Who's Leading This Latest Craziness

Ahem...help me! Did I process this information correctly? There were Tea Parties protesting the spending and taxing of the Obama administration a few days ago and they're really ticked off!

Wait a second. I haven't been made aware of ANY taxes that the Obama administration has imposed. Have you? And, this spending all these folks have been freakin' out about started WAY BEFORE Obama stepped into office. Why weren't they protesting in the streets during the BUSH administration?

Do I agree with all the stuff that's happened over the last six months with the bail-outs and such...not completely. But, the fact remains that we gotta get out of the mess that Georgie left us (which all these protesters went along with).

Texas Gov. Rick Perry refuses to take federal funds and threatens to have Texas secede from the Union, which is starting to sound ok to me, except...it reminds me of the folks who come to your house, make a complete mess of the place and leave without cleaning up after themselves.

So...in a strange twist, we can thank Texas for bringing us the Bushes, helping to put them in charge, enabling them to make a mess of the country, and then saying we're leaving you with all the crap! How American...no accountability, yet so much of the reason for the problem!

Combining the Seven Deadly Sins and the Ten Commandments

For years I've thought about the Seven Deadly Sins and the Ten Commandments and how relevant they are to our world today. I've read and re-read them and found them, while interesting and somewhat meaningful, lacking some very positive influences.

First, I gotta say that they throw around a lot of negativity. Plenty of "Thou Shalt Nots" and not much what "Thou Shalt." So I've kinda made a combind list for our lives today. Not that the other ones don't hold water, but...let's take a look.

The 8 Deadly Sins that have become Commandments and what to do about them:

1. Ignornace - Listen, learn, read.
2. Intolerance - Be open to other's values, cultures, and beliefs.
3. Being Overly Serious - Laugh a lot. Especially at yourself. Laughter, humor, and lightness are the jewels of life.
4. Greed - That stays. Don't take advantage of others...period.
5. Distain for love and sex - What's better than love? And...how else are we gonna continue as a species?
6. Lack of empathy - Care for your fellow beings. It's that old, do unto others thing, AND walk a mile in someone else's shoes idea, AND that could be me perspective.
7. Hypocracy - Do I really have to say anything about that? Just look at CEO's, politicians, religious leaders, hmm...almost everybody. Stop it already! Live a caring life and do as you say.
8. Violence - If we were took care of the first seven, then violence wouldn't nearly be the problem that it is.

Well...that's my list. Got any others? Just add 'em!

I think we need a mental overhaul as a global society. Maybe changing our Sins and Commandments (or at least recognizing that there's a severe need for new ones) will help lead us out of the morass we're in.

How government leaders get the populace to fight

We're viewing one of my favorite movies this week...Why We Fight.
After you've seen it you get a new and/or broader perspective on how leaders can get their people to do just about anything...even lay their lives on the line - by wrapping information into a propaganda machine and manipulating the media and the public for power, profit, and political gain.

It's based on President Eisenhower's farewell address - one of those speeches that has stayed with me my entire life (at least a specific part of it). Beware of the military-industrial complex...was his warning, and that's from a Five Star General who was the Supreme Allied Commander in World War II.

The film takes the viewer through WWII, Vietnam, Iraq, and other conflicts and includes interviews with people from both sides of the political spectrum including members of the CIA and military.

Why We Fight is a movie that makes you think about things you've been told over and over again your whole life. And leaves you with the question: "How do we let them get away with it?!"
The fault may just be within ourselves.

We need more George Carlins

There are very few individuals who did more to make Americans aware of the unethical behavior of others, the absurdities of life, and our overly consumerist ways, than George Carlin. While making us laugh he brought us face-to-face with our hypocracies and faults, our fractured government and our complacency.

He proded and poked us, took us to the edge of our reality and made us look at it squarely in the face. And...he didn't put up with any crap. No one and nothing could prevent him telling us that we must stop blindly following our governmental, corporate, societal, and religious leaders.

He even gave us solutions.

As I watched his YouTube videos last night I couldn't help but wonder how he would have reacted had he lived to receive his Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. last November. Certainly the "bleep" machine would have had to work overtime for the nationally televised program.
Interesting...the man who made us look at our absurdities would probably been compelled to deal with being "bleeped" out for the langauge which helped emphasize the very thing he was awarded for - his no holes barred insightful humor.

So, let's see...you can show people being shot, stabbed, and killed on TV but the Mark Twain Prize winner can't do his entire act in front of a television audience. How crazy is that?!

I thought we were always taught as children that..."sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." Guess the guys at the FCC need to get some childhood lessons.

Love ya George!

Oh yeah...and to read the Washington Post's review of the Award Show and the "sanitizing" of the program, cut and paste the link below.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/14/AR2008111403702.html