Enduring Evil

 

Kitchen Table Tyranny

The Biden administration has invaded the former privacy and sanctity of our homes with quite an expensive and repressive vengeance.

In communistic fashion, natural gas appliances, washing machines, and now air conditioners are all federal targets for environmental downgrades, and damn the cost to hard-working Americans. What's next, blenders and hand-mixers?

I don't recall voting for the Energy Secretary, the gleefully psychotic-looking Jennifer Granholm who is taking such frequent joy in informing us of the newest restriction on our personal liberties. Maybe it's me, but I have never seen a photo or a video clip of Granholm in which she didn't look like a delighted, power-crazed maniac. 

I'd like to know where the legislative and judicial branches of our government are in the midst of this totalitarian power grab over Americans' daily lives. They're awfully quiet, in my opinion. Not to be paranoid, but I wonder about the degree of complicity among all our elected officials to subdue us into one huge herd of behaviorally controlled sheep.

There's that old saying that just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean they aren't after you. Americans are fast losing control over our personal choice in every aspect of our quality of life, and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight. Excuse me while I go hide my coffeemaker.

Portraits of a Power Nut ~ Energy Secretary Granholm

For St. Pat's Day

Two national anthems is a recent idea in the USA. But in Ireland, it's been a tradition for many years.

The Soldier's Song is Ireland's official national anthem. Ireland's Call was written in 1995 and adopted by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) to express unity for the entire country. Both Irish anthems are sung at home games. But when rugby, hockey, and cricket games are played on foreign soil, only Ireland's Call is sung.

It's often been said that on St. Patrick's Day, everyone is Irish. Instead of being identified as a race or gender, I wish we could all just be Americans for a day. I wish we could rediscover our natural state of national unity; I have to keep hoping that will happen. In the meantime, Happy St. Patrick's Day to all.

Ireland's Call Anthem ~ World Rugby ~ 2015

Ireland's Call Lyrics

Come the day
And come the hour
Come the power and the glory
We have come to answer our country's call
From the four proud provinces of Ireland

Ireland
Ireland
Together standing tall
Shoulder to shoulder
We'll answer Ireland's call

From the mighty Glens of Antrim
From the rugged hills of Galway
From the walls of Limerick
And Dublin Bay
From the four proud provinces of Ireland

Ireland
Ireland
Together standing tall
Shoulder to shoulder
We'll answer Ireland's call

Hearts of steel
And heads unbowing
Vowing to never be broken
We will fight
'Til we can't fight no more
From the four proud provinces of Ireland

Ireland
Ireland
Together standing tall
We are shoulder to shoulder
We'll answer Ireland's call, yeah
We'll answer Irelands's call

Change for the Worse

It's raining again this morning in California. I've heard commentary that this is the coldest, wettest California winter in the past half century. I know it's the coldest, wettest winter since I've lived here, which is more than four decades.

I don't want to hear about global warming. Neither am I interested in any remarks about "the drought." Californians are still wearing our fur boots and sweaters, and both are soaked through. To me, "climate change" is weather dressed up in Sunday clothing. Go sell it somewhere else.

Change in the USA goes much farther and deeper than the weather.

I'm tired of hearing about "our democracy" from autocrats. "Our democracy" translates to "my power," which further translates to the crushing of our First Amendment rights. When politicians, left and right, don't want us to see video of January 6--outside of what they have deemed appropriate--then regardless of the video's content, freedom of the press is gone.

When people are afraid of losing their livelihoods because they speak out on their personal convictions, there is no freedom of speech. When a federal agency issues an order for surveillance of a particular religious group, there is no free exercise of religion.

When parents are tagged as "domestic terrorists" for attending their children's school board meetings to voice their concerns about curriculum that they find objectionable, there is no right to peaceably assemble.

When states are denied court hearings on significant grievances, their right to redress has been infringed. 

These are all negative changes, symptoms of what I've heard and seen described in various forums as "managed decline," "late-stage republic," and "soft tyranny." It's difficult to argue against any of those descriptions of the current state of our nation. The First Amendment to our US Constitution is in ruins and has been rendered largely meaningless. Will the rest of the Constitution's Amendments follow like the proverbial dominos? 

The likelihood of that thought being reality leaves me colder than this California winter.

First Amendment - United States Constitution

Ten Rules to Change the World

The news cycles have been just too grim to address these days, even if it is Lent. Below is a motivational speech given by Admiral McRaven several years ago. In it, he applies lessons he learned in US Navy Seal training to create a blueprint for success in life. It's well worth a quarter hour of your time to watch.

As a cheat sheet, below are the ten rules the good Admiral explains in the video:

1. Start each day with a task completed: make your bed.

2. Find someone to help you through life.

3. Respect everyone.

4. Life isn't always fair; move forward.

5. Don't be afraid to fail often.

6. Take risks.

7. Face down the bullies.

8. Step up when times are tough.

9. Lift up the downtrodden.

10. Never give up.

                                        Admiral McRaven's "Change the World" Address

As a more in-depth treatment of his rules to change the world, Admiral McRaven wrote a book based on the first rule. You can find Make Your Bed at bookstores and online.

Since childhood, I've followed that rule. I can't say that I've changed the world. But it's certainly true that a neatly made bed awaiting me at the end of many miserable days always seemed an oasis of calm in a sea of chaos. Making my bed has proven to be worth the effort, so I'd say Rules 2 through 10 can be trusted, too.

If the Admiral's ten rules can possibly change our sorry world, they are all definitely worth a try.