Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Where Are The Better Angels?


"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it."
Mark Twain


Sleep eluded me for awhile last night. I was overjoyed by Tampa's victory over the Texas Rangers. I like it when Dallas teams lose at baseball, football, basketball, croquet … well just anything. Can't explain it, it's a Houston thing. I had to quit watching college basketball. It became an obsession. I think that started back in 1958-59 when my high school won the state championship.

Some of you may not have had a restful night because the government shut down. I don't care about the shut down … none of my teams are playing. These are people you elected, who care only about being re-elected. To be re-elected they need enormous amounts of money and must obligate themselves to enormous amounts of favors. Sure they must listen to their constituents, but their constituents only listen to pundits and talking heads with whom they agree. These pundits and talking heads make enormous amounts of money from people who want you to vote for those candidates who will subsequently owe them enormous amounts of favors. You are thus responsible for the silly state we find ourselves in today.

 I am very pessimistic. From whence comes my pessimism? Not from the politicians, the money men, or the 'lame' stream media. It comes from you, my fellow citizens. You are being manipulated and played by selfish people who have no interests in your day to day struggles. There is a TV show called 'Newsroom" in which the character, Will McAvoy, calls the Tea Party the American Taliban. A bit over the top for my taste. It isn't the Tea Party that is an existential threat to our nation it's an uniformed electorate manipulated by those forces I have previously mentioned. You, my friends, are lazy citizens, being played and don't realize it.

If you cannot rest tonight it's your fault. If I can't rest tonight, it's because Pittsburgh lost to Cincinnati.