Decade of decadence, dead?

Happy New Year!  I hope.

As we leave A.D. 2009 behind, we can only pray and work toward making the new one better than the last. We can begin by asking the "Lamestream Media" to stop stonewalling on important stories.  We can wish that this will be the year people come to their senses: that they stop with the insanely ugly (and permanent) tattoos, that they pull up their pants and stop dressing like clowns, that they quit preying upon children and killing or cheating on their wives (although, I guess if they can't figure it out morally, it would be preferable to cheat rather than kill), and that we would end our utterly misplaced trust in political parties.

I'd also like the new decade to be the one where children would once again actually be educated in schools, and that they would be taught that this is the worst country in the world -- except for all the rest; that our schools and media would stop their all-out assault on all the things that made America a nation people from around the world flocked to (legally); that we would be retaught that freedom is a gift and responsibility from God, and privileges are nothing more than a loan from government, and they get repaid by legalized extortion. It would also be immensely beneficial to return to teaching that God is our heavenly Father and best friend, not the enemy.

While we're at it, let's also hope that our president's actual IQ finally catches up to the popular (but diminishing) perception of him as some sort of political genius. I also live in the forlorn hope that we can finally rid ourselves of the political correctness that has crippled us for way too many years now, and that our government would stop lying to us. 

Even in Obama's belated response to the attempted suicide crotch-bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas day, the president cloaked himself in the timid PC phraseology we have become so encumbered with, such as "alleged bomber," "suspect," and an "isolated extremist."   Is someone still "alleged" or merely "suspected" when another passenger on a crowded airliner has to use his bare hands to put out a fire in Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's pants and yank explosive-laden underwear off the Muslim passenger with the one-way ticket?  (Does anyone else realize how awkward that statement is to write?) Is he still an "isloated extremist" even though he was trained in Yemen and was claimed by al Qaeda as one of their own?  And by the way, will the blame-Bush game ever end, and will this president finally accept some responsibility (although he's never hesitant to accept personal responsibility for those things he perceives as politically advantageous)?

Really, it is my sincere wish that the American people would wake from their intellectual slumber and see the world as it really is, rather than as they'd prefer to see it.  Some folks see the world as something they have no control over, while others see it as a sweet plum, ready and waiting for them to pick it. I see it as a series of opportunities and responsibilities, laced intermittently with dangers and rewards; all watched over and guided by a supreme Creator who takes a more-than-casual interest in how we handle those events.

Another problem is America's propensity for being perceived as the world's "nice guy."  Of course, the United States truly is the world's "nice guy." Can you count how many other countries step up when disaster strikes another country or region, even if it's one that is innately hostile to us? Or how many other navies retask nuclear aircraft carriers (and their attendant support ships) to offer assistance when disaster strikes a foreign country?  Just another aspect of that troublesome Christian ethic; I guess we'll just have to grow out of it, eh?

Emergency aid aside, though, our generosity and our "gentle side" is also a potentially suicidal way to run foreign policy, and it becomes especially dangerous when it becomes the overriding concern in the conduct of a war.  Because of the artificial, ineffective and just plain foolish constraints placed on our security forces by a misguided idea that we are the only (ir)responsible party in the "global community," a young Nigerian man was pursuaded to become a walking bomb, and was able to board a crowded plane for the United States with an explosive in his underwear. If not for the valiant effort of a another passenger in extinguishing and restraining the man, many people could have been injured or killed. It was another case whereby common sense and the common man surpassed the government in protecting the people.

Perhaps President Obama should stop being so ineffective and sympathetic to Muslim "isolated extremists" and learn a thing or two about dealing with terrorists from Vladimir Putin.  After all, Obama seems to feel quite comfortable sitting at the table - or at the feet - of tyrants around the world.

Drunk with power?  Here's something I don't recall making the evening news.  Montana's Democrat Senator Max Baucus, obviously drunk, gave a meandering floor speech in which he raled against the Republicans on healthcare reform on December 23.  I'm used to the Dems avoiding answering serious questions with serious answers (usually choosing to change the subject), deflecting blame to the Republicrats ("I inherited this problem") or to major sectors of the American people ("those right-wing, conservative hate-mongers").  But this is the first time I've seen a Demoncrat so brazenly out-of-control and inebriated in the formerly-hallowed halls of Congress.  But the worst part was that, even when another senator vainly tried to cut in and give Baucus a more or less graceful exit (which he steadfastly refused to do), I didn't hear Senator Al Franken cut him off. Go figure.

Enough for now. A new year lies ahead. May we use it more wisely than we have been doing; and may our troops come home soon, safely and with honor.  God bless you all, and may God forgive our sins and save our nation.