I didn't get a chance to watch the full speech of Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan last night (errands come first), but a portion I DID watch really took me back in time.
Ryan was relating how his job at McDonald's gave him the chance to plan for his future; he recalled flipping burgers and standing in front of the Hobart dish washing machine. He used his time constructively to realize that he was better than that job, and that there were bigger things in life than what he was doing at that moment.
It was at that moment that deja vu struck me right between the eyes!
Yes, Ryan and I had something in common: we both flipped burgers and stood in front of the Hobart dish washing machine!
Our circumstances were identical, (I actually worked in a 24-hour truck stop) but our thought processes, while sharing some commonality, were different. Or, maybe not so much. You decide.
Flipping and standing as we were, Ryan thought "this is just a step in life; I can make things change; there are better things out there". And, that's just what he did. He looked for, and found, something more.
In my own experience, my motivation was the realization that I had found something that I DIDN'T WANT TO DO FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE! It was truly motivating to me: the shift started at 6AM, I had to clean up any messes left by the teenagers who had worked the night shift, and lifting damned near killed me. The pay was too low, the work too hard, and respect was non-existant. Some of the folks with whom I worked had done the restaurant number all their lives. Two of the cooks, husband and wife, had immigrated (legally) from Europe after WWII and had been doing the same thing ever since. This was in the early 1970's. For them nothing had changed much; looking back, they seemed to enjoy what they were doing, though. Different strokes, I guess.
It also struck me as sad (I could have been wrong), that one of the other shift dish washers was probably in his 70's and had no future other that what we were both seeing.
Nonetheless, that job, while enjoyable to some degree, made me realize that some jobs prepare your life for the future, to set your sights higher, and sometimes you see what it is you DON'T want in life.
That was my experience, and somehow I thank Ryan for bringing back what had become a faded memory.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Oh, the humanity--A short commentary on politics
So, we've got another convention underway, in spite of protesters, a possible hurricane, allegedly biased media and rule changes designed to make all but the back room boys STFU.
This gathering, made all-but-meaningless with the pre-ordination of the back room boy's favorite RINO, Mitt Romney, is predictably a yawner.
By many accounts, some of which accepted by this writer, the decision to put MR into the presidential sweepstakes was a decision made years ago, and no, you weren't consulted.
Now, the party 'leaders' are pushing for rules that will close off all participation by any candidate or faction (read "tea party"), unless the candidate or back room boys give their blessing. Trouble is, the BRB's don't have a spine, quite unlike the tea party members. The upper have selected losers for years: Dole (an old fart who never had a chance), McCain (need we say more about this RINO?). It's almost as if the cynics who have claimed that the D's and R's are in it together, and neither one wants to rock the boat. ("It's Dole's turn", my foot.)
The leadership has been content to put up candidates who say they are running, but when push comes to shove, they'll sett;e to be 'shoved' every time.
The party mucky-mucks have not foresight, insight or guts. Their hallmark campaign is to be reactive and to not make any waves.
Heaven forbid that the press or the democrats be called to account for all the rumors and outright lies that come incessantly from their collective mouth. That's 'mouth', singular.
When was the last time a republican actually uttered an original thought without prompting from an opposing candidate or some reporter that wanted his 15 minutes of fame?
Take the tax return nonsense: there is no rational reason that a candidate should be required to reveal the most private information of his family finances. It's no one's business but his own. Yet when some worn-out reprobate like the embarrassment-general of the democrat party, Harry Reid, comes forth with unfounded accusations about MR's tax returns, Reid's supporters in the media fall all over themselves to see who can spread unfounded rumors fastest. That's the sad state of the fourth estate; instead of sounding alarms about the government so that people can keep an eye or a chain on government, they all climb into bed together and sing some song I can't spell.
Whatever happened to the active role of the press, investigative reporting, or actually sniffing out a story? We know that there is news, for we can read it on the internet or hear it on the over-looked medium of radio. You won't see it on the alphabet news or read about it in the newspapers.
Perhaps it stems from the answer of one journalism student when asked why he chose his major in college: "Because I want to make a difference".
Someone should have told him to become a social worker, instead. We don't need those who work for change entering the journalistic fields, we need reporters who understand just what objectivity is, and how important the role of the media is SUPPOSED to be.
This gathering, made all-but-meaningless with the pre-ordination of the back room boy's favorite RINO, Mitt Romney, is predictably a yawner.
By many accounts, some of which accepted by this writer, the decision to put MR into the presidential sweepstakes was a decision made years ago, and no, you weren't consulted.
Now, the party 'leaders' are pushing for rules that will close off all participation by any candidate or faction (read "tea party"), unless the candidate or back room boys give their blessing. Trouble is, the BRB's don't have a spine, quite unlike the tea party members. The upper have selected losers for years: Dole (an old fart who never had a chance), McCain (need we say more about this RINO?). It's almost as if the cynics who have claimed that the D's and R's are in it together, and neither one wants to rock the boat. ("It's Dole's turn", my foot.)
The leadership has been content to put up candidates who say they are running, but when push comes to shove, they'll sett;e to be 'shoved' every time.
The party mucky-mucks have not foresight, insight or guts. Their hallmark campaign is to be reactive and to not make any waves.
Heaven forbid that the press or the democrats be called to account for all the rumors and outright lies that come incessantly from their collective mouth. That's 'mouth', singular.
When was the last time a republican actually uttered an original thought without prompting from an opposing candidate or some reporter that wanted his 15 minutes of fame?
Take the tax return nonsense: there is no rational reason that a candidate should be required to reveal the most private information of his family finances. It's no one's business but his own. Yet when some worn-out reprobate like the embarrassment-general of the democrat party, Harry Reid, comes forth with unfounded accusations about MR's tax returns, Reid's supporters in the media fall all over themselves to see who can spread unfounded rumors fastest. That's the sad state of the fourth estate; instead of sounding alarms about the government so that people can keep an eye or a chain on government, they all climb into bed together and sing some song I can't spell.
Whatever happened to the active role of the press, investigative reporting, or actually sniffing out a story? We know that there is news, for we can read it on the internet or hear it on the over-looked medium of radio. You won't see it on the alphabet news or read about it in the newspapers.
Perhaps it stems from the answer of one journalism student when asked why he chose his major in college: "Because I want to make a difference".
Someone should have told him to become a social worker, instead. We don't need those who work for change entering the journalistic fields, we need reporters who understand just what objectivity is, and how important the role of the media is SUPPOSED to be.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Went to the movies...
The Roo, The Stump and I went yesterday to see the movie that opened at #1 when it was released, "2016: Obama's America".
It was more than a little disturbing; it chronicled the journey, if you will, of young Barack Obama from his birth to the present day while providing background as to what makes him "the one".
Using words from Obama's own reading of his book, and interviews with many of his relatives, friends and analysts, several things become apparent, among them just why he wants to be president so badly.
As most young kids do, he idolized his father, who abandoned him at an early age; (he was a bigamist with Obama's mother) and seemed to have no interest beyond himself. It wasn't until teen Barack's older sister explained the real facts behind his father that his world seemed to come tumbling down around his ears.
It seems that his disappointment with the treatment by his father, whom he saw only once, about age 10, propelled the young man into the sphere where he resides today: a world where he can make up for the short-comings of his father, and show that world that he is able to succeed regardless of the jumbled past from which he comes.
Trying to emulate the anti-colonial beliefs of his father, he surrounds himself with others of like mind: Rev. Jeramiah Wright, Bill Ayers, and many other lesser known socialists in order to further his education and to help formulate strategy to define what he truly believes.
The actions of a President Obama parrot the lines laid down by anti-colonialist scholars from around the world: slower-developing nations must be made better, or the United States must be pulled down to that level in order that the US as we know it, will disappear, replaced by just another country among a world of nations. Obama foresees a world with no super powers.
His strategy is to accomplish this by three main means: High taxes from Americans to distribute to those countries and factions he deems to be worthy, destruction of America's military superiority (5,000 nuclear weapons cut back to 300, even in light of middle eastern production increases of the same weaponry) and solidifying the Muslim community around the world, actually grouping them throughout the middle east and Africa, using NASA as a prime missionary.
These bold moves have already been made. The extent of their reach and sucess is really up to the American electorate in 2012; accept the conclusions of "2016" or choose another path.
The movie ends with the well-distributed poster: "Love him or hate him. You Don't know him." changed to read "Now you know him." The impact of that statement is quite clear.
Revelations found in "2016" paint a very clear picture of a man who has made it his life's work to keep any real knowledge of his background from all but the closest to him.
It was more than a little disturbing; it chronicled the journey, if you will, of young Barack Obama from his birth to the present day while providing background as to what makes him "the one".
Using words from Obama's own reading of his book, and interviews with many of his relatives, friends and analysts, several things become apparent, among them just why he wants to be president so badly.
As most young kids do, he idolized his father, who abandoned him at an early age; (he was a bigamist with Obama's mother) and seemed to have no interest beyond himself. It wasn't until teen Barack's older sister explained the real facts behind his father that his world seemed to come tumbling down around his ears.
It seems that his disappointment with the treatment by his father, whom he saw only once, about age 10, propelled the young man into the sphere where he resides today: a world where he can make up for the short-comings of his father, and show that world that he is able to succeed regardless of the jumbled past from which he comes.
Trying to emulate the anti-colonial beliefs of his father, he surrounds himself with others of like mind: Rev. Jeramiah Wright, Bill Ayers, and many other lesser known socialists in order to further his education and to help formulate strategy to define what he truly believes.
The actions of a President Obama parrot the lines laid down by anti-colonialist scholars from around the world: slower-developing nations must be made better, or the United States must be pulled down to that level in order that the US as we know it, will disappear, replaced by just another country among a world of nations. Obama foresees a world with no super powers.
His strategy is to accomplish this by three main means: High taxes from Americans to distribute to those countries and factions he deems to be worthy, destruction of America's military superiority (5,000 nuclear weapons cut back to 300, even in light of middle eastern production increases of the same weaponry) and solidifying the Muslim community around the world, actually grouping them throughout the middle east and Africa, using NASA as a prime missionary.
These bold moves have already been made. The extent of their reach and sucess is really up to the American electorate in 2012; accept the conclusions of "2016" or choose another path.
The movie ends with the well-distributed poster: "Love him or hate him. You Don't know him." changed to read "Now you know him." The impact of that statement is quite clear.
Revelations found in "2016" paint a very clear picture of a man who has made it his life's work to keep any real knowledge of his background from all but the closest to him.
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