Hymn #365: This is a hoot, but I suspect the minister didn't appreciate it.

courtesy of Keith Baker

A minister was completing a temperance sermon. With great emphasis he said, "
If I had all the beer in the world,
I'd take it and pour it into the river."

With even greater emphasis he said, "And if I had
All the wine in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river."

And then finally, shaking his fist in the air, he Said,
"And if I had all the whiskey in the world,
I'd take it and pour it into the river ."

Sermon complete, he sat down.

The song leader stood very cautiously and announced
With a smile, nearly laughing, "For our closing song,
Let us sing
Hymn #365, Shall We Gather at the River. '"

Smile, life is too short not to!
If this brightened your day
Don't let it stop here
Pass it on with a smile
Keep spreading the Cheer.
See you at the river

What is Political Correctness?

by Glenn Littrell

I remember reading a US News&World Report article in the early 80’s about the growing trend of the use of the phrase “Political Correctness”. Back then it was being presented as a generational response to, or alternative to, that which was referred to as “Conventional Wisdom”. In other words the turbulent and youth movements dominated 60’s & 70’s was forcing a redefining of what was considered appropriate. The conservative status quo was being challenged by progressive re-thinking on such issues as civil rights, fairness, equality, justice, etc.
What it really came down to was re-establishing what was considered appropriate behavior, attitudes, and traditions towards other people. In other words how we treat each others, ie. manners. Who or why anyone chose the phrase ‘political correctness’ to characterize this movement is unexplained. The phrase has been around since the 1800’s and has been used in several contexts. So its meaning has varied with the times that it was being used in.
It’s adoption in the late 70’s and early 80’s was probably associated to the fact that the youth movements of the time were either apolitical or rooted in a progressive type of politics. In spite of the existence of the ‘Young Republicans’ the dominate direction of the college student and the young veterans returning from Vietnam was away from conservatism. As the forward thinking youth challenged the comfortable (but grossly prejudicial) familiarity of the ‘status quo’, by nature the conflict was easily characterized as a confrontation of progressive thought versus conservative thought.
It is most unfortunate that the phrase chosen to identify this struggle as ‘political’ instead of a ‘generational’ conflict over how we treat each other. It was in truth a conflict between the status quo of prejudice, discrimination, repressive sexual taboos and the more humane move away from those oppressive practices. It wasn’t about politics, it was about manners, behavior, traditions. If it was truly a political argument then shouldn’t we have debates over ‘liberal correctness’ and ‘conservative correctness’?
‘Political Correctness’ or ‘Political Incorrectness’?
Of course we have debates between liberal thought and conservative thought, but I can’t remember the last time a prominent democrat or liberal used the phrase, “it is politically correct to…”, except in a sarcastic manner. Nor have I heard a prominent Republican use it except in a pejorative attack on someone else's opinion. Everyday people use the terms ‘politically correct/incorrect’ as a pejorative ad hominid attack on anyone attempting take a stance contrary to theirs, instead of debating a difference of opinion in a civil manner. The term has come to mean “shut up, your not capable of an opinion or a personal thought”. It serves the purpose of stopping debate and denigrating an opinion as bias, by labeling it bias.
Liberal correctness and conservative correctness does exist, especially in regards to what is appropriate speech and even thought. For examples just tune in to MSNBC and FOXNews to see examples of both.
…but an overwhelming amount of the use of the the phrase ‘politically correct/incorrect’ is not related to politics! I’ve heard it used in regards to:

• division sports
• school curriculum
• dress
• healthy school lunches
• religious believes
• whether the toilet paper goes under or over
• toilet seat up or down, etc.,

…practically every form of discussion that involves individual choice, instead of an interesting discussion on a difference of opinion, gets redefined as a debate that turns into an intolerant argument when such pejorative labels as ‘politically correct/incorrect’, ‘Kool-Aid drinkers’, and ‘liberal/conservative idiots’ start getting thrown around. All these labels are ‘dog whistles’ that signify one side of the discussion is invalid or wrong by nature. Not by reasoning.

• A suggestion on how to conduct a discussion on a political issue:When it is an issue that can be defined as ‘political’, lets try talking about it in a manner where we keep political labels and other political issues out of the discussion. Labeling your opponent as liberal or conservative pushes you away from a discussion, not towards it. It assumes your opponent has not come to their position through reasonable thought, but only by a blind allegiance to a party.

What’s the point of discussion then? If that is your assessment of the person then why continue. If that assumption is wrong your never going to convince them their wrong on one thing by arguing their wrong on everything. 

• Let’s consider ‘manners’: Most of the arguments that draw the ‘political correctness/incorrectness’ label, in spite of not being political by nature, are really discussions about a difference of opinion on fairness and manners, or personal choice or opinion:

Instead of trying to turn every disagreement into a political debate lets try two things:

1. Refrain from using the terms political correctness or political incorrectness, and substitute the more specific ‘liberal correctness’ or ‘conservative correctness’.   OR
2. If you can’t make the above substitution then it probably is not political in nature. At that point substitute either the phrase ‘good manners’ or ‘bad manners’ for the PC/PIC idiom

On many issues that arise over and over again the phrase PC/PIC serves to only galvanize the divide and stunt discussion. That is the only purpose that PC/PIC has served over the last 20 years.

• The name of the Washington Football team is politically incorrect.
• Telling dirty jokes is politically incorrect.
• Calling President Obama a Muslim is politically incorrect.
• Bullying is politically incorrect.

Now substitute the more accurate ‘bad manners’:

• The name of the Washington Football team is bad manners.
• Telling dirty jokes is bad manners.
• Calling President Obama a Muslim is bad manners.
• Bullying is bad manners.

Actually makes the statements more accurate, the discussion less inflammatory, and dealing with the related issues may be easier.

“I was reading a book (about interjections, oddly enough) yesterday which included the phrase “In these days of political correctness…” talking about no longer making jokes that denigrated people for their culture or for the color of their skin. And I thought, “That’s not actually anything to do with ‘political correctness’. That’s just treating other people with respect.”Which made me oddly happy. I started imagining a world in which we replaced the phrase “politically correct” wherever we could with “treating other people with respect”, and it made me smile. You should try it. It’s peculiarly enlightening.I know what you’re thinking now. You’re thinking “Oh my god, that’s treating other people with respect gone mad!”           Neil Gaima

Now, of course, there will always be people who want to offend, want to hold on to their right to be crude and rude, and belligerent for the sake of their individuality. Unfortunately, this narrow-mindedness is not a positive form of individuality. It is a lazy, self-indulgent form of ignorance and narcissism.

by GlennDL

*pictures are from the“Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear”
Washington D.C., October 30, 2010

---

see also: The Changing Face Of Political Correctness

31

Politics:

“But this new Republican faction regards the messy business of politics as soiled and impure. Compromise is corruption. Inconvenient facts are ignored. Countrymen with different views are regarded as aliens. Political identity became a sort of ethnic identity, and any compromise was regarded as a blood betrayal…”

It’s as if the Republicant Party has been possessed by a move towards a radical thirst for anarchy for the sake of change. The problem is change, radical thought, and anarchy are just the opposite of conservative thought. But, as long as they can claim their radicalism and anarchy is a form of revolution stemming from Reagan, Gingrich or Ayn Rand politics, it is seen as pristine and just.  Unfortunately, radical thought, change, anarchy, and revolution are more closely related to progressive tendencies, not conservatisms.  

Maybe those Reagan Democrats, who brought their progressive desire for change to the small tent party, have finally eroded the conservative movement as they have grown weary of the false promises and claims. Choosing to not admit their error of abandoning a party they could truly influence, they have pushed further from that party, resulting in pushing the GOP further down the rabbit hole. Nixon’s southern strategy has proven so effective it is now showing diminishing returns… destroying the GOP from within.         GlennDL

“Politics is too partisan, and sometimes patriotism is cast aside. Patriotism is honor and love of your country and your brothers and sisters. With politics I get the impression that it's all about what's good for the party and not necessarily what's good for the country.”

Ricardo Montalban

Call Me Maybe / Share It Maybe

“Hey, me just met you, and this is crazy /
But you got cookie, so share it maybe.”

Satire, sarcasm, sarcastic, critical wit, mockery, ridicule, derision, scorn, irony, caricature; NOT LITERAL!

I usually do not post/share satire, or use satire when writing or making a comment, because of the possibility that people sometimes don't get that its satire, and go ballistic, loose faith in you, or start re-posting it, quoting it or believing that it is fact.

To this day their are still conservatives who believe that Steve Colbert is actually conservative... they don't get that he was 'playing' a conservative on his show The Steve Colbert Report and was actually making fun of them. Expressing satire and sarcasm in writing can be tricky, even when your being obvious, which is why many have advocated for a 'sarcasm' font,* but everyone thinks their just kidding, i.e. being sarcastic. 

Get it? that's irony... oh never mind.                 GlennDL

sat·ire
ˈsaˌtī(ə)r/
noun

• the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
  synonyms:
  mockery, ridicule, derision, scorn, caricature, irony, sarcasm

• a play, novel, film, or other work that uses satire.
  plural noun: satires
  "a stinging satire on American politics"
  synonyms: parody, burlesque, caricature, lampoon, skit; informal: spoof, takeoff, sendup
  "a satire on Canadian politics"

• a genre of literature characterized by the use of satire.  A work of literature that mocks social conventions, another work of art, or anything its author thinks ridiculous. Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift, is a satire of eighteenth-century British society.

*I am also, for the sake of clarity, establishing my own personal ‘sarcasm’ font. Now I have no skill set that allows me to create a font, nor do I believe my post or blogs are trendy enough that my designating a font will catch on, but as protection against poor or ambiguous satire on my part, my blogs will utilize the “Gentium Basic” font, bold/italic,  as text that should be read as satire. (in red on light backgrounds, or yellow on dark backgrounds)

(note: that this is for future post/articles, there are no current plans to update old post)
[5-18-2015]

The first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel was…

… a 63 year old women!

  I was listening to Radiolab podcast on NPR about the fear of Fallen(ing) when they told a story about what it was like to go over the falls, and the consequences of some of the trips. This led me to do a little research on the subject. (The podcast can be found at the bottom of this article.)   GlennDL

October 24th 1901
She decided to go down the falls after she lost her teaching job. She was heading to the poor house if she didn’t think of something else to do?
Annie Taylor was the first person to conquer the falls in a barrel. After climbing inside her airtight wooden barrel, the air pressure was compressed to 30 p.s.i. with a bicycle pump. 
Though bruised and battered Annie made it, she expected fame and fortune.
Annie died in poverty.

Desiring to secure her later years financially, and avoid the poorhouse, she decided she would be the first person to ride over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Taylor used a custom-made barrel for her trip, constructed of oak and iron and padded with a mattress. Several delays occurred in the launching of the barrel, particularly because no one wanted to be part of a potential suicide. Two days before Taylor's own attempt, a domestic cat was sent over the Horseshoe Falls in her barrel to test its strength. Contrary to rumors at the time, the cat survived the plunge and 17 minutes later, after she was found with a bleeding head, posed with Taylor in photographs (That’s the kitty on top of the barrel.)

Veterans Day: discounts and recognition.

Veteran’s Day is officially Wednesday, November 11, 2015.

Always be prepared to show proof of service: DD214, VA Card. Don’t just assume that a picture in uniform or wearing uniform will be enough. It usually is, but be sure.
Best Deals are informally determined based on: Time period, estimated value, and absence of conditions.

 

Post-Veteran’s Day Discounts & Deals:

Red Lobster Free App    4 DAYS
Service members past and present receive a complimentary appetizer or dessert from a special menu. Proof of service required. Valid Monday, November 9 through Thursday, November 12, 2015.
Carrabba’s Free Appetizer       7 Days
All active and retired veterans receive a free appetizer at participating locations on Monday, November 9th through Sunday, November 15th. Logan’s Roadhouse     +Year Round Discount
This Veterans Day veterans and active duty can come in for a free dessert a participating locations. Veterans year round receive a 10% discount to guests who present a military or veterans’ ID.
Outback Steakhouse Free Bloomin’ Onion® and a beverage    +49 Day Discount
All active, retired military and veterans get a free Bloomin’ Onion® and a beverage on Veterans Day. Must have valid identification. There is also a military discount of 15% off the total check from November 12th thru December 31st, 2015, valid for military members and their families.
Read more: http://militarybenefits.info/veterans-day-discounts-sales-deals-free-meals/#ixzz3qoZCvwwJ

---

Its great that businesses recognize Veterans but it also obvious that some businesses are just using Veterans Day as a marketing tool by offering recognition to gain publicity. These cases are apparent by the lack of value in their offering (free drink with a $20 purchase), time limits (between 10am and 12noon), or of day offers (free meal, but not on Veterans Day, maybe a week later*). I have removed a few who are obviously guilty of this and try to order those presented by the value of their recognition.

*for example: One nationwide Buffett chain used to offer free sit down meals for vets, but not on Veterans Day… the offer was good for a designated day the next week. This way they got the good press for recognizing Veterans, but saved money by offering the free meal on a different date, a date that usually became overlooked and forgotten when it rolled around, thus saving them from a large turnout for the well publicized free meal. They also benefited when on Veterans day the Veterans who showed up for what they recognized as a free meal would stay for dinner at full price instead of walking out. Evidently either word of mouth or an increasing number of upset Veterans walking away dissatisfied on Veterans Day changed their mind. This year they are offering recognition on Veterans Day.   

Restaurants with reasonable conditions are listed. PLEASE read the conditions to determine the best value for your visit.

GlennDL

---

El Condor Pasa - by Alexandro Querevalú