gilmorelogic

Today a shut down of the American government looms. Who’s fault is this. The easy answer is it’s either the Republicans or the Democrats, based on your political leanings of the moment. The true answer, the one politicians of all persuasions of are loath to utter is that it is the fault of the American public. We are the cause, you and me. We get the government that we deserve. We have allowed our Democracy or Republic for the washed to be hijacked by an elite minority. Our elected so called leaders cringe in fear of their electorate. Presumably that’s you and me in theory but in reality we have abdicated this responsibility to the involved elite who use us as puppets. We have banks too big to fail so let’s make them bigger, we bail out wall street who gleefully take the money and run, we give the cake to the rich and sweep the crumbs into a dust pan and ask the poor to beg for them. That we should be us the electorate but its not we have abdicated that role.

Maybe this shut down of the government is a wake up call that spurs us to take back our role in this government. We should not be led around by the nose by those who do not our best interest as a people in mind. When we have so called elective leaders who to our face tell us that stop feeding our fellow citizens and by the way those kids in head start what a waste and oh healthcare should be a privilege for the fortunate few and some of us nod in agreement something is very wrong. Today the Republican party should get the brunt of the blame, but in reality the blame goes to you and me.

We don’t need to get money out of politics just vote against those propped up by the money we profess to detest. If our leaders refuse to put our interests first replace them. I know, I am a pragmatist, most of the electorate feel that they make their own decisions. They will disagree with my premise. I know that in its simplicity I am right. The majority must vote in the best interest of us all, which we did in the recent national election now locally we must do the same. I am not talking about conservatives electing moderates or liberals or liberals electing conservatives or moderates. I am talking about electing people who want to govern and not those whose agenda is seek and destroy. In the past our legislators, legislated, today they send us from one crisis to another. Our democracy can not withstand this idiocy much longer.

I have been tempted to write about John Boehner for a long time. He seems to be a mostly ineffective speaker of the House but others have previously not cast him in that light. He has successfully fought off Eric Cantor an any others who would challenge him for his spot. President Obama has played golf with him and Senate leader Mitch McConnell has deferred to his negotiation skills on numerous occasions. After the latest presidential election he proudly proclaimed that he would never again go to the White House to negotiate with President Obama. This last declaration seeming to me an abdication of his office. He speaks with a deep voice and he cries a lot both alpha male traits I suppose.

Recently he made me aware that I had been mistaken my whole life, with his informative observation that following the dictates of his tea party members was leading. I never knew before that leading was following even if it results in going off a cliff but I stand corrected. He leads by following a Republican house that seems to have as its noble cause denying health care to the poor and stopping them from eating.  The idea that you would shut down the government and or risk the full faith and credit of the country unless health care is denied is most puzzling to me. Changing how we take care of the poor is one thing punishing people for being poor is another.

If president Obama is a lame duck John Boehner seems to be a dead duck as speaker. I know I must be missing something but I can’t help but think I’m watching a sequel to Weekend with Bernie with John Boehner starring as Bernie. This country deserves better John, and being in fear of and following a group of house members in not working in the best interest of this country is not leadership.

I am sitting here trying to make sense of the senseless shooting at the naval yard in our nations capital. I have listened to the profilers, all the experts that have talked on the news shows, and the news people themselves, nothing. In hindsight as always everybody seems to be of the opinion that Aaron Alexis the shooter has been a menace to society for a long time and it’s lunacy that he was allowed into the naval yard. This doesn’t soothe my tortured soul in any way. One so called expert seized on the aspect that the shooter played violent video games, aha. That is poppycock, millions of people play these games and don’t kill people.

Some say he sought mental health help and that alone should have labeled him as one in need of watching and isolating. That in and of itself is a dangerous proposition as it would discourage those in need of such help to seek it. The answer has to be much deeper and much more complicated. I hear that since 2009, there has been a mass shooting every month in this country. Why?

For some it’s a matter of gun control or a matter that there are too few guns available to civilians who could have aborted this outcome. Neither side convinces me, I feel the solution is much more complicated.

When I began this blog I thought that most of my posts would be humorous, so far that has not been the case. Maybe that’s the problem. As a boy I loved cowboy movies and gangster movies each of which had a lot of violence in them, maybe not as graphic as today’s movies but violence just the same. I think the difference is that we knew these were movies for enjoyment and not guideposts for living our lives. Maybe we need to return to this  mindset as it applies to movies and video games. I pray for all affected by the needless violence in the naval yard my heart goes out to them.

The solution to this Syria situation keeps getting weirder and weirder. I keep trying to decide whether as a member of the un polled public, if I support the President in his desire to bomb Syria over the alleged use of chemical weapons. Every time I get close to a decision, I make the mistake of researching the opinion of our elected leaders and even that of declared World leaders and I think I’m watching a hilarious comedy. At least it would be hilarious if people weren’t  dying in large numbers.

Let me iterate what I have decided so far. The argument that the outcome of congress voting  to support the president in his decision on Syria is a reflection on his presidency is poppycock. It is a reflection on the U.S.A. The president  will be a former president in three years, in thirty years and beyond this will resonate on our country’s world status. Our elected leaders in Washington and the talking heads on television seem to want to play a game of disassociation, that leaves the president on an island by himself as to the U.S. standing on the world stage. This is lunacy. No one knows the outcome of major decisions until they play out there are no guarantees in life.  To demand such certainty when using military force no matter who says what is an exercise in futility. Our leaders must carefully assemble the facts and make decisions to the best of their abilities, that is what we demand of them president. If our elected government shows it self to twiddle and twaddle and leave the president blowing in the wind, it hurts us all in the long run. I have been told that in foreign policy our elected leaders forget parties, I now wonder.

If the solution to the U.S. actions as it relates to Syria is to punt to Putin, heaven help us all. Now I’ve said it. 

Just sitting here pondering.  I have been trying to make sense of the Syria saga. Based on my comprehension abilities, I seem to make one step forward and two steps backwards in understanding. Best I can figure It seems to be a respite from normal politics in the nations capitol. Seems like liberal democrats and right wing republicans have found a meeting of the noes. It seems like the Republican hawks and the we back Obama democrats have found a mutual fox hole. This all very confusing to me. The polls seem to show that there is life for them in a non national election year. This Assad feller seems to be a killer of his people and a bad guy, but the other fellers  he is fighting seem to have some goodness issues as well.

I don’t know how long I have to figure this out so I guess I’ll ponder this whole weekend. Hey when’s them U.N. inspector fellers suppose to let me know that they don’t know who did what?

Well I’ll get me a toothpick and keep on pondering. A  straw of hay would be better, miss the old brooms.