As you may have noticed by many of my posts, I am interested in race relations in America. I always have been.
In our current era, if one listens to the nightly news, one would believe that we are presently in the midst of a terrible racial crisis, that the races are at each others throats.
I'm reminded of an apocryphal story about an old man sitting at the gates of his city. One day, the man was approached by a traveler and asked about the kind of people he should expect to find in the city.
The old man asked, "What are the people like where you come from?"
The traveler replied, "Oh, the people where I come from are wonderful. They are kind and generous and understanding."
The old man said, "You shall find the same kind of people here in my town."
A bit later, another traveler arrived at the gate and asked the same question of the old man, whereupon the old man asked the new traveler the same question, "What are the people like where you come from?"
The second traveler replied, "You'd just not believe how terrible they are. They're rude, they cheat whenever they get the chance, and they're stingy."
To which the old man said, "You shall find the same kind of people here in my town."
I have noticed that one sees what one wants to see. I've also noticed that, as humans, we tend to personalize things to an unhealthy degree. It's not unheard of for me to receive poor customer service of one sort or another. Sometimes it's from a white employee, sometimes from a black one. It's easy, because I'm white, to attribute poor service from an employee who happens to be black to a racial bias. It may be easy, but it's not healthy. More likely, they're just having a bad day, or, perhaps, they are just cranky all the time. The likelihood that they care about me or my skin color is pretty low.
But, more often than not, I receive good customer service from blacks and whites alike. They are generally cheerful and helpful no matter what their race. All, whether black or white, are almost universally happy when I greet them cheerfully, and, if the mood strikes, with a joke of some sort. We share a moment of humanity then go our own ways to meet our next task.
And, sometimes, we meet the extraordinary human. Last week, as I pulled onto the highway after leaving work, I immediately noticed that my front tire was flat. Never a good sign.
I pulled over and got busy changing the tire. After about fifteen minutes of struggling with the broken mechanism which lifts the tire to its storage port under the bed of my truck, a man pulled up next to me and got out with an offer to help. He saw the problem immediately because the same thing had happened with his truck last year. He crawled under the bed and fixed the problem in short order. He then stayed and helped my change the tire.
The whole time we chatted and enjoyed one anothers company and I felt as though I had met a kindred spirit. He is someone who shares my view of man.
It shouldn't be noteworthy that he is a black man, but in today's climate, it's worth noting. Honestly, it doesn't impress me that he is black because I think that humans are humans. Some humans are kind of icky and creepy, and some humans are wonderful.
So, on a random weekday, in a random town in the deep south, a grouchy middle-aged white guy was blessed by a cheerful middle-aged (though somewhat younger) black guy.
That is the America that I see.
The America that I know.
The America that I love.
God Bless America.
TheCurmudgeon
Friday, March 8, 2019
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
"They All Look Alike..."
I like to think that I'm not a prude; I also like to think that I'm not politically correct. In fact, I abhor political correctness.
Also, I rather enjoy racial humor because in racial humor we identify stereotypes, and, as such, we can enjoy and celebrate our differences. One of the things I enjoy the most is seeing a black or Asian or Hispanic comedian imitating a white guy because they always play on white stereotypes.
I say these things to say this: I'm about to complain about someone using racial stereotypes in a humorous way.
As much as I love stereotypes as a source of humor, I cannot abide hypocrisy.
This week, our beloved former First Lady, Hillary Clinton, said something that would be grounds for impeachment if any Republican said it.
Watch for yourself:
In fact, I actually think this was pretty funny, something that Hillary generally is not. She is usually scripted and robotic, not even remotely funny. But here, in a rare glimpse of her real self, she shows spontaneous humor.
Good for her.
But she also shows something else: Her hypocrisy.
Not only that, but the hypocrisy of her audience because you can be sure that if Brother Trump had said something like this it would be an excuse for impeachment or a riot or virtually anything that crossed the mind of an American leftist.
It seems to a simple boy like me that we are obliged to be responsible in our daily lives for the beliefs that we have chosen to espouse. When we fail to do so, we must necessarily pay a penalty.
All of us, at one time or another has broken the faith of our own convictions, for that is what it means to be a fallen human. And we have all paid a price for that fecklessness. No human who has an ethical standard above that of a bowling ball complains in his heart about this price.
That's why I think that this quip from Hillary is so jarring: she has broken both her own stated ethical position and that of her followers.
She hasn't broken my standard of ethics; she has broken her own.
And, yet, she's celebrated by her peeps for doing so.
That's what makes it disgusting.
Besides, they don't look alike:
Vote next week.
The Curmudgeon
-Get off my lawn.
Also, I rather enjoy racial humor because in racial humor we identify stereotypes, and, as such, we can enjoy and celebrate our differences. One of the things I enjoy the most is seeing a black or Asian or Hispanic comedian imitating a white guy because they always play on white stereotypes.
I say these things to say this: I'm about to complain about someone using racial stereotypes in a humorous way.
As much as I love stereotypes as a source of humor, I cannot abide hypocrisy.
This week, our beloved former First Lady, Hillary Clinton, said something that would be grounds for impeachment if any Republican said it.
Watch for yourself:
 |
| "They All Look Alike..." |
In fact, I actually think this was pretty funny, something that Hillary generally is not. She is usually scripted and robotic, not even remotely funny. But here, in a rare glimpse of her real self, she shows spontaneous humor.
Good for her.
But she also shows something else: Her hypocrisy.
Not only that, but the hypocrisy of her audience because you can be sure that if Brother Trump had said something like this it would be an excuse for impeachment or a riot or virtually anything that crossed the mind of an American leftist.
It seems to a simple boy like me that we are obliged to be responsible in our daily lives for the beliefs that we have chosen to espouse. When we fail to do so, we must necessarily pay a penalty.
All of us, at one time or another has broken the faith of our own convictions, for that is what it means to be a fallen human. And we have all paid a price for that fecklessness. No human who has an ethical standard above that of a bowling ball complains in his heart about this price.
That's why I think that this quip from Hillary is so jarring: she has broken both her own stated ethical position and that of her followers.
She hasn't broken my standard of ethics; she has broken her own.
And, yet, she's celebrated by her peeps for doing so.
That's what makes it disgusting.
Besides, they don't look alike:
 |
| Eric Holder |
 |
| Cory Booker |
Vote next week.
The Curmudgeon
-Get off my lawn.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Shaping the Court
I've thought much about Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings. As you may already know, I've written two posts about this: The Unseemly Art of Borking, and I Told Ya So!!
I direct this post towards my children and those in their generation, but some of you old-timers may get something out of this, so feel free to keep reading.
It is critically important that you know how America is supposed to work so that you can identify events that are out of bounds.
The Kavanaugh hearings allow multiple examples of balls thrown out of bounds, but I will choose to focus upon only two.
The first, and most obvious, is the violation of the rule of law. There is a reason that Americans hold sacred the idea that we are innocent until we are proven guilty. Accusations are not enough in America. This is so basic to the American psyche that we don't even consider that it could be any other way.
The truth, however, is that many nations through history, and even today, do not operate upon this principle.
Countries who reject this principle become subject to mob rule and hundreds, thousands, even millions of citizens are imprisoned and executed. During the years of the Soviet Union, over 100 million people were murdered by their government.
Yes, I said, 100 million.
And that's just one country.
Please pay attention to the rule of law. Never forget it, for, if you do, it will be at your peril and the peril of your country.
The second principle is more obscure. It has to do with how the court is "balanced."
Although you won't hear it much on TV, this is really the driving force behind the hysteria on the left.
Last year, Trump appointee Justice Neil Gorsuch was confirmed without much fuss. He was a conservative judge much like Judge Kavanaugh, so why was there so little fuss?
The simple reason is that Gorsuch was nominated to replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia. Get the idea? Since "balance" was maintained, there didn't need to be much fuss about his confirmation.
Not so with Brett Kavanaugh. He's been nominated to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy who is the recognized "swing vote" in the current make-up of the Supreme Court.
The court, at the time of Kennedy's resignation had four conservative, four liberals, and the man in the middle: Kennedy.
I hope it's evident that Kavanaugh messes with this "balance." This is the fundamental reason for all of the hand-wringing, wailing, and gnashing of teeth on the part of the Democrats.
The political importance to them is easy to understand, but their concern is not constitutional.
As I mentioned in my opening, this is why you need to know how our country is supposed to work. Understanding the situation is why, back in July, I was able to predict the vulgarity that was to come during Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings.
You need to understand The Constitution in order to make good decisions about your votes as you mature into an American who is committed to preserving the amazing experiment which is now being handed to you as the caretakers of our great country.
See, The Constitution only asks the Senate to give advice and consent to the nominations that the president makes. They are NOT instructed by the constitution to preserve "balance."
In other words, it's the president who is responsible for populating the court as he sees fit, not the Senate. They are there to ensure that unqualified nominees don't make it to the court.
It's intended to be a beautiful system of checks and balances. And it is.
It's our job as citizens to pay attention to our Constitution, to our elected representatives, and to current events because the ultimate check on the power structure in America is not the president, nor the Congress, nor the Supreme Court; it is you.
Use your power wisely my child.
TheCurmudgeon
I direct this post towards my children and those in their generation, but some of you old-timers may get something out of this, so feel free to keep reading.
It is critically important that you know how America is supposed to work so that you can identify events that are out of bounds.
The Kavanaugh hearings allow multiple examples of balls thrown out of bounds, but I will choose to focus upon only two.
The first, and most obvious, is the violation of the rule of law. There is a reason that Americans hold sacred the idea that we are innocent until we are proven guilty. Accusations are not enough in America. This is so basic to the American psyche that we don't even consider that it could be any other way.
The truth, however, is that many nations through history, and even today, do not operate upon this principle.
Countries who reject this principle become subject to mob rule and hundreds, thousands, even millions of citizens are imprisoned and executed. During the years of the Soviet Union, over 100 million people were murdered by their government.
Yes, I said, 100 million.
And that's just one country.
Please pay attention to the rule of law. Never forget it, for, if you do, it will be at your peril and the peril of your country.
The second principle is more obscure. It has to do with how the court is "balanced."
Although you won't hear it much on TV, this is really the driving force behind the hysteria on the left.
Last year, Trump appointee Justice Neil Gorsuch was confirmed without much fuss. He was a conservative judge much like Judge Kavanaugh, so why was there so little fuss?
The simple reason is that Gorsuch was nominated to replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia. Get the idea? Since "balance" was maintained, there didn't need to be much fuss about his confirmation.
Not so with Brett Kavanaugh. He's been nominated to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy who is the recognized "swing vote" in the current make-up of the Supreme Court.
The court, at the time of Kennedy's resignation had four conservative, four liberals, and the man in the middle: Kennedy.
I hope it's evident that Kavanaugh messes with this "balance." This is the fundamental reason for all of the hand-wringing, wailing, and gnashing of teeth on the part of the Democrats.
The political importance to them is easy to understand, but their concern is not constitutional.
As I mentioned in my opening, this is why you need to know how our country is supposed to work. Understanding the situation is why, back in July, I was able to predict the vulgarity that was to come during Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings.
You need to understand The Constitution in order to make good decisions about your votes as you mature into an American who is committed to preserving the amazing experiment which is now being handed to you as the caretakers of our great country.
See, The Constitution only asks the Senate to give advice and consent to the nominations that the president makes. They are NOT instructed by the constitution to preserve "balance."
In other words, it's the president who is responsible for populating the court as he sees fit, not the Senate. They are there to ensure that unqualified nominees don't make it to the court.
It's intended to be a beautiful system of checks and balances. And it is.
It's our job as citizens to pay attention to our Constitution, to our elected representatives, and to current events because the ultimate check on the power structure in America is not the president, nor the Congress, nor the Supreme Court; it is you.
Use your power wisely my child.
TheCurmudgeon
Thursday, September 20, 2018
I Told Ya So!!
 |
| Judge Brett Kavanaugh |
Reluctant or not, having to point out that I'm right is so common of an occurrence that it's almost tiresome. Doesn't mean that I'll stop doing it, though.
Those who follow my little blog may recall that, on Tuesday, July 10, 2018, I published a post entitled: The Unseemly Art of Borking. Go check it out if you want to see the predictions I made about Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation process.
Then you'll see why I'm saying, "Told ya so."
I wish that it was a tough prediction to make, but it warnt too damn hard.
The Dems hate people who like the constitution and they like justices who think that it's a good idea for the court to make up rules for the rest of us to live by.
So, when a guy like Kavanaugh shows up on the Senate hearing floor, the response is predictable.
 |
| Chick-A-Dee The Alleged Gropee |
She first spoke of this about 6 years ago to a therapist and to her husband. Says it traumatized her.
 |
| DiFi |
DiFi (the intrepid senator) keeps the letter secret during the hearings and never says a word, never asks Judge Kavanaugh a single question about the accusations in the letter.
Curious.
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Lemonade or Mountains?
When life gives lemons, make lemonade. So says the collective wisdom of the grey-hairs who have gone before.Is it so?
While I tire of endless Facebook posts about what kind of muffin you chose for breakfast today or your latest drama, I feel compelled to write about the setbacks that we face in the course of our normal lives.
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Cynicism, Democrats, and Modern American Slavery
As those of you who have been reading my blog know, I've thought much about race and identity. The political situation regarding race in America seems to be undergoing a seismic shift for the first time in decades. It's about time.It's popular to say that racial injustice is at an all-time high in the 21st century, but that's just dopey rhetoric for the uneducated amongst us. The truth, as anyone who lived through formal segregation and Jim Crow laws will tell you, is that racial injustice was not only more prevalent in the past, it was legal!
Admittedly, problems do remain, but the good news is that there is reason for hope.
 |
| Try to Imagine This Posted in 2018! |
The Conservative Message
I've always said that it's the conservative who has the most positive and uplifting message for all Americans, and that includes those of color.
Our message is that America is the land of opportunity. You can make it. You have the head and/or the back to succeed, no matter your race, religion, country of origin, etc. We believe in the power of the individual to make a difference for himself, his family, his community, his country.
If that sounds like hard work, it is.
The benefit, though, is that we are allowed to look back at a lifetime of achievement rather than a lifetime of dependence.
There are times and situations when an individual needs the help and support of his community. Conservatives understand this and delight in coming to the aid of our fellow man. However, we provide this aid to individuals rather than to block groups of those considered to be 'disenfranchised.'
To understand the liberal agenda, a little trip through time is required...
You millennials call it time-travel; old grouches like me just call it history. Get your cheeto-covered fingers off the video-game controls and open a book! While your at it, GET OFF MY LAWN!!
Shiftless whipper-snappers.
But, I digress...
The Great Society
In terms of legality, we've come a long way, baby.But, in terms of opportunity, we haven't done as well and I think it's fair to ask why.
In the mid-1960's, the Democratic Party, under the leadership of President Lyndon B. Johnson enacted legislation dubbed The Great Society. Its stated goals were to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.
The real goal, however, was much more cynical and sinister: to enslave an entire class of people.Yes, I use the word enslave on purpose.
The purpose of enslavement? To ensure the vote of the enslaved.
There's an old saying:
Those who rob from Peter to pay Paul will always have the support of Paul.How did they go about it, exactly?
They started with a hand-out and a lie...
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
The Unseemly Art of Borking
This post is for all you youngsters out there. Here at the Reckonings' International Headquarters, we define youngster as, "anyone under the age of 40, or so."
As the age of the staff here at HQ increases, so will the definition of youngster.
Speaking of definitions, I have one for ya. See if you can guess the definition:
Bork
1. n. A Cajun Beef and Pork sausage well-seasoned to perfection.
2. n. An idiot (Dork) who has been bonked on the head.
3. v. Obstruct (someone, especially a candidate for public office) by systematically defaming or vilifying them.
If you guessed 1 or 2, you're prolly a dork who needs a bonk on the head. Although, number one actually sounds pretty good.
If you are unfamiliar with the concept of borking, you're about to get a first class demonstration of the process. Since Democratic senators invented this blood sport, they're the perfect group to show you how it's done. And they will do just that in the weeks to come.
See, wha' happen wuz...
Way back in 1987 (ancient history to you youngsters, just yesterday to the rest of us old-timers) the Hon. Ronald W. Reagan nominated a judge by the name of Robert Bork to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court.
Holy cow, you'd have thought he nominated Satan himself.
Within 45 minutes, Sen. Edward "Teddy" Kennedy, of "his car doesn't float" fame, (that's an even older story, kids) was predicting the end of civilization if Judge Bork was confirmed. No kidding.
Take a look at this clip of Kennedy describing "Bork's America"
Women forced into back-alley abortions?
Blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters?
Rogue police could break down citizens' doors in midnight raids?
Schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution?
Writers and artists could be censored at the whim of the Government?
Doors of the Federal courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of citizens?
Holy bad guys, Batman, who was this monster?!
As the age of the staff here at HQ increases, so will the definition of youngster.
Speaking of definitions, I have one for ya. See if you can guess the definition:
Bork
1. n. A Cajun Beef and Pork sausage well-seasoned to perfection.
2. n. An idiot (Dork) who has been bonked on the head.
3. v. Obstruct (someone, especially a candidate for public office) by systematically defaming or vilifying them.
 |
| President Ronald W. Reagan |
If you are unfamiliar with the concept of borking, you're about to get a first class demonstration of the process. Since Democratic senators invented this blood sport, they're the perfect group to show you how it's done. And they will do just that in the weeks to come.
See, wha' happen wuz...
Way back in 1987 (ancient history to you youngsters, just yesterday to the rest of us old-timers) the Hon. Ronald W. Reagan nominated a judge by the name of Robert Bork to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court.
Holy cow, you'd have thought he nominated Satan himself.
Within 45 minutes, Sen. Edward "Teddy" Kennedy, of "his car doesn't float" fame, (that's an even older story, kids) was predicting the end of civilization if Judge Bork was confirmed. No kidding.
Take a look at this clip of Kennedy describing "Bork's America"
 |
| And the Borking Begins |
Women forced into back-alley abortions?
Blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters?
Rogue police could break down citizens' doors in midnight raids?
Schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution?
Writers and artists could be censored at the whim of the Government?
Doors of the Federal courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of citizens?
Holy bad guys, Batman, who was this monster?!
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