CROSSVILLE —
It’s Halloween! A favorite with kids — plenty of candy and thrilling scares. Seems we don’t outgrow those joys. Few adults like to give up sweets, and, given the popularity of the radical right doom and gloom message, we also like to be frightened. Children eventually figure out that their bogeymen are not real. Wouldn’t it be great if we had the wisdom of children? Since our president took office in 2008, reactionary mouthpieces have predicted scary stuff that never happened. They’ve distracted us with mythical monsters, letting real demons thrive.
John McCain predicted a terrifying increase in gun control with Obama as president. Gun rights have expanded over the last four years. Tennessee Republican legislators have tried to make it legal to carry concealed weapons virtually everywhere. Has that kept us safer? Ask the folks in Arizona or Colorado where mentally ill citizens legally obtained guns and plenty of ammunition to wreak havoc on innocent people in shopping centers and movie theaters. If you were afraid of losing gun rights, relax. If you fear that the NRA is keeping ghouls on the street, your worries may be warranted.
Steve King, Republican representative from Iowa, proclaimed in 2008 that Al Qaida would celebrate President Obama’s election with dancing in the streets. Seems that group is, instead, burning our president in effigy for hunting down and killing their leader, Osama Bin Laden. Al Qaida is seriously weakened, thanks to our president. Scratch that fear off your list.
Dick Morris preached that the financial markets would drop precipitously while Trent Franks, Republican Arizona representative, portended that the economy would be “socialized.” Conservatives warned of “income redistribution,” implying that the rich might have to share with the rest of us. But since this president took office the market has enjoyed a very capitalistic rebound. Many Cumberland Countians, however, still face economic worries thanks to Congressional Republicans blocking attempts to require rich individuals and corporations to give a little of their gains back. Yes, there has been income redistribution, more redistributed from the 99% to the 1%.
In 2008 Newt Gingrich predicted that commentators like Rush Limbaugh would be silenced by President Obama. Hasn’t happened. But Rush’s foul mouth cost him several sponsors — with no help from the president. Thank goodness for Rush that the First Amendment is alive and well.
Some real adult fears include losing our jobs and concern that our children will not enjoy lives equal to, if not better than, ours. Under President Obama the national job picture is improving and affordable health care will be available for all. Under the Tennessee Republican regime unemployment has increased in recent months, education funding ranks 47th in the nation, and state childhood poverty levels are 38th compared to other states.
As you Trick or Treat with your children, and cast your votes, carefully consider who the real monsters are. And enjoy those Halloween sweets!
Opinion
WE THE PEOPLE: Bumps in the night
- Opinion
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LION AND THE LAMB: More than meets the eye
It was a quiet Saturday afternoon, and my wife Sheral suggested I join her on a shopping trip. In Crossville Sheral went inside a store and I stayed outside looking at the bargain specials. My mind was in neutral, so I almost missed the little boy’s question. He was about seven or eight, evidently had just seen his first Amish family, and they had seemed very strange to him.
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WE THE PEOPLE: No time to govern
Bob Dole’s tribute to George McGovern at the time of his death last year was both beautiful and touching. Speaking of the friendship they shared and the work they did together during their time in the Senate and later in retirement, Dole said McGovern “was one of the finest public servants I ever had the privilege to know.” He went on to say that they knew what they had in common was far more important than their different political philosophies.
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TIDBITS: Be wary of home improvement shows
Sometimes I think home improvement stores need a screening tool of some sort, perhaps some kind of licensing or reference check. For example, before one can walk in and buy that handy dandy table saw, they need three people to vouch that they aren’t likely to cut off a bodily appendage.
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STUMPTALK: Obama’s Benghazi betrayal
“Betrayal” is an ugly word. “To fail or desert especially in a time of need.” Those who pay attention to the actions of Obama are justified in saying we have been betrayed. Think about the IRS and DOJ debacles. Clearly our ambassador and his staff at the Benghazi consulate were betrayed, deserted in their time of mortal need. Obama allowed them to be murdered.
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Lion and the Lamb: When schools go beyond the three Rs
The three Rs, reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic, have always been at the foundation of education in Cumberland County. Recently, however, a fourth R has been added — religion. In permission was granted representatives of The Gideons International to distribute Bibles to fifth-graders in the Brown Elementary School in Crossville, and this took place April 11.
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We the People: Your vote — use it or lose it
A powerful faction within the Republican Party is determined to downsize our federal government. They want to reshape programs that originated to protect common folks like us.
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Stumptalk: The elephant in the room
I recently saw video footage of the president surrounded by the heads of all the services; they had assembled to address the continuing and scandalous problem of sexual harassment in the armed forces. The elephant in the room, of course, was young women in the military serving in close quarters with young men.
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We the People: Reality check, anyone?
Harry Truman had a birthday anniversary in early May. Harry was proud of being from the “show me” state. Republicans who aspire to stop all progress and set the clock back should take a lesson from Truman. He did something besides complain and obstruct progress.
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The Lion and the Lamb: The devil and the IRS
National news these past several weeks has focused on a scandal in the Internal Revenue Service. IRS agents have been targeting Tea Party and other conservative groups for additional scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status. As this story developed over the past several weeks, however, it has become apparent that the IRS problem is much greater than the complaints raised by the Tea Party.
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Tidbits: What's in a name?
Being born in the time before routine ultrasounds, my parents thought I was going to be a boy. I'm not sure if mom was carrying high or low, or if the wedding ring on a string went one way or the other, or what other old wives tale was used to determine I would be a he rather than a she, but that's what they thought and that's how they prepared.
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