Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Feeding the Fire: Part 3

Since there are some things being said that are false on their face:

1. I am a Democrat. I've been a registered Democrat since 1972. I'm not supporting Obama because I don't trust him and my encounters with his supporters prove to me they are neither credible nor honorable. The thuggery is too evident to ignore and means do matter.

2. Sarah Palin is a fine woman. That seems to bother people who can't find anything else to disparage her for. I suspect the Hollywood crowd would like it much better if she didn't have a husband and a good family. Their therapists can't make money off normal people.

3. I notice that when the left gets angry, they go immediately to the topic of sex. I realize they are mammals, but they are also a bit addicted to that subject in their rants, their critiques and their politics. Sex is good but so is housekeeping. It tidies up the spirit. Angry sex is the mean street of power. Don't go there.

4. No matter who is elected, raising taxes is a bad idea right now. Only a fool fights in a burning house. I've never said anything about Obama's comments on "spreading the wealth around". I don't think it necessary and I'd like to get some of that too. I don't mind doing it the way I always have: work. The economy can't be 'fixed' particularly with more stimulus packages. We have to restore manufacturing and adjust costs. Anyone who tells you the situation is more complicated than a checkbook is part of the problem. It's like weight loss; eat less, do more. The rest just works.

5. The politics of rage depend on getting everyone riled up through frustration. The more calm one tries to be, the more they "get in your face" as Obama told them to do. Leave their signs alone. Ignore their insults. There will be plenty of time for bonfires after the election and lots of leftover tinder. Obama will win if the polls are right. Then we'll see what he's made of. May having be as good as wanting.

6. If Peter Paul and Mary and the Kingston Trio hadn't covered Bobby Zimmerman's songs, he'd be teaching English in a junior college in upstate New Jersey. For my tastes, he is like Hank Williams: I like his songs when other people do them. He had a heckuva good band years ago. They went out on a high note and haven't done anything since. Some people know when to get off stage.

Now is a good time to meditate on shunyata. It calms the spirit and reveals the true nature of reality. Peace.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't let those angry Leftists get to you. You are perhaps the only Democrat I've seen say something nice about Palin and I truly appreciate that.

Len Bullard said...

Thanks Steve. They aren't getting to me as much as I realize that no good is accomplished talking to the folks at Taplin's blog. Jon shuts down dissenters and that is not a conversation. It's a one sided rant with people ganging up to pummel the dissenter.

Also, the rudeness of the comments is simply unpalatable to Southern sensibilities. I've seen this sort of thing before and there is a large variation in the US as to what is acceptable conversation. I don't mind good natured back and forth with some ribbing but it is past that.

The thing is, the umbrage out there is getting out of control. I remember when the SDS and its ilk started these rants many years ago and American cities were set ablaze. It gets ugly. People get badly hurt.

So the only reasonable thing to do is step back from those confrontations and let them go by. It is a tactic that works.

Thanks though. I like Palin because she seems to be normal, not because of some inner sexual tension as Rick suggests. At my age, that would be silliness. On the other hand, the right is also working the rage machine and this needs to stop. No good will come of it.

I am tired of the racist comments, the amateur psych 101 and the outright lies. I expected more of the crowd that hangs with Taplin and of Taplin himself. It seems the Old We Got Rich Being Hip crowd lost not only their magic but their human decency and tolerance of diversity.

And so it goes. Sad really but not something to get upset over. Years of gigs taught me that if I play a room and they say rude things, move on. It's just a room.

Anonymous said...

Len,

Your statements in this post seem a little off-base. Sarah Palin a nice woman?! Have you been following what she's been saying at her rallies?

Obama may not be perfect, but he's light-years away the best we have at the moment. John McCain is erratic, sclerotic, and mean-spirited. He also doesn't have a clue about what's going on and his proposals for fixes are all over the map.

Hey, I'm with you all the way on the disgraceful nature of the bailouts to date. What seems very clear though is that we have to re-build our internal infrastructure (energy, education, transport, medical care) or we are going to be in a world of hurt 30 years out. We also have to give up the massively over-consumptive lifestyle.

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