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What They've Thought
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What They Thought May 29, 2005 R.A.
Hawkins Click here for columnist bios |
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R.A.
Hawkins There are times when I get asked what I’m going to do about the Republicans to straighten them out. It is always a leftist that is asking me this question, of course. But I thought I would humor them with a few complaints I have about the Republicans. After that, I’ll explain why I will still generally vote Republican. I have noticed that the Conservative movement seems to be suffering from an identity crisis under the boot heel of the leftist media. My biggest single complaint with the Republicans is the willingness to sell out in order to get something through the Senate or the Congress. Yes, I’m talking about them not using the nuclear option, which is actually the Constitutional option that normal people have always used in the past. The shift of the states towards red has occurred based on the principles for which the Republicans stand. If the Republicans don’t learn to stand firm for those principles, they will lose the next election. It was no surprise to me that McCain was the one who hosted the meeting wherein they decided to compromise on the judicial nominees. He is as Conservative as Congressman Barney Franks. But I suspect part of the problem is that the politicians read the leftwing parrot cage liners and think there is something that borders on truth in there. They seem to think that McCain is the one who is the great unifier. The media elite tends to pick leaders and icons for all of us. I guess the Republicans have forgotten that the media picks them all based on what they themselves want, and that those they have picked for each group sound like parrots of the left. Republicans need to relearn a lesson that some of them seem to have forgotten from grade school. The reason that one kid keeps coming back and demanding your milk money is because you keep giving it to him. They seem to have gotten into the modern flop culture mode of caving in. They forgot that on the day they refused to give that kid their milk money, one of two things happened. He either walked away, or he tried to take it. When he tried to take it and got a fist in the eye, he went somewhere else. But something magical happened: that kid started getting a lot of black eyes. Part of being a real Conservative is doing the right thing and letting the cards fall where they may. That is what we did when we went to Iraq. That is what the citizens recently did on our borders regarding illegal immigrants. I have something to say to President Bush regarding his sound bite. The one he uttered to the media. Couldn’t you have done better than to refer to them as vigilantes? Couldn’t you have given them a sound bite like this? “Due to the liberal refusal to properly fund the Border Patrol, we are glad to see a little bit of civilian volunteerism. I find the liberals to be at odds even with themselves at times. They seem to be against blocking any illegal immigrants from sneaking in here so they can get votes, but they want to ensure they never move up in society. It seems that the Democratic Party has rediscovered its racist roots yet again. I believe this is why they are blocking Gonzales from his new position. It is the same reason they uttered racist comments about Condoleezza Rice. It is as though the ghosts of former Senator Gore’s daddy and Byrd have come back and taken possession of the entire sorry lot. They don’t care that half of the judicial seats in the Sixth Circuit Court are vacant. They are anti-law.” Failure to do what is right in matters such as these is an act that shows a lack of faith on the part of the Conservatives. It says that the politicians don’t trust the public to be capable of getting to the real truth of an issue. And to be honest with you, when someone doesn’t trust me, I find it hard to trust them. Do the right thing, and the media will continue to screw up and fail. But do try to show some common sense because you won’t find evidence that it is working in the news media. They always trumpet their success even when they are losing, just like Howard Dean does. One of my other grievances with the Conservatives is that we should be doing more to get off of foreign oil, and oil altogether. Now for the reason I’ll still vote for Republicans as long as they aren’t McCain conservatives: Conyers has issued a statement about respecting the Koran and all other religions. That is nothing more than another move to pander to our enemies. He doesn’t seem to have any problem with his party’s stance regarding the Christian religion. The Dems and their media think we should see the Abu Ghraib prison pictures all over again, but not the 911 videos, and they refuse to show the pictures of the torture camps that Saddam had. I guess they don’t want his pristine image tarnished. They are clearly out to feed the nationalism of every nation other than ours. Bush once said he wasn’t questioning the patriotism of some of the leftists, only their judgment. I’m a little different in that view. I think the Flop Culture of the left is rife with traitors. R.A. Hawkins Web Site Contact Back to Top |
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This life brings many changes. Some of these events take place over a period of time, happening so gradually that one morning you wake up and you discover your children are married, in college, graduating high school and leaving kindergarten for first grade all within the same time bracket. Then you look around and wonder… did I blink somewhere along the way? So goes Saturday morning May 28th, 2005. In the last ten days, the seconds on the clock crept up gradually and landed the forward motion of time in my lap. Events of any nature always leave me pondering and reflecting a bit. Not only on “Where did all the time go?” but also to politics and world events that are surrounding my children as they go off into the world. How is what we are doing today going to influence the next generations to come? This morning’s discussion (around the breakfast table of pancakes, fruit, sausage, o.j., and coffee) came about when I noticed a pattern amongst the young adults: they did not seem as anxious to obtain their driver's licenses at sixteen years of age anymore. It was a trend I had noticed ten years ago when my oldest son and his friends did not desire to rush out and get their driving permits. This symbolism of owning wheels which used to mean independence from the parents seemed no longer to be a prevailing attitude. The kids and their friends do not have that anxiousness about them to get their “license to make out in the back seat of a car” like they used to. Now, I am not saying it is wrong for them not to feel this great need to drive. Over the years, I have actually been thankful in many ways that they had not already obtained their licenses — not that I wanted to keep control over the steering wheel, but I viewed their waiting as being a great advantage to them. For starters, the biggest one for me was that my children and I have been blessed with more time together. We have built a time for sharing and communicating with one another. My kids do not take the school bus; they would rather have Mom come and pick them up from school daily and take them to and from events. This has allowed us the enormous privilege of sharing our day with each other, and it has encouraged my kids to trust me enough to unload problems or dilemmas they might be facing. The lack of having a license has allowed me the benefit of getting to know their friends and love interests as well in a way that could have never occurred otherwise. Drive time has become bonding time. Another reason I believe most of us can relate to is the insurance costs. Insuring our children drivers has risen to phenomenal heights. For many families, the decision to insure their kids so they can drive at sixteen has meant someone having to pick up an extra job to afford the payments. Many times it straps a family, and dollar for dollar, the license to drive does not pay off. We know the soaring cost of insuring our young drivers is statistically based upon their abilities to react and drive responsibly. True, it is a blanket statement to lump all drivers under a certain age into a category of exorbitant charges for statistical purposes, but it is what it is. The dialogue at the breakfast table from that point took what I viewed to be an interesting observation made by my recent high school graduate. He wonders why statistics work at times the way they do. The numbers taken and crunched under government standards tell a 21 year old they are old enough to drink. They tell an 18 year old they can vote, enlist to go to war and in most states, buy cigarettes. However, the government believes at 16 you're old enough to obtain a driver's license. He observed that it would seem that the government could not really make up its mind when you are really old enough to make sound judgments about anything. He asked, “Mom. why don’t they just set everything to 18 and be done with it?” A fine question, I thought. Are we sending our kids mixed messages about the age of being able to make rational adult decisions? It was then that I pointed out to them that, according to the government, if you are less than 18 years of age you cannot get your ears pierced without parental consent, but you can go and have an abortion. This really threw them for a loop. In addition, we wonder why our youth looks at us adults like we're all nuts…. Our children are not empty-headed fools. They do think with great logic at times, but what the adults expect of them many times is full of nonsense. They realize adults are not perfect and do not always make sound judgments, but I think we adults need to stop excusing ourselves from the stupid ways we rope in our youth. Humans of all shapes, ages, and sizes want consistency, but they want that consistency to make sense and they especially want it to be fair. One of my children at the table — who will be a sophomore this next year — stated, “I feel these privileges need to be based upon each individual's own merit.” An excellent point. However, he quickly realized it would be next to impossible for the government to meet with every candidate for adulthood recognition and test him or her to see if they were ready to make good, sound decisions. We all agreed around the breakfast table that there were just as many 45 year-olds that made idiot decisions as there were sixteen years olds that made sound adult decisions. We are able to discern in running a nation that averages have to be taken and laws put into place that cover the overall statistics on the page. Well, at the end of this discussion, we had not really solved anything but the pancakes and sausage had been cleaned from our plates. As the kids dismissed themselves from the table, they all concurred that there needs to be some consistency given to the time line of when society deems you to be able to handle adult responsibilities. They all felt 18 to 21 was good and that they weren’t in any great hurry to own the symbolic emblem of what generations prior termed “freedom from parents”… the car. They were content to ride their bikes, walk, or ask their parents for a ride to and from work, school, and events. They felt like they would rather save their money to purchase a dependable car when they graduated from high school and not to have to worry about all the costs of car maintenance when they were trying to excel and concentrate on obtaining good grades. Life has enough concerns and worries was their overall general attitude. Why add the worries of an automobile to all of it any sooner than necessary? Perhaps this generation is the smartest we have witnessed yet. Save money, save worry, and let things take a natural course of projection. Today has within it enough concerns of its own… tomorrow will take care of it self… all in due time. |
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Okay, so here’s a question for you: Suppose good and evil are as clearly defined in real life as they are in the Star Wars saga. You’ve got good guys who wear white and seek the ways of the Force, and bad guys who wear black and use the Force’s Dark Side. In such a clear and unambiguous universe, who, in their right mind, would choose evil? And why? Those were the questions I was hoping Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith would answer. I wasn’t too interested in whether this movie would turn out to be a veiled swipe at George Bush’s post-9/11 policies. Yes, it portrays an Empire rising from the ashes of democracy. And, yes, America’s actions since 9/11 have, at times, looked Imperial. However, the Bush team’s post-crisis power grab is hardly the first one in history. It’s not even the first one in America. What I wanted to learn from Episode III was how these post-crises power grabs happen in the first place. What is the Dark Side, exactly? Why is it evil? And why the hell would anyone choose it? To a degree, this movie succeeds in answering these questions. (Warning: Here come the spoilers.) (No, seriously. I’m going to ruin the entire movie for you.) (Fine. Suit yourself.) Revenge of the Sith is a tragic story. In it, a promising Jedi warrior, Anakin Skywalker, gives in to temptation and joins the Dark Side. His collusion with the devious Chancellor Palpatine is mutually beneficial. Anakin betrays his Jedi comrades and clears the way for Palpatine’s consolidation of power; and Palpatine, in turn, makes Anakin—now Darth Vader—essentially heir to his throne. Walking out of the theater, my only complaint was that the new Galactic Empire didn’t seem too oppressive. We saw how Palpatine abused his power to manipulate special interests, create war, and abolish the Old Republic under the guise of peace and security. And we saw how he killed off the Jedis in order to ensure his plan’s success. But I wondered, at first, was this enough? I mean, obviously, the Jedi slaughter was evil (though a little strange, since Jedis usually put up a fight). But if I were Palpatine and wished to be Emperor, I would’ve slaughtered the Jedis, too. After all, they knew his intentions and sought to impeach him. They directly threatened his scheme. What I wanted to see was just how evil the Empire was. I wanted ruthless oppression—crimes that couldn’t be rationalized or denied. Now that I’ve had a few days to think it over, though, I no longer feel that way. There are people in this world—and in galaxies far, far away—who kill because they want to kill, or because they simply can. But all things considered, those people aren’t likely to convince many others to join them in their hobby. The far greater threat comes from people who rationalize murder—as with war, abortion, capital punishment, or when Darth Vader murders a room full of children training to be Jedis someday. The Dark Side of the Force is not evil for evil’s sake. It’s evil because it believes the ends always justify the means. Anakin doesn’t turn to the Dark Side out of sheer want for political power. In fact, his conversion starts with the best of intentions. He envisions his wife, Padme, dying at childbirth. Palpatine tells him to join the Dark Side, tempting him with the ability to grant Padme everlasting life. Anakin foolishly believes he can have anything he wants if he wants it bad enough. He wants the power to tinker with nature, and his quest to attain it sends him down a self-destructive path. He doesn’t just wake up one day and call himself Vader. He evolves. His thirst for God-like powers clouds his judgment to the point where he loses his mind. This brings us back to the questions posed at the start. What is the Dark Side, exactly? Well, technically speaking, it’s an underlying energy that guides people—for better or worse—in the Star Wars universe. But in the big picture, the Dark Side is a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Not a clinically diagnosed form, mind you. (And before I get emails from OCD readers: Please, I’m just trying to make a point here.) But rather, it represents “order.” It represents the undying allegiance some leaders have to their vision of how things “should be.” Politicians consolidate power for plenty of reasons—like money and job security—but it’s the belief that they’re somehow performing a vital service that clears their conscience to do this. It’s not that they haven’t got values; it’s just that their values are totally messed up. They truly believe in their vision for society. This is what justifies everything they do. As George Lucas puts it: “Power corrupts, and when you’re in charge, you start doing things that you think are right, but they’re actually not.” The nature of the Dark Side is universally accepted in the Star Wars universe. As Steven Greydanus points out, the good side doesn’t usually get a qualifier—no capital “G” and “S.” The good side is simply called “the Force.” History is full of people who come to power by making promises to their constituents not unlike Palpatine’s promise to Anakin. Hitler, of course, is the favorite example, but there are more. Just as Anakin wants to save Padme (and ultimately ends up losing her), so, too, did Hitler—and Stalin, etc.—kill millions just to serve some warped vision of the greater good. These people don’t see the Dark Side as a perversion of the good side. They see it as progress. That’s why they choose it. And that’s why some folks, sadly, choose to believe in them. Hey, it could happen to the best of us. Jonathan David Morris Web Site Contact Back to Top |
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Head Start is one of the only early childhood programs that requires education certification of instructors and compensates at the level of other professional teachers. Yet the one oasis where professional instructors are given care of our youngest children has suffered from serious financial abuse and irregularities. Lobbying from the Head Start community has impeded "greater transparency in the program" which would "enable the public and the media to more closely examine the ways in which federal Head Start funds are being spent" according to John Boehner, Chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce (click here for more). Recently, "House education committee leaders introduced legislation that would introduce greater competition into the federal Head Start early childhood program and use it to strengthen school readiness, increase the role of states and local communities in Head Start, and protect children and taxpayers against the abuse and mismanagement of federal Head Start funds." The Bush administration is not only attempting to bring accountability to K-12 education, but has thankfully remembered to concern itself with the most vulnerable – the youngest members of this generation. Establishing complete transparency in how education funding is allocated in the public school system is one of the most urgent reforms necessary to assure accountability in education. Let me say that again. Knowing how the money is spent and who is spending it is the only way to ensure financial accountability in education. But there is more. Representative Boehner and his committee believe there should be greater competition within the early childhood program. Notice the familiar ring to this reform measure. NCLB has already established this precedent by encouraging choice within the public school system. But the administration needs to take this reform farther. Choice needs to include the private sector. Available funds must be made available to independent providers. Free market competition must be allowed to break the monopoly of public education. Hard working, responsible Americans have the freedom to choose their food, clothing, and shelter. Good consumers seek the best value for their money. Parents should not be forced to enroll their children in a sub-par educational institution when there are superior alternatives available. Good parents want to take advantage of every opportunity available to enhance the development of their children. Why shouldn't they have the same choices when it comes to their children's education? Nancy Salvato Web Site Contact Back to Top |
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Are you sure you are ready for the Truth? Can you handle the TRUTH? Well, the ship is being boarded and will embark very soon. This country will never return to the beacon of light on the hill . . . What is it within the American character that embraces self delusion? Is it the anti-intellectualism that permeates the culture, or is it the emotional nature of public consensus that rejects the lessons of history and common sense? Yes, we are on a collision course to oblivion. The Twilight Zone of the absurd has now closed in on our future. A future of causalities that will look pale in comparison to the tragic horror that has snatched the life blood from the Baghdad on the Hudson. The risk of further escalation is assured to bear suffering that will cast a shadow of tragedy over all the land. Is this your aspiration, as the price for retribution? The courage and spirit of brotherly love of all New Yorkers deserves acclaim and admiration. The world now knows why we are proud to be part of the empire state. "I Love New York" is no hollow jingle. It is our communal essence. While we celebrate the bravery of countless individuals, we should not ignore the causes for hatred that has festered for decades, and made this insanity thinkable!
Who said this? With the exception of 1812 and even Pancho Villa, is this assertion true? No doubt, Americans are the most generous of peoples. But can the same be said for their government? Agreed, that ordinary citizens respect the law and seek peaceful interaction. But can the same be said for their official policy? And it is correct to assert that most Americans are 'Good'. Now can we really claim that same quality for the aftermath in the wake of foreign involvements? 'Good Intentions' don't absolve the burden from committing evil deeds. This same standard applies to any party, every side and all factions. Do you still view the last remaining superpower as an unwavering defender of freedom? If you do, you must side with those who champion Empire. You should not falsely conclude that any criticism of foreign intervention is the same as being disloyal. Quite to the contrary. It is because of devotion to the principles of LIBERTY, that each citizen has the moral responsibility to hold your public servants accountable to adhere to the wisdom that resides in Washington's farewell address. Could the author of that quote be correct? For those whose cosmopolitan experience is confined to having lunch at an EPCOT restaurant, much of the rest of the world does not view the United States as a benevolent neighbor. Yes, they will accept our aid and trade their goods, but most of the rest of the planet is ignorant about the genuineness in human concern that is part of the American character. What a majority see; is a tyrant who seeks to extend their domination and control over their culture and systematically exploits their economy. They may be entirely wrong in their assessment, but that does not alter the reality that this perception is what drives their sentiments. Starting to agree with this fellow speaking this quote; might be on to something? But you reply that the Marshall Plan proved the generosity of the U.S.! Agreed; but lest you forget, Bomber Harris and Curtis LeMay perfected carpet bombing on civilian targets. The horror of war should never be forgotten. The notion that the U.S. is always on the side of Justice does not square with the record, as seen from exotic and foreign perspectives. They may be totally wrong, but why don't you consider the possibility that their viewpoint COULD have some merit? The 'blowback' from the coming conflict will toughen every American. Our soil has born the taint of blood. It is understandable that emotions run high with the call for revenge. The criminals involved and their supports need to be held accountable. But will the consequences of 'satiation retaliation', against a target that burrows in the sands of desolation, bring the dead back to life? Justice demands the need to be tempered with prudence and proportionate force. All war validates the evil nature of our species. This one undoubtedly will come back to our side of the oceans, with an abhorrence that few of us can even imagine. Think this quotation might have some merit if you were one of those being bombed? Now you say, this time; they brought this upon themselves when they crossed the Atlantic! Well you are probably right . . . Hard to argue that evil must not go unpunished. But the seriousness of the circumstance needs to be realized by all Americans before some go off with blind jingoism and invite a response that will result in mushroom clouds on our horizon. The stakes cannot be any higher. Consider that U.S. Foreign Policy for the Middle East has never been balanced. Ponder that the arrogance of the 'world community' breeds the enmity and hatred that drives desperate people to accept suicide. Reflect on the culpability of the West, for the continuous and unconscionable suffering that has stripped all hope from generations of stateless nomads. Then read this quote with a different attitude. For it was spoke by a person who is EVIL. However, the fact that he is a symbol and perpetrator of depravity, does not diminish the significance of his words. Do we really want to wage a new Crusade that will ignite the Apocalypse that most of you secular humanist ridicule? Think again, before hunger for vengeance supersedes your rational judgment. Also, remember that when you HAD the chance to reform U.S. Foreign Policy, you closed your eyes. George Washington was prophetic, we did not listen. Now the crazed and demented are making the decisions, and we are all left to pay the consequences. Diplomacy has failed, the War Party calls the shots, and events are rapidly spinning out of control . . . If we heeded the message in this quote, would we have done anything different? Sadly, it seems very unlikely.
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©2004-2005 by their respective authors. Reprinted by permission. |
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