The Dumbing Down of America

The dumbing down of America was a topic of interest several years ago, but today it is even more apparent the movement was a success. The latest example is Great Britain, no less, declaring the "i before e except after c" spelling rule is no longer important. Because so many people never learned, or were taught, the simple little rule about using the "ie" or "ei" combos, it was decided to let the know-nots win.

Sounds like an insignificant change in the rules, but magnified, it becomes a major philosophy of current times. Lowering standards never really helps anyone. A co-worker, Chris, asked me the other day, "What ever happened to the word 'disappear'? 'Gone missing' or 'went missing' now seem to have replaced it. Why?" I have often wondered the same thing and realized I first heard this term used by tv news anchors. Who told them to use a phrase that infers a person walked away on their own to replace one that infers a far more serious action? Our language is being changed daily as people replace one word with another, changing the meanings of both words. I've noticed many times that the person changing the meaning often didn't understand the original meaning of the word.

Michael Jackson

I remember when my youngest daughter was six years old and had a crush on Michael Jackson. She had a large poster of Jackson in her bedroom, the one of him in the white shirt and pants and the yellow sweater. The Thriller album was new and hot and everyone loved Michael Jackson.

His private life was exposed when all the pedophile lawsuits began to surface and his popularity began to wane. The grotesque results of countless plastic surgeries showed us a child/man who was extremely dissatisfied with his race and appearance. His story is really very tragic, and now with his death, his involvement with drugs is now evident.

I don't know why Americans, in particular but not exclusively, are so enamored of celebrity. Most of the time, the celebrities aren't the kind of people who should be lifted up onto a pedestal and nearly worshiped by average people. It's really quite sad that so many people are spending so very much time lamenting the death of a pedophile. Unbelievable.

Rules For Radicals

Well, finally, someone else is realizing that our President, a one-time community organizer in Chicago, could "possibly" have followed, and is still following, Saul Alitsky's book, Rules For Radicals. I have been saying this ever since Obama announced his candidacy for President. As a community organizer in the early 70s who was employed by the Office for Economic Opportunity, I was trained to use Rules For Radicals in the community where I worked. OEO was eliminated by President Nixon because he said it was superfluous, had no power to really help the poor and disadvantaged, and was wasting public money. It was primarily a black organization in which I was one of the 'token' white employees. I recognized some of the oratory and points Obama was making on the campaign trail, and it frightened me. No one else seemed to pick up on the similarity. Tonight, I flipped the tv onto Bill O'Reilly's show, and lo and behold! He was talking about the Obama link to Alitsky's radical left teaching. Finally, others are noticing this. Whether anyone wants to believe it or not, our fearless leader is a radical who is putting this country in danger of Socialism. Fact.

American Idol and House Hunters

As usual, the final three contestants on American Idol has one surprise. I didn't think Chris would be there rather than Allison, who is a phenomenal singer at seventeen years of age. I predicted from the beginning that Adam and Danny would be the final two because they each outsang everyone else. A couple more weeks and it will be all over til next year. I love this show - I think because it gives obviously talented young people a chance they wouldn't otherwise have.

Now, if only there could be something similar for visual artists, without the age requirements, of course. At this point in my life, I have a huge amount of artwork and I need to start selling it. Not only do I need the money, but I don't want my kids to have to deal with it when I am gone. Half of them would toss it all out, while the other half will treasure it.

I have a question for the people of House Hunters: Are there really that many people who have large enough incomes to purchase all those mega-expensive homes? Or were those programs all filmed prior to the housing bust? I especially dislike the young couples who look at half-million dollar homes and proclaim the kitchens or bathrooms are out of date or ugly or just won't work. Gosh, they should have been born into an earlier generation who had to have a twenty-percent down payment and excellent credit to buy a house - all without any government assistance. People were grateful for what they had. When I look at the House Hunter International shows, I am appalled by how much people in other countries have to pay for very tiny and often ill- equipped apartments - houses seem to be totally out of reach or just not available.

Trail of Tears

I was doing some research on the Cherokee Nation yesterday and today, and once again was appalled at what was done to Native Americans. The Trail of Tears that happened because it became known that gold existed on Cherokee land makes me think of the way Americans were cheated out of their life savings by Bernie Madoff and others. It is so easy to say that America has slid to the bottom of the moral heap with this latest example of greed. However, this form of immorality has existed for perhaps the entire time humans have existed on earth.

There isn't any other ethnic group that has been treated so badly in America as were the Native Americans. None.

Pittsburgh Tragedy

When I turned on my tv this morning at 7:30 AM, I heard the beginning of what has become the lead story on all three major Pittsburgh television stations. A domestic call that was answered by four city policemen resulted in the deaths of three policemen and the serious injuries of two others. The 23-year old male who perpetrated the deaths and injuries used what newspeople are saying was a high-powered assault rifle. The suspect, with gunshots to his legs, was finally apprehended several hour later. What a tragedy. As the granddaughter of a policeman, I have always held the police in high esteem and am saddened when others do not.

The Ghosts of Slippery Rock University

As I wrote at the beginning of March, a team of investigators of paranormal activity spent an overnight in Miller Auditorium at Slippery Rock University in search of ghostly activity. Today a local paper reported the team has evidence of 4 ghosts who apparently hang around the stage and dressing room. So to all the SRU students who heard the legend over the years, it looks as if the haunted auditorium isn't just a myth!

I have a daughter in grad school at SRU and she hasn't heard about the ghosts. I am a graduate of SRU, and I don't recall hearing about it. I have one grandson who recently graduated and another currently enrolled and I am wondering if they are familiar with the story.

Last week I went fishing twice and the only thing I caught was a blue gill. Trout weren't biting at all. Maybe I will try again this week. It sure was nice to be out at the lake and fishing once again. I walk there daily, unless it is raining or too cold.