This week I thought I'd kind of go over a few things that make me scratch my head. I'm not talking about your average run-of-the-mill scratching either but speak of doing so in such a violent manner that most of my scalp forms into tiny particles and becomes airborne.
How was that for an attention-seizing opening paragraph? I hope you are still here and have erased that particular imagery from your minds.
The first thing I shall bring to light is about those who claim to loathe the government and want it to be shrunk down in size so that the entirety of it could be drowned in a bathtub. This drowning in a tub jazz was actually spoken by someone at some point but I cannot recall who and when. Perhaps I shall check and put it here in parenthesis? OK hold on....Here it is and I'm not using parenthesis: Lobbyist Grover Norquist is a well-known proponent of the strategy and has famously said, "My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub."
Moving along with this train of thought, I'm not a super fan of government this or that either but that means that I do not defend said government well, hardly ever. That is not the case with this specific segment of society that I mentioned above.
They hate all things government, don't trust or believe most politicians and yet clutch pearls and become offended when a person points out the history of what our government has done here at home and in other countries. Help me to understand this if you would. Not to mention, but I must, these same people would call the police if Person X did not stand to salute the flag during a public meeting, for one example. Hmm.
I don't support the crime family (with extended members) that we call the government either but I also don't lose a total grip if the evils of said government are pointed out to me. “We” are now openly and in an unapologetic manner, chomping at the bit to overturn a democratically elected leader in another country—wait, make that 2 countries—now that I ponder. However, some will defend this action (especially if their “side” is in office) while at the same time claiming that Russia stole the election for Trump. “I can't believe this! How dare they totally get involved in our democracy!” Sarcasm is clearly intended in the above sentence. The whole thing is making my head spin faster than usual.
The next observation is more or less a seasonal one and has little to do with politics unless you are one of the people flipping out over climate change. I will leave that for another time, or not, on second thought. I wonder why every year people in this area of delightful northwestern Pennsylvania collectively lose minds because the temperatures are frigid.
I'm not fond of super low temperatures but I live in PA and it's one of the perks of doing so. (I say perks because there is no better relief from a hot-flash than stepping onto the front porch in sub zero temperatures.) This is how things go here, ladies and gentlemen. I know this is shocking and lurid but it is also true: WE LIVE IN A STATE THAT GETS COLD IN THE WINTER.
I would be concerned if we didn't get the freezing temperatures as I believe they help to kill certain germs so that we don't get too sick. I could be wrong about this but it does make sense and it sounds good enough for the purposes of this piece.
This next one is something that really blows my mind, as the saying goes. I just cannot understand at all why people continue to do this especially because it has been proven to be detrimental in all ways. I speak of garnering any information at all from the mainstream so-called “media” outlets. When I say mainstream I also include Fox, for your information. I've gone over this before but am nothing if not redundant so here I go again.
Fox News' biggest accomplishment is that they have managed to convince a large swath of society that somehow they are not “mainstream media.” It's really quite incredible when one ponders on it but it is true. ALL television and cable media is hideous. Fox is NOT the only horrid cable outlet, they ALL are. (Actually regular non-cable network news stinks to the max as well.)
People call most all media “liberal media,” which I think is a misnomer. It would be best if they called it, “establishment-defending-media” instead because, well, that's what they do. ALL outlets come together to support war, increasing military budget and supplying some sort of bogyman in order to keep the beast called the Military Industrial Complex (MIC) alive and well. Doesn't anyone remember Ike's final address to the country about said MIC? If not, it is easy to find with a quick search on a computer.
The same pattern or template is used over and over and over again to keep the public in fear of “the other” and to keep the MIC thriving. Several words and/or phrases come to mind and should be on your radar as well. Just a few are: The So and So REGIME did such and such today; The ILLEGITIMATE leader of Country X is OPPRESSING his people; COMMUNISM must be defeated so it doesn't spread to other countries in our region; TERRORISM is wide-spread in Area B and we must aid those citizens.
Meanwhile back at home we have families going bankrupt over medical costs; we have Flint, Michigan, residents STILL being poisoned by their drinking water; at least 23 veterans a DAY commit suicide and we have the largest number of people in prison per capita of any developed country. But hey, let's focus on what the squawk box in the corner is telling us about alleged human rights violations in other places!! Yes, what a wonderful idea.
Again, I will remind you darling readers, and those who might not be so adorable, that 6 corporations control at least 90% of what the public is fed. This happens via the “news,” books, movies and a few other outlets as well. They are “in charge” of pushing the narrative. They decide what we should know. Shouldn't this make you angry like it does me?
Please turn OFF the mainstream television. Sadly NPR and PBS (National Petroleum Radio and Petroleum Broadcasting System) are also compromised. All one really need do is follow the money. The charming and environmentally friendly (boy the sarcasm is getting thick) Koch Brothers are BIG supporters of these particular outlets. I know it's difficult to find truly independent media that is funded by viewer dollars and viewer dollars only but I have faith that you will be able to unearth some if you really try.
I am going to end this with a goofy observation and step away from the more serious jazz. Another thing I've noticed is that I tend to wind down (as in winding a clock) when laughing. I think this is something that happens to most everyone when they reach a certain age. In the olden days when I was a teen and in my twenties even, I don't recall the winding down portion of my laughter but can no longer ignore this most pressing and urgent issue.
I used to more or less tease Mother for being a “winder downer” in terms of laughing but have discovered that I began to do so probably in my early forties. (I will be 55 on February 9 by the by—yes, cards and letters are welcome.)
It's almost like a siren sound—not during the laugh but toward the end. You know how the siren kind of fades away but can still be heard after blasting out the eardrums? Well this is the best description I can muster for the whole “winding down whilst laughing” phenomenon that happens as we age.
I think that sums it up for the week ladies and gents. I can't think of a cute or particularly endearing closing, so I will simply end this sentence.
THE END (Interstate Crosscheck, “War is a Racket,” by General Smedley Butler, AIPAC lobby, “Erasing the Liberty,” by Phillip F. Tourney)