November 23, 2008
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weekend binge
I’ve gotten into a really bad habit of binging on weekends. I tell myself I won’t, but then I start thinking about it mid afternoon. I tell myself, “just one before bed” and I mean it. About 9 o’clock, I start. But you know how that story goes, I don’t stop with one or two.
Last night, it was 9 in a row and I finally passed out on the couch about 2 a.m.
Today it took me hours to get over that groggy feeling of slogging through heavy mud, but you know what? I’d do it again.
I’m so addicted to NCIS! I love Jethro, Abby, Tony and Ziva. I’m thrilled that in Season 4 McGee writes a best-selling novel. No matter how much I promise myself I’m going to take it slowly, I’m consuming the DVD’s like they were my first potato chips after six months of low-carbing.
What did you think I meant?
o_0
I know, it’s cheap, I’m almost sorry.
In truth, I’ve been thinking a lot this weekend and I was more than happy to dive into NCIS to distract me. I’ve had unsettling experiences over the past couple of days which I’m just not able to wrap my mind around.
On Friday, a woman at work, someone I respect and consider to be highly intelligent told me that she’s planning to buy a gun. She believes that President-elect Obama will act quickly to ban weapons and she wants to have one. She also believes that President-elect’s policies are going to so destroy the economy and that we will soon be scrabbling for food and fighting like animals.
Yesterday morning I heard another woman say that President-elect Obama has already reversed his campaign positions on Israel and that he will move quickly to force Israel to pursue policies of appeasement with terrorists.
Can someone explain to me where this garbage is coming from?
Can anyone explain to me why otherwise intelligent people would believe it?
Today, I saw a video clip of a pastor in Wichita, Kansas who has posted on the sign outside his church a message saying, “America, we have a Muslim President, this is sin against the Lord.” The interviewer asked him how it was that he could say that Obama was a Muslim, and read Obama’s statement saying that he is a Christian. The pastor took exception to one of the follow-up statements that were included in the statement saying that it’s not a position held by Christians.
Sadly, the Pastor was wrong. There’s a very large group of theologians, highly respectable Christian theologians, who hold exactly the position Obama referenced.
Sadly, the woman concerned about Israel was wrong. Obama has made no statement reversing his campaign positions and in fact appointed Rahm Emanuel his Chief of Staff. Since Mr. Emanuel, has the reputation of being the most staunch supporter of Israel in Washington, that would be a remarkably bizarre appointment if Obama intended to withdraw American support of Israel.
Sadly, the woman in my office is wrong. Obama has made no statement indicating a desire to ban gun ownership.
I believe she’s also wrong in her predictions of coming economic collapse, at least insofar as it might be Obama’s policies which would prompt such a thing. The policies of the past 18 years have taken us so far down the supply-side, voodoo economics path that there may be a lot more difficulty putting the brakes on our current trajectory than we might wish. Still, we are a long way from the economic collapse of the 30′s and somehow even in that very difficult time the country didn’t fall into a state of anarchy and mob rule.I say it’s sad that these people are wrong not because I think it would be an improvement if they were correct. I say that because I think it’s tragically pathetic that people would believe such things. I think it’s sad that otherwise intelligent people would uncritically accept statements which seem obviously designed to inspire fear.
Propaganda.
Where’s it coming from and why would anyone believe it? I have for years consoled myself with the thought that although people are gullible, when the statements are so bizarre they would set of the bs detectors of a three year old, they would laugh and go to bed.
No one’s laughing. And apparently none of us are sleeping well either.
Comments (24)
Rush Limbaugh is a good place to start. Not much there except negativity and paranoia there. It’s heartbreaking that some good people place their faith in that vitriol and regurgitate it as gospel.
NCIS? I dont know what that is! I feel so inadequate.
I thought you were talking about resses peanut butter cups. I admit that I have a habit. I own it.
I’ll say this: I’ve heard equally ridiculous sentiments from the other side. Myself personally, I’ve always thought these kinds of paranoid beliefs are completely laugh-worthy, but it appears that among the politically passionate, on either side, they are commonplace. Politics, like religion, attracts its share of the unstable.
who was it that said, “the bigger the lie, the easier it is to get people to believe it”? i don’t remember, but that comes to mind.
and now i want some potato chips. : )
propaganda is right … consider this: newspapers would not exist if it were not for ads … television would not exist were it not for ads … radio would not exist were it not for ads … who places the ads? … big business … take the freekin news for what it is … they are trying to sell you something … you can choose not to buy it … and use your common sense …
was it wichita or topeka? b/c there’s a “person” who calls himself a pastor…from topeka…he and his family and followers are psycho demons from hell as far as most of the state of kansas [and missouri] is concerned. fred phelps is his name i believe. batshit crazy he is. total whack job. protests at funerals of soldiers who’ve died in Iraq…protests at funerals of people who were gay and/or died of aids… he’s scary crazy.
i heard the thing about guns the other day, too. was out shopping w/a friend and she wanted to make sure this purse she was looking at would hold any of her pistols. one of the girls working at the shop said she’d heard that obama was going to take away the “right to carry concealed weapons” law in places like kansas. and yes, my friend has a very good reason to carry one with her. i, on the other hand, would be more likely to shoot my foot or something innocent like my car interior while digging around for my keys. some things are better left to the non-scatter-brained, eh?
Interesting, when Obama stated explicitly during his campaign that there is a right to own guns under the Constitution, period. His point is that we can negotiate around the fringes, on say cop-killing ammo, submachine guns, and rocket launchers. He appears to have no interest in gun control otherwise.
Also interesting that some people are ready to blame him for the recession when he hasn’t had a chance to address it yet. They should be thankful that the markets stopped their slide on Friday when the transition let it be known who will be the next Treasury Secretary. Maybe Wall Street at least will start to chill, nailing only stocks of companies that are in trouble.
I saw some wallpaper this weekend made of newpapers from the 1940′s. It was oddly reassuring – articles of events in WWII side by side with notices of library meetings and school honors. Even when times are hard, life goes on and most of us are OK. Though we must work to help those who fall through the cracks.
@ordinarybutloud - have you really? Because I’ve been kind of looking to see if it’s a common phenomenon or if it’s coming more from one side or the other and I haven’t found or heard anything comparable from the pro-Obama side.
@quiltnmomi - Not about Obama, obviously. About Bush, lots and lots and lots of examples. As with Obama, huge, paranoid exaggerations with teeny tiny grains of truth lost somewhere along the way.
@LuckyStars - I’ve heard about the Phelps guy, this wasn’t him. I’m pretty sure it was Wichita. This pastor sounded pretty sane, just utterly convinced that he is able to judge whether or not someone is a Christian.
@ordinarybutloud - Hmmmmm, Well, I’ll have to keep looking then. I have been very disappointed with Bush’s Presidential performance and I would think that enough people know that about me that they would have sent me anything circulating. But I’ll go back and look again. Thanks.
@quiltnmomi - great. apparently we grow them as much as we grow wheat in kansas. eeesh. however, in all fairness, i suppose there are people, er “pastors”, like that nationwide. i would hope not but i’m sure there are. i know we’ve seen plenty of the judgemental types on tv over the years.
i’ll never forget the time [years ago...i was a teenager] when i was walking by the tv and for some reason oral roberts was on. i heard him say, as i walked by, “lay your hands on the tv and He will
HEAL
you…praisejesusamen.” i stopped and backed up to watch the show. amazing. and i knew people were buying it.
that’s what’s so scary about the rumours flying around right now.
I haven’t heard any of that stuff, and I hang out with a pretty conservative bunch. Maybe it’s the talk radio guys. They get pretty outrageous sometimes. I’ll have to do some listening to see what they’re saying. It amuses me while I work and I can feel informed of the “great dangers facing this nation”. I’ll let you know if I hear anything. Frankly, there will always be this sort of talk (doom and disaster) – as long as it doesn’t cost me 700 billion dollars, I can usually just ignore it.
Oh my, what ignorance. I did hear the statement made by Obama that he is a Christian, but I actually believe it was made for the purposes of acceptance by the people. I figured with a name like “Barack Obama” there has to be some correlation to the Muslim religion, but quite frankly, I still voted for him even with that thought in the back of my mind. I guess I sort of thought, maybe that’s what we need to bring peace to the Middle East, a president who knows the teachings of the Quaran and can use it in defense of Peace. I have a cousin who converted to Muslim while in jail. Though I never studied in depth, he pointed out a few basic belief that seem to be in the interest of peace, not “kill all infadells”. Anyway, peoples’ ignorant theories are just rediculous no matter what the president-elect’s religion is.
As for NCIS, I love it too!!! I haven’t been watching much lately I sort of lost interest when the director died and they split up the team. Abby is my favorite! Of course, all the others are great too, and now that they’ve gotten everyone back together, if I miss an episode I make sure to get a summary from Mom because they watch it every week.
And the drinking… just be careful. I know you are a generally responsible person, so maybe it doesn’t even need to be said, but many of my friends and family (including myself) have battled Alcoholism and other addictions. One of those “slippery slope” sort of things. Just keep your head about you and take care of yourself. <3 SuZ
Propaganda works on the weak-minded.
This is so very sad. I’ve heard the thing about how our economy might crumble and there will be hunger and layoffs and homelessness… and I think it could happen, but if it does, it’s not Obama’s fault. When my mortgage holder gets a $300 billion bailout for bad practices when I get nothing for paying extra every month, it’s a sad sad world.
The Gun ban talk comes from his voting record in the State and National seats he has held. Any bill banning firearms or ammo he’s voted for it’s in the records. the other who knows how it started.
I truly have not been keeping up with the news, so I can not comment on any stance Obama has taken on guns, but those who react with fear during the economic crisis, will think guns instead of co-operation, protecting themselves instead of community gardens, and so on. I have heard a few comments about ‘a man rising up from the Middle East, an antichrist,’ in the same sentence as Obama. It is scary where people’s minds go when they parrot what they have heard from misguided so called religious leaders.
We need to educate ourselves and not fall into the mental traps of isolation and fear.
I enjoy your viewpoint, thanks for writing.
Rosemoss
“Can someone explain to me where this garbage is coming from?” there are parts of America that scare me. They crazies that are telling about the end of the world like they know. Please. It makes me worried that you would kill over food. OK I thought they said we are a christian nation LOL no turning the cheek I blow you up if you take my crumbs! SIGH*
Give it a day and everything will change again regarding politics………..hugs…….
I heard they are taking odds on what day he’s killed if that is not sick enough. The gun thing and that he is the ant Christ is what I heard first. I think I may buy a gun to save myself from all of the sickos that believe all this crapolla…There are some really ignorant minds out there and the ones that rile them up are the most dangerous ignoramouses of all. (I;m trying to be nice)
Oh geez. *takes a deep breath*
Yes, I guess people from “my side of the ring” come off as just a little crazy. *sigh* Where in the Bible does it say that having a Muslim as President is a sin? *beats crazy person over head with the real Bible* Read that and get back to me! *returns to post* Sorry. Got sidetracked.
“Where is this coming from?” Well, you’ve already heard Focus on the Family’s views on the matter from that awful letter. They’re basing their predictions on Obama’s voting history (which is a good place to start), his documented speeches…and THEN they went off into left field with everything else.
I have heard that Obama has stated he thinks the Constitution is flawed. I’ve heard this from my older brother, who laughs at all forms of propoganda, and isn’t one to be easily fooled. Do I know WHERE he said it and the context surrounding it? No.
I’ve heard the gun thing, too. I think it’s based on his voting record. I’m not sure. Either way, I’m not planning on buying a gun, so I’m not all that concerned. Since he’s the most liberal of all the Democrats (again, based on voting records), people are concerned.
I’m not sure what Obama is in terms of faith, since he’s never come out and told us what he believes. And the church where he was a member for 20 years…MAJOR problems there, which you’re already aware of. I have not personally looked at Obama’s statements about his faith. I do believe he either has the American form of Christianity, which never seems to affect anything beyond Sunday, or he is a Muslim. Either way, I don’t think there will be many positive changes in the White House in terms of faith.
Actually, I don’t think there will be many positive changes in the White House, period. But that’s just me. We’ll see who’s right soon enough.
In response to the other commenters – Rush Limbaugh makes his points well. I’ve never heard him say anything off the wall.
And on a different note, healing is real. I’ve seen it take place in the lives of close friends and family. Oral Roberts was genuine, believe it or not.
*steps off soap box*
Sorry for the long comment. Hope that made sense. Not everyone over here is crazy, though I see how you can be mistaken. In all fairness, we see things that make you guys look nuts, too.
@VioletMoonDancer7 - HUGS – Bless you for worrying about me. I’m not drinking over here. I was just watching DVD’s and got carried away. SO I was making fun of myself calling my DVD watching an addiction and describing it in the same way an addict describes the pull of whatever substance. I’m such a lightweight when it comes to alcohol that my occasional glass of wine is ALL I can handle.
Oh gosh! I feel like such an ninny. I guess I didn’t read it properly, I thought you were referring to the Yellow Tail. LMAO. I was surprised you didn’t mention the headache or lack of appetite the following day… but I wasn’t going to encourage it by saying “maybe you need to have more of it to not suffer the hangover” LOL. Glad to hear you are only a lush about your DVD’s! **runs away red faced** <3 SuZ
@VioletMoonDancer7 - May I say that I read your comment in exactly the way you intended it? That’s why I wanted to answer you and explain myself. Thank you for caring and for being brave enough to speak up. That’s not an easy thing to do, and I can’t tell you how much I respect you for doing it.