Humpday Happenings...
I'll wager that most all of of you have heard of NASCAR, and I'll also wager that many of you that follow the sport have heard of the term "Silly Season".
For those uninitiated ones, this is the time during the NASCAR racing season where all kinds of weird things occur.
Drivers might changes rides, sponsors decide to either renew or end their contracts. Mechanics move up the corporate ladder, pit personnel might be replaced, as well as shop technicians. Team owners even think about NEXT season, and whether to front the same number of cars, or rather to add a car or lose a car.
In essence, it's organized confusion, after a fashion.
Well, after about the first month or so of the new Presidential administration, I can positively conclude that AMERICA has entered it's OWN "silly season".
We're seeing wholesale changes throughout the government, and NOT always for the best.
In fact, we're seeing a LOT of troubling things happening.
Today, our President addresses the U.N. for the first time in his administration.
And we've also got the leaders of Iran and Libya close by as well.
This should prove interesting on a LOT of levels.
Yesterday, I focused on TRUTH...something that I fear will be in very short supply during the U.N. talks.
Everyone involved in whatever subjects that will be discussed will be MORE concerned with something called POSTURING.
People will be jockeying for the "best position", in order to secure sympathy from the other delegates.
They will stretch the turth, or will manufacture falsehoods in order to forward their own agenda, or to captivate others, and will omit facts levelled against them, stating they are outright lies.
One can say that we could see displays of "brinkmanship" that might rival the days of the Khrushchev era with a shoe being pounded upon the table...or we may not. It makes me wonder who will call who a "liar" along the way.
Oh, yeah...it's SILLY SEASON all right.
Only things is, what will be discussed at the U.N. will be anything BUT "silly".
Perhaps we're not talking universal Armageddon, but we ARE talking about things that could affect every single one of us.
Just recently, an NYC terror plot was uncovered...
And there are more than a few more that we're not even made aware of.
I mean, we don't want to panic the public, right?
We can't wind up becoming a nation of doomsayers, looking over our shoulder every other moment, and trusting no one, can we?
Then again, neither can we go about our business as if NOTHING at all is wrong, because there is.
We are engaged in a global conflict with those who believe WE are evil. America is a bad country and must be defeated, say these demented people. They have sworn JIHAD against us, because WE EXIST.
Now, I'm not saying we run right out to the local survival store and clean off the shelves, but we should also NOT allow ourselves to become so damn complacent, so as to give ANY enemy of our nation and it's people a free "foot in the door", as it were.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" goes the saying, and that works for me just fine.
We still need to be a vigilant people.
Something that many of you might find bothersome about all of this, is that we still have PLENTY of problems RIGHT HERE in the good old USofA that need looking into, correct?
We've got an out-of-control government, hell-bent on spending our way into insolvency, as they "claim" they're helping the economy. Sorry, that dog just won't hunt for me.
And while we're concerned about our federal government, we've ALSO got to focus on how the economy is affecting every single one of us AT HOME and AT OUR JOBS (well, those of us fortunate enough to NOT have been "out-sourced" overseas or south of the border). We've all still got kids to raise and educate, vehicles and homes that need to be maintained, as well as our bodies, food and clothing to buy, utilities and insurance to pay, credit card bills due, and those nasty, unforeseen "events" that can cost us "the farm" (read bank account) at the drop of a hat.
Add to THAT, our individual and collective safety on the streets and roads of our cities.
We have to be on guard for identity theft, strong-arm robbery, rape, car-jackings, and other random acts of violence.
And we also also have to ensure we're not victims in our OWN HOMES, when a perp comes calling at 3AM!
So, we...the American people already have a pretty full plate set before us.
It's little wonder we seem overwhelmed by all of it, because we view this (and perhaps more) as a Tsunami of evil, intent of washing us from the lives we've created.
It would be nice to be left the hell alone for a while, wouldn't it...so we could catch our breath?
You can't always get what you want, sang the Rolling Stones.
We feel as if we're being yanked in too many directions at once.
What we need to do is find some balance to all of this crap.
We can be AWARE of what happens around us, and affect changes where required, but we have to also not allow such distractions to deter us from our lives. We have to concentrate on the immediate, while never losing sight of the long term.
I know all of this can be one helluva carnival ride...but we can't simply get off, puke our guts out, and call it done.
We've got to see this one out until it's eventual end.
And that's where the American people shine.
Americans don't like to do things half-assed, in spite of what it's government might do.
Dad once said "Anything worth DOING...is worth DOING WELL", and that applies to every one of us, and ESPECIALLY NOW.
We all need to do what we have to do, to keep our lives as SANE as possible.
American has always been the "Can-Do" nation, and this is as good a time as any to repeat that.
We need to remain calm AND be cautious.
We need to remain steadfast AND devoted to the truth.
We need to retain our values, disciplines, and integrity.
But perhaps most of all...
We NEED to remain...AMERICANS.
CAN-DO...right?
Stay safe out there, America.