J. D. Pendry

J. D. Pendry

I’m a drive-thru fan. If I pull into the gas station and there is no card reader on the pump, I will pull through and go on to the next station. I fear I have bought into the quick and convenient society we have built for ourselves here in the Free United States. We have people hoping to be President who were raised in the generation that saw serious social issues dealt with during 30 minute situation comedies. Not serious problems to a morally relative society, just a demonstration for us abnormal people of how normal it actually is to be homosexual or an unwed mother. Serial murderers and white collar criminals were caught and convicted in an hour, probably prosecuted by a future Presidential candidate. The truly serious problems, those having global impact, we’re solved by Hollywood and that usually required at least a full 90 minutes. Ships in 24 hours, that’s us and you don’t even have to leave the couch.

Sorry to travel off on a tangent there, but it happens to me when I take three weeks off. So, back to my drive-thru addiction. I always use the drive-thru teller or ATM machines at the bank. Worried about the coming global currency? I don’t know why you should be, the new global currency is a plastic card with a number on it.

I was forced recently to disembark from my F-150 to conduct some bank business inside the actual bank. I docked my bright red, full-sized 4X4 with a V8 engine and adorned with U.S. Army Retired license plates in the first available slot that was, as it happened, beside of a shiny black Toyota Prius. On the back of the Prius were an anti-Bush Sticker, an End This War Sticker, and several different environmental ones. My first thought, believe it or not, was what kind of a knot head would put bumper stickers directly on the vehicle’s paint? I returned after completing my transaction to see the occupant of the Prius sitting in her car perusing one of the free real estate guides that you can pick up at the bank entrance. I can’t explain why I did it, but my first reaction was to stop and look down the shotgun side of my truck to see if there were any scratches on it. There wasn’t this time. The Prius’ occupant looked at me over the top of her black-rimmed reading glasses. She had short hair, a peaked face and a brow furrowed into what might be a permanent scowl or maybe it was just a scowl reserved for people like me who are pro-military, anti-environment, uneducated pick-up truck driving rednecks or at least we are so perceived. I am certain that she would have looked down her nose at me if it were not for the fact that the pilot’s chair of my truck was several feet above her pop can on wheels.

So, here we are in another year of never ending political campaigns. Politics, if it hasn’t always been, is now one of our Nation’s major industries if not the major industry. Ask the unions. Politics, or opining about it, have made some people quite wealthy. Ask Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter. Ask the big names in the blogosphere. Ask the guy who made the silly bumper stickers plastered all over the back of the Prius.

The Prius lady and I will have to select our Presidential contenders this year so that they can compete for the world’s greatest political prize. We are not likely to make a similar choice. I don’t know what criteria she’ll apply in making her choice. It doesn’t matter frankly, because any of her likely choices in my opinion are dangerous for our country and I am certain she has the same view of my likely pick. I can only be concerned about the criteria I apply to making my selection.

My criteria are not too complicated. I’m interested in what the candidate values. What he or she values based on their actions and not their words. Unfortunate for candidates, it is their past actions that are demonstrative of their character and not their now poll driven words. Unfortunate for us, self included, our quick and convenient society would rather have someone tell us about the candidates rather than scrutinizing them ourselves.

Does your candidate tell you that he/she values life, but is pro-choice? Sorry, but pro-choice is not the opposite of pro-life. Does your candidate value service or does he/she only desire the power of the Presidency? Answer that by looking at how long each candidate has actively, continuously pursued the Oval Office. Does you candidate value individual rights? Where does he/she stand on gun control? Does your candidate value our national sovereignty? What has he/she said or done about immigration, border security and true energy independence? Is your candidate strong on national security? What positions has he/she taken in the war against the terrorists in particular the Iraq front? What has his/her positions been on the size, strength, equipping and funding of our military services? …

Every voting aged American holds one share of stock in our political industry. Make the wrong choice with it and you may not like the dividend it pays.

Have a great new year.

Copyright © 2008 J D Pendry All Rights Reserved

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 1st, 2008 at 11:39 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.