Liar, Liar pants on fire...

So we all have heard about Representative Joe Wilson from South Carolina who shouted out that President Obama was lying last week during an address to Congress. First, let me say that I do not think this was in good taste, and frankly was in very poor taste. What I find remarkable, yet predictable, is the reaction from his peers and the media.

Rep. Wilson has been called everything but a Child of God. The favorite of many in the media, and many Obama supporters is that he is a racist. None other than former President Jimmy Carter has stated that Wilson's behavior is rooted in racism. The Congressional Black Caucas, has condemned his outburst and accused him directly of racism. Racism? An accusation against a white man of racism by an organization called the Congressional Black Caucus? Really? Any day now I am sure the Congressional Caucasian Caucus will back him. I won't hold my breath.

Any time a white person disagrees with someone of a different race we are accused of being a racist. I checked on Merriam-Webster online. The definition of racism is not that one person disagrees with another person of a different race. The definition given is:
1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
2 : racial prejudice or discrimination

So I ask, how was Mr. Wilson guilty of racial prejudice or how was he guilty of showing that he was convinced that his race is inherently better than the race of the president (who has a bit of Caucasian in him if I remember correctly)?

This is a great ploy used by those on the liberal side in our country. Once accused of racism, you really cannot do anything to get that reputation to disappear. This is quite similar to being accused of abuse of a child. That will ruin your reputation and life quickly. While both may not be true, and both could be complete fabrications, that does not mean simply because you dispute it and may have some proof to support you that all will be cleared up. Oh no. You must apologize many multiple of times, even to those you have have never met. You must find ways to make amends and many times, if you are a political conservative, the outrage eventually leads to your ouster from office or loss of your job.

Now those on the liberal side can say anything. They can accuse a president of lying, or misleading, of being disingenuous, or leading the country down a path to certain destruction. You can say anything you want. You can hide many thousands of dollars in your freezer (see Jefferson, William). You can "forget" to report large amounts of income yet get off without penalty. Oh, and you are in charge of the House Ways and Means Committee which writes legislation related to taxes and other money related issues (see Rangel, Charlie). You can be the mayor of Washington D.C., get caught using crack cocaine in a sting, yet accuse everyone involved of racism (see Barry, Marion). And lest I be accused of racism because none of those is white, you can even kill a woman. That is right, you can actually kill someone and get away with it (see Kennedy, Edward). Liberals are not forced to apologize when they call conservatives liars or worse. Liberals are not forced to resign from office when they break ethics rules and regulations. Liberals can pretty much do whatever they please.

Unless you listen to a conservative news source (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Neal Boortz, etc.) you will hear very little about this. How much do any of us know about Democrat malfeasance simply by watching the news like our parents did on ABC World News Tonight or a source like that?

It is time we hold the media's feet to the fire. We should expect honest reporting. How can we expect honesty from news sources when they endorse candidates? That should stop now. Yet more than the media, we should expect decorum, honesty and responsibility from our "representatives" in Washington.

When will we stand up to politicians that look at many thousands of protestors and say, "This does not represent main stream America"? Emanuel, Rahm said that one.

When will we make sure our voices are heard and adhered to? How stupid do they think we are? President Obama stated in his address that this health care plan would not increase our debt at all. He said we would eliminate waste from Medicare and Medicaid. Well if we know there is waste, why wait, why not eliminate it now? That is just stupid. In addition, we have tons of debt. So we are going to add a new program, we have no money, how are we going to pay for it? Are we going to set up lemonade stands?

At the dentist office yesterday, I heard two ladies discussing the health care plan. One said to another, "I think it is great that the government will provide this for us. And we won't have to pay anything." I could not resist. I asked her, "Where will the money come from to pay for this program?" She said, " The government." I asked her what good or service was the government going to start selling so they had revenue to pay for it. She looked at me in much the same as a possum looks at a car right before meeting the tires. I then asked her how efficient she thinks our government is with our money. She had a predictable response, which was, "Not very." And then I asked her the magic question: "Do you really want our inefficient government playing with your health and even more of your money?" This time she resembled a brook trout. After a brief silence, they called me back. Where my insurance will pay for some of my crown and then I will pay for the rest. At a dentist of my choosing. Not one chosen for me.

I am not saying the president is a liar. I have not read the bill or his plan, and we will have to simply rely on others to tell us what is there. What I will say is that the plan the President wants does not matter. What matters is what is passed by Congress. So on that the President has not been completely honest.

If you are not completely honest that means you are not telling the whole truth. That equates to lying.

I better be careful. I might be accused of being a racist.

Miss Manners would not be happy...

Recently, I witnessed something very disturbing. I saw 2 teenagers chewing their food, mouth wide open with each bite. These kids were at least aged 15 and should know better. I could hear them smacking their food over the sounds of the amusement park around us.

It would be easy to write this off to just some clueless teenagers. The problem is you can see this everywhere. Kids and then adults of all ages chew food with their mouth open. What is worse is the way people smack gum. We can often hear people smacking their gum in all kinds of situations. This past Sunday, I sat next to someone in church smacking away. To make matters worse, she popped a bubble. In church! I do not think there is anything dumber looking than seeing someone chewing gum like a cow chews its cud.

It is not just eating where we can see manners lacking. This past summer I was attending a large group session at the conference center where I work. I ended up holding the door open for about 700 people. Of that number, 1 said "thank you." This little girl about 10 years old was the only one to express any type of gratitude. Adults, teenagers and other younger children walked through the door, yet no one else said "thank you." In fact most of the adults would not even look me in the eye.

This past Friday night, I attended a high school football game. The public address announcer frequently read a statement saying that this was a tobacco free campus. In addition, there were signs around making the same statement. That did not stop several folks from smoking. And apparently smokeless tobacco is not actually tobacco. At least at that school.

What I think we are seeing is that our society cares less and less for any type of traditional social norms and doing what is right. Just look around and we can see a lack of respect for anyone in authority. I do not mean we should never question authority or that we should obey blindly. We should show those in leadership positions respect. And we should show our fellow people respect. There are too many who simply leave their shopping carts in the middle of the parking lot and too many that throw their cigarettes out on the street. Too often, we are simply rude. I wonder why? Why have we slipped so far in regards to showing simple respect to others?

I think if we showed caring and respect for others, imagine how the world would change. That would be change I could believe in.