But where’s the beef?

The year was 1984, and the fast-food battles were in full swing as purveyors employed every tactic imaginable to discredit one another. The phrase ‘where’s the beef’ became an advertising icon and was used in every possible sense, even straying into the political arena. Even Congress, the opposite of progress, used this catch-phrase…

The phrase implies that something is missing.

The missing component is recognizing and accepting responsibility for words and actions… You know, consequences.

There is a reaction for every action; that’s Newton’s third law. It’s been parsed and rehashed into various phrases like ‘cause and effect’ and ‘Nothing comes from nothing…’ It boils down to actions and reactions. Although Newton’s laws are primarily applied to physics, they also extend to more mundane aspects of life.

Can we expect comments and statements to be exempt from Newton’s third law of motion?

Do you believe that words are immune and that what we say has no impact on those who hear them? Isn’t that what it says in the First Amendment – “Congress cannot establish a religion, prohibit its free exercise, or abridge freedom of speech, press, or the right of the people to assemble peaceably and petition the government for redress of grievances…”

However, this depends on the interpretation of the statement, the elucidation, explanation, or perspective; essentially, what the interpreter wants us to know or believe. “The Ends Justify the Means.”

This is most relevant to those in places of prominence and power, such as our elected officials and their carefully placed bureaucratic operatives. The higher up the legislative ladder, the more compelling the comment.

Words are immensely powerful, shaping our perceptions, influencing our behavior, and impacting our reality. They build up and tear down, strengthen or weaken, encourage or discourage, and can transform bad things into good or good things into bad. Words can change lives. They can incite a peaceful crowd to violence or calm an angry mob. Words are sharper than any sword and more damaging than any bomb.

Regrettably, once spoken, they cannot be unsaid; the pictures they paint are indelible, and their impact is persistent. So, why do we treat them so lightly? We throw them like daggers and wonder why they wound so deeply.

“Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.” ~ Napoleon Hill

What did I say that offended you so profoundly?

Whatever in the world made you do that, or think that?

It’s dangerous to confuse speaking without consideration for telling the truth. How many riots have this as their impetus, yet maybe that was the intent all along… Inciting to riot??? There ought to be a law…

Without consequences, there is no discipline, and Merkans exercise little or no discipline at all. We are wild, uncontrolled animals, amoral in every respect, unruly, especially in large crowds.

Aren’t there laws about this?

Yes, there are, depending on the situation and jurisdiction, federal and local laws regarding this topic, but as with most laws, they are applied inconsistently. The recent anti-ICE ‘protests’ across the country are a salient example of my assertions. Then there’s the January 6th ‘protests’ in DC. These incidents stand in opposition to each other, indicating that our duplicitous approach to standards and societal behavior is in the hands of those who use the laws as manipulative tools rather than as they were intended. In truth, laws are not meant to be absolute, but neither are they merely political apparatuses or instruments of retribution or retaliation.

We are basically hedonists – that’s a person whose life is dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification at the expense of other values, morals, ethics, duties, and responsibilities. Again, the intent is to be altruistic, but the examples and words of our leadership paint an opposing picture. This is the power of words and actions, and the results we see are the consequences of them, not consequences for them.

I read an interesting quote this morning. The main difference between animals and humans is that animals don’t let the dumbest one lead the pack. That leader instills discipline and control in the group; however, it doesn’t encourage them to revolt or act counter to the group’s best interests. That’s a typical human characteristic and trait. Please consider the definition of leadership… And… by the way, there are female leaders in the animal kingdom, and they are as effective as the women leading in our world.

I’ve written about our First Amendment rights ad nauseam, tip-toeing around the reality that Merkan’s follow the example of our leaders who use them as an excuse for poor and despicable behavior, use them to justify or rationalize their actions.

Monkey see… Monkey do…

I’ve lost count of the times I’ve used the Machiavellian phrase “The Ends Justify the Means” in articles over the years, and I’m going to use it again in this article. However, this is a deeper problem in Merka; it’s endemic, and some believe these rights allow us to say or do anything we want with impunity.

Unfortunately, we’ve traded our integrity for convenient rationalizations to excuse bad decisions and behavior. The idea behind the First Amendment was to provide permission to speak our minds, but not to malign the government, incite riots, or sedition, and certainly not to advocate violence, especially against law enforcement or other government agencies. It’s almost comical that the Democrat-Marxist Party accused the January 6th protestors of sedition, yet they advocate that same violence against the Trump administration with the rebellious rhetoric they spew at every opportunity. It is sanctimonious to be sure, preaching the religious fervor of the party, standing for the US Constitution, yet doing everything possible to destroy it from within. Or did I miss something…

Here is the irony of this partisan political bullshit. It’s OK for me, but not for thee. Does this sound familiar? It’s everywhere you look and worsens every day. This is the hypocrisy that we cannot abide. Merkans were significantly happier when we didn’t know or couldn’t see this duplicity, but since the media is intrenched in every orifice possible, sniffing for a sensational story that will bring the writer fortune and glory, we know every infinitesimal non sequitur in excruciating detail, even if the events are not relayed accurately or honestly; many are fabricated to promote the deception.

Suppose we are a republic of laws, as we claim. How can we allow elected officials in our government to openly fight and campaign against law enforcement agencies from their partisan political positions and pulpits? It’s illegal to impede the efforts of law enforcement; it’s called obstruction, and it’s against the law.

Further, it is illegal to incite or instigate any lawless action is NOT protected by the First Amendment.

Where are the consequences for these illegal actions?

We love dirty laundry… [lyrics] In case you were curious about the lyrics, I’ve added the link.

“Laws without enforced consequences are merely suggestions.” ~ Ron Brackin

Unenforced laws have an impact on more than just the legal system; they also affect our overall view of the government. Here are a few:

– Lack of deterrence: Laws generally deter unwanted behavior by threatening consequences for the infraction, but when applied inconsistently, they nullify the importance and effectiveness of the entire system.

– Erosion of trust: Unenforced laws erode public confidence in the system and in those responsible for upholding it.

– Unequal Application: Selectively enforced laws created a feeling of unfairness and inequality when some individuals are held accountable and others are not.

– Social Disorder: When laws intended to maintain order are ignored or selectively enforced, it leads to a breakdown of the social structure and causes increases in crime and misconduct to be far more likely.

– Undermine Respect for the law: When laws are routinely violated without consequences, it will diminish the overall respect for the legal system and encourage others to disregard rules, including ethical and moral standards.

– Economic Impacts: Unenforced law creates economic instability, impacting growth and investment, and stability in the affected areas.

– Disproportionate Impact: Especially on vulnerable groups, unenforced laws negatively impact vulnerable populations dependent on protection and fairness provided through the legal system.

“Society cannot exist without law. Law is the bond of society: that which makes it, that which preserves it, and keeps it together. It is, in fact, the essence of civil society.” ~ Joseph P. Bradley

Considering the present state of the Union and its penchant to choose which laws apply to whom, and the selective application of them, I’d surmise that we are pretty near the edge of that cliff. This does not include the recent incursions of the judiciary into the Executive Branch of the government. The Merkan Kritocracy and the Collapse of Our Civilization both deal with the extra-legal consequences of having no consequences.

We’ve been lucky so far. Something pulls us back from the abyss, but how long will our luck hold? Every time we approach that point, we come a little closer to the point of no return, but now I can see the edge of the cliff crumpling under the weight, and one of these days, it will all fall away.

Merka has earned our disgraceful international reputation as the leader in the world of hypocrisy. We’ve labored diligently to eradicate any perception of bearing and poise, though the duplicitous “practice what you preach” examples. We tell the world how they should manage their lives, and do the exact opposite at home.

Other countries admit to their inconsistencies and complications; others don’t even bother. We openly deny it and advertise every failing, real or imagined, for the world to absorb through our Mainstream Media and Corporate Media Complex. We’re proud of our

We’ve earned the title of “The Great Satan” in many societies because he is considered the “Great Deceiver.” Multiple references in various religious texts establish these connections, and they are not all Christian-based. Islam has several references to Satan, the Deceiver.

Merkan duplicity, deception, and hypocrisy should resolve any questions about the Islamic World’s view of us as the Great Deceiver, their Great Satan, and their ideological foe.

Here’s how I see the equation:

– Satan is the Great Deceiver, trickster… a hypocrite.

– America is viewed as a hypocrite by most of the world… Granted, it’s our government that they see as phony and a trickster, but we are all guilty by association.

– Therefore, we, Americans, are the Great Satan…

I admit that this is a grossly over-simplified equation, and there are many other contributing factors. But if I can see this simple connection, the world can see it, too, maybe even more so, since it reinforces their already tainted view of the US. And… they willingly paint us with this same broad brush, guilty by association.

And then there’s Joseph Robinet Biden – aka Bungles the Clown, #46, who opened the US borders to all comers, some 21 million in all at last count. You’re aware of the types and backgrounds of the people who entered this country illegally with a variety of intentions and for assorted reasons, and they are as diverse as the invaders, but what should frighten the Bejeezus out of every Patriotic American is the number of military-age insurgents and terrorists lurking in that 21 million invaders. Since no one has interviewed or vetted these individuals, there’s no possible way even to estimate the number; that’s what’s truly alarming.

I would imagine that a significant number of the estimated 1.7 million gotaways evaded contact intentionally because they had nefarious motives for coming to Merka. So, for the sake of simplicity and shock, let’s presume that all 1.7 million had ulterior motives to avoid contact, and that 60% were drug mules, which means that 680,000 are potentially terrorists, anti-American activists. If that doesn’t alarm you, it should!

Ask yourself, why would these military-aged men come to Merka illegally, evade detection, then hide amongst us?

Any thoughts?

Where’s the beef?

That’s a good, damned question.

Where are the consequences for these and too many other transgressions of our laws? What’s written above should give you a glimmer, a glimpse of the results of our intentional abandonment of consequence and its impacts; we should be clamoring for retribution, reckoning, or at least redress. Where is your ire, your indignation, your fury for these travesties of justice? But you see, there is no fairness in Merka’s legal system; it’s based on status and position, and that’s NOT American; that’s Marxist.

This is really very simple, especially for those who took an oath of office to serve and protect this country. They have violated that oath.

We profess to be a country of laws. These laws have prescribed penalties for violating them, yet these punishments are frequently ignored altogether. There are latitudes in our law, and these costs are at the discretion of the judge.

Where is fairness in the application of the law based on partisan political postures, position, or party affiliation?

If Lady Justice is blind, how can she see an individual’s politics?

How would she know how we voted, or who we supported?

Why is financial wherewithal a consideration?

Why would any of this even matter if Justice is blind, applied fairly and equally based on the intent of the law?

So, I’ll ask again…

How is it possible for all of these transgressions of our laws to go unpunished?

I return to a concept that I learned from my studies in engineering and life… It’s called Occam’s Razor. It’s a problem-solving principle that advises choosing the most straightforward explanation from the list of plausible options. It assumes that the simplest option is usually the correct one. It’s also called the law of parsimony or prudence, emphasizing not to make more assumptions than necessary. Therefore, using my autodidactic education as the basis for my response, I offer the following brief list.

1. Justice is blind

2. This country is fractured, fragmented, polarized, and politically biased along partisan lines, and justice is applied based on the discretion of the partisanly aligned judge.

3. “The law is no substitute for morality…” – Edward Snowden

4. “The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.” – Publius Cornelius Tacitus

5. It’s all bullshit

– I chose number 5 because the application of the law is mutable and volatile, lacking consistency due to the court’s political biases and leanings. Politics has no place in the law, even though Congress, the opposite of progress, makes the law in most cases.

– Item number 4 in the list also applies cogently, owing to the unfathomable malfeasance in government. Tacitus theorized that the abundance of laws indicates corruption and dysfunction in the government, suggesting that laws targeting specific issues are a symptom of deep societal problems and corruption, rather than a sign of a well-ordered society.

It never ceases to amaze me how 1st century Romans could foresee the issues of 21st century Merka. How do they do it???

Here’s the simple answer using Occam’s Razor… Individuals like Tacitus and other notable historical figures took the time to record their observations. They learned from their predecessors and hoped to pass along their experiences and insights to those who followed them. We don’t grasp that idea, or appreciate that thousands of years of wisdom are available, but only if we realize how truly uninformed we actually are.

People like William of Ockham (Occam) took their time to study and synthesize this information into actionable axioms for folks like us. Occam and other learned men applied this knowledge, then offered their impressions about its affects, effects, and impacts. The goal was to magnify and strengthen it for posterity. They wanted to share their insight to save the bother of learning it the hard way…

We’re convinced that our superior education and access to information insulate us from the errors and mistakes plaguing the ancients, yet we fail to avail ourselves of their works. We do them and ourselves a great disservice by discounting their efforts. You all know the quote about learning from history, so I won’t bother repeating it. Merka is the embodiment of that quote. Einstein’s quote about insanity applies here. You should know that one, too.

Where we go and what we do about this is in the hands of our questionable leadership. I have faith in a few leaders, but the pitiful partisan political postures in Merka cause me to question my assumptions. What I see is their dereliction of duty to the republic and its people, driven by self-interest; they’ve violated a sacred oath.

I remain guardedly optimistic. We’ve navigated other challenges, but we’ve never been as divided or had so many people in our government eagerly pursuing failure and ruin.

Where’s the beef – the consequences for their treachery?

“If men were angels, no government would be necessary.” ~ James Madison

Cheers…

Charlie D.

July 23, 2025

~ The Author ~
Charles R. Dickens was born in 1951, is a veteran of the Vietnam war, for which he volunteered, and the great-great grandson of the noted author, whose name he shares.

He is a fiercely proud American, who still believes this is the greatest country on the planet, with which we’ve lost control and certainly our direction. He grew up in moderate financial surrounding; we’re not rich by any stretch, but didn’t go hungry – his incredibly hard working father saw to that. As most from that era, he learned about life from his father, whose story would take too long to tell, other than to say that, he is also a fiercely proud American; a WWII and Korean war, veteran Marine.

Charlie was educated in the parochial system which, demanded that you actually learn something, and have capability to retain it before you advance. He attended several universities in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree, and chased the goose further to a master’s, and has retained some very definite ideas about education in this country.

In addition, Charlie is a retired blues guitar and vocalist – a musician. This was his therapy career. Nothing brings him as much joy as playing music, and he wishes that he could make a living at it… but alas… life goes on!