Mischievous Musings

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Mischievous Musings

Tag Archives: political

The Plight of the American Negro

01 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by ronbayjr in social commentary

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#blacksinamerica, #oppressioninamerica, political, politicians, pop culture, social commentary

There are a number of people, representatives of a certain ideology, who try desperately to convince Americans that a specific ethnicity within our country; Negroes, colored people, people of color, blacks, African-Americans; are under oppression. I realize that the term “Negro” is a bit archaic, but for purposes of effect, I’ve used it in my title. After all, the designation has changed over the years, and Negro was the common term for many years and preferred over “colored race” by none other than Booker T. Washington. I’ve never understood the use of terms such as African-American that are designed to separate rather than integrate. I’ve never thought of myself as a Scotch/Irish American; American being satisfactory to me. For purposes of description in the rest of this piece, and since I am commonly referred to as white, I will use the term black(s) to describe the aforementioned group.

In order for us to believe what we are being told, that blacks in America are an oppressed race, we must all suspend not only common sense, but other senses as well; such as sight. The line in the song from the sixties by Marvin Gaye and then Creedence Clearwater Revival (and credited to both Benjamin Franklin and Edgar Alan Poe) instructed us to “believe only half of what we see and none of what we hear”. Being from the group of Americans who are not only skeptical, but actually think, I take the above admonition seriously. So, forgetting what the chattering class is saying I should believe, I rely on keen observation and common sense. What would it look like for any people to be oppressed?

As I look around, I see blacks holding top positions in a number of corporations. I see blacks owning their own successful businesses. I notice that we have a black member of the Supreme Court, the highest position within the judiciary. I notice that there are many black surgeons, black professors, black authors, black truck drivers, black architects, black artists, singers, actors, and even hockey players. Not to mention blacks dominating professional sports such as basketball and football. Oh, and I notice that America has elected a black president, the highest position in the land; twice.

I look around middle class neighborhoods and I see black people owning homes with three car garages, basements, and walk in closets. I see blacks driving Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Lexus cars, as well as a few Ford’s and Chevy’s. I sit next to blacks at movie theaters, White Sox games, and in my local suburban church. I see blacks at the mall, shopping at Macy’s and Nordstrom’s among others; places that I choose not to afford. I see blacks attending Harvard and Yale. I try very hard, but I cannot for the life of me see oppression in these observations. How did these people achieve these things?  It seems to me that for the most part, the above groups of people have taken advantage of the principles associated with the so-called “American Dream”. They understand personal responsibility, hard work, education, integrity, and what it takes to be “successful”. They’ve assimilated.

And yet, even within the larger group of blacks in America, there is a sub-culture that has been created that rejects the traditional American culture of hard work, education, sacrifice and personal responsibility. Within this group, and within a portion of “white” America as well, I see uneducated, high school dropouts; unable to compete for even the most menial work. I see unwed black mothers with the fathers nowhere in sight. I see black teens running in violent street gangs; not only using, but selling drugs for money. I see a rejection of most of the traditional American societal norms. They don’t have respect for authority. They don’t have respect for property. They seem to want something for nothing; as if it’s owed to them. They have made for themselves heroes, whether rappers or athletes, who disrespect women, who reject personal responsibility, who impugn those who work hard to get a good education. I see blacks who roam the cities looking for innocent victims to beat and rob. I see blacks who think that burning down a local business is justified; whether it is in response to their team winning a championship or in response to something they see as a miscarriage of justice. Why have they chosen to separate themselves from the rest of society and not assimilate? Could it be that they’ve listened to and believed those who’ve treated them as children and who insinuate that they aren’t smart enough or good enough and that it’s someone else’s fault? Why do they choose and emulate heroes such as No Limit’s C-Murder, Capone-N-Noreaga, and Flavor Flav, rather than Clarence Thomas, Thomas Sowell, and Walter Williams? Why do they follow Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, and Louis Farrakhan, rather than Dr. Ben Carson, Alan West, or Mia Love?

In looking at it all, common sense and my own eyes reveal to me that what I see is not oppression. How could the oppressor distinguish between the two groups? If they are all black, why would some be oppressed and others not? If there truly was oppression going on, wouldn’t it be obvious? The truth is that blacks are not oppressed in America. Most blacks, however, have chosen to empower those politicians who would try to convince them that they aren’t good enough to experience the American dream. To them I would say, “You’re far better than that.”

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The Isolationist Wing of the GOP

25 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by ronbayjr in politics

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America, Government, Middle East, political, politicians, terrorists, war

As the debates and discussions continue to swirl around the war in Iraq, the War on Terror, Afghanistan, Iran, nuclear weapons, and other geopolitical topics, I hear a growing drumbeat within the Republican Party of isolationism. It seems to be coming from those of the libertarian bent. I find that in most instances, I agree with my libertarian brothers and sisters, but in this area, I have to disagree. If I had to sum up libertarian philosophy, in this and other areas, such as the war on drugs, it would be stated thus; “To each his own, and let the chips fall where they may.” I, for one, don’t trust that the chips will fall where I or the citizenry necessarily want them to. I realize that within the sandbox that makes up the world, there are those who would do me harm.

There was a time in America’s past that we could be isolationist, self-contained if you will, but those days are long past. We are intertwined with the rest of the world in many ways, not the least of which is economically. To think we can live in a world, absent the influence of other cultures and nations, is shortsighted at best. What happens throughout the rest of the world matters to us immensely. It is in our best interest to be involved and have as much influence as we can. If we don’t, then someone else will. Can you imagine the impact on our economy if the oil from the Middle East suddenly dried up as if a spigot were turned off? Devastating. I will further explain what I mean through a hypothetical and then use a real life example.

Imagine living in a small town in America. Your neighborhood is on the west side of the tracks; mostly peaceful, but if it isn’t there’s a Neighborhood Watch program. Across town, on the east side of the tracks is a neighborhood, much different from yours, that is featured nightly in the police section of the newspaper. You don’t worry too much about what’s going on over there. It doesn’t affect you. Then you hear that a group of young males from that neighborhood were seen harassing and bullying customers coming in and out of the Wal-Mart. The one where you shop. Still, you don’t worry. You just change your habits and only go to Wal-Mart during the mid-day hours. And you make sure to stay out of their neighborhood. Then you read where these same young males have come into your neighborhood and are robbing elderly people’s homes and beating up some of the neighborhood kids. What do you do? Is this now your problem? How long do you wait before reacting, or should you wait until they knock on your front door?

Chicago has turned into the real life example of the above hypothetical. Gangs that were once limited to terrorizing the south side of the city have now regularly been seen on the Gold Coast, robbing, bullying, harassing, and intimidating law-abiding citizens. In the real life example, as would be applicable in the hypothetical, the police have been called in. Unfortunately for Chicago, the police have been ineffective, not because they can’t, but because there isn’t the political will to stop the violence.

The reality is this: there are “gangs” (terrorists) in the Middle East who are terrorizing their neighborhood. They’ve made it known that they are not only going to continue their ways, but that they are intent on coming to our neighborhood. Do we wait for that to happen before doing anything? Oh, it has happened you say. So what do we do? The isolationists say we should just retreat to our borders and wait. What goes on over there is none of our business. But it is our business. In this real world situation, we can’t call the police. The reality is that we are the world’s policeman. If we don’t fulfill that role, the vacuum left will create conditions that we may not be able to live with. There was a man in England that thought he could just ignore Germany and that the Nazis would stay in their neighborhood. He was content to stay out of Germany’s affairs. He soon saw his error, as the Luftwaffe dropped tons of bombs on the city of London.

Maybe the discussion isn’t so much that we should or shouldn’t, but how we should. I would agree with my libertarian friends to stay out of there if, a. we had no Americans in the Middle East, b. we had no businesses in the Middle East, c. we weren’t purchasing a commodity that we are totally dependent upon for survival from them, and d. if our enemy wasn’t there. I have a son who served two tours in Iraq and saw many of his friends die in the effort. I understand the cost even though many of our politicians don’t. And yet, there is a reason we were and are there. To protect our country. Not just for today, but for generations.

I think I could convince my friends to agree with me if I told them that while over there, our military would do what Samuel Gerard suggested in The Fugitive, “What I want from each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area.” I’ll add here, “And once we find them, kill the bastards; every one of them.” I believe that if our military were allowed to do what they were trained to do, the libertarians would have a different opinion. I think what the libertarians are really saying, and I agree with them, is this, “If we’re going to continue our feckless course of action in the Middle East, building schools and roads, training civilians in military maneuvers, and playing politics, then let’s bring the troops home.” If we were truly killing the bad guys, I think most Americans would be all for it, as would most of the military. We either kill them there, or wait until they come into our neighborhood to kill us. They aren’t going away.

The Social Issues Don’t Matter. Really?

04 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by ronbayjr in social commentary

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America, election, Government, morality, political, social commentary, social issues

This topic usually comes up around election time and I hear it from friends and acquaintances, who normally see things the way I do,  that they don’t want to discuss or focus on the “social issues”; that the only important topics that need to be discussed during the election process are the economy, health care, and maybe immigration. What they fail to admit is that the term “social issues” is just another name for moral issues.

These issues include but are not limited to: abortion, gay marriage, drug legalization, public school failings and what’s being taught there, pornography and religious freedom.  It isn’t hard for most Americans to see a huge decline in our country, the economy being obvious, but so many don’t want to get to the root issue. It is my opinion that the economy’s slide is a result of the moral decline in our culture. Before I delve into my thinking surrounding that statement, I will look at some recent headlines in order to lay a foundation.

“Mob Attacks put Chicagoans on Alert”– It seems that Chicago has experienced an epidemic of what is referred to as “flash mobs”; large groups of teens who rob, beat and intimidate downtown shoppers. Why? Because they can. Innocent people get hurt because teenagers think it’s “fun” to terrorize and harm shoppers on Michigan Avenue; even attacking people on trains in the downtown area. They aren’t discriminatory in their attacks; anyone is fair game.

“Black Friday violence erupts across country”- Here’s the opening paragraph in the story, “Mayhem erupted at big-box stores across the USA as frenzied shoppers vying for holiday deals turned on each other and resorted to violence to get their goods.” What were these violent acts? Shootings, stabbings, stampedes, melees, pepper sprays, swarms, and even a bomb scare. If it wasn’t so sick I would laugh. And why all the violence? Why to save a few bucks on a flat screen TV of course.

“Elderly woman could be city’s 10th ‘knockout game’ victim”– The article says, “Activists called for an end to the “game,” in which punks try to knock a stranger unconscious with a single punch, and then post video of the attack online”. Ooohh what fun! This particular victim was a 76-year-old woman. Our games consisted of tag, hide and seek, baseball and many others. This isn’t a game. This is thuggery and the “game” has caused deaths in some major cities. In an article on this phenomenon here: (http://tinyurl.com/qe4yz4y) Mark Steyn had this to say, “Restraint is an unfashionable concept these days, but it is the indispensable feature of civilized society. To paraphrase my compatriot George Jonas, punching a spinster’s lights out isn’t wrong because it’s illegal; it’s illegal because it’s wrong. But, in a world without restraints, what’s to stop you?”

We are shocked at these stories and it seems so distant from what most sane people would consider normal, civilized behavior. Why would anyone think that these actions are anything but reprehensible? Well, let me see. Where to start? At its root these are moral outrages. But, who’s morality? It wasn’t that long ago when it was immoral to “shack up” with your girlfriend; but now it’s common to “live together” prior to marriage and have children out-of-wedlock. It wasn’t that long ago when abortion was illegal and morally degrading; it’s now the law of the land and happens in the millions; year after year (a great moneymaker for Planned Parenthood). It used to be that homosexuality was considered an aberration (still less than 2% of the population) and immoral behavior; now homosexual behavior is considered “cool,” the newest fad among teens and marriage is being redefined to accommodate their desires. It used to be wrong to lie; today it is almost a prerequisite for the politician. Who’s to say that the “knockout game” is immoral or wrong if morality itself is up for interpretation and can be redefined on a whim?

I see the woes in our culture today, failing schools, inner city violence, single parent households, pornography and the economy among many, a result of the lack of a moral foundation. Corrupt politicians promising things they can’t deliver: a moral issue. Corrupt businessmen ransacking the company’s finances: a moral issue. People wanting handouts for doing nothing: a moral issue. Corrupt union bosses lying to the rank and file about future pension money: a moral issue. When immoral leaders make decisions designed to enrich themselves with more power and money, then the country and economy suffers. When we elect leaders on the sole criteria of what favors they can do for us, ignoring their honesty and integrity, then we pay the price.

It’s an odd thing how we each pick and choose a different behavior that will lead us to “moral outrage”. Do “flash mob” thuggery, the “knockout game” and Black Friday violence bother you, but not out-of-wedlock pregnancies? Does abortion bother you, but not politicians that habitually lie to get your vote? Do you overlook them all as long as the economy is roaring along? To think that we can invent new morality standards in some areas of the culture and maintain them in others is a foolish endeavor. If anything goes in the sexual arena, then why not in politics, business, and all other corners of the culture?

We lament the fact that businesses open on Thanksgiving and Christmas (those greedy capitalists!), but who is it I see pounding down their doors for the next “one hour special” (those greedy citizens!)? We can’t understand why all the garbage and smut is a normal part of the nightly television landscape, but who is it that’s watching all of this quality programming? And why do we expect our leaders to have higher moral standards than we ourselves do? Without a moral foundation or as Mr. Jonas phrased it, in “a world without restraints,” what’s to stop you indeed?

Danish Americans Revolt!

29 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by ronbayjr in humor, social commentary

≈ 1 Comment

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political, sarcasm, satire, social commentary

Viking

Danish Americans should be offended. After all, the Minnesota professional football team mascot is a Viking;  portrayed as tough, strong, muscular, courageous, honorable, fierce; attributes that every boy should look up to and aspire to emulate. Why would you want a team of football players to have these qualities and attributes? Football is a violent game where strength, toughness, courage, and a warrior mentality are necessary to play the game, let alone excel.  Why would you choose to honor an ancient people, with a reputation as warriors, in such a way? How derogatory!

Wouldn’t it be better to pick a mascot that is less “in your face”? One that all people can relate to. One that feels comfortable wearing pink leotards, shoes, arm bands and stocking caps. Surely they didn’t have to choose Vikings as their mascot. They could have chosen a cute, furry animal. How about the muskrat? The Minnesota Muskrats! A mascot that all fans can relate to.

To have a caricature of this sort represent your ancestors is nothing if not a cold slap in the face to the entire Danish community. Did the Vikings really wear helmets with horns protruding from the top? Did all Vikings have long, blonde, braided pigtails? Did all Vikings wield swords and axes? I am offended and I’m not even Danish… or Native North American for that matter.

I haven’t seen much media coverage on this. No Danes marching through the streets in protest. No calls for the name “Vikings” to be removed. Maybe word of this outrage hasn’t been disseminated and Danish Americans just aren’t aware. Well, if they aren’t offended, then I’ll be offended for them. I demand that the Vikings change the name of their mascot! On behalf of Danish Americans everywhere, “Zygi and Mark Wilf, take down that name!”

Surrounded by Fools

30 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by ronbayjr in social commentary

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America, citizens, dumbed down citizenry, election, Government, political, pop culture, social commentary

“The America of my time line is a laboratory example of what can happen to democracies, what has eventually happened to all perfect democracies throughout all histories. A perfect democracy, a ‘warm body’ democracy in which every adult may vote and all votes count equally, has no internal feedback for self-correction. It depends solely on the wisdom and self-restraint of citizens… which is opposed by the folly and lack of self-restraint of other citizens. What is supposed to happen in a democracy is that each sovereign citizen will always vote in the public interest for the safety and welfare of all. But what does happen is that he votes his own self-interest as he sees it… which for the majority translates as ‘Bread and Circuses.’

‘Bread and Circuses’ is the cancer of democracy, the fatal disease for which there is no cure. Democracy often works beautifully at first. But once a state extends the franchise to every warm body, be he producer or parasite, that day marks the beginning of the end of the state. For when the plebs discover that they can vote themselves bread and circuses without limit and that the productive members of the body politic cannot stop them, they will do so, until the state bleeds to death, or in its weakened condition the state succumbs to an invader—the barbarians enter Rome. Mine was a lovely world–until the parasites took over.”

—Robert A. Heinlein 1987

I included the great author Robert Heinlein’s quote for its prescience and accurate description of the America I live in today. The idea of bread and circuses as a sort of “opiate for the masses” (apologies to Marx for borrowing his phrase) or “go get the stick” designed by cynical politicians to distract the citizenry came from the Roman satirist and poet Juvenal in 100 A.D., but its meaning is as applicable today as it was in his time. Why this comes to my mind now is really a combination of a number of events, observations, and frustrations.

I was listening to the radio on the way home yesterday and the commentator was talking about how the Obama administration was choosing not to enforce federal law against two states that just declared recreational marijuana use legal. I have my opinions about the law, but this isn’t the only time this President has arbitrarily decided which laws he would enforce and which he wouldn’t; immigration laws, the federal Defense of Marriage Act, etc. I await the outrage from my fellow citizens, but I think they are too busy watching reruns on You Tube of Miley Cyrus twerking or reading People magazine to find out exactly what Kim Kardashian thinks about the new iPhone. All I hear are yawns. Bread and circuses.

The cynic in me thinks that the marijuana issue is just another way for the government to ensure a dumbed down populace, and that if each of us was walking around in a drunken stupor, a la Cheech and Chong in “Up in Smoke”, the politicians would be giddy (Traffic Officer, “Sir, can I see your license?” Pedro, “Whuut?” Officer, “Your license. Where’s your license?” Pedro, “It’s back there on the bumper, man!”) As long as we’re not paying attention, the politicians become wealthier and more powerful and we continue to lose more and more of our liberties (The Wizard got away with the deceit until Toto yanked back the curtain, and I doubt Toto was high on weed). Bread and circuses.

I used to be upset with the politicians, but I finally realized that they are just doing what politicians do; like a cheetah dragging down a poor helpless chamois and ripping its throat to shreds with each vicious bite. How can I be disappointed in what’s to be expected? A politician, in order to be elected, must promise a number of people a number of things, in most cases things they can’t deliver. Once elected, the majority of a politician’s time is spent raising money for and ensuring their reelection. Most often the way they rule, sorry I meant to say “govern,” is to walk outside, lick their finger, stick it straight up in the air and try to figure out which way the wind is blowing. Challenged with a decision, they usually can’t answer as to why they made it, because the impetus for the decision didn’t come from them, but from someone else. The really good politician has no convictions, but is skilled in ferreting out what the people desire and doing their darndest to deliver, whether it’s good for the country or not. Bread and circuses.

No, the group I’m most disappointed in is my fellow citizen. I used to think that most people were just like me, that they desired what was best for the country; that they valued hard work and integrity and the only thing they wanted from government was for it to stay out of their lives and out of their way. I’m now convinced that I’m in the minority. I now believe that most citizens are looking for what the government can do for them, what benefit they can receive just for being a citizen, for doing nothing; not knowing or caring that all of the money the government has comes from their neighbors. I used to think that the average citizen in this country was fairly intelligent, but now realize that I’m surrounded by fools. I’m surrounded by people who haven’t a clue as to what’s going on and where we are headed as a country. I’m surrounded by people who have their hands out and look for government to bail them out of whatever jam they’ve gotten themselves into. I’m surrounded by people who when it comes time to vote, don’t care who will serve the best interests of the country, but vote for who will serve their best interest. The majority of citizens seem to care little about the demise of America; I hear and see mostly apathy and ignorance. They want their government to educate, feed and clothe them and their children as well as provide health care and retirement benefits; they being responsible for none of it. Bread and circuses.

If you care to look around you, it’s easy to spot the modern-day equivalent of ‘bread and circuses’, the number of them increasing day by day. Welfare, food stamps, school lunches, MTV, drugs and alcohol, pro and amateur sports, television, ipads and iPhones, texting and sexting, toys and possessions, the list goes on ad nauseam. I hate to see it happen, but America is headed down the road that Rome and other countries ventured down in bygone years. I love this country but I serve God first, and this country’s future, as with all other nations, will be determined by the will of the Sovereign God I serve. Will we return to the days of a peasantry being ruled by a monarchy? The days when the King, in order to keep the rabble from rebelling, could be heard to say, “Give them bread and circuses,” meanwhile whispering to the court jester, “the bread came from grain grown on land I stole from them, ha!”

“Hey, Look! Is That Somebody Famous?”

06 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by ronbayjr in humor, social commentary

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celebrity, Government, Humor, political, pop culture, sarcasm, satire, social commentary

When Mom and Dad were first married they moved to the “Land of Oz”, (California) and directly to the “Emerald City”, (Los Angeles); home of Hollywood and Beverly Hills, swimming pools and movie stars. In those simpler times, one of their favorite entertainment activities was to drive around Beverly Hills and look for movie stars. Up and down Rodeo Drive, Sunset Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard and Wilshire they would drive, hoping to spot a celebrity that they’d seen on the big screen. I’ve heard them tell of the excitement of chasing Clark Gable around the town, losing him and then seeing him again, finally to be shaken, but left with the experience and conversation for the rest of their lives. Spotting a celebrity, for a couple of wide-eyed novices from rural Missouri, was a big deal.

Today it seems everyone is a celebrity. From former cops who’ve killed three or four of their wives, to disgraced public officials hauled off to prison for embezzling campaign funds (these two are only Chicago examples). From has been child actors who’ve spent time in one too many rehab stints, to spoiled rich kids who’ve done nothing more in their lives than be born into wealth. Our culture is obsessed with celebrity. Everyone wants to become famous, and it seems that they’ll do anything to achieve that status.

Turn on the television today and “reality” shows dominate the listings (much to the chagrin of many wannabe actors). There are cooking shows, enough to make you never want to eat again. There are shows about house hoarders. House hoarders?! There are shows about “celebrity wife swappers” and bachelor’s looking for a wife and vice versa. There are shows about people who do really stupid things, at great risk to life and limb, just to get their fifteen minutes of fame. There are even shows about extremely overweight individuals, being abused for the entire world to see, trying to lose enough weight to be characterized as fat rather than obese.

I suppose all of this narcissism is relatively harmless, unless these famous for doing nothing people are given more than just their fifteen minutes of fame. It becomes dangerous when the used to be nobodies are given a platform, and what they say begins to be taken seriously. Or because somebody can sing the scale in the most mellifluous fashion, we somehow take them seriously when they spout off about world hunger and how to solve it. Take the most recent example of this absurdity.

Dennis Rodman just returned from a trip to North Korea. Well, good for him. Who is Dennis Rodman? He’s a celebrity. Why is he a celebrity? He used to be a very good basketball player, about twenty years ago. Played ball with another celebrity named Michael Jordan. That was then, and anymore he’s only known for being a freak show; in the same fashion as the “Yak Woman” in the local circus. Anyway, Dennis decides he’s going to represent the United States in enemy territory, kind of unofficial ambassador; so off he flies to North Korea.

North Korea: led by a man various human rights groups view as a tyrant and leader of one of the most repressive regimes in the world; Kim Jung Un. What a pairing; a murderous dictator who imprisons hundreds of thousands of political opponents and a former basketball player, now known mostly for his facial jewelry and odd dress. This looks like a set up for some serious policy negotiations to me. I heard about this and chuckled, but the American media took this all too seriously, running stories about the visit on the hour. When Dennis returned to the U.S., what  used to be called serious news personnel sat down with him to get the scoop. It was as if Neville Chamberlain had returned from Munich and his meeting with Adolph Hitler (with much the same result; a hapless sucker being played for a fool by an evil dictator), or Kissinger from China. ABC News actually had George Stephanopoulos do a serious interview with Rodman, with serious questions!

Dennis, IQ unknown but easily guessed, said that Kim is “a great guy” and “I love him. He’s awesome.” Kim sent a message back to the President via Dennis, “He wants Obama to do one thing: call him.” “I don’t want to do war” Kim said to Dennis. He could have fooled the rest of the world; or was he shooting off those nuclear warheads just for entertainment? He was joking, just having a little fun!  But the best part of the interview, the reason that it had to be Dennis as negotiator, was when Rodman said this, “He loves basketball. And I said the same thing, I said: ‘Obama loves basketball’. Let’s start there.” Wow! Why hasn’t anyone ever thought of that before? We could have the two dictators, er leaders, play a little game of horse and the winner gets South Korea! All we have to do with evil dictators is find out what their favorite pastime happens to be. If they love movies, we send George Clooney to negotiate. If they love reading, Stephen King. If they enjoy knocking back a few brewskies, we could send Jimmy Buffett or Ringo Starr. It’s so simplistic that even a two-year old could appreciate the concept.

It seems that the line between celebrity and real importance is becoming all the more blurred over time. It isn’t uncommon now for presidential candidates and other politicians to appear on late night television comedy shows and ham it up for the audience. Where it once was fashionable to want to emulate those who had achieved the highest levels in their professions, it now seems that those at the highest levels want to emulate the lowest common denominator within our culture. All in an effort to appear cool.

If Einstein were alive today he would probably have his own television show titled, “It’s All Just Relative, Isn’t It?” The most anticipated episode of season one would be titled, “Gravity: Law or Suggestion?” It wouldn’t surprise me if I read tomorrow that President Obama had just filmed an episode of Jackass 5, riding a skateboard down a fifty foot stair rail, into a plastic pool filled with cow manure. The next day he would appear on David Letterman describing how awesome the experience had been. David would be envious, but only to a point. Afterward, via man on the street interviews, the American public would be heard saying, “Did you see the President on Jackass? That was cool!” I’m embarrassed for our country.

Apathy Kills

26 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by ronbayjr in politics, social commentary

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political, social commentary

There have been plenty of movies out of Hollywood with the Civil War as the dominant theme, and I’ve enjoyed many of them. One that I’ve always had a fondness for is Shenandoah, starring Jimmy Stewart who plays Charlie Anderson. It’s the story of a man, Charlie, who in the midst of the Civil War chooses to ignore the battle waging around him. He convinces himself that the war doesn’t involve him or his family, that it’s none of his business. He selfishly tries to go on with his own life, of raising crops and livestock, and of leading and enjoying his six sons, daughter and daughter-in-law. A stubborn man to be sure. Like many throughout the ages, he tries to sit this conflict out. He portrays himself as one above the fray. He will learn that when a fire is raging all around you, it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to remain unscathed.

America, one hundred and fifty years later, is in the depths of another war. I’m not speaking of the war in Afghanistan or Iraq, or about an enemy as fierce as the serious Muslim. This war is like the civil war, in that it pits American against American, but it isn’t fought on a field of battle, and is instead a war of ideas. We are in fact in a culture war. Those in my camp are passionate about where we see the country “progressing”. We believe in old-fashioned things like morality, virtue, decency, hard work, personal responsibility, family, faith; that society needs boundaries in order to keep the culture intact. We hold to the traditions of the founding fathers. A society founded on small, limited government; one that stays out of the affairs of the citizenry.

 Those on the other side are just as passionate and if they win will have pulled us into a culture more reminiscent of the ancient Greeks, where pederasty was commonplace and acceptable (the reality is that we progressed from that long ago culture and now are in a period of digression). They would pull us into modern Europe, where religion and morality are passé. Where government is omniscient and omnipresent. They would have no restraints on human impulses and desires; legalized drugs, prostitution, abortion on demand, and a complete surrender to all sexual fantasies and cravings, “like unreasoning animals”. With this group I have a modicum of respect; at least they take a stand, even though I’m diametrically opposed to their positions. The third group however, is a group for which I only have disdain. The squishy middle.

This group doesn’t take sides. They pretend to be above the fray. If they sense in themselves too much passion oozing out, they quickly take a timeout or a cold shower. Passion is only for the extremists. The wacko fringe. They say things like, “everyone has a right to their opinion”, but seldom express theirs and when they hear someone else do the same they call them bigoted, narrow-minded, opinionated. At the core of their being is a selfishness that leads to apathy. They simply don’t care. As long as they can live their lives untouched by the rest of the world, enjoying life’s comforts, they don’t bother to spend the mental energy it takes to research an issue, take a stand, or look at the potential risks and consequences of what goes on around them. They’ve convinced themselves that it doesn’t matter what other people do. They sat out the recent election and are a big factor in the outcome. They are like the ostrich with its head in the sand.

            He who refuses to see is blind indeed. What should the man born blind say to such a fool? “I was born blind and thus I cannot see. You however, because of your stubbornness, will not see.” He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Back to Shenandoah and the Anderson family. When Charlie’s only daughter falls in love with and marries a soldier boy, the family is reluctantly drawn into the conflict. Shortly thereafter, his youngest son is kidnapped by one of the opposing armies and Charlie’s apathy is turned into deep interest, concern, and anger. He can no longer “sit this one out”. The bulk of the movie sees Charlie searching for his youngest boy, while his other five sons are all killed in the war. Charlie found out that the war that was raging around him could not be ignored. It was just a matter of time. At the end of the movie, what’s left of the family is seen in the local church, and as they stand to sing a hymn, the back door of the church opens and in walks the youngest son, limping on crutches. It was a bittersweet ending, for sure. War it seems has casualties. Even culture wars.

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