Week of 03/28/2022

 

Belligerence Abound
– by David Matthews 2

April 1^st, 2022 will mark the 26^th year that this commentator has been doing an online column.

Twenty-six years... and, in all that time, not to mention the fifty-five years of my existence, I have to say that I have never seen people more belligerent to each other than I do now.

Yes, things have been getting hostile since the early 90’s.  Aggressive attitudes, war-talk, the occasional violent outburst from the lunatic fringe.  Workplace violence and school violence and shootings in public places like malls did happen and they did cause a lot of media attention and public hand-wringing and political posturing and blaming.  But it was never to the level of violence that we see today. 

Yes, we still have school shootings and shootings in public places, but they don’t seem to have the impact on us as they did two decades ago.  They happen, the air-fluffed ego-driven media talk about it, and then it’s back to the latest dog-and-pony show followed by weather and sports.  They spend more time talking about who got traded in [INSERT LOCAL SPORTS TEAM HERE] than they do about the lives lost and what caused the killer to do what they do.

Yeah, maybe it’s because we all watched the Twin Towers get crashed by terrorists on live television back in 2001, followed by endless wars where we watched our parents and our children fight and die in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the endless threats of future terrorist attacks and being told to stock up on plastic sheeting and duct tape.  Maybe it’s because violence happens so frequently now that people just are desensitized to it.

I remember when just the mention of a freeway killer, someone shooting up motorists, was a big thing.  Today, there are people getting shot on Atlanta’s highways seemingly every week, and nobody is saying anything about it other than they happened.  Are these separate incidents?  Are they all from the same driver?  We don’t know.

There was a guy in Miami who was caught on his own dashcam shooting at other vehicles as part of an escalated road rage incident.  Most people didn’t even know about it until the dashcam video was released.

Even without shootings, road rage incidents are getting worse on the highways I travel every day.  Drivers are getting more and more aggressive, leading to frayed tempers and accidents.

And it’s not just the roads.  We have irate people assaulting doctors and nurses, threatening educators, and attacking airline attendants.  They are openly attacking other people, sometimes because of who they are.  They’ve called the police on other people for the simple “crime” of existing.  These people have been given a name: Karen.  And they are as much a menace to society as any other criminal.  Maybe even worse because they are our neighbors.

Then we have the politicians.  We just spent four years with a belligerent narcissist in the White House, leading a party of corrupt and violent acolytes and enablers.  An elected congressman representing Montana physically assaulted a reporter in 2017, while said narcissist was busy telling people that the media are the “enemy of the people”.  We’ve seen endless displays of police violence caught on camera, often being cheered on by this same faction of the narcissist.  We’ve seen violent rhetoric, followed by a violent act of domestic terrorism and sedition with the ultimate goal of insurrection in January of 2021.  A vile criminal act that has since been excused by the acolytes and enablers of that narcissist as being nothing more than “legitimate political discourse”.  You know, like how the terrorist attacks of 2001 were nothing more than a “spirited disagreement”.

A narcissist so horrible and corrupt that the only other alternative was to support a previously retired politician that would otherwise not even be given a second thought, and who, to this very day, refuses to acknowledge that he lost to said previously retired politician.  A narcissist that has openly bragged about being able to shoot someone in broad daylight and never go to jail for it, and who, as of this article’s posting, has yet to be held to account for the various criminals acts he is accused of committing over the years.

Let’s get brutally honest here... things have been getting worse in the past two-and-a-half decades since I started my column.  And it’s not going to get better for us as a society or as a nation if we don’t do something about this continual escalation of hostility and violence.

History has shown that this kind of belligerent attitude has led to some of the worst times in human civilization.  Civil War in America.  Two world wars.  They were each prefaced by escalating hostility and acts of violence.  Tensions building and building until war was inevitable.  If we want to prevent the next worst time, we need to stop the aggressive and belligerent natures here and hold those who commit them responsible.

Week of 03/21/2022

Ending Daylight Savings Time Is Long Overdue
– by David Matthews 2

It was proposed at a time when communities were lit by candles.

It was enacted as a way to save energy.

It was justified to help farmers and protect children.

And, quite honestly, it’s pretty much BS today and has long needed to be done with.

The week prior to this article, the United States Senate passed by unanimous agreement the “Sunshine Protection Act”, crafted by deadbeat Trump Party Senator Marco Rubio and Democrat Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.  Of course, it doesn’t “protect” the sun or sunshine.  But what it does is it ends the time change from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time, making “Daylight Savings Time” permanent in 2023.

The air-fluffed ego-driven media have been obsessed with how this unanimous agreement was passed, especially since certain Trump Party senators have been rather notorious about not letting this kind of bill get brought up, never mind get voted by unanimous agreement.  All it would take would be one of them to say “no” for the unanimous agreement to be denied and they would have to resort to the endless process of committees and subcommittees and debates and filibusters.  Others are worrying about if members of the House of Representatives would allow this to get passed and on to the president’s desk to sign.  A few more are whining about how we should use “standard” time instead of “Daylight Savings”.

Personally, I don’t care which time we stick with, “daylight” or “standard”, just as long as this semi-annual ordeal ends.  And here’s a crazy thought… maybe those senators and/or their staff decided it needed to end and allowed the bill to get passed on in the easiest way possible.

The original justification for Daylight Saving Time was brought up by Benjamin Franklin as a way to prolong the setting sun and save on candles.  But, here’s the catch: Franklin brought it up in jest, and did so anonymously through that era’s version of “The Onion”.

Think about it: would you consider anything from “Cracked” or “The Onion” seriously?

And yet, that’s what nations started to do during World War I, supposedly to “conserve fuel”.  It was repeated during World War II as year-round “War Time” and then ended.  In 1966, it became codified nationwide, pausing only briefly under some flimsy excuse of saving energy, and then resuming after the claim was made that children were getting slaughtered by drivers because they were walking to school in the dark.

Even if it was true, the purported benefits of messing with our clocks twice a year are either non-existent or simply BS.

First, the idea that kids would be walking to school in the dark doesn’t match with today’s school times.  Here in my neck of the Atlanta area, children are getting picked up at the bus stop around 6am, long before the sun shows up over the horizon.  And… walking to school?  With today’s hypersensitive and hyper-protective parents?  No, if they don’t personally ensure that their precious tax deductions board that taxpayer-funded yellow mass transit vehicle, then they are playing chauffeur and then racing like the a-holes they are to get to work.

As for “saving energy”?  Well, let’s see… first it was justified to “save fuel”, then it was paused in the 70’s to “save energy”, and then justified again when they messed with when these changes would occur to “save energy”.  Which is it?  Either you allow it to “save energy” or pause it to “save energy”, but you can’t use the same justification for both!  Regardless, the U.S. Department of Energy, along with a few other agencies, have all said that whatever “savings” exist are negligible.

Consider all the homes and businesses that have climate control running year-round.  Consider the number of homes and businesses that use computers and high-definition TVs that use electricity year-round.  These are things that weren’t around fifty years ago.  Yes, fifty years ago it would have been gauche to leave a light on in the room.  Today we leave far more powerful devices up and running without a second thought.  So, no, there is no “energy savings” by changing the clocks twice a year.

But do you know what we do get with this time change nonsense?  Interrupted sleep cycles.  Traffic accidents.  Workplace injuries.  Strokes and heart attacks.  And it doesn’t matter if the time change happens during the weekend or the middle of the week, you are disrupting the sleep cycles of people that take a while for their bodies to adjust.  This is a tool of torture being used universally twice a year under the pretense of “saving energy”.  It has been statistically proven that vehicle accidents increase every time we change the clocks.  Same with workplace injuries.  There are also an increased amount of heart attacks and strokes reported at hospitals during that time.

And all for a non-existent energy saving and for precious tax deductions that are already being chauffeured about when it’s still dark.

Let’s get brutally honest here… Daylight Savings Time or Standard Time, either way, one of them needs to end, and end sooner rather that later.  The threat to workers and commuters are proven, unlike the claims being used to justify keeping this tool of prisoners imposed on us all.  There should be no reason whatsoever to bar this bipartisan bill from being passed and signed into law.  Those in Congress who think otherwise are operating from a position of ignorance, hysteria, myth, and outright BS.

End this torture.  Period.

Week of 03/14/2022

 

The Hoax Of Parental Rights In Education
– by David Matthews 2

“Good morning students and welcome to a new school year at Everywhere High School!  I am Principal Pencilwhip and I have a few announcements to make.”

“Due to recent legislation enacted by your state and local government concerning parental rights on how we teach, we have had to make a few changes to your curriculum.”

“First, English.  This will no longer be taught, as certain parents feel that you should already know how to speak and spell at this point.  You will, instead, be spending your time writing essays about how great this country is and have them reviewed by the rest of the class.”

“Next, French and Spanish will no longer be taught as certain parents believe you should not have to know any other language except for English.  Those of you enrolled in French or Spanish lessons will be moved to the English classes where you too will be writing essays about how great this country is.”

“There will still be math courses.  However, rather than figuring out equations yourself, you will be given a calculator and shown how to use it.  Those of you in the vocational track will be given a mock-up of a fast-food register so you can prepare for your future.”

“The computer courses have been suspended as one parent has said that most of you do not use computers and should not know how to use one since you rely on your cellphones and our faculty are still learning how to use them.  On a related note, the selfie and meme student groups have been dissolved after several parents complained about them.”

“English Literature has been suspended until a group of parents and pastors can decide which literature is appropriate for you to learn.”

“History courses are still being reviewed, so, for the time being, you will be watching the following movies approved by your parents: ‘Birth of a Nation’, ‘Triumph of the Will’, ‘Patton’, and five films to be later determined that feature John Wayne.”

“There will still be gym class.  Coach Ballsak is proud to show you the joys of dodgeball.  And for those of you with approved medical conditions, Carl, the school janitor, will show you the fine art of keeping the bathrooms clean.”

“The library is closed until further notice as a committee of parents are still reviewing which books are appropriate for you to possibly read.”

“And finally, I hope all of you took part in saying the pledge of allegiance and gave your required minute of reflection about the servicemen and law enforcement lost this past year.  For those of you who didn’t, your homeroom teachers will be forwarding your names to the office so you can go through mandatory re-education.”

“Thank you, have a great year, and be sure to thank your parents for making all this happen!”

Obviously what you just read was a slight exaggeration, but this is the kind of stuff that certain political groups and certain state and local legislators are trying to get enacted.

They’re calling these “parental rights” bills.  They believe that “parents” should be given a veto power over what is taught in schools across the country, overriding educators and even school boards.  If a parent believes that something shouldn’t be taught in school for whatever reason, they get to override the will of teachers and school board members.

Right now, the focus of these “parental rights” is on any mention of LGBTQ+ issues.  They don’t want their precious tax deductions to know that someone in their class has two mommies or two daddies or a daddy that looks like a mommy.  It’s also a backdoor to go after what they call “critical race theory”, which they cannot seem to define or point to but firmly believe it is being taught nonetheless.

It should also be noted that not every parent will have that “right” to decide what gets taught.  Let’s say you want your kids to know about the civil rights struggles, but some other parent says no. Even if you have others backing you up, that one parent’s veto overrides everyone else.  How is that a “right” if only an elite minority gets to use it?

Now you may think this is somewhat tame, unless you happen to be one of those parents or students being targeted, but then you add that with some of the other laws being passed in certain places like the fascist state of Florida, where the “Don’t Say Gay” bill has been green-lit to signature and they also want to block any teachings that make a certain group – namely white people – uncomfortable.  Then you have Texas and their new effort to prosecute parents who have transgender children for child abuse and drag in educators and doctors as well.  And let’s not forget Fascist Florida’s U.S. Senator, Rick Scott, himself a former governor, and his supposed 11-point plan for the party of fascism which includes forced patriotism for students and to control what students are taught based solely on his faction’s worldview.

Put those together and – if it’s all enacted – you have that announcement from Everywhere High School in the near future.

Let’s get brutally honest here... these so-called “parental rights” bills are a hoax.  It’s not about “parents”.  It’s about one pompous self-serving self-important faction in society to have unchallengeable veto power over what is taught in our schools.

Homeschooling didn’t work for them.  The push for vouchers for charter schools didn’t work.  And their current effort to take over all the school boards is not a sure thing and takes too long for them.  Because it was never about just their own children.  It was about the rest of the young minds.  Your kids.  Your teens.  This younger generation and all the ones that follow. 

Like any other abusive entity, this is about power and control.  Power over all and control over everything, especially over what we know.  Some of us learned that from history.  That too is something that they would want others to know.  I would hope that we would not have to learn it again in the near future from current events.

 

 

Week of 03/07/2022

 

Putin: Is This The Hill You Want To Fall On?
– by David Matthews 2

This is an open message directed to Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, but also one for the world to pay attention to.

Mister Putin, you’ve recently invaded the independent nation of Ukraine, on the pretense of being a “peacekeeper” and a “liberator” from a supposed scourge of “Nazis” that only seemingly exists in your mind.

And, you know, I get it.  America is not innocent when it comes to invading nations.  We invaded Panama to get rid of the tyrant Manuel Noriega.  We invaded Afghanistan after the September 11 terrorist attacks and stayed there far longer than we should have.  We invaded Iraq just to get rid of Saddam Hussein.  I can hear you justifying invading Ukraine and doing all the violence and destruction in the same way that we invaded Iraq.  I get it, even if I don’t buy it.

But there is one thing that you did recently that differentiates from America’s past invasions.  You threatened war on the rest of the world for imposing non-military sanctions over your actions.  Worse yet, you reportedly put your nuclear forces on high alert, threatening the world with nuclear Armageddon simply because we took non-military actions over your military invasion.

So I have a simple question for you, Mister Putin, given your more bellicose attitude.  And it’s one that has its origins from the military.

Is this the hill you want to fall on?

Before you threatened the world with the nuclear trigger, this was a conflict that could be resolved.  Something that could be walked back.  But if you go from this to nuclear brinkmanship, and from there to potentially pushing that button, you cross a line that can never be walked back; one that can never be forgiven.

So is this the hill you want to fall on? 

Do you want to end Russia and the world over your hunger for “breathing space”?  All to go after a former entertainer who only rose to power in that little nation because your corrupt puppet leader there was a loser?  A former entertainer that has – through your actions – been transformed into a war hero for the world to admire.

Winston Churchill once said that history is written by the victor.  But let’s get brutally honest here... when it comes to nuclear warfare, there are no winners at all, only survivors, and they will write the future entry about the fall of the world and who is to blame for it.

And you would not survive that. 

Even if you somehow avoid the exchange and the devastation that followed, there would also be those around the world that would survive it as well.  And they all know what you’ve done leading up to this.  And they will write tomorrow’s history books to let everyone know who caused it and why, and they will name you as the one that did it.

But let’s suppose the devastation is complete, and everyone on the planet dies over this.  If there is intelligent life in this universe and they are capable of faster-than-light travel to worlds like ours and they come across the radioactive remains of our planet, their science people will know through what remains of our world what happened. 

They may even know about it before they arrive.

The late Carl Sagan once talked about being in his hypothetical “spaceship of the imagination” and hearing the broadcasts being beamed from Earth even from great distances from our solar system.  All the television broadcasts beamed up into the sky for satellites to reflect down since the start of broadcasting are still going out there into the universe.  Some hypothetical space traveler could no doubt listen in to those signals from our news broadcasts talking about the invasion and the reaction and your escalation, and, finally, the Emergency Broadcast System alerts before that sudden silence.  And they will know who would be to blame for it.  And it will have your name as the destroyer of the world before they even get here.

So is this the cause that you want to gamble the world on?  Is this the hill you want to fall on?

Listen, at the end of the day, I’m just some guy with a blog.  I have no more of a say in the affairs of the world than  what you read here.  It’s up to you to decide whether or not you want to risk it all, and I do mean all, for your ambition.  Is this really worth it?  I would hope it isn’t.