BRAINWASHING STARTS EARLY , AND NOT USUALLY BY 'EVIL' PEOPLE

Ir shocked me to learn how deeply my toilet training (over 2 decades at the time) was ingrained when I was giving birth to my first child. If the nurse who was attending me had any sensitivity to my pleas to get up (from the huge prison in the form of crib in which I was confined) she might have told me I was catheterized and would make no mess from my painful bladder being assaulted by a little being kicking to get out.  In that era, I had been given what was called 'twilight sleep', a concoction which included scopolamine (which allows the person to be awake, respond to commands, hurt, and later remember nothing about it).

The scopolamine did its job because I have no memory of the delivery room or the delivery.  I only remember what happened after I was handled this little bundle of life to whom it was difficult to relate as coming from me or belonging to me.  All I could remember was the nurse telling me to 'do it in the bed'.and how that horrified me.  I can only imagine what my Kegel muscles.were trying to accomplish, in vain.

Then, in the Greek Orthodox church, priests spoke in a pure Greek which was like Latin is to modern Italian.  Thus, whatever I was learning about God and Jesus came from my mother. I ceased believing in a God and the rest of what came out of church between the ages of five and ten as it made no sense to me.  My mother's admonition that one must not be flatulent in the face of God (that is with your posterior pointing to Heaven) as it was a sign of sinful disrespect.  Many decades later, that bodily function never happens while I am lying on my stomach despite often difficult gyrations to get there...a totally unconscious movement..

Having grammar drummed into me in.grade school is another example.  I am totally unable to read a book without correcting the grammar, particular the use of 'I,me, and myself'.  "It is 'me'" absolutely grates so much I have taken to correcting it in books I read to 'It is I"  When I say that to other people I am sure they think I am grammatically incorrect is is so commonly misspoken .  Nevertheless, I will continue to follow the edicts placed in my brain so long ago.  It is painful to listen to the media and journalists who so frequently demonstrate they either didn't have grammar training or slept through the exercises I endured because I had not yet learned to dissociate in class.  'Who' and 'whom' are more of the same..
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ROMNEY WINS; GINGRICH LOSES

Even BBC saw the obvious tonight.  It was Romney at his best.  I'm not ready for a Romney presidency, I disagree with a lot of what he says, but it did my heart good to see him put some holes in Gingrich's sails.  Later, on the Lawrence O'Donnell show, listening to Elizabeth Warren spoke more of her just plain good sense, clearly articulated with her characteristic enthusiasm.  She contrasted what Romney is saying about his business and the small business owners.

For once, Obama was only slightly criticized as most of the reciprocal spitball throwing was  between Romney and Gingrich with Santorum getting an occasional pat top his own back while lobbing a few 'facts' back at the others.

Wolf Blitzer did an excellent job moderating without being a part of a team.  He actually kept them on task and the questions from the audience were good ones.  I felt sorry for the woman who said she was out of a job and, thus, unable to pay for health insurance and asked for suggestions.  None of the gentlemen offered anything useful other than sympathy and implying they would fix her problem if the one speaking at the time got elected.  To the Palestinian-American who asked whether they felt any support o the Palestinians,, all he got was a justification for why America will support Israel forever.

WHICH PLANET IS SPEAKING TO ROMNEY AND GINGRICH ABOUT THE MIDDLE CLASS?

Romney has finally gone over the top!  When he states his opinion that President Obama knows nothing about the middle class 9but that he, Romney, does) is not only Romney's fabrication but probably a projection because he is clueless about them.  Most of us learn a lot about the times from our children as they are a generation behind our own life cycle, but his sons seem to all have over 100 million in their trust funds. That hardly qualifies them to identify with the poor.

Romney claimed that the Republicans are for the Middle Class.  Check this article at the Fact Checker for more detail.

Nancy Pelosi opined that Gingrich will never be president, sharing  that she knew something without explaining what that is..  Speculations can run rampant.  My guess is that it has to do with his claim that he was a historian, not a lobbyist, for Freddie Mack..Somehow it has to be tied in with his ethics violations which cost him the Speakership.  If we all wait patiently and live long enough, answers often come forward.

SANTORUM COWARDICE A SYMPTOM OF OUR SOCIETY

When a woman approached Rick Santorum at his campaign appearance and she spoke of Obama as not being a legitimate president of the US because he was an avowed Mormon and not a citizen of the US, Santorum did nothing to correct her.  For shame on any American who would allow their President to be lied about that way and not trying to defend him.  Santorum, who will never be President anyway for many other reasons, certainly cooked his own political goose with that gaff.

Santorum is obviously to young to have known the feelings of loyalty to an elected president even if the person was not your choice.  Once elected, everyone backed him and accepted him as this nation's leader. One was always free to express a differing opinion, but lies and insults were just not tolerated; people knew that so the president was treated and referred to with respect.

Our President and Commander in Chief

Aside from the disrespect shown President Obama by Mr. Santorum, his lack of attempt to defend his President shows him to lack ability to be loyal to the United States and the man who stands as its leader.To me, he not only blew any chance of winning the nomination, but gave up any hope to be selected as a running mate..

THE DIZZYING TIME WE LIVE IN

What in the world was going on in the Christian mind of Rick Santorum to not correct the woman who assumes Obama is a devout Muslim and not a legal president by virtue of his birthplace.  His character profile certainly crumbled on that one.  If he can't defend a competitor, he certainly didn't learn anything that competitive school sports try to teach. 

If he remembers that McCain did the honorable thing and corrected a lady on Obama being a strong Christian, he certainly should not have connected that with McCain's ultimate defeat in the presidential campaign.  Mr. Santorum, I had little respect for you before as you certainly weren't showing any exceptional intelligence but you seemed to have some values sticking out about morality and integrity.

While I might disagree with Mr. Santorum's stance on religion, when life/personhood actually starts, whether abortion should be controlled by the government, having contradicted in most of his speeches in which he has talked about getting government out of, not into, our lives, He has talked about having government get out of our lives,

That a woman could get up and state those feelings and erroneous impressions of Obama to the millions watching, really makes one wonder where she gets her information.  Is she the American so many of our servicemen have died for?  Ugh!

SUPER BOWL FEVER

While not ordinarily a couch potato or sedentary sports fan, when games get to playoffs and championship games, my interest peaks.  Visiting the new wing of the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum in the morning and walking further than I do in my usual day, my friend and I were hungry as we left.  I had to decide whether to go to a restaurant with my friend and miss the first part of the game between the Ravens and the Patriots or choose to eat and miss the beginning of the game.  Our very kind and sympathetic waitress kept us posted on the score.  It is amazing how friendly people are who have to work during these games when they find that someone else is missing it and that they can, at least, keep track of the score through their co-workers..

At one point a massive howl went up behind the swinging doors in the kitchen.  It had to be one for our side as, indeed, it turned out to be.  We ate and I was home before half time, during which I ran to my office door and shoveled the snow off the walk; light snow that only took me ten minutes to clear. I had heard it was going to rain and freeze by morning and is on the North side which gets no warm sun.

The rest of the game had me picking up a book when it looked as though my team was losing.  I don't like watching and experiencing the loss as though it really matters to me.  It doesn't. There are so many more important things in life, yet the emotions on that field touch me deeply.  It is unfathomable to me that someone would pay $6000 for a ticket to watch a bowl game when there are so many starving children around us and so many homeless people.  It makes the disparity of classes and incomes greater than ever, does it not?

Nevertheless, we take heart where we can find it.  The joy exuded by the winners and their supporters has to be uplifting to even the dourest among us.  I number myself among those dour people when it comes to pro sports, most of the time.

Now I must wait for two weeks to go through the angst and suspense for the final game, the SUPER BOWL OF 2012.

THE WAY TO EAT AN ELEPHANT IS ONE BITE AT A TIME

One bite at a time is the way the Republicans should be picked off in this election.  Recalls are a one bite.  Wisconsin has experienced that with more to come soon.  If a Republican wins the presidency it could mean a country totally controlled behind the scenes by greedy money grabbers who care nothing for the end results to our society.  Children will grow up unschooled to their potential as the country will gradually lose its potential, as well.

Times are desperate.  Those people who will vote for Mickey Mouse (or worse still, Gingrich or Romney) have no real thought to the good of the country.  They do not see the overall picture and are the same ones who were swayed to vote for GW with his back yard barbecues and 'folksy' touch.  This year it is no longer a reason.  Knowledge and understanding of the problems the nation faces has little value.  It is that the candidate must have 'fire in his belly', not to be confused with indigestion.  (It is sad that the only woman running was experienced by most women as a disgrace to her gender.) .Fire in the belly is not determination but seems to be outrage and anger, such as Gingrich displayed in the last debate.  However, one might hope the outrage is not personal narcissistic defensive reaction to injury and pure bullying. 

Meanwhile, one of the bites is an attempt to get rid of Citizens United.  Admittedly, that is a very large bite.  The Occupy movement is another bite which may be bigger than it seems because so many people are behind it. Many organizations are taking bites as well, Move On has been active as one of many groups trying to promote action by strength in numbers. People do not like what has been going on throughout the country within states as well as on a national level.  Unfortunately, the many Republican debates have focused only on supportive Republicans to the Republican party.  Soon the rest of the country will have their moment in the sun when the media realizes the Republican  campaign for candidacy is not the only game in town.