Let your prayers go drifting into space
You never know what will be coming down
Perhaps a better world is drawing near
And just as easily it could all disappear
Along with whatever meaning you might have found
Don't let the uncertainty turn you around
(the world keeps turning around and around)
Go on and make a joyful sound."
Into a dancer you have grown
From a seed somebody else has thrown
Go on ahead and throw some seeds of your own
And somewhere between the time you arrive
And the time you go
May lie a reason you were alive
But you'll never know. For A Dancer- Jackson Browne
This is the first day of my 72nd year and my first attempt at blogging. I know, you're thinking that's just what the world needs, another blogger. I agree. But if for no other reason, I intend to put my thoughts, jumbled as they may be, on record. My wonderful 3 daughters and beautiful 10 grandchildren will likely never have any meaningful conversations with me where I expound on life...at least ones where they will actually listen. But this is not about me...directly that is. It's more my observations of things, particularly my interests: politics, sports, music, and just general stream of consciousness, or semi consciousness if you will. I'm throwing some seeds of my own.
MIRRORING
Have you ever walked past a mirror or perhaps a store window and caught your reflection and said to yourself, what a fat, bald old man? Well not that exactly, but were you ever kind of stunned by seeing yourself in a way that you normally don't get to see? Or heard yourself on tape and were shocked at how you sound nothing like you thought you sound? Me neither.
Actually I have. I mention this because I wonder what things would be like if Americans were to consider the actions of the US as if they were on the outside looking in. Would we be ok with unmanned drones dropping missels on our family functions, or with, say the president of Pakistan deciding that Rush Limbaugh was an enemy of Pakistan and thus giving an order to have him "terminated"? Or perhaps having China station aircraft carriers off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts? I know, it'll never happen you say. But just think of this: At one time, Rome controlled much of the known world with their military. It took centuries, but Rome fell because of rot within, unconstrained corruption. It may be that the US is mirroring ancient Rome. How long will even the most docile public in the world accept broken roads, bridges, schools, sewage systems, and a dangerously old electric grid in order to feed the military beast?
Of course if you look at it from afar (at least mentally) you can form the opinion that we have had a soft coup and we now have a series of dictators who can order up murder, including of Americans, as a unilateral decision. God is in the White House. I would suggest that this is just a natural extension of having phone and internet conversations wiretapped without judicial input or installing a White House Marketing Team to
If a sane person, an objective person were to look at the Middle East (and the world) pre-Iraq invasion and then now, the conclusion to be drawn would have to be that Iran is stronger, Pakistan-nuclear armed Pakistan is a failed state, and Israel is moving towards a disaster should they attack Iran. Of course that same person would reasonably decide that almost all pretense of the US being a democracy would be shattered. If you don't agree, ask yourself why the only choice Republicans had was between a plutocrat and the 7 dwarves. Why not Buddy Roemer? Why was he iced out of the discussion? If you don't think we are in a soft dictatorship, please explain how the government bailed out the gamblers and cheaters on Wall Street, with our money I might add, while using 3rd world police tactics on peacefully demonstrating #OWS people.
Well, enough happy talk. What happens next? How do we save what we perhaps mistakenly thought America was and what it stood for? How do we get rid of the corrupt people in power, and can it be done peacefully?
My answer: I'm glad I'm 72.
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