Tag: Maverick

Civil Discourse, John Wayne, and Me (A KJ Op Ed)

On By kingsjesterIn Politics3 Comments

John Wayne with FlagI have found myself watching a lot of Westerns, recently…great old television shows like “Have Gun, Will Travel” with Richard Boone, “Bat Masterson”, “Wyatt Earp,”, and, of course, “Maverick”. I have also been watching Western Movies, lately. The other night, I was watching an old Western titled “Dark Command”. It was a fictionalized account of Quantrill’s Raiders, starring Walter Pidgeon as the villainous Quantrill, with Claire Trevor, Gabby Hayes, a young Roy Rogers, and, of course, the Duke himself, John Wayne.

I have always liked John Wayne.

When I started dating my bride, I found out that she was a John Wayne fan, as well. She owns most, if not all, of his library of films on video tape and owns a couple of collectible dolls, as well.

She also owns The Duke, himself. Well, not the actual Duke, but a life-size cardboard cut-out of him, that sits in the corner of our dining room.

In the other corner of the dining room, sits a John Wayne Grandfather Clock. I kid you not.

When I brought my bride home for good, I brought “The Duke” home, as well. It was a package deal.

Anyway, I was sitting at my computer this morning, trying to come up with something to write about, when a thought occurred to me:

What would John Wayne, American Patriot, think about our country and the shape we’re in, brought about by those who want to “radically change” her?

Here is what he said about the subject, back in 1975. It could have just as easily have been yesterday.

…I always thought I was a liberal but I came up terribly surprised when I found I was a right wing conservative extremist…I have always listened to every human being I’ve ever met about how I should feel.  But this so-called new liberal group… they never listen to your point of view and they make a decision as to what you think and they’re articulate enough and in control of enough of the press to force that image out for the average person.  For some reason, maybe it’s these pictures, they have not been able to do that with me…it hasn’t affected my career in popularity in spite of the fact that they’ve tried to make them do it.  There isn’t a hell of a lot we can do to change human behavior.  We keep making laws to try to change human behavior but we can’t do it…You’re being conned into Keynesianism and socialism now but it isn’t going to stop the selfishness of human behavior.  It isn’t going to stop the greed.  If you take $20 and give a dollar to every son of a b!tch in the room, you come back a year later one of the b@st@rds will have most of the money.  It’s just human nature.  We’re never gonna whip it with a lot of laws. 

As communication gets better and you make people conscious of somebody in trouble, starving or something like that, the average person will help…I think there are people who try to affect a thinking where they know more than some other son of a b!tch and try to pull a false impression on what human nature is.  We’ve proven we go back to hope at the first opportunity…and bam they’re out there ready to grab it.  So we are optimistic; we have to be optimistic.  What else would we be if you lose optimism?”

One of the Facebook Pages on which I post my blog everyday, belongs to Senator Ted Cruz (R, TX). A while back, a young Liberal, evidently on the Conservative Senator’s Facebook Page simply for the purpose of disruption, decided that she did not like the subject of my post, and went on a multiple-comment diatribe against capitalism and all things American. When I asked her to get back to the subject of the blog, she refused to, and I was forced to block her.

It’s amazing how the Internet has become a reflection of our political reality. Every website and Facebook Page, where there is political discussion,unless they are just Pro-one-way-or-the-other, puts out a plea for civil discourse in discussions that are on their site.

Unfortunately though, that never seems to happen. And, why is that?

In our American culture today, the art of civil discourse has degenerated into a shouting match…especially on the Social Media, such as Twitter and Facebook Political Pages.

This wouldn’t be so bad, if both sides had the right to shout equally as loud as the other side.

The problem is, as John Wayne experienced, back in 1975, for some reason Conservatives are expected to mind our manners, be meek and mild, and follow the Marquis of Queensbury rules, while Liberals, libertarians, and Moderates (Social Liberals) call us everything but a child of God.

However, this doesn’t just happen on the Internet, this happens in the Real World as well… and it all starts with the President of the United States and trickles down from there.

Before Obama became President, in a private fund raiser in Pennsylvania, he referred to us American Conservatives as bitter clingers, clinging to our guns and Bibles. Then, the Main Stream Media, totally in love with their new messiah, told everyone who would listen, that if you did not vote for Barack Hussein Obama as President, you are a racist.

When Conservatives started to dig up historical facts about Obama, both the Republicans and the Democrats told us to sit down, shut up, and know “our role”.

After Obama was elected, and the country started to find out just exactly who he was, Conservatives started to speak out again. Again, we were told to sit down, shut up, and know our “role”.

Finally, we had enough and began a groundswell which led to the formation of  what has become known as the Tea Party.

The rise of the Tea Party movement and America’s continuing return to Conservatism, which resulted in the political massacres known as the 2010 and 2014 Midterm Elections, was a complete and utter surprise to them.  In their self-imposed isolation, they actually thought that the America people wanted them to continue their deal-making, soul-selling, business-as-usual politics.

They were in shock when American Conservatives stood up on their hind legs and gave the House of Representatives back to the Republican Party.

And, you know what happened after both Midterm Elections?

“Moderate” Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner and the rest of the GOP establishment,once again, told us to sit down, shut up, and know our “role”.

Are you beginning to see a pattern, boys and girls?

You see, the Moderate or Socially Liberal Republicans, just like the Liberal Democrats, expect us to behave like a dog who has been whipped too much, and go cower in a corner or obey their orders in a dutiful fashion, coming when they call for us to vote for them in the next election.

Their expectation of Conservative Behavior is predicated on the fact that they know that we were raised right, and that the majority of us are Christians and were raised to respect authority.

Therefore, Moderate Republicans and Liberal Democrats feel as if they can take advantage of the good nature of American Conservatives, and walk all over us.

Well, I’ve got some news for them.

As a Christian American Conservative, I do my best to live my faith, every day.

However, boys and girls, don’t forget… Jesus ran the money changers out of the temple.

And, just like in those old Westerns, which I have become fond of watching, Good will eventually triumph over Evil.

As The Duke said, way back in 1975,

…we have to be optimistic.  What else would we be if you lose optimism?

Until He Comes,

KJ

Civil Discourse, John Wayne, and Me (A KJ Op Ed)

On By kingsjesterIn Politics3 Comments

John Wayne with FlagI have found myself watching a lot of Westerns, recently…great old television shows like “Have Gun, Will Travel” with Richard Boone, “Bat Masterson”, “Wyatt Earp,”, and, of course, “Maverick”. I have also been watching Western Movies, lately. The other night, I was watching an old Western titled “Dark Command”. It was a fictionalized account of Quantrill’s Raiders, starring Walter Pidgeon as the villainous Quantrill, with Claire Trevor, Gabby Hayes, a young Roy Rogers, and, of course, the Duke himself, John Wayne.

I have always liked John Wayne.

When I started dating my bride, I found out that she was a John Wayne fan, as well. She owns most, if not all, of his library of films on video tape and owns a couple of collectible dolls, as well.

She also owns The Duke, himself. Well, not the actual Duke, but a life-size cardboard cut-out of him, that sits in the corner of our dining room.

In the other corner of the dining room, sits a John Wayne Grandfather Clock. I kid you not.

When I brought my bride home for good, I brought “The Duke” home, as well. It was a package deal.

Anyway, I was sitting at my computer this morning, trying to come up with something to write about, when a thought occurred to me:

What would John Wayne, American Patriot, think about our country and the shape we’re in, brought about by those who want to “radically change” her?

Here is what he said about the subject, back in 1975. It could have just as easily have been yesterday.

…I always thought I was a liberal but I came up terribly surprised when I found I was a right wing conservative extremist…I have always listened to every human being I’ve ever met about how I should feel.  But this so-called new liberal group… they never listen to your point of view and they make a decision as to what you think and they’re articulate enough and in control of enough of the press to force that image out for the average person.  For some reason, maybe it’s these pictures, they have not been able to do that with me…it hasn’t affected my career in popularity in spite of the fact that they’ve tried to make them do it.  There isn’t a hell of a lot we can do to change human behavior.  We keep making laws to try to change human behavior but we can’t do it…You’re being conned into Keynesianism and socialism now but it isn’t going to stop the selfishness of human behavior.  It isn’t going to stop the greed.  If you take $20 and give a dollar to every son of a b!tch in the room, you come back a year later one of the b@st@rds will have most of the money.  It’s just human nature.  We’re never gonna whip it with a lot of laws. 

As communication gets better and you make people conscious of somebody in trouble, starving or something like that, the average person will help…I think there are people who try to affect a thinking where they know more than some other son of a b!tch and try to pull a false impression on what human nature is.  We’ve proven we go back to hope at the first opportunity…and bam they’re out there ready to grab it.  So we are optimistic; we have to be optimistic.  What else would we be if you lose optimism?”

One of the Facebook Pages on which I post my blog everyday, belongs to Senator Ted Cruz (R, TX). Yesterday, a young Liberal, evidently on the Conservative Senator’s Facebook Page simply for the purpose of disruption, decided that she did not like the subject of my post, and went on a multiple-comment diatribe against capitalism and all things American. When I asked her to get back to the subject of the blog, she refused to, and I was forced to block her.

It’s amazing how the Internet has become a reflection of our political reality. Every website and Facebook Page, where there is political discussion,unless they are just Pro-one-way-or-the-other, puts out a plea for civil discourse in discussions that are on their site.

Unfortunately though, that never seems to happen. And, why is that?

In our American culture today, the art of civil discourse has degenerated into a shouting match. This wouldn’t be so bad, if both sides had the right to shout equally as loud as the other side.

The problem is, as John Wayne experienced, back in 1975, for some reason Conservatives are expected to mind our manners, be meek and mild, and follow the Marquis of Queensbury rules, while Liberals, libertarians, and Moderates (Social Liberals) call us everything but a child of God.

However, this doesn’t just happen on the Internet, this happens in the Real World as well… and it all starts with the President of the United States and trickles down from there.

Before Obama became President, in a private fund raiser in Pennsylvania, he referred to us American Conservatives as bitter clingers, clinging to our guns and Bibles. Then, the Main Stream Media, totally in love with their new messiah, told everyone who would listen, that if you did not vote for Barack Hussein Obama as President, you are a racist.

When Conservatives started to dig up historical facts about Obama, both the Republicans and the Democrats told us to sit down, shut up, and know “our role”.

After Obama was elected, and the country started to find out just exactly who he was, Conservatives started to speak out again. Again, we were told to sit down, shut up, and know our “role”.

Finally, we had enough and began a groundswell which led to the formation of  what has become known as the Tea Party.

The rise of the Tea Party movement and America’s return to Conservatism, which resulted in the political massacre known as the 2010 Midterm Elections, was such a surprise to them.  In their self-imposed isolation, they actually thought that the America people wanted them to continue their deal-making, soul-selling, business-as-usual politics.

They were in shock when American Conservatives stood up on their hind legs and gave the House of Representatives back to the Republican Party.

And, you know what happened afterwards?

Speaker of the House John Boehner and the rest of the GOP establishment,once again, told us to sit down, shut up, and know our “role”.

Are you beginning to see a pattern, boys and girls?

You see, the Moderate or Socially Liberal Republicans, just like the Liberal Democrats, expect us to behave like a dog who has been whipped too much, and go cower in a corner or obey their orders in a dutiful fashion, coming when they call for us to vote for them in the next election.

Their expectation of Conservative Behavior is predicated on the fact that they know that we were raised right, and that the majority of us are Christians and were raised to respect authority.

Therefore, Moderate Republicans and Liberal Democrats feel as if they can take advantage of the good nature of American Conservatives, and walk all over us.

Well, I’ve got some news for them.

As a Christian American Conservative, I do my best to live my faith, every day.

However, boys and girls, don’t forget… Jesus ran the money changers out of the temple.

And, just like in those old Westerns, which I have become fond of watching, Good will eventually triumph over Evil.

As The Duke said, way back in 1975,

…we have to be optimistic.  What else would we be if you lose optimism?

Until He Comes,

KJ

Obama and the Vichy Republicans

On By kingsjesterIn Politics7 Comments

McCainObamaNews came out yesterday, that President Barack Hussein Obama’s (mm mmm mmmm) popularity had dropped to 41% in the polls. Now, just when Americans are finally waking up to the Manchurian President, he is about to be bailed out…by the “Maverick” and his merry band of Vichy Republicans.

“We have been looking literally for years for someone we can cut deals with, and finally someone has stepped up,” a White House official said. West Wing aides say they now talk with McCain roughly every other day.

McCain, to hear fellow Republicans tell it, has finally found The Two he has needed to make such conversations worth the bother: Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Democrat who can actually get things done in the Senate, and Denis McDonough, a White House chief of staff who actually cares what senators say and think and do.

While Obama and party leaders clash endlessly and hopelessly, these three men are showing it is possible to put aside political and personal grievances to get consequential stuff done, even in Washington’s currently twisted state.

They would never say it this way, but more often than not, they do it by going around those party leaders — their bosses — who seem stuck in fights they will never be able to end.

This new alliance has resulted in an immigration bill and a deal to avoid the nuclear option for confirming nominees, and is in preliminary conversations to avert a government shutdown over the budget. It has created trust — tenuous but real — among these three officials (and others) who can deliver results.

The House no doubt will kill most or all of their compromises. But three men from the three power centers talking, much less agreeing, is something this city hasn’t seen in the Obama years.

The return of McCain the Maverick rankles many Republicans, but he can reliably count on seven to 10 GOP senators to back him, including Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee.

Isn’t it nice to know that we can always count on good ol’ Maverick and his pet dog, Grahamnesty to stab us in the back, y’all?

But wait, they’re not the only members of the Vichy Republican Brigade…There is their Fearless Leader, Mr. Speaker. But, hey, at least the Libs over at slate.com speak of Cryin’ John in glowing terms…

In an interview on “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Boehner said his job was not to dictate to Republican members what legislation they should support but merely to “facilitate” a process where they found their own outcome. He didn’t dare offer an opinion about comprehensive immigration reform because it would interfere. “It’s not about me,” the speaker told Bob Schieffer. “It’s not about what I want. What I’ve committed to, when I became speaker, was to a more open and fair process. And as difficult as this issue is, me taking a hard position for or against some of these issues will make it harder for us to get a bill … If I come out and say, ‘I’m for this’ and ‘I’m for that,’ all I’m doing is making my job harder.”

…Boehner’s constraints are self-imposed. He could make a deal with Democrats to pass immigration reform, and he has done that before on the fiscal cliff deal, the Violence Against Women Act, and Hurricane Sandy relief funding. But those issues were not as volatile in Republican ranks as immigration and did not risk a conservative crack-up. If he cut a deal, would he lose his speakership? There would have to be a viable alternative candidate who wanted to herd the cats. But even if he retained the job, that kind of crack-up would make passing bills, which will require cajoling the same conservatives, that much harder.

There has been a lot of speculation on whether Boehner will stick to the so-called Hastert Rule, allowing no bill to come to the floor unless it can pass with a majority of the majority. He has said he will not break this promise. That may be his heart’s true desire, but we can’t really know right now. Boehner understands that the more Democrats think he needs them for passage of a comprehensive bill, the more they’ll demand from him. So even if Boehner were planning on passing immigration reform with a minority of his party, he will maintain his firm stance on the Hastert Rule until the very last minute.

In the end, the question is not whether John Boehner is a leader. He is—he’s just a leader with modest ambitions. In the study of House speakers, the debate splits along lines familiar to presidential observers. Presidents are either “at liberty … to be as big a man as he can,” as Woodrow Wilson wrote when he was a Princeton political science professor. Or presidents are circumscribed by the political conditions they face, as Wilson discovered when he actually had the job. In congressional studies, the split is over whether a speaker is merely an agent carrying out the will of his conference or whether a powerful speaker can make his own weather.

At a time when the current president is going down in flames, instead of roasting marshmallows over the bonfire, Vichy Republicans are “reaching across the aisle” to help save the Prevaricator-in-Chief.

These RINOs are so consumed by their avarice and quest to be just like their Democratic allies, that they have forgotten why they were elected in the first place. If their constituents had wanted to elect Democrats, they would have pulled the lever marked “DEMOCRAT”.

It’s time for Maverick, Grahamnesty, Cryin’ John, and the rest of the GOP Elite girly-men to put their big boy pants on, and do the job they were elected to do: work for the betterment of this country, not for its destruction at the hands of Barack Hussein Obama. He’s doing fine with that…all by his lonesome.

And, as I’ve said before, if the Vichy Republicans think that the new “Americans” they’re creating will actually vote for them, replacing us worrisome members of the Conservative Base, I have two bridges over the Mississippi River at Memphisa to sell them. 

And, in the spirit of the nickname I’ve given them, and the courage they are showing, I will throw in two French Rifles from World War II….dropped once…never fired.

Until He Comes,

KJ