Monday, March 21, 2011

Exploding Heads


The news around the world gets to me sometimes, and when it does, I just want to shake someone to prevent my head from exploding. Yes, I’m on my soapbox again this morning. But you knew that, didn’t you? Mostly my rant is about common sense and the lack thereof. Now I don’t consider myself to be knowledgeable on all subjects, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure a few things out either, does it?

For instance, I woke up this morning to find in the news that the Arab League was now all upset about the No Fly Zone in Libya and the air strikes. Ummm…they just supported it the day before. And now they say they are concerned about killing other Muslims and getting involved? So why the flip flop? Was there a breakdown in the language translation at the United Nations or what?

I’m not in favor of killing anyone, but the decision was made, and the Arab League was in complete agreement. Did they think those fighter jets would be loaded with BBs? Makes me think there is another far more sinister reason for flip flopping. Because surely they knew what it meant. For now, we’ll just have to sit back and see how this plays out. And any way you cut it, it doesn’t bode well for world affairs.

On another note, I’ve been following the case of the protesters who place themselves outside of military funerals and disrupt services with their anti-gay and anti-war messages. I’m sure everyone is aware of this church group by now, and most people would not begrudge them their right to shout their message from the rooftops no matter what we think of the actual message. But we DON’T think it’s okay to deliver the message in such a way that grieving family members are targeted and caused further grief.

I for one have not always agreed with what has occurred in the War On Terrorism. But terrorism does exist and we must fight it. It’s only common sense. But not one time have I ever NOT supported our fighting men and women. Anti-war protests are much better laid at the doorsteps of the Capitol Building—not at the feet of grieving families.

But the Supreme Court agrees with the free speech rights of the protestors. I can’t say I was shocked. The Court is, after all, sworn to interpret and uphold the laws of this land. However, with that said, the Court is also charged with making sense of our laws, and therefore, in some cases clarifying or even making decisions that throw laws or interpretation of laws out the window. And NO, I don’t suggest we throw free speech out the window!

But I have to say this: The rights given to us by the Constitution and Bill of Rights are only “rights” as long as we don’t infringe on the freedoms and rights of others. At least that’s the way I look at it. Maybe that's an over-simplified approach to it all, but it works for me. Respect others.

It is a sad day when individuals take it upon themselves to purposely inflict pain in order to bring attention to themselves. To say that God hates anyone—gays, a particular race, gender, etc.—and is handing out punishment as a result, goes against the very grain of Christianity. So the reasoning of these church members eludes me. And now that they have “permission” to do what they’ve been doing? I imagine it will only worsen. They will become bolder and much more aggressive. I see a lot of sorrow to come on the horizon.

And then there is the catastrophe in Japan. Thousands upon thousands are dead, thousands are missing, and the people of Japan are barely hanging on. So what do people do? Make jokes about it. A famous comedienne and a governor’s press secretary have lost their jobs by doing just that--making fun of such a horrendous tragedy. There was a college student who made a video about being miffed over Japanese students on their cell phones trying to find out what had happened to their loved ones back home. My own kid posted on X Box to some friends about what is going on in Japan and the response he got shocked him. He ended up deleting a few friends as a result.

Were these people raised by wolves or what?

What has happened to compassion and tolerance in our world? It seems to no longer exist. More and more it appears as though we are living in a world of pure madness, and the mob mentality has taken over, bleeding people dry of all common sense. 

I read a local story this morning. A story from North Carolina in a town about a hundred miles from me. There was a big fight going on in a mobile home park. A man was passing by on his way to get his kid a late night snack from a fast food restaurant at about 9:15. From this mobile home park, a man ran out in front of him and the driver of the car hit him—unavoidable accident. But others from the park saw this happen, ran out and snatched the driver from his car and almost beat him to death.

And here’s the shining light.

A woman came along in her car, saw what was happening, sat down on her horn for over five minutes to draw attention to the situation—therefore saving the man’s life. The woman was obviously afraid for her own life, but she said she just couldn’t drive away and leave him there.

Hope is what keeps us going. That tiny light within each of us that promises things will get better. It’s what gives us the strength to face a mob, defy those without a conscience, and move mountains when everyone said it was impossible. We live in dangerous and complicated times. There are no easy solutions. But if we all sit down on the horn and refuse to leave those who need us? I think we’ll weather the storm just fine.

Yeah, hope springs eternal. Even from a jaded lady with an exploding head like me.

32 comments:

Jennifer Wilck said...

Great post! People need to start thinking before they act, and truly understand the consequences of their actions.

Tess MacKall said...

You've got that right, Jennifer. It only takes a few seconds to make a better decision. I'm just appalled by some of the things I'm reading about these days. Seems endless.

Angela White said...

I couldn't agree more. With all of it. That's why women should be in charge. We hold the solutions, men hold the violence.

James L. Hatch said...

And you just scratched the surface. Can anyone imagine the meltdown in our own country when we go broke? As I see it, there is little sanity anywhere. Maybe that's the reason I've started to write comedy. Nothing else is funny.

Tess MacKall said...

OMG... Angela. LOL I just said that same thing. Put women in charge. Men are supposedly known for cutting through the BS and getting to the point. Well, I think women would do a much better job of cutting through it and we could all do with a little emotional attachment in the world right now for sure.

Tess MacKall said...

I think we all need an escape, James. And some people say that is why we got the reaction we did from those individuals who made jokes about the crisis in Japan. Not so sure I'm buying into that.

But it's no wonder why we write romance.

anny cook said...

I sit looking at the photos coming out of Japan and I weep. I wonder if any of the idiots making stupid remarks have actually LOOKED! Look at the grace and grief on the faces and justify ANY lack of compassion. It angers me to my soul.

I think as humans many of us have reached a point of no return. As James said, what would happen here under the same circumstances. I fear there would be complete anarchy. Perhaps it would be the rule of the fellow or woman with the biggest gun.

Tess MacKall said...

I hear ya, Anny. These people are getting through this with more grace and dignity than I've ever seen. I am truly humbled by them.

We live in an "I/Me" society here in the States. And I dare so in Europe as well. When people ask why no looting in Japan, many have responded with "there's nothing left to loot".

There is--they just don't. It's not in their makeup to rob from one another like that. It's a time for pulling together, not pulling each other apart and the Japanese people get that.

So what is wrong with the rest of the damn world?

Regina Carlysle said...

Seems I haven't been able to watch tv lately and keep my eyes dry. So much sadness and grief and to hear people make JOKES? I don't get it. Don't people have feelings anymore or are we becoming desensitized? Very hard to fathom. Great post, Tess.

Susan said...

Things do seem to be getting worse, although I wonder sometimes if it isn't just because we hear about the bad stuff more often. BTW, Jamais Cascio has a very interesting talk that touches on why we might be losing our compassion and empathy. You can hear it here - http://www.openthefuture.com/2010/04/soylent_twitter_talk.html

Sarah J. McNeal said...

Now MY head is spinning, Tess. I wish we could just mind our own business here in the USA.
There are everyday heroes all around us, people who rise up in the face of crisies and assist others unselfishly regardless of the danger to themselves. The woman you spoke of in your blog, was one. Great post, Tess.

Wendy A said...

I think we should help others when we can but some time i think we should back off and let them fight there own battles instead of fighting other people battles and everybody should support our troops even if you don't approve of the wars there putting there life on the line for us.

Lisa Alexander Griffin said...

Great post, Tess. I'm saddened every day by what's going on in the world, and what I see on TV. The Japanese people are a noble bunch. Americans could learn a lot from them.

Unknown said...

Hey Tess, have a couple of aspirins or your own favorite pain reliever and know that your feelings are shared by me. Good for you for articulating them so well. Had I said what you said it would have be summarized by my saying 'America, pull your head out and stop letting fanatics, religious or otherwise run your life and TELL you what to think'. I'm a veteran and I absolutely despise what these so called Christians are doing at military funerals. There is a culture of meaness going on throughout our country right now and it's very disturbing. It is certainly not Christian, rather it is demonic. The only solution is to vote the jerks back out of office and start listening to the voice of moderation in this country as well as common sense.

Harlie Williams said...

Great post and for the most part, people are good but it only takes a few bad apples to spoil it for everyone else. I believe in free speech, its what are country was founded on. I might agree with everything that someone is saying but hey, they don't agree with everything that I'm saying either. That's what makes this country great and why I'm proud to be an American.

Harlie Williams said...

Oh and another thing......women do rule the world. The men just haven't figured out how to let go. Sorry James........

Tess MacKall said...

Desensitized. Yes. Seems that way, Regina. But what caused it? And another thing...

It seems we only have our hearts in the right places for a limited time. If something is taking too long to be resolved, you'll hear people start screaming to pull out, back off, stop spending on that country.

What I say to that is how the hell do we ever know what anything is going to cost or just how much time it is going to take until we get there.

Regardless of how good anyone is at estimating anything, they will never get it completely right.

I've always subscribed to the idea of being in it for the long haul. Giving things your all.

And that's a whole 'nother side of this issue for sure.

Tess MacKall said...

Very interesting video, Susan. Thanks. I especially like the quotation at the below the screen. Makes perfect sense.

In this day and age we are inundated with news. It's everywhere and we have instant access. Not much surprises us anymore. So I suppose the bombardment in and of itself would play a part into desensitizing us somewhat.

Tess MacKall said...

There are SOOOOO many everyday heroes, Sarah. And I think part of the problem in all of this is that the media--which we all rely on so much---doesn't have a balance of the uplifting stores vs those that just tear us apart.

Yes, we need to hear about all the bad in the world. But we need to hear about the good too.

And yep, sometimes we need to mind our own business too. We have our fingers in a lot of pies, don't we?

Tess MacKall said...

I agree, Wendy. There are times in which our leaders drag us into situations that we really should stay out of---that caused by political agendas, of course.

It's hard to know where to draw the line, but when people hold out their hand and you give and give and then they stab you in the back? Well, let's not go to their rescue again. Lesson learned.

Tess MacKall said...

You are so right, Lisa. We could and SHOULD learn so much from the Japanese people. Watching this tragedy unfold is like nothing I've ever seen.

Tess MacKall said...

Moderation is the key, Kathleen. I so agree. There is nothing like middle ground.

And yep, we need to get our heads out of the sand and look around. It's up to us to fix these issues and we can't do it if we're hiding and passing the buck now can we?

Tossing back my aspirin...LOL

Tess MacKall said...

Yes, I'm proud to be an American. And free speech is just one of the reasons I am proud. I'm also proud to support opposing viewpoints. But I just can't see it done in such a mean-spirited way.

It takes away from the message trying to be delivered. As my granny always said: You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Someone might actually listen to them if they did it the right way.

But in the end, I think it's not so much about their message as it is about getting attention.

Tess MacKall said...

LOL @ Women DO rule the world, Harlie. Hell yeah! Now if we can just figure out how to actually implement the power we have and not harm any Alphas in the process. LOL

Allie Standifer said...

You're on a roll, Tess!

Tess MacKall said...

Rant 'n' Roll...and WILL travel. Guns blazing, mouth flapping. LOL
Thanks, Allie, looking forward to your blogs.

Wendy A said...

We should help people that will thank us like the Japan not people that would rather see us dead then in there county they don't went us there so way stay.

Tess MacKall said...

I agree, Wendy. Help those who want to be helped and who appreciate it. Those who don't turn their backs on us or cry foul once they've bled us dry.

D. F. Krieger said...

"The rights given to us by the Constitution and Bill of Rights are only “rights” as long as we don’t infringe on the freedoms and rights of others." <--That is my favorite line in your entire blog. I couldn't agree more with everything you are saying. Stay on the soap box sister!

Tess MacKall said...

My soapbox has a long life, D.F. LOL It is damn sure endless when it comes to material in this world to rant about for sure.

I'm so glad you agree and liked the blog.

Mary Suzanne said...

This is my opinion for what it's worth. I say we need to stop trying to police the entire world. Most of the countries hate America. I haven't noticed an abundance of gratitude coming from any of those Arab countries for toppling dictators and trying to give them a democratic life.

But, this is just my opinion and others may not agree with me.

Tess MacKall said...

Well, why I don't completely agree with you, Mary, I do believe we should pick and choose our battles and even humanitarian efforts a bit more carefully.

There is so much left undone in our own country, and the bucks spent all over the rest of the world would sure come in handy.