ROWLETT RAMBLINGS - Rowlett over coffee

From a friend

1/18/2021

You may feel differently, but below is certainly heart felt.
Sent 1/12/21, T.Franks, San Antonio
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This deserves a BIG AMEN!

All of our days on earth are numbered; But before we all fade away, there is something important I need to say. It may not be important to anyone else; but it's important to me.

Win, lose or fraud...President Trump. I just want to say thank you for the last four years.

Thank you for making it cool to be an American again.

Thank you for showing us that we don’t need to be under China’s thumb anymore economically, or any other way.

Thank you for one of the strongest economies we’ve ever experienced in my lifetime. Thank you for all you have done for the minority communities, and the outstanding decrease in the unemployment rate you had.

Thank you for making it feel good to love our country and to be a proud patriot again. Thank you for supporting our Nation's flag and the men and women who fought for the freedom that stands behind that flag.

Thank you for supporting our nation's law enforcement organizations, and understanding how difficult their job really is.

Thank you for quelling the flood of illegal immigration, and bringing to justice the thousands of criminals that flood brought us.

Thank you for giving corporations a reason to come back to America to make our own products and put Americans back to work.

Thank you for bringing our troops home from endless deployments that presented us with little more than body bags; and for your commitment to strengthen our military.

Thank you for operation warp speed and keeping your promise in bringing the Covid 19 vaccine to us in less than a year.

Thank you for your never-ending attempts at bringing peace to the Middle East and your support for Israel.

Thank you for your Tax relief, and thank you for our energy independence. Most of all though...

THANK YOU for taking a damn rotten job that you never had to take!!

Thank you for caring enough for this country to want to try and make a difference.

Thank you for showing America how little Career Politicians actually work for their constituents; and for showing us how much those politicians despise you for showing America how easy it is to build a great nation, rather than rape her to line their own pockets and stock portfolios.

Thank you for allowing us to experience a President that wasn’t a lifelong politician, but a lifelong American.

Thank you for honoring Christ by allowing us to say Merry Christmas again.

I don't like being taken for a fool.

1/18/2021

Below is some info and a list of advertisers that use proceeds from your purchases to fund programs containing fake news and generally anti-conservative positions. Some have boycotted Trump (Conservative) positions. No doubt many are contributors to leftists positions.

If these companies want to get into politics (which they shouldn't), they must do so at risk. Same with Hollywood and the NFL. There are reasons for their existence. Politics isn't one of them. You can vote with your checkbook. If 75-80 million Americans start voting with their checkbook, there might be some adjustment in corporate and entertainment circles.

https://stopmediabiasnow.com/advertisers-lists/

Sometimes we think alike.

1/13/2021

A Facebook post I made a couple of days ago:
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I was watching the FBI report today on the 170 "suspects" to date that were storming the capital building. Its my understanding some windows and doors were broken and some furniture damaged. It was an extensive report by the FBI.

I am still waiting on the extensive reporting on all the American cities, including "suspects," that were torched, burned, occupied and looted this Spring and Summer. Those losses were astronomical!! Did we have an FBI. then?
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A post from a friend:
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IN MY OPINION---BY D. KNAPE

Law-abiding, hard-working American taxpayers do not have the Media on their side. They do not have Hollywood celebrities to promote their cause. They do not have Academia representing their values. They do not have Big Tech or Big Pharma on their side. Their opinions are censored, their voices constantly silenced. Their churches are shut down. Their children fed propaganda. Their livelihoods threatened. Their very way of life constantly under attack.

The only thing they Do have is their Vote.   It's the one thing that they can use to fight back against all who hate America. They have nothing else. So when the vote itself is compromised and their vote denied due to fraud and trickery what do you expect them to do? They have no other place to go, except to Washington.

So it was today, when thousands of Americans showed up on the mall and demonstrated against the theft of the election. They had come from all over America to show their support for the President and to protest the stealing of the election.

Years of persecution and oppression got out of hand. They vented their frustration on the capitol itself, not just the building, but all it represents. The elite establishment that has denigrated them for so many years. Unfortunately, things got out of hand and one woman, an Air force vet was even killed.

But what can you expect? Did these Americans not have a grievance? They expected some support from the politicians they had put in power.   They got none. Zero.

Now the media is all over the story, and all the politicians are tearing their hair out, saying it was a
despicable act, this storming of the capitol. Democrats and Republicans alike got in line to condemn the protesters as evil incarnate. Yet when BLM and Antifa was burning, looting, and rioting across America, not ONE Democrat condemned those acts and Very few Republicans spoke out. Worst of all, no one was prosecuted for all the damage done.

Now we have every lawmaker from both parties demanding these Trump supporters be prosecuted.
This is the very worst thing that has ever happened they proclaim. They cannot wait to get in front of the cameras and make a statement condemning such acts of protest.

I have to ask, where were they when the radical left was burning down cities and looting stores. Where were they when peoples entire lives went up in flames? And why did they not call for prosecution of what was actually criminal, including attacks on police and innocent civilians?

Can you see the hypocrisy?   Can you see why these Americans are so frustrated and infuriated?
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My only request? Just think. That's all. Your favorite bartender or Canasta Club President may not have all the answers (he/she/they may be a leftist socialist), or they may not have a clue what they're talking about. Your grandkid's life may depend on your thinking.

Racism and Treason

1/7/2021

A few days ago, I posted a Facebook article on the Seniors group. The article had two basic premises. The first premise was that slavery was bad. The second premise was that I was against treason. With extremely rare exception, I think most Americans feel the same way.

I continued with a secondary premise that racism was being used to “cover up” treasonous acts.

These treasonous acts were the burning down and looting of our cities and the tearing down or removing statues that honored early American founders. Of course, defining the looting of our cities and defiling of our monuments are treasonous in my opinion. Some might call it vandalism. I strongly feel that such acts far exceed acts of vandalism.

I wrote that some of our early founders, such as Washington and Jefferson, owned slaves. I further wrote that our attitude toward slavery had changed for the better over centuries. Contemporary thinking about slavery is far different than conquering Roman armies and even as recently as 200 years ago. There is no doubt in my mind that racism is a direct descendant of slavery. However, to hold our founding fathers to the same standards as today seems at least unfair. Our feelings of today are not the same feelings as 300 years ago. Of course, 2000 years ago, it was an accepted way of doing business. Presumably, we have improved over 2000 years.

The fight against racism is a noble fight. However, racism still exists in totalitarian societies, such as China, North Korea, and probably to a lesser degree in most Socialist dominated countries. The freedom loving countries have banned slavery and are working on eliminating racism. This is where treason enters the picture.

Some very clever people have taken the noble cause of defeating racism and wrapped it around a plot to take control of American society away from its citizens. They use an old Roman army trick: Divide and conquer. What a better way to deceive and manipulate than take a noble cause and use it as an excuse for burning, looting, and destroying its history. To me, burning and looting our cities, as well as destroying our history is TREASON. It far exceeds vandalism…..unpunished vandalism, to boot. I fault leftist mayors and governors for such permission as this. Again, my opinion.

These same clever advocates of treason have coined a remarkably interesting term: “useful idiots.” What does that mean? Let’s take a look. How can an idiot be “useful?” Well, he/she might have the right to vote. The clever ones need your vote. However, they do not want you to be smart enough to figure out what they are doing with your vote. Therefore, the term “useful idiot.” It is a rare display of leftist honesty.

Well, my post seemed to trigger a fair amount of response. I am happy to report that, by far, it was favorable. Some negative responses varied from indications that my post was not read at all, to the post should not be shared with seniors. Apparently, it was felt that seniors were too old to think.

I think the responses were for good stimulating discussion. That is what the post was intended to do. Further, after reading discussions, I have not changed my opinion one iota.

Let’s play a game. On the blog site, I have written articles going back to February 2014. Too many to count. Also, there are many, many Facebook posts I have made. I invite you to review all postings, blog site and Facebook, and for every line you can find in which I supported racism or slavery, I will pay you $100.00. On the other hand, for every line I find in which I denounced racism or slavery, you pay me $100.00. Please sign up. My retirement account could always use some help.

College Student debt

11/29/2020

An excerpt out of The Patriot Post.
11/29/2020
It is more a damnation of colleges, bi-coastal elitism, and fake concern over racism and gender than anything else. Certainly, the cost of education needs attention, however just wildly throwing bales of money at the problem has about the same chance of success as Iran's love of America after receiving $1.4 TRILLION in cash bribes. The whole system needs fixin'. All universities' endowments need to come into play. The role of any university is education.......not storerooms of capital.
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There is no such thing as “student-loan forgiveness.” There is only a student-loan transfer to the American taxpayer, including taxpayers who have never even sniffed the inside of a college classroom — and taxpayers who paid, or are paying off, their own loans, despite the scrimping and saving, taking the extra job, or any number of additional hardships required to do so.
Debt forgiveness makes an utter mockery of their efforts.

Moreover, the federal government, which owns about 90% of student debt, already has a number of programs that allow borrowers to avoid paying off loans in their entirety, such as “income-driven repayment” options, which forgive the remaining debt after 20-25 years, or as little as 10 years for those who work in public service.
So what’s this really all about? The denigration of honor and personal responsibility, as well as the wholesale abrogation of freely made contractual obligations, sold as “compassion.” The catering to any number of students and their equally corrupted supporters — a Deadbeat Constituency as it were — who see no problem with getting an education and subsequently deciding someone else should pay for it.

But wait, there’s more. “The average cost of attending a four-year college or university in the United States rose by 497% between the 1985-86 and 2017-18 academic years,” explains columnist Erik Sherman, who adds that’s “more than twice the rate of inflation.”
That’s because when taxpayers are the ultimate backstop for all student-loan defaults, colleges are wholly immunized from sustaining any losses. Thus, they can raise their prices with impunity.

Moreover, colleges remain immune not only from fiscal responsibility but from educational accountability as well. A system that would point students toward statistically well-paying majors has been fiercely resisted by colleges replete not only with worthless majors but with ever-expanding bureaucracies invariably tied to some aspect of “social justice” or “diversity” — all of which drive up tuition costs.

Loan forgiveness would exacerbate, not mitigate, this loathsome reality.

And because of that irrefutable dynamic, the inevitable question arises: What makes anyone think student-loan forgiveness will be a one-off? College costs continue to rise, and most parents and students remain erroneously convinced a college degree is an absolute prerequisite for success. When the next wave of students can’t pay off their loans, what then?

A well-known definition of “insanity,” as in doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, is the most benevolent interpretation of what Democrats are attempting to do. A less benevolent but far more accurate interpretation is the ongoing effort to get younger generations of Americans wholly comfortable with relying on government to solve their problems — even to the point of moral bankruptcy, which is exactly what welching on one’s freely made contractual obligations is all about.

“Hardly anything could be more divisive than shunting taxpayer dollars at folks who’ve been to college while low-skilled workers bear the brunt of our current economic pain,” the National Review editorial board concludes.

For college-educated, bi-coastal American elites who view half of America as “deplorable,” that’s a feature, not a bug.

The new civil war

11/7/2020

I feel like some apology is in order. However, it is a limited apology.

My recent Facebook posts have been a severe criticism of Democrats. My posts suggest that I hate all Democrats. I do not. I have two close family members that are Democrats. Of course, I love them. I also have friends that are Democrats. We all enjoy each other’s company……. except for politics. In discussions, we mutually agree stay away from politics. It is to these people that I owe an apology. They are good people……..even though they are Democrats.

However, I still give no quarter to the Washington D.C. variety of Democrat. They are a conspiratorial, lying, conniving bunch of thieves. I consider Soros, Hillary Clinton, Obama, Biden, Harris, Pelosi, Schiff, Schumer, Waters, and many other of their cocktail crowd in cahoots to steal the wealth and freedoms of ALL Americans to further their own personal gains. Please understand, THEY MUST GAIN TOTAL CONTROL OVER YOUR FREEDOMS TO GAIN ACCESS TO YOUR WEALTH.   The freedoms to choose your own legislators must be controlled. This control is accomplished with passage of laws that hamper citizens from placing other legislators in office more suitable to protecting our interests. The Democrats currently in office will raise taxes immediately because they can do this without passing any new legislation. They will consider this 2020 post-election time as “pay day” for their clandestine efforts over the past four years. Then, they will begin to structure a longer plan to extract all your money and assets. To do this, they need some legislation that will strip some basic rights from Citizens. The only thing currently blocking them from a “cake walk” in depriving citizens of their rights is the Republican controlled Senate. That is a narrow thread.

Any freedom loving citizen must build some “buffer” to protect their assets and their rights from leftist totalitarianism. Your ancestors took enormous risk to fight and secure the rights you enjoy. It is your duty to protect it for your descendants. Otherwise, they will be delegated to leftist styled serfdom.   You cannot shirk your duties. Do you need proof of the leftist’s desire to take your assets and all control over your lives? Google Venezuela. The same people that helped the current Venezuelan government gain control was thrown onto the same trash heap as those that resisted the movement. Their version of "useful idiots" was no longer needed. Very few now control Venezuela. Venezuela is starving.

We are in a civil war. However, the format for American Civil Wars has changed. I know the far-right wingers are chomping at the bit to demonstrate their firepower. That is bravado. No one disputes their loyalty or courage, but the fact remains that the most advanced AR-15 is hardly effective against an F-35. Conversely, no one is ever going to convince an American F-35 driver to fire on his own people. There is a myriad of rationale in between these two extreme examples, however other weapons can be used in the current civil war. We have had those weapons since the beginning of the United States of America. These assorted weapons are several freedoms we Americans enjoy, plus the right to vote for our own representation in government.

One of the freedoms we enjoy is the right to read and educate ourselves. Of course, this presumes that available information is not censored or filtered. This is now a problem and part of the current civil war. Nearly ALL the print media is now pro-leftist. They opine, which is acceptable on the Opinion Page, but their story selection, headlines, and writing styles certainly favor the leftists or Socialists. We cannot use the government to control newspaper censorship or filtering, but we can certainly use the marketplace. We can drop subscriptions from errant newspapers and boycott advertisers. We can attack their pocketbook. I would not touch the New York Times with a ten-foot pole. I used to travel all over the USA on business. I was always quick to brag about our local Dallas Morning News and their sense of fair play. Not anymore. They have become a propaganda tool for the left. Electronic media news is no better. You have CNN and MSNBC that are jokes. Their ratings reflect that. I do not know how they stay in business. The major networks of NBC, CBS, and ABC are clearly left leaning. However, they are huge corporate powers that have staying power. It is my opinion that part of their secret of success is their “coziness” with our own government. I would like to know what they contribute each year to campaigns. Once again, we have to fight these enemies in the marketplace, not government interference. Switch channels. You will not miss anything. Network broadcasting in the evenings is filled with brain dead programs that are cheap to produce.

Then we have the giant tech companies, like Facebook, Twitter, and some others. They enjoy special tax privileges because they are a “platform” instead of a “publisher.” The founders of these “platforms” are pro-left. “Platforms” are not allowed to censor. Even though they enjoy tax privileges, they censor anyway. We need to bring pressure to bear to either remove the tax privileges, or they must stop censoring. We must elect Congress persons and Senators who will take appropriate action.

We need to look at the financial situation between colleges and government. Unless you are deaf, dumb, and blind, you must know that our colleges are over-flowing with leftist liberal professors. In private schools, you may not like it, but Socialism is their prerogative. If you don’t like that school take your kids out. However, colleges that receive government money should not teach or encourage a political viewpoint. Colleges are to teach HOW to think, not WHAT to think. Colleges that receive government funding should be made to refrain from teaching a specific political policy. As a side note, the colleges have performed one of the biggest financial rip-offs of the past 100 years. Their story is somewhat typical of a Democrat method of solving problems. It is noble to want to help young people with college expenses. I am all for trying to help. However, the student loan program is a disaster. The Democrat answer to all problems is to throw money at it. They make it easy for banks to loan the money to non-working students because of government guarantees. $10K-$20K-$30K per loan is not uncommon. Most students have several loans. Financing was easy. Well, this did not go unnoticed by the universities and colleges. What happened to tuition rates right after passage of the student loan program? They shot through the roof. Plus, the universities and colleges did not have to pay the money back. That responsibility fell on the students, whether they earned a diploma and a good income, or not. The student debt situation in this country is atrocious. However, before this money windfall, what was the endowment position of these colleges? Can you even guess the amount of money that is held in endowment funds for Harvard, Yale, University of Texas, SMU, and many, many others? The amounts would stagger you. However, they rip off students strangling themselves with debt. I think conservatives could come up with a better plan.

Let us look at pharmaceutical companies. Why is it that the same medication I buy at my local pharmacy is priced at triple the cost of the same medication in Mexico or Canada? The medicine is manufactured by the same pharmaceutical company. You don’t suppose it has anything to do with contributions to campaign funds, do you? This is just another example of “friends” of Congress paying for favorable business legislation. We the consumer are paying much higher prices for products so that elected officials can line their own pockets. I think much of the same can be said about the insurance companies and other companies with money allocated for special interests.

These practices must stop!! WE DO IT AT THE BALLOT BOX. Our votes are the main ammunition. We must take all steps to prevent the leftist from orchestrating the casting of ballots as meaningless. Examples of meaningless elections are in Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, or any other totalitarian society.

IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE THAT PROTECTIONS OF FREEDOMS BE MAINTAINED!! Once your freedoms are gone, so goes protection of your assets. If the leftists start attacking the 1st Amendment, the 2nd Amendment, packing the Supreme Court, and any number of other maneuvers, THEY ARE POSTURING FOR CONTROL. Once they have control, they own you.

We now only have a thin line of defense. That is the U.S. Senate. They need our help. We are at the bridge, with the USA of our forefathers at our back and the leftists and Socialists in front of us. Our strategy is simple. Attack the empires of every Democrat Congressperson and Senator in preparation of the next congressional election in two years. If control of both houses is achieved, the leftist President can do little to take your freedom and assets away.

It is time to do your duty as a freedom loving American. Learn the issues, research the "facts," flush out the lies, do your own thinking, and get off your butt and vote.

New lakeside development

10/24/2020

I am in complete agreement with the proposed development of a waterfront facility, as proposed. It is a major, and long overdue, investment in Rowlett. It might appear as an “expenditure” to a non- real estate trained citizen. However, it is not an “expenditure,” but instead an “investment.” You might look at it as money out the door, when in fact it is placing money in a different pocket.

Rowlett needs “rebranding.” The city is a modest sized suburb to a major American city, but still retains its own identity and charm. It has accumulated some assets over the years, and of course had a major water facility coursing thru the town since 1972. Rowlett has never utilized Lake Ray Hubbard as it could have. However, in fairness, the City of Dallas has posed some major development constraints. Rowlett has never had a free hand to enhance the lake’s presence.

However, over the past 10 years, some good things have happened. The alignment of the stars regarding some good events might be in place for a major re-invention of Rowlett. First, Rowlett worked a deal with Dallas to have a little more control over Rowlett’s shoreline with Lake Ray Hubbard. In addition, Rowlett found PGWB tollway running right thru town. The DART terminal station appeared. Rowlett worked a complicated deal whereby the City of Dallas could sell the old Robertson Park (now Bayside and Sapphire Bay} to the City of Rowlett who, almost simultaneously, sold the land on to developers. In so doing, Rowlett then had access to the “deep water” of Lake Ray Hubbard and Interstate 30 ran right thru the middle of the property. By annexing the property, Rowlett now had unbelievably valuable land available for development, as well as increasing the shoreline into the more desirable lake access.

Rowlett now has the best transportation abilities in the metroplex, based on its size and charm as a small town. Rowlett seems destined to maintain this identity. Not only transportation assets, but Rowlett has another excellent asset, a 24,000-acre lake running right thru town. What a deal!!

I think the proposed lakeside development is the first step in noticeably “rebranding” Rowlett. It can even be seen from the Lakeside Drive bridge over the lake……even better. It becomes a road sign or billboard that you are in Rowlett, a good place to be.

I believe Rowlett should be an upscale retirement area. Everything needed is available. I have lived in Rowlett for 45 years. Soon after arriving, I had occasion to visit Granbury, Texas. The two towns reminded me of one another. Both were about the same size and both had a lake running thru the middle of town. Have you been to Granbury lately? They have beaches, boardwalks, lakeside condos and apartments. The city has parks everywhere and the downtown is bustling. Granbury has become a retirement village. There is a lot of disposable income that has moved to Granbury. Of course, everybody wins. Real estate values in the whole town are excellent.

A word about increasing real estate values and taxes. There is a often repeated lament that “If my real estate values go up, my taxes go up, too.” That is not the whole story. Its only what your real estate values do IN RELATION TO other real estate values in the town that effect your actual tax bill. If your home value goes up 5% and everyone else’s go up 10%, and the city’s budget remains the same, your taxes will GO DOWN, even with the 5% increase. Now, if there is new valuable real estate developed in town, whether residential or commercial, and the cost of city administration does not exceed the added ad valorem taxes paid by the new development, your taxes should remain the same, even thou real estate values across the board increased. Much still depends on what city leaders spend each year vs. growth in the city. Of course, if real estate values go up, but taxes remain the same due to new growth, the increase in value goes straight to your balance sheet.

Admittedly, the above is a vision. However, it is a vision that is good for Rowlett. It will take city leaders with a vision to lead Rowlett to this new position of desirability. Whatever makes Rowlett desirable, puts value on your balance sheet, plus provides a good place to live. Leadership with vision is absolutely required. Seat warmers with bobbing heads do not get there.

Mourning the death of part of USA

10/20/2020

We should all mourn the passing of the Democrat Party. It is no longer a political party, a part of the noble opposition. At one time the Democrats and Republicans cussed and discussed with some honor and intellect all matters pertaining to the well-being of the United States. Although there were differences of opinion, respect of the opposition party was always present. One could argue during the day and share a beer at night.

The Democrat Party succumbed to a slow death. Few knew at the time, if any, that the bullet that ended JFK’s life also started the slow agonizing death of the Democrat Party. The first symptoms of the Democrat demise were the elevation of LBJ to the office of President, the campus riots, and the revolts against the Viet Nam War. This all began during the early 1960’s. As time progressed, civic disobedience became normal. Political diatribes became more vitriolic. It became normal to lie, contrive, and manipulate. By the time of the realm of Barack Obama, different races were set against other races. Obama resurrected the “divide and conquer” concept of the old Roman Army. It was determined that it was easier to overcome several small armies than one big one. Obama was proud of his organizing skills.

Now we learn of senior elected officials selling favors to our enemies in return for “contributions.” Also, there is constant criticism of the conservatives for economic woes, virus spread, Russian and voting influences. It never stops. If a Democrat opens his/her mouth, it is always in criticism of Donald Trump…..constantly.

Yet, in not one incidence have I heard even ONE single proposal in which the Democrats would have done better. There has been absolutely NO plan by the “used to be” noble opposition whereby the Democrats would do it differently and better. That is because the Democrat noble opposition no longer exists.

The Democrat Party is now the Democrat Cult. A member in good standing with the new Democrat Cult needs not think. There is no room for thinking. You will be told what to think. Then, you must repeat your think training as often as possible. You will march at a given drumbeat………straight into the sea. You will then have been a good Democrat Cult member, and will have served Obama, et al, as a good “useful idiot.” Farewell. RIP.

The brilliance of the mass media.

10/16/2020

Gotta couple of questions. I’ll get to them in a second.
First, a little background. I have said several times on my blogsite and on Facebook, that I would rather drink beer with Biden than Trump. I think Biden would be more fun. Trump’s ego would get in my way. However, I am a Conservative and I think Trump is, and would be, a much better President than Biden. I like Trump as President. He does good things.

Now, I want to offer an observation. In recent weeks I have heard talking heads on TV news make the statement that suburban women are against Trump and likely would be a major factor in defeating Trump in the upcoming election. No reasons about economics or government are given for their preference. They just do not like his manner. I can see where his arrogance might make this true.

Now, I want to reverse the above commentary about suburban women. Let’s say the suburban women of America do not like Donald Trump but likes what he does regarding governing and economics. That would seem to put them in the same place I’m in.

Now my questions. Are these talking heads on TV news saying that America’s suburban women are not influenced by good governing and economics, but vote for President because of his/her smile? Are the talking heads saying our American suburban women are that stupid? Are they reporting that the American suburban women are saying, “to hell with governing and economics! It is the smile that counts.

Seems to me that the mass media isn’t giving our suburban women credit for much intelligence.

"A Nation of Sheep"

10/16/2020

Above is a title of a book. It was released in 1961. Near the same time, another book was released. Both books were co-authored by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick. The second book's title was The Ugly American. Both books were highly influential in my early adult formative years. Both books were highly acclaimed and stayed months on most best seller lists.

I am using these two books as a springboard to a rather lengthy story that ultimately explains some characteristics about me and is surprisingly still apropos to Americans of today. This entire post is pure opinion, but I'm telling you how I got here.

First, let's get something out of the way. This blog isn't about the importance of what I think. I certainly opine on this site, however what I think is only my thoughts. You have to get your own thoughts. When I first started writing this blog in 2014, I tried to make clear that the purpose of the blog was not to convince you to think the same as I thought, but to think what you thought. That is still true today. I want to motivate you to observe, inquire, research, ask questions, and form your own thoughts. If they are contrary to my thoughts, so be it.    DO NOT FOLLOW SOMEONE ELSE'S THOUGHTS BLINDLY. Both books referenced above deal with this issue.

The two books above substantially influenced my "maturing" process. They unexpectedly influenced my evolution into a pretty good real estate development analyst. That skill is enhanced by a certain type of personality trait. I will get to that later.

The two books above deal with life just prior to the escalation of the Viet Nam War. The setting of the books was Southeast Asia, but the messages of the books were aimed at the body politic analytical skills of citizens of the United States. The messages were simple. They said, "Think, dumb ass, before you let some silver tongued devil con you into believing something that isn't true."

Up until reading those books, I was fairly naive and took everyone pretty much at face value. I had already learned Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny weren't real. I had learned that sometimes girls are fickle. However, generally I believed everyone was honest and was worthy of my trust. Then, being a college student, I began to mix with other students and their little academic discussions at the student union. I was becoming worldly. I began to drink coffee. One of the major discussions of the day was the book, "The Ugly American." I had read it and I loved it. It had become the "in" thing to read during my college years. My little coffee sessions began to reveal that a lot of people weren't honest. In discussing the book, many referenced the "pretty" Americans like diplomats, politicians, ambassadors, etc., and how their behavior was screwing up the image of the USA in general and Americans in particular. My cohorts were labeling these people as the "ugly Americans." They were giving the USA a bad reputation. That is when I began to realize how effective "bullshit" was in gaining acceptance. They hadn't read the book. They only said they did. They talked in non-specific ways to avoid being found out. You know, like politicians do.

Well, the real "Ugly American" was an engineer with dirt under his fingernails. There was a whole chapter in the book named, "The Ugly American." He genuinely wasn't "pretty" at all. He came from a small engineering school without any particular educational hosannas. He took a job with a company that was doing contract work for the USA in Southeast Asia.   He was a civil engineer and loved building bridges, roads, sewer systems, and water systems. He always had dirt under his fingernails. He fell in love with Southeast Asia and it's people. In his job he often came into contact with the Washington bureaucracy and the performances of the "pretty Americans." He tried to warn, most often to deaf ears, the mistakes the USA was making in Southeast Asia. Of course, he was just a civil engineer working out in the elements digging holes and covering them up. What did he know? They ignored him.

Of course, he knew a lot. He was in daily contact with the people of Viet Nam and knew what the people thought. Washington only knew what the "pretty" people thought, which was nearly always flawed. He never got his story out. The war in Viet Nam trudged on to 1975 without a significant improvement in anything. The "pretty" Americans never got outside their bubble, essentially no different than today.

Of course, the books recited stories about how badly things were going in Southeast Asia, but the "real" message was to the American people about how they chose their leaders. The "real" message was to ask questions. Don't believe the first story you hear without verifying it. ALWAYS, ALWAYS CHECK THE FACTS PRESENTED BY THE PRETTY FACES!! You don't have to dislike your leaders. In fact, they could be good friends. They may have accepted someone else's bad facts. You are not making a personal evaluation. You are checking facts. Americans had let some bad facts influence their decisions in Southeast Asia. They allowed it because they believed their leaders and were loyal Americans. However, the foxes were in the hen house.

A Nation of Sheep told much the same story, however the book was more explicit about Americans thinking for themselves rather than following blindly the advice of others.

Probably the best thing to do here is to give a couple of other opinions. It is astonishing to read how things never change, even when one knows what seems to be a law of “civilized America.” Lederer was not prescient. He just reported the events of his day as an historian would—objectively. This book first published 56 years ago, went through two re-printings within a year. His preface says it all:

Below is an opinion written by the author himself.
______________________
A Nation of Sheep -- Book Review
By William J. Lederer
co-author of The Ugly American.
Book Review with commentary

Preface (partial--written 1963)
....................
These are disturbing questions and certainly professor Burdick and I gave no more than hints as to the solutions in The Ugly American. The key to the riddle lies in the causes of the blunders; and the chief cause is ignorance-- an overwhelming national ignorance--of the facts about the rest of the world. A nation or an individual cannot function, unless the truth is available and understood. Since the United States is a democracy, the broad answer to the questions asked in the 8000 Ugly American letters is that all of us must become informed.
....................

Another notable comment from Edward R. Murrow
(a paraphrase of Thomas Jefferson)
_________________________
‎"A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves."
- Edward R. Murrow”
______________________

Probably, "The Nation of Sheep" had more influence on me than the "Ugly American." The "Ugly American" taught me that people of substance and breeding often lie to reach a desired point. A "Nation of Sheep" taught me to question and guard myself against self serving influences by people that should not need to do so.

These books set the stage for good analytical skills. As luck would have it, I accepted an internship with a real estate appraisal firm while in college. One can't get a job requiring much more analytical skills than real estate appraisal. Of course, I didn't have those skills when I joined the firm, but the training process had begun.

Real estate appraisal training led to mortgage banking and the analytical skills needed for loan processing. That led to real estate development lending, which led to inspection, auditing, and distressed loan "work outs." All the jobs led to more and more analytical skills on real estate development. In order to be good at those functions, it is imperative that you do not let appearances fool you. That does not mean you can no longer trust anyone or even like them. All it means is one checks the facts. If not as presented, either make mention of them, or walk away from the deal. Often, I am called upon to render opinions on the disbursement of hundreds of thousands of dollars. My banking clients are satisfied with, and demand, that I can not be influenced by smiles, funny stories, falsified invoicing, kickbacks, etc. My early and subsequent training developed this skill. Sometimes I ask hard questions.   Sometimes elected officials don't like this.

The acquisition of knowledge is true when analyzing the behavior of your elected officials. You don't have to dislike them, or even question their motives. Motives may be pure, but flawed. However, you must be informed!
Only then can you make intelligent decisions regarding who you vote into leadership positions. This is true for local, state, and federal positions.

Sometimes when you ask questions, or have different opinions about government issues, you can be criticized by those same officials as being "combative." Of course, this is done to discredit you and enhance the official that thinks you have no right to your own opinion. This is precisely what you must guard against. If those officials exist in any of our governments, again, the fox is in the hen house. You then have arrogance and superiority in leadership roles. They will either try to influence you or ignore you and imply that you are less that worthy.   In any event, they think you are their subjects rather than free thinking citizens. As for myself, I don't care to be a subject.

Now would seem to be an appropriate time to think about your analytical skills regarding elected officials. Just because you are trained different from me does not mean you need to be less inquiring. You must inform yourself about the issues and make some analysis about the persons on the ballots. Are they selling you a smile, or being condescending, or acting superior? Do they even have the skills to be good at their job? Some people get into offices of leadership without knowing even the minimum skills needed. Now there is a recipe for disaster. Folks, you got to know this stuff. Be informed. Banish ignorance.