A year and a half from voting, and we were just treated to our first televised debate last evening. Not that I watched it, but the 8 Democratic contenders met to have a go at each other. Each of the 8 candidates flew to the debate in private, chartered jets, so there are some big-ass carbon footprints in the sky over South Carolina and the East Coast this morning - but I digress.
What in the world is going on here? Last evening was the first debate, but let's face it, the primary really began after last November's elections. I don't know about you, but I feel this is absolutely ridiculous and a waste of time and money. My guess is most people would feel a lot better if the election were held tomorrow, some because it would mean they no longer had to listen to George Bush, and others because it would mean we had a couple weeks off before the next political season began.
After having given it some serious thought, here are some constitutional amendments that I'd like to propose in order to simplify our election process and give the electorate a break from the incessant caterwauling of politicians:
TIME LIMITS: 2 weeks - that's it! We already know what they all stand for, and if you haven't picked out the losers just by watching their day-to-day activities, you're not paying close enough attention. The 2 week time limit also applies to reporters: They can't ask anything remotely related to election politics until the 2 week time period has begun. If you have laws, you must have consequences:
Politico's: Any mention of running for office, prior to the 2 week period, and you can't run - period. Not being able to run for office would probably be enough punishment, but just in case we need to reinforce the point, anyone found guilty will be forced to watch 200 hours of "The View" reruns, the ones with Rosie, so they can clearly see what happens when a horse's ass tries to vocalize.
Journalist: TV, radio, print, even bloggers - anyone that even has a remote reference to election politics will be forced to sit in a corner, wearing a dunce cap, while watching Dan Rather and and anyone from the NY Times discuss integrity and journalism - two mutually exclusive concepts in their world. Additionally, after serving their 24 hours in the corner, they will prohibited from discussing their experience in any fashion for at least 2 years. Since the sound of their own voices is all they're really interested in, this will be the greater punishment, and the 2 year time period will assure us that even when they do start to speak, after 2 years, no one will care what they have to say - the coup de grace.
LAW LIMITS: This is a concept totally alien to any politician; here's how it works: Once elected, a politician is not allowed to propose any law until the following conditions have been met:
1.) A politician may not propose any new legislation until they have served at least half of their term. For the newly elected, this will give them ample time to find out who the best lobbyists are, who throws the best parties, and who's ass they have to kiss before they can send some pork back home to the folks that elected them. If the elected party is a repeat offender (they got re-elected), the ban is extended to the last 2 weeks of their term. Since they have already begun the process of lining their pockets, they should concentrate on their retirement funding. This will assure us that once corrupted, they only have a couple of weeks to try and pay back their pimps. Google Mark Rich to see how Bubba handled his last two weeks in office.
2.) What if legislation is immediately required and everyone is a newly elected representative? Simple, for every new law they feel must be immediately implemented, they have to take ten laws off the books. Eventually, we'll be back down to the Ten Commandments, which is where we should have stayed in the first place. Additional benefits from this legislation include:
A. Fewer lawyers - probably more important than anything else. Just once, wouldn't you like to see them make life simpler, instead of creating words and concepts that call to mind Steely Dan's "Pretzel Logic"? One other note of importance - lawyers will no longer be allowed to run for office. Yes, I know it would go against our basic principles, but we must make this one exception if we ever hope to understand anything. Those lawyers not brilliant enough to stay in the legal profession can be retrained as crossing guards and toll booth attendants - occupations where they have only a brief period of time to bore people to death by talking.
B. Come to think of it, anything beyond fewer lawyers is just gravy.
CONTRIBUTION LIMITS: Let's face it, McCain-Feingold isn't worth the paper its written on, and we all know how important it is for any politician to have plenty of money for their multi-media election blitzkrieg. By prohibiting anyone from running for office more than 2 weeks before the election date, we'll have eliminated any need for McCain-Feingold.
How's that? Simple: No contributions allowed at all! One week before the election, everyone running for a particular office, from both parties, gets together for one big meltdown, kind of like professional wrestling, only less fake. Instead of beating each other over the head in a cage match, we make them all debate at the same time, both parties. At the end of the debate, all contestants must walk the runway in a bathing suit of their choice. Since our media is devoted to finding out every little thing any candidate has ever done since they were old enough to walk, let's get everything out in the open. Eventually, the secular progressives will want to make the bathing suit optional, at which time political debates will start to draw larger audiences than the Super Bowl.
Thus far, we've curtailed the importance of lobbyists (Law Limits);we've severely curtailed the number of lawyers, while assuring we have the smartest crossing guards in the world; we've made sure we only have to listen to political candidates for two weeks in every election cycle; we've taken away large sums of money from the coffers of CBS/NBC/ABC/Fox/CNN and every newspaper in the country, because we've eliminated the need for the incessant political commercials; we've made arrangements that will get more laws off the books and fewer laws on them, and maybe, just maybe, we've made it possible for the average citizen, who doesn't have $500 million laying around, to run for office and be heard.
All that and naked politicians - who could ask for anything more?
Friday, April 27, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Carbon Credits For Sale
In my sincere effort to promote greenness, especially in terms of my bank account, I am today announcing my new program: Watson in the Adirondack's Carbon Credits for Krazy You = WACCKY
Now you can get the Hummer you've always wanted and you don't have to worry about what you're shooting into the air.
Now you can fly anywhere to collect your Hollywood awards without having to do those silly things like riding in a bio-fueled car after all of your cross-continent, private jet trips.
Simply send any amount of money commensurate with your guilt, and I'll assuage your eco-conscience by doing the following:
* 0 - $100: You're not feeling enough guilt yet, so I'm only going to meditate on your behalf, sending all my positive energy to you. This will help save the planet anyway, because all the time I spend meditating is that much less time I'll be spending driving my 8 cylinder chariot.
* $101 - $500: You're starting to feel a little guilty, but you're not Hollywood material yet. At this level of credit, I have made arrangements with the local 4H clubs to purchase CFF's in bulk quantities, so we have enough to meet the anticipated demand. CFF's - Cow Fart Filters, are not as effective as the old BB's (Bovine Bungs), but Elsie says the ladies prefer the CFF's - less intrusive. Our crack Research & Development folks are working on a new project that shows great promise: BBB's, or Big Bear Bungs. Although not as plentiful as other species, we are pursuing this effort for informational purposes as well. In the future we'll be presenting a detailed, scientific report that finally answers that age old question: Does a bear s*** in the woods? We're still working on the insertion procedure.
* $501 - $1,000: At this level, you're probably dealing with other guilt issues in conjunction with your eco-mania. Not only will we plant a Weeping Willow in your honor, but we'll send you, at no additional cost, including those sneaky "shipping and handling charges", a copy of Hillary Clinton's "It Takes A Village", and whatever book Dr. Phil currently has on the market. Don't forget to take your meds.
* $1,001 - $10,000: Sending this kind of money assures us that you don't shop at WalMart like the rest of us do. We'll plant 5 Weeping Willows, 4 White Pines, 3 Norwegian Maples, 2 Great Oaks and 1 Lilac Bush, and then we'll buy Sprawl-Mart lawn signs and give them away at Sheryl Caw-Caw Crow concerts, along with an autographed, single sheet of toilet paper.
$10,001 - Infinity: You're my kind of folks. You'll get the meditation, the CFF's, the BBB's, all the flora and fauna you can fathom, the books, the Sprawl Mart signs, the Sheryl Caw-Caw Crow autographed sheet of toilet paper (quilted is extra), and a special feature that will set you apart from your neighbors. WACCKY will pay all of the legal fees associated with your name change, so that you can become an Al-Gore too, or three, or four - the sooner you sign up, the lower your number. Just imagine being introduced in the future: "Ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to introduce Al-Gore MMVII!" (Roman numerals are extra) Without opening your mouth, people will automatically know who you are and what you stand for. As a added bonus, the first 500 Al-Gore's will get a special CD that includes Linda Ronstadt's newest single, "The Lemming Lullaby".
Make your contribution to a better world today and send ungodly amounts of money to me at:
WWACKY
Attn: Johnny Daniels
1 Bourbon Lane
Watson NY OICU812
(If I had the technical expertise required, you would have been listening to Paul Simon's "Call Me Al" while reading this post, so just back up to the start, hear the song in your head, and then start reading all over again. If you actually did this and are back at this point for the 2nd time, stop now and go on with your life, but don't forget to sign my guest book - you're someone special!)
Now you can get the Hummer you've always wanted and you don't have to worry about what you're shooting into the air.
Now you can fly anywhere to collect your Hollywood awards without having to do those silly things like riding in a bio-fueled car after all of your cross-continent, private jet trips.
Simply send any amount of money commensurate with your guilt, and I'll assuage your eco-conscience by doing the following:
* 0 - $100: You're not feeling enough guilt yet, so I'm only going to meditate on your behalf, sending all my positive energy to you. This will help save the planet anyway, because all the time I spend meditating is that much less time I'll be spending driving my 8 cylinder chariot.
* $101 - $500: You're starting to feel a little guilty, but you're not Hollywood material yet. At this level of credit, I have made arrangements with the local 4H clubs to purchase CFF's in bulk quantities, so we have enough to meet the anticipated demand. CFF's - Cow Fart Filters, are not as effective as the old BB's (Bovine Bungs), but Elsie says the ladies prefer the CFF's - less intrusive. Our crack Research & Development folks are working on a new project that shows great promise: BBB's, or Big Bear Bungs. Although not as plentiful as other species, we are pursuing this effort for informational purposes as well. In the future we'll be presenting a detailed, scientific report that finally answers that age old question: Does a bear s*** in the woods? We're still working on the insertion procedure.
* $501 - $1,000: At this level, you're probably dealing with other guilt issues in conjunction with your eco-mania. Not only will we plant a Weeping Willow in your honor, but we'll send you, at no additional cost, including those sneaky "shipping and handling charges", a copy of Hillary Clinton's "It Takes A Village", and whatever book Dr. Phil currently has on the market. Don't forget to take your meds.
* $1,001 - $10,000: Sending this kind of money assures us that you don't shop at WalMart like the rest of us do. We'll plant 5 Weeping Willows, 4 White Pines, 3 Norwegian Maples, 2 Great Oaks and 1 Lilac Bush, and then we'll buy Sprawl-Mart lawn signs and give them away at Sheryl Caw-Caw Crow concerts, along with an autographed, single sheet of toilet paper.
$10,001 - Infinity: You're my kind of folks. You'll get the meditation, the CFF's, the BBB's, all the flora and fauna you can fathom, the books, the Sprawl Mart signs, the Sheryl Caw-Caw Crow autographed sheet of toilet paper (quilted is extra), and a special feature that will set you apart from your neighbors. WACCKY will pay all of the legal fees associated with your name change, so that you can become an Al-Gore too, or three, or four - the sooner you sign up, the lower your number. Just imagine being introduced in the future: "Ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to introduce Al-Gore MMVII!" (Roman numerals are extra) Without opening your mouth, people will automatically know who you are and what you stand for. As a added bonus, the first 500 Al-Gore's will get a special CD that includes Linda Ronstadt's newest single, "The Lemming Lullaby".
Make your contribution to a better world today and send ungodly amounts of money to me at:
WWACKY
Attn: Johnny Daniels
1 Bourbon Lane
Watson NY OICU812
(If I had the technical expertise required, you would have been listening to Paul Simon's "Call Me Al" while reading this post, so just back up to the start, hear the song in your head, and then start reading all over again. If you actually did this and are back at this point for the 2nd time, stop now and go on with your life, but don't forget to sign my guest book - you're someone special!)
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Death and Life
As my final post on this 25th of April, I'd like to talk about the State Troopers that have been shot, and killed, in the last few days. Like the men and women in our Armed Forces, these are similar brave young men and women who serve and protect us here in New York. Sure they're a pain in the ass when you're the one getting the ticket, but that's their job too and you probably deserved it anyway. I know I always do, whether I admit it or not.
I heard a long time member of that force on the radio today, saying that he hoped it was time that the Democrats in Albany made killing a police officer a crime punishable by death.
I know the desire for revenge, whether you call it justice or not, is akin to breathing. Should it not be for God to make the final judgement? I have faith that He will. Here on earth, the taking of a life should not be punished by the same act as that of the killer, whether it's state sanctioned or not.
I realize that's not the perspective of many conservatives, but it's mine.
If it weren't so late I'd do the Google search for the story regarding a young man, convicted of murder, who was forced to face the mother of the other young man he had killed. Before she could say anything, this young murderer broke down, sobbing, begging forgiveness. Through her tears, the mother replied, "I have forgiven you a long time ago. It is God's forgiveness you must be concerned with now."
Forgiveness cleanses the heart and the soul, and what makes matters even better, it makes the jerk that pissed you off in the first place feel even worse.
Sometimes, there are unexpected benefits to doing the right thing.
I heard a long time member of that force on the radio today, saying that he hoped it was time that the Democrats in Albany made killing a police officer a crime punishable by death.
I know the desire for revenge, whether you call it justice or not, is akin to breathing. Should it not be for God to make the final judgement? I have faith that He will. Here on earth, the taking of a life should not be punished by the same act as that of the killer, whether it's state sanctioned or not.
I realize that's not the perspective of many conservatives, but it's mine.
If it weren't so late I'd do the Google search for the story regarding a young man, convicted of murder, who was forced to face the mother of the other young man he had killed. Before she could say anything, this young murderer broke down, sobbing, begging forgiveness. Through her tears, the mother replied, "I have forgiven you a long time ago. It is God's forgiveness you must be concerned with now."
Forgiveness cleanses the heart and the soul, and what makes matters even better, it makes the jerk that pissed you off in the first place feel even worse.
Sometimes, there are unexpected benefits to doing the right thing.
Coming Out of the Closet
After all these years, I'm finally ready to come out of the closet and admit that I didn't vote for Ronald Reagan the first time around in 1980. I voted for John Anderson.
I know - who? He had silver hair; he wasn't as dangerous as Reagan, or as insipid as Carter in my then quite liberal opinion.
I fear that I must go even deeper into my youthful past and freely admit that I voted for George McGovern too! Hair down to my shoulders, self-assured and as pretentious as any liberal has ever felt.
Why Anderson? The peanut from Georgia gave us one good thing: his brother Billy, who in turn begot "Billy Beer". It was even brewed by FX Matt's in Utica, so upstate New York made a few bucks and generated hangovers nationwide. That hangover coalesced into the Iran hostage crisis, where the whining from the White House was matched only by it's ability to make most of the country depressed. The hangover actually began with Nixon - the main reason I was a liberal - Carter only made it worse, and then made us look like helpless, hapless neophytes to those who even then were starting their war of terror.
Of course he brought Begin and Sadat together, which didn't work out all that well for Sadat, and come to think of it, hasn't worked out all that well for the Middle East either - but that doesn't keep the old fart from still meddling in the nation's affairs.
You can say one thing for Jimmy though - he only lusted in his heart, unlike Bubba.
Where was I ... oh, I didn't vote for Reagan in 1980 because I was convinced that Ronnie Rayguns was a danger not only to the USA, but to the world as well. After all, he was a conservative, and the only one of those I had ever heard of before was named Goldwater and the TV commercial showed that atomic blast, so there was no doubt in my mind that conservatives were warmongering lunatics.
And for that, I can only blame Uncle Walter.
He was America's undisputed newsman, anchorman, war correspondent who'd been all around the world and told you every night: "...and that's the way it is, month/date/year. For CBS News, this is Walter Cronkite. Good night."
He was undisputed because we only got one stinking channel with that rotating monstrosity perched atop our roof: WWNY Channel 7 in Watertown - and that meant Uncle Walter and Uncle Walter only. The local paper was, and still is, published once per week and national news is not their forte. There were no conservative views expressed, or if they were, I never recognized them as such because Grandpa Bailey said voting a straight Republican ticket was the only way to go. He and Grandma Bailey raised 12 kids during the depression and the one time someone from social services tried to give something to the family, the reply was not even politically correct by 1930's standards, and rumor has it there was something about placing cheese where the sun don't shine, but I can't swear to that.
So with a little help from my friends, Uncle Walter, and the innate animation of a blooming contrarian (not to mention the usual teenage angst), I lived the liberal lemming life of love, lucidly listening to Lucy in the Sky. Who said alliteration is a dying art?
And then the darndest thing happened. Instead of listening to what CBS and the NY Times were telling me Reagan was doing, I started to really listen to what he had to say. I finally started to remember what it was like to proud to be an American. I started to realize that less government is better government. I started to bring God back into my life and realize that as a nation, we were founded on Judeo-Christian principles. That means that although we will not acknowledge any religion as the official religion of the country, we should not have to pull the Ten Commandments from the front lawn of the Court House.
To make a long story short, I'm like a reformed smoker (I did quit smoking on 10-2-97, but banning smoking in bars without giving the bar owner the power to make his own decision is just another example of that old TV show from the 1950's: Government Knows Best).
So now you know my sordid past, and I do feel relief at having burst forth from the wardrobe at long last.
May Ron forgive me.
I know - who? He had silver hair; he wasn't as dangerous as Reagan, or as insipid as Carter in my then quite liberal opinion.
I fear that I must go even deeper into my youthful past and freely admit that I voted for George McGovern too! Hair down to my shoulders, self-assured and as pretentious as any liberal has ever felt.
Why Anderson? The peanut from Georgia gave us one good thing: his brother Billy, who in turn begot "Billy Beer". It was even brewed by FX Matt's in Utica, so upstate New York made a few bucks and generated hangovers nationwide. That hangover coalesced into the Iran hostage crisis, where the whining from the White House was matched only by it's ability to make most of the country depressed. The hangover actually began with Nixon - the main reason I was a liberal - Carter only made it worse, and then made us look like helpless, hapless neophytes to those who even then were starting their war of terror.
Of course he brought Begin and Sadat together, which didn't work out all that well for Sadat, and come to think of it, hasn't worked out all that well for the Middle East either - but that doesn't keep the old fart from still meddling in the nation's affairs.
You can say one thing for Jimmy though - he only lusted in his heart, unlike Bubba.
Where was I ... oh, I didn't vote for Reagan in 1980 because I was convinced that Ronnie Rayguns was a danger not only to the USA, but to the world as well. After all, he was a conservative, and the only one of those I had ever heard of before was named Goldwater and the TV commercial showed that atomic blast, so there was no doubt in my mind that conservatives were warmongering lunatics.
And for that, I can only blame Uncle Walter.
He was America's undisputed newsman, anchorman, war correspondent who'd been all around the world and told you every night: "...and that's the way it is, month/date/year. For CBS News, this is Walter Cronkite. Good night."
He was undisputed because we only got one stinking channel with that rotating monstrosity perched atop our roof: WWNY Channel 7 in Watertown - and that meant Uncle Walter and Uncle Walter only. The local paper was, and still is, published once per week and national news is not their forte. There were no conservative views expressed, or if they were, I never recognized them as such because Grandpa Bailey said voting a straight Republican ticket was the only way to go. He and Grandma Bailey raised 12 kids during the depression and the one time someone from social services tried to give something to the family, the reply was not even politically correct by 1930's standards, and rumor has it there was something about placing cheese where the sun don't shine, but I can't swear to that.
So with a little help from my friends, Uncle Walter, and the innate animation of a blooming contrarian (not to mention the usual teenage angst), I lived the liberal lemming life of love, lucidly listening to Lucy in the Sky. Who said alliteration is a dying art?
And then the darndest thing happened. Instead of listening to what CBS and the NY Times were telling me Reagan was doing, I started to really listen to what he had to say. I finally started to remember what it was like to proud to be an American. I started to realize that less government is better government. I started to bring God back into my life and realize that as a nation, we were founded on Judeo-Christian principles. That means that although we will not acknowledge any religion as the official religion of the country, we should not have to pull the Ten Commandments from the front lawn of the Court House.
To make a long story short, I'm like a reformed smoker (I did quit smoking on 10-2-97, but banning smoking in bars without giving the bar owner the power to make his own decision is just another example of that old TV show from the 1950's: Government Knows Best).
So now you know my sordid past, and I do feel relief at having burst forth from the wardrobe at long last.
May Ron forgive me.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Where Is The Middle Ground?
It gets harder every day to resist the polarization that plagues us. I don't know if there is any middle ground left; or rather, viable middle ground. It's no use pointing out the middle if no one wants to go there. I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate getting stuck in the middle seat on any airplane. No analogy intended; it's just one of those things in life that irk the hell out of me.
Irk - now there's a wonderful word.
If upon your mind I irk
Have you the right to call me jerk?
Doggerel, but to the point. Thanks to the talking heads brought to us on every news network (yes, even Fox) we are constantly inundated with people to whom civility is as foreign a concept as it would be to a Neanderthal. Not everything is so easy a cave man could do it.
If we don't stop to listen, we can't hear another idea that may lead to another, to another...you get the idea.
The only real problem with civility is that many people associate it with political correctness (from here on, and ever after referred to as PFC, make up your own acronym, I've got mine). You see boys and girls, civility is what we practiced many years ago before educated people, with nothing better to do than to tell us how to live our lives, metastasized into the "Goody-Two-Faced-Two-Shoes of the 21st Century.
They are well-intentioned. Zealots, whether they be religious extremists or secular apostates, are almost always well-intentioned.
So based upon my less than unbiased observations, just where is the middle ground?
Immigration, Iraq, Abortion, Taxes - with a list of issues like these does the middle ground represent good government, or a lack of conviction?
What? Did you think I had all the answers?
I'm sure I'll be sharing some ideas with you - that's the reason I started this in the first place. The other thing I hope is that as people start to read, if they start to read, you'll feel free to share your thoughts here.
I'm happy hurling invective or conducting a digital conversation with insight and respect - the choice, of course, is yours.
Irk - now there's a wonderful word.
If upon your mind I irk
Have you the right to call me jerk?
Doggerel, but to the point. Thanks to the talking heads brought to us on every news network (yes, even Fox) we are constantly inundated with people to whom civility is as foreign a concept as it would be to a Neanderthal. Not everything is so easy a cave man could do it.
If we don't stop to listen, we can't hear another idea that may lead to another, to another...you get the idea.
The only real problem with civility is that many people associate it with political correctness (from here on, and ever after referred to as PFC, make up your own acronym, I've got mine). You see boys and girls, civility is what we practiced many years ago before educated people, with nothing better to do than to tell us how to live our lives, metastasized into the "Goody-Two-Faced-Two-Shoes of the 21st Century.
They are well-intentioned. Zealots, whether they be religious extremists or secular apostates, are almost always well-intentioned.
So based upon my less than unbiased observations, just where is the middle ground?
Immigration, Iraq, Abortion, Taxes - with a list of issues like these does the middle ground represent good government, or a lack of conviction?
What? Did you think I had all the answers?
I'm sure I'll be sharing some ideas with you - that's the reason I started this in the first place. The other thing I hope is that as people start to read, if they start to read, you'll feel free to share your thoughts here.
I'm happy hurling invective or conducting a digital conversation with insight and respect - the choice, of course, is yours.
Why Blog?
Is everyone simply looking for their fifteen minutes of fame, seeking a catharsis, spewing venom and hatred, just simply looking to share their opinions and loneliness with others - I'm sure there are many reasons why people begin to blog, so I'll share a few of my reasons with you.
WORDS: The inescapable beauty of words has always fascinated me. Their sounds, their meanings and the incredible variety of ways they can be joined together to create everything from Shakespeare to Mein Kampf. People who take the time to expand their vocabulary can find words that express feelings they never knew how to express before, or examine concepts that lead the mind to greater development. For some time now I've had the "Word of the Day" sent to my email every morning from "Dictionary.com". If you think you're a relatively intelligent person with a firm grasp of the English language, have these words sent to you every day - your humility quotient will rise considerably.
THINKING: When do you do your best thinking? Do you do any? Most of us are too concerned with making a living and raising our children to spend a lot of time pondering the benefits of a strong central government versus states rights. Putting words down on paper, real or digital, helps develop the thinking process and allows the mind greater time to wrangle with unresolved questions. For the 99% of us who like to think we think, we'll never attain the heights of a Voltaire or the depths of a Dante, but any question, well thought out, is an accomplishment worthy of note. Even if you're a liberal and you're wrong 90% of the time, at least it shows you're still thinking and there's hope that you'll mature someday.
SARCASM: "Macdonald has the gift of compressing the largest amount of words into the smallest amount of thoughts" - Sir Winston Churchill
"Baldwin occasionally stumbles over the truth, but he always hastily picks himself up and hurries on as if nothing had happened." - Sir Winston Churchill
I'm sure there have been others over the course of time who were as adept at sarcasm as Sir Winston, but he's #1 in my book. Anyone is capable of insulting another, but the sheer genius of some retorts over the course of history leaves one continually thinking: "Geez, I wish I had said that".
CATHARSIS: My 27 year old daughter passed away on December 5, 2006. It was an accidental death, but accidents are no less painful than any other form of death. As I write this on April 24, 2007, I am still in the depths of depression. I'm getting counseling, I'm on anti-depressants, and I've been out of work on temporary disability since February. I'm doing everything that experts suggest I do, but I still have days where the thought of living is a burden. That doesn't mean I'm suicidal, it just means I don't give a tinker's damn most of the time. My brother, two years younger than I, lost his oldest daughter exactly one month to the day that I lost mine. He made an observation that the only time I've seemed truly animated in the past four months is when I'm talking about politics. So, fair warning to my liberal friends (I do have some) - expect a few shots across the bow - especially if you support that carpet-bagging Arkansas shrew with the phony black-Southern accent who thinks she should be President and her husband should be an Amb-ASS-a-bore to the world. Okay, so I occasionally make up a word or two - sue me.
COMMUNITY: We are in the midst of a transition in the history of man that is unlike any we've ever experienced before. With the advent of satellite communications and the Internet, we can speak with anyone, anywhere in the world. I'll give you an example:
Last summer, after the Lebanon/Syria/Israel/Hamas/Iran fighting (feel free to add to the list of participants if you so desire), I wrote an email to the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington, D.C., asking for an explanation, or justification for strapping explosives on a child and having them commit a suicidal act of terror. Mohammed (no last name given), replied to me, asking me to consider the acts of the Israeli's as well. Although he did not directly respond to the question I had asked, it began a dialog that continued for most the summer and ended with an invitation to have lunch at the Saudi Embassy anytime I'm in Washington, D.C. We solved absolutely nothing, but we did establish a dialogue that sought to educate and share - that beats the hell out of shooting each other.
With the wide open availability of ideas, this world is changing - for better or for worse is up to us. We can follow the path of China and try to restrict who's talking and what they're saying, but that has never, and will never work.
Freedom is the responsibility of every man, woman and child who was blessed to have been born into freedom. Those that would have us cut and run in Iraq are ready to deny this tenet. We can not stand by and let Islamic-radicals bring more terror to this nation, or anywhere else in the world for that matter.
If not now, when? If not us, who else?
I could easily supply you with liberal answers to those questions, but for the time being I think I'll just wait and see if any liberals care to reply with their own answers.
Until next time - may God bless.
WORDS: The inescapable beauty of words has always fascinated me. Their sounds, their meanings and the incredible variety of ways they can be joined together to create everything from Shakespeare to Mein Kampf. People who take the time to expand their vocabulary can find words that express feelings they never knew how to express before, or examine concepts that lead the mind to greater development. For some time now I've had the "Word of the Day" sent to my email every morning from "Dictionary.com". If you think you're a relatively intelligent person with a firm grasp of the English language, have these words sent to you every day - your humility quotient will rise considerably.
THINKING: When do you do your best thinking? Do you do any? Most of us are too concerned with making a living and raising our children to spend a lot of time pondering the benefits of a strong central government versus states rights. Putting words down on paper, real or digital, helps develop the thinking process and allows the mind greater time to wrangle with unresolved questions. For the 99% of us who like to think we think, we'll never attain the heights of a Voltaire or the depths of a Dante, but any question, well thought out, is an accomplishment worthy of note. Even if you're a liberal and you're wrong 90% of the time, at least it shows you're still thinking and there's hope that you'll mature someday.
SARCASM: "Macdonald has the gift of compressing the largest amount of words into the smallest amount of thoughts" - Sir Winston Churchill
"Baldwin occasionally stumbles over the truth, but he always hastily picks himself up and hurries on as if nothing had happened." - Sir Winston Churchill
I'm sure there have been others over the course of time who were as adept at sarcasm as Sir Winston, but he's #1 in my book. Anyone is capable of insulting another, but the sheer genius of some retorts over the course of history leaves one continually thinking: "Geez, I wish I had said that".
CATHARSIS: My 27 year old daughter passed away on December 5, 2006. It was an accidental death, but accidents are no less painful than any other form of death. As I write this on April 24, 2007, I am still in the depths of depression. I'm getting counseling, I'm on anti-depressants, and I've been out of work on temporary disability since February. I'm doing everything that experts suggest I do, but I still have days where the thought of living is a burden. That doesn't mean I'm suicidal, it just means I don't give a tinker's damn most of the time. My brother, two years younger than I, lost his oldest daughter exactly one month to the day that I lost mine. He made an observation that the only time I've seemed truly animated in the past four months is when I'm talking about politics. So, fair warning to my liberal friends (I do have some) - expect a few shots across the bow - especially if you support that carpet-bagging Arkansas shrew with the phony black-Southern accent who thinks she should be President and her husband should be an Amb-ASS-a-bore to the world. Okay, so I occasionally make up a word or two - sue me.
COMMUNITY: We are in the midst of a transition in the history of man that is unlike any we've ever experienced before. With the advent of satellite communications and the Internet, we can speak with anyone, anywhere in the world. I'll give you an example:
Last summer, after the Lebanon/Syria/Israel/Hamas/Iran fighting (feel free to add to the list of participants if you so desire), I wrote an email to the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington, D.C., asking for an explanation, or justification for strapping explosives on a child and having them commit a suicidal act of terror. Mohammed (no last name given), replied to me, asking me to consider the acts of the Israeli's as well. Although he did not directly respond to the question I had asked, it began a dialog that continued for most the summer and ended with an invitation to have lunch at the Saudi Embassy anytime I'm in Washington, D.C. We solved absolutely nothing, but we did establish a dialogue that sought to educate and share - that beats the hell out of shooting each other.
With the wide open availability of ideas, this world is changing - for better or for worse is up to us. We can follow the path of China and try to restrict who's talking and what they're saying, but that has never, and will never work.
Freedom is the responsibility of every man, woman and child who was blessed to have been born into freedom. Those that would have us cut and run in Iraq are ready to deny this tenet. We can not stand by and let Islamic-radicals bring more terror to this nation, or anywhere else in the world for that matter.
If not now, when? If not us, who else?
I could easily supply you with liberal answers to those questions, but for the time being I think I'll just wait and see if any liberals care to reply with their own answers.
Until next time - may God bless.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Harry Reid - A Man for all Treasons
Senator Harry Reid is a wonderful example of what the liberals in this country would have us all become. Please note, I did not say "Democrats", because I sincerely believe that there are Democrats out there who still have a backbone; but the Joe Libermans' are few and far between in the party.
Just for a moment, let's go back to WWII. Can you imagine a Senate Majority Leader saying the war is lost; trying to cut funding for the troops and offering our enemies a time line for when we plan to tuck our tail between our legs and run? I guess Webster's is going to have to rethink their definition of the word "treason". Personally, I think the definition should stay the same and we should place Senator Reid's name right alongside another great American's: Benedict Arnold.
Those who say that the Democrats want to see us defeated in Iraq are way off the mark. We are all Americans and no one wants to see us defeated. Don't misunderstand - they don't want to see us defeated - they want to see George Bush defeated and the Democrats back in total control. If it means that we desert people struggling to form a democratic government; if that means that terrorists around the world can count on the fact that the United States will not stand by it's friends and allies; if the cause of freedom is relegated to the dreams of the few; if Iraq becomes Iran's private terrorist training camp; that's a small price to pay for Democrats to be in power. The party comes before the country - a sad commentary on the party that once had men like Harry Truman and Jack Kennedy leading it. They were men, not the spineless dish rags like Harry Reid and Dick Durbin.
What are the Democrats for? You pretty much know what they're against: free speech (unless you're spouting their party line), freedom of ideas (unless it meets their criteria that the United States is the root of evil in the world), the right to bear arms (they can control us with less effort if we can't fight back), protecting the lives of the unborn (it's just a clump of cells, it doesn't have a soul because their is no God) - I could go on, but the point is quite simple: They don't stand for much of anything - they just stand against whatever the President is for.
The two young men from Lewis County who gave their lives have been disgraced and diminished by the words of Senator Reid, and that is the greatest crime of all. I try to force myself to always consider the opposing point of view and remember that the person who holds that view is, first and foremost, a child of God; secondly, they are Americans who love their country (for the most part), and they are entitled to their point of view and the freedom to express it. Senator Reid has gone way beyond that.
It gives one pause when you consider that Don Imus was fired for cracking a tasteless joke using language that you can hear everyday on any rap/hip-hop radio station, yet the Senate Majority leader preaches defeatism and treason and the party lemmings are ready to eagerly follow him right off the cliff.
There are positive aspects to all of this liberal lunacy, you just have to look for that silver lining:
1.) The French will love us again and Jerry Lewis will be elected President of France.
2.) Alec Baldwin will become Secretary of State and leave screaming phone messages for world leaders instead of his 11 year old daughter.
3.) Rosie O'Donnell will become Secretary of Stupidity and get her own TV show on CNN - Streisand is ready to step in when Rosie eventually goes to rehab for her Twinkie addiction.
4.) Charlie Sheen and Sean Penn will be Co-Secretary's of Paranoia and Conspiracy, and they will eventually prove that 9-11 was a gigantic hoax created by Charlton Heston and the NRA.
5.) Cindy Sheehan and the Rev. Al Sharpton, posing as Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee, will become Ambassadors to Venezuela and Russia respectively. Cindy gets Venezuela because she already thinks Hugo Chavez is the person inside the Barney costume, and the Rev. Al gets Russia because they shoot people over their who run their mouths off and even the Democrats don't much care what happens to Al as long as he's out of the country.
6.) Al-Gore will become Secretary for the Environment, creating a "carbon-credits" program that will rival any previous attempts at boondooggling (I'm not sure if that's a word, but it should be). Based upon Al-Gore's philosophy of "do as I say, not as I do", lights will go out around the world sometime around 2012. As all governments fail and anarchy reigns, the law of the jungle will prevail and all liberals will be shot on sight or sentenced as indentured servants for Rush Limbaugh and Karl Rove.
See, I told you there was a silver lining.
Just for a moment, let's go back to WWII. Can you imagine a Senate Majority Leader saying the war is lost; trying to cut funding for the troops and offering our enemies a time line for when we plan to tuck our tail between our legs and run? I guess Webster's is going to have to rethink their definition of the word "treason". Personally, I think the definition should stay the same and we should place Senator Reid's name right alongside another great American's: Benedict Arnold.
Those who say that the Democrats want to see us defeated in Iraq are way off the mark. We are all Americans and no one wants to see us defeated. Don't misunderstand - they don't want to see us defeated - they want to see George Bush defeated and the Democrats back in total control. If it means that we desert people struggling to form a democratic government; if that means that terrorists around the world can count on the fact that the United States will not stand by it's friends and allies; if the cause of freedom is relegated to the dreams of the few; if Iraq becomes Iran's private terrorist training camp; that's a small price to pay for Democrats to be in power. The party comes before the country - a sad commentary on the party that once had men like Harry Truman and Jack Kennedy leading it. They were men, not the spineless dish rags like Harry Reid and Dick Durbin.
What are the Democrats for? You pretty much know what they're against: free speech (unless you're spouting their party line), freedom of ideas (unless it meets their criteria that the United States is the root of evil in the world), the right to bear arms (they can control us with less effort if we can't fight back), protecting the lives of the unborn (it's just a clump of cells, it doesn't have a soul because their is no God) - I could go on, but the point is quite simple: They don't stand for much of anything - they just stand against whatever the President is for.
The two young men from Lewis County who gave their lives have been disgraced and diminished by the words of Senator Reid, and that is the greatest crime of all. I try to force myself to always consider the opposing point of view and remember that the person who holds that view is, first and foremost, a child of God; secondly, they are Americans who love their country (for the most part), and they are entitled to their point of view and the freedom to express it. Senator Reid has gone way beyond that.
It gives one pause when you consider that Don Imus was fired for cracking a tasteless joke using language that you can hear everyday on any rap/hip-hop radio station, yet the Senate Majority leader preaches defeatism and treason and the party lemmings are ready to eagerly follow him right off the cliff.
There are positive aspects to all of this liberal lunacy, you just have to look for that silver lining:
1.) The French will love us again and Jerry Lewis will be elected President of France.
2.) Alec Baldwin will become Secretary of State and leave screaming phone messages for world leaders instead of his 11 year old daughter.
3.) Rosie O'Donnell will become Secretary of Stupidity and get her own TV show on CNN - Streisand is ready to step in when Rosie eventually goes to rehab for her Twinkie addiction.
4.) Charlie Sheen and Sean Penn will be Co-Secretary's of Paranoia and Conspiracy, and they will eventually prove that 9-11 was a gigantic hoax created by Charlton Heston and the NRA.
5.) Cindy Sheehan and the Rev. Al Sharpton, posing as Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee, will become Ambassadors to Venezuela and Russia respectively. Cindy gets Venezuela because she already thinks Hugo Chavez is the person inside the Barney costume, and the Rev. Al gets Russia because they shoot people over their who run their mouths off and even the Democrats don't much care what happens to Al as long as he's out of the country.
6.) Al-Gore will become Secretary for the Environment, creating a "carbon-credits" program that will rival any previous attempts at boondooggling (I'm not sure if that's a word, but it should be). Based upon Al-Gore's philosophy of "do as I say, not as I do", lights will go out around the world sometime around 2012. As all governments fail and anarchy reigns, the law of the jungle will prevail and all liberals will be shot on sight or sentenced as indentured servants for Rush Limbaugh and Karl Rove.
See, I told you there was a silver lining.
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