A Commentary by Ben Stein

Gone, are the day's of rational behavior!

Where does the voice of reason reside?

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

 My confession:

 I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat...

 Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

 In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

 In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school... The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK

 Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about.. And we said okay..

 Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

 Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

 Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

 Are you laughing yet?

 Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

 Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

 Pass it on if you think it has merit.

 If not, then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.



 My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

 Ben Stein

Divided We Fall

   There has been a lot of talk coming from Conservatives, GOP and Tea Party members about secession from the rest of the the Country. Blaming President Obama's win at the polls.  There seems to be a lot of hatred in this Country, for really no reason at all.  Certainly not any reason that can't be talked through and worked out.

   Some GOP Treasurer in Texas said the people who voted for Obama were maggots, Ted Nugent  referred to his fellow Americans as Pimps and Donald Trump called for a Revolution.  Seems he wants to march on Washington and take the Nation back by force.  That seems petulant to me, in fact it all seems petulant and childish to me.  And counter productive.  They are basically running away from their problems.

   I would have great difficulty voting for someone who runs at the first taste of defeat.  I don't recall anyone threatening Insurrection when George Bush Bankrupted America sending us spiraling into our worst Recession yet.  Nobody called Bush voters Pimps, or Maggots when he refused to invest in America, saying we are not Nation builders, all the while sending millions of dollars to build the Iraqi Nation.

   I'm not bitter about being temporarily laid off, or watching loved ones lose almost everything.  I'm even over the fact that I had to watch the quality of life of people I care deeply for drop to sub standard living.  One of the Tea Party denigration's called Obama voters "Cowards".

   Well that can't possibly be true because we are not running.  We didn't run four years ago, we didn't run eight years ago.  In fact we never ran, never threatened to run or secede.  We never called people names, belittled or bullied them in anyway.  In fact over the years we have behaved in the exact opposite manner in which we now find ourselves accused.

   And still we offer an olive branch, still we ask for our elected officials regardless of political affiliation, to fix this great Nation of ours.  This Proud Nation that we all love, that we have all Pledged our Allegiance to.

   We simply want to work for a decent wage.  Support our families, and have a quality of life that will ensure our well being.  Is having the right to marry the love of our lives to much to ask?  Is it cowardice to ask for the same pay as someone of the opposite sex?  Does having the means to support ourselves to a ripe old age make us maggots?  No, these things the GOP and Tea Party refer to, don't apply to us, they apply to them.

    Someone once said that what we fear the most, lies within ourselves.  I have always believed that in order to overcome your fears, you must confront them.  I don't know if that is true or not, but it might be as good a place to start as any.

Accountability

   I have been hearing a lot from groups like the Tea Party and Citizens for a better America on accountability.  Holding elected Politicians accountable for their actions.  Why? So no one ever decides to run for public office again.  So we end up with a Dictator State.  That's what will happen if they get their way.  We will see the biggest void in politics since the world was run by Monarchies.  We are talking about good men and women who decide to step forward to make our communities better places.  Everyone of them with the best of intentions  to serve the publics best interest and preserve our way of life for future generations.  Just because they don't have all the answers or make a bad judgement call, they want to punish them.  Utter stupidity! Do these groups have all the answers?  Have they never made a bad call under the impression they were making things better?  This is a completely idiotic idea!  For starters, we have an accountability measure put in place hundreds of years ago.  It's called not voting for a candidate you disagree with.  These groups are no longer grass root organizations with designs on making their neighborhoods better.  They are fronts for Big Business and Big Money, to make their lives better, not citizens lives better.  The people who join these groups don't realize they are being used as pawns by billionaires with personal agendas.  It's aggravating listening to them rant on about their moronic mission statements!  And it's almost impossible to avoid it, when they come knocking on your door with their questionnaires that are obviously one sided.  When you disagree with them they have the nerve to stand on your front step, on your own property and verbally attack and demean you.  If you don't believe me then go to their websites and read their agendas and mission statements.  At first they seem harmless and then they seem to make some kind of sense, but when you break it down sentence by sentence and think about what they are spouting, you realize they are the biggest bunch of bone heads since the Keystone Cops.  The only up side to that is, the Keystone Cops aren't real.  But I'm not sure these people know that.  The groups in question don't have the ability to make America Great, simply because the are incapable of bring people together.  Their focus is separating people.  Pushing them apart seems to be the real mission statement.  Dividing our Nation and feeding off of its polarizing effects.  What purpose could that serve?  It's like keeping a draw bridge in the up position all the time.  It keeps communities apart while allowing ships, shipments, and money flowing to the ones who are really in charge!

Conservatives

It is entirely possible to be conservative and be a caring, feeling, normal human being. Time was conservatives did care about others. They had their way and respected the fact that you had yours. I think most conservatives are still that way. We just don't realize it, because they are drowned out by right wing fanatics. In fact, I don't think they should call themselves conservative any more. You can't be a fanatic and conservative at the same time. Intentionally or not, they've sullied the very meaning of the word.  And about all the controversy lately over Famous personalities supporting conservatives. I say leave them alone. They've made their own decision and we should respect that.  Don't we ask for the same respect?  If you're deciding peoples votes for them, your in the wrong country.  It seems like everybody is so busy shouting to be heard they don't realize, nobody is listening to any one.  It's bad enough the politicians stopped listening to us, now we aren't even listening to each other.   I'm not a conservative but I respect their right to live as they see fit.  I only ask they do the same.  As for the Ultra Right Wing Extremist I say to you, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  So if you want to be berated, assaulted, belittled and humiliated, than by all means carry on.

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Congress Fiddles while Rome Burns

I will give Democrats credit for trying to move the Nation forward against a Tea Party Hi-Jacked Republican Congress. And I can't fault them for failing in their attempt.  It's difficult to reason with fanatics.  But that does not excuse them for ignoring and in some cases, lashing out against their own constituents. Americans are pleading for help and all we get is "it's not my fault" or "why don't you do something about it" or my personal favorite said to my face from a Candidate seeking my vote, "make yourself relevant".  All though unemployment has recently dropped, there are to many variables involved for it to be taken seriously. Students going back to school, and leaving summer jobs that are being filled by over qualified professionals that have been out of work for years. Add to that temporary seasonal hiring has started for the upcoming Holidays. All of which make for an inaccurate jobs analysis. As thankful as we are to be getting back to work, these are hardly the types of jobs that will put America back on track. And all the while Congress fiddles while Rome burns.  It's baffling that PACs, Super PACs and the Mega Rich are willing to give Millions of Dollars to get a Candidate elected, but not willing to spare one dime on economic growth. I wonder how many jobs could have been created with just the money the Koch Brothers alone have given?

Bill McLaughlin     

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