It's Just a Girl with a little Cleavage Showing Thing

Dear America,

Boys To Men 2.0.1.7.

it's a tale of three boys going to China and returning men.

LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill, Cody Riley each gave a statement yesterday, thanking everybody and their mother, for the swift return to the U.S.A. after allegedly being found guilty of stealing from the Louis Vuitton store, during the team's visit. 

Their statements and their faces said it all.

And whether their statements are insincere in any part, being coerced by coaching staff or parents or anyone else (as each one thanked -- nearly verbatim -- the Chinese government, the U.S. government, President Trump by name, the entire UCLA coaching team and staff, family and associates, yadi yadi yada...) -- it does not matter.  Nationwide, this press conference did what it needed to do for the good of the country, the good of the team, and most importantly, for the good of these three men who returned home.

Yes.  Their actions were stupid.  And they admitted just that over and over and over again.

And we can only hope a fair portion of the nation's children -- alongside the parents of these children -- listened.  And after they all listened, we can only hope these parents explained the set of circumstances and crimes to their children fully, and thoughtfully, and pointedly making clear the lessons we can all walk away with.  

And yet, having said that -- young and old alike --  nobody is too old for a good life lesson....and America is witnessing a number of them hitting the front pages with breaking news, in what seems like every minute of every day.

Nevertheless, this girl would bet her life the three statements ARE sincere; for these boys were able to come home!  Given a natural propensity to do stupid things (given the age group, right?), they came home grateful to be back on American soil after receiving only a passing glance of just how quickly things can change, and not in a good way.  They consider themselves to be part of the lucky ones, an elite crowd; for without perhaps their own connections to connections, things may not have turned out so well, or as speedy -- I mean, c'mon, we're talking a major theft crime perpetrated in the People's Republic of China...for anyone else there would be stiff punishment.

This girl would also bet her life these statements were well on the way well before the nudging of a sitting president from the bench; these boys had to make solid apologies, for their actions were truly a disgrace.  UCLA, the USA, China, their moms and dads -- were all due a get down on your knee, praising Jesus, moment of pure begging for forgiveness with the clear intention never to make this kind of error in judgement again.....And THEY did!  They did.

I only wish the president just waited for it to play out, that's all.

I just wish his usual brash, egotistical approach to everything, just stood still for a moment, thereby allowing time for the boys to do the right thing on their own without the presidential interference (only because it gives CNN and MSNBC plenty of material to bounce around).  But isn't that what we all want as parents, to watch our children figure out the right thing to do on their own?  Isn't this the level of maturity we painstakingly try to model, aiming to teach them well, that lies in wait, only to surface when we least expect it -- and unconditionally love them anyway?

Anywho, after a serious foul --  traaaaveeelllling with a designer Louis Vuitton ball, shaped like sunglasses...badump ba! --  this was their moment to make right and not the president's moment to take credit, just sayin'.

Trump could learn a life lesson or two, as well; better for the nation to witness the president stepping aside, allowing for his state department, or press secretary, to do all the talking and tweeting; and then ---  when asked to respond --  give credit to all the players who made this monumental, international feat of saving the day happen.  

When it comes to ego, sometimes less is more, more or less -- and I would be remiss not to add that the president is not alone with this little life lesson...and we'll even give it a number: 45 (teehee.  that one's for Maxine);  yes, indeed, this girl is right there beside him (not under him, not over him, certainly not touching him, just beside him, okay). 

Which brings me to the second half of today's feature:  how so many men are turning into boys (or is it more correct, never stopped being boys????) hmmmmmmm

Just the other night -- Tuesday -- had dinner with my girlfriends at a brand new eatery in La Jolla, the Red O!  And oh boy, was it good!   From the tres tequila flight, to the Queso Fundido to share, to the main dish of Carnitas in Red Chili Guajillo, to a side of plantains to share, mashed potatoes to share, corn tamales to share, to the plate of churros to share and served with two dipping sauces of chocolate l'orange and caramel filling the last crack of tummy space -- this girl rolled out of the Red O with glee and stuffed to my pretty pink lips.  But I digress....teehee

For part of the night, the subject matter was fixated upon what the O stood for in its name; but for the remainder, we were all about the fall of man....literally.  And don't get me wrong -- this foursome loves boys.  [Although, there must be something said in the fact that only 25% of us are married....hmmmmmm what up wit dat?.....]

well, anyway, it's not like there isn't enough to talk about on the subject -- men have made it rather easy for us to fill a night out on the town chock full of conversation from one bad boy story to the next; ever since the Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein went down, the country has been inundated with whispers of unwanted sexual advances (by men), declarations of rape (of men on men, and men on women), tales of catching tail -- of sexual harassment (by men), long overdue claims of sex with underage girls (yes, by men) -- from coast to coast, within government, within elite social circles, from the capital building to the corporate boardroom....it is everywhere and often.

ugh

The thing is -- from the boys to men basketball players, to the pure corruption of our beautiful, sexual nature, this land is my land and this land is your land is in much need of keeping our hands to ourselves.

Of course, on Tuesday -- all of us girls quickly spiraled into cursing all men.  Was it the tequila talking, you be the judge; but just as fast as we ginned up a chorus of we can't live with them -- in an equally, thundering, passionate reply, we admitted that we can't live without them either.

Oh this country.  heavy sigh

Not sure how we manage to embrace our sexuality problems -- ranging from the mild neurosis to full blown psychotic addictions ending with victims and convictions of statutory crimes.  But in the hopes of ultimately gaining control of it,  this girl knows exactly where to start: with the individual. 

You're welcome.

(oh girl, gonna smack you upside the head if you don't settle down.)

Indeed.

so as I try to choke down some humble pie, let me repeat myself:  It always gets down to one.

Do you even remember who we are, as a people, people?

America is designed to be all about good self-government -- which includes, but is not limited to, self-reliance, answering to a higher moral authority,  with a side of a little humility, and a whole lot of grace, bubbling over...

You

Me

If each and every one of us leans towards good behavior, treating each other with respect, then all is good; if each and every one of us begins to lean poorly, behaving badly, if not criminally...treating each other with disrespect, then all is not good.  Get it?

I know, sometimes the answer is so easy we overlook it, even when it is right in front of our eyes.

I bet --  just thinking outside the blog now -- I bet if we dress it up with a short skirt and a little cleavage, point would be moot by a beaut.

 [I know, I don't know how I do it either...teehee]  

[wait.  scratch that....I do know; it isn't me.  It is only by the grace of God I get up and do anything.  I just aim to make God proud, make Him smile a little -- you know, given his view, and all...Things must be looking pretty bleak by now.]

and my apologies, you get all the way to the end to discover there is no cleavage showing.  my bad.

Make it a Good Day, G

Epiblogue

Kudos to the three boys to men that began the day...LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill, and Cody Riley. Pretty sure you guys will turn out okay; as an American, I am proud of you for the courage to say what you needed to say.  God Bless you boys to men, to family, to all the rest of your days.

It's a Blog that Will Prove Self-Evident --- when you get to the very end, that is -- Thing

Dear America,

"When the cement 

that has held a nation together 

no longer exists, 

the state soon dissolves 

into anarchy."   

from Bob Beltz's adaptation

 of a remarkable read, 

Real Christianity, 

by William Wilberforce

and we're back....to the return of Wilberforce.  And what a force for good he was, indeed.

little ole' G thing has relied upon the brilliance of Wilberforce to fulfill the duties of making a point many times before, especially circa the olden days of yore; maybe mosey your way back to a day, or two, just for kicks and giggles, starting here:

11/8/10;

11/17/10;

11/29/10;

9/16/11.

[the vintage speaks for itself, considering they were all written in a day before each blog was donned a title to fit the day's scene, as in,  "IT's a (fill in the blank) Thing."]

As I was rambling through a string of happy things on November 29, 2010, this moment jumped out:

"I am happy, that when it came time to saying our prayers last night, my girl piped up and said "for Korea...both of them" -- and expanding on that with a question to me, asking if it was appropriate to pray for North Korea, too?  To which I said, "of course, and maybe more so"...distracted by some kind of Godfather flashback in my mind, "keeping your friends close, but your enemies closer." And if the good Lord willing, maybe they will change their ways, saying a little prayer couldn't hurt (good news, free will leans both ways -- bad news, free will leans both ways)."

So you're welcome; two girls prayed one night and kept North Korea at bay for nearly seven years.  teehee; guess it becomes immediate grounds to pray unceasing.

It's crazy how Christianity -- praying in general or in the particular, praying in a church or in the town square or at the foot of one's own bed at the end of the day -- has become so out of vogue in America.

Now, if you wandered back to the days of yore, citing Wilberforce, then you would know that Wilberforce was addressing a world two hundred years ago, give or take.  And the real Christianity kicker -- all of it, and pretty much everything this Brit said, is still relevant today; and perhaps even more so!

"It would seen that the best view of patriotism recognizes that society and all its numerous elements are best served when the general welfare of the greatest number of people becomes the great objective of all its people, rather than the selfish pursuit of personal peace and affluence of the individual.  A proper response to the call of Christ to love all men, even one's enemies, should produce this outcome in a truly Christian culture.  Universal love produces the highest form of patriotism.  Benevolence and philanthropy that arise from a purely secular framework usually proves deficient:  They always fall short of meeting the full needs of those they seek to benefit.  Cost is always measured against the discomfort that such benevolence might produce in the giver.  True Christian benevolence goes the extra mile.  Its objective is to meet the need even at the cost of self-sacrifice.  It is like an infection -- a good infection -- that first influences its immediate surroundings and then begins to spread outward in ever-increasing circles.... 

Christianity has no equal.  It not only teaches the highest moral and ethical code known to man, but through relationship with the Creator of the code the believer is empowered by the Holy Spirit to keep it.

True Christianity, by nature, seems to be particularly and powerfully constituted to promote the welfare and health of political communities.  Why is that?  The reality is that all other systems are rooted in human selfishness.  They are conceived in selfishness, grow in selfishness and ultimately, perish because of selfishness."

oh talk to me, WW, as we wander down this road hand in hand.

A local preacher, Dr. David Jeremiah, is beginning a new series, based upon his latest book:  A Life Beyond Amazing.  The running theme is based upon nine pillars of character that carry the trans-formative power to change our life, our world:  love, joy, peace, endurance, compassion, generosity, integrity, humility, and self-discipline.  

All of it ties into what Wilberforce refers to as the "public spirit"  and amounts to the overarching desire of creating and instilling and growing and investing in things of character, in order to multiply it...like in a seven billion fold kind of way.

But the truth is, we must start small.

We must start with the power of one -- that is, by definition, you and me, individually and collectively, rich or poor, white, black, brown, boy or girl, young and old alike.

Dr. Jeremiah uses self-discipline to anchor his entire list; and of course, this girl got to thinking....

as society has grown more and more rooted in selfishness, the values of old -- with self-discipline at the core -- have grown tired and worn, like an old pair of shoes off the beaten path and retired to the back of the closet.  The shoes that once met the day buckled up and fully equipped to march through the day of a certain understanding, a certain reverence to a Higher Power, taking heed to that which a life in faith requires of us, both in spirit and in action, are shamed to a life unseen; if they dare poke out the toe into the public eye, they are met with vitriol and mainstream madness, even labeled haters, racists, and driven back into the dark, cedar-lined walls shaking in fear or worse, in unconscionable embarrassment.

Our founders based our entire government on the righteousness of good self-discipline --  and this notion easily lends itself to everything else "self" oriented, things that this nation would be wise to cling to right about now.

Might as well be bold here and move to say that, this list, the string of selfies this girl is about to give you, carries the trans-formative power to change the world, oh yes indeed!

For Good Self-Discipline feeds into the broader sense of Good Self-Government for the benefit of the whole.  IN order to have good self-government, we must be in a word -- SELF-Conscious, fully understanding of who we are and where we came from, respective of our natural birth under God.  It's the kind of self-knowledge with the capacity to set us free, forever.

Good and decent Self-Government -- the very basis of our system of government, built into the cornerstones of our fine republic -- also relied upon self-reliance, self-sufficiency, self-will, self-improvement, self-esteem, being fully self-driven and independent!  Dependency upon big government simply did not exist in the minds of our founders in any way, shape or form!  (That would have been totally and woefully too self-defeating for words, right.)

self-taught, to one degree or another
self-respect to grow in accordance with our level of integrity...to self, to life, and the greater good
self-confidence to propel us to do good things
self-expression to bring beauty, substance, into our community and the world
self-rule to guard what goes in and what goes out, like a castle --- day in and day out -- mind, body and soul, it is a never-ending task forever after.

these are the kinds of things that determine our destiny, for one and for all.

Which surely suggests for a sharp review of something candidate Barack Obama once said to a nation, "we are five days away from fundamental transformation."  And how, now seeing the results of those eight years, and never to get them back.

What happened, right Hillary?  teehee

From the ole' G Thing, September 16, 2011:

"Our founders made America a place for religious freedom ABOVE all else.  It was the very reason we had to leave England and find a new land in order to create a new world. 

The "free exercise thereof" was divined within the framework of our founding documents, namely our Constitution, not as an insignificant gesture, or platform, banking upon the hope that no one would ever live according to one's beliefs -- it was real.  Our founders hoped we would keep our faith in something much greater than ourselves and let that Something rise above, if not truly guide us in our every day. 

This "free exercise thereof"  lawfully protected all citizens to have the right to exercise their full liberty to speak their truth.   While, to be sure, to exercise thereof is hardly stagnant; it is solidifying the real action required of us."

Our connection with the Divine Providence that set America on this path, is self-evident!

Whether in brand new shoes, or of old,  this individual relationship with the Source of All Good -- stood unshaken, above all else!  Our personal selfishness was seen in the ways we elevated this relationship above all else!  Our time set aside to pray, to read the Bible, to read spiritual works written by spiritual men and women, was time set aside in loving devotion,  no matter the demands on the day, above all else!

Is it any surprise, that as the day grows leaner, and meaner, and more and more self-centered and self-gratifying, the occasion to stop and spend even a moment with our Creator grows more and more below all else?

The more we go down the secular path, the more we wander and roam untethered to the only reality that truly matters; being completely unbalanced, we will surely fall.  Surely, the greater good is at stake!

Wilberforce wrote about it way back when in the 1800's, just as we are seeing it play out today, after a long and winding road,  in the new modern world.   Can you hear me now?  Smart phones got nothing on the Smart One, the Creator of all things large and small.  It's an equal opportunity Creator in every way -- the non-partisan, non-denominational,  non-discriminating, non-violent, and lovingly, non-negotiable Entity that It is.... Above All Else!

"Political decay can thrive under cultural Christianity, but authentic faith will bring it to a sudden halt...We are headed toward a society that incurs the multitude of evils that result from living with no religion at all."

The thing is, we will self-destruct if we continue down this path.

and that's not hate; it's just a given.

...I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

That's just the end of The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost; making it the end of the road for me, for today.  This is where I must leave you, unless you take my hand and come along with me in Spirit...and surely, I hope you do.


Make it a Good Day, G

It's Just Another Day When Crazy is Mightier than the Sword Thing

Dear America,

happy wednesday, everyone.

[i know, i know...it's not really, so call me crazy for picking daisies; these are some heavy, heart-wrenching days]

Now, the holidays can be an emotional time of year under normal circumstances; add a small town tragedy that makes absolutely no sense in the world, we begin to twirl in place like a spinning top venturing it's way to the table's edge. plop.

News coming out of Newtown continues on a solemn trajectory, each day building upon the last, as we bury our babies and loved ones. It's an unimaginable task forced upon the families and community.

However, there is some welcome news.   We have become more aware of the details leading up to the Sandy Hook attack. It turns out -- bearing in mind what we discussed just yesterday --  Adam's mama did know.  She was shouldering the burden of committing her own son, and in the midst of getting the lawful authority to do so.   This very reality facing the family is believed to be the catalyst to set off the horrific chain of events. 

[Of course, how on earth Adam was able to commandeer the guns from the household, we may never know.]

But this new knowledge, learning of the depth of awareness inside the Lanza home, should give us pause.   This parent died in the process of doing all the right things, God rest her soul.  Can you just imagine what she is thinking about right now, in heaven?   Just the thought of it --  'my son, being responsible for something so incredibly awful.'     And, not to be overlooked,  there is still the father and brother and extended family remaining to pick up the pieces.  

The thing is, it is comforting to know that she recognized Adam's problems; she was well aware that his issues had reached a level that she could no longer handle on her own.   That is good news.  That means the family was working through it to the best of their abilities.  How can we ask anything more? 

[Of course, how on earth Adam was able to commandeer the guns from the household, we may never know.]

You know, there was another shooting -- in a Clackamas, Oregon shopping mall -- in this same week (Dec.11).  Three people were killed.  Come to find out, a second man, Nick Meli -- just a guy, lawfully able to carry a concealed weapon -- was at the mall at the same time.  When the shooting broke out, he went to the scene.  He was going to take a shot at the masked gunman, but realized there was a possibility, if he missed, that he might hit an innocent person; so he didn't shoot.  He just kept the gunman in his sights.   It is said that the shooter, then fully aware he wasn't the only gun in town, turned the gun on himself.   For the full story, go here.

But isn't that amazing.   Another gun on the scene stopped the violence.


In other news, did you know, crazy people are not lawfully able to obtain, let alone carry, a weapon in the state of California; and having said that,  neither are felons or anyone under even a routine court ordered restraining order?    And yet, somehow, some way, and many times over, these people still find a way to get a gun.

How?

Because even though the majority of us follow the law, go through the proper channels to arm ourselves legally and properly, if we so desire -- a minority of the population doesn't operate under the same rules. 

The street still caters to the underworld.  
And this reality will never go away. 

We can amend, rewrite, add...all the gun laws in the world...but this just guarantees the underworld to not only stay the same, it gives permission and plenty of room for this undermining sub-culture to get worse, expand, even prosper off of our ignorance.   Lawlessness will have the upper hand, the more the law abiding gives the right of way to the corrupt. [this theory works with regards to Congress, too]

America is at a tipping point. 

and sure, it is a phrase overused these days... shoot me.

we are spinning out of control in every way.

we are spinning, twirling, fluttering about, atop a fiscal cliff, a mountain of debt, on the precipice of cultural decay with enough emotional and spiritual dysfunction to light up the dinner table for centuries to come.

we are all crazy to put up with this nonsense.  [and how ironic, considering we made this crazy town in the first place]

America is at a tipping point...which way will we go?

It's time to straighten up and fly right, even if it sends this top right off the edge; let's take the fall together and land wherever we may land; hopefully, with any luck, that looks a lot like each of us ending up on our own two feet  -- or, just maybe,  growing a pair of wings.

And yet, this girl is still so unsettled...  
As a mama, as an American, let us be reminded of the weight of the world to walk in another's shoes -- Adam Lanza could have belonged to any one of us just as much as little Charlotte Bacon. 

Let's quickly move into a higher realm of contemplation.    John Adams wrote:

"I always consider the settlement of America with reverence and wonder, as the opening of a grand scene and design in Providence for the illumination of the ignorant, and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth."

And from Alexander Hamilton:

"It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force."

That is some strong stuff, considering all that we are spinning around, to and fro, these days. The universe of our 'woe' is growing exponentially faster, and mightier, than the expansion of our good... just sayin'.

good self-government
walking hand in hand with good [limited] government --
this is the only way to guarantee real liberty.

What is crazy:  that our government today would never have us believe it could be this simple. 

Make it a Good Day, G

It's Still Divine Providence in Motion Thing

Dear America,

there is much to get to.

for me, just G, trying to keep track of it all within this humble day in the life of America, it suddenly feels overwhelming.  there is just so much to say, so much misunderstood, so much that is just plain wrong.

And yet, my heart is filled with such faith and pure joy!

Let me begin by making a big deal of something that occurred last night at the tail end, if you closed your eyes, you may have missed it.   Especially considering how the majority of the last 24 hours has been drama filled -- watching the theatrics on the floor of the DNC having the audacity to argue with the Almighty -- perhaps some of you already know where I'm going with this.....

....the thing is, GOD had the last word.

In the end, the entire arena prayed together; in the end, everyone closed their eyes and bowed their head to the Holy Spirit; the Thing Itself -- parted the aisles and filled the 20,000 seat airspace to capacity.  Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, brought the convention to a close -- just as he had done for the RNC -- and prayed for, and with, America.

He not only gave a benediction complete with all of the proper embellishments in sincerity and grace -- he opened up the podium to the Heavens and said take me.   And in the still of the night, Dolan redirected the nation and corrected our folly upon our knees.

Oh yes he did.

And yet, It was not finished; Dolan made no mistake and left no Stone unturned; and after speaking on behalf of the protection of Life and restoring our faith and values in the things that truly matter -- he went further, stipulating in agreement with God and country, that we must CHOOSE wisely this November, even mentioning the Romney/Ryan ticket by name.  All while wrapping it up tightly declaring that we truly are ONE Nation UNDER GOD, indivisible...and In GOD we trust. we say Amen!

So --  like I said -- God always gets the last word.   My coffee cup is overflowing.

As far as the rest of the night.  Reviews are widely mixed.

My favorite moment:  saying the Pledge of Allegiance along with the Fmr. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords on stage leading us in every word.   What a testament to her strength and courage and grace.  so beautiful.

John Kerry's entire speech was a propagandized hot mess.  Ridiculous that he can even speak on behalf of the troops at all -- it takes something called credibility to do that and he's got none in that department.  But let's not dwell.   His big line of the night was this one: "Ask Osama Bin Laden if he's better off now than four years ago."   Wouldn't the answer to that simply be, um, No. Um... he's dead???; oh, right, you were lauding the Commander-in-Chief who got him [and I would assume counting in, what, the seventy virgins waiting for him, yes the afterlife is good].

@john kerry -- next Secretary of State hopeful --  if America is so exceptional as you claim this administration has proclaimed to believe from the start...why the apology tour?  Why was THAT the first task on the president's Official Foreign Policy Fixer Upper To-Do List [besides returning the Churchill bust]?  And regarding things more closer to home -- you made crafty insinuations that Romney would be the Outsourcer-in-Chief -- perhaps taking a closer look at the devil in the details is in order for you.  Check out GM having China build our Caddy's, GE having China make our freaky little light bulbs, and speaking of energy -- what about the green energy companies given stimulus money outside the United States, and off-shore drilling investments in Brazil, and shall I go on?    [The argument itself shows your naiveté of the realities of the world today --  investment banker capitalists GET THIS, and moreover, respect this very aspect of how the business of business building has changed.]

AND then there's Joe...Mr. "OBL is Dead and GM is Alive."

Um Joe, you honestly going to stand there and lead America to believe that The Right bets against America?  Given it's the party now famous for the rise of the Tea Party -- the original working class?   The Tea and the GOP personify middle America in every way.  Your speech was offensive, sophomoric, and stupid.  Oh sure, you did a great job; you fired up the base, which was your only mission last night.  And good luck with that.  Can't wait for you to debate Paul.

um, and that's all I'm gonna say on Joe. 

 if you say it like Forrest Gump it's more fun.

There was a troubling refrain that kept popping up throughout the evening which, personally, made me stop and wonder, just what happened to us?   I didn't realize that The Left believes that they have total ownership now of the American values, separating from the whole, the middle American and poor working class values.

From the speeches, to the formal DNC videos,  the mantra was repeated time and time again... as if the American value of hard work meets opportunity belongs to them -- as if it's their cornerstone, hands off my mortar, back off my block.  Saying with explicit conviction and 100% ownership, 'THEY BELIEVE a JOB is more than a paycheck -- that it stands for dignity, a place in community, allowing us to stand tall and care for our children and family -- to participate in the great, or is it grand, bargain.'  Saying it in such a way as to convey that the other side simply does not.

I am just so sick of the constant red thread being spoon-fed to the American people -- republicans don't care and have not a compassionate bone in their bodies and that all WE -- the People of the GOP -- DO is bet against America.  It's just getting so old.  SO OLD.   

And speaking of which, here's Obama:

"if you believe 

in a country where everyone gets a fair shot, 

and everyone does their fair share, 

and everyone plays by the same rules, 

then I need you to vote this November."

YES!  I believe in this AMERICA!  Who doesn't, Mr. President?  Let's go there and talk about everyone who doesn't play by the same rules; and talk about everyone who doesn't do their fair share. [full transcript]

And back to Joe for a second, when he said something like this, 'they're not looking for a handout, they're just looking for a shot.'

Hello, Joe!  We're there already.  We all get a shot -- whether from a birth into poverty or wealth -- the entire spectrum of possibility of outcomes is still the same:   there are no guarantees and anything is truly possible.  THIS America, has seen the very poor rise up to be rich, and sometimes heroes; THIS America has seen the silver spoon babies grow up to lose it all.

BUT MOST OF US LIVE SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE, don't we.

AND I do believe -- speaking for one, as one -- that we ALL SHARE the same values; I believe we are, as a whole, hardworking, compassionate, charitable, giving, loving, optimistic Americans who want to do what is right for ourselves and our children..  THAT IS WHO WE ARE, Mr. President, all of us.

As THE sitting president, how dare you not include me!

How dare you speak only to your base.

Earth to the Candidate-in-Chief, you may not like or agree with this aspect of the presidency, but you stand for all of us.  And in-between running for re-election, your chief task and priority is to lead an entire nation, half of which do not agree with your ideology, policy, or politics.

How dare you speak only to your base.
Where is your courage to stand for all Americans at the same time?

After the Left made a point of saying that Romney didn't say enough last week -- that there were no specifics -- at least he spoke to all Americans as one; and how in the world can The Left justify the remarks of their sitting president struggling to get re-elected when all he can do is double-down on promises made four years ago?

IF Romney didn't say enough -- Obama didn't say anything new.

Something old, something blue, but in the end, nothing new.

This speech was nothing more than a composite of everything he has said thus far [kinda like "Julia" -- or how Obama blended all of his old girlfriends into one], complete with broken promises and cutting rhetoric and all.  He sounded worn out until the last five minutes; and more than that, appeared almost annoyed that he had to convince his followers of a second chance at all.   [Wonder if Bob Woodward's new book, The Price of Politics, had anything to do with it?  ouch.  of course it did.]

"You know what? That’s not who we are. That’s not what this country’s about. As Americans, we believe we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, rights that no man or government can take away. We insist on personal responsibility, and we celebrate individual initiative. We’re not entitled to success. We have to earn it. We honor the strive-rs, the dreamers, the risk- takers, the entrepreneurs who have always been the driving force behind our free enterprise system, the greatest engine of growth and prosperity the world has ever known."

exactly. and can I get an amen.  Can you even believe he said aloud "we are endowed by our Creator!"  In past remarks he usually omits that phrase.

You should have stopped right there, Mr. President.  But, you didn't, did ya?

"But we also believe in something called citizenship"

You're right, we do. There is that.  AND it has nothing to do with community organizing or social justice.  What was that?  Code?   Boy, you are a skilled speaker.

He keeps going on for quite some time citing examples used before...and gets to this:

"....As citizens, 

we understand that America 

is not about what can be done for us. 

It’s about what can be done by us, 

together, 

through the hard and frustrating 

but necessary work of self-government. 

That’s what we believe."

um NO you don't; you DO NOT believe in "the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government."  Seriously?  That is exactly why within these United States the two sides are fundamentally opposed to one another.

Looking back on a week destined to be all about moving forward, I'm confused as to why the democrats felt the need to start over, as if we all haven't met.   Having Michelle tell their love story and family beginnings shaped by "poverty"; while Billyboy got up there and basically claimed that what happened in the last four years didn't really happen the way we think it happened -- re-writing Barack's history, his history, and taking the opportunity to suspend reality for as long as he could get away with it.

Adding into the mix a couple of recent polished admissions of the president: the first, being that he considers his grade on the economy "incomplete"; and second, having the audacity to say his biggest mistake is having  not told the story better to the American people.  

For the Left, it's all about conveying a narrative to control Americans from start to finish -- wedging between rich and poor, opportunists and the disenfranchised, the haves and have-nots, blue collar against white, Americans divided by demographic, race, wealth, religion, sexual orientation.

Obama is in this position, pleading for a second chance, because he clearly believes he hasn't told the story better.  ...are you kidding me?

Alec Baldwin made a shocking statement last week.  He tweeted,

"if Obama was white, he'd be up 17 points." 

Sorry, Alec.  If Obama was white, if he wasn't already impeached for acting by dictate through Executive Order and abuse of power, he would have been replaced by Hillary and never even given a second chance.

But that's what America is all about --  second chances, third chances, how ever many times it takes to succeed furnished through the virtues of good self-government.

And may the best man, or woman, win, always.  The best being in all things under heaven, of course.  Thankfully, we can conclude, America is still Divine Providence in motion.

So, folks, let's keep moving.
The DNC is finally over and clearly, there is nothing to see here.
Let's just get on with the debates and be done with it.

Make it a Good Day, G

Roger Hedgecock, San Diego's past mayor turned conservative talk-radio host, came home from the DNC having been denied.  Freedom of speech and tolerance of the other side, simply non-existent.  The DNC projected a stern warning to all delegates and representatives not to speak with any conservative radio/tv guy/gal during the entire convention.  What are they afraid of?