Right As Usual

The term "scandalous" has lost much of its panache; in a time when big-name politicians can, without a blush, blatantly lie about matters related to their office, does the word have any meaning for the public? Apparently so.  At least, when the scandals pile up upon each other, and the president is so gauche as to threaten one of the Holy Media. The interesting thing about looking at the record is that it's hard to cage the examination.  Once started, the press has begun to fall over themselves to be the first to point out THE SAME OUTRAGES THE CONSERVATIVES HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT FOR OVER 4 YEARS! Sorry for the caps; I just lose it, sometimes. In no specific order: The AP government snooping scandal. The drone war - when Rand Paul (that's the son, who appears both rational and electable) filibustered, asking for answers about apparently unconstitutional killing of American citizens without due process, for the media, it was all a big yawn.   He's still a...

This year, I have 2 vets to remember. The first, my dad, was in WWII.  He served in the artillery, which likely contributed to the major hearing loss he suffered from in his senior years.  Even when younger, he consistently turned the TV to a fairly loud setting. I've spent some time looking into his service - apparently, his unit was moved around a bit, and the command changed several times.  He did serve in the Battle of the Bulge.  He told my mother (she later told me) that he had seen some of the survivors of the concentration camps; it so haunted him that he buried the memory for years. He mostly told funny stories of his time in the war: Cutting across a minefield to avoid being late for dinner Coming across a barn with SS uniforms left behind.  He and his buddy tried them on, and admired their panache.  He almost got shot by another soldier who saw the uniform - fortunately, the other soldier fooling around was his buddy, Red, and the hair made the soldier hesitate in pu...

...walk a mile in his shoes. Have you ever talked about someone you KNOW is EVIL - a RACIST, a GAY-HATER, a HATE-THE-POOR person? Someone, like, perhaps, Rush Limbaugh? In other words, you've judged them. Fair enough. You actually listened to what they had to say, and made your decision. Oh, you didn't? You never listened to them (for more than a few seconds), read their writings, or interacted with them in any way? Then, how do you know all that about them? From other people? Who, maybe, made their decision on the basis of NO information? Gee, sounds like pre-judgement to me. Which, you may realize, is the same as prejudice. Folks, I don't like Obama's policies, character, or actions. But, before I made a decision about him, I learned about him. I read Dreams From My Father AND The Audacity of Hope. I listened to what he had to say. Only after that, did I make a judgement. In other words, I EARNED the right to decide about his character, his actions, his philosophy. Wh...

It's been a long year. I've been watching the employment figures, which make no sense compared to the people I know. According to the stats on unemployment, we are improving steadily. But, when I compare that "improvement" with people I know to be looking for work - the numbers just don't match. Certainly, SOME people are improving their situation. I've gotten a job in the last year, my husband has likewise moved from unsteady part-time jobs to full-time. Even my son, a young man in the middle of the Guess-what-just-fell-in-on-me group of White, skilled semi-unemployed males, has FINALLY moved to a full-time job. They liked him at work - they just couldn't afford to pay him more, or give him more hours, until their business improved. Which, finally, it has. But, we're the exceptions. Most long-term unemployed or underemployed are NOT finding full-time work. For Conservatives, the answer is self-evidently Obamacare. Liberals dispute this. Perhaps...

I got smart and downloaded two books I've wanted to read for some time (I regularly put books on my Wish List for future purchases). The first, Lift at the Bottom, by Theodore Dalrymple, is a true treasure. I enjoyed it because it focused on specific examples of areas in which British culture has coarsened, cheapened, and declined, as well as WHY the social policies - so beloved by Leftists, and so thoroughly put into play in modern Great Britain - have led, not to Paradise, but to a figurative Dante's Inferno. Leftists identified lack of money as a problem - therefore, money is given to those who haven't a job. If they got a job, they'd have to work, but get no more money than they had prior to employment. This financial support can exist indefinitely. Is it really a surprise that they stay unemployed? Similarly, housing is provided, free of cost to the "poor" - many of whom have LOTS more money to spend than the working people. Just like in American publ...

In my life, I have been blessed: I have a roof over my head.  True, it did come with a big mortgage, but I am sleeping warm at night. Along with the above, my neighbors are great, and watch out for the neighborhood. I have enough to eat - so much so, that I am having to spend energy on dieting. I have money from my job to pay for that mortgage and other things.  True, I was unemployed for almost 7 months this year, and had to dip into retirement savings, but I had savings to dip into. The job I have now is the best I've ever had - great co-workers, good kids, excellent administration.  I have to pinch myself to make sure that it's not a dream. I have good kids and wonderful grandkids (yes, I DID notice that the adjectives changed, but that's due to the fact that I don't HAVE to discipline my grandkids).  They're working and making lives for themselves. I have a husband who has stuck by me for many years.  He is supportive of my endeavors (in general), ...

I'm just sitting here, watching the pre-Oscar festivities. Den is flipping between Catwoman and the pre-Oscars. I actually enjoyed Catwoman. Few people who aren't classic comics geeks know that there were actually 2 Catwomen - one in the Batman series, and one (like the Halle Berry character) who was a thief and general semi-bad girl. The movie gets the conflict right. I'm watching the promos for Immortalized - the Taxidermy Competition. I truly can't believe that these freak shows get the audience they do. I should get busy grading - I have a lot of stuff to catch up on. I've worked hard today, even without getting to the schoolwork. I finished the coursework for the Oceanography class this week (couldn't have done it without my husband), worked in the yard, helped prepare dinner, and caught up on preparation for my next week's lessons.