Jefferson

Regardless of what I read about Thomas Jefferson (and Joe Ellis' book The American Sphinx is top-flight), he never seems to match up with Lincoln or Washington.  Oh, Jefferson is a superstar, no doubt about it. His second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence is the American Creed.

I think JFK wasn't far off the mark when, at a dinner for Nobel prize winners, he said, "This is the second greatest congregation of intelligence the White House has ever seen."  The "greatest," he added, was when "Jefferson dined alone."

Still he belongs in the American Hall of Fame, along with John Adams, Alex Hamilton, Ben Franklin, James Madison, et al. 

For some time there have been e-mails going around about things Jefferson purportedly said.  Although the sentiments are correct, not all are accurate.  Here is a quotation that he did utter and it's very appropriate, although it came 200+ years ago in 1795 (if I remember correctly).  "Our citizens are divided into two political sects.  One which fears the people most, the other the government."

Here's another, from his First Inaugural Address:  "A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.  This is the sum of good government...."

And today's Democrats claim to be "the party of Jefferson."

Let me add some things about MOOCs, the current trend toward more and more online and virtual courses.  (Are they the same??????)   I realize that I am a Luddite, one to whom technology is not "God."  Hey, I still don't have a cellphone!  I also know the purported virtues of online courses/education, individuals working at their own paces/levels, making education more available to more people (particularly the poor, which I think is a specious argument), etc.  I've blogged before about the trend toward more and more of these online courses, so no need to cover that again.  But I read two articles about MOOCs last week, one bashing them and one defending them.  And there was one common theme throughout both articles.  Boiled down, it was this:  follow the money!  That, as I've suggested before, is behind this (and many other pseudo-reforms in education).  It's not about improving education (oh, maybe a bit, but not the primary goal), but making somebody lots of money.  "The Common Core," "Everyday Math," etc., you name, it and then just follow the money and you'll see what their real goals are.

"Nuclear Option"

First, what ding-a-ling started calling this the "nuclear option?"  But, the name is irrelevant in the larger scheme of things.

How is it spelled?  H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E-S!!!!!!  Yes, I think that's it.  So the Democrats rammed through legislation to change Senate rules that have been in place for more than a century.  Generally restricted to confirmation of federal judge appointments (excluding Supremes), it nevertheless exposes, yet another time, the hypocrisy of Democrats--and Republicans!

Let's take a trip in the way-back machine--Poof!  Magic!--about five or six years ago.  Weren't the shoes on the other feet?  Change the dates and the parties, but keep the "outrage."  Yep, then, the Republicans were trying to change the rules and the Democrats were crying "Foul!"  Now, it's the Democrats who actually have changed the rules and the Republicans are upset.

Again, I ask, "How can any right-minded person continue to vote for the majority of Democratic and/or Republican candidates?"  To do so seems to confirm my view that a vote for either party, as opposed to a minor/third party, is a wasted vote.  Of course, maybe many people don't think a vote for a Bozo is wasted; I'm not sure.

And here's the President, whose photo must be next to the word "hypocrite" in the dictionary," talking about "the gears of government have go to work" and that the old rules are "a reckless and relentless too to grind all business to a halt."  Wait a minute!  We can use that way-back machine again--Poof!  Magic!--to locate that You Tube video of then Senator Obama giving a seven-minute speech lambasting the Republicans for trying to do what his own Democrats did yesterday--and now he lauds his own party for it!

And one might intelligently argue--Well at least I might argue, I don't know how intelligently--that "the gears of government" should be ground to "a halt."  What are these Bozos doing passing laws that have 20,000 pages of regulations and codes?  Look at the federal income tax laws and codes.  Look at ObamaCare. These fools don't know what's in what they've passed; if they can read, they surely haven't read the laws.  If they have read them, then they are fully responsible for all the junk that they spew.  I don't know what's worse--not reading them and passing anyway or reading them, knowing they are junk, and passing anyway. Regardless, a pox on both their arrogant, elitist houses.

Remember the WSJ a few years back, speaking of Congress, "Don't do something; just stand there."

While I'm at it, a poll the other day for the 2014 US Senate seat in Michigan shows Gary Peters ahead of Terri Lynn Land by a point, 37% to 36%.  I know the election is still a year away.  I know that means 27% of the voters are still undecided.  But how can this be?  How can Peters be within a light-year of Land?  First, she's hardly a staunch conservative and, as state secretary of state, streamlined much of the state government dealing with, well, us.  But, more significant, Peters is one of those Bozos who voted for ObamaCare and, now, supports a bill delaying its implementation for a year--you know, "We're not going to screw you now; we're going to wait until next year."  How distressing that this guy is still anywhere in the ballpark, let alone leading by a point!  Perhaps the Apocalypse is closer than I think??????

Lincoln and Washington

When is a lie not a lie?  When it's an "inaccurate promise." When is a liar not a liar?  When he "misspeaks?"

I know I've written about this foolishness before--either one is honest or one isn't. But I've been reminded of how low we've sunk.  I have just read two books, one about Abraham Lincoln and the other about George Washington.  I certainly have read a lot about the two men, but especially in light of the current climate of where dishonesty is not only rampant, but ignored or defended, Lincoln and Washington are inspiring and breaths of fresh air.  They almost, almost, hold out a ray of hope for the future.

Not even their most vociferous enemies ever accused them of lying or dishonesty.  Oh, they were accused of many things, some not very complimentary ("incompetence" comes to mind), but never of being deceitful and certainly not willfully so.

And it wasn't just their words that were honest.  They lived what they talked--charitable toward others, helpful to those in need, etc.  How unlike our hypocrites of today who, to be honest myself, are good at giving to others, just not with their own money.  They live by the creed, "What's mine is mine and what's yours is ours."

Isn't anyone else disheartened by the sheer magnitude of the culture of dishonesty?  That, in itself, is even more depressing.

I've been ruminating over this one the past week.  Why hasn't anyone picked up on it?  Well, perhaps someone has and I just missed it.  Obama last week told Americans he wanted to fix ObamaCare, he really did, but there were too many regulations (government regulations), too many hoops to jump through, too much red tape for him to do so.  At least, "I can't help right away."  Am I reading irony into that?  Is it not the epitome of irony?  And the guy said it with a straight face.

The Gettysburg Address

Today is the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address.  Given my respect, almost veneration of Abraham Lincoln, I think this is the greatest speech ever given on American soil, if not the greatest anywhere ever.  (Granted, some think Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address ranks higher, but that's like picking between the best and the best.)

Lots of myths have grown up around the Address.  No, he didn't write it on the back of an envelope while on the train from DC to Gettysburg.  He was not the featured speaker.  In fact, he was invited as a mere formality and it was a surprise that he accepted; Lincoln didn't venture far from Washington, especially to give speeches.  The main speaker was Edward Everett, former US Senator and president of Harvard, one of the most renowned speakers of the day.  The festivities had originally been planned for earlier, late Sept or Oct, but Everett was recovering from a stroke (or heart attack?)

Everett spoke for more than two hours; Lincoln took just over two minutes.  Purportedly afterward, Everett told Lincoln, "Mr. President, you just said in two minutes what I couldn't say in two hours."  Coming from Everett, that was the highest praise.

Yet, immediate reactions were mixed.  At Gettysburg, it was over almost before it was started.  The crowd, estimated at 15,000 (in a town with a population of 1/6 that), remained silent, either not understanding or thinking there was more to come.  The cameras there to take photos of Lincoln hadn't had time to set up--he was done before the cameramen got started.  Newspapers lauded or pooh-poohed the Address, depending on political affiliation/party.  The naysayers used words like "shameful" and "embarrassing."  Today, that seems incredible.  I guess even then politics trumped intelligence, even common sense.

Read the Address again; it takes a minute or so to read.  Lincoln has redefined the great experiment called "American democracy."  He takes "liberty/freedom" and adds to them "equality."  He cites American exceptionalism (and our current President claims to be a devotee of Lincoln--BAH!).  Note how it is, at the end, not "shall not perish from this land" (or nation or US...), but "from this earth."  (There are several copies of the Gettysburg Address extant; they don't read exactly the same.  We don't know exactly what Lincoln said that day, "this earth" or "the earth."  The meaning is clear, though.)

How important are liberty/freedom and equality?  Well, as he notes, that's why all those people were in Gettysburg that day.  Thousands of good men gave their lives on those July days, gave their lives for liberty/freedom and equality!

Please recognize the poetry of the Address.  Certainly another President (or any speaker) might well have opened with "In 1776" or even "Eighty-seven years ago."  See how Lincoln, who worked on this speech for several weeks beforehand, begins:  "Four score and seven years ago...."  And he uses such poetry throughout the speech.

The ideas and ideal, the poetry, the entire (albeit brief) Gettysburg Address is inspiring, especially in this day and age.

Run and Hide

I see Congressman Gary Peters of Michigan, along with three dozen other members of the House who voted for ObamaCare have had "a change of heart."  He (and the others) have now voted to allow Americans to keep their insurance policies, you know, the way the President dishonestly told Americans they could.

The House bill, one tendered by another Michigan Congressman, Fred Upton, is really a lousy bill. Generally what it does is tell Americans, "Hey, we're not going to screw you until next year."

Gee, why did Peters do this sudden switch?  Certainly it couldn't be that 2014 is an election year, could it?

Perhaps, as I wrote my two US Senators, they should have read it first??????

And wasn't it great that Secretary Sebelius in Detroit the other day said something about "only a minority" have lost their health insurance policies?  Funny, when these doo-gooders (and I do mean "doo!") were so insistent on passing ObamaCare they never considered that it was "only a minority" who didn't have health insurance then.  I guess that begs the question, "When is a 'minority' not a 'minority?'"

I continually ask myself what fools would pass legislation that is thousands of pages long--thousands of pages!  I can't imagine it other than remember what Lee Iacocca called our elected representatives in DC, "Bozos."  And isn't the federal income tax law and subsequent code tens of thousands of pages?

What was it Jefferson (you know, the guy almost as intelligent as Obama)wrote?  "Most bad government results from too much government."

Here's one for us to consider, too.  Let's find out which candidates raised and spent the most money in their campaigns.  Then, let's vote for their opponents!  C'mon, let's have some fun!  It doesn't really matter if we elect Republicans or Democrats--we get lousy Presidents from either party; members of Congress are equally bad (well, maybe not "equally," but still bad).  And, this would then address the complaint that politicians buy their ways into office, that money isn't as important as it seems.  Then we can quit complaining about the Citizens United decision by the Supremes.  Yes, let's take the ball ourselves and run with it, you know, participate in our own government, a democracy.  Along the way, if we continue to elect those who raise the most money (and 90% or more of the time that's just what happens; the top money-raisers win), we can remember, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves."  Yep......

It was good to see Miggy won the MVP again.  I think he deserved it.  The Tigers are just now beginning to reveal a little bit about how injured Cabrera was the last couple of months, yet played through it.  In fact, he refused to get a doctor's opinion until he was assured he wouldn't be taken out of the line-up!  He's without question the best hitter in the game.  I heard Al Kaline say so and suggest he's the best he's ever seen.  I know Trout is good, maybe the best all-round player out there.  But it wasn't just that Cabrera is the best hitter; it's that he drives in runs that matter.  Ask Mariano Rivera......

I understand, I think, the finances of baseball and, ultimately, it's a business.  But I can't for the life of me figure out how the Tigers can even consider trading Max Scherzer.  OK, so they may or may not sign him after '14.  So be it.  But at least they'd have one of the elite pitchers in all of baseball for that season.  I forget which Tiger recently said they need him to continue to win games, but also that he doesn't want to face him as an opposing pitcher/batter.

Drop, Pellet, Flake

I give an assignment in one of my history courses where students read three different accounts of what Michigan was like in the early 1800s.  The accounts vary and my questions ask if one of the pioneers is lying. If not, then why do the accounts differ so much?

Out on my run this AM I was reminded of the assignment and think I could have answered it myself!  I began my run with a bit of sunshine, not much, but some.  It felt fairly warm, enough so that I entertained the thought of a bike ride afterward, before the Codester got home from school.  Nope, those hopes were dashed about half an hour into the run.  Was that a snow flake I noticed?  Yes, it was, mixed with rain drops and ice pellets.  Drops, Pellets, Flakes all at once.  Only in Michigan?

Contrast today, then, with yesterday.  Almost all day was bright sunshine, although there was a very brisk wind, with even stronger gusts.  It was the day of the Big Bird 10K, one of my favorite road races, and upon awakening thought, "Looks like a good day for the race."  Then when getting the AM newspaper I noticed the wind, "Hawk, Almighty Hawk."  It was blowing pretty good out there and it did all day.

Now, contrast that with later today.  We are in for 1/2" to 1" of snow this afternoon and evening, that is, if the weather predictors can be trusted!  A bit farther north will be up to 4" and near the Lake Superior shoreline in the UP maybe 6-9" will fall.  Of course, none of us may get anything....  But, remember, it's Michigan.

Last week, I went out to run one AM and it was 31 degrees.  The very next morning was 61.  There was a bit of rain, but it was nice to run in shorts in November.  24 hours and 30 degrees difference.

In the back yard, most of the trees are now barren of leaves--most.  One is still brown/golden and another red, not quite flaming.  Yet another still has most of its leaves--and they are still mostly green.  And all of the trees but one are the same type of maple.

In another vein, I read an article this AM of a NJ man, homeless and destitute (Is that redundant?), who found $850 on the sidewalk.  Instead of keeping it for himself, he turned the money in to the police.  The NJ welfare folks, whatever the agency is called, found out about the discovery and cut the homeless man's benefits.  Huh?  Why on earth did that happen?  He failed to report the $850 as income!  Unless the article is all wrong, someone is lying, etc., that's what happened.  Ah, yes...government in action.

And the LameStreams never fail to disappoint me--and didn't this AM.  In an article about former Congressman Thadeus McCotter's lawsuit against one of his former aides, the "accidental Congressman" (Would anyone, even a Democrat, who won McC's seat have been characterized as "accidental?") Kerry Bentivolio was mentioned as McC's successor.  Of course, as expected, Bentivolio was identified as a "reindeer farmer."  Who couldn't have predicted that one--even the weather forecasters could have!  I still want to know why Dingell, Conyers, Biden, etc. are ever, ever, identified as "career politicians."

Over the weekend I had a discussion with another about politics and the other mentioned, in a negative tone, Bentivolio.  Now, Bentivolio isn't my guy, but I couldn't help but respond to this negativism with, "Hey, at least the guy didn't lie to get elected.  Name another politician who's kept his campaign promises."  Of course, the other was at a loss to come up with an answer, at least since Phil Hart was elected......

Ben E. King

Ben E. King was a great, great soul singer of the '60s.  Before heading out solo, he was the lead singer for the Drifters.  Although they might not be able to identify him as the singer of "Stand By Me," most people have heard the song and can likely sing right along.

This AM, Bill Bennett's Morning in America was playing King's "Don't Play That Song," at least the chorus or refrain--again and again.  The issue was President Obama's proclivity for lying.  The chorus, humorous in the context, goes, "You know that you lied, you lied, lied, lied, lied...."  I chuckled right out loud in the car.

Now Obama is lying about his lies.  In fact, it seems White House sources told Obama what he was saying, "If you like the insurance you have now, you can keep it, period."  (Or something like that; the message was clear, if dishonest.) was a lie, but he said it anyway, again and again and again.  Now he's saying that's not exactly what he said.  Now he's saying something that might well translate to "You can keep your plan unless it's been cancelled."

Of course, the NY Times jumped right in to help on Sunday.  A Times editorial claimed, Obama "clearly misspoke."  Ah, there's that convenient euphemism for lying again.  Yep, he misspoke more than two dozen times!  (Why didn't the Times bail out W. Bush?  Nobody said, "But Bush misspoke."  Nope, it was "But Bush lied.")  What is the term for one who lies about his lying--sociopathic liar?

And Obama's press secretary, Jay Carney, had the temerity to say this is "the most transparent and honest administration in history."  Apparently the guy know little about history.  And he's either willfully blind or very dishonest himself.  What a Bozo!

OK, I'm a grammar/language snob, I admit.  But it does get tiresome to see and hear supposedly educated people, esp newspaper reporters and editors, misspell and misuse words.  Two that each appeared several times recently were "They lead the league..." and "There are alot...."  "Lead" is a metal, unless used as "leed."  And "alot" is two words, a lot.  Shouldn't reporters and editors know these things?  After all, they are supposed to be wordsmiths, plying their livings from the use of words.  I can understand typos--and I'm not going to proofread this--but these are so frequently misused/misspelled that they clearly aren't typos.

Detroiters were urged by the local media to get out and vote today, vote for mayor and the city council.  The media stressed the important of voting, of getting voices heard.  I chuckled as I thought every single one of these media sources (four of them) favored the emergency manager.  So, if the voters of Detroit elect a mayor and council who disagree with the EM, then what?  The people have spoken, but where's the concept of democracy?

In VA, if McAuliffe wins, that's a sign that the Apocalypse is nearly upon us.  Yes, the Republicans have run yet another less-than-ideal candidate, but......  Perhaps the VA gubernatorial election will be a harbinger of our doom??????