Government excess, riots, spoiled brats, the needy, and feral humans part II

I see a world turning ever darker, ever more desperate, ever more angry, ever more selfish, and ever more violent. I see the forces of darkness and light aligning and preparing to face off against one another. Amidst it all there are points of life, love, and hope. No, not the phony hope politicians who want votes dispense, but the real hope in greater things and in a greater power.

I've watched the world slowly erode this year both from natural forces and that of humankind. Horrific stories of earthquakes, tsunamis, major storms, floods, drought, and heat. We can do nothing about those things but it seems Mother Earth is rather grumpy to say the least. Such things are ages old and Scripture speaks about them as well. But there are things we can control if we unite and do so. Those are the things humankind is doing to itself at the hands of its leaders and its criminals. At times they are one and the same.

Government excess has run rampant over the citizens around the world. It begins with the greed of the elite in power not only in government but in other positions of power. Don't get me wrong, if you earn it honestly and harm no one in the process then you deserve it. Yet you should also have compassion and voluntarily share it with those in need. But it seems that the elite in power have an all consuming need to own it all. The resulting backlash in places all across the planet is predictable. It comes when government promises too much, can't possibly deliver, yet takes more and more without the will of the people. Such was the case beginning in Egypt and spread throughout North Africa and West Asia. Such is the case in the imploding nations of the EU. Every one of those nations should promptly remove itself and the EU should be done away with. Such violence will likely soon be the case in other nations including our own. You cannot promise to do everything for the people, take more and more yet spend beyond it, then deliver nothing or deliver poorly. It is a formula bound to fail and it has in nation after nation. I keep hearing "tax the wealthy" yet that denies the reality that the folks in charge ARE the wealthy. It also denies that you could take every asset from every so called wealthy person and not even pay a fraction of the interest on the debt. How about the Federal Reserve rescind interest payments on the debt? Oh no, the bankers won't do that! If you actually put teeth in taxing the wealthy they have the ability to simply pick up and leave. No, the real target is the middle class who will bear the brunt of any tax policy. The goal of governments around the world is a two class society of ruling elite and serfs. The latter are to be dependent, ignorant, and poor. Middle class is too much of a threat to the elite. So what has the lunacy of policy and elitist greed and thought wrought?

The result has been violence with the latest taking place in the UK. Mobs of spoiled brats take to the streets, loot, burn, and hurt people because they cannot have what they want simply handed to them. So they take it. It is not totally their doing. It is the way they have been conditioned in the home, schools, and media. These are mainly young males without work, but some are truly children. Unemployment is rising quickly in western nations. They are bored, angry, and spoiled. They see no prospect at earning and the austerity programs due to government abuse mean less given to them. People should have never been promised such a thing to begin with. If you feed a wild animal long enough it will become dependent and not able to feed itself. When you take it away it either starves or goes on a foraging rampage. Such is the cost of government programs that simply give after taking from others. It removes incentive from both groups. All the while the truly needy of the planet are ignored. Not that handouts are the answer for them either. Everyone deserves the dignity of earning their own way to support themselves and their families. That is robbed of them again by governments who horde it for themselves and their elite friends.

In the states we have been told our national credit rating has dropped a notch. It should have been dropped several. The insatiable appetite of the ruling elite in DC, all of whom are millionaires, could not be quenched. As they spend more and more beyond their means they print more money (if not in reality but on paper) and they erode the currency. While they vote themselves regular pay raises their policies create inflation which erodes the average citizen's ability to make ends meet let alone get ahead. They have lied about figures to cover their tracks. Inflation is actually at 12% and not the low single digits they claim. How is that? In the 1980's they removed food and fuel from the statistics. Do you go out and by a fridge or TV every week? a car? A house? No. They have also lied about unemployment. Each week more go on the unemployment rolls yet others disappear when their benefits run out. Yet media says that new claims for unemployment are down. It leads the average person to think unemployment is down. It is not. Only the newly unemployed applications are fewer than the week before. See the spin? We are at between 25-30% unemployment and rising. Add that to rising costs due to inflation and you see a recipe for the same thing here you are seeing in the UK. It is only a matter of time and simply needs a trigger. Be ready.

It takes me back to an earlier blog about feral humans. Undisciplined beasts who operate only on base instinct. They want what they want and will simply take it. Doesn't matter if its money, sex, or something that belongs to someone else. It would seem many in the ruling elite are feral humans just as much as the unruly and violent mobs on the streets. The people have been divided against themselves by those who rule and their affiliates. It is time to cohere as one body and in an orderly way take back what is ours by law in the Constitution. Those in power should be trembling as the economy and society will only degrade more before the 2012 elections. It is a formula for even greater grab for power by governments as they squelch the violence their own policies created. You need only look at the TSA to see how far it can go in encroaching on your rights. If you want it, earn it. That includes freedom. Don't leave it to others to do it for you. The founders of this nation did not.

On another more pleasant note we have the beauty that is Celtic Woman. They are coming to the states in September to do a new DVD recording. They will be overwhelmed by their audience of avid and energetic fans. The artists have earned that even if those that surround them have not. The show is without flaw in general with few exceptions. It is uplifting and inspiring in a time when we need such things. While some critics grumble about it being staged and artificial, those of us frequent concert goers know the genuine nature of the artists and the nuances of each night. Don't mistake choreography for a lack of passion or inability to touch deeply at the heart. The schedule has always been a busy one and thus some have left. Those that remain and the new additions continue the legacy of quality in artistry and care for their craft and their fans. Yes, there are still bugs in the system as revealed of late by yet another end to shows in the UK. That is twice now and the reason given seems a bit skeptical for many. It will likely end any decent support for the ensemble in the UK ever again. Yet on the continent they were met with great sales and great audiences. Enough so they will return this fall and again next spring. The artists themselves are busy people and thus at times less than attentive on line to fans and forums. But it is also understood the massive amount of comments to wade through and they cannot possibly respond to them all. In my opinion each of the artists should be following their fan forums on Twitter. But here I must single out the newest Celtic Woman, Lisa Lambe, for going out of her way to make the kindest remarks to her fan forum and for sending messages and tweets to some individuals. There was a time when they all did that. Perhaps it is because she is new and not jaded. The core three seem a bit more encroached upon and seem to have backed off a bit. I'd like to think the success isn't going to their heads. That delightful fiddler had been wonderfully supportive of her forum yet has not been so much of late. She did tweet to her forum back in April which was very sweet. The charity drive in her name is going incredibly well in spite of the awful economy. Chloe has never responded to her forum on either Twitter or FB. No idea why but that forum is still very strong and very active with fans around the world. Lisa Kelly responds reasonably well on Facebook by at least clicking the like button which is a nice signal she is still connected. Former choir members Amy Rivard, Julian David Edwards, and Sarah Burke have been wonderful this year in responding to their fans. Amy and Sarah have forums and they have said very kind things about them. Former CW ladies Meav, Orlagh, Deirdre, and Alex have been responsive in various ways to their fans and Orlagh has been quite successful in her solo tours. Lynn Hilary seems willing to ignore the fans she won for whatever reason, which may simply be her personal discomfort with individual attention. Current choir member Dermot Kiernan has been the most responsive to fans is currently on a very special trek in Spain. A new show will be born soon and with it more inspiration and ever more devotion by the fan base. If you focus on the positive, things of true beauty, peace, and love, then all the ugly and negative of this world fades to the background. It doesn't mean you ignore it, but it means you are better equipped to face it. God bless the artists past and present of Celtic Woman for bringing so many of us the kind of joy that can only be counted as a gift from God. We'll see you and a huge throng of fans in Atlanta.

Peace, Scott