News media and political sound bites are the tools of those who try to incite anger and violence in support of their agenda. These tiny messages are often turned into hate messages by all sides of any controversy. Slogans, placards and signs carried by demonstrators of all kinds are typical, a few words intended to stir emotions. They are simplistic comments that say little or nothing of the realities of extremely complex situations. They are the human equivalent of the barking dog serving only to incite anger or hatred. They are used because they are easy and require little effort. Real communication requires sometimes painful and serious effort. Few people are willing to do so. Much easier to let others define things for us and simply do as they tell us. That is the basis for the power of all politics and religion. Don’t think, react like the PC or SC or FC crowd decides for you. Thinking requires work and most people are intellectually lazy. They would rather follow the follower than go out on their own.
NOTE: In this copy of the postings, I used numbers to represent names of three different responders to protect the identity of the author. Several people who knew my email address chose that method rather than use facebook. Probably that was done to keep from being railed at by angry liberals. I understand perfectly, but since I consider being chastened by angry liberals a complement and testimonial to my integrity, I invite comments.
Here’s the comment I posted on facebook and probably could have worded much better:
I've seen a lot of static about young black men being killed by police and auxiliary police since the Zimmerman verdict. Here's a reality check. In the first half of 2012, there were 120 black men killed by police. During the same period there were more than 3,000 black men killed by other black men, not police. Where's the hue and cry about that statistic?
Howard Johnson - July 15 at 8:58pm ·
#1 - Come to Fort Wayne there is an uproar about the number of black men being killed by black men. At least one shooting a day if not more.
July 15 at 11:28pm via mobile
#2 - so does that make it all right? I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything better from bigots like you.
Tuesday at 7:50pm via mobile
Howard Johnson So the new liberal definition of a bigot is any one who sites factual data about anything that disagrees with the liberal agenda. Come on. You can do better than that. Name calling is a poor excuse for an argument or attempt to make a point.
Tuesday at 10:42pm
#3 - The media, Hollywood, the Obama administration, and most liberal Democrats are in lockstep in denigrating the police, the military, religion (except Islam), business, white men, and, when things don’t go their way, the judicial system. They ramped up their hate rhetoric and sensationalized this one trial while completely ignoring an infinitely more serious problem. In fact, there were a number of killings of black men by other black men in Chicago while the trial was going on. Where is the outrage, the sound bites, the protests, the public outcry about that?
Via email, Tuesday at 11:20pm
#2 - A piece of isolated data (if in fact true) taken out of context is not a valid argument or justification for any behavior. What is your point anyway? Is it to justify some trigger happy misguided scared white guy shooting an unarmed black kid in a hoody? "After all blacks kill each other anyway!"
Wednesday at 8:02am via mobile
Howard Johnson The point of my first posting that #2 did not like and probably couldn’t understand is that, at least numerically, the epidemic of black men killing other black men is much larger and more devastating than the problem of police killing black men by a factor of about 27 times. There doesn’t seem to be a proportional response from the public, probably because this single incident has been blown to huge proportions with intense emotional reactions by people with an agenda to promote who are screaming for revenge, not justice. This is amplified by the media who use it to sell their product. Apparently there is no profit to calling attention to the realities of life in the black community. Could it be that this hue and cry serves to divert public attention away from a much larger and more serious problem?
Wednesday at 8:56am · Like · 1
#2 You missed the point. People like myself are not screaming for revenge we are screaming for the end of racial profiling as well as laws like you have in Florida "stand your ground with a gun to kill" I wonder how the public would have reacted if the colors were reversed???
Sunday at 8:40am via mobile
Howard Johnson Sure sounds like revenge to me. I too wonder how the liberal public would react if the racial situation were reversed. Added: (When you say “public” I assume you mean those of the public who think the way you do. It is obvious your opinion does not reflect an overwhelming majority of the general public.) Probably just like the liberal public did to the four black teens in Atlanta who beat up a white guy and threw him into traffic where he was killed. Google the Murder of Joshua Chellew. Incidentally, You are way off base about Florida's "Stand you ground law." It is used almost twice as often in the defense of black men than white. Total lack of accurate information never stops a liberal opinion.
Sunday at 12:40pm via mobile
#2 I am ending this conversation and not dignify your comments with a response.unfortunately ignorance and hypocrisy such as yours is still too pervasive.
Sunday at 1:15pm via mobile · Like · 1
NOTE: more name calling and accusations without shred of substantiation.
#1 Never stops the conservative opinion either. I have become more liberal since leaving Leesburg and I am a happier person because of it. There is a public outcry about the blacks shooting blacks in Indiana. Are you not paying attention.
Sunday at 1:19pm via mobile
Howard Johnson (for #2) Typical!
Sunday at 2:10pm
Howard Johnson #1: Where did you get the notion I was a conservative? Do people have to dichotomize everything? Is it always "them against us?" I am pleased to report that to my right wing friends I am considered a flaming liberal and to my far left family and friends, a fundamentalist right winger. I live in Florida now and have a pretty good idea what's going on down here as I am actively engaged in the community. I hear virtually nothing of what is going on in Indiana. Another point: You have absolutely no comprehension of my racial attitudes and beliefs. I have marched in protest with my black friends in the Urban League as far back as 1960. In my business I treated everyone equally as far as pay, promotions and all else was concerned. In our industry, I put the very first full time female salesperson on the road and was given an award for it. My opinions are my own and are based on my understanding of the facts. I am rarely if ever swayed by the emotional diatribes from any position right, left, or a thousand others. Should you want to know more, email me at hobarb@yahoo.com and I'll give you links to a lot of information. I don't feel like posting my BLOG address. Maybe I'll send you one of my books.
Some information I wish I had thought to add to the previous post: I took a young black man who worked for us in delivery and encouraged and trained him to become a service man earning more than twice the pay he had in delivery. Several years later, he asked me how he could become a salesman. I was pleased to train him and give him a territory where eventually he was earning still more. I gave a single, black mom a supervisory position instead of a white man who had been with us longer and felt he had earned the promotion. He had not. He exploded at me in ire, but I did not fire him. Later he begrudgingly admitted he had not been doing his best . As a result and working under the woman as his boss, he became a much more productive employee. He was rewarded with a raise in pay because he was worth it. As a direct result of these efforts, six bright young people were able to go to college. They were the children of the ones I mentioned above.
Here’s my response to the above exchanges. It will be in this article only and not posted on facebook---no barking dog:
I have been cursed, called names, reviled, chastened, lied about, denigrated, ridiculed, and subjected to a lot of other emotional diatribes by people who did not like their understanding of my positions and/or comments on a number of things. These were almost all liberals, many in my family. Honestly, I consider those comments as badges of honor—as compliments considering their sources. I cannot remember a single instance where a rational argument was presented in response to any of my political comments by these people. In a similar vein, I cannot recall a single rational proposal made by any liberal politician in any political campaign. Apparently liberals are totally devoid of constructive ideas and must hide this lack by screaming epithets as arguments. They are masters at accusing those with whom they disagree of all manner of terrible actions, most of which they themselves are far more guilty.
One classic example of this is Howard Dean’s screaming, “I hate Republicans! I hate conservatives! I hate Rush Limbaugh!” when he was the chairmen of the Democrat party. As a result of this, and for other obvious reasons, I have renamed our two political parties the Hate party and the Stupid party. Which is which is obvious to all but the most stupid, biased, or hate driven among the public. The Hate party because that is almost all they ever do or use. The Stupid party because they recognize the effectiveness of Hate party rhetoric, but only use it against members of their own Stupid party in primary elections.
I will not spend any time justifying my positions or providing data to back them up. There is a great deal of information available on the Internet, some good, some bad, and some pure non sense. Look it up and find out for yourself. Of course, many of you liberals would not do that as you rely on the liberal media and politicians to do your thinking and research for you. The PC crowd defines most people and situations for you since you seem unable to think for yourselves.
Most of the statistics I use or site, including those in my triggering comment come from the US government. The “isolated data” came from the US Department of Justice. By the way, the comment “Is it to justify some trigger happy misguided scared white guy shooting an unarmed black kid in a hoody?” is not supported by any of the evidence brought forward by the prosecution in the trial. Didn't the author really mean to say, "That poor little innocent black boy was shot down in cold blood by a wanton white Hispanic racist." Apparently that liberal knew exactly what was going on in the minds of both killer and victim, far better than those involved in the trial or the jury. Too bad they weren't available to the court, that is true of course.
Since my antagonists and most liberals seem to know everything about everything, why is it that since liberals dominate government bureaucracies, control our government schools, predominate among college professors, and have run the government for most of the last fifty years, things are in such a mess? Why has our education system crashed, our economy gone to hell, and our middle classes lost almost all of their wealth? Why is the population of Detroit, that marvelous testimonial to the power of liberalism, now down to about 700,000 and is one of the poorest cities in the nation? Before liberals and the union goons took over, its population was around 2 millions and it had the highest per capita income in the nation.
Oh yes, remember the famous and prophetic words of that great liberal, King Lyndon Johnson: “Detroit will be our model city, a shining example of the “fairness” of our policies.” Well, he was right on the money. Drive through Detroit on I-75 and you can see some of the burned out homes and factories right from the Interstate. If you are brave and can protect yourself from a car jacking, drive into the city itself and you'll find it looks like a bombed out third world city. Johnson's liberal buddies and followers under Obama are now doing their best to bring about the same result in the entire country. Unless there is soon a drastic change in America, they will probably succeed. They have the blessings and support of virtually all of the black community, the Hispanic community, Hollywood, and the main stream media.
As part and parcel of the damage to be done is what I think may happen to America in the near future, another civil war. As the left wing fanatics rachet up their hate rhetoric, the white supremacists and other right wing fanatics do the same, MECHA agitates for the take over of Atzlan, the Muslims create general chaos, and our government actually and deliberately incites “their people,” sooner or later the lid will blow off. This one will make the last civil war look like a tea party and not the political one. This is merely a conclusion from observations. It is most certainly an event I do not want to happen. It is an event that I believe our current administration and its supporters are working for. I believe they think that during the conflict, the complex food and fuel distribution system will fall apart, the power structure will then break down completely, and they will gain power.
What can we do to prevent this catastrophe that so many seem to be pushing for?
1. Reduce the size of the federal government by initially reducing federal employment to half of the current level. Reduce the cost of federal employees by cutting all pay and benefits to 95% of the pay of equivalent positions in the private sector.
2. Revise our education system to tell the truth about what made America so successful in providing a high standard of living for most people. Reignite that spirit of American can do and excellence that our President so despises.
3. Remove a great deal of the power government has usurped from the people. I have no good idea of how to do this, but electing constructive people rather than the self-serving frauds that now populate so many of our public offices would be a start.
4. Remove the power from the labor unions by making a right to work law national so that union membership is no longer compulsory. Outlaw government employee unions. Make unions subect to the sam anti trust laws as companies.
5. Replace Obamacare with a combination of government and private insurance with government providing basic services and private insurance the rest not bounded by state lines.
6. Replace the IRS with a taxing system like the Fair Tax which removes politicians from the power to rake off the system for their own benefit. Make no exceptions and no immunity for any one or any company. While at it institute a negative income tax to replace all welfare, unemployment compensation, and social security.
7. Replace existing corporate law with laws that don’t favor huge corporations. Provide decreasing controls and reporting requirements as corporations grow smaller. Do everything we can to help and protect small business. The Fair Tax or something like it would take care of the financial part of this.
8. Return to strict rule of the Constitution as it was written, approved, and amended. We have a process for amendment. Use it and not the courts to make necessary changes.
9. Enforce our existing immigration laws. Change the law to prevent gaming of the system. Do not allow the children born of illegal aliens to become citizens.
10. Provide a work permit for aliens so that they can work legally, but must pay taxes to cover the additional costs of their health and educational services for their families.
CHANGE OF SUBJECT: For those who really want to know the realities of firearm violence here are some websites.
Firearm Violence, 1993-2011 - Statistics on violent crime from the US Department of Justice. Check out the graphs at this site. http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/fv9311.pdf
About 70% of arrest related deaths were white males including hispanics. About 30% were black. - http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ardus05.pdf
My thoughts and ideas have been affected by many people over many years. My parents, my grandparents, my sisters, the Christian church and my entire broader family were the forces that first taught my mind and helped me to develop my ideas. Since my youth, there have been many influences, mostly ideas and people I learned to at least partially trust and respect. Lately, since I began organizing my thoughts, writing, and becoming active in a number of discussion groups, I have recognized a number of current influences that have had a lot to do with how I think about almost everything. It is interesting that most of the members of these groups are quite liberal in the current, and I think erroneous sense of the word. The following is a sort of credo I am trying to follow in living my life.
In nearly all of my voting, which I do religiously, I am forced to take the lesser evil of the usually two choices on the ballot. In my voting lifetime, a considerable number of years, I have worked and voted for a candidate only five, maybe six times. Two of those were Democrats, Harry Truman and mor recently, Evan Bayh. Harry worked out. Once he went to Washington, Even abandoned his laudable Indiana principles and persona and became a career liberal leach. My mistake. The others were Republicans, Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and Francis P. Bolton, Representative of Ohio’s 22nd district and a staunch Republican who fought the excesses of King Lyndon Johnson. I voted sort of for George Bush, becoming a staunch supporter after the Daly brothers (the Chicago Democrat machine) came to Florida and tried unsuccessfully to steal the election from him. I noticed they were up to their old tricks in the last election, but were more successful this time.
ANOTHER CHANGE OF SUBJECT: A Personal Creed . . . and a few other thoughts . . .
I am a believer in myself and those individuals I trust.
I trust no politician, political operative, political activist, government official, celebrity, elitist intellectual, or media reporter or talking head I do not know personally, and very few of those I do. I trust no Muslim, ever.
I trust and admire the rational opinions and logical judgements of those so looked down on by elitists, the so-called common people. Their wisdom is far greater than that for which they are given credit. However, I do not trust their opinions or judgements when based on emotions, as they are too often influenced and persuaded by those described in the previous paragraph.
I do not expect anyone to understand any of that which they do not know. I do not even expect them to understand much of that which they do know.
I see politics, religion, pseudo science, ethnicity, and culture as powerful belief systems often used by unscrupulous individuals to influence and control others for their own purpose.
I am not a follower of or beholden to any ism, group belief system (religious, political, cultural, or other), political party, union, corporation, peer group, boss or officer (political, union, corporate or other organizational at any level), grant committee, dean or head of faculty, or any similar person or organization. This is why I am free to express my own opinions without disrespect, concern for, or apologies to anyone or any group. I will change my own beliefs to fit new realities and knowledge when and if the new information requires it.
I consider myself a truly independent and quite liberal individual, a realist who knows what it means to conserve, an equal opportunity supporter or detractor. As such, I know my words and opinions may offend, but it is never my intent to do so. There are exceptions, of course.
I am not ever in any way controlled, intimidated or cowed by any kind of political correctness. I believe it to be a creation of the many narcissist members of the entertainment world and in particular the TV news media. These self serving hypocrites use PC to coerce people into speaking and thinking the way they determine. It is merely one more system that elitist intellectuals use to try to control others, mostly the gullible, unthinking lemmings so many people, including especially Americans, have become.
I will not accept as a fact, any words, concepts or ideas that do not meet the tests of logic, reason and/or hard science as I understand them. My opinions and beliefs are subject to change when and if new information makes a change necessary. I see the inflexible, closed mind—the mind of the fundamentalist of any flavor: religious, political, social, cultural, or other, right, left, or in the middle—as an evil curse on the individual whose mind is closed for any reason.
It is clear to me that thousands of free and independent individuals and groups working in a favorable competitive environment, under a capitalist system with limited government in a democratic republic, are infinitely superior to a central decision making collectivist body or government of any kind. The bigger and more powerful the government, the less freedom individuals have to grow and improve their life and the lower will be the standard of living under that government. Examples of this reality abound now and throughout history for at least the last 3,000 years. Freedom works. Collectivism works only for those running the system and eventually will lead to impoverishment, dependency, and ultimately some form of slavery for the masses.
I believe in treating every individual with respect and honesty. These both deserve, and I will and expect, respect and honesty in return. However, I see no reason to be bound to do the same when faced with disrespect or dishonesty.
I try to deal with every person with consideration in all of these things.
—Howard Johnson 2004, Rev 2013
“There are many who find a good alibi far more attractive than an achievement. For an achievement does not settle anything permanently. We still have to prove our worth anew each day: we have to prove that we are as good today as we were yesterday. But when we have a valid alibi for not achieving anything we are fixed, so to speak, for life. Moreover, when we have an alibi for not writing a book, painting a picture and so on, we have an alibi for not writing the greatest book and not painting the greatest picture. Small wonder that the effort expended and the punishment endured in obtaining a good alibi often exceed the effort and grief requisite for the attainment of a most marked achievement.”
—Eric Hoffer
For more reading that seemed to make sense to me, try the links below or Google the names. I placed them in alphabetical order so my actual preferences would not be obvious. Each one was an influence in hs own way.
Ray Bradbury - http://www.raybradbury.com/
Jared Diamond - http://www.jareddiamond.org/Jared_Diamond/Welcome.html
Stephen J. Gould - http://www.stephenjaygould.org/original.html
Stephen Hawkins - http://www.hawking.org.uk/
Eric Hoffer - http://www.hopepubs.com/Hoffer/Hoffer-Books.html - http://ehoffer.blogspot.com
Thomas Sowell - http://www.tsowell.com/
Robert Louis Stevenson
John Stossel - http://townhall.com/columnists/johnstossel/
E. O. Wilson - http://www.ted.com/speakers/e_o_wilson.html
Jules Verne
I would say that Eric Hoffer probably speaks the closest to my opinions of any one on the list.
There are many more, particularly those quoted in my book, Memoirs from the Lakeside.
To see an excerpt of my memoirs books, goto http://hjwls.blogspot.com
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