What Happened to Our Country?

Rambling posts invite rambling responses.
....And, bullshit-posts invite.....

....The TRUTH!!

"Many people distressed with the current status of the American family wish for a return of the good old days of the traditional family - when men earned an honest day's living to provide for their families, women lovingly upheld the hearth and home, and well-mannered children attended school and did as they were told."
 
people started cuttin' 'n pastin', like the OP, instead of thinking for themselves. BTW- its called plagiarism Wehrwolfen :thup:

not when you include the link, which he did or change the authors name, which he didn't.
 
What Happened to Our Country?​


By Bruce Bialosky
January 21, 2013



When people reminisce about what America used to be like, some act scornfully toward us. They say living in a Donna Reed world was great for a few, but that there were many suffering souls. The way our country is today makes some of us long for those days which seemed so innocent compared to the harsh, cruel, coarse, and sometimes murderous days we exist in today.

Yet most would argue that there were still injustices when we were growing up fifty years ago. Black people who had been freed a century before were still not treated equally in most parts of the country. Many women were limited in their businesses, political, and professional opportunities. And if they did enter any of those careers, they were capped as to what they could achieve. Few would want a return to those aspects of days past. Yet they would seem almost welcome compared to the experiences we have had in Newtown, Aurora and Tucson.

Even though now more than a month has passed, the pain of what happened in Sandy Hook Elementary school stills burns deeply in our hearts. There were some who started assigning blame for what happened within days which was clearly indecent during a national mourning period. Yes, we need to find paths to resolve the deep divisions that trouble this country. But will that really take us back to a simpler time? After all, the residents of Newtown likely lived there to avoid all this cultural degradation and live a “Leave It to Beaver” life where the biggest challenges were errant children chewing gum in class.

A yearning exists for the days when children rode their bikes to schools, which were open with flowing green fields where they frolicked under minimal supervision. Now children are escorted by grownups to their schools, which are fenced in and then locked down. Remember even at Sandy Hook the school was locked down at 9:30 each morning, just as almost all elementary schools are today.

What does it say to the children of our country that they have to be escorted everywhere they go? Are they left to think that wherever they go there are people in uniforms providing security and their parents are on a constant vigil watching them? What kind of country have we passed to them?

That we cannot as the grownups in this society come to some agreement of how to resolve this only makes matters worse. With every single massacre, we instantaneously divide into two camps. There are those who immediately shriek that it was the gun at fault, completely ignoring the other societal factors that brought a deranged madman to execute an unfathomable act. Then there are those who argue that there exists nothing that we can do to keep the means of mass murder out of the hands of these freaks.

Come on folks, we can do something about this, but the suggestion by Wayne LaPierre of the NRA to put armed guards on all campuses seems so distasteful. Already an estimated third of our children go to schools that have armed guards. We should not unreasonably restrict our Second Amendment rights because of these maniacs, but putting our kids on lock down would just make matters so much more obscene.

We have not yet had a coherent conversation about how to move forward. The people who want more gun control lurch into nonsensical talk about bazookas or tanks with very little knowledge of guns or how they function. People like the editor of the Journal News (Westchester area of New York), who listed the names and addresses of local gun owners in the newspaper, display to what extent the left will go to restrict gun ownership. They are scary as their actions are reminiscent of command and control countries that totally restrict gun rights.

Some people do not understand that there is a difference regarding gun owners. It is not like obtaining a driver’s license. That is a privilege. The right to own a gun is embedded in our Constitution. It is there for a reason. The unrepentant Caryn A. McBride, Editor of the Journal News which listed the home addresses of prison guards and district attorneys in her cause to restrict gun ownership, scares us and should scare you. It brings into question the rationale for a federal gun registry when ownership is a right not a privilege.


[Excerpt]

Read more:
What Happened to Our Country? - Bruce Bialosky - Page 1


For once, you've posted something which isn't just another screeching, partisan polemic, something with substance and nuance.

Sure, it's tilted toward gun owners simply because the author took time to list the fault of the gun grabbers, but said nothing at all about the excesses on the other side, but it's still a reflective piece which opens the door for the very conversation the author seems to want.

We could have a portion of that conversation right here, but it appears nearly everyone in this thread so far has missed the point entirely and reflexively started parroting their predictable lines. I'm guessing few, if any, even read the whole thing.

And, that's too bad.
 
Biography of Walter Cronkite | The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Cronkite was the least ideological newsman of the time...of course wingnuts think FOX News and Bill O are Fair and Balanced

That's a terrific point. In the past real journalists presented an issue from several different perspectives. The far right went nuts because they refused to opine that seperate really is equal.

So what we are left with is the disinformation age.

Folks coccon themselves into echo chambers where the only information they receive is that information that has been filtered through the lens of their licking. They never hear opposing viewpoints or listen to people who don't mirror their own biases. The only reference to those who disagree is an eyerolling insult.

Americans were better informed when we had fewe but principled journalists who were seriously committed to presenting a rounded view.
 
Biography of Walter Cronkite | The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Cronkite was the least ideological newsman of the time...of course wingnuts think FOX News and Bill O are Fair and Balanced

That's a terrific point. In the past real journalists presented an issue from several different perspectives. The far right went nuts because they refused to opine that seperate really is equal.

So what we are left with is the disinformation age.

Folks coccon themselves into echo chambers where the only information they receive is that information that has been filtered through the lens of their licking. They never hear opposing viewpoints or listen to people who don't mirror their own biases. The only reference to those who disagree is an eyerolling insult.

Americans were better informed when we had fewe but principled journalists who were seriously committed to presenting a rounded view.

:clap2:
 
people started cuttin' 'n pastin', like the OP, instead of thinking for themselves. BTW- its called plagiarism Wehrwolfen :thup:

1) He/she presented an opinion piece and posted it for discussion
2) He/she gave full credit to the author including the date it was written
3) He/she presented the link where he/she saw the opinion piece.

So as for point 1.......what is wrong with finding an opinion piece and posting it for discussion? Isnt that what this board is for? Or do you prefer threads titled..."Obama is a Marxist and I can prove it"...or "Boehner is trying to fool us into thinking he cares about America and I will tell you why he is a Russian spy

As for point 2 and 3.....do you have a clue what plagiarism is?
 
OP- Lately, the realization that Reaganism is a destructive crock (sig pp1) and the Pub Propaganda Machine a hateful BS disgrace (sig pp3)- except for the double down dupes of me first charlatans.

Ha Ha.
 
Last edited:
Fear as a political tool is perhaps the biggest enemy of America.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The Democrats' Tactic: Fearmongering


By Lurita Doan
Feb 28, 2011

Democrat leaders have been working overtime to foster fear among Americans by exaggerating the potential repercussions of a shutdown of the federal government. Why? Fearmongering is a great diversionary tactic for Democrats who do not want to be held accountable for out-of-control government spending and who have no intention of getting serious about budget cuts.

They myth of a reign of chaos induced by a government shutdown is just that—a myth. Harkening back to the shutdown of 1995, it seems as if every would-be pundit with a tale of woe has been paraded on the liberal media circuit.

In reality, the country is in great shape to handle a shutdown because for about a decade, the government has spent billions of taxpayer dollars on Continuity of Ops (COOP). Continuity of operations is the way the federal government prepares and plans for how it would operation during a time of national disaster, during a time when critical systems fail, or when unexpected changes in leadership occur, or when unexpectedly there is a need to change the location of the government. COOP is the government’s plan for identifying which personnel are considered essential and what tasks are considered operationally mandatory for the smooth and effective operation of our government.

I know, from my experience leading one of the federal agencies responsible for developing these plans that each federal agency already has in place a series of well-documented, frequently exercised, standard operating procedures that answer most of the questions currently causing the hand-wringing around Washington, DC.

These standard operating procedures exist for all three branches of government to ensure an enduring constitutional government. Annually, the government undergoes a minimum of two weeks of rigorous exercises to identify potential gaps in capabilities. Each year the government rigorously identifies problem areas and solutions that are cost effective and sustainable. Each year the federal government prepares after-action reports that form the basis of future areas for improvement and expansion.

These joint exercises are usually in support of national security, but the operational principles and the decision matrices are the same. Complex logistical scenarios are exercised. Complex joint contingency plans are developed, documented and put into play for all key stakeholders.

Above all, these exercises ensure that government responds calmly and responsibly and does not succumb to the fearmongering and hysteria that Dems are trying to whip up among Americans.


[Excerpt]

Read more:
The Democrats' Tactic: Fearmongering - Lurita Doan - [page]
 
Fear as a political tool is perhaps the biggest enemy of America.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The Democrats' Tactic: Fearmongering


By Lurita Doan
Feb 28, 2011

Democrat leaders have been working overtime to foster fear among Americans by exaggerating the potential repercussions of a shutdown of the federal government. Why? Fearmongering is a great diversionary tactic for Democrats who do not want to be held accountable for out-of-control government spending and who have no intention of getting serious about budget cuts.

They myth of a reign of chaos induced by a government shutdown is just that—a myth. Harkening back to the shutdown of 1995, it seems as if every would-be pundit with a tale of woe has been paraded on the liberal media circuit.

In reality, the country is in great shape to handle a shutdown because for about a decade, the government has spent billions of taxpayer dollars on Continuity of Ops (COOP). Continuity of operations is the way the federal government prepares and plans for how it would operation during a time of national disaster, during a time when critical systems fail, or when unexpected changes in leadership occur, or when unexpectedly there is a need to change the location of the government. COOP is the government’s plan for identifying which personnel are considered essential and what tasks are considered operationally mandatory for the smooth and effective operation of our government.

I know, from my experience leading one of the federal agencies responsible for developing these plans that each federal agency already has in place a series of well-documented, frequently exercised, standard operating procedures that answer most of the questions currently causing the hand-wringing around Washington, DC.

These standard operating procedures exist for all three branches of government to ensure an enduring constitutional government. Annually, the government undergoes a minimum of two weeks of rigorous exercises to identify potential gaps in capabilities. Each year the government rigorously identifies problem areas and solutions that are cost effective and sustainable. Each year the federal government prepares after-action reports that form the basis of future areas for improvement and expansion.

These joint exercises are usually in support of national security, but the operational principles and the decision matrices are the same. Complex logistical scenarios are exercised. Complex joint contingency plans are developed, documented and put into play for all key stakeholders.

Above all, these exercises ensure that government responds calmly and responsibly and does not succumb to the fearmongering and hysteria that Dems are trying to whip up among Americans.


[Excerpt]

Read more:
The Democrats' Tactic: Fearmongering - Lurita Doan - [page]
 
Fear as a political tool is perhaps the biggest enemy of America.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The Democrats' Tactic: Fearmongering


By Lurita Doan
Feb 28, 2011

Democrat leaders have been working overtime to foster fear among Americans by exaggerating the potential repercussions of a shutdown of the federal government. Why? Fearmongering is a great diversionary tactic for Democrats who do not want to be held accountable for out-of-control government spending and who have no intention of getting serious about budget cuts.

They myth of a reign of chaos induced by a government shutdown is just that—a myth. Harkening back to the shutdown of 1995, it seems as if every would-be pundit with a tale of woe has been paraded on the liberal media circuit.

In reality, the country is in great shape to handle a shutdown because for about a decade, the government has spent billions of taxpayer dollars on Continuity of Ops (COOP). Continuity of operations is the way the federal government prepares and plans for how it would operation during a time of national disaster, during a time when critical systems fail, or when unexpected changes in leadership occur, or when unexpectedly there is a need to change the location of the government. COOP is the government’s plan for identifying which personnel are considered essential and what tasks are considered operationally mandatory for the smooth and effective operation of our government.

I know, from my experience leading one of the federal agencies responsible for developing these plans that each federal agency already has in place a series of well-documented, frequently exercised, standard operating procedures that answer most of the questions currently causing the hand-wringing around Washington, DC.

These standard operating procedures exist for all three branches of government to ensure an enduring constitutional government. Annually, the government undergoes a minimum of two weeks of rigorous exercises to identify potential gaps in capabilities. Each year the government rigorously identifies problem areas and solutions that are cost effective and sustainable. Each year the federal government prepares after-action reports that form the basis of future areas for improvement and expansion.

These joint exercises are usually in support of national security, but the operational principles and the decision matrices are the same. Complex logistical scenarios are exercised. Complex joint contingency plans are developed, documented and put into play for all key stakeholders.

Above all, these exercises ensure that government responds calmly and responsibly and does not succumb to the fearmongering and hysteria that Dems are trying to whip up among Americans.


[Excerpt]

Read more:
The Democrats' Tactic: Fearmongering - Lurita Doan - [page]

Do you have one original thought?
 

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