This congress of ours is stupid; and brazenly, as THE deciding vote -- at just a hair out of place past midnight -- as the campaign trail was more pressing -- Nancy, in stellar, partisan, pasty-face and botox buffooned-eyed fashion, adjourned the house. The vote 210-209.
The decision to adhere to the Bush Tax Cuts for all, postponed.
So, this is what we can look forward to: once the house it taken over by conservatives, come November 2, we fix it (say it like a Russian spy).
In the meantime, we have a community organizer - in - chief, rolling up his shirt sleeves, meeting with friendly fire in backyard pow wows, never knowing what bows and arrows will come at him. Case in point, the fair maiden who dared to ask, "why are you a christian?"
Again, isn't it alarming enough that we are in a position to ask such a question? Does this give anybody else the willy's, or is it just me?
To be in a place when everyday families are struggling with the economic downturn (s), showing even more angst over health care and its costs than ever before, lacking all confidence in where we are headed as a nation, questioning the knee jerk reactions of a president from everything from a police officer acting stupidly in Massachusetts, to dimwit underwear bombers in Michigan, to Allah-loving, nut case, army doctors in Texas, to religious fanatics raising victory mosques in New York, to making mindless, blanketed oil drilling moratoriums in the Gulf and beyond...we get someone questioning the president's christian roots, scalping the very integrity of his beliefs????
and no dance around the fire whatsoever; whoosh, as if you didn't see it coming, having only felt the breeze behind the ear; what just happened?
um ahh um ahh
"my Christianity [you know] is by choice." (so it's the really smart man's Christianity, not just some aimless, d***less, spineless, pointless, ridiculous follower of Jesus Christ, like so many of you ignoramus Americans are born and raised.)
um ahh um ahh
"[you know, it's kindof a funny story] my family didn't... ahh ... frankly...they weren't folks that went to church every week." (maybe cuz, your mom was raised with parents who took her to 'the little red church' on the hill, was naturally drawn to questioning faiths of all kinds, blown over with romantic feelings for Marx in school... that is until she found herself totally love struck and smitten with Obama Sr. and made you -- stark reality meeting with the mystery of his Muslim heritage...soon overshadowing whatever belief she may have been born with, paving the way for the entire village to takeover the raising of her son)
um ahh um ahh
"my mother, is one of the most spiritual people I know [but how could you...you hardly knew her]..." ( not to take away from my father's faith, for I believe that too -- and not to diminish that which I felt, for my friend, and father figure, really my mentor in Rev. Jeremiah Wright...twenty years there, you know, he presided over my marriage, my girl's baptisms...he taught me everything I know about Jesus Christ...in being my brother's and sister's keeper, to treat others as I would want to be treated...you know... that my salvation is reliant on the collective salvation...) let's stop there, as it is giving me a headache.
You know what's funny, is when Bill Maher talks about faith.
Now he is one smart guy, by golly; he's got it going on upstairs, that Bill Maher, you know what I mean?
Okay, so blah blah blah, we all know that Bill Maher holds his disdain for the "religious right" so tight to his chest, he's should have had a heart attack four years ago; but let's go ahead and dig into this some more anyway.
He said last night, with Bill O'Reilly, "I like it when a president uses his brain...and not his faith, his heart, or his gut." Translation: Bush is stupider than Obama, Obama is smarter than Bush -- hands down.
This is where things get sticky now for the president -- that is when confronted with acting in faith, bearing testimony of his Christianity, so to speak -- the bows get crossed.
Ooopsy daisy, gotta curb some of my Christianity, in front of my staunch liberal left base (the elitists who are way too smart for a belief in God) and yet, on the other hand, I have to sound like I'm like one of the 80% of normal everyday Americans. hmmmm what a quandary.
Now, according to Mr. Bill, an avid follower of the Chosen One, Obama-san, you are dumber than dumb if you are a believer in God (so he must really be squirming with the latest confessions of a president of faith, or is this a faith of a different color, kind, category, heritage unknown ) -- oh, and fyi, there are no fanatics on the left (he says) no extremism whatsoever, no movement, nothing remotely close to the Tea Party lunatics, consisting entirely of right wing racist rabble rousers. Oh my Maher, thank God you do not rule my world; how empty it must be, to be inside your head. Talk about giving somebody the willy's...
hold up a minute while I attempt to shake this off...
this president of ours is so freaking confused -- is has come full circle, gone round in circles, hopped over the circle, dismissed there ever was a circle -- he is so out there now, so far, that even the resident witch doctor doesn't know what to do.
What somebody should be telling him is to shut up; stop, just stop. Go out into the woods for forty days and forty nights, and find yourself; pretty soon this will all be over, the elections will have come and gone, and all this will be behind you; just stop. Go out and get yourself together, buddy -- as, quite frankly, with you, like this, you're just in no shape to be showing up even one more day. Dare I say, somebody needs a burning bush and a re-birthing.
What we expect of you, at top of the totem poll and not to be confused with the latest AP polling, is that a real Chief sits and leads -- oh thee of so little faith, a faith so unrecognizable, we have to stop and ask you about it to be sure; and then again, maybe it's just a case of things being cloudy because you have lost your head to too many special interests, keeping too few convictions, having not a lick of understanding of either your role or the true essence of what Americans really want, having completely and regularly disappointed us; oh how you continue to find a way to agitate and annoy, is beyond me. Oh, where oh where is our Loretta Castorini now...for I'm telling you, just snap out of it already. (that would only make sense if you have read G in the last few days; not that I always make sense; but it's my blog, I can say what I mean and mean what I say any way I please... but lets move on.org)
Perhaps it is the very lack of existence -- of the attributes and inherent truths of both being an American President and a Christian Truth-er, that has the audacity of showing, dear one. Did your mother teach you this -- or is this all dear old dad? or would that be the step dad? or the grandmother you held in contempt for being white? or the mentor of twenty years through Black Liberation Theology? or simply those you CHOSE to associate with while community organizing around Chicago?
Who made you into this man we see today? Who do you credit the most?
For this is the crux of the matter -- and we never thought it would ever come to this, as we surely had no way of seeing this coming -- but the fact remains: we question who you really, really are. And the irony, really, it should have been enough to say "(you) CHOSE (it)" -- as if you deserve a prize, or something.
We thought you were one thing, and we got something else; but somewhere between the latest version of voodoo economics, and the divisive, derisive, contemptuous attacks against our very unity, as a people, we the people have come to realize we've been dooped. You are not the bi-partisan, uniter-in-chief we thought we welcomed into the middle of our circle; you do not deserve to lead at all. We all turned into bumbling fools, fawning and fantasizing over you like there was no tomorrow -- and this is what we get?
It is hard to pretend, isn't it; nothing could have prepared you for what you were expected to be, to each and every one of us. You didn't see it coming; and yet, to this day, you still have no idea what it is about you that sends our head spinning in all different directions.
Or do you? And you go ahead and do it anyway.
You see, the gig is up, Little man Tall President who is running out of enough arrogance to keep your psyche afloat; your reputation precedes you and your pathological progressive agenda leads you, like no other president has ever come before. We know this to be true, as people like F***-the-stupid Willy Maher to Little Bridge Willy Ayers, along with a couple of Two Trillion Ton Ninny's like Pelosi and Reid, continue to circle up the wagons around you, sitting all cross legged and bug-eyed amongst your loyal collective peers (or is that follower). We know this to be true; which is why we sit -- transformed (thank you for that) -- and question you.
but let me be clear,
it's really not about the money, or the Christianity, or even if you still smoke...while I'm quite sure, as I wasn't born yesterday, that you are well enough aware and smart enough to know better.
The problem we have now is that its any one's guess as to who you really are -- and that goes especially for you; not that we've got time for this -- for we thought we knew you knew -- but God's speed in getting right on that and figuring it out.
I think I speak for all Americans, when I say, we will take you any old way it turns out -- we're kinda cool like that; what we have difficulty with, much like the battered economy, is the uncertainty (and you possibly being a bonafide fraud) -- but it is the question in the back of our minds after the never ending full frontal lobotomy that keeps chipping away at the core belief, out of the simple everyday, run of the mill, mishaps and indiscretions against the grain.
Knockin' on the noggin', that perhaps on the last couple of days with Emanuel, he might suggest... nudging ever so slight... a nice long walk in the woods.
Make it a Good Day, G
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Dear America,
Happy Wednesday.
You know why 70% of our economy relies on consumer spending? It's because, up until about high noon yesterday, we were a nation built upon wealth building in every facet, rain or shine, from sunrise to sunset; and then, only to awaken and get up and do it all over again the next morning.
But just what, pray tell, is messing with us these days?
Just what seems to be robbing us of our livelihoods right under our very noses, leaving a legacy of debt to our children, while extinguishing all hope of keeping to our common sense and sensibilities once more? What in Sam Hill will bring this runaway train to a complete stop, safely and without further injury, I dare ask?
Seems that with the age of Obama, enlightenment comes by way of redistribution, no skills necessary, neither labor nor aptitude required; as we give way to the lowest common denominator rule of outlaws, honed by progressives and socialists alike -- as we can't tell them apart anymore. Yet it is this very nature, precisely, that runs counterproductive to the inherent philosophy of building America from the ground up, from bouncing baby to chief engineer and maker of one's life, and goes against everything our founders set forth to accomplish and protect.
How they must be rolling over in their graves, as they are set to witness a rally come 10-2-10 centered solely upon the collectivization of our dear country, capitalizing on the disparity between the haves and the have nots, and turning us into a nation that punishes wealth, promotes an entitlement society built not to contribute to but recklessly take, and squanders the abundance of our most precious resource, once made in America daily, our self-reliance. (for more on the ONE NATION rally...start by going to the Communist Party USA...and travel thru time and the links...crossing paths with Obama's Organizing for America...and you will get there, eventually -- for "we are all socialists now" according to Newsweek, under Obama rule)
As we brought up yesterday, The McGuffey Readers are an elevated collection of tools for proper use and deliverance of the English language, that turn the task of communication into a thing of beauty and elegance, really -- and if I may be so bold, almost romanticizing the common duty for one and all, in the most uplifting and thoughtful way. Never mind that they are older than dirt.
How the world, and how we read about it, through it, and in it, has changed, no?
You see, the magnanimous side to Glenn Beck offers us a snippet of how we have changed as a nation, when it comes to our learning, and the processes thereof, almost daily, when he asks of us one thing. What is that one thing? To QUESTION with BOLDNESS.
From this perspective, one cannot help but wonder how our children could continue to benefit from such "old fashioned engineering" like questioning -- with boldness; and how at the turn of every page, placed at the very fingertips of every child, from back in the day of horse and buggy, how such workings via such tools as the McGuffey Readers could permeate into the minds of young Americans, totally transforming the common day right before their very eyes, while fundamentally teaching the basics and enriching the spirit, from the inside out; suffice it to say, the all encompassing collection outweigh the standards of any English language study of the twentieth (or even the twenty-first!) century -- but go ahead and question it. I dare you.
A system, like McGuffey's, swaddles the pre-reader and cradles him all the way through high school, in a series of books that gradually steps up the learning process, weaving together the very basics, like phonics -- decoding the relationship of letters and sounds -- moving seamlessly into understanding the fluidity of our voice, our inflections, and reading aloud -- to discovering how in fact we take it all in and comprehend what we read -- to the advancement of recognizing the timelessness of grasping the fullness of any language -- to the creative genius of writing, speaking, and thinking about what it is we have just read, to the level that continues to test us -- and leaving us well within the confines of a long pause -- as it's never really enough; only finding ourselves hungering for more, as we reach out for the next nugget of information as if it were our last meal.
This is the way English was taught. It was an art, it was a pleasure, it was an extension of the Divine, working and meandering through the young and porous mind with an unimaginable thirst for the purity of knowledge, the ability to think for themselves, and most of all, to question -- anything and everything -- with boldness.
Debate was merely a tool from which it played; the sharp exchange of attitudes and ideologies were the colorful bounty from which we came; and the freedom to actually think, amongst our peers, deep, thoughtful wonderings of how we came into being, what makes our world go round, to mindful contemplation as to where we might possibly, individually and collectively, not only find our happiness -- but labor in it, make it, promote it, sell it, and build honest to goodness wealth from it.
The finer point under which McGuffey preached his higher learning was simply this: "AFTER A CHILD LEARNS TO READ HE CAN READ TO LEARN."
Common themes under the "advanced comprehension" stage included subjects venturing into areas now considered very much taboo -- truth, religion, patriotism, life values, spirituality, eternity, free enterprise; all these things, according to progressive teachings and the current steamrolling over our fundamental principles, would call for a class action law suit, spearheaded, of course, by the ACLU, today.
But I ask you, what good does this do for any of us?
Where is the harm in having a simple discussion of what makes us tick, and why, and how does this information lead us, protect us, serve us, and unite us, as a people -- as individuals and as a whole?
Since when did the discussion of that which makes us strong, vibrant, good and meaningful become so threatening to those who fear to question with boldness at all, unable to comprehend the beauty of all sides, the full monty, the differences between and the commonalities that bind?
Why can't it be safe to bare all and show our vulnerabilities, to fall on our knees in thanksgiving and praise, or connect to the Universal Source of all that is good -- and talk about it?!
I don't understand why it is acceptable for the Nancy Pelosi's of this world to be able to articulate "the word" as a matter of civic duty, pointing to the word of God as the Way, the Truth, and the Light only when needing support for her monstrosity of a health care bill, masterminding the social justice angle meeting up with our moral compass, as if they simply bumped into each other at the corner store; and yet our children cannot utter a word of it, if only as a matter of discussion and debate, in school??? I don't get that.
The McGuffey Readers use moral lessons often -- going so far as to ask questions like, "What feeling is most necessary to social worship?" (after a reading entitled, Thoughts in a Place of Public Worship -- by HANNAH MORE) or
"How was the political prosperity of our country obtained?" and "Why would the destruction of our present form of government be an irretrievable loss of liberty?" and "In what is our chief hope for the premanency of our government to be placed?" (after reading, Evils of Dismemberment -- by WEBSTER) sidenote...where, oh where, is a webster now?
And then there is this, following a piece simply called, No Excellence without Labor -- by WIRT: begging us to answer, "How does it appear from facts, that it is labor rather than genius which gives eminence?"
Oh to be a fly on the wall and observe a classroom of America's finest discussing that! Now that would be wonderlust.
The thing is, when a society loses its ability to delve deep into it's soul, we start showing that we have none; when we begin to worship secular musings over the transcendent, we begin to live lives disconnected at the heart; when we cease questioning and connecting to the Divine, we begin to act like we don't need It, and ultimately, stop teaching it, we stop illuminating the stories that fill us with grace and peace, charity and hope, stories that fill us with the knowledge and guidance to overcome all obstacles in our path.
Falling back on one of my favorite books, The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life, by Thomas Moore,
Our life, as we know it or imagine it could be, needs a soul to survive; while 70% of consumer spending depends on it...
oh really, bite me, so you say? well, you can jump aboard the progressive gravy train all you want, but if you don't watch the signs, you could be in for a major drop just up ahead.
Without our connection to Life, to the Divine, to the Creator of all things seen and unseen, we not only cease in our ability to make it in this world in which we live with a humble and gracious heart, we cease making everything.
But don't take my word for it, or Glenn's, go to the Source -- question it, with boldness, indifference or with enough vitriol to fill a church if you must.
When we cease teaching our children to live with soul, our world, and the bounty that comes with, will in turn drop into a vast, empty, weeping chasm of antiquity, sealing the coffin of an age gone by; at that point, it really won't matter what we make, let alone if someone buys, for the stark reality of our dirty deeds will be thrust upon us.
We will have buried the one thing that made us truly good -- made us prosperous -- and virtually made us into who we are today, or yesterday -- the shining beacon on the hill for all the world to see and read all about it -- as we haphazardly keep throwing dirt and plenty of collective hot air upon the one thing our children should know more about, or at the very least, have a chance to discuss.. and maybe even dwell on, sit a spell on, and dither the whole darn day away on. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world...
make it a good day, G
You know why 70% of our economy relies on consumer spending? It's because, up until about high noon yesterday, we were a nation built upon wealth building in every facet, rain or shine, from sunrise to sunset; and then, only to awaken and get up and do it all over again the next morning.
But just what, pray tell, is messing with us these days?
Just what seems to be robbing us of our livelihoods right under our very noses, leaving a legacy of debt to our children, while extinguishing all hope of keeping to our common sense and sensibilities once more? What in Sam Hill will bring this runaway train to a complete stop, safely and without further injury, I dare ask?
Seems that with the age of Obama, enlightenment comes by way of redistribution, no skills necessary, neither labor nor aptitude required; as we give way to the lowest common denominator rule of outlaws, honed by progressives and socialists alike -- as we can't tell them apart anymore. Yet it is this very nature, precisely, that runs counterproductive to the inherent philosophy of building America from the ground up, from bouncing baby to chief engineer and maker of one's life, and goes against everything our founders set forth to accomplish and protect.
How they must be rolling over in their graves, as they are set to witness a rally come 10-2-10 centered solely upon the collectivization of our dear country, capitalizing on the disparity between the haves and the have nots, and turning us into a nation that punishes wealth, promotes an entitlement society built not to contribute to but recklessly take, and squanders the abundance of our most precious resource, once made in America daily, our self-reliance. (for more on the ONE NATION rally...start by going to the Communist Party USA...and travel thru time and the links...crossing paths with Obama's Organizing for America...and you will get there, eventually -- for "we are all socialists now" according to Newsweek, under Obama rule)
As we brought up yesterday, The McGuffey Readers are an elevated collection of tools for proper use and deliverance of the English language, that turn the task of communication into a thing of beauty and elegance, really -- and if I may be so bold, almost romanticizing the common duty for one and all, in the most uplifting and thoughtful way. Never mind that they are older than dirt.
How the world, and how we read about it, through it, and in it, has changed, no?
You see, the magnanimous side to Glenn Beck offers us a snippet of how we have changed as a nation, when it comes to our learning, and the processes thereof, almost daily, when he asks of us one thing. What is that one thing? To QUESTION with BOLDNESS.
From this perspective, one cannot help but wonder how our children could continue to benefit from such "old fashioned engineering" like questioning -- with boldness; and how at the turn of every page, placed at the very fingertips of every child, from back in the day of horse and buggy, how such workings via such tools as the McGuffey Readers could permeate into the minds of young Americans, totally transforming the common day right before their very eyes, while fundamentally teaching the basics and enriching the spirit, from the inside out; suffice it to say, the all encompassing collection outweigh the standards of any English language study of the twentieth (or even the twenty-first!) century -- but go ahead and question it. I dare you.
A system, like McGuffey's, swaddles the pre-reader and cradles him all the way through high school, in a series of books that gradually steps up the learning process, weaving together the very basics, like phonics -- decoding the relationship of letters and sounds -- moving seamlessly into understanding the fluidity of our voice, our inflections, and reading aloud -- to discovering how in fact we take it all in and comprehend what we read -- to the advancement of recognizing the timelessness of grasping the fullness of any language -- to the creative genius of writing, speaking, and thinking about what it is we have just read, to the level that continues to test us -- and leaving us well within the confines of a long pause -- as it's never really enough; only finding ourselves hungering for more, as we reach out for the next nugget of information as if it were our last meal.
This is the way English was taught. It was an art, it was a pleasure, it was an extension of the Divine, working and meandering through the young and porous mind with an unimaginable thirst for the purity of knowledge, the ability to think for themselves, and most of all, to question -- anything and everything -- with boldness.
Debate was merely a tool from which it played; the sharp exchange of attitudes and ideologies were the colorful bounty from which we came; and the freedom to actually think, amongst our peers, deep, thoughtful wonderings of how we came into being, what makes our world go round, to mindful contemplation as to where we might possibly, individually and collectively, not only find our happiness -- but labor in it, make it, promote it, sell it, and build honest to goodness wealth from it.
The finer point under which McGuffey preached his higher learning was simply this: "AFTER A CHILD LEARNS TO READ HE CAN READ TO LEARN."
Common themes under the "advanced comprehension" stage included subjects venturing into areas now considered very much taboo -- truth, religion, patriotism, life values, spirituality, eternity, free enterprise; all these things, according to progressive teachings and the current steamrolling over our fundamental principles, would call for a class action law suit, spearheaded, of course, by the ACLU, today.
But I ask you, what good does this do for any of us?
Where is the harm in having a simple discussion of what makes us tick, and why, and how does this information lead us, protect us, serve us, and unite us, as a people -- as individuals and as a whole?
Since when did the discussion of that which makes us strong, vibrant, good and meaningful become so threatening to those who fear to question with boldness at all, unable to comprehend the beauty of all sides, the full monty, the differences between and the commonalities that bind?
Why can't it be safe to bare all and show our vulnerabilities, to fall on our knees in thanksgiving and praise, or connect to the Universal Source of all that is good -- and talk about it?!
I don't understand why it is acceptable for the Nancy Pelosi's of this world to be able to articulate "the word" as a matter of civic duty, pointing to the word of God as the Way, the Truth, and the Light only when needing support for her monstrosity of a health care bill, masterminding the social justice angle meeting up with our moral compass, as if they simply bumped into each other at the corner store; and yet our children cannot utter a word of it, if only as a matter of discussion and debate, in school??? I don't get that.
The McGuffey Readers use moral lessons often -- going so far as to ask questions like, "What feeling is most necessary to social worship?" (after a reading entitled, Thoughts in a Place of Public Worship -- by HANNAH MORE) or
"How was the political prosperity of our country obtained?" and "Why would the destruction of our present form of government be an irretrievable loss of liberty?" and "In what is our chief hope for the premanency of our government to be placed?" (after reading, Evils of Dismemberment -- by WEBSTER) sidenote...where, oh where, is a webster now?
And then there is this, following a piece simply called, No Excellence without Labor -- by WIRT: begging us to answer, "How does it appear from facts, that it is labor rather than genius which gives eminence?"
Oh to be a fly on the wall and observe a classroom of America's finest discussing that! Now that would be wonderlust.
The thing is, when a society loses its ability to delve deep into it's soul, we start showing that we have none; when we begin to worship secular musings over the transcendent, we begin to live lives disconnected at the heart; when we cease questioning and connecting to the Divine, we begin to act like we don't need It, and ultimately, stop teaching it, we stop illuminating the stories that fill us with grace and peace, charity and hope, stories that fill us with the knowledge and guidance to overcome all obstacles in our path.
Falling back on one of my favorite books, The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life, by Thomas Moore,
"Enchantment needs its own specialist, and mystery its own lobbyist. A theology of daily life, practiced by us all, would open our eyes to a dimension solidly sealed off by the modern secularistic imagination, and it would restore soul, because soul is fed by the eternal and the spiritual as much as it finds nourishment in the temporal and the physical."Mystery its own lobbyist! I could eat that all day long.
Our life, as we know it or imagine it could be, needs a soul to survive; while 70% of consumer spending depends on it...
oh really, bite me, so you say? well, you can jump aboard the progressive gravy train all you want, but if you don't watch the signs, you could be in for a major drop just up ahead.
Without our connection to Life, to the Divine, to the Creator of all things seen and unseen, we not only cease in our ability to make it in this world in which we live with a humble and gracious heart, we cease making everything.
But don't take my word for it, or Glenn's, go to the Source -- question it, with boldness, indifference or with enough vitriol to fill a church if you must.
When we cease teaching our children to live with soul, our world, and the bounty that comes with, will in turn drop into a vast, empty, weeping chasm of antiquity, sealing the coffin of an age gone by; at that point, it really won't matter what we make, let alone if someone buys, for the stark reality of our dirty deeds will be thrust upon us.
We will have buried the one thing that made us truly good -- made us prosperous -- and virtually made us into who we are today, or yesterday -- the shining beacon on the hill for all the world to see and read all about it -- as we haphazardly keep throwing dirt and plenty of collective hot air upon the one thing our children should know more about, or at the very least, have a chance to discuss.. and maybe even dwell on, sit a spell on, and dither the whole darn day away on. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world...
make it a good day, G
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Dear America,
"[you're like] a bride without a head!"
Ronny Cammareri
"[you're like] a wolf without a foot!"
Loretta Castorini
Moonstruck.
Duly noting each other's faults, exchanging complimentary jabs, just before they give way to temptation.
They knew it was wrong, but they did it anyway.
And so goes a nation, the "education nation" this week (sponsored by, none other than a shining example of unbiased media and excellence in journalism, NBC); even though we are spending ooodles and oodles of dough each year, we are deteriorating from the bottom up, rising to lower standards overall, making far less gains to show for it, with a heaping topping of bureaucratic gobbly gook binding the states under federal control to the likes of levels never seen before. It would be so great -- if only it were a souffle.
Few Facts:
15,000 school districts
50 Million students later...
Annually, our nation spends approximately 500 billion a year on education -- having only about 8% of that coming from the federal government, to date.
The Department of Education became part of the American bureaucracy, marked with a cabinet post, in 1979.
In the 1860's, the federal response to the pending interest in our children's education, consisted of FOUR people, with an annual budget of $15,000; the primary concern, research and development -- glorified fact finders -- to investigate proven methods and impressive test scores over time, and the tenacity of young minds and those who teach them. And doink, already it was creeping into areas it didn't belong...
Jump the learning curve forward a hundred years (yes, skipping over years of strange indoctrination and censorship of the early 1900's), we move into the 1960's; here, we find a budget of about 1.5 Billion (adjusted for inflation, about 25 B's), with approximately 2,113 employees. And this is where the spiral downturn begins to really spin...
While both sides begin to volley for one-ups-manship, the upper hand, the party to which we laud and magnify for their efforts -- the "bride without a head, a wolf without a foot" mentality takes us over and has our way with us; being totally unaware in the moment, the infidelity to the sanctity of local jurisdiction becomes the stranglehold we can't break free from -- and ultimately, it becomes just one small part of our nation's downfall, standing in line with all the rest.
If only it were a movie with a happy ending.
Today, our students rank far below the standards we hit in the 1960's -- which if you are familiar with the McGuffey Readers (we might have to have a lesson or two this week), were even lower than that in the 1860's!
We have reached the pinnacle in departmental deception and disgust, encompassing over 5,000 employees and a budget of 100 BILLION, all in upper case to make my point all the more horrendous.
George W. Bush increased the department spending by 69 % between the years 2002 and 2004, instituting the No Child Left Behind program; but apparently and in spite of good intentions, for all other Americans, we were left in the dust, sucking fumes; and to be fair and balanced, Obama nation education, only accelerates the growth and exasperates local control and decision making, courtesy of a 120 page outline of regulations and expectations -- just go to any link to the DOE.gov and you will find it.
So, with tripling the per pupil monetary disbursements -- one could safely say, we have tripled the liabilities, for the proof is the pudding; and that puddin' is lumpy, uses too much sugar, and leaves a nasty after taste...that is after we have already burned the roof of our mouth trying to gobble it up too soon.
I didn't realize until today, that it was the republicans running on empty in 1996, with Bob Dole campaigning on the promise to totally cut the Department of Education, if given a shot; while having not been elected, in the year 2000, even the Republican Libertarian Caucus passed a resolution to abolish the department altogether (who knew?) -- and yet, just a few years later, as was just pointed out, the W added nearly seventy percent in federal spending to the pot, like a sorcerer howling to the moon. (as much as I loved the guy, O'Donnell's got nothin' on him on this). See the Cato review for more.
Okay, Okay, enough already! (and say it like Loretta would scream it in her fake Brooklynese)
Ooodles and ooodles of dough is not the answer.
No bureaucrat will make a difference, no matter what they say, or who says it, or how much money is thrown at it. And if you believe that it will, you are moonstruck and stupid.
What will fix it?
Too simple for any one's own good, really.
It gets down to the mama and papa in every home across the nation -- along with the local jurisdiction to hire and fire, including but not limited to, having the right to fire a teacher, with due cause, without litigation, with a simple thank you, this doesn't seem to be working out for you (like every other business in the private sector), now if you could be so kind to simply move on.org, thank you very much (without the rubber rooms, too).
And oh yes, and how could I forget, beginning with doing away with the bureaucracy in charge of it all, and returning to FOUR people in the Department of Education; you know, with the rise of the Internet, much of the information and research is right there at any one's finger tips, many of the services offered by the department are simply duplicated efforts along the way. Cut 4,996 jobs -- and let the local okles handle it.
And to just to be sure we are clear, let's put it another way -- we've done it before; there was a time when the department allowed for every school district to do their own thing -- and they did a pretty good job at it (proven in the aptitude tests of the last hundred years).
The thing is, the key element to building strong minds into aspiring and inspiring young adults, is found so closely tied to the local jurisdiction, it is just astounding we haven't fallen back to this a long time ago. The truth is, we need to stop pretending and stop pussy footing around the real crux of the matter; when we say local, it is so neighborly, you can almost smell what's cooking on the stove.
For the resolution is really found under one roof -- and that is none other than our home sweet home.
Without a parent reading to the baby peacefully in the womb at the end of the day;
without a parent reading Dr. Seuss to the toddler who can't get enough of their parent's voice and the time on the lap;
without a parent teaching the ABC's and 123's, and thoughtfully encouraging their child to blossom in school right from the start;
without a parent making sure homework is done, whether it be first grade or twelfth;
without a parent enjoying the responsibility of influencing their child and taking an active part in their education, and demanding that their child show up to school, making an earnest attempt to pay every bit of attention and apply themselves, setting the example to be a good listener, respective of their teachers and administrators;
without a parent at the end the day, letting their child know how much they love them, and how so very proud of them they are...
and we could go on forever...
but without this kind of a parent (one or two, gay or straight) we will continue to exchange barbs and point fingers to the other guy, claiming how, in every which way to Sunday, it is not our fault nor is it our responsibility to fix -- ignorantly giving claim to a government to takeover the luscious little minds of our children, while I'll be, finding ourselves choking down something of all things incredible and non-eatable. YUCK YOU.
I was just at my girl's open house for the new school year; in her biology class was a sign,
"the words yes and no
are the oldest and simplest words,
yet these two words
require the most thought."
Recently, Obama has re energized against the "party of no" -- claiming it to be reckless, irresponsible, and doomed for failure right from the get go, driving us into a ditch without a leg, let alone just a foot, to stand on.
Well, I beg to differ.
I think the party of no takes on a whole new meaning when faced with the facts upon the education of a nation, when addressing the over zealous spending habits of the rich and famous faces of congress, after hundreds of billions in bailouts and stimulus -- enough to stimulate the fed, but leaving the every day family of four in ruins.
In another room, a flyer was handed out to every parent; on it listed "The Smart Student's Credo," taken from What Smart Students Know by Adam Robinson. Numero Uno:
"Nobody can teach you as well as you can teach yourself."
Well, yes and no, perhaps...but
Until then, our goose, with figgie-pudding on the side, is cooked.
Make it a Good Day, G
Friday, September 24, 2010
Dear America,
Aw, poor Shepard Fairey; his hope is springing nocturnal.
He says, because I guess he's the national spokesman on the subject now, that we have lost our hope; yes, the unprecedented amount of hope that only came from the fountain that sprung up and over-floweth in 2008 -- with the rising of a new age, harnessed by the flood of enthusiasm and social justice ideology featured in a really cool president who had it all, is all but gone, folks.
Yup, that hope.
Oh kids today...for what they lack in patience and longevity, they sure do a number on instant gratification and the complaint department.
Well, take a number and sit tight.
While Shepard boy is all of about 40, the Commandeer of Hope is really not a kid anymore; but he speaks for them, strangely enough, as if the artist can't help himself but to unplug the i-pod cord from his ears just long enough to answer a few questions -- of course, that is in between dealing with his on-going lawsuit over what else, the infamous HOPE poster.
In the article for National Journal, Aamer Madhani quoted HOPE Man as pointing out the dilemma for us,
Really? really...
You kids got us into a lot of trouble, man; and you have no idea what you have done. Now go to your room, I'll be up in a minute.
You know what the "status quo" is for America?
LIBERTY.
That's it.
LIBERTY,
now say it with me.
Without lady liberty, we got nothing; and you know what these policies are doing right now to our lady of grace, bella Liberty? They, the new man, are breaking her down into little itty bitty pieces, starting with her self-esteem -- as she is slowly being deteriorated into a something unrecognizable, even to herself; as she gains just enough courage to look into the mirror, she weeps, for she does not know who she is!
Our personal and collective liberties is what has made us great; it is what has allowed free thinkers and free enterprise-ers and free speech-ers and free spirit-ers to say, do and believe they can say, do and believe absolutely anything they want, and get away with it.
In Venezuela, no can do.
In Iran, absolutely forbidden.
In China, questionable, at best.
Shall I go on?
We can't keep lady liberty happy with an over zealous government breathing down her neck.
WE should ALL want to live and let live in this country -- and that goes for the old folks, to the youngins' who don't know any better, and all those in between. WE must come together, right now -- singing the song, and just imagine it, if we try -- and realize the effects of our cause; and more importantly, what is at stake if we don't.
According to Fairey man, the country has grown tired of the "status quo" in terms of the Harvard law definition, because, hey man, the man has messed us up (oh and you have no idea...) This is where I might actually say, I agree. Absolutely. The man, if that is government obsessively taking over our lives, is whack. THAT kind of man is not working to it's best and it's brightest.
But if you mean, going against the status quo from which we rode in on, then Houston, we got a problem; if I understand you correctly, "status quo" is similar to like calling the government a bunch of racists, to go along with the prevailing winds and tides these days... right out of the rules for radicals handbook...ridicule, ridicule, ridicule.
Well, mother Earth to homeboy, we need to talk:
America has never been about status quo, unless you are talking about our ability to align with liberty and nothing else -- and I do believe this is where our founders would get up and shake their booty with me.
The loss you are feeling, dear Shepard, and lamenting how the hopey changey thing hasn't turned out the way you hoped, is that you, my dear boy, are growing up. There is no such thing as 'the man' -- any man -- even Barry -- swooping in to save the day; Santa Claus may be golden, but Superman is not real.
And ever since the age of entitlements became en vogue here in the states, we have gone more and more down the tubes; and quite frankly, we can't keep it up. The SS More Government ship has sailed, my son. The reality is, if you so choose to go there someday, is that we must live within our means, we must rely on our own two feet, and stop being a burden to society -- all of us. No one is going to buy us the boat, set us up on a tropical island, bringing us pina coladas and free gas on weekends.
I know, I know, it's a nasty bitter pill to get down; but here's a spoonful of sugar, just think of it as a bit of ecstasy, and before you know it, you will come to your senses.
Now, what would be a big help, is if you could stop dispensing hope and maybe started spreading the word.
Perhaps a new poster is in order... I'm thinking, maybe, Uncle Sam. Yeah, yeah. Uncle Sam in a rainbow of colors, saying "We want you, to GROW UP" -- oh take from it what you will, think of it as just a plank to jump off from, you're good at that. The ideas worthy enough to bring to the surface should include, but are not limited to:
But in order to get back to this skinny dipping freedom, we have to take drastic measures; and that seems to be the rub, as no one really wants to punish the kids (am I right?)
When we have erred on the side of bad judgement or stupid behavior, sometimes all it takes to snap out of it, is simply a good talking to; but unfortunately for most things, a grounding is more like it...maybe a week, a month...if the crazy kid was really bad, it might even take the duration of high school, or until the next election.
In any case, from Woodrow to Woodstock, this America has been grappling with the same old, same old conundrum of good governance in fits and starts, as if we haven't really learned a thing; as if we have put on the ear phones and drowned the folks out, never paying attention to our own devices.
If only we applied ourselves... (ahh music to a parent's ear...hearing 'i cudda been a contenda' chiming in)
We have the tools, the instincts, the dreams and, of course, plenty of hope; there is more than enough of that stuff to go around. Our mistake was taking it all for granted, as most kids learn the hard way; our error of our ways, was not keeping it up; our life as we know it, or wish it to be, may question the status quo worth living but in actuality, what we are witnessing, according to the school of hard knocks, is that ignorance can be anything but bliss, indeed. Oh the irony.
Liberty. Freedom. The Pursuit of Happiness. Status Quo of 1776.
Don't mess with it: Bring it!
Then, we can talk.
Then, and only then, will we have a status quo we can be proud of, worthy to make banners and posters and maybe even a flag -- just think of it, we can hang everything around the quad, like, you know, it's gonna be so cool, I can hardly wait, like oh my gosh, what should I wear...
Make it a Good Day, G
He says, because I guess he's the national spokesman on the subject now, that we have lost our hope; yes, the unprecedented amount of hope that only came from the fountain that sprung up and over-floweth in 2008 -- with the rising of a new age, harnessed by the flood of enthusiasm and social justice ideology featured in a really cool president who had it all, is all but gone, folks.
Yup, that hope.
Oh kids today...for what they lack in patience and longevity, they sure do a number on instant gratification and the complaint department.
Well, take a number and sit tight.
While Shepard boy is all of about 40, the Commandeer of Hope is really not a kid anymore; but he speaks for them, strangely enough, as if the artist can't help himself but to unplug the i-pod cord from his ears just long enough to answer a few questions -- of course, that is in between dealing with his on-going lawsuit over what else, the infamous HOPE poster.
In the article for National Journal, Aamer Madhani quoted HOPE Man as pointing out the dilemma for us,
"There's a lot of stuff completely out of Obama's control or any of the Democrats' control," Fairey allowed. "But I think there's something a little deeper in terms of the optimism of the younger voter that's happening. They wanted somebody who was going to fight against the status quo, and I don't think that Obama has done that."Oh, what are we back in the sixties? Is that what happened? WE all hopped aboard a yellow submarine and fancied into a time warp, singing to the Beatles, because we are fighting against "the man" still?
Really? really...
You kids got us into a lot of trouble, man; and you have no idea what you have done. Now go to your room, I'll be up in a minute.
You know what the "status quo" is for America?
LIBERTY.
That's it.
LIBERTY,
now say it with me.
Without lady liberty, we got nothing; and you know what these policies are doing right now to our lady of grace, bella Liberty? They, the new man, are breaking her down into little itty bitty pieces, starting with her self-esteem -- as she is slowly being deteriorated into a something unrecognizable, even to herself; as she gains just enough courage to look into the mirror, she weeps, for she does not know who she is!
Our personal and collective liberties is what has made us great; it is what has allowed free thinkers and free enterprise-ers and free speech-ers and free spirit-ers to say, do and believe they can say, do and believe absolutely anything they want, and get away with it.
In Venezuela, no can do.
In Iran, absolutely forbidden.
In China, questionable, at best.
Shall I go on?
We can't keep lady liberty happy with an over zealous government breathing down her neck.
WE should ALL want to live and let live in this country -- and that goes for the old folks, to the youngins' who don't know any better, and all those in between. WE must come together, right now -- singing the song, and just imagine it, if we try -- and realize the effects of our cause; and more importantly, what is at stake if we don't.
According to Fairey man, the country has grown tired of the "status quo" in terms of the Harvard law definition, because, hey man, the man has messed us up (oh and you have no idea...) This is where I might actually say, I agree. Absolutely. The man, if that is government obsessively taking over our lives, is whack. THAT kind of man is not working to it's best and it's brightest.
But if you mean, going against the status quo from which we rode in on, then Houston, we got a problem; if I understand you correctly, "status quo" is similar to like calling the government a bunch of racists, to go along with the prevailing winds and tides these days... right out of the rules for radicals handbook...ridicule, ridicule, ridicule.
Well, mother Earth to homeboy, we need to talk:
America has never been about status quo, unless you are talking about our ability to align with liberty and nothing else -- and I do believe this is where our founders would get up and shake their booty with me.
The loss you are feeling, dear Shepard, and lamenting how the hopey changey thing hasn't turned out the way you hoped, is that you, my dear boy, are growing up. There is no such thing as 'the man' -- any man -- even Barry -- swooping in to save the day; Santa Claus may be golden, but Superman is not real.
And ever since the age of entitlements became en vogue here in the states, we have gone more and more down the tubes; and quite frankly, we can't keep it up. The SS More Government ship has sailed, my son. The reality is, if you so choose to go there someday, is that we must live within our means, we must rely on our own two feet, and stop being a burden to society -- all of us. No one is going to buy us the boat, set us up on a tropical island, bringing us pina coladas and free gas on weekends.
I know, I know, it's a nasty bitter pill to get down; but here's a spoonful of sugar, just think of it as a bit of ecstasy, and before you know it, you will come to your senses.
"To say I feel disappointment is within the context that I know he's very intelligent, very capable, very compassionate," [now here, picture this, he is speaking of the President of the United States, okay] Fairey said. "I think he has the tools, and he does not trust his instincts in how to apply them."Oh, Shepard, that is kinda funny coming from the artist du jour, but let's run with that. For you have the tools, too, buddy -- all of us do; like you ask of the president, we just have to "trust [our] instincts in how to apply them."
Now, what would be a big help, is if you could stop dispensing hope and maybe started spreading the word.
Perhaps a new poster is in order... I'm thinking, maybe, Uncle Sam. Yeah, yeah. Uncle Sam in a rainbow of colors, saying "We want you, to GROW UP" -- oh take from it what you will, think of it as just a plank to jump off from, you're good at that. The ideas worthy enough to bring to the surface should include, but are not limited to:
- stop protesting and start doing
- stop pretending and live in the real world.
- find your own self-reliance and teach others to do it, too -- paint by numbers might help
- stick with what has worked for over 200 years -- status quo with a punch of red, white and blue
- we wouldn't be here, as starving artists one and all, if not for this incredible overhead -- lose the fancy schmancy galleria of yahoos in government, who merely sip champagne and tell us what's wrong with this picture
- have the guts to break out on your own, bust out from the elitists and their cohorts, and do your own thing -- it might be hard in the beginning, but in the long run, it will be the best thing you ever did.
But in order to get back to this skinny dipping freedom, we have to take drastic measures; and that seems to be the rub, as no one really wants to punish the kids (am I right?)
When we have erred on the side of bad judgement or stupid behavior, sometimes all it takes to snap out of it, is simply a good talking to; but unfortunately for most things, a grounding is more like it...maybe a week, a month...if the crazy kid was really bad, it might even take the duration of high school, or until the next election.
In any case, from Woodrow to Woodstock, this America has been grappling with the same old, same old conundrum of good governance in fits and starts, as if we haven't really learned a thing; as if we have put on the ear phones and drowned the folks out, never paying attention to our own devices.
If only we applied ourselves... (ahh music to a parent's ear...hearing 'i cudda been a contenda' chiming in)
We have the tools, the instincts, the dreams and, of course, plenty of hope; there is more than enough of that stuff to go around. Our mistake was taking it all for granted, as most kids learn the hard way; our error of our ways, was not keeping it up; our life as we know it, or wish it to be, may question the status quo worth living but in actuality, what we are witnessing, according to the school of hard knocks, is that ignorance can be anything but bliss, indeed. Oh the irony.
Liberty. Freedom. The Pursuit of Happiness. Status Quo of 1776.
Don't mess with it: Bring it!
Then, we can talk.
Then, and only then, will we have a status quo we can be proud of, worthy to make banners and posters and maybe even a flag -- just think of it, we can hang everything around the quad, like, you know, it's gonna be so cool, I can hardly wait, like oh my gosh, what should I wear...
Make it a Good Day, G
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Dear America,
"The need for urgent action
to repair our economy and reclaim our government
for the people cannot be overstated.
With this document,
we pledge
to dedicate ourselves to the task
of reconnecting our highest aspirations
to the permanent truths of our founding
by keeping faith with the values our nation was founded on,
the principles we stand for,
and the priorities of our people.
This is our Pledge to America."
Oh thank ya' Jesus, the troops have arrived.
More than likely, we are just going to be tarred and feathered and strung out to die; or simply called a bunch of names. Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me...na na nana na
This pledge, comes to America at a crucial juncture -- at roughly 40 days and nights until the mid-term elections, it is just in the nick of time. Somebody has a plan to get us out of the woods and into the clearing.
Coupled with the GOP Pledge to America, is another formidable organization -- acting like a super surge, if you will, and bringing the power of bipartisan support from intelligent sources across the board, and comes by way of The Heritage Foundation; go to www.heritageforamerica.org/ to link with inspiring ways to become actively involved with the next wave of congressional thrust, escalating our forces come November 3rd.
61% of Americans believe that we are currently on the wrong track, and want change (again); nearly 70% want to repeal the health care legislation entirely. And all this comes at a time when our economy and unemployment continues to suffer. Remember how it was the economy, namely jobs, that was supposed to have been this president's primary concern from day one -- as the thing that keeps him awake at night; so far, that has amounted to knee jerk stimulus plans and spending money we don't have, making promises he can't keep, attacking the private sector upon every turn, and all while thoroughly mismanaging the war on terror at nearly every level.
While just yesterday, the actions of the last two years, of a president we thought we knew, is out in the form of yet more damaging repartee amongst all the president's men -- oops, I mean, an unclassified report.
Oh, to be Bob Woodward right now. Here's a good synopsis. (Thank you, Steve Luxenberg, from The Washington Post, for this little number...and to the papa who pointed it out )
Unlike the easy assumption made by reading the title, Obama's Wars, Woodward's tell all, captures the inside maneuvering of the Afghanistan war, through Obama's eyes of disdain and stubborn direction, and evidently makes no mind to Iraq at all; it is more about the infighting -- the internal jousting between comrades and commanders, and unsparingly makes Obama appear more like our cartel leader, than commander in chief.
But what else can we expect, right, when dealing with crazy people and manic depressives, like Hamid Karzai -- ooooh burn. Woodward quotes our U.S. Ambassador, Karl Eikenberry, as saying "he's on his meds, he's off his meds." Ah right, so we have good days and bad days...Now that makes 'just a girl' feel secure.
Be that as it may, the troubling notion about all this, thinking back to last fall -- is that there we were, in the midst of passing the worst legislation known to man on health care, and all the while we had that hullabaloo with General McCrystal and the Rolling Stone piece; it messed us up there for a bit, no?
Remember how it was months between getting a clear idea as to how we were going to proceed with the war; remember how McCrystal put his boot in mouth, acknowledging to the world, he hadn't even talked to the president for nearly six months into his position; remember how they had that rushed meeting on the tarmac in France (between meetings with the Olympic board and a family vacation...); remember all that?
Then finally, we got our president addressing the troops and the nation at West Point (watching the troops fall asleep more like it...what an anti-revelry that turned out to be). But the thing is, with this intimate disclosure of all that was seen and unseen to the outside world, we have once again entered into enemy territory.
As much as I fully appreciate and laud the efforts by Mr. Woodward to bring us into the loop, as much as I love getting the inside scoop like a People magazine, as much as I like gossiping like the next girl, as much as my inquiring mind wants to know what's happening behind closed doors in the war room -- this book scares the living daylights out of me. For what I fear, is what this president will do next.
For the book, paints the picture of the finality of it all, well within reach of Obama's every intention and exit strategy -- beginning with his pubescent determination to pull out in 2011 without concern for the long term... along with his natural audacity and arrogance unfurled -- having no experience in the realm of military strategy whatsoever -- to undermine our troop's efforts by trying to enforce a political agenda over might makes right. All of this is just beyond my comprehension, really. Yeah, and you're right, I don't know military strategy either, you got me! so shoot me; but what can I say, in every bit a smart mouth as I can muster, in my experience, a fifth grader is smarter than this.
AND even if you really, really want to make an exit in 2011 -- the first thing you would NOT do is say it outloud, you know what I'm sayin'. You would not embolden the enemy with a sit tight time frame, as if pay dirt is comin', pay dirt is comin'.
AND if all that isn't enough, to realize that the enemy will never quit, will never falter, for even a minute is the reality we must face; it is the very prospect that the Taliban and al-Queda are after us and will not stop, that should have this president's attention. The core of this very debate is that THEY ARE in a religious war against America and all that she stands; THEY DO believe in an ideology and a way of life and Sharia Law that is the anti-thesis of everything America is -- and they will keep fighting until the end, as there is no exit strategy to meet, greet and make friends with around the world to appease the base.
This book, as grateful as I am for it's findings, makes me more unnerved than ever.
Our country's military made America, defends America, and protects people of all nations honorably and steadfastly, anytime and anywhere, and requires a president to respect the heritage and history and the duty that comes with the territory of being president. The nerve of this president messing with it -- and may God help us, for the timing of this 'made for tv moment' for all the world to read. WOW. We are talking some kind of transparency now, alright -- it's the kind of openness that makes people uncomfortable, you know; TMI! TMI!
All in all, it sends a clear message, indeed, as we live in a land far beyond Revere, the telegraph, ship-to-shore and Ma Bell; this is the age of instant transmission, satellite and HD in a trillion channels, in an era where news travels too fast for it's own good.
This president, while in way over his head -- may continue to act like he is on top of the world, destroying the kingdom limb by limb, piece by piece, killing us with feats of redistribution of wealth policy, and polarizing the people with tactics using divisive measures and causing uncommon dissension amongst us, while taking the command of the war on terror in a land far, far away, but he is doing what he wants -- and ultimately finding a clear channel for creating the kind of global governance he really, really wants when it's over. The truth is -- according to the world of Obama -- this is just the means to an end... just a means to an end.
Unbeknownst to most fair minded people, the distractions of late are keeping us from seeing that the brightest exit strategy is on America.
And that brings us full circle, thank goodness we have a few to continue The Pledge to fight back. For united we stand; and oh boy, when arm in arm, we can be so bloody dangerous...gives a girl a thrill up the leg, I tell you, a thrill up the leg...
Make it a Good Day, G
AND even if you really, really want to make an exit in 2011 -- the first thing you would NOT do is say it outloud, you know what I'm sayin'. You would not embolden the enemy with a sit tight time frame, as if pay dirt is comin', pay dirt is comin'.
AND if all that isn't enough, to realize that the enemy will never quit, will never falter, for even a minute is the reality we must face; it is the very prospect that the Taliban and al-Queda are after us and will not stop, that should have this president's attention. The core of this very debate is that THEY ARE in a religious war against America and all that she stands; THEY DO believe in an ideology and a way of life and Sharia Law that is the anti-thesis of everything America is -- and they will keep fighting until the end, as there is no exit strategy to meet, greet and make friends with around the world to appease the base.
This book, as grateful as I am for it's findings, makes me more unnerved than ever.
Our country's military made America, defends America, and protects people of all nations honorably and steadfastly, anytime and anywhere, and requires a president to respect the heritage and history and the duty that comes with the territory of being president. The nerve of this president messing with it -- and may God help us, for the timing of this 'made for tv moment' for all the world to read. WOW. We are talking some kind of transparency now, alright -- it's the kind of openness that makes people uncomfortable, you know; TMI! TMI!
All in all, it sends a clear message, indeed, as we live in a land far beyond Revere, the telegraph, ship-to-shore and Ma Bell; this is the age of instant transmission, satellite and HD in a trillion channels, in an era where news travels too fast for it's own good.
This president, while in way over his head -- may continue to act like he is on top of the world, destroying the kingdom limb by limb, piece by piece, killing us with feats of redistribution of wealth policy, and polarizing the people with tactics using divisive measures and causing uncommon dissension amongst us, while taking the command of the war on terror in a land far, far away, but he is doing what he wants -- and ultimately finding a clear channel for creating the kind of global governance he really, really wants when it's over. The truth is -- according to the world of Obama -- this is just the means to an end... just a means to an end.
Unbeknownst to most fair minded people, the distractions of late are keeping us from seeing that the brightest exit strategy is on America.
And that brings us full circle, thank goodness we have a few to continue The Pledge to fight back. For united we stand; and oh boy, when arm in arm, we can be so bloody dangerous...gives a girl a thrill up the leg, I tell you, a thrill up the leg...
Make it a Good Day, G
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Dear America,
Happy Fall everyone; but watch out, first step is always a doozy.
Somewhere between watching the premiere of Biggest Loser and catching in the corner of my eye a "YES WE CAN" bumper sticker, it came to me.
We've talked about America's exceptionalism before, and in more ways than one, to be sure; and I believe we will talk a trillion times more on the subject, as I don't see a time ever in our future when we could hang a banner of mission accomplished on this one. WE must remind ourselves of our good and the good we do, as a people, or we will drift into some kind of foreign land, fall into some kind of valley, and perhaps never muster enough self-esteem to climb ourselves back up.
Velma is still with me, in spirit. I can't shake her utter desperation and her genuine appeal to the president wondering if this is all there is, is this what we can expect from him, is this all he wrote via the teleprompter, for today, tomorrow and the kingdom come? Her depression became an instant overnight sensation felt in the gut of every American -- and no one could have said it any better. It lingers with us...
It's just that, call me funny now, our president, just turned his head and laughed.
Does anyone else find that reaction kind of troubling? Has anyone else caught on that he finds things amusing at the most awkward times -- almost like a nervous twitch, he is quick to go to a little chuckle, as if he could just giggle himself out of answering any questions.
Mr. President, with all due respect, America is experiencing some serious sh** these days; it isn't that funny.
And there you are laughing, while the rest of us are wiping our tears and watching one more of your economic team give notice (oh, right, cuz you guys were planning on Larry Summers leaving by the end of the year, right). If we had a three stikes you're out policy, you would be getting the pink slip; that is if we add up Orzag and Romer who earlier beat Summers to the punch. And then there is this, before long we will be watching Rahm leave -- you know, to go organize Chicago; I suppose, when an administration gets tough, the tough run for 'dem hills -- or outside the beltway if at all possible.
Anyway, back to where I was really heading this morning, all of a sudden...you know, sometime between Biggest Loser and the bumper sticker, I had this sense that YES WE CAN has been AMERICA's ideology since day one. It has always been yes, we can; it has always been, whatever you need; it has always been, tell me what to do, and I'll do it.
It was always, how can I serve; it was always, how much can I give for my country; it was always, where do I sign; it was always, don't need any thanks, I am obliged to be of help; it was always, let me give of my time and my talent without any need for attention.
It has always been YES WE CAN and we will! And it will be good.
Somewhere along the way, our independence factor -- our ability to make a life on our own, under a limited government, sheltering our ingenuity and pursuit of happiness and individual liberties safely under the arm of America's Constitution -- has become our very own mental hurdle that just too many of us can't seem to break.
Now Velma, she is speaking for most of us because she gets it; she knows what she needs to do in order to build a life for herself and her family. What has her perplexed and "quite frankly exhausted" is the mountain she must climb, now that our government is way too big for it's britches. WE can't afford this kind of gluttony! And she is wondering, like the rest of us, just how, Mr. President, are we gonna pay for all this -- and be able to eat something other than "beans and franks" or was it "franks and beans" -- either way, the combo sucks.
What has the left all in a tizzy, is watching the tea party patriots climbing the walls and crying out in agony, with sweat dripping off their brow, gasping for air, saying NO MORE! we aren't gonna take it anymore -- but in a good way. WE, the Tea, see what we must do to overcome the hole that we are in; we are willing and able to do the work; so bring it.
Yes WE can, as Americans and all together (making every attempt to blend red shirts with blue), get through this time in our lives and get over it, by golly -- and we have no time for messing around, as our blood glucose level is off the charts.
Do us all a favor, and stop over indulging, big government; start setting an example that the kids can be proud of, will ya?!
Oh, the level of emotion watching the Biggest Loser can be so overwhelming. Just when you think you got it bad...bam! Left hook smacking you in the face when we're not looking up, ka pow! And we are on our knees.
Between the story of the young mother who fell asleep with her three year old son, with cancer, no longer breathing when she awoke...between the mother of five, wife of a military officer, and never having time to take care of herself... between the woman who survived breast cancer, only to be up against the battle of her real life, losing twenty years of bad weight... and the round of dads who just want to set a good example for their sons and daughters...every story, every issue, every feeling, we can't help but get sucked into their lives as if it's our own -- cuz that's just what we do here in America.
Velma and I are like sisters of a different color -- but of the same culture, the same country, the same dreams, and pretty much the same stress. But what is most striking -- and this is the real kicker in the old behind -- is the level of understanding as to how much of this we brought on ourself -- in the MACRO sense, that is (not personally, as in little old me and Velma, for we are perfect in every way, but...). The thing is, we let our country do this to us when we were not paying attention. WE let ourselves go, and now we are paying the price.
The left wants you to believe that MORE government is the answer; when it is precisely the glut of government which got us here in the first place. Wake up and smell the coffee growing on the hillsides of Columbia, people. We can't keep doing this to ourselves. Everyone needs to catch their own fish now, and more importantly, eat it, as it is way better for you than most things we snap, crackle and pop into our mouths.
Oh YES WE CAN overcome; yes we can climb the mountain and lose the excess weight -- but it will take a concerted effort and everyone's undying commitment. Oh yeah, and it will hardly be a cake walk; "Obama's Money" is not opening up a cupcake factory coming to a neighborhood near you. WE got no money; the cupcakes are bad for you; and we would be better off taking a spin around the park and coming home to a well balanced meal of living within our means with a side of double happiness, followed up with a good night's sleep instead of ding dongs and twinkies, that is after a long day at the fishing hole. And then, for the icing on the cake, to wake up and do it all over again the next day. It's gonna be so fun.
YES WE CAN is not a slogan -- it is a way of life, and Mr. President, you better not mess with it.
YES WE CAN, is right on the money and two for the show, and three to get ready now, go, go, go.
I am a conservative;
and even though I am virtually skinny girl from way back...
(and feel free to hate me on both infractions -- if it gets you through your day)
... but believe me when I say,
whether left or right, I am here for you --
to pump you up this morning!
Whatever number of pounds we have to lose, we will do it together!
WE can do this.
For I am woman, and we are AMERICA, hear me roar!
Time is now -- while time also happens to be real money, go figure --
and there is no going back.
Make it a GOOD Day, G
Found in The 5000 Year Leap:
Somewhere between watching the premiere of Biggest Loser and catching in the corner of my eye a "YES WE CAN" bumper sticker, it came to me.
We've talked about America's exceptionalism before, and in more ways than one, to be sure; and I believe we will talk a trillion times more on the subject, as I don't see a time ever in our future when we could hang a banner of mission accomplished on this one. WE must remind ourselves of our good and the good we do, as a people, or we will drift into some kind of foreign land, fall into some kind of valley, and perhaps never muster enough self-esteem to climb ourselves back up.
Velma is still with me, in spirit. I can't shake her utter desperation and her genuine appeal to the president wondering if this is all there is, is this what we can expect from him, is this all he wrote via the teleprompter, for today, tomorrow and the kingdom come? Her depression became an instant overnight sensation felt in the gut of every American -- and no one could have said it any better. It lingers with us...
It's just that, call me funny now, our president, just turned his head and laughed.
Does anyone else find that reaction kind of troubling? Has anyone else caught on that he finds things amusing at the most awkward times -- almost like a nervous twitch, he is quick to go to a little chuckle, as if he could just giggle himself out of answering any questions.
Mr. President, with all due respect, America is experiencing some serious sh** these days; it isn't that funny.
And there you are laughing, while the rest of us are wiping our tears and watching one more of your economic team give notice (oh, right, cuz you guys were planning on Larry Summers leaving by the end of the year, right). If we had a three stikes you're out policy, you would be getting the pink slip; that is if we add up Orzag and Romer who earlier beat Summers to the punch. And then there is this, before long we will be watching Rahm leave -- you know, to go organize Chicago; I suppose, when an administration gets tough, the tough run for 'dem hills -- or outside the beltway if at all possible.
Anyway, back to where I was really heading this morning, all of a sudden...you know, sometime between Biggest Loser and the bumper sticker, I had this sense that YES WE CAN has been AMERICA's ideology since day one. It has always been yes, we can; it has always been, whatever you need; it has always been, tell me what to do, and I'll do it.
It was always, how can I serve; it was always, how much can I give for my country; it was always, where do I sign; it was always, don't need any thanks, I am obliged to be of help; it was always, let me give of my time and my talent without any need for attention.
It has always been YES WE CAN and we will! And it will be good.
Somewhere along the way, our independence factor -- our ability to make a life on our own, under a limited government, sheltering our ingenuity and pursuit of happiness and individual liberties safely under the arm of America's Constitution -- has become our very own mental hurdle that just too many of us can't seem to break.
Now Velma, she is speaking for most of us because she gets it; she knows what she needs to do in order to build a life for herself and her family. What has her perplexed and "quite frankly exhausted" is the mountain she must climb, now that our government is way too big for it's britches. WE can't afford this kind of gluttony! And she is wondering, like the rest of us, just how, Mr. President, are we gonna pay for all this -- and be able to eat something other than "beans and franks" or was it "franks and beans" -- either way, the combo sucks.
What has the left all in a tizzy, is watching the tea party patriots climbing the walls and crying out in agony, with sweat dripping off their brow, gasping for air, saying NO MORE! we aren't gonna take it anymore -- but in a good way. WE, the Tea, see what we must do to overcome the hole that we are in; we are willing and able to do the work; so bring it.
Yes WE can, as Americans and all together (making every attempt to blend red shirts with blue), get through this time in our lives and get over it, by golly -- and we have no time for messing around, as our blood glucose level is off the charts.
Do us all a favor, and stop over indulging, big government; start setting an example that the kids can be proud of, will ya?!
Oh, the level of emotion watching the Biggest Loser can be so overwhelming. Just when you think you got it bad...bam! Left hook smacking you in the face when we're not looking up, ka pow! And we are on our knees.
Between the story of the young mother who fell asleep with her three year old son, with cancer, no longer breathing when she awoke...between the mother of five, wife of a military officer, and never having time to take care of herself... between the woman who survived breast cancer, only to be up against the battle of her real life, losing twenty years of bad weight... and the round of dads who just want to set a good example for their sons and daughters...every story, every issue, every feeling, we can't help but get sucked into their lives as if it's our own -- cuz that's just what we do here in America.
Velma and I are like sisters of a different color -- but of the same culture, the same country, the same dreams, and pretty much the same stress. But what is most striking -- and this is the real kicker in the old behind -- is the level of understanding as to how much of this we brought on ourself -- in the MACRO sense, that is (not personally, as in little old me and Velma, for we are perfect in every way, but...). The thing is, we let our country do this to us when we were not paying attention. WE let ourselves go, and now we are paying the price.
The left wants you to believe that MORE government is the answer; when it is precisely the glut of government which got us here in the first place. Wake up and smell the coffee growing on the hillsides of Columbia, people. We can't keep doing this to ourselves. Everyone needs to catch their own fish now, and more importantly, eat it, as it is way better for you than most things we snap, crackle and pop into our mouths.
Oh YES WE CAN overcome; yes we can climb the mountain and lose the excess weight -- but it will take a concerted effort and everyone's undying commitment. Oh yeah, and it will hardly be a cake walk; "Obama's Money" is not opening up a cupcake factory coming to a neighborhood near you. WE got no money; the cupcakes are bad for you; and we would be better off taking a spin around the park and coming home to a well balanced meal of living within our means with a side of double happiness, followed up with a good night's sleep instead of ding dongs and twinkies, that is after a long day at the fishing hole. And then, for the icing on the cake, to wake up and do it all over again the next day. It's gonna be so fun.
YES WE CAN is not a slogan -- it is a way of life, and Mr. President, you better not mess with it.
YES WE CAN, is right on the money and two for the show, and three to get ready now, go, go, go.
I am a conservative;
and even though I am virtually skinny girl from way back...
(and feel free to hate me on both infractions -- if it gets you through your day)
... but believe me when I say,
whether left or right, I am here for you --
to pump you up this morning!
Whatever number of pounds we have to lose, we will do it together!
WE can do this.
For I am woman, and we are AMERICA, hear me roar!
Time is now -- while time also happens to be real money, go figure --
and there is no going back.
Make it a GOOD Day, G
Found in The 5000 Year Leap:
"Life, Liberty, and the property do not exist
because men have made laws.
On the contrary,
it was the fact that life, liberty, and the property
existed beforehand
that caused men to make laws
[for the protection of them]
in the first place."
Frederic Bastiat
The Law
From Benjamin Franklin:
"I am apprehensive, therefore -- perhaps too apprehensive --
that the government of these states
may in future times end in a monarchy.
But this catastrophe, I think, may be long delayed,
if in our proposed system we do not sow the seeds
of contention, faction, and tumult,
by making our posts of honor
places of profit.
If we do, I fear,
though we employ at first number and
not a single person, the number will
in time be set aside;
it will only nourish the fetus of a king
(as the honorable gentleman from Virginia
very aptly expressed it),
and a king will the sooner be set over us."
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Dear America,
"Quite frankly, I'm exhausted."
Velma Hart
Ditto...
Hell's bells, what in tarnation is going on around here; and much like yesterday, and like the day before that, we never really get a real clear politics answer, do we?
But gotta love Velma, no?
She laid it right out for the president...she's plum exhausted defending him and his administration and the hopey changey thing going on; oh, how did she finish -- and coming from being a true lover, not a fighter --"deeply disappointed..."
He then went on to rattle off his talking points and circled back around with a firm reassurance that he's not done...hold up there, Velma, give me more time.
According to an ABC Poll, 47% of those polled said it "would not make a difference" -- responding to which party would have the greatest affect on changing the country's economic woes.
Where do they get these people is what I want to know.
The people I know, have no doubt about our future picture and can see it -- and maybe even through a crystal ball...say it isn't so; regime change is the nature of the beast this election season.
Thanks to Obama, we see the light.
Thanks to Obama, we realize, we took the turn south when we should have gone north.
Thanks to Obama, we went left when we should have veered right.
But how does our president respond to we the people, while addressing the Tea Party hidden agenda?
"ha ha ha...
...[you know, America, God love her cuz I sure don't -- has this]
nobel tradition of being healthily skeptical about government..."
he he he...
"ha ha ha...
...it's not enough just to say, to get control of spending..."
he he he...
Well okay, then, when you put it like that, how about we start with 10% across the board; but cut your administration by 20%; cut congressional staffers by half; cut dining out, or ordering in, for the late night behind closed doors sessions, writing and manipulating legislation and votes, by 100% -- pack a lunch, or a midnight snack, like the rest of us. How's that for starters?
Then, the next tier looks something like this:
- Repeal the trillion dollar health care package -- you know, the one where your party followed blindly by party line, committing outright fraud on the American people, and who are unwilling and able to stand by it as they beg and plead to keep their jobs in the fall.
- Stop "stimulating" the economy through government subsidies, grants for testing marijuana on monkeys and the like, and digging ditches; real jobs come only by way of the private sector; you are killing us with overhead and banking on too many of us being satisfied with performing hard labor and highway building for the rest of our lives (not my idea of doing what I love and loving what I do).
- Keep the BUSH tax cuts for all Americans; the wealthy are the only one's with the ability to carry the liability of starting new ventures, the hiring of more people, and keeping the wheels of capitalism and the free market and prosperity for all turning in the same direction. Most Americans, have not a nickel to their name to create or save one job, let alone 3 million and counting; the people who do, make US (thank you, Jeep!).
- FYI, your budget deficit is set to reach 1.3 Trillion! (believe that's unprecedented, no?)
Velma is exhausted, like the rest of us, because she can't keep defending the path downunder with the legacy of debt this American President is sending with us merrily, merrily down the way.
The temperature is rising; and it has nothing to do with climate change; for we are feeling like the end is near.
Chris Coons, who made the switch from ignorance to so-called bliss in college, while far, far away, in another land, called Kenya, returned not in love with his America, but totally awestruck in his ability to change her and everything he loathes; Christine O'Donnell, throws off the dogs declaring, "it was in high school" -- let's get real, people.
We age, we grow, we learn, we make mistakes and then one day down the road, we wake up and want to do something with our lives. We all do it. Some of us, even still.
Which vote do we want to have in congress -- the one who has half a chance in changing us back into the America we know and love, who would say NO to wanton spending on the fly, and with the help of a little pixie dust, perhaps, honor America, reform our wrongdoings and wayward direction, and hold to our finer truths we recognize under the Constitution and our Declaration of Independence -- or, the guy who worships Black Liberation Theology, who came home from Kenya with an anti-establishment epiphany, a guy who hikes taxes to support liberal entitlements and "stimulus," and seems to profess a self-proclaimed lack of patriotism all the way around (lock step in line with the ideology of our president) ? hmmmm
It's not like I could even make this stuff up -- and if you read what is linked with hmmmm you would know what I'm talking about. Coons is left; Christine is right. Absolutely cyrstal.
But make no mistake, it is more than ideology now -- this is about our future.
From Christianity and the American Commonwealth:
Quite frankly, we are exhausted, as the liberal chorus of 'no language but a cry' has not only made us, but warped our minds -- it made us stop all forward, onward and upward, full ahead motion honoring one of our core principles -- our very independence. Our christian heart opened up so wide, we allowed for flagrant misgivings and transgressions against America's remarkable posturing, her true identity and the real McCoy happily living side by side.
"Christian education is not narrow. It does not fetter thought, but emancipates mind. It does not impede investigation, but flings wide the doors of the largest mental hospitality, and gives the broadest commission to 'intermeddle with all knowledge.' For the small demagogue, whose cry is liberalism, and who has 'no language but a cry,' we ought to have the commiseration due to congenital innocence...
what you sow in your school you reap in the nation...Correct principles sown in the soil of the young mind, cultivated by wise, well-equipped teachers, and ripened by the sun of gracious Providence, will produce a manhood and womanhood that will sacredly preserve the past and guarantee the glory of the future."
Now I hasten to say I don't know much and certainly not everything, but this I do know: families will always feud; we will probably take turns getting what we want for maybe another hundred years, if we are lucky; but I'm not willing to let America go to hell in a handbasket over it. We only have good government, when we save our liberty; we only have independence, when we save ourselves.
Velma looked to just a man to save her -- and that was her first mistake (with about 55% of the vote along side her).
It's an easy mistake, anyone can do it (even president's forget a little line like, "endowed by our creator" from time to time...see speech Monday...I'm not going to find it for you). Can't blame that one on high school, however -- more like the realm of being a college grad -- perhaps from places like Amherst, or Harvard.
You know, Mr. President, thanks to your stimulus, it's been confirmed that cocaine and pot can adversely affect what information we retain and the stupid things we do -- that, from a recent government funded study costing the lowly taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars; it's a good thing we had a study for that, for don't think we, simple minded, tea party kind of folk, could figure that one out on our own.
So, in closing then,
Ten Percent is the quick answer (that's easy to remember, as it is the same amount we the little people tithe)... once you do that, we can re-assess the damage and see where we go from there.
And if I may speak freely -- and I think I speak for all of us -- especially Velma, let us reaffirm that we are exhausted; we can't keep up with you; we dare you to cut spending (that's easy to remember, as you said it hundreds of times in your election campaign, you said you would go "line by line"...). While blame Bush for the tax cuts if you must, but go ahead and stick to it; make it easier to make jobs, so that we can make our own way.
For we are really not afraid of what has to happen next -- and that is going by way of Europe, of all things; it's called austerity -- and albeit good, the reality is, this will only get us back to even.
But we recognize Divine Providence is on our side, the supply side, the more than enough side, the path to higher learning and robust abundance side -- govenment just needs to get out of the way -- setting us free to fly to the high heavens and beyond our wildest dreams -- bringing a whole new meaning to pyschedelic...
Polls have a way of missing the fine line in between; but that line is no purple haze no more, no more. We are not confused; we are not divided; we are not unsure of what is at stake; we see it all, crystal clear. The bad news, It was with us the whole time; the good news, It will be with us always -- now isn't that just divine.
Now somebody pass me the chips.
Make it a Good Day, G
Monday, September 20, 2010
Dear America,
Besides the obvious life of illusion reality this administration continues to revel in, Obama attending the Joe "Sleastak" fundraiser-by-townhall meeting this morning, seems to start the week off with yet more of the same, less of what we need, and missing the mark entirely...again.
Go ahead, Obummer, run with that, please.
What's more amazing? The response time for an article posted this morning on yahoo! from the Associated Press journalist, Julie Pace, simply stating, "Obama: People still hurting despite recession end."
First, let me applaud the 87,000+ in less than an hour making their candid remarks. Needless to say, the comments are now closed.
Interesting.
Was it something he said?
You know, for guy who had all the answers and all the associations needed for creating fundamental transformation, beginning with a 2000+ page Health Care bill, cooked and ready to serve the minute he put his hand over the bible -- and the for the guy who spent nearly a trillion dollars on stimulus (pocket change for a couple of new Washingtonian's), promising unemployment never to go past eight percent, just a matter of days into his honeymoon phase -- one has to wonder, have we slipped into a remake of The Truman Show?
Ten years to create, he says.
Try seven times TEN!
Maybe calling this episode of the days of our lives all just a part of our seven year itch, with a twist, is more apropros.
It's not about making enough money; it's hardly ever about the money; and anyway, the real culprit usually lies deeper than that which gleams upon the surface; and boy, can it take some time to realize, the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
And maybe, the stark reality that we never really know what goes on behind closed doors is what has us up in arms. Inquiring minds wanna know -- while we are more awake now than ever; and surely no longer satisfied with canned, but empty responses; we aren't buying it; whatever it is you are peddling, we want nothing of it, completely discontent with what we are being told, as if "everything is fine"; no! we are not fine and we need to talk!
We want answers; real answers; answers that have meat on them; answers that sustain; answers, perhaps, very closely resembling things our mamas and papas may have told us, if only we paid closer attention; answers that, in the great scheme of life, just happened to be right under our nose the entire time. Huh. Go figure.
See the Morning Bell, via The Heritage Foundation, carrying us over the threshold with more logic behind the fact that, for most Americans, we have already paid (and dearly) for the federal free-for-all with our money; and expect to pay for it -- again -- here on the flipside, that is, if the Obama Tax Hikes for only the lonely and the wealthy get through.
The thing is, we have been digging this ditch for seventy years -- all fully paid for, of course (see also, the lovely, ornate freeway signage, posted at every county line, all along the way).
We have burrowed in deep -- reaching suburbia, cityfolk, country bumpkins alike; we all ate it, by the loving spoonful, for decades -- never questioning the cook, never raising an eyebrow to the china. We loved it, every minute of it.
We let the juices drip from our chins, and spent hours on the bone -- it was everything we ever wanted...
until NOW.
Yet, what is highly entertaining, seems to be the fine tuning of what we are witnessing now, is something that most outsiders can't even begin to explain -- as if it has all come out of left field or through stage door right.
But oh the beauty of it really; the cinematography is truly a work of art -- so good, maybe too good to be true.
What is alive and well and sipping the good old fashioned sweet tea by the barrel, is our inate ability to come together as Americans -- no longer simply engaged, but now humbly, united, and married to the principles and values we cherish.
It may not be all beef wellington and gravy these days, but what we are really famished for -- even within our piddly little lives we lead -- is reality;
while our president, young and unprepared, is all the more determined to transform the economics of our free market -- standing firm on refusing to budge from his Keynesian roots -- while keeping close fellowship with his father's collective ideology -- having also fallen victim to his own mother's open detachment of both America, as well as, his childhood -- struggles to get his groove back -- we all sit, watching anxiously and unglued to what happens; every day makes us all the more stunned to realize, it has all been a made-for-hollywood illusion this whole time.
Since the 40's, we have declined in meeting the demands of a new age through the darling we all know and love as only self-reliance -- that which is betrothed and beholdened to the principles that ring the bell of capitalism and liberty, for all who wish to make and partake.
Sometime mid-century, we began to hook up with romantic notions and quick-fix potions we thought we knew well enough; whereas, today, we only wished we left Miss Well Enough alone -- for she was all bad news.
87,000 comments today on just a little, itty, bitty article about people still hurting; when in fact, we have been a long time coming to this kind of pain.
So, yes and no, Mr. President, it will take a "little more time to solve" -- or not; for oh oh say can you see, how it can be done with just a push of a button, a quick hit on the remote. It may have taken us awhile to find the power, our voice -- as it was hiding under a couple of cushions, next to the rogue popcorn and loose change and gullibility; but now that we've found it, let us just say:
Oh and,
Make it a Good Day, G
(alternate ending, split screen to camera spanning the new world, right outside the door -- returning to Truman's backside, skipping down the lane)
Go ahead, Obummer, run with that, please.
What's more amazing? The response time for an article posted this morning on yahoo! from the Associated Press journalist, Julie Pace, simply stating, "Obama: People still hurting despite recession end."
First, let me applaud the 87,000+ in less than an hour making their candid remarks. Needless to say, the comments are now closed.
Interesting.
Was it something he said?
"Something that took ten years to create
is going to take a little more time to solve."
Obama
sometime between his first smoke and a PhillyCheeseSteak
You know, for guy who had all the answers and all the associations needed for creating fundamental transformation, beginning with a 2000+ page Health Care bill, cooked and ready to serve the minute he put his hand over the bible -- and the for the guy who spent nearly a trillion dollars on stimulus (pocket change for a couple of new Washingtonian's), promising unemployment never to go past eight percent, just a matter of days into his honeymoon phase -- one has to wonder, have we slipped into a remake of The Truman Show?
Ten years to create, he says.
Try seven times TEN!
Maybe calling this episode of the days of our lives all just a part of our seven year itch, with a twist, is more apropros.
It's not about making enough money; it's hardly ever about the money; and anyway, the real culprit usually lies deeper than that which gleams upon the surface; and boy, can it take some time to realize, the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
And maybe, the stark reality that we never really know what goes on behind closed doors is what has us up in arms. Inquiring minds wanna know -- while we are more awake now than ever; and surely no longer satisfied with canned, but empty responses; we aren't buying it; whatever it is you are peddling, we want nothing of it, completely discontent with what we are being told, as if "everything is fine"; no! we are not fine and we need to talk!
We want answers; real answers; answers that have meat on them; answers that sustain; answers, perhaps, very closely resembling things our mamas and papas may have told us, if only we paid closer attention; answers that, in the great scheme of life, just happened to be right under our nose the entire time. Huh. Go figure.
See the Morning Bell, via The Heritage Foundation, carrying us over the threshold with more logic behind the fact that, for most Americans, we have already paid (and dearly) for the federal free-for-all with our money; and expect to pay for it -- again -- here on the flipside, that is, if the Obama Tax Hikes for only the lonely and the wealthy get through.
The thing is, we have been digging this ditch for seventy years -- all fully paid for, of course (see also, the lovely, ornate freeway signage, posted at every county line, all along the way).
We have burrowed in deep -- reaching suburbia, cityfolk, country bumpkins alike; we all ate it, by the loving spoonful, for decades -- never questioning the cook, never raising an eyebrow to the china. We loved it, every minute of it.
We let the juices drip from our chins, and spent hours on the bone -- it was everything we ever wanted...
until NOW.
Yet, what is highly entertaining, seems to be the fine tuning of what we are witnessing now, is something that most outsiders can't even begin to explain -- as if it has all come out of left field or through stage door right.
But oh the beauty of it really; the cinematography is truly a work of art -- so good, maybe too good to be true.
What is alive and well and sipping the good old fashioned sweet tea by the barrel, is our inate ability to come together as Americans -- no longer simply engaged, but now humbly, united, and married to the principles and values we cherish.
It may not be all beef wellington and gravy these days, but what we are really famished for -- even within our piddly little lives we lead -- is reality;
while our president, young and unprepared, is all the more determined to transform the economics of our free market -- standing firm on refusing to budge from his Keynesian roots -- while keeping close fellowship with his father's collective ideology -- having also fallen victim to his own mother's open detachment of both America, as well as, his childhood -- struggles to get his groove back -- we all sit, watching anxiously and unglued to what happens; every day makes us all the more stunned to realize, it has all been a made-for-hollywood illusion this whole time.
Since the 40's, we have declined in meeting the demands of a new age through the darling we all know and love as only self-reliance -- that which is betrothed and beholdened to the principles that ring the bell of capitalism and liberty, for all who wish to make and partake.
Sometime mid-century, we began to hook up with romantic notions and quick-fix potions we thought we knew well enough; whereas, today, we only wished we left Miss Well Enough alone -- for she was all bad news.
87,000 comments today on just a little, itty, bitty article about people still hurting; when in fact, we have been a long time coming to this kind of pain.
So, yes and no, Mr. President, it will take a "little more time to solve" -- or not; for oh oh say can you see, how it can be done with just a push of a button, a quick hit on the remote. It may have taken us awhile to find the power, our voice -- as it was hiding under a couple of cushions, next to the rogue popcorn and loose change and gullibility; but now that we've found it, let us just say:
"In case I don't see you...
good afternoon, good evening and good night."
Truman Burbank
Oh and,
Make it a Good Day, G
(alternate ending, split screen to camera spanning the new world, right outside the door -- returning to Truman's backside, skipping down the lane)
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Dear America,
Don't Ask! but oh, do tell...
Apparently, the new black according to international law, under "propriety/lady etiquette" is slipping into grey area, the fine lines are starting to blur...scuzi, pardon moi...
For Carla and The Ambitious is on the loose; now prowling and roaming literary circles seems to be the latest fashion of the avant garde, peddling the indiscreet with daring impunity and high style.
The nerve of her, really; to quote Carla, quoting Michelle, "Don't Ask! It's hell. I can't stand it."
According to Sarkozy's second lady, our first lady whispered sweet burning somethings in her ear; openly and unsparingly, Michelle didn't even attempt to pass off illusions of grandeur, held in high esteem and sheltered deep in Americana, of her role as close to royalty as we get -- she made no ivy league try at
even hiding her true disdain -- she laid it right out, "it's hell," oh bloody hell, I tell you, "I can't stand it."
Of course, it may not be true; but what if it is?
Besides the intital embarassment of being party to the likelihood of an international cat fight about to ensue, what would motivate another first lady to attack our first lady in such a way -- even if sparring with the truth? What would bring her to that point of no return?
It is funny when we call the President's wife, the first lady; in truth, Michelle is actually the 44th, just as Laura was 43rd, and so on and so on. The reality of title alone -- "first lady" -- of role, of place in the world, remains to be found more in metaphor and history, than in the specifics of the long line of women who came before and in actuality.
For she stands for America.
Just as this seems to be going off message, let us twist this drivel one more time; as I started this day reading an article highlighting the "happiness gap", comparing the level of happiness of whites and blacks from the 1970's and over the last several decades; as time should have its way with us, blacks are showing greater progress than whites, according to this study and making little difference of economic status, in the pursuit of happiness.
The gap is slimming; blacks are finding a way to find happiness in spite of the imagined inequities and self-fulfilling prophecy of austerity and lack; perhaps the generation holding tight to old truths and past wrongs, are finally giving way to new thought, allowing for the shackles of the past to unveil a life filled with hope and prosperity -- and maybe even a little happiness -- if nothing else.
But the thing is, flowing with the daily chatter, catching wind of the prevailing attitudes chiming in with wanton commentary and personal opinion, it led me down a tangent unsuspecting...and that being, the early slave trade in America (as well as along the Barbary Coast... then into the lands of "Christian Slaves, Muslim Masters"...but that would take days to traverse, and we don't have that kind of time today).
And it was there, in a sea of print, I found a prized-worthy quote:
The first flings of free-enterprise in this country had everything to do with the tabacco industry -- how to plant, process, and package, and bring it to market; white, volunteers -- commonly known as "free-willers" -- gladly exchanged a few years of indentured servitude for free passage to the new world. Some 300,000 of these "free-willers" came over between the years 1620 - 1775, amounting to every two out of three voyagers, free choosing to migrate to America under such terms. Only, upon arrival, finding their rights all but gone, and at a point of no return; they were stuck, and now slave to the master and commander.
But the seed was planted decades before, as the motivation of boosting the number of migrant workers to do their dirty work was so great, England had long been cleaning out their prisons, and sending to America their criminals and the unwanted -- boasting the growth of the happiness factor back at home, I'm sure, albeit that study not to be found; while no one was safe, forwarding women, and children -- as young as toddlers, strikingly became all too easy to do. Sometime around the early 1600's, Australia became the new dumping ground for derelicts, but the point is, many of the early "settlers" were simply migrant workers -- and predominantly white.
Whites were not only well documented to have been slaves and servants throughout world history, they were the FIRST slaves of America!
Slavery, in any color, is nothing to stand up and be happy about, whether you came first or second; no question, and no doubt about it.
But, being First Lady, of the nation commonly recognized as the leader of the Free World -- even if for the 44th time -- now THAT is something, when afforded such stately position and sweet success, to talk about! A reality that, if one should ever find herself -- and maybe for the first time -- a situation one could almost be very, very proud of. A position that, some might say, is happy-stance (just made that up) to remarkable timing, unfathomable good fortune, with luck and pure chance playing brilliantly to that end.
To speak, on behalf of all 43 first ladies who have come before, and gossip amongst the wives of the politico-elite around the entire globe, is a rare thing.
While on the contrary, to be in a position, where all girls, in a rainbow of color and custom, look to you with honor, watching your every move, and quite possibly hanging on your every word, is an everyday occurrence.
Matter of fact, the entire world is watching, listening, imagining how in bloody hell could this ever happen; we're talking about our first lady! Did she or didn't she, it doesn't matter now; we're nestled in the bottom of a frigate and past the point of no return.
The word is out and it ain't pretty; with one click, the world sees our first lady as whiner in chief -- and not of the good, nouveau beaujolais kind; while we witness Sarkozy's second time around exhibiting behavior unbecoming of a lady. Either way, the manuscript and the media holds us hostage to the titilating amusement of it all.
I would laugh, if only it wasn't so sad.
Make it a Good Day, G
this is a tale of two faces
both pretty and neither outpaces
with candid remarks
disgrace indeed sparks
while all elegance falls out of good graces
Apparently, the new black according to international law, under "propriety/lady etiquette" is slipping into grey area, the fine lines are starting to blur...scuzi, pardon moi...
For Carla and The Ambitious is on the loose; now prowling and roaming literary circles seems to be the latest fashion of the avant garde, peddling the indiscreet with daring impunity and high style.
The nerve of her, really; to quote Carla, quoting Michelle, "Don't Ask! It's hell. I can't stand it."
According to Sarkozy's second lady, our first lady whispered sweet burning somethings in her ear; openly and unsparingly, Michelle didn't even attempt to pass off illusions of grandeur, held in high esteem and sheltered deep in Americana, of her role as close to royalty as we get -- she made no ivy league try at
even hiding her true disdain -- she laid it right out, "it's hell," oh bloody hell, I tell you, "I can't stand it."
Of course, it may not be true; but what if it is?
Besides the intital embarassment of being party to the likelihood of an international cat fight about to ensue, what would motivate another first lady to attack our first lady in such a way -- even if sparring with the truth? What would bring her to that point of no return?
It is funny when we call the President's wife, the first lady; in truth, Michelle is actually the 44th, just as Laura was 43rd, and so on and so on. The reality of title alone -- "first lady" -- of role, of place in the world, remains to be found more in metaphor and history, than in the specifics of the long line of women who came before and in actuality.
For she stands for America.
Just as this seems to be going off message, let us twist this drivel one more time; as I started this day reading an article highlighting the "happiness gap", comparing the level of happiness of whites and blacks from the 1970's and over the last several decades; as time should have its way with us, blacks are showing greater progress than whites, according to this study and making little difference of economic status, in the pursuit of happiness.
The gap is slimming; blacks are finding a way to find happiness in spite of the imagined inequities and self-fulfilling prophecy of austerity and lack; perhaps the generation holding tight to old truths and past wrongs, are finally giving way to new thought, allowing for the shackles of the past to unveil a life filled with hope and prosperity -- and maybe even a little happiness -- if nothing else.
But the thing is, flowing with the daily chatter, catching wind of the prevailing attitudes chiming in with wanton commentary and personal opinion, it led me down a tangent unsuspecting...and that being, the early slave trade in America (as well as along the Barbary Coast... then into the lands of "Christian Slaves, Muslim Masters"...but that would take days to traverse, and we don't have that kind of time today).
And it was there, in a sea of print, I found a prized-worthy quote:
"when someone removes the cataracts of whiteness
from our eyes, and when we look with unclouded vision
on the bloody shadows of the American past,
we will recognize for the first time the Afro-American,
who was so often second in freedom,
was also second in slavery."
Lerone Bennett Jr.
author and African American
The first flings of free-enterprise in this country had everything to do with the tabacco industry -- how to plant, process, and package, and bring it to market; white, volunteers -- commonly known as "free-willers" -- gladly exchanged a few years of indentured servitude for free passage to the new world. Some 300,000 of these "free-willers" came over between the years 1620 - 1775, amounting to every two out of three voyagers, free choosing to migrate to America under such terms. Only, upon arrival, finding their rights all but gone, and at a point of no return; they were stuck, and now slave to the master and commander.
But the seed was planted decades before, as the motivation of boosting the number of migrant workers to do their dirty work was so great, England had long been cleaning out their prisons, and sending to America their criminals and the unwanted -- boasting the growth of the happiness factor back at home, I'm sure, albeit that study not to be found; while no one was safe, forwarding women, and children -- as young as toddlers, strikingly became all too easy to do. Sometime around the early 1600's, Australia became the new dumping ground for derelicts, but the point is, many of the early "settlers" were simply migrant workers -- and predominantly white.
Whites were not only well documented to have been slaves and servants throughout world history, they were the FIRST slaves of America!
Slavery, in any color, is nothing to stand up and be happy about, whether you came first or second; no question, and no doubt about it.
But, being First Lady, of the nation commonly recognized as the leader of the Free World -- even if for the 44th time -- now THAT is something, when afforded such stately position and sweet success, to talk about! A reality that, if one should ever find herself -- and maybe for the first time -- a situation one could almost be very, very proud of. A position that, some might say, is happy-stance (just made that up) to remarkable timing, unfathomable good fortune, with luck and pure chance playing brilliantly to that end.
To speak, on behalf of all 43 first ladies who have come before, and gossip amongst the wives of the politico-elite around the entire globe, is a rare thing.
While on the contrary, to be in a position, where all girls, in a rainbow of color and custom, look to you with honor, watching your every move, and quite possibly hanging on your every word, is an everyday occurrence.
Matter of fact, the entire world is watching, listening, imagining how in bloody hell could this ever happen; we're talking about our first lady! Did she or didn't she, it doesn't matter now; we're nestled in the bottom of a frigate and past the point of no return.
The word is out and it ain't pretty; with one click, the world sees our first lady as whiner in chief -- and not of the good, nouveau beaujolais kind; while we witness Sarkozy's second time around exhibiting behavior unbecoming of a lady. Either way, the manuscript and the media holds us hostage to the titilating amusement of it all.
I would laugh, if only it wasn't so sad.
Make it a Good Day, G
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Dear America,
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Sales at U.S. retailers posted their largest gain in five months in August on strong receipts at gasoline stations and clothing outlets, further assuaging fears of a double-dip recession."1) re: gasoline reciepts: congress was on vacation; congressmen and women and staffers were traveling the world, and maybe even returning home to their districts, upon their private jets -- the quintessential gas guzzlers of them all.
2) re: clothing outlets: the little people were preparing to send their children back to school (and maybe driving over the hill and through the woods to grandmas house -- but that's just speculation-- national parks and recreation were in full swing, too) either way, it was a swell time to be a kid; and equally noteworthy, is the use of a particular key word, that would be "outlet"-- for it's not like the majority of us were going to Nordstroms; our smart money was on volume, and no doubt we made a bee line to outlet malls and discount chains from sea to shining sea.
So really, what this "news" is telling us then, is simply that the economic indicators are in sync with the season; nothing extraordinary is going on -- and should be of no surprise to any of us who survived the month of August...we have used more gas and we have bought more clothes in what's commonly known in the business as enjoying the seasonal fluctuation. The habits of the homosapien are right on cue.
Let's just go out on a limb and predict, pumpkin sales is trending up as we speak -- along with bags of chocolate, candy corn and cavities; six months from now, we should also expect to see an rise in dental work and toothbrush sales, that is over and above the incremental rush in annual toothbrush projections, standard issue in the bottom of our Christmas stockings in about ninety days from now. Woohoo, and what a boon that will be. Yes, good times are swiftly coming our way.
I guess they, journalists in general and reuters in particular, feel a need to inject optimism and pump us up; looky-here! we are buying clothes, sucking up gas, and eating red velvet cupcakes, happy days are here again... the recession must be over... long live the king.
Here's a news flash:
The weak rise in sales has nothing to do with "our fears being over;" the reality is, it's quite the contrary. We spent money because we had to, and what we did spend was not much. Real consumer confidence and reasonable economic security remains at an all time low.
The thing is, we are still stuck; and in order to further evolve and grow and sustain life here on earth, it relies on our ability to steer clear of the tar pits, somehow find comfort in the makeshift home on the side of this slippery slope we live, and wait the storm out in the short term -- but in the long term, counts on all of us to use our intelligence and stamina and innovation to reinvent the wheel that is falling off fast and furious, and upon all cylinders.
To make way for the next generation, permanent consumer confidence calls upon us to return to the principles that made this country great and good, gracious and grounded -- and nothing else will really do; gallivanting around town in that trade in from cash for clunkers, buying petrol, while donning brand new bonnets and pantaloons is simply feeding into the consumer nation infatuation; the sustenance of common sense must be self evident and be found at the heart and soul of whatever we do, wherever we go -- for as the age old wisdom of alchemists and neanderthals alike agree, wherever you go, there you are.
Compensation and consumption in life comes with the greater understanding of the law of dual realities at play at all times; the polarity factor of everything under the sun falls under simple truths of action and reaction, lightness and darkness, the measure of yin and the yang accordingly, to all things, lives in every moment, in every facet and capacity.
From Ralph Waldo Emerson:
"...because of the dual constitution of things, in labor as in life there can be no cheating. The thief steals from himself, The swindler swindles from himself. For the real price of labor is knowledge and virtue, whereof wealth and credit are signs. These signs, like paper money, may be counterfeited or stolen, but that which they represent, namely, knowledge and virtue, cannot be counterfeited or stolen. These ends of labor cannot be answered but by real exertions of the mind, and in obedience of pure motives. The cheat, the defaulter, the gambler, cannot extort the benefit, cannot extort the knowledge of material and moral nature which his honest care and pains yield to the operative. The law of nature is, DO the thing, and you shall have the power; but they who do not the thing have not the power...Isn't that just sublime.
On the other hand the law holds with equal sureness for all right action. Love, and you shall be loved. All love is mathematically just, as much as the two sides of an algebraic equation. The good man has absolute good, which like fire turns every thing to its own nature, so that you cannot do him any harm...
Every man in his lifetime needs to thank his faults. As no man thoroughly understands a truth until first he has contended against it, so no man has a thorough acquaintance with the hindrance or talent of men until he has suffered from the one and seen the triumph of the other over his own want of the same."
If only;
if only, just before we closed our eyes at night, or at first sight of the morning sun, we read to our children from the master of self reliance himself, as if plugging into the source of all right action, elevating the new hybrid human being into another realm of living and creating, illuminating our personal power in the moment, while protecting our very future -- by doing the right thing, actualizing right thought, right from the start.
Things were all so simple then, when we hadn't a wheel or a gigabyte to our name; and likewise, as with any advancement, greater responsibility and mindfulness is absolutely required for long lasting prosperity and for broadband benefits to sustain. Cogs and controversy, corruption and cannibalism can wreak havoc upon an otherwise vibrant and growing civil society and community.
We are way beyond the rush to summer's end -- flying and dining, hunting for fresh fig leafs and roadkill to throw on ; the greater concern should be, what is it about the humble wheel that truly works? What does the little round disk that moves things, move us to do -- by way of lesson or contention?
How has the abuse of the doers and the shakers and the candlestick makers all but obliterated the simple life and the humble man -- with the loss of sound virtue and proven principles paving the way -- driven us into this bureaucratic ditch of despair and despotism? No matter who rules -- a ruler is a ruler is a ruler; if it rolls, if it has wheels, then wherever you go, there you are...
Man was made in the image of God, born in this nation under God, to rule ourselves; to do for ourselves; the more we have fallen away from respecting this duality of natural law, in existence since the beginning of all time, the greater the chance for the mechanisms at play to falter. Call it Darwinian, if you must; but truth cuts both ways, and is equal to all under the rule of law -- while the only common denominator is who?
YOU.
so -- puleeze --
if you are going to make one,
make it a good, G
Truth is, this isn't about re-inventing the wheel at all; for the wheel works just fine.
After further review -- and according to the aero-dynamics back behind running basically every thing --
thank you for waiting;
operator error seems to be more the root cause.
Somebody should get to the bottom of it some time real soon,
your patience is appreciated.
beep.
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