Ann Coulter and Jesus

An end to groundhog day-

Firstly Happy New years. I hope and pray that in this year will bring you blessings and fullfillment.

Recently I have been reading about the conflict between Israel and Hamas. I don't feel that I know enough about the issues to develop an educated opinion all though my sentiments are favoring the retaliatory actions of Jacob's lot. That being said what ever I believe to be justified military actions- at my gut I wish all this violence and crap would end. enough is enough. 

The middle east conflict reminds me of the Bill Murray movie "Groundhog Day". In the movie Murray's character, whose life is self centered, pleasuring seeking and lonely, finds that he has to relive the same day over and over again. He is aware of this looped existence but the people in his life and surroundings are not. At first he attempts to manipulate the situation to fulfill his corrupt desires but Soon he falls in love with a women who rejects his advances. This goes on day after day. He wakes up to the same day and  his old tricks of deception and manipulation continually fail him in gaining the love of this woman. Finally he tells her of his problem and she suggests that he uses the knowledge about people learned from reliving the same day to improve their and his lives. In short- he takes her advice, help improve other's lives and he gains her love which ends the cycle.

I, as probably many of you, can relate to the frustrating experience of trying the same old thing and getting the same results. I once heard insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Fortunately for most of us our personal moments of insanity don't result in the death of 400 some odd people. (as in the recent Hamas/Israel conflict)

 This belief that all we have to do is kill more people and sooner or later our enemies will break and we will have peace is more than insane. I'm unaware of a single word fit to adequately describe its horribleness.

 Israel and Palestine and the Western and Arabic World  are caught in an awful Groundhog day loop. It is my opinion that the fuel for of this destructive burning cycle is the vast unequal distribution of economic resources which causes poverty. People born in poverty are hopeless, vulnerable, easily influenced, and manipulated by the agendas of religious extremists and violent men. My fear is that we, unlike Murray's character, won't realize this fact and we will continue to attempt to extinguish the fire ot terrorism with gun powder and we will wake up to the next same awful morning.

It is time for an end to Groundhog day.

Physician Heal thy self...

Since Friday I have been sick. I have had a fever that has waxed and waned and refuses to go away. I went into the doctor and  gave him my 25 dollars to hear him say "It's a fever. Probably a virus. It's been going around. We'll have to let it run its course."

I wanted to ask him "Now why do I come here?".

I haven't been this sick since 2001 when I was in England. I had went over there with a touring singing group from school. They left and I had planned to stay 5 days in exploring Britain. Two days before the group left, I ate some food at an Italian restaurant in London and before I knew it I was falling down the rabbit's hole of a bad stomach flue. Some of my fellow travelers were concerned about leaving me in England. But I reassured them that I'm sure I would be felling alright in a couple of days. Any rational human being would of got a early flight home, but I wasn't going to let a measly flue completely destroy my first opportunity to be out of the country. So despite not being able to hold anything down, I trudged through that beautiful country and saw much that I had always wanted to see.

That was then and this is now. Mid 20s Derrick is a different creature then Early 30s Derrick who has a wife, baby on the way, and a  house and career on which to attend. So even though I have a ton of  work at work to do- I resign my self to be sick. .

The Fear of Socialism

I guess it would be a good time to gloat but I will put that behind me for the sake of education.

To some extent all governance is about the "redistribution of wealth"

Obama's "spreading the wealth around" is no different than Reagan's "trickle down economics" except in reverse but hopefully it will work

The single most important fact I think one needs to consider before calling our president elect a socialist is this- History.

Those Roads and interstates you drive on which supports out economy are supported by tax dollars.

That oil which you drill and is refined which then runs your cars and big ass trucks is subsidized by tax dollars.

That GI bill, supported by tax dollars from an equation more similar to Obama's the Bush's, opened education and home ownership to millions of Americans and it has yielded 8 fold financial benefit from its initial cost.

That electric grid and that sewage system- guess what folks- TAX dollars.

Many of you have said the American financial system was built on freedom and lack of government interference which I guess you have your right to your own opinion: however, I think you might have forgotten about the 2 hundred some odd years where we built an economy on FREE and FORCED labor which was subsidized by federal tax dollars.

So spare me the anecdotal evidence of "so and so" who is lazy because you the hard working person pays taxes for his welfare check which equals to $250 dollars a month. .

And spare me this idea that you have pulled yourself up by your own bootstraps and haven't asked anything from any body because the fact is - you have not had to ask.

You have worked hard but there is an economy supported by a progressive tax system which has helped you and me, who did not come from the wealthy, develop wealth.

So in conclusion- I don't know if your impending fear of socialism or the progressive tax system is founded on logic or history or propaganda but it is what it is-unfounded fear.

peace making