This past Saturday I was invited to lunch by an acquaintance of mine. She shares an apartment with two more single girls, and the crowd that congregates there is always very diverse (in age, education, socio-economic background, and, most important, the brain power). Whenever I go there, I can always count on couple of things: I will leave that apartment feeling very old after listening to at least three girls discussing their post high school plans, we will swap at least two horror dating stories (and I mean horror, no jokes), there is going to be at least one horror story about life in general (again, real deal), and at least one person is going to irritate the living daylights out of me. This time there were no exceptions to any of this. And the personal irritation factor is what prompted me to write this entry.
All of you are aware that this past weekend we switched to daylight savings time. All of you are aware that we did it earlier than we usually do. Not all of you are aware of the fact that from now on we will always do it this way: three weeks earlier in the spring and one more week in the fall. Apparently, a resolution was passed back in 2005 for "broader energy conservation" or whatever verbiage they used, and here we go, my friends! Now, the logic of scrambling our internal clock twice a year always eluded me, no matter how it was explained to me, till I finally read about that resolution, which, frankly, made me even angrier than I usually am every spring when I have to wake up at 5:00 am because the government had declared it to be 6:00 am. So, when I arrived at that apartment, we naturally started talking about it. I expressed my wish for Al Gore & Co. to start conserving energy instead of torturing the rest of the population every year, to which one of the girls just smiled very indulgently and told me something along the lines of you can't do anything about it anyway.
That, my friends, is the crux of the problem! That attitude: I am only one person, so what can I do about it? Plenty, actually: the whole study of history is about just one person at a time; but never mind this; most of us are not aspiring for greatness. We just want to make a decent living, find somebody to have a family with, raise that family (preferably in a decent home with plenty of food and creature comforts), and an occasional (or not so occasional) good time. Between the job, the school, household chores, spouse, kids, shopping, home improvements, bills, irritating family members, doctors, lawyers, taxes, favorite TV programs, vacations, latest articles in Glamour or Sports Illustrated, who has time to vote, let alone know whom are we voting for and who exactly are the candidates? Who has time to rally, protest, write to Radio and TV stations, newspapers and magazines, or just to keep abreast of the news ( not the New York Times, CNN or Playboy variety)? Believe me, people, when I tell you that I am in the same pond. Sometimes I come home so tired that I have no energy left to cook myself pasta or take out the trash; somehow the country's problems are minuscule and far behind when I open my electric bill and see the amount due plus the surcharge because I simply forgot to pay my bill from last month. Life is life, and our own everyday concerns are more worrisome than global problems.
But how do you feel about working every fourth hour (at least) for the government? How do you feel after filling out a job application and knowing that because you are "white female", your chances of getting that job just diminished significantly (and if you are "white male", G-d help you). How do you feel knowing that your hard work and sweat feeds an enormous government machine on all three levels (federal, state, and local), and the bureaucrats on all three levels exist mostly just to make your life's burdens even more burdensome? How do you feel about constant government interference in our economy, which eventually may cost a job to you or somebody you know and love? How do you feel about the pathetic state of our public schools and the fact the only alternative will come out of your own pocket? How do you feel about horrible state of our universities, where young people are supposed to be given a chance to learn, explore, and broaden their minds, but instead are indoctrinated into one specific ideology, and G-d help them if they resist? How do you feel about pedophiles leaving jails before their sentences are fully served and settling next to you? How do you feel about millions of illegals giving birth here at your expense? How do you feel about freedom of speech and press being basically the prerogative of the so-called "liberals" and "progressives"? How do you feel about members of the "religion of peace and brotherly love" settling in droves right next to us, demanding preferential treatment, and multiplying like rats, again at our expense, while creating numerous terrorist cells here and supporting more cells abroad?
These are just some of the problems facing this great nation. All of them, my friends, result from politics. All of them are fostered on us by a pretty small, but extremely industrious, loud, pushy, and shameless group of people; they do not speak for most of the Americans; but people who disagree with them or oppose them mostly remain a "silent majority". When I look at it logically, I can see why: when you have a life and a purpose to this life, you usually do not spend your time teaching everybody else what to do (while, of course, excluding yourself); you just live! When you have a family (or hope to have one day), you just concentrate on that. On the other hand, all of the "political activists" on the left either do not or did not have families and children, or foisted the everyday care of those children on somebody else. Brilliant Tammy Bruce called these people "malignant narcissists", or "mal nars." Awesome name! So, here we have it: the vast majority of citizens on one side, leading productive lives (or at least trying), and not dirtying their hands with politics, and a relatively small group of mal nars on the other, constantly telling everybody how to live their lives, and destroying our economy, religions freedom, family life, constitution, the whole fabric of our great country; even trying to control our thoughts and feelings! So, you see, we cannot remain silent majority any longer! If we do not at least try to take a little time away from our daily lives and try not only to stop these mal nars, but actually fight them, soon, very soon, they will succeed in changing the whole fabric of this country to such unrecognizable degree, that we won’t be able to live our daily lives the way we want to.
That, my friends, is the reason I care so much about politics. Even though I was not born in this country, but got transplanted onto it, I love it! I love the great principles of individual freedom and responsibility on which USA was built, and I hate seeing that being corrupted and destroyed! We have such great opportunity for a wonderful life here; but we no longer can just build it and enjoy it; we have to fight for it!
5 comments:
After reading your post, we decided to hold a residents' meeting at our communal apartment.As the result of this meeting we came up with the official Voron'ya Slovodka resolution 132-1, which was duly blessed by Father Fyodor:
Here are the excerpts that we were required to make public due to the Public Information Availability Act of 1997:
"How do you feel about constant government interference in our economy." It is impossible for the government not to interfere with the economy.
"How do you feel knowing that your hard work and sweat feeds an enormous government machine" Since some of the residents either work for or because of that enormous machine, the residents'feelings are not to exceed slightly annoyed and all negative conversation about the beforementioned machine to be contained to the communal kitchen. (Secretary's note: when upset and talking, please stay away from and do not spit into the soup pot. Thank you in advance).
"How do you feel about the pathetic state of our public schools". The Voron'ya Slobodka's education committee had found the state to be worrisome, but not pathetic. It also felt that since most American universities are private, not public, dictating them what to indocrinate their students with is not advisable.
"How do you feel about members of the "religion of peace and brotherly love" settling in droves right next to us, demanding preferential treatment, and multiplying like rats, again at our expense?"
Found the comment highly inappropriate since the same has been said about the members of your own organized religion.
Your anger at getting up an hour earlier was deemed unpatriotic, since the bill was signed by our beloved president Bush, who is deemed a Saint by Father Fyodor and, therefore, is above all criticism.
The last and most significant point of the resolution was to investigate your post further. For that purpose, Voron'ya Slobodka's own government machine has been doubled in size and now includes investigative committee. (Secretary's note: Comrades, whoever hasn't donated their 5 rubles to the support of Slobodka's government will not be allowed to use communal sortir (bathroom)!)
Signed,
Vasisualiy Lokhankin, President
Father Fyodor, Vice-President
Maria Lokhankin, Secretary
Cc: Mayor M. Bloomberg, Senator H. Clinton; Presidents G.W. Bush and V. Putin.
Dear Maria Lokhankin,
Thank you so much for expressing your concerns with my spitting in the soup pot while being upset (love your idiom, by the way). Allow me to address your concerns:
1. Of course it is totally impossible for the government not to interfere with the economy. But constant intrusion in the form of idiotic regulations, affirmative actions, undue environmental protection, minimum wage, horrendous taxes and convoluted tax laws, just to name a few, go against the principles of free capitalist economy and seriously hinder, if not slowly destroy it.
2. Government machine equals bureaucracy equals enormous waste. Only two parts of that machine are worth their salt, and these are the defense department and law enforcement; but they too are tremendously hindered by political correctness and affirmative actions. I sincerely apologize for bruising your tender sensibilities, but none of my personal interactions with the above mentioned civil servants on all three levels (especially city workers) was ever very amicable, except with above mentioned members of the law enforcement. For more on that topic I would refer you to “Politically Incorrect Guide to American History” by Thomas E. Woods.
3. The state of our public schools is more than pathetic, but if you or your education committee do not see it that way, I do not feel like arguing. Most of American Universities, while private, still have a big chunk of students who pay their tuition with federal and state grants; but that was not my point. The students at the universities should be allowed to LEARN. Just that! Not to be indoctrinated into any kind of ideology, and not to be left on the mercy of Ward Churchill and his ilk; never mind being taught deliberate falsehoods in the fields of science, history and literature.
4. What has been said about the members of my religion and what we have been accused of can fill volumes. Let me just point out that we do not raise our children to become terrorist and suicide bombers, not do we start mass riots and killings when somebody supposedly insults our religion.
5. Finally, I can get angry anytime and at anything I darn well please. Father Fyodor can proclaim our President a saint, but I see him as somebody who lost his backbone and moral compass, betrayed the principles of his party, and is bending over backwards to appease the Democrats ( and just for the records, I have voted for him both times!)
Finally, you can investigate me all you want. I am sure H. R. Clinton and V. Putin will be of great help.
Dear Barb,
Your comments will be duly reviewed by our new investigative committee before being presented to the next meeting in Voron'ya Slobodka (V.S.)(which will probably happen around supper time in our communal kitchen).
Please do not take offense at our Secretary's idiom about soup. The Secretary's note was addressed to the residents of V.S. who tend to spit while in the heat of the political argument. Somehow, they always choose to do it in front someone's soup pot. Father Fyodor (may God forgive me for insulting His beloved servant) seems to be the biggest offender in that matter. So the idiom was not addressed to you, unless you choose to visit V.S. and in that case (as we foresee political discussions in the event of your visit) the rule would apply to you as well just as a precautionary measure.
If the residents of Voron'ya Slobodka choose to pass another resolution, would you object to your original post appearing on our blog?
Sincerely,
M_Lokhankin, Secretary, Head of the Investigative Committee and the Chief Enforcer of the No-Argmuments-in-Front-of-Soup-Pot law.
Dear Maria,
Thanks for your prompt response. I honestly did not take offense at your comment; if anything, I thought it was very inventive. One of the main purposes of this bog was to express and exchange ideas. The argument can get heated and very heated, but as long as we do not deteriorate to “you are stupid, no you are stupid” stage, I think we would be OK. That, by the way, is one of the many reasons I love this country: the freedom of speech (without the murky misinterpretations by ACLU). V.S. should feel free to post anything from my blog: that is why it’s on public domain.
Till later,
Barb
Keep up the good work.
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