Making It In America

The greatest fear I have in homeland security right now is the inability of Janet Napolitano to call an act what it is!  If she cannot tell the difference between a man-made disaster and a terrorist act, please President Obama, replace her with someone who can!

On the news today, Napolitano was quoted as saying that she would no longer permit the fear brought by the words terrorist acts be used to frighten us and be used politically.  She then said she would use the term man-made disaster.  I beg to differ, but the dam that breaks is a man-made disaster.  When a crane falls over and causes death because someone did not care for it properly you might say it is a man-made disaster.  The way New Orleans was handled before, during and after Katrina was a man-made disaster.

Purposely blowing up innocent people is not a man-made disaster.  It is an act of terror.  It is a terrorist act.  The act, not the words, is performed to strike terror into the hearts of those affected.  According to dictionary.com, a terrorist is one who terrorizes or frightens others or a political group meant to demoralize the government through the use of terror.  An attack by a terrorist would, therefore, be a terrorist attack.  A man-made disaster, by any other name, would not include terrorism.

I wish we had laws that ended ridiculous law suits.  Several years ago, when I was working on the East coast a young man I knew was out playing.  Roaming the neighborhood, he trespassed onto someone else’s property.  There was a pile of refuse there that the owners were in the process of cleaning up.  The young man climbed on the pile, slid and sliced open his leg.  His parents successfully sued the landowner for having an unsafe pile on the land.  Land the young man should not have entered.

Today a woman is suing her personal trainer for working her too hard.  He was too demanding and yet inattentive.  How can you be both?  She is suing for a large amount of money with totally unspecified complaints.  When will we realize that we, even if we are dealing with the most over-zealous trainer,  are in control.  We can say no, back off, you’re fired.  But please-I cannot fathom saying I lost control of my own exercise program and somebody has to pay.

I’ll never forget reading of a man who was successfully sued because two boys entered his property and injured themselves lighting matches over the gas tank they had uncovered.  Are parents not responsible for where their children are and what they are doing?  As long as we can blame someone in the hope of getting money people will be bringing their spare fingers to Wendy’s and suing or placing hot coffee between their legs while they drive and getting money from McDonalds.  Doesn’t almost make you wish you could slip and fall in a Walmart so you never have to work again?  Yeah, me neither.

I don’t pretend to be a political pundit and I truly never hope to be one, but I do have a few opinions.  As I listen to the news, read the papers and watch political programs I really wonder what is going on in this world!

• Why is Nancy Pelosi insisting that she deserves everything any man in her position had?  It isn’t about gender; it’s about the economy.  The planes she has been using-or not using due to cancellations-is costing a tremendous amount of money our government doesn’t have.  She doesn’t seem to care.
• Why does Barack Obama say he is going to get rid of pork spending before he signs a huge bill full of pork spending?
• Why is the common American being told that we must cut back and tighten our belt while Congress gives billions of dollars to those who have demonstrated their inability to handle money?
• Why are we closing Gitmo and considering freeing the prisoners as yet another man released from there is leading troops and killing Americans?
• Why is the ACLU worried about foreign prisoners who are often terrorists but not about the American citizens these prisoners would kill if they could?
• Why do people rant about Democrats or Republicans when the problems we are facing are bigger than any political party?

Questions, questions, questions……but seemingly, no solid answers.  How confusing!  How sad!

I really don’t follow much about Hollywood stars as I have no time in my life for things that don’t affect it.  Still, I catch little bits here and there.  Lately, it seems that the story-chasers must be coming up empty, what with Brittney Spears behaving well,  so that they are trying to manufacturer a good headlining story.

Okay, maybe I’m wrong, but someone will need to explain to me the purpose of cutting away from people getting ready to give out awards (ie Jennifer Aniston) to show her ex-husband’s current woman (ie Angelina Jolie) who is backstage?  The cameraman switches the cameras and then everyone tries to build a Jennifer against Angelina story.   Are we that desperate to have people be hateful, spiteful, jealous, whatever, to try to create this kind of garbage?

I was amused to read, tonight, that Jennifer Aniston says there is no story.  No good guy.  No bad guy.  Let’s face it, the two women have moved on with their lives.  It is time for the story-creators to move on too.  At this point, after three children, does it really matter when the couple started seeing each other?  With another man in her life, is Aniston still pining for someone who would betray her?  She says shes happy.  I say we should leave them all alone and let them work out their own happiness.  Maybe America can find something to do that will actually affect their lives.  Maybe the reporters can find an honest job!