Reflections of Me

On May 27, 2018, CSPAN posted a Social Media question: "Media & "Violent Culture" are to blame for mass shootings — Agree or disagree?" Now, I posted my own opinion.  Short and sweet. I disagree.  That this was the usual political, pro-NRA response to try to put a simple label on a very complex issue.  Ensuing comments, mentioning that while not the only reason, these things were a 'large part' of the problem, got me to thinking. Being somewhat of a history buff ( the subject has always interested me, from my childhood onward ), I am aware of two rather obvious things in regard to this attempt to simplify a complex problem.  One, that humans, from their inception, have always lived a culture of violence.  Two, that media, from it's inception, has almost always reflected the culture that sustains it. That humankind has always had a violent culture is fairly easily proved.  From the findings of archeologists, the application of science, and how...

 I have been reading a book, a novel of fiction, which has turned out to be rather good, if a bit difficult for me to read due to the author's penchant for combining narrative with character speech without using punctuation to separate.  But, this is not a review of the novel.  Rather, it is a portion of a paragraph which caught my attention, and may perhaps be one of the best descriptions of law I have ever read, or thought of. " But William knew the law had as much to do with power as rightness.  It was built by men for its own purpose, like a steam locomotive, and what was done with it was the work of men who had places to get to and schedules to keep.  He thought of Foole.  Of course there was a wrong side to the law.    He sometimes wondered if there was a right one. "                                                 ...

You've seen the t shirts.  They've been around now for a couple of decades or longer.  Varied colors and designs, all proudly imprinted with the slogan " I'm With Stupid " and a arrow which points right, left, or is bidirectional.  Insulting, but, you know, in a cute way. Inundated as we have been by our Nation's current lunatic regime ( sorry---I think I meant administration. Pretty sure I did.  No, wait.  I didn't. ) and how it strives daily to see which of the President's current batch of un-potty-trained piles of vomit can out-crazy the rest, I am starting to think that every American citizen should have to wear one of these at least twice a week.  Only, instead of arrows, imprint a outline of the District of Colunbia with a star marking the location of the Capitol. From alienating almost every ally we have in the world, to further destabilizing a already unstable middle eastern situation, or separating children from adults who may be enterin...

I believe it was the great Satchel Paige who said something to the effect : 'Don't look behind you--something might be gaining on you'.  Wise advice. Past, present, and future.  Three words defining timelines.  We all have them.  We often, as individuals, think of them as separate portions of our lives.  As a conglomerate, we have the definitions of History, Current Events, and...well, there's the rub, eh?  Do we even have a field of study for 'Future Events'?  That could be a fun field of study!  I'd go back to college, even at this late date, to take that one.  Class could begin simply; use your experience of your own past, and present, and predict what events will occur for you tomorrow.  Next class, check results.  Then, move on gradually to next week, next year, next decade...what's that you say?  Practical, real life purpose?  None, of course! Well, besides discovering whether or not there really are people who c...