Category Society

Party Planning

Michael Leave a comment

Now that the conventions are over, the tickets are official, the platforms are assembled, the debates have begun, the candidates have spoken, the has-beens have spoken, the wannabes have spoken, the wives have spoken, the television pundits have spoken, — not much has been said.  We’re still sure we don’t like either of these unwise men.  And we’re still convinced our best choice is not between them (see None of the Above, August 13, 2012).  But we have a bit more clarity of the why we don’t like either of these party-ites.

It’s because they are party-ites.  They are the stereotypes of what we’ve come to imagine the parties are actually about. 

Willard Mitt Romney is the ultimate rich man.  Named for the family friend Willard Marriott of “The” Marriotts  and the famous don’t-tell-me-you-didn’t-know-him relative Milton Romney who played quarterback for the Chicago Bears in the 1920’s, is undoubtedly a rich man.  With or without tax returns this is a guy who bought entire companies like normal people buy entire kitchen knife sets.  He owns multiple houses, is alternately referred to as a “consultant” and a “venture capitalist,” and went to Harvard.  Even Republicans can’t identify with him because most Republicans aren’t rich.  He may have come off winning the debate but mostly because he was debating a real loser.

Barrack Hussain Obama, II is the quintessential Democrat mostly because the Democrats told us so. He is African American born of a Kenyan father and a white lady from Kansas (ok, so part African American), he has one house other than the White House, his religion is simply Christian, and he began his law career as a civil rights lawyer.  They don’t always mention that he received his undergraduate degree from Columbia and his law degree also from Harvard and if they do, then it’s in the context of isn’t it great that a black man can go to Ivy League Universities too.  He has also worked as a consultant, and is a published author.  In fact, he’s made about $6 million from his and his wife’s book sales and that one house they live in (other than the White House) is worth $1.65 million.  His performance at the debate was more of one being forced to a book signing rather than one who understood what he wrote.

Neither of these puppies is what the politicos want you to think of them.  The Republicans have got to stop nominating people who flaunt their millions of dollars in the public’s face.  The Democrats have got to stop nominating people who have so many millions they can’t hide them all and often meet the Republican stereotype better than most of the Republicans. 

Less than an hour after the conclusion of the debate, as close to what we have as “legitimate news outlets” were pointing out the misleading statements, almost-truths, half-truths, and “just plain not right” uttered between the banter and the mockery.  Neither of these party-ites resembles Lincoln or Jackson.  It’s a sad fact that probably some of those who call themselves Democrat or Republican can’t identify which is which nor which side either was on during the debate.  

If they should figure out their true directions then we may consider what the major parties’ candidates have to say about some of the important issues going on in the country.  Until then, we’ll stick with “none of the above” and find someone who will.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

 

Testing, Testing, 1,2,3

Michael Leave a comment

SAT reading scores are at their lowest in forty years.  In our state, standardized tests were first reported to be so low that more schools did not meet minimum standards set by the Department of Education than those that did.  A few weeks after that report was released we were told things weren’t that dire; whoever wrote the report reversed the math and reading scores.  In fact, there were just as many schools that met the standards as there were those that did not. 

If it only stopped there.  Another few weeks had gone by and then there was a cheating scandal that broke out.  Apparently teachers were taking tests for students who did not show up in an effort to raise the average.  We’re not certain which is more pathetic – that the teachers only raised the odds to 50/50 to meet standards or that teachers could only raise the average to 50%.

The general feeling is that high schoolers don’t want to, or don’t feel they have to take tests.  But once beyond high school, once into the realm of those going to school because they want to rather than have to, once dealing with people who have an investment in their education and in their futures, disappointing results will be rare.  She of We works with a woman whose father, now into his eighties, still teaches conversational French to the residents at the care facility where he is also a resident.  He often commented that he would have preferred to teach at college where the students wanted to learn rather than at high school where the students wanted to meet their minimum requirements so they could play football. 

The disappointing results are not restricted to high schools.   Just this week there was a report that several local schools of nursing are in jeopardy because less than 80% of their graduates, the minimum required to maintain the school’s certification, could pass the nursing licensure exam. 

While all this is going on, money is pouring into the schools.  Even with the recent cuts to education seen across America there are billions being passed through from the federal government.  Over $160 billion has been spent by the federal government on K-12 education over the past 45 years.  That averages over $3.5 billion per year.  Last year Washington sent $25 billion to school.

And yet even at this amount of plus what the states and local districts put into their own education we are not educating.  Are the tests to blame?  Are we really turning out Einsteins at record paces but nobody knows because the kids can’t take standardized tests.  Who hasn’t, or hadn’t, heard someone say “I know the material, I just can’t take tests.”  You never hear someone who scored well on his or her SAT say, “I don’t know jack but I know how to pick from a list of multiple choices.” 

No, we’re certain that if you know the material you know the material no matter how somebody asks you the questions.  It’s time those who are teaching do.  If there are cuts to be made let’s eliminate some of the administrative staff.  Do we need three assistant principals, two secretaries for each, and a prefect of discipline at the elementary K-3 building?  Don’t cut the education programs.  We need arts as well as sciences.  We needed PE as much as we need Math.  And maybe a class or two on how to take tests.  Life is full of them.

Besides, if we had to come up with a different way of measuring competency than through testing, we could end up grading student nurses on, well, on nursing.  Stick out your tongue and say cheese.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

Murder is Insulting

Michael Leave a comment

Muslims are insulted by the anti-Islamic film that an ex-con, anti-Islamic extremist produced and posted clips of to YouTube.  To demonstrate their chagrin they felt justified in burning down the American embassy in Libya and killing the American ambassador there.  Americans in 20 countries in the Middle East and elsewhere where Islam is practiced have been victims of abusive attacks over the past week.

There have already been hundreds of thousands of words published condemning the killings and these other aggressive acts.  Our few hundred words here won’t add any clarity to what is a mounting sentiment to use any excuse to attack and kill Americans.  So we won’t decry the Muslims’ retaliatory actions.  God will see they don’t get their 700 virgins or their entry to paradise or their first taste of a hamburger or whatever they think will be their reward for killing Americans even though it was one of their own who smeared Mohammed then ran and hid behind our First Amendment.

No, what we are going to say is what parents throughout America should be telling their children when they do something terribly, horribly wrong.  You’re going to bed without your dinner.  Let us explain.  The United Sates directly provides over 40% of the food bought and sold in the Middle East.  When considering re-exports of American goods by other countries to this area, over 90% of their food comes from the United States.  Other than Iran and Sudan, the United Sates has no restrictions against exporting to Middle East or North African countries.  Yet these are the very countries where Americans are being attacked because the populace perceives that the USA insulted them through an amateurish film posted on an Internet site where anybody can upload video files.  Well, we’re insulted also. 

If there is not enough outrage in our leaders to send in whatever troops are necessary to neutralize those who are killing Americans, then send in whatever troops are necessary to destroy what food stores are present in those countries.  Then there should be embargos instituted against them and against all other countries that allow re-export to these American haters.  After a few months of having nothing to eat maybe they will understand our outrage when we open our morning papers and find out that one of our ambassadors was murdered because somebody’s feelings were hurt.

If someday there should be a very large contingent of apologetic, hungry people in Egypt, Libya, Indonesia, Afghanistan, or any other part of the world where ‘Death to America’ is scrawled on the sides of what used to be American consulates and embassies, perhaps our answer should be “Gosh, we’re sorry.  We were insulted and since you set the appropriate retaliation for insults at murder we figured it was time to play by your rules.  Too bad.   Go to bed without your dinner.”

And to those bleeding hearts here in our country who feel bad for the poor little fire starters, feel free to join them living in dirt, filth, and squalor.  Maybe while you’re busy badmouthing us, they’ll be happy for the chance to burn you alive too.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

What’s a Covet?

Michael Leave a comment

My there are certainly a lot of them.  So many you’d swear (or affirm) that they are even somewhat religious in their beliefs.  Of whom are we speaking?  The atheists.   And they’re at it again.

A school district in Pennsylvania has a monument outside the doors of its Junior High School that someone supposed violated the tenant of the separation of church and state.  You’ll recall we debated where that separation is specified in our Constitution, Bill of Rights, later amendments, or earlier Declarations and couldn’t find it anywhere.  (See We Hold These Truths (Jan. 13,2012) and Liberty and Justice for All (March 26, 2012).)  Obviously the people who are threatening lawsuits didn’t read our posts.  Neither did the school district because they are planning to comply with the requests to remove the four foot tall work that has been guarding the school doors since 1957.

A judge in Virginia must has thought he possessed the wisdom of Solomon when he came up with the bright idea of removing the first four commandments since they are the ones that are most religious.  This came up while trying to negotiate a settlement between a Giles County school district and the ACLU.  It seems the CLU claimed that their Americans were miffed over the district having the 4 + 6 Commandments in a hallway where a picture of them was posted for a year and a half as part of a display of American government and morality.  We certainly don’t want to mistake those two for each other.

Back North, another Pennsylvania school district that has a plaque of the Ten Commandments at the entrance to its high school has also been threatened with a law suit if it doesn’t remove the material within 10 days of the threat’s delivery date.  The school board president said they have to wait to construct a response regarding the fate of the monument that has stood since 1955 until a meeting with the district’s attorneys later this month.

Unfortunately we can’t say this is anything new.  It was in 2003 when workers removed 800 pound granite tablets listing the Ten Commandments (Moses would have had a hard time with those himself) from 4 schools in a suburban Cincinnati school district.

We say let it go.  Clearly we don’t need them anymore.  They are as obsolete as killing, stealing, patricide or matricide, adultery, and wholesale deceit including perjury.  You can tell by the way these offensives as almost never ever committed anymore.  Coveting is so obsolete the average high schooler probably doesn’t even know what it means and it almost never shows up in spelling bees.  But the aetheists still have some work to do because we have firm proof that there are some people who still won’t work on Sunday. 

At least they won’t until after the Super Bowl.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

 

Do you take this chicken…

Michael Leave a comment

So they say it’s not a gay marriage issue, that if they left the order stand for 100 chicken sandwiches that would be all anybody talked about instead of the issues.  So what do they talk about instead?  They talk about how that rich person who bought 100 chicken sandwiches has decided to change his catering choice for an upcoming political meeting and donate 90 of the sandwiches to a local homeless shelter and keep 10 for himself to see what they taste like.  In a roughly 500 word article in Newsday posted on August 19, some 3 weeks since a private individual voiced his views on gay marriage all that was printed was chicken sandwiches and gay marriage.  That sounds like us somebody isn’t talking about the issues.

Well here’s something to talk about.  Maybe that is the issue that nobody wants to talk about while everybody else is busy ignoring the elephant in the living room.  No, not gay marriage and not chicken sandwiches.  Stay with us here. 

Do you know if you type “Supporting Gay Marriage” into your Google search bar you will be returned over 9.6 million results including a 600Kb article in Wikipedia that includes a list of everybody who has come out in public support?  A search “Opposing Gay Marriage” returns only a few fewer than 2 million results.  Clearly more people support it so we can assume it must be right.   Keep staying with us.  If you type in “Supporting child pornography” you get 128 million results.  “Opposing child pornography” yields only 1.99 million results.  I think we can rethink our previous assumption.  Don’t go away yet.

That exercise illustrates that the more controversial an idea is the more people will want to talk about it. And there isn’t a clear right or wrong as often as there is no question what it right or wrong. 

The only clear right in any of this is that we all have to right to express our opinion.  Unfortunately there are many issues that because they are the “darling” issue of the media or those with access to the media, many people will want to make certain their views match those of the famous and sometimes infamous.

If the short order cook at your neighborhood bar, the one who makes the chicken sandwiches, came out in opposition to gay marriage you’d probably say, “who cares?” and move on.  But because someone who has made a fortune out of making chicken sandwiches remarks how he interprets the Bible’s view on marriage some other rich guy is going to give away 90 sandwiches instead of feeding them to the local politicians.  And that becomes news.

It’s not about gay marriage.  It’s about finding fault with someone who seems to be successful without the help of the ACLU.  It’s about following the crowd instead of finding your own opinion. 

And it’s about deciding that becoming outraged over shootings, snipers, unemployment, lost savings, and foreclosures is more important than chicken sandwiches.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

 

None Of The Above

Michael 1 Comment

About a week ago, She of We received a phone survey regarding the upcoming Presidential election.  Buried among other questions was the crux of the survey, and the crux of the matter. “If the election was held today, would you vote for Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?”  Why only two choices?

That’s the problem with this entire election.  This and several before.  We are presented with two candidates for a job neither has the qualifications for.  And we have to make a choice.  So here is our choice.  None of the above, but far from nobody.

In the beginning, all ballots were written, and all candidates were write-in.  Even then there were political parties but the emphasis 230-some years ago was policy, not party.  Those who voted did so for a person and his policy, not for how slick the party made their candidate sound or how incompetent they attempted to make others appear.  And when the elector determined for whom he would cast his ballot, he placed pen to paper and committed his vote to writing. 

We want to bring it back.  Not just the write-in part, but the whole thought behind the election process.  This is supposed to be our head of state.  Do we want our solver of domestic problems, our representative to the world determined by a sound bite, a hair color, a slogan, or an accusation?  We fully intend to consider all the possible candidates – everyone who has ever said at some point that he or she intends to serve the American public and then acted in a manner that reflected true selfless service.  We will fully consider our priorities for the executive process.  It probably won’t be health care, gay marriage, or who has more friends on his or her Facebook page.  It will be what affects us.  It will be probably what affects everybody if everybody would listen to themselves rather than the party campaign ads.  Then when we find who will work to our best interest, will we cast our vote.  It will certainly be a write in.

Will this really prove anything?  If two people spend a lot of time and effort and write in two very serious leaders, no, it won’t prove anything.  But if you join us we can be heard.  If you really don’t like the choices the parties have given you, then don’t vote for them.  But please, don’t just not vote.  Do your research.  Find your best leader.  Then cast your vote for your best choice.

If you can convince a few others to do likewise, then do it.  On Election Day we could have a million people, maybe 10 million people voting for a leader rather than for the less of two evils.  Vote for the greatest candidate you know.   We know we won’t all vote for the same person.  There could be 10 million different write in candidates.  But that will be 10 million people who have told the parties that we are through with their idea of electability.  We don’t need a candidate.  We need a President.  We need a leader.

If we vote like it really matters we can make a difference, and we have to start voting like it really matters.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

 

No Comment

Michael Leave a comment

Is this happening where you live?  Some significant local news story breaks – a shooting, arson, bank robbery.  The local reporter corners an eye-witness.  “Tell us what you saw,” and the eye witness breaks into details so significant you can hear the District Attorney breathing harder.  But, the witness doesn’t want to appear on camera or give his/her/its name.  So the camera man focuses on the tattoo on the witness’s lower leg that says “I Love Brunettes” in Olde English lettering surrounding a cheesecake portrait of Stephanie Powers in her 1980’s TV role in Hart to Hart, perhaps a portrait tattoo of the witness’s seven children, or the inscription “Jane Doe Loves John Smith (crossed out) Joe Jones (crossed out) Mary Queen of Scots.”  Nothing too unique.

It wasn’t that long ago that we saw on the evening news just that.  The TV reporter telling us that the witness didn’t want her face shown but the cameraman had a clear shot of the snake tattoo climbing from her foot (with the green nail polish) up past the ankle encircling her shin.  Haven’t these people ever heard of the phrase “No comment?”  Or is he lure of being on television, even without being identified by name, too much for them?

We used to wonder about the intelligence of the TV eye-witness back when all you had to go on was the lack of front teeth, the baseball hat proclaiming the last tractor pull world championship, and the t-shirt with the logo and leftover barbecue sauce from the rib cook-off of four years previous.  Now those people were at least colorful.

Recently we saw an eye-witness to a break-in across the street from the witness’s house where he was ‘just sitting” on the porch.  He didn’t have a silly hat.  He didn’t have a dirty t-shirt.  He didn’t’ have a tattoo that we could see and we could see a lot because he didn’t have any shirt on.  But he also didn’t mind his face being shown.  It was a good counter-point to his shirtless body that the cameraman was having a tough time capturing all in one frame without his wide lens.

Don’t these people know they are going to be on television?  Didn’t anybody tell them that when the truck with the call letters and the guy with camera and the lady with the microphone show up there would be a chance that a few people might be watching the film at 11?  It significantly lessens the impact of the details that we now wonder if they were really that observant or were they fantasizing in whatever drug or alcohol haze they were in.

We used to think that the eye-witnesses who didn’t want to show their faces but let the cameras roam over their fairly unique and identifiable tattoos were just stupid.  Actually we still do.  Sorry, Mr. District Attorney.  You can stop breathing hard now.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

 

The Agony of Defeatism

Michael Leave a comment

You know that we have never told you what to do or think or say.  Thinly veiled otherwise strongly worded suggested we have, but outright told, no.  We are now.  We are going to ask you to do just what we do and find all your Polo cosmetics and fragrances, dig out all your Lauren accessories, rummage through the closets and take out everything that has Ralph Lauren on the label, and burn them all.  If your local municipality prohibits open flames we will accept repeated slashes and then bury the remains.  And then don’t ever ever never buy any of his stuff again.  Ever.  Never.

Yes, we’re a little upset about the Chinese made U. S. Olympic Team uniforms.  There are so many other things that have hit the news wires this week, why of all things would we take such a drastic stand over clothes?  It’s the Olympics.  It is the ultimate in competition.  This is America.  We are nuts about competitions.  Put it together.  The ultimate in reality shows is about to take place and we’re sending our representatives there in somebody else’s clothes.

Nobody asked us but what we would have done was not even turned the design to a professional.  We would have taken advantage of those reality competition shows out there and let the “Project Runway” or similar contestants design the uniforms.  The Olympics are the grandest of all contests and should be represented by the best of the best.  We don’t pick our swimmers by holding open bids.  We don’t select our archers through a series of contract negotiations.  We don’t choose our sprinters based on who did good before.  Before they get to be competitors, they compete for the privilege.

If we had let the design of the uniforms to true competitors we’d probably have something uniquely identifiable.  Has anybody looked at these things?  There’s no mistaking them for anything other than Ralph Lauren designs.  He made sure of that by the size and placement of his logo exactly as it is on his U. S. Golf Open, U. S. Tennis Open, and Open Championship uniforms.  And you’d think somebody so American with so many U. S. credits would realize we haven’t worn berets in this country since Annie Hall premiered (and even she knew better than to wear one on screen).

Since we can’t go back and have the uniforms re-designed, let’s at least get them re-made.  Ralph Lauren has already said he will have the 2014 uniforms made in the USA.  That’s nice.  But we’re still letting the 2012 team go to London with zippers sewn in the shadow of the Great Wall.  Let’s face it, there is enough money in his various companies’ accounts and among several of the USOC members’ households that Lauren, et.al. could say, “We screwed up.  We’ll fix it and have the uniforms all re-made here and we’ll pay for it” and not notice the bill.  The amount spent on redoing the uniforms might be enough advertising for his companies that it would offset the bad publicity he has already received. 

Frankly, we don’t care why he doesn’t.  There’s 10 days to go before anybody has to see the Asian varieties and it can be done.  So just do it.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

 

Baseball, Hotdogs, Apple Pie, and “Batter Up!”

Michael Leave a comment

It’s almost our birthday, that’s our country’s birthday, and we’re still trying to figure out what makes us Americans – the good things, the bad things, and the things no other country wants to admit to doing.

Last weekend we were in a restaurant for a late dinner when a family of Mom, Dad, and four children ages 8 months to 11 years old take the table next to us.  We said it was a late dinner.  For us, 9:00 qualifies as late and that’s what time we were seated.  These folks came about ten minutes after us.  What could these six people ranging in age from “not yet a year” to “should know better” be doing on a Saturday that they hadn’t yet had dinner at that hour?  What else?  Baseball. 

Baseball?  At 9:00.  At night.  Really?  Yep, the oldest child just finished up his weekly baseball game.  We recall when we and ours were of little league age that we had one game at 1:00 and one at 2:00.  It didn’t take long to play Little League baseball then.  Three outs often came on 3 pitches assuming somebody could manage to get the ball anywhere near first base where 3 other defenders had rushed in to back up the first baseman ready for him to miss the throw to first.  The longest play in Little League then was the high pop up when everybody, including the batter, turned to look at the umpire (often somebody from the American Legion league who played on the same field at 4:00) to tell them fair, foul, safe, or out.  And then to explain what to do next.

But today, in the spirit of every one’s a hero, games take hours to play.  There are no outs, you just keep getting up to bat until everybody has had a turn.  There are no runs, you just keep going around the bases to make room for whomever is up next.  There are no strikes, or balls, or foul balls, you just keep throwing until the little snot finally connects with the ball and remembers to run to first base instead of to the bathroom like last week.

This isn’t our first post about the insanity of trying to build a world with no losers.  (See “Your Turn to Keep Score,” Jan. 16, 2012 and “There Is No Crying,” April 26, 2012.)  Somewhere along the course of trying to take the pressure of winning off our children we’ve also taken the joy of winning from them.  We’re also taking the discipline they will need to be productive adults from them. 

When the authors of the Declaration of Independence wrote that “all men are created equal” and that we are endowed by our Creator with those famous unalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, they didn’t mean there will never be any losers.  If they did, they would have let King George take one more at-bat.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

 

Baseball, Hotdogs, Apple Pie, and “It’s a Shame.”

Michael Leave a comment

We’ve been taking a post or two as we approach the Fourth of July holiday to see what’s out there that makes us uniquely Americans – including the bad things, while trying to find the good things about us.

In our last post we took our first look at how the country is doing and remarked on the bullying of the now famous bus monitor and the remarkable response people had to her plight.  Much of that remarkable response might have been American, but since that time we found out that the instigator of the good is a Canadian.  Thank you Mr. Norther American for showing us below the 49th parallel how it is to be good.

Unfortunately there are still many bad examples.  Sometimes, not only do we have a hard time admitting that the bad are the bad, we go the extra step to assume the bad is actually an example of good behavior, just gone wrong.  One morning this week the local television news had a piece about three teenagers that were killed two years ago right after attending “an alcohol fueled graduation party.”  The parents wanted to remember them so they created a memorial with plaques, benches, and pictures overlooking the site of the accident.  Had we not done a little research it would have been just three kids who died.  Other than that one phrase quoted above, the morning news story said nothing about the car’s occupants being drunk.  And being drunk isn’t something one should be memorializing.  It’s a shame.

But research it we did and that research uncovered a longer piece that was run during the evening newscast the day before.  In that version one of the mothers told those who attended the memorial to do whatever it takes to not drive after drinking.  It also mentioned that the alcohol was provided by a parent.  As we continued to dig we uncovered another article and video of the sentencing of the woman who bought a half-keg of beer for the graduation party from two years ago (one year of house arrest, 3 years on probation).  But we didn’t uncover scores of articles addressing the core problem.  There are people out there, sometimes children, who drink to impairment and then try to pilot a speeding vehicle.  We found no organized outrage at public drunkenness or at children drinking, no support of underage drinking laws, and no response from MADD, SADD, or the District Attorney.  Perhaps nobody wanted to hurt the survivors more than they were, and still are.  It’s a shame.

A day later the same television station ran a story about the arraignment of a man who during a drunken driving rampage injured 10 people in what police described as a “bumper bowl game.”  This young man hit at least six cars, one head on, before running into a guard rail that stopped his onslaught.  His blood alcohol was three times the legal limit. 

He probably missed the story from the day before and didn’t get a chance to do whatever it took to not drive after drinking.  What a shame.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?