American Politics and the Media

I have sworn off politics. I cannot watch another minute of those 2 idiots, Trump and Clinton, carrying on like lunatics and promising things they will never deliver. I can watch no more of experts who's opinions are worth no more than this mornings toilet paper.

I will not sit and watch another minute of mindless arguments. The last several days of news coverage has been little but angry black folks and angry cops yelling at each other. Surely, there are other things going on in the news. I am quite positive that somewhere in this vast Cosmos, something else is happeneing.

If yelling the same things over and over would do some good, I'd be all for it but, it just makes things worse. And the numbskulls running these shows just egg people on. What was once news programming is on the verge of becoming like the old Jerry Springer Show. I've been half expecting to see someone take a swing at Chris Cuomo or Wolf Blitzer. I truly belive that they ought to bring back Geraldo, at least he could handle fights.

 In the meantime, Korea is threatening, we're upping the troop levels in Afghanistan (didn't Obama promise to have them all out of there years ago?), and immigrants are still flooding Europe, and all of that gets but a brief mention between the arguments. Roller Derby has more class than our so-called News Media.

America, Hillary and the Banks, and the Conning of the American People

I hope I have made it clear that I loathe Hillary Clinton and I remain amazed that, despite the fact that poll after poll shows that the American people neither like nor trust her, she continues to look like our next President. To those still supporting her, I refer you to the Politics page of the April 13th Huffington Post.

She is till fighting release of her emails, and while they would no doubt show an embarrassing lack of judgment, the real reason likely has more to do with her Wall Street speeches. You know, the ones she got paid $225000 a piece for; the ones she gave to such fine businesses as Goldman Sachs, the businesses who gave us the housing collapse and the disastrous recession we are still trying to get over. If the emails are released, it would almost force the release of those transcripts, as she could not possibly justify hiding speeches to corporations when National Security matters had been made public. Well, she could, but I do not think even her most ardent supporters would put up with that, although, who knows at this point.

Contrary to what she might have led people to believe. those companies make it clear that they have no say over her release of those transcripts. She owns exclusive rights to them. Now, Hillary keeps braying that she 'stood up to the banks.' She was in the Senate when the economy began its collapse and she introduced one, just one, bill on the issue, a bill that was so inadequate it never got any sort of consideration. Then, when out of the Senate, she started raking in a sizable amount of money by giving her little talks.

People who were in attendance when she spoke, and there are a good number coming forth, say that not only did she not stand up to them, she spoke in glowing terms of the importance of those banks, making it clear that they deserved the full support of the US Government. She went on to say that not only could they not be allowed to fail, it was not totally their fault, that all Americans  were to blame for the economic collapse.

I do not know about you, but I really do not recall giving my permission for the banks to act like common con men. I may be aging, but I still have a pretty fair memory and I remember Ronald Reagan pushing through the deregulation of the banks, with great support from his cohorts in Congress, thus giving the big banks a license to swindle, and they went right at it. I have seen hogs at a feeding trough show more subtlety and restraint. Yet, these are the folks Ms. Clinton gushed over.

I rest my case. 

Americans on the Edge of Survival - Veterans

We should be ashamed. The treatment of our veterans is inexcusable. These are men and women who did their jobs, who went to war in good faith, convinced of the rightness of their action, and they come back to a Nation that loves to say how much we honor them, but does little to actually help them.

Let us for the moment forget how we feel about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Just for the record, I opposed them, however, once we were involved, I thought we should end it as quickly and efficiently as possible, then get out. None of us, including those who were sent to fight, thought we were going to be involved in a never ending engagement. We were also told that we were after ben Laden in Afghanistan and that his death would make a difference in the War on Terror. It did not. We were told that Iraq had the infamous 'weapons of mass destruction.' They did not. We were told that those who had lived under Sadam's dictatorship would welcome us with open arms. They did not. But, put that aside for now.

We know that something funny happened in the First Gulf War and that a lot of soldiers came back with Gulf War Syndrome., a peculiar disease. Smart money says that something 'experimental' was tried on them. Remember that during the MKUltra, the Military and Intelligence agencies dosed folks with a mind numbing array of chemicals, so they have an established record of using soldiers as guinea pigs. Again, leaving aside what we cannot prove, we know that many came home physically damaged. Things have only grown worse during the last 2 wars.

The situation with the Veterans Administration is not acceptable.  Waiting lists are far too long and by all accounts the hospitals are filthy. Things were not always this way. My Dad, a WW2 veteran, got fine treatment. Things began going awry during the Vietnam debacle and have gone downhill ever since.

There also seems to be little in the way of counselling available for those having difficulty coping with the return to civilian life. That, combined with the horrible economy, has led to the deplorable fact that many of the Nation's homeless are veterans.

Folks, it is all too easy to go on and on about how much we appreciate the efforts and sacrifice of our veterans. Politicians do that all the time,  but the time has come for the Nation to put some money where its mouth is and actually do something to help these men and women. 

American Writers - Short is Often Better

I have often heard folks say that they just do not have time to read. Understandable, since many authors feel compelled to write lengthy tomes. I once was advised that I just had to read Thomas Pynchon's Mason Dixon. It was said to be a work of vast importance. Well, the vast part was correct and it mat have held the secrets of the Universe but, alas, I shall never know. The darn thing was about 1200 pages and weighed so much it hurt my hands to try and hold it and read. I made about 300 pages and decided that whatever its charms and depth, I would have to muddle on throughout my life without Pynchon's artistry.

But, there are many writers of wonderful short fiction. Now, short stories are very hard to write and, while most writers make a stab at them, few are good at it. In short stories you have to keep the plot moving, develop characters and get to the point without seeming to rush through to the finish. Many short stories I have read seem more like  ideas for novels or, simply little vignettes, little snapshots of slivers of lives. In both cases, the writing may be fine and the idea interesting, but something is lacking, kind of like French fries without salt. America is the birthplace of the short story and we do have some masters. Try Poe, Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury, Elmore Leonard, Steven King, Sherwood Anderson, Hemmingway (short stories were perfect for his lean prose), Faulkner (writing short fiction kept his wordiness under control; it is a shame he did not write more of them), and, the undisputed champion of the short story, Flannery O'Connor.

There is a middle ground between short stories and lengthy novels, the novella. I love the novella because the writer can stretch out a little but still does not have room to become self-indulgent. One of a writer's worse sins is to become enamored of his own writing and begin rambling on and on with descriptive prose and psychological analyses. Shorter fiction requires the writer to get to the essence of the story and most often, not always but usually, shorter is far better. Think of the wonderful nature paintings of the old Chinese masters.  With a few brush strokes of black ink on white paper, the capture the beauty and power of Nature. It is much the same with writing. Clear and crisp beats long winded almost every time. Almost, not always but it takes a true master of words to write lengthy stories that maintain pace and hold interest. You might enjoy some of the following: Hemmingway's The Old Man and The Sea, any of Phillip K Dick's short science fiction, Louis L'Amour and Elmore Leonard short Western novels, 2 of Cormac McCarthy's early novels Child of God and Outer Dark (both very short and very dark), and any of Henry James' short works (especially The Turn of the Screw). I especially recommend Jack Kerouac's Tristessa, a novella bout a doomed love affair he had with a young, Mexican woman. For once, Kerouac restrained himself and avoided long, rambling passages of nonsense and the book is wonderful. Also, try Poe's wonderfully strange The Fall of the House of Usher.

I have learned 2 lessons about writing. First, always be ready to cut about a third of your original draft and, second, the parts you most hate to cut are usually the ones you most need to cut.

 Think in terms of music. Nothing is more boring than a long drum solo, unless it is done by a true genius like Buddy Rich or Ginger Baker, and there are very few of those around.

America and Storytellers

I have said before that I love to read. I believe that storytelling is what makes humans different from the rest of Creation. After all, we are said to be made in the image of our Creator and what has been created is, to make a complex issue simple, a grand story.

I seldom find books these days that simply tell a good story. For the past many years, authors seem to have become obsessed with style over substance. Take, for example, James Joyce.

Joyce could write. His first novel, Potrait of the Artist as a Young Man, was very good, not great but very good, His book of short stories, Dubliners, was brilliant, especially  his Christmas story, The Dead. I know, that does not sound very Christmasy, but it is a beautiful, warmly human story. We will get back to that human part shortly.

I have tried repeatedly to read Ulysses and each time, about half way through, I ask myself why I am bothering. I understand it, and can appreciate the quality of the writing. I even get the humor but, so what? The story is simply boring. The main characters are unpleasant and who really wants to know every thought that passes through their minds.

Then, we reach Finnegan's Wake. The book is absurd and I think that is almost the point. It is experiment for the sake of experiment, a sort of artistic masturbation.

Joyce was an odd man, obsessed with himself and his own thinking. He was so disappointed with the people of his own native Ireland and seemingly wwithdrew into himself. He developed that habit of writing notes documenting his every thought and truly, they were not that special and really uninteresting. His experiments in writing are absurd and I believe that is because he found people absurd and somewhat distasteful, if not downright loathsome.

For reaasons that escape me, literary critics became enamored of his nonsense, hailing his great profundity at every turn. Honestly, he was a naught schoolboy, a near sociopath who expected the World to support him while he thumbed his nose at his supporters. His own wife once asked him when he was going to write something that people could actually read.

Well, as should have been expected, all the praise heaped upon him set the wheel in motion and rather quickly, substance was foresaken for style and classic style was foresaken for experiment, experiment for its own sake. The art of storytelling was lost.

There are still writers who tell stories but the quality of their subject matter is limited. For example, Phiilip Roth and John Updike are fine wordsmiths but their obsessions are trivial and boring. To be blunt, Updike's suburbanites are not the stuff of great stories, nor are Roth's tales of the frustrated Jewish males.

I once heard Ken Kesey say, in an interview, that he wanted writers like Twain and Poe who could write tales of heroes and villians, of machines and monsters. I concur.

American Gullibility _ Part 3

American are gullible simply because they believe these upcoming elections will change the path the Country is on. I will explain in a minute, but first a word about the major candidates.

Much is being made at the moment about Bernie Sanders' surge in the polls. He is surging in Iowa and New Hampshire, 2 tiny states. Clinton is beating him silly in the rest of the Nation so, bye-bye Bernie. Clinton is amazing. a phenomenon, simply because she is leading. How this woman, who has been implicated in so many sleazy doings is not in jail is amazing, but there she is, about to be nominated for President. At least Bill Clinton, if you overlook his disbarment and impeachment among many the other blemishes on his history, has a certain sleazy kind of charm. Hillary is about as charming as a rabid hyena. Yet, there she is, on top of the polls and with an excellent chance of being our next President. God help us all.

The Republicans are down to 4 possibilities. Rubio has an outside chance. However, he suffers from John Kerry syndrome in that he seems determined to take all sides of every issue.  That likely will not work, but who knows?

Jeb Bush is actually the most experienced candidate. I lived in Florida where he got that experience as Governor. You do not want this man as President. His major accomplishment as governor was signing a whole bunch of death warrants. He did, most of the time, sort of stay out of the way, which was a good thing, but at this point we need an actual President. I addition, he is a Bush, and call me biased if you will, but I refuse to, under any circumstance vote for a Bush. On top of that, hearing him speak is about as interesting as watching a toad.

Ted Cruz is a great Populist, a Tea Partier, a Man of the People, friend of the Average Citizen, or so he portrays himself. Nonsense. He is an Ivy League educated attorney, in the pocket of big business, and his wife works for Goldman-Sachs. Remember them from the bank scandals that led us into the last great recession? If you do, wave so long to Ted.

That leaves the Donald. Trump can give a speech and he darn sure has charisma. He says a lot of the right things, but I just don't trust him. He reeks of demagoguery and that is what we definitely do not need. Besides, I have a question. When elected, a President is supposed to put his assets in a blind trust, so his investments do not influence his policies. Does anyone really believe Trump will actually do that? Maybe, but I have serious doubts.

There was a candidate I found interesting, Virginia's Jim Webb. Webb is a conservative to moderate Democrat, ex-Marine, Viet Nam vet, former Secretary of the Navy, former Assistant Secretary of Defense, historian, and 2 term Senator. In other words, qualified and sane. However, he quit the campaign in disgust after seeing how things really work. He has hinted at a third party run. I hope so, and would vote for him, but he has less chance of winning than I do, and my odds are not good.

But, as things stand, none of this matters. it costs incredible sums of money to run for office. This money comes, obviously, from people with a lot of money, and they give to both sides. As a result, they own both Parties. When Republicans and Democrats fuss and fight, when the President and Congress quarrel and quibble, it is all just a dog and pony show. In the long run, everyone will do what they are told, what they are paid to do. Your vote is of little, if any, importance. Yet still, every few years we go through this charade, pretending that we are doing something important.

Is there an answer? Yes, but it a real long shot. If s third party could come up with a full slate of candidates, not just for President, but also for House and Senate, good people with real ideas and at least some charisma, and if that excited the average American enough to get some decent funding, then maybe things might start to change. Will that happen? No. Not this time around.

So, if you believe that this election is vital, that your vote is important, I have an announcement. I have just signed a deal with Newt Gingrich to handle those Moon Condos he's been wanting to build and I can get you a great deal.

American Television - A Wasteland the size of the Gobi Desert

 

Like many of you, I watch a lot of TV, too much, way too much. I am of the first generation to grow up with TV. My folks enjoyed it, but watched very little. Actually, I watched very little, but not by my choice. As I grew, I watched more and more, until, with the exception of my wild days in the '60s, I just seemed to automatically turn the set on when I entered the house. I still do that and recently have begun to ask just what is wrong with me.                                    

I get up in the morning to the news and usually within 20 minutes I have absorbed the days doings, at least all they are going to explain. For reasons I do not understand, I leave it on for hours of analysis that explains nothing. The rest of the day is spent turning from one ancient rerun to another. Blessedly, I get the Golf Channel and four days a week I can watch a tournament or two.                                                                                                                                                              

Now I execpt full responsibilty for my addiction and I am going to work on that, but I sometimes wonder what the various networks are thinking. For example, the USA network shows Law and Order SVU, NCIS, Modern Family, and occasionally CSI. That, plus a few movies, is their lineup. And when I say a few movies, I mean a few. They have a handful of second rate movies they show repeatedly. TNT shows Charmed, Supernatural, Bones and Castle, day in, day out, again broken by a scattering of movies.  

 At one time, i could count on Discover, National Geographic, and the History Channel for some decent programming, but no more. Now, Discover is dominated by shows about commercial fisherman, Nat Geo is obsessed with Alaskan Law enforcement and History is a blend of Pawn Stars, American Pickers, and Ancient Aliens. Yes, sometimes those things are interesting and they do, here and there, throw in a few other features, but they do not vary things a lot.  There used to be The Learning Channel, TLC, that did a lot of fascinating, educational programs, but last time I checked, they seemed to show little but wedding and party planning. Bravo used to have some great cutting edge programs about the Arts, now all they show is Real Housewives. Anyway, you get my point.     

Again, this idiotic addiction is my fault and I am writing this because I imagine that many others out there are suffering the same hang up. There is more, however. All of the networks make huge money by selling advertising on these shows. If we do not watch them, their revenue would drop, and they would either go broke or get better programs to regain their viewers, that is how our economic system works, supposedly. I would be curious to see if that really would happen. I suspect not. I think that many businesses are not concerned with making money. If you own a huge conglomerate of businesses, it is often uselful to set one or two up to lose money. This allows you to manipulate your corporate taxes. It also may be a sign of something even shadier, something very sinister. That will be the topic of my next post. In the meantime, just say no to Pawn Stars.

Our American Obsession with Health

The world, and this country, gets weirder and weirder. Now, I have no problem with weird, but I cannot quite wrap my brain around our current dementia.       

We seem to have no soul, no heart, left. Sure, people, some, here and there, display a bit of courage and kindness, but we have become so timid, so frightened. I suppose that is somewhat understandable, we have been through some rough spots, but come on, folks. What we have seen is nothing compared to what my folks saw. They went through World War 2, after scuffling through the Depression, and came through it all ready to roll. To prove it, they built this techno-wonderland we now live in.                                                                                        

We are besieged with advice from our government about our lifestyles. Every week we are told new things from our ever vigilant food fascists. No meat, especially no processed meat. No butter, no margarine, now no vegetable oils at all. Fried foods are a near sin. Eggs may be okay, but no more than one or two a week. Maybe. They'll get back to us on that one. Milk, well maybe, but you really should stick to soy or rice milk. And on and on it goes.               

To make things worse, the restrictions are changed at an ever increasing  rate. Two weeks ago, an announcement came out proclaiming red meat to be perfectly safe, this after years of declaring it a near poison. But, before you can grab a burger, they tell us that it likely causes kidney cancer. For years we were warned off whole milk, now they say that skim and lo-fat are no better. Butter was akin to cyanide for a long time, now it is said to be safer that the once touted margarines. Fry in vegetable oils, not animal fats, was once the word from on high. Now, we have just been told, avoid all vegetable oils.                                                                     

My folks and all the parents of every kid I knew, lived on bacon, eggs, sausage, steaks, and butter. They smoked, drank gallons of coffee and most consumed a fair amount of alcohol. They worked hard, so hard that there was no need to work out in gyms. Even if they worked in offices, taking care of their property and keeping up with their kids kept them in perfectly acceptable shape.                                                                                                                                               

Again, without all the fuss and without the advice from our meddlesome government and the busy- body researchers who are trying to justify the grant money they scammed out of foundations, they built the most amazing civilization the planet has ever seen. And here we sit, whining because that donut we snuck the other day may take ten minutes off our life (it likely will not hurt you half as much as worrying about it).                                                  

Admittedly, they may (emphasis on may) have lived a year or two longer if they had cut back a bit on a few things, but what good is that if you are not productive, if you are just worrying about lasting a while longer. I worked for years around old folks and now that I am getting there myself I can tell you that being old in this country is no picnic. I refuse to be shoved aside and ignored and I definitely refuse to try and eke out an extra year or two by watching every morsel I eat, or by spending hours tormenting my already much worn body in a gym. I have too much to do to worry about stretching out my final years. I love life too much to waste it by clinging to it.

Sports in America - the Farce Continues

Americans worship sports, not God, not Jesus, not Allah, nor any other deity. In small towns, throughout the heartland of the Nation, parents gather to adore their fledgling gods as they beat the snot out of each other on the gridiron, ignoring the countless concussions, broken bones, and occasional deaths that befall these wee warriors. When old enough, if blessed with the speed of a cheetah and the power of a raging hippopotamus, they take the National stage of college football. Oddly, they are given full scholarships. The word scholarship, containing the root word scholar, seems to indicate an academic slant to the whole thing, but, I swear, it is an absolute miracle that some of these guys even find the football field. Why don't they just create a minor league for pro football and let the universities get back to their stated business, education, something they do a dreadful job of.

Those Titans who survive college ball earn the right to play in the big time, the NFL, where, according to statistics, 93% will wind up with CTE, a devastating brain condition. Still, America demands entertainment, even if it requires large dumb men to beat each other senseless.

Baseball is less violent, but just as inane. I used to love baseball, but now the game is badly played by guys who, in days past, would not have advance past Double A ball. At one point, MLB had 2 players making $100000, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. The great Stan Musial had to beg the Cardinals to pay him the same, even after long years of brilliant play. Now, .240 hitters who can barely field their position make 7 figure salaries. Pitchers, at one time, were expected to go 9 innings and called it a bad outing if they didn't make it at least 7. Now, a starter goes 5 innings, gives up 4 runs and says he had a good outing. Yet, still, we pack the stadiums.

Basketball has degenerated to a bunch of near giants lumbering up and down the court, slamming the ball through the net, and picking up huge checks. Boxing now has the credibility of pro wrestling. I watch horse racing, because I think there is little as beautiful as a thoroughbred in full stride, and golf because I take a sadistic glee in watching highly paid athletes struggle to make sense of a silly, frustrating game, while strolling around a beautiful park.

I have a proposal. Why don't we just finally admit that mentally we have not grown a bit since the days of the Roman Empire? Let's just throw a bunch of poor folks into the middle of an arena and let them pound on each other, with no rules and no referees. Last man standing wins a fortune and the right to come back until some other guy beats him half to death. It would be wonderfully entertaining. The networks would be wild over the ratings and perhaps our National lust for blood and heroes would at last be satisfied.

The Debates, Part 2, or the Continuing Search for a Marginally Competent President

I really find politics terminally boring, but today I have to write about the debates again. This morning, I turned on the news, never a great idea, and was greeted with Donald Trump ranting about how strange this years elections are. He seemed amazed that Carson keeps claiming he once stabbed someone while authorities keep saying 'no, he didn't.' In other words, a Presidential candidate is being defensive about the commission of a felony. Normally, the commission of said felony would be the issue, but Ben is upset because others say he didn't do it. Let's be clear. The felonious act isn't the problem, the false claim of guilt is. This is totally upside down.

 

The even stranger thing is that 'The Donald' is acting as the voice of reason. Why is this buffoon even running? And how, in the name of all that is Holy, is he near the top of the polls. This is a man who is most famous for yelling 'you're fired' on his idiotic TV show. This supposed business genius has, here and there, gone bankrupt, yet we are to trust him with the management of the country. I can just imagine him in a high level conference with Vladimir Putin. Imagine the reaction when he screams, 'Vlad, you're a loser. You're fired.' Putin is not known for his sense of humor and Russia does still have a nuclear arsenal.

 

Then we have the rest of the pact. Jeb Bush has turned on his former protégé and dear friend Marco Rubio in hopes of grabbing enough points to save his failing campaign. Mike Huckabee is whining that he doesn't get enough time in the debates which is true and not surprising, given his miniscule poll numbers. Then we have Ted Cruze who seemingly is loathed by other politicians who are forced to work with him. He is polling fairly well, probably because voters remember his stirring reading of Green Eggs and Ham during a Senate Filibuster.

 

On the Democratic side, things are even stranger. Bernie Sanders is still polling well and still refuses to go after his opponent, leading me to believe that the American public just likes him because he looks like a kindly Grandpa. And in Ms. Clinton we have a candidate who quite possibly will have to campaign while occasionally making court appearances to defend herself against multiple felony charges.

 

People, there has to be a better way to pick the man or woman who will, at least in theory, be the most powerful person on Earth. Either that or we just admit the whole thing is a dog and pony show and that we are run by a few corporate heads. The latter is the truth but, we are a Nation that clings to past illusions like Linus clings to his security blanket in the old Peanuts comic strip. Oh well, at least I got that out of my system. Next time, I'll write about something of interest. I'll try to leave politics alone for a while. Promise.                                                                            

The Presidential Debates, or the Great American Follies

 We are currently being overwhelmed by political debates, or so we are told. Let us be clear about something. Two people, taking opposing sides, in a formal discussion of an issue, is a debate. What we are getting is a bulk rate press conference. Get a bunch of candidates, most of whom have less chance than Homer Simpson of being elected President, put them at the mercy of some network reporter, and let them have at it. That seems the plan.                                  

In such a format, there is no time for anyone to say anything of substance, not that anyone of the group was going to do that. All you wind up with is a bunch of sound bites and a lot of sniping and grandstanding. The moderator has little chance of maintaining control and they generally seem to have little interest in getting down to matters that really concern the potential voters. Instead, they pick up on small points that can be inflated into controversy and seem to goad the participants into getting down to personal attacks. No one comes out looking good and usually the person with the biggest mouth is considered the winner. Thus we have the specter of Donald Trump continuing his reality TV show in the White House. At least the show would be guaranteed a four year run.    

On the Democratic side, well, why are they even wasting their time? Does anyone in their right mind really believe that Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed Socialist, can beat Hillary Clinton? The Democratic Party might well win the election if they just announced that since Hillary was a done deal, they were going to forego the debates. Maybe they could fill the time that has been allotted those debates still scheduled by agreeing to air episodes of the Flintstones. It would be a lot more entertaining and just as informative.                                                                      

The debates are not something that we have to have. The Constitution (does anyone still remember that document?) does not demand them and not every election has seen them. The first I remember was between Kennedy and Nixon and it was fascinating. Both men were knowledgeable. neither engaged in personal sniping, and important issues were discussed in some detail. Now we have twelve on a stage and not a one of them is able to present a coherent discussion of any issue. America, is this really the best we can do?

American Religion - No Longer That Old Time Religion

When I was growing up, we were told that religion was not to be discussed in public. Well, who cares? Let's talk. Many say that we are a Judeo-Christian culture. That is, at best, partly true.                                                                              

Few, in the country, practice Old Testament Judaism. Sit down some rainy afternoon and read the Book of Leviticus, or try to. It is amazingly boring. But if you can manage it, you will discover a world of insane laws, violent, misogynistic nonsense. We don't practice these beliefs because we are sane. In fact, most Jews don't practice these laws to their fullest, not even the Orthodox.                                                                    

 As far as the Christian part goes. it depends on which Christian you ask. To me anyone who is kind, forgiving and not overly judgmental is Christian, I don't care if they say the believe in the Great Pumpkin. Yet, we have a plethora of different sects, all calling themselves Christian, who can barely agree on the time of day. Fortunately, most American Christians just seem to give a nod and a wink to the theology and attend only to socialize, which is just fine.                 
                                                                                                                                                                      However, there are the hard core believers in each group and they are a source of great annoyance. They argue over the tiniest points and scorn those who disagree with them. Actually scorn is often too mild a term, they are generally ready to assign everyone else to Hell.                            

  I have a thing about using words correctly. We usually call the strictly religious, "fundamentalists." This is a misuse of the word. Fundamental means basic. In other words, if you believe the Bible is basically true, then you are fundamentalist. These people believe the Bible is literally true, that every word is straight from the mouth of God. How they reconcile all of the Bible's many contradictions is beyond me. For example, Kings and Chronicles tell of the same period in Israel's history, yet they tell very, very different stories, and that is just one example. Oh well, that is just my hang up. I like the language to be used properly.
                                                                                                                    
That aside, the literalists are a small minority, but they have big mouths and the media love them because they stir up the bread and butter of news, controversy. They refuse to admit all of America's other influences. We are just as much a product of Greek thought, the philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle, have always been a key source of Western ideas, Their influence was felt all through the era of the Roman Empire and from there, after being lost through much of the Middle Ages, was again vital in the thinking of the Renaissance.                                                          

 We are also a product of the Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, when man began to seriously study the world. Many who claim deep religious beliefs do not recognize the validity of the ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers but they surely do enjoy the fruits of the research, computers, TV, air conditioners, washing machines, cars and all of the wonderful conveniences we have.
                                                                                                                                         
Americans also have a long heritage of openess to Eastern ideas. The Transcendentalists included a simplistic version of Hindu beliefs in their mystical view of life. Hawthorne, Emerson, Melville, Thoreau, all came, to some degree or another, from this school of thought and have deeply influenced the ideas of many of the best Americans.                           

So, are we a Judeo-Christian culture. Yes, but we are so much more and we are the better for that. But, there is still more to come. Science is a great influence, a lousy religion, but deeply important in how we understand the Universe and our place in it. Its discoveries have to be included into any belief system that is going to be valid as we move forward. Oddly, the farther science goes, the more it resembles a sort of deep mysticism, and that mysticism has to be put into a spiritual context. There are those who tout Eastern Beliefs, others push a kind of New Age shamanism. Neither will ever be dominant in this country. Eastern thought is too impersonal and doesn't endorse the pursuit of fun and pleasure, so it will really never fully catch on here. Shamanism is just too darn weird and we are at heart a practical folk. My personal hope is that we follow three simple rules. Forgive, be kind, and don't judge. Do those three things and we can go far.

America on the Edge of a Strange Future

 America stands on the edge. Of what? Who knows, but that is what I am going to try to figure out. We are now far enough into the 21st Century that a few patterns should be developing, but that just does not seem to be the case. Instead, the fractiousness of the last Millennia seems to be deepening.                                                                                                                           

What we half laughingly, half mournfully refer to as the news media has become an inane parade of semi-intelligent talking heads, spewing disinformation interspersed with celebrity gossip and mind-numbing analysis of trivial nonsense. With the election over a year off, we are faced each day with new poll numbers and detailed discussion of the implications of these trends, only to be told the next day of conflicting numbers and new trends. On and on it goes and we have not even reached the actual election year.                                                                                                                            

In the meantime, Russia is flexing its considerable muscle all over the world, China is openly declaring its ownership of the China Sea by building island bases in International waters, journalists are being held hostage throughout the Middle East, and the European Union is being swamped with fleeing refugees. These issues are mentioned only in passing and when there is actual discussion of them, the same tired old men and women who staffed the  Clinton, Bush and Obama  administrations, the same ones whose policies set the stage for these potential disasters, are trotted out, spouting rhetoric that will do nothing but exacerbate the situation.                                                                                                                                        

As I write this, Israel is going at it with the Palestinians again, and we of course are sending our top diplomat, John Kerry, to broker a deal. We have been at this for 70 years with no success, and any deal he makes will last for a very short time, yet we keep sticking our nose where it does not belong. This, by the way, is the same John Kerry who made the Iranian nuclear deal in which we gained nothing. He did not even get an agreement to get the  journalists that are being held captive, out.                                                                                                                                        

Closer to home, the media recently went hysterical as a massive hurricane headed toward the East Coast. The storm stalled over the Bahama's where it sat with 135mph winds and torrential rains for 36 hours. The storm then went out to sea. Okay, we were fortunate, but I found it very odd that we were given no reports, none, about what must have been the devastation of one of our closest neighbors, a favorite vacation spot of many Americans. On the other hand, we have received in depth coverage of an ex-basketball player's idiotic decision to hunker down in a whorehouse and eat a handful of a Viagra-like substance on top of cocaine and alcohol. We are still receiving reports of his reconciliation with his ex-wife who just happens to have her own TV reality show.                                                                                                                                      

The Pope recently visited and the services were truly beautiful and were, rightly, covered extensively. However, as well meaning as I am sure he is, he still has not done anywhere near enough to remove the stain of the vast and unthinkably horrible issue of kids being abused by priests. He has also scarcely touched the Vatican banking scandal. Yes, he has fired some Vatican officials but he really needs to come clean and tell us why the Church was allowing their investments to be used as a way of laundering vast sums of money tainted with heroin. He might also find it a good idea to really address the whole issue of poverty in the world. Oh sure he talks of the need to help the poor but never addresses the hypocrisy of a small group of  men, many of whom have taken vows of poverty, and who control more money than most countries, lecturing the rest of us about helping the poor. If the Church liquidated its holdings and gave the wealth to those who need it, then maybe, his words would mean something. As a side issue, how can the Church, in good conscience, continue to forbid dirt poor followers the right to use birth control. Oh well, no big deal. Polls show that most American Catholics pay little attention to anything the Church says, they just like to turn out for a big show.                                                                                                                                    

 We have a President who lies repeatedly . In this, he is no different from all the Presidents within my memory (that would go back to Eisenhower) and yet, when interviewed, is never called on those lies. When will any journalist push him to explain himself. We are told that you have to respect the Office of the Presidency. Well, when the hell is the President going to show some respect for the American people, when will we be dealt with straight up? We are not children, we can take it.                                                                                                                                                            

As I write that last line, I realize that maybe I am wrong. Maybe we have become a Nation of overgrown kids who just want to watch football and the Kardashians, who cannot handle anything more taxing than beer, video gaming and porn. Oh well, maybe there are a few left who can think, who can look at the situation without batting an eye and say, "okay, let's fix it." That is what Americans have always done.             

To see where we are going, we must look at the past, not just the facts of history and politics, that is boring. We must look at the culture, books, movies, TV, music and at beliefs, philosophical and religious. Then we need to look at where we are, the current cultural climate. Not everything is doom and gloom. A lot of good things still go on and they need to be highlighted and applauded.                                             

I want to hear from people, to know what you are thinking. I want to know what you like and dislike. Heck, I even want to know your favorite recipes, what you grow in your gardens and any good home improvement tips. If you are part of what you consider a real community, I especially want to hear from you, to find out how your community developed and how you stay close.. And if you feel isolated, alone  and frustrated, I want to hear from you. You are as important as anyone else  and I want to know your story.                                                              

It may not seem like it from my opening tirade, but I want this site to be a place where we can have some fun, but we also have to be honest and, on occasion, serious. Somehow, the American people have let control of the Nation slip from their grasp but, by working together, we can take back our land and prosper, so let's get to it.