“My God doesn’t act that way”

The above was the headline in an article in our local paper referring to a minister conducting a service after the tornadoes that struck Massachusetts on June 1, 2011. He went on to say that his God is a god of love, caring and compassion. This is like a plane crash in which everyone was killed save one person who declared “God saved me!” One has to ask why didn’t God prevent the plane from crashing in the first place or asking why didn’t God prevent the tornadoes in the first place. Doesn’t He care?

These declarations are typical of people with a religious bent who tend to see only what supports their beliefs. It's call selective justification. It’s like saying that you believe there are a lot of Ford Mustangs on the road and you support that belief by noting every Mustang you see without ever noticing the total number of cars you see. If the total car population was accounted for then the belief of many Ford Mustangs fails. We remember the hits and forget the misses. It’s just the way we are wired.

Also it just maybe a guttural thing. When faced with a disaster like a tornado we need some thing to hang on to and even though we deep down know it doesn’t make sense, we appeal to an Almighty.

It’s curious but not surprising that the concept of God is different to different people. I remember in school the nuns who said that the Old Testament described a wrathful God while the New Testament describes a loving God. So it’s not surprising to hear a preacher saying “My God doesn’t act that way.” I guess God can be molded how ever someone wants Him to be. Remember God was made in mans’ image not the other way around. Think about it.

Middle school conversation

Some time ago, Sarah Palin jabbed the press by making reference to the “lame stream media.” It was her was of saying the “main stream media” is out of touch with the “real America'”, where ever that is.

But more than the catty retort which Sarah is prone to spout, it points to how the conversation of the political right is more like what one would hear in middle school -- self-centered, childish and uninformed. It reminds me of those morning coffee shop groups (mainly old dudes) sitting around telling each other the way the world should run and “those idiots” don’t know what they are doing. “Those idiots” tend to be anyone else except themselves.

The right constantly likes to dumb down of some of the issues to snappy sayings and sound bites. One only has to listen to Sarah or Michelle Bachmann or any Tea Party person to get the drift of what I’m saying. And it’s shameful. And it’s harming us.

We live in a very complex world and there are no simple answers anymore. Take the recent ABC News piece on Afghanistan titled “Are We Winning?” You would think that would be a very simple question to answer but in fact it’s not. Gone of the days of the enemy hoisting the white flag and the surrender ceremonies on a battle ship. The new enemy doesn’t wear a uniform and doesn’t represent a country. They are bands of criminals with weapons and motive to inflict harm to anyone they think should feel their wrath. They are not organized and not really lead by any one leader. So, truth be told, there is no “winning” against them. All you can realistically do is to minimize their impact and keep up constant pressure to push them to the margins.

And take the economy. It’s going to be the number on topic for the election and the truth is there is no quick fix. To think that anyone can come into the White House and make everything fine and dandy is only deluding ourselves. I know people out of work want a job NOW but it won’t happen NIOW. To trot out an old phrase “it’s a new paradigm.” We’ve entered a new world in which our economy is tied to other economies and that won’t changed. We need to have real conversations about what needs to be done and how we can prosper given this new environment. And making more goods in the USA is not the answer.

This new conversation needs a public educated enough to understand what’s facing us and our politicians need to set an example of that conversation. Having a talk like middle school girls in the hall way talking about someone who Tweeted so-and-so won’t cut it. We need to be adult about this. Think about it.

How Mitt? How?

Our former governor, Mitt “I’ll tell you anything” Romney, announced his candidacy for President. Woo woo!

Ole Mitt was spouting off his plan to create jobs, lower taxes and bash the hell out of anyone getting in his way. He was putting out the same drivel one hears from all those “business people”, i.e. Donald Trump, who claim to know how to create jobs. Well, running a company and running a government are two different things. For one thing a company CEO generally has the authority to do as he/she pleases. While a President has to deal with our wonderful Congress which may or may not do what he/she wants.

I’ve never understood how voters think that just because a person ran a company, they could run the US Government the same way. It’s like saying “I can drive a car, so I can fly a plane.” As a flight instructor I can tell you they are two different animals.

With Mitt’s past history on the campaign trail, you’ll know he’ll say anything to get votes. Politicians distort things as a matter of course but Mitt raises it to a new level. While in Massachusetts (most of the time) he raised business taxes by $140 million in one year with measures branded “loophole closures” while still claiming he wasn’t raising taxes. Romney also raised revenue from higher fees and fines, a tax by another name, while still claiming that there was no need to raise taxes.

But the one thing that voters should listen for is how Mitt will do what he’s says he’ll do. Politicians are long on promises but short of specifics. Besides if anyone think that Mitt or anyone like him will make American all better two days after taking office, they are in for a rude awaking. I think that one of the reasons that many, particularly on the right, have issues with Obama is that they expected instant cures to the problems we have. The current economic crises is unlike anything we have experienced, save the Great Depression.

My fear is that someone like Mitt will sell the American public a bill of goods and we’ll still have all the long term issues that we can’t seem to get the courage to solve. Besides if Mitt get’s to the White House (hope not) he’ll bring in a bunch of right wing nuts which will make things worse not better. Think about it.