Monday Morning Rant 164

Are we about sick and tired of hearing each and every oppositional position described as “something-or-other – phobic?” According to Webster, “-phobic” is 1: having an aversion for 2: lacking an affinity for”. What it boils down to is just a windy way to say: “I’m agin’ it!” I have an aversion to broccoli so does that make me “broccophobic?” I also have little affinity for soccer as played by the World Cup crowd so am I best described as “soccophobic?” We have a hard enough time being understood in this whirlwind of issues which swirl about our heads; must we rely upon suffixes which have made their way through Latin and Greek to enter our language?

In a related note; I heard the president recently praised for a speech he gave at the end of the week with subsequent Q and A at the conclusion. The reporter remarked how refreshing it was to hear the leader of the free world drop the “g” from nearly every gerund to present a more inclusive face to his audience. Simply saying, “comin’”. “goin’”, and “screwin’ you” hardy seems appropriate for a so-called genius with an Ivy League background. This type of thing is expected from a chameleon who seeks to blend with his background and thus not be noticed. For a person lacking this natural ability to blend comes off as amateurish and clumsy.

While we are on the subject of language and speeches; there is yet one more question which needs be asked. Is “Am I my brother’s keeper?” the only biblical verse which the president has memorized. As one who seeks to provide cradle to grave care and supervision to each and every one of our 300,000,000 plus citizens, to him, it must be the only one worth remembering. There is little in the word “keeper” which implies freedom. It is rather an expression which implies retention and control. Either definition is totally inappropriate when describing any citizen of the United States since free people require neither. On balance, the response in Genesis 4:9 is actually a smart aleck answer to God. It is no less inappropriate as an answer to a question by a citizen. For a guy whose brother lives in a cardboard box in Africa it seems a strange verse to retain.

Who’s a Nobody?

In a controversial piece, Neil Cavuto referred to the president as being a “nobody” at the time of the 9/11 attacks. Many supporters rose to Obama’s defense and claimed that he was indeed, “somebody” and not a person of little influence as Cavuto claimed.

If you live in Illinois, have a rampaging interest in politics, or are a political junkie in a general sense, it is possible that you may have had some evidence of the existence of Barack Obama as an Illinois state senator. For an exercise in evaluating the complaint against Cavuto’s remark, I propose you take a little self-administered test.

Think back nine years, where you were living, and name three of your state senators. Any three will do.

Do you remember who your federal representatives and senators were from that state at the time?

Forget 2001 and just name three state senators from any state where you have ever lived.

How about, you just name two?

Before the 2005 Democrat convention, can you honestly say you had ever heard of Barack Hussein Obama?

When he won the senatorial election in 2005 in Illinois, did you recognize the name?

Certainly, among our readership, someone will score a few of these questions. Granny and I took our little test and I’m ashamed to admit that local politics is not our forte. Over the 26 years of our marriage we have lived in or have roots in New York, Louisiana, Colorado, Wisconsin, Nevada and Missouri. We also have a peripheral interest in Wyoming and Arizona and failed there as well. We still came up empty.

If you score 3 out of 5, you have permission to join Neil Cavuto’s critics. Otherwise, accept the fact that Obama did not become a household name until the run-up to the 2005 election. Neil was right—he was a “nobody.”

And Finally

Breaking news which really matters or isn’t redundant is suddenly in short supply. Liberals continue to defame Sarah Palin in hopes of lessening her influence on conservative politics. Another member of the Congressional Black Caucus has been nailed funneling scholarships to family members. Faux Tea Party members continue to show up on ballots with their only backing provided by the DNC. To burn or not to burn Korans is on an indefinite hiatus limited only by the medias desire to air it or not. The only person who seems subdued through this whole ugly mess is Al Gore. Even Nobel laureates can’t seem to get a break.

Here in the Ozarks, we found our 10th inch in the rain gauge for the month of September. This, after a successful experience mowing the “monster” in between the rain drops. About the only natural feature of any importance has been the appearance of the moon flowers. No, that is not a play on your host’s name. This is a flower which I freely admit I had never, ever heard of before. It is, to say the least, a really showy and spectacular flower. I have been challenged by Granny to keep these plants alive and have kept asking myself; “Why?” It’s a sort of vine with short stubby leaves and little to recommend it until the flower appears. Don’t look for it before midnight. It is unbelievable as it opens and the four separate leaves of the flower finally reach a circle of stark white nearly 9” across! It’s huge. By morning, it’s gone and nothing remains except the hope that another blossom may occur the next night. The wonders of God’s creation never cease to amaze.

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon