A Bad News Day…
America's Frustration
Sometimes you really have to wonder what really makes the world go round. Just before Philip Markoff commits suicide, he leaves a “love” note for his former fiancee. A South Carolina drowns her two baby sons. Blago gets convicted on 1 out of 25 indictment counts. Jury foreman says case was “too” complicated, recommends prosecution “streamline” case for jurors to have a better understanding of their responsibilities. The flood in Pakistan elicits a slow worldwide response, many say due to its Taliban connections. Building a mosque in New York City near Ground Zero causes unprecedented national outrage, with Newt Gingrich, supposedly a learned historian, fanning the flames of ignorance and fear. Mortgage interests rates languishing at an astonishing 4% annual rate. Talking heads on TV and radio cannot even hear themselves think…they are talking so much. President Obama’s approval rating lowest ever in his presidency. In our nation’s talent pool, only 40+% of Black males are graduating from high school each year…yikes! And Dr. Laura says goodbye to her radio talk show at the end of the year, many attributing it to her N word controversy…most likely she was planning to leave anyway, so why not go out with some fanfare to insure future marketability opportunities.
Americans are fed up and frustrated…so say the right and left pundits. And, in general, they probably are. I know I am. So much seems out of our control as ordinary citizens, sadly depending on our “intelligent” Congressional representatives – both in the Senate and the House – to have our best interests at heart. And clearly, they do not.
Short of revolution, what can we do? We have already been down that road – the Civil War – and we suffered the greatest number of deaths than in any war of our entire history including Vietnam. So to beat up on ourselves is certainly not a solution. To come together as a nation is the best alternative. But how do you really do that when we have been conditioned, educationally, not to seek the truth, but to believe whatever is dished out to us via all types of media and propaganda activities. Surely we do need to trust as a people, but we must also verify as well… a Ronald Reaganism at its best! The average American is not being educated and/or trained to do so.
A better informed citizenry can master the challenging vicissitudes of living in a democracy – an open, free society where almost anyone can speak their piece without fear of prosecution. And believe me, folks are running amuck behind that constitutional right. Only in America!
What is the answer? I really need to think about it some more. What am I doing…every opportunity I get, I try to educate folks on the importance of becoming “information literate”. Am I successful, you ask? Only in baby step kind of ways…with the seeds planted, babies do grow into adults, now don’t they.
Related External Links
- williamt blog: Blago
- Civil War Notebook: Abel P. Griffith
- Muraleedharan threatens fast unto death for Congress recall …
- Rhymes With Right – Dr. Laura Leaving The Air