I have said in the past that there is a storm coming. Look around, the waves are growing larger daily.

Tea Party verses the “occupy Wall Street”. Both groups are ‘mad as hell and aren’t going to take it anymore’. The ideological beliefs have drawn the line in the sand and illustrates the biggest differences between the two- as well as the telling story of who is supporting who and who is financially backing who…follow the money train people.

Some will say they are both the same. My question would be, are they really? They are in the aspect that they are both protesting against corruption. Unfortunately the left only can see the corruption at the corporate level and not at the political level which enabled the corruption in the first place. The right can only see the political corruption and not the creative accounting corruption of the corporations.

Some on the left have knowingly lied stating that Tea Party members where racist bigots, while others on the right have claimed that the occupy movement are nothing but a bunch of pot smoking wanna be hippy tree huggers who were being backed by the unions.

I tend to agree with the latter on this. The occupy movement has financial backing by the unions that the Tea Party never had, which would cause a normal joe to stop and ponder ‘what is really going on?’

To quote Milli Vanilli ‘Blame it on the rain’. Some will always follow and some will think for themselves, who do you think is doing what?

Wbpa

I’ve been hanging back more than I should, just kind of been waiting to see where I thought that things would head off to. I’ve actually wrote some other articles but decided against posting them. Politics, damn isn’t it a blast?

You get to see some dirty laundry aired from the outgoing administration as well as the candidates- supposedly. It seems that going to war in two different countries at the same time was a bad thing if you’re trying to track down one man on the planet that doesn’t wan to be found. Let’s talk about that for a second. There is a phrase that pretty much says “for the greater good”. Is it the greater good of America to track down a thug, giving him “street credit” and a stage on which he can continue to perpetuate his ideological insane beliefs? Or was it in the greater good to try and fix the system of which he was a product of? I know, I know- some of you are saying we didn’t go to war to try and fix anything. We went to war for avenging our Sept 11^th attack and to try and find WMDs. Trillions of dollars and thousands of ideologs from the region dead later, what do you think? Is it avenged yet?

The best thing about our society, that just really pisses liberals off, is the ability to move forward. We have the ability when we think for ourselves to think above the level of politicians and the political reasons that they try to continually screw us over. “America First” should be our motto. Politicians in the international realm remind me of fake charity. Ah look at all the helpless people that we need to save. Having said that, there is a point when charity turns into an intentional oppressive act. “Keeping the man down” If a man has a fishing pole but you are constantly giving him fish is he really going to go fishing? We have set both countries up for success, if they chose to sit on their asses and not take control over their crap then I say, oh well we tried to help them, they were just to stupid to want to have it fixed. And its not that they’re to stupid, but its hard work that needs to be done by them and their just not up for doing the work.

The candidates made it a point to do a little camera thing together for “honoring” 9/11. Once again using the memory of what happened on that stunningly horrific day to gain favor with potentially stupid voters who would be influenced by such a contrite act. It really is disgusting, and if nothing else it spotlights, for me, the type of character these two actually have and the lengths that they will go to get elected.

So here we are 7 years later and where are we on the war front in both Iraq and Afghanistan? We have ran our course as far as the fight will let us without flagrantly ignoring basic human decency. We have beat the crap out of everyone who decided that would try and take a swing. We have helped the people get their own governments in and yet instead of sprinting forward they are standing around mulling over the idea of freedom of choice. They are standing around with their collectives hands still out waiting for manna to miraculously fall into their pockets. Corruption in man has infiltrated their ranks in government and put in jeopardy the progress of these two nations. And, continues to remain in place because of the political correctness of not being allowed to call them on it without it being considered “insulting” the entire Muslim community. God forbid we insult a Muslim. But hey, let’s stick around and watch it and do nothing about because it’s not our place to make unrealistic demands of pride in one’s self honor.

And there we are back to honor; this conversation has gone in a circle. Let’s close the loop. It was honorable, in my opinion for the Bush Administration to come in and say The American people deserve and expect us to act, after 9/11. It was even more honorable to try and clean up the streets, educate, feed, and rebuild – no not rebuild that’s not accurate, to build, nations that were and are and will remain third and forth world until they put themselves in check and demand from there own people what they are trying to demand of us, much in the same way we need to demand, because we deserve it, honesty and integrity in our own elected or soon to be elected officials. It is the best way to honor those who have fallen in and for America.

DB

The Fourth of July

The holiday that is only celebrated by, and created for- we the people, who came together to form a more perfect union regardless of race, gender, or religious beliefs. The Fourth represents for us that we are a people who wish to be free. It represents that we do not care what control you think you have over us. It says to the world over that we are a people who will stand up for what we believe to be right. It says that we will die and have died to throw off the chains of tyranny. It symbolizes, nay, it epitomizes the spirit of a youthful country full of rebels, full of self assuredness, full of self worth and self aggrandizing.

Hey I am all about the spirit of America. Today is a glorious day. Today though is a day that has for to long been taken for granted. We forget to easily the sacrifices made by those brave few that came before us who had the audacity to stand up and demand freedom. Our forefathers deserve their pedestals in which they now reside.

The Fourth of July- a day off from work, a day full of backyard parties and fireworks, a day to relax and bask in the glory that is your Independence. Enjoy it, and as you do try something this year- raise a toast to the men that afforded you this day. Men like Ben Franklin, Thomas Paine who furthered the cause through their writings. Men like George Washington who furthered the cause through fighting. Men like the ones who have died in recent years to help spread the cause that is freedom to the world where others would rather have them suffer in religious and political oppression. Too many have voiced their disdain for the wars being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. To those people I would say that had it not been for another county helping us during our time of need that the Fourth of July would be just another day on the calendar of our lives.

It is our responsibility as Americans to carry our head high this day. To show the world that we are still a country for and by the people and we still do not recognize the authority that you think you have over us. It is our right to not be ashamed to be proud of our country. Tell the world we know that you wish you to could have a piece of our Fourth of July- but you can’t. Not yet. And still the lady, “the mother of exiles”, stands tall with torch in hand saying give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses who wish to breathe free.

Out of many comes one, and as one we say to the world today is OUR Independence Day.

WordPress.com Political Blogger Alliance

I can get pretty wordy sometimes. Sometimes I can sit down and type and type and know that when I am done, things will seem to make sense to me. Today I thought that I would sit down and write something that should be a simple topic for me to talk about. But as I started to type it became clear to me that this would not be some simple little two paragraph topic solution, nor would it be something that I could just sit down and write. A previous comment left on this site left my mind to wander. It left me with a sense of obligation, a sense to admit that I have been off the “mark” so to speak. The comment (paraphrased) saying that Americans are ignorant and lazy when in fact they are disheartened by their efforts being continually undermined was off the mark. A comment I absolutely agree with. Disheartened, disenfranchised, disrespected, disowned, disavowed, unwelcome, unwanted……..the list goes on, put your own emotion in there.

Get to it DB!

The blessings of my job are vast. One of the biggest is the diversity of Americans that I get to work beside on a daily basis. From old to young, black, white, yellow, orange, northern, southern, west coasters, east coasters, middle easterners, mid westerners, Chinese, Japanese, Phillipino, Russian, Turkish. You name it and I’ve been lucky enough to serve with them. A lot of the things I do or thoughts that permeate through my head come from conversations and discussions/debates that we frequently have. Talks about life in America. Talks about growing up in some nowhere named town off some unknown highway. Where we came from, where we’re going.

Evolution changes by its very definition. As time goes by so do we.

The first implant immigrants to America were searching for the original “American Dream”- a dream which has eluded so many before and since – freedom. Freedom from persecution, tyranny, state ran religion, lack of representation, TAXATION! They wanted a better life for their kids than what they had (what we still strive for as parents), and they wanted the choice of finding that life. That dream dared dreamt by those before us has all but been transmuted into something that can not even begin to be related to the same thing. Personal freedoms are still left wanting.

What is the American Dream today? American Idol? Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes? Powerball? Football contract for 64 million dollars? Movie stardom? My last article was titled “All About The Benny’s” – is that the American Dream? Money? Is that what we are reduced to? Everyone wants to be The Rollingstones, Elvis Presley. No one grows up anymore and says “I want to be an astronaut”. Why? Is it because we have already been there done that? Does it have to do with the explorers in all of us? We have to keep trying to conquer new mountains, reach new heights.

There are many things that have changed. Technology makes our lives more “convenient”. Laws upon laws that were enacted to help protect us from everyone else in our world including ourselves. Are the changes the cause of the happenings of life now as we know it, still in search for our very own little American Dream? Who can we blame? We got to blame someone. Is it Hollywood? Find those responsible and let’s put them behind bars!!! Oh but wait, we can’t do that can we? We are all guilty.

We have came along way from the days of the dream being a white picket fenced house, car, and good job, maybe a TV to watch Ed Sullivan on. Gathering around the radio as a family listening to Flash Gordon. Checkers on the porch with Grandpa. Baking peach cobbler with Grandma on a lazy Sunday afternoon. We’ve came a long way from trust. Trust of our government. Trust of our neighbors. Trust of our kids. Look around, take a long serious look around you in your own little corner of the world. Do you recognize where you are? Do you recognize who the hell you are anymore? Who is that person in the mirror? It’s not me.

This is an election year in America. It’s a freedom that in itself is a dream for so many across our globe that do not have it and dream some day they will. A freedom that should be embraced. A freedom that should be taken seriously and not made into talking points for ratings in search for the ever illusive dollar; a dollar that we are basing our candidates on. Just look at the headlines, Obama and his money, McCain and his money. I mean is it really come down to something as contrite as that? Decide which dude has your values, neither? Then it is your responsibility to demand more. You’ve missed the boat this time round haven’t you? Well here’s to hoping that next time people aren’t so freaking dis’d that they forget to realize their part of the dream. That some day we will, all of us, be………

What’s your American Dream?

DB Reese

Two topics that I would like to touch on today are the financing of popularity contests and the fact that no matter what congress does they never seem to get their hands dirty.

You might be asking WTF?

Yeah me too.

Obama decides that he doesn’t want to use public funds for the general election. I say that’s God damned about time that the US tax payer quit being used. However, that is not the reason that he doesn’t want the cash. What does the man say? “The current use of public funds is broke” translation- the people don’t give me as much money as I want. It’s simple for all of you who do pay attention to the, what’s going on in politics and campaign laws. Obama knows that acceptance of public instead of private funds limits the amount of money he can spend. And, brothers and sisters the man knows he needs to spend a fortune to buy this election.

My personal opinion, in case you didn’t catch it is- let the parties, with all their donors, supporters, big wig money men (and women) pay for the election cost and NOT the American tax payer’s piggy bank. But hey, that would be the right thing to do, and the right thing to do doesn’t ever sell papers. I’ve talked before about you and your ability to vote someone into office that you want, and not want the establishment wants- it will never happen. You’re the little worm on the big hook dangling in the vast ocean that is life in America. You do what you are told when you are told, and at the end of the day you might be allowed to have a descent nights sleep. That is of course if you can sleep with all the worrying you will be doing. Bill collectors, gas prices, school supplies, insurance for this that and the other thing, heating bills, cooling bills, food prices that make 1990 Russia look cheap. Then let’s not forget the tax bill that you have to pay all so some egomaniacal self centered pompous assed piece of shit can participate in a freaking popularity contest- with your best interest in mind of course.

Enough about that- elections are a joke nowadays anyway.

Congress, congress, congress. I shake my head at you. If I could I would shake something else. You’re an embarrassment, I am ashamed of you every single time I see that you are in the news. I know it can’t be good. How many lives have you bastards (and bitches) destroyed? How many reputations have you taken a crap on?

You know congress wields the most power in the country, yet accepts the responsibility for nothing that happens (negatively) in the country. To congress it is always someone else’s’ fault. “What do you mean your taxes are too high? Oh that’s the other guys fault, he signed the bill. Blame him not me, I only wrote the bill.”

Grass root movements need to happen all over the country. A moratorium on idiots. You should have a solid IQ before being elected, furthermore I submit to you this, public service from all walks of life should have a term limit. Senators for life kind of crap has got to go.

There is an old saying in politics when it comes to the when where and why’s of anything- Follow the Money.

Test out your prophecy skills; what is in the news now in regard to congress. What will you see happen in the next 6 months? Do you know? I do, bet you do too if you really think about it. Speaking of the news- I’m dogging those jack asses next time.

Demand more responsibility or be damned. Folks you are tomorrow not these wanna be politicians who are demanding to be elected. Show them who the real bosses are.

Peace

DB

D B Reese

Okay, today’s homework- put your wallet away.

What ever do you mean DB?

Hell, while we’re at it tell your congressperson to put theirs away too.

I don’t get it.

I am not a rocket scientist. I am merely a man with a brain that works over-time sometimes. Christmas time comes and its ring ring ring from the bells by someone standing in front of a bucket. Some natural disaster hits and its hand out for the money, fork it over pal. Jerry has all those kids. Boys clubs and girls clubs. Feed the adopted little kid with the flies around the eyes. Contribute to this, contribute to that. Pull pull pull, push push push. Don’t you feel guilty? You should feel guilty. Give me give me give me. With all the charities out there and everyone vying for your time and money you would think that we could have really done some damned good things. But, cancer still kills every year, so does AIDS and drunk drivers. Still can’t find the cure for paralysis, cerebral palsy, MS, herpes, world hunger, world peace, world healthcare, world social security, world economy, world love, world hugs day, blah blah blah, it has really started to make me wanna puke.

Whatever happened to the old days when people did without or saved until they could get something? What happened to necessity is the mother of all inventions? Whatever happened to personal responsibility? Throwing money at every problem does not solve the problems, it creates more. When people stop “being”, and start to wander along like little mindless freaks who pay attention to the sidewalks and not the traffic lights, we all suffer. Case in point. Why has the scare on oil caused the mindless little money grubbers in the commodities markets to over inflate the price so much that the rest of the economy has crashed into chaos? Not being able to see the forest for the trees.

If I was a conspiracy nut job I would tell you that it was all politics with the gas market. See Bush lets it run up up up. Then says hey we need to drill for more oil. Dems cry foul and are made to look like asses in front of Americans who are paying over 4 bucks a gallon, and the next thing you know….no more dems in office (can you say YEAH!!!). Hit the pocket book and the hand will follow on the voting ballot.

What’s the most expensive thing you will buy this year……in full? If you’re not billionaire? If you are like most of us it is an easy enough to answer question. Your gas tank. Quit excepting the fact that they think you’re all suckers! How about looking out for number one for a change? The most important of charities- YOU! Go splurge on yourself for once, forget Greenpeace, take a spin around the block the drive and possibly the smog could do you some good.

DB Reese

Sometimes I question myself on whether or not I should write some of the things that I write. Not because it would be something that would inevitably get my wings clipped, but if the people reading would actually get where I was coming from. That’s not to say that a minority of you would not understand, but that in itself is more like preaching to the choir. God bless the choir.

War, modern day war, can never be considered equal to the barbaric days of old when people fought, I mean really truly fought to the death. 300,000 men would stand across a field and look at another group just as large or larger. Waiting for the word to advance and close on the enemy with the intent of ripping him limb from bloody limb. Winner takes all and losers that didn’t die would at very least shut their pie holes and be happy little slaves.

What changed? We became civil less barbaric, we became a global community, a society of compassion for others. We became technically efficient, more precise, more computerized and less personal and in your face and we did it all in the last 50 years, WOW. What a crock of crap! We tried to take the war out of war. There is still a modern day battlefield, only now it has moved into the houses (if we can call them that) of innocents who had the misfortune of being born in a crappy part of the world (politically speaking).

Today’s war, you know the one I’m speaking of, the “hearts and minds” should be a sign of how screwed up we really are as a country. It is a good headline, motto if you will. But, the reality of war is that people will die in one. Good people, bad people, innocent people. I wish it were not so but the plain simple truth is always the easiest to except.

Why do we fight then? Some have said that war is just an extension of politics by other means. That power hungry white men somewhere in a smoke filled room are deciding the inevitable outcome for the world as we know it today. I’m sure you have heard the conspiracies. War can be a means of politics slash diplomacy but the irony is war itself doesn’t care about politics. A hurling piece of lead doesn’t care about religion, race, gender, age, nationality. A hurling piece of lead has no feelings about kind words, or building projects. The only thing a hurling piece of lead does is- penetrates, causing as much pain and suffering as it can.

I have talked at length in other articles about politicians staying off the battlefield so I am not going to be redundant and rewrite the same things here. What I would like to speak on here is the craziness of the war that we find ourselves now in and instead of the politics of war maybe it should be called the politics in war.

When the commander in chief puts out his “vision”, his “intent”, his “make this happen but do it this way”, we in the military say ”yes sir”, execute a salute, do an about face forward march onto the field. What tends to happen unfortunately is something that can only be akin to passing legislation. Everybody wants to tack on something else, so the initial intent is hardly even recognizable. All so some people can once again look relevant- and I think if you have read on here before then you know my stand on that as well.

We are involved more in humanitarian assistance than fighting a war, which is fine with me just so long as the fighting is done. Currently it is not. But, we got to look good. We got to seem relevant. We got to give a shit what the rest of the world thinks. We got to do more than we should. Understand this, people in Afghanistan live, for the most part, in houses that they erect solely from mud, rock, and grass which then hardens. Hey it worked for the Great Wall of China too. There are wholes villages, which are called towns made like this, it is unnerving. A lot can be said about the ingenuity of these people who have lived this way for THOUSANDS of years. Why then is it we must think we are Henry Ford and “put a car in every driveway”? Why must we force everyone into the modern ages? Why must every one be on par with the US? Enough already get back to the business at hand which is eliminating the Taliban’s oppressive régime and get the hell out.

There is always more work to be done, just look in America, we are always trying to fix this or that. We will never fix it all, or to everyone’s liking. At some point you have to say, ok, we’ve done all we can here pack it up. When the Taliban is gone for good, and we do leave, the people themselves will decide what and when to rebuild. Hell they’re doing it now even without our hand outs.

This was a little more peaceful writing than some of you are used to from me. Not to worry- the peace won’t hold, it’s an election year.

It’s that time of the month again for me …. err ummm …. what I meant to say was – it appears time again for me to discuss a couple of things for the learning impaired out there in cyberland. I think that I have been a rather good boy thus far in my budding career as a novice social commentator but damn, enoughs enough already.

Oh boy DB is getting ready to lose his mind.

I can appreciate a good idea, good intentions, or even a new way of doing something. What I can not and will not be able to understand is the constant barrage of idiots who believe that we live in a world full of little rainbows and unicorns.

I have been tooling around (surfing the net if you prefer) reading news articles and blogs of all kinds, from the conservative extremist to the liberal extremist and everyone else in between. The prevailing attitudes are something like this;

Liberals- when will America learn to be respectful of the world, we are one community, we need to learn to love, and hug, and be tolerant of others points of view because we don’t know everything and aren’t nearly as smart or helpful as we pretend to be, and if we did that the world would love us.

Conservatives- Shut up liberals, it’s not all that bad, and the stuff that is bad you caused anyway, and we’re just trying to clean up your freakin mess. If you hadn’t sold America out for your science fair project(the quest for utopia) we wouldn’t be in such a bad shape economically, and screw the world – we really don’t care if they are mad at us or not.

I think that pretty much covers my perception of how the media (including bloggers) portrays America. It has gotten under my skin.

So let me get this off my chest. You can all go suck an egg. I’m going to spank conservatives first (just to be fair). We ARE sucking right now, economically. The fed is going to cause inflation at a time when we need anything but. The markets have been infiltrated by a bunch of over emotional sissy’s. We are going to choose as our nominee a man who voted more times for the democrats than he did for the republicans. All the while we have lost our gonads to stand up to a bunch of hateful yet sniveling truth misrepresenting twits from across the isle- yes it’s not looking very good. Get over it all ready, Rush that includes you. You know that perception is what runs this country, from the elections to the markets. And, right now perception is pretty bad.

Liberals, liberals, liberals you guys(and gals)make me want to chop down a tree, burn it while cooking a spotted owl after driving in my gas guzzling SUV through the Anwar wildlife preserve. Are you people smoking crack, sitting naked in the bathtub with peanut butter spread all over yourselves. WAKE UP! First, the world is not a lovey dovey place. There are real boogie men out there who want to slit your little kids throat. I wish like all hell that we could live in your dream world where all we had to do was talk civily to these bad people, but it just doesn’t work like that. Second, except some damn responsibility for the crap you have done to this country. The give away programs, although thoughtful on some level, have hijacked and bankrupted not only our economy but our common decency as well. You cry like hurt children whenever you think that the “world” doesn’t like us, but you don’t give a rats hairy ass what Americans think about it or you and what you’re doing to it.

Both sides are seen as corrupt and evil gold diggers. Neither side has the perception of honesty about them, and what is most disappointing is that neither side cares that they are perceived as such.

I’m going to keep preaching on this site until my computer blows up or until someone shoots me, until that happens – I am your conscience speaking, you are not doing the right things for this country, you do not serve the country’s best interest, go fling yoursleves off of the closest bridge.

There is one simple truth that I think all people can get their hands around- something created all of this. Put aside the checkbooks, the gold watches, the fancy houses and $4,000 suits- roll up some sleeves and how about getting back to work. Just for the record (dems) that doesn’t mean trying to give away more money. In case you haven’t heard we’re running out this year thanks to you.

Hey I’m alive and well and will be doing just fine for the foreseeable future. I’m in combat mode now so if the truth hurts you maybe you ought to take a long look at yourself.

Look for my next article coming up, politics of war, where I will disect some crazy stuff on the war front. Until then Ladies (and gents) remember peace monkeys and dark places

The article I want to write and the article you are about to read are two very different articles.

The first is a shotgun blast at everything from faith to taxes to fake journalism in the media perceived victories and defeats, to what’s going on in China, North Korea, Iran, and even here. But you don’t want to read that article. You don’t want to be brought further down in the gutter than what some already have you. To do so would mean that your beliefs in the way things are were just flat out wrong. That my beliefs in the way things are were flat out wrong too. No instead we want hope, we want anger, we want the lies told to us that make our world make sense.

I am going to touch on faith regardless of what I just said. I am going to touch on taxes too, as well as fake journalism and how it relates to the perceived chaos in the perfect little make sense worlds of ours.

April 1st, also called April Fools Day or All Fools Day used to mark what used to be the beginning of the new year. What will our “New Year” bring us.

Al Gore is at it again, this time spending 300 million dollars to promote not Global Warming but get the new talking points memo- “climate change”. Global warming was disproved this year. Seems it was based on the earth gaining a degree over the last 100 years. Well in the last 12 months the earth has lost that very same degree thus getting colder and making up for the previous sky rocketing heat.

Global Warming caught on as an epic status in the worlds latest in new aged religion gaining itself millions of followers. Not to be detoured in his new fame as head minister of natures own changes, the Gore group has changed its verbiage and now we have uncontrolled climate change. Go figure- man can’t control the weather. It took faith to believe in the “science”, if we can cal it that, of global warming. Just as it takes faith to believe in the “Big Bang” or “Intelligent design”. There is one truth to it all and that is something created all of this- the rest is conjuncture made real by which ever faith you may have.

Tax season is close to coming to a screeching halt- have you paid your government yet? It seems the more we pay the more elected officials want to spend. Whether it is spending for a war, for welfare, for socialism I mean socialized medicine, for financing their own return to power in the form of campaigns, or buying friends throughout the world with “aid” money. We spend and we spend and we spend, and somewhere in there we forget to ask(or more appropriately they forget) where the hell the money comes from.

In a time where everyone wants something for nothing is it any surprise that the economy is heading straight for a recession? Not some little get my rebate check and spend it recession where everything will be just fine either. A recession that will more than likely lead to a depression. Hell there already is a run on banks and other lending institutions.

And now what, the same congress who has let it get to this point has a plan. Oh yes they do, they are going to bail out home owners too. Don’t pay your mortgages it’s okay, no need ot be responsible adults. They know you aren’t any way so in steps big sister to tell you, show  you, how and when to spend your money. At a small cost to you of say a five to ten percent raise in your taxes (god forbid Obama or Hillary get elected it will be more like 10 to 15 percent on the already national average of 33%). Go to votesmart.org look up your politicians and see who is wasting your money, then vote that bastard out of office- it’s the only way to start taking back your paycheck from these parasites. 

China had to relight the Olympic torch, that should be an omen for things to come in this “New Year”. Tibet is a precursor of things to come. People want their freedom, Taiwan is next- if they were smart they would start the proclamations now and see just how far the Chinese are willing to go in their quest for either stomping out freedom or joining the the rest of the civilized world. And, at the same time North Korea has taking the opportunity to lash out at the South Koreans, saying they will burn them to ash for turning their backs on Korea unification and for being puppets to the US. Hey Kim, I think South Korea has a stake in you not having a nuclear freaking warhead you flaming idiot.

Not to be out done, or lose face in any of the happenings around the world Iran is claiming a huge victory for brokering a peace deal between Al Sadr’s militiamen and the Iraq government. But what is the real story there? Fighting taking place in the southern city of Basra and on the edges of the Green Zone and Sadr City has depleted many of his militiamen. Yes it has shown the Iraqi military for what it really is- a 3rd world military. But to claim a victory? Let’s be real- it’s all about perception, and as long as the media shows the perception of a crumbling Iraq then they feel themselves vindicated for the years of false journalism. Sadr is alive today because the US military has kept him alive, period.

So what then has this article been about? What is the moral or point of the five minutes you just wasted? Perception breeds belief, belief is faith. I see the two wars being fought for the hearts and minds, not of the people of Iraq or Afghanistan, but for the people of the Divided States of America. In the past 30 or so years we have been conditioned to hate and fear and have very little self pride, not to mention no national pride. We must make life fair for everyone, even though fairness in life is no guarantee. Walking on eggshells and ready to explode for any perceived injustice. The injustice is the prevailing attitude of self, and greed.

But yet I have faith. I still believe in a country so great we are sought after by all who dare to dream of a better life.

I know that without any shadow of a doubt this topic is one that gets under many peoples skin. Those who’s chosen profession it is to teach, train, and mentor should have the support of the country behind them. Theirs is a daunting task, to help develop the minds of the tomorrows leaders- truly an awesome responsibility.

There are many things that influence education, chief among them is socio-economics. There are direct correlation between nutrition and learning, welfare and learning, status among peers and learning- the list goes on. The biggest reform to education should come in the form of increasing the socio-economic levels of every student. That increased level though should not be in the form of handouts or welfare.

We hear the chants for education reform and wonder why such a problem even exists in the US. Global scores are in and the US is no where near the top. With a country so diverse in not only ethnicity but socio-economic status is it inconceivable that the education levels reflect that truism?

Rutherford B. Hayes said that to give equal opportunity to education was the surest way to give equal opportunity to property. What he was trying to say was that on an equal playing field we can achieve as much or as little as we set our sites on, that our education frees us from the dictates of others.  

 We decided as a new nation that we were not going to be illiterate or uneducated. If we were going to govern ourselves then we needed to be capable of that act. But as a third world country ourselves (once) education was still only given to those who could afford to pay for it. But, coming around to our senses in the 1840′s we started the public school system. Now I’m not going to get into a long history lesson here but if you want then you can check out this PBS site;

http://www.pbs.org/now/society/edhistory.html

How have we gotten to the point where education reform is needed. The fault has to be laid at the feet of someone right? That’s how we do it in America, assign responsibility. Is it under funded? Consensus is yes it is- okay great problem solved it’s the Republicans fault. Let’s throw more money at the school system and move on to the next topic. Slow down cowpoke. Are the Republican politicians the ones in a school teaching your kid? Let’s not be so quick to lay blame just yet.

Well there is the overcrowding, and the bad influential kids, the trouble makers, the special needs. All of these effect the school, and consequently the learning that goes on at that school.So I got it, let’s build more schools and separate the children according to ability and socio-status. What would that solve? Teach them segregation is okay? Not the answer either.

Okay then smartass, how do we fix our educational system?

I hear about low salaries and teachers needing pay raises, I couldn’t agree more. The lowest GPA graduates coming out of universities today are educators. I wish I had made that up but I didn’t. What does that say. The studiers, the “smart” people are going into fields that pay considerably more. Increasing teacher salaries would definitely attract a higher caliber of educator. I am NOT saying that teachers all over America are dumb. Hell I’m an Army guy, doesn’t pay that much but I do it because it is something that I enjoy and feel obligated to do. There are those teachers out there who, like me, teach because they feel a sense of civic responsibility, and just really enjoy their what they are doing- it’s not a job and the kids aren’t just a paycheck.

On the other hand, there are those teachers who approach it as a source of income, if the kids aren’t going to participate then they aren’t going to teach. I’ve had both kinds. Those who enjoyed their job were some of the greatest teachers or professors I have ever had. Those who didn’t were some of the worst, and the classroom test scores validate that claim.

“No child left behind stranded my child at the bus stop!”

What the President tried to accomplish was to throw down the gauntlet so to speak. Hey here is your incentive to produce as a teacher. Do well and have it reflect on test scores and receive federal funds. Do poorly as reflected on test scores and lose federal funding. That is the very elementary breakdown of the very complex act that put the responsibility of education on the educators and not the federal government.

People threw a hissy fit. Teachers unions up in arms. A union that by the way has well outlived its original purpose or intent. They just couldn’t believe that their ability to teach was in question. Hey knuckleheads pick up the report, read it, then take some responsibility. Kids getting passing grades for not doing their work. Kids getting passing grades to play sports. Kids getting passing grades who aren’t even going to school. Is the government coming into the classroom, picking up your grade book and putting a score that is different than yours next to any names? NO.

If it is such a terrible act then how come there isn’t that much focus on education reform right now in the primaries? How come the candidates aren’t jumping up or down about fixing education over fighting about who has more delegates and who should just quit. We have to hear about racism, which education helps to eliminate.

So how do we fix it? Its been asked for years. You have all the “smart” people working on it, or against it so you would think that a solution was just around the corner. I think performance ratings should not be used to determine federal funding but rather employment. Tenure should not be a guarantee. And while we’re at it, let’s just go ahead and make some kind of minimum wage for teachers, of course the better ones can always receive more- but that’s the wonderful thing, it’s a merit system. God forbid that you are equally rewarded or punished according to your actions.

Are teachers the only ones at fault? NO. Parents who drop their children off so that a school can raise them are part of the problem. Children with no discipline or respect are part of the problem. Socially acceptable behavior that has gone down hill as advertised by Hollywood is part of the problem. Socialistic ideals on educating the masses with emphasis on social agenda and social morals is part of the problem. Not rewarding success but failure is definitely part of the problem.

So what it all comes down to (in a very elementary article) is responsibility. I’ll give you some more money to teach, but if you can’t be bothered with the results of your teaching then you need to go be a librarian or something.