Sarge

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.

No snub

Recently one of our Congressional Delegation created a stir when invited to the White House for, allegedly, a meeting concerning the raising of the national debt ceiling. Instead Representative Jeff Landry blew a hole in the ceiling with his refusal to attend. Some felt this was a snub of the Presidency. It was merely a snub of the never-ending need to grandstand, posture and assume the role of elemental political poseur.

Irony at sunset

The morning dawned over the gulf with a beauty I’d forgotten. For some reason I’d decided to accept an invitation to travel to a friend’s “camp” in Cocodrie. I never knew what I’d missed over the years.

Quotations

I found a quote from the bible while scanning “Dear Prudence”, Emily Yoffe’s advice column. She advised a man on how he should deal with a family of devout Christians after having decided he’d lost his faith. The correspondent signed off with the name: “the whitewashed tomb”.

The Disease

I have a strange disease. It’s one I believe I can’t overcome. It became evident the other day when I found myself looking through an old set of books I have. It was a minor thing, but I found it to be preceded by a feeling of internalized warmth. It was pleasant, like reconnecting with old friends after being apart for a long time. My mind opened. There was a light headedness making me feel like I was a part of something special happening. But, it made me crave more. It was like an old addiction raising its head to consume me and lead me somewhere I wasn’t sure I could return from.

Fresh, clean eyes

Our political beauty contest, the manner we choose to follow when selecting political candidates for the highest office in the land, is stupid. It’s recessive instead of progressive. We accept it to avoid stepping out of our comfort zones.