History of "Ira Paine"

My youngest daughter was married in August, 2000.  When she moved away, I thought that a good way to keep in touch with her would be through a morning devotional...a "Thought For the Day."  After 9/11, the writing and purpose seemed to change.  It was still a devotion, but with a definite purpose.

There was still no Ira Paine at this time, however, I happened to be teaching about Thomas Paine in my history classes.  We had just finished looking at the American Crisis, and I went to a collegue and exclaimed to him that I needed a name like Tom Paine.  He looked at me and said, "You are a pain."  I took that and hence, the name I-R-A Paine.  That's the idea of the Daily Paine - to make a person think a little - to be a pain(e) in their side.  Whether the person agrees with Ira or not is not the purpose.  The purpose is to get people to at least think.