One Man's Lonely Opinions

When I read newspapers or magazines any more, it seems as if I am living in another world, maybe even a different universe. What I read, either fact or opinion, is so very far removed from what I think or know. There were several examples today. I saw two articles about some NFL team (I don't remember which, but it was just one of many in the queue.) which signed some player who has been accused of sexual assault--not by a single woman, not by two or three, but about two dozen! Apparently a handful (not all) of the criminal charges have been dismissed, but none of the civil proceedings have been. Regardless..... What on earth possessed this team (and the others which bid, but lost out) to want to sign this guy? It's further evidence of how out of touch I am. Character really doesn't count, does it? Winning, making money, etc., that's what it's at. When will I ever learn the ways of modern American life? Now, toss in this. Whatever team signed this guy is paying him $40-some million a year--GUARANTEED! I'd say "Shame on this team, on the other bidding teams, on the NFL," but that's another of my antiquated principles. There is no shame. And, let's not limit this to professional sports. How many of our politicians, people elected to office by US!, have had similar character flaws overlooked because, as was said 25 years ago, "The economy is good?" (No, it's not about "mean tweets.") What about our media? Aren't any journalists embarrrassed by their colleagues, especially in the Lame Stream Media? Are they gullible, lazy, or stupid? Or do they just buy into the latest talking points of certain groups, be they political parties, environmental groups, or whatever? Perhaps they are crusaders, self-righteously believing they are helping to save the world--from, well, from ourselves? The list is longer, but you get the point, maybe. A couple of months ago, I wrote of toppling statues of Confederate "heroes." I have no problem with that, although I'd prefer just quietly removing them from public view. I stick with my opinion that taking up arms against the US was treason and traitors should not be honored with statues, memorials, and the like. I read two related letters-to-the-editor recently in a Civil War magazine. One I just question outright, that the writer's view is nothing I've seen. He wrote, "I grow weary of hearing people calling Robert E. Lee a traitor because he left the US Army." He cites, correctly, that others such as US Grant and George McClellan also left the US Army, but aren't called "traitors." I've never heard anyone call Lee a "traitor" because he resigned his commission in the US Army. He served and served well, but he wasn't married to the US Army. I don't know where this writer is coming from on this. That Lee fought against the United States, though, was treason. The second letter was far more off base. The author wrote, "[I] will never understand calling a man a traitor for fighting alongside his family and for his home." So far, I think I agree. But then the writer goes off course. He claims, "When government fails to represent you, your family, neighbors, and home it is time to throw off that government." So, that the federal government, if not initially, but eventually, fought to rid the country of the scourge of slavery is evidence that "fails to represent?" Make no mistake; the Civil War was about slavery. It might have been one thing, I suppose, to think like this writer 160 years ago, although I again disagree. It's quite another in 2022 to castigate the US government for seeking to abolish slavery. So, the Confederate government was more legitimate, deserving of Lee's loyalty, for fighting to keep slavery? That Confederate government "represent[ed]" Lee by attempting to retain the institution of slavery? Especially now, a century and a half later, it is remarkable to read a statement such as this one, "This country has produced no better man than Robert E. Lee," that same Robert E. Lee who owned and/or managed more than 200 slaves. A different universe? I know Joe Biden's approval numbers are in the tank, deep in the tank. But I still can't imagine 30% or more of the people in these various polls who think he's doing a good job. Who are these people? Where do they live? They certainly can't live by or like me, although I am certain some do. For that matter, I am convinced our governor, who recently filed certificates to run for re-election, will win again in the fall. I can't, not in the world I live in, imagine how she can win, but I think she will, easily. From where I sit, she hasn't "fixed damn roads" and has no intention to do so. With her unilateral, dicatorial executive orders severely damaged or even ruined the lives of many people, including our children. During Covid she ordered patients with the virus to be sent to senior care facilities, where our most vulnerable citizens lived--even after we knew they were most vulnerable. She joined with other governors in asking the federal government to temporarily suspend the federal gasoline tax, but is prepared to veto any similar legislation about the state gas tax. The state legislature passed an income tax cut which she vetoed. How could any Michigan voter cast a ballot for her?