Life is different except when it is the same

IF YOU HAVE READ THE PREVIOUS POSTS, THEN...

As I am working on rebranding this blog and the other one that I haphazardly post to, I read the last post on this site. Isn't it something that nothing has changed for the better since I first wrote it. Except that after a tumultuous year (2017) both in my private life and the public place, I have somewhat reformed my FB habits. I am much more careful about the amount of snark that I reply to on other folks' political quips.

I have found that the application of law and order, right and wrong, morality/immorality is highly dependent on peoples political/religious affiliation, ethnic sensitivity, or xenophobic behavior. Simply said, if you are a white republican (democrats are guilty too) then you could shoot someone on the street (5th Ave [sic]) and still have their support. Another example is, if you stage an armed revolt over grazing rights, then you are a patriot freedom fighter, but if you march for equal protection under the law and call for #blacklivesmatter too, then you should be jailed or shot down (ala Ted Nugent). Nice huh? "What a fine mess we have here, Stan!" "Ooooh, Ollie..."

The ruling class, worldwide, has convinced us poor working stiffs that what is good for them is good for the world, no matter what it does to us or the poor. A recent meme that compared equality with slavery has finally cleared up the problem or the question for me. That is, what do words mean? Are they meaningless (having so many conflicting meanings as to render them only as page art) or do they really depict what the writer intended? 

Is equality just a flowery calligraphy exhibit in our founding documents, our laws? Or is it a curse for us to only use for our own purposes, an ideal to never achieve in our wildest aspirations? 

The love of money is the root of all evil. That evil drives us to achieve what we will never achieve. It is that love that the ruling class uses to enslave us at their wage labor by convincing us that inequality is not slavery, that we too can become like them if only we will keep our nose to their grindstone. I'm afraid my nose has been ground off. I will never be like them (Thank my Lord and Savior for that). I will shed real tears when I see my peers trying to run that race on a spinning wheel just like a hamster in a cage. 

If you watch the hands and listen to the blather, instead of paying attention to the walnut shells, you'll never find the pea. And then the game is lost.

Repost, Reposte', Riposte'

  Interestingly enough, I just pulled this up with the intention of posting something about the current state of affairs in the good ol' USA and what did I find? A rant, precursor if I may, of what we are experiencing right now.  Anyway, if you haven't read the piece below, go for it, you might agree or disagree. 

But stay tuned for my next post.  MDL 3Feb2017

 

I posted this nearly two years ago, and although I have a bit more control of my temper the premise is the same. The memes are more numerous than ever, positing, poisoning, mean insulting memes. The events of this week lends themselves to full on madness from some quarters, great sadness from others, and reasoned/unreasoned fear from yet others. And to top it all off, our nation is in the middle of a presidential election that will prove to be the worst campaign season, including the 1968 death of Bobby Kennedy, of my life. I hope it isn't as disastrous as that one. Read, rage, and comment if you will. It seems that my voice will be heard once again. New material to come.

Today’s Debate----Tomorrow’s Fight

I think I called some one a nincompoop the other day. Of course it was from the safety of my desk chair and my faceless profile picture. No worries about the object of my scorn reaching through my computer screen and breaking my nose. Maybe next time I can call him an F_ _ _in’ idiot (and no I don’t mean any of the ‘F’ euphemisms). How un-civil do I have to be before I have crossed that “damned rude SOB” barrier? Well, I am guessing not that far.

When browsing through Facebook posts, Tweets, email, God blackmail (forward this a zillion times in 10 minutes or burn in hell), I find myself building up a head of steam that only has a short safety valve on it. When I don’t get control, it blows and Heaven help anyone or thing in the way. I cuss at the TV, I swear at the computer. I bash the table with my fist (I promised I wouldn’t crush the keyboard ever again), and have been known to kick a wall or slam a door. Or, lately I have taken to writing scathing remarks in response to something that I don’t agree with. Sometimes I delete them before pushing the send button, sometimes not. My fingers will fly over the keyboard and when I look up and see the missed keystrokes and mis-spelled words, it just fuels the flames of indignation.

Another bad habit I have acquired, tit-for-tat meme posting. I will search for what seems hours to find that perfect rebuttal meme or article to slam down as proof that I am right. I have yet to see an article or meme that has converted the sadly misinformed FB poster. For every pro article I can find, there are dozens of negative ones. Pro-petroleum (jobs, healthy car idling, what smog?) to the Negative on that Black Gold crowd (climate change, stinky water, can’t see the bunnies for all that haze)…are good examples of that.

I know that there are myriad definitions of what constitutes a good “Christian” but can’t we all agree that we can be civil without bringing faith into the equation? Faith provokes more conflict rather than mutual agreement. My faith is better than your…just what do you call yourselves these days? I hope you catch the sarcasm there. I am trying to remember we are each human beings and deserve respect for our ideas and opinions even if we don't agree with each other. These days it is hard to find a forum where you can discuss your opinions and bounce your ideas off someone who isn’t invested in our ego. That’s what makes FB and the Twitterverse and email lists so important. Just being able to provide feedback on a news article (TV or print) is a wonder and seeing the different responses (absent the rude SOB’s) is wonderful.  BTW what do you think of that woman who bought all of the T-shirts that she thought pornographic from a mall store? (Explain that to your spouse, “Honey, I spent this week’s paycheck buying all of the beer at the pub down the street so that little Joey wouldn’t be tempted. Oh and by the way, I couldn’t bear the thought of wasting all of that money so I had to drink it all before I came home.)

Don’t get the idea that I am saying that you or I have to lose our passion for the causes we feel strongly for. I hope that we can all continue to respond to the issues of today with that passion and our opinions no matter how messed up others think they are. Just remember, if you want the privilege of spouting off about (name a topic) then you have to recognize my right to do the same. Nobody made me the King of the World.

And like previous posts this is the Answer from the Great Basin, feel free to express (within the conditions of my blog) the Answer from wherever you are.