ANOTHER 'WHY DON'T THEY?'

     It occurs to me that I must be incredibly naive.  When Republicans blatantly lie and distort truths, as those who claim that President Obama is out to ignore or defy the second amendment and take away every one's guns, when he is not, why aren't the Democrats putting out an ad demonstrating the speeches made to denounce the lies?  No matter how many times President Obama and Vice President Biden deny it, I believe it will only register if it is put out beside the lie. Yet, I realize that such an ad would only be watched by Republicans who wouldn't believe it anyway, just like the conspiracy theorists hear no truth.

     It is difficult for me to comprehend that our media can be so full of lies that I don't even watch commercials any more.  Why advertisers place so many ads at so much cost (that they just pass on to their consumers and stockholders), I will never understand.  I purposely never buy anything I see advertised on that basis alone.  My buying is chosen on the basis of my own research on products, recommendations of friends,checking ingredients, where something is made, what its purpose is and many other elements.

     Telling the truth should be so much easier in the long run than facing law suits, it would seem.  However, deep pockets consider law suits a normal part of business and can destroy smaller businesses who lack them simply by threatening phony law suits.  Courts should bear some responsibility before accepting such suits.  When a lawyer can get a judge to keep filing frivolous suits to punish an ex-wife, one would think the judge might refuse to prosecute.  The worst I have heard was the lawyer that sued his wife for failing to foster a relationship with his new wife whom the children disliked totally on their own.  Both children, suffering asthma, were cruelly subjected to car rides with their father and his new wife, both of whom smoked in the car causing asthmatic distress in both children which the adults ignored.,

     A more simplistic solution rather than letting the speaker say "My name is XXX and I approve this message."  The speaker must say on oath, "My name is XXX and I swear that what I speak is truth." or something that can be brought to court.  It would seem to me that with the disrespect being shown this current president, someone one might point out that law suits can be effective to convince the presenter to be more truthful if there are significant monetary and political consequences to the lies.  Even children are expected to have consequences to their misdeeds, why not politicians and those who endorsed ads?

     It would be comforting to hope that the majority of our country who like President Obama will hear his State of the Union speech where he will be able to state clearly, for the nth time, that he respects the second amendment and that people will still have guns according to the second amendment which does not specifically state that the gun is a musket nor an AK assault weapon used for wars.  It saddens me that our country has allowed enough militias to arm themselves for war against our government.  Too many people will suffer if the war is within our own country, the fist in over a hundred fifty years.

WARNING ABOUT MILITIAS PREPARED FOR CIVIL WAR HAVE BEEN IGNORED TOO LONG

While the militia preparations have been known about for years and that they have been stockpiling ammunition and arms has also been ignored.  Admittedly, the public was never made aware of the NRA (National Rifle Association) as we are now hearing about it.  It does not serve its members as much as it serves gun makers and makers of gun parts.  Needless to say, it is in the best interests of those who have been making guns  for years to continue to rake in their revenue.  Putting bans on certain guns will carve a very large hole in the profits of people making vast profits on guns about to be banned from the public while the military is also cutting down its stockpiles.

It has been ever thus.  When cars came out it put blacksmiths out of much of their work.  The media was limited to radio, everyone had to have one.  Today a relatively few people own them and they are no longer the focal point of the family room.

The real question is whether these makers will diversify and stop relying on the NRA to continue to act as their golden goose, or will they adapt to no longer having such a large market for the attack weapons they have been selling to the public, many sales being without background checks and thus illegal without a paper trail to find the purchasers.

For too many years, our country has been no so slowly hi-jacked because we were focused only on the life and death caused by terrorists and wars.  Suddenly we find ourselves interested in why these guns are so difficult to get off the market with the support of the Congress to aid the clean-up.  The NRA is not going to follow the President quietly.  They already have disrespectful ads and are trying to convince the public that President Obama wishes to ignore the second amendment.  The lies being spread by Fox News is despicable but the people have followed their leader so they must realize they would not be particularly marketable to legitimate news outlets.  So they cling to their lies and trouble making..

 Unnecessary weapons. attack weapons will not be taken off the market soon.  It seems the politicians value their re-elections (paid generously towards by the gun companies through their extremely huge support of the NRA) want to stay in Congress more than they want to do the job for which they were elected.  As ever, the public listens to the lies and believes them as all brainwashed people seem to be.

This is a frightening time in our political history.  There is no respect for the Administrative branch of our government and too many threats of secession and civil war float around for my comfort. 

WORDS REFLECT THE TIMES

The Urban dictionary is as good a source for sociologists.  When there was a rash of people going into post offices and shooting anyone there (or so it seemed) we call that type of behavior 'going postal'.  Today our urban mentors had a new one which, once again, reflects our current times.  The term is 'congressional' ("to act infantile and obstinate; to reject common sense in favor of self-interest regardless of consequence")s.  I doubt that anyone in Congress reads the urban dictionary.  If they did, they would be more in touch with the average public and issues of the day.  Or perhaps, if they heard from the people as they might have when they campaigned, they have become adept at stepping on those people, figuratively, to serve their own masters (Grover Norquist, the Koch brothers, ALEX, and all the far right (with the exception of the few who live in their own crazed, mental world an get nothing from outside their own heads)).  Campaign funding is more dear than the needs of the constituents who voted them in.

By some political miracle, humanity sprung forth to enough in the Congress to finally pass a bill that will free the money to assist in the recovery from the damage Hurricane Sandy did to New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. Those who had been obstructing it for so long should be totally ashamed of themselves for their lack of Christianity. Hopefully their constituents will be more God-fearing and remember how these selfish people behaved to those less fortunate, acting against the Bible's teachings in which they profess to adhere, when re-election time rolls around again.

Coined recently:  The 11th Hour:  Used to describe the final moments of a given event, or situation where change is still a possibility.  Right before a deadline.  This seems to be a practice our current Congress prefers rather than doing the job for which they were sent to Washington.  Impeachment is the word that comes to mind as a suitable public response to their performance, failing in their duty to the people which they promised to uphold.

By interfering with educators and trying to take control of education by forbidding evolution to be taught in places, substituting 'intelligent design' they fail to uphold our Constitution which demands a secular government, we have politicians ignoring that while criticizing what they see as threats to our Constitution in other places.  That myopic view from so many currently in office is dangerous.  Another urban word has come forth.  It is 'politischool': " A school system where all decisions are political and renders the entire educational environment stagnant and regressive. An atmosphere characterized by an uneducated school board who makes decisions based on what is politically popular than what is correct for children  This type of mindset and action leaves the system in a hopeless state of confusion". 

  ..

POWER VERSUS AUTHORITY (Part 2)

Learning theory taught us there are three ways to make change.  We can coerce (brainwashing, threats, restricting discussion or exposure to new ideas) but this fosters passive-aggressive responses and often  drives people underground.  A second way is that is that people change in adaptive fashion because all around them that change has taken place.  (If you move to a place where everyone has velvet-green lawns, you are more apt to have one , tool or if skirts are short you will wear one whether you like it or not). The third is rational empirical.  Change is made because it makes sense to do so.

In thinking all this over, it applies to power and authority, as well.  Dictators face underground movements.  Today, the United States is facing action from the many militias who have amassed remarkable piles of armament.  Southern states seek secession.  The Republicans are using their power in the way Congress runs at present to hold the country in hostage with a threat to throw the financial world in crisis other than to gain their own obstructive ends. (In truth, I feel these politicians should be drummed out of the corps for failure to do what they were elected to do...serve the people).

Many believe that a law serves as authority or that a position such as teacher, police , government officials, owners, should be respected for the authority their position should lend them.  Unfortunately, the key word here is missing respect.  Authority without respect will be fought against.  A dictionary definition of respect is: 

1. esteem: a feeling or attitude of admiration and deference toward somebody or something

"He has no respect for authority."

2. state of being admired: the state of being admired deferentially

3. thoughtfulness: consideration or thoughtfulness

4.characteristic: an individual characteristic or point

Respect cannot be demanded or forced.  Behavior and not feelings can be demanded.  Respect must be earned.  Unfortunately, some people mistakenly believe it comes with their appointment and make no effort to earn it, constantly wondering why people do not follow them or their requests.

WHEN THINGS ARE BAD, THEY CAN ALWAYS GET WORSE

Greece has been in terrible financial crisis.  The unemployment rate is relatively astronomical.  However, as we see in our own country, when the government is working as hard as it can to make things better, there are always those who believe they know a better way, can do it faster, and even if they were not voted into office, they should be running the country.  Click here.

We in the USA are facing similar resistance to follow our leaders, apparently by the Republican led House.  Our country is being held hostage with threats that our financial crisis will only get worse if President Obama does not do what these Teapartiers request.  They do not care that they are behaving like terrorists.  The House of Representatives in the late 90s was quick to punish President Clinton for personal behavior which was not a threat in any way to our country.  He was censured as though he was not doing his job properly when , in fact, he was doing his job in exemplary fashion.  This House has not done its job.  They have passed the fewest number of bills of any House in years and years.  There is no tangible censure for them not doing the job for which they were sent to Washington.  They have behaved in what i would see as a treasonous fashion, giving no care to American blue collar people who are struggling to survive, nor to survivors of Hurricane Sandy though they have always had the government respond to disasters in the areas which they represent.  Even though the polls (their report card) shows them as failing, perhaps it is time to give them an annual review of how they have performed on their job.  Why not, everyone else who works get to have one.  It is said that people give them that when election time comes about.  However, it is not voters but insiders of the House of Representatives and other government officials who should fill in the report card.  How many times did they miss a vote call; how many bills did they propose (not the same ones over and over like Rep. Bachmann trying to get rid of 'Obamacare'.; How many times did they vote against a bill because it was the 'other' party even though they were 'for' the issue before.

To hear his making clear what the dangers are if the debt ceiling isn't raised, and the lies that the Republicans are telling about it.  Click here. Be sure to wait for the ad to pass, scroll down and listen to President Obama speaking.

POWER VESUS AUTHORITY; WHICH IS WORTH MORE?

     Power, defined as: (noun) The ability to do something or act in a particular way, esp. as a faculty or quality.
     Authority, defined as: (noun)  The power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience: "he had absolute authority over his subordinates.  The right to act in a specified way, delegated from one person or organization to another.
      Both contain an element of power but do you need authority to have power?  I posit that you do not.  Witness all the con men, the not backed up authority of religious self-appointed leaders and so many others. Dictators who have the might of force behind them steal authority by might, threat,and muscle.
     Authority when given should clearly has parameters stated.  When they are not made clear it might take away some power  People resist that which is not made clear.  If authority is given but not defined, a person might be forced to act alone.  In times of emergency, risky though it may be, many people save lives by acting on their best educated actions on no authority. .If it is not an emergency, in a work place, one might take any action.  If it turns out well, the higher authorities may recognize the results as favorable and offer reward,.or not.  If the results are not positive, it may cost someone a job.  Life is full of risks.  We hear about the successful people far more than the unsuccessful.
     One may have power without authority and authority without power. Each category contains many facets and layers.  Power is gained in many ways.  Men usually use more muscle, threats and warnings.  Since women have traditionally not been regarded as having the physical power of men, they have learned power using other tools.  Both genders use flattery, seduction, their charisma (if they have it), honesty, credibility, trustworthiness, and many other methods to convince.
     The subject is barely touched in this blog.  We shall consider this Part 1, though Part 2 may not swiftly follow.and I would welcome comments readers may be willing to share on their  own thoughts on the subject.
    

OCCASIONALLY SOMETHING GOOD HAPPENS: KILLER WHALES ESCAPE ICE TRAP

For several days many of us have been following a story, monitoring the predicament of a pod of killer whales, caught in a pool of water, trapped by the ice from going beyond it.  If you have the patience to sit through a short commercial, you will see the story on 1-10-2012 when the original story broke. Click here

 Today we are informed that they have escaped.  It is relieving to hear some happiness in Nature for a change.  Ot was sad to watch pictures of the whales leaping constantly straight up and back down into their small space of water in the ocean frozen around them.  Click here for the story in full.  Most of us can cheer for freedom and relate to the feeling we might guess the whales feel.  We cannot explain what they were doing so far North...at least not to those who do not believe the climate is changing and the ocean is warming.

The 'killer whale'  is the largest of the dolphins.  They are rather fascinating.  If you have the time, click here and learn much more about them