Siriunsun
- Juli Henry
- In An Age Of Universal Deceit, Telling The Truth Is A Revolutionary Act.......George Orwell
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
National Government Shutdown Day
There is a group of Kansas citizens who have been protesting sporadically outside of Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins's Pittsburg Kansas office since the Government Shutdown began on October 1. They have decided to make the most of the situation, and use it as an opportunity to remind Jenkins that even though the rivers tend to flow Republican in Kansas, (no pun intended, there actually IS a Republican River in Kansas) there are still many voters affiliated with the Democrat Party and the Republican Party who are not happy with Jenkins's tendency to bow to the Tea Party, and sell out to the Koch Brothers whenever the pressure is on. So they have put together signs and banners with various messages; "Tea Time Is Over" has been a popular one, and peacefully protested this past week.
This is a great idea, and it is heartwarming to see that Kansans care enough about the misdeeds of those in authority to speak up about it. It could be taken to a higher level, though. Instead of being afraid when the media puppetry suggests doom and gloom, and makes the recommendation of being afraid, we could make a celebration out of it. Now that operations that have been shut down are slowly but surely getting re-opened, one by one, as the need and public outcry dictates, we can all see that a lot of this "shutdown" business is really an outlet for congressional and senatorial drama. It's a shame our representatives apparently never excelled in drama or forensics when they were in high school, and are acting out now, using the rest of us as a "forced audience" of sorts, but it seems this is the sad result of failing to learn cooperation and communication skills and failing to grow up. Boehner, we are all looking at you, here. When we want drama queens, we will look to the Kardashians, not to Congress.
Suppose, every year, the government shut down on October 1 in order to remember and celebrate October 1, 2013? It could be a day that we close everything except "essential" services and gather outside of city halls and government buildings everywhere in the nation. We could barbecue, sell hotdogs, and create a carnival atmosphere, encouraging the drama espoused by Congress right now. Anyone with a gripe about a flaw within local or national politics would have the opportunity to picket, and draw attention to his chosen cause. We could also stage Revolutionary War reenactments. Schools, of course, would be closed on National Government Shutdown Day. Instead of furloughing government employees, we could give anyone who wanted to work on that day an option of taking the day off, or participating in a drive to register potential voters. Not only would National Government Shutdown Day be a celebration and an outlet for repressed angst, it could be educational and constructive.
The only guideline that should be strictly enforced is possibly that there should be no violence, just constructive fun, as the Fourth of July is celebrated. No one can be hanged in effigy, and no destruction of property can be tolerated. Instead, we can write petitions requesting that officials go back to school, switch to more suitable careers, or resign. In more serious cases, National Government Shutdown Day can be a day when we write petitions and complaints to initiate recalls and investigations of those officials and elected servants whose performance is truly unacceptable. Violence, however; is never a constructive direction for change.
As an added bonus, the weather is usually very nice in the beginning of October, and conducive to nonviolent gatherings. Mild weather is great for picnics. When school re-opens the following day, classroom discussions could take place nationwide for the purpose of teaching children how their government works, and about what happens when it does not work.
This is a great idea, and it is heartwarming to see that Kansans care enough about the misdeeds of those in authority to speak up about it. It could be taken to a higher level, though. Instead of being afraid when the media puppetry suggests doom and gloom, and makes the recommendation of being afraid, we could make a celebration out of it. Now that operations that have been shut down are slowly but surely getting re-opened, one by one, as the need and public outcry dictates, we can all see that a lot of this "shutdown" business is really an outlet for congressional and senatorial drama. It's a shame our representatives apparently never excelled in drama or forensics when they were in high school, and are acting out now, using the rest of us as a "forced audience" of sorts, but it seems this is the sad result of failing to learn cooperation and communication skills and failing to grow up. Boehner, we are all looking at you, here. When we want drama queens, we will look to the Kardashians, not to Congress.
Suppose, every year, the government shut down on October 1 in order to remember and celebrate October 1, 2013? It could be a day that we close everything except "essential" services and gather outside of city halls and government buildings everywhere in the nation. We could barbecue, sell hotdogs, and create a carnival atmosphere, encouraging the drama espoused by Congress right now. Anyone with a gripe about a flaw within local or national politics would have the opportunity to picket, and draw attention to his chosen cause. We could also stage Revolutionary War reenactments. Schools, of course, would be closed on National Government Shutdown Day. Instead of furloughing government employees, we could give anyone who wanted to work on that day an option of taking the day off, or participating in a drive to register potential voters. Not only would National Government Shutdown Day be a celebration and an outlet for repressed angst, it could be educational and constructive.
The only guideline that should be strictly enforced is possibly that there should be no violence, just constructive fun, as the Fourth of July is celebrated. No one can be hanged in effigy, and no destruction of property can be tolerated. Instead, we can write petitions requesting that officials go back to school, switch to more suitable careers, or resign. In more serious cases, National Government Shutdown Day can be a day when we write petitions and complaints to initiate recalls and investigations of those officials and elected servants whose performance is truly unacceptable. Violence, however; is never a constructive direction for change.
As an added bonus, the weather is usually very nice in the beginning of October, and conducive to nonviolent gatherings. Mild weather is great for picnics. When school re-opens the following day, classroom discussions could take place nationwide for the purpose of teaching children how their government works, and about what happens when it does not work.
Monday, October 7, 2013
No Amber Alert If A Frankfort Kansas Child Disappears
Kansas public schools, particularly the one in Frankfort, have yet another serious safety issue, in addition to the lack of insurance on their buildings and activities, thanks to the legalization of guns carried by teachers in Kansas schools as of July of this year. Because of the government shutdown, the Amber Alert website is offline. Apparently, notifying the public when a child has been wrongfully taken via automobile is not considered essential by our elected, trusted servants in Congress and the Senate!
It is hard to imagine what this means in Frankfort, Kansas, where it is considered business as usual for teachers to abandon students on the highway and refuse to report them missing when they get lost and disappear. This means that at the end of the school day, when the child does not come home, alerts will not be shared with motorists, or even on the news, to help the public recognize any vehicle that may have been involved; when a child is lost, sometimes he or she will accept a ride from a stranger, hoping to get found again. This was actually done to female freshman in recent years, and she was very lucky to make it home. What about the Frankfort student who is not so lucky?
Kansas public schools take too many chances with the safety of children already. In Frankfort, where the teacher who "lost" the student still works, an Amber Alert could mean the difference between coming home safely if lost, or having a permanently open missing persons case. Perhaps it would be wise, if the teacher who abandons children on the highway seriously cannot be fired for his crimes, to at least furlough him along with other casualties of the government shutdown, until the Amber Alert website is back online.
It is hard to imagine what this means in Frankfort, Kansas, where it is considered business as usual for teachers to abandon students on the highway and refuse to report them missing when they get lost and disappear. This means that at the end of the school day, when the child does not come home, alerts will not be shared with motorists, or even on the news, to help the public recognize any vehicle that may have been involved; when a child is lost, sometimes he or she will accept a ride from a stranger, hoping to get found again. This was actually done to female freshman in recent years, and she was very lucky to make it home. What about the Frankfort student who is not so lucky?
Kansas public schools take too many chances with the safety of children already. In Frankfort, where the teacher who "lost" the student still works, an Amber Alert could mean the difference between coming home safely if lost, or having a permanently open missing persons case. Perhaps it would be wise, if the teacher who abandons children on the highway seriously cannot be fired for his crimes, to at least furlough him along with other casualties of the government shutdown, until the Amber Alert website is back online.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Dr. Phil's Evil Eight Warning Signs Of Parasite
A van finally pulled over. A woman, by herself, offered me a ride. I walked over to the
other side of the road and put my backpack in her backseat. As I did, two Rainbow guys
came out of nowhere and grabbed the bag that held the other half of my sandwich and
my cookie. They held it up like it was some kind of trophy and ran off with it!
See what I mean?
Yeah. I see what you mean, Ruthie In The Sky. But I also see other facets to it. Did you mooch anything from the Rainbow guys, or their friends, before this happened? Did any money belonging to them, or their wallets disappear from their campsites while you were around? Kinda like what happened with money belonging to one of my children while you were around here? You are not necessarily entitled to the resources of other people, you know. You are also not entitled to their time and energy. I am not defending the Rainbow guys, but I am willing to bet that you have not shared the entire story. Dr. Phil's "Evil Eight" signs may have been written just to warn the rest of us about you!
The following are what Dr. Phil calls the Evil 8. Eight signs to look for in what he calls "toxic people."
1. Arrogant Entitlement to your life
2. Lack of Empathy
3. No Remorse/Guilt
4. Irresponsible/Self-Destructive
5. Thrive on Drama
6. Brag About Outsmarting
7. Short-Term Relationships
8. Fantasy World/Delusional
You know, not only are you toxic, but in doing your special, unique toxic things, which include all eight of Dr. Phil's signs, you actually steal community resources from those who truly are faced with emergencies and need them. Those shelters you stink up are established for people who suddenly were faced with hardship, not for career space wasters, Ruthie In The Sky.
Now that the government is shut down, a lot of the parks and public restrooms have been shut down, too. Where are you going to use the facilities? Your sense of entitlement without doing a thing, whatsoever, to pull your own weight (no pun intended) may place you in a quandary, since no one has an obligation to unlock a public restroom for someone who gets a check every month, yet refuses to use it for her own necessities, choosing instead to mooch!
This may be the actual reason a shelter director in Kansas was so upset when she discovered you had been allowed to squat there for awhile. She was probably scared of ending up in a landlord/tenant relationship with you!
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Happy Birthday, Stetson Kennedy
Stetson Kennedy was born on October 5, 1916 in Florida. He was, in addition to being a writer and researcher of folklore, a human rights activist. The latter actually began as a means of research, in order to write about the Ku Klux Klan, which he infiltrated after World War ll, in a successful effort to gain information. From this research and information, he authored the titles, Southern Exposure, and The Klan Unmasked. He also gave information about the Klan to comic book writers, who used it in creating villians to be defeated by Superman. Anonymous hackers would have been proud.This method of infiltrating, researching, then finally exposing is what shedding light is all about. Stetson Kennedy infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia at a time when that hate group controlled Southern politics, and heavily influenced Northern politics. When he felt that he had enough information to address the public about who the Klan actually is and what they do, he went ahead and exposed them, nothing withheld. He wasn't worried about keeping anyone's secrets, hiding anyone's incompetence, or covering up anyone's criminal predilections. This not only what makes his writing great, but what makes the First Amendment great. Stetson dared to tell the world what he saw firsthand, and our Constitution allowed him to do so, even when it meant blowing the whistle on some very powerful terrorists.
Kennedy died in 2011, after a lifetime of publishing books and articles about folklore, activism, and human rights. He was richly rewarded by following his passion, and not many people believed the social strata of the United States, before the Civil Rights Movement, would ever change. He was never terribly clear on whether or not he thought he would see change at the time he wrote about the Klan, but the efforts of political activists and counter culture revolutionaries paid off. We need more writers like Stetson Kennedy.
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