Such Tsuris You Shouldn't Know From

Now, let's Really "Secure Our Borders"!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Z) — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 18:26:00 +0000

The latest Republican rant ... "Secure Our Borders!" ... "Secure Our Borders!". A thinly veiled attempt to "go along" with the Racists in our country, or alternatively, perhaps our Economic Recovery has not been so great (even under essentially Republican Rule) and even the Republican supporters are realizing that they are getting screwed, being worked down to a frazzle, loosing their jobs, their savings, their healthcare ... and now it is time to blame all these problems on someone (anyone other than the politicians, "see, look over ... There, or There!").

Perfect time to blame all of our problems on ... the Mexicans! Never mind that Mexican immigration, "legal" or otherwise has practically dried up, that we have more Border Patrol than ever, even have the National Guards helping out, we already have a 640 mile wall in some areas of this 1,954 mile border that includes some of the most inhospitable deserts in the world like the Sonoran Desert, but Mexicans still must be our biggest problem!

Never mind that most of the work that these immigrants are willing to do lie completely outside of the range of things that "real" Americans are willing to do, and that because of the rules already in place for years, in order to work here (illegally) they have been paying Federal Tax and been contributing to the Social Security System with fake SS Cards, though they will never see a dime back. Those that were born here (are thereby US Citizens) and played by the rules, have faced exclusion by the systems in place when they graduate High School at the very time that they could be giving back to our country some of what we invested in them, we are telling them to leave the country (though we don't seem to have any problem accepting them into our military).

Now, let's secure our borders! Well, if you want to secure our borders, starting with the contiguous United States, putting a wall up along the Mexican border is a poor (but expensive) start. The project to build the wall that has already been built, ground to a halt when it ran out of money.

That's right, I did say that this was a poor "START"! Seems like Republicans have forgotten that this country has more borders than just those with Mexico. I guess we also need a Wall all along the Canadian border (over 4000 miles long). Wait a minute, I think I forgot, who exactly are we trying to keep out with these walls? Oh, that's right, TERRORISTS!! Do you have any idea how many Muslims live North of the Canadian border, not that I'm implying that they are all, or any are Terrorists, though some of these same wall-building people think so? There are plenty, they have large communities in places like Toronto, with over a million immigrants in Canada declaring themselves as Muslims, with additional people out of a possible seven million undeclared people who could also be Muslim (National Household Survey 2011).

But we're not done yet!! Some of our politicians seem to have forgotten that our miles and miles of coastlines are borders too (11,000 to 86,000 miles (depending how you measure it))!! I know, the Coast Guard does an excellent job, but if terrorists can land along Israel's highly militarized and much shorter coastline on a regular basis, what are the odds that we couldn't have Terrorists landing somewhere along our coasts and blending in with our population. So, I guess we need walls along all of our coastlines, Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of Mexico. How many miles of wall? How much would all this cost? What does this do to our coastlines, our beaches, bays, estuaries, our ability to trade with the World, effects on tourism, property values? Is all or any of this SANE? Building walls all around our country will only put this country inside of a box, with all of us cowering inside, afraid to stick our head out. If we do all this, even though it breaks our country, financially, spiritually and morally, haven't we then just handed the terrorists exactly what they want?

No, you say, this is all about illegal immigration, just give us a Southern Border Wall. Well, this is where the Racism comes in. In the final analysis, if there is no way to justify this grand plan, then Racism is the only explanation remaining.

The Dumbing Down of Humanity

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Z) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 22:04:00 +0000

Apparently, people will sink to the lowest level available to them. They will not strive to be better, only sufficient. They do not wonder about the world around them, and only expect the world to fit into their way of thinking. As creatures of habit, they always expect things to remain the same and are shocked when they do not. Sometimes they seem to glory in their ignorance, and feel threatened by and are hostile to, anything scientific, even though it is that very scientific understanding that has allowed them to survive and flourish in today's society.

I come from a challenging world, where building things that did not previously exist, was an exciting way to look at the world, where thinking was not something to be embarrassed about.

Looking at the "users" in the current world order, they can use their little black boxes (iphones, ipods, ipads, laptops, etc.) and all their simplified software or Apps and have absolutely no concept of how these things work, what these are actually doing, and how these things are performing their functions. The understanding of the majority of people becomes whether these things are "good" or "bad" for what they want to use them for. I understand that these things have become higher level tools, but when the underpinning of functional understanding evaporates for the bulk of humanity, how long will it be until a crisis arises and we are plunged into another Dark Ages, with most of our former knowledge lost.

I once had a boss who was so proud of his expensive piece of automated equipment, he said, "even a monkey could run this." Well, maybe he was right, but should that be the goal of our societies, to produce people with mentalities no greater than a monkey (not to insult monkeys). If we do not challenge people, one psychological study showed, they will not strive to be better. They will be no better than what people expect them to be. Advertisers always target people as if they have a forth grade mentality, and it seems to work for them. Is that what we all will become?

The Meanness of People

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Z) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:43:00 +0000

Dismiss, dehumanize, insult or just ignore, all in a typical day. We have our own motives for acting the way we do, usually looking out for ourselves, or protecting the "world" we have constructed around ourselves (real or imaginative), but the cruelty, heartlessness and vicious way that some people treat others who disturb them, get in their way, slow them down, disagree with them or upset their blissfully imaginative connection to their own reality is beyond frightening. It can leave a deep sadness on our overall impression of the limits to the heights that humanity may ever achieve.

The pride in themselves, the feeling that they deserve to be treated in a way close to Royalty, that their time is more valuable than anyone else's. Stomping on the necks of others is just a normal way of "doing business".

Yes, they may have some justification, with some people out there being just incompetent, careless and thoughtless, not buying into the concept that doing a "good" job has some value to society and to themselves. These people can frustrate others, but still do not excuse the kind of human behavior that pervades society and extends beyond assertive into the realm of abusive.

Perhaps the Buddhist philosophy has some of this right, insisting that control of our "wild" thoughts will be to the benefit of ourselves and eventually everyone around us. We have to live with others, we are not isolated from other people (we can not live that way and survive for long). Determining a way to live, where we do not leave the crushed and broken bodies of others in our wake, will be a better way in the long run. Consider the words we use, before they are spoken. Always try to transpose ourselves with those we come in contact with, in order to feel the effect of what we do or say has on them. This perspective would allow us to realize that the feeling we have may not be a pleasant one and may encourage the softening of our words to others.

Is This Game Rigged?

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Z) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Try as many may to "get ahead", we find that we are fighting a loosing battle. Is this the way that modern society is structured? Yes, we all get older (some faster than others), and try to do things basically the "right" way, put away something for a rainy day or retirement, work for the things we would like in our lives, try to treat others decently, and hope for the best in our and our loved ones lives. Things do happen beyond our control to knock us off of our planned path, like illness, accident or worse. But it is the things that we think we have some control or say-so in that can hit us from out of the blue. Sometimes it is just our own unrealistic expectations, but many times it is the "system" itself that drives these things. Laws, rules, whims of politicians, appointees or people in positions of "power", and their "friends".

Why is it that the poorest people are paying the highest interest rates on loans? Why is it that the term "usury" has conveniently fell out of the English language? Why are people so concerned about "illegal" aliens violating immigration laws and not so concerned about violations in minimum wage laws, work-time laws, work-safety laws or social security laws? Why is it that Banks can hold your money and find ways to steal it from you? Why is it that your home can be taken from you by Government entities and handed over to for-profit companies? Why is it that Credit Card companies are allowed to disembowel the population and no-one lifts a finger to stop them? Why can companies dump toxic wastes, making whole populations ill, and no-one does anything about it?

Is getting ahead, accumulating wealth and making a good life for yourself and your decendents just a myth created by other people with their own agenda?

Holier than Thou

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Z) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 05:41:00 +0000

Maybe it's all about Power. They value Power above all. They are driven by it, they will flaunt it, they will use it over others without hesitation. They justify it as the Moral way to be, that only they or their group or philosophy knows what is right or the best for others. That the balance of the world is too ignorant to make the Right choices. They are Protecting their way of life, their friends, their possessions, their money. They will kill or allow killing in their zealousy to enforce their way. They are unconcerned or conciously oblivious to the suffering that they cause, and the lives that they destroy.