Why is there so much sadness?
Everywhere we turn, we find sadness, disasters, tragedies, sob stories, tear-jerkers, angst, distress, misery, melancholy and woes. The news is full of it, the Internet is full of it, our entertainment (!?!) is full of it. Sometimes, it all gets a little overwhelming. It seems like an airborne plague of negative energy, lurking above us, waiting to come down like a bolt of lightning to ruin our lives.
So take the time, once in a while, to wander away from all of that, in as carefree a manner as you can manage. Yeah, I know, we all have problems. I’m a disabled old fart, worried about where I am going to get the money to buy the new battery and two tires that my old car absolutely demands. I have an incurable neurological disease and am a cancer survivor. Read more
The Shrub and Spin
I woke up to a headline in our local paper that said. “Bush Puts Positive Spin On Katrina Recovery.” In it, little George said that he thought the efforts at rebuilding New Orleans after their personal hurricane were going pretty well. Just for review, lets note the the Federal Government is still holding back on providing almost all of the funds they promised residents, the most disadvantaged parts of town are being treated much worse than the wealthier parts, the murder rate has skyrocketed, and people are living in FEMA trailers soaked with formaldehyde.
Using the word “spin” to describe his comments is spin incarnate. What little George is doing is flat out lying to us. Some more. Under his administration and tutelage, politicians seem to have become about twice as sanguine about telling bald-faced lies to cameras, reporters, and their electorate than ever before. And why not? George has done little but lie to us, one way or another, since he crapped his pants in an elementary school on the morning September 11, 2001. Read more
Wall Street vs. the Real Economy
I will admit that I don’t really understand all of the ins and outs of economics. I took classes in this subject while at university, and I have read a number of textbooks in the field. I still find some facets of economics to be confusing. However, since I have often heard the experts talk about it, and since they are obviously full of crap, I think I am justified in writing on this subject. So I think I’ll just go ahead and have a rant. Consider that to be your rant warning. ;o)
What we hear about on the financial news, day in and day out, is the stock market. Wall Street is king. I understand that some small people have money in the stock market, usually in retirement plans that they don’t have a clue about, and on which stock brokers earn a better living than do the investors. But the bulk of the money made in the stock market is made by people that are already rich. Read more
Curmudgeon News 0001
I’m sorry to have to say it, but both Michael Vick and Alberto Gonzales squandered their potential for good and became wastes of space in the process. I would apologize to all people of African and Mexican descent, but this is neither racist or elitist. This is just logical and absolutely common sensical.
Today, Mr. Vick tells us that he is sorry. To me, that’s a little like Heinrich Himmler saying that he may have had a small lapse of judgment. Repeat along with me: Michael Vick cruelly treated, then cruelly executed, dogs that were his to care for. That does not just go away because he has now noticed what an inhuman anus he is. That should never go away. Michael Vick should be known forever as the guy who tortured and killed dogs. Read more
Lies, Chapter 1
It will come as no surprise to you that we get lied to hundreds of times every day. Well, I assume that you knew that. If you didn’t, cinch up your seat belt a little. You’re about to go for a ride. Before we really get started, just what is a lie? A lie is:
1. A false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood.
2. Something intended or serving to convey a false impression; imposture.
3. An inaccurate or false statement.
Those points make up a fairly basic definition of the noun “lie.” With that in mind, let’s agree to ignore the kind of lie that you tell your Aunt Martha, when you say you like her hat when, in truth, you hate all senior female hats. Although we may come back to it later, that sort of lie doesn’t really do much damage, except a little to your own self-respect. With the possible exception of those tiny ones, designed specifically NOT to hurt, all lies do damage. Read more
The Separation of War and Troops
I am astounded that otherwise intelligent people are unable to separate the Iraq (and Pakistan) war from the people who are fighting that war. The two are not of a piece. The war was started, and is being prosecuted, for political purposes, as are all wars. You may choose to agree with those purposes or not. In either case, the war is being fought by young women and men who are there because it is their duty to be there. They don’t have the option of choosing whether or not to believe in the politics of the war.
For that ever-dwindling minority that believes that the War in Iraq is a good thing, the decision of whether or not to support the troops is an easy one. If you are an American that supports the war itself, you would look a little silly supporting the other side, which is the only other real option. Read more
Where have all the role models gone?
The concept of the role model has taken a significant beating. Once upon a time, positive role models included athletes, policemen, movie stars, our political and religious leaders, and even our mothers and fathers. In many ways those concepts have stayed much the same. It is just that most of those icons can hardly be considered positive any more, by any stretch of the imagination.
Athletes? The highest profile athletes are in that exalted position due to their arrest records. Wife beating. Drug dealing. Drug usage. Dog execution. And that is not to mention their egotistical, narcissistic, strip-club hanging, gangsta-dressing, tough-guy-acting, braggadocio-heavy lifestyles. Yet, these people are paid million of dollars to act like hoodlums and more often than not are bailed out by their teams and expensive lawyers, while we are encouraged by the marketing campaigns of major corporations (who also pay athletes millions of dollars) to treat these thugs like heroes. Read more
Why Do Disaster Relatives Need To Be So Greedy?
I understand that it is horrible when a loved one is injured or killed in an accident, or some other tragedy. But I do not understand exactly when or why it became acceptable to replace that loved one with as much money as we can possibly get our hands on. It is especially amazing to me when those relatives come to the conclusion that Money = Loved One so quickly. The day after the airplane goes down, the relatives are lining up to sue everyone that ever had anything to do with that aircraft.
The same is true of the relatives of those lost on 9/11, or those that were horribly injured in a railroad derailment, or those that had a building collapse on them. It seems to trigger a curious kind of disembodied greed. First the survivors say that nothing can bring back the relative that they lost. Then they sue for the big bucks. Then they spend years in court trying to make themselves as rich as possible. Only the phrase they used first involves significant human decency or reasonable ethics. Read more
Why Am I a Curmudgeon?
Over the years, I have come to believe that we are giving up control over our lives to big corporations and to the government that those corporations have purchased. When we feel that we have no control, we are right. This blog will explore the concessions that we have made and the actions that we need to take to retain our lives as freely functioning people. It is not a liberal vs. conservative thing. It is not a Democratic vs. Republican thing. It is not an America against the world thing. It is a life with dignity thing.
We do what the media tells us to do. Major corporations wield vast influence over the media and what they tell us. The government is similarly controlled by big money interests. This is not a conspiracy. It is simply the rich people telling everybody else what to do in order that they can make more money. It’s hard to blame them. Since we are letting them do it, we are the ones that we must blame. Read more
