Turkey Tantrum

It's Thanks giving! And I just read a real crappy article on Stltoday.com. It was Obama spewing, sighting the fact that we have definitely had worse thanksgivings in history, and that, as Americans, we need to count on each other to get through these tough economic times and look toward the future for better days. The article goes on to say "The new 85 freshmen rep-elects are a (new breed of leaders for a new majority and a new Congress) and they stand ready to turn around the country".

Huh?

Now, I always do a little reading prior to sitting down and ranting on this blog. It gets my juices flowing. And holidays are normally a slow news day. This news piece was just what I needed to get my juices going. This and a conversation last night with my bro John Daley about running for office.

Do take the time to read the article. But most importantly, if you were indeed inspired by it, please take the time to slice your wrists and be done with it. And also, before you fall in to unconsciousness, let me give you my take, the whatimetalkinbout, the my account. Because we might be able to stop the bleeding.

First, please know that I wish each and every one of you a very happy Thanksgiving. Be thankful that we still have a shot.

Here goes.

I suppose one of the Presidents publicists, sitting around last night while drinking brown liquor out of a crystal rocks glass poured from a crystal decanter, his feet propped up on a desk that once held the special interest files of a 10 term senator, came up with the idea that Obama should address the nation on this holiday. Ideally, it would be compassionate sort of inspirational message. The usual Thanksgiving spew of presidential guacma. Hmm...I don't know about you, but the government and the mere sight of corrupt politics is not nearly the imagery that I am wish to see on this special day.

Hey O, we will indeed count on each other today. We will enjoy the company of our family members, our friends and our acquaintances. We will forget that which is at the heart of our troubles, the economy, the pressures and struggles of making a go of it in business, making ends meet, putting food on the table, the incessant involvement of your government in our life. All the stuff that troubles us, we will forget it for a day, perhaps a couple days. Lets give thanks and then perhaps the media that you buy off will force us to focus our attention on Black Friday, and whether or not the key indicator of retail sales is going to be as low a hit as what was anticipated.

Because when we return to work on Friday, (if anyone plans on not making it a four day weekend). The usual stuff will still be there. But because of your kind words, your directive and/or suggestion to count on and reflect on the good things, immerse ourselves with each other and our families, well, the load will be lighter. Thanks O.

What a bunch of crap.

Sirs, (specifically to whomever rolls out the PR for the whitehouse), a picture of O and his wife and kid on the lawn of the White house doesn't do much to reflect my giving of thanks. In fact, it repulses me. It is far more a reminder of my struggles to keep up with our governments bureaucratic endeavor. You are missing the mark here lately, Sirs. Like for the past 20 years you have been involved in our stuff too much, and you have been cranking it up lately. There are too many specifics to mention, but the whole country is in a state of chaos, even you guys report on it, every day. And now the best you can do is release a picture of what you think we want to see, and hear?

Do you think we really want to be characterized by this sort of manufactured royalty? The government? Who wants to be characterized by such a failing institution, a snapshot of nothing more than a popularity contest fueled by big money paying big media for big influence? The government is an embarrassment you see, a shallow, self serving indulgent embarrassment of conventional process gone wrong. It is old school, out of date, and likely not nearly as powerful as it thinks. How dare you take aim at our day, our families. How dare you attach our institution, our family unit, that which is far more powerful and much more capable of doling out our own civil liberties than falling in line at your soup kitchen of compliance.

The sad part, and here is where you can begin to get uplifted on this Thanksgiving morning (in addition to the parade coverage on NBC)... We are the government. We are the people who continue to be disappointed by electing officials in to the same old system, we who look outward, though our TV's, newspapers and now our computers, wondering what the hell happened to our liberties, what has happened to our dream.

By all means, take this time to look around the family table and ask yourselves, "how much is enough?". Reach out and hold the hand of your loved ones and say, "you know, we are the ones who control things, it is time to figure this stuff out". Give some thanks that we are still in control.

I don't have the answers, only a perspective. The article was paradoxical. We should indeed count on each other and take the day to reflect on how important our loved ones our to us. But I will be damned if I will take the lead from some obligatory "speak to the peasants" salutary commentary with the hint that things will be better doing things the same old way. O should be working to reduce government if he wants my respect, but that ain't gonna happen. How about we call him if we need him.

Nope, it's off limits, how I go about interacting with my family, my faith, my purpose. Your press release was at best cliche. Happy, Happy.