There Are Many Ones

I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, by the grace of God, I will do.— Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909)
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Jennifer Wilbanks for President

Some of the qualities I feel are essential in President of the United States are clearly absent in our current Commander in Chief. Qualities such as wisdom, accountability, humility and accepting responsibility for ones actions are at the top of the list. Honesty, compassion and a willingness to acknowledge ones weaknesses and work to improve them are other qualities that I feel should be ranked rather high on my list of wishful thinking.

The reasons I think President George W. Bush is lacking in the aforementioned qualities are plentiful and obvious to anyone who has an open mind and hasn’t spent the last five years living in a cave, cut off from the rest of the World. For the record, I can’t recall a President in at least the last quarter century that exhibited all of these traits and can only think of one or two World leaders that, in my lifetime, displayed most of these qualities.

Why we, the people don’t demand that those basic qualities are present in our elected leaders will be one of the great unsolved mysteries of our generation. Or so I thought, until the other evening, when out of cyberspace the answer began to appear to me in a fashion I can only assume was similar to finding the image of the Virgin Mary in a grilled cheese sandwich. While surfing the daily headlines on MSNBC, I came across a video clip of a woman mowing the lawn. I remember feeling bad for her because her mower kept quitting and she had to keep re-starting it. I didn’t even wonder why that video with no accompanying narrative was newsworthy as I continued on my quest for knowledge gained through information from cyberspace.

The next morning as I was driving somewhere and listening to Nashville’s WSM-AM radio, the subject began to gain clarity in my possibly chemically damaged mind. The newscast at the top of the hour, from FOX Radio News (We report, you decide), reported that “The Runaway Bride,” a.k.a. Jennifer Wilbanks began her community service in her hometown of Duluth, Georgia by mowing the lawn at the county offices. The newscast went on to describe in detail how journalists and news crews lined the streets across from the county buildings to document this historic event.

As I pulled up to the sign I order my Sausage McGriddle from, I simultaneously yelled at the radio, “Who the $#%@ cares!!?” The sign meekly asked, “Excuse me, Sir?” I apologized, placed my order and proceeded as directed to the first window to pay for my order. As I approached the first window, I didn’t realize that I was still audibly berating pickup’s radio by asking, “Why in the $#*& is that considered news?” Again, the person at the window who is trained simply to take money, issue change and direct me to proceed to window number two, sheepishly asked, “pardon me, is everything all right?” By the time I arrived at the window which distributes my breakfast, I had worked myself into a rabid frenzy that the average innocent bystander would either be terrified by or sadistically amused.

As I pulled to the edge of the parking lot to re-gain some degree of composure, my complicated thought process began to organize the information I had received and proceeded to make sense of it all. The video clip I had seen the pervious evening was, in fact, video of Jennifer Wilbanks performing her community service. As I recalled admiring her patience and persistence each time her lawn mower died and she pulled the string to restart the motor, it now occurred to me how humiliating it must have been to know the World was watching. It also occurred to me how pitiful it was that the eyes of the World found this newsworthy or even entertaining. And I began to develop a great respect, if not reverence, for Jennifer Wilbanks of Duluth, Georgia.

By the time I finished the last bite of my morning sustenance, lit a Camel Light and proceeded on my morning journey, my dysfunctional mind had begun to formulate a plan to get Miss Wilbanks elected to public office. While my plan is by no means complete, I offer the following justification for consideration by the readers of this in supporting my suggestion.

First of all, Jennifer Wilbanks exhibited wisdom on April 26th, 2005, by instead of bowing to peer pressure and the expectations of societal norms, she removed herself from all outside influences to make a decision regarding her planned nuptials. Granted, the method in which she removed herself was a bit extreme, or at best dramatic, but realistically, she hurt no one but herself. These actions, in my laic opinion, were much wiser than entering into a commitment that she had reservations about.

On April 29th, she telephoned her fiancé, John Mason from a pay phone in Albuquerque, New Mexico and claimed she had been kidnapped. She also called 911 and claimed she had been abducted and sexually assaulted. Within hours, upon further interrogation by authorities, she admitted to making up the abduction and assault story. If a current or recent political figure were the subject of this incident, a full board of inquiry and possible independent counsel would have needed to be convened. The fact that she ran because of pre-marital jitters may have never been determined. Her same day admission is evidence of being accountable for her actions.

From the first media showing of her rescue/capture, the formerly wide-eyed girl next door image was replaced on late night talk shows and newscasts, by the image of a figure cloaked in a multi-colored afghan blanket that someone’s color-blind grandmother knitted with love and pain-staking care. These images displayed humility. Furthermore, as she mowed the lawn last week, shaded from the Duluth sun by a ball cap that said “Life is Good” and sporting an international orange safety vest, Jennifer Wilbanks displayed class. As America’s highly trained and professional media broadcast her punishment to the eager masses, and the instrument of her punishment, the lawn mower, kept stalling and she diligently restarted it, Wilbanks never once kicked the mower, cussed at the media or gave up in frustration and cried. I don’t know that I could have displayed that degree of class.

On June 2nd, 2005, just days after being charged, Wilbanks pleaded no contest to a felony charge of filing a false police report. As part of her plea bargain, she was sentenced to two years' probation and 120 hours of community service (including mowing lawns and cleaning toilets in government buildings) and was ordered to pay $2,250 in restitution to the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department. She also agreed to pay more than $13,000 dollars in restitution to the City of Duluth for expenses related to the search effort that she never even asked for. This is undeniable evidence of accepting responsibility for her actions.

So while the segment of the World’s population that has never made a mistake, and if they did would make excuses transferring blame, takes pleasure in watching Jennifer Wilbanks serve her debt to society, I’d like to publicly say that I admire and respect this doe-eyed lady from Georgia. Because of understandable reasons, she made a decision that was foolish and poorly thought out. Even though she didn’t request world wide press coverage and local and national search efforts, she accepts that her actions caused them, has apologized profusely and will make it right with society. She’s waded through the muck that the media has spewed and is still able to hold her head high.

The media and American public insisted on having Wilbanks head on a platter. Why don’t they demand the same accountability of their elected representatives? If all of America’s politicians could exhibit the same qualities that Jennifer Wilbanks has, I think our nation would be a better place. That’s why I nominate and would support Miss Wilbanks for public office.

Wish I Would Have Written This

I found this brilliant piece of analysis and commentary at www.axisoflogic.com. I can relate to, agree with, and am envious of the author. He's from New Zealand but seems to have a fairly clear understanding of American government. A very enjoyable read.


Philosophical Drunks
By Lance Broughton
Aug 7, 2005, 09:33


"Facts have a cruel way of substituting themselves for fancies. There is nothing more remorseless, just as there is nothing more helpful than truth." William C Redfield

The older I get, the more disillusioned I become. None of the self defined ‘experts’ understand that sobriety is the scourge of mankind. It always has been and it always will be.

Whereas us drunks see the world as a kindly place where we look after each other and make sure the dog is fed at six p.m., come hell or high water we benefit by our non-interference in the lives of others. We break no laws deliberately and we pose no challenge to authority. Minding our own business, smoking and drinking to maintain Mother Nature’s perspective, is our much undervalued contribution to society. Without our drunken philosophies, governments would have to treble the taxation of those suffering from the dysfunctional morbidity of sobriety.

Philosophically speaking, I have yet to see drunks declare war or invade another nation. Nor have I seen them armed to the teeth with weapons of mass destruction patrolling the streets in defence of the inevitable. The inevitable is of course, the result of poor decision-making by those suffering from sobriety. Politically sober decisions promote money making schemes that are primarily designed to oppress drunks and those capable of thinking rationally. It’s a case of ‘down with everything sensible and to hell with actuality’.

The high mindedness of sobriety is all that counts. The words ‘commonsense and honesty’ have been given the George Orwell ‘1984’ treatment and removed from the dictionary. History is rewritten to suit the current opinions of those who consider themselves politically superior. Drunks, because of their deep-throated philosophies, are considered politically dangerous and thus hounded in the name of National Security using laws such as the Patriotism Act and Bill of Rights. The first six pages of those laws outline citizens’ undeniable rights, passed down from history; the remaining 4049 pages explaining why it is politically convenient to take them away again. It will never be admitted that the sole reason militaries exist is to protect the government from their own people.

Old age catches up and sadly I find myself descending into depressing bouts of sobriety. When I awake in the morning, the pain is absolutely terrifying. My mouth is dry and my head aches like Dean Martin’s ‘little ol’ wine drinking me’ repeating like a stuck record. It’s a terrible feeling compared with the easy-going mood of the previous evening.

Sobriety is a mind-altering drug and my perception is heightened to the extent I can clearly see that politicians are the only terrorists worth worrying about and the millions of laws are designed to benefit nobody but themselves. I see corruption expanding in the name of politically backed businesses and even the justice system is contrived to advocate absolute obedience to authority. The cost of competent defence is beyond Mr Average and the system blatantly defends the systematic inner circles from uneducated outsiders. Truth telling has become redundant. It simply doesn’t fit into the system in any form or manner. Lies are considered the honest application of justice.

I now understand that the Statue of Liberty will be returned to the French in due course. Apparently the symbolic gesture of raising the torch of freedom is considered unpatriotic in the politically oppressed land of freedom and liberty. Mind you, it’s much the same in all so-called civilised countries. My own country, New Zealand, is well on the way to ego damaging sobriety. They started with banning smokers in bars and now booze is being subtly promoted as a threat to sobriety.

Thank God I won’t live to see the destruction of a once fine country. Politically inspired sobriety is hazardous to us philosophical drunks. Pass the bottle

Does Media Affect Our Lives? It Did Mine

When I look back over my life, and after I’m done wincing, cringing and shaking my head in shame, several media productions come to mind, which have left a deep impact on my life in one way or another.
Chronologically, I’d have to say a visit to Billings by America’s first shock jock; Wolfman Jack impelled me to pursue a career as a radio announcer beginning at the age of fifteen. This single event has repeatedly affected my life in various ways and continues to play a part in whom I am and who I’m striving to become.
Next in line, would be Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of Randall Patrick McMurphy in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” I think by reading Ken Kesey’s book and then seeing the film at a relatively young age, I was fortunate to be moved by the concept. Even though now I realize that the underlying message in the story goes much deeper, at the time it instilled in me the belief that it was not only okay to question authority, but it was admirable to beat the drum that feels right to you, regardless of what the status quo wants to hear. It led to my first epiphany that made me aware that the people with power weren’t always the people that were right, a belief that I continue to value.
The “Gonzo” journalism of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson was introduced to me a short time later through the books and movies “Where the Buffalo Roam” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” Although I’m not certain exactly what moved me, I was pleased to learn that a person could be the total opposite of what was considered politically correct, and still be respected and sought out to lecture and to work, based simply on his talent and ability to excel at his craft. Thompson’s total disregard for protocol and pomp appeared to enhance his abilities and opportunities as a journalist. His deformed way of seeing the World as his test tube, and then relating his visions to the rest of society, kindled my love of the power of words. This is also what impressed on me that you can go through life just being who you truly are. It may not always be pretty or easy, but at least you are being true to yourself.
The horrible events of January 28th, 1986 made it brutally clear to me that this gift we enjoy called life, is not ours to do with as we please. The explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger reminded me that we do not control our destiny. Furthermore, it taught me that what seems to be a great accomplishment one moment can just as easily be seen as a great tragedy only ten seconds later, and vice versa. The overall lesson I learned that day, is to celebrate each day that we have this gift we call life.
Following the events I’ll refer to as Round 1 of the Bush v. Hussein dramedy, I began to lose faith in the media and hold very little respect for the productions they so arrogantly allowed us to view. I went from a U.S. Navy trained broadcast journalist who, like an addict, read three newspapers and watched two hours of national and local news before I could leave the house each day, to an angry citizen who felt my intelligence was insulted daily by the half-truths, propaganda and commercial and political rhetoric that eventually became the norm distributed to the world by the media. I became ashamed of not only what appeared to be the degradation of the ethics of journalism, but I was also disgusted with the willingness of the public to accept and believe whatever came out of the box labeled as news.

That being said, the most recent media production to affect me deeply was a documentary I was assigned to watch for a class I was taking. I had to watch it three times just to begin to figure out why I was so emotionally affected by it each time. In “Bowling for Columbine,” film director Michael Moore presents an alarming number of issues that are suspect of aiding in the degradation of political morals, the manipulation of the U.S. Constitution and the human rights it represents, and the breakdown of not only personal, but also family ethics and values that were so proudly displayed by Americans in the not too distant past. The film made me ask, has America gotten so far out of control that it’s too late to fix what’s broke? Can one idealistic man affect a positive change in this fragile place in time and space?
While every media production mentioned here has had a profound and lasting affect on me, it was this last one that has strengthened my convictions and given me direction of where to go in Public Relations. I am determined to take my education and knowledge acquired throughout life, add to them the skills and techniques I’m currently striving to master, and do my best to turn things around. When people ask what I’ll do with a degree in Public Relations, I’ll look them in the eye and tell them, “I’m going to change the World.”
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Mutiny on the Party: Argument For Rebellion

People who know me might say I have a difficult time admitting I don’t know the answer. And they’d be right. I’ve been known to argue with Alex Trebek while watching Jeopardy. I stubbornly refuse to ask for directions when it’s clear to everyone but me I’m lost. I’ve even argued with a person who tried to point out to me that I gave them too much change in a financial transaction. I don’t like being wrong and I have a difficult time saying, “I don’t know,” when someone asks a question.

That’s why it’s not easy for me to tell the readers of this article, that I just don’t understand politics. Oh, I’ll be the first person to criticize politicians from any level of government if I think they’re doing something stupid, unethical, illegal or just wrong for their constituents, but perhaps my criticism is based on ignorance.

Having spent most of my adult life in an apathetic fog of denial with regard to politics, my ignorance may be justified. Unfortunately, apathy is not synonymous with being brain-dead. I still perused the newspapers, watched the talking heads on the news and paid attention to what was happening in the world around me. Furthermore, I’ve spent the last four or five years studying to learn the system that legislates our actions, governs our country and represents America to the rest of the world. Without knowledge, how could I possibly criticize and take steps to correct what doesn’t seem right with the political process?

The more I learn, the more confused I become by politics. First of all, politicians disgust, insult and embarrass me! They say what the voter wants to hear to get elected, and then immediately start doing whatever they need to in order to gain power, influence and money. Although my optimistic nature forces me to believe there are a few that are in it for the good of the people (Senate Majority Leader, Republican Bill Frist of Tennessee, who recently defied President Bush and announced his support for stem-cell research), recent events seem to indicate differently.

Once again, when asked what political party I support. I must sheepishly respond, “I don’t know.” As far as I’m concerned political partisanship stifles individuality and prevents unique ideas from being heard or considered as possible answers to complicated issues. In order for a candidate for public office to get elected, they must increasingly rely on financing and the support and influence of the political party they represent. If they do or say anything that goes against the Party’s official propaganda and rhetoric, they lose that support and influence. Are they working in the best interest of the people they represent?

It seems to me that this works the same way, regardless of partisanship. We have the Democratic Party and The Republican Party. We also offer the Green Party, Independent Party, American Reform Party, Libertarian Party and many others that are trying to make a difference. To see a list of active political parties go to http://www.greyhawkes.com/ps/parties.html Ask Ross Perot or Ralph Nader how much power and influence these parties offer. To give credit where credit is due, Nader has been credited by some for taking just enough votes in the 2000 Presidential Elections to ensure the Republicans defeated the Democrats.

Nonetheless, our country has been divided into red states and blue states. There is no mention of green or even white states on Election Day. What happened to The United States? Are we not one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all, or are those simply the words of some 18th century public relations team? Why are titles and symbols designed to divide our great nation accepted by Americans? Is it possible that we allow them to segregate and hobble us in this manner because we are constantly told anything else would be politically incorrect? I really don’t know!

Why only half of all Americans should be represented in Washington, depending on which party is in the White House or which party controls the Senate is a mystery to me. Why the Supreme Court can be knocked off balance by whether a Democrat or Republican occupies the Oval Office when a Justice dies or retires also baffles me. If a nominee for the high court is a conservative or Republican, why must they automatically be contested by anyone who is liberally minded or a Democrat? If a person lives in a blue state but subscribes to a political philosophy associated more with a red state, can they be socially and professionally ostracized, or possibly even forced out of the state? Will the next Civil War be fought not because of injustices based on the color of ones skin, but because of injustices based on the color of ones political geographic location?

When I decided to actively involve myself in the way The United States of America was being governed, I promised myself to start with an open mind. Several years later, I am still frequently queried as to my political affiliation and I still don’t know how to reply. Why can’t there be a political party just for people like me? It could be called the “Let’s Use Common Sense to Eliminate Poverty, Political Back Scratching, Ethical Misconduct and World Leader Penis Envy, While Working in Unison to Promote Global Harmony and Intercultural Understanding and Tolerance” Party (LUCSEPPBSEMWLPEAWWIUPGHIUT). The GOP would have nothing on us, when it comes to acronyms anyway.

I personally think George W. Bush is a dangerous and pitiful choice for President. If it weren’t for financial privilege, political connections, corporate corruption, and a bunch of oil-rich Middle Eastern good ol’ boys, I suspect he’d be spending his days sipping warm mugs of draft beer in Malone, Texas and telling lies about his heroic adventures in the Texas Air National Guard, while his liver gradually succumbed to psoriasis due to acute alcoholism. On the other hand, I think another Republican, Ronald Reagan was a fine President. Despite his under-handed dealings with regard to the Iran-Contra fiasco and how his actions at that time may very well have contributed to our problems in the Middle East today, his Presidency left me feeling proud of America. Unemployment was down, fuel prices were low, and Americans, as a nation, held their heads high and walked proudly throughout the world. I also think Democrats FDR, Jimmy Carter and John F. Kennedy were great Presidents for various reasons, as well as Republicans Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Does this make me a wishy-washy flip-flopper?

Perhaps LUCSEPPBSEMWLPEAWWIUPGHIUT wouldn’t attract the support of the people with the power, money and political savvy needed to wage a successful campaign for political office in America. Maybe with a fun little ad campaign and a catch little jingle the name would catch on. I seriously suspect however, that there is a great number of working class Americans that would subscribe to the political philosophy that its name promotes. And, if they weren’t convinced by the status quo that they must support either a Democrat or Republican government, they could do what the founding fathers did: Unite and work together as one voice saying, “That isn’t right and we need to change it.”

I continue to say to anyone who will listen that there are more of us than there are of them and all we need to do is get together. In person, people claim to agree with me, despite many of them saying, “We can’t do anything about that. We don’t have any clout. That’s just the way it’s done.” I counter their defeatist attitudes to the point that I sound like a soap box preacher. I convince them that a better America, indeed a better World, can be attained if all the people that think it can’t be done, organize, roll up their sleeves and work diligently to that end.

If the LUCSEPPBSEMWLPEAWWIUPGHIUT Party doesn’t catch on and flow from the lips of concerned American’s, I’m open to suggestions. We could take the same ideals and apply them to something like the Apathetic Reformation Party (ARP), where membership is comprised of individuals recovering from apathy who just don’t understand partisan politics.