Thanksgiving

Turkey day is coming; and the turkeys in DC are about to be terminated.

As America's economic infrastructure continues (it seems) to disintegrate, there are still things for which we can be thankful!

Most importantly, America now has a "management team" of four extremely bright, educated, articulate, ethical people who (from where I sit) seem completely capable, and dedicated to turning things around in this country. Our new president (to be), his wife, our future VP and his wife ALL HAVE PhD's, and three of them in jurisprudence! Compared to the current "Bush-league" occupants this will be a HUGE improvement. And, it is already being celebrated around the globe by virtually everyone with a brain.

The cost of gas is coming steadily downward as the Iraqi government passes legislation requiring us to leave, which I hope we are smart enough to heed. And, I hope we are also smart enough collectively, to recognize what happens when we allow neo-cons and unprincipled fear mongers to get into office.

Thirdly, the evil money mongers (banks, insurance companies, market manipulators, and investment houses) appear to be learning their lesson about what happens when you sufficiently abuse your constituents. Hopefully, we still have enough ethical representatives in congress to mandate some substantive changes to protect us in the future from the greedy excesses that caused all this.

Finally, the civilized world seems once again, to "be on our side" and cheering for America.

Independence Day!

Americans are great people, and America is a great country; and we show it in so many ways on a daily basis. But the one day of the year that is set aside for memorializing the people and principles of our great country seems to be the day that brings out the palmetto bugs of our society!

It seems to me that virtually any opportunity for celebration quickly becomes some twisted sort of justification to get rowdy, behave badly, destroy people's personal property, and just generally demonstrate that certain pea-brained members of our society just love to use "freedom" as a basis for grotesque and disruptive behavior without ever giving the slightest thought to the concept of responsibility that is the logical flipside of freedom.

Two years ago on the Fourth of July, some of my "neighbors" where I lived (at that time) could hardly wait to begin lighting huge numbers of firecrackers, cherry bombs, and other assorted explosive symbols of "their" constitutionally protected American freedoms. And, as I went outside to try and see why everything was so unbelievably LOUD, I discovered that some of these "neighbors" a few homes away were celebrating their citizenship as loudly as possible!

Ah freedom! And, why do so many Archie Bunker types practice their "freedoms" so grotesquely? There were empty beer cans flying through the air powered by fire crackers while roman candles whizzed upward into overhead trees where they ricocheted back onto the pavement just feet away from the inebriated "patriots." All the while, one of the younger pups in this human pack was vomiting on his shoes from too much of something or other!

Somehow I had a distinct feeling that these raucously proud citizens also dodge jury duty at all costs, don't ever bother to visit a voting machine, and wouldn't know how to contact their congressman if their life depended on it. Yet, these patriot wanna-bees really relish this yearly opportunity to demonstrate their "God-given right" to behave grotesquely without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

E PLURIBUS VOMITUM!

Pain & Suffering

I relate this story second hand. It came to me from a colleague who was teaching a course in film and media. After viewing a number of episodes of the original 1960s TV hit "Star Trek," a student asked the following question:

"Star Trek contains a broad cross-section of galactic life -- humans include whites, blacks, asians, hindus, and others. In fact, there are even beings from other planets; But,… there are no muslims! Why is that?"

I'm told that the teacher responded matter-of-factly that the answer could be found within the context of Star Trek itself. The show, he explained, was set in the FUTURE!

The implication of this answer can be appreciated if we look closely at the manner in which virtually everything outside the muslim world is viewed as an assault on their belief system. In a society where camels are treated far better than women, and every perceived offense is cause for a jihad of some sort, is it possible that such a society will not eventually and ultimately blow itself apart?

A couple of years ago, just after we entered Iraq, I was (like many) horribly conflicted about our presence there. And, I also had a young Iranian lady in one of my classes. After about two months of class I asked her privately one afternoon if she would share with me her own feelings about our invasion of Iraq. I was completely stunned at her answer when she, in a quiet voice, looking downward, said that she was very much of the belief that the U.S. had invaded the wrong country! Later, while having a cup of coffee in the cafeteria, she told me how much worse her people were treated in Iran.

She went on to explain that the underlying problem with "westernization" of arab societies is that the mullahs realize that if and when these countries join the "modern" world they will be obligated to modify the atrocious manner in which they treat women and children! And, this fact is abhorrent to them!

One final point regarding societies is that it pays to simply watch which way people are moving. It should be clear to any thinking human that people move away from pain; and this is the clearest example of the failures of muslim extremism in the middle east. Europe and America are becoming flooded with people seeking to escape places where women are treated so inhumanely.

Even an amoeba will move away from pain!

Donke-Phants

When I was just a kid, but old enough to be curious about politics and government, I asked my dad (a pretty bright guy) about the differences between democrats and republicans. And I remember very clearly that he looked at me intently for a few seconds, probably trying to decide what to say, how to say it, and whether or not I was old enough to grasp his opinion. Anyway,… after a short pause he asked if I "really wanted to know what he thought." (I had already learned from previous experiences that if I answered affirmatively, this meant that I was going to get a true opinion; and one that I might not like.) Of course, I responded that I did.

"Basically, when republicans are in power, rich people get richer more quickly; and when democrats are in power, poor people get poorer more slowly."

When I responded that there didn't seem to be much difference between the two; and asked further which group we were in, he said "we're democrats!" He also added that what mattered most for me, as far as he was concerned, was that the more education I got, the "better off" I'd eventually be.

Well, I'm in my mid-sixties now, have spent most of my life in education as a teacher; and can say with some certainty that my dad was absolutely right! Furthermore, I have further concluded that the main reason most people aren't better off financially is that most people are still unwilling to do what it takes to get a better education, -- in other words, most people are basically lazy, which of course, keeps them uneducated and guarantees that they remain poor.

In a sense, this too is an example of the law of the jungle, or "survival of the fittest!" Will things ever change? Probably not! And, what is most upsetting to me as an educator, all anyone needs to do to see the overwhelming ignorance in our society is look at what our citizens do with their leisure time -- largely hedonistic and voyeuristic endeavors like eating, sex, computer gaming, TV, videos, movies, and recreational drugs including tobacco and alcohol as well as pharmaceuticals.

What percentage of the population goes to school via the web, or by evening or weekend courses? Nowhere near as many as those that watch professional wrestling on TV, or party hardy on friday nights!

Jesus Land!

Yesterday, after class a few of my students invited me out for coffee. It was quite flattering actually, in view of how rarely something like that happens!

Knowing that I am retiring, and have chosen what they regard as self-imposed exile in (Florida) a mysterious land far away, which is unknown and mysterious to them (and in many ways to me as well), they wanted me to tell them about my plans. But before saying goodbye, one young lady said she wanted to know about my biggest FEAR for the future. Was it my health? …finances? …loneliness? …our political climate?

In as much as it was a genuine and sincere question, I decided to answer it; and told her that I was very, VERY concerned about the pervasiveness of the intrusions of organized religion into American government. Not American LIFE -- American GOVERNMENT! And, of course, anyone who has been paying attention is well aware of it. In my newly adopted "home state" of Florida the legislature is currently discussing the use of tax-generated funds as subsidies to churches for social (?) programs!!! While I am NOT against the concept of freedom of religion, I am terrified at the notion of a theocracy! You don't need to be a genius to understand that you simply cannot have freedom of religion unless you also have the freedom to choose no religion!

This morning, in my email, I received the attached graphic from someone thinking that I would see it as a sign of a positive development in America. Frankly, I am scared, I am VERY, VERY scared!

And, I can't help wondering what might happen to those folks who choose to pray to a different (minority) diety -- like, say, Jehovah, Allah, Budda, or in my own case, my pet rock Herbie!

As a final thought, you may want to spend a moment or two on a quotation by Napoleon when asked about the purpose of religion. He responded quite candidly by saying... "the main purpose of religion is to keep the poor from murdering the rich!"

Amen!
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Nader Or Nadir?

Let me begin by saying that I have always had the deepest respect for Ralph Nader. His significance as a crusader for the American consumer is a matter of historical fact. BUT, you must be old enough to actually remember why and how he became so important. Any investigation into the history of American car companies, drug companies, insurance companies, and the quality of American produced consumer goods in the early 1960s will readily document the many ways in which Ralph Nader has proven his noble intentions and benefit.

However, he would easily make the world’s worst poker player because of his habit of showing his hand, thereby allowing everyone else in the game to change strategies, hedge their bets, and cut their losses. Sadly, this remains the case today! He has (once again) declared himself to be a candidate for president, setting the stage for the right wing to split the democratic populace and end up further empowering the very people and groups doing the most damage to this society.

Ever since his emergence on the American scene I have wondered why he has never run for congress, which he surely could have done successfully. Congress is where the laws are made, not the White House where they are merely “enforced” -- effectively or not! Now, with his announcement that he is once again making an attempt to change America by appealing to the common sense of the lower socio-economic half of the population, he is making the same mistakes as before.

To get right to the point, Nader recognizes all too well that the military-industrial complex and their megolithic lobbying “machine” is a gargantuan impediment to ever alleviating class injustices as they currently exist. But he is putting his hopes for success in that very same dispirited, under educated, poorly motivated, and culturally deprived underclass. This is the same subgroup that watches professional wrestling on saturday mornings, believes that “reality television” is reality, dotes on Brittany Spears, and remains largely uneducated. These are the very same people who rarely vote or write their legislators. In the last two presidential elections this segment of the population stayed away in droves out of ignorance and despair.

Sadly, I do not expect this to end well unless the democratic candidate has the insight to meet immediately with Mr. Nader, assure him that his concerns will be included in a new democratic administration, and openly offers him a cabinet level position or other position of significant influence and power. Of course, it may all be for naught anyway since we “seem” to be living in the age of easily manipulated digital voting machines with no paper trails.

It certainly does make Aldous Huxley, Marshall MacLuhan, and George Orwell appear to be prophets of the highest order -- but then again, most of America doesn’t even have a clue who those guys were!

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Campaign Promises

One of the surest ways to stimulate my gag reflex during campaign season, which seems to be getting longer and longer, is when candidates begin making campaign promises. Hearing such things always closes up my throat and forces me to swallow hard. So, for those of you out there who have forgotten what you were taught in high school, let me refresh your memory a bit.

The president leads the executive branch of government! That is the one entrusted with enforcing the laws of our nation — not making them. It is the congress that is supposed to originate new legislation. (You remember, don't you?) They're that huge two chambered social club with hundreds of greedy, ambitious, amoral, and predatory political parasites that spend their time (and our money) arguing over what is "best" for us, and then usually end up doing either nothing, or (worse) the opposite of what we want and need.

Remember the 2006 elections when virtually everyone wanted our troops OUT of that oil-rich sand pile we invaded? Well, all the pretenders seeking memberships as new representatives and senators began echoing what the public was screaming. Yet, once elected, they were all (quietly) castrated by the military-industrial lobbyists who have been having an eight year picnic courtesy of our chief executive!

The simple fact is that even if our next grand poo-bah at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue tries to fulfill campaign promises, those two warring gangs on the hill probably will represent the interests of the nice folks (read "lobbyists") who provide dinners (evening meetings), club memberships (conferences), plane rides (inspection tours), and physical therapy sessions (figure this one out yourselves).

So you see, it doesn't really matter what aspiring chief executives promise, or even attempt to implement! Ultimately, it is all up to the two warring street gangs on the hill - the REPS and the SENS who decide what "gets done;" and they will ultimately follow tho$e who$e influence i$ $tronge$t! Get it?