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.

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.'

Liberals, however, have a much different point of view.

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...

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.

President Ronald W. Reagan

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"

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?!

Information Overload

In my whole life, I think that I've only had two original thoughts:

1. On Cigars:
     -The more you spend on a cigar, the better it tastes.
     -No matter how much you spend on a cigar, if you aren't smoking it, it stinks.

I like that one.  It makes me happy for some odd reason.

2. On Bias:
     -Bias is most dangerous when it goes unrecognized.

Of the two, this is my favorite.  Although I've told it to folks through the years, it doesn't seem to be catching on, so, as for having a quotable legacy, I'm probably doomed.

 

Prison of the Mind

Why is bias important?  Why is recognizing it even more so?

That's what I'd like to talk about this morning.

If you're of a certain age (young), you most likely don't realize how much information you are exposed to when compared to a bygone day.  And that day wasn't all that long ago.

Nowadays, you can get information on just about any subject with just a few touches and/or swipes on the computer in your pocket.  It's truly amazing.

Of course, there's a downside: not all of the information you receive is accurate.  Much of it is biased.

Not only is the information biased, but so are we.

Our human penchant for bias is the point of this post.

I'll admit that I have a bias.  I do that because I want to be truthful with you.  More importantly, I want to be truthful with myself.  If I deny my own bias, I sentence myself to intellectual prison.

Mr. West and Mr. Trump

I've taken a bit of a sabbatical from writing, but I just can't stay away any longer.

Kanye West

I've recently been watching this whole Kanye and Trump thing play out, and there's much food for thought.

Firstly, Kanye West is a numbskull most of the time.  Actually, I already knew that.  What I didn't know is that, sometimes, like a blind hog finding an acorn, he sometimes hits on something worthwhile.

To be clear, even when Kanye is finding his truffle, it's shrouded in all kinds of nonsense, but, nevertheless, he did come up with a valuable pearl 'tween his teeth recently.

And here it is:

Talk to Me

Overreach

I'm so tired of hearing that everything is racist.  That everything is sexist.  It seems that the order of the day is to be extreme in all thought.  Politically, we're either very right or very left.  There's not much common ground to be had lately.  Racially, we're either black, brown, red, white, or yellow. 

Again, not much room for common ground.

I love to listen to those with opposing points of view because sometimes I can learn something.

So, I listen.  I have to tell you, though, what I hear on the national news from people of color and from women isn't always constructive.  I see much less of them trying to fix things and much more of why I'm to blame for all of the evil in the world.

Not helpful.  Not good.

I have a much different idea in mind.  How about this for an approach... Maybe we can talk with each other as humans first and genders, races, sex practices, political parties, and religions a distant second?

Now there's an idea.

Here's another idea... Let's stop trying to make every cultural norm a racial (or sexist, etc) offense.

Jingle All the Way...

This week there is a cadre of articles about Jingle Bells being racist.  Anyone who seriously thinks that the average white guy is thinking about white supremacy while he sings Jingle Bells, is dangerously deranged.

Overreach is everywhere.

Brrrr... It's Cold in the New Millenium

Or, how about the classic song "Baby It's Cold Outside?"  I've always loved this duet.  The harmonies are just wonderful.  That's what attracted me to it in the first place.  Then, I listened to the lyrics.  It's just so real.  The guy is pressing for the girl to stay.  The girl is giving the excuses about why she shouldn't.  However, notice one thing: She doesn't leave.  Why?  Because this is the dance of enticement that men and women do when there's attraction.  It's a story as old as male-ness and female-ness.  And it's simply a wonderful part of what it means to be a human.

If you listen to this song and aren't reminded of what it means to be a woman or a man, then you have allowed political correctness to neuter you.

Racism Abounds

Melania Trump

Just when I think that America is in trouble, I see headlines that tell me that everything will be alright.  I am comforted to know that there are proud Americans who are willing and able to stand against the tyranny of people like me.

And probably you, too.

Racist Brainwashing

Here's an example of what I'm talking about:

Melania Trump, sent a few books to some schools around the country.  She says that she was simply trying to promote literacy.

What a vanilla cover story!  Seriously, who can take the Trumps ... uh ... seriously.

As any objective observer can see, this is plainly subversive.

Liz Phipps Soeiro

One librarian in particular, Liz Phipps Soeiro, in Cambridge, Massachusetts saw through the Trump's plot and so refused to have the books in her library.

You see, what Liz had discovered is that Mel chose books which were loaded with racist material.  It's all very distasteful and offensive. 

    Brains are scrubbed, Brains are washed.
    All free thinking is quashed, quashed, quashed.

I hate subversion.

Really, though, I should've known that Melly would send something terrible to a bunch of impressionable kids.

The Trumps are like that; just read the papers.  It's all there.

Dr. Seuss with His Racist Goons

For completeness sake, I should mention that the offending author was none other than Dr. Seuss.