WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY...............

Anyone fortunate enough to be able to remember Walt Kelly’s Pogo Possum cartoons will know this quote well:

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

The history of the quote is pretty cool. It was first used on an Earth Day poster in 1970:

Although this quote was created to lament the fact that we are killing the environment, it very much can be applied to race relations, LGBT rights and the culture of hate that so permeates society today.

After the brutal attacks this week in Charleston, many have tried to blame this attack on the “lone wolf” or on a mentally deranged individual or even as an attack on Christianity (another Faux News absurdity).   However, the assailant himself declared that the attack was meant to start a race war and was specifically done because of his fears the blacks were “taking over” the country.

But, I have news for you.  Dylann Roof is not an isolated racist punk.  White Americans are the biggest terror threat in the United States, according to a study by the New America Foundation. The Washington-based research organization did a review of “terror” attacks on US soil since Sept. 11, 2001 and found that most of them were carried out by radical anti-government groups or white supremacists.

Almost twice as many people have died in attacks by right-wing groups in America than have died in attacks by Muslim extremists. Of the 26 attacks since 9/11 that the group defined as terror, 19 were carried out by non-Muslims. Yet there are no white Americans languishing inside the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay. And there are no drones dropping bombs on gatherings of military-age males in the country's lawless border regions.  So, how will the government respond…better, yet, how should WE respond?

The removal of offensive symbols in this country is a very obvious good start.  Sure, the Confederate battle flag (a symbol of racial hatred) should be relegated to some nasty Confederate Museum and the use of swastikas and white hooded KKK symbols should be eliminated from public facilities.  I, for one, am embarrassed that the state I grew up in (Georgia) still depicts that symbol on its state flag.  But we should also examine other racially and ethnically offensive symbols.  The Washington Redskins should have changed their name years ago…it is as offensive to Native Americans as Washington Kikes or Washington N*****s would be to Jews or Blacks. 

However, removal of these symbols should be viewed as only a start.  We have to change the culture of hatred in our society.  Our leaders and media must be held accountable for perpetuating stereotypes and must quit validating extreme ideologies.  We have leaders that continue to deny racism, fail to condemn such grotesque brutality and attempt to enact discriminatory legislation and inflame tensions.  One Oklahoma legislator’s declaration that he would not “tolerate something like Islam to come into the U.S.” simply fuels violence against ALL Muslims or anyone that looks like a Muslim. 

Since electing our first African- American President in 2008, polls show that anti-black attitudes have grown.  I contend that the constant bashing of our President by Right Wing extremist has added fuel to the fire and has emboldened the Dylann Roof’s of our country to make sure that “these people don’t take over our country.”

I will admit that in my younger days, I have repeated stupid racially and even homophobic offensive jokes.  And if most of us are honest, then I am sure that I am not alone.  But as I have grown and hopefully become somewhat wiser and more mature, I have recognized how these despicable remarks are like pouring gasoline on a slowly smoldering fire and have no place in our society. 

Removing the Confederate Battle flag is a good start, but it is simply symbolic.  A massive change in our culture has to be priority one.  It starts with us not accepting the recent wave of voting restrictions that the right wing legislatures and crooked politicians such as Governor Scott are trying to impose to limit those targeted populations of American citizens from voting.  It continues with us, as citizens, standing up to politicians that are dedicated to gerrymandering the districting, thus fixing congressional districts.  It continues with all of us that believe in equal rights and that truly believe that All Men Are Created Equal standing up to the fear mongering, self-righteous bullying carried out under the guise of “religious values.”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in April, 1963, in his Letter from Birmingham Jail that “the greatest obstacle to the advance of racial justice wasn’t the virulence of white supremacist extremists, but the timidity of white moderates who recognized the social injustices but remain silent in the face of them.” 

Today’s Supreme Court ruling that reaffirms the rights of gays to marry has caused much furor among those self-righteous right wing wing-nuts.  Their hatred has been spewed throughout the news, internet and to anybody that will listen.  If you are not gay, exactly how is this going to affect you?  Not at all!  Those that are continuing to scream negative sobriquets about this decision, foster a level of hatred that can’t possibly be good for society.  Understand, please, that this landmark decision means that love has won….not hatred!

The final paragraph of the decision says it all:

The change in our culture also has to address the gun problem in our Country.  Maybe if our politicians weren’t so damn worried that the NRA might quit funding their campaigns, we would actually do something to rid ourselves of the ability for criminals to easily obtain a gun.  But the shooting at Sandy Hook in 2012 or the nearly 100 school shootings since then or the Colorado movie theatre shooting or even the Charleston shootings don’t seem to have any effect on these twits.  But that’s a subject for another blog.

And The Journey Continues……………

It's Been Awhile.....

Wow! I just realized that it has been almost 6 months since I wrote a Blog entry.  When I started this blog back in 2010, I did so as a catharsis of sorts…a release of all of those stories, ideas and opinions that kind of boggle my mind.  Besides, I have always enjoyed writing and haven’t yet found the subject nor the energy to write my Great American Novel.  So short blog entries continue to help satisfy my writing “jones” until I actually get around to writing that book!

In my first blog I wrote: “I am not sure if anybody is going to read my blog, and frankly I am not sure I really care...but perhaps it can serve as my own sounding board and maybe one day my grandchildren will enjoy reading it and get to know their grandfather better!”

Since that time I have written about politics, have reminisced about my childhood, eulogized my Dad, sorted out my observances of society and its successes and ills, reported on our travels, given my account of the founding of The Sports Authority (The REAL Story), celebrated my dogs life, and opined on many subjects.  But the most important things that happened over the last 5 years were the births of our 3 grandchildren…Elie, Zev and Mara.  

We have been fortunate to spend some quality time with all of them lately.  Mara visited for 10 days recently while Lisa was in Cuba and despite the stomach flu she brought with her, was so much fun we didn’t want to give her back.  And we were just in Baltimore for a week with Elie and Zev and had the opportunity to spend some quality time with them.  Time flies…Elie will be 5 in January and Zev will be 2 in September…in just a blink, they grow up.

So, I have been giving some thought about the subjects to Blog about.  Surely, with the Presidential elections already in full swing, I will be writing about politics.  The Republican Clown Car is filling up fast, so they will surely give me plenty of material to mock.  And The Democrats are doing everything they can to blow their chances, so I will have plenty to say about that over the next year.  And The Supreme Court will surely give me some great writing opportunities because they will likely make another ruling just as absurd as Citizens united!

I recently was called for jury duty on a high profile murder case.  After four and a half days I was finally disqualified for cause….I made it clear that I thought the “Stand Your Ground” law that the defense was going to put forth as their strategy is a bogus law and that I would not be able to apply it fairly.  Besides, the creep was obviously guilty (as the jury eventually found) and I had already made up my mind.  As a result, I could write about the futility of the jury selection process and offer some alternative ways, such as professional jurists, for jury selection.  But, that hardly fills an entire blog.

I could also write about the spectacle of faux celebrities such as The Kardashians or Bruce Jenner’s money grab.  I have no problem with Bruce being a transsexual and his desire to become a woman.  But it seems to me that if he wasn’t getting his own reality show and he wasn’t treating this as a three-ring circus then I could respect his decision a whole lot more!   And ESPN giving him the “Courage Award” instead of the young lady that fought through her terminal cancer to play in one college basketball game is almost laughable….if it weren’t so sad.  But I guess that as long as people continue to watch these things on TV and gawk at people like The Kardashians, the Real Housewives, Duck Dynasty or others that have no particular talent or entertainment value, then they will be forever pervasive in our “news” media.

Speaking of great writing, I just finished rereading To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.  I think I read it as an assignment in High School…I know that I have seen the movie several times.  I reread it in preparation of the Author’s sequel that will be released in July.  I forgot how well written that book is and marveled at Ms. Lee’s prose as I fully visualized the small town that was described.  I am really looking forward to reading Go Set A Watchman.  Though the book has been characterized in media reports as a sequel to Lee's best-selling novel, Go Set a Watchman was written in the mid-1950s, before she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, which was published in 1960.  A full book review just might make for a good blog!

This is my 44th Blog Entry - if you missed any and are interested, you can access them from the archive on the right side of the blog site.  Obviously, there are still a bunch of interesting subjects to write about…I won’t wait another 6 months for my next entry.  Stay tuned!

And The Journey Continues…….

Happy Holidays!

My wife charges that I am a Scrooge this time of year.  After rereading that sentence, I realize that some would say “why is this time of year different than other times…you are a curmudgeon most of the time.”   CURMUDGEON: a person (especially an old man) who is easily annoyed or angered and who often complains.

So, while I can’t do much about the “old man” part, I certainly try not to be easily annoyed or angered and I really don’t complain a whole lot.  But, granted, historically, this has not been my favorite time of year.

It wasn’t always like that though.  But, most of my business career was as a retailer – more specifically, toy retailing and then sporting goods retailing.  Is it any wonder that I was super stressed this time of year?  About half of my yearly business took place during the Holiday Season…these 4 or 5 weeks either made me a hero or caused me serious trouble.  Ah, but I really don’t have to worry about Christmas sales any longer.  As a retailer, my favorite old joke about Christmas was this:

The third grade class came back to school after Christmas break and the teacher asked each child to get up and tell what they did on Christmas Day.  First up was Sally Johnson: “Well, teacher, we are Presbyterian.  On Christmas morning we got up very early, ran downstairs and saw that Santa had visited.  We opened all of our presents, ate a big breakfast and then climbed into the car to go to church.  Once there, we sang Oh How I Love Thee Jesus.”  Next to speak was little Joseph Murphy:  “ We are Catholic and on Christmas morning we got up very early, got dressed and piled into the car to go to early Christmas Mass.  At Mass, we sing Oh How We Love Thee Jesus and then hurried home to eat a big Christmas breakfast and open all of the presents that Santa had brought.”  Finally it was Abie Goldberg’s turn to speak:  “We are Jewish.  On Christmas morning we all slept in and once we finally awoke, we had a big brunch and then piled into the car to go downtown to Grandpa’s Toy Store.  Once there, we walked up and down the aisles looking at the empty shelves and sang Oh How We Love Thee Jesus.”

My earliest memories of The Holiday Season were ones of slight confusion.  I knew we were Jewish and celebrated Chanukah during that time of year.  We did not have a Christmas tree nor did we hang any Christmas lights.  My Dad even did the shtick about Santa landing on the wrong house every year.  But somehow, when we woke on Christmas morning there were always a few presents displayed around the living room.  Looking back, I guess my Mom just loved the magic of the year, and didn’t want her little ones left out, but it was always kind of confusing to me.  So, that’s why we never did anything like that with our kids.  As a matter of fact, I picked up my Dad’s shtick and it has become expected of me every year:

Sometimes in the early part of Christmas Eve, when the family is all gathered, I jump up out of my chair and ask:  “did you hear that noise?  Sounds like something on the roof.”  I fling open the front door, run out into the yard and look up at our roof and exclaim:  “I don’t care who you are, get those damn reindeer off my roof.  You want the family next door.”  When our kids were very young, they would get a wide-eyed expression on their face…but, alas, when they got outside, Santa would have already left. 

I once wondered if our kids would understand why other kids had Christmas and they didn’t, until I overheard 3-year-old Lisa tell her friend: “ Santa doesn’t come to my house because we are Chanukah, not Christmas!” 

Actually, (shhh…don’t tell anybody), I now enjoy this time of year.  Things seem to slow down just a little bit in December, it is nice to spend time with friends, plenty of football is on and for the last 13 years, I have run a little College Football Bowl Pool.  This year we have 103 participants and give part of the proceeds to a charitable foundation of which I am quite fond! 

However, since we live in South Florida, we have to contend with the yearly influx of Seasonal Residents (Snowbirds and Snowflakes).  Roads are clogged, restaurants are difficult to get in to and many part timers really are curmudgeons!  But, I guess that is the price we pay for living in paradise.

Wishing all of our friends and family a Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, Peaceful Kwanza and a Happy and Healthy New Year to all!

And The Journey continues...................

It's NOT about the economy, Stupid!

Although followers of Pop Music are singing that “It’s all about the Bass,” for many years we have been told that “It’s all about the economy, stupid!”  Based on this week’s election results, that is NOT true any longer.

The repudiation of our President and his administration cannot possibly be about the economy.  

When the Bush Presidency ended, the stock market had just crashed, the auto industry was destroyed, the real estate market was destroyed, most homeowner’s home equity was destroyed, the banking system was destroyed, unemployment was on its way to 10%, a $7 trillion Iraq war was in full force, crude oil had gone from $25 to $138 per barrel and Insurance costs for EVERYONE had doubled from 2001-2008.  Additionally, President Bush had turned a budget surplus into serious deficits and took us into a recession.

So, what has happened since then?  The Dow has risen over 200% from 7949 to over 17,000.  The Standard and Poor has risen over 250%, GDP growth has gone from -5.3% to +4.2%, unemployment has fallen to around 6% and the deficit as a % of GDP has decreased over 70% from 9.8% to 2.9%, ands gas prices have even fallen below $3 per gallon!  BUT, the Republican have been voted into control of our Congress!  IT’s NOT about the economy, stupid!

Senate Republicans have blocked every jobs bill proposed, a minimum wage increase, tax cuts for the middle class, student loan relief, bring jobs home act, equal pay for women, getting big money out of politics and even the violence against women act.  The National GOP agenda includes tax breaks for the rich and large corporations, cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Education, denial of the reality of climate change, support for Citizens United and the ability of the Koch Brothers and other billionaires to buy elections and unnecessary increased military spending.  But, the Republicans have regained control of OUR Congress.  It’s NOT about the economy, stupid!

My Republican friends talk about the welfare state and the takers in our country.  Hmmm, who are the REAL takers?  Many corporations in our industrial-military complex that pay ZERO income taxes?  The oil companies that we pay billions of dollars of tax breaks? Or the over 3000 tax filers making over $2.2 million that pay zero taxes or the 24,000 tax filers making between $533,000 and $2.2 million that pay zero taxes. Or even the 78,000 tax filers making between $211,000 and $533,000 that pay ZERO taxes?   It’s NOT about the economy, stupid!

Do you want to go back to where we were before Obama was elected President?  GREAT…let’s increase unemployment by 1/3, triple the deficit, slash stock prices by more than half, take away health care from millions (including me) that didn’t have insurance and roll back 50 straight months of private sector job growth.  Now are you happy?  It’s NOT about the economy, stupid!

In 2014, the 2^nd quarter GDP was at 4.6% and the 3^rd quarter was at 3.5%, giving us the strongest 6-month growth period in over 10 years.  According to the New York Times, based on current projections, the average DEFICIT through President Obama’s 2^nd term will be smaller that it was through Saint Reagan’s 2^nd term.  Incidentally, Reagan tripled the deficit and got 18 clean debt ceiling increases…Obama cuts the deficit in half and gets compared to Hitler along with government shutdowns.  It’s NOT about the economy, stupid!

The Republicans and FOX News (one and the same) keep telling us that Obamacare cut $716 from Medicare.  The TRUTH is that The Affordable Care Act EXTENDED Medicare’s solvency by 4 years by trimming $716 billion in wasteful payments to hospitals and insurers, NOT Beneficiaries!  But, then again, Mr. Boehner and his cohorts continue to waste MY tax dollars by holding multiple votes on repealing the ACA and by trying to sue The President although the first 2 law firms they have hired have quit because the lawsuit is so extremely frivolous.  Interesting to note that in those states that have created state exchanges, the cost of Health care has decreased for most.  In states, such as Florida, where our crooked Governor refuses to create an exchange, costs continue to go up…because, that way, our Governor can reward the insurance companies that have given him millions of dollars to get reelected.   It’s NOT about the economy, stupid!

I know it is very confusing to my friends that tell me that they are “fiscal Conservatives, but Liberal on Social Issues.” when I point out facts, rather than Republican talking points.  I am not sure exactly what they hope the Republicans will do.  Trickle down economics (or as President Bush, the elder, called it…Voodoo Economics) has never worked, and will never work.  Nobody has ever been able to cite a single reference where trickle down theory has worked.  Our middle class is suffering and without a strong middle class, we are doomed to failure.   It about job creation and a resulting strong middle class …The Republicans have exactly NO plans to make that happen.  By the way, how come Congress gets a Cost of Living increase in pay each year, but the Minimum Wage has not moved in many years?  November 4, 2014 will go down in history as the day that the Koch Brothers and The Walton Family successfully spent hundreds of million of dollars to BUY our Senate, giving them FULL control of Congress.  And THAT further weakens the middle class and decimates the working poor in our Country. It’s NOT about the economy, stupid!

If it’s NOT about the economy, then what is it about?  Immigration reform?  Maybe, but the Republicans refuse to put forth a plan.  National Security?  Maybe, but it was under a Republican President that we were attacked on 9/11.  Leadership?  Possibly, because OUR President has not been able to get Congress to work with him on ANYTHING.  Our support of Israel?  This seems to be a major issue among many of my friends, but no matter who the President is, we will ALWAYS support our only true friend in the Middle East.  Is it Social Issues such as a woman’s right to choose, equal pay for women, education spending, Equal rights for LGBT, decriminalization of Marijuana, right to die?  Is it about global warming, the global financial crisis, handling of the Ebola crisis, ISIS and other global concerns?  If so, where are the Republicans plans on those subjects?  Its okay to criticize, but show me your alternative plans!  One thing I am certain about, is that It’s NOT about the economy, stupid!

Fear and Hate are terrible things and have no place in our National discourse.  In a recent poll, one-third of Louisiana Republicans blame President Obama for the government’s disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina, which took place under President Bush.  This is indicative of the vitriol that is spewed and encouraged by Fox News, the Tea Party, The Koch Brothers and their ilk.  One can disagree with the policies of OUR President…after all, our Country is founded on the principal of Free Speech and independent thought…but the resulting fear and hate is uncalled for.  I am appalled at the level of hate that I read daily.  I have a real hard time understanding how these people’s HATE for Obama and the Democratic agenda is based on facts and logic. 

AND THE JOURNEY CONTINUES………..