I watched only a small portion of President Obama’s State of the Union Address.
It was as if I had a socially allergic reaction to all of the camaraderie amongst the “politicos” in the pre-address portion. Apparently, the Club of the Nobility had assembled. They looked rather pleased with themselves. A veritable wing-ding on the Hill.
You see, I just don’t get that kind of behavior, especially in these times.
I’m more interested in seeing a serious, somber understanding that they have real obligations to the people they represent kind of attitude amongst the gang at the political soiree.
Very early on in the Address, the President got a big hearty laugh from everyone when he mentioned the politics of the bail-out. Everyone had a smile on their face, happiness throughout the room. Now that’s bi-partisanship! That was it for me…all done.
Same Old, Same Old
There are 535 elected federal officials who legislate what happens in this country. What we are facing, in any regard, cannot happen without their blessing or at worst, their lack of action. And it seems to me that they need to do a much better job.
On the other hand, the apathy of the American people is a wonder in itself. So, if I think that through…So, maybe they don’t really need to do a better job…And, they are bright enough to understand that…And – Hey, wait a minute…
Obama is politically positioning himself to have two terms of office and use the Machiavellian technique of handing out good in bits over time.
Here’s my thought:
When government does something it will be half as good at twice the price.
Even better, here’s a thought from C.S. Lewis:
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. “
But don’t blame government. Something is what something is. Government is government. It’s just the way that it is. The Founding Fathers knew that and did their best to contain that beast. So if we do need blame – the comfortably numb, the people get my vote.
Look, I’m not getting any younger. I do not want my descendents to look back upon me and say that I was part of the generation that gave America away. I have to believe that you don’t want that to be said of you either.
I really enjoy reading Michener. And fortunately for me, he wrote a lot of books. I have historically travelled through time to Alaska, Spain, Poland, Texas, Hawaii, Africa, The Caribbean, Chesapeake Bay, Colorado, Mexico, and so forth.
Not too long ago I stumbled upon “Caravans” – a book centered in Afghanistan, written in the early 1960’s. Funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same. Michener could have published it today with minimal updating if he were still alive. And the foregoing is more than a subtle hint to remember the lessons of history. But I digress…
Anyways, that led me into the abyss of my library to look for other Michener gems yet to be read. Low and behold, “The Source” was still waiting for me. Published in 1965, the story alternates between the histories of the initial inhabitants of the land that is now Israel to the modern dynamics of building a state in a hostile place.
Jewish history is primarily delved into, but the Arabs, Romans, Greeks and Europeans get their share of attention. Along with Baal, the Greek and Roman Gods are profiled, but the main focus in this regard is upon the Creator that the Jews do not refer to by name.
Let me say that I am pleased that I was not placed in direct lineage of God’s Chosen People. I do not think I am worthy. And even if I am, I much prefer not to have that target placed upon me by the other dwellers of planet Earth. I’ve got enough problems.
For the record, I do feel a very deep affinity with and respect for the Jewish People.
As usual when reading Michener, I found it interesting and enjoyably educational. He does have a tendency to write at length, but when you have a big topic, what choice do you have? There are other authors on my “must read” list, but I am looking forward to perhaps finding other books by Michener that I have not had the pleasure of reading yet.
Oh, I should mention that it was Michener who sparked my determined interest in running the bulls – something that I look forward to doing before this is all over, whatever this is.
I’m thinking that if I were a racist, these would still be some pretty good days. And from the Emancipation Proclamation forward, here’s how I reach that conclusion:
Following the Civil War, I would terrorize newly freed slaves – they would know that nothing really changed and if indeed it had, that they were going to suffer for it. There would be no practical equality regardless of what the U.S. Constitution said.
I would do my best to prevent interference from the federal and state governments.
Making voting registration difficult, if not impossible, through every conceivable legal or illegal means, I would minimize representation and participation in government.
Of course Segregation would be one of my most effective tools. Through the philosophy of “Separate, but Equal” I could ensure that things would certainly be separate, but just as certainly not equal.
I would make a common practice of community lynchings. It would send a strong message. Milder forms of torture and humiliation would be even more routinely dished out.
Of course there would be losses along the way, as Adolph Hitler found out at the Munich Olympics when Jesse Owens made a statement. The sports world followed with openness that could not have been expected.
Racism is remarkably strong and can take many turns. When the “form” loses its direct appeal because of greater understanding and tolerance, the next thing is to hit the “substance” even harder. When the foregoing started producing diminishing returns, I’d turn it up a notch and start playing the really big cards…
I’d establish a “White Man’s Burden” program and give it a well meaning title, such as “The War on Poverty” – a political/socialist system to eliminate the poor in America. Of course it wouldn’t work because I never intended it to work. What I intended was to keep people in their place.
Welfare & social programs would be designed to encourage the break-up of the nuclear family and promote soaring birth rates, thus lowering traditional community values. And the programs would provide just enough to reduce the advantages of becoming employed.
Applying the death penalty disproportionally would be a useful tool.
To put the icing on the proverbial cake, I would next create a “War on Drugs.” This would drive the street value of drugs higher and create a more lucrative market in the inner-cities. That would produce a lot of violence – they’d be killing each other in their own neighborhoods.
In an effort to avoid equal opportunity at all costs, a program like “Affirmative Action” could be used to place less qualified people into jobs. That would further cause racial tensions to increase and be a superb cover for the continuing underlying lack of equality.
It goes without saying that the schools that “they” would go to would be grossly inferior.
Yeah, this would still be a good time to be a racist.
But, I am not a racist. I am big on equal opportunity. And I think that we will eventually get there…just wish that it would not take so long.
In closing, the words Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. -
Darkness cannot drive out darkness;
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate;
only love can do that.
Hate multiplies hate,
violence multiplies violence,
and toughness multiplies toughness
in a descending spiral of destruction…
The chain reaction of evil -
hate begetting hate,
wars producing more wars -
must be broken,
or we shall be plunged
into the dark abyss
of annihilation.
How can the Holidays be complete without experiencing The Trans-Siberian Orchestra?
For reasons of obvious bias and lack of neutrality, I must state that I have known Trans-Siberian Orchestra Co-Founder and Musical Director, Bob Kinkel, since childhood. We have never been close to BFF and in many ways are very different, but we have enjoyed performing together back in the days . Yet, our mutual interests make knowing Bob that much more special to me. As I am, needless to say, rather proud of him, I look forward to profiling Bob in a future post.
TSO in concert is Spectacular Spectacular! The combination of so many musicians, the musical arrangements, lighting & pyrotechnic effects, and choreography make for an intense experience.
Each season, the performance (in two sets) is based on the traditional program consisting of the story and songs of “Christmas Eve and Other Stories” followed by a set of selected TSO songs, this year featuring songs from their new release “Night Castle.”
This was the second time that I have seen TSO perform. I enjoyed it more than the first.
They certainly have a great outlook. Here’s what Co-Founder Paul O’Neill recently said in an article in the Detroit Free Press – “”We spend more on pyro in two months than most of the rock world does in an entire year,” O’Neill said with a laugh. “Our first duty is to the fans, to give them the best show for their dollar. We realize that entertainment is not a necessity of life, but human beings need moments of joy, or at least moments that are stress free. When you’re not worrying about what’s outside the arena, the body gets to recharge its batteries. The underlying story is about hope.”
And they are obviously doing something right as Billboard recently ranked TSO as the highest grossing winter tour.
Frankly Francis, Bob Kinkel & Debbie Backstage 2008
Next Holiday Season, do yourself a favor and spend a night with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I am already looking forward to it.
First off, I humbly consider myself lucky and blessed because of the people and circumstances that I have been fortunate enough to have experienced.
Judged by conventional standards, my life has had a lot of high highs and low lows. For me it is just my adventure. However, the last few years have been the most difficult of all. I am intensely curious to see where this all leads me to.
So, as the year begins, I find myself looking forward, more so than usual, to my next revolution around the sun.
Didn’t we just celebrate the new millennium? A decade has passed?
And this Internet thing…any chance it will catch on? The impact of the World Wide Web is both amazing and fantastic.
It’s difficult for me to believe that marijuana has not yet been legalized, regulated and taxed.
Furthermore, we’re making more of this than needs to be made – Gays should be legally allowed to enter into civil relationship contracts that some call marriage. And the exclusion from the military thing needs to go too.
Been watching more TV than usual lately. Dexter, Sons of Anarchy, Stargate Universe. Also been catching up on House and Stargate Atlantis. I know that TV is a legal drug induced vacation from living my own life, but…
Been reading more than usual lately (although I have always been an avid reader) and this pleases me.
I think that we should pay a lot more attention to the Rights of States as opposed to the Federal Government. The United States of America is a Union of States first, not a federal government imposing national rules upon every individual. The foregoing within the Constitution, of course.
I prefer the features and interactivity associated with MySpace, but I continue to surrender to Facebook, being a willing victim of fashion…
Still cannot understand how in these most politically correct times, females, it seems to me, are more denigrated than ever in pop culture, especially music. Even more confused that there seems to be no one objecting. Ladies come on. Your sisters have fought hard before you in a battle that should not even had to be fought.
I am hoping that Stephen King’s “Under the Dome” comes even close to “The Stand.”
Most Americans are a lot more libertarian than they realize. See where you really stand (if you dare) by taking The World’s Smallest Political Quiz at: http://www.theadvocates.org/quizp/index.html
I’m a grandpa now, but in these ever life span expanding days, I consider myself a “junior grandpa” as opposed to my personal concept of a grandpa in my younger days. Gotta say that for me it is pretty cool to have grandkids.
No Chicken Little, the sky is not falling. We need much less emotional reaction and much more empirical evidence in the debate over global warming.
The advances in our technology are incredible. There is a lot to look forward to in the immediate future.
Did we not occupy Afghanistan for the purpose of hunting down Osama Bin Laden? And increasing the current mission there is for what? I don’t like how this is playing out. Oh, and could we please rebuild Iraq already and get our troops home?
As a citizen and even more so as a veteran, I support our military members, but I question our leaders’ use of our military.
I don’t vouch for the accuracy, but if you are feeling the need to Keep Up With The Joneses, check out how you are doing on a world wide basis at: www.globalrichlist.com
If I was silly enough to make New Year’s Resolutions, I would resolve to spend more time on music performance, foreign language study, creating creative travel opportunities, engaging the people I know, meeting new people, and treating writing more as work, as opposed to pleasure.
There are those who would say that the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind, is nothing but a dream. They are right. It is the American dream – Archibald McLeish
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