Musings of a Dumb Ass
Musings of a Dumb Ass...... Lately I've been spending some surf time looking over some of my fellow bloggers offerings and even getting forward enough to make comments on some of them, which I'm not altogether sure is the right thing to do, because a persons position or feeling on a given issue or situation is certainly their right and privelidge and anothers take on it might be an invasion or at best rude behaviour. Having said that, I must confess getting an e-mail or a post on my site is great, positive or negative, and I welcome them all. There's more than a few out there that feel The President is stupid and a liar and the truth doesn't dwell in him. Other's think that some lies are acceptable no matter. Since myself nor any of my fellow writers are not elected officials, the truth as we speak it is not any less important than than the utterances of those who lead us. What does set us apart is the obligation of honesty as it applies to the direction of the country we live in and our lives from day to day. First off folks, The President isn't stupid. Give it up and get it out of your way so your not encumbered in your own assessment of how we arrived to where we are. He does have a Rube way of speech, but so did Sam Walton. As to the lying end of things, after Bill Clinton's explanation of how the word 'is' is used and defined, we must all agree that the act of what appears to be lying may only be a variation of how you look at the truth. I prefer to think those who are in power both politically and financially live in a world separate to themselves and only THINK they understand everyone else's. While facts and figures may abound about an issue and be at the fingertips of those who make decisions, who among us truly believes they understand the misery handed out by the warlords of third world countries in Africa, and the hopelessness and heartbreak of a mother as she watches her baby as it dies from starvation, as she waits for it to be over? And who among us really believes any elected official has the first real life clue on how it is for a family in the ghetto or in the trailerpark or wherever, manages survival in the world the politician has designed for himself and is giving favoritism to those who made it easier for him to be where he is? The 'good old boy' club has been around since authority was invented and is chaired successively by those who manage to claw their way into the seat only to be the prize of their successor as time takes its toll. As I've surfed bloggdom I've seen an incredible amount of talent in wordsmithing. Most of it is expended in experiencing the writers emotion of the moment, or just enjoying their spot in life where they can be free of consequences for what they percieve as 'free thinking', some are experimenting, searching for the parameters of what they can make a reader believe, and some are trying to advance what they truly believe is correctness in a political party or position. The common denominator most share is the inability to look at a situation or fact as existing, without the evil intent or evil behaviour of an individual hell bent on personal gain being the sole reason for the situation or fact existing to begin with. Who among us would have the audacity to believe in our heart of hearts that any President in history or those to come in the future would have an agenda to destruct The United States of America? Instead, we the people have gotten to a place that truth and fact isn't what drives us, and instead we imagine a world that is variable and acceptable according to whatever makes 'our guy' look good and 'their guy' look bad, and what can we personally get the most out of and do the least for it. Me? I'm just a Dumb Ass...........
posted by Bo at 1:00 PM
6 Comments:
Hey Bo,
My turn to comment on your blog. As I have said before, I don't have a horse in this race. But I have done some thinking about life, political or otherwise. It would seem that we are tribal by nature: we look after our own and we are wary of the "other". Part of being civilized or socialized is the recognition that we're all in this together and that one of our goals needs to be figuring out how to get along.
Out of this comes the concept of the "public good" and (IMHO) leadership of a group should involve determining and achieving what is good for the group. To do so, we need to transcend our basic selfish (tribal) instincts. While recognizing that "you can't please everyone, all the time", you must try to achieve the right balance for the public good; balancing the majority's interests and the individual's interests.
I can accept and respect the efforts of others (even if I disagree with their decisions) as long as it appears to me that they are trying their best to achieve what is good for the public and not just look after their buddies. I know people make sacrifices so as to benefit the group and I know of people who will loot the cookie jar as soon as they can get their hand into it.
What we can do as citizens, is care enough to become informed, participate (at least by voting), to lead by example and to hold ourselves and others to high standards while at the same time being tolerant of differences.
That being said, I need to stand up for what I believe in and hold our elected officials accountable. One of the surest signs of a scoundrel is the accusation that disagreeing is unpatriotic. Democracy thrives on healthy informed public debate. Decisions should be made based on reason, facts and logic should be scrutinized.
When people lie, they are telling me that they know that they're wrong and they're trying to hide it. But without being a big Bill Clinton apologist, lying about having had a blowjob from someone who was not your wife to try to keep it secret and lying about WMD so as to *start* a war, are not equal. How can anyone who thought that Clinton's lies were worthy of impeachment not think that Bush should be impeached for lying about starting a war or spying illegally on Americans?
As I have said before, none of us is perfect, but we can do the best we can and expect that others (especially those entrusted by voters to look after the public good) to do so as well.
Bill
I enjoy your blog because it's 100% you.
Well by golly Bill, thanks for coming by. I think you have a great awareness of how we should be and I agree with the general comment you've made. However I do think you'd find a much larger crop to harvest if you look beyond the establishment as it pertains to our government and think on a wider plain. We always get hamstrung with Bill Clinton's blowjob in our desire to prove George Bush is either stupid or more inept, but Wild Bill has many disasters to his credit and lots of forays that were worse than Monica in the oval office. We overlook Nafta and Gatt that has witnessed an unbelievable loss of American jobs across the borders, and we forget his attack on the aspirin factory to divert what he thought was impending hellfire in the Monica backlash, and there's much more to ponder about Bill Clinton. Having said that, understand I do believe that Dubya is among the most dangerous that has ever occupied the office and I don't see how anyone could dispute we have arrived to the entrance of World War 3 under his leadership. It does not go unnoticed by me that without fail The Democrats joined in unison to pursue this idiotic direction. So, ya' see Bill, from my vantage point they're all just about alike, and I believe that to remain in a frick or frack option has little chance for repair of what's really wrong. I am still convinced the only way correction can be made is to have options to choose from that are viable rather than a continuation of the same old. And this can be achieved without anarchy or violent revolution. It simply takes courage on the part of those who think true change is impossible, the American voter.... Come back often, Bo
Hey Bo,
As I have said before, I'm no big fan of Clinton's and I was critical of his of a number of his policies at the time. However, he's not President anymore. I don't care about Democrats or Republicans, I care about good government. I think that government has (and can be) a force for good.
I don't think that we are worlds apart on the issues or what we value but I don't understand what you suggest or advocate that one should do? Should one vote? My friend thinks she should vote for the best person, a "third party" candidate, we really reflects here views. I understand that and can respect her choice but what good does it do for any of us except make her feel good about herself?
Does she (do you) think that a "third way" could win? It seems to me that one has to control government to make it do anything and the only way to form the government is to get a majority of voters to agree with you and that seems to require compromise i.e. not exactly what you wanted but something we could all live with.
What good does it do to say "none of the above"? Do you vote? Are you trying to change things? Do you try to influence government; legislators and voters? Do you just say: there all a bunch of bleeps and forget about it? I'm really asking these questions and not trying to be judgmental, I'd really like to know what you think.
Bill
Hi Bill... You bet I vote. Haven't missed one since Lyndon Johnson. Voting is the only hope for correction. If not that, we would be reduced to the same behaviour of those countries we abhor. But I also believe the idea that it's too big to beat isn't healthy. Instead of taking the attitude that a third party movement only results in helping someone else win by siphoning off votes I take the opposite attitude that at least someone had the courage to stand up for a true change and no one can deny Ross Perot didn't prove that status quo is vulnerable. He just wasn't THE MAN to do it. I was a teen-ager in the late fifties and grew up in what was probably the greatest time and place for a human to do so. Since then I've seen things change to the place that the freedom I enjoyed and the future I had is no longer available to you, and it was taken from you at the expense of not only you but your grandchildren by a socialistic movement and the politician's need to be popular and in power. Vote? Absolutely Bill.... But I'm not afraid to vote, and I can not buy into a frick or frack choice when I still have the right to ask for better. You have youth and passion on your side not to mention a very active thought process and a way with words. I'm satisfied that one day soon you'll ask yourself 'what IS the difference' between 'them and us' and which one am I? Keep hammering Bill. The people have the nails.... and they'll be glad to hand them too you.... Regards, Bo
I'm not sure I completely agree on the "good old boy" philosophy of our elected officials. I agree that that's what many of them become. However, some of them have come from pretty humble beginnings. Texas Governor Rick Perry is a great example. If you ever get a chance to read his story, by all means do it, because it's pretty fascinating to see how he went from a small town Texas rancher to an Air Force pilot, back to rancher, and later, a friend of his convinced him to venture into politics.
The problem is that many of the Rick Perrys become "good old boys." They enter into the system and conform to the system. Not everyone is a slave to the system. Former Texas Congressman Steve Stockman isn't, in my opinion. But the nature of the American political beast is that it is a system, and one that anyone venturing into politics must at least become familiar with, or at least familiar enough to succeed in the system.
In any event, it's great to read what you have to say Bo. I'd throw a link on my blog to yours, but I have 10 little siblings (the youngest is less than a week old), and the last thing I need is for one of them to say, "Mom, did you see Joey's blog? It says ass!!" (Yes, that's a forbidden word where I grew up.)
But hey, I'll still enjoy the posts.
10 children??? That would make you an incredible individual in my book, and undoubtably made of the right stuff. We all probably have different ideas about what a 'good old boy'is and likewise what a 'good old boy' system is. In same party politics the 'you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours' is played to the point that sensible and good legislation gets lost in the trade out game that we call compromise, and the one who compromises himself to play the game becomes a member of the good old boy system. I don't know of anyone who's grabbed the brass ring that wasn't a master player. I'm smart enough to understand give and take is a necessary thing to move a piece of legislation through to passage, and may be improved on it's journey. I'm also old enough to look back and see the folly and danger of trade off's that create what I call 'a good old boy world'. 10 children? When do you have time to think? Come back often....Bo
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