news

Have We Lost Our Way?

bill fryman, , , , , , , Leave a comment

I try to avoid political discussion in any of my posts, whether blog posts, email, or even responses to things on Facebook or elsewhere. Why? Because our country was founded on freedom. We all have a right to make choices, to have positions that may sometimes be in conflict, to express views with only reasonable limitation. Yet, things seem to have changed. And maybe there is a need to sometimes look at how politics affect our daily lives. I can still be friends with those who hold opposing views. When I look at our country today, I ask myself if, as a country, “Have we lost our way?”

As a baby boomer, I suspect my parents, and their generation, asked the same question in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Things were certainly in were far different at that time than they were in the 40’s when all healthy adults were willing to make great sacrifices in the safety and security of our country and the world. As the baby boomers grew into adulthood, dodging the draft became acceptable, the use of drugs became common, and the hippie fashion became the trend. It was far different from what was acceptable as our parents moved into the world of adults.

The questions today are, in large part, not the result of young people rebelling against the past but instead seem centered around so-called adults who have not grown up. People who seem to believe that the things we have learned as a country over the past two hundred years plus are no longer important.

Differences are no longer acceptable. The ability to work and live together no longer have value. Instead of focusing on why our country has been viewed as a model for much of the world, little is of no value other than wealth or riches. Opposing views are not respected and systems which have served us well only exist to be destroyed.

While the downward spin has been slowly creeping into our lives for many years, possibly beginning in the 60’s, the beginning of the media named pandemic. During those years, much information was spread with limited research or analysis. We saw jobs lost, families broken apart, friendships destroyed, and nameless other things that were the result of individual choices – get a test or don’t get a test, take an injection, rushed to the market, or trust your personal resistance to disease, wear a mask or don’t wear a mask. These things and many more drove wedges between individuals, families, even medical professionals. Yes, there were deaths during the pandemic but the simple was to classify any death was to say it was the result of the disease in question.

Today things have spiraled even further. During our last presidential election, we had one candidate who refused, and still refuses, to accept the results of any election where he is not the winner. The opponent was a candidate who had never received a single vote in a primary election. Many chose not to vote or voted on the lesser of two evils rather than a candidate’s qualifications.

The result – much the same as the end of the pandemic. No one seems to accept that there is nothing wrong with differing opinions; that negotiation can provide better results than permanent lines drawn in the sand can never be crossed; that loyalty to a political party is far more important than representing the average person in our country. We have leadership, and I use the term very loosely here, that believes the only way to lead is through dictation, not working with others to achieve success. Leaders who are willing, and have voiced, that disagreement with them should result in censorship, loss of rights, and even banishment or jailing in foreign countries. Leaders who search for ways to ignore our Constitution, our laws, and the courts which were created to resolve differences in interpretation and enforcement of these laws.

So, we now have a leader who uses things like executive orders, bullying, and even threats to achieve his desires and ignore the legislative branch of our government. A billionaire who has been given largely uncontrolled power as a so-called advisor even though there are clearly conflicts of interest in the advice he gives (and someone who was neither elected nor did his role receive any review). All the members of one party have decided they will line up and accept this leader’s actions and decisions regardless of how stupid they may look or how their constituents feel. The other party does just the opposite opposing everything with no real justification.

When I step back and look at things today, it seems that we do not have leaders. Instead, we have people in high positions who are acting like three-year-old children playing in an expensive sandbox who will pick up their toys and run home if they don’t get their way. So, I return to my original question, “Have we lost our way?”

No Such Thing as Illegal Protest

bill fryman, , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Last week I had the opportunity to read a short article by a legal professor whose area of expertise is Constitutional Law. It was titled, “There is no such thing as ‘illegal protest’”. I would note that this was presented as “News” and not an “Op-Ed”. While I have no legal expertise, especially in the Constitution, this article raised more questions in my mind than answers. The article was focused on some statements by our current President and was clearly written from the point of view that these statements should not have been made. My questions, however, were more related to how bad things might become were the ideas presented taken to the extreme.

The article started with the definition of a protest and of an agitator and how any limitation on these was a violation of the First Amendments protection of peaceable assembly. A protest was defined as a public assembly, presumably presenting a point of view. Although not specifically included was what constitutes an assembly but one could assume it consists of more than one individual. It was stated that an agitator was not a legal term but was colloquially defined as one who makes noise, disrupts the status quo, and calls attention to a cause. The writer stated that this is also a form of free speech.

Following the article title, then just as there are no illegal protests, there is also no illegal agitation. On the surface, this seems to be reasonable.

In my mind, the questions about this view start with the term “peaceable assembly”. What was not defined is the word “peaceable”. For example, is the brandishing of weapons peaceable? Is occupying a building or the property of another, without permission, peaceable? Is destruction of or damage to property, for example, public vehicles or buildings, peaceable?

Another question that arises is, if we assume that all protests, or assembly are legal, does the same apply to all agitation? Things become more difficult to define here. Looking at recent events, is driving a vehicle through a roadblock because one is unhappy because o inconvenience caused by the closed road the work of an agitator?  If so, are the agitators actions a form of free speech and therefore legal? Does this then excuse the agitator for any subsequent damage or death that may occur? If not, then what actions of an agitator, and one must assume a protest, not legal. But by taking the article and its title as absolute protests and agitation cannot be illegal.

Put more simply, with no clear definition of “peaceable” is anything resulting from a protest or the actions of an agitator excused? Given that the Constitution is the ultimate authority on legality, then one might use this as a defense.

Again, I do not claim expertise in the law or the Constitution. I am simply asking what I consider common sense questions. I believe that we have the right to enact laws and to enforce them. We have systems for challenging these laws and determining when they are not Constitutional. But I do not believe that we should take short articles like the one I read last week as an absolute. They are generally the opinion of someone named as an expert, or a limited group of experts, that are published by or in the media as factual. And, that we are expected to accept them without question.

What happens when a different expert or different media source offers a different opinion? Who should we accept and why?  Just more food for thought, especially in a more and more divided country.

Science-Fiction or Science or Fiction?

bill fryman, , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

A few days ago, I read a short observation about where the future might lead us or how the world might be a few decades or even a few years from now. Unfortunately, I failed to make note of who had written the observation or even where I had read it. But thinking about the writing as I was lying in bed early this morning I thought about how science-fiction or even science itself has changed the world around us.

One of the first things I remember that could be classified as science-fiction was the mythological tale of Icarus. I tried to find a specific date when this was written but was unsuccessful. It was written by Ovid, along with several others, and focused on an escape attempt by Icarus and his father using wings made from metal, feathers, and beeswax to fly away from imprisonment. If one gives this some thought, this was science-fiction of its time. Flying, by man, was not even a dream. Yet Icarus’ father was able to conceive the construction and use of wings which would allow them to fly. Sadly, according to the myth, Icarus flew to close to the sun, the beeswax melted, and he fell to his death in the oceans below.

A person must wonder, could the people in Ovid’s lifetime conceive, or even dream, of our large airplanes today that can easily fly us around the world? Or could they possibly things like space travel? Yet in some form this myth was recorded and passed to later generations and is even known to some people today. So, while the tale of Icarus has passed through generations it is still a part of our lives today. So, were the writings of this myth only fiction or were they science-fiction, simply not defined as such?

Science-Fiction probably became a more well-defined genre in the latter half of the 1800’s with the writings of Jules Verne. Verne seems to have included technology (a term used loosely), or science, that existed in his day but expanded on how it was used. For example, this work “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” suggested the use of submersible craft to travel some 40,000 miles or more beneath the ocean. While submersibles existed, they could not travel to that depth, even had such a depth existed. Yet Vernes conceived this as a possibility and while we can search the oceans to great depths today, not anywhere near the depths Verne described. But Verne was able to imagine what might exist there.

Verne also wrote “Around the World in Eighty Days”, a time that, at least in the 1870’s seemed almost unbelievable. One must wonder, what would Verne think of today’s air travel where a trip around the world takes hours rather than many days. Again, the technology that Verne imagined existed. But it has advanced far beyond what he wrote as a novel, not as a prediction of the future. So, how was Verne able to reach out and predict these things that might exist in future times?

While science-fiction, as a genre, continued to grow over the years since Verne, one must also look at the world around us and ask how science has grown. We should mostly ask ourselves are today’s researchers and scientists science-fiction writers or dreamers. Should they have chosen to record their works in novels, would these works have been considered science-fiction? Or were they only science?

An example might be the works of Henry Ford. Ford did not invent the automobile. Instead, he made the automobile affordable. Had Americans who travelled westward on the Santa Fe Trail or the Oregon Trail known of the automobile would they have made those long treks via animal-powered wagons? Would we have the rutted trails that offer historic value today? Or would they have laughed at Ford?

 In other fields one can see both individuals who by imagining possibilities. They looked at problems and tried to find solutions. When they began, there seemed to be no solutions, yet they were willing to stretch the existing limits to create things that were better. People like Pasteur and Salk in the world of medicine who often were chided or punished for their works. People in other fields where advancements were made, or new solutions were found. Many who were successful and many who failed yet challenged others to try.

The differences between these individuals and people like Verne is not in what they imagined or accomplished but in how this was shared with others.

Now, perhaps in a less serious mode, let us move into things into the 1960’s, when I was a child. Many of my generation remember the cartoon series “The Jetsons”. The cartoons were, supposedly, set in the year 2062. This means that we have about thirty-seven more years to see if these cartoons were true or if they were only the imagination of the writers. But we can already see some things become real. For example, the Jetson home was cleaned by Rosie the Robot. While today’s robots take different forms, we can now have our carpets cleaned by robotic devices. Similarly, The Jetsons also had smart watches, video phones, and video chat; all things that are commonplace today. So while Hanna-Barbera were making a cartoon to keep children entertained, were they actually writing science-fiction?

I grew up in the “space age”. We, along with the Soviets, sent man and animal into space. Our exploration allowed us to ultimately development of a craft allowing scientists and others to live for extended time away from earth. They have allowed us to explore other planets and environments. But when we were children each trip to space created tons of junk. Old rockets and other craft that either burned up in the atmosphere, was left in space, or crashed into the oceans. It seems such a waste.

So, what have we done? Today, we have ways to bring much of this junk back to earth, land and capture it safely, and reuse it in the future. Are today’s solutions perfect? Probably not, but they are a step forward and can be improved as we move forward.

When I was in my teens and early twenties I worked on farms, drove tractors and combines, and help farmers tend their crops. When I look at farm equipment of today, I am amazed. Things that we learned to do in the past are now done by automated tools. The farm worker is still there, but for how long?

We have cars and trucks that drive themselves so all we need to do is tell them where to go. Again, something that is yet to be perfected. But something that would have been science-fiction just a few years ago is now emerging reality. Electric vehicles, not the first if one remembers trolleys and electric trains, that also have limitations but may ultimately reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.  All these things started as ideas which could have been discarded as science-fiction but have instead began moving into the world of science.

Who can predict what the future holds? Will it be the scientist, the science-fiction writer, or someone else? And will the future leave us older folks behind or will it be something that makes or lives better? I have no answers, just questions and hope.

Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow… and Our Wildlife Friends

bill fryman, , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Do you remember this song from the movie “White Christmas”? Singing were Bing Crosby and three others on the train heading to an inn in New England where, unfortunately, the snow had yet to appear that winter. As I listened to the weather forecast for this weekend that song came to mind.

We live a short distance southwest of St. Louis and the forecast called for all types of winter weather – snow, sleet, freezing rain, high winds, and low temperatures. In our case, we were expected to be on the line between snow and ice. The forecasters were pretty accurate. The bad weather started with light sleet or freezing rain which began around 10:00 PM, Saturday evening. This lasted until mid-day Sunday when the snow moved in and was mixed with the sleet until early evening. Then the heavier snow arrived and continued until early Monday morning. Driving became dangerous throughout the area beginning Sunday morning and continues even today.

Sunday evening before the heavier snow began, I looked out our rear window and saw two deer run across our backyard. It was dark enough that I really saw only the shadowed outline of their bodies and the bright white flash of their tails. This made me wonder, “How do these wild creatures – deer, squirrels, rabbits, and birds – survive the cold temperatures? If we didn’t have our warm homes, could we humans survive as well?”. It se seems that wildlife can survive, perhaps in nests or other sheltered places. Perhaps, they survive by clustering in groups to share warmth. Or maybe they simply know locations that offer some form of protection. They must because otherwise how could they survive – yet they do. They survive fire and drought, snow and ice, hurricanes and tornados. If they didn’t, we would have no wildlife today.

In this world we live. Humans, the supposed most intelligent species. Humans with technology and science and knowledgeable people who can help us stay safe and survive. But instead of using these tools, we select instead to pay little or no attention to warnings from warnings we are given to avoid travel and stay off the road. We seem to think that driving to the store to pick up a loaf of bread or a six-pack is more important than our safety or that of others, like our first responders. But perhaps we can’t survive without these items. So, we ignore others and try – maybe just to prove we are superior or smarter than those trying to protect us.

Maybe we do survive without problem but often we don’t. We wreck our cars – get hurt or harm others or get lucky and only get stranded. Then what do we do? Do we take responsibility for our actions, or do we do as a person I read about today. This person ignored all the advice and warnings, drove on unsafe roads, and became stranded when stuck in the snow. Their response – claims that there were no warnings (even though warnings were issued days before the storms) and complaints about how long it took first responders to rescue them. They were not injured, or injure others, yet they should have been placed at the top of the rescue list so they wouldn’t get cold. I know I should not judge others but using a quote from a popular movie, “Stupid is as stupid does!”.

This simply, sometimes, makes me wonder, “Who best deserves to survive, our wildlife friends or those who regularly take actions like the above?”

Happy New Year!? One Can Hope!

bill fryman, , , , , Leave a comment

Today’s blog post is a bit more serious or somber than most. Much of it came to me shortly after I awoke this morning. Today is New Year Day (or Should I say New Year’s Day?). The parties and celebrations are over, and most are safely at home. Sadly, I read that several people were killed by someone driving into a holiday celebration in New Orleans for reasons unknown. For their families and friends there is little to be happy about.

I sometimes wonder why we celebrate this day each year, especially since we celebrate not on this day but the night before instead. But perhaps that is a thought for another time. Today should be a time for us to wipe the slate clean, to start anew. Yet that seems so unlikely it needs so little discussion.

To a large degree I blame much of the divisiveness in our country today on the media, both broadcast and print. It seems that instead of promoting unity, they look for ways to promote hate between people. Whether they are successful or not, their headlines or front pages seem focused on differences and ways to increase them rather than on solutions, or, at least on improvements. This is often presented as factual rather than opinion and, if you focus on what is presented, it shows the bias of those allowing it. They also appear to search out celebrities to support these opinions or who are willing to do anything for a free sound bite. This is especially true for those celebrities who are no longer as popular as earlier in their careers.

In the past year alone, there have been multiple published suggestions of cancelling Thanksgiving and Christmas because of political differences. There have also been widely publicized name calling related to the candidate preference or votes cast. This has most recently seen in the publicity given to Don Lemon for his statements regarding MAGA supporters of the incoming administration. If the same statements were made by others regarding groups where Lemon has or is a member, it would immediately be criticized by the media as racist. Perhaps it is time to stop promoting this type of activity in any form and start supporting and publicizing unity.

One could suggest that the reason for this is because the media could not exist without division. As a result, the need for peace is cast aside in favor of increasing profitability. Think about the terms or causes the media seems to promote – Democrat vs. Republican, conservative vs. liberal, north vs. south, black vs. white, etc. While there may be a need to address these issues, others are, or should be, more important to face and resolve. And this can only be done if we are willing to sit down together and discuss them.

Our country has always been strong and with a few exceptions been able to help ourselves and others. But if we allow these so-called experts to continue to drive wedges between us, one must wonder if our strength can last.

Just an old man’s opinion with which you may disagree. Like I said earlier, we have dealt with disagreement since we were young children. The question becomes, “Who are actually the most adult, the children who work through their problems or us older folks who refuse to change?”.

Skipping Christmas

bill fryman, , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

As I was scrolling through posts on Facebook a few minutes ago I saw a post from author, John Grisham. It was about a book he had originally published in 2010 titled “Skipping Christmas”. I suspect I read the book at that time since I was an early fan of Grisham’s work although I no longer have a copy. The book was not politically focused nor was it even published in the year of a presidential election. Instead, it was about a family that decided to skip Christmas and take a cruise instead. They found that skipping Christmas was much easier said than done.

Unfortunately, since 2010 things have changed greatly in our country. I wish I could say this was for the better but I’m do not think this is true. I find it unbelievable that here we are, almost two months after the election and celebrities and so-called media experts continue to pound us with how the country is doomed and the majority of American’s are stupid (along with multiple other insults) because of the person who was elected.

Even today, I read an opinion article on the front page of USA Today’s online edition where the writer stated he still believed in Santa Claus. While the title seemed positive, even there he could not put aside political opinions although he claimed he was doing so. I, too, believe in Santa Claus or at least the spirit of Christmas, whether Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, or any of the others recognized at this time of year.

A few weeks ago I asked on line if for the holiday season we could put our differences aside and try to unite as a country. I guess that is too much to ask of the self-appointed experts with access to the media. But one can always hope. So instead, I ask again that instead of skipping or cancelling Christmas can we put aside our differences and try to act like the “United States” for just one day – tomorrow, Christmas Day.

And to do my part, I want to wish everyone, even those celebrities and media experts, a very Merry Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate) and a Happy New Year.

A Clean Slate

bill fryman, , , , Leave a comment

On Saturday, November 30, we had our first snowfall of the season. While it was originally forecast as only a dusting, we had about three inches at our home. Looking out our window it made me think of having a clean slate. It covered things in our yard that were not how we might like them. Leaves gone unraked, bare spots with no grass, cleaning that had gone undone. This was an opportunity for a new beginning, wiping the slate clean and starting anew. Others may have viewed it as no more than hiding the bad things that were soon to resurface. While I may not agree, I can respect their views. That is one of the great things about our past, the right to disagree yet move forward. I wonder if our country, and its current political climate, and have a clean slate and move forward.

The holiday season has begun. The elections have come and gone. There are some who are happy with the results and those who are dissatisfied with the results. For whatever reason, this year seems to be filled with more hatred than any election year I have lived through. There have been those who suggested cancelling Thanksgiving (I hope jokingly, but I’m not sure) and those who have cancelled family gatherings to avoid political discussions.

The blame game is continuous. People who voted one way blame those who voted another. The minority blames the majority. One group blames another. Even within a party, everyone seems to be looking for someone else to blame for something. Candidates are still asking for money although the election has been over for nearly a month. The name calling continues without end, especially by many media stars. It all seems mindless.

The only time I can remember something even close to this is elementary school name calling, like we see today, shared in print, broadcast, and social media, is when we were children on the playground. But there, the hatred was missing. We could be mad and call someone a “bad name” one minute yet be playing with them a few minutes later as though the words were never spoken.

Perhaps, it is time for us to put aside the hatred, the discontent, the constant blathering, and live together as Americans. Maybe we can respect the differing views of our fellow Americans and stop trying to force everyone into a common mold. Something the Communists have tried for years and still seem unable to make work. I wonder if we, particularly the press and the Hollywood celebrities, can put aside our differences and respect each other for even a few days and enjoy the holiday season. Or should we cancel Christmas or whatever holiday you may celebrate at this time of year? I haven’t seen this promoted by the opinion writers, or movie stars at celebrations in a country other than the U.S. but I can see it coming.

My view of all of this is, “Get real. There are more important things in life than an election. Your parents and your teachers knew this and taught you this when you were young. Have we forgotten everything we learned?”

Headline – Sharon Stone slams ‘ignorant, arrogant’ Americans after Donald Trump win

bill fryman, , , Leave a comment

Another headline from USA Today online quoting a useless celebrity. Statements from the article:

“…Stone is slamming Americans she characterized as “uneducated”…

…”We have to stop and think about who we choose for government and if, in fact, we are actually choosing our government or if the government is choosing itself.”…

…”my country is in the midst of adolescence. Adolescence is very arrogant. Adolescence thinks it knows everything. Adolescence is naive and ignorant and arrogant. And we are in our ignorant, arrogant adolescence.” …

…”Americans who don’t travel, who 80% don’t have a passport, who are uneducated, are in their extraordinary naïveté,”…

With regard to her “who we choose” statement, perhaps Stone is the one who is ignorant and uneducated. Trump was chosen by the majority of American voters – not just the electoral college but the majority of voters. And, Harris was not place on the ballot by winning a single primary election but through manipulation of the process by individuals including President Biden, Representative Nancy Pelosi, and other prominent Democratic officials.

Comments like these and those of Alec Baldwin, both make during appearances associated with the film and entertainment industry are starting to become insulting. It reflects the attitude of superiority pervasive in the entertainment field and the media that continues to support them.

While I may not agree with the opinion columnists in USA Today, at least their views are shown as that. Unfortunately the views of celebrities can be reported as the truth without the same disclaimers that their columnists are subjected to.

If these celebrities hate Americans so much, they are welcome to stop taking our money and leave. And perhaps the editors at USA Today should join them.

Alec Baldwin says Americans are ‘very uninformed about reality’

bill fryman, , Leave a comment

I am really getting tired of “celebrities” acting like they are superior to the American public (who, by-the-way, spend their hard earned money to support these “celebrities) and at the modern day media, primarily the print media, supporting these views and reporting them as though they are fact.

The headline above was taken verbatim from the online version of USA Today. In the accompanying article, the following was stated:

“…The actor spoke to Variety from the Torino Film Festival…”

“…Baldwin touched on the 2024 presidential election and argued movies are more important now than ever as a way of informing viewers about what’s happening around the world…”.

“…”There is a gap, if you will, in information for Americans,” he said. “Americans are very uninformed about reality…”

If Baldwin truly feels this way about Americans who are not part of the elite, like him, who are so enlightened, then perhaps he, too, should pack his bags and join other elites in leaving the county, never to return.

Statements like this, and the media printing them, are a clear example of the elitism of the Democratic Party that has been, at least in part, blamed for their failures in the recent elections. It is difficult for the average, working American to feel connected to someone who is paid millions of dollars to read lines written by others, who participates in sports that, in reality, are no longer enjoyable, or who has never worked at in a job at the hourly level. When will they accept that they are paid to entertain, not insult?

If this is a representation of how the Democratic Party, these “celebrities”, and the media view the American people then perhaps they no longer have a place in our country. Disagreement is fine but insult and superiority are not.

Go Sit in the Corner and Shut Up!

bill fryman, , , , , , , Leave a comment

Perhaps I shouldn’t write this. After all, it criticizes the media, celebrities, and a minority of American voters in the last presidential election. Not only that, I am also immoral, ignorant, stupid, garbage, uneducated, sexist, racist, and a misogynistic (I had to look that one up to make sure it was true). I am elite, a part of the “ruling class”, misinformed, psycho, and don’t care about democracy. I am a hatemonger and not smart enough to know how to react when a bear is trying to eat me (how I ended up somewhere that a bear would try to eat me is unknown). 

Each of these things have been said about me, and a majority of voters, in the last few weeks and been covered repeatedly in the media. Even today, over a week since the election they are still being given front page coverage often being treated as news rather than opinion.

Perhaps the best solution is to do as the title of this post says, “Go Sit in the Corner and Shut Up!” I know this is true for my office where the only acceptable viewpoint is an ultra-liberal, progressive one. Conservatism in any form is not only discouraged but even scorned. If we accept what the liberal press, celebrities, and others tell us then we are accepted but if we dare disagree, we are shut out. So, the best answer is to simply not say anything.

I refuse to be shouted down by those who I do not respect – the media which has had an extended liberal bias, celebrities who, while entitled to their views, are no more qualified than me to make an informed decision, and others who consider views other than their own irrelevant. I hope I don’t lose friends because of this post but if I do, I must ask, “Were they really friends?” I will continue to talk to family members who have opposing views although some may not talk to me.

I will not, however, go sit in a corner and shut up.  That may work with small children but it is not a solution for adults.