The "Trump" Thing.....

It's past time to believe that Trump doesn't have a chance to be the Republican nominee for president. In fact, it's MUCH more likely than not that he will win the delegates to become face of the GOP in November. How do I feel about that? A little bit "weirded" out by it, but mostly, I'm on board with his being the nominee. The GOP and frankly, the country has it coming. It's what we want. It's what we deserve. 

Look, we can't have a hateful, angry, and deceiptful political climate that is allowed to flourish in Washington DC and act like we (the voters, the American people) are not the biggest part of the problem. We refuse to wake up. Well, some of us have. You can read back about 5 years through this blog and know that I've been preaching on how much trouble we are in for awhile. It's our fault. How? Because we have treated our political parties like they are teams we root for. The country is just a big game and the Republicans and Democrats are the teams. We love our team so much we become apologists. We hate the other team so much that we demonize the people in it, regardless if its' supporters, candidates, or "leaders" seem to want to do things that may be in the nations best interest. We punish those that may want to help, by demonizing them simply because they don't wear the same color we do. To be able to hold our people in office to a standard, we should be that standard. Instead, we watched Honey Boo Boo, the Dumb Fuck Dynasty, Real Housewives, and Survivor until we ruined any sense of decency, dignity, or respectability. People have absolutely no respect for anyone else (especially those that disagree with us) when it comes to listening to an opinion. We have killed off debate. We have killed off being open to new ideas.

The only way I could be happier with what is happening with the political climate this year is if Sanders becomes the Democrat nominee. These two parties need an enema, and we need to take a look at who we are and what we expect our leaders to be going forward. What we have right now, is what we want. A loud mouthed, alpha male bully and a two-faced, elitist criminal. An enema for the parties? Hell, what we really need is total collapse. 

Trump has risen because there is a growing segment of our population that is tired of the people they vote for not doing what they say they are going to do or at best, not even trying. Any Republican that cares or votes regularly should be angry about the lies they have been told by their candidates for the last 20 years. Ideally, conservatives should support the individual liberties of the citizens. They should not support our military being used for nation building. They should not be OK with healthcare, war, and education being insanely "for profit" enterprises for major corporations. A real conservative would demand that the leadership attack the size of government, including the role government can play in controlling our everyday lives. A real conservative would demand that federal programs (and even a non-federal entity like the Federal Reserve) be audited and investigated  from time to time to eliminate fraud, waste, and the misuse of tax payer money. Not to mention the Fed controlling our money, but not being accountable for it. Stop trying to get involved in everyone's bedrooms and personal lives. Stop stifling civil rights. Stop trying to push the nation towards theocracy and using a 2,000 year old book as a template for foreign policy. Those are the things that conservatives should be thinking about. The so-called conservative leaders that people keep voting for are definitely NOT conservative. They are social fascists that spend more time trying to retain power and strip rights from others than they do dealing with the collapse of our healthcare, economy, and educational system.  

The hate heaped on Bill Clinton, and I remember it well, pale's in comparison to what happened to George W Bush and Barack Obama. The outright hatefulness of our nation has been on display for 24 years and we are now paying the price. We believe it's our duty to shout down the opposition. We now believe it's our right to take away the rights of others if we disagree. The mealy mouthed politician that says one thing and does another is the norm, not the exception. The weak way congress has approached problems, by tacking on lines to bills that have nothing to do with the subject so they can make some fat cat somewhere happy, has caused delay in action and most of the time it causes inaction or at the very least a weak stab at working out a problem. 

Which, now leads me to "The Donald". He is everything that the hard core GOP voter wants, but for some reason, they hate him. They say he's not a conservative. Well, as I outlined above, there are not many conservatives left, or at least they now call themselves libertarian (as this writer is prone to do) and the people who THINK they are conservatives are going ape shit crazy hating Donald Trump. Why? He is offering everything they want and he's doing it in a way that should be right up their alley, yet they back the establishment. The very people, like Cruz, Romney, McCain, Graham, Bush, and Rubio, who have paid lip service to conservatism are the ones they will support to the death. They are the haters of Obama who will pull out all the stops to tell you how socialist Obama is or how he is coming after their guns....or how his wife is really a man, or how he is really a Muslim. The same kind of shit they vomit on Obama is in essence the same kind of stuff they are spewing at Trump. THEY are the hateful ones. THEY are the ones that want to stifle freedom. It's team politics, the nation be damned.

Who is Trump and how do his views line up with the modern conservatives? 

Trump has a strong view on Mexican immigration and wants to fund the building of a wall by imposing a tax on imported goods from Mexico.  Isn't that what the so called conservatives SAY they want?

Trump is firmly and without apology a supporter of no changes to the 2nd amendment (gun ownership). Isn't that what the so called conservatives SAY they want?

Trump wants to pour more money into the military and says he will destroy ISIS. Isn't that what the so called conservatives SAY they want?

He wants to defund Planned Parenthood and is anti-abortion. Isn't that what the so called conservatives SAY they want?

He wants a firm debt limit. Isn't that what the so called conservatives SAY they want?

He wants to destroy the trade deficit (which has been overseen and brought on by both parties for decades, killing middle class manufacturing jobs) and make it smart economically for manufacturers to being jobs back to the US. Isn't that what the so called conservatives SAY they want?

He wants to teach citizenship to school children and encourage competition between schools to gain students. Isn't that what the so called conservatives SAY they want?

He wants to either cut into the EPA's budget or eliminate it. Isn't that what the so called conservatives SAY they want?

He wants to kill Obamacare and allow health care savings accounts. Isn't that what the so called conservatives SAY they want?

He says he is a Christian and by the accounts of his family and friends, he doesn't drink or smoke. Or do cocaine. Isn't that what the so called conservatives SAY they want out of a leader?

Do you get the picture? Now, you can say "Well, some of the issues he has changed on and I don't trust that he's a real conservative." OK, so what in the past 20 or 24 years have you seen that leads you to believe that any of those things have been worked towards by the status quo politicians you keep voting for that are bought and sold by major multi-national corporations and special interests? Basically, people want to keep rooting for their team and even though Trump says all the things they should be wanting to hear, they can't let go of the status quo. They can't stop hating the opposition or being apologists for their own team long enough to see they are really being duped and taken for granted.

Do not take ANY of this as some sort of endorsement of Donald Trump. My reasons for wanting him to win are not that I necessarily believe what he says (although I have agreements in areas like trade and the scope of government), but it's about repairing our system. I am a supporter of Gary Johnson and will remain a voter for the Libertarian Party until I have a reason to move in another direction. The only mainstream candidate I would truly consider would be John Kasich, although I have a soft spot for what Bernie is trying to do. He is trying to open a dialogue about our damaged educational and healthcare systems. A dialogue that we need to be adults about and need to start considering if the richest nation in the world should be sliding into the teens and twenties when talking about rankings world-wide in those two areas. It's a disgrace and he will talk about it on a wildly different level, even if his grandest plans are not attainable at this point in time. 

If someone was serious about helping this country, they would want Trump to win and for the GOP to unravel. The Dems need it too, but the topic front and center right now, is the GOP. Trumps voters are attracted to him for what is probably a myriad of reasons, but one of the chief components, in my opinion, is his alpha male leadership quality. He's not spitting out a bunch of mealy mouthed rhetoric, designed to protect his words from being parsed by voters or the media. He is stating things plainly and directly. He's not asking the "tribe" to pitch in and help, he's telling you his going to take care of the problems. He is direct, assertive and without apology and that makes him seem like a very strong man that can be relied upon. Our country is at a crossroads. Many of our citizens are concerned about the future. They are scared of what is happening and uncertain about the future or about what can be done. Trump has tapped into that. In some ways, much like Ross Perot did in 1992. Many Republicans were fed up with George Bush and Perot gave them a simple speaking, direct alternative. Perot spoke like a man that would take charge and lead the nation and many Republican voters left him and some left the party for good, helping Bill Clinton win a 2nd term and turning the nation 50/50 on presidential politics. Trump is running that same game, but it's at a volume of 11. 

The GOP needs to burn. It needs to splinter. The established leadership has gotten too comfortable, just like the Democrats have and it's ruined our nation, divided us as a people, and aided in making us a large group of narcissistic "me" monkeys that have little regard for anything other than their own instant satisfaction. Our ego, as a nation, is out of control. We no longer want to "Walk softly, but carry a big stick" as Theodore Roosevelt viewed our role in the world. We want a big cannon and we want to dare someone to look at us wrong so we can flex our nuts and impose our will. The past two weeks have been epic. I love seeing the party I once voted for and supported coming unhinged. They left me and many others behind. They are showing out to be who the Democrats said they were; cheating, manipulating, do nothings. All of this open talk of changing the rules before the convention (which is perfectly legal, up to one day before it begins, due to the rules drawn up by party establishment), actual collusion between the other candidates, and the mocking of his voters are only going to strengthen the resolve of those supporters and I believe it's going to bring him new supporters. He is making some heads explode and for better or worse, that's not a bad thing. The GOP establishment has been exposed, not by Trump, but by themselves. They have come out of the shadows to pull their monkeyshines and there is no way that the more astute and honest GOP voter can feel good about it. These are people that are going to punish status quo politicians and there are actually new people coming out to vote. The GOP turnout and registration rates are sky rocketing above the Democrats and it's largely due to Trump.  

We need a new system. The two party thing is broken and it may have corrupted and damaged our nation to the point of no return. We need political revolution and I hope it's close for the sake of future generations on this planet. I believe Ross Perot was conception. The Tea Party/Occupy Wall Street movements were the heartbeat and now Trump is the kicking baby. Let the party splinter and hopefully the establishment can go their own way and the true conservative party will be born that is motivated by moving the nation and the citizens forward will embrace libertarians and Republocrats. 

A vote for anyone but Trump is a vote for the status quo. It may hurt, but it's past time to break this thing and then allow for some real leadership to emerge. The wolves on the right have shown themselves. Run them off and then hopefully we can get to work on the Democrats! The worst thing that happens is that Trump gets stone walled by both parties and is a lame duck right after he is sworn in. You have to believe the two parties, if not the GOP only, would have to evaluate what is expected of them from the voters going forward to the next election cycle. Wouldn't it be nice to have 3, 4, or even 5 parties? Wouldn't it be great to be able to find a group that aligns to your beliefs and has to stay beholden to the voter instead of big money interests? Currently, each party knows it has a monopoly on big money contributors and that they are only one election cycle from power. There is little reason to do anything that works against the interests of those that fund their campaigns or to do anything that would limit their time in office. The status quo isn't working. It's time for change. Real, tangible change. 

American Values: They Ain't What They Used To Be

I think it's time we start evaluating our country (USA) a little differently. Our values are changing, yet we seem to hear, almost daily, about how we need to protect traditional American values or family values. 

Values and "family" values are big for Republicans. They are talking points and have been issues that the GOP could rely on to almost always take the starch out of liberal Democrats on. What are traditional family or American values anyhow? We don't really have anything concrete on this, but generally we are talking social issues that have seen most Americans having a conservative viewpoint on. Gun rights. Abortion. Recreational drug use. Gay marriage. Those sorts of things.

A new set of values are being forged. It's been an evolution and it won't be long until the prevailing wisdom will pretty much be on the side of progressives. It's just working out that way as we move forward as a people.

Abortion isn't a topic I like to get into much. I find it to be a terrible procedure and I wish there never had to be another one done. Not because of any high and mighty moral standard or religious belief, but because it's just not the best way for us to show that we value life. With that said, I'm not anti-abortion. I just don't like it. In fact, I'm 2/3 pro-choice. I get squeamish about that last trimester where a cared for baby would likely survive outside the womb and live a life in this day and time. Regardless of what I think, the country as a whole is about 50/50 on it. So, we can't really say anymore that abortion is some rogue undertaking that only the far left champions.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/183434/americans-choose-pro-choice-first-time-seven-years.aspx


Recreational drug use is another social issue that has been at the forefront of the "culture war" for decades. We love our war and Nixon's war on drugs and the super charged "Just Say No" Reagan campaign were crusades to spread misinformation about recreational drugs and to imprison both the user and dealer. In the information age, the truth should win out and it is. I'd never recommend anyone become a habitual user of any substance that wasn't necessary, but then, it's not my place to tell any grown adult what to do or not to do with their body. I'm not an advocate of hard drugs, but anyone that reads my blog regularly knows I am a staunch advocate of responsible marijuana use and I have a soft spot for consciousness expanding psychedelics. Those things have been a positive for me, but I know they wouldn't be for everyone. We have turned the corner. Legal pot is coming. Almost 60% of Americans are now for legalization of herb. I'd say that ship has sailed, as just 46 years ago only 12% favored legalization. Another value that the right wing has lost the edge on.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/186260/back-legal-marijuana.aspx



The last of the "big" values I will address is gay marriage.  It's been validated by the Supreme Court and as a civil rights issue, this was THE biggie. When I hear someone say "leave it to the states" I want to cringe. Leave pot legalization to the states if you want to (although nothing says civil rights like the ability to put what you want to in your own body), but there is no way that marriage isn't a civil right. It wasn't too long ago that mixed marriages were illegal in many states. Try pulling that shit today. You can't have protection and benefit for some and not others based solely on sexual preference.  60% of Americans agree that gay folks should be able to marry. It should probably be 100%, but some people can't escape the trappings of their religious beliefs long enough to think it through. A big "family value" that has shifted sides.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/117328/marriage.aspx



I don't want to make this out to be an anti-Republican or anti-conservative thing. I don't have much use for "sides" anymore. I don't know how much longer our nation can abide this concept that there are two teams playing against each other. When will we bring "we" back into fashion? And by "we" I mean American citizens. It's OK to disagree....it's American to disagree, but at the end of the day, we don't need to fight these paper "wars" over ideas and concepts. In our democratic republic we evolve and change through majority while still giving a voice to those in the minority. The wars on drugs, gay marriage, and abortion are over. The progressive side won out. It is now part of who we are. I have no problem with someone not wanting those things, but you fight these battles through public opinion, which then gives rise to political reality. That's what happened for us to change our perceptions and laws on the subjects and if they are to be reversed, then it should be through the same means.

In my humble opinion, American values means being on the side of individual liberty, while maintaining social standards that give everyone an equal opportunity of success, well being, and happiness. It doesn't come in the form of individual wedge issues. It's a sense of what gives the most people a chance to live a life that they want for themselves. We've changed as a country and it's time to move on from fighting lost wars to building a culture we can pass on to our children without apology. A good start would be for us to start worrying about what the thieves and charlatans in the two major political parties are doing to this country. If we put as much effort into holding our elected officials to a higher standard as we do trying to fight progress, we'd really  have something going here, wouldn't we? We have to get over the "us vs them" thing first.

Geez, I know this was a rather dull and preachy post, but I just felt like writing something. Maybe I will tackled the Trump phenomenon next for some fun?

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS....MAJOR SPOILERS)

I'm going to discuss one of my favorite film subjects in this post; Star Wars. If you have not seen the latest installment "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", then you may want to step away from this one. In fact, I insist. If you haven't seen this movie and plan too.....beat it. Scram. Get lost. I will be discussing what I thought of the film and what the future may hold for the next film and there is no surprise left after you read what I have written below. 

You have been warned!

BIG TIME SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT!

First off, I really enjoyed it. As it's own film, I'd say a 7 or 7.5 out of 10. It's hard to get a 10 with me. That's Godfather, 2001, The Dark Knight, and Jaws territory. As a Star Wars film, I think it's a 9. Maybe the third best film of the seven as far as I'm concerned, with the top two being Empire and the original. 

From here I'm going to discuss some of the criticism it's been getting today (12/19) on the 'net and what I think may be in store for future films, as well as digging into the characters and plot on a surface level. I honestly believe that most fans of Star Wars are going to love it and the ones that are disappointed or ragging on it hard are people that don't really care much about the franchise or are just trolling everyone's good feeling about The Force Awakens. 

I'm going to get this one out of the way first; Han dying was inevitable. He probably should have gone in Empire, but he's an iconic character for the series and would have been a huge let bummer in a film (ESB) that was already full of darkness. In this one, he comes face to face with his and Leia's son (Ben Solo aka Kylo Ren) who has taken a dark path. I don't think Han really wanted to confront his son but he needed to do the right thing for Leia. One of the complaints I have with the movie is it was a bit hard to get too worked up about Ren (again, Han's son) killing him. There wasn't any emotional development leading into it at all. It almost feels like there is a movie missing in regards to this plot line. Anyhow, the emotional impact from Han dying came from his stature in the franchise and not so much as it happening at the hands of his son. It felt wrong seeing him die, but again, it was probably the right thing to do for the story. I also was puzzled at the lack of emotional impact it had on the other characters. There was just so much story to tell, it got lost in the shuffle and overall, the movie suffered a little for it.

Rey, the heroine, is an excellent character and likely the offspring of Luke Skywalker (or at least someone else that was very strong with the Force). I really thought it would be Han/Leia as her parents and she would be the sister of Kylo Ren (Ben Solo). I think in the books Luke had a son named Ben, so perhaps it got reversed for the film so Abrams could say he wasn't sticking with "cannon" in the expanded universe. She had also been to that island in the middle of an ocean (where she finds Luke at the film's conclusion) before and Ren suggested it when he was mind probing her. That sort of leads me towards the relation to Luke also, as well as R2D2 "waking up" when she came to the planet with the Resistance. People are already bitching about her quick use of the force and the saber fight. Easily explained in my opinion (and I realize my opinion may be wrong). She is stronger in the force than Ren or at least his equal....and he is REALLY strong. She got a jolt when she touched the light saber that belonged to Anakin and Luke. It was full of memory, pain, and foresight for her, but we would eventually find out it was her destiny to pick it up.  She was able to utilize his (Kylo Ren's) skills and gain an understanding of the force because Ren tried to get in her head. Ren had no idea what he was doing and opened himself up to creating a foe that was his equal or maybe even superior to him. He awoke the force in her and that was a crucial mistake. I think it will be seen as such in the next film. General Hux even said so to Snokes near the end of the film. Snokes almost seemed calm at the failure, as if he had anticipated the possibility. The movies title is related to Rey in my opinion. The Force Awakens is about her, just as A New Hope was Luke. There is always talk of "balance" in the Force and with Luke missing and Leia not taking up the Jedi mantle, the darkness emerged without a counter element. She may well be the "Chosen One" that was spoken of in the prequel trilogy and was presumed to be Anakin. 

The Fin character is very easy to like as a hero, but just as with the Han/Ren situation, his moving from being a storm trooper in the First Order to being a part of the Resistance was very hurried. There was little turmoil. His turn was fast. Again, it felt like we missed out on a few scenes that moved him towards his conversion. We were sort of dropped into the Star Wars universe 30 years after the Empire went down, so we are missing quite a bit of information. This is one of the areas of the film that I feel was a bit weak, but it's not very hard to fill in for yourself. 

I think Snokes is Darth Plaguis that Palpatine said he killed in Revenge of the Sith. If he learned to cheat death, perhaps he transcended his apparent murder or it's quite possible that Palpatine was lying about killing him to impress and seduce Anakin. I like the mystery that surrounds the character. Like the Emperor in previous films, he is pulling the strings from the darkness. Perhaps he is the ageless Sith lord (my friend Tanner brought this up to me), as he has transcended death. His patience has no limit as he is just moving chess pieces and manipulating different followers into doing his will. 

Kylo Ren, the figure head villain, is the son of Han and Leia and is actually just a bully. He takes no responsibility for his actions, as he feels like it's part of his birthright. He's a spoiled brat that can't control his emotions and he has no discipline. He is trying to be Darth Vader and the use of a mask he doesn't need really makes that obvious. His tantrums when things don't go his way seems to indicate there can be real depth in developing this character in future films. Rey took Ren's want to be a power like Darth Vader and threw it in his face when he was trying to probe her mind. I also believe she mimed his skills, even as unrefined as they are, and was able to use those to defeat him and escape. Again, a lot of internet naysayers are complaining that she couldn't have picked up how to use the Force or the light saber so quickly, but I disagree. She simply allowed the force to do its will through her, so she didn't just suddenly know how to fight, she let the force do its thing and she also pulled knowledge from Ren. She submitted to the Force and didn't try to control it. Luke did the same thing in A New Hope with the saber training on the Falcon and as he shut down his scope when he blew up the Death Star. The Force used him as its tool and the same thing happened with Rey against Ren. Also, the complaining about him taking his mask off is so weak. That's an obvious attempt to clue you in on who he is. He doesn't need the mask. It's his "put on". It's him imitating his grandfather and what he thought he was. All of his actions are an imitation, but he doesn't have the mental toughness or stability to harness his power. The power he has is actually using him as its tool. Think of Snokes as the puppet master. Again, he's reckless and has no discipline. It makes him an interesting character. 

Luke will obviously be prominent in Episode 8 and that's part of the outright charm of his only being revealed at the end. Anticipation! I am already anxious to see where this thing goes. I'm OK with this being a rehash of A New Hope. I've read a lot of complaining about how much is taken from the original film in its' plot. I think it's intentional though. It's the Star Wars universe. Every movie series takes place in its own time and place doesn't it? Terminator. Jurassic Park. Avengers. Batman. Hunger Games. Harry Potter. All examples of a movie "universe" that goes to the well again and again and mines its own past for plot lines and character situations. There is cannon to hold on to and the circumstances are of that "universe". It only makes sense that it would borrow what made it successful to begin with. It's a reward for the fans. Maybe a bit TOO much stealing from ANH and Empire? Sure, but it was still effective as a film. Make no mistake, this was for the fans. Newcomers can get on board, but this was a movie made by a fan (JJ Abrams) and he did right by it. I believe he made the movie he wanted to see. Abrams is a master at giving an audience what they want, but still retaining mystery and anticipation. He did it with Star Trek and did it with LOST. There was also enough humor to give you a sense that this should be fun to watch, but never silly or dumbed down (like the prequels and Jedi). Abrams walked a tight rope and successfully navigated it.

To close, I loved....LOVED the way it was shot. It felt "real". The use of real people in those storm trooper suits made a huge difference. The lack of CGI and the use of real sets meant everything to how I saw the movie. Again, it felt "real"....as if there was substance to what I was seeing. The prequels had pretty shots, but it was so clean and almost too polished. Some of the background in the prequels looked like a cartoon. This film, was dirty. It was lived in. It felt right. It felt like Star Wars.

Oh, and lest I forget....the new droid, BB-8 was pretty awesome. It wasn't used as just eye candy or a prop, it was a prominent part of the film, much like R2-D2 and C-3PO in previous films. A very cool character that helped to drive the plot and never got in the way of what was happening. 

OK, so there is that. My spoiler filled response to my first viewing. I'm smitten with it and am anxious to see it again. Any shortcomings it has (and it has a few) are easily masked by all it did right. I'll reiterate that I feel like there is a movie missing. 30 years just don't guy by without a story to be told. That was truly the biggest weakness of the film, but it's not very consequential in the grand scheme, as we can expect the franchise to move forward from here and start to carve out its own story. By Episode 9 I expect we will have very little reference to the past films in any sort of "tip of the cap" or nostalgic way. This film gave you the nostalgia and I think it put the franchise back on the right path. In my opinion....it's the real deal. Star Wars is back and episode 7 came out swinging. We got the film we needed. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is satisfying on quite a few levels. Bring on Episode 8 and some Luke Skywalker action! 

I'm interested in responses from Star Wars fans if you are so inclined, so feel free to comment. 

The Ever Increasing Vileness Of American Life

I don't know if I really have any place to go with this other than to say it seems we Americans are getting more and more vile and deliberately hateful as well as becoming more isolated by labels. Just look around the internet. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogging, message forums.....all of that just seems so full of anger, resentment, aggression, fear, and downright hatefulness. 

It's as if sitting behind a keypad gives us the freedom to say things we would never normally say to someone in person. Well, it's not "as if"....it really is just that. Anonymous degradation. It seems to be at an all-time high and this is coming from a person that has sworn off Twitter and Facebook for several months now. I still see it everywhere. In fact, it's celebrated and most difficult to run away from. We now talk about what's on Twitter or Facebook. It's sort of bizarre, like writing a book about a book. We discuss what it being discussed. Are we at the peak of our boredom as a species? Probably not....yet. 

Political, societal, and cultural forums are the worst. Those that cling staunchly to an ideology without giving it thought seem to be ruling every conversation. They say the ugliest and meanest things about people they probably have a lot more in common with than not. And it's generally because of beliefs. Beliefs are a dangerous thing. They make people do and say all sorts of crazy and harmful stuff. 

I don't like where our country is headed and as always, most of the population believes that their ideology and political affiliation is the way to get things fixed. I'd beg to differ. It's those ideologies and political parties that have us where we are right now. The people in power have made all the rules and maintain all the control yet they have "regular Joe" followers that want to complain about how terrible things are and how certain people are hurting the system. Oddly enough, they won't turn the mirror on themselves. Few of us will. We want to blame everyone else. Even when we have all we want, we can't help but want to beat someone else up over what they have or criticize what they have. The absolute bottom feeder is someone that you know is probably doing OK in their life and they bitch about "welfare queens" and what kind of sneakers a poor kid is wearing or that the poor buy steak with their food stamps. What kind of warped mind seeks to belittle others in that way? Especially others that they don't even know and wouldn't dare stoop to try to understand. Internet memes, lies, and damn lies are taking over the public conversation and getting traction as being factual and enter the American psyche creating hysteria and anger over a situation that isn't likely even a reality.

The poor are taking a beating in our society right now. They are the cause of all our economic woes according to many people. I don't have the will to shred this concept as I sit writing this. Think for yourself. Do some digging and open your mind and perhaps you can come to realize who is running this country into the ground. Hint....it's not the middle class and it's not the poor. Anyhow, I've covered it before. I just don't see it getting any better. The nation is as polarized in regards to class as much as it's ever been in my lifetime and I suppose I could put race into the equation too. 

I don't have any answers. I guess I just wish it would go away, but I realize it's not likely to happen. That means I must be the one to change. I have to turn off those things that are hateful. I have to be the one to remove myself from a situation. I've learned a hard lesson; you are not going to change someone's mind that doesn't want to see something from a different point of view than their own. 

The people that are willfully ignorant just tear me up. I'm talking about smart people with the capacity to see the world in a realistic way and to step into other people's shoes to try to understand their experience, but refuse to do so. I guess worldview and identifying with a group means more than practical reality and perhaps improving life for oneself and others? I guess I have to pull back from this culture of hate, because expecting it to change is a fool's wish. I just dislike that my kids are growing up steeped up to their necks in it. The current culture is going to have more of an impact than I am in their developing world view. I fight it, but they are young and right out in the middle of it all day long between school and social media.

I wrote the post below some years back. I have evolved on a couple of things, but overall, the gist of what I said holds up, even if some pieces of the topic don't hold directly true for me at this point.

 http://freddysopenmind.blogspot.com/2011/04/ha-haon-heels-of-my-last-blog.html

This Needs To Be Said: America Is An Empire In Decline PART 1

I've never lived in another country, so I can't say for sure that we are the greatest nation on earth. Perhaps we are. More likely, perhaps we were or if we still are, there isn't much of a bar to jump over these days. 

We need to change. We are number one in in the world in regards to some things, but nothing that I would find worth bragging about. In fact, the things we used to be (and should be) best at are slip sliding away and we haven't even noticed, or maybe it's just that we don't care. 

As I said to kick this off, I have never lived elsewhere. I'm glad I was born here, but that doesn't mean I have to cheer lead when things are wrong. Love it or leave it? What kind of hillbilly nonsense is that? Without dissent, we'd still be colonies. Dissent and bucking the conventional wisdom is as American as it gets. I'm guessing if 30 people read this (and that's probably being generous), at least half will be pissed off about it. Well.....good. I don't care. Some things need to be said. 

First off, we are the best in the world at some stuff. We have more people in prison than any other nation. We spend more on the military than any other nation. We are the world's largest exporter of military grade weapons and often times we have our own soldiers killed by those very weapons. We have more gun deaths than any other nation. We are the most obese nation on the planet. Hip Hip Hooray!!!!

There are some things we should be right near the top in world wide, but sadly, we are not even close. We rank 11th among industrialized nation in health and healthcare. The rest of the world is seeing an increase in life expectancy, the United States is seeing a decline. Education? Glad you asked. US students rank 17th in reading and 21st in mathematics. Out of the 35 most economically developed nations on earth, the US ranks 34th in child poverty. 

http://www.alternet.org/economy/american-exceptionalism

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lawrence-wittner/the-united-states-is-no-1_b_5974516.html

Let's just not say we are slipping....we have slipped. The game isn't over, but we don't seem to want to do anything to change the score. We seem content to be the next great empire to implode upon itself. I'm guessing most Americans are not seeing it coming. Why would they? If you watch network TV or one of the cable news channels, everything must be going great right? I mean, they show us people with no talent in talent contests. We watch celebrities that can't dance, try to dance. Bruce Jenner's tits and dick are worthy of news reports. We are sold a bill of goods about our great democracy when 90% of the media is owned by 6 corporation, and the only bills that get passed are ones in which lobbyists are pouring money into the political piggy banks for. Guess who is getting the screw? The middle class? Give that dog a bone! 

You might still be with me at this point, but here is where I'm gonna lose some of you. It's time for some shit to change. It's time to start thinking like we live in 2015 and not 1615. 

The confederate flag. Isn't it time that goes? Don't give me some bullshit about heritage. It is a symbol of treason against the very nation that some of you say you love so much. It's a symbol of regarding some human beings as being animals and personal property. States rights? Sure, a states right to cheap labor. It's a symbol of fighting against the tide of change (geez, that should feel REALLY familiar to people in the south these days) and the evolution of thought. The country isn't going to shake like a big rattlesnake and the south isn't rising again. Let it go. The north didn't win and the south didn't lose. The entire country won and lost with that war and it's time to put the damn 1860's to bed already. 

Evolution. It's real. Educate yourselves. Cling to your 2,000 year old Koran/Bible or whatever, but don't hold your children and this country back any longer. If you don't want it taught in schools, well, you need to teach your kid at home so he/she can be a half brain dead idiot like you without any upward mobility. The rest of us are trying to move on. I don't give a damn what your book says....it's WRONG. It's been wrong about anything to do with science for thousands of years. We are dumbing our children down with nonsense. We are confusing them with mythology. This is becoming a highly technical world and we can't lose generations to believing we all came from a few people that got off a big boat after a flood. We spend a trillion dollars a year on the military (16% of the budget) and we spend 2% of the budget on education. What the hell are we doing? We don't even have simple factory jobs for the dumb asses to do any more (because your political ideology is giving you the high hard one and you aren't bothering to look over your shoulder) and the jobs the morons are qualified for are jobs you don't want to even pay them $10 an hour for! We actually tell people to get jobs and then get mad if we think they  make too much for said job. We actually side with the hundred billion dollar company over the slave....I mean worker making $8 or $10 an hour! Insanity.

Guns. It's time that we had a serious talk about guns and the gun culture in this country. For the record, I support gun ownership. I just believe it's time that we get strict with the ability to purchase/own one. Buying a hunting rifle or a shotgun is one thing. You should have to get a license and take a safety class. As for semi-automatic guns, folks should have to take some sort of test to see if any red flags fly up that may point towards future violence. At that point, a person should probably have to go through a longer waiting period and have to take additional courses on safety and hell, why not get a psych evaluation. (just spit balling ideas) What is so wrong with making gun ownership as safe as possible? You would think that the NRA and gun owners would want these sorts of things. The responsible people are getting a bad rap and frankly, less gun restrictions is just about one of the stupidest things anyone can argue for at this point. I'm actually more afraid of an American with a handgun on their person or in their car than I am of any terror threat. Hell, depending on what study you want to believe, we have had well over 200,000 gun deaths in the USA since 9/11. How many terrorist attacks have we had here since? We are manipulated to fear the wrong things. Stop buying the bullshit. 

Climate change. It's happening. Man made? Maybe. Probably. Even if it isn't, is that a good reason to ignore it and fight against trying to protect the planet? Most scientists agree that there are things happening globally in regards to our climate that are eventually going to have a huge impact on human life in a negative way. I guess if you want to side with big money corporations that don't give a single fuck about you or this planet have at it, but you are going to be wrong (as you are on a lot of things I'm guessing if you are a denier) side of history and what a helluva issue to be on the wrong side of. If you have children and say you care about this country, you should be appalled at deforestation, fracking, and the deregulation morons that are only going along with this thing for political reasons. We should be leading the world in trying to keep our planet habitable, not fighting against is because of politics. 

I suggest that we stop being controlled by political ideology and start thinking for ourselves. Reclaim your brain. Pick up a book and put down the phone. Watch a documentary instead of America's Got Talent. This conservative vs liberal, Democrat vs Republican thing is dragging our asses into a fast decline. We are a broken nation and we don't seem to know it. We cling to ideas more than practical reality. It's time to do what is best for the people of this nation. There are thousands more words I could write on how politics and corporate America being married is ruining the nation and our future, but I've already done it. If you care, search my site.

It's time to think differently....if you care. 

As I close this out, and leave you believing I'm some American hating liberal, know that I don't identify myself with an ideology. Most of this post would likely be applauded by folks of the more liberal persuasion, but there is a part 2 on this one that I will address at a later date. Some things need to be accounted for that many liberals don't want to face. Chief among those things are political correctness, crime, hardcore mental illness and topics as such.

So, until next time.....adios.