LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE . . .

There must be a good many people running around with their pants on fire these days. I know I’m not alone in wondering if any one of our "leaders," anywhere, is telling us the truth about anything. There is a disturbing lack of trust that permeates beyond borders to every part of the globe. When people in positions of power make those reassuring remarks regarding issues that concern us, we find it almost impossible to sift through the crap to get to the truth.

For instance: when we are assured that we needn’t worry about radiation resulting from damage to the nuclear plants following the Japanese Tsunami, can we believe them? When we are told that the oil that lies below the surface in the Gulf of Mexico has dissipated and that the fish finding its way to our tables is totally safe to eat, completely unaffected by the oil, can we believe them? Are we to believe that in the short time since that catastrophic spill, everything in the Gulf of Mexico waters is back to normal?

Can we believe that we’re getting the truth regarding our activities in Iraq, and in Afghanistan, and in Pakistan, and in Israel, and in Libya and in Yemin, and in other parts of the world where unrest is taking place. There is a super-abundance of "facts" - most of them conflicting - that we are being fed on a daily basis. It just depends on who is telling the story.

Can we believe that our elected representatives are working for our best interests while they bicker about the myriad of financial issues that burden this country. The only thing we can be absolutely sure of, is that they are working for their own best interests, including being re-elected. And while our dwindling "middle class" continues to carry more and more of the burden, those at the top and their corporate buddies get richer and richer. We can believe that.

Our leaders have evolved over the years from people of character, integrity, idealism and strength to self-serving bureaucrats. We can’t rely on them to listen to us and actually represent our interests. They simply do whatever they have to do, including outright lying, to get our vote. And we, average Americans, have forgotten how to think for ourselves and stand up for what we believe. We are a nation of lazy, "feed it to me" people. We allow the "news" commentators to feed us information, tell us how to think, mold our opinions, and ultimately to control our destiny. Shame on us!

It was painfully clear when Katrina hit the gulf coast, that our government was more interested in looking good in the face of unmentionable pain and devastation than in actually doing everything possible, as quickly as possible, to meet the needs of their constituents. Can we ever believe our government when a natural disaster or man-made disaster occurs? Have they ever told us right up front the painful truth about what has happened and why, in terms of government assistance? Have they ever given us the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Nonsense! They just feed us "crap" and we swallow it.

Are we so stupid, so prone to hysteria, so incapable of hearing the truth that we must be spoon-fed tiny dribbles of the truth along with large portions of half-truths or outright lies, over an elongated period of time so as not to become unmanageable? And is that the ultimate goal? To keep us ignorant so we can be "managed?

I’m sick of being fed lies and half-truths. I’m sick of not knowing who to believe, or even if anyone can be believed. I’m ready to become "unmanageable." This country desperately needs some honest leaders who care more about the health of America than about their re-election campaigns. And we need more people who will put forth the effort to learn the facts and who won’t settle for less than the truth.

Someone once said, "The truth will set you free." It’s the truth!

WHERE'S THE LOVE?

Yesterday, I received another email oozing hatefulness against our President. It’s not that this person, a dear friend of mine, simply dislikes our President or disagrees with him. The email, which had been forwarded, and who knows how many other people have received it, was spewing hatred loud and clear and was outright disgusting. I’m deeply disturbed by this type of message which exhibits a complete lack of even elemental respect for the Office of the President of the United States of America.

I’m not suggesting that we should all line up to pat him on the back and give him kudos for the great job he is doing. We may have huge differences with him regarding his policies and/or politics. But he IS the duly elected leader of this great country and as such should be treated with a modicum of respect. But more than that, the question arises: “Where’s the love?”

Are you laughing out loud? Sure you are. But, let me ask it again: “Where’s the love?” I’m standing out here on a limb now and it’s creaking, but I just can’t sit back and pretend I’m not bothered by the hatefulness that is being circulated, affecting my relationships and my respect for the people of this country. I believe that God created us all and I believe that He created us all to work together under His guidance and with His purposes in mind. It was Jesus who told us to give Caesar his due – in other words pay your taxes and don’t undermine your government (the Gospel according to Lois). If we believe that ultimately God is in charge, then we must know that no matter who is in the office of the President, we should be praying for him and if not supporting him, at least not inviting outright “assassination” and that includes character assassination, spiritual assassination and even physical assassination which is entirely possible with all the “patriots” out there who espouse Obama’s evil nature and intent.

Do you disagree with Obama? That’s certainly your privilege. And it’s a wonderful privilege, granted by virtue of being a citizen of the United States of America. We are free to voice our opinions and we are privileged to vote for our leaders. I certainly had issues with the previous Administration and intensely disliked Cheney and the way he operated. And while many felt as I did, there was never the level of outright hostility that there is today. I believe that Obama has had to deal with a boatload of problems created by the Bush Administration. Has he done everything right? No. Could you? Could anyone? This is not a job for Sissies and if nothing else, I respect Obama’s willingness to try to climb a mountain that most of us would never consider. This is not an evil man. This is a man trying to do what he thinks is right.

Instead of constant criticism and fault-finding, the people of this country need to go down on their knees and pray for America; pray for our President; pray for our environment; pray for our troops; pray for Love to gain victory over the Hatred that is so prevalent today. We need to focus on what is good about this country. We need to focus on our hope for the future of this country and the future of our children and grandchildren.

Let’s raise ourselves out of the dung heap and become the people we were created to be. Let it be said that America leads the way toward world peace. That journey must begin here, in our homes, in our churches, temples, synagogues, on the job, on the internet, on the phone, on the roads, in our city, county, state. It can’t be legislated. But it can be achieved. We can choose love over hate.

Come on, Friends, let there be peace in America.