Lessons Lost

Good Morning, Breakfastpoppers. Today is Monday, July 3, 2017. It is the eve of our nation's birth, and things are not as they should or could be. Our nation is divided in so may ways. Racism has reared its ugly head again. Lying is acceptable and consequences are only occasional. Blu is here with me this morning wanting to discuss some of this with all of you. She has asked me to invite you over for fabulous Breakfast Pizzas and cold refreshing Bloody Marys. I will be supplying the drinks. We hope to see you soon.

Thank you so much for joining Pop and me this morning. I am saddened by the level of hate that is evident all around our nation. On one level these times remind me of the Hitler years. This madman was able to excite the German people in such a way that the ugliness inside many of them found an acceptable escape. I can't think of any other explanation for the psychotic cruelty that swept Germany. A sick nation cheered as the despicable Hitler reached into their vacant souls and told them it was okay to despise the Jewish people and anyone else who was deemed to be inferior. And the people cheered. And the people agreed . And the people stood by as, ultimately, the German Jewish population was imprisoned, tortured and destroyed.

How is it possible that the German people accepted this nightmare so easily? There had to be something inherently awful inside of many of them in order for Hitler to succeed. If there wasn't, he would have been stopped immediately, but instead he went on to kill millions of people. Thank God we are not experiencing the same ugliness here, but isn't it really a matter of degree? Something awful has erupted in our nation, and it must be stopped before it spreads even further.

It isn't easy to admit that what is happening in our nation is not business as usual. Something is off. We are not simply experiencing differences of opinion. We are not conducting ourselves like civilized human beings. We are not behaving like good citizens. Something is off. Evidence of the collapse of our collective moral compass is everywhere. Witness the professor from Essex County College in New Jersey who felt perfectly justified and comfortable to say " Boo hoo hoo, you white people are angry because you couldn't use your white privilege card to get invited to the Black Lives Matter all-black Memorial Day Celebration." The professor didn't think twice about her remarks, because given the present day spin on race issues, she felt safe. As it turns out, she was wrong. So many complaints came in about her remarks, that she was fired. She should have been terminated, and it is a wonder that she was. If this is the beginning of seeing consequences for awful behavior , may it continue. The problem is that we need to see more of the same, because if we don't , we will suffer as a people and a nation.

The ugliness, in my opinion, began under President Obama. He seized every opportunity to divide the races. He played up every incident between the police and the public. The end result is the toxic environment we have now. Unless I am suffering from amnesia, I don't remember things being so bad before he emerged on the national scene. He brought a lifetime of hatred for our country to the White House and he unleashed a virus that is still festering today. That ugliness has been amplified by so many in Washington, D.C. We can't afford to listen to the likes of Nancy Pelosi, Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer and so many more that listing them is a task that would fill volumes. Those elected to represent us feel perfectly comfortable to lie like Pinocchio. They don't appear to feel uncomfortable lying. They don't appear to regret jerking around their constituents. They show no evidence of feeling guilty for tying up progress promised by the Trump administration. Their idiotic rhetoric about Russia, the health care bill, the border and everything else important to the American people is crippling this nation. The Republicans are to blame as well. If the hold-outs are not capable of crafting legislation that works, they are to be deemed incompetent. In the private sector, it is unacceptable to fail at a task. In the private sector, jobs are on the line and everyone involved knows that. Get results or get out! The same should be true of Washington.

The saner parts of our nation must reject the uglies who wish to turn us against one another. The saner ones among us must reject the vicious rhetoric of those in Washington, Hollywood and the media. The saner among us must turn off the mainstream media and make their ratings plummet. The saner among us must reject the publications that continuously publish fake news in the hope of twisting our minds and turning us into sheep. We need to be strong, vigilant and reject every attempt to twist the truth and turn us against one another. Those who have unleashed the ugliness inside them must be punished. Write a phony, unfounded story and lose your job. Tell a lie to your constituents and lose your job. Face the American people on camera and give them half-truths and lose your job. Behave like a fool on college campuses throughout the nation, and lose your spot in class or your job.There are serious minded people out there who would love a chance for a better life and a better job. Let the goodness and decency in most of us, silence the evil ugliness in some of us. We have no choice. If we are to survive as a nation, there is no other way.

Blu's Song

Don't clip my wings

Don't tie me down

I have places to go

I have people to see

Above all else

I just wanna be free....