America the Beautiful... still?

  What are we really coming to? What is the focus and vision for this country? Does anyone know? While listening to the news story of the fertilizer fire and explosion in West, TX I found myself, without provocation of the media, humming the "America the beautiful" song. 

I mean in the midst of the tumultuous

 news of the week my mind turns to a song that always gave me peace, on its own. A song that when singing it or reading the words illustrate a land of beauty and strength. A land that is inviting and compelling. A land that exudes peace and comfort and hope. That is what "America the Beautiful" means to me. How come our children don't get a chance to see that?

Is this the time to turn off the television? If we can't find a moment to calm the fears of the people, quell the anxiety that seem to consistently pervade our senses or just shine a light on the goodness of the majority, that must exceed the 'badness' of the minority, what is the responsibility of those that have access to the masses? A single simple post on a current events forum, or an entry/comment on a Facebook status or even a blogger that writes an inspiring peace of hope may reach few individuals in a day... but the small bit of hope they bring is a drop in the bucket to the sea of despair and wanton disregard for human life that assails our minds every minute of every hour in a day! How can the hopeful compete with that?

I don't think the 'please everyone don't buy gas on a certain day' or 'let's all click like to tell congress we are fed up' is the way to go about changing our present system. The only carrot and stick that America listens to is the money belt. If people, business, corporations and government see a financial benefit in spreading hope and peace within the country there would be an overwhelming charge to better the country via a YouTube video promotion that would garnish 1 million hits on YouTube  Likewise, if there is a financial penalty for displaying and promoting the bitterness, despair, and anguish of the American people, you will see a swift shift in daily programming as sponsors and advertisers would be pulling the plug to keep their money safely intact.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not for censoring free press nor do I believe that we should coddle and pander to the 'tree-hugging' 'kumbaya' 'hippies' that still live today, but I believe that we can saturate every fiber of our being with so much fear and mayhem that soon we will be unable to help the helpless or give hope to the hopeless. We need time to figure out how Boston, Massachusetts (bombing); Suwanee, Georgia (firefighters held hostage); and West, Texas fertilizer plant explosion  affect us... truly affect us. We need time to process and compartmentalize life and 24 hour reporting of death will not do it.

We need to really do better, countrymen! We need to inject as much hope, positivity and joy into our culture to counteract the constant barrage of negativity that is poisoning us and our country... America, the Beautiful! Again, just the thoughts, rants and ravings of Some Guy (oh, and his view)!

The Mind of the Malevolent - Taint-ID!

  Here we are, again. At the crossroads of decision. Do we continue to think that there is good in all mankind and the acts of the few are outliers to our society's wholesomeness or is evil always present in the hearts of

men and we understand that it is a constant struggle to contain the beast within us? Something to ponder, huh? The bombing at the Boston Marathon on April 15th, is a travesty against humanity and all that is decent with the civilized world today. Terrorist activity goes against the decades of civility and order that has helped framed this and other great nations since our decision to live 'relatively' peaceful.

The acts of terrorists try to place everything in a state of impotence; unable to function. Impotent to providing for your family; impotent to securing a safe neighborhood; impotent to establishing a healthy self-governing society... impotent to life. I believe that those that engage in terrorist activity are just projecting their self-loathing, sterile, useless and impotent existence on the rest of us... they are 'Taint-ID'!

Sigmund Freud theorizes that personality is comprised of the id, the ego and the superego. He believes

that they work together to create our behaviors. I'm not particularly a  follower of his teachings but if there was some aspect to this then those that  ndulge in malevolent behavior may give in too much to

their ID... they might be Taint-ID. It isn't as 'unconscious' as we think. 

Those with a tainted ID are allowing the immoral urges, unacceptable sexual desires, violent motives, fears, and dare I say shameful experiences to dominate their consciousness. They welcome their desires and expects us to welcome them too. Desire for wrong, desire for chaos, desire for rebellion and anarchy. They welcome deviance and impotence. They want to be the miscreants in society. I emphasize the tragic 'wrongness' of these deviants because when a tragic event occurs we tend to question society as a whole instead of isolating the individual or group that performed the dastardly deed. We lump the good guys with the bad guys and cast a questionable eye on the whole lot.  (Biography's Terrorist video)

Why not give them their due justice? Why not let them live up to their hearts desire to be punished for their deeds? Even they believe in the proverbial 'Reap what you sow" philosophy but we are the ones that impugn on their right to suffer for their actions - that's the justice they know exists. We are the ones that try to understand what makes them act this way... and how did society fail them to force them to this end?  Where could 'we' have done better in this evil creatures' life to prevent his wayward thoughts? We are the ones out of order... they know that the order is corrupt society... pay the price! It's the law they expect.

Why is it everyone else fault that the devil is acting like a devil? I'm sorry but if I'm busy and unintentionally cut someone off on the freeway I am responsible for his feeling that that was the last straw and he 'ain't gonna take it anymore'! A deviant thought like a deviant long before he acted. A rapist fantasized about rape long before the first girl was attacked. A terrorist is a terrorist in his heart long before he sets his foot on the cowardice trail to infamy. I say give them what they want. Honor their manifesto with swift justice. 

But what do I know... I'm just 'Some Guy'!

'John Q Public' goes wrong - This ain't no Movie!

   Well, America, here we are. We have reached a point that the economic down turn has come home to roost. In the city of Suwanee, Georgia a homeowner has had a enough. He decided to pull a 'John Q Public' (see Denzel Washington movie list) on the public and kidnapped five firefighters to exact renegade justice on the system. He placed a fake emergency call to lure the public servants to his home, a routine call for them, and ambushed them once they entered. He let one of them go to move the firetruck and the others were held ransom to negotiate the return of utilities and other homeowner amenities that he felt was due him. After a standoff with SWAT and hostage negotiators the threat became real enough for a 'flash bang' intervention! After the smoke clears, the irate homeowner is deceased, single policeman wounded and all firefighters rescued. Great job!

   Now, I do not condone the behavior of the homeowner in taking matters into his own hands regarding finding his brand of justice, but within the last five years the "fat cat" banking institutions' profits have increased to record numbers while the 'average' homeowner seem to be the only one still reeling from the economic depression. I would venture to say that this particular homeowner house, as far as the finance company is concerned, has been settled, dealt with and is probably an aforementioned thought. His property has devalued over the years to record lows putting him underwater but the great bail out of 2008 has reimbursed the banking industry; and now the property is a prime piece to buy low and sell high – to which the homeowner is would still be responsible for an exorbitant payment until sold. Where is the justice today for the homeowner?

   Again, what this gentleman did was wrong to his local community and society as a whole and his actions caused his untimely death, but how the powers that be not foresee total unrest and near anarchy from their local, state and national economic decisions is beyond me. If the country get too 'top heavy' (in their decision making process) then the only ones that can afford to live here in America is the top-heavy. Don't get me wrong, I do not have a problem with the top... I can't wait til I reach my own 'top', but the government is of the people, by the people and for the people... all people. If the median salary in America is roughly $51,000 then you can't go wrong governing around and for the median of the country, can you?

   I'm just saying, desperate times calls for desperate measures and the desperate is getting the jump on the rest of us. The government need to get their nose out of the upper-class cloud and put it to the middle-class grindstone... but what do I know, I just Some Guy (with an apartment view)!