not much we do

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be (“Greatest Love of All”, by Michael Masser, Linda Creed)

The president's efforts to make school lunches healthier has hit a roadblock in Congress, with some of its members attempting to unravel his plan. They're pushing back against Agriculture Department initiatives to limit french fries and pizzas, reduce sodium and boost whole grains on school lunch lines.

The changes had been requested by food companies that produce frozen pizzas, the salt industry and potato growers. Some conservatives in Congress have called the push for healthier foods an overreach, saying the government shouldn't be telling children what to eat. (Huffington Post)

So I need to digest this information. The same Republican/Tea Party politicians who… want to interfere in the reproductive rights of women insisting that rape or incest is no reason for an abortion… who insist that only opposite sex couples can raise and adopt children permitting some kids to stay in foster homes until they become an adult… who would rather make cuts to education than increase taxes from corporations… who don’t care how many kids might be living in an unemployed home wanting to cut back unemployment insurance…whose mantra is ITS FOR THE CHILDREN…these same group of self serving, serving their corporate masters now say the government has no rule in the nutrition of all the kids for which they claim to be advocates!!!

Smiling faces sometimes pretend to be your friend
Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within
Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes
They don't tell the truth uh
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof (“Smiling Faces Sometimes”, the Undisputed Truth)

During the impeachment procedures trying to oust President Clinton from office, one of the more verbose and virulent voices heard among the crowd belonged to the Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. He stood upon a holier than thou Christian bully pulpit and proclaimed the sins of Clinton, a married man, who above all else was cheating on his wife. Newtie then went on to say not only was this wrong because Clinton was elected by good honest people, but God himself pontificated that the union of marriage is only sanctified because that union is made from one man and one one woman and will remain honest, sincere, and loving from the you say I do until the day you die.

He pronounced Bill Clinton and adulterer, a sinner, a sham as he himself was in the midst of a sexual affair with another woman while being married. Newtie’s excuse was that the pressure of politics made him do it. If in fact Newtie had not been such a dedicated public official he could have been a more dedicated husband. And Newtie knew that the God he prayed to understood the distinction between his acts and those of Bill Clinton.

In the past many months as Newt Gingrich has been running for the candidacy for President from the Republican/Tea Bag Party he has insisted that the Dodd/Frank Bill: A Bill to create a Sound Economic Foundation to Grow Jobs, Protect Consumers, Rein in Wall Street and Big Bonuses, End Bailouts and Too Big to Fail, Prevent Another Financial Crisis is a laughing stock and the creators Senator Dodd of Connecticut and Congressman Frank of Massachusetts be jailed for interfering with good ole’ capitalism of this nation. Newtie also insisted that the failure of Fannie Mae was not because the bankers or the businessmen were greedy or glutinous, but the politicians were the culprits for poor lending practices and too much oversight.

And today we find out that the Gingrich Group and Mr. Newt Gingrich in particular received 1.3 million dollars as a consultant from the leadership of Fannie Mae. And once again Newtie so full of himself and his do as I say never as I do Mojo, blamed others for his involvement. He is astonished that anyone would think his intention were anything more then doing right for the nation.

You've got to accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative

Latch on to the affirmative

Don't mess with Mister In-Between (“Accentuate the Positive”, Bing crosby and Johnny Mercer)

All we hear is how a bunch of hippies, homeless, unemployed lazy bums, selfish college kids and God knows what other brand of hoodlums are creating uncalled for dissent in regards to the Occupy Movement. The billionaire mayor of New York City, is proud of over night raids on Zuccotti Park and having his Police Commissioner tell his soldiers of fortune to nab any of the press who might show pictures of the armed arrests and to knock down anyone in their way send them to jail and provide them with the unheard of no communication with loved ones or attorneys. The Mayor saying at a news conference he understands the first amendment freedoms and he understands when too much first amendment is not healthy. And the debate rages on focusing not on why the Occupy Movement is so important, or why conditions have erupted like open wounds in this nation to cause the Occupy movement but instead we are only discussing tents, no tents, hippies no hippies, anarchists or real citizens.

The horrific events surrounding the coaching staff, the league of Board members, the university officers, the police response, the Attorney Generals response or lack of response to the child abuse, chid endangerment, possible pedophile violations at Penn State saturate the news outlets. Shock and Awe are the responses of many to most of the journalists, neighbors students and friends of both the predators, those who looked the other way or for the victims themselves. How could this happen in America, how?

But then one has to wonder why something like this was even discovered given the lax response by the Catholic Church and the off again on again concern of the public to the thousands of allegations of chid abuse, child endangerment, and pedophilia by its employees, and the lack of any kind of enforcement to protect kids from this unreligious behavior.

We seem to look at the newest shiny object and squint our eyes, beat our chests and utter how in the world. Then those objects fade and we find a new dangling fruit and scream and holler and act amazed that something as heinous, hideous, horrendous as this could happen on our watch.

We bailed out the banks, we permitted corporations to be called people, we stiffed the poor and rewarded the wealthy, we permit Congress to be bought and sold so how come we are shocked that finally a movement of the 99% has erupted? We watch as one law suit after another is presented and millions of dollars paid by the Catholic Church never really stopping the abuse but trying to pay their way out of it. We watch as those on the top never own up to their responsibility but blame the workers for the indiscretions. And now we scratch our heads and say Oh My God how did this happen?

Plot Summary for Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing: As the title of this play suggests, there’s a lot of fuss over nothing! Claudio and Hero fall in love and plan to get married, but the villainous Don John slanders Hero with false evidence. The wedding is ruined and Hero faints. Her family soon suspect slander and decide to pretend that Hero died from shock. Don John’s evil plan is soon revealed and Claudio mourns Hero’s death. Eventually, Hero is revealed to be alive and the marriage goes ahead as planned. In the play’s closing moments, it is reported that Don John has been captured for his crime. (about.com)

Sadly we have become a nation revved up on ridicule, motivated by the moment, and boasting to blame. We have become a country whose memories are short, indifference paramount until it affects us directly, and reaction just that after the fact. Sadly crisis’s only lead to possible corrections, circumstances become potholes, and nothing gets done until we believe we have no other choice. Sadly we much ado about nothing, and do nothing at all about the real.