How Can You Spot "The Good Guys"?

"Hurray for the Red, White, and Purple"

"Oh the green rose of Texas - is the one I long to see"

"Please release me - let me go - 'cause I can't take it Anymore"

People who are dominated by a fear of failure will never grow as a person.  Politicians should keep this in mind.

"Is your TV political hue suffering from a Rightward Shift?"

"How is it a negro is considered "uppity" when one would think nothing of it if a White engaged in the same behavior?"  When a Christian puts his beliefs into practice, we call it "being a good witness" but when an Atheist puts his belief into practice- - we call them names - and lose all respect for them.

Just in case Norman Goldman is too stupid to realize it, one should always ask himself whether the net result of his conduct serves the Good or serves the Evil and the Adverse.  (more on this later)

This is a time when moral darkness has descended on our national politic.  Last night I was watching a replay of all things of “Meet the Press” in the big room, and in this case it was useful to hear that material again.  Sixty Minutes featured the way that all of Obama’s advisers think he’s crazy for (a) not leaving troops behind in Iraq, and they recommended ten thousand, and (b) also not funding the training of moderates in Syria a year ago.  And today on Sean Hannity’s show - - Sean was reiterating the reality of a situation where everybody is abandoning this President, even former administration officials, being very public and vocal in coming out against his confused foreign policy these days.  Hannidy says “All these people are giving the President a wake up call but he’s not listening”.   Meanwhile everybody is point out that all of these Democratic candidates for senate in particular, are running away from the President.  Even in Kentucky where Obama Care has been so successful- - his lady democratic opponent would rather be off shooting guns in her political ads rather than brag about Obama Care working out so well in Kentucky.  All these toothless hillbillies now may be getting medical care for the first time in their lives- - being helped for things like chronic diabetes.  They now live healthier, longer, and more productive lives- - yet no one dares raise their voice to praise the President’s policies.  Instead the people respond “Hell I’ve voted Republican all my life and see no reason to change now” and still other remarks like “You know I’ve got a good medical plan now.  It’s just too bad a white person didn’t pass it”.   It was suggested that Obama and Hillary are both seen as inherently “the other” being either the wrong race or the wrong sex.  And the media is protecting the rich.  Don’t expect these hillbillies to hear the truth when they turn on the nightly news.  The only place we ever heard about that climate change rally and march in New York City - - was on the Sean Hannity show.  He says “these rich people are hypocrites because they fly around in private jets”.   The logic is flawed.  For instance if I’m a devout Christian faithfully married to “the wife of my youth” and then I hear that Jimmy Swaggart was caught with a prostitute, the first thought to enter my mind would NOT be “Gee, my whole marriage has been a waste of time- - now I have an excuse to start going out and frequenting prostitutes”.   Thom Hartman almost cryptically quoted James Madison in Federalist Paper number ten- - and the words are so applicable to today it’s almost eery.  Madison wrote that “factions” are the thing where the danger to good government lies. It’s been factions that have been so toxic and brought about the deaths of many a populist government”.   Thom points out that when it comes to corporate pollution of the planet - - the people at large support “good government” meaning to address the problems we face on the planet.  It’s rather the Koch Brothers and groups that advertise on the media - - that are a self interested faction”.   Madison reminds us that “with factions, it’s always their self interest first - - but hopefully this constitution will all the strengths of good democratic government to prevail”.   I think the fifty cent word of the day here is “prescient”.

But instead we get treated to a movie version of “Atlas Shrugged”.  If Michael Moore had produced this movie people would be criticizing it for “absurdly over the top and exagurated”.   Now I know where people like Judy and Glen Beck get some of their ideas.  The way it goes is that the economy crashes- - and the people revolt and set up a new socialist government.  Suddenly all of the rich people move out into a settlement out west somewhere to a place called Golf Gulch or something.  But despite the fact that their “workers” (I’ll refrain from saying “slaves”) don’t follow their former overlords- - these people are just as neatly dressed and groomed as they ever were - - as they meet in their cocktail parties plotting their comeback.  And this “reunion” is where the movie focuses- - as though it’s the “good rich people” coming back to reclaim what is rightfully theirs which has been stolen from then.  Judy is constantly saying “You know if things get too bad under Obama the rich people will just leave the country” and my first reaction is “is that a promise?”   Ayan Rand came up with the “Greed is Good” gospel thirty years before Gordon Gecko did.  This is why Judy balks at the idea of ever “fixing” the problem of us jobs being shipped off to China.  After all it would violate a person’s natural right to unlimited greed, and when push comes to shove, greed trumps nationalism every time.  So even when the democrats offer up tax bills to “fix’ the problem in ways outlined by candidate Romney and other Republicans back then- - the Republican congress will balk.  They are that hell bent on making Obama look bad.  You will recall that Ayan Rand is one of the most A-moral and immoral people to walk the planet.  It is she who is the hypocrite while celebrating almost brutish force of “lone wolf” rule - - -and individual prerogatives- - while at the same time living out her final days on both Social Security and Medicare.  She’s not only A-moral but sociopathic and even psychopathic.  She champions the causes of the most violent rapists and murderers.  Even in “Atlas Shrugged” there is apparently a scene where a woman is raped by one man and then another and concludes- - “Well- - it’s a man’s prerogative and after all- - that’s kind of what women are for” or some such thing.  There is a scene about a train being scheduled to run through a quiet residential neighborhood at 65 mph and then a leader says “No, we aren’t going to do it at 65 mph but at a hundred miles per hour”.  These characters glory in evil and violation of laws of both God and man with impugnity.  Not since “Damn Yankees” has there ever been a character who relished sheer Evil so much.   We live now in this Orwellian reality.

I’ll make this paragraph short and sweet.  Not only is it cowardess for a person not to live by his moral principles- - but in the end "It doesn't work, either".  You end up being a nobody.  If President Obama had made an issue out of the Aurora theater shooting in July of 2012 during the campaign and took a strong stance on firearms regulation legislation, he might have lost, but he could look himself in the mirror without flinching, and be respected even by his victors.  I would put it more bluntly.  "If I lose an election for following my conscience on firearms legislation - -then I'd rather lose an election because for me anyhow, selling out such an important belief just wouldn't be worth it.  President Obama says he'll take action on Immigration but then balks in order to "cut his losses".  How many sports events have been lost for "Just trying not to lose, rather than focus on winning"?  It pertains to the idea that we Democrats ought to styfle our own ideals and get in line with whatever Norman Goldman’s definition of “conformity” and unity are.  How long are democrats going to drink this poison Kool-Aid of consiliation and “compromise”.   They say that insanity is doing to same thing over and over and expecting a different result.  There was this new show I forget which, where they said “These democrats who run away from the liberal policies of the democratic party - - are engaging in a strategy that has never worked in the past but they keep doing it”.  We hear the term “triangulation” that worked for Clinton and brought us complete deregulation of the media, and the financial system, and NAFTA and all the other trade agreements.  If a nation violates a UN resolution we’ll condemn them- - UNLESS of course it’s Israel doing it.  With the national media  it’s all running away- - running away from political corruption stories - - or abuse of power by republican Governors- - pension funds robbing- union busting- - lack of Wall Street enforcement - - getting into another multi year war in the Mideast - - keeping taxes low for corrupt corporations- - suspending pollution regulation - -  selling out our privacy and constitutional rights - -  giving these GMO food people a pass - no offence to Norman Goldman but I’m wondering what CORE ISSUE if any- - he’s ready to go to the mat for.  (Selah

I received that “The Week” magazine at the diner table.  It said that CO2 in the air in the world now is at a new all time high in 2013, and it doesn’t bode well for climate change being lessened any time soon.   Also there was a thing that said that - - people who smoke marijuana have a “sixty percent less probability of graduating High School”.  I tried to figure out that that meant.   If a pot head has a 60% probability of graduating then 36 is 60% of 60.   That would be 9 fours out of 15 fours, making a 96% probability for an upstanding student that never takes drugs.  The trouble is- - what if the next year the pot head score improves a bit to 65% - - this would put the level for the non drug user up over a hundred percent probability.    Here’s another way you can look at the same figures though.   Let’s say the non pot smoker has a 95% chance of graduating High School.  8 is 60% greater than 5.   So this would mean that the pot heads of the class still have a 92% chance of graduation, and to paraphrase Jack Nichelson “92% ain’t bad”.