Stupidity Runs Deep...

Here’s a question…  when did we, humans, mankind, become so blatantly stupid?   I was listening to the radio the other day and heard a comedian talking about a car battery and how, just under the list of maintenance items is a small warning that says “Caution.  Do not drink battery acid.”  The comedian made a joke of it and asked “Who does this?” but my first thought was “Why are warnings like this necessary?"

On many small appliances, such as curling irons, hair dryers, etc., are labels that either say, or have a picture that instructs you not put it in a bathtub full of water while it’s plugged in.  On a can of hairspray or a can of foaming bathroom cleaner is a warning label that says “For external use only.  Avoid spraying in eyes.”  On microwaveable food products, and now on many coffee cups you get from fast food restaurants and coffee shops, is a warning that says “Caution.  Contents may be hot.”  Have we as a people really become that stupid that we have to be warned of the obvious?

There are some people I have met (or seen on the news) for whom the answer is definitely “Yes.”  If not, these labels would never have been created in the first place.  There have been cases of people, many of them Darwin Award candidates, who have done exactly the things these labels warn about.  And some attorneys got extremely rich because of it.  Thus, the main reason we have so many different warning labels today.  The hot coffee incident at McDonalds’ a few years ago, when the woman spilled hot coffee on herself and won an incredible amount of money in the lawsuit, made companies put warning labels on anything and everything they manufacture to prevent future lawsuits by people who could possibly find a way to hurt themselves with a particular product. 

Some are so ridiculously funny though one has to wonder why it’s necessary to have a label.  For example – microwaveable food products.  The instructions tell you to put it in the microwave and heat on high for so many minutes.  Then, after that is a warning that says “Caution – contents may be hot.”  If the people purchasing these products are really so stupid they have to be told that after you heat something in the microwave it could be hot, what are they doing with money and out of the house, much less operating a microwave?

How many people (who are not mentally ill) do you know who drink battery acid or spray chemicals in their eyes intentionally?  I’ve gotten hairspray in my eye accidentally and I can tell you, I’d never do it on purpose.  Nor would I pour drain cleaner in my mouth and swallow it.  What kind of people do this besides children, who don’t know any better and need to be protected, and someone who is mentally ill?  Answer?  No one.  But people also have to be protected from lawyers.

Many people don’t understand that when someone gets a large settlement in a lawsuit chances are the attorney is going to get more money than the victim.  That’s why practicing law is such a lucrative business and why you have so many injury and wrongful death attorneys.  There are big bucks to be made when someone gets injured or killed and there’s always someone to sue, even if the victim hurts or kills himself.  Lawyers could possibly be the greatest threat to human intelligence yet people continue to pay them exorbitant amounts of money to allow them to profit from being stupid.

Anyone who has never read anything from “The Darwin Awards” should do so at their earliest convenience.  You will be amazed by just how incredibly stupid some people can be and worried that they are still walking around in society.

Bottom line – stupidity is alive and well in the world today and even manufacturing companies know it.  It can be a lucrative business for some and it’s great entertainment for others, particularly since Al Gore created the internet and thus, Youtube.  Youtube is better than “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and you can watch it anytime. 

So read those warning labels on the products you buy and smile when you remember there’s a person or persons out there who actually made that label necessary.

The Arizona Shootings - A Tragedy In All Ways

I can’t help but be saddened by the events in Arizona on Sunday morning that left six people dead and thirteen wounded, including the apparent target of the shooting, Representative Gabrielle Giffords.  People who follow my blog or know me well know I am a conservative who has no problem sharing my disagreement with most liberal/Democrat politics.  I’ve been very clear on that over the last couple of years.  They also know I would never, ever wish this type of event on any politician, regardless of their party affiliation and/or what’s going on in Washington.  It’s senseless and tragic.

That said, I also can’t help but be appalled by some of the rhetoric I’ve heard from people who want to blame specific individuals for this tragedy.  Within hours of the shootings some left wing bloggers were blaming Sarah Palin for causing Jared Loughner’s rampage.  Others blamed Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly and anyone else on the right who has been outspoken against the Obama administration.  Some were even calling for the arrest and prosecution of these people as if they’d personally given Loughner the gun and instructions.

In turn, people on the right were blaming left wing politics for Loughner’s actions.  Friends of his said he was a liberal and some of his favorite books, according to the media, were The Communist Manifesto and Mein Kampf, which automatically made him a left-wing extremist in the eyes of the right.  The hatred flying back and forth on the internet yesterday was absolutely incredible. 

During the 2010 campaigns Sarah Palin’s strategy team used a map and put certain politicians on it they were “targeting” for their election campaign to get them voted out of office.  This word “targeting” along with her comment two years about reloading caused people on the left to decide Palin wants all Democrats to be killed.  Glenn Beck talks about government takeover of America and how a revolution could be possible in the future if Americans continue to grow more angry with the direction of the government.  Some liberals posting online yesterday decided Beck’s words had encouraged Loughner to start shooting.  Some even said Beck uses subliminal brainwashing techniques on his shows to get conservatives to kill liberals.  The thought that some people actually believe this would be laughable if it wasn’t so pathetically tragic.

Interestingly, President Obama has made remarks over the last couple of years that could be (and have   been by the right-wing posters) construed as encouraging violence as well.  The President has said “if they bring a knife we’ll bring a gun”, and recently told a Hispanic group that “it’s time to punish your enemies”.  He told other groups “you need to get in their faces” and “hit back twice as hard.”  These remarks by an elected  U.S. President could easily be construed as instructions to hurt or kill someone, couldn’t they?  Or is it different because he’s the President?

Anyone with a working brain knows remarks made by Palin, Beck, and even the President of the United States that refer to guns, targeting your opponent, calling your opponent “the enemy”, etc., is political rhetoric only and is not meant to incite violence of any kind.  For all of the talk by Glenn Beck about revolution he has repeated over and over that people should not, for any reason, go out and commit violent acts of any kind.  If those who accuse Beck actually listened to what he says in full context they would know that. 

My point in all of this is that Jared Loughner alone is responsible for his actions.  No matter his political beliefs, no matter his group affiliation, likes and dislikes, the books he read or even who he did or did not listen to on the radio and television, Loughner is responsible for his actions.  No one else.  From what I’ve read and heard Loughner has beliefs all over the political spectrum.  He is anti-government but he is also anti-religion.  He is supposedly a liberal (as described by his friends) yet he shot a Democrat Congresswoman.  I mentioned two of his favorite books as being The Communist Manifesto and Mein Kampf.  There is debate all the time about whether Hitler was right or left wing in his basic beliefs, although the right is not known for big, autocratic government.  Again, my point being Loughner has numerous, often contradicting interests and beliefs.

There is no question America is strongly divided by politics.  In 2009 the left touted Presidential candidate Barack Obama as “the great uniter”.  That hasn’t happened.  Of course, many will claim the only reason it hasn’t happened is because anyone who disagrees with Obama is simply a racist.  That couldn’t be further from the truth.  The fact is many Americans, conservatives, independents and even some Democrats, are unhappy about the direction the current administration is taking the country.  And those who are unhappy are squaring off against those who are pushing the far left-wing agenda. 

See how simply it can happen?  I just said they’re “squaring off” which could easily be translated by some as an indication of violence.

Violent acts by extremists from either side are still the responsibility of the perpetrator of that violence.  There is currently no real evidence that Loughner acted on political beliefs from either side nor that he listened to any talk show host and acted on the words and rhetoric of one of them.  Loughner acted alone on his own volition and is totally and singularly responsible for six deaths and thirteen wounded people.  Both sides need to tone down the hate and accusations.  Politics have been the reason for many civil wars and bloodshed throughout the history of the world.  We need to learn to disagree without the hatred otherwise the violence will continue to escalate to catastrophic levels.  If that happens we all lose.

Don't Paint the House Without Fixing the Foundation

In 2006 Obama voted against raising the debt ceiling saying it would burden our children and grandchildren.  Now he's considering raising the debt ceiling and blaming it on Bush.  Below is the quote from Obama and Robert Gibbs' bungling response to the reporter who asks about it.

“The fact that we're here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign - is a sign of leadership failure.  Leadership means the buck stops here.  Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren.  America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership.  Americans deserve better.  I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America's debt limit.” – Senator Barack Obama, 2006

Robert Gibbs was asked about that particular statement by Obama in 2006.  His response is below:

“The president used it to make a point about needing to get serious about fiscal discipline.  And we, as I've said earlier, are dealing with the legacy of decisions that have been made over the past many years - not paying for a prescription drug benefit, not paying for wars, not paying for tax cuts - that changed our fiscal situation much more markedly than anything ever had.  So I think it is up to and it's important for Congress - because we know - not to play politics with this, not to play games - to find a way to raise that debt limit, understanding that we have to - as I mentioned to Matt, we're going have to have to take some serious steps to get our fiscal house in order. But we understand -- we know what happens.  We know the catastrophic actions with things like Social Security and Medicare if you threaten the solvency of the government.”

So Mr. Gibbs…  did then Senator Obama mean what he said or not?  And is it OK to raise the debt ceiling when you’re President but not when you’re a Senator affiliated with the other party?  Why is it the President has now been in office for two years and still wants to blame the previous administration for everything?  When will President Obama actually take responsibility for anything that is happening or has happened while he’s been in office?  Just once I’d like to see Mr. Obama stand up and say “I’m the President and ultimately the conditions in this country are my responsibility.  President Bush is gone and it’s all on me.” 

It’s my guess we won’t be hearing anything like this from President Obama .  Taking responsibility for things that go wrong is not part of his Saul Alinski agenda.

Raising the debt ceiling instead of cutting spending is the most illogical approach possible to reducing the debt.  It’s like raising the average unemployment numbers to accommodate the current unemployment level so it doesn’t look so bad.  It doesn’t solve the problem – it’s merely a cosmetic change to make things look better, like painting a house that’s falling down.  Making it look nice on the outside doesn’t fix the cracks in the foundation.  And the foundation is what needs to be fixed.

Let God Back In

I have been watching the news of the latest school shootings, this time at a high school in Omaha, Nebraska.  I first posted this a couple of months ago but given the circumstances I thought it should be posted again.  Once more I ask - what is it about America that has turned our young people into murderers?  Will it ever end?  If so, how?

In August of 1966, Charlie Whitman, a product of an abusive home, a former Marine and a student at the University of Texas in Austin, opened fire on the city of Austin from atop the university tower.  An expert marksman, he killed 14 people and injured dozens of others before finally being killed by police.  While Whitman's story is somewhat different than the shootings happening in our schools today, he was the first.  He started this insanity.

Since the tragedy at Columbine High School in 1999, there have been so many incidents that people aren't shocked anymore.  Saddened yes, but shocked - no.  It happens everywhere from major cities to small town Arkansas and North Carolina.  It happens in all levels of society and the perpetrators are from various families, with money and without.

Monday's tragic carnage at Virginia Tech is just another example of society gone wrong.  It's time to stop looking at these killers as disturbed individuals and begin looking at them as a group.  We need to find out what is turning these kids into monsters and we need to find out quickly.

People can say what they want about what I write here but this is my take on the whole thing:

In 1946, Dr. Benjamin Spock published his first book on raising children.  A highly intelligent man who meant no harm, Spock and his book were the beginning of the downfall of the young people in this country.  Spock told parents to be more relaxed and flexible and to be more of a friend to their children, treating them as individuals.  He said spanking them was harmful.

Until this information became popular, discipline in the home was one of the top priorities.  Of course there were parents who went overboard, as there are today.  But children were raised to respect the law, their elders, their country and each other.  In the 1950s, children (teenagers included) were polite and respectful for the most part.  They got in trouble but didn't blame society or their parents.  They had a good work ethic and got part-time jobs so they could have spending money instead of having it given to them.  When they were old enough, if they wanted a car, they worked to save the money to buy what they could afford instead of having Mommy and Daddy buy them a new one.  They did what their parents told them to do and would never even imagine the idea that they could sue their parents if they weren't happy about something.

They went to church with their families, ate meals with their families and prayed; not only in church but at home and even in school.  They said the Pledge of Allegiance every morning in school and proudly stated “one nation, under God.”  There was no shame and no one complained about their rights being violated.

Dr. Spock’s well intended books encouraged parents to stop teaching their children the three R’s:  respect, responsibility and reason.  Instead he promulgated the idea of children doing what they wanted, when they wanted, without worrying about the consequences.  I know he didn’t mean to do this.  But this was the result.  When parents stopped punishing their children for doing something wrong, those children stopped learning the consequences of their actions.

To get a glimpse of the major changes that began in the Spock generation, look at the difference between the young people of the 1950s and the young people in the 1960s.  The 60s generation was the beginning of the result of Spock’s influence on American parents.  Young people changed their appearance dramatically because they didn’t want to conform to society’s rules.  And their Spock-trained parents hugged them and encouraged them to be individuals.  They began to experiment openly with chemical substances.  (Not that substance abuse hadn’t been going on already but it was never in public until the 60s.)  They began to leave home and family and flock together to places where they could do what they wanted and not worry about consequences.  They did what they wanted without conscience because as children they were hugged and encouraged when they did something wrong instead of disciplined and taught consequences.

Somewhere in the middle of this Spock influence another group of Americans began telling us what we were doing wrong.  They began telling the U.S. courts their rights were being violated by the vast majority of Americans and that things needed to change.  Somewhere, somehow, amidst all of the other negative changes in this country, atheists began wielding power in the courts and convinced the Supreme Court that they (Atheists) were being abused.

In 1963, Madeline Murray (she didn’t become O’Hare until after this court case) won a decisive court battle that eventually ended prayer in public schools.  While it took a while for prayer in school to totally disappear, it was this woman and this case that eventually stopped children from being allowed to pray in school.  And it was just another pathway to a tragic future for our children.

Throughout the next forty years atheists continued working to stop the majority of people in this country from practicing and living their religious beliefs in public because it “violated their rights as non-believers.”  In 2002, an atheist in California convinced the Supreme Court that subjecting his son to the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance was harmful and violated his rights.  The Supreme Court, in all their wisdom, decided because the words “under God” made this man feel uncomfortable the practice of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance by school children must cease.

It’s called “living constitution” philosophy, which allows that judges decide what the Constitution meant rather than following the Constitution as written.  Two of three Supreme Court Justices decided this man’s discomfort was more important than the beliefs of the overwhelming majority of Americans.  And these same judges “swear or affirm” that they will uphold the law and judge cases to the best of their abilities “so help me God.”  I don’t know how they could be qualified to make a decision involving God or religion after taking that particular oath.  ??

For the next four decades the circle of life continued.  The children of the 60’s generation grew up with less discipline and less values than their parents.  They, in turn, taught their children even less responsibility and respect until, in the 90’s, children grew up thinking their parents and society in general owed them something.  Many parents agreed and gave their children everything.  They meant well.  They only wanted their children to have the best in life.  Sadly however, their children don’t know the value of a dollar, how it feels to work hard to get something you want, or what it means to wait for something until you can get it yourself.

My siblings and I were born in the late 40’s and throughout the 50’s.  We were raised by parents who not only didn’t agree with Dr. Spock’s ideas but who had an idea what the results would be.  We were spanked – sometimes even with a belt or a switch – and had our mouths washed out with soap for using bad language or talking back.  We spent time in our rooms for bad behavior and were grounded for a week or two at a time.  We were made to apologize to people if we did them wrong and made to take responsibility for our actions.  We suffered whatever consequences arose from those actions.  Through all the punishments we received over the years none of us felt we were abused or would ever have thought of calling the police or taking our parents to court.

We went to church on Sundays, sometimes twice.  We prayed before eating dinner together as a family, at night before going to sleep, in school and in restaurants before a meal, and anytime we felt we needed to talk to God.  We were taught to respect other people and their beliefs, even if their beliefs were different than ours.  We would never have asked that others be prevented from practicing their beliefs just because we didn’t believe the same thing.  We were taught to love and respect our country and flag and that it’s sometimes necessary to defend them.

We grew up in this manner, completely opposite of the way Dr. Spock said we should be raised.  Yet we grew up to be honest, hard working, God fearing people who still respect other people, our country, individual rights and your freedom to believe as you wish.  We have all successfully raised children in the same manner.  Each of those children has respect for their parents, for other people, for God and their country.

We never killed anyone in school when we were growing up and neither did our kids.  We were disciplined and taught to love and respect others no matter how different they were.  We risked going to jail or being sued by our kids and spanked them, grounded them and sent them to their rooms when they did something wrong.  They had to apologize and make things right when they wronged someone.  And I’m pretty sure most of our kids even tasted soap at one time or another when they were little.  I know mine did.  They were taught about God, His love, prayer and faith.  They went to school in the 90’s and 2000’s.  They never brought a gun to school and never killed a classmate or a teacher.  And fortunately for them (thank God), none of them ever had to face a gun at school either.

So how do we correct this growing problem of school violence and kids who kill?  Activist Michael Moore thinks gun control is the answer.  Those who believe gun control will stop people from having guns and shooting people are sadly mistaken.  I, for one, believe the answer lies with every parent and with God.  Teaching our kids discipline, respect for others, principles and family values, teaching our kids that hard work and perseverance to achieve something are more rewarding than having everything given to them, and bringing God back into our homes and schools are the first steps toward healing our nation.  You can bet God was in Virginia Tech on that Monday and that many of those students and faculty were talking to Him.  He was in Columbine and in Arkansas and in North Carolina.

I say let God back in and let Him, along with their families, straighten out these disturbed kids.  I could be wrong.  But what we’re doing now certainly isn’t working

Janet Napolitano Protecting Afghanistan Borders?

I’ve watched, with much interest, the story about Janet Napolitano going to Afghanistan to talk border security.  Apparently it’s a big problem that needs the expertise of our Secretary of Homeland Security.  The Afghanistan government must know what a great job she’s done on our own borders to prevent people from sneaking into the country illegally.  Wait….

The American borders, particularly the one between the United States and Mexico, is wide open except for the border crossing stations.  In Texas, Arizona and New Mexico people cross the border every day by the thousands unimpeded.  Violence rules in the area, so much so that Napolitano ordered signs put up 100 miles inside the Arizona border to warn American citizens not to venture into the area for their own safety.  The President ordered some National Guard troops to the area to assist the overwhelmed Border Patrol and then recalled them. 

The Border Patrol does the best job they can with the resources they have.  Several agents have lost their lives this year to the violence by these illegal aliens entering and conducting business across the border.  From coyotes, who smuggle people, to drug cartels, who smuggle drugs across the border, it’s easy to see these are the people who are basically controlling our borders.  There have even been instances of Muslim terrorists, the last group from Somalia, coming across the Mexican border unchecked. 

The Canadian border isn’t so widely publicized but I’m sure, with the wide open, forest-lined areas that stretch across the top of the country, people are coming across the Northern border in droves.  There is no violence, most likely, because there is no interference from the Federal government.

I’m having a difficult time understanding the role of Janet Napolitano in Afghanistan’s border problems but for some reason she was there for that purpose.  Recently she said the U.S. borders are very secure, even as the numbers of illegal immigrants go up daily.  (The kidnapping rate in Arizona is #3 in the world and it’s undeniably attributed to illegal aliens.  Ignoring or denying the problem exists doesn’t make it go away.)  Maybe she’ll suggest some signs in the desert since that idea has worked so well for Arizona. 

Health Care According to Maxine...

This was attached to a “The World According to Maxine” cartoon in my e-mail yesterday.  For anyone who doesn’t know, Maxine is a cartoon character created by John Wagner and distributed by Hallmark.  Maxine is very wise, even if she’s a bit irreverent at times.

According to Maxine:

“Let me get this straight….

We’re going to be “gifted” with a health care plan we’ll be forced to purchase and fined if we don’t, which purportedly covers at least 10 million more people without adding a single new doctor, but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents. 

It was written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn’t understand it, was passed by a Congress who didn’t read it but exempted themselves from it, and was signed by a President who smokes.

It’s funding will be administered by a treasury chief who didn’t pay his taxes and we’ll be taxed for it for four years before any benefits take effect by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare.

It will all be overseen by a Surgeon General who is obese and financed by a country that is broke….

What could possibly go wrong?”  -  Maxine

And let’s not forget Congressman John Conyers who said “I get a kick out of people who say ‘Read the bill.  What good is reading the bill if it takes two days and 3 lawyers to figure out what it says?

Then we have former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who says “We need to pass the bill so people can find out what’s in it.”

For the life of me I can’t understand why anyone in America, regardless of political party, put up with this type of government inadequacy.  It should not be tolerated from either side.  President Obama said, on more than one occasion, that he would go over every bill, line by line and cut unnecessary spending.  Yet he signed the health care bill without reading it and has signed numerous spending bills that are full of earmarks and pork barrel spending.  And before anyone brings it up, yes, Bush spent money too.  It seems there is no one left in Washington who doesn’t believe the government is a huge bank and spending is covered, no matter what.

Why do we (all of us) put up with this dishonesty in our government?  When did we become a people who blindly believe our own party leaders without question while vilifying the other side?  We all do it and we’re all going to fail in the long run. 

Thanks, Maxine and Mr. Wagner, for your insight.  Maybe we should read your opinion more often.

Happy New Year

I was taking a shower yesterday afternoon and realized it was almost 2011.  I can remember, as a kid, talking to my buddies about how old we would be in the year 2000.  Suddenly 2000 is ancient history and here we are, eleven years later, ringing in a new year.

I have to admit, 2010 didn’t start out all that wonderful but it ended up being a phenomenal year all the way around.  My wonderful wife, Barrie, found me and brought me into her life, something I never expected and probably don’t deserve.  She brought much love and happiness to my life and has added greatly to the joy of everyday living.

After over half of another year was spent in Ohio I was able to leave it behind and move back to Kentucky, only to end up moving again, back to Florida.  Those who know anything about me know my dream was to return to Florida eventually.  Fortunately for me, Florida has been a dream of Barrie’s as well.  She got a transfer, I got a truck and we found ourselves back in the Sunshine State.    It seems we brought the cold with us initially but today’s high, January 1^st, 2011, is supposed to be 79 degrees.  So I can’t complain.

We have a great house in a wonderful neighborhood, good neighbors and a huge yard for the dogs.  On a sad note, I had to put my dog down this week due to an advanced stage of cancer.  She was a good girl and a good friend and I’ll miss her.  We’re already talking about another dog to be a companion for Nik.  Not a replacement for Lucky but a new member of the family.  I’ll let you all know when we get one.

All in all it’s been a wonderful and memorable year.  My father is still hanging in there.  He turned 89 this year and he and Esther are still doing as well as expected.  He remains an inspiration to us all.  He has maintained his smile and sense of humor regardless of the health difficulties he has experienced.  I can only hope I will have the same good nature if and when I am ever in the same situation.

On this day I am laying politics, personal dislikes, and criticisms aside to wish everyone a very happy and healthy 2011.  May your new year be full of love, family, and good friends and may each of you get something good in 2011 that you’re been wanting.

Glen