I was born in the middle of the 1950s. The first US President I can recall having a memory of is JFK. I've been around long enough to have seen many changes; some good, some not so good, and some downright crappy. This blog is my forum for railing against the storm (or pissing into the wind, if you prefer) of those changes that I see as being either "not so good" or "downright crappy." It is an OPINION blog. I make no pretense to being a NEWS site. The best I can say is that I hope my opinions are at least minimally informed and not just mindless blathering, and that I seek to maintain, what at least approximates, an open mind.
From my perspective we, as a people, have become, in many ways, ignorant zealots... unthinking ideologues on both sides of the political (or pretty much any other) spectrum. It has occurred not-so-slowly over the years and we have become this, because we have allowed it to happen. It seems to me as if we have lost the ability to think for ourselves; to assimilate information, digest it, and draw our own conclusions. Ask most people what they think about a particular topic and they either will not know what you are talking about or they will spit back the latest bit of wisdom from whatever "news" outlet they happen to have watched that day. Our first reactions often seem to be nothing more than knee-jerk responses that allow no room for reason, let alone reasoned debate. Perhaps it is because reasoned thought is hard work and we are lazy, preferring to let others do our thinking for us. Perhaps it is because we are so self-absorbed that we just don't give a damn. Maybe we are just stupid. How else can you reconcile the overwhelmingly negative opinion we have of our politicians (think congress here folks) with the fact that we keep electing these same people year after year after year. Do you really suppose that "they all suck, except for my congressman and senators?" Never underestimate the power of stupidity.
If anyone ever actually reads these posts, please feel free to offer your own opinions. All I ask is that you keep it civil and refrain from regurgitating whatever you have heard your favorite cable "news" talking head spouting off about.
Speaking of which.. We are a country where what passes for news reporting seems to become more like what you see in supermarket tabloids with every passing day. For the most part, I remember the tabloids as being objects of ridicule, something that was made fun of by anyone that had half a brain. No longer. Case in point... Michael Jackson. Terrific talent, seriously troubled human being. No longer with us. Unless something more lurid comes along, this one will be jamming the airwaves for quite a while. Why?
Let's move on...
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