When Anything Goes

In the Age of Anything Goes - everything does. At least, everything of any value.

When standards, largely attributed to Judeo/Christian beliefs, are downgraded and summarily ripped away, anarchy fills the void and slowly seeps in the cracks and finally takes over. 

It’s not as though we don’t have history to prove this cycle. Though modern education does its best to alter and justify historical accounting, traces of truth still remain so that anyone is able who really wanted to see what happens when human nature is allowed to have its way. 

Imagine leaving a group of small children alone in a room with a table full of candy.

One downside of the Anything Goes Era is the inevitable conundrum that the more laws put in place to keep law-abiding citizens in tow, the more that lawlessness, larceny and fraud thrives, succeeds and goes unaccountable and thus is freed up to destroy again and again.

This phenomenon plays out in every way possible, from the obscure individual to the high profile personality. From religion to politics, to giant corporations. Even the once sacrosanct institutions of banking - thievery is enabled to blossom and flourish within a society that has been conditioned to prefer the lie over the truth.

I’ve witnessed this over and over again in recent years to the point I’ve made the topic a personal focus of study. The stories I’ve heard and have witnessed are all different but in many ways exactly the same. And growing in number to the point that there are few who have not experienced the shock of finding out they have been defrauded by a smooth talking liar, most which can be classified as psychopaths by the single defining trait - lack of conscience. These are so good at creating an alternate reality they can convince anyone of anything, including displays of great compassion and concern for others. Dr. Robert Hare describes this as ‘knowing the lyrics but not the music’ in his book Without Conscience - The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us.

I recommend this book whether you have ever been scammed or not because ... well, in the age of Anything Goes, you can count on being had sooner or later, one way or another. Knowing how to spot the red flags at the early stage is a skill known as being discerning. 

If there ever was an age needing discernment, it is the here and now. 

Unfortunately, the scam artists, whether psychopaths or not, all have fine-tuned instincts to know how to recognize who is a good mark. They mostly pick the vulnerable, and those who seem to be straight up and trusting. They are sheep hunters who often zero in on those who show no outward traits of cynicism or natural mistrust and present as meek and mild. 

But the most clever weapon a con man has in his arsenal is the victim’s own deep desire to believe what isn’t true. And so the con knows how to tap into the hopes and dreams of his mark. And once locked into a target, he knows exactly what rationale and excuses to use if any questions arise because he has already factored in what the mark is likely to want to hear.  

See how that works?

One might correlate this to the way satan finds his prey. He also counts on our deep, unfulfilled desires to be our weakest openings because he knows we’ll hang on hoping that maybe, just maybe, the lie isn’t really a lie. 

In the age of Anything Goes - the lie is the new normal so the once reliable test of what is true by action, result, and longevity shifts to vague feelings, empty, albeit good sounding words, and short-term dazzle, and thus the inevitable decay begins. 

At the lowest point, when truth at last becomes irrelevant, everything is a scam; nothing is reliable. 

I’ve written about this new paradigm as I have seen it unfolding, from many different perspectives. There are abundant scams going on all day every day and there always have been. What is different now is how easy it is to sink into the abyss of delusion because once the standards that held us accountable have been removed there is nothing that can define what is true. 

I could see this raw, seemingly mindless process, beginning years ago when I realized that modern life, driven by commercialism and advertising was the foundation of a dark future world, where everything is a lie, and yet no one cares because it’s expected. Now we have multimillion dollar corporations harvesting profile information via our personal electronic devises so to better craft compelling advertising - to make branding and visual stimulation elevated to an art form. Art is just illusion, after all, but let us call it what it truly is - scamming (manipulating) the masses by using their weaknesses in order to take money from them! 

However, scamming isn’t always about money - sometimes it’s about power quest or control, whether in personal relationships or politics. Regardless, what I have learned, by hard knock experience, is that, once a con artist has locked into the deep desire and fragile hope of the victim, it’s practically impossible to open his/her eyes to see the truth, until the damage is fully done. Thus the devil has his way... for a time. 

But I have to admit, it’s really frustrating to watch. Over. And. Over. 

For Him,

Meema

Dear Mr. Trump

I’m not a political speech writer, (though I did stay at a Holiday Inn once), so no one, especially not a candidate for the office of president would pay me no never mind.  Me, being a little ole grandma who remembers being American was an honorable condition and certainly nothing to apologize for. But if I had the opportunity, I’d love to give it a shot, to write the speech that I’d like to hear Trump give. Since he is never going to see this, out of nothing more than complete frustration, I’m going to say it here. 

Dear Mr. Trump,

I’m just an old school American - I grew up standing for the Pledge of Allegiance, hand over heart. I know the words to the Star Spangled Banner and I have no problem belting it out when our Anthem is played. I’m pretty average, as legal citizens go. I’m friendly and I've worked hard and paid my taxes, even though I know I have little input in how those funds are wasted... uh...dispersed by bureaucrats.

While I’m not notable or famous or one of the ‘beautiful people’ I am known to be reliable and I have what is now considered old fashioned ethics and common sense, traits that seem to be dying out in this age of anything goes. Though I am not special, or influential in any way, I also believe I am not unique in another regard. I would like to believe that most Americans, over the age of 40, are just like I am. 

If I might be so bold, I’d like to offer up the words I’d love to hear you say, here in the final stretch.

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Hello, my name is Donald Trump. I’m running for the office of the president of the United States of America. 

First of all, I’d like to get a couple of things out of the way. I assume everyone listening to my voice knows all about my opponent’s issues - the Benghazi fiasco, her erased emails, her hidden server and lies about the classified emails passing through, her foundation that’s basically a money laundering shell company, and her husband’s history of rape and abuse of women, that she not only condoned but then vilified those unfortunate women, whose lives have been ruined. If you don’t know about these things you must have been on a desert island somewhere for the past four years. Therefore, there’s not much reason for me to recap all these things. So I won’t.

What I want to address, at this late hour, which is way more important, is the next four years hanging in a critical balance. There has been so much damage done to this country in just the last eight years, I can’t stand here and promise that I can fix everything that’s been done to us under the present administration. Not even Superman can do that. I can’t know, for sure, how the Congress will react to my presidency and whether or not they are too far sold out to the high bidders. I can say I have a decent track record in being able to work with all sorts of people and I can only promise to utilize those skills to the best of my ability. 

What I also can promise, upon assuming office, is that I will make some immediate changes that will prove I am sincere in my determination to stop the bleeding. To be sure, we are bleeding out. Our economy, our military, our way of life, all the attributes that have made this country the envy of the world, are now on life support, regardless what the elite and their media tells you from their view from their ivory towers. 

I don’t presume to know the future but I know that, in the here and now, some vital changes must occur to stop and turn around the Fundamental Change that has been put into place with little to no resistance from the Supreme Court and the Congress. 

Now let me speak as plainly as possible here: 

Your vote matters. Voter fraud is a real and present danger. If you choose not to vote at all, you actually choose my opponent by default. If you choose my opponent you choose the path of least resistance to the complete destruction of the values that established and raised this country to its peak. In less than five years this country and all it has stood for will not stand for you any longer; strangers will have more rights than you.

We have always believed this country was too big and too great to fail and could never be destroyed by outside forces. We never imagined it could happen from the inside out.

If you choose to vote for me, even if it makes you wince at the thought, at the very least, you can count on a conservative appointment to the Supreme Court, which can stem the tide of laws that are waiting to reorder our American way of life. You see, I and my family will be negatively impacted just as you and yours will if we continue on this downward spiral. You see, I have a deep and abiding desire to save this country for the sake of my family as well as yours.

Ultimately, I am the only person willing and able to stand up to the force that has gained so much power with intent to deconstruct this great country. My opponent promises to finish the job already well underway.

I am standing here today, speaking about this, even as the media and the establishment is shocked to the point of disbelief to find out that Americans are sick and tired of political business as usual. They prosper as the majority of hard working Americans struggle to pay their health insurance, their mortgages and put food on their tables. Why is this not understood? 

Again - the hour is late - you don’t need me to make rhetorical political promises or remind you of all the ways my opponent has proved herself to be untrustworthy. What you need is hope that someone is more interested in what’s in your best interest than in rising to a position of ultimate power over you.

Please vote - and vote often (just kidding).

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If I heard this from Hillary I wouldn’t believe it, but I am willing to take the chance that, even if he never says this, he believes it.

For Him,

Meema

Fifteen Years

Recently we met several new acquaintances at a gathering. One interesting conversation with a retired Navy vet centered on flag etiquette. He was well versed in how the American flag should be treated, respected and displayed. I already knew some things, having worked with my daughter’s Camp Fire group earning a badge learning how to perform a formal flag presentation ceremony but my new friend knew way much more than I. Apparently there’s a volume of rules that applies to the correct way to handle, display and retire the American flag, the existence of which is largely unknown to most Americans. 

Several days after my enlightening discussion with our new friend, I saw the news about a football player who refused to stand at attention at the playing of the National Anthem. Since this has become the most recent uproar and everyone seems to have an opinion, I thought today, the anniversary of the day the Twin Towers were brought down and thousands of Americans were murdered by terrorists, I’d weigh in.

One of the points my knowledgeable new friend stressed was in regard to not allowing a tattered, faded flag fly. Worn out flags need to be properly retired. Not just thrown away. There are specific rules and protocols that cover how this ought to be done. After witnessing the disrespect one rich, spoiled, enabled millennial passionately demonstrated, drawing media attention to himself and his ‘cause’, I started noticing other incidences of flag dishonor.

Some public schools, you know the institutions that are paid for by American tax dollars, are now choosing to forbid the displaying of the flag at sporting events. It might offend people attending who aren’t American.  Or something.

Other schools, again paid for by hard working Americans, are sending home ‘opt out’ letters to parents allowing that students who do not wish to pledge allegiance to the flag of the country where they are living and going to school could just stand silently or play games on their cell phones. Those handy devises they have because they came here to reap the benefits of the American way. The way represented by the Red/White and Blue.

During our recent 4th of July Independence Day celebrations, honoring the day that marks the beginning our path to becoming a nation of our own, many individuals were forbidden to fly the grand ole flag. Ordered so by small tyrantical government agencies. Seems that flying the flag breaks rules and ordinances. Can’t have that, you know.

So, thinking back to the conversation about how a worn out flag ought not to be displayed I thought of something I could have contributed to the discussion.

It is pretty clear for me that we are already at war with forces determined to fundamentally reorder the American way of life. Patriotism, honor, and loyalty to a real and distinguished culture, bought and paid for by the shed blood of countless numbers of Americans over many decades is being replaced with a concept known as globalism. Globalists do not believe in sovereign states or countries. The world ought to just be a melting pot, open to anyone and all, regardless of cultural disparity. 

Amazing how much can happen in fifteen years. Grade schoolers grow up and graduate from college, a man, not even old enough to be president on 9/11/2001, can rise to power and spend eight years apologizing to the world for Americans, can tell us we are lazy and racist and that we never built our lives ourselves. Can live like a king on the American taxpayer’s dollar and promote a candidate who believes fully half of all Americans (if you want to believe in polls) are deplorable. 

In fifteen short years we can go from being a proud to be American unified people that reverently displayed a flag damaged by the devastation brought down in one horrific day, to being a nation afraid to display the flag at all. Not on our homes or in our schools. 

It did not escape me that until the media pointed it out, there was no American flag displayed at the Democratic Convention. Is that a thing?

Fifteen years, the last eight of which put us on the fast track to losing what has always been the foundation of American Exceptionalism, (the envy of the rest of the world and the reason people want to come here), has taken us from being willing to stand for something to cow towing to those who would destroy us and therefore have left us standing for nothing.

Unfortunately, in the process of removing a society’s devotion to the concept of a way of life, which is the definition of patriotism, a real and present danger rears its ugly head. Once the prosperity of a proven successful way of life is replaced with a populace that never knew the key to prosperity is founded in unity, not diversity, the way of life dies and takes its prosperity with it. The golden goose dies.

For weeks and months even, after 9/11/2001, people freely and proudly flew their American flags on their homes, their cars, their businesses. For a handful of years America was still a country that represented a people unashamed to be called American. 

If you’re looking at the continuum fifteen years is but a teardrop in the ocean. And yet so much can change in a decade and a half. Rules and protocols become meaningless as new concepts rise up to replace the old. And it has ever been thus. Mighty nations emerge, soar and then crash into oblivion. 

If all I had was a tattered flag, and I couldn't get another one, I think I’d still fly it anyway. If the flag is the symbol that represents a country, then perhaps a beat up flag is poignantly fitting for a country that has allowed itself to be beaten.

For Him,

Meema


Update: September 12, 2016 - I need to share this amazing post.  
 The Ghosts of September