New Letter

Upon reading several recent letters I feel compelled to defend the idea of freedom FROM religion, as it is a crucial component of freedom OF religion.  No one drives past a church  and feels 'offended' and decides that churches are an affront to his freedom from religion.  Churches are part of freedom of religion. 

What everyone does believe is that s/he has the right to not have someone else's religion imposed upon him/her.  Whatever it is.  Because s/he has his/her own. You can't have freedom of religion if I'm constantly trying to impose MINE on you. 

Does that help?

What About This?

Mandatory school attendance for adults collecting rent assistance or food stamps.  Accommodations to be made if someone has parenting responsibilities.  Classes tailored to fit what's needed by the individual in question.  High school level classes for people without diplomas.  Job skills classes for grads having trouble becoming or staying employed. 

This would also employ thousands of new teachers and support personnel.  And possibly get some people to shuddup about 'too many people on welfare.'

Is It Too Early?

I predict that in 2016 the Democratic candidate will defeat the Republican candidate by an even wider margin than last night's result.  Why?  My guess is that they will blame Romney's loss on his not being a 'true conservative.'  And their A list of candidates is composed of those, so they will run one of them.  Probably Marco Rubio. And he will be shellacked because he will either not attempt to move toward the center, figuring that's what cost Romney, or his attempt to do so will be unconvincing.  In my opinion Romney lost because of his move to the extreme right to win the nomination.  His 'bounce' came when he moved hard toward the middle.  It was just too little, too late.  Which doesn't bode well for future Republican candidates.  Unless they actually do learn from last night.

Am I One Of Those?

Once upon a time in America, especially in 'the South,' there was a term used that we no longer hear much.  It seems to have finally fallen away.  Progress, I guess.  But it lived for a good hundred years after Emancipation and died a slow, bitter death, if indeed it really is dead.  The term was "nigger lover" and it was the harshest imprecation one (usually southern) white man could hurl at another.  "Nigger lover!"

Think about it.  What does one say back to something like that?  To deny it is to acknowledge that it's a valid term, and that it's a bad thing.  "Nigger lover!"  It's the word that caused Ty Cobb to snap, in the 19 teens.  After ignoring verbal abuse from a deranged fan for six innings one day, Cobb 'snapped' and leaped into the seats and pummeled a paraplegic (as it turned out) after he heard "Nigger lover!".  How dare that guy?

What did it even mean?  In the minds of the dimwits who would use such a term there were two kinds of people.  White people and "niggers."  Remember the 'n word' was used quite casually by a large segment of the population for that hundred years.  And "niggers" needed to 'know their place.'  (Hence the term 'uppity' for the ones that  didn't.)  A "nigger lover" was anybody that wasn't sufficiently 'down' with the idea of White Supremacy.  "Nigger lover!"

I've never been called that and I don't remember ever reading or hearing the term except historically.  But there's a new term I'm seeing and hearing a lot, just lately, one that I HAVE been called.  The term is "Obama worshiper."  It apparently means someone who is not sufficiently 'down' with the idea that President Obama is an America-hating, reverse-racist, terrorist-sympathizing, America-apologist, secret Muslim, intent on turning the U.S. into a Marxist-Socialist-Islamo-Fascist state, with gay marriage and abortion on demand for all.  Which makes me one, I guess, since I don't accept any of those things as being grounded in reality, much less even remotely true. 

Kind of weird, too, since the idea of actually 'worshiping' seems to me like some relic from our dark and distant past.  It seems to me that any being actually worthy of being worshiped would not want to be (It would lack the requisite vanity) and any being that demanded it would not merit it (but only want it for its own ego-gratification.)

Obama worshiper!  And I'm hearing this from otherwise normal people too, who work and play and eat and sleep and live and love just like you and me.  They just have this one blind spot.  Somehow they can't see, can't even allow for the possibility, that the rest of us see a man trying to do a very difficult job in a very difficult, even hostile environment and doing a pretty fair job of it.  Nothing more.  No worship.  No 'Lord Barry.'  Just a president that looks different from the previous forty-two who isn't pursuing a right-wing agenda (as we knew he wouldn't). 

I was asked in the summer of '08 if I thought America was really ready for a black president.  I said, of course.  Why not?  Was I wrong?     

Obama

Question: Has Obama kept all his campaign promises? 

Answer: No.  (Has anybody, ever?  Also no.)  Has he kept some?  Yes.  Which ones has he not kept that he should have? One that gets mentioned frequently is that he promised to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay and then didn't.  True enough.  Should he have?  Maybe.  I'd like to see us cede that territory back to Cuba.  We basically stole it, didn't we?  But whether we keep the territory or not I've never liked the idea of secret prisons.  I have no say in what Cuba does, or China, or Russia.  I do get to comment on what the U.S. does, though, and vote based on what the candidates say when they run for office.  Maybe Romney should promise to close Gitmo.  He could always back off it tomorrow ...

Question: Has Obama disappointed me, a 2008 and likely 2012 supporter? 
Answer: Yes.  Right from day one when he had Rick Warren at the inauguration to invoke the blessing of an almost certainly imaginary super being.  Not  that I don't understand it.  Even if he thought it was a bad idea he'd have likely done it.  Though he could have chosen somebody less 'controversial.' 

I also have been very disappointed with his administrations continued prosecution of the 'War On Drugs.'  They've even stepped it up and gone after dispensers of 'medical' marijuana in states which permit such dispensaries.  Grade: F

Question: Would I like a better candidate to vote for?

Answer: yes.  Anybody know of one?  That's actually running?  (I won't vote for Romney.)

New Book

I'm starting Eric Foner's Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863 - 1877.

This is the last paragraph of the author's preface:

Over a century ago, prodded by the demands of four million men and women just emerging from slavery, Americans made their first attempt to live up to the noble professions of their political creed -- something few societies have ever done.  The effort produced a sweeping redefinition of the nation's public life and a violent reaction that ultimately destroyed much, but by no means all, of what had been accomplished.  From the enforcement of the rights of citizens to the stubborn problems of economic and racial justice, the issues central to Reconstruction are as old as the American republic, and as contemporary as the inequalities that still afflict our society.

Should be good ...  

God and Money

Darrell over at The Yellow Fringe mentioned that Candidate Romney has promised to leave In God We Trust on our money.  As if (wink, wink) that Godless heathen Obama with his 'War On Religion' has threatened to have it removed.  Which he of course has NOT. 

Fortunately for me I don't expect any better from our presidential candidates.  I don't need them to campaign, really.  No matter how many disappointments I can list regarding Obama, and there are several, there isn't a chance in hell I will be voting for anybody that today's Republican Party is going to be nominating anytime soon.  Romney actually had potential, as did McCain, in my opinion, but they are/were both so damned determined to pander to the far right that they might as well be Herman Cain, or Donald Trump.  They both (Romney and McCain) willingly threw away their credibility as normal, rational, free-thinking politicians to court the narrow-minded low information voter. 

McCain probably had no chance of winning anyway, 2008 was going to be a 'switch to the other party' year.  But 2012 was shaping up to be another one, already.  The old, moderate Romney would have had a decent chance of winning.  But of course he never would have gotten the Republican nomination.  Aye, there's the rub!

But anyway, I meant to write about God and Money.  Here's a question.  How many of you actually give a shit if it says In God We Trust on our money, or not?  In fact, how many of you would even notice, if it was quietly gone tomorrow?  Not a whole lot, I bet. 

And does anybody think 'God' could possibly care?  About a slogan on our money?