News Weak

I decided to share my take on the news of this past week. I suspect it may be different than what you are hearing at the water cooler.

I am amazed that the armed services will now allow women in combat roles. They will not allow them on the Joint Chiefs, but in combat. I am amazed because this is too long coming, in fact it never should have been there in the first place as it is a vestige of the old women must be protected because they are weaker and child bearer mentality. But now women can get shot and IED’d. Theory has always been if women went to war we would never have war. But that is a vestige of old thinking too. Gals, we are going to have to decide if we really want equality. I think so. But that means real equality: battlefront, open your own door, get cut off in lines, stand up on subways, and get punched in the nose by a man if you offend him. (I know some women right now who are at real risk of having their faces reconstructed by fists if we go totally equal. Guess we will have to man-up.) On the other hand, we can hardly argue for a fair shake in employment practices, leave, salary, etc., and argue against equality. This will be interesting.

Lance did performance enhancing drugs. So? In a world where competition means more than morality we should never be surprised at what some are willing to do to win.

Te’o faked his girlfriend and his heartbreak. So? In a world where gaining attention and support is paramount we should never be surprised at what some are willing to do to gain such attention.

Stock market hits 15,000 for first time since 2007. Hurray, but no big deal. The recovery continues despite those who say it is not. The very ones who say we are not recovering continue to insist on policies that caused the collapse in the first place. Grow up GOP and let Obama do what he has to do.

Sarah Palin leaves Fox News. So? If you watch this conservative op ed station calling itself “news” then maybe you care. Amazingly in the world of the right wing, if you do not totally agree with me you are wrong. Sounds like Islamic extremists to me.

Super Bowl hype has begun. There are commercials advertising Super Bowl commercials. Really? Again I am amazed. The most watched show in America is the ultimate clash of two sets of overpaid boys who will battle in a medieval game of conquering land, vestal virgins, trumpets announcing their arrival on the field, and serious and life-long injury. I admit I do not get it. I like football and will probably watch the game. But it is such a sad commentary on our culture that this is our main event. Why not Celtic Woman on PBS? Such a show will amaze you, inspire you, and warm the cockles of your heart. Super Bowl inspires blood lust, blood and lust. And once again it is a competition, structured so that someone loses. So sad.

Speaking of, Phil Mickelson who was paid $60 million last year (notice I did not say earned) is upset that his taxes may go up. So upset, he publically considered changing his citizenship to another country where he could retain more of his wealth. Prime example of some folks will do anything for a buck. All of you with sympathy for this left-handed millionaire golfer will vote Republican. All of you who think, however, will be teed off.

In Texas, school boards are passing policies to allow teachers and others to bring weapons on campus. So, our solution to violence and the proliferation of weapons is to bring them to school? Yeah, that makes sense. We have more guns per person than any civilized nation in the world, assuming you still count us as one of the civilized nations. We have more than ample evidence that we have more deaths by gun than any other nation. We have more than ample evidence that arming the public does not deter crime, it increases crime. We have more than ample evidence that civilians who attempt to defend themselves with weapons more often are shot than those who do not. Criminals are not discouraged by an armed citizenry, they are inspired by it and in fact armed by it. Geeze. Now it really will not be safe for a little ole grandma to go on campus.

And, our Legislature has convened and is already up to its typical stunts regarding schools. The prevailing philosophy is create competition for schools, increase accountability, and decrease spending. They do all this under the rubric of improving our schools. What a hoot. As soon as we are concerned about school safety they quickly consider throwing money at the problem. If they are concerned about school performance they cut spending. Go figure. The part of this that makes me most sad is that this philosophy is rubbing off on educators. I have witnessed educators who have shifted from the notion of public service to the notion of self-service and are willing to do anything to get a better title and more money. I have witnessed school boards who believe the most important program a district offers is athletics. I continue to read about educators who promote cheating on the high stakes tests, no different than the behavior of Lance or Phil or Te’o. So sad.

Do the right thing. Keep your chin up. Have a good week.