#7: Proper President

By now, no one should be surprised that a sign of respect from United States President Barack Obama toward another world leader would come under fire from the right wing.

In the eyes of the warmongering, Fox News-worshiping herd, the recently-dubbed "Groveler-in-Chief" has done (and will do) nothing right during his presidency, so it should be relatively easy to dismiss their criticisms out of hand.

Still, there are too many intelligent people out there who honestly believe the States become weaker by displays like the one pictured, and by apologizing for the previous administration ignoring everyone else and doing what they thought was best for all.

There is a lot for which the United States of America needs to make amends.

Simply because someone doesn't engage in a physical conflict - finds a way to avoid some sort of fisticuffs, so to speak - doesn't mean he or she couldn't win.

This same conservative base that preaches the Christian values of turning the other cheek and loving thy neighbor and forgiving seventy-seven times seven, either believes that those only apply to American Christians, or just conveniently forgets these things when it comes to politics.

They decry the gesture because good ol' SuperAmerican Dick Cheney stood tall and simply gave a firm handshake in his meeting. The same former Vice President who condones waterboarding and lying about weapons of mass destruction in order to finish a war from the early '90s really isn't the model for foreign relations.

Obama's gesture, while nowhere near polished, is a sign that he recognizes the importance of other nations' customs - specifically when he's visiting their country. He also is aware the the U.S. doesn't (nor should it) rule the world.

And that a simple show of respect strengthens a relationship.

Under the Bush 43 administration, it must have seemed to the rest of the world that it did not have a seat at the table. The glowing example is when America ignored the consensus of the United Nations in that attacking Iraq was the wrong way to go.

While some lemonade has been made out of those lemons insofar as Iraqi government, the cost has been high with regard to our relationship with most countries around the globe, the lives of servicemen from all nations, and an increasingly volatile situation in Afghanistan. That latter consequence could have been avoided by focusing the battle there.

I'm convinced that most of those who agree with the right wing spin doctors foolishly believe that if the nations of the world were to unite against the U.S. militarily, the U.S. would still win. And, therefore, "Bring it on."

The truism "Peace can only be achieved if both sides want it" does not imply that the only solution is fighting.

Some believe that we're still at war with Japan (over for 64 years), China (by way of the Korean and Vietnam conflicts - also over for 30 years and more), and Russian and Europe's Eastern Bloc (over for 20 years).

I'd like to ask these critics when it will finally be acceptable for the States to show these other nations genuine goodwill and treat them as equals.

I fear the answer will be something along the lines of - "When they are democratic nations" (though they still don't think France is equal); "When they do what we tell them" (so that they don't have their own voice?); or, worst of all, "They will never be equal."

Until then, I'll sit back, smile, and know that the world has become a little more peaceful when President Obama respected a Japanese leader, instead of puking on him (figuratively, or literally).


President Bush 41 (white napkin on face) doesn't feel so good after some sushi in 1990.

#6: Unexpected Acts of Kindness

This man is lucky to be alive.

He is 64-year old Kenneth Moon, and he is a detention deputy at a jail in Tampa, Florida, watching over inmates who are awaiting trial.

He was the lone officer in a jail pod when an inmate charged him, punched him in the face, and put in him a choke hold. Moon was unable to use the radio on his desk to call for help.

But help came, anyway.

It came in the form of other inmates.

What makes this story so riveting is that these inmates were all facing charges related to violent crimes, from drug trafficking and sex offenses, to armed robbery and attempted murder.

In other words, folks who wouldn't be the most likely candidates to take home to mom.

Most would expect the prisoners to either help the attacker or to stand idly by and watch, especially given the stereotypical attitudes we see between law enforcement and criminals in many films and TV programs.

In this case, the alleged "bad guys" became the "good guys".

At a press conference, Jim Previtera of the Hillsboro County Detention Center was asked why the heroes of the hour did what they did.

Previtera simply stated, "Moon's a good guy. That's their response. They like Moon."

You can read the story and watch a video here.

People charged with violent crimes coming to the aid of a man who was helping to keep them incarcerated. Because they liked him.

This is where people should start asking the questions.

Why did these inmates like this man? Does that also imply that had the suspect been strangling another of the jail's deputies that they wouldn't have come to the rescue? And if not, what is the difference?

I have several thoughts on this.

One is that Moon is a total pushover as far as law enforcement officers go. He was a guy who took a bunch of crap from the inmates without saying anything back to them or reporting it to superiors, so Moon was no threat to the Alpha-Male-dom that prisons seem to have become.

Another possibility is that they just liked Moon more than the suspect.

But what I most strongly believe to be the case is that Moon was someone who has been straight with them from the day they arrived. He likely never rebuked or judged them, never tried to be condescending or superior to them. He did his job without any unnecessary force or harsh words.

By showing the inmates respect due to a human being, no matter what they're accused of - or even what they're guilty of - Moon paved the way for his own life to be preserved.

Karma. Three-fold path. Do unto others.

Perhaps the unsung hero in all of this is Moon himself.

#1: Introduction

Hello, and thank you for stopping by.

I have created this weblog primarily to give myself a place to vent my frustrations with the world, as the levels of respect for each other - as nations, as communities, and as human beings - continues to plummet.

Secondarily, this blog exists so that any readers who happen by can also express their thoughts, concerns, and suggestions for how we can realistically change things for the better.

Ultimately, it is my hope that you are reading the electronic document that will ultimately save the world.

=================

My name is Mike, I live in the northeastern portion of the United States. Much of my writing contains a flair for either the satirical or the sarcastic. I believe it's easy to tell the difference, but I hope it is clear to you whether my statement is literal or if it's humorously twisted to make a point. I also have a tendency to use parentheses.

That said, it my observation that the world's main problem (and particularly this nation) is that very few people respect those whom they don't already know (and sometimes not even then).

People are far more quick to anger than they were even 20 years ago. They've forgotten how to lose, if they ever even knew in the first place. This applies to arguments, sporting events, getting cut off in traffic...

It seems that virtually every disappointment an individual suffers is a grievous affront that most be avenged.

Why has it come to this?

My thoughts on this are far from solid, but they're organized in three categories (and I'm serious about all of them, by the way).

Things that are not responsible: movies/TV, video games, the internet, porn, President Barack Obama

Things that may or may not be responsible, in whole or in part: religion (or lack thereof), celebrity influence, air conditioning (seriously)

Things that strongly contribute to the downward spiral: A genuine sense of entitlement, disregard for authority (see: sense of entitlement), an inconstant series of consequences, lowered standards


What do you think?

To begin, comments will be not be moderated. However, if trolling ensues, or if people START SHOUTING (instead please use -this method- as a way to stress a point, you know...with the dashes), I will begin moderating and/or deleting comments.

I do not like censorship. When politicians talk about censoring the internet, etc, I am far less inclined to vote for them.

Still, as the point of this blog is to promote respect, comments seen as crossing the line from "disagreement" to "disrespectful" are not welcomed.

If something you read here offends you or otherwise evokes strong feelings, think of your response as an exercise in composure. Yelling, swearing and similar behavior generally weakens an argument, anyway.

We're not all going to agree. Some people will disagree more often than not.

And that's the way it should be.