To choose or not to choose, that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous bullshit or to take arms against this sea of crap and by opposing end it. ~ (adapted from Hamlet – the play, not the pig.)
“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” ~ Benjamin Franklin
Todays, inspiration is from a FaceBook Friend (FBF) who posted, “Drunk driving kills 20,000 Americans a year. Imagine saying, “Driving drunk is my personal choice; wear a seatbelt & drive sober if you’re so worried.
Personal choices that have public consequences are public health issues. COVID killed 400,000 last year and 610,000 so far. GET VACCINATED???” Continue reading
I didn’t get much rest in the past few weeks. The use of fear as a shock collar and instigator is keeping me awake and chaffing me raw. My disgust for this administration and any agency that creates and wields fear to extort control sickens me.
A late in the day text from a most excellent friend suggested this title, and like with so many other of his ideas, this one comes at a perfect time.
I am a long-time resident of Arizona and a combat veteran of Vietnam. I volunteered to serve our country during the 1970s when the convenient and popular sentiment was to protest all things American, especially the war.
It’s another remarkably unremarkable desert morning, but I wish it were raining. There’s a light blue sky, and as usual, the temperature is moderate for this time of year, as usual. Like always, it’s genuinely unremarkable. Another day in paradise, as we say in the valley of the blistering summer sun: But it’s winter. I wish it were raining because deep in my being, I feel the dark overcast of embitterment, and I’m unnerved about my future, our future. Recent events are a concern for any sane American, let alone the political zealots rampaging across the country. Even my ultraconservative neighbor is worried. He sees this as a sign of the apocalypse. He believes he has a future in Heaven after Armageddon. I believed in our Consitution, so I understand his point, but I’ve lost faith in my country. 
Funny, when we fought together there was no such problem because our mutual problem was about keeping each other alive. We were a team with a common goal. We’re home now, and there is no team. We are individuals. We have each other to fight. We have the system to fight. We have the economy and Wall Street, and healthcare, and schools to fight. 
What’s happened to our moral compass? When did we lose our sense of direction? The assertion that this country as not based on Judeo-Christian values is simply not true.
I suppose I am an old-school individual. I believe that face to face conversations and interaction are certainly the most enlightening and edifying. I enjoy the company of several people at the table for meals and even for drinks. I learn and grow from our conversations, which is after the point. In fact, one of my favorite partner’s and companions is my wife. She provides a different perspective and refreshing view of the topic with her feminine and ethnic views.