Knee-Jerking

Most of us have had moments in our lives where we saw a person in a movie or on television or knew someone we admired and said, “I want to be just like that guy”. No doubt that is an inborn response as a result of our learning process from the time we are born. We watch our parents and emulate the movements, verbiage and characteristics used in their everyday lives.

I recently lost my dog to cancer. We had a good life together. I got her as a puppy and, through time, we learned much about each other. Through our love and devotion, it made each of us feel good to interact in a positive way towards one another. I learned from her and she learned from me. The Biography Channel is full of interviews where famous actors begin their talk about how they got into the business with a discussion about his or her idol or mentor. My guess is that our brains have a tendency to wire themselves into a framework of positive feelings when we find opportunities to emulate a person or pet that we admire. It has probably been that way since the first mammals walked on earth.

Like most things where the brain is concerned, the wiring can get flawed. That flaw can range from undetectable to markedly screwed up.  Children of abusive parents often become abusers themselves, mafia bigwigs usually have no problem enlisting their kids into the business and (usually after college) young people tend to follow the political ideals of their parents. The drive for fame can be very strong in some people. So strong in fact, that it can overwhelm their daily thoughts. So where does an introvert who wants to emulate other famous people go to become famous? It would have been pretty difficult just a few decades ago. But things have changed. It’s easy to become famous now. Any miss-wired psychopath can take comfort in the fact that the news media will give him or her instant fame. Fame can come in many different forms. Even celebrities mention that bad news about them is still publicity and publicity is what they are all about.

Last Friday as the first reports began coming in about the terrible tragedy in Connecticut, the primary goal of the media was to get the name of the killer. My bet is that the media felt that whoever got that name first was the winner. It’s likely that unstable psychopaths protected by the ACLU, off their meds and sitting at home watching TV alone, are not considering the children or the teachers that were murdered. They are saying to themselves, “Wow, that Adam Lanza is famous! I wanna be just like him!”

We all tend to knee-jerk during these tragedies to find solutions as to why it happened. “It’s the guns fault." "It’s the parents fault". "It’s Bush’s fault.” These are typical mantras. My knee-jerk reaction is “It’s the media”.  

Here are the headlines this Sunday morning at the top of The Drudge Report blog:

REVENGE OF THE 'GOTH' LONER...

Mother took killer to shooting range...

Pulled him out of school...

Unable 'to feel physical pain'...

Intelligent and shy...

'Evil,' or just mentally ill?

How many mentally unstable people in this country are reading these headlines and plotting their next move? Is this sensationalized information necessary? Do news directors ever consider the possible consequences of their reporting? I doubt it. It’s the ratings stupid.

I think we need a serious discussion concerning the process of reporting these heinous events. Free speech advocates may cry foul, but consider this. Which part of the Constitution do we address; taking away our right to defend ourselves with a gun ban or protecting the innocent through carefully denying the mentally ill the spotlight that they do not deserve?

The Enemy Within

Is there anything that most Americans agree on? Well, yes . . I think there is. It is the very obvious problem that our government is failing us. The how, why and who is where we have a difference of opinion. Liberals still contend that it is all Bush’s fault and that it may take 30 years of Obama’s reign to get us on the right track. Conservatives rarely doubt that Obama has it in for the US and wants to tax and regulate American Commerce out of existence.  Of course, it’s not all that simple. But it shouldn’t be too hard to noodle this out a little. As you might have guessed, I am about to give my own assessment of what I see as the three greatest threats within our own country today. Correct as they are, I invite you to add more or debate my issues if you wish.

1. Government Education and the Teacher’s Union – Radio host and columnist Neal Boortz, not known for pulling punches, states that the single biggest threat to our country at this time is the National Education Association. With high school graduates not knowing the capital of their own state, suffice to say . . . that’s a problem. With unions fighting to protect inept teachers, maybe Boortz has a point. But doesn’t it go a bit further? What’s the big deal about school vouchers? It works. Low income students having the opportunity to attend private schools is a good thing, isn’t it? It would have the other positive effect of lowering overcrowding in government schools. The voucher program in New York has been a resounding success. President Obama signed an executive order promising to "improve outcomes and advance educational opportunities for African Americans." But he opposes school vouchers. Seems kind of contradictory to me.
2. Lifers in Congress – The brilliant framers of our Constitution goofed. They failed to include a provision for term limits for congressmen. This really wasn’t such a problem for the first 100 years or so because truly honorable men and women commonly made up the Congress and usually bowed out after a reasonable time in office to go back to their professions and family. Interestingly, it is usually the most inept of congress people today who continue to run and get reelected, voting themselves pay raises, free healthcare, and demanding hero status from the minions. Presidents can’t destroy America on their own, they need a willing Congress to finish the job. It is the ultimate “Catch 22”. Guess who has to introduce the bill to change the Constitution? Can we expect our failing Congress to vote themselves out of a job? With the approval level for Congress at historic lows, a grassroots movement to enact term limits through a national referendum is gaining a stronghold in several states. Woohoo!
3. The Vote-Buying Welfare Scheme – This is such an insidious act that I have to take a few breaths to calm down as I write about it. It’s nothing new. Obama didn’t start it. He’s just bringing it to a new art form. Welfare in and of itself can be a noble quest for any government to employ. There is a definite breaking point however where it becomes like a powerful drug. After a few injections of cash, the junkie will do anything to get more. Politicians say to themselves, “Vote for me Mr. Junkie-Man and I’ll make sure you stay right there where I want you.” And they do. They stay impoverished, uneducated and needing another fix. I had a conversation with a young man recently who had voted for Barack Obama in 2009. He said he voted for him because he felt he was going to be the great hope for Blacks in helping them to become better educated and acquire more chances at good jobs. According to my new, young friend, he feels Obama has done just the opposite; and on purpose.

So those are my three. There’s more but I’ve probably lost several readers by now anyway and I am always told my blogs are too long.

Please add your thoughts to my comments.