Social Progression From Resentment And Prejudice, wouldn't that be something?

Here's another "beautiful sentiment" floating around the social network walls of some of my favorite Right Wing Nuts.

I think the humor is just lost on anyone who has ever struggled, or been around those who do. I was raised with a good margin of wealth, but that lifestyle changed in my early teen years. I was then able to see very vividly, another side of going without; struggling, and wondering what the future would hold.

I remember how refreshing it was in college to take my first Sociology courses, and really gain a better understanding of the VAST differences in the challenges and values I never imagined between social classes.  Just one of which was the absolutely perplexing learning curves, varied classes often face or never obtain, were related to saving a dollar or understanding the value of one.

Such as, never been taught or understanding, turning off an electric light when one leaves the room would save money at the end of the month.  And as for the pressure to try and fit in or have dignity in one's self, through spending money on something which shouldn't be afforded at the time; it is often just as surprisingly and complex as all of our fellow Americans of each and every class and status who are eating themselves to diabetes and death.

It appears, even folks who know better, can't always do better!

The more ways in which folks find to make light of such disparities, versus understand them, the less likely such nuances and challenges within our society ever are to change.

I'm not sure when it became patriotic to criticize, not only our American leadership, but also our fellow Americans; versus, offer any real solutions? Nevertheless, it seems this country is on a roll.  Just hard to imagine when any of us have witnessed a productive manifestation of hatred, resentment, prejudice, judgment and raw criticism?  Many folks are evidently counting on our country being the first to ever benefit from such behavior.  I'm afraid such delusions will never pay off.

Social Progression From Resentment And Prejudice, wouldn't that be something?

Comparing The Poor To Wildlife Is Only The Beginning

The insanity has got to stop!!

Several people whom I respect have begun circulating the following image; typically, with the caption:
"Great advice from a park ranger."

My most restrained response, thus far, was the following:

"Very sad insinuation when photos like this are circulated to lesson our sensitivity towards the human condition, poverty, or philanthropy; not to mention the programs developed with regard to all three. 

Nor am I convinced there are many children, growing up from impoverished circumstances which would come to respect, and therefor grow, from being compared to a park Ranger's advice on how to handle bears. Therefore, I'm not sure there is any hint of valuable mentorship, wisdom, or accountability being offered within such misleading sentiments.

I could be wrong? Perhaps it's very inspiring to a certain group. I'm just not sure I would ever care to count on the folks finding inspiration in such messages if I or my wife were ever in a pinch or precarious stage of life, or heaven forbid, without food on our table!

The despicable nature of today's politics and the resulting G.O.P. message is truly shameful! :-("

Meanwhile, MY REAL FEELINGS ARE THE FOLLOWING!!!

I'm so completely disgusted with the mentality being bred by today's politics!

Such distributed newspaper clippings are just the latest in an endless, careless, barrages of GARBAGE which now circulates throughout our lives; breeding ideals of judgement, prejudiced, lacking wisdom, and an inability to relate to anyone outside of your current success or social stratosphere.

It's bad enough when a Rush Limbaugh states publicly; following a natural disaster where over 100,000 people lost their lives within a few hundred miles of our boarder; that "the Haitian earthquakes were a custom ordered disaster for Obama to shine." I can cope with an uneducated, shock jock, looser like him, bread and paid to say anything and everything to his constituent of oddly titillated listeners.  However, when well-meaning members of our general population have started finding some patriotic comfort in also blasting those whom have needs, or disparaging the programs designed to help during trying times in life; we have lost our ever loving minds!!

You see, none of the folks being influenced to further proliferate such garbage sentiments, are getting paid the millions of dollars a Rush Limbaugh is.  And even if you were, you can probably tell how much respect I feel folks who think making the almighty dollar is a valid excuse for undermining others.  (Refer to my past blog entry: "Real Men" http://goo.gl/2abmM)

I'm actually losing more and more relationships to this sort of insanity!!  It does make me truly sad!  People whom I respect for a number of reasons; folks who even claim to be guided by the life, death, humility and grace of Jesus Christ, if you can believe it; are actually being inspired by political rhetoric, more it seems than by their own good sense of morality and perhaps their own faith.

And I'll admit the most ironic thing for me, is the fact that NONE of these "friends and family" could tell you anything about the money they have personally contributed in their life towards those geniuses, down and out embezzlers that are out there robbing our social programs of all their good merits. NOR can they possibly quantify the amount of money they have personally contributed to the federal government that has gone towards the building of bombs, tanks, fighter jets, jet fuel, dessert air conditioning, the rehabilitation of countless wounded soldier and civilians.

BUT I WILL PROMISE YOU THIS!!!  Every one of us, has spent far more in just the last ten years, on wars we have no grasp, goal, benefits or understanding of, than we EVER will the alleged, "con-artist", indigent of our country; whom have all somehow managed to pull the wool over our eyes and outsmarted the system in order to take from our good and generous nature!  Give me and everyone around this sad realm of  insinuations a BREAK!

I'll say it again, you're either part of the problem or part of the solution; and many folks are on the very WRONG side of such fights. I wish I were better at discouraging these misdirected, angered, folks just how to avoid being a HUGE part of the problem when it comes to offering this country a legacy which history will avoid holding us in contempt for!

**A separate words of advice about the "News" you're listening to these days:

The people of this country have really got to rethink if a Billionaire (a.k.a. Rupert Murdoch, a.k.a. Newscorp), whose nefarious business practices and abuse of the media caused him to get THROWN OUT of his own country, are worthy of undermining the morality, philanthropic abilities, influence of the middle class, and proud spirit of this country?

Incidentally, in that last statement; I'm not talking the bad type of "pride"; the one typically touted as a "sin"; causing us to think we are "better", MORE deserving, somehow having more to lose than the next, etc.; I'm talking about a pride in knowing with confidence that the "Super" in our "Power" was ultimately a label, generously offered to this country, not because of our ability to fight; but because of our ability to care and steward this world towards the good and right decisions necessary for the type of long term prosperity and leadership any country should actually take pride in.

If you don't understand the power of the press and the media, you are kidding yourself. And if you don't think a man who single-handedly owns more of this influential vehicle than anyone else in our country, isn't able to manipulate his viewers, then again, naivety is simply not your friend.

Start questioning, whole heatedly, the source of your mis-founded insensitive and prejudicial influences; before it is too late for you to even remember what your actual, personal values, once represented.

I've started writing about these atrocities more, since it is after-all an election year; and it would be nice if each of our votes, (here in the bible belt,) counted for something more than bitter resolve, prejudice, pride, or a local, possibly family or church "tradition"; such as those you don't even know enough about to question, therefore you don't. You just punch the button and scoff at whatever point you're instructed. That's not leadership, and it's sure not a "vote", nor a personal choice one should simply surrender to any man's political campaign. http://goo.gl/xSRRr

Comparing The Poor To Wildlife Is Only The Beginning

Is Your Own Method Of Voting, A "Tradition" Worthy Of Our Country's Future?

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said at a Senate hearing:
"Many of those sources of which we are absolutely dependent are in volatile or potentially volatile places on Earth, and some of those oil suppliers probably don't have our best interests at heart. We would never depend on those oil suppliers to build our ships, our aircraft, our ground equipment, but we give them a say in whether the ships sail, the aircraft fly or the ground vehicles operate, because we depend on them for fuel."

Given the fact our Navy is likely the world's single largest consumer of liquid fuels; it is certainly refreshing to see seemingly, common sense approaches, being touted as a future at least some branches of our armed forces might experience; even if right wing nuts were able to restrain such sensible approaches from having a lick of prudent impacts on the lives of the general U.S. population.

Here are some additional quotes and thoughts to grow on:
Mabus later added, "When anyone says we can't afford to invest in developing alternative sources of energy, my reply is, we can't afford not to! We can't afford to wait until price shocks or supply shocks leave us no alternative."

Its' always an entertaining notion when folks against aggressive alternative energy solutions, and subsequently related technological, social and political progress, also claim they are in a camp with "fiscal conservatives"; given the fact that every time the price of a barrel of oil goes up by one dollar (as in a single $1 bill per BARREL), it costs the military $130,000,000 MILLION, according to the Pentagon.

Secretary Mabus, "Alternative fuels can't become competitive with oil unless there's demand for them; however, demand at commercial scale will never be possible unless there's a supply to meet that demand."

This is simply the kind of logic, morality and capitalism you would be hard pressed to explain or teach to a predictable 25% of the conservative leaning, voting population. And that is simply a shame with respect to the future of their beloved GOP.

As is always the case, you are either part of the solution, or part of the problem.

Real fun fact about the folks who would sway you to vote with that far right wing crowd I was previously referring to:
You'll typically see arguments in our part of the country (Texas that is,) directed not only against alternative energy, but very poignantly against our military branches support of the additional cost such technologies now endure, by an outspoken U.S. Representative by the name of Mike Conaway.

Before serving in the House, he was the chief financial officer of Arbusto Energy Inc, an oil and gas exploration firm operated by George W. Bush. (His recently, 2005 created, Texas District #11, stretches from Midland to Frederiskberg.)

Unfortunately and ironically he now serves on not one, but four committee seats in Washington:

• Committee on Agriculture
• Subcommittee Chairman on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
• Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
• Committee on Armed Services
• Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
• Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
• Committee on Ethics
• Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 

I'm sure he considers himself "Part of the Solution", but the interesting part is the fact that within our democracy our votes and our own sensibilities; versus any man's agenda, desire for power, or personal career goals; still remain the driving force behind the directions this country turns and the legacies we will leave to history.

Such men's goals, ambitions, and lacking vision for our country; clearly guided by his and a few other individuals own livelihood; is far too small a matter to be influenced by. We must each focus on the future our country must offer as an example of prosperity founded on ethics, sensibility, sustainability and true progress.

To not show the world how to develop and uphold such core values, versus carelessness, conservative squandering in a time of much needed course correction or individual prosperity over movements which affect the whole of mankind, is by any definition shameful.

I say it again, you are either part of the solution, or part of the problem.

Why even show up to the polls if the only thing you can offer is, "tradition", loyalty to a group, influences outside of your own personal testimonies, influences which deny the things you actually feel are right and true; or worst of all, feelings of anger inspired by a rhetoric you never bother to analyze versus simply react to.

Any or all of these nasty influences and hindrances will only serve to at best stagnate our nation, and at worst dismantle it's chances. Study the problem, don't react and flail. Anger and hate never produced anything history was proud of, and negativity accompanied with resentment hold no better opportunity for our country.

Consider the actual influences from the messages you are receiving on a daily basis: If they are sponsored, then only be loyal to the products they represent; versus the unrelated views they utilize to capture your viewership. If they are politicized, then understand most attempts to vie for your vote will include lying about the facts. If they are traditional, then understand; this country was founded on non-traditional thinking and the types of bravery, originality, individuality and innovation which we certainly can't afford, at a time so far advanced from those glorious founding years; to have squandered by beliefs or denials perpetuated by one's own local or family "traditions"; or their hate, fear, lacking facts, or sponsored viewership.

We all may wish to feel our country can rise above such limited influence and potentially corrosive manners of thinking! But do we deserve it? Regardless of what we personally deserve; our country and our unique foundation and sustained survival up until this point, definitely deserve more!

I for one feel, The United States of America, deserves radical improvement, radical accountability, radical solutions and a voting population with a radical determination to ignore their own past hang-ups or daily titillation in favor of a future and a patriotism far better than recent decades of squandered votes have delivered.

Research sources:
http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/08/militarys-plan-for-a-green-future-has-congress-seeing-red/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Conaway

Is Your Own Method Of Voting, A "Tradition" Worthy Of Our Country's Future?

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