Blogs are created by people who have something to get off their chests, but no forum in which to do it.
Do people actually talk to each other these days?
I live in an area in which the residents are really nice people--friendly, considerate, helpful, kind, and always pleasant. No one passes without saying hello or "good morning." Doors are held, elevators are held up, someone will always reach for your parcels if you are carrying too many. But conversations? Seldom, if ever. Conversations consist of comments about the weather--too hot, too cold, too rainy. But real conversations, about issues that matter? Where can you find those? Not in my building.
The only conversation I have with my contemporaries these days is so superficial that it bores me to listen to them, and bores me more to listen to myself. There is never anything of any consequence that they say to me, and I'd feel like an idiot if I tried to say something of importance to them.
What do you think of Don't Ask Don't Tell? Huh? This is legislation that is life-changing to millions of people in America, and maybe in the world, and if I mention it to anyone, what I get is a blank stare.
What I can't say in conversation I propose to say here. I think President Obama was right to negotiate an across-the-board tax cut. If we don't appease the zillionaires, we cripple the entire nation. After all, what's really true about our so-called democratic society is that it is not really democratic, nor has it ever been. The elite are the royals and the rest of us are the peons. We exist to serve them. If we don't, we pay. Mr. Obama knows this. I admire him more than I've ever admired anyone in my life. He's educated, smart, intuitive, decent, honest, sincere, and a damn good Joe. He is also a superb politician. He controls his emotions, keeps his motives to himself, and acts to benefit all of us. It bothers me that there are so many people who are willing to criticize him, and so many people who have personal political motives, that it doesn't matter to them that their remarks are traitorous.
I am thrilled that the bill was passed for the First Responders. These were the firefighters who entered the buildings on 9/11. They risked their lives to pull out of the rubble anyone who was still alive, and many who were dead. Would you or I do it? Could we? These heroes deserve honor and rewards. They've been too long in coming.
The START Treaty is possibly the most important factor in our lives today. We've been living on the brink of extinction for the past fifty years, and most of us don't know it. This is a treaty that President Obama signed with Russia to limit the number of strategic arms we both maintain. If I had my way, no nation would stockpile any arms at all; but we know this won't happen. I'm proud of our President for doing this.
As far as I am concerned, those who enter this or any country illegally are in a state of desperation. All they want is a decent, safe place to live and a way to feed their kids. Why would we want to punish their kids when they were brought here before they knew anything about anything? I'm definitely for the DREAM Act.
I'm also for any privileges and rights that gays can manage to garner for themselves. None of us has any control over the place, condition, and way we were born. We are what we are. There is no question of right or wrong. I believe in equal rights for everyone, no matter who they are, where they live, whatever life style they choose, or whatever color their skin might be. I would never short change any human being. We are all controlled by the forces of Nature. That's quite enough control. Let us not tell other people how to live.
All of these topics are of the utmost importance to all of us, whether we are aware of them or not, but the people I run into every day wouldn't know it. Nor would they care. They live in cocoons of their own making. Newspapers? Magazines? The Internet? MSNBC? Nah. Being indifferent to what is happening does not make it go away. Ignoring important issues won't make them disappear. Putting our heads in the sand means only that when the worst happens, we're in for one hell of a surprise and we have no one to blame but ourselves if we don't get involved. Who runs this blinking country, anyway? Don't we, when we vote?
I'm so starved for a decent, intelligent conversation that sometimes I think I will burst. Don't suggest clubs, volunteerism, organizations. Been there, done that. Nada.
Welcome to my blog. If you have things you want to discuss or present, you may do so by sending an email to thethoughtfulwoman@gmail.com. You may say whatever you wish to say. I do, however, reserve the right to edit.
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