Distorted Images in the Mirror of the US CItizen

In Europe, after World War Two, occupied Germans called us the "Ugly Americans".
Considered loud, arrogant, ill mannered, without grace. They smiled and detested us.

We Americans, of course, horrified by the atrocities felt justified to use our bad manners.

As a fifty something woman my observations span a time from Eisenhower to the present.

We really did believe , passionately, that we , as part of an axis, helped free a country committing such horrible crimes against humans-it was an imperative.

In our own country we stood firm, throwing out Nixon, fighting for civil rights and justice, personal freedoms, laws and structure to protect our weakest as well as place protections to prevent the building of a labor force by empires which at every turn attempted to build slave labor.
We took responsibility for the polluting of our lakes and rivers and passed laws to protect our wildlife, lands, air and waterways.

We stood tall in the face of a corrupt Presidential administration as President Nixon resigned and many officials went to prison.

Those very baby boomers who stood in public and protested for change, fought from the university campus's, marched on Washington and used their votes to make a difference are now the old farts -the "establishment" making the changes, calling the shots, changing the laws and using their economic power to influence our policies and laws.

What the hell happened? What changed?

Somehow that sense of justice has been distorted-translated-twisted-
parodied-

To believe the US is not only above the moral laws of the world, but that we set them, to believe that we choose which humans suffer -and that the poor, the disenfranchised, the homeless. the migrant, the abused, the neglected, the elderly and the uneducated -if the cannot compete, they deserve whatever befalls them.
Oh, we don't proclaim that-we do it by ignoring the injustices, attacking the idealists and the dreamer, and creating a mindthink so similar to historical pathways that have led to the altering or downfall of powerful civilizations-it makes my heart hurt.

Our civilization is disillusioned -cynical-distrusting-
we seem to react to it by finding those even more cynical, distrusting and morally corrupt and have them speak for us.

I am afraid for us. We don't stand outraged by our own bad behavior anymore. We don't demand immediate change and accountability.

It's as if the orgy of Rome continues until it destroys itself from within-or somewhere-an outside influence will destroy what we believe in-based on our total apathetic response to the corruption, the arrogance, the ignorance and greed of our government.

Bush "thinks" about what to do in Iraq while our kids die.

This list is a mile long.
Shall I write it again?
Shall I write about high prices, huge corporate profits, the attack on our educational systems? The stagnant wage, unaffordable housing, global warming, corrupt politicians, .........huge national debt

Do we need to keep writing and speaking ?????

Does anyone else grieve as I do?
For all that we believed we could change the world by setting an example-as a free world?

Miss USA-Representing the better part of us????

She needs to go to rehab. She gets a second chance She's seen in tears getting a reprieve from "The Donald"

I am so over it all. Brittany's crotch-Paris Hilton's drunken image. Save me from Lindsay's cocaine powdered nose. The drunken arrests.

I say kick her ass off the pageant. Get rid of her. Dump her with great ceremony.

For God's sake, someone stand up and tell our girls they have a right to a little dignity. To respect. That not every girl out there is set for rehab, that she doesn't have to sell her body image as a sexual excuse for being a human beneath all that breast, tits/ass/crotch/pussy /drugs image.

Is this the new culture? Do we all go into life screwing up big time and getting second chances.

I believe in second chances. I've had a few myself.

But since when did this become the central theme we admire in our society?

We must have thousands of people in the world who don't drink, drug and party,who work hard, have dreams, work on making them happen and don't need to destroy themselves and then weep, humiliate and degrade themselves in order to keep what they haven't earned in the first place.

What kind of message do we want to send our kids?

Is it not okay anymore to set an example with high standards for our kids to look up to?

Or is this really all we have to offer our kids in the form of role models anymore?

Drunks, druggies, sluts, corrupt sports figures -rape accusations, infidelity-hard partying-

Is this it?

Since when do we say it's okay to admire and emulate someone who is already fucked up?

I am not saying second chances, rehab and righting one's life should be condemned, judged or "morally rightoused" by any of us. . People screw up.

I just want an example for my fourteen year old daughter which sets out what the "best" is, can be or wants to be-so she has some sense of hope- direction-will,-discipline-admiration,,some positive focus in this crazy, pathetic sexed up media hyped culture.

Donald Trump has sleazed the Miss USA, Miss Teen USA pageants with his own brand of slime.

Now they are just another couple of Brittaney Spears/Paris Hilton look alike contests-slut on a stick-

American girls-step forward and show me your accomplishments, please? Ones that have more to do with integrity-quality-self esteem-intelligence and the message you take care of your body -as in "health"?

Ohhhh the Walmart bennies you can get.....

Walmart has decided to offer new communication and incentive tools to its' employees.

My favorite is the offer of a Polo Shirt after twenty years of employment, and a new one every five year thereafter...

Honestly! Twenty years of service and they are going to give the gift of a polo shirt identifying the employee to all who walk into Walmart-asthe proud owner of twenty years or more of seniority????

What in the bejesus are they thinking??

A Polo shirt for twenty years of service?

I wonder if it is really meant as a slap on the kiander...an insult...

Do you think the execs at Walmart were all sitting around that huge square conference table in Arkansas brainstorming perks for the line staff and they all came to the agreement the Polo Shirt was a "real nifty "idea??

I can't imagine what sort of group think got them to that point of agreement.

Maybe it was really sitting around at the local upscale drinking hole, imbibing on martinis and straight up expensive cognac that got them to the point of totally inane and imbecilic free flowing brain blanks....

I just can't imagine what they were thinking???

Does this seem like an insult? A bad joke? A message to employees not to humiliate themselves and to get out before 20?

Maybe that is the message.

Because anyone proud of wearing a "free" Polo for working at WalMart for twenty or more years has got to have a little screw loose somewhere....

I took my third grade class to see this movie Saturday afternoon. I did not realize it was such a "dark" film. My kids really got the message. The animation is great-and the music-well, if you remember the Motown sound you will appreciate it-the film leans on stereotypes-

the priggish penguin leader has a British accent-the King penguins are Hispanic and the Emperor Penguins sounded very African-American.

While it is amusing it reminded me a bit of "JarJar Binks"-a stereotype I remember to this day..

The tap dancing is awesome and the music had us rocking in our seats.

This, along with the March of the Penguins will be classroom staples for discussion about habitats, environmental issues and survival.

Jose Padilla

The New York Times published this picture today. This is Jose Padilla on the way to the dentist-from his maximum security cell.

He was arrested without charges on US soil-is a US citizen -a muslim. He has been in prison since 2002-without the right to a trial and until recently without the right to know the charges against him(as he is considered a terrorist) or the right to council.

His arrest and detainment isn't from Iraq or Afghanistan to Guantanamo-it is from New York City to a US prison.

Who invented the use of sensory deprivation as an interrogation tool? It doesn't appear to be used as a tool here but as a punishment.

He is now unable to understand the charges against him anymore, nor is he able to defend himself. He doesn't know who to believe and wonders if even his own attorny is a part of a conspiracy by the US government.

Whoever said if you are innocent you don't have anything to worry about has not yet been "detained" by today's government,

He is described by prison officials as "docile" and "not a problem".

The thought my own country, the United States, the democracy I have held dear would use such cruel and sadistic punishment -stuns and frightens me.

If we support this, no matter what the reasons, we are not the country I love and believe to be -and that is frightening idea-

What is happening to us??