Tuesday, July 26, 2011

"the politics of fear ..."

The President's speech last night, per media coverage last night and print news this morning used that term several times.  I find fear to be an interesting, over rated and under rated phenomenon based on the context of its use.  I am one that is not easily brought to a state of fear.  But fear is a motivator, it is kinetic and it is effective if it is aimed properly.

Fear is the verb of respect I believe deeply in my heart.  Fear, the verb, reverberates in our culture via videos, emails, Internet, news, etc, far too much to the point that it has become noise or in military jargon, "rotor wash" as the chopped moves to the LZ; you actually do not hear it after a while.  My greatest disappointment in the current political maelstrom is the blatant, almost childish use of fear to scare the American public into some sort of submission. I do not see resolve in our political leaders, especially our President, to bring this debt ceiling issue to a productive head and work with the decision to better this great nation.  What I see is partisan warfare and that is dangerous!

War for the sake of war is, well, stupid!  I am at the point that I believe the Founders did a miracle in establishing the tripartite system of government for it has proven its worth many, many times. So the issue is not the system but a flaw filling of the chairs in Washington with people, I believe good, well intended people that get sucked into a vortex of power and deceit and politics.  That is what becomes the culture which is truly sad to watch.  I listen to Obama, I listen to Boehner, I listen to Reid, I listen, listen, listen but I only hear rotor wash which means I really am watching talking heads. Each can articulate a clear position but then I find myself questioning the reporters read on what they just said and find myself frustrated with the whole mess. And a mess it is!

Do I think a "decision" will be reached on the debt ceiling? Yes. Do I think America deserves to have a lowered credit rating? Absolutely for it that will be the energy pill to cause real leadership to step forward, lower away.!  Here is the context of my thoughts on this whole fiasco we are living through ... ready?

I believe this era of our history is a defining moment that will dictate the next decade or two.  Other defining moments of this level of gravity was the American Revolution, retest a hundred years later with the American Civil War, retested a hundred years later with the Civil Rights legislation ... and then the Vietnam War that changed a culture, a destiny and a dream! So pretty heavy hitters, right?  That is the family of events I believe this current situation ranks within but how it turns out is still a great question.  I can better understand Lincoln in the 1862-63 time frame when he, as Commander-in-Chief needed generals that would fight the fight to win the battles to give him the political momentum to move key legislation through Congress. He was depression but never gave up and never public was derogatory of his field generals which is a far cry from what our current Commander-in-Chief is doing via news conferences, too many, town halls, too many .... when you are in a hole, you do not need more people with shovels, right?

So my thought for this day ... put up the shovels, fix this thing together and let's put this great ship of State back in the water to navigate the real, more pertinent issues before us. Yes, we can!

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