And Yet, Here We Stand

The land was laid bare and the bodies of the dead littered the streets; streets that were covered in blood.  In the distance, the screams and lamentations of women and children pierced the air and threatened to shatter eardrums.  The smell of death and destruction permeated the air and created a weight and denseness to every breath.  The fear and sadness surrounded every living thing that remained; it was as though any hope of life and joy had been sucked from the human existence and left in its wake was nothing but despair.  The skies were permanently darkened, buildings and institutions that had stood the test of time were decimated, and survivors were fearful to even consider a future. 

Okay, not really, but reading some of the post on social media after the election, one would think that the end of the world had come and stripped all Americans of their humanity and dignity.  Hillary Clinton lost in her bid to be the country's first female president, defeated by one of the most disliked men in all of politics, Donald Trump, and far too many people are taking it personally.  Trump was called every name in the book by the elitists on either side of the aisle and yet he triumphed and that really pisses people off.  Even today, there are people who have lost their damned minds and are protesting in the streets!  What in the hell is wrong with us?

This country will survive.  We survived Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton.  The country will survive Donald Trump and perhaps it will awaken the establishment douchebags to see their douchebaggery.  Maybe, just maybe, terrorists will take us a little more seriously now as well.

On a local level, there were some serious surprises.

SQ779:   While I believed that our teachers and children deserved better than this proposal, I really figured that it would pass.  After all, they had Toby Keith in the ads...but I digress.  It was believed that the initiative would pass, teachers would receive a pay raise and administrators would have s slush fund to play with, but no.  It didn't happen.  Teachers still need a pay raise and we need to do something better to fund education because the lottery wasn't the magic bullet, was it?  Hopefully, the legislature can do something honest to address the issue and make sure that the administrators keep their filthy paws off of the money that will be for the classrooms and for teachers.

SQ790:  I really thought that Oklahoma would pass this measure and not because it was the right thing to do, but because of our desire to mix God and government at every turn.  Perhaps Pastor Paul Blair's loss in the primary was a harbinger of things to come that Oklahomans understand that we need to be careful what we ask for, because we might just get it.  First, it would be spending money on the 10 Commandments (the ones we couldn't keep and so Christ had to die for us), then it would mean that Islam would get a monument, then Hinduism, and so on so forth.  Tax dollars spent on one religious institution would mean, by necessity, an entitlement from all religious expressions.  Kudos to the voters for shooting this one down.

Oklahoma County Sheriff:  Whetsel got another four years, defeating an aggressive and determined Republican Mike Christian.  Whetsel will now face the County Commissioners about financial wrongdoing.  This was a surprise.  Even though Whetsel was a recognized name, he spent money on television and frankly, that was a big plus for his campaign because Christian was pretty much nowhere to be found.  Maybe he spent too much on his consultants...but again, I digress.

Yet, amid all this madness, here we stand.  We still live in the greatest country on the planet to say or believe anything different is just silliness.

We can do this. 

Of course, these are just my opinions and I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it.

Gorilla

Polishing the Brass On the Titanic

I didn't watch any of the debates, nor will I.  Sitting back and observing the shenanigans put on by supporters of this campaign or that campaign is entertainment enough.  Old school terms like "socialist" or "fascist" are being tossed about like bread crumbs at a duck pond.  The supporters eat each other alive while the candidates and their consultants ride along in their luxury bus, enjoying air conditioning and not being troubled to get their hands dirty.  Sadly, this isn't the first election cycle to see such mayhem.

There have been vitriolic campaigns in the past on a state, local, as well as federal level that have been nothing short of blood baths.  The John Kerry Swift Boat attacks, previous Congressional races where the big question of the day was, "Are you now or have you ever been a Democrat?" Of course, there was the now famous Willie Horton attack ad campaign, and now, negative robocalls have replaced door hangers largely.  

The truly sad thing about it all is that this fighting, bickering, attacking, and abuse are doing nothing but feeding the flames of the militants on either side of the aisle while the Average Joe is opting out of the "gotcha game."  If we don't get our shite together, we're headed for disaster.  In other words, we're polishing the brass on the Titanic as it's going down.

One would think that in this day and age, common sense could be included in the process, but unfortunately, it is as elusive as Bigfoot.  Here are some common sense answers to questions that I think could be easily adopted and solve a whole lot of problems.

1.  School Nutrition:  This should be a no-brainer, kids.  Children are going to school hungry and in this great country, that shite just doesn't need to happen.  Yes, it costs taxpayer dollars but since we're a "nation founded on Christian principles," makes sense that our charity would extend to feeding children.

2.  Environment:  What in the hell is wrong with us?  We have scientific evidence that humans are jacking up the planet - like the deal with the rubbish island floating around in the Pacific Ocean.  That's just ate up with stupid and we should be doing something about our end of the madness.  We are messing with entire ecosystems and that is wrong no matter how you slice it.  Unless you're Rush Limbaugh or Shawn Hannity and produce more methane than a 5,000 head cattle ranch.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

3.  Guns:  I believe that the Heller decision was the right decision and yes, I'm a beastly 2nd Amendment supporter.  There are some things that need to be fixed, however.  We need to make sure that parents who own firearms are held responsible if their children access those firearms and cause bodily injury or death.  Common sense, people.  Yes, concealed carry permits should be issued for college students who meet the already stringent requirements (you gun-grabbers forget that you have to be 21 to even own a handgun).  

4.  Welfare Reform:  Those receiving government welfare should be means-tested to ensure that it is warranted even though 90% of the time, it's not.  We have created a generation or two of dependency on the government teat to gain sustenance and it's wrong.  And that's just the oil and gas industry.  (See what I did there?)  You see, my friends, the oil and gas industry have these little associations that are created to lobby for bills that benefit the oil and gas industry.  Most of the time, it's to eliminate taxes as much as possible for them.  They hire these "legislative liaisons" who are little more than brothel employees, deciding which candidate gets the "VIP treatment" while fundraising for elections.  Meanwhile, the poorest among us are struggling and oil and gas CEO's are struggling to decide what Bentley they will drive any particular day.  It's common sense, people.  If a company posts profits, they don't need corporate welfare and an argument can be made that no company should be receiving government hand outs.

Those are just four ideas upon which maybe, just maybe we can agree upon.  Both sides of the aisle need to shut the vitriol down and start providing solutions.

Of course, it's just my opinion and I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it.  

Ron "Gorilla" Black

And the TRUMPet Sounded

I had an interesting conversation with my son today.  It was really nice to catch up, discuss some of the happenings in our lives and even a little politics.  He asked me what I thought of Donald Trump as a ladder climbing POTUS candidate for the GOP.  My initial thought was that Trump was little more than a blowhard voice screeching in the wind and will get creamed by the Bush money.  But watching some of the news stories and the comics about Trump have made me think a little more seriously at the whole mess.

First, let's consider some irrefutable facts:

• GOP is scandal-ridden.  Just look at Oklahoma and the party pissing contests that have gone on of late.  Former State Senator, former Gubernatorial candidate, former U.S. Senate candidate and present chairman of the state GOP, Randy Brogdon was elected and it wasn't a week before he was stirring the feces and now, the party reeks from the stench of it.  
• The GOP doesn't like its choices.  They wanted a hardcore, line in the sand cat for leadership, and now they are whining about his leadership?  A leopard cannot change his spots and Brogdon is a special breed of leopard who couldn't give a rats ass what anyone thinks of him.  That's what he was elected for, remember?
• Donald Trump is a very wealthy man, and though he has filed bankruptcy more than once, he always lands on his feet.  It's hypocritical for anyone to chastise him for that (particularly in the GOP) because when you think about it, under the GOP leadership, we have spent trillions of dollars on a never-ending war on whatever the hell is over on the other side of the pond.
• Trump is saying out loud what the GOP used to have as a bloody platform.  The GOP used to be the party of legal immigration and hatred of illegal immigration.  Suddenly, the GOP wants to court the ILLEGAL immigrant vote?  Hypocrisy, thy name is Republican. 
• If the GOP puts up another Bush against Hillary Clinton, he will get his ass kicked like a Klansman at a Black Panther rally.  And justifiably so.  With the GOP abandoning its roots of reasoned approaches to issues of immigration (an 80 percentile issue, by the way) and surrendering to big oil and gas producers whose subcontractors hire illegals.  But that's another topic altogether.  

The Trump whom we all wish would run for POTUS.

But Donald Trump is a target.  Stupid, stupid move on the part of the GOP.  It's so ridiculous for the GOP to cut off its nose to spite its face in this manner.  But let me tell you some insider information:  The hits most likely are not coming from the candidates themselves, but rather their slime-slinging consultants who become intoxicated with the nectar of their own vitriol.  It's mess at that level and if you think otherwise, you're a damned fool.  The GOP will eat their wounded faster than any other critter on the planet.  Greed, avarice, and the hunger for power is transcendent at the POTUS level.  Sad, but true.

To truly answer my son's inquiry, my summation is that Trump is good for the GOP.  He is separating the Shiite Republicans from the Neo-Cons and taking advantage of the bump in the poll numbers even though he's under enemy fire.  If he can keep himself in a positive light in the media, maintain a cool head, and get an image consultant, he very well could be the one to take on Hillary.  But then again, none of the choices right now are very appealing.  

They all look like monkeys trying to make love to a football.

This is my opinion and I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it.

Gorilla