It's About the Way the World Can Stop As We Know It Thing

Dear America,

good morning

it's 12 - 21 - 12 and the world has ended as we know it.

For an added personal bonus, last time I heard this very phrase was right about this time of day on 9 - 11 - 01, as I was about to take my girl to Kindergarten.

It happened to be the first words uttered on the other end of the line upon a morning that started just like every other...until it wasn't.   And then there was my first word.......... what?  as I turned on the television.

Something wicked this way comes -- that was then and this is now.

But this time, the earth shattering is more like happening under the naked eye; it's merely the expectation and strange anticipation of something maybe, maybe not, in a rather morbid 'What If' sort of way.

For the Mayans predicted it, you know.

Little do we all realize 'it' happened already.

Yep, happy Friday, it's time to wake up and smell the Peruvian coffee. Can I get you a cup?

Just as the Left works in nudges and impulses upon human nature -- and by all evidence, pretty much having it down to a science -- there is something else at play.

Something else Not of this World -- and every bit as much Being of this world --  works in the same manner.  It's called God, Divine Providence -- the Universe of All-Knowing, Abundance and Love; it's the Thing that surrounds us and nudges us and divines our every move (if we let it), working with whatever it's got to work with ----- us.

We would have to be living under a rock not to recognize that both human nature and mother nature has left us in pieces over the last several months; and yet, depending upon our own personal gauge, set of  circumstances and environment, maybe we're talking more like years, decades even.

So living of this world -- let's face the facts, good and evil exists; matter of fact, if talking facts, it's the co-existence of good and evil that we wrestle with every single day, be it individually or collectively.

But for the sake of this conversation, let us be as current as we possibly can and simply look to this day, and with laser beam focus look upon just one aspect of this, shall we?

Plan B bombed.

The man-made fiscal cliff is here.

The greatest experiment of mankind is about to be thrown asunder and ripped into a 310 million jagged pieces.  

It's been more like a slow death, really, no Hollywood-esque bombs bursting in air or asteroids blowing up the city of Los Angeles altogether. No.  It's more like a frog being thrown into a pot of cold water and slowly bringing it up to a rolling boil; it's cooked before it knows it.  [And this just so happens to be one of my favorite episodes of the Glenn Beck program on Fox News...aired way back in the golden days, of course]

"There is a package to be shaped, and I'm confident that parties -- folks of goodwill in both parties can make that happen...But what I'm not going to do is to extend Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent that we can't afford and, according to economists, will have the least positive impact on our economy."  Obama, 11 -14 -12

so let's all go over the cliff.

all I really want for Christmas is more of the people's money to spend.

"...For any income over this amount [250k], the tax rates would go back to what they were under President Clinton. This isn't to punish folks who are better off -- God bless them -- it is because we can't afford the $700 billion price tag."  Obama, 9 - 8 - 10

because the government has a spending problem...and I've been given a mandate to feed it.
 

[um,  if the government can't afford a $700 Billion "price tag" -- then it can't afford obamacare -- a little something something that started out at around 700 billion and is now, even before full implementation, positioned to actually cost three times that (according to the CBO).  How about we give Obamacare the first pink-slip, Mr. President?]

[and here's just another reality check...because we have so many "millionaires and billionaires" ...Fewer than 1 percent of the U.S. population have annual income of more than $1 million].

[regarding that so-called "700 billion price tag" -- fascinating how the president refers to our money as if the federal government actually spends money when it can't get it's hands on our money to pay the programs it can't afford (grants, subsidies, bailouts, overzealous budgets, voting blocks).

Each year, since 1969 -- our government has spent MORE money than it takes in.  We borrow, to cover an asinine amount of debt; anyone interested in the amount we spend on interest?

And all this is just in regards to the economic end of the end of times --- hardly do we have enough time and space today to get into all the other ways we are falling apart.

ya see, a slow death.

The Mayan's were absolutely right on target.

Humans can be so daft sometimes.

America, the last frontier for the hope of all mankind is crumbling... some of us just don't want to look.

Oh the world can stop in so many little tiny ways; it all adds up.

A few weeks back, we started with some Christmas wishes:

Americans to be 'ALL-In'...More men like Thoreau...G in charge of the GOP for a day...World Peace...Just move the fiscal cliff (to 9 -22 -13)...wishing we never started things like social security...Wishing Michelle Obama did something about that fat in Washington...a trivial pursuit -- getting a copy of The Women, by Clare Boothe Luce...and quickly adding her to the list of "if I could have anyone over for dinner"...to giving States back the power...They were all there -- day after day -- lining up so nicely; ten in all.

My intention was to get to twelve for the twelve days of Christmas.

But then, Sandy Hook happened, and the world stopped as we know it (again).

How could I even think of making any more wishes? 

And on that note, G will be going dark all next week...the world according to a day in the life for an American girl will stop and catch her breath among family and friends and the baby Jesus.

So, until we meet again, may you and yours have yourselves a merry little Christmas.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Day to Fear Not the Result Thing

Dear America,

"ambassadors of providence, 

sent to reveal to us our unknown selves"

Calvin Coolidge, 

describing great statesmen...

one day in the life

of America

so let me get this straight...America is resting it's economic future (among other things) upon two people?  John Boehner and President Obama have been carved out of the whole to decide our fate?  Two guys?   Is that like some kind of twisted perversion of two men will move you?   Welcome to fundamental transformation, the movers and shakers of the twenty-first century; we can take you anywhere you wanna go from coast to coast, from sea to shining sea [and FDIC insured, to boot].

Little old G Thing has been wanting to get to this thought for days, possibly weeks now; needless to say, we've had a few and far more important contemplations to cover.

But just two guys?  Come on...you guys can't be serious?

Here's another two guys for you:

Hugh Hewitt interviewing the president of Hillsdale College, Larry P. Arnn, the day after the re-election of  Barack Hussein Obama --  same as, Barry Soetoro, by the way  [When we put it like that, it sort of shifts one's entire image of the guy, no?].   The interview, "Time to Give Up or Time to Fight On?" is highlighted in the latest issue of Imprimis, here.

That quote of Coolidge, above, was plucked out of something Larry Arnn said.  He was making the point that our "conservative statesmen" must articulate conservative ideas -- the positions and ambitions -- better; and to that end, stop trying to go about solving our problems, and speaking of our problems, from the mindset of a bureaucrat (like the Left), but rather from a Constitutional government, operating from the law.

But just before these two guys got into this -- Larry explained something worthy of repeating word for word:

"The experts who run the modern bureaucratic state think they are architects of a perfectly rational society. They think of themselves as scientists, and of the running of government as something more like science—the science of administration—than politics. They think they can coordinate society comprehensively so that no one is left out. That’s why they think of their work as something good and as something high. The problem is that what they are trying to do defies human nature—the human nature that led James Madison to write famously that men are not angels, and that led the Framers of the Constitution to divide government in order to limit government—and so what these experts are doing will ultimately lead to despotism.

But to speak directly to your question, Hugh, there are many indications that there’s a deep and even intensifying opposition to bureaucratic government today. People don’t like it, and they don’t trust it. They want less of it. And I don’t believe that yesterday’s election signified any change in that. Now, how to harness that opinion politically is the challenge. No one yet has been able to capitalize upon it."

Now let's take a moment to see how the bureaucrats -- and not the Law -- have changed things since November 7th.

Oh     my       goodness.  

Oh     my       goodness.

Aw no   he   di  nint... 

That probably wasn't enough time.

Just breathe, people.  

C'mon now, stay with me.

Before we all pass out, here's the entire paragraph surrounding the idea, 'men are not angels'....

"But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others. The provision for defense must in this, as in all other cases, be made commensurate to the danger of attack. Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions."

The Federalist No. 51

"But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature?"

Whether we like it or not, whether we agree with it or not, this government is a reflection of us, in all of our glory or not.

And right now, with regards to this government -- 

"They think they can coordinate society comprehensively so that no one is left out. That’s why they think of their work as something good and as something high."

And surprise! it comes down to this -- just two guys will move you, too.

Let's go back to a little something Madison said:

"In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself."

Boehner is a pretender.

Obama is not only a pretender, he's an outsider.

Say what, G?  where's that coming from?

And you will simply have to go back up and read the full interview from Imprimis to pick up what this girl just laid down.

sure, it requires a little work on your part -- but get used to it people.  we have to re-load the entire household....beginning with re-wrapping every facet, dimension, ideal presented to us by our dear wonder boys of days of yore.   The House -- oh it's divided; in more ways than one.

But before we sign off this bill of lading for one more day, let me recycle another thought passed on to us like a priceless heirloom.  Larry Arnn closes with a story from another era, a time of Winston Churchill, saying:

"That same year, Churchill asked one of his assistants, John Colville, to find him the precise text of a prayer he remembered from the siege of Gibraltar. It reads:

'Fear not the result, for either thy end shall be an enviable and a majestic one, or God will preserve our reign upon the waters.'

We might follow Churchill in saying that prayer in hard times. We might cultivate the strength that it can give. 

While venturing out to find some back up of this moment in time, what do you know, I stumbled upon this:

"Prayers Before Battle:The Spiritual Utterances of Three Great Commanders"

Which is funny; this isn't at all how I pictured my day to end.  [Check this guy out...really good stuff.]

But it all fits now, doesn't it.   We started out with just two guys making a mockery of our rule of law, battling it out both behind closed doors and in front of the cameras...then we added an element of what is a conservative statesman anyway...and threw in a reflection of angels to men, just intention no. 51 in a series of  one through eight-five...and settled in upon a house divided, only leaving room for a prayer.

And after all that's been said and done today, all I really know is this -- I need to do better job at understanding my own government and my responsibility to it and pray one simple prayer:  "fear not the result, for either thy end shall be an enviable and a majestic one, or God will preserve our reign upon the waters."   

it's hard to believe the people's power has been usurped by a couple of blow-ks to decide our fate [say that with a limey accent, will ya].

thankfully, there are only two ways for this to go.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's Just Another Day When Crazy is Mightier than the Sword Thing

Dear America,

happy wednesday, everyone.

[i know, i know...it's not really, so call me crazy for picking daisies; these are some heavy, heart-wrenching days]

Now, the holidays can be an emotional time of year under normal circumstances; add a small town tragedy that makes absolutely no sense in the world, we begin to twirl in place like a spinning top venturing it's way to the table's edge. plop.

News coming out of Newtown continues on a solemn trajectory, each day building upon the last, as we bury our babies and loved ones. It's an unimaginable task forced upon the families and community.

However, there is some welcome news.   We have become more aware of the details leading up to the Sandy Hook attack. It turns out -- bearing in mind what we discussed just yesterday --  Adam's mama did know.  She was shouldering the burden of committing her own son, and in the midst of getting the lawful authority to do so.   This very reality facing the family is believed to be the catalyst to set off the horrific chain of events. 

[Of course, how on earth Adam was able to commandeer the guns from the household, we may never know.]

But this new knowledge, learning of the depth of awareness inside the Lanza home, should give us pause.   This parent died in the process of doing all the right things, God rest her soul.  Can you just imagine what she is thinking about right now, in heaven?   Just the thought of it --  'my son, being responsible for something so incredibly awful.'     And, not to be overlooked,  there is still the father and brother and extended family remaining to pick up the pieces.  

The thing is, it is comforting to know that she recognized Adam's problems; she was well aware that his issues had reached a level that she could no longer handle on her own.   That is good news.  That means the family was working through it to the best of their abilities.  How can we ask anything more? 

[Of course, how on earth Adam was able to commandeer the guns from the household, we may never know.]

You know, there was another shooting -- in a Clackamas, Oregon shopping mall -- in this same week (Dec.11).  Three people were killed.  Come to find out, a second man, Nick Meli -- just a guy, lawfully able to carry a concealed weapon -- was at the mall at the same time.  When the shooting broke out, he went to the scene.  He was going to take a shot at the masked gunman, but realized there was a possibility, if he missed, that he might hit an innocent person; so he didn't shoot.  He just kept the gunman in his sights.   It is said that the shooter, then fully aware he wasn't the only gun in town, turned the gun on himself.   For the full story, go here.

But isn't that amazing.   Another gun on the scene stopped the violence.


In other news, did you know, crazy people are not lawfully able to obtain, let alone carry, a weapon in the state of California; and having said that,  neither are felons or anyone under even a routine court ordered restraining order?    And yet, somehow, some way, and many times over, these people still find a way to get a gun.

How?

Because even though the majority of us follow the law, go through the proper channels to arm ourselves legally and properly, if we so desire -- a minority of the population doesn't operate under the same rules. 

The street still caters to the underworld.  
And this reality will never go away. 

We can amend, rewrite, add...all the gun laws in the world...but this just guarantees the underworld to not only stay the same, it gives permission and plenty of room for this undermining sub-culture to get worse, expand, even prosper off of our ignorance.   Lawlessness will have the upper hand, the more the law abiding gives the right of way to the corrupt. [this theory works with regards to Congress, too]

America is at a tipping point. 

and sure, it is a phrase overused these days... shoot me.

we are spinning out of control in every way.

we are spinning, twirling, fluttering about, atop a fiscal cliff, a mountain of debt, on the precipice of cultural decay with enough emotional and spiritual dysfunction to light up the dinner table for centuries to come.

we are all crazy to put up with this nonsense.  [and how ironic, considering we made this crazy town in the first place]

America is at a tipping point...which way will we go?

It's time to straighten up and fly right, even if it sends this top right off the edge; let's take the fall together and land wherever we may land; hopefully, with any luck, that looks a lot like each of us ending up on our own two feet  -- or, just maybe,  growing a pair of wings.

And yet, this girl is still so unsettled...  
As a mama, as an American, let us be reminded of the weight of the world to walk in another's shoes -- Adam Lanza could have belonged to any one of us just as much as little Charlotte Bacon. 

Let's quickly move into a higher realm of contemplation.    John Adams wrote:

"I always consider the settlement of America with reverence and wonder, as the opening of a grand scene and design in Providence for the illumination of the ignorant, and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth."

And from Alexander Hamilton:

"It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force."

That is some strong stuff, considering all that we are spinning around, to and fro, these days. The universe of our 'woe' is growing exponentially faster, and mightier, than the expansion of our good... just sayin'.

good self-government
walking hand in hand with good [limited] government --
this is the only way to guarantee real liberty.

What is crazy:  that our government today would never have us believe it could be this simple. 

Make it a Good Day, G

It's Speaking of the Worst Kind of Extravagances Thing

Dear America,

"It's the worst kind of extravagances 

the way you spend your chances."  

Gena Rowlands to Sandra Bullock -- 

or shall we say, 

just a typical "Mama to Birdee" exchange 

in Hope Floats...

And no -- this girl is not at all sure this is where she wants to start today -- but there it is.

Seems to me, the answer to just about anything that could potentially harm us is to simply ban it; confiscation and censorship, or bust -- how's that for a modern nation's motto?   It's a twist on New World meets Old Dominion, that's what that is.   And so much for lady liberty; she's out... so two thousand two, you know.

Aw, it was good while it lasted, right?

It's not about the 32 oz. soda,  just as it's not about the gun.

With this kind of logic, we would have to recommend that Iraq and Afghanistan stop using any mass transit whatsoever, if not cease and desist all forms of transportation by wheel.   Cars and buses kill people -- and are especially drawn to the greatest potential for damage, like anywhere any large number of people gather, like the open marketplace, church or mosque.

No. It's more having to do with the kind of people we are raising...the kind of people we have become.

What is a weapon anyway?

A gun, a kitchen cleaver,  scissors, a various mix of noxious household chemicals, a cast iron frying pan... a car, bus, train or plane....arson, gas leaks...even pillows.....Of course, we can also meander into the long, slow death of drugs and alcohol, over-eating, smoking,  giving way to a whole host of diseases and ailments of the young and old alike.  And then again, there's always Kool-Aid.  Weapons of mass destruction can be so unassuming, can't they?

The weapon of choice is inanimate.  We, the people, possess the power to give it life and existence, whether it be to harm or to save us from harm --  or simply to use as the object as it is intended and with extra loving care.

Humanity gives life to the thing.  More important, the kinds of things we should be asking ourselves is far more gut-wrenching, because it requires us to take full responsibility for our own humanity.

What kind of people have we become?  Where do we gain our strength of good character?  How do we teach and multiply a life of virtue and principle?  How does our goodness grow?  How do we protect ourselves from evil?

The thing is, in the wake of such tragedy, of course the knee jerk reaction is to take away the gun, the so-called cause.   But in this way, it would be just like instituting a second round of prohibition to answer the slaughter of innocents from drunk driving, when, in fact, the alcohol is not the problem.  The problem is directly related to the overall health of our community -- be it economically, spiritually, emotionally, culturally --  beginning at the root (with our own family) and extending all the way out to the Oval Office.

As always here on the G thing... I like to speak in relation how this equates to my own little world -- the responsibility falls on me to raise my girl to not only be an actualized, healthy participant in everyday life, but a decent citizen.  While I must heed my own advice and be my own healthy participant in everyday life and a decent citizen.

The thing is -- the truth is -- I can't do it alone.  I can't do this all by myself [for as we all know -- in real life, there are plenty of outside influences to warp the mind, happening all around us].

As a card-carrying member of club humanity, it takes a considerable amount of guidance, good stuff, higher influences and wisdom to pull it off.

But hypothetically speaking, let's just say little old g thing goes a wee bit cuckoo and falls off her rocker one day (save it...hearing the roaring laughter in the crowd... believing G's already there...it's cool...) -- but let's say it happens.   I think my mama (among many others) would be on it like white on rice.  You see where I'm going with this....

We have to rely on our immediate circle of friends, family, countrymen to truly see us.  It's as if we have our own Checks and Balances built into the mechanism of our community and culture.  It begins within a very tight radius, indeed.   While if our own family is of no use to us -- the rings of community expands and extends to our schools, churches,  and community organizations where it's entire purpose for being is to lift up the fallen (like The United Way, The Salvation Army...and in our town, Father Joe's Villages).


The early diagnosis as to the mental state of the shooter is not a healthy one -- reports citing personal information about the family claim the 20 year old suffered from Aspergers Syndrome, even though "no evidence of medication" was prescribed.  Another story outlines his mother's concern, fearing she was "losing him."

The Aurora shooter, showed signs.

The Columbine shooter (s), showed signs.

But let's be real.  Healthy people would no more go shoot up a school, movie theater, public arena of any kind, even if in possession of war chest of guns and ammo simply because it is not what healthy people do.

From the Guardian, here's some good gun stats from around the world.

And from the other side, here's an excerpt from a blog on the HuffPost, from Clarence B. Jones:

"This is prima facie evidence that the NRA operates in a parallel alternative universe detached from the 24/7 realities in which the rest of us live. Some of the stats of our reality are that every day guns kill at least 24 people in America. Over several weekends in Oakland, California and Chicago, just to name a few, more than 20 school age children are killed.

Most of these gun victims are African-Americans killed by other African-Americans, without the apparent wealth of suburban Newton, Conn, When these instances of gun violence occur, no flag at the nation's capital is flown at half-mast, and the president of the United States does not address the nation.

But it's not the NRA that is singularly or principally responsible for gun violence in our nation. Yes, it is an effective powerful lobby for gun ownership and the lawful use by individuals of guns in their homes. But other people and organizations also bear their share of culpability.

On more the one occasion I have said that violence lies like molten lava beneath the surface of society just waiting to erupt."

Now the entire post slants towards greater gun control -- but having cited Oakland and Chicago, two areas with some of the stiffest gun laws in the country, the argument falls short when lined up side by side with how gun control plays out in reality.  In real life, the bad guy can always get a hold of a piece.

And yet, this isn't the sticking point I wish to cling to with all my might...  Let's go back to a stat thrown into the everyday in America -- "that every day guns kill at least 24 people in America. Over several weekends in Oakland, California and Chicago, just to name a few, more than 20 school age children are killed."

Adding:  "Most of these gun victims are African-Americans killed by other African-Americans, without the apparent wealth of suburban Newton, Conn, When these instances of gun violence occur, no flag at the nation's capital is flown at half-mast, and the president of the United States does not address the nation."

[G's also gonna assume that Clarence B. Jones is a decent journalist and has done his homework on this...I will take him at his word -- that when he says "most" we are dealing with truth -- as general as it may sound to the naked ear]

Just close your eyes now and imagine this kind of reality.   This is some powerful stuff.  And it should hit us just as hard as the tragedy of Sandy Hook.   And yet it is basically ignored by the mainstream media, the Department of Justice, the office of the President ... even the mom's and dad's and civic mentor's of the immediate community.  The deafening chorus of silence is frightening.

So I must say, really like where Clarence is going with this snippet:

"But other people and organizations also bear their share of culpability.

On more the one occasion I have said that violence lies like molten lava beneath the surface of society just waiting to erupt."

As a whole, we lack a certain reverence to life itself.  We treat life as fully disposable, unless you are on the endangered animal list. We suck the life force born naturally into every human being, indoctrinating them with school curriculum hellbent on taking personal responsibility out of the equation.  We have built a wall between the connection of teaching our boys and girls by the golden rule (heaven forbid, any of the ten commandments...even if they do make all the sense in the world when raising young, impressionable minds).  We honor our humanity with a moment of silence before a football game, but set aside a moment of silence for reflection and prayer and deeper thought before the start of a school day...fuggetaboutit.


At least in the olden days, our children would see that the good guys win in the end -- be it in movies, and even cartoons, not to deny or diminish simply having the experience of living in United States of America, the leader of the free world and quintessential good nation in motion.   We lived it!

[today, we bear witness to terrorists winning in all corners of the world...we bear witness to gansta's living large in our cities...we bear witness to America being taken down a notch or two, be it our stature, character, influence, or strength]

We are falling, and failing, by lowering our standards to the lowest common denominator, and it's beginning to ripple and swell into the crevasses and the finer cracks of humanity much like the visual furnished to us by Clarence..."like molten lava beneath the surface of society just waiting to erupt."

Until we learn how to better care for our own and ourselves, from the inside out, and really fix the level of our dysfunction along with the real potential for destruction, the more vulnerable to violations we will grow.  It's an elaborate, convoluted, deeply marred manifestation -- with decades of divorce, incest, abuse, mental illness, family dysfunction, emotional limitations, and plenty of spiritual voids -- and now, painfully, uncomfortably, generation over generation, we are witnessing how this equates to the creation of our reality in the everyday. 

It's not about the gun, or the 32 oz. soda.  It's not about the object we place into our hands -- it's about what we choose to do with it.   But before we get there, it becomes more a question or concern as to what we feed our minds, our hearts, our homes, our soul long before we pull the trigger or take so much as a sip.

Just when will we have a  Frank and Birdee conversation about that aspect?

Or will it be just set aside -- like the kicking of the proverbial can down the proverbial road much like we have handled our nation's massive debt and overspending predicament.  Now talk about killing our children softly....

Oh America.... "it's the worst kind of extravagances the way you spend your chances."

Make it a Good Day, G

It's in Loving Memory of the Twenty-Six Thing

Dear America,

this is three days after the Sandy Hook School shooting -- and it's not a good day in America.

Certain unsuspecting things have hit me unusually hard over the last few days.  Texting my girl, all of sixteen, gives pause for an immediate opening of the floodgates, even for the most trivial of things; a simple bowl of popcorn and hot chocolate, with the opening music of The Polar Express in the background, instigates a major assault on my emotions.   How can any parent continue to breathe after evil has torn them into a million jagged pieces?

The innocence lost is a long list of 20 children and six adults --

Daniel Barden, birthday September 25, 2005

Rachel Davino, birthday July 17, 1983

Behavioral Therapist

Olivia Engel, birthday July 18, 2006

Josephine Gay, birthday December 11, 2005

Ana Marquez-Greene, birthday April 4, 2006

Dylan Hockley, birthday March 8, 2006

Dawn Hochsprung, birthday June 28, 1965

Principal

Madeleine Hsu, birthday July 10, 2006

Catherine Hubbard, birthday June 8, 2006

Chase Kowalski, birthday October 31, 2005

Jesse Lewis, birthday June 30, 2006

James Mattioli, birthday March 22, 2006

Grace McDonnell, birthday November 4, 2005

Anne Marie Murphy, birthday July 25, 1960

Emilie Parker, birthday May 12, 2006

Jack Pinto, birthday May 6, 2006

Noah Pozner, birthday November 20, 2006

Caroline Previdi, birthday September 7, 2006

Jessica Rekos, May 10, 2006

Arielle Richman, birthday October 17, 2006

Lauren Rousseau, birthday June 1982

teacher

Mary Sherlach, birthday February 11, 1956

Victoria Soto, birthday November 4, 1985

teacher

Benjamin Wheeler, birthday September 12, 2006

Allison N. Wyatt, birthday July 3, 2006

and 

Charlotte Bacon, birthday February 22, 2006...

"They were supposed to be for the holidays, 

but finally on Friday, 

after hearing much begging, 

Charlotte Bacon's mother relented 

and let her wear the new pink dress 

and boots to school."

For the full story -- releasing each name, along with a short, personal introduction of somebody's baby, go here.

As expected, there is much to say...too much.

 

But today, we refrain from all of it.  The only thing we will do today is pray, hold each family in our hearts, love our own with all our might, and take with us a certain mindfulness of the loss of life and innocence.

We have a hole so deep, the bottom is not to be seen.

Let us do everything in our own power to 

make this a Good Day, G

 

..and forgive me, let me also leave you with this --

In nearly everything under the sun, we aim to mend from the wrong end.

It's a Republic If You Can Keep It Thing

Dear America,

'i don't have a problem, you have a problem.'

'i don't have a problem, you have a problem.'


get ready for a continuation of another bicker fest over the holidays, right?

you know how it goes -- it's pent up -- and every couple of years, it gets a little bit ugly across the table.

We've been surveying all things related to boundaries this week.  Some people just don't know where to stop.   [A worst case scenario:  looking a lot like "a beatdown" in Lansing a couple days ago.]

But more often than not, another perfect rendition can be witnessed coming out of  'the people's house.'   Instead of being genuinely and earnestly and humbly intent on doing the right thing, we get grandstanding, politicking, name calling, teasing, milk spilled and mashed potatoes thrown by the fist-full.  Washington turns into this unruly gaggle of egomaniacs, one-upping each other by the 24/7 media minute.

Don't they get it?

Don't they realize who they represent?

[Don't answer that]

Washington represents the people -- and if A equals B and B equals C, then guess what?  -   A equals...us.

and aren't we all a wee bit into ourselves and our position.

BUT THIS!    This just takes my breath away:




Seriously, Harry?  I love you and that voice of yours, but honestly, what planet are you living on these days? Lock up the opposition?  That's your recommendation to Obama?   Are you insane, trying to be clever and ironic, or  simply angling to work into comedy?
 
And that goes for all of you on the Left -- insistent and self-righteous about the so-called "mandate" of the president....

Take a seat.  Somebody needs a time out...

Let's review:  The election results show the president brushing against a split of  50.6% - 47.8% of the popular vote -- in real numbers, that works out to 62,611,250 votes to 59,134,475 and a difference of 3,486,775 votes, at last count; it also looks like 26 states going BLUE and 24 states going RED; it also looks like the Senate having a Democratic majority of 55 Senators to 45 Republican Senators; it also looks like a Republican majority in the people's House with 234 representatives, bickering alongside a  200 strong Democrat minority.

WHERE IS THE MANDATE?

You know what it's like?  It's like you're all clamoring to be the one on top -- perhaps mom and dad's favorite.  You know how it goes, being the one who brings home the most trophies... being the smartest, the slickest, the most successful in their eyes.... when all they really need is love.    Love for the process; love for the chance to get all together; love for the responsibility and duty to the whole; love for the monumental and historic opportunity to get something done  -- something that will be truly memorable (and forever honored, if we do it right)  long after they are gone.

Think of it as a time being held hostage in a time capsule.  One day....years, decades, centuries later -- this time will be looked upon with fresh eyes.  For it's just a fact:   Historians are recording the facts and numbers and the chief movers and shakers, as we speak. This is our time for all time.

TO be sure -- there is one person who will be owning the days we make.  That person is the president.

But even so, isn't Washington just a sorry representation of all of us right now?  We are all in the room.

Don't we want history to be kind?

Don't we want the history of THIS -- the fiscal cliff and more -- to show substance, with egos safely checked and balanced at the door for the betterment of the whole?

But let's get one thing straight, Mr. Belafonte, Mr. Sharpton, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Reid, President Obama,  and anyone else standing on the left leaning soapbox and screaming into the left leaning mic without a mandate -- respect the space.   Where is the tolerance?  Where is the openness for arriving at a compromise?  Where are the spending cuts? Where is simply the decency to treat us -- the Right -- with civility in the public forum, as well as behind closed doors?

But let's go back to something that should frighten each and every one of us.  This body politic, the one that represents us -- it should be of no surprise for the family resemblance.  The truth is, IT is US in a nutshell, in a nut-house, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until the day we die.  We put these people there.  And a hard reality is rearing it's ugly head, they are simply the microcosm of the macro acting psycho.

Who voted this guy into office?

Seriously?  There will be blood...let's imprison the opposition....come on people, can't we just get along????

Let's think about something for a moment.

For those of us who love politics, isn't the dialog, the controversy, the ideological divide what it's all about?  Doesn't it fuel us, from deep down inside us, to become more involved, more educated, more confident to speak up, to make a change, and hopefully, BE the change?   We choose to be republicans and democrats, conservatives, liberals, independents, libertarians, and even green  for a reason.

Apparently, somewhere down the line, we can no longer get together and simply, and respectfully, and lovingly, agree to disagree.  The boundaries safely honoring each man's space to believe what they will have been smudged, infringed upon, if not offensively crossed.

And with that, dialog is sure to stop altogether, retreating to our own corners, slamming doors and all; what should become of us now?


The thing is --  and I really hate to be argumentative here -- but THERE ARE two sides to every situation.  Yours and mine.  What in tar-nation is the problem?

Somewhere in the middle lies the hope of reconciliation and resolve.

But if we stop talking to each other -- we stop.

And if we never stop to listen -- we lose.

And if we just wish we could lock somebody up for being of a different mindset, or call for blood because we want two different things, we have already crossed a line and over to the other side.   In a word, it's called chaos; it looks a lot like lawlessness,  untethered recklessness in thought, word and deed.  It's also unconscionable, given what we inherited!

In such a situation, a third party or mediator is useful.  In relation to Washington, that responsibility falls to the one in charge  -- the president.   His job grows less political and more about keeping the peace, finding solutions, breaking the standoff, blending the ideas, assuring confidence in the process that all is not lost, much like a loving father would do.

Unfortunately, President Obama doesn't recognize this mandate.  He resorts back to taking measures outside of tradition, outside of the realm of precedence and chief duty of keeping the peace.  [And shocking, isn't it... given this is the response from a recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize!  talk about getting  a trophy for doing nothing....]

But let's make something perfectly clear, Mr B. and President O.  Unless living in your own little narcissistic, egotistical, pig-headed, unyielding, stupid world --  there is no mandate; the American people are split down the middle in two, almost in equal portion.

No, scratch that.  It's not that simple.

Let's not fall into the trap of sugarcoating over our reality, for that's just being delusional.  We are a patchwork of characters, with each our own idiosyncrasies in Technicolor glory.  Independent and magnificent, aren't we all a little bit crazy in our own way?  But now we're just getting sidetracked.

The American people are inherent of a foundation -- complete with the tools, the design, the principles, the structure, with all the hopes and best intentions in the world.   It was as if the founders blessed us with a family heirloom --  so fragile, not even they could guarantee it's future.

"a republic, madam, if you can keep it." 

Benjamin Franklin

And what this means is --  we are in the midst of only one mandate.  We must each take a corner and own it, mend it, patch things up and cherish it.  All voices are not only expected, but mandated, to show up around the table.

In the people's house, everyone has a chance to have the floor -- while for everyone else, there is an open  opportunity to listen.  It's a beautiful thing, being in real relationship with one another.

Sure, it comes with a whole host of problems and issues; it's not perfect; it's loud, teetering on obnoxious.  But it's real!   It's engaged -- it's dysfunction -- it's American -- and "it's" still talking.   And let  me tell ya, that is a whole lot better than not saying another word.


Make it a Good Day, G

It's About Drawing a State Line Thing

Dear America,

it's about something mentioned yesterday, almost entirely as an afterthought, that is still sitting with me...

Can you guess what it is?

it's when the words 'why have state lines at all' gave way.

This morning -- this entire week perhaps -- is about returning to this new reality in America, the smudging of the lines, the boundaries put in place.... for our benefit! I might add.

Michigan, just this morning, is trying to remedy a similar situation as we speak.   The Unions in the state have overstepped their bounds; a course correction, granting an array of new policy surrounding the Right to Work -- including the right NOT to pay Union dues, if one is so inclined -- has been bundled and bonded by the legislature and is presently on its way to the Governor's office for signature.

Yesterday, the president attempted to influence the decision by saying the following:

"These so-called 'right-to-work' laws, they don't have anything to do with economics. They have everything to do with politics," Obama said. "What they're really talking about is they're giving you the right to work for less money." 

Continue reading here.

But anyway -- is the president predictable, or what?

One minute he speaks so highly of the people's liberty, the next he treats it with contempt.   For this president and radicalized-community-organizer-in-chief, everything is viewed through the political prism.  It's always about the propaganda, the polls (and how to play them), the people's perceptions (and how to twist them), the politics of dividing this sacred body, in actuality, these United States and how to use that for control.  

Control what?

Control of the people, the wealth, the resources, the property -- all in all, the people's liberty. 

He's a learned man, President Obama -- astute to the tactics of Saul Alinsky, armed with an intellect raised by Marxists, and having his entire personal career built upon Union support, community organizing for the disenfranchised, and heavily influenced by mentors steeped in radical thought --  Frank Marshall Davis,  Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn...just to name a few. 

The thing is, the boundaries of government are no longer smudged -- they're entirely erased.

Let's just rattle off a short list of where the Federal Government does not belong:

• education
• health care
• abortion
• marriage
• a person's 'right to work'
• welfare & entitlement
• social security

leaving it to seven... for the seven deadly sins.

These things belong under the authority of the state --  as in the individual states, not the socialist state.

Since it was brought up only yesterday -- take, for example, gay marriage...or any marriage, for that matter.  The government simply does not belong.  It should not be of any political use whatsoever...you wanna talk about something having absolutely nothing to do with politics, Mr. President?  Let's talk about this.  You flipped sides on the issue for the politics of it, more than once!  As in you were for it, before you were against it, before you were for it again...

...and come to think of it, your tax hike plan -- calling "the rich" beginning at 200k/year as individuals, the hitched @ 250k/year -- why isn't the starting point $400,000 if you're married?  Is that a punishment?

But having outlined where the fed doesn't belong, allow me be even more clear -- this view is not intended to take anything away from the root of good government created in these United States of America.  The boundaries, the form, the context was rooted in responsible self-government, and created through the prism of multiplying freedom and liberty for all; the family being not only the extension of this principle, but the very center of it.

The core unit of any society starts locally, with the family -- working outward through the churches, schools, the entire community, much like the ripple created from a stone.   A good society starts with something truly small.  But boy, is it strong, solid, stalwart -- becoming a certain structure in place to find our heart, security, peace, and understanding in a crazy world.

Which reminds me, one of the fundamental tactics used in communism is to replace the family with the cause, to replace God with a new religion.

It isn't any great stretch to see that we are in the midst of the lines being smudged; the federal government is erasing cultural boundaries, becoming intricately involved in areas it doesn't belong.   Under any normal situation, this environment begs for anarchists against authority to rise up against it, much like the Occupier's; but such is not the case; it's puzzling, really.  All  is quiet on the home front.  It's kinda creeping me out...

The Tenth Wish is upon us -- give states back the power!  (fist pump)  Let every state be free to decide -- pot or no pot; gay marriage or traditional; right to work or right to union corruption; right to abortion or right to life (and yes, if I were in charge of anything, I would force the elimination of the phrase "pro-choice" -- call it what it is.) 

Every state is different; the political electoral map (by specific county, too) proves that in a heartbeat...Let the Left leaning fall into the Utopian oceans they cling to and let the rest of us revel in our right for our right to live in real liberty, true freedom and peace...lots and lots of peace and quiet.

The federal government was designed to give it limited power for a reason.   The reasons, many.  Unfortunately, for so many Americans, the reasons seem to have been erased along with the boundaries put in place over two hundred years ago.

It's time to for lines to be drawn with a Sharpie pen. 

How do I know this will work?

Children thrive with boundaries.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's About a Country Being Worn Inside Out Thing

Dear America,

it was a telling statement, an innocent, rambling thought that just spilled out for all the world to hear...if watching Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, that is.  And no, it wasn't so much what Chris said, it was broad-casted from an all too familiar face sitting alongside him -- the constant and politically correct puppet of the Left, Juan Williams.

I will have to paraphrase it, unfortunately; for it hit me so hard over the head, it took a minute or two to find my balance or a pen.  But it went something like this -- oh, and the subject that set it off?  Gay Marriage -- so here ya go:  'you can't say in one state you can and in another you can't.'

Oh Juan.  juan, juan, juan, juan juan.

Have you no recollection of the most acute semblance of common sense thrust upon mankind since the discovery the world was round?  Have you no shame, man?  Oh how far we have fallen from the vision and foresight of our founders...The level of sensitivity and prudence for every living breathing detail of our lives was carefully thought out and outlined for posterity and beyond -- and pretty much left intact and untouchable -- and what have we done?  We've unraveled nearly every bloody thread.  poof! our republic was here just a minute ago...

Ya see, this is why we never should have messed with the Senate chamber -- turning over direct control of the election process of a State's representative body to the people.  Who's great idea was that? [purely rhetorical; many thanks to the progressives hellbent on achieving fundamental transformation, early 20th century style...and basically upending the checks and balances of the federal government, while losing all representation of the sovereignty of the state, just  like that...geesh.]

The whole idea back behind the U.S. Senate -- originally a decision delegated to the individual state legislature, and not through the process of the popular vote -- was to elect  representatives fully committed to the interests of the state.   The House of Representatives was intended to be the voice of the people; the Senate, the voice of the State; with the President being in full control of the limited voice of the federal government.  The Judicial branch then wraps it all up in a tidy little bow.

Enter the Seventeenth Amendment.  Thus, we arrive at the day cementing the loss of State Sovereignty; thus, the detached body previously only interested in the interests of the state, is decidedly decimated.  poof!

And from here on out...America has never been the same.   All things usurping the interests of the state became vogue.  It was a new day, a new deal, donning new threads, and all re-imaging and re-imagining the power of the federal government.  Vanished into thin air -- boundaries.

But back to the fool rushing in to make her review of the comment expressly produced by Juan...

The original thought anchoring our Republic was centered upon maintaining a real, true balance in between branches -- with no aspect of government superseding the other.  Here is Alexander Hamilton:

"This balance between the national and state governments ought to be dwelt on with peculiar attention, as it is of the utmost importance.  It forms a double security to the people.  If one encroaches on their rights, they will find a powerful protection in the other.  Indeed, they will both be prevented from overpassing their constitutional limits, by certain rival-ship which will ever subsist between them."

The thing is, what is so wrong with states keeping a certain allegiance to what the will of it's people really, really want?  Whether with regard to it's natural resources, it's people, it's ability to produce and trade it's share of goods and services -- it's stance on social/cultural beliefs -- why not, why can't the state have the power to demonstrate and define the things of importance and relevance?   Or why have state lines at all? [oh you laugh...]

Proven by the electorate time and time again, a majority of states are not ready for same-sex marriage.

More important, states have rights, too.

Don't we already do that with each state deciding it's own tax code?  Isn't giving total  freedom and jurisdiction over federal law --  as in giving states like Washington and Colorado the authority to sell an illegal substance, like pot, like candy at the Five and Dime -- exemplifying such an idea?   Haven't we gone through enough with the fight to keep our Right to Work states?

Matter of fact -- originally -- according to the Tenth Amendment:  "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the People."  At first blush, that would have worked out well, no?

It was James Madison who gave us great clarification on such, saying:

"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined.  Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite.  The former [federal powers] will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce...The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary, course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State."   Federalist Papers, No. 45, pp 292-93 -- pulling the quotes from both Hamilton and Madison from The 5000 Year Leap, by W. Cleon Skousen.

But Juan, allow me to get to the real thing clamoring for attention.  It comes from an American historian, John Fiske; but prepare yourself, for it's quite stunning --  it may just blind you for a moment [and for avid readers of G...I beg of you, please don't shun me for the season over season repeat...how garish, gaudy and gauche is that, right?]

"If the day should ever arrive (which God forbid!) when the people of the different parts of our country shall allow their local affairs to be administered by prefects sent from Washington, and when the self-government of the states shall have been so far lost as that of the departments of France, or even so closely limited as that of the counties of England -- on that day the political career of the American people will have been robbed of its most interesting and valuable features, and the usefulness of this nation will be lamentably impaired."

Well, I'll be...we've plum been there and done der that, haven't we now?  [guessing we can take the country girl to the city but we can't take the hillbilly out of the girl.]

We've been robbed.  We've been robbed of our most interesting and valuable features.  Oh woe is me, what is to come of us now?

Me thinks I need a piece of fluff to read -- you know, to get my mind off all the stupidity of man (as in man in the general, not necessarily in the particular).   Anywho, having just recently watched the modern adaptation of the Clare Boothe Luce book, The Women --  I'm hungering to read it from the genuine article.   Consider it on the official Christmas list -- currently making that little item wish number eight, if keeping tabs. [ While crazy is as crazy does, this wish might actually be a doable and durable good for us all to get our hands on...you, too, can buy it here] 

Now talk about a woman ahead of her time -- scratch that -- making her own time...in fame, politics, talent, industry, and all with an overwhelming sense of knowing herself.  It might just lead me to a double header for the wish list for one day -- enjoying the company of this woman over dinner.  [I know, I know -- maybe in heaven we can get together once or twice...]  An ambassador and congresswoman for the ages; don't we just love how conservative women just do it already, no fanfare required, as I undress and digress all at the same time.

That's it then, Juan. It's all I have to say to you this morning.... Mr. all-about-town-and-totally unaware-you're-wearing-your-country-inside-out. [maybe it's not your fault...perhaps you're just throwing it on without thinking for yourself.   It's a fad!   Hopefully, it will pass]

Make it a Good Day, G

 oh this is rich.  from yahoo! news today..."59 is the Age women should stop wearing red lipstick..."  get a load of this comment from 'Franky":  "After a certain age - women don't give a flying f-k what others think they should wear" -- it got 4258 thumbs up at last count (63 thumbs down).   I love my country! 

It's a Charming, Shining City on a Hill...and a Detroit Thing

Dear America,

it's all about a charmed city,  Detroit...more like a charming, shining city sitting on  a landfill.

Here's an excerpt from a news cycle circa a week ago; Daniel Howes of the Detroit News:

"Many failures contributed to GM's epic fall, but few emerged as more important than the failure of imagination by its leaders. They could not imagine GM, a cornerstone of industrial America for 100 years, bankrupt. It was GM; it was a bulwark in the Arsenal of Democracy; it helped put America and broad swaths of the world on wheels; its people and their communities were special, even entitled.

But they weren't. Decades of bad management and union overreach, of costly contracts and too much debt, of too many mediocre products and too few great ones, of too many strong competitors and too few customers, culminated in a colossal crash whose proximate cause is considered to be the global financial meltdown of 2008.

The city of Detroit is not any different, really. Bad management and union overreach, costly contracts and too much debt, dysfunctional politics and a steady stream of fleeing residents are combining to push the city into a brutal financial reckoning that will happen because it has to happen.

Feckless politicking by the mayor and council, by the city's unions and self-described 'activists,' by Detroit's delegation in the state Legislature over creation of regional lighting and transportation authorities doesn't help, either."

Jump starting how quickly things change -- more from the same guy, same publication, now highlighting the  evolving picture and opinion -- go:

"The evolving bankruptcy scenario is a clear signal that Gov. Rick Snyder and Treasurer Andy Dillon have lost confidence in the ability of the mayor, his management team and council to honor their commitments under the eight-month-old consent agreement with the state, or to make any meaningful progress on restructuring...

The goal of a managed bankruptcy is to streamline the protracted process by minimizing the chaos, uncertainty, delay and steep costs associated with Chapter 9. It would be the largest municipal bankruptcy in the nation's history, an unambiguous symbol of the city's epic failure and a chance for a fresh start...

In bankruptcy, pre-packaged deals arrange settlements with all creditors in advance of a filing that is usually followed quickly with a plan of reorganization (called "plan of adjustment" in Chapter 9). A pre-negotiated deal akin to the one being explored in the Governor's Office would reach settlements with some creditors and leave others to be litigated in court...

Planning for a possible bankruptcy of Detroit should not be surprising coming from Snyder, an accountant-turned-CEO, and Dillon, a former investment banker. Both possess keen financial minds, strategic savvy and a habit for planning further ahead than most politicians, particularly the elected officials in Detroit flailing from one crisis to the next.

In anticipation of Detroit's financial collapse, for example, Dillon retained an investment banking firm in December 2010 — before taking office — to advise the Treasury on ways to restructure Detroit's balance sheet, reduce its liabilities and return the city's credit rating to investment grade."

Enter Romney -- dating back to the now infamous NY Times op-ed, Let Detroit Go Bankrupt.  Of course, he wasn't referring to all of Detroit, just the car makers.

To cut to the chase -- after making a round of viable recommendations and shredding the corners with provocative opinion -- here is how he wrapped things up:

"But don’t ask Washington to give shareholders and bondholders a free pass — they bet on management and they lost. 

The American auto industry is vital to our national interest as an employer and as a hub for manufacturing. A managed bankruptcy may be the only path to the fundamental restructuring the industry needs. It would permit the companies to shed excess labor, pension and real estate costs. The federal government should provide guarantees for post-bankruptcy financing and assure car buyers that their warranties are not at risk.

In a managed bankruptcy, the federal government would propel newly competitive and viable automakers, rather than seal their fate with a bailout check."

Just how did Obama use this piece?  Click to ad and brief run down while flying fast and loose with what Romney said.

Now go to The Blaze for a stunning update on the expectations of the "47 percent."

Now go to The Washington Free Beacon for an update on the GM auto bailout lawsuit, currently speeding to a screeching halt.

Here's Obama, quoting Truman, in a speech circa Labor Day in Detroit, 2011, the president spins his union wheels, saying this:

"When labor thrives, so does the rest of the nation."

It's a line plucked from an old piece on Yahoo! News, placing the president on a pedestal, spilled milk and all.  It's also quick -- so click.  Although, on second thought -- considering the title alone, let me just save you some time (fully aware of the number of links in the rear-view mirror...oopsie daisy..sorry for making you work for it today) -- "President Obama Praises Detroit as City That's Coming Back."

Oh the vicious cycle we weave.

The latest jobs numbers are out today -- 146,000 jobs created in the month of November.  Here's a breakdown:  retailers = 53k, temporary help = 18k (Christmas is a good thing)  Education & Health = 18k, Auto Manufacturing.....wait for it...red light....red light....red light...green! A whopping 10, 000 jobs...but overall manufacturing fell by 7k, as that segment took a big hit from the loss of jobs @ Hostess, mostly blaming Ding Dongs and Twinkies instead of Hurricane Sandy.

Dare I say, if Romney had been elected, a half a million jobs would have been created in the remaining three weeks of November alone -- in part, on the overall confidence factor bulging at the seams, and second, upon the promise of the repeal and replacement of Obamacare, eliminating an entirely different concern altogether.  But what do I know, I'm just a girl.

Back to the comeback in Detroit...

And it was such a charming, shining city on a hill, too.

Crowned with the big three car makers -- seems all of Detroit is winning like Charlie Sheen now (just a retread of a favored line of mine..but feel free, go ahead and trash it).

Mr. President, how's that come back coming along?

Where is G going with all this?   Well, let me tell you.

All of this really amounts to a mounting case of how far America has fallen from our glory days.  

The truth is, we are being manufactured all for show -- while increasingly, compromising on the things that truly matter.  It's only a matter of time before it catches up to us.

America is struggling because we have veered far and wide from doing the right thing.   We can't expect our children to have a moral backbone if we stop teaching the importance of ethical choices and abiding by a few golden rules, maybe ten; we can't expect our communities to grow responsibly and healthy, if we are being led by the corrupt; we can't expect industry to expand and exponentially effect the wealth and vibrancy of a nation, if we allow the free market to be ruled by a power elite more concerned with the propaganda and politics than the thoughtful, managed  process -- one that is unmistakably anchored in truth and sound economics, tooling freedom and liberty into every stitch and step. 

Bottom line -- it's never a win if we screw somebody over to get it... or if we have to lie, cheat, steal, bulldoze or bury.  But in equal portion -- the lack of responsibility, accountability, commitment, and earnest participation to contribute positively for a better whole adds  a whole 'nother kind of counterproductive force.    Tragically, whether in the macro or micro, this is Detroit's reality.  It is simply a place that is a downright mess.

But the real rub (Turtle Wax, preferred), we can apply all the Obama-money in the world and Detroit will still fall.  And as goes Detroit, so goes a nation, or something like that.

Sometimes it takes hitting bottom before we realize the capricious, disobedience of our ways ....and means.  In order to make any gains, we must capitalize on the managed bankruptcy of the times and return to the ideals proven to really, truly work.  

Make it a Good Day, G

Nothing's off the table for the king... corporate America sucks, no corporate America is very very good to me.