Polarization…“The process by which the public opinion divides and goes to the extremes” (Wikipedia). This is a huge problem in American Society. If you don’t believe that it is, think of how many times in the past few years that different states have been classified and either red or blue. This portrayal of ideals from the media and government that you are either “with us or against us” gives the perception that there is only extreme ways to think. I was watching the “Today Show” this morning and they had a person on promoting a book and the purpose of this book was to promote one way of thinking, while condemning the opposing view. Not trying to promote a line of thinking on its merits solely, but at the expense of the other. How does that help to bring a solution to any situation?
What happened to compromise? What happened to looking at the information and then together finding the appropriate solution, not attacking the other person until somebody gives in? That would be an awful way to have a marriage or any relationship; they would be over before they grew to anything worth value. Seeing in black and white values would make life very difficult. You could never accept less than perfect. Imagine if the father of the prodigal son was that way, the son could have never returned. I am sure glad that things are not really that way. People actually have the opportunity to change and make their lives better.
The person on the “Today Show” was promoting a book, so they were there for one reason; money. There are people that make their living polarizing people. There are people who get elected using fear to polarize people. This is both on the liberal and conservative and in-between sides. I don’t believe that people are only red OR blue; I think there are quite a few shades of purple out there.
Dixie Chicks:So the Dixie Chicks have a new CD out “Taking the Long Way”. It is their first new material since the controversy of 2003. If you are not aware of that then search Google and you’ll find plenty on it. The new album is sparking controversy of it’s own. The Dixie Chicks are not ashamed of what they have done, and they should not be. The United States of America gives its citizens the right to speak whatever they want about whoever they want. I found a couple of quotes about this and wanted to share them. Conservative Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly wrote an essay about the group in Time Magazine’s recent feature “Time 100: People Who Shape Our World.” In his piece, quoted in a story on CMT.com, he wrote that Maines’ “primary mistake” was criticizing Bush on foreign soil. He calls “Not Ready to Make Nice” “a pretty good song. There is no reason not to play it.” “Natalie Maines has paid the price for her remarks. Her life has been threatened, and she remains under siege. That is wrong as well. The woman has the right to believe what she wants to believe. You have a right to reject her beliefs and not to buy her stuff. But to punish her further is not in the spirit of America.”Country legend Merle Haggard not only defended the Dixie Chicks, but has also sung and spoken critically about the president and the conflict himself. Haggard, who sang pro-America, Vietnam-era songs such as “Okie From Muskogee” and “The Fightin’ Side of Me” 35 years ago, has a new tune called “America First” which includes the line, “Let’s get out of Iraq and back on track.” (source: http://www.cushingdaily.com/opinion/cnhinsall_story_143111507.html?keyword=topstory)How about them apples?
Neighbors you can’t live with them and you can’t burn down their house. Why is that some people don’t want to act neighborly and talk to their neighbors and instead call a third party, be it the city or home owners association for intervention. Let me paint a scenario… Last summer we installed sprinklers and then in the fall we planted some grass. So it wasn’t until this year that the grass actually began to grow. So last night I extended the time of the sprinklers in the back to help the new grass grow. Apparently there is some fine-tuning that needs to happen for the sprinklers, pressure issues. So when the sprinklers were on last night they flowed into the yard of my neighbor to the south. His house is down hill from mine, so he should expect that water will drain into his yard. When it happened last night, instead of calling or coming over to our house to talk to us he called the city and complained. This is the first time that this has happened and the problem will be resolved, but it irks me that he would be such a jerk about it (do I sound frustrated, I AM). Usually I can handle neighbors and the issues that come along with them, but this guy is driving me crazy so to add fuel to the fire… There is a fence that separates our houses (the one the water crept under) anyway my son was playing in the yard the other day and was kicking a ball against the fence, not at midnight, this was before noon. This neighbor yelled out the backdoor of his house to my son to “stop hitting the fence”, first he was kicking a ball not hitting and second if you didn’t want to deal with neighbors you shouldn’t have built a house in a subdivision. I guess what I am trying to illustrate is that this guy has not been too neighborly. Not that I expect to get along with everyone, but some people just rub you the wrong way.
We took some family pictures the other night and these are the results. It was for an upcoming family reunion later in the month. We went to a greenbelt/ walking path near our home. We had great-grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Neighbors you can’t live with them and you can’t burn down their house. Why is that some people don’t want to act neighborly and talk to their neighbors and instead call a third party, be it the city or home owners association for intervention. Let me paint a scenario… Last summer we installed sprinklers and then in the fall we planted some grass. So it wasn’t until this year that the grass actually began to grow. So last night I extended the time of the sprinklers in the back to help the new grass grow. Apparently there is some fine-tuning that needs to happen for the sprinklers, pressure issues. So when the sprinklers were on last night they flowed into the yard of my neighbor to the south. His house is down hill from mine, so he should expect that water will drain into his yard. When it happened last night, instead of calling or coming over to our house to talk to us he called the city and complained. This is the first time that this has happened and the problem will be resolved, but it irks me that he would be such a jerk about it (do I sound frustrated, I AM). Usually I can handle neighbors and the issues that come along with them, but this guy is driving me crazy so to add fuel to the fire… There is a fence that separates our houses (the one the water crept under) anyway my son was playing in the yard the other day and was kicking a ball against the fence, not at midnight, this was before noon. This neighbor yelled out the backdoor of his house to my son to “stop hitting the fence”, first he was kicking a ball not hitting and second if you didn’t want to deal with neighbors you shouldn’t have built a house in a subdivision. I guess what I am trying to illustrate is that this guy has not been too neighborly. Not that I expect to get along with everyone, but some people just rub you the wrong way.
