IM JUST SAYIN!

I started this blog with a story about my father and how in is view television would turn America into a nation of idiots so I can’t help but wonder what he would think of today’s internet generation.  You see if TV was going to make us idiots, the internet and social media have driven us right past Idiot Ville and right in to the land of fools, morons and hate mongers.

Just to be clear, the internet has done a lot of good and provided us with lots of useful tools.   The internet has given us google and Wikipedia, so now we don’t need things like encyclopedias and dictionaries in hard copy any longer, we can now just go onto the internet and look up whatever we want at any time of the day or night.  Everything that we need is at our fingertips, including things like books, shopping, movies and TV shows.  We can even use the internet to talk to friends and relatives all over the world via programs like Skype.  The internet also gave us Social Media, so that we can communicate with our friends, relatives, politicians, and virtually anyone else that we want to communicate with.  Through social media we can find and communicate with old friends, and long lost relatives, we can exchange photos and talk to each other in real time without ever having to pick up a telephone or write a letter.  Young people have used social media to create seemingly completely foreign language that only they understand.

So, why is it that I think the internet and social media is turning us into fools, morons and hate mongers?  In my not so humble view, the internet and social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter have become the preferred method of spreading hate and fear throughout our great land.  These outlets have without question made it much easier for racist, homophobes and other haters to crawl from under the rocks that they were hiding for years and begin spreading their hateful views throughout the land.  Sometimes it easy to tell what these folks are up to because their just plain blatant about it, but in many cases they hide their comments behind political statements, cartoons and other items on social media that many of us view and pass on.  Think about a scenario like this; you see a political statement that says the president is doing a dope and is crappy job, so not being a fan of said president, you agree with the statement and decide to pass it along on your Facebook or Twitter page because you think it’s cute or funny, or you just plain agree with the statement.  This is seemingly a harmless gesture, but had you clicked on the comment section of that post, you might have second thoughts about reposting or liking that post.  In many cases the comments contained in such post are filled with both racist and homophobic rants, some refer to women in less than flattering terms as well.  The reason that I know this scenario is because I reposted something several weeks ago and had a good friend contact me to ask if I had read the comments contained in the post before forwarding, to which I had to say no.  Had I taken the time to read the comments prior to reposting I would have never done so, because some of the comments contained therein were both vile and disgusting?

When I started reading some of the post sent by both friends and family, blacks and whites, I realized that I needed to review every single comment section before liking or reposting, or risk perhaps presenting myself who I am not.  It’s unfortunate but I even had to unfriend one of my own grandsons because while I didn’t want to put a damper on his social life, the things on his FB page and contained in some of his friends post were just not socially acceptable for the world in which I live.  I still love him, and perhaps one day when he’s a little older I’ll be able to bring him back, but for now it’s just easier to let him be himself, living in his youthful world.

Ok, so that’s my pitch for more civility on the internet and especially on social media.  Listen, I know better than to think that everyone in this or any other country is going to always love one another, but despite that, there is no reason that we can’t treat each other with dignity and respect.  It’s good to have disagreements because that’s what helps to make us great, but just remember that if you need to call someone a vile name to win an argument or make your point, you should probably rethink your position.  Almost everyone has a political view, but if your political views are causing you to hate people who don’t look or think like you, perhaps you need to rethink your political views.  Finally, we are all judged by the company that we keep, so if my social media friends comments are viewed as intolerant, those reading those comments will be left with the view that I too am intolerant.  If my Twitter followers post messages filled with hate, my other followers will have little choice but to believe that because of those messages that I too am filled with hate.  I say all of this to very simply say to you, please READ THE COMMENTS ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA COMMENTS!

I’m Just Sayin

After hearing about it on the news all day, I read with great interest Russian president Putin’s article in today’s NY Times and I have to say that on about 98% of his points I found myself agreeing.  While Putin is not now nor will he ever be someone that I personally look to for guidance on how things should work in the world, his op-ed was direct and to the point, not to mention pretty accurate when it comes to America’s role in the world. Since the end of WWII the United States has been a cross between the world’s policeman and the world’s biggest bully.  This has been especially true in the last 25 years or so.  Since Ronald Regan bankrupted the Soviets, the US has been lobbing missiles into various countries, starting unwinnable wars and making every effort to force other nations to be like us.  I guess that our politicians never considered that not everyone wants to be us and that perhaps not every country in the world wants to be a Representative Republic.  Yes that’s right America is not a Democracy, America, is a Representative Republic despite what those in this country who claim to know the Constitution call it.

Twelve years ago when our government decided to go to war in Afghanistan I like most Americans was four square behind Bush 43 and our congress.  After all, the terrorist who attacked us on 911 were trained in Afghanistan so it was understandable that we would attack that country and try to eliminate the terrorist camps.  Unfortunately we also attacked Iraq and ended up in a 10 year war in that country as well.  While most would agree that Saddam Husain was a pain in the ass, there is little doubt that he had nothing to do with the 911 attacks.  So not only did we attack a country that wasn’t involved in the attack against us, we fought a needless war that cost billions of dollars, and lost thousands of American lives, to destabilize a country that will probably in the end be anti- American for many years to come.   Iraq after all is now engaged in a civil war that will go on for many years and seemingly will result in a Shite state more closely aligned with Iraq than the United States and our allies.  Libya in North Africa is still a mess thanks to our intervention and lord only knows what will happen in that country in the long term.

I read with great interest how many of our Republican politicians are offended that Putin would chastise our government when it comes to Syria especially because his country is their government’s chief ally.  These same politicians are the very people who have been pushing president Obama to start lobbing missiles into Syria to turn the tide of the Civil War in favor of the rebels.  These are the very same people who are heavily invested with military contractors and stand to benefit every time that a million dollar Cruise Missile is launched.  That’s right, I’m accusing my country’s politicians of waging war so that they and their Richie Rich friends who sell arms can benefit financially and I dare anyone to prove me wrong!  Better still someone, tell me how our national interest is served by lobbing missiles into Syria?  According to president Obama we have a moral obligation to defend the helpless people in Syria who cannot defend themselves, yet I see able bodied Syrian men who have fled their country on the news asking for our help.  Here’s an idea, pick up a gun and defend yourself!  While I have sympathy for what’s happening in Syria, we have no obligation moral or otherwise to get into another war to defend people, many of whom are fleeing to other countries rather than defending themselves.  Contrary to popular belief, getting involved in other countries civil wars is not what makes us exceptional, minding our own business makes us exceptional.

Since the end of WWII, the United States has made a point of engaging in military actions in countries that were smaller and less able to fight back against us.  Think about it, we went to Viet Nam and fought to a stalemate, we beat up on Granada, we beat up on Noriega in Panama, and we had stalemates in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Libya was no contest and now we’re threatening Syria!  The question that I ask is this; if Russia or China had used chemical weapons in a civil war would we be threatening to lob Cruise Missiles into those countries?  Don’t worry you don’t have to answer that question, because we all already know the answer.  It’s absolutely no!  You see we’re the world’s bully and we wouldn’t dare pick on a country that has the ability to fight back, because by definition, bully’s only pick fights with those they know they can beat!

As loyal American, it pains me to agree with a Soviet leader, but in this instance, I have to agree with Putin.  Syria is not our fight it is a fight between the Syrian people.  It’s a fight that we should not and cannot get involved in, despite what our politicians say.  I know that there are those who say that if we don’t get involved the war could spread to Israel or other Middle East countries and to that I say; we give these countries billions of our tax dollars to defend themselves.  So do exactly that, defend yourself.  To Israel I say; You decided to start your country in the 1950’s in territory occupied by those who you knew were your sworn enemies and I’m ok with that, but don’t expect me to defend you at all cost.  Stop looking to Americans to spill our blood to defend you, and protect you at all cost, after all life if about choices and you made your more than 50 years ago.

Please leave your comments in the comments section of the blog site.

I’m Just Sayin

Anyone who has ever set foot on a commercial airline has undoubtedly seen a copy of Sky Mall Magazine and most have probably thumbed through it once or twice.  Unlike a lot of people who play with their cell phones or IPADS while the plane is waiting to taxi for takeoff, I usually browse through the Sky Mall.  I can’t remember ever purchasing anything from the pages of this magazine, but I have to admit that I do find many of the items interesting and possibly even useful.  You’ve probably guessed by now that this article isn’t about the useful stuff, but rather the items that I personally find to be strange and unusual, so let’s go.

Portable All In One Sun Tracking Solar Generator – this little device travels with you so that if you’re on a picnic, at the beach or camping trip, you can set it up and the solar panels are supposed to follow the sun and provide power for your portable electronic devices.  While this seems like a good idea, why wouldn’t I just plug my phone or computer into my car or truck AC outlet?   If you like this little device it will only cost you $1499 and you’re guaranteed to be the only person in your circle of friends and family to own one.

Toppik – A safe and natural way to eliminate bald spots on the scalp of men and yes women as well!  It says that you shake this stuff over the bald spot and it fills in with something that looks just like your hair.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but if I start losing my hair, I think I’ll just cut it off and go bald, but if that’s not your style, you can rush over to www.skymall.com and be the first to get yourself a bottle of Toppik in one of 9 colors for only cost $21.95.

Somawave Head Massager – Guaranteed to disconnect you from the world after a stressful day at work, play or life in general.  Just slip on your scientifically designed Somawave Helmet and enjoy the ultimate relaxation experience.   If this thing really works, it could put Liquor stores, Pain pills and Drug dealers out of business.  All those years that some of us smoked pot and drank vodka; who knew that all we needed was a silly looking head massager to relieve us of our stress?  Unlike our other forms of stress relief, the Somawave helmet comes with a safety warning.  Yep that’s right, it clearly says:  Do not wear while operating heavy machinery.  I guess that means you shouldn’t wear it while you’re driving.  And finally, the maker says that it may induce sleep or a trance like state of consciousness!  Funny, that’s exactly the effect that Jack Daniels has on me.

Porch Potty – For those of us with dogs, this is a must have.  The Porch Potty is a device that looks like a plant box with grass in it where your dog can do his business and it drains through the grass into a catcher below the device.  I know, it sounds like a good idea, but stop and think about the smell after a few hours of dog pee sitting around your house all day.  I can see it now; the dog starts out doing his business on the Porch Potty and later decides that anything on the floor that’s green will work.  Can you say Dead Dog?

The Wordsmith Manual Typewriter – I’m an old guy, but a manual typewriter, really?  In the Army, I worked in supply where we used manual typewriters to type our requisitions and other documents, and I have to tell you that I don’t miss one thing about a manual typewriter.  The ribbons were dirty, the keys got stuck often, they were noisy and if you made a mistake you almost always ended up starting over again.  So what was so great about a manual typewriter that would make me want to pay $199 to own one in an era of computers, tablets and smart phones?  Here’s an idea Sky Mall, let’s also bring back the Model T, rotary telephones, and buggy whips.

I-GROW – The Sky Mall seems to really like products that claim to grow or repair hair because the I-Grow is a helmet with what appear to be lights inside that are supposed to make your hair grow.  According to the description, the helmet has laser technology that grows your hair while you listen to the built in MP3 player.  I have no idea if this thing will grow your hair, but you could get your inner Nerd on while sitting around your home looking stupid and listening to Bach or Beethoven.

Bottoms Up Boxer Briefs – Ok, I’m going to quit after this one before I lose what little mind I have left.  Bottoms Up Boxer Briefs are briefs that are supposed to flatten and tone a man’s ass while reducing its size by 2 sizes.  Now I don’t know about the rest of you, but even when I weighed almost 250 pounds, I wouldn’t have been caught dead in  Bottoms up Briefs.  I don’t know what kind of men wear these things, but I really hope that I don’t know any of them.  Do these guys actually have wives or girlfriends?  If so, who are they and what could they possibly be thinking?

I could go on and on with the crazy things for sale in the sky Mall, but I think that most get the idea and I sincerely apologize for the craziness but I had to get this out of my head, so thank you for indulging me.

I’m Just Sayin

I was watching NBC Nightly News last night and saw a story on education that left me speechless and more pissed off than I’ve been in at least ten years.  It seems that in 35 states including the one in which I live, the education system has different standards of achievement for students based solely on the color of a kid’s skin.  People, I find this absolutely unconscionable!  Essentially what states are saying is that if you’re Black or Hispanic it’s ok not to achieve in life because we don’t expect you to be successful anyway.  I remember when I was a kid, my dad always saying “son you can’t settle for being just as good, you have to be better”.  Over and over day after day, year after year until the day he died, my dad drilled that message into me and almost 60 years later I’ve never forgotten those words; they helped me to achieve success in life.  My dad wasn’t trying to teach me that I was better than anyone else, he was teaching me that based on his experience, Blacks were thought to not be smart or hard working;  that others saw us as people who would quit when things got tough, and he didn’t want me to fall into that trap.  My dad prepared me for the world by instilling a strong work ethic, he made sure that I studied hard and even when I didn’t get the best grades or win , if I did my absolute best, he knew that working hard and doing my best would get me through.  My dad wasn’t an educated man, but he made sure that his children knew the value of a good education, because according to him that was the great equalizer.

State governments in places like Virginia, Texas, Florida, Colorado, Arizona and 30 others have decided that it’s ok to dumb down the education system to pass minority students.  They do this for students who can’t make the grade in the classroom.  Why you ask?  Seems there’s a federal law requiring all states to meet federal education standards that has been in place for more than five years now.  This law requires students to meet the federal standards or states have to start closing the failing schools and lose some federal funding.  Well I say close the damn schools!  If you can’t teach the kids in your school close it!  Allow those kids to go someplace else and get a decent education elsewhere.  I watched the superintendent of the DC public schools trying to explain why her system needs the waiver to keep her failing schools open and it was so pathetic that I wanted to puke.  I don’t mean to pick on DC, but their education superintendent was the person on the news.  Fact is, this decision wasn’t made by the school superintendents, it was made by the governors of these states who clearly care more about federal Funding (that they all claim to hate) than the futures of kids in their school systems. 

This policy is also blatantly discriminatory towards not just the Black and Hispanic children, it discriminates against the White and Asian children in these school systems.  That’s right, why should a Caucasian or Asian child have to achieve 94% on a test that a Black or Hispanic child only needs to score 71 on to pass?  Black people in my age group have fought for years to be treated as equals in American society, yet our children now sit by and allow the state to treat our children as unequal.  What the hell happened to being better?  Isn’t it better for your children to fail while trying their hardest and giving their best, getting up and trying again and again until they succeed than not giving their best because the state says they don’t have to?  Trust me, no one succeeds without failure, but failure without trying means failure for life!

In America education has always been the great equalizer!  You don’t have to get the best grades, you just have to work hard and do your best.  The ability to learn opens doors that might otherwise be closed no matter what your skin color, but for minorities education at least gets you a peek inside that door.  This policy sends two messages to two groups who will be responsible for our country in the future.  To minority kids it says that you should recognize that you will always be substandard, so don’t even attempt to move up in society because you’re simply not smart enough.  It also says that you don’t need to work hard because the system will take care of you, we’ll give you an unfair advantage because of your handicap.  This is a welfare state mentality that will keep these kids dependent on the system for life if it’s allowed to continue.  To White kids the policy says don’t worry, despite the fact that you were discriminated against, you’re superior,  you’re smarter and you’re destined to run the world if for no other reason than because you had to spot those minority chumps 30 points on the test and they still weren’t smart enough to keep up. 

If this country is ever going to truly be “Post Racial”, we have to stop having different rules for people based on race!  If you start kids out in life with the thought that their different simply because of their skin color, how can you ever expect them to respect one another and live in peace as adults?  No one wants to be discriminated against, no matter what your race, but I guess you could say that this policy discriminates against everyone involved.  Problem is that it’s a policy that fosters hard feelings between all parties.  If you’re Black, how can you expect your White co-worker to teach his kids that they should treat your children as equals in a world where your kids get a 30 point advantage on the test?  If you’re White, how do you explain to your kids that race doesn’t matter when they see the Black kids in the class getting an advantage in life just because of their skin color?  You may not agree with my analysis of this situation, but I assure you that I am right!!!

If you have children or grandchildren in one of the 35 states who have implemented or plan to implement this policy, you need to follow my lead.  Contact your state representatives and the governor of your state and put a stop to this nonsense.  We have enough problems in this country we don’t need to create more with idiotic policies like this!

I’m just sayin

Given all of the talk about immigration in recent months, I thought that I would weigh in with some thoughts.  I know that most who read this won’t agree with the content, but that’s not why I write, so feel free to disagree, just try not to be disagreeable.

Last week I was reading an article on Yahoo about Senator John McCain and the head of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano taking a tour of the Arizona border along with the head of Border Security.  After the tour Senator McCain decided to hold a town hall meeting to address some of the issues that voters in Arizona might have with his new found support of the “Path to Citizenship” for the eleven or twelve million people living in the country without proper documentation, or as most call them “Illegal Aliens”.  Before I go any further, I should disclose that I lived in AZ for a little over three years while in college, my mother and sister currently live there and I still go there once or twice a year.  In addition, I spent nearly six years living in Texas and New Mexico, so I am somewhat familiar with the southwest and the people who live there.  The following are some of the comments attributed to folks attending the senator McCain’s town hall.

One man yelled that only guns would discourage illegal immigration.

Another man complained that illegal immigrants should never be able to become citizens or vote.

 A third man said illegal immigrants were illiterate invaders who wanted free government benefits.

I learned early in life that hatred, ignorance and fear are a really bad combination in a person or group of people and that has not changed. 

The one thing that I think we can all agree on is that America is a nation of immigrants.  If we really believe the last statement, why then is there so much vitriol exhibited towards Hispanic people who want to stay here for a better life?  Caucasians (white people) should be the most accepting of people who came to America illegally, since you were the original “Illegal Aliens”.  That’s right you were the very first illegals in America!  Don’t take my word for it, just ask any Native American (American Indian) and they’ll explain it to you.  The fact that America became a great nation at the hands of your ancestors doesn’t change the fact that they were not invited here by the American Indians, and that by definition makes them Illegal Aliens, no if’s and’s or but’s about it.  The people who now call Hispanics and others illegals never give a thought to the fact that your ancestors came to this country and for lack of a better term, they stole America from the American Indians.  Not only did they steal their land, they killed countless numbers and then turned around and confined those remaining to reservations which were in many cases hundreds of miles from their original homelands.  In addition, many of the most aggressive supporters of closing the border and deportation live in the American Southwest, yet these folks seem to forget that the states of AZ, TX, NM and CA all belonged to Mexico.  Many of the people that are now called illegals may just be attempting to peacefully take back the land taken from their ancestors in the Mexican American War.  The fact that these states are now being overrun by people from Mexico and other Latin American countries, that’s a “Homecoming” not illegal immigrationJ 

Just to ensure we’ve got this right, you illegally take over a country, put the real owners on reservations, and then you take over part of a neighboring country and tell those people that they are the illegals when they try to return.  By now I know that some reading this are breathing fire with smoke spewing from your heads but facts are facts.  Poor people both black and white are opposed to immigration because their worried about Hispanics taking away jobs that oh by the way neither group is really willing to do. There is also a group of people who fear that the day is soon approaching when America won’t be a predominantly Caucasian country any longer, and then there’s the group who think that all Hispanics are on public assistance at their expense.  My question to those worried about jobs, is have you seen the type of work that you claim immigrants are stealing from you?   Do you really want to wash dishes, dig ditches, clean toilets and yards for minimum wage?  I think not, or those jobs wouldn’t have been available to be stolen in the first place.  If you’re worried about the country not being white enough, stop worrying, white people still have 90% of the wealth in America and there is not much chance of that changing in any or our lifetimes.  In addition since we all know the real golden rule is “he who has the gold rules” so like I said, stop worrying, you’ll be just fine.  Finally, if your concern is about that pesky public assistance thing, it’s most a myth.  Most Hispanic people in this country work hard every day and pay taxes just like you and I and while some are on public assistance, that is a very small percentage.  If anyone is getting a raw deal, it’s the Hispanics who pay taxes into Social Security and can’t collect from the system because they aren’t legal citizens. 

After all I’ve said thus far, let it be noted that I am not a fan of illegal immigration by anyone, however according to most estimates there are over 11 million people currently living in the country who came here without documents.  Fortunately for these people, the solutions of the idiots quoted at the beginning of this article aren’t viable solutions, and I hate to break it to the let’s round them all up and deport them all crowd, that’s not a viable option either, but at some point we have to do something so let’s start by recognizing that these people are going to remain in the country one way or the other. 

Finally, to Senator McCain, I’m happy to see your conversion back to looking for a solution to the immigration problem, especially since I remember that you were working with the late Ted Kennedy on such a solution prior to his death.  Unfortunately once you started running for president and figured out that you couldn’t get the IWV unless you reversed course on immigration, you completely walked away from that commitment.  Now that you and the rest of the Republican Party realize that unless you kiss a little Hispanic ass your election chances will be very limited in national elections you’re back on board with reform and a path to citizenship.  Good for you John, that’s great news, especially since if the tone of your town hall is any indication, it looks like you may lose the IWV in your next reelection campaign and a few thousand Hispanic votes may prove to be the difference for you.

As you can see, I don’t have any answers on immigration, but I couldn’t help but point out the irony of the ancestors of the Original Illegals now being in a position of having to figure out what to do about illegal immigration.

I’M JUST SAYIN

Dear friends, this blog serves as notice to you and the world that I plan to run for office every November from now until I’m too old to do so any longer.  Now just in case you’re wondering, I don’t know what office I am running for, but rather let you the people decide the best place for me to serve.  I will accept your vote for anything from Dog Catcher all the way up to President or anything between those two worthy offices.  When you stop laughing, you should start to think about my qualifications, especially against many of those currently running our government at all levels and I know that once you do that, you will come to the conclusion that I am certainly better qualified for those jobs than most of our current politicians are.  Now because I know that in America we like politicians who make all sorts of promises and lay out what they will do in office, i offer you the following.

My Platform

• The first thing that I promise to do is make you lots and lots of promises and you should expect me to keep every single one of them!  At least that is until I get elected.
• I promise I will never lie to those who elect me, but you’ll have to watch closely since the only way to tell if I’m lying will be if my lips are moving.
• Now I know that if you vote for me I’m supposed to represent you (in whatever office I hold), and I promise to do that when I’m not busy sucking up to the real people who elected me.  In case you’re wondering, those are the Very Rich and Famous who contribute more than any of you could possibly contribute to help me get elected.    Now before you get your panties in a bunch, we both know that in a year or two I will have to get reelected, so please don’t begrudge me the right to kiss up to people with enough money to ensure that I can hold onto my new office, after all, you do want me to get reelected don’t you?
• I’m sure that by now you’re starting to realize that like all politicians (at every level); I should be able to feather my nest just a little right?  Now don’t you worry I will continue to represent you while I’m lining my pockets by taking money from supporters who need my vote to get their special project approved, but I promise that if your interest collide with theirs, I will put up a really good front before voting in their . 
• Everyone knows that in any political office I will need a staff so I reserve the right to hire my spouse, kids and cronies to help me lie, cheat and steal my way to the top.  What’s that you ask, why not hire some honest brokers?  I know that you voted for me, but don’t be silly, if I’m going to lie, cheat and steal from the public, I need help and they must to be people who I can trust, so who better than family and few crooked old friends?

Ok, so now that you know the basics of my platform, let me assure you that if you’re rich I promise not to ever raise your taxes or implement any policy that cost you more money.   For my less fortunate constitutes, I promise you lots of free stuff just like you like it and despite my pledge to the rich, your free stuff won’t cost you a single penny.  Yep, that’s right I’m going to make sure that I help the poor and disenfranchised while shielding the rich from higher taxes, and you should believe that because after all you can trust me because you voted for me, and I represent you and only you.

Friends, I have no intention of running for any office, but I wanted to write this as a demonstration of how foolish we all are to think that the people we vote for have any interest in representing any of us, unless of course you happen to be one of those lucky few who truly have the money to get your local, state or federal politician’s attention.   Yes, we can participate in the process by putting up signs, getting petitions signed and encouraging our friends and neighbors to vote for the smuck that we currently believe in.  You may even be able to have what you consider a meaningful conversation with one of these folks, but make no mistake, if you don’t have cash or check in hand, they didn’t hear a single word!

As I watch the fiasco happening in Washington and in state houses around the country, I can’t help but wonder when the dis-function will end?  It seems more and more that no matter what you or I believe, we’ve elected a bunch of ego maniacs who care more about winning their personal political battles than doing what we elected them to do.  The question now becomes: WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

I’m just sayin

America has always been a nation of people with great ideas and yet we sometimes come up with some really bad ones.  The following are just a couple examples of what I consider to be good ideas compared to bad.  I’m sure that most of you can think of many others, but these two have been eating at me for a few days now so I thought I would share them.

BAD IDEA

In response to the twelve mass shootings in America in 2012, not the least of which being the school shooting just before Christmas, some people want to arm teachers, while others want to put armed guards in every school so that if a gunman shows up, there is also someone on the school grounds with a gun to shoot back.  The folks who subscribe to this view say that if teachers or someone else in the school were armed that an intruder would possibly turn tale and run when confronted or worse case be shot by the armed school personnel.  Sounds like a really good idea right?  Maybe, maybe not!  What happens when someone shows up at a school and a gun battle between the good guys and bad guys breaks out?  Ever heard of Friendly Fire?  Friendly Fire happens when bystanders get caught in the cross fire between combatants or the person on your team takes a bullet from your gun or you from theirs in the melee.  What happens if a group of kids get caught in the crossfire between combatants?  Better still, what happens when a fight breaks out in a Junior High or High School and one of the parties takes a swipe at the teacher or security guard with a gun and that person feels threatened?  Is it ok for them to shoot the unarmed student?  I can see scenarios where someone takes a gun away from the armed person and now you’ve really got problems.  No matter how well intentioned, arming someone inside a school or on school grounds is a really bad idea!

As long as we’re talking about the bad ideas when it comes to guns, the thought that we can regulate our way out of this box is also a bad idea.  There are five times as many guns as people in America, so if we banned the sale of all guns today there would still be plenty of guns to go around.  There is no doubt that some sort of regulation is going to pass congress, but realistically that isn’t going to fix the problem anymore than arming teachers. 

GOOD IDEA

I recently saw a segment on Good Morning America about a school in a Chicago suburb that appears to have security measures in place that are significantly less costly and appear to work better than turning someone with a gun loose in a school.  This school has a security buzzer on the front door with bullet resistant glass in it and everyone attempting to enter the school has to buzz at the exterior doo.  When the buzzer sounds, a person inside the school ask the person to hold their ID up to a video camera and state their business through the intercom system.  If the person has a valid reason for being at the school, they are buzzed into the second layer of security where they provide a clerical person with a copy of their ID which is scanned into a computer prior to allowing them into the school.  In addition to these security measures the school has security cameras in every hallway and every classroom.  Classroom doors can be locked from inside the room which allows the teacher to lock intruders out if necessary.  This may not be the total answer, but I assure you it’s a significantly better solution than putting people with guns in schools.

BAD IDEA – Social Security Tax Reduction

On January 1^st of this year, the Social Security and Medicare tax returned to 15.3% and all you saw were news stories about how everyone’s taxes were going up.  The truth is that until two years ago when president Obama and the congress thought it would be a good idea to lower the rate by 2%, I don’t ever remember a time when the tax wasn’t 15.3%.  As an employee you pay 7.65% and your employer pays the other 7.65% totaling the full 15.3%.  One would think that in a country where we’re constantly arguing about Social Security and Medicare solvency that those running the country would realize that it wasn’t a good idea to take billions out of the system by lowing the tax rate for two years but that’s what happens when we elect panderers.  We all liked the extra few bucks in our pay checks but how much difference did that small amount really make?  Reducing what we pay in Social Security was just a bad idea, but in a country where we like our free stuff, we’ll take whatever we can get right!  

GOOD IDEA

Rather than lowering the tax rate on Social Security in an effort to pander to people, here’s a novel idea! Stop borrowing from the trust fund and pay back what has already been borrowed over the last 30 years.  If congress would just do that, there wouldn’t be a shortfall and we wouldn’t have to worry about the system going broke.  And while you’re at it, let’s kick all of the people collecting Social Security Disability who aren’t really disabled off the system.  I guarantee that every one of us can think of at least one or two people collecting disability who could work if they really wanted to.  Last summer I hired a guy to mow the lawn at an apartment building that I own, he asked me to pay him in cash because he didn’t want to mess up his disability check from SS.  Not only did I not pay him in cash, I just mailed his ass a 1099 for the wages I paid him!  Can you say good bye disability check?

I’M JUST SAYIN

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a gun owner and have been for most of my adult life; I am not now nor have I ever been opposed to people owning guns, however as we once again find ourselves praying for people who are the victims of yet another mass shooting, I have serious concerns about how we regulate guns in this country and the ready availability of firearms seemingly to anyone who wants one.  Not only are guns readily available, the type of guns available is for lack of a better term nothing short of idiotic.  There is simply no justification for the ready availability of AR-15’s, M16’s, AK-47’s and a host of other semi-automatic rifles and hand guns that have massive clips.  When I was in the army, my M16 had a magazine that held 20 rounds, yet today civilians can buy that same gun and get a magazine that holds up to 100 rounds.  I know of no reason to own such a weapon unless you’re expecting an invasion, which will never happen because the rest of the world knows that we are among the most violent people on the planet and most of us own a gun. 

I happen to live in one of several states where purchasing a gun is the really easy.  In Virginia, if you can pass an instant background check, you can purchase a gun simply by presenting your driver’s license.  I think that our system in VA is a good start however I would argue that the background check needs to be expanded to reviewing a purchaser’s mental health records.  I know that some will say that medical records are private, and you can keep your records private you just wouldn’t be able to purchase a gun, especially since many of those engaged in these mass shootings seem to have mental issues.  The background check requirement needs to be extended to Gun Shows and absolutely no one should be able to purchase a gun over the internet.  Did you know that foreign nationals holding a U. S. Driver’s license can purchase a gun?  Yep, that’s right our gun laws are so weak that even people who come here with the intent do us harm can buy guns.  Is it just me, or is that one of the craziest things you’ve ever heard? 

The Gun Lobby would tell you that guns don’t kill people, people kill people, but there can be no question that the availability of guns in this country plays a role in what’s actually killing people.   As of the end of October, there were already 469 murders in Chicago, that’s more people killed in Iraq and Afghanistan this year in just one city.  This most recent shooting is the 16^th mass shooting in our country this year, and each day in America there are 32 gun related deaths, with many of those killed being women and children.  There were there (3) mass shootings this week alone in America, 1 in Cleveland, 1 in Oregon and the most deadly in Connecticut killing 28 with 20 of those deaths being children between 5 and 10 years old.    To date, 88 people have been killed in mass shootings in 2012.  By the end of the year there will be almost 12,000 deaths by gun in America, if we lost that many soldiers in a war zone, there would be universal outrage, yet we as citizens and our politicians accept those numbers as routine.  What does that say about us as a nation?

We live in a country where our politicians are for sale to the highest bidder, and for most that’s the NRA.  Every politician, male or female, Democrat or Republican is afraid to cross the NRA for fear of being run out of office, they tip toe around the issue of any kind of meaningful gun laws and some simply refuse to vote on even the most reasonable gun controls.  After every massacre, our political leaders make speeches, but when it comes to really doing something about guns and gun violence, they run from the NRA’s threats like the lily livered cowards they are. I personally have no interest in running for office, but I assure you that I will not cast a vote for anyone who is in the pocket of the NRA ever again and if my choice is between two candidates who are in their pocket, I will vote for none of the above!

Finally, I heard someone ask a pastor on TV earlier today “how God could let something like this happen” and I’m not sure that the pastor really answered that question, so let me try.  Mass murder is not of God, murder is an evil act, carried out by people who are evil and have no connection to God.  According to the bible, all sins can be forgiven, but when someone kills another and then kills himself, that person has no opportunity to ever enter the kingdom of God.

Our sincere prayers go out to the families of the victims of all of these tragic deaths, we pray for your healing in the hope that through faith you will recover.

I’M JUST SAYIN 

I know that everyone reading this loves America, so I’m not going to bore you with a paragraph on what a great country we live in.  We all like to think that we live in the greatest country ever founded and that everyone else in the world either wants to be us, or surely they want to come here to live because after all their lives couldn’t be better in their home country than it would be in ours!  Unfortunately for many people in the developed world nothing could be further from the truth.  We aren’t being run over by people from Europe and Canada trying to move here to make a better life, people from the developed portions of Asia aren’t clamoring to move to the United States and if people from India and Pakistan all decided to move here we wouldn’t have nearly enough room to fit them all.  Hell, many Americans are moving to places like Mexico, Belize and Panama so that they can take advantage of the cost of living and socialized medical care.  I the last couple of years, people from Mexico and other countries south of the border are starting to realize that maybe they are better off back in Mexico or their own countries of origin and thus their leaving the America and going back home.

I know some of you by now are scratching your heads thinking what the hell is his point?  Well my point is simply that as much as I love my country, unlike most American’s I realize that we don’t have the market cornered on democracy.  There are democracies all over Europe and Asia and most of those people are not only happy to stay in their countries, they absolutely have no interest in coming to America.  You see, in Europe, Asia, Russia and most other developed countries people are actually happy that their fellow citizens have systems in place to take care of the poor and disenfranchised.  People in those countries have government sponsored health insurance and a social safety net.  Yes, I know that people from many of these countries come to America for medical care, but those are wealthy people who have private health insurance.   I hate to break it to you, but yes in all of those Socialist countries, the wealthy are able to purchase private health insurance and opt out of the state run health insurance system.  I know of no case where an average citizen from any socialized country just up and decided to come to the US for health care unless it was a special case where you and I the American Taxpayer paid for it.  You see in America if we see someone from  a poor county who needs help, we’re front row center offering help, but god forbid that we offer help to people in our own country who need help, and that goes double if they don’t look like us or live where we live.

There are many ways in which our politicians are correct when they say that we are number one in the world, however there are many more areas where we aren’t even close.  Let’s examine the facts:

America still has the world’s largest economy, we are the largest producers of firearms in the world and we also own more guns than people in any other country, we also have more debt than any other country in the world.  America has the largest military in the world and the greatest scientific community in history.  Yes, in these areas we’re #1.

 Now let’s take a look at where we’re not so great:

We are currently the world’s 4^th largest economy we’re rated as the 5^th best country in which to run a business (bet that surprised some of you), our enrollment rate for elementary school children is 79^th, our 15 year olds rank 19^th in science and 24^th in math skills.  The US ranks 24^th in Infrastructure and our infant mortality rate is 41^st in the world, we rank 49^th in life expectancy out of 70 countries (but don’t worry, we have the best health care system in the world!) and finally when it comes to determining if we’ll be better off than our parents, we rank 10^th, people by my standards this does not make us exceptional!

My goal in writing this is not to denigrate my country, but rather to hopefully wake you up to spread the word that if we don’t wake up and take this country back from the idiots that we’ve elected to represent us, we could someday go the way of the Roman Empire.  You must remember the Romans right?  They were the biggest, baddest, meanest Mother F_____s on the planet back in the day, but they thought that they could rule the world by keeping the Emperor’s foot on the necks of the people and using their military might to conquer the rest of the world.  It didn’t work for them, and it won’t work for us.

 I submit to you that our political leaders have conned us into believing that if you have two dollars more than me or me two more than you we’re not in it together.  If we live in different neighborhood, have different skin colors or religious beliefs, we’re not in it together and thus our interest aren’t the same so we have to be enemies and not worry about each other.  It’s this kind of thinking that fostered genocide in places like Bosnia and parts of Africa in recent years and my worse fear is that this kind of thinking could destroy America!!!   

History tells us that every great empire was not destroyed by its enemies, but rather from within, and there is no reason to believe that given the road we’re currently traveling that we will be the exception!

I’M JUST SAYIN

I love elections because it provides us with an opportunity to go out and elect the people who we want to represent us in everything from State, Local and Federal government and while we often complain about our elected officials, we continue to reelect the same people over and over again.  I know that most people are extremely happy or sad about the results of the election, but frankly I don’t care either way since I once again voted for none of the above knowing that neither presidential candidate represents my core beliefs. 

Rather than writing about the presidential election, I much prefer the ballot initiatives in Washington State and Colorado legalizing marijuana (pot).  For years now, several states have nipped around the edges of this issue by making Pot legal for medical use in small amounts, but what happened in these two states is not only historic, it’s very much long overdue.  I know that some of my more conservative friends are probably falling out of their chairs and driving off the road reading this, but perhaps I can help you better understand where I’m coming from, so please keep reading before you label me insane.

First, let me tell you that I’m not for legalization because I smoke Pot, I don’t and have not for almost 30 years, but I can remember the days when I made a very serious effort to smoke up the entire country of PanamaJ  I’m for legalization because it simply makes sense  from a legal, financial and law enforcement standpoint.  I know that people will say that alcohol is legal so we shouldn’t compare it to Pot, but how can we not?  Have you ever heard of a case where a marijuana user got high and caused an accident, beat up his/her spouse, plowed their car into a crowd, or wrapping a car around a light pole?  You don’t see these things because in practice they don’t happen.  If a person high on Pot is driving, they generally can only be arrested or ticketed for going too slow, and if they do hit something, they are generally moving so slow that there isn’t much damage if any.  Alcohol drinkers on the other hand generally drive faster, are all over the road and when there is an accident lots of damage results.  This isn’t really a case for outlawing alcohol, but it is in my view a good case for Pot legalization.

Marijuana not only makes you high, it makes you happy, in fact, Korean people call it “Happy Smoke”.  Many people who drink get drunk and want to fight, and act ignorant while people who smoke Pot get high, start to smile and laugh while looking for something to eat before they go to sleep.  Again, I don’t want to outlaw alcohol, just legalize PotJ 

Let’s look at the money side of Pot legalization shall we?  Legalization provides another revenue source for State, Local and the Federal Government as Pot would be taxed like other tobacco products.  Think of the money that would be saved by law enforcement.  We currently spend billions every year trying to control the marijuana trade from Mexico and other countries and that doesn’t count the money that our government gives to Mexico’s government to help them fight the so called War on Drugs.  Think of the money that we currently spend prosecuting people for small amounts of marijuana, and in many cases even putting them in jail where we the taxpayers have to feed and shelter them for crimes that are legal in many European countries.   Think of it, a kid gets caught with less than one ounce of marijuana and his/her life could be ruined forever and ultimately the rest of us pay when they can’t get jobs, or drop out because of the stigma associated with their arrest.  Legalization allows the police and DEA to concentrate on real criminals peddling drugs that should be illegal in quantities that should never be legal.  I know that we’ve turned law enforcement in America into a for profit business, but at some point we have to wake up and realize that although businesses are now running many of our jails and prisons, ultimately we the taxpayers are paying the bills.

Our politicians are always talking about creating more jobs, how many new workers would convenience and grocery stores will need to sell all of the additional chips, cupcakes and Slim Jims required to feed Pot Heads seeking munchies?   

History tells us that if you outlaw vices, people will find a way to get to them anyway, legal or not. Don’t forget, we tried to outlaw alcohol in the 1930’s, and it failed miserably.  Whether you agree or not, I think that the day is not far off when you’ll be able to go into your local Sheetz, WaWa or Seven Eleven and buy a pack of your favorite marijuana cigarettes, head home with your Swenk snacks, get fired up, eat and watch cartoonsJ

 “I’m Just Sayin”