opinion

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

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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’

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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.

“Chiefs” By Stuart Woods (A Book Review)

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I have long wanted to write a review of one of the works of a favorite author, Stuart Woods. I found this particularly difficult because of Woods’ long writing career including both novels and nonfiction works. Finally, I decided not to delay longer and try to capture the essence of his first novel, “Chiefs”. I would note that while “Chiefs” is his first novel, originally published in 1981, it is not his first book. Before “Chiefs” he wrote a book describing his experiences sailing, including a trans-Atlantic trip from the United Kingdom to the United States, and a guidebook to locations throughout the U.K.

“Chiefs” is loosely based on a childhood experience in Woods’ life when he found an old badge in a relatives’ attic. The badge appeared to be blood stained and damage from some type of firearm. Woods found that this was true, and the badge had been worn by one of his ancestors.

According to Woods, it took many years for the story he was told to transition into a novel and then took about eight years to be written and published. Most of the writing occurred in Ireland where Woods lived, almost as a hermit. Like several of Woods’ early novels the story is not part of any series although it does introduce several characters and locations that appear in his later works. The novel focuses on four individuals who lived in the rural south beginning in the 1920’s and continuing until after the end of World War II. A time when the country, particularly the south, was in transition.  Three of these individuals were law enforcement officers in a small Georgia town. The other seemed to believe that he was more qualified than any to hold the position.

The first officer, Will Henry Lee, was a former cotton farmer. Like many other small farmers, he could no longer support his family by farming. Since the town was looking for its first police chief, Will Henry asked for the position and was accepted. He was successful in the position until his untimely, and some would say accidental, death while on duty. His badge, much like that of Woods’ ancestor, suffered the same fate.

The second chief, Sonny Butts, came on the scene years later. He might have been considered a thug had the circumstances been different. He was a motorcycle riding hot head, not afraid to treat the town’s elite in the same manner as it’s poor. He had proven himself a reasonably good police officer and was appointed chief after the death of his predecessor. After becoming chief, simply disappeared, not immediately but after some time.

The final chief in the story was a black man, something extremely unusual in that timeframe not just in the rural south but anywhere in the country.  He had experience in the military and was fair to all the residents of the town. Because of his experience and a recent event, he began looking at the history of related crimes in the town’s past.  His findings seemed to point to someone in or near the town being guilty of or at least knowledgeable of the crimes. Yet when he tried to report these things to the long-term county sheriff, they were laughed off. Could this be because of the chief’s race or was there some other underlying reason?

The fourth principal character in the book was an odd individual who lived a short distance outside the town. Someone who wanted to be the chief but was never selected. Someone who often appeared dressed as a hero from WW I, although his service was questionable. Someone who lived as a hermit but was known to have a large collection of weapons. A person who, if nothing else, was looked on as odd, quirky, or even crazy. What was his role?

Did any of these characters have a relationship? What role did each play in the growth of the town? Or were all just passing ships in the night? This is for the reader to find out.

I was able to find this novel in paperback form from a 2005 printing. It is unlikely that an copies of the original hardcopy version can be found since there were only about 20,00 copies printed. It is worth the hunt to read the book. Captivating, yes. Hard to put down, yes. And a challenge to try to solve the mysteries before reaching the conclusion. Search for it. Read it. And enjoy.

“The Economy, Stupid”

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Sometimes the irony in politics is often overlooked but seems to always be present. The past election is proof of this. According to “Wikipedia,” James Carville was credited with coining the term “The Economy, Stupid” as one of three points that were important in keeping then democratic candidate Bill Clinton’s campaign on course. These points were posted at the campaign headquarters. Another of the points was “Change vs. more of the same.” In various forms since that time, these phrases have been used by others who have often added “It’s” to the first term.

Ironically, the Democrats failed to take these two of Carville’s three points into consideration during the recent election. Throughout the campaign, most polls pointed to the economy as the major issue facing voters today. High prices, high interest rates, and inaction by the ruling party affected almost all working-class American’s. This was more important to voters than illegal immigration, which was also important, the rights of selected groups, or other issues. Yet the Democrats failed to address this issue or even offer a plan for addressing it in the future.  On the other hand, Republicans were quick to point out problems in the economy at every opportunity.

Given this, ignoring Carville’s first point left the door open for emphasizing the second. Do you, the voter, want to have more of the same or is change preferable? I don’t believe that Republicans have the magic wand that will automatically solve all problems in the nation’s economy, but I must look at what has been done in the last four years to make things better. What I see is little change has occurred and the Democratic candidates offered little other than to say they would change nothing. So, while the Democrats would have us believe that Carville’s words were correct in 1992, they want us to ignore these words in 2024.

I don’t understand this. If it was true then, why is it not true today? I believe Carville was correct in 1992 and he is still correct. Most of the other issues, while important, do not affect most of us directly. But when we go to the grocery store and walk out the door carrying $100 of groceries in two small plastic bags, see interest rates on loans climbing three, four, or more percent over the last four years, and seeing gas prices almost double in the same timeframe then the economy become exceedingly important to us. And even though celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg claim to be part of working America, it is difficult to accept that someone who can afford a car valued at over $1,000,000 is in any way part of the same group as a person who earns $800.00 a week.

Why not take the chance, or the risk, that something different might work? Maybe things won’t be better but maybe the reward may be great. We already know that staying the same would not work so let’s try something new.

Go Sit in the Corner and Shut Up!

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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.

The Headline Read, “Whoopi Goldberg Cannot Afford To Leave “The View” – ‘Having a hard time like many Americans’”

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I always find news articles related to our so-called celebrities interesting. I saw the headline above on an article in News Break this morning. When reading the article, I found that the headline wasn’t completely accurate although it could be implied from what was quoted in a cited article (https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/whoopi-goldberg-admits-shed-leave-170857679.html ).

There, the A-List celebrity was quoted as saying. “If I had all the money in the world, I would not be here, okay?” I decided to do a bit more research and found that, depending on the source you select, her net worth is somewhere between $20 million and $85 million. Her annual salary on “The View” is estimated to be around $10 million.

If even one of these estimates are correct, I find it hard to accept another statement attribute to Goldberg – “I appreciate that people are having a hard time, me, too — I work for a living!” she said. “If I had all the money in the world, I would not be here, OK? So, I’m a working person, you know?” I am insulted by this statement. With Americans struggling to make ends meet, to afford a home, and to feed their families for a person with an annual income in the millions to say they are a working person is laughable. The vast majority of Americans are never going to come close to this level of net worth or annual salary. The mere thought of having ‘all the money in the world” is at best a fantasy.

 Another article suggested that the co-host said on Tuesday’s live show, November 12, 2024, that if she were the richest person alive, she wouldn’t show up to moderate the long-running ABC talk show anymore. Again, not a totally accurate quote, but one which shows the disconnect between Hollywood celebrities and the average American.

The same could be said of other celebrities like Dick Van Dyke and others who have openly criticized the American voter. They seem quite happy to take our money for providing some level of “entertainment” while at the same time saying they are superior to us. Meanwhile, the media seems to have fallen into line by publicizing and promoting these views again and again.

With many of these celebrities now criticizing voters still today and suggesting that they might move from our country my feelings are, “Goodbye, Good Riddance, and Don’t Come Back! You have made too much money from those voters who are too uninformed to make a choice without your help.”

“Adults,” Grow Up!

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As we grow older, we often forget the lessons we learned as children. Or, possibly, the things we learned as children have changed, either purposely or unintentionally.

As children, we played with others, either at school or in our neighborhood. Most of the time this play was peaceful even though we had disagreements. But sometimes, our disagreements turned into a crisis for us. The result was that they became shouting matches, sometimes minor fights, and we picked up our toys and went home. Once there, we told our parents, usually our mothers, that we “hated” the other person and never wanted to play with them again, or, in the worst case, never wanted to see them again. The response was often, “Go to your room and calm down. Grow up!”

Of course, the result of these life events was usually that we were playing with that same person the next day with neither of us remembering what cause the problem and having no concerns about it. So, we learned and, over time, we “grew up.” We really didn’t need our parents to get involved in most situations, only the most extreme.

Today, I look at the recent election and think that someone needs to say to many adults, grow up! It has been one week since the election. There are already fundraising efforts underway to demand recounts, there are claims of election fraud, and there is finger-pointing even within parties regarding who is to blame for losses and who should get credit for wins.  There are also predictions of gloom and doom, promises of retaliation or retribution, and even demands to change laws that have been in place throughout our history.

There are reports of celebrities claiming that they will leave the country because of the election results. Something I find highly unlikely given recent history and, if true, I believe we should wave to them as they go. Similarly, there is at least one state governor who has said that anything happening to his state will have to go through him. Perhaps he should look at the history of governors in his state who seem to follow their term in office with a term in Federal prison.

And, heaven forbid, the press seems to be unable to accept that the election is finished, and the American public has spoken. The press was simply out of touch during the entire election process. No matter how many pundits criticize the election results, or criticize voters, the results will not change. Perhaps there are more important things to focus on today and move forward. Stop talking about what you perceive as wrong and start looking at how we can make things better in the future (and respect the views of the average Joe, not the elite with whom you always agree).

Throughout our country’s history, we have had winners and losers in elections. Yet our country has survived. It will survive this time as well, no matter whether your side won or lost. Move forward, don’t dwell on the negative, and don’t hate those with whom you disagree. You are wasting your time and that of those around you. “Go to your room and GROW UP!”

“You Are Here” by David Nicholls (A Book Review)

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Previously posted on Facebook.

My beautiful and loving wife gave me three books for Father’s Day this year. Those of you who have seen my previous posts may remember that I have loved reading since my early days and I suspect I have read hundreds, if not thousands, of books since then. Any time I receive books as a gift it is wonderful.

In a recent post, I wrote a short review of the first of these books, Nick Offerman’s “Where the Deer and the Antelope Play …” I’m going to try to do the same for another here, David Nicholls’ “You Are Here.” Nicholls, much like Offerman, has had a varied career as an actor (for which he said he had no talent), a writer, and a screenwriter.

“You Are Here” has been described in many ways by others – an outdoor story, a journey, a love story, by Nicholls himself as funny, and more. I could agree with any of these. The book presented a bit of challenge at the beginning because of differences between the typical American novels I read and the British style of Nicholls. But this disappeared after only a few pages.

While trying to not spoil your enjoyment of the book, it centers on a hiking trip primarily involving a man, Michael, and a woman, Marnie, with seemingly little in common.  He was a geography teacher; she a book editor. Both were coming out of unsuccessful relationships. Both were somewhat isolated, by choice, as a result. They did have one friend in common, one who kept pushing them to get out of their isolation. The friend was finally successful by organizing three day hiking trip with several other people.

“You Are Here” follows the trek and the decision by Marnie to extend her hike to accompany Michael for several additional days of his planned, longer trip. Up and down hills, through the countryside, the trip continues until an evening when Michael meets with his former wife. Unfortunately, Michael had not told Marnie about this meeting until the day it was to occur Obviously Marnie’s feelings were hurt. While the meeting occurred, many surprises and unexpected results ensued.

What would happen next? Would Michel and Marnie reconcile and live happily ever after? Would they never meet again? What really happened when Michael met his ex-wife?

A few months later, when the man, the woman, and the friend who started the whole adventure met again, the meeting will be a surprise to all who read the book.

This book was a Barnes & Noble Book Club Selection and it is easy to see why. It can be enjoyed by anyone who reads it no matter how they categorize it. While my initial reason for reading it was as an outdoor book, the other views came through as well.  I would strongly recommend it to all.

Good reading.

The Fourth Estate

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It has now been two days since the 2024 election yet rather than accept the election results and moving forward, the mainstream press seems affixed on continually creating discord. They seem to continually publish or air statements regarding how things were unfair, biased, etc., and supporting many of those who were not elected by a majority of American voters.

According to Merriam-Webster’s web site, “The term fourth estate has been around for centuries. In Europe, going back to medieval times, the people who participated in the political life of a country were generally divided into three classes or estates. In England they were the three groups with representation in Parliament, namely, the nobility, the clergy, and the common people. Some other group, like the mob or the public press, that had an unofficial but often great influence on public affairs, was called the fourth estate. In the 19th century, fourth estate came to refer exclusively to the press, and now it’s applied to all branches of the news media.”

In other sources, there was also an emphasis that the press had a responsibility to do this in an unbiased manner, without interference by either the government or personal views. The term press has been popularly expanded to include other forms of the media, including social media. What I could not find anywhere was the inclusion of celebrities such as television and movie stars, professional athletes and coaches, or even former government officials, elected or appointed, were part of the fourth estate.

Unfortunately, when viewing the press (or media) today, it seems that these celebrities are represented as smarter or more qualified than the average American to make election decisions. This seems to be supported by the media when publishing headlines stressing the views of these celebrities. Is this actually a lack of bias?

I respect the decision of the press to provide an opportunity for opinions and editorials which offer opposing views. I do question whether any of these should be headlined by the press without being identified as opinions.

I believe the role of the press is to report the news for public consumption without telling the public how to think. I also believe that many people have come to distrust the mainline media. And, that as a result, people have put themselves in harm’s way because of this distrust. I’m not sure that we will ever return to the level of trust that existed in the era shortly after World War II where the news was reported, not interpreted.

Election Day 2024 – The Day After

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With the exception of cleaning up some leftovers, it appears that the 2024 election is now over. We, the American people, have taken the opportunity once again to make our voices heard. The results have been tallied and in the vast majority of cases, the results are in. Concessions have been made and victories celebrated. As in every election that I can remember, there were candidates who won and candidates who did not. And for each winner, there were supporters who were happy just as there were supporters who were sad because their candidate did not win. Similarly, in many locations, the voting process allowed people to express their opinion about issues other than the candidates themselves. There were winners and losers there as well. These things have happened throughout the history of our country.

One can only hope that the divisiveness and hatred that have invaded our country for the last ten years or so can now be put aside and we can move on to a more positive environment. One where we can simply agree to disagree, to put our differences aside in daily life, and to end the conflicts that have arisen between friends and family members. We can also hope for a return to the days when politically driven retribution is the exception rather than the rule. We have done this before and we can do it again.

Of course, the “celebrities” who seem to consider themselves more important than the rest of America are already lining up to create promote and encourage both antagonism and hatred among us simply to make a bigger name for themselves. I often wonder what have these “stars” in the media, acting, and sports done to qualify them to tell me how to vote or do anything outside of their field of expertise. But I suppose as long as today’s news media continues to promote them they will continue to think that the rest of the country know less than they do.

Instead of allowing ourselves to contribute to the antagonism, divisiveness, and hatred I encourage everyone to take a step back and try to calm down. If you didn’t like the election results, at whatever level, don’t worry. You will have another opportunity to share your views in a few months or years. Who know if you will then be a winner or a loser. But for now, maybe take a friend to lunch or have a drink with them at a bar and forget about any political differences you may have. Try to consider what is important for our children today – having them all agree with you or teaching them how to work through differences and move forward. And, sit down and ask yourself, “Is it better to live in a country where you are given the opportunity to express your views or would it be better to live under the thumb of a dictator who came into power through corruption, war, and military might?”