I tend to be pretty much at peace with life, but I had a small departure from “calmness” this afternoon while having a phone conversation. I did raise my voice, but the tone was purposefully deliberate, without personal attacks, or profanity. Anger? Yes. No thought of physically harming anyone, only to make apoint so points of view are focused on the truth, not some fairy tale world view.
Me: “John Ashcroft resigned.”
They: “Why?”
Me: “I heard them say the other day some people were going, some ‘burn out.'”
They: “Well, George Bush made it hard.”
Screen play version follows:
He begins to seeth, mental images of bodies falling from buildings, fireballs from jet fuel, toppling towers surge through his mind in rapid succession, but he recovers from the shock of such an incoherent and obviously STUPID (yes, and I mean it in the most complete sense of the word) statement having been uttered from the mouth of a 54 year old American citizen by birth.
Me: “How can you say that? It’s hard because we have been at war! Hard because John Aschroft and the FBI, and the DIA and the, oh, yeah, don’t forget the CIA, lead by a Clinton appointee, had to completely change how they did things to protect us from more attacks. Are you saying George Bush made it hard on those almost 3000 people that died?”
They: (not to draw this out) Unstammering comments to try to tell me it was the President’s fault, with no recognition of what came to the world on the morning of September 11, 2001.
My God, how can anyone with a brain their head (but, I hate to sound mean spirited, but maybe that’s the case, they don’t have one) even try to make this about George Bush. Comments about how “we are still headed in the wrong direction (re: Iraq)”, “Kerry didn’t have the advantage of being Presiedent, so how could you expect him to come up with a plan for the war?” Response: “He had access to essentially the same intelligence as the President, but FAILED TO ATTEND THE MEETINGS, so he is culpable in that he didn’t make use of what he should have known.” “Well, I bet there are other senators who don’t got tho their meetings!” AAAAAAUUUGGGHHHHH!!!!! SO WHAT!!!!! They aren’t the ones running for President! “well, people’s records get uncovered when they run for office.” “Tell me where you read that George Bush was an ‘absentee’ govenor?” (no reposnse). Standard tactic of one who has no ammunition to expend: Try to focus attention elsewhere.
I did pose the question: “How can you be so cavalier about those who died when we were attacked?” I’m not sure if I didn’t wait for an answer, or after a half a word forming, realized the answer forthcoming would be wrong, so I don’t think that came to closure, before I cut her off.
Some background: A woman with a good vocabulary, who runs her own business, sells jewelry on weekends for fun and the interaction and a little extra money, owns two cars, one that is never driven in the rain, or the winter weather, owns not only one house, but a second on a prime piece of waterfront property. Point: This person has the advantage of every American citizen to do as she pleases, and has benefited from the advantage of being a woman in a society that, despite it’s faults, provides a tremendous degree of equality and respect for women.
Response to being “pampered” by the United States legacy of freedom: Denigrate someone who stepped up to the plate and took the fight to a determined enemy. Forget to consider, while we are all in it together, there are many hard working people in the Government striving to keep us safe, and this isn’t something that happened at the drop of a hat, but has been something brewing for some time, transcending several presidencies…..but, it’s gotta be that arrogant “W”s personal agenda that has brought us here. Coming from a 2 year old, I may be able to accept it (while thinking of having a serious talk with the parents), but from a full grown adult with normal functioning mental capabilities? I’m still incredulous, several hours later, and I suppose I will be for life.
I commented: John Kennedy rose to the challenge on dark night in the Pacific and provided the leadership necessary for his men. “Oh, that’s what eanone would do.” Really? Yep, jfK ran and hid from combat, but I guess he’s the better man. John Kennedy unilaterally blockaded Cuba. “Wasn’t that the Bay of Pigs?” “No, that was us unilaterally invading another soverign nation. Blockading Cuba was another time.” “That was economic, wasn’t it?” (Wow, what an opening, a President unilaterally blockades a nation with a Naval Force over money and trade….grand idea.) “NO, that was because the Soviets were putting nuclear missiles into Cuba and the THREATENED US!”
I don’t think it sunk in. History, yes, pretty boring and who cares anyhow, when we can suck up the benefits and just listen to some drivel from a couple of multi-millionaires (Soros and Moore) telling us things that are proven false within about 22 seconds of any serious study.
Where is the indignation that a handful of people with millions of dollars of pocket change to burn showing up and, in the case of one, blatantly telling us he was going to buy the president out of office? I think any citizen should sit back for a moment and think: “Let me get this straight. You don’t like him and you will show up and distribute dollars and make an attempt to override my blood bought right to vote for who I want? Ok, so maybe I agree that I don’t like George Bush, but what if in ’08, I don’t agree with you?”
Duh….that’s it. If he’ll buy votes against the one you don’t like, he can buy votes next time against the one you like. What say you now? Kinda like the Catholics and Christians who were fine with the Jewish neighbors being hauled off in Nazi Germany. How would you respond when it was your turn? Yep, kinda hard to get a right back that you let go of, because it didn’t affect your over-privledged position in life.
Yes, it got my blood pressure up. After hanging up, the recollection of standing the mid-watch on pitch black nights, 35 hours laying over the reduction gear for major reapairs at sea, standing into port in many foreign lands, dressed in whites, knowing all eyes were on the handling of the ship bearing the Stars and Stripes and the action of every crewman, while my wife handled family matters alone in the States, standing over charts, rapidly scanning radio reports, hard copy intellegence, desperately trying to figure where the enemy submarines were, so we could order ASW assets into positions to protect the carriers and supply ships, and so many other things. While I never had the oppotunity to serve in any combat other than being at sea for Operation Prarie Fire off Libya in ’86, I steamed the waters of the World’s oceans so a conversation like this could happen.
I cannot regret my service for the stupidity of one person, who has heard many of my stories and knows of my service, and through links I send her, many of the stories of those who serve her now, but it sure felt easy to consider “going there.”
I feel better now. She just provided a catalyst for all the insanity that has followed this election. In her case, I had an opprotunity to present another point.
Enough. Maybe one day she’ll even stop here and read this…..and post her side of the story (that should be a classic read…:) )