The Fourth Option (A Centrist Perspective) Blog

Quietness is deafening now: It screams with anticipation and uncertainty. Drums the moment with heart pounding thunder. Yells the inner turmoil and confusion of fear. Rocking the trembling soul with uncontrolled vibrations, shivering every fiber with earth shaking tremors. Growling the upset stomach into volcanic eruptions -- spewing irrepressible excrements from eyes and bowels; “Dear Lord, I hope You are listening!” by James A. Porter  

Comfortably nestled in her bosom’s warmth nursed her M-16 rifle. Moment before, he thought it cried to be picked-up, and she wondered why it smelled somehow like baby powder. She looked at the list of who she was: wife, mother, soldier, lover, friend, daughter, sister,                                         myself --was always left off. The list of things to do: counsel soldiers attend meeting pay daycare buy food inspect squad prepare uniform prepare for deployment write Mom, Dad, Sis, best friend attend little league practice marriageduties,                                          while her wed...

This is a bedtime story that is so easy to comprehend that even a kindergartener could understand it: Once upon a time there was an oak tree that stood strong and imposing; it was the biggest and tallest tree in the forest. One year, in mid-summer, its lowest branches began to turn yellow -- a sign of high stress and poor nutrition. "Will you help us?" the lowest branches asked the tree. "Please send us more nourishment from the roots, and tell the higher branches to allow us to get more sun?" they pleaded. The tree replied, "There are no free nutrition in our roots and I will  not ask the high branches to ration the sun; they high branches got to the top of the canopy by their hard work and their perseverance. You should have done the same. So that winter the lowest branches died. The next year, in mid-summer, the middle branches began to turn yellow -- a sign of high stress and poor nutrition. "Will you help us?" the middle branches asked the tree. ...

Oh Haiti, Why has the universe forsaken you? The needs of your children, whose only meals are tears, in the infested polluted mud swamps of sea-soaked debris, that serves as clothing and shelter? Oh Haiti, What did you do to anger God? Did you pray to loudly, hoping to gain His attention? Did you sing His hymns to His Heaven? Hoping that He might turn around and face you? Unaware that the sight of your un-merciless condition might be more than He could stand? Perhaps, you made Him feel the shame of not loving you like His other children? Perhaps, you made Him angry with Himself for not being able to adequately provide for you: His off-spring. Oh Haiti, What did you do? What did you do? What caused God to try and shake the life out of you? Isn’t this the umpteenth time He has abused you? And yet you continue to believe in Him, And love Him. And hope -- someday He will love you back! by James A. Porter

          I am called a Centrist. It is the label that American political leaders assigned to someone like me, who feels no allegiance to any of the extreme parties. Leaders use the word Centrist because by definition it means “a member of a center party whose political views are centered between the liberal(extreme left) view and the conservative (extreme right) view.” While it is true that there are Centrist Parties that fit this description, essentially all of them exist in other countries through the world. So why is the term Centrist so popular in the United States?      It is popular because most of the time the word Centrist is use in the United States it is used connotatively to imply “These are the undecided people who can’t make-up their minds,” or “These are the citizens without a strong ideology;” or “These are the voters who are afraid of the policies to the extreme left and the extreme right of the political spect...

Moses wrote The Ten Commandments on tablets, thus creating pills that still remains too big to swallow -- even when they are fully advertised in big gothic gold letters on shinny plaques on the walls of our court houses and other public buildings. Every court house and every public building should have a baker. Every day the baker should bake a beautiful pound cake, upon which The Ten Commandments should be written in a wide variety of colors. Every day, every visitor to the court house or public building should be given a slice of pound cake: Some words just need to be digested again and again and again and a… by James A. Porter

Beyond my shocked belief my friends are gone. Beyond my grasp of facts and grasp of death. Unable to foresee my life beyond. Beyond my growing struggle for each breath. Down deep it starts the sadness deep within. Down deep it starts my tears my screams my cry. So much it hurts down deep beyond the pain. Down deep the thought "Why him and her -- will i ?" So helpless and so hopeless it's become. So helpless here so helpless now i feel To fight a car, a truck, a bus -- a bomb. So helpless in this moment that's unreal. In God i trust; in Trust i must abide, In hope and pray that God is on -- our side. by James A. Porter

It has become so natural now to climb into my ol' pick-up truck, put the key in the ignition, start in first gear, accelerate to the appropriate speed, shift to second gear, accelerate to the appropriate speed, shift to third gear, accelerate …, shift…and so on. I do it now without thinking … …and in classrooms everywhere, it has become so natural now for the children to stand, face the flag, put their hands over their hearts, "I pledge allegiance to the flag…," shift to right leg, "…one nation under God…," shift to left leg, "…indivisible with liberty…, shift to right leg again. It has become so natural now without thinking… …and in state buildings and the halls of Congress, it has become so natural now for our elected government officials to stand, face the flag, put their hands over their hearts, "I pledge allegiance to the flag…," shift to right leg, "…one nation under God…," shift to left leg, "…indivisible with liberty…, shift...

keep your promise to Spring and reign saddle your cause; stroke its main ride this horse -- Eternally Insane on the Race track of unreasoned. keep your promise to Summer and hail feed Insane hay by the bail gallop this evil -- if by tale on the Race track of unpardoned. keep your promise to Autumn and sleet shoe Insane ; protect his feet start in gate at suicide fleet on the Race track of hate-hardened. keep your promise to Winter and snow what's in Hell? -- win, place or show? for where in Heaven will Insane go? on the "Track that judges all seasons?" keep your promise to Father and Sun "Holy Wars" are never One and suicide by children can't be undone Insane is youth forsaken! by First Sergeant James A. Porter

Oxygen of real sub-atomic particles Present everywhere, yet so unnoticed Moving in an out of everything undetected Sustaining the other creatures and me without fanfare Combining with the other elements To decide whether to run, stand Or disappear Essential to life Thirst quenching in life Nourishment for life Always present But invisible Like a Spirit.                                             by                                       James A. Porter