Tuesday, May 23, 2017

You should stop reading now because it's time for a rant...

Because I'm not a Prius driving, flannel wearing, bearded hippie with a ponytail, liberals think I'm a conservative.

Because I'm not a flag waving bible-thumper who drives an "American-made" car with a tea party bumper sticker, conservatives think I'm a liberal.

I'm neither.

I'm the average American who thinks supporting a political party without reservation is not only closed-minded, it's mob rule and sorta stupid.

For the record, I'm listed as an un-enrolled voter.

I'm the guy who's most likely to vote "None of the Above" on a ballot.

I'm the reason the democrats lost the white house. I'm also the reason the republicans are probably going to lose their majority in congress.

I'm just one of the vast majority of the people in this country who really are fed up with "politics as usual". It doesn't matter which party is in office, they are all arrogant pricks who have been bought by wealthy donors and corporations.

I'm the guy that doesn't think the republicans or the democrats are doing a good job and it's time for our government to be held to a higher standard. And that higher standard is something I like to call "common sense".

I'm the guy who cringes when he hears Elizabeth Warren talk about how terrible it is that banks lend money to people to get a college education and then expect them to pay it back. Oh, the horrors of asking people to meet their obligations!

I'm the guy who shakes his head in wonder when he hears Ted Cruz say that the "theory of evolution" is just a theory and creationism is true because King James told us so in his heavily-edited bible.

I'm the guy who wonders why we suddenly decided that it was okay for people to wander into this country without at least acting like they want to be here. Why is it considered "racist" if I want immigrants to come in the same way my moms parents did - by applying for citizenship and going through the process.

And by the way, wanting people to obey this nations well-established laws does not make me a nazi or a racist. It makes me an American because that is what America is - a nation of laws.

I'm neither a deplorable or a snowflake. I live by a simple philosophy:

Harm no man and let no man do harm to me or mine.

In other words, I won't screw with you if you don't screw with me.

I don't care about your sexual orientation, your political beliefs, your social beliefs or your latest "cause" but if you are blocking the intersection I'm trying to drive through, I'm going to get out of my car and and hit you in the kneecap with whatever is handy like a tire iron or a baseball bat.

I care about my family, my friends and myself - in that order. I know that it's hard to understand this but I don't care about you. Go believe and do whatever you want but you better not try to prevent me from believing and doing what I want.

I believe that the Founding Fathers spent several years crafting each and every word of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They did not simply toss it together late one night like it was some social studies paper they were trying to get a B on.

The Founders added the the Ninth Amendment to make it clear that all rights belong to the people, not the government and the government only has the powers specifically given it by the Constitution. For those of you that don't have Google or a copy of the Bill of Rights, here is the Ninth Amendment:

"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

Also, just to be clear here, all of our rights are equal. That means if you want to claim your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, the other guy has every right to claim his First Amendment right to burn the flag. As a matter of fact, you should be standing next to him with your firearm to protect him while he's doing it.

The ability to voice your concerns to the government and society is what makes us great. The ability to use whatever means necessary to protect that right is what makes us strong.

And by the way Mr. Ex-Vice President Biden, the right to keep and bear arms as stated in the Second Amendment is not the government giving you a means to protect yourself from burglers or muggers. It's the Founders giving you the right to protect yourself from the government. So you keep your double-barreled shotgun Joe, I'll take a few thousand rounds of 5.56 and a Ruger ranch rifle with several 30 round magazines.

I've got a question:

Back in the 1940's, this nation came together and marshaled the determination & resources to design and build an atomic bomb from scratch in less than four years. Why, in the 21st century, have we not been able to bring the same level of commitment and resources to figure out how to replace fossil fuels with something that is sustainable, pollution-free and just as inexpensive?

Unless someone has figured out how to clone dinosaurs in huge numbers, kill them off en masse and then compress time, oil is not sustainable. It is a very finite resource and when it is gone, we are kinda screwed. No more gasoline, plastics, paint, tires, asphalt, etc...

We should be able to do stuff like that but we don't because we're too busy protesting and being offended.

To those of you that wake up each morning looking to be offended by something, please just stay in bed. You and the rest of the world will be better off for it. Your feigned outrage is petty, dramatic & idiotic and it isn't doing anyone any favors.

What happened to us?

We used to be a good people who worked hard, enjoyed life and stayed out of things that weren't our business. Now we seem to be a collection of individuals who try to find ways to interject our mis-informed opinion into every perceived social injustice or political spat.

If you've read this far and I didn't offend you, let me finish by telling you to stay the course. Don't be swayed by fanatics of any ilk. Conservatives and liberals aren't concerned about you, they are concerned about enforcing a belief system that shuts out half the population. This leads to conflicts, fights and eventually bloodshed.

The most important thing you can do is watch over your family and friends. When you die, no one is going to remember you for your political beliefs. They are going to remember you for the times you made them smile and laugh.


Okay, I'm done with my rant. Now it's time for me to watch the Red Sox and fall asleep in my recliner.

While I do that, you can visit these web places:

No comments: