Dear America,

"God our Father, 

we thank you for our families; 

for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage. 

In the busyness of each day 

keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life 

and help us to be generous 

with our time and love and energy. 

Strengthened by our union 

help us to serve and comfort those who suffer. 

We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 

Amen."

Forces of nature at work today, that is the thing.


The Prince and Princess were unable to personalize their vows, however they quickly devised a way to do just that.  How?  None other than pledging their love through a direct path, creating a prayer to God, to each other, for all the world to hear.

And so it is.  That was easy.

Notice the connection between the love for each other with a greater purpose under heaven.  Here are two people who on this day seem larger than life itself, utterly clinging to the simplicity of the moment, reinforcing their clear underlying values of faith, family and marriage, and asking the Heavenly Father for His hand and His guidance in keeping their eyes fixed on what is real and important. strengthened by this day, this vow above all other vows, marches on to pledge their service and ability to help comfort the wider community around them -- beyond the chapel, after the ceremony is done, when life resumes to normal. (Whatever that is, for a prince & princess, right?)


In Kate's hands, she holds a simple bouquet:

Lily-of-the-Valley represents the return of happiness,
Sweet William stands for gallantry,
Hyacinth is for the constancy of love,
Myrtle symbolizes marriage and love,
and Ivy is for fidelity, marriage, wedded love, friendship, and affection.

While right out of an English garden fairy tale, even the Myrtle holds a special place in royal wedding history; the Myrtle sprigs  were clipped from the very same plants going back generations  --  the long line of Myrtle dates back to the wedding bouquets of both Queen Victoria, in 1845, and held by Queen Elizabeth, in 1947.

To pay more homage to all things royal wedding, go here.

But oh the contrast between London and Tuscaloosa on this day.

The entire town of 900 is nearly leveled, having lost the lives of thirty six residents thus far, having barreled down main street, hitting the local Piggly Wiggly grocery store -- the tornado that could very well have been an E5, with winds up to 200 mph -- everything in her wake was destroyed and left in total chaos.  Every family was thrown into a state of emergency; every single family devastated by the immediate and merciless loss of loved ones, a business, a livelihood, a church, a school, a home -- any level of security and peace of mind that preexisted was gone, in an instant.

The numbers keep rising, as far as the entire region is concerned; at 306 people, the sense of finding loved ones who are still missing still alive wears hearts thin as time continues to pick apart all possibility.

While even in the midst of so much sorrow, stories of amazing grace have shown through in small ways, like the family cat found huddled under the kitchen sink, a kitchen still standing as the only room left in the house.  Or how about the parents of an eight year old, who watched their son get swept into a cloud of dust and darkness -- all they could do was pray.  and they did. which leads me to wondering, just what is the proper etiquette in response to the Grace of God, upon hearing the voice of little R.J. miraculously coming home and saying, "I was pulled up into the air!" what do you say?  how can a simple thank you be nearly enough?  Here's more survival stories for you.


Tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, wild fires, thunder and lighting -- mother nature is coming unglued in every way; perhaps God is getting a wee bit disappointed in a little thing called mankind?  there is that.  

what     are        we     good for?

"In the busyness of each day 

keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life 

and help us to be generous 

with our time and love and energy."

as this line keeps calling me back. 

Nestled deep into the roots of this country -- like Myrtle planted over generations -- like Sequoias and Red Woods towering over the land in Yosemite, like the gushing geysers rising out of the earth in Yellowstone, like the Lily-of-the-Valley, mountain Columbine, and California Poppy each running wild in the valleys and prairies and countryside, like the rushing waves upon the beach, the ebb and flow of tide and the constant flow of rivers and streams and waterfalls --  we are reminded of the things that are essential to us.

Living and creating a good life, takes constant care.  In the "busyness of each day" -- after destruction takes over our every thought, word, and deed -- after many in America have simply awakened to any other Friday that comes along, just a day in the life, who just so happen to have the luxury of flipping their attention from a Royal Wedding to the heartbreak in Tuscaloosa, ALABAMA, and MISSISSIPPI, GEORGIA, ARKANSAS, MISSOURI, KENTUCKY, OKLAHOMA, TENNESSEE, and VIRGINIA -- hopefully, at some point, we are each reminded of what Life is all about.  For it could be taken away from us in a heartbeat.

And more than that, this day should bring America pause.

What do we want America to stand for, live for, and truly give our every life and breath for?  It makes me crazy to see the divisiveness within our communities; it makes me so sad to see our body politic deteriorated and reduced to fits of one-ups-man-ship and sideshows, oblivious to the wake of destruction of true statesmanship, and leaving a nation's ethics, honor, and virtue nowhere to be found.

In the beginning, our founders designed our country clearly, if not rather emphatically, under a code of honor and ethics and liberty equally distributed and revered by all, respective of Universal Truths, Universal Rights; it was as if we each stood at the altar and declared our pledge for the safekeeping of our very future --  America vowed to hold dear certain truths -- principles relevant to our inherent duty and delight to be of good character, not just for ourselves but for "the other" as well -- not from a place of blind obedience and force, but from a place of blessed servitude, grace and unconditional love, as a thing to honor for the rest of our lives.

We wanted the joys and responsibility and civility of living within a community based on sound self-government in order to create a more perfect union -- one built upon the freedom to live and think and grow rich in every possible way.  For we are a match made in heaven, by divine providence, indeed .

Just as a marriage, we can't expect our partner, our other half of the union, the other side of ourselves, bring everything to that union or be expected to do all the work.  It takes two.  And yet, for some reason, we are living in a time when the task of living in communion with our duty comes lacking, to say the least.  It is as if we are born with a silver spoon of entitlement and expectation before we have even uttered our first word.

Gone is the sense of responsibility, the duty to do the work.  Gone is the need to remind ourselves, and each other, that the seedlings of yesterday need constant care, a leading perhaps by a trellis, a watering from time to time. We need both the light of day and the quiet slumber of the night; we need to nurture ourselves with reminders of what makes us good, growing a character worth repeating, holding to values worth elevating, on behalf of the budding society for tomorrow.

For to live in a healthy and loving relationship with one another doesn't come by accident, without effort; it doesn't come without making our first intention made known; it doesn't happen without a constant recommitting to the process -- especially following years and years down the road.

In the microcosm, Kate and William know this to be true for themselves on this day; while in the macro, our commitment seems waning by impropriety, lost under the years of values greatly corrupted, left totally indistinguishable from lack of effort, taking for granted any attention to detail, and anything else that falls under the various forms of neglect, apathy and ambivalence.  And as expected, once commitment goes, it all falls down.

Today, I just might look into planting myself some Myrtle under my feet; with all things considered, between hearts singing and hearts breaking on this day, the twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Eleven, it may just do all that I can hope for in this moment.

The thing is, thoughts are things; we can grow the good just as easily as we can grow the opposite effect. Planting a seed for tomorrow exemplifies God's grace; it is a gift from Life to Life itself.  And you never know -- it might just be the last thing that we do that is real and important.

Here's to the celebration of love and marriage on this day, and always.

And may we lend a hand and a heart to the people of Tuscaloosa, and each of the surrounding areas, following the greatest destruction in nearly forty years.

This is a day that the forces of nature have had their way with us -- whipping us into a frenzy of joy one minute, while moments later, we are punched in the gut, taking the air right out of us; the question as to what are we good for is answered with every response.

"Strengthened by our union 

help us to serve and comfort those who suffer. 

We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 

Amen."

make it a good day, g

Dear America,

"Defeat isn't bitter if you don't swallow it."

Alton Brown

just last night...

closing out a rousing episode of Challenge Barramundi on

"Iron Chef America"

isn't that little morsel fabulous?

This week has been infiltrated by the art of polls, politicking, and polarizing issues; not only does Brown's assessment seem fitting, but added with the imagery of putting up the good fight,  much like The Good War (if only in rhetoric), the Barramundi itself becomes the quintessential ingredient on the day.  Oh, how the Barramundi do not come easily (not that I have personal experience in that...just going by a fish story or two).

They hate nets, or so I'm told; the idea of being trapped, caught, snagged by the misstep, is enough to make a Barramundi give it everything he's got until the bitter end.


Enter Trump... a classic reaction, wasn't it?

“I am really honored, frankly, to have played such a big role in hopefully getting rid of this issue...I hope it checks out beautifully. I am really proud, I am really honored,” said Trump. “Now we can talk about oil, we can talk about gasoline prices. We can talk about China ripping off our country.”

What just happened?

... apparently, the guy who 'hasn't got a prayer for taking the next election' made the president blink.

And as the world turns, in an odd way, has almost made the situation worse.

For now the nationwide response is beginning to sound a little something like this:

...what took you so long
...if this was so easy to do, how come you didn't get this over and done with years ago (when Hillary brought it up)
...if this is all "silliness" and "sideshow," according to your own opinion, Mr. President, why in the world did you allow it to go on for three years?
...are you kidding me?
...Trump plays with you
...pokes you
...prods you
...and it prompts a press conference?...seriously?
...as you come to the podium lamenting the position this wayfarer of the tabloids has put you in, saying,

"Now,
normally I would not comment on something like this, 

because obviously there’s a lot of stuff 

swirling in the press on at any given day
and I’ve got other things to do..."

(like catch my plane for The Oprah Show)

"But two weeks ago, when the Republican House had put forward a budget that will have huge consequences potentially to the country, and when I gave a speech about my budget and how I felt that we needed to invest in education and infrastructure and making sure that we had a strong safety net for our seniors even as we were closing the deficit, during that entire week the dominant news story wasn’t about these huge, monumental choices that we’re going to have to make as a nation.  It was about my birth certificate.  And that was true on most of the news outlets that were represented here."

good grab there Barackamundi; way to stick to the facts and reel us all back in to what it's really all about.  well done.  oh what's this...we got a sauce to go with it?  yum...

"And so I just want to make a larger point here.  We’ve got some enormous challenges out there.  There are a lot of folks out there who are still looking for work.  Everybody is still suffering under high gas prices.  We’re going to have to make a series of very difficult decisions about how we invest in our future but also get a hold of our deficit and our debt — how do we do that in a balanced way."  Barrackamundi

sweet chili and tamarind, just the thought of it makes my mouth water.

so we get it.  you are resting the last three years of spinning the birth certificate bruhaha into a win for you, by snagging the old Trumpster right where you want him...eating his own words.

too bad it didn't work.

Believe you have forgotten who you are up against; Trump has lost everything and come back.  And given no experience in politics (to date), funny how the guy has mastered spin on the fly so fast, isn't it?

and thin skinned you're not...

"But we’re not going to be able to do it if we are distracted.  We’re not going to be able to do it if we spend time vilifying each other.  We’re not going to be able to do it if we just make stuff up and pretend that facts are not facts.  We’re not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers."  Barrakamundi

The clever little net we weave right out of the manual of Alinsky's Rules for Radicals; it's all about "everybody else" --   everybody else vilifying each other...everybody else making things up...everybody else pretending the facts are not facts.  If the facts are so straight, Mr. President, then with all due respect, this press conference of yours should have happened long before you ever had the honor of making the biggest power grab in history, doncha think?  what's with all this time pulling the old red fish blue fish shenanigans?

Hate to break it to you, but this "silliness" is all on you; this two, three years of throwing it all out there on the line to see what sticks, energizing your base through years of inexplicable manipulation and masterminding around your own story (s) -- that is, until Trump made you come clean -- does little to exude confidence and leadership, let alone a general commandeering of your own reputation... let alone stand for the principles of truth and honor once held in high esteem in this fair land.

But you wrangled with the guy long enough, and it was time to really hand it to him.

"We live in a serious time right now and we have the potential to deal with the issues that we confront in a way that will make our kids and our grandkids and our great grandkids proud.  And I have every confidence that America in the 21st century is going to be able to come out on top just like we always have.  But we’re going to have to get serious to do it.

I know that there’s going to be a segment of people for which, no matter what we put out, this issue will not be put to rest.  But I’m speaking to the vast majority of the American people, as well as to the press.  We do not have time for this kind of silliness.  We’ve got better stuff to do.  I’ve got better stuff to do.  We’ve got big problems to solve.  And I’m confident we can solve them, but we’re going to have to focus on them — not on this.

Thanks very much, everybody"

good on you.

Trump this:  "I am really honored, frankly, to have played such a big role in hopefully getting rid of this issue."

In an article from Politico this morning was a quote from the past press secretary, Robert Gibbs, who in a twist of brilliance and irony said this not that long ago, “There are no more arbiters of truth ...So whatever you can prove factually, somebody else can find something else and point to it with enough ferocity to get people to believe it. We’ve crossed some Rubicon into the unknown.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53856.html#ixzz1Km3JqahA

and from Dan Pfeiffer, White House Communications Director: “That is the downside of the disaggregation of the media. If you don’t want to believe what someone is telling you, you can go somewhere else. If you believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that the president is not American, you can go somewhere to find somebody to validate that.” [me thinks it's more of an upside...but maybe that's just me]

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53856_Page2.html#ixzz1Km4OuLI1

“It’s a terrible problem for the body politic,” said former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer. “People like me who have been or are in the arena have an obligation to speak out against people in both parties who push untruths.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53856_Page4.html#ixzz1Km5MSHWF

Dr. Tibor Machan, of The Daily Bell and one of my favorite watering holes, drops in with another view of truth and innuendo:

"If it were possible to gain certainty beyond a shadow of doubt, it would be impossible spell it out. For doubts can always be imagined past the current ones. What should be the standard is certainty of the kind that withstands doubts that are well grounded, for which reasons exists...

The fallacy of wishing for the kind of certainty that is beyond a shadow of doubt shows up everywhere – despite the lack of evidence for extraterrestrial life, people and institutions invest enormous resources on searching for it. Despite no evidence for thinking that government stimulus packages can dig a country out of recessions or depressions, politicians and policy wonks keep up the hope that it is possible to do it – getting something out of nothing, to put the idea in its most basic form and thus indicating just how contrary to reality it actually is... 

The bottom line is that although it is sometimes, rarely, useful to base actions and policies on mere hope – if there is at least some credible reason lined up behind such hope – in the bulk of cases resting public policy and personal aspirations on the fact that one doesn't know beyond a shadow of doubt that a course of action is futile is a very bad idea. And it is very very costly, unless you can steal the funds from others to support such fantastic explorations."

I encourage you to read the whole thing with a quick click on certainty without a shadow of a doubt above -- really good stuff, as always, from the Tibor-cuda.

Widespread commentary speaks of a common thread --  thanks for wasting everybody's time, Mr. President; it's been a long day, we are hot, tired, and worn out from what seems likes days under the scorching, unforgiving sun and in the end, we've got nothing to show for it.  Only the back and forth of my fish is bigger than your fish -- with one caveat -- what fish?  I don't see no stinkin' fish.  What sweet defeat?

...and while we're on the subject, and even if we're not, I don't see no hope either (but all of a sudden, craving a Filet-O-Fish sandwich, side of fries and an orange drink).

No worries, though, as we all take the president's lead: we've got bigger fish to fry and no time for silliness -- good luck with that to the both of you.

Make it a Good Day, G

do believe my next catch phrase of choice will soon be:  "sideshow alert, sideshow alert"  But hard to say for sure, right now, it merely only sounds good in my head.

addressing the whoppie cushion response on The View: If we must go back to a conversation about race bring it.  No need to wait for the beep -- please feel free to replace Barackamundi with someone like Allen West at any time. NOT about the color of the fish -- it's about the content of it's character.

Last thought (mean it): surprised the president didn't take a moment to give a shout out to the Hub-ster yesterday while he was at it.  The inventor of the teleprompter, Hubert "Hub" Schlafly died this past week.  The teleprompter made it's first debut in 1950, for a soap opera called "The First Hundred Years"  -- and given I can't seem to help myself in this moment, I guess the soap went from being a taped TV performance from LA of the first 100 to driving a live political farce from D.C.of the last (100) oh G you are a silly girl today.  silly stupid silly girl...did I mention silly?

Dear America,

THE PRESIDENCY BY NUMBER

twenty percent of Americans lean far left

oh looky here, twenty-two percent of Americans strongly approve of Obama; while 45% of Democrats strongly approve.

and to the other side...forty percent of Americans strongly DISapprove; while 71% of Republicans strongly disapprove.  For Indy's, sixteen percent strongly approve, with 39% strongly disapproving.  Overall, 46% of Americans "somewhat approve," with 52% "somewhat disapproving."

53% say repeal Obamacare

60% say the economy is getting worse

59% say drill baby drill

61% say any child born to an illegal immigrant should not be an American citizen

and filling in the final number with a glaring sea of seeing red, a whopping 70% say they DO NOT LIKE the direction this country is headed.

Even with a strongly LIKED president, as a person, if the election were held today, the numbers say ANY GOP candidate could take it. Consider Obama up against a man who hasn't even officially thrown his name in the hat; against Trump, the johnny-come-lately with freakozoid 'birther' tendencies, the president garners a mere 49% of the vote, with The Donald taking 34% -- and nobody even thinks he is running!

All the while, the sitting president must be shaking, having entered campaign mode with a vengeance this past week; general civility and statesmanship is already muddying the waters -- as true colors rear their ugly head -- certainly, behavior unbecoming of a commander-in chief, a new world order humanitarian, peacekeeper and diplomat, with a side of international man of mystery, no?

The White House, just yesterday, "rebuked" recent comments from a famous preacher, Franklin Graham. From the briefing room, Carney said,  "I think it's unfortunate that a religious leader would choose Easter Sunday to make preposterous charges."  What were those "preposterous charges" pray tell?


responding to a question citing the Trump connection and the birther fixation, Graham said,

"The president, I know, has some issues to deal with here. He can solve this whole birth certificate issue pretty quickly...[responding to further questions]
...There are many people that do wonder where he really stands on that. Now, he has told me that he is a Christian. But the debate comes, what is a Christian?...
For him, going to church means he's a Christian. For me, the definition of a Christian is whether we have given our life to Christ and are following him in faith and we have trusted him as our lord and savior.
God is the only one who knows his heart."

I'm not seeing any judgment.  I'm not even seeing any mean spirited self righteous boasting.

As Carney decries the claims, like geeze guys, look at him...

"The president took his family to church in a very high-profile way to celebrate Easter"...
"I think it was highly visible to most Americans. And he, as a devoted Christian, he believes it's a very important holiday for him personally, for his family and for Christians around the country."

hasn't anyone tooled him on the art of a making a defense without sounding defensive?  didn't Carney walk right smack into the message Franklin Graham laid down  --

...it's not about the show
...it's not about perception
...it's not about "[taking] his family to church in a very high-profile way," you nimrod!
...it's not about making one's faith so visible it could poke your eye out.

True faith is a silent celebration and reverence to the Most High; the authenticity of one's true faith can only be seen and judged by God, only in relationship with Him, as in "God is the only one who knows his heart." 

What did Graham say so wrong?  Why the rebuke?  Passing no judgment is grounds for a presidential rebuke now?  and even the whole birther thing...all Graham did (just as Trump) was redirect the interest back to Obama to settle the debate once and for all...as far as the mix of faiths in Obama's history -- it's just fact.  He is being led by what Obama has proclaimed to be his own truth, written in his own words, in his own book.  Obama clearly admits that he has commingled his religions too -- his Christianity and his Muslim faiths have each taken sizable turns with the brush of dominance in his life -- and where it stops nobody knows (so under Robert's Rule of Order, I, second the motion: "God is the only one who knows his heart").

But back to the rebuke:  what is the big deal?  why the defensiveness?  IF the goods are there, if there are no issues, the long form birth certificate with the I's dotted and the T's crossed will settle everything.  Get it and be done with it.  UNLESS, you want to continue to riddle the right with ridicule for a reason, as if it serves a purpose; UNLESS, in fact the long form paints a different picture from the defensive declarations coming from the genuine article itself -- giving way to a reality nobody should ever lay eyes on -- there is that.

The only reason the president is not settling the debate is that this display of who's calling who ridiculous still works to his favor -- poll wise -- that is, if there was a poll illustrating such.  Deep down, Obama believes his own invincibility, that he is winning the future every time a birthing question gets thrown out on a whim and a prayer; it perpetuates the injustice against him for no rhyme or reason; it makes the right look foolish; it invigorates his base and reinforces the organization for his re-election.  We walk right smack dab into it. and the cycle goes round and round.

You know what's funny...now that Obama is in full campaign mode a year and half from the voter's box...where is one of his first stops?  Northern California, to entertain a billionaire sixteen times over and still four years away from thirty -- facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg. So the "self-made millionaire" himself, Obama, begins his march against the rich facing one of the richest young bucks in the nation, if not the world.  Interesting.  The web of hypocrisies is astounding...did you catch that, there in the light of day?  the contrast is beautiful, isn't it?

You know, the president has all kinds of wealthy followers -- people who have made bank in the naughty capitalistic free market experiment going on here in America; let's bring out all the colors of the rainbow and draw up a short list:  Zuckerberg.(16 Billion net worth)...George Soros (carrying a net worth only around 14 B's), Warren Buffet (62 B's), Oprah (mere 3 B's) ...Bill Gates (56 B's)...Arianna Huffington (hardly worth counting @ about 100 million)...you get my drift...lots of wealthy wealthy friends (listing the big O was the closest thing we got to Hollywood...)

The greatest number to fear in today's election cycle is the mounting debt; a debt in which the IMF, as of just yesterday, declared, that in less than five years, if we don't make a course correction, we are gone.  gone baby gone.  bye bye miss american pie.  as there would be no point even calling each other names and taking sides, for america would be made in china for the rest of time.  But, knowing this, even if you added up all the numbers, took every last dime from every single heavy hitter, deep pocket, High-Baller from coast to coast, we would still never have enough to pay down this debt (and not even close to counting the 50 Trillion in unfunded liabilities and entitlements, of course).

The thing is, with everything there is a yin and a yang; there is always light and dark at play --  truth and lies in what we say -- good and evil intermingling with the every day.  The only thing we do know for certain, is there is always a proportion of yin and yang within all that we see, everything we do, taking into account all that is seen and unseen, whether we agree with it, approve of it, believe it, or dismiss it altogether.  And for believers, only God knows what is in our heart; only God sees what we cannot see.

which should give us all the more reason to pause and check ourselves in the day to day -- are we being honest?  are we being loving?  are we honoring our mother and our father and the people we love with our whole heart?  not because we have to but because we want to, because deep in our heart we know that this is what God wants..  Are we treating each other fairly, and with respect?  are we leading by example in our best way possible?  are we living in peace, if only with our children and our neighbors and our community in  which we live?  are we trying to communicate openly and without judgment, are we trying to solve the mounting issues coming from a place of virtue, civility and courage?  how do we emulate the character and qualities we want our children to embrace and imitate?

It isn't so much the wealth that is the problem, is it Mr. President?  You can't tell me the generosity of strangers who support the communities and charities that keep children alive, who protect and care for families far and wide, who give of themselves, as well as their hard earned money -- you can't tell me that  this money isn't working on the side for Good. Wealth is not evil, just as a gun is not bad; it is what we do with it -- it always gets back to the character deep inside the individual...something we cannot see for sure...something only God knows...

As you are well aware, Mr. President, as Christians we believe in the Ten Commandments; one of them goes something like this,  "You shall not covet thy neighbor's house....wife...ox...donkey....or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

By all accounts, redistribution of wealth by the numbers does not sit well with the people; but when you get right down to it --

and I could be wrong about this...

being it's not for me to judge and all...

but it would appear, in a very big way...

...this fundamental transformation thing you got going on here by way of social justice by way of redistribution of wealth by way of robbing the rich to give to the poor by way of punishing the rich for taking all the risks by way of stifling the natural urges to reach the depths and breadths of our very own self-reliance and experience a world made with our own two hands and be able to stand back and look upon it and say, wow. that is good and be joyful -- actually goes against the word of God.

but again, God is the only one who knows for sure; and that, along with the poll numbers, we can take all the way to the bank and back.

Make it a Good Day, G

and didja know this?  78% of Americans believe Jesus to be the Son of God (still).  Truth. Light. Love. it's a good day.

Dear America, an open letter to The Donald:

"For where two or more are gathered in my name, 

there am I with them." 

Matthew 18:20

There is something very deja vu going on; it's like, whoa dude, have we been down this road before?  The flashback of a presidential campaign a couple years removed; bearing witness to a stage of Romanesque proportions, columns of Grecian dominance, setting in motion the pulpit from which just a man would woo us into believing something so incredibly out of this world, that as it turned out, it actually was. 

A recent horoscope I read noted a twist of one of my favorite verses in the Bible, and basically, brazenly usurped the power of the Almighty and claimed, 'anywhere two or more are gathered, there is politics.'  and that's where my open letter to The Donald begins...

I would very much like to believe -- now that we have seen the light -- America is no longer a congregation of blind worshipers and gullible followers of anything remotely inauthentic; we seek the real thing in all matters, whether it be our religion, a soul mate, a doctor, a voice, or a president.

Please, let not our current condition fool you, Mr. Trump -- America is not a pawn, and her exploitation is hardly up for discussion; contrary to popular opinion and the growing cultural tide, the bid, for the office of the presidency of the United States of America, is made in America to attract one thing, and one thing only: civil servants of virtue.

In the beginning, the government, by design, constructed the rule of law and the rules of engagement for the highest job in the land, not according to a ruler or a king, nor propping up one church over another, but through a process of meticulous selection from the bottom up; the primary consideration over all, to find the true statesmen -- giving back to country, selflessly, authentically, looking after her as if his life, and each life thereafter, depended upon it.  And this is where we have the first issue...

As you well know, given you created it and all, your ego enters the room long before we take a look into your eyes; and sir, if I may be so bold, we're not all that impressed with that side of you who likes to impress, if not expressly for the press.  We have seen a Presidency-by-I-am and are not smitten.  Initially, as you have presented yourself -- simply toying around with the idea of taking on the leader of the free world -- so far, your reputation keeps preceding you (and that, isn't a good thing).

We are just not that sure about you.  The trust factor is one of your greatest liabilities.  Are you just in it to win it?  Or, is this just the making of another reality show in our midst, and in six months time, we'll be catching all the behind the scenes footage (with ad-lib's and off mic remarks included)?  Or, are we simply locked into some kind of twisted derivation of the Trump Bucket List, soon to be presented on YouTube, with the culmination of your swearing in to be filmed while you are jumping out of a plane?

Well, in a word that you might understand -- fuggetaboutit.   We got no stinkin' interest in that, yo?  You dig me?  (I'm trying to channel my newyarkar) What we want, we the people, is a little respect; and that goes from you, too, now that you think you have all the right stuff. 

Newsflash:  It is now open season; welcome to the show; buckle up and enjoy the ride.

What we want, is a return to the way we were; a country with checks and balances and politics revolving around the rule of law and our constitution.  What we hunger for, are the conditions to restore our faith in all the right things again; a vision once held in high esteem, carrying with it our duty and responsibility bestowed upon us by our founders, dating back 5000 years of time, virtue, history and truth.  Not such an easy task, no doubt.

What we want, is a true free market Thinker (and by all evidence, your resume should tell us that you know a thing or two about this) -- but even then, your history shows a few missteps... perhaps it's just a misguided appreciation to a policy running counter-intuitive to the forces of the real free market... maybe simply a case of not knowing then, what you know now...an ideological evolution, if you will...but all benefit of the doubt easily gets tossed under the microscope when we see where your donations have gone over the years, when we see you haven't taken the time to vote in a primary for 21 years; and this evidence is just beginning to shine through.

We don't need another prophet promising to fix everything, piping through loud speakers and twittering he would be different, while boldly claiming world peace and cake for everyone would finally rule the day; we don't need that.  To be perfectly clear, what we need is a whole lot of humility.

What we need, is someone with the courage to stand up and admit we are doing this all wrong and backwards -- which to date, I'm gathering after some sincere consideration, you have come to the not-so-humble-conclusion, a realization that who better to recognize and understand than YOU;  there is no doubt in my mind, you have no doubt.  But do you recognize the underlying foundation from which all desire for reformation comes?  Do you really, really know what the fire in the belly of America really represents?  hint, hint: this is another essential element to the making of our next president.

Sure, in all honesty, we are amateurs, all of us, there is that (some of us just seem to be better at it than others).  Whether born in the USA or Kenya, we wear our self-reliance on our back.  To meet success in our daily lives, we must do the work, yielding to the law of compensation, recognizing the values of supply and demand, striving to educate, prepare, and make something of ourselves.  If you will allow a return on a theme, America IS the quintessential Amazing Race -- be it in our skills, conditions, paths, diversity of color, creed, and character; we are one big pot melting into one big race over and over and over again.

What we need is really a president who not only understands who we are, where we have been, and the foundation from which all bounty comes, but one who respects it through and through.  In order to move forward with any sense of brilliance, we must go backwards, retracing our steps, in order to arrive at a place where we went wrong and start over.

Are you prepared to cut the budget drastically, and return to living within our means?

Are you prepared to defund the latest entitlement program, Obamacare, and allow the business of health care to return to the free market -- and put in new regulations to operated even better than it did before?

Are you prepared to close our border until order is restored and sustained?

Are you prepared to cut entire departments of government who have long overstayed their welcome?

Are you prepared to secure the debt limit at the current ceiling, with a real plan to reduce the national debt?

Are you prepared to cease the Global Warming fanaticism reinventing CO2 as a harmful pollutant?

Are you prepared to command respect of America again, without acting like an arrogant S.O.B.?

Are you prepared to return our children to an education teaching lessons of good character, the joys of living in a free market, the lessons of reaping what we sow, the bounty that all good things come to those who wait, if not, work really, really hard...Are you prepared to gather enough nerve to battle the neanderthals who have taken away designated time for prayer and personal reflection, fair debate and conclusion, of all facets of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, left - right - and center? Promoting all things  INDEPENDENT, not dependent.

Are you prepared to return the power back to regional locals, in order to serve communities large and small equally and in proportion to their individual needs?

Are you prepared to grow a nation's independence -- drilling for oil here at home; tapping into our own natural gas, safely and securely; allowing the open market, supply and demand, private risk and investment and benefits, to grow the green market, expand the hybrid industry, increase the solar power, and capture the magnificence in the wind?  Are you prepared to continue the investment of our nuclear energy infrastructure even in the face of the Japanese natural disaster?

Are you prepared to wake up the apathetic?  Are you prepared to enliven the authenticity of America's heritage and divine providence, for you do recognize that She has been corrupted, abused, and left for dead?

Are you prepared to be a statesman looking out for our best interests?  Modeling our best behavior?  Acting selflessly, reverently, respectfully in the highest office of the land?

You're a businessman -- could your business survive running deficits in the trillions of dollars for any length of time? (right.  we do know the answer to that, huh...my bad)  But honestly, is there any chance you could live to see just one day beyond ninety days passed due?  seriously?

That is just how absurd this whole debt debate has been; in the real world, this corporate model does not work.  ever.   Are you prepared to return legitimacy (that is, if they ever had it) to the Federal Reserve? Are you prepared with any kind of a plan to run against a world wide mission to destroy the dollar? bring down America? and basically end the greatest republic that ever lived?  Because, as someone who runs in a pretty elite crowd, you should realize that we are on the chopping block; the entire world wants to tell America, 'you're fired'  -- and just how do you plan to combat that? seriously.  how?

The bottom line, Mr. Trump, America doesn't seem to trust you any farther than we can throw you -- into the Hudson, without a paddle, swimming upstream, on a Tuesday (that would be tomorrow). And I'm someone who kinda likes you.... But this little presidential run you seem to be banking on isn't a game of Monopoly or Apprentice or Let's Make a Deal.  you get me, playa?  And, speaking on behalf of only myself and my dog, think you have potential, at best; but you, sir, have a lot to prove. The Trump Tower has no power over us.

And, just so you know, there isn't a whole lot you can say to change our minds; consider yourself under the latest Palin Doctrine, following the Laws of Attraction --  people either love you or they don't.  And yet, if you are in this for real, if you wish to gain our trust, the race ...starts ....now.

the gun has been fired....

why aren't you moving....

You may think your intermittent fifteen minutes of fame, coming at us on a seasonal basis, is enough to carry the burden; and then you better think again.

we, the little people, have done our homework over the last several years...  we are not the same people who swooned to a young, hip, up and comer, politico dynamo -- who masterminded the most skillful campaign, quarantined every skeleton in the closet, and otherwise, manipulated, cajoled and disguised the real truth from the whole truth from not a shred of honesty  -- who swallowed it up anyway. been there, done that.

oooh which reminds me, that corny interview you did with Meghan McCain for The Daily Beast, of the read this, skip that generation, forces me to enlighten you of another political faux pas becoming all too often conveniently commingled with reality -- progressives are not good for America (whether left or right).  And if you don't get that, you might as well hang your boots up right now.  Stealing a portion of a sales pitch from Stanley Steamer, know the stain, my friend.  Know the stain.


All in all, your heart may be in the right place, time will tell.

I want to like you -- I mean, my gosh, I have had you standing loud and clear in my margin, along side Chris Christie as the other half of your dynamic duo, for months now; at first glance, what America needs is the business of taking care of business all the way around.  We need to get back to work.  We need to get back to basics, the original intent.  We need to stop worrying about the rest of the world's issues and focus on our own -- our own fiscal mess, our own dysfunctional families, our own kids, our own schools, our own in-law's, our own neighborhoods, and on and on and on. Our preoccupation with the goings on everywhere else but here has been a welcome distraction, a cause to take away from our responsibility at home.

At the same time, we certainly don't want the business aspect to dominate over us, to take away our soul.

Perception is everything -- especially at the start of a campaign; I am just hoping that you have not only done your homework, but that you are prepared for the test about to be sprung on you from every corner of the world, every back road and alley way, every mom and pop and corner store from sea to shining sea.  This is real for all of us little people; some might say, this election is a turning point; if we are to put all of our eggs into one basket, we better make darn sure we know who is suspending us into thin air for another four years and counting. capeesh?

A local neuro-scientist, V.S. Ramachandran, of UCSD, was recently designated to be one of TIME's top 100 most influential people -- yes, right there with Obama, Mark Zuckerberg, Nicolas Sarkozy -- even Natalie Portman (?) as noted in an article from our San Diego Union Tribune on Saturday.  He was added to the list because of his natural, God-given ability to Think!  Isn't that wonderful.  He has made a career, by the sound of it anyway, of thinking outside the neuro-scientist box and has been quite successful at it.

As the UT explains, he is "best known for developing a therapy for phantom-limb pain in which a mirror is used to reflect the intact limb, creating the illusion that the missing one is still there. That persuades the brain that all is well, and the pain subsides."  Our imagination can do funny things with reality, no? (and boy, does this sound like America's issues, or what?)

The thing is, we could probably do a bang up job imagining someone like you, Mr. Trump,  to be just what the doctor ordered for curing the symptoms of an ailing economy, the bleak road ahead, along with a host of unintended consequences along the way...and then go back asleep.

But the truth is, only when we realize that the disease has been long in the making, will we have a snowball's chance in H-E-double toothpicks to know the real cure...

...that once we come to realize the proven path, the one centuries old in the making, the path we thought we could travel with our eyes closed, and yet, over time, not accounting for a lick of duty, not contributing to a hill of beans worth of hard work, common sense and responsibility -- that the same path would take a turn -- that one day, in one fell swoop, we could be totally overrun and overtaken of our own demise, false gods, greed, corruption, and the making of total, fiscal insanity -- because we each imagined multiple realities going on around us for so long, nobody was really paying attention to where we were headed --

...that even, if a certain someone does run, for all the right reasons of course -- the real question remains, are WE PREPARED to fully, actively, selflessly, honestly, virtuously, courageously back you up?  Or do we look in the mirror and think everything is fine, without realizing we have lost life and limb to atrocities that might very well could have been avoided, settling back into complacency and total disconnect?  We may no longer feel the pain, but somehow we must still figure out how to walk.

we could get along just fine if a little self-reliance kicks in right about here.


getting a second wind comes in handy, too.


sometimes, just getting back up on the horse does the trick; funny thing, works the same way when we get bucked off.


sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset.

even with all the right stuff, the real truth is, a trump can only do so much -- the rest is still up to us; and on that note, hard to tell where our personal commitment starts and stops sometimes.

in the meantime, you sir, the trumpster, the trumpinator, the trump van-dango-a-go-go, the master of your own enterprise, the creator of the next really big thing (maybe) -- you, sir, have your work cut out for you.  I'll close the door and give you some time to think.

Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

catch my tears somebody -- it's Maundy Thursday and how.

so the guy has since apologized, basically choosing to take full responsibility only as an afterthought; he regrets the post, but stands by his criticism anyway; he is only sorry if it offended, not so much that the deed was done.

All brought to you by Wonkette ...with no need to say more...but we will.


Please, read the Jack Stuef blog (don't be afraid, it's short and stupid):

Greatest Living American: 

A Children’s Treasury of Trig Crap On His Birthday

"What’s he dreaming about? Nothing. He’s retarded,"  

Jack Sprat spews from the recesses of idiocy...

"Is Palin his true mother? Or was Bristol? (And why is it that nobody questions who the father is? Because, either way, Todd definitely did it.) It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we are privileged to live in a time when we can witness the greatest prop in world political history." 

So we are back to questioning the true mother, are we?  While Jack Sprat takes it one step further, saying "either way, Todd definitely did it?"   that's so funny I forgot to laugh.  I mean, that was trying to be funny, right? you aren't really insinuating a case of incest with the Palin's, right?  oh well, either way, makes you look ridiculously stupider than any child with Down's.

Hey, Jack, do you know any family with a Down's child besides through the miracle of TV and the subsequent narrow minded lens of political posturing? Do you have any real sense of the power of the written word?  Even your half-heart'd apology with no regrets makes a continuing mockery of the whole charade.

You see, I can speak about this, because this thing called Down's I happen to know an awful lot about.; it is something I keep pretty close to my heart, along side a reality steeped and mellowed and warmed with nearly fifty years of intimate, family, brotherly experience.  This meaningless trash talk you just throw out on a blog on a whim on the fly without thinking -- using a Down's child as the worst prop in world blogosphere history, I might add -- is deplorable, a corruption of humanity.  Have you no soul?

And then, as if THAT isn't enough, the entire experience is rounded out (if you get the nerve to take a whiff, anyway) by reading the onslaught of Palin polluting commentary unfit to be seen or heard, let alone taking in with a long, deep breath...just where is the UN? I believe we have an epic human rights violation occurring upon the earth, the likes of which we have never seen before.  oh the sludge, the grime, the irreparable damage...I can't watch.

You know I make it a habit reading comments after articles just to get a read on where the nation sits on various subjects, through media left and right; it's kind of one of my favorite guilty pleasures -- it's like it's so bad, but it feels so good, and all the while, what comes out of it most days is a sense that most of us DO think before we speak.

Not always, of course; but generally, after well meaning articles pick apart the facts, separate the opinion, and keep to a line of respect and professionalism, the comments thereafter generally respect the contributor, writer, commentator right back.  There is divisiveness, at times; other times, opposing opinion cuts off any chance for understanding another person's view before it even has a chance to sink in; but more often than not, those who frequent the site on a regular basis, those who already align with the view before even popping open the home page, naturally concur with most everything said.

That being said, the comments following Jack Sprats juvenile rampage fit to a T.

from 'Barb' --

"...I've said it before and I will say it again, it has to suck for Trig to have a special needs mom.
Happy Birthday Trig! I hope your parents took you out of the 7-day diaper bag long enough to have some cake. I'm sure they will make you a baby bottle full of Triaminic, with its cool grape goodness, and you will go seepie-byes real soon."

from 'Downfist Troll'  --

Here's to Trig! May he be the first Palin to get a G.E.D.

from 'Gopherit'  --

"i can say, with zero snark, that Trig will likely be the most qualified Palin for the presidency. Sorry, Trig. Wish your family didn't suck."

from 'DustBowlBlues' --

"The look-I-didn't-abort-this-retard prop baby named after Roy Rogers' horse. Poor little Trigger got dragged to every possible campaign event in 2008, no matter whether it was time for him to be in bed or not."

every       single      one     of the comments.  all three hundred and thirteen and counting. Wonk on, Wonkette toads, wonk on.

catch my tears somebody.


these are the young, hip minds Obama wooed the first time, in order to get elected; they are all apart of the d-list crowd who watched his Town Hall meeting on Facebook, I'm sure; this, by example, is the kind of civility, generally and widely accepted, from the mouths of his faithful followers.  Stooping to the lowest of the low is part and parcel of the MO they keep and share and pass around like a virus -- taking Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals to heart and to market.


catch my tears somebody.

How in the world did we make people who no longer care about another person's feelings in this way?

Is it simply the unintended consequences tied up in the after-birth of the new age, living vicariously and recklessly and anonymously on the net with no strings attached?  As if it doesn't matter what we say or how we say it or who we talk about -- even if using a Down's baby as a visceral, provocative, prop?  Or is it we only ingenuously care when they are on the right side of our political ideology?  either way, this is as ugly as coyote ugly gets.

catch my tears somebody.


You know, the reality of living with a Down's baby -- for me, coming along a year after and teaching him how to walk...and on through the years...bearing witness to that same Down's baby who never failed to show up and be the brightest bulb on the block... no matter where we were -- is a reality I wish everyone could know.  In truth, everything I ever really needed to know, of the things that truly matter, I learned from him (not to mention his supernatural dry wit, the irreverent displays of all things silly, and the unbridled shaking of the family funny bone all the days of my life).  I love you so much kissy!

catch my tears somebody.

I weep for the world this morning; we seem to be continually losing something of ourselves in each new waking day.  Decency, civility, virtue, are things becoming all too often heavily disregarded and freely discarded, thrown by the wayside and left for dead -- aborted by popular belief and a general sense of selfish, narcissistic, invincibility that reigns superior over everything else. 

wonk on with your big bad self and let's just see where this leads the world, huh? 
are you proud of yourselves? 
does this make you feel good? 
all of you, not just Jack Sprat... all of you... every        single     one of you, huh?

for once, put yourself into somebody else' Tom's shoes, I beg of you.  What you all seem so-happy-go-lucky to throw around on a whim without a care, seemingly quite pleased with yourselves for doing so -- I would not wish this kind of hatred upon my worst enemy.  AND, having this kind of hatred paired with a subject matter so thoroughly and characteristically in-congruent -- the innocence of a Down's baby -- my heart is left stunned by the violation.

...oh my... what's this?  wonders never cease to amaze me.
I am not alone... what is it we have here... I do believe... heaven is crying along side me... hence the drizzle outside my window to the world.


For some of us, I question the probability on this one, but no matter, let's complete the day in our usual flare anyways...


Make it a Good Day, G

really good
as good as it gets even
well, as good as it can get for a Maundy Thursday, anyway.
bless us one and all.

Dear America,

"Is there no virtue among us? 

If there be not, we are in a wretched situation. 

No theoretical checks, 

no form of government, can render us secure.  

To suppose that any form of government 

will secure liberty or happiness 

without any virtue in the people, 

is a chimerical idea.  

If there be sufficient virtue and intelligence 

in the community, 

it will be exercised in the selection of men; 

so that we do not depend upon their virtue, 

or put confidence in our rulers, 

but in the people who are to choose them." 

James Madison 

from The 5000 Year Leap, by W. Cleon Skousen

oh the way our government spends money

oh the way our government loses money

oh the way our government deflates money

oh the way our government prints money

oh the way our government wastes money

money money money

Everyday people understand the value of money; our government, not so much; and yet, we continually put them there to do just that.  As Madison frames it so well, all of this, tragically, is just as much our fault.

Friday was a big day for spending; you know, besides the usual 35 billion dollars spent on interest alone for one day.  In an article from The Washington Times just this morning, Eli Lake informs the citizenry about the authorized use of $25 million dollars for "nonlethal" aid to the Libyan Opposition Coalition, the Transitional National Council (TNC).

The White House has authorized the full support to the TNC, clarified in a memorandum to Congress, which also declared the group perfectly harmless in every way (but the jury is still out); duly noting, the group has "publicly rejected terrorism, embraced the Geneva Conventions, and emphasized its dedication to building democratic institutions to provide for a secular future in which a broad range of Libyan citizens will be able to participate." (even though the same article quotes an insider, Noman Benotman, believing there to be "a 1,000 freelance jihadists at large.")  Don't you just love that, "Freelance Jihadists" bit....makes me wonder, which is more dangerous, a Freelance Jihadist or Freelance Journalist?

Currently, the TNC is being led by Mustafa Abdul Jalil -- a Judge, a former Minister of Justice, and newly ordained breakout artist of the Gadhafi regime (for what it's worth, Wikipedia describes him as simply a "Libyan Politician.").  And you know who loves the guy?  The Human Rights Watch.  They think he is golden.  and yes, the same Human Rights Watch who is rolling in the dough, after receiving about 100 million dollars in support from.... wait for it...George Soros; the same Human Rights Watch that condemns Israel more often than not, while full on abuses under Sharia Law go unconscionably unnoticed all over the Middle East.  oh my goodness, take a breath, gretch

To steal one of President Obama's favorite words, and kicking up yesterday's theme of manipulation to a whole 'nother level,  we are being "misguided" in Libya in every way; but no matter, let's just give them 25 million dollars of our money (on top of the millions already spent in missiles and planes to secure a no-fly zone) at a time when we have no money, after our AAA credit rating has been hijacked by our own stupidity, leaving us with a negative outlook and a very possible downgrade on the horizon, all while on the verge of taking on the Debt Ceiling debate, not to mention the discussion for the 2012 budget, to be ultimately settled by a dual.

Yes, let's drop 25 Mill like it's no big deal; let's do that because it is the right thing to do and credit worthy groups like the Human Rights Watch "Likes" Mustafa on Facebook.

And isn't it funny, the memorandum goes out to Congress while everyone is on spring break for two weeks. done.  next.

side-note: have you noticed how many things are being accomplished skirting Congress altogether...throw in an executive order here, a Czar regulation there, pretty soon, who needs a stinkin' Congress.

And how about the news about our government getting the whole "buy low, sell high" principle backwards?  Apparently, the greatest government since sliced bread is considering selling America's stake in GM at a loss; a company we own roughly 60% of, and a stock currently trading at a level hovering around 44% BELOW the "break even point."

This, I clearly do not understand.  We, being the fools who rushed in, HAD to save GM... HAD to save jobs... HAD to save the American dream for the auto industry ...and all of the trickle down economics it came into contact -- for this, too, was part of the 'too big to fail' fallout; and now this -- sell, sell, sell like a scene from Trading Places (even if it means making us look like total idiots).  We might as well be singing, and now,  the end is near.


I'm sorry, do we have to sell now?  Is there some kind of rush to limit our liabilities all of a sudden?  Are we trying to clear the books, even if at a total loss, as if we could somehow find a way to profit by it?  I mean, come on, do we actually need more bad debt and write off's? seriously?

The good news, we must hold the stock until May 22nd -- what d'ya think?  will it all magically bounce back by then?

Couple this with the irony back behind the latest run of ads from the Post Office -- you know what I'm talkin' about -- the one where the office dweeb is sitting at his desk flamboyantly stacking up overnight packages, when the happy-go-lucky Mailman pops in and points out, if it doesn't actually need to be there overnight, he could save a whole lot of moola if he used the world renowned U.S. Post Office.  Of course, as the thirty second spot goes (sold in prime time time slots on our dime.  um, why?), the dude doesn't give a rat's @$$ -- cuz it's not his money! all the while, the mailman/good samaritan/prophet of all things frugal and solvent, attempts to alert the clueless with a well timed eyeball roll of the imminent danger standing right behind him...the boss. oopsy-daisy.  The U.S. Post Office selling us on the finer points of sound money management?  really?

Austerity
Conservative Fiscal Policy
Frugality
Limited Government
Solvency
Buy Low, Sell High
Profit
Stable Credit Rating
Balanced Budget

all things we no longer do, or live by; but rest assured, I am pretty sure we got a Czar for that, just like the one in charge of jobs. (we don't have time for Immelt today -- but isn't it interesting how we promote a global community and identity most all the time, and yet, we turn around and complain when it comes to other parts of the globe getting our jobs...)

Stephen Moore, an economist and frequent commentator on Fox News, appeared with Neil Cavuto yesterday and said the most profound thing in relation to another UN travesty.  Having recently declared "mother nature" a victim of human rights violations -- even while children, still, starve in Africa, are left helpless to the sex trafficking trade in India, and are assigned to hard labor in China -- the UN wants us all to know, they are now in the business of being mother nature's self-proclaimed legal advocate from here on out...okay...

But this is how Steve characterized the new global initiative (and paraphrasing it): we are presently entering a new Pagan belief system...one that supports the CREATED, instead of the CREATOR.  doink, der it is. Not sure what just hit me upside the head, whether it was a coconut or the Light of the World, but either way, I think I get it now.

Perhaps the UN forgets, democracy in the Middle East still looks very much like Allah taking the lead; and considering Allah is Everything Omniscient and Everlasting , isn't it quite possible to think even Sharia Law might take issue with the "created" having more superiority over the "creator", creatively speaking.  just sayin'

No worries --

"democracy" is flowing all over the world now ... and it is good (or so we are told)

we are spending money to make money...even if it means, losing money, burning money, printing money, deflating money, wasting money...and it is good (or so we are told)

and good ole GM is out, while GE is totally in (cuz it's a green thing)...  and it is gonna be good (or so we are told)

the wheels are in motion...other people benefiting... madly, deeply, stupidly... at America's expense all the way around, and it's going global if you haven't noticed. it's a g thing -- only backwards.

Make it a Good Day, G

government gone wild. org ...check the video out.

Dear America,

The integrity of anything gets lost with manipulation.

take for instance Air Traffic Controllers: they don't need to reinvent their collective benefits package for time on the job, encouraging nap breaks within the shift to better equip the overall function of the team -- they simply need to stop manipulating the system.  The system works just fine when left alone and kept to the integrity of the original schedule. The issue of not being able to      keep      my      eyes      open      one   more  minute  comes only after covert operations have taken hold, as a means for some serious self-adjustment, every which way but loose...after switching shifts with somebody for the wife's birthday...after juggling a Thursday for a Friday to fit in a weekend getaway...after staying up too late the night before leaving wudda, shudda, cudda stranded on the tarmack...

this practice has slipped under the radar for years; setting up the very conditions for failure was only a matter of time.

take for instance NEWS:  mainstream media can tell the news without bias, and it would go something like this..."today, the House of Representatives will take up the vote for the Debt Limit Increase.  Welcoming all points of interest and views, we have two congressmen with us today, highlighting two ideologies of the same argument, to mark this historic occasion...Good honest debate is something we cherish here in America...and we look forward to hearing your views..."  You know, the same way someone like Shepard Smith might do it at noon and four o'clock each day...simply telling the news..."you decide."

no hidden agenda, no pointed questions belittling the conservative stance, no gotcha moments or extra smirks thrown in with a penchant for gaining a rise; just news, just views, in equal proportion, balancing the whole story without so much as a hint to which side of the argument the journalist sits.  oh what a beautiful world it would be.

take for instance Relationships:  the best relationship is one that allows the other person to be who they are without re-doing them along the way...being true to the laws of attraction and compatibility that brought the two of you together in the first place.  You know how it's done, ladies and gentlemen, simply by acquiring the skills (over time, of course...not right away) of re-dressing them, tweaking with their god-given set of social skills, if not making serious alterations -- extinguishing some, while bloating others -- pertaining to the original bevy of hobbies/friends/bad habits/favorite foods/religion/ugly chair and trophies/hair...boobs...you get the idea, simple manipulation without representation.

...a hidden agenda with the news has got nothing on keeping a hidden agenda for the one we love, now does it?  Suffice it to say, over that same period of time, the very integrity of the relationship itself gets pushed and pulled and twisted so much, the original thing of beauty is unrecognizable; the meeting of two entities coming together to make a complete set, becomes muddled with resentment, molded out of shape with petty adjustments, and fully unappreciated for what it once was.  Many, then, end up looking at each other with loathing and regret, instead of unconditional love and walk away.

and LAST one, 

TAXES 

so the fair tax idea is picking up some steam. Typical, really.  Every time we get around the tax season -- the emasculation of the IRS, the leveraging of tax codes and loopholes, the top 1% paying for nearly 40% of the federal taxes combined with the bottom 50% paying less than three -- all of it comes up for re-election.  However, somehow, this time, I think things are different.

Returning to the loss of integrity by manipulation, the integrity of the tax system is clearly broken.  We have manipulated every which way to sunday, and have only arrived at a point where some believe only more manipulation will fix it.   wrong again.

First, a tax system based on earnings is totally absurd; honestly, how did this ever happen?  Sure, at first glance, it might seem logical.  Make money, give government this much.  okay...but then we make this huge leap to ... you make more money, you give government even more money (with all benefits flying right out the door).

For America -- as the quintessential purveyor of all things self-reliant, with our first intent just beaming with freedom and liberty from sea to shining sea, safe keeping the free market, free enterprise and the prospect of creating avenues for prosperity in every way -- you would think we would be different.  For America -- being the original mad men of advertising, innovation, investment, and manufacturing -- you would think our system of taxation would support nurturing, expanding and instrumentally shoring up more money, more freedom, and more opportunity with a whole lot less of stifling, coercive, penalizing manipulation, only creating more ways to buck the system, if not lead to fraud, waste and total abuse.

You would think, with this kind of breach of integrity, that it would never happen in America.

Changing our tax system now might just be the best thing we could ever do -- maybe even outshining the Debt Limit conundrum.  For how can we subject our future to a system of taxation which clearly discourages real wealth?  Our nation's debt and deficits is what happens when we grow government.  All the while, who gets less power?  We, the people.  (As we make a quick fly over with the birth of the Tea Party.)

But think about it.  A tax code that basically deflates consumption, stifles saving, jeopardizes the family estate and penalizes the family business generation after generation -- only allows the rich to get richer, cutting off every opportunity for real growth and prosperity for every day people. This kind of tax code no longer encourages years of higher education for higher wages.  This kind of tax code no longer elevates the entrepreneur who painstakingly leverages the risk and investment before bringing the next big thing to market.  And yet it is this kind of manipulation we seem to be perfectly okay with, and deem totally acceptable by today's standards, for richer, for poorer.

What we need is a system based upon consumption.  This, in actuality, would be the fairest tax around...similar to the shopkeepers warning, "you break it, you buy it" -- the fair tax, based only on consumption, takes this motto one step further, enforcing "[when you] buy it, tax it, and that's it."  And the circle is complete.  No IRS agents up the yahoo; No FORMS, lengthy instruction and preparation; No more politics, using other people's money as the pawn star.

A tax system based on consumption rewards earnings (and the more the better, as the more you can spend). It strengthens the will for risk and investment and committing more years to higher education. It encourages savings and retirement and estate planning. It validates the principle from which this country was made, and accelerates the trajectory for amassing real wealth, triumphantly rewarding every step of the way.

The moment we entered the field of manipulation -- increasing regulations to the extent of discouraging honesty... rewarding bad behavior, outsourcing, and sending american money offshore...using even personal relationships, whether married or not, as a government tactic to have and to hold...and basically promoting all things relating to federal bondage, restriction, and over regulation -- is the day we lost this argument, stifling all future earnings potential.

The thing is, this kind of integrity breach hits the cornerstone upon America's foundation.  Sure, we might survive an air traffic controller dozing off from time to time (as stupid as that sounds); we may even be able to leap tall buildings on a single bound and pick the real news apart from the unconscionable journalistic bias thrown in on a  whim; and yes, some relationships may even outlive the natural erosion over time, carving out new territories, charting out new rules for engagement, totally unaware of the tweaks and bruising hidden deep below the surface -- for some people, it works.

However, when it comes to the loss of integrity by manipulation, the worst of these just may be TAXES -- if there is ever a system bound to deflate potential for higher earnings and accumulating real wealth, this is it.

Now, a taxation system revolving around the one who consumes, that is fair; that kind of system, is fair and balanced in every way, leaving no room for a politician to use and abuse it's fair citizens to grow government.

You consume, you get a tax -- you eat, get a tax -- you drive, get a tax;  you go shopping, tax, you eat some more, tax some more, you go on vacations, tax, you eat a lot more, tax,you buy TJMaxx or Prada, tax tax, you chew gum, tax, you get boobs, tax, you take a year off to travel, tax, you eat, and eat, and eat, tax, tax, tax and pray (NO TAX!), and love (NO TAX!), you get a new car, tax, you buy books, tax, I pods, tax, new glasses, tax, you eat, you get a dog, buy a bird, send the kids to camp, and eat again, buy a cocktail, a pack of cigarettes, a brand new pair of jeans, a wrench, a two-by-four, cement or crown molding, and then, what do we do, we eat some more, from ice cream to Ruth Chris, from school lunch to a coke -- tax tax tax tax tax tax.

IF WE CONSUME ANYTHING we would then be subject to pay a fair tax,  fair and square.  the rich, who spend a lot, get taxed a lot... the middle class, the poor, get taxed in direct proportion and relation to what they can spend... how fair is that?  

What we should be asking ourselves --after we settle this debate to fair tax, or not to fair tax, and then assuming we all want a fair tax -- is let the government know exactly how much they can spend.  What's all this business of us waiting for them to come up with a budget; we tell THEM how much they can spend, not the other way around.   Picture a parent simply handing out the allowance.

Whether rich or poor, this is our hard earned money they are frittering away.

Our president just recently reminded us that we must live within our means.  This is funny coming from a guy who is CEO and CFO of a conglomerate averaging short falls of a trillion dollars or more, while breaching every vein of integrity possible; it is also funny, coming from the one entity which doesn't save or create anything -- and it never will.  It's only "means" is using "other people's means."  We can do better than that.  I mean, come on, a fifth grader could do better than that.


Given we are on borrowed time, please go to fairtax.org and lend them your support today. A system of taxation built upon the loss of integrity by manipulation is one that can cease to exist; it's pure value has been diluted, it's fairness long deteriorated. Plain and simple, government erosion has set in, no need to even be concerned about some fictitious cliff. 

Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

happy monday.


Mondays sometimes get a bad rap; they come chock full with attitude beginning the night before -- simply dreading the start of a week's worth of work up ahead.  The alarm goes off a wee bit too soon; the lucky shirt is in the laundry; while everything seems to be happening so fast, getting a breakfast thrown in before running out the door only happens with acute attention to detail and stellar time management.   You would think, with every week lined up the same way for centuries, we would be somewhat better prepared for the weekly punch in the gut --  that it wouldn't have the power over us like it does.

And this is all about things we know about, things expected.  Throw in the unknowns, and things that make us go boom without ever seeing it coming -- that really blows.

So this morning, I may sound like I am all over the place; so take it from me, right now, I am about to do you a favor: just leave now and nobody gets hurt,or stick with it all the way to the bitter end through all the bobbing and weaving.  This is still a free country, so you are free to make up your own mind at any time (as am I...isn't that wonderful) -- so don't get to the end and curse me, okay?  just expect me to be all over the place, no surprises, starting now. (suggestion, just breathe and you'll be fine.)

You know, for all the doomsday predictions thrown up on the chalk board --  let's just get down to the brass tacks -- most of them have ultimately come to fruition; sure, it is done for the beauty of television, making a reality and spectacle of the news on the day holding to the basic premise, "truth has no agenda."  Glenn Beck has turned this remedial task into an art form.  He has become the Picasso of throwing it all out there and seeing what sticks, what has merit, what might hurt us and what might come back to bite us in the butt.  And then, most days reminding us what our founders might do, or think, about it.

Today, one of my favorite things -- Mr. Beck-meister fuller himself -- is being hammered in the media (again); but this time from the right.  Interesting.

Let me see if I can channel what he might be thinking -- why now?  You guys have had all this time to jump on my pleasantly plump derriere, because I love my ice cream, and you wait for me to be on the ropes (in perception only, mind you) before you feel compelled to riddle me with a smear campaign? Officially jumping on my liberal use of OPV (other people's video) without the proper shout out to each and every one?  ah hello, I was doing the same thing a year ago, two years ago, back on CNN even -- and now you come at me?  That bites, but more important, what gives?

I didn't see that coming, d'jew?

You know what GB did see coming, the slow and painful death of America that seems to be around the bend if we aren't careful; and so it begins (again) -- as this happy monday/tax day/day of reckoning goes down -- bouncing out of the corner and making a spot on prediction come to fruition and one for the history books, the one, and the only, reality buster extraordinaire, GB, is right again (say it like you're in an echo chamber, or something -- like an announcer for the WWE -- it's more fun)

...and the crowd goes wild.


Based on perception, mind you, AMERICA has been downgraded by the S & P.

Just because America's future sort of 'hangs in the balance' these days --

...choosing the uneasy stance on what appears to be unnatural footing
...unable to shake the ghost of debt limit's past
...being stuck on politics more than course correction
...having lost it's way through fuzzy math a long, long time ago

...perhaps the S & P knows something we don't.  hmmm What do they see?  And strangely having a refrain of do you hear what I hear humming in my head.

Wonder what GB might say to all the rabble-rousers who have made it their business -- and profited greatly by  it -- shooting up or shooting down his theories like a street wise thug?  Clearly, GB has satisfied a need for all sides to use and abuse, so who's kidding who here?   Wanton, insatiable dissing of the man has become commonplace -- especially now that he is appearing "outed" by Fox News -- even though history continues to prove, if not validate, nearly every little thing that comes out of the guy's mouth.   No matter which side of the ring you are on, isn't he, now (and forever probably), just a guy who continues to see it all coming long before many of us even catch a glimpse?

GB saw this downgrade coming.   How about we talk about that!  And yet, all anybody really wants to talk about today is getting the proper recognition where recognition is surely due on a thirty second piece of video...fascinating.

Now splitting the subject of details, schmeetails on a totally different angle, how about this one?

From another contributor for The Daily Caller, we return to a prediction that didn't exactly come to fruition from the UN.  And let me add, I can't wait to check out this Anthony Watts guy @ http://www.wattsupwiththat.com and Gavin Atkins, at Asian Correspondent.com who broke the story answering a simple question, "What happened to the climate refugees?"

In another case of the sky is falling, doomsday is coming, everyone take cover, parlayed over the last couple of decades breeding climate change fears, promoting a whole string of catastrophic homegrown terror attacks, plotting against anything that moves, breathes, or even tries to make a living...even having the power to extinguish entire islands, leaving millions -- billions maybe -- homeless.

NOT.  Where are they?  huh?  Hey, UN, are you listening?  And get Al Gore on the phone, like right now.

Now, talk about profit sharing -- if not actually prophesying for profit.  are you kidding me? way to go building credibility there.  at least, GB is correct when he gets up on his soap box, there is that. but details, schmeetails.  He has occasionally used video without saying where he got it from on live tv. ooooh.


And boy, do I love the details from both Watts and Atkins...here's just one:

"Nassau, The Bahamas — The 2010 national statistics recorded that the population growth increased to 353,658 persons in The Bahamas.  The population change figure increased by 50,047 persons during the last 10 years."

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/04/16/the-un-disappears-50-million-climate-refugees-then-botches-the-cover-up/#ixzz1B20prMMW

Notice how I made sure you could see exactly where I got that information --removing any room for doubt.  good stuff. please read it.

For an added bonus, the entire read is deeply permeated with a natural, dry, global warming wit which Watts freely throws around, making certain a great way to start the week, if not the day.  That whole Google cache lesson...bringing full circle a soap opera of that was then, this is now.  And the map that mysteriously went bye bye, that somehow comes back to life through the miracle of internet savvy-ness --  bravo to both of you guys.

And now, to a tale thousands of years in the making; spinning perception, reality, faith and truth all wrapped up into one.  Did you read about the do over for when the actual last supper occurred?  some of you will either love this or really hate it, but Easter, after all this time, may actually have a real live birth attributed to an actual day from here on out, without having to calculate by stars and moons  first.  Can you just imagine it?

Basically, due to a "mix-up," a professor/scientist at Cambridge, Colin Humphreys -- after piecing together calendars and data from both the stars and documented history -- devised a way to come up with a real date.

Let me just quick step to the punch: April 3rd may very well be deemed Good Friday, and April 5th, Easter, from this day forward ..and thank God there is a God who clearly thought this one through, no?  You know, how awkward would it be if  it turned out to be April 15th, or right smack dab on the first, right...whew, that was a close one...

...wouldn't that news have the power to create enough material for the late night talk shows for decades to come -- or at least until we all go off the air...that being our fate, certainly forthcoming, after the current season of having our credit worthiness downgraded...what, with all the Islamic caliphate-ing going on...with the price of gasoline and soybeans and corn and wheat skyrocketing...with the debt ceiling about to be raised for the 75th time...with social security, medicare and medicaid having only about twenty years of life, if that...with the dollar dropping and shares for goldline popping...with the power elite of the world homing in on a new world order coming to a theater near you soon, details at eleven.

Is it fear mongering when it comes from truth?  is it?  is it?  

Does it make any of it less true if the lessons come without attributing said truth to the rightful owner/producer/purveyor of said truth?

Perception is everything indeed. Our willingness to see all sides, with peripheral vision, even double vision, against that which we deem impossible, could never happen, and is otherwise considered just another crack pot nut job at it again -- seems to be a skill only a few dare to tread.

I have told this story before, I'm sure, but one of the most infamous people from my high school was just a girl named Brenda Spencer -- a quiet, shy type who never said a word in the Honors English class we shared. The long and the short of it, she was the subject of a song about Mondays after she shot up the front yard of the elementary school just across the street from her home...

And all because she was quoted as saying, "I don't like Mondays."  That was all it took for a creative genius to pick it up and make a  popular song out of it, profiting wildly.

 

We are thirty years passed all of this, but the point is, when people hear the song, do you think they know the history, the truth, after all these years?  Generally speaking, I think not; only if somebody were to come along and connect the dots are the stars all aligned.  And taking this one step further, do you think Brenda ever got a cut?  Somebody made money off of her in the light of day. thanks to Boomtown Rats.  true story.

the thing is, sometimes we can get caught up in details that really don't matter over all; if those who feel shunned by the improper use of their video on the GB program really thought about it, surely they must be wondering by now, why now, too. Why now?  Why are these people coming out of the woodwork now, after he has had years of being on TV, after a couple years being on Fox News alone, for goodness sakes -- a place we all know, a sitting target for all kinds of attacks every day.  Why now? 

Just like all of the other hair raising questions the GB program has produced for us on a daily basis, why now can be used for most everything under the sun.  egypt, check.  libya, check. islamic caliphate, check. wisconsin, check check. the dollar - deficits - national debt, hat trick check point and match.  Accusations of GB using miles of miscellaneous video feed without proper identification...check history.

America relies on every generation understanding the basic principles year in and year out. Stories of our heritage, and our birth, and the reasons why we were made, must be passed on -- or one day, there might come a day that we will have all forgotten how it ever happened, let alone understand what it will take for us to carry on, respective of all that we know to be true, all that we know to be untrue, and all that we wish our future to be.

Much like a parent telling the story of the day they were born to their child --  truth sometimes gives way to creative license... to play up the parts that thrill... to embellish fits of circumstance with impassioned spirit... to connect the dots and lineage with history and reality in ways that lift us up, not tear us down. 

Easter, apparently has a birthday now.  Who knew?  who would have ever thought that one day Easter would have it's day.  Of course, time will tell with what we do with this sort of news -- Hallmark hasn't had a chance work it into the system yet -- while, if the Left have anything to do with it, I wouldn't be surprised if they are already working madly at scrubbing this new found glorious detail as we speak. (cache anyone?)

Mondays -- some of us hate them and some of us dig them -- no surprise there; still others make the most of it before noon.

Make it a Good Day, G