Yesterday, January 31st was Backward Day (look it up) and it couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. For those unfamiliar with this, on Backward Day we're supposed to do the opposite of what's normally done. Since everything this country has ever maintained to be good, honorable or noble is being undone in favor of blind fealty to an American fuehrer, the timing is poetic.
Like Frank Capra movies, we used to be the country that celebrated the triumph of what's right over the forces of corrupt and powerful bullies thanks to the courage of underdogs and society's belief in the dignity of the common man. Sadly, thanks to the cowardice of the entire Republican Party, we have officially abandoned everything admirable about our system of government. Nearly every Republican we elected to provide a check on a would-be autocrat has chosen instead to be an accomplice in the systematic dismantling of every single thing we once stood for, leaving in their place an indelible stain on our history.
Every day seems to bring a new example of things happening that I once thought would never happen here. One small example is Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) trying repeatedly to illegally expose the "whistleblower" in the Ukraine scandal. There are several reasons why this is so indicative of moral rot and bankruptcy of the Republican Party in the age of Trump: 1) We passed laws protecting whistleblowers so that someone who stood up for what was right could be shielded from retaliation from the criminals they exposed. 2) Rand Paul is philosophically a libertarian, meaning he is in the vanguard of those who would support rooting out and stopping the corruption of an overreaching government official. 3) There is no probative or other value in naming this person, so 4) The real and bone-chilling reason Paul is doing this is pure thuggery. He is counting on intimidation of those who would do the right thing. He is like someone in the early 60s sharing the names of people in Mississippi who were helping blacks register to vote.
We used to stand for the rule of law and while there was the sort of partisan wrangling one might expect in a system such as ours, what we're now seeing is so far beyond the pale on a continual basis that things that would have been front page scandals just a few years ago now provoke a collective yawn. It was like a bad dream yesterday to see headlines that Republicans had managed to block any witnesses from testifying in the impeachment trial. That is to say, they managed to stop facts from coming to light. To put it another way, they succeeded in obstructing justice and helping to create a post-truth world.
The worst part of all is that elected Republicans still know right from wrong but they refuse to do what's right. There is virtually nothing and no one they will defend against Trump's wrath. The free press, the military, our intelligence agencies, war heroes, gold star families, Navy SEALs...are all examples of those Trump has gone after if they differ with Dear Leader. In the last example on that list, Navy SEALs, they have been lumped in with the "deep state"...Navy SEALs!! Trump undid the punishment for the SEAL who by all accounts did what was wrong, then went on to punish those who dared to stand up and do what was right.
If this actually were a Frank Capra movie, Donald Trump would have succeeded in turning Bedford Falls in to Pottersville and the MAGA hat wearing faithful would worship at the altar of Mr. Potter and call George Bailey a "libtard". As proud as I once was of this country is how ashamed of it I am now. Happy Backward Day indeed.
Saturday, February 1, 2020
Monday, February 20, 2017
The Anti-Griffith Show
In 1925, Bobby Jones lost the U.S Open golf championship by one stroke after calling a one-stroke penalty on himself earlier in the tournament. He believed that a ball had moved after he addressed it even though no one else saw any such thing. Over the objections of tournament officials and Walter Hagen, his playing partner and competitor, Jones insisted on adding the penalty stroke. When the press congratulated him for his honesty, his reply was, "You might as well praise a man for not robbing a bank.” To Bobby Jones and people like him, integrity was inviolable and not for sale at any price.
This ideal was common in popular culture when I was growing up, but of all the examples I could cite, first and foremost in my mind is The Andy Griffith Show. The show revolved around Sheriff Andy Taylor and the other residents of Mayberry, North Carolina, a typical small American town. While the show was very entertaining, it was also a moral compass and a celebration of our national character at its best. The show inspired us to be better people.
While I may not have had the words for it in my childhood, I was most impressed by Sheriff Taylor always being the bigger man no matter what. He wasn't only kind and unselfish when it was easy, but also on occasions when the rest of us might have retreated from our noblest ideals. People came first and his ego was no part of the equation, For instance, if he had to bring people together, Andy would try to promote peace and harmony without any need to take the credit, and he would even pretend he wasn't as wise as he actually was. He didn't need acknowledgement of his superior insight, and more importantly, he wouldn't buckle if people laughed at him and said. "Gee, Andy, you would think a smart fella like you would have known better!" He would just smile and take it, allowing them to laugh at him because he cared about others and he would do the right thing whether it was hard or easy.
We now have a United States president who is the exact opposite. His narcissism will always take precedence over all else. For this reason he has done everything in his power to erode and destroy the institutions of a free and civil society. Because he isn't man enough to admit the indisputable fact that he lost the popular vote by nearly three million votes, he'll stop at nothing to have people believe that our very democracy is compromised and unreliable. He has also made any number of jaw-dropping comments about our courts, for instance suggesting that no jurist with any Mexican heritage can be trusted in a case involving Trump or calling a well respected member of the federal judiciary a "so called judge." No judge can be considered legitimate unless he says Donald Trump is absolutely right about everything. Worst of all, his endless ranting about the media and his critics is designed to make us believe that real news is fake and fake news is real. This Orwellian nightmare come to power is the single greatest threat to our national peace of mind and cohesion I've ever lived to see.
I can't help but think of Superman, not only because that comic book gave us Bizarro World, a planet on which everything was the opposite of the earth, but also because I'm now witnessing an American president who is literally at war with truth, justice and the American way.
This ideal was common in popular culture when I was growing up, but of all the examples I could cite, first and foremost in my mind is The Andy Griffith Show. The show revolved around Sheriff Andy Taylor and the other residents of Mayberry, North Carolina, a typical small American town. While the show was very entertaining, it was also a moral compass and a celebration of our national character at its best. The show inspired us to be better people.
While I may not have had the words for it in my childhood, I was most impressed by Sheriff Taylor always being the bigger man no matter what. He wasn't only kind and unselfish when it was easy, but also on occasions when the rest of us might have retreated from our noblest ideals. People came first and his ego was no part of the equation, For instance, if he had to bring people together, Andy would try to promote peace and harmony without any need to take the credit, and he would even pretend he wasn't as wise as he actually was. He didn't need acknowledgement of his superior insight, and more importantly, he wouldn't buckle if people laughed at him and said. "Gee, Andy, you would think a smart fella like you would have known better!" He would just smile and take it, allowing them to laugh at him because he cared about others and he would do the right thing whether it was hard or easy.
We now have a United States president who is the exact opposite. His narcissism will always take precedence over all else. For this reason he has done everything in his power to erode and destroy the institutions of a free and civil society. Because he isn't man enough to admit the indisputable fact that he lost the popular vote by nearly three million votes, he'll stop at nothing to have people believe that our very democracy is compromised and unreliable. He has also made any number of jaw-dropping comments about our courts, for instance suggesting that no jurist with any Mexican heritage can be trusted in a case involving Trump or calling a well respected member of the federal judiciary a "so called judge." No judge can be considered legitimate unless he says Donald Trump is absolutely right about everything. Worst of all, his endless ranting about the media and his critics is designed to make us believe that real news is fake and fake news is real. This Orwellian nightmare come to power is the single greatest threat to our national peace of mind and cohesion I've ever lived to see.
I can't help but think of Superman, not only because that comic book gave us Bizarro World, a planet on which everything was the opposite of the earth, but also because I'm now witnessing an American president who is literally at war with truth, justice and the American way.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
The United States of aMErIca
The title of this post wasn't capitalized at random; the upper case ME and I are intended to show emphasis. The old maxim, "There's no 'I' in team," is an exhortation to think of others with whom we share common purpose, and to be willing to sacrifice for the greater good rather than focusing exclusively on our own selfish desires. Unfortunately, there's not only an "I" in America, there's also a "Me". Our rejection of the team player mentality has become painfully apparent in recent years. The national ideal of "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country" can now be safely buried beneath JFK's eternal flame at Arlington.
Just as everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die, nobody likes paying taxes but everyone expects the road to be paved, and to make matters worse, Americans tend to bristle at the idea of coming together to solve our problems because in this society we celebrate rugged individualism over anything that even remotely smacks of collectivism. While individual drive contributed to our meteoric rise, self-absorption to the exclusion of all else will trigger our fall. We would have achieved only a small fraction of our success if we hadn't also made huge personal sacrifices for the greater good of the country. It's this half of the equation that's been missing from the conversation in the last thirty years. It's been given short shrift by the political left and ignored entirely by the right. Unlike prior generations, we no longer seem to understand the distinction between enlightened self-interest and petty selfishness.
It's heartbreaking to watch my country that once stood alone in greatness sliding towards the middle of the pack. It's even more painful to realize that our decline and fall is self-inflicted and brought about in large part because we can't seem distinguish between the government and the society. We talk about the government as though it were a disembodied iron fist beating us into submission rather than a mechanism through which we come together and decide what we want to do as a nation. We've become so fractured and dysfunctional as a society that we can't even have a constructive, civil conversation about what our priorities are and how we might achieve our goals and solve our problems, much less undertake the difficult task of executing the solutions.
Most of all, I'm bothered by the consummate and ill-founded arrogance of those who spend their lives wailing about how put upon they are because society asks them contribute like those who came before them and built the country we love. These malcontents are aMErIcans. These people are like the dreaded third generation ne'er-do-wells who squander what was handed to them on a silver platter. The first generation rises from rags and builds a business to be proud of. The second generation grows up watching the hard work, sacrifice and the glory of success and expands the business, generating real wealth. The third generation, growing up knowing nothing but country club life and a sense of entitlement, destroys what others worked so hard to build.
These aMErIcans think that the world should just leave them alone to work their magic, and that their success is born exclusively of their great gifts and hard work. They don't see how their lives were aided because we built an amazing society, educating our populace, building an infrastructure, devising and enforcing laws that protected people, physical and intellectual property, fighting and winning wars that allowed us to establish favorable business arrangements, and on and on. All of these things came about because prior generations gave so unselfishly for the good of the country. Because of the enlightenment and great sacrifice of those who came before, these aMErIcans were born on a mountain top, yet they act as though they summited the peak themselves without the aid of oxygen or Sherpa guides.
To those Americans who came before me and allowed me to be born into a life that most can only dream of, I lack the words to adequately express my respect and gratitude. Let me also apologize for the ungrateful, greedy, solipsistic aMErIcans who have risen to political prominence lately. They disgrace your legacy and you deserve much, much better.
Just as everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die, nobody likes paying taxes but everyone expects the road to be paved, and to make matters worse, Americans tend to bristle at the idea of coming together to solve our problems because in this society we celebrate rugged individualism over anything that even remotely smacks of collectivism. While individual drive contributed to our meteoric rise, self-absorption to the exclusion of all else will trigger our fall. We would have achieved only a small fraction of our success if we hadn't also made huge personal sacrifices for the greater good of the country. It's this half of the equation that's been missing from the conversation in the last thirty years. It's been given short shrift by the political left and ignored entirely by the right. Unlike prior generations, we no longer seem to understand the distinction between enlightened self-interest and petty selfishness.
It's heartbreaking to watch my country that once stood alone in greatness sliding towards the middle of the pack. It's even more painful to realize that our decline and fall is self-inflicted and brought about in large part because we can't seem distinguish between the government and the society. We talk about the government as though it were a disembodied iron fist beating us into submission rather than a mechanism through which we come together and decide what we want to do as a nation. We've become so fractured and dysfunctional as a society that we can't even have a constructive, civil conversation about what our priorities are and how we might achieve our goals and solve our problems, much less undertake the difficult task of executing the solutions.
Most of all, I'm bothered by the consummate and ill-founded arrogance of those who spend their lives wailing about how put upon they are because society asks them contribute like those who came before them and built the country we love. These malcontents are aMErIcans. These people are like the dreaded third generation ne'er-do-wells who squander what was handed to them on a silver platter. The first generation rises from rags and builds a business to be proud of. The second generation grows up watching the hard work, sacrifice and the glory of success and expands the business, generating real wealth. The third generation, growing up knowing nothing but country club life and a sense of entitlement, destroys what others worked so hard to build.
These aMErIcans think that the world should just leave them alone to work their magic, and that their success is born exclusively of their great gifts and hard work. They don't see how their lives were aided because we built an amazing society, educating our populace, building an infrastructure, devising and enforcing laws that protected people, physical and intellectual property, fighting and winning wars that allowed us to establish favorable business arrangements, and on and on. All of these things came about because prior generations gave so unselfishly for the good of the country. Because of the enlightenment and great sacrifice of those who came before, these aMErIcans were born on a mountain top, yet they act as though they summited the peak themselves without the aid of oxygen or Sherpa guides.
To those Americans who came before me and allowed me to be born into a life that most can only dream of, I lack the words to adequately express my respect and gratitude. Let me also apologize for the ungrateful, greedy, solipsistic aMErIcans who have risen to political prominence lately. They disgrace your legacy and you deserve much, much better.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
All the President's Menaces
In 1776, Thomas Paine began his series of pamphlets entitled, The American Crisis with the famous words, "These are the times that try men's souls." If Paine were alive today he would express the same sentiment regarding the current American crises. We have big problems yet we can't come together enough to solve even the simple ones. We've faced tremendous challenges throughout or history, but right now whether we're talking about routine matters such as raising the debt ceiling or vexing, intractable problems such as our dismal employment situation, all struggles have been exacerbated because, among other things, Republicans have decided to cut off the country's nose to spite the president's face.
Conservative Republicans and Tea Partiers are cheering on GOP lawmakers who seek first and foremost to obstruct President Obama at every turn. If their opposition happens to mesh with a principled stand, so much the better, but in the absence of a good reason or anything resembling integrity, they'll oppose the president anyway. Of course if al-Qaeda had hatched such a plan to paralyze our national government, rendering us incapable of dealing with our pressing issues, these very same right-wingers would become hysterical and pour into the streets in a blind rage with three or four guns apiece in tow. Sadly, Republican lawmakers have been ideologically hijacked by the fringe elements of their party and, consequently, while our nation is foundering, these legislators who are well paid to be part of the solution, have become a conspicuous part of the problem.
The employment situation is still a nightmare. As I said in a previous post, we need to add at least 125,000 jobs per month just to essentially maintain the status quo. Thus, from June 1, 2000-June 30, 2011 (133 months) we needed to add over 16.6 million jobs, but we actually lost 868,000 jobs over that period, leaving us 17.5 million jobs in the hole. I don't blame President Obama for the job losses that have occurred since he took office 30 months ago any more than I would blame a pitcher for his dreadful 1-7 win loss record if four of the eight guys playing behind him have been bribed by gamblers to purposely lose ballgames. The Republican Party has made dimming President Obama's reelection prospects a top priority, and in their eyes, deliberately prolonging the agony of the American people is nothing more than acceptable collateral damage.
I know that people are upset. I understand that the Tea Party faithful could (and did) weather economic hard times with a president they kind of liked and economic good times with a president they didn't like, but hard times with a black Democratic president named Barack Obama was more than they could endure and they were sucked into a vortex of paranoia and unbridled hatred. What I don't understand is why so many people of comparatively modest means insist on throwing themselves on live grenades just so the very rich won't have to be bothered by those distracting explosion sounds.
Republicans have at every opportunity replaced the term "wealthiest Americans" with the term "job creators" and made these people sacred cows we disturb at our peril. However, our wars and other endeavors must be paid for by someone, so every dollar those at the top don't contribute must come from those below them on the economic ladder. More importantly, the notion that increasing taxes on those with the highest incomes will cost us jobs is questionable at best. In 1993 Republicans thundered the same warning as Bill Clinton raised taxes on top earners. However, what followed was the greatest expansion of jobs in our country's history. Right after that boom, George W. Bush lowered taxes on the economic elite, unleashing the worst prolonged period of job losses since the Great Depression. This would suggest two lessons about the claim that we need to cut taxes on the very rich or we'll lose jobs: First, ignoring this and doing the polar opposite can yield the best results we've ever seen and, secondly, following this advice can unleash a gut-wrenching catastrophe for all but the extremely wealthy.
Conservative Republicans and Tea Partiers are cheering on GOP lawmakers who seek first and foremost to obstruct President Obama at every turn. If their opposition happens to mesh with a principled stand, so much the better, but in the absence of a good reason or anything resembling integrity, they'll oppose the president anyway. Of course if al-Qaeda had hatched such a plan to paralyze our national government, rendering us incapable of dealing with our pressing issues, these very same right-wingers would become hysterical and pour into the streets in a blind rage with three or four guns apiece in tow. Sadly, Republican lawmakers have been ideologically hijacked by the fringe elements of their party and, consequently, while our nation is foundering, these legislators who are well paid to be part of the solution, have become a conspicuous part of the problem.
The employment situation is still a nightmare. As I said in a previous post, we need to add at least 125,000 jobs per month just to essentially maintain the status quo. Thus, from June 1, 2000-June 30, 2011 (133 months) we needed to add over 16.6 million jobs, but we actually lost 868,000 jobs over that period, leaving us 17.5 million jobs in the hole. I don't blame President Obama for the job losses that have occurred since he took office 30 months ago any more than I would blame a pitcher for his dreadful 1-7 win loss record if four of the eight guys playing behind him have been bribed by gamblers to purposely lose ballgames. The Republican Party has made dimming President Obama's reelection prospects a top priority, and in their eyes, deliberately prolonging the agony of the American people is nothing more than acceptable collateral damage.
I know that people are upset. I understand that the Tea Party faithful could (and did) weather economic hard times with a president they kind of liked and economic good times with a president they didn't like, but hard times with a black Democratic president named Barack Obama was more than they could endure and they were sucked into a vortex of paranoia and unbridled hatred. What I don't understand is why so many people of comparatively modest means insist on throwing themselves on live grenades just so the very rich won't have to be bothered by those distracting explosion sounds.
Republicans have at every opportunity replaced the term "wealthiest Americans" with the term "job creators" and made these people sacred cows we disturb at our peril. However, our wars and other endeavors must be paid for by someone, so every dollar those at the top don't contribute must come from those below them on the economic ladder. More importantly, the notion that increasing taxes on those with the highest incomes will cost us jobs is questionable at best. In 1993 Republicans thundered the same warning as Bill Clinton raised taxes on top earners. However, what followed was the greatest expansion of jobs in our country's history. Right after that boom, George W. Bush lowered taxes on the economic elite, unleashing the worst prolonged period of job losses since the Great Depression. This would suggest two lessons about the claim that we need to cut taxes on the very rich or we'll lose jobs: First, ignoring this and doing the polar opposite can yield the best results we've ever seen and, secondly, following this advice can unleash a gut-wrenching catastrophe for all but the extremely wealthy.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Everything I Do Is Because of You
Father's Day 2011 is coming to an end in a matter of minutes as I start this, but I wanted to put a couple thoughts into a brief post, even if I don't get it in by midnight, Central Time.
Earlier today, Rory McIlroy, a 22 year-old golfing phenom from Northern Ireland made history by winning the U.S. Open in record-breaking fashion and Gerry McIlroy, Rory's father, was there to hug his son after the final hole was completed. Rory wished Gerry a happy Father's Day and went on to express his gratitude for the sacrifices that both his parents made for him, but I want to discuss such sacrifices a little further.
Rory McIlroy is without question an enormously gifted golfer. He has the skill of Tiger Woods and the likable personality of Phil Mickelson. If anyone on earth has a brighter future in the game than he does, I'm not aware of him or her. However, with or without his colossal talent, I wonder if he could have come so far so fast without such giving and selfless parents. Although that question can't be answered with any certainty, I would tend to doubt it. Gerry McIlroy worked three jobs, often working 100 hours a week to help Rory realize his dreams, and Rosie McIlroy, Rory's mother also worked extremely hard. While Rory's prowess on the golf course is quite extraordinary, the story of parents giving all that they have to give for the sake of their children is far more common, although such unselfishness is just as awe inspiring if we stop to think about it.
In reflecting upon how such giving fathers affect our lives, there's a song I can't seem to get out of my head. Gary Burr wrote and Conway Twitty recorded a song that seems right on point. It's called "That's My Job." The song tells the story of a son asking for help and comfort from his father in times of need, and the father replying, "That's my job; that's what I do. Everything I do is because of you." The father in the story is expressing what many of us have seen in our own lives, that parents will provide for their children first and worry about themselves second, if at all. There is, however, much more to the song, and the real poetic beauty of it is yet to come. By the final verse, the son has grown to become a professional songwriter, and he wonders how he can possibly write a fitting tribute to his father who has just passed away. The answer he comes up with is, "That's my job; that's what I do. Everything I do is because of you." The very same words, everything I do is because of you, express both the unwavering selflessness of parents and the enormous debt that children owe their parents for their ultimate success.
I feel extremely fortunate and humbled that I had parents every bit as dedicated as those mentioned above. They have both been gone for more than 10 years, my father for more than 15 years, but they will stay with me in many ways forever. Happy Father's Day to any fathers who may read this. In all likelihood, you too are giving the next generation more than they can possibly repay, but that's your job; that's what you do.
Earlier today, Rory McIlroy, a 22 year-old golfing phenom from Northern Ireland made history by winning the U.S. Open in record-breaking fashion and Gerry McIlroy, Rory's father, was there to hug his son after the final hole was completed. Rory wished Gerry a happy Father's Day and went on to express his gratitude for the sacrifices that both his parents made for him, but I want to discuss such sacrifices a little further.
Rory McIlroy is without question an enormously gifted golfer. He has the skill of Tiger Woods and the likable personality of Phil Mickelson. If anyone on earth has a brighter future in the game than he does, I'm not aware of him or her. However, with or without his colossal talent, I wonder if he could have come so far so fast without such giving and selfless parents. Although that question can't be answered with any certainty, I would tend to doubt it. Gerry McIlroy worked three jobs, often working 100 hours a week to help Rory realize his dreams, and Rosie McIlroy, Rory's mother also worked extremely hard. While Rory's prowess on the golf course is quite extraordinary, the story of parents giving all that they have to give for the sake of their children is far more common, although such unselfishness is just as awe inspiring if we stop to think about it.
In reflecting upon how such giving fathers affect our lives, there's a song I can't seem to get out of my head. Gary Burr wrote and Conway Twitty recorded a song that seems right on point. It's called "That's My Job." The song tells the story of a son asking for help and comfort from his father in times of need, and the father replying, "That's my job; that's what I do. Everything I do is because of you." The father in the story is expressing what many of us have seen in our own lives, that parents will provide for their children first and worry about themselves second, if at all. There is, however, much more to the song, and the real poetic beauty of it is yet to come. By the final verse, the son has grown to become a professional songwriter, and he wonders how he can possibly write a fitting tribute to his father who has just passed away. The answer he comes up with is, "That's my job; that's what I do. Everything I do is because of you." The very same words, everything I do is because of you, express both the unwavering selflessness of parents and the enormous debt that children owe their parents for their ultimate success.
I feel extremely fortunate and humbled that I had parents every bit as dedicated as those mentioned above. They have both been gone for more than 10 years, my father for more than 15 years, but they will stay with me in many ways forever. Happy Father's Day to any fathers who may read this. In all likelihood, you too are giving the next generation more than they can possibly repay, but that's your job; that's what you do.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Heartless Toward the Heartland
The body count from the tornado that devastated Joplin, Missouri Sunday is still rising, but that certainly doesn't mean that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor would miss a single beat before seizing yet another opportunity to hold a gun to the head of the American people to further his own agenda. Cantor announced Monday that Congress would not approve any emergency spending to help these people unless that money is first offset by spending reductions elsewhere.
This would be understandable if Cantor were simply a hidebound deficit hawk whose main priority was doing everything in his power to reduce our debt, but that's just not the case. In the last several months alone, he and fellow Republicans fought hammer and tong to preserve budget busting tax cuts for the richest Americans and billions of dollars in corporate welfare for the largest oil corporations, even though these companies are the most profitable in the history of the world. Cantor's actions have little to do with responsible leadership on deficit reduction and a great deal to do with his allegiance to the richest and most powerful people in the country, at the expense of average Americans whom he and other conservatives fraudulently claim to care about and represent.
If there's one fixed star in the modern Republican constellation, it's the mandate to fight for the greedy over the needy at every turn and at any cost. They're far more concerned with doing everything they can to increase the dominance of the economic elite over everyone else than they are with doing anything to help the overwhelming majority of Americans in any way shape or form. Their claims of being concerned about fiscal discipline ring laughably hollow because they exercise their righteous indignation so selectively and improperly. You can't be taken seriously as a fiscal watchdog if you don't object to someone blowing a gargantuan hole in the budget with the purchase of a new limousine, but you sound a deafening alarm if his chauffeur spends $20 on a new seat cover.
In the end, no thanks to Rep. Cantor, our country did what it always does, and the people of Joplin will get the aid they so desperately need. Nevertheless, as a proud Missourian by choice though by birth, I'm offended, and I see no reason to let Mr. Cantor off the hook even a little bit. When these poor people were down, Cantor couldn't resist the opportunity to swoop in and kick them as they lay prostrate and defenseless, just because he could exploit the suffering of these middle class Americans for his own purposes.
The most shameful and odious of Congressman Cantor's actions came after the aid money was approved. He actually had the nerve to tweet, "Our hearts are w/ victims of #Joplin tragedy. House #GOP ready to help & has found offsets for emergency $$$." I say to Eric Cantor let's get something straight right now. This solution wasn't found because of your efforts as the victims' friend; it was found despite your efforts as their enemy. You used human misery as a pawn in your game and now you want to bask in the glory of what some decent and compassionate legislators did for these people. Don't you dare tell me that your heart goes out to the victims. In this context, I see no evidence that you even have a heart.
This would be understandable if Cantor were simply a hidebound deficit hawk whose main priority was doing everything in his power to reduce our debt, but that's just not the case. In the last several months alone, he and fellow Republicans fought hammer and tong to preserve budget busting tax cuts for the richest Americans and billions of dollars in corporate welfare for the largest oil corporations, even though these companies are the most profitable in the history of the world. Cantor's actions have little to do with responsible leadership on deficit reduction and a great deal to do with his allegiance to the richest and most powerful people in the country, at the expense of average Americans whom he and other conservatives fraudulently claim to care about and represent.
If there's one fixed star in the modern Republican constellation, it's the mandate to fight for the greedy over the needy at every turn and at any cost. They're far more concerned with doing everything they can to increase the dominance of the economic elite over everyone else than they are with doing anything to help the overwhelming majority of Americans in any way shape or form. Their claims of being concerned about fiscal discipline ring laughably hollow because they exercise their righteous indignation so selectively and improperly. You can't be taken seriously as a fiscal watchdog if you don't object to someone blowing a gargantuan hole in the budget with the purchase of a new limousine, but you sound a deafening alarm if his chauffeur spends $20 on a new seat cover.
In the end, no thanks to Rep. Cantor, our country did what it always does, and the people of Joplin will get the aid they so desperately need. Nevertheless, as a proud Missourian by choice though by birth, I'm offended, and I see no reason to let Mr. Cantor off the hook even a little bit. When these poor people were down, Cantor couldn't resist the opportunity to swoop in and kick them as they lay prostrate and defenseless, just because he could exploit the suffering of these middle class Americans for his own purposes.
The most shameful and odious of Congressman Cantor's actions came after the aid money was approved. He actually had the nerve to tweet, "Our hearts are w/ victims of #Joplin tragedy. House #GOP ready to help & has found offsets for emergency $$$." I say to Eric Cantor let's get something straight right now. This solution wasn't found because of your efforts as the victims' friend; it was found despite your efforts as their enemy. You used human misery as a pawn in your game and now you want to bask in the glory of what some decent and compassionate legislators did for these people. Don't you dare tell me that your heart goes out to the victims. In this context, I see no evidence that you even have a heart.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Respect Are-County Speak English
Like many of my blog entries, this one was inspired by something on my friend Joe's Facebook page. He posted a picture of a sign that reads, "Respect Are-Country Speak English." It's hard not to smile at the magnificent irony of essentially shouting, "Get outta here if yous can't talk good English." This particular image aside, I want to discuss the staunch English-only and anti-immigration crowds.
I don't really care about the sign in question. Many people pronounce "are" and "our" the same way, and even those who know how to properly use the correct word will occasionally type "your" instead of "you're" or "here" rather than "hear." This can and does happen to the best of us. Granted, that kind of careless mistake is less likely when making a protest sign, but I'll give this person the benefit of the doubt that the error is the equivalent of a typo and it doesn't necessarily impugn his or her intellect or education. Of course, I can't begin to explain the hyphen, but let's be generous here too. I'm not interested in the sign itself, but I want to discuss the sentiment it represents.
For a few reasons, I'm bothered by those who throw a fit when Spanish is spoken in this country. The arrogance of expecting the world to speak our language while not bothering to learn anyone else's is bad enough, but wearing one's ignorance as a badge of honor by somehow taking pride in the inability to speak more than one language is worse. It's like bragging, "Hey, look at me! I'm too stupid to do long division but Daddy left me enough money that I could hire people to do my math."
Even though I'm not fluent in any foreign language, I've had little trouble when traveling abroad, and I'm grateful for the consideration I've received when I'm a guest in another country. As an American, I've also benefited mightily from how low the bar has been set. Any effort to speak the native language is seen as an extraordinary gesture on my part and tends to be met with tremendous goodwill. I was talking to an Interpol officer in a Lyon Metro station and he said my French was very good even though it clearly wasn't. He wasn't being sarcastic; he was being kind and encouraging me. We should extend the same courtesy.
I understand and agree that those who want to live here permanently should learn English, but let's not be so disingenuous as to paint this debate in terms of tough love designed to help Spanish speakers assimilate. This issue is being driven by those who would pound the table and bellow, "This is my house and you'll live by my rules!" No one is being required to learn Spanish; the only issue before us is whether or not we accept the fact that millions of hard working Americans do speak that language. Considering that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory where Spanish is the native language and that it's no accident or coincidence that many of our western states have Spanish names, it seems unreasonable to bear such hostility to that language being used alongside English.
The burning desire for English-only laws and so forth stems from the same place as the anti-immigration mindset - the fear that any change will ruin the character of one's beloved homeland. This is not new. The nativist vs. newcomer battle goes back a very long way. Luckily, at every turn this country of immigrants has ultimately stayed true to its character, and we've been enriched by each successive wave of newcomers. We would not have achieved our national greatness had we listened to the small-minded to whom change is terrifying, particularly when it involves people they perceive as different from themselves.
Now that President Obama has released his long-form birth certificate, I demand to see every right-wing blowhard's earliest report card. My guess is that at least 75% of them failed Sharing in kindergarten.
I don't really care about the sign in question. Many people pronounce "are" and "our" the same way, and even those who know how to properly use the correct word will occasionally type "your" instead of "you're" or "here" rather than "hear." This can and does happen to the best of us. Granted, that kind of careless mistake is less likely when making a protest sign, but I'll give this person the benefit of the doubt that the error is the equivalent of a typo and it doesn't necessarily impugn his or her intellect or education. Of course, I can't begin to explain the hyphen, but let's be generous here too. I'm not interested in the sign itself, but I want to discuss the sentiment it represents.
For a few reasons, I'm bothered by those who throw a fit when Spanish is spoken in this country. The arrogance of expecting the world to speak our language while not bothering to learn anyone else's is bad enough, but wearing one's ignorance as a badge of honor by somehow taking pride in the inability to speak more than one language is worse. It's like bragging, "Hey, look at me! I'm too stupid to do long division but Daddy left me enough money that I could hire people to do my math."
Even though I'm not fluent in any foreign language, I've had little trouble when traveling abroad, and I'm grateful for the consideration I've received when I'm a guest in another country. As an American, I've also benefited mightily from how low the bar has been set. Any effort to speak the native language is seen as an extraordinary gesture on my part and tends to be met with tremendous goodwill. I was talking to an Interpol officer in a Lyon Metro station and he said my French was very good even though it clearly wasn't. He wasn't being sarcastic; he was being kind and encouraging me. We should extend the same courtesy.
I understand and agree that those who want to live here permanently should learn English, but let's not be so disingenuous as to paint this debate in terms of tough love designed to help Spanish speakers assimilate. This issue is being driven by those who would pound the table and bellow, "This is my house and you'll live by my rules!" No one is being required to learn Spanish; the only issue before us is whether or not we accept the fact that millions of hard working Americans do speak that language. Considering that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory where Spanish is the native language and that it's no accident or coincidence that many of our western states have Spanish names, it seems unreasonable to bear such hostility to that language being used alongside English.
The burning desire for English-only laws and so forth stems from the same place as the anti-immigration mindset - the fear that any change will ruin the character of one's beloved homeland. This is not new. The nativist vs. newcomer battle goes back a very long way. Luckily, at every turn this country of immigrants has ultimately stayed true to its character, and we've been enriched by each successive wave of newcomers. We would not have achieved our national greatness had we listened to the small-minded to whom change is terrifying, particularly when it involves people they perceive as different from themselves.
Now that President Obama has released his long-form birth certificate, I demand to see every right-wing blowhard's earliest report card. My guess is that at least 75% of them failed Sharing in kindergarten.
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