody had ever been before.". Laura is a 29-year old Navy pilot now, which you think would be exciting in and of itself. But she isn't satisfied. We've already figured out how to do that.". Laura represents the forgotten genera...

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The Journeying Progressive: Kira from San Jacinto, CA

http://journey4progress.blogspot.com/2013/10/kira-from-san-jacinto-ca.html

Kira from San Jacinto, CA. In Shakespeare's Richard II. The title character exhorts, "For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground / And tell sad stories of the death of kings.". Gone are the days of the monarchy, with the king or the queen as the sole focus of power and concern. Today, in our federal republic, the people exercise the government's power. Except that no one has bothered, as Shakespeare did, to say, "For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground / And tell sad stories of the death of dreams.

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The Journeying Progressive: Berry from Columbia, TN

http://journey4progress.blogspot.com/2013/10/berry-from-columbia-tn.html

Berry from Columbia, TN. Erosion, as it turns out, isn't just affecting our soil and rocks. It's also affecting our motivation to partake in the political process. For the past several weeks and months, as Americans ask what the future of government might look like, there is one question that has been left largely unanswered (and unasked): What about the future of our environment? Without them, we're left with the shrill shouting match that we have grown accustomed to. For Berry, the atrophying of th...

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The Journeying Progressive: It's a Sprint

http://journey4progress.blogspot.com/2013/10/its-sprint.html

It's a marathon, not a sprint! This is a familiar refrain for those who wish to encourage folks to "take it easy" or "pace yourselves." But it ignores a certain relativistic reality. Just a few weeks ago, Wilson Kipsang of Kenya broke the marathon world record, clocking in at 2 hour, 3 minutes, and 23 seconds at the Berlin Marathon. That's 4 minutes and 40 seconds per mile- for 26.2 miles. I don't know if you noticed, but marathons these days are. We can't go looking for meaning on the Information Superh...

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The Journeying Progressive: Our Children, Our Communities, Our Destiny

http://journey4progress.blogspot.com/2013/10/our-children-our-communities-our-destiny.html

Our Children, Our Communities, Our Destiny. We all have a vested interest in the education of our children, whether we have them or not; whether they are our children or the kids across town. Yet, when we see a child in our community who plays heavily in drugs and violence, who makes us shake our head every time we see him, our first natural inclination is to think, “Where are the parents? The real question should be: “Where were you. Contrast my anecdote with a family of three children, one mother and a...

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The Journeying Progressive: Beau from Dallas, TX

http://journey4progress.blogspot.com/2013/10/beau-from-dallas-tx.html

Beau from Dallas, TX. End of the republican party. As a deal to end the shutdown and stave off large-scale economic destruction is reached today, it is clear that Republicans have gained virtually nothing from their faux-apocalyptic stunt. Already, many talking-heads are foretelling the end. Of the Republican Party and the doomsday they will surely see at the polls in 2014. Which, of course, were all foolish. Republicans have proven adept at preserving their party interests despite public sentiment other...

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The Journeying Progressive: Mary Ellen from Germantown, MD

http://journey4progress.blogspot.com/2013/10/mary-ellen-from-germantown-md.html

Mary Ellen from Germantown, MD. My father worked two jobs his entire life, both in service to the United States. My mother is self-employed and works as a schoolteacher. Let me qualify this post by saying that we have never needed, nor have we accepted, any form of welfare or any of its sister programs. Does that make my family qualitatively "better" than those families who do accept welfare payments? How do you "rank" a person? And when it comes right down to it, what right do you have to do so? My pare...

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The Journeying Progressive: Colleen from Danvers, MA

http://journey4progress.blogspot.com/2013/10/colleen-from-danvers-ma.html

Colleen from Danvers, MA. In our time, there are no faceless names. Colleen Ritzer wasn't just a math teacher from Danvers, Massachusetts. She may not physically have been my neighbor, or biologically been my sister, but she was still those things to me. We were both Americans. In our time, we are all inextricably linked. And the life and spirit of one woman can have a profound impact on our lives, even if we don't know her. I'm struggling to find the right words to say, but to honor Colleen and those li...