Sarge

Sounding Presidential

One of the most dangerous things a columnist can do is admit his ideas come from others; but here I go. The Advocate (8-17-2011) attributed a letter to the editor to a gentleman named Roder (sic?) Russo. Mr. Russo works in the “oil industry” allegedly.

Bull’s eye

Political activism has exploded more than evolved lately. Aside from the fact the desire’s been there the logistics were always a problem. Before the speed of telephonic communication you had to travel to speak with your representative in government. You needed appointments because the (you name the office holder) always had a full schedule and was therefore always strapped for time. After the advent of telephones it was always a matter of handing off the responsibility for the contact. The reasons remained the same but the contact was always some low-level minion who lost the latest bet and was forced to man the switchboards.

This is NO flesh wound

As a big fan of old westerns and film noir, the black and white detective thrillers of the thirties, forties and fifties, it’s always amazed me how somebody gets shot with a bullet like a .45 caliber. The wounded guy sucks it up and asks: “is it bad, Joe?” Joe looks at it, sticks a rag on it and says: “Nah, it’s only a flesh wound.” And, together, they get the bad guy. Another case in point was when Magnum P.I. was shot with the equivalent of an elephant gun in the last scene before the finale. This bullets created caverns rivaling Carlsbad. But ol’ MAGNUM is playing Beach Volleyball and has NO scar tissue at the wound site during the finale. It’s a miracle worthy of endless repetition at Lourdes.

From a different facet II

One of the publications I enjoy studying weekly is a magazine called: The Week. It reflects news coverage from around the world and showcases many of the actual editorials and commentary offered concerning foreign perceptions of American politics, culture, morals and demeanors.

Estates in peril

Recently I inaccurately stated the Press (the modern media) was the “Fifth Estate” as quoted from Edmund Burke, famed 18th century orator and political theorist. Based on the feudal European class structure known as the “Estates of the Realm”, he referenced the First Estate as “the clergy”; the Second Estate as “the nobility” and the Third Estate as “the commoners”. Burke went further with the statement: “There are Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters” Gallery yonder, there sits a Fourth Estate more important far than they all.” He meant the press could hold the other three to accountability.

From a different facet

So many times it’s possible to see and come to understand how differences of opinion can come about. No matter the point of view, it can only be appreciated by one person because we can’t see through other people’s eyes in the real world. In photography we see what the auteur, the artist, sees and then captures with the result of light-on-silver in the old days and now pixels-on-pixels. No matter what the subject the interpretation is what drives the appreciation of perceived fact.

Endangered species

The Debt Ceiling talks drew the attention of the people to their personal dissatisfaction with political business being conducted as usual. The simile is apparent. American politics is like getting a stale peanut butter sandwich for lunch every day, you feel so much better when you get some spoiled jelly to put on the hard-tack. It looks like something good is happening but you’re really still not getting anything nutritive out of the product.

Dispatches from the Shire

I have always respected and admired John McCain (R-AZ) as a valorous, courageous and steadfast military man. However as a legislator on the American political stage I find him to be not so much a steadfast symbol of strength and determination as a man willing to accept wherever the political and thus self-serving winds blow him at the moment. He has all of the directionality of wind vane spinning in a cyclone. You only have to wait for him to reach into a grab-bag somewhere to find some reference to modern culture showing he has some grasp on today’s scene.

Under the Big Top

The man in the bright red coat and black top-hat enters the center ring under the Big Top and steps to the microphone descending from above, as if from heaven: “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! BOYS AND GIRLS! WELCOME TO THE BIGGEST SHOW UNDER THE BIG TOP! I’M YOUR RING-LEADER “MO-DRAMA OBAMA” AND I WELCOME YOU TO AN INCUMBENCY LOADED WITH THRILLS, CHILLS, SPILLS AND MISDIRECTIVE FRILLS GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU WELDED TO YOUR SEAT UNTIL IT’S TIME TO PICK YOUR POCKET!

Birds will sing

The Debt Ceiling controversy drones onward toward its natural conclusion. The President and Congress will reach accord (?), disaster will be avoided and the American Economic future will chug forward toward the next time the administration (meaning the President and the Congress) decide we need some more drama to enliven our already miserable existences.

Discharges and diatribe

It amazes me politicians needing to make a point resort to hyperbole so often. It would be a sound tactic if it wasn’t so badly overused. It’s no more than a cliché effort at striking terror into the heart of the audience.

Got nuthin’

As a young man I decided I’d rather not hand my money over to sand-bagging card players. I figured I’d spend it more traditionally on strong drink and weak-willed women. No matter the choice it was a bad one for me.

Indefensible gamesmanship

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) came up with a brain pulse (more like a dull thud than a pulse but whatever). He offered Mr. Obama the option of taking Debt Ceiling increases in three installments which he’d then have to justify and get passed through Congress as an afterthought. The “installments” are at a rate of $2.5 Trillion of YOUR dollars.

Tunnel vision

I looked for the definitions of “political hack”, “self-serving, incompetent fear mongering ideologue” and “bovine scatologinous material dissemination technician (BS spreader)” and Barack Obama’s picture came up on the screen each time.

Hitting the ceiling

“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies."

…”it has to be done?”

Congress has been debating the raising of the “Debt ceiling” for months. In Louisiana, The Advocate’s editorial staff (7-1-2011) took the stance the Republican leadership refuses to admit this fact “just about every member of Congress knows has to be done”. The Republicans are in opposition to this without budgetary cuts to “balance” the effect of the ceiling being elevated. This alone puts the lie to the statement.

Apex Hunters

Sociology defines the social evolution theory as having underlying forces in societies like the natural laws governing animal and plant communities. Therefore one can formulate social laws similar to natural ones. These social forces progress through the natural conflicts between social groups. The best-adapted and most successful social groups survive these conflicts, raising the evolutionary level of society generally (‘survival of the fittest')." This is Social Darwinism.

The Perfect Storm

In general people believe the present oil crisis is the fault of that cabal of evil and injustice, OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) and specifically, Saudi Arabia, Declining domestic production, Declining value of the U.S. Dollar

Citizens on patrol

In St. Helena Parish several people took the stance they’re “fed up with it all and they’re not going to take it anymore”. [Peter Finch in “Network” 1976 (paraphrased)] They’ve armed themselves after increased thefts and burglaries in their community. They’ve started patrolling to see if there were “suspicious” vehicles or activities in the area.

Leadership by the People

Leadership (n): directorship, governorship, governance, administration, captaincy, control, ascendancy, supremacy, rule, command, power, dominion, influence Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus 2008 This is a great land of strength, beauty, incredible vitality and majestic power. It’s directed by men with strength, power and drive to see those things they feel best will advance America on the world stage. But that’s where the problems come into play with a viciousness never before understood.