Enough. I Surrender

I have written often of my love for what this Country used to be. It was not just nostalgia. I recognize the flaws and loved things in spite of them, Or it maybe because of them, things get confusing. I always have hoped for a return to the best parts of those days. But, alas, that is not to be. I will still live , as much as possible, by my own values, but, as Jesus said, render unto Cesar that which is Cesar's. So, I will have to make accommodations.
We now are a Socialist nation. Like it or not, get over it. This has been evolving since Eisenhower's warnings about the military-industrial complex grabbing power. Things slowly tightened and now it is full bore/ Pay no attention to Trump's rhetoric. He is the shill for big business (look at the huge corporate tax breaks). We are getting more, not less involved in foreign relations that are not our business. And, instead of solving problems, we are treated to daily rantings about the FBI and Justice Dept. and constant badgering about illegal aliens and 'fake news." Problems? Yes but nothing compared to affordable medical care and housing. Oh,  by the way, inflation is ramping up. I almost bought the act for a while, but no more..                                                                                                  We are also treated to a display of frequent medals being given to soldiers and policemen. They may be deserving, but what used to be rare is now a frequent display. These quasi-military shows have always been popular propaganda tools. All the big 20th Century dictators loved them.
Most telling was Trump;s tweet a couple of days ago. He called the press 'the enemy of the people. That is a line straight out of 1984. We are in a rising corporate-military government- led Socialism Back in the day, that was the government of Nazi Germany.
Our alternative seems to be the kind of Populist Socialism of Bernie Sanders. God only knows what that would be like.
I know I promised no more politics, but today brought a small run in with Government ineptness. It is all resolved now, but it seems that we will no longer be able to escape  the hands of our loving and concerned Federal Government. The States, where I had placed political hope, are either broke, confused and overwhelmed, or simply as incompetent as Washington.
So, for a spell, perhaps a long one, don't even bother trying to fight the monster that is the Federal Government. Stay out of its way when possible. Take advantage of what it gives if it is to your advantage. Stay true to your principals, but try to avoid jail or worse. Again, live the way you want without rubbing their noses in it. All that means walking a fairly thin tight rope, so stay balanced. Do not be foolish. Don  Quixote did not win one of his battles against those windmills.
I was going to write about the glories of Autumn today. That will come Monday. I had to get this off my mind. Have a fine Labor Day weekend..
And remember, Big Brother loves you. And those of you who have read Orwell's frighteningly realistic novel, 1984 (read it before the Powers that Be finally ban it and burn all the copies - read it and pass it on) will understand what I mean by 2 + 2 = 5.
God Bless all of you and may God help us all..
"We have met the enemy, and he is us." from Walt Kelly's wonderful, and no longer existent, comic strip, Pogo.

Quo Vadis

It is written, in a Polish novel of the same name (based on a Catholic tradition) that, when Peter was leaving Rome, to avoid martyrdom, he saw Jesus walking toward Rome and asked quo vadis, Dominae, where are you going, Lord. Jesus responded that if Peter was going to desert His people to save his life, then he, Jesus, would gave to go. Peter turned back to Rome and his death.
Now, in this age, which is growing rapidly weirder, we all must ask ourselves, where are we going? Are you so concerned with your own life that you sell your soul to the highest bidder? Do you keep quiet in the face of lunacy, lunacy that is destroying your family, friends, neighbors and, perhaps the ability of the Earth to sustain life? When do you and I stand up and say 'no more'. Trust me, your life is not yours. It belongs to your Creator and, one day, it will be over. Will you be able to look back and say, 'I did well?. I did what  was right.'
Now, fortunately, we don't crucify anymore, but, if you speak up against the insanity of the present, if you act non judgmentally, with forgiveness and a willingness to help one and all in their time of need, you will suffer, economically and socially. Look around the World at the way Christians, Jews, and moderate  Muslims  are treated. To speak of God and proper ethics, in America is to risk the ever increasing wrath of the left wing politicos. Even among the Peoples of the Book, to question the political and social minutia of each sect can bring scorn and abuse.
People of belief must stand up against legitimate social inequity and persecution.The Government will on;y do that when it gets them points in the polls.
Follow the original Commandment and be stewards of the Earth. Practice the teaching of the Rabbi Hillel and do not do to others what you would not want done to you Practice the forgiveness of Jesus and heed the call to prayer and charity taught by Mohammed.
Or run from your duty and, in the end, don't be surprised of you are asked quo vadis. Where are you going?

Truth

Pilate asked Jesus, "what is truth?" Few bother to mention that Jesus did not answer.
Truth is a slippery idea. There are some basic things..  I can say that it is not raining right here and right now. That is true.
But, truth depends on the ability to gather facts and that can be woefully difficult. Words are misunderstood. Meanings often depend on context and that is hard to convey to third parties. Also, People lie. Often. So when you ask someone the truth, do not count on getting it. Even if the person thinks they are telling the truth, their truth may be based on lies.
Probably the best thing to do is gather a lot of statements and try to sort out the facts. Better still, take everything with a grain of salt until you see how the situation plays out.
I watch a little news, very little, and I have to laugh at all of the pundits getting on and stating, quite clearly and strongly, that the other side is lying. Then, the other side says the same thing. Believe none of the,.
As usual, the truth lies somewhere in the midst of all the lies.
The absolute best thing to do is do not pay much attention to any of it. Instead, relax, have some fun, so your work and enjoy your day. May you and yours be Blessed on this fine day.

The Tiger and the President

There is much angst in the media over Tiger Woods urging respect for the Office of the President. I cannot quite wrap my head around that. Why does any one care.
This will  not be a political post. Quite honestly, I have no more interest in the antics of the current administration than I do in the antics of the entertainment industry. In other words none. Actually, the more I see of current politics, the less difference I see between the two. We are witnessing a dog and pony show on a grand scale. Dangerous, yes, but just a show.
Why the concern about Tiger Wood's remarks? On ESPN< there was wailing and gnashing of teerh and, of course, on Fox, there was return fire, I imagine the same went on at CNN , MSNBC and CNBC, but I can only watch a little bit of news these days.
Tiger Woods is a great gofer. The Greatest ever? No. He came along when he had little competition. Woods competed against Els, Singh and Mickelson. All fine players, but Nicklaus went against Palmer, Casper, Miller, Player, Trevino. Watson, Wiesskoff. See the difference.
His prowess aside, his political and social opinions are just that. His. Ask yourself this. In what way is he more qualified than you to make such judgments. He has lived an insular life, largely isolated from the rest of us when off the course. He studied Communication at Stanford, before quitting school. He is a fine golfer. That is about it.
Those opinions and perceptions, off the golf course, are no more valid than yours. Possibly less so, because he lives in a much different climate than we do. That is fine. It is his life, But, we mist stop devoting all this time and energy to the musings of celebrities. You, your friends and family and co-workers are the ones who count.

Neighborhoods?

I grew up in an actual neighborhood. Families knew each other. Maybe they were not best pals, but they knew each other and there was a stability. There was a comfort level and, the neighborhood served as a gateway to the rest of the town. We passed from it each day and returned each evening, for years. Believe it or not, it was far from boring,
Now, neighborhoods are almost as transient as city businesses. Houses are bought, sold and rented frequently and folks do not settle there. They are almost temporary dwellings. Neighbors barely know each other and, instead of being pathways in and out of the community at large, they are often isolated subdivisions, cut off by walls, gates and security guards. In the cities themselves, things are becoming nightmarish. The local news this morning started with kids being shot while in their own homes by stray bullets. People do not really know their neighbors because they are scared to death of them.
Sorry, I did not mean to go off like that, but I have a point. I live in the Metro Atlanta area. Last year, we had an influx of 70000 people and in Gwinnett County (part of Metro Atlanta and where I live) we gained 17000. This area cannot take this many people, this fast. The consensus among locals is that those numbers are way low.
As a result, housing is rapidly becoming a serious, almost critical issue. If you are apartment hunting, good luck finding anything affordable and if you do, there likely will be no availability. We have talked to apartments with 2 year waiting lists. Houses, that are anything more than shacks, are vastly overpriced. Yet, folks keep coming. As a result, even the extended stay hotels are filled to capacity.
Why are people coming here? Beats me. The weather is average, the job market is not too great and restaurants are overpriced in the extreme. There are a lot of sports and cultural events, but they are costly and useless if you do not have a home. Traffic is horrible. I have spent 3 hours traveling 3 miles and that was 5 years ago. It is far worse now.
People coming here are like lemmings rushing to the cliffs only to fall in the sea. They have no idea why they are doing it, but they are in a hurry to get there. By the way, S.E. Georgia is worse.
I am leaving here as soon as I can. Someone is welcome to my spot. but I wpuld advise against it.

We All Lose

What have we done to the Earth? What have we done to our fair sister. Ravaged and plundered and ripped her and bit her, stick her with knives on the side of the dawn, tied her with fences and dragged her down. The Doors, When the Musics Over, from the album Strange Days
My Dad once made a profound observation. He said, "you know, the Native Americans (okay, he said Indians but it was a long time ago) had this land for 10000 years and it was a Paradise. We've had it for 400 and it's become a sewer. That says it all. We have decimated the environment and, now that the climate is changing, we have no where to run. We have painted ourselves into a corner and have no where to run. And, in the face of this, our President wants to bring back coal mining. Even China is trying to stop using coal. Of course, he is doing it to appeal to W. Virginia voters. I heard some one say that maybe, to woo New England voter, he should bring back whaling so we can use whale oil.This is insane.
WE all seem to be terminally thirst and carry around bottles of water. Plastic bottles. It has been determined that if you piled the all up, they would stretch from the Moon and back several times.The Oceans are choking form plastic. Dead oceans equal no life, anywhere. Did,'t any one ever hear of glasses and cups or getting a drink before you left a building.
Drive down any highway and look at the trash, again, most of it plastic.
Still, look closely and there is beauty. Life will not be denied. In the long run, we, the human race, may succeed in killing most, if not all, of ourselves. But, over long periods, life will go on and let's hope and pray that the next intelligent creatures that dominate this lovely Earth, will be wiser. God charged us with being stewards of the Earth and we have failed miserably. I';; ;eave you today with another song.
Look inside your lid this morning. See the things you did not quite consume. The Worlds a can for your fresh garbage. Spirit, Fresh Garbage, from the Mechanical World album
God Bless each of you. Have a wonderful weekend

If You Dance, You Have To Pay The Fiddler

Many years ago, when JFK was killed. Malcolm X said that it was just the chickens coming home to roost. We are seeing a similar thing in American culture now.
Many political leaders, over the last many years, have been found with nasty skeletons in their closet, including our current leader and some of our recent ones. Scandal is the order of the day. The entertainment industry is awash in sex scandals. Police forces have more than a few shady officers as does the FBI and the CIA and most any other combination f letters you can name. Churches are not exempt either.
I can guarantee one thing. What we hear is just the tip of a very dark ice burg, These people are very adept at hiding their improprieties and, being the shrewd folks they are, realize that some issues are going to get out. The minor incidents are slipped out and, while disturbing, draw attention away from more scandalous behavior,
Now, you may ask, what does that have to do with the average American? Plenty. We support these folks. We joke about misbehavior. If they line our pockets, we turn a deaf ear. We vote in politicians who we know are as crooked as a dog's hind leg.. We pay good money to attend entertainment events starring people with horrific personal habits. Worse, we often emulate these people/
Our Creator loves us. Why? I sometimes wonder, but therein lies Kierkegaard's existential problem. But, that aside, The Creator's mercy is tempered by justice. The New Testament scholar, James Dominick Croissan once wrote that justice without compassion in horrific, but compassion without justice is inane. We are forgiven our sins, but we have to pay a price. I know from personal experience that , while yes, I am forgiven, I have had to pat a price for my misbehavior. Hopefully, that debt is now almost redeemed. This is the way the Cosmos works. If that makes you unhappy, so be it.
Forgive. Certainly and always you must do that. Judge not, in the sense that you must not abandon anyone and must always be ready to help (also, only God knows enough about anyone to see the whole picture and cast an appropriate judgement). But, do not continue supporting bad behavior. And, especially, stop joining in.
If you dance you have to pay the fiddler and, if it is the devil doing the fiddling, you have to pay the devil's price. Trust me, that is a high price.