A Mass Delusion

A segment of our society has reached a level of insanity that defies explanation and common sense.  They seem to be living in a self-delusional state, for what purpose I cannot discern.  The young people of this country are the most vulnerable to the damage and personal confusion this minority is wreaking.

I'm speaking of the transgender "craze" and especially the insanity of allowing biological males to compete against biological females.  One case is front and center at the moment, i.e., the male swimmer at Penn who identifies as a female.  He's being allowed to compete on the women's team and needless to say, he's breaking records as a "woman".  This is grossly unfair to both the women on his own team, as well as the teams against which they compete.  

Let's consider a few undeniable biological facts.  First, men generally are bigger than women, they have greater muscle mass, larger hearts and lungs, and more blood volume.  This all translates to a physical advantage over women, especially in those sports requiring speed and strength.  It makes no difference what the male "identifies" as; chromosomally and biologically, he's a male.  

Where are the so-called feminists in this?  If they really cared about women's rights, shouldn't they be speaking up on behalf of the disadvantaged females who are being forced to compete against men?  I have a suspicion that they're staying quiet because to speak up would be an admission that men and women are basically different and when it comes to physical activity, men have a decided advantage.  

One can only hope and pray that this delusion will meet its demise very soon.  A society that tries to promote untenable propositions on its citizens is a society that is mentally unhealthy.  People must stand up to this immoral idiocy, speak common sense, and remain courageous against the castigations sure to come their way.

 A Biden Presidency Scares Me

For the first time in my life, I'm scared for the future of the United States.  In the past, I believed that no matter who was elected, the country and its ideals would survive.  I'm no longer certain that this would be the case if Joe Biden is elected.

It's been said by some that Biden is not a socialist, nor is he an extremist.  He's something worse:  a man who seems to have no strong convictions and no courage to defend anything.  He bends whichever way the wind is blowing.  I cannot recall Biden ever stating a position on anything and then defending it.  Instead, he bows to criticism and changes his tune.  As a result, no one knows exactly what he believes in, if anything. To makes matters worse, he has a history of deceit and has been on the wrong side of almost every issue through the years.     

If Joe Biden is elected, he will not be the actual person calling the shots.  He is incapable, both physically and mentally, of carrying out the job of President of the United States.  He has surrounded himself with left wing extremists who want to fundamentally change this country, and I have no doubt they will be the ones in charge.  Biden is merely a figurehead.  He has caved to AOC's Green New Deal and Bernie Sanders' Medicare for All.  If  Biden can't stand up to the extremists in his own party, how could he ever possibly be strong when dealing with China, Russia or North Korea? 

There is little doubt that Democrats will do anything and everything possible to win this election, including fraud.  I pray that they will not be allowed to steal this election.  Meanwhile, they are doing everything they can to undermine voter confidence in the integrity of the election process.  This will have dire consequences for the future of our elections.  I hope I never see the day that American elections become nothing more than a sham exercise.  

An Open Letter to Megan Rapinoe 

Dear Megan,

I'd like to offer my congratulations to the American women's soccer team for your success.  I'm well aware of the hard work and training that goes into winning in sports and I know it takes a lot of personal discipline to succeed, especially at this level.

Your wins, however, have been tainted for millions of Americans, including me, by your antics.  As someone who leans to the conservative side, I will defend your right to freely express your opinions, even if I do think you're seriously misguided.  However, when you are in uniform out on that soccer field, you are not only working, you are representing the United States of America and the millions of people who love this country.  Your kneeling during the National Anthem is a slap in the face to your fellow Americans.  If you want to express your political opinions, please do so on your own time when it is clear that you represent only yourself, and not the country as a whole. 

Those of us who work in ordinary employment are constrained by our employers as to what we may say and do when we are on the job.  So should it be with you and your teammates.  If you feel you can't stand respectfully during the National Anthem, may I suggest that you go play for another country? 

Your obnoxious behavior is offensive to millions of us and I am embarrassed to have you represent this great country.  You and your teammates could also stand to learn a bit about winning graciously.  I'm under no illusions that you'll be bothered by my opinion, if indeed you even become aware of it.  Just be aware that you not only appear to be an ungrateful brat, you are damaging the sport of soccer which you presumably love.

Sincerely,

Carol Mason

Attitude Makes All the Difference

Many believe that relations between whites and blacks have seriously deteriorated over the past few years.  This has reached an ugly peak with the ambush and assassinations of police in Dallas and Baton Rouge in the last few days.  

I can't claim to fully understand what black people experience in their lives and their relationship to the police and other authority figures.  Is there racism in our society?  Of course there is and the harsh reality is that there will always be racists, bigots, and other assorted idiots in the human race.  Racism will never be completely eradicated due to the imperfection of human beings.  What's a person to do?

Change starts with each individual.  President Obama lectures us on how the police need to acknowledge their racism and mend their ways.  This, however, is a two way street.  What responsibility do blacks have in this?  The fact of the matter is that blacks commit violent crimes at a higher rate than whites, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.  Black-on-black crime is rampant in some cities, yet the President doesn't seem to want to address this issue.  Police behavior is often in response to black criminal behavior; according to the FBI, the rate at which cops are killed by blacks is 2.5 times higher than the rate at which blacks are killed by the police.  

So where does attitude enter into all this?  Did you know that a black man by the name of Charlie Brown spent half his life in slavery and couldn't read, yet when he was freed he built a business domain in Brazoria County, Texas?  He eventually bought the plantation where he had been a slave, married his wife, who was also a former slave, and when he died in 1920, he was a millionaire. Where might Mr. Brown have ended up had he spent his life lamenting the injustice of slavery?  I doubt he would have achieved much success had he chosen to wallow in victimhood.

The first self-made female millionaire in this country was a black woman, Sarah Breedlove, a.k.a. Madam C.J. Walker.  Early in her life, she faced odds that were heavily stacked against her.  She was orphaned at 7, married at 14, and widowed at 20.  After she began losing her hair, she developed a line of hair care products, successfully fighting racism and sexism along the way and making a place for herself alongside America's elite entrepreneurs.  

The point I'm trying to make is that these black people achieved fantastic success long before affirmative action or the Civil Rights Act.  How could that be?  Racism, and in the case of Madam C.J. Walker, sexism, were much more common and blatant in those days, yet they triumphed in spite of it.  I suspect that attitude, determination, and personal discipline played a role in their success.  These are personal traits that are seriously lacking in many individuals of all colors these days.  

I'd like to see our so-called leaders quit talking about eradicating racism; it's impossible.  It will always be with us, so how about talking about achieving excellence and success in spite of it?  It can be done!

Dear Mr. Trump....

Dear Mr. Trump,

Speaking as someone who voted for you on Super Tuesday, despite my serious reservations, I'd like to offer you some advice.  I normally don't attempt to speak for other people, but much of what I'm going to say has been voiced to me by others who agree with me.

First, please expand your vocabulary!  Some of us are sick of hearing certain words over and over, e.g, "disaster", "liar" and "tremendous" to name a few.  In addition, please quit telling us how wealthy and successful you are and how you've built a "huge" company.  Each time you tell us how rich you are, I have to wonder if underneath all that bluster you're really deeply insecure.  I've heard that the old guard folks of Palm Beach look down on you despite your wealth, considering you ostentatious and vulgar.  Could that be part of the problem?

Last, but certainly not least, please quit hurling personal insults at those who criticize or disagree with you.  Calling people names is immature, unprofessional and wholly inappropriate in one who aspires to be president of the United States.  You often act like a bully, which is most unattractive.  Now I hear that you threatened Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, saying he'd "pay a big price" if you can't work with him!  Why not say instead that you and Mr. Ryan will work together to iron out any differences between you for the benefit of the country? I do hope you realize that Congress is not subordinate to the president; it is the president's equal.  

Instead of sending out juvenile tweets, please devote some time to sharing details of what your policies will be like as president.  What, precisely, do you want to accomplish?  Are you wise enough to surround yourself with experts who know more than you do, or will you be like the current egomaniac in the White House who thinks no one knows as much as he does?  "Make America Great Again" is a pretty good slogan, but what specifically do you plan to do to achieve that goal?  

To your credit, you have prodded people to start talking about tough issues that probably wouldn't have been brought up in this election cycle.  A great many Americans are sick and tired of political correctness and your brashness has a certain refreshing quality to it.  How about taking it to a new level by adopting a more mature tone and filling in some details of what we could expect with a Trump presidency.  Please don't make me regret voting for you.

The Maladjusted Barack Obama

It's a sad state of affairs when a French president shows more leadership and courage than the American president.  President Hollande's response to the horrific terrorist attacks in Paris was completely justified and appropriate. President Obama, on the other hand, seemed cold and detached when speaking of the murders.  Where is his anger?  Why isn't he outraged like most of us? The answer isn't that he's simply "cool" and is "no drama Obama".  He displays anger against Republicans, reporters who dare to ask him pressing questions and anyone else who has the temerity to disagree with him.  His reactions raise the question of his mental and psychological condition.

Could it be that the American president has no moral compass?  Is it possible that he is so incredibly narcissistic that he believes he can do no wrong?  I'd say the answer to these question is "yes".  It's been obvious over the years of his administration that he is incapable of admitting that he's mistaken about anything.  He is a man who learns nothing from his mistakes.  

There have been people who claim that Obama is a Muslim.  I don't believe he's a religious man at all, but I think there can be no doubt that he is a Muslim sympathizer.  He seems to have an antipathy toward Western cultures, especially that of America.  Perhaps that's due to his being raised partly in Indonesia and the fact that his father was from Kenya.  I'm sure that his mother's abandonment had a negative impact also.

Whatever the reasons for his psychological shortcomings, it seems to me that Barack Obama does not understand nor does he experience normal human emotions.  He's angry and petulant when he should be civil, he's cold and detached when he should be angry and outraged; in other words, his reactions are unusual and inappropriate.  I pray to God that the United States and indeed the world can survive the remainder of this man's presidency.  

What Has Changed?

For over two hundred years, the United States has been a country in which people owned and sometimes carried guns. When I was growing up, I don't recall ever hearing about mass shootings such as we've had in the past few years.  If people have always had guns, yet the mass shootings have increased, what has changed?

People who lean left politically always predictably call for gun control after these heinous acts. The problem is that only law-abiding people will obey the laws and we're not the ones you need to be concerned about. Criminals are, by definition, those who violate laws and new gun laws will be no exception.  

These horrible mass shootings present a multifactorial problem. Our society has changed over the past thirty years or so and not for the better.  It's not the presence of guns in society that's the basic problem.  There are other social factors at play:  broken families, too many parents who fail to teach their children right from wrong and a lack of respect for law and order.  On top of this, many children are exposed on a daily basis to extreme violence in video games, television and movies in which human life is portrayed as expendable and not worthy of reverence. In addition, our society has become less religious and more secular which sometimes results in a broken moral compass.  Add all of these factors together and you get a mixture that is toxic and potentially explosive.  

One of the supreme ironies of this day and age is that even as our communication technology has become ever more sophisticated, more and more people seem isolated and alienated from others.  There was a time in the not so distant past that most people had ties to their neighbors, communities at large and churches.  Now, it's not uncommon for people to not know the people who live right next door to them.  The loosening of these community ties contribute to people feeling disconnected from those around them, and when a person doesn't feel connected to others, it's easier to harm those people.  

While I'm in favor of common sense gun laws, we can all play a role in keeping guns out of the hands of those who should not have them.  We must have the courage to speak up if we know of someone who seems unstable, perhaps with violent tendencies, or someone who talks or writes about hurting others.  If you sense something is wrong, don't ignore it!  You could possibly be saving lives by taking notice and trying to get help for those who need it most.