Sometimes You Just Have to Sit Back and Shake Your Head
There is still a part of me that wants to opine on the news daily. I do my best to ignore it all. Every poll tells the same story: No one trusts the media; No one trusts the government; Hollywood is slowing dying as they put diversity above talent; Biological men are competing in women’s sports; Schools pass everyone so no feelings are hurt; Our universities are graduating kids with no marketable job skills.
Fortunately, I know many people who are fighting back. Sure, many Americans are legal gun owners, but that does not mean an armed revolution. No one wants that.
So for now, I sit back and shake my head. I pray for the nation that created the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. Some believe these are obsolete documents written for a time far in the past. I guarantee those people have never read either document. In fact, the Constitution is very short. Anyone could read it in just a few minutes. All it does is establish the structure of government, period. That has lasted over two hundred and twenty years.
The one thing I know is that fads come and go. Remember pony skirts and tie-tied shirts and Disco? Where are they now?
We have had many great presidents, Congressional leaders, and Supreme Court justices. Just not today, although Clarence Thomas is my pick for the greatest current Justice.
Think about Franklin Roosevelt, our only four-term president. His presidency started out poorly as the Depression deepened when he came to office. Then came Pearl Harbor. FDR rallied our country and led us to defeat the Japanese and Germans.
We can never forget Abe Lincoln, who saw us through the Civil War after the South seceded. At the moment of his greatest triumph, he was assassinated.
Then there was Jack Kennedy, who in his inaugural speech told us: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for our country.” He too was cut short by an assassin.
Also remember Ronald Reagan, who caused the collapse of the Soviet Union, leading to freedom for Eastern Europe. He also ended the rampant inflation caused by his predecessor.
I have faith that future presidents like them will right the ship of state. They will require the assistance of the Congress and all of us. I wish it would happen today, but that is not possible.
In the meantime, I guess I will continue to sit back and shake my head, with full faith in God and the American people to fix what has been done to our great country. I hope you live in a state less messed up than mine, and that we all will live our lives as our Founders intended.
I fully concur, Karl! Nice summary!
Maybe when we get rid of career politicians and take it back to being a servant sort of job, we will have fewer hotheads who crave the limelight and more citizens who truly want what is best for the common man. Both parties keep moving more and more to the extreme instead of meeting in the middle for the good of all people. Sad, really.
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
Yvette, it is truly a sad state of affairs. Unfortunately, our political class has found a way to get rich in Washington. All their grand speeches are nothing but cover. Their hands are always open for the lobbyists, who gratefully hand out cash. I have heard some call for term limits, but the people with the cash work for private companies. They will be there to grease the palms of whomever sits in the Capitol building. I wish I knew an answer.
Karl, George Santos just takes the cake. From what I’m told there’s nothing that can be done if he doesn’t resign on his own. Nothing was put in place for a situation like him because for 220 years, America was better than that. Sure politicians lied but not all the time, about everything. Your post caused me to reflect on the todays news and his shenanigans have been in the headlines and sound bites.
Linda, the last thing I would do is support Santos. He is scum. Unfortunately, he isn’t that different from the rest of the crowd in DC. I wish he was an outlier. By the way, I am not so sure we have been better than that for 220 years. Politicians have always been seekers of fame and fortune in Washington. That’s why they get so rich while their salaries don’t change much. I can’t say when we started downhill. Perhaps it was after Dwight Eisenhower left office. He reminded us to beware of the military-industrial complex. Now, we have Ukraine.
Several months ago, I read an article about some of the problems in society and the hope for Divine intervention, The writer was optimistic and said something to the effect that, “God loves a drama.” I suppose the parting of the Red Sea, Noah’s flood, the loaves and fishes and even the Tower of Babel are a few of the many examples of that drama. Just when things seem impossible, He solves the problem.
Have faith! Better days are coming.
Amen to that, Karen. Too often, our world looks more like a ship of fools than anything else. Like a septic tank, the really big ones float to the top, where their folly can be seen by one and all.
Great post, Karl! I take comfort in trusting God with the future of our country and the world. History is HIS STORY. He started it, He’s in control, and He knows how it all ends. Humanity has been through many governments, some good, and many bad. We’ll get through this. And we’ll get to the other side. Blessings! Patty
Patty, I hope you are right. Sometimes I wonder if God is letting us make our own decisions and mistakes. He will probably be better able to sort us out after that. If we cling to Him, our chances are much better. Let the atheists learn from their foolishness.
Karl–this isn’t the country we all thought we’d have when we grew old, is it?
I live in the state where George Santos was elected (although not in his district), and it’s beyond disgusting that he’s still in Congress. When I was young and in high school, we learned about history and the Constitution. I don’t know that children are learning these things in school these days. We studied civil and government back then. Now, who knows what they’re learning?
I remain hopeful, though, that we can push through thee dark days and get through the muck. This is a great country that allows us all to have our own opinions. If we can’t be mature and discuss our differences, on a rational basis, then what, indeed, is freedom?
Wanda, I agree the Santos problem is bad. While he needs to pay his price, I wonder about so many others. Senator Dick Blumenthal comes to mind. He lied about his Vietnam service. Joe Biden can’t stop telling tales about his education which were never true. He also plagiarized more than one speech. Hillary said she landed in Sarajevo during a mortar attack. Susan Rice went on national television and said Middle Eastern violence was caused by a movie trailer. Bill said he “never had sex with that woman.” I am certain there are plenty of other examples too. Washington is a swamp.
Maturity in our government would be refreshing, wouldn’t it?
Hi, Karl,
I am going to comment on only one thing and that is Hollywood. Hollywood isn’t slowly dying. It is dead. That’s just my opinion.
Wishing you a nice day.
Shalom aleichem
Pat, thanks for cutting to the chase on the Hollywood issue. I still remember wanting to watch the Oscars. Now, I’d rather hit my head with a hammer. Super rich people congratulating other super rich people who look pretty for a living. Ugh.
Karl, I wonder, with Wanda, if kids ever learn about the government and its functions. We had “Civics” in school, but I haven’t seen later generations learning that and it is sorely needed! One thing about reading blogs every morning – I don’t have time to read all the news, which can be a good thing! There are certainly some politicians in congress who are a disgrace. I would like to think they’ll be defeated next election but people keep voting for them, although many got defeated this time around.
Maura, that’s a great question about civics classes. My gut tells me some schools do and many do not (especially public education schools). A key point is my post about the Constitution is that it is short. I don’t know what excuse teachers have for not teaching about it. I will ask my son-in-law. Those children are 8 and 9.
Frankly, our political class is hopelessly corrupt, in my opinion. They speak the appropriate talking points, and then do whatever their superiors tell them to do. There was a time when being a D or an R meant something. For too many, it’s just a way to get votes. There are many who fight for what’s right on both sides, but the others outnumber them. I hope the current economy will get more to change.
I appreciate your insights and wonder where our country is headed. Yes, I’m one of those people who don’t trust politicians or the media. What happened to civil discourse? What happened to critical thinking? What happened to basic kindness? I worry about our nation and hope things start to improve.
Harriet, I know most Americans agree with you. It has become clear that too many in Washington are there for personal benefit, not to serve the country. There’s too much money being tossed around by lobbyists and foreign governments. I have hope things can get better, but so far, not a lot of progress. Thank you for your thoughts.
The state of our government has gotten so bad that I can’t even talk with anyone about politics. I can even be swimming and someone hounds me with their beliefs on who will be the better President. I have a tendency to badmouth Trump so I force myself to stay quiet or not say too much.
Susanne, I agree completely. I do have a small group of like-minded friends, and we share our thoughts. I would never suggest anything political to anyone else. It is a lose-lose scenario. What I want is for the rule of law to be enforced, and our Constitutional rights protected. I think that’s fair. It is too problematic to talk about this politician or that one. Most are in Washington to line their pockets, period. That is the polar opposite of what our Founders intended.
I will say one thing about the current administration. If Joe Biden hadn’t taken office, we would still be dying in droves from Covid. He immediately went to work to get the vaccine out while Trump played with our lives turning Covid into politics. Trump lost the election! That’s all I got to say. Case closed.