Category Archives: Commentary

The 100 Eclectics

Commentary Observations No Comments

 

Now how many of you thought this would be about a religious topic?  True up now, true up.

No, this marks the 100th entry I would have served up on this blog.  And still no one reads and that’s okay.  My time may yet come.

So let’s go.

  1. All is not lost.  It’s just headed that way.
  2. Why is everyone so jealous and mean-spirited these days?
  3. Why are the rich demonized UNLESS they are also famous?
  4. The time will come when tomorrow does not follow today.
  5. Silence is golden unless it is merely silver.
  6. Kids are the last, best hope of this earth.
  7. Video games are paralyzing this generation.
  8. Why still believe?  Because the alternative is not an option.
  9. Where did simple manners go?
  10. When did white folk lose their own culture?
  11. Why is illegal immigration never discussed in terms of its illegality?
  12. When is enough really enough?
  13. I must have missed the announcement giving parents time off from doing real parenting.
  14. I think the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States are the best two documents ever created by man.  Ever.  Anyone who wants to change them: can you give me an example of what you want to change them to?
  15. When and where did socialism ever succeed without devouring itself in the end?
  16. What is it about capitalism that scares so many of you, the hard work involved?
  17. Owning an easy path to success simply means that you get the easy and you more than likely get owned.
  18. So I guess it’s true that bringing up a child with mom and dad at home isn’t really better than the other options.  Guess I missed the memo with the irrefutable data on that one as well.
  19. When did Islam become the untouchable national religion?
  20. Also, why do people hate Christians so much?  You would think the Jews would have sympathy given their history but I guess they are glad for the company and also hoping to move up from last place.
  21. Is all this social media a good thing?
  22. Just give in- it’s the democratic way.
  23. I am very interested in living long enough to see where all this goes- restriction on free speech; freedom from religion; the legalization of illegal immigration; the control of the states by the Feds; the right of the Feds to know everything about you and be able to acquire information and then ultimately prosecute you (think that won’t happen?) without due process; the acceleration of social justice and entitlements over national defense; the fear to call a man a criminal because of the color of the skin or the basis of the religion; widespread same-sex and other types of marriage (think that won’t happen?); growing control of our schools by the unions and corresponding control of our children by the schools; legalization of marijuana and other drugs (think that won’t happen?); easy and instant access to porn and worse; the rewriting of the Constitution to what the liberal progressives really want; the continuing and purposeful destruction of our economy and international standing.  Much more.  I hope to be dead before I see most of it but I fear I will not be and I no longer know exactly what to tell my kids to expect or to do.
  24. I am still looking for music with a good message.  Much rarer these days in case you plan to look for yourself.
  25. Wonder what the old school civil rights leaders, those who fought with their very lives for equal rights and the elimination of segregation, would say if they were alive today and saw all the self-imposed segregation that has been put in place so willingly and with such purpose.
  26. The best states are run by Republican governors.  I think there is a clue there somewhere.
  27. Who studies history anymore?
  28. The national media should be ashamed; very ashamed.  Not only are they complicit, in the end they are guilty as hell.
  29. I hear that the government thinks they can do something right.
  30. Can Michigan annex Chicago from Illinois so we can get our state back?
  31. When will Obama announce he is running in 2016?
  32. Happiness is indeed fleeting and I am losing a step every year.
  33. There are no more role models I guess.
  34. There is nothing that you do that the government cannot control if you just simply let it do so.
  35. That country founded by those stodgy old slave-owning (by the way, they all didn’t own slaves in case you care to check, and many were vehemently opposed to it in case you care to check)white guys is not nearly as good as the one founded by the _____________________(please fill in the  blank).
  36. Why do you think the government is making it so easy for you to do nothing except vote for them?
  37. What do you think will happen on the day that your vote is no longer needed?
  38. Slaves in the past were so much stronger and smarter- they knew they were owned and they most justifiably despised it.  They patiently and sometimes not so patiently tried to do something about it.  In the end they succeeded, all over the world.
  39. Spoon fed on MSNBC, CNN and the New York Times.  Perfect outlets to tell you what you already know and to make you sign up for what you already believe.
  40. So the U.S. sucks in terms of our international standing on education and we respond by setting national standards (lowest common denominator) and pressing for more power for the unions (which will of course help our kids).
  41. Smiles are infectious but growing more rare these days.
  42. Carly Simon lyric:  “I’ll never learn to be me first, by myself.”  If that was the goal then mission accomplished!
  43. Taxes solve everything but how do you tax a nation where no one works?
  44. We want to be like Europe.  Great goal.
  45. It’s below zero out there and the squirrels are still working the trees for berries and nuts.  Good to know there is still a solid and healthy work ethic afoot in the country.
  46. As everyone watches the national and federal issues the locals are getting a lot done whether you like it or agree with it or not.
  47. Beware the ides of March.
  48. Sometimes my retrievers seem smarter than some folks I know.  They sure are a damn sight more friendly.
  49. Why is it when the Republicans do not roll over they are accused of being obstructionists?  Isn’t one of the benefits of having two parties checks and balances?  Else it is an oligarchy.  Oh, maybe that’s what they want..
  50. I rest at 50 and will return.
  51. The early bird no longer gets the worm- they have been regulated.
  52. Read a good book that wasn’t written any time in the last 40 years.
  53. Write a book with Christian values, no violence, no sex, and good kids from a dual-gendered parentship and then try to get it published.
  54. Protest a movie or song whose content or creator you disagree with- rent an old DVD instead or just take a walk.
  55. Hug your kids and tell them you are trying your best and then go and do just that.
  56. Forgive someone for something that’s hard to forgive.
  57. Vote.  Prepare yourself with the necessary knowledge and then vote in every single election.
  58. Never fool yourself into believing that it cannot happen here.  It sure as hell can.  Again, I keep saying it- read your history.
  59. “Turn on, tune in, and drop out.”  Guess you win Mr. Leary.
  60. When did those who protested authority become the authority that no one is allowed to protest?
  61. Reefer don’t lead to other drugs.  Nope, can’t say I have ever seen that happen.
  62. Do I trust the far right pundits?  Not completely but it is a good bit easier to scoop a pile off the lawn then to strain it from a cesspool.
  63. I said that I did not like the offensive lyrics of a particular rap song and black man who was nearby said that I was a racist.  Before I could respond another black man said that he agreed with me and the first black man said that he was just being white.  I asked which was worse and he told me they were basically one and the same.
  64. It is always the darkest just before the dawn but I still don’t hear the sun waking up.
  65. If the reason for legalizing the many millions of people here in this country is to provide workers for jobs Americans will not do or to provide additional workers to fulfill a seasonal need or to provide another layer of diversity then, if these are key needs, why didn’t we pursue some sort of system a long time ago that would allow us to address these needs or fulfill these needs in a more organized and legal fashion?  Could it be that these are just convenient excuses to seek to help justify the violation of the law?
  66. Have we ever had a more despicable Senate majority leader or a more lawless Attorney General?
  67. Have we ever had a weaker Senate minority leader or House majority leader?
  68. You’ve just been voted head coach for the Dems in the upcoming debate on the “History of the United States with a special emphasis on the Constitution.”  You have one minute left to make your final draft selection and you have to pick one of the following:  Nancy Pelosi, Sheila Jackson Lee, Barbara Boxer, or Maxine Waters.  Quick, who do you pick?
  69. I like rock & roll, R & B, classical, jazz, blues and some country.  What does that make me?
  70. I want everyone who wants to be successful to have the opportunity to be successful but not be given too much of a free ride to get there.  What does that make me?
  71. Why is the U.S really lagging the world so much when it comes to the quality of our education?  It sure ain’t due to a lack of bread but they would have you think so.
  72. I will continue to teach my kids to respect all people and all creatures great and small but I will also teach them that they need not take crap from anyone and that includes being made to feel guilty for things they had no part in.  Got that?
  73. I was born and raised a Catholic but am one no more.  Given the platform for abortion, birth control, and gay marriage why do so many vote Democratic?  You are all just convenient Catholics and you are all hypocrites and you all know it.
  74. Why am I condemned for being somewhat successful (so far)?
  75. Hey Dems- is there a point when there is too much debt?
  76. Someone has to explain to me how the finances of a country, of a government, are so unlike those of an individual.  In the latter case when you owe you have to pay and when you cannot pay you are held to account.  Isn’t that the way countries are supposed to work as well?  Oh, yeah, just the ones that plan to live long and prosper.
  77. Will anyone live to see the Cubs win the World Series?
  78. Why is going to school and getting a good education that you can use to take you to places you never dreamed of such a terrible thing?  And I ain’t even talking about college here.
  79. Why is learning in school considered by some black people to be a white thing?
  80. Why is it that race now enters so much of our conversation?  I know that several of my points here touch on it but, hey, I didn’t start it and I’ll be damned if I’ll sit back and let someone control the conversation without the opportunity to respond.
  81. Are we all just Americans or just when it is convenient to be so?
  82. Is it sometimes convenient to not be so?
  83. Why does no one seem to be able to work together anymore?
  84. When did people in this country get so darn stupid?
  85. There doesn’t seem to be much to stop the Russian state from rising again.  Certainly not the power elite presently in Washington.
  86. I need to decide how and when to get out of the great state of Illinois.  Even Lincoln wouldn’t claim this as his land any longer- he’d prefer Indiana or Kentucky from whence he came.
  87. How many actual Tea Party members do you know and are any of them actually racist?  Can you provide any proof?
  88. When I hear “blah blah blah” I know someone is getting what little information they care to share from MSNBC, CNN, the NY Times, the Huffington Post or a similar outlet.
  89. Greatness is fast departing our once-great country.  We have been told by the man in Washington that we are not an exceptional people.  What are we then?
  90. Why is going to college considered to be a right?  It isn’t for everyone but everyone else seems to think it is.  What we wind up with is a tremendous amount of student loan debt coupled to either a bunch of dropouts or a bunch of non-working hangers-on without a valuable degree anywhere in sight.
  91. Kids cannot learn if parents will not teach.
  92. Parents cannot teach what they do not know.
  93. Teachers will only teach what is sanctioned or so it seems.
  94. What we call poverty today is nowhere near what we called it years ago.  Why did the criteria change?
  95. What happens when the money runs out kiddies?
  96. Global warming?  Please.  Just follow the money, as always.  You insult my minor scientific knowledge when you tell me the science is in and the debate is over.  What debate?  Please.
  97. Tomorrow can indeed be a brighter day.  Hopefully a warmer one as well.  We’re freezing here amidst all that warming.
  98. If the science fails you and your initiative then just change the name and blame absolutely everything on something other than what it likely is.  Einstein could not even figure out that science but he wasn’t as smart as someone like Al Gore I guess.
  99. Too much in life passes by too quickly.  Before we know it the moment and the day are   gone.  Slow it down as best you can and take time to see and smell those roses.
  100. (Darn Microsoft Word for this indent that I can’t figure out how to fix).  I have already wasted too many precious moments in my life and as my life grows shorter I am making a pledge to not waste much more.  Make every moment you can really count for something.  Stand and fight when you need to.  Get educated, wise up.  Wise up and then rise up if you care at all about our future.

That’s it.  I don’t plan to revise any of this, just publish it.  This marks my 100th entry on this blog.  Can you say you have produced 100 entries in just over 3 months and have you ever done a list with 100 things on it?  Until today I could not say that I had done either but now I can.  “Well that’s the way I always heard it should be…”

O happy day.

Why Not Now?

Commentary Political No Comments

The Soul of General George

 

So I have said stand.  And I say that the same old stuff from the same old parties should be put to rest.  I sure don’t want what the Dems are dishing and the Repubs keep saying they need to get back in power to change things.  Really?  What exactly did they change last time around?

The experts keep saying that this is not the time to make a stand.  I even heard Thomas Sowell last night say that he believes that nothing gets accomplished by doing something like what Ted Cruz did.  He even compared it to Washington (that’s George in case you likely forgot) and the fact that GW did not stand and fight as he would lose to the far superior and much better trained British forces.  I understand and agree that is what GW had to do- he had no choice.  He wasn’t trying to save a country, he was trying to get one started and, oh by the way Mr. Sowell, he was trying to save his forces and also likely his own skin.  This is not a very valid comparison to my rudimentary way of thinking.

Okay though, I will give you the comparison and even agree that there is a time and place for a fight and I will even admit that the effort by Cruz did not yield any immediate or significant results.  I wonder how many times in history though that a protest, a pushback was allowed to get effectively started only when the time was right.  When was it right for the colonists that formed this country?  When was it right for Gandhi?  When was it right for MLK?  When was it too late for Russia, or China, or Japan, or Germany?  It’s fine to sit back in total comfort and simply keep saying the time is not right, that we need to have power before we have power and we cannot even think of acting before we have the power that we need to have.

No, I’m sorry but I don’t think that simply voting back in the same old Repubs is going to accomplish much more than it did last time.  Oh sure, it is a far better alternative in terms of providing the triage necessary to stem the bleeding and harm being done on a daily basis by the Dems and the Progressive Libs but simply causing pause does not in the end precipitate recovery.  Not even close.  How can anyone think that it does?  You’re then a fool and you certainly don’t know much history.

I will give you all points in the argument however.  I will then simply ask just when is it right to make a fight?  And how far are we prepared to go in that fight if it is fought by the same old sad excuses that we have in WDC as our legislators?  The uniforms may change but the team remains essentially the same.

Hell, even Reagan couldn’t yank us back and I think he really tried didn’t he?  I know that he didn’t have the House or Senate but still.  Nudges and tugs against shoves and yanks cannot  in the end bring victory.

And we have been losing for a long time my friends.  It’s time to change the approach.  General Washington would have seen that even if Thomas Sowell does not.

 

Party Time

Commentary Political No Comments

The Tea Party

 

In 1824 I believe there was a hotly contested presidential election in which no candidate held the necessary majority number of electoral votes.  The election was thrown to the state delegations in the House and JQ Adams came out the victor much to the extreme ire of one Andrew Jackson.  There is a lot more in regard to what happened and why but I will leave that to the reader to further pursue.  Suffice to say that there was a bit of bad blood and the contest for 1828 began immediately.

Do you remember what happened in the year 2000? 

1824 and 2000: one of these was known as the “corrupt bargain” and the other has indefensibly been characterized as a great theft.  The loser in one went off in a huff of steam and became even more so known for his hot and fiery temper; the loser in the other went off on a big jet plane that spewed all kinds of noxious carbon stuff and became known for causing global warming.  And by “causing” here I mean to say it became his cause.  Of course, what else could I possibly mean?  But I digress.

In 1824 there was essentially only one political party so there appears to have been a good bit of self-loathing afoot in those olden days of Old Hickory.  (Who else could you hate?  Bush wasn’t born yet.)  And, by the way, Old Hick came back to win in 1828 and to his extreme glee and with eternal edification he beat JQ in the process.  Retribution.  Didn’t happen in 2004 though.  To be true to history I guess that Gore should have run again in 2004.  Maybe he was off in one of his mansions or in one of his many transport vehicles and counting all that hot cash.  Dunno, but Kerry lost.

After Jackson was elected the first time, as I understand things there was a split in the party that led to Jacksonian Dems (forerunners of today’s top jockeys) and the Whigs (can you name three Whigs?). 

Perhaps delayed by one term due to a) public trust in Bush as a strong leader in times of grave international concern or b) lack of a good enough set of Dem candidates or a good enough campaign to win, the Dems did come back to win in 2008.  I’ll leave aside any House and Senate parallels for now.

If you could read an honest 2-3 paragraphs description of the characteristics of the men and their administrations you might be struck by the similarities between Jackson and Obama.  Just sayin…research a bit for yourself ok?

So the modern day Dems and the Whigs were formed during the reign of AJ- got it so far?  The Whigs went on to later win two elections I believe but then splintered, foundered and died as slavery returned as a justifiably critical and top issue (indeed in the history of the country) in the 1950s.  The Repubs were formed primarily as an anti-slavery party. 

The Repubs lost in 1856 but gained the White House in 1860 when a man from the great state of Illinois (great no more- I can say that because I have to live here for the time being) though not the front runner in the early days wound up as the Repub candidate.  Since the Dems had split once or even twice, depending on how you prefer to account for things, it seems that good old Abe managed to back in to the presidency.  Lucky for him.  Lucky for us though as he is nowadays considered by those in the know as one of the best prez’s ever, mentioned even in the same convenient breath as JFK, FDR, WJC and even BO himself.  Not bad for a poor white boy from the sticks.

But I digress.  Let’s review.

Fed & Anti-Fed…Antis disappear and Dem-Reps arise.  Feds then disappear and there is true love across the aisle- heck, there is no aisle for a while and everyone is happy expect for JQA, AJ, and the Clay man.  But I digress.  Then the Dem-Reps split into the pure Dems and the Whigs.  Whigs later fold and morph into the Repubs.  Dems splinter enough over slavery to lose in 1860 and are so mad about it they grab their balls and run on back home to fight a war on the inside.  They later lose that war and go on to segregate, demonize, belittle, demean, ostracize, and hang the blacks that were supposedly freed under that lucky boy from Illinois.  But I digress. Dems get real progressive later on and then strike up a new deal and work to establish a great society.  Turns out that the deal didn’t leave everyone with a good hand and the society is only great if you like to take money from the man.  But I digress.  Third parties (I used to be up for three or even four parties on some nights when I was much younger) formed, reformed, sputtered and died over the years to no great avail from what I can see.  Parties like the Constitution Party and the Libertarians gain press but not much prestige these days- still they have very valid points to make in my humbled opinion.

So in 2008 and again in 2012 the Dems won and the Repubs lost.  The Libs were considered merely in passing as I can see.  Constitution Party- uh, who knows.  But rearing up in response to the 2008 election came a new set of folks who did not at first want to classify themselves necessarily as a party but became one nonetheless.  They seemed to know what they wanted but not what to call themselves.  D & R were taken as were L & C so they ran through the alphabet.  They were biased against vowels and first voted for S but someone said they might become known as Sparty which did not sound too official or dignified so on a second vote they settled on T.  Later on a reporter (from MSNBC I believe) recast them as the T(ea) Party and the rest is history.

They exist and it is strange what reactions there have been to them.  The R Party, which should in principle agree with most of what T espouses and therefore welcome them, actually seems to despise them and just want them to go away so they can get back to the good old days.  The D party, which should despise them, seems to love them as an object of their vilification- I don’t think the Dees would ever want the Teas to go away else who would they paint as the nasty old racist white folk out to return the country to Jim Crow and worse?  It’s truly amazing to my simple mind.  But not really surprising.

It ain’t what’s behind the title and it ain’t what’s behind the R or D.  It ain’t what’s behind the door or even what gets discussed in closed quarters.  It ain’t what you tell me and it ain’t what I hear you say on the evening news.  It ain’t none of that.  It’s what you is that is all of that.  And I for one am bone tired of what you ain’t and what you pretend to be.

Many say you need to win elections to change things.  What gets changed? please tell me.  I hear ya but no longer think that’s enough to save this place.  The Whigs certainly didn’t think so and that journey, coupled with such a significant and long-standing issue as slavery gave us a war yes but it also gave official freedom for a whole lot of people and it gave us AL.  That’s meant as Lincoln and not Gore- please!  Granted that real freedom was still a long way off (thanks to the love-everyone Dems) but it arrived nonetheless and although there are those who still conveniently use race for an advantage they do so disingenuously.  If you truly think I hate you because you are black then I am figuring that you hate me because I am not.  Fair enough?  But I do indeed digress.

Final stretch.  I think if the D’s are to be defeated it will have to be due to a real significant reason; an issue as large as that in the 1850’s.  What could it be?  Ok, here is an idea.

Let’s get the R’s & L’s & C’s and then also as many I’s and old school or disenfranchised D’s as we can to come together and build a platform based solely and firmly on the Constitution of these United States as originally intended by the men who made it happen and not intended by those who would later attempt to make it as they so happened to think it should be.  That should be simple enough.

The slogan:  “I am a supporter of the Constitution of the United States and if you would like to know what that means I would be happy to read it for you.”

Nuff said.

Stand. Stand. Stand.

Observations Political No Comments

 

It’s cold and bleak out there this morning.  Seems like every morning…and afternoon…and evening…and especially nighttime.  Always seems so close to nighttime.

When will it end?  When will it ever end?

The winds blow cold and hard, pushing all that happens to be in the way; relentless, howling, unnerving.

The sun has forgotten how to shine and cast its warmth.  It will not emerge to offer hope for a new and warming day ahead for us.

Precipitation falls as snow, then rain, and then returns to snow again.  Covering the ground and covering the tracks of all of the creatures who dare roam the killing frost of day and night.

The moon, full and eerie, casts a reflected light down and then again off of the frozen surface of the too many snowfalls, cold and hard but illuminating enough for those creatures who roam the night in search of sustenance and furthering life.

The sounds and the sound.  The echo is a dead echo and the sound the sound of the tomb.  Feet break through the frozen surface of some newly fallen crust of snow that has frozen over just enough to offer resistance to those who would tread there, lightly or otherwise.  Try to run but you won’t get far- it is too slick and far too deep and is nothing else but dangerous.

Temperatures that will kill.  Heat can do the same over time but this cold, this bitter, lifeless, brutal cold will kill, can kill, in a very short amount of time.  All that was life before may be no more after such a spell as we have had.  We will, still, have to wait and see what survives it.

Warmer days have always come to chase away the bonechill and make us well again.  But must that always be so?  Could it come to pass that one time, perhaps even this time, the cold will stay to keep us in or kill us if we wander out?  Must we stay locked in our quarters not only for this season but for all of the rest as well?

It could happen.  No one knows when the sun may blink away or the earth repeal its spin.  And then we would be forced finally to stay inside and shiver until even that was not enough to save our very bones.

Keep those in power long enough and we will all feel it soon enough.

What Me Do

Commentary Social No Comments

 

Anyone reading any of these entries over the last few months might justifiably wonder what it is I am trying to accomplish.  Fair enough point to bring up.

One thing I am trying to do is to gain discipline in writing something, anything really, on a daily basis.  I am old but still have a dream.  That dream is to become a writer.  And even if I cannot achieve that dream then in writing on a regular basis at least I am writing on a regular basis.  Do you see?

Another objective is that I am looking to express my feelings and beliefs in a few different areas, the least of which are not in the areas of politics, governance, social behaviors, and culture.  As I express these things I also one day have a dream that I can instruct or perhaps inspire others to seek knowledge and expression in their own right.  Too many of us seem satisfied these days to be spoon fed from a comfortable and familiar jar of food.

I am too old to influence the world in a great way I’m afraid.  This is not sad but it is a truth best not run away from if I plan to not tend toward delusion.  Time is precious for sure.  I cannot overnight change our government or inspire Hollywood to make great movies that do not have to include violence, or substance abuse, or sexual contrivances, or even Manhattan maladies of the mind; I cannot convince the media to once again seek to be objective, investigating and reporting on the basis of the facts and not the bias of a belief system; I cannot make unions of teachers focus on providing teachers of quality who provide a quality and world-class education for our children; I cannot convince spenders to be savers, liberals to be more conservative, smokers to chew gum, drinkers to sip tea, or even pot smokers that their lives are passing by unhitched and without firm purpose of any forward progress (if you have ever smoked the weed and gotten even slightly hooked you will understand this even if you won’t admit it- just leave my kids the hell alone ok?)…

A final, and perhaps the most important, objective I have simply starts here with some ancillary commentary from time to time.  I think to save our future for the best that is possible we must reach out and reconnect with our kids.  Kids are a whole bunch smarter and savvier than we give them credit for and I find that when presented with more than just one side of a point or issue they can almost always be trusted to make a good and considered decision all on their own.  When they are indoctrinated as is more and more the case these past few decades, now even reaching well down into the lower grade levels, it is difficult for them to consider any additional points of view beyond what the schools that have them captive for almost eight hours per day, five days per week, have decided to instill in them.  And now the feds want to make sure that they dictate that curriculum.  Lovely.

What are our kids being taught?  And why is it okay for there to be so precious little time- all kinds of outside activities, smartphones and social media, video games, single parents, both parents working, cable TV, digital music and headphones- to spend in meaningful discussion outside of the school?  Do schools allow all these distractions?  No, of course not.  And they shouldn’t.  But if they don’t for the eight hours that they have our kids captive why should we in the few hours left to us?  Be wise parents and be ever vigilant if you would like your children to have a chance to turn out with even a little of what you believe.

This is where I plan to focus whatever it is that I can offer in whatever time may be left to me to do so.  Maybe you feel the same way or believe this is important.  If so, then start even just a little with your own child or maybe another that you know and be amazed at what you find out about a youngster you thought you knew.

If you want to change the world, start with the children.  The folks attempting to take the world in a direction that I certainly don’t like and don’t agree with already know this.  And they are doing it and they are winning.  It is time to fight back my friends.

So wise up and rise up and let’s get started getting our kids back…before it is really too late to do so.

Be Kind Today

Commentary Political Social No Comments

 

I sense an arising in some around me.  I have often said to my wife that times like these can be a good thing to go through.

When I was in college one of my jobs was as a cook’s assistant.  One of the jobs I had in that job was to do what was called “clarifying” butter.  Many sticks of real butter (it was still allowed in those olden days) were put into a small pot and melted.  The more solid stuff that floated to the top was skimmed off leaving more liquid, more pure butter as a result.

So I say to my wife that maybe, hopefully, times like these are akin to clarifying butter.  Get everything out there in the open.  Set it all to a boil and see what rises to the top and then skim it off.  See what and who people are and then move from there based on what it is you think you want from them, from your life, from your country and its leaders.  Are you liking what you’re seeing? 

If you said yes then you need read no further.  You must have the society, the  culture, the economy, the government,  and the leadership that you want; or at least it seems headed in a direction you like.  So read no further.  Simply rejoice in what has been brought so visibly and swiftly to the surface.

But also beware the skimmer.

For those not so happy or satisfied- some even tending to terrified or disgusted at times- read on and do not lose faith.  No, never lose faith.  Even if faith is considered a violation of the separation of church and state.

Speaking of that for a moment I know that there are a lot of folks who are concerned about allowing too much or even any church into the state but there are also those of us who really want to get the state out of our churches.  If you have faith even the removal of that Nativity scene from the public square will not remove the belief in your heart.  You can legislate away the physical representations of it I suppose but you can never legislate away the faith of the heart- been tried before; epic fail as my kids would say.

If by chance all of what is happening is what a majority of the folks in this country want then so be it, but even that does not mean you have to give up the fight for what you believe to be right.  Arguments are not successfully made by avoiding the topic.  You have to speak up for what you believe and you have to start doing so now, today.  I know that it could never happen here- it could never happen anywhere where it actually did wind up happening- but just in case you might want to make sure you did what you could to fight back for what you believe to be right.

Speaking of religion: I know what Christians would do if there were no atheists- they would continue to believe and seek expression through prayer and worship- but what would atheists do if there were no one who believed in anything?  Silence.  And, also, is atheism allowed in the Muslim faith?  Maybe that’s why atheists only seem to attack Christianity.  That or they’re chickenshits.

So what the heck is it that I am trying to get to here, what is it I am trying to say?  Hell, I don’t know but I will try to get to it nevertheless.

If someone throws a stone at you do you get it and throw it back, run away, or stand and ask why he did it?

If someone insults your spouse in public do you defend, defer defense, or just chuckle it away?

Your kid doesn’t get enough playing time on a ball team that you spent a lot of money to get him on; in fact you pay just the same as the kid who plays all the time.  What do you do?

A woman with a baby in the car has skidded off the road on the morning after an overnight snowstorm- probably texting.  You see the car, and her, and the baby, but you are way late for work.  It’s no longer snowing and it is not that cold and it is daytime and it is not an extremely remote road.  Do you pull over?  Do you ask if she wants you to call for help or do you offer to help get the car back on the road?  Do you just drive by?

You know a friend has cheated on a test and wound up getting a better grade than you do- a lot better.  Are you mad?  Are you ambivalent?  Do you tell the teacher or even talk to the friend?  Does the friend remain a friend?  Do you decide to just cheat on the next test yourself?

You’re coaching a youth baseball team and you are in the finals.  You told the team and the parents that every player would get about the same playing time even though it is the championship but you never thought you would have a chance to win this game against a team that everyone knows is far superior to your own- they all think your team got lucky in getting to the finals and deep down you agree.  Lo and behold though it is the latter innings and it is a tie game.  You still have your two worst players on the bench and need to sub them in if you are going to even get close to equal playing time; and you would have to sub them in for your two best players, one of whom is your son.  What would you do?

Decisions and choices.  That is life.  Sitting back and doing nothing is a choice and a decision.  Usually not a very good one of either.

If you don’t like what is happening then help to change it even in some small way. 

Take the time to raise your kids the right way.  Take the time to be with them and teach them all you can.  Encourage them to try many things- safe and healthy of course- and to learn for themselves. 

Challenge the schools and teachers- there are a lot of problems there in case you didn’t know.  Make sure you know who your kids are hanging with and what they are being taught.  Just allow them to trust you enough so that they can open up even a little and talk.  Your job is mainly to be there and to listen.  Be patient and don’t pass immediate judgment.  Love them and let them know that you do.

Vote.  Even if there are no perfect candidates (and there aren’t) you need to vote.  Even if you think the election is a foregone conclusion you still need to vote.   If you have time help out a campaign and get out to talk to folks and win them over, even if slowly, to your own beliefs.

Lend a helping hand to someone in need and be thankful when doing so.  Give a buck or two or a can of food or two to a local food bank.  Attend a PTO or school board meeting and let them know how you feel.  Turn off the tube and computer; shut down the iPods and phones; lay the tablets and eReaders aside;  spend time with your parents, your kids, your family, your friends.  Don’t download that objectionable MP3 or watch that movie which stars someone whose views you adamantly disagree with.  Fly the flag whenever you can but especially on days that you should.  Go to church if you believe.  Help coach a youth sports team or offer your free services as an academic mentor.  Stop swearing, don’t do drugs, and don’t drink so damn much.  Set a good example in at least some of what you do; at least try.  On your way to work perform at least two mannerly acts toward a fellow motorist or pedestrian- three or four would be better and help lead you toward forming a habit.  Say one nice thing to someone you don’t like.  Notice a kid who never seems to get noticed.  Compliment someone on something.  Give up your seat to someone who needs it- or even someone who doesn’t.  Let someone get in line ahead of you.  Act like you’re not in such a hurry even if you are.  Buy a raffle ticket or cookies from that kid at the door who really isn’t having much fun selling no matter what you might think.  Offer to work for a colleague.  Offer to help someone who needs it with their homework.  Smile or laugh, genuinely and at the appropriate time.  Hug someone you know and hold the hug a second or two longer than necessary.  Do someone else’ chores around the house just because.  Help a teammate to get better even if you think it threatens your position on the team.  Dress a little nicer than normal; wash well and comb your hair.  Shovel a neighbor’s walkway, driveway, or both; then offer them a beer in your garage to celebrate the weather.  Spend a few more minutes petting your dog.   Thank the Lord, if you believe, for all that you have in life and ask His help to show you the way where you need it- likely things could always be worse and, maybe, just maybe, they could become a good sight better with a little faith and a lot of effort.  Educate yourself in as many areas as you can but especially in regard to civics and politics.  Read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution; read them again; explain them to someone else or ask someone else to help explain them to you.  Study history and learn from it.  Get some more sleep and don’t worry so much about absolutely everything.  Exercise, even if it’s just walking or using the stairs more often.  If you beat your spouse or kids stop now; get help and stop now.  The next time you want to yell at someone, don’t; walk away or just bite your lip.  Do a bit more planning in your life as a lack of planning often impacts others negatively, especially your family and coworkers.  Don’t procrastinate so much- getting something done often leads to the confidence to get something else done right afterwards.  Realize that kids are very sensitive, even if they don’t show it;   do something, say something, to boost their confidence every day- it should be genuine and not contrived.  Get rid of a hatred.  Don’t let your pet peeves make you angry.  Do a few pushups or sit-ups when you feel stressed.  Eat a bit more healthy.  Join in on celebrating someone else’s success.  Lend an ear to a friend in need of one.  Listen to things you plan to say in your head before you actually say them; amend as necessary to make them sound as positive and non-cynical as possible.  Watch a happy movie with your family.  Shop for something small and then buy it; while you’re at it buy something small for someone else for no reason.   Sleep in a bit on a rainy morning.  Try to stay off drugs- and here I mean prescription ones- as much as possible; doctors these days just love to process and prescribe and it’s you who possibly winds up paying the price in the long run.  Sing a song; out loud if you can.  Take a nice warm bath or shower and relax.  Go and eat your favorite food if you haven’t had it in a while and do so with a nice glass of wine and someone you enjoy talking to.  Hold a newborn baby.  Hold a new puppy.  Both help to celebrate new life and new hope for those who hold it.

On an on.  Things to do to make you feel better; things to do to make someone else feel better.  Hopefully you will continue and those you influence will shine it on.

These things can make a difference my friends and the more people who do it the more impact it will have.  If you disagree just do me a favor and try it for a day or two and see if you change your mind.  I’ll bet you feel better.

If nothing else if you find yourself in a position to choose then choose this way- be nice, be kind, and you really can’t go wrong.

Global Swallowing

Commentary Observations No Comments

That’s right folks.  Remember that you saw that expression here first ok?

What‘s up with all these sinkholes lately? 

I lived in Florida for a number of years and stories of sinkholes there were never too surprising.  After all, the entire state is a mix of sand and water right?  And what happens when water and sand come together?  Right.  The sand is washed away to be redistributed somewhere else.  Hopefully it is redistributed to somewhere it is needed, like maybe to a child’s sandbox.

Nowadays there seem to be sinkholes opening up everywhere.  No state is safe.  Just look at those classic Corvettes in Kentucky.  Amazing and quite terrifying. 

And no country seems safe either.  Just look at what is happening in England after all that rain.  Again, quite terrifying.  It is global in scale.

They’re here, they’re there, they’re everywhere.  Think you are safe from them?  Think again!

So what is up?

Are they due to an extreme amount of rain as they claim across the old ponderoosa?

Are they due to underground caves that for some reason have decided to make themselves recognized?

Are they from an alien civilization that visited here (Chariots of the Gods?) long ago and left after drilling thousands of holes in search of what the interior of the earth had to offer them and their advanced society?

Maybe they are left over holes dug by some huge subterranean creatures back when the earth was younger and more wild than today.  Kind of like what happens in backyards when invaded by moles, voles, chipmunks, or shrews.  Hidden over thousands of years by loose material that lightly filled them and is now washing out almost all at the same time as if coordinated by some evil force.

Maybe they are small craters left over from when the earth was bombarded by all that space material all those eons ago.  Again, lightly filled in and now being washed out again.  Same evil force at work.

Are any of these possible or could it just be normal earth stuff happening?  Doubtful unless you are a fool and believe such bunk.

No, it’s pretty clear that what is happening is Global Swallowing and it is the result of all the stuff man has pulled out of the earth since he first hefted a pick or shovel back in the cave guy days. 

And just to exacerbate things Global Warming was very likely responsible for kicking off the Global Swallowing phase of the complete and utter destruction of this earth.

You can’t avoid the facts.  The science is clear and unmistakable and the debate is over.

American Ease

Commentary Political Social No Comments

I long ago learned that there were different reasons people (primarily from Europe as I understand it) came to the Americas.

There were those who came to explore.  Some explored and then explored some more.  Some explored and then stayed while others explored and then went home, perhaps to explore some more in some other place.

There were also those who came to exploit.  They were after gold, silver, land, and any other riches that this “new land” would offer to those with the aplomb to pursue with passion.  I suppose they felt some things were free for the taking while others had to be taken from those already in residence.

There were still others who came to escape- escape religious persecution, personal poverty, prison, and other unsavory alternatives.  I imagine that even with the dangers present it was still probably a nice place to escape to. 

Later still there were those who came to excel in places and ways that were improbable or even impossible in the places that they lived; some in Europe but then later in places all around the globe.  Excel if you had the gumption, wherewithal and tenacity (three words for you younger folks to look up) to do so.

There were those men of the cloth who came to explain and enlighten the natives who had no knowledge of our Christian God.  If their motivations or methods were misplaced it is likely unfair to judge from so many years in the future but proceed if you must.

Some would say that some or more than some came to enslave but if that were true then there would have been a much larger issue with Indian slavery than there was wouldn’t there?  No, that problem came later and it was with the willing and wilful  aid of others outside of the new land.

They came to educate (at least as their intention) and later to receive education; they came to more freely express themselves; they came to earn a better life and better living; they came to edify themselves and also others; they came to experience and engage and embrace and enjoy this new world;  they came to escape that which they could no longer endure; they came for equality and the opportunity to enfranchise themselves in this grand and great new and extraordinary experiment in free and unfettered enterpise;  they embarked on their expedition, their exemplary exodus, as emigrants, soon to be expatriates, to help establish, enhance, and enlarge a new type of freedom not before known in this world or any other; they came and they came; they came to what had been the edge of the world with high expectations and with hopes and dreams to enrich all that they had not before; they came to emancipate themselves from oppressive rule and worse; they came to employ extreme effort and worked to elicit and ensure the best possible outcomes for themselves and their families and peoples; they came to evolve, to emerge as something well beyond what was ever thought possible; they came to exclaim and exhort all they believed to all who would listen; they came and they came and they came.

One and all, rich and small, old and poor, young and destitute, man and child, mother and waif, hopeful and tired, oppressed and injured, nearly free, nearly freed.  They came and they came and they came.

They came to be exceptional.  And, in time, they did just that.  As no other time in the history of this world peoples came to a place to become exceptional and that is what they would be.  They would be exceptional.

Can we be that no more?  Should we be that no less?

Seems there are those who would respond no and then no again. 

Ask why, my fellow Americans, why one who has found the dream should then be allowed to take it away from any who would follow.  Why would one who has tell all others that they can have not? 

That, in itself, is truly exceptional is it not?

WhasyaWhasyaWhasyaWant?

Commentary Social No Comments

 

I once dated a girl.  I dated more than one and more than once before you think any satirical thoughts and later express them.

Anyhow, get over it and relax.  Shake it off.  Be free and easy.

This girl seemed grounded enough and said she only wanted me for me and only wanted my love for hers.  Seemed a fair deal so I took it.

So I gave and got.  Then I gave more and got a little less.  Before long I seemed to give almost all that I had to give and though it may not have been much it was all that I had to give.  And all I heard was what I was not giving and what else she needed me to give that was, yes, part of what I was not giving.

I loved this girl so I tried all in my power to make her happy, to satisfy her growing list of needs and wants and wishes and dreams and all that nature had given for her to freely desire.  But, yeah, you guessed it.  I kept up for awhile and before long fell out of the race.  To her credit she did nothing to hurt me- she simply worked it so that it would be me who would have little choice but to break things off.  Maybe that was kind, maybe it was her way of avoiding any blame.

Later she found another, and then another.  To be fair yet again, so did I.

In remembering I seem to be forgetting what it was I got while doing all that giving.  Must have been worth it I guess.

How much can any one person be expected to give to another?  Some say it could be endless as in the case of a parent providing for a child.  Or later in life when that parent wants the giving returned.  Perhaps it is a spouse whose needs must be met in order to preserve the union.  Maybe it is a little puppy dog or an old blind cat.

So what do you want?

And what are you willing to give for it?

Do you want it for free?

Would you take it for free if you could?

Seems to me that though maybe none of it is necessarily a zero sum game there does need to be balance.  How can there be takers when there are no givers?  How can you continue to consume what is no longer produced?  When all is free does it really contain any value any longer?

Free love- easy lay.

Free lunch- no one else wanted it.

Free speech- as opposed to enslaved speech?

Free for the taking- only if somehow it is also free for the giving.

Free for the asking- yeah, why not.

Free thinker- are you really?

Free spirit- who defines spirit?

Free time- always.

Free estimate- yeah, I’ve had those too.

Free marketplace- used to work pretty well I heard.

Free world?  Free for all.

Free pass.

Freeloader.

Freedumb.

It Could Happen Here

Political Social No Comments

 

Bet you’re thinking that you know what’s coming here because, by now, you think you know me don’t you?

You don’t.  You only know part of me and that is only revealed in what I have chosen to share through these blurbs that are read by no one.

So I am not going to say what you think about gloom and doom and our country’s conversion to progressivism or socialism or communism.  I am not going to comment about my concerns over our move to despotism or even totalitarianism.  I will not pine away about the old times and how we are becoming a fat and lazy nation that will not be able to hold a medal position for education, economic achievement, military power, or even personal freedom.   And I won’t even comment regarding the sad and most disappointing slide of our national culture.  No, that is not me, not here, and not now at least.

What I would like to suggest is that what could happen here is a conviction to change things.  Our conviction to change things.  What could happen here is that we dedicate ourselves, our lives, and our families to an effort to alter the course of our once-greater nation.  It has been done before, many times, in our rather short but very great history (sorry apologists but you are all dead wrong on that topic) and since I still have great faith that the great American spirit still beats strong if presently subdued in most of us I will not lose faith that it might, it can, be done again.

What does it take to revive that spirit within you?  No one really knows but you. 

Why does it sleep?  Because we let it sleep.  We let it with the quiet afforded by our accepting things that are and things that are not yet but may soon be.  And though we don’t like or agree with many or most of these things we do nothing about it.  Nothing.  Why not?

Make some noise in your heart, shake your soul, revive and awaken your spirit.  It can be done; it needs to be done if we are to change the course of things to come. 

Maybe you think you are too old for it to matter; or maybe you feel that alone your effort will amount to little; or maybe you don’t care about your future.  Maybe you have kids and don’t care about their future.  Can you tell them that?  Or maybe you have kids and do care and you should tell them that.  Or maybe you don’t have kids but care about my kids, or the future of all our kids, or just the future of our country, YOUR country, in general.

Have you done all that you have in life so far just to lead to the future you now see?  Do you really see it?  Do you?  Are you really okay with it or do you just close your eyes and hope it goes away?

I am no one to make a call but I would like to make a call to action- any action, as small or insignificant as it might seem to you.  Just do something good, something right.  But start by waking up and looking around.  Wake up and educate yourself on what is happening.  Make large changes to what you know and small changes to what you do and how you act, get involved in some way to start a move in the right direction. 

And, if you can, try to take a friend or two along. 

I woke up.  I got smart and opened my eyes.  I know that you can do the same and more.  You are an American and this is your country and it is a great and wonderful country, still, easily, the very best in history no matter what some would have you believe. 

Tomorrow, when you arise, ask yourself “what little thing can I do today?”  You might be surprised, after a little while, how far down the right road you have traveled.

Your country needs you.  Are you able to respond?

It could happen here.  It must happen here.