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Getting Along With Your Neighbor - or - The Fist is Mightier Than the Eye
Back in the old days, when I was a kid (we might have crawled out of the cave by then, I don’t remember) interpersonal relationship problems were handled differently than they are today. Here’s a for instance. In the 50’s, Coal County’s only medical doctor, Dr. Van Horn, would get a little too deep into a bottle of corn-squeezin’s from time to time, not often, but often enough. When he had a snoot full, he would sometimes rough up Mrs. Van Horn. On these occasions, maybe twice a year, there would come a point in time when she felt she had to get out of the house, and no matter the hour, she would come to our house, let herself in and sleep in the guest bedroom. We didn’t lock our doors back then, and most of the time we didn’t even know Mrs. Van Horn was there, until she came down for breakfast. One time, however, we knew.
An hour or two after Mrs. Van Horn had slipped into our house, we heard a banging on the door. Let me explain why Dr. Van Horn was knocking and Mrs. Van Horn just let herself in. Dr. Van Horn, as drunk as he was, knew that he might not be welcome since he was planning to start some trouble, so he knocked. He was right. When my dad went to the door, he told Dr. Van Horn to go on back home and sleep it off. He assured the doctor that his wife would be home right after breakfast in the morning. The doctor insisted, loudly and profanely, that his wife present herself. My dad, looked over his shoulder at my mother, shrugged, and told her to go get Mrs. Van Horn. Then he stepped out on the porch, hit Dr. Van Horn on the chin, caught him before he hit the deck and dragged him into the house while I held the door open. About that time, Mrs. Van Horn and my mother showed up. My dad just pointed to the door, Mrs. Van Horn left for her house, and I helped my dad drag the doctor upstairs to the guest bedroom so recently vacated by his wife. The next morning, Dr. Van Horn came down for breakfast, apologized and thanked my dad for not hitting him somewhere that would leave a mark.
Is there a moral to this tale? Not that I know of. It’s just another example of how we handled our own problems and those of our neighbors without involving governmental agencies. Nobody got arrested and nobody got sued. Boy, is that a novel idea.
Race Relations?
My best black friend is Ballie Crutchfield. Ballie is 6’5” tall and he weighs 320 pounds, all muscle. He is both the most frightening man in the county and the gentlest. Hey, who’s going to say anything to him? He can afford to be nice. I asked Ballie if he would let me record a conversation with him on the subject of race and race relations. He said yes, and here it is:
Me: “Ballie, what do you see as the biggest problem with race relations in this country?”
Ballie: “People.”
Me: “Don’t do this to me, Ballie.”
Ballie: (grinning… you ain’t cute, Ballie) It’s people, Shel. They believe everything they see on television or read in the newspaper. If someone in the media tells them they are supposed to be mad or sad or happy or whatever… they’ll do it. For instance, on the subject of race, it’s always the same two or three people, people who welcome publicity, and these two or three people tell us when we’re supposed to get mad about something.”
Me: “Who are those people?”
Ballie: “If I answered that, I’d be guilty of what I’m complaining about. You know who claims to speak for the black race every time the press makes a big deal about something. If you don’t, you’re dumber than I thought you were. But, the point of the matter is this… they don’t speak for me any more than I speak for them. I speak for me and nobody else. And nobody else speaks for me.
Me: “Can you give me an example?”
Ballie: “Sure. You asked me once, for one of your dumb surveys, about the Kramer guy from Seinfeld, and the racist remarks he made when he got angry during one of his stand-up routines. Those people who have decided that they can speak for my race were just beating him up something awful. What was the big deal? Some guy gets mad and uses the N-word. Whether or not that was a cool thing or not, is up to the listener. I have better things to do than to worry about whether or not the Kramer guy is a racist. My idea of a racist is someone who joins a hate group, like the Aryan Nation of the Ku Klux Klan. Anybody else is just exercising their right to free speech. You know what blew my mind was that the guy apologized. I would have just said that I got mad and that’s what came out of my mouth. If he needed to apologize for anything, it was getting mad… not what he said. I’d hate to have to answer to the world for everything I ever said when I was mad.”
Me: “Do you hate me because I’m white?”
Ballie: “No…………….. not because you’re white. Ask me whether you get on my nerves a lot.”
Me: “I’m gonna pass on that, and I suddenly realized that this probably wasn’t one of my better ideas.”
Poll - Child Rearing
Here's today's question - "Is the atmosphere in this country better or worse, for raising children, than it was years ago, and why?"
Miss Hattie Sheffield - "It is what it is. Back in my day, we took responsibility for raising our own kids, and to Hades with anybody that would stand in the way. Of course nobody stood in the way. They were my kids."
Bob "Hog Head" Bush - "It's worse, Shelby. You'd think even you could figure that one out. You can't spank your own child when he does something wrong? Who comes up with this stuff? Is Satan on staff somewhere, helping make these decisions?"
Ballie Crutchfield - "I'd have to say worse, because their peer pressure is so bad. When I was a kid, a bad kid might try to get us to sneak up to the edge of the woods and smoke a cigarette. Now the bad kids are trying to get the good ones to go for a joy ride in a stolen car, smoke some dope and shoot at homeless people. That's why you better be taking your kids to church, where there's some good peer pressure."
Enless Whitaker - "Worse, and I'll tell you why, Shel. It all started when they took prayer and a regular use of the Bible out of schools................ I wish I knew who 'they' was... I'd beat somebody up.......... Do you know who did that? They ruined this country."
Yteena Barrell - "Worse, way worse! Shelby.... don't get me started. For one thing, teachers at the public schools used to help us raise our children. The kids were disciplined at school, they were taught life skills at school, they prayed at school, they passed or failed at school, they learned respect at school. I thought that was what school was for! But, some of these kids today... it just makes me want to cry."
Reddish Ardell - "Worse. Shelby, you ain't got enough tape in that little recorder of yours."
Sharron Redd - "Worse............... Now get out, I'm busy."
Aristotle Suggins (Coal County's resident philosopher) - "Worse, and I think we can thank our government. Our bureaucrats have to do something to justify staying on the payroll, so they sit around and make stuff up. They'll start with a premise that no one can argue with and go from there. For instance, 'No child should be abused to the point they lose self-respect.' The problem comes in when they tell us what that means. You can't flunk a child. You can't spank a child. You can't pray in the school because one child may not be a Christian........... Is that enough, Shel? I could go one for an hour."
I think it's safe to say, my friends disagree with the current trends in child raising. So do I, but then nobody cares what I think....... (sniff)
Give the President a break, for crying out loud!
As most of you know, President Bush is meeting with a team of advisors at his ranch in Texas. He's trying to make an intelligent decision about how to handle the war in Iraq. Here's my problem: Two months ago, his detractors were yelling that he was stubborn and wouldn't listen to anybody about how bad things were going in the Middle East. Now that he's seeking advice from others, including Democrats, his detractors are yelling that he can't make up his mind about Iraq and he's letting others do it for him. Question: Are the same people doing the yelling about both scenarios? I think it's the same people. If it weren't, we would be hearing from those people who were complaining about him not seeking advice. Wouldn't they now be on his side? And wouldn't they now be just as vocal in their support as they were in their dissent? Or were they just making noise? Somehow these noisemakers have gotten away from the concept of supporting their President when they think he's right, but feel an obligation to criticize him... no matter what. Am I the only one who sees a credibility peoblem here? But what do I know? I'm just a dumb hillbilly. Let's ask some of my friends.
The question: Should President Bush consult advisors about our policy in Iraq?
Bob "Hog Head" Bush - "Are you saying he didn't consult anybody before we invaded? How dumb are you, Shel?"
Enless Whitaker - "Excuse me a minute, Shel. Could I have a little more coffee, Millie. Of course he should consult people. Is he supposed to be like a see-all, know-all, or something?...... Psssst, Millie. Is he still standing behind me?"
Ballie Crutchfield - "Shel, you're starting to worry me. How could the President of the United States of America make decisions that affect the whole world, without getting as many opinions and as much information as possible?"
Miss Hattie Sheffield - "Yes."
Sharron Redd - "Only you, Love, make decisions without checking with people. I'd be really worried if the President started operating that way."
Reddish Ardell - "What kind of a dumb question is that?"
Aristotle Suggins (Coal County's resident philosopher) - "Shel, at first blush, that sounds like a dumb question, but........ Actually, that is a dumb question. Anybody who thinks a world leader should make far-reaching policy decisions from the seat of his pants, without bouncing his opinions off a team of trusted advisors..... well..... they're stupid."
Message to President Bush: Good luck at the meeting.
The guy who played Kramer -
The guy who played Kramer on television got into it with a couple of black people at a comedy show and cursed them using racial words in the process. Observation: He’s a dumb man (white or otherwise) who got angry because someone heckled him. That someone was black, and the Kramer guy used a racial slur to express his anger, however misguided. The press, as usual, got people stirred up by offering their interpretation of these angry words as meant for the general population and as meaning that he had a deep-seated fear and/or hatred of black people. Where the heck do they come up with stuff like this? Here where the real problem starts. The Kramer guy was sent to see Jesse Jackson, one of two unofficial spokesmen for the black race… the other being Al Sharpton. The comedian had to apologize to Mr. Jackson, the same man who referred to Jews as “hymies” and New York City as “Hymie Town”. Mr. Jackson asked to be excused from those racially-insensitive comments because he was speaking with his head instead of his heart. Al Sharpton also ran his hypocritical mouth about the Kramer guy and this is a minister who once said, “If Jews want to get it on, tell them to pin back their yarmulkes and come on over to my house.” I guess this was another mistake of the brain kicking out of gear momentarily, but not a form of prejudice that we should believe came from his heart. Can these two black leaders be excused for racial insensitivity? If they can, why can’t the Kramer guy qualify for that same forgiveness? Personally, I don’t want to hang around with the guy, because he is evidently intolerant of those who disagree with him, but I certainly don’t have enough evidence to brand him a racist, any more than I have enough evidence to brand Sharpton and Jackson as anti-Semitic. As a matter of fact, the evidence would be exactly the same, an isolated incident caused by anger.
Here’s my solution. Put them all together (including the reporter who broke this non-news story) in a room and tell them they can’t come out until they agree on whether it is worse to be a white man who doesn’t like blacks or a black man who doesn’t like Jews. I would also give them a second option for getting out of the room, they could agree that everything they said was caused by a moment of anger and they should all have kept their mouths shut because they are public figures and know that there is a story-hungry press waiting at every turn to manipulate and even fabricate the facts. If they could not agree, they would stay in the room, and we would never have to hear from any of them again. Lastly, there were black people yelling racial slurs back at the Kramer guy. Do these people have a deep-seated fear or hatred of white people? Do they need to find a person who represents the white race (Is there someone like that?) like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton somehow represent black people, and apologize for these racially-charged remarks? Or were their remarks just the result of anger? In other words, were their remarks from the head instead of the heart? Somebody please tell me this “head not heart” defense is available to everyone, not just Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and the folks who got angry at the Kramer guy's remarks.
Why don't we count any more? A question from wiley1bananas
Aim Carsten: "Half of us don't vote any more. Is that what you mean? We don't vote and we don't pressure our elected officials to do what's right. We don't count any more, because we believe we don't."
Enless Whitaker: "I don't count any more because I'm in every majority group. I'm white, Protestant, middle-aged, not disabled, male, heterosexual, married to a woman, have children who have never been in trouble, I only speak English, and I'm proud to be an American. I need to find me a minority group to get into... so I could count again."
Ballie Crutchfield:"I was listening to Enless, and other than I'm black, I'm everything he is. Used to be I counted becase I was black, but that doesn't count any more. Too many of us, I guess. I don't speak Spanish, and I was born in this country. When I went to school, I think I remember being taught that the majority ruled. That sure ain't true any more."
Bob "Hog Head" Bush:"We don't count any more, because for some strange reason our leaders are more worried about 2% of the population than the 98%. I think the Supreme Court had something to do with it. I guess they got bored enforcing the Constitution and decided to rewrite it."
Sharron Redd:"The squeaky wheel gets the grease. We don't make enough noise. The homosexuals and the atheists sure do. That's why they count and we don't. We need to write letters to our representatives, call them, go to political rallies and ask them questions... but we'd rather stay home and watch some mindless drivel like Deal or No Deal."
John Zirkle: "We don't count no more, because they let the kids use calculators in school. When I was in school we had to learn to add and subtract... and stuff like that. Heck, the kids don't even use capital letters any more... or periods."
Reddish Ardell:"Because we gave up to a super-sized federal government who knows what's best for us. I mean, look how good things are turning out. We don't have freedom of speech any more. If you're a Christian you don't have freedom of religion. They even tell us how we have to raise our kids. There ain't no middle class any more. Didn't these (*&*(*&%$#!&^%$% ever read their history books? Every time a great country turned everything over to a big central government to run, they went in the crapper. France, England, the Roman Empire, Spain. That's what brought them down... bureaucrats and stupid judges. You didn't think I knew all that stuff, did you, Shel?
Yteena Barrell:"I'll tell you the part that bothers me. These people who are doing all the barking. They aren't even going to our elected officials to try and get the laws changed. They are going to court and judges are making new laws. That's why we don't count. These federal judges aren't elected. They don't have to answer to us. In fact, they have pretty much told us to kiss off. I have a real problem with that. I don't think that's the way things are supposed to be. You always act like you know everything, Mr. Shelby Redd, what do you think? Am I right?"
Aristotle Suggins (Coal County's resident philosopher): "I can't answer that, Shel. Other than to say that we've let it happen. Here's a question for you. Why is it all these people want to come to this country... not a single one of them wants to leave it... and they want us to change it? They want us to change it AND WE ARE! I mean, they pile 200 people in a rowboat to get here... or their daddys use oil well money to get their kids out of the desert... they crowd into the backs of trucks and sneak in ... they fight to stay here... they don't abide by any of our laws to become citizens... and then they want us to change? AND WE DO IT! Somebody needs to get every politician and federal judge, especially the Supreme Court judges into a real big room and ask them this one question. Are you crazy? And they call us hillbillies stupid."
Not bad answers for a change. My friends must have quit drinking that lead-tainted water in Twelve Mile Creek... at least for the last few days. Why don't we count any more? That was a good question Wiley1. For instance, why do we allow a politician to be sworn in using something other that the Bible? Our founding fathers probably turned over in their graves when that happened. If George Washington could come back for a few minutes and he were told where we are as a country now, I think he would say, "Ah, folks, this ain't what we had in mind when we we were getting shot at by the British... We wanted to escape the frivolities and supression of big government and it's unfettered power... and to set up a free country for ourselves... AND FOR YOU... our ancestors. Put me back in the ground. I don't like it here. And by the way, I'm not the father of THIS country. Don't blame me for this mess."
Patriotism vs. Political Correctness
Our country has almost reached the point where it is politically incorrect to be a patriot. That would be funny, if it weren’t so scary. This trend stems from liberal attitudes about illegal aliens, a tolerance of terrorist activity within our borders, and a willingness to give up English as our nation’s official language. Why is this not a bad thing? I’m confused…. as usual.
Who makes these decisions that something is politically incorrect? Is it people who would have been hung as traitors a hundred years ago? If so, why do they have so much influence on our behavior as citizens? My guess is that it’s because they’re making the most noise… the squeakiest wheel, as it were. But who are “they”? They certainly don’t represent me. And nobody asked me before “they” came up with these stupid, illegal and unconstitutional correctness ideas. Did they ask you?
If they asked me, I would certainly have told them that I don’t care what anyone else thinks about my beliefs… or my personal biases… or what kind of jelly I like on my toast. The last time I checked, I still had a right to believe, and speak the way I want to. It’s called freedom of speech, and I can’t believe we have to defend it. I don’t want to take freedom of speech away from these subversives (who would betray the very nation that gave them these freedoms) but neither do I want them to take these freedoms from me. In the minds of these anti-Americans, I am showing my stupidity and/or prejudice… I have that right. If showing your stupidity was a crime, the political correctness police would be sending out their messages from a prison cell… probably right next to mine.
Since no one knows the identity of the political correctness police, how do their views get on television and in certain newspapers? Is somebody calling in the story? If so, who? Usually, the story refers to some nameless group that was offended. “Redneck groups found his statements about grits to be highly offensive and called for an apology.” We sure can’t figure out who was offended from statements like that, nor from where the story came. In other words, we can’t check for ourselves to see if the news item was correct. We just have to take “their” word for it. So here’s my answer for that. If these political correctness stories have no quoted source, other than some unnamed group, we should choose NOT to believe the story. Just ignore it. In fact, ignore anything or anyone that tries to convince you to voluntarily give up your rights as citizens of this country. The correctness police (whoever they may be) are obviously cowards who don’t want to identify themselves, and I can assure you they do not speak for me. Neither does any other group, liberal or conservative, speak for me. I speak for myself, as allowed and encouraged by the Constitution of this nation… and so should you.
Let me close by saying this from the bottom of my conservative, patriotic and proud-to-be-an-American heart…
You anti-American pigs… you subversive cowards … you yellow (and yellow-bellied) journalists... you unrepresentative liars… you worthless excuses for American citizens… KISS MY GRITS!!!
There… I feel better now.
Elections and gay rights
In a couple of weeks, eight states will be voting on the issue of same-sex marriage - or union - or gay rights - or whatever you want to call it. We’ve been desensitized into accepting these words and phrases as a normal part of our daily speech, but if they no longer shock you or offend you, stop for a minute and watch a quick mental movie of the honeymoon. I don’t feel the need to cite to Christians the many Biblical prohibitions against same-sex encounters, much less same-sex unions… I’d be preaching to the choir. This ranting is for people who don’t practice a faith. Christians already know why we shouldn’t allow homosexuality, and I hope you will support your beliefs by showing up at the polls to defeat the homofolks who will be coming out (no offense) in numbers.
Just so you’ll know, the states are:
Arizona, South Dakota, Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.
It could be argued that my opinions don’t count because I’m a hillbilly conservative, but I’m really not. I prefer the label… progressive redneck. For instance, I don’t think it should be legal (I hope you’re sitting down) for a man to marry his 13 year-old first cousin. Just wanted you gay people to know I’m not prejudiced. I’d vote against incest, too. More about that. Soooo… if you have friends or relatives in any of those states, maybe you should call or write, or forward this article by e-mail… whatever it takes to get them out to help defeat pro-homosexual measures.
One argument from the gay (I’d like to talk about this innocent sounding word sometime, too, but not today.) population is that their movement for recognition is simply a bid to avoid discrimination against a recognized class of people. If that argument was valid, we would have no laws. We couldn’t discriminate against burglars, murderers, shoplifters or drug dealers. Ah, maybe you’re right in principle, Shelby Redd, but there’s a difference. These bad people are hurting others… the gay folks aren’t hurting anyone. So let’s get back to incest. Do we have a right to legislate against parents having sex with their children? Even adult children? Of course, we do. But these folks aren’t hurting anybody. Of course they are. They’re tearing at the moral fabric of this country and this world. The simplest fact of this matter is… we have a right to pass laws that reflect our values as a nation. And we (the vast majority of Americans) have a right to believe that homosexuality is a crime if we so choose… just like incest and polygamy. A man having sex with another man, or a woman with another woman, is as much of an abomination as a parent having sex with his/her adult child or a man having several wives. The principles are the same and the moral indignation of the majority of Americans is sufficient to make laws accordingly. I will always vote to keep incest, polygamy and homosexual activities and relationships from being recognized as legal.
Homosexuals (a group that is growing in number because of our relaxed attitude) want to change the law to suit their lifestyle… a lifestyle that a majority of Americans find to be a perversion. If this process were feasible, polygamists would have the same right to change the law… and hillbillies who want to marry their relatives. Any person who supports the passage of these proposed homo-friendly laws would also be obliged to support the passage of laws that allow incest, or consensual sex with a minor, or polygamy. The principle is the same. The difference is that we, the American public, have been desensitized to the perversion of homosexuality but not the perversion of incest or pedophilia.
A minority should not be allowed to change the law against the will of the majority who passed it. Please, at least vote, and don’t be fooled into believing that this issue of gay marriage (union) whatever, does not concern you heterosexual folks out there. It does. It goes to the very core of the principles that made America great.
I was wrong……… once, so please send your comments, pro or con, to shelbyredd@iwon.com
We Need One More Bureau -
A bureaucrat is, quite simply, a non-elected government official. Lou Dobbs' www.cnn.com/ new book, War on the Middle Class, (which I haven't read yet) purportedly tells it like it is about elected officials and how they no longer serve us. I certainly agree with that premise, but shame on you and me if we don't do something about that. Voter apathy and an unwillingness to get involved with these elected officials are the problem here. If we decided to get on their butts, they would soon get the message.
Contact your senator - http://www.senate.gov/index.htm - Click on "senators" and every senator's mailing address, telephone number and e-mail comes up. Give them your opinions on issues that concern you.
Contact your representative - http://www.house.gov Enter your zip code and up pops your representative. Click on his/her name and let them hear from you.
Also, read Lou Dobbs' book.
But I see a bigger problem in the way we, as American citizens, are treated by bureaucrats... NON-ELECTED government officials. (We used to call them civil servants, until they started laughing at us when we called them that.) Today, many government workers, from part-time city inspectors to full-time federal employees, scoff at the notion of public service. Heck, in large part, they demand homage from the citizenry that pays them before they will do the job for which they were hired. I see it as a problem that the people who pay bureaucrats (you and me) can't fire them when they stop doing their job. I see it as a larger problem that they make more money and have a better retirement plan than 90% of the people they're hired to serve. But the biggest problem of all is that there is no one to call offending bureaucrats on the carpet when they quit doing their jobs... except another bureaucrat.
As bad as I hate the bureaucratic process, we need one more bureau... the BBB. (The Better Business Bureau would just have to find another name.) BBB would stand for Bureaucratic Butt Biters, and their only job would be to hear complaints about bureaucrats. If a civil servant is discourteous to an American citizen, much less if he/she refuses or fails to do his/her job, this bureaucratic transgression would be immediately reported to the BBB and they would spring into action. The BBB would have authority to demote or even fire the offending bureaucrat, be he local, state or federal... but the BBB would have no authority over the citizenry. The BBB would be a constant reminder to municipal, state and federal agencies that American citizens fund these agency budgets and pay their employees, and that Americans no longer want to pay people who don't respect or serve us. (We already pay billions to other countries to do that.) For instance, if a local building inspector told you that you could not make improvements to your home because he thought the improvement was in poor taste (don't laugh, there are worse stories than that out there) the citizen would call 1-800-BITE BACK and report the inspector. The BBB would be on that inspector in minutes. If an IRS agent treated you like dirt when you were called to the office, dial 1-800-BITE BACK. Nowhere in the thousands of pages of IRS regulations, does it give an agent the right to treat a citizen with disrespect. DMV employees need to appreciate that they are being paid with tax dollars before they go on break with you standing at the counter. You get the idea. The list of transgressions is endless, and I'm sure you could add your own stories.
Being nice, and heavens forbid, conscientious at what you do, doesn't cost anything, and the BBB would be there to "bite the butt" of the bureaucrat who refused to believe that. Until the BBB is formed, however, here is my advice to bureaucrats. If you can't bring yourself to appreciate and serve those people you are paid to serve, quit and get a job in the private sector. (Before the BBB fires you.) See how long you would keep your job if you alienated the customers of your PRIVATE SECTOR employer who needed the customers' good will to stay in business. How many customers would you have to abuse or offend before you heard your employer screaming, "Have you lost your mind! Get out of here! You're fired!"
We need an agency that can say this same thing to governmental employees. Since bureaucrats make more money than we do, they should be held to a higher standard of efficiency, professionalism, and most of all... human decency. Call, mail, or e-mail your Congressman (see above) and tell him/her we need the Bureaucratic Butt Biters. I'm tired of it always being my butt that gets bitten.
Political Correctness
"Manly men and womanly women are still here, but feeling nervous."
Mason Cooley
Am I the only person who remembers what "political correctness" really means? It doesn't mean I'm supposed to be like everybody else. If it does, I'm in trouble. So are you. Here are some views on political correctness from some local Coal County folks.
John Zirkle: "Political correctness? I ain't never known a politician to be correct about anything."
Bob "Hog Head" Bush: "Sure, I know what it means. It means you don't treat me right. You should be nicer to me and never make me mad. You ain't very politically correct, Shel."
Chuck Adams: "If 'politically correct' walked up to you and threw up on your shoe, you wouldn't know what it was. You're a dumb hillbilly and a redneck. I, on the other hand, AM politically correct, because I never offend anyone."
Aim Carsten: "Politically correct is when you support your country in a war."
Aristotle Suggins, our resident philosopher: "Politically correct. Hmmmmm. Who decides what is politically correct or incorrect? Do I get a vote? I hear a news reporter on television tell me that something is politically correct or incorrect, but who told him? The Constitution, which elected officials are sworn to uphold, says we have an absolute right to freedom of speech, so I guess politically correct would be when you tell an American he CAN say what's on his mind, however inappropriate or insensitive his remarks may be."
Okay, I'm going with Aristotle on this one.
If you want to be a politician, you would be wise not to offend large groups of potential voters. That's what "political correctness" is all about. It's about a politician not sharing his (a generic "his", and if that bothers you, you don't need to be on this web site.) TRUE feelings because he might offend a certain group of voters. In other words, to be "politically correct" is to leave out the truth, as you see it. Politicians practice leaving out their truths. Does that make them liars?............... I would think so, but what do I know? I'm only an American citizen, not a politician or a bureaucrat.
If you intend to become a politician, however, I have some advice for you, and it's free. You can thank me later. The advice is this, don't say the following things:
"We should never have given women the right to vote."
"Being a rich person, I care more about the needs of the wealthy than the poor."
"Some of my best friends are (fill in the blank)."
"I don't intend to represent disabled people, Christians, the unemployed and people who are a different color than me."
If you're not a politician, you can say these things, because nobody will be voting for you anyway. I love to hear politically incorrect statements, because however warped I personally might consider the statement, it is usually the truth... as far as that particular speaker is concerned. When you hear things like that you can easier make an intelligent decision about whether to be friends with that person... or whether to head for the hills whenever you see him/her coming.
But what if I offend someone who looks, acts, reacts or thinks differently than me? Shouldn't I be concerned about this person's feelings? Of course I should... to a point... but let me reverse the question. What about me... and folks who act and think like me... my group? Shouldn't these political correctness activists worry that they are offending us with this stuff? Or do we not count? Shouldn't these very same political correctness experts (Who are these people?) be concerned that many old-fashioned Americans are seriously offended when someone tries to curtail our Constitutionally-guaranteed rights to free speech? I'm not only offended, I'm seriously afraid, when people I don't know are allowed to start chipping away at basic American freedoms. We've lost enough of them already.
Mark Foley, Civilian (formerly elected official)
Let's see if I have this straight (no offense that I used the word "straight') Here's a guy who likes young boys and is trying to use his position as a Representative in Congress to score. After the fact, he admits he's an alcoholic and, hold on to your hats, gay, and at least does the right thing by resigning. I have a problem with this whole scenario, but this pile of garbage has been set out by the curb for pick up, and it's time to move on.
My problem with the continuing Mark Foley saga is two-fold.
1.)Why is the FBI investigating? Let me save the FBI some trouble. He's guilty! He admitted it! Nobody liked it!... Oh, yeah, that's why you're investigating. For once you're on safe ground. You're actually doing something the public supports. Now the next time you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar, you can have a spokesman say, "Yeah, but we investigated Mark Foley." You guys (oops, and gals) need to be working on something a little tougher... and you need to do it governed by the same laws you are empowered to enforce.
2.)Democrats and Republicans -
Let's see if we can figure this one out. Right now there's a big political fuss going on about the fact that Mark Foley was a Republican. To the Republicans... I totally believe that you do not support perverts. To the Democrats... I totally believe that you do not support adulterers and people who commit perjury in the White House. It might be time to move on from this latest little official pimple on this country's butt. Mark Foley was nothing more than another temporary embarrassment for America. What worries me is that we are able to turn out so many wierdos like him... and personally, I wonder how stories like this have somehow become newsworthy.
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