Well, here we are in 2010 America and boy howdy... are things ever happening at an amazing clip. If you're politically inclined, meaning that you pay attention to what's "REALLY" going on, and not just getting your information from the media outlets that are under direct control of the Federal Government, such as ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN, then you know full well what I'm talking about.
If you're NOT politically inclined, then I would like to take just a moment to cordially invite you to pull your head out of the sand, wake up, and snap out of it! Your very freedoms are at stake and your way of life (as you know it) is being threatened. Not just by some foreign enemy who fight their battles as cowards, wearing bathrobes; an enemy who is sworn to kill ALL the infidels in the name of their religion; no sir, not just them, but from within; little by little; quietly as not to attract too much attention.
Some of the most common phrases that hear repeated with more and more frequency go something like: "Can you believe... Did you ever think... Have you ever seen this kind of thing before... Who would have thought..." and so on.
Our President, is without question, a man of "firsts". The first black man elected President... that's a good thing. The first black man elected President whose very qualifications as a legal, natural born citizen of this nation is STILL in question and dubious at best... and that's a bad thing. The first President to bow to a foreign head of state, (more than once)... that's bad. The first President to apologize for American exceptionalism, (more than once)... that's bad, too. The first President to speak of this nation's military service men and women in a derogatory manner... that's beyond bad, that's shameful. The first President to spend more money than ALL the other Presidents COMBINED... and yes, that's bad, too. There seems to be no end to the list of "firsts" this President is establishing for himself. Too bad it's at OUR expense.
But the whole point of this, is to explain that our President is not "THE" President of "firsts", even though I'm pretty sure he THINKS he is. In fact, there is a whole long list of Presidential Firsts. Bruce Fowler's book, "One Of A Kind" highlights a few of the more notables.
James Garfield, (1881) was the first President who could write in two languages AT THE SAME TIME! Garfield was ambidextrous; he could write in Greek with one hand while writing Latin with the other. That's a pretty amazing "first", especially for someone like me who has trouble writing ONE language using BOTH hands.
James Madison, (1809-1817) was the first President whose IQ was a higher number than his weight. Madison is recognized by most as the Father of the U.S. Constitution and he was 5' 4" tall and weighed in at a whopping 98 lbs. One day in Washington, while walking with his friend, Thomas Jefferson, someone remarked that the two of them looked like they were on their way to a father - son banquet.
Grover Cleveland landed a unique first. Twelve years before becoming President, he was the Sheriff of Erie County, New York. When two men were convicted of murder and sentenced to death, Cleveland is the man who put the hoods over their heads, tightened the noose, and sprung the trap door... yep... he hanged two men. He explained later that he did it because he couldn't ask his deputies to do what he, himself was unwilling to do.
Jimmy Carter, historically the worst President, (at least until now) entered the sterling list as being the first President to have claimed that he saw a UFO... enough said... I'm not even going there.
John Tyler was the first President to elope while in office. On June 26, 1844, the 54 year old Tyler snuck off to New York City with the 24 year old Julia Gardiner. They decided to sneak off and get married because they were afraid of what the public would think regarding the 30 difference in their ages. The press found out almost immediately, but as it turned out, Julia turned out to be the most popular aspect of Tyler's Presidency. AND they had 7 children, with the youngest born when Tyler was 70.
And what would have to be my favorite... William Howard Taft, (1909-1913) became the first President who had to be rescued after getting stuck in the White House bathtub. Taft weighed in at between 300 and 350 lbs. One morning he got into the tub but couldn't get out. He had to summon "several" aids to come get him "un-stuck" and help him out of the tub. Taft subsequently ordered a tub that would hold 4 average sized men and that fixed that.
I'm not sure what's going to fix what's happening in America today, short of people waking up to reality by November of 2012 and putting this train back on it's tracks. But I do know this... This too, shall pass. We will survive this mess and we will remain a strong America. So the next time our President pulls a fast one on us for what seems like another "first", we need to remember the words of a man God regarded as the wisest man who ever lived; King Solomon.
Ecclesiastes 1: 8 - 11 [NLT] Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. History merely repeats itself. It has ALL been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, "Here is something new", but actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. We don't remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now".
So instead of phrases like; "Can you believe... Have you ever seen... Did you ever think..." we could borrow a little wisdom from Solomon and just nod, smile, and say; "This ain't nothing new... and this won't last forever. We get to vote again before too long".
Cheer up America, we'll get through this mess together... but then Hey, It's Just A Thought.
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