We are all NUTSO

        It seems that, as of late, I have had a lot of experience with over-zealous crazy people. For example, everyday on my way to work I pass a grade school just off a county highway. The posted speed limit is 45 and there are always cops there. So I religiously go 45mph even in the summer when school is out. I probably drive past this school 6 times a week. Yet everyday there is a man who lives across the street yelling at everyone to slow down with a megaphone, or he is standing in his driveway with a speed gun. At first it made me angry that he was assuming I was speeding. Then I changed my tactic and flashed the number 4 and 5 to demonstrate that I was in fact going 45. This morning he yelled at me to slow down in his megaphone, again. So I just waved. There is no way, even with the evidence put forth, that I can ever convince him that myself and many others are not speeding through the area. He is so convinced of what he is doing that you just cannot tell him otherwise. Same goes for the crazy German lady Ed and I had to "pleasure" of sitting near at the yacht club's bar. Throughout our interaction, it was plain to see that she was a nut job, but Ed and I listened to her rantings smiling, nodding, and not uttering 1 word. (And yes for those who know me....I did NOT utter one word) Even when she randomly started insulting me because of the way I look (I know I have a mild case of Bitchy Resting Face, but come on) and because my hands were cold,  I still did not say anything. You know why? It would not have mattered. You can not have a rational conversation with crazy, much less convince them that there is a possibility they could be mistaken.
         These interactions hurt my feelings, even though I know they should not. I did nothing wrong in either case. These people feel so strongly in whatever notion that they are willing, or unaware, that their actions impact other people adversely or they just do not care. I guess, terrorist are kind of like that too. They do not care who they hurt, kill or maim. They feel so strongly about their mission that they will carry it through to the end. No matter how unreasonable or irrational. It is why we do not negotiate with terrorist. Right? Are we going to free all the prisoners at Guantanamo if terrorist overrun a place and take some hostages? No. It is why terrorist make bad statesman. I mean look at how poorly it went with Hamas and the PLO, competing governing body's with essentially the same end goal. They feel so strongly about their cause, but have such opposing yet strong convictions about getting there. So what the poor Palestinians lack is a strong, united, leadership body. It is funny that we have something in common with the Palestinians huh??
       The definition of statesmanship is as follows;

1:  one versed in the principles or art of government; especially :  one actively engaged in conducting the business of a government or in shaping its policies

2:  a wise, skillful, and respected political leader 

        Wikipedia describes it as, "the practice of a Statesman, usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term. When politicians retire, they are often referred to as elder statesmen. Statesmanship also conveys a quality of leadership that organically brings people together and of eldership, a spirit of caring for others and for the whole." In Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France, he believed it consisted of, "A disposition to preserve, and an ability to improve, taken together, would be my standard of a statesman."  

           It is by those definitions that I ask if anyone in our governing body, this on the first day of our impotent government, honestly lives by these standards? Do they lead both you and your neighbor from a different political party equally and honestly? In an ideal world, I would demand that you answer these questions organically. But I cannot, because, this is no longer an ideal world. It is a world where we can no longer bite our tongues with the civility practiced by former generations. We allow an inner fury and emotion, either genuine or manufactured, to spew from our comments, expectations, and actions towards others. We are so convinced in our convictions that it no longer matters nor is it no longer visible that we hurt others. It is unfortunate that we believe our civic duty to demand our wants and needs that we have lost sight of what actual civic duty entails. 

          I am disappointed in myself for feeling that they only course of action is disengagement. It is also the point where I realize that we no longer can blame the politicians for their inability to govern or be statesmen. Long gone are the days when rational and insightful debates can take place. Where wit and intellect ruled the day. We have given way to sharp tongued demagogues and megalomaniacs who rue the very basic tenets of logic and civility. We now live and die by the sword that anyone can govern, regardless of their basic maturation and skill level when convened in the greatest of all American institutions....our Congress. It is we who put them there. It we who demand certain behaviors. It is us and it saddens me. I am 100% convinced that most American's want the best for our PEOPLE. We have the same end goals for the most part. The ability of true statesmen is to "organically bring us together" to figure out how we can be the best that we can to move our country forward. So again, I ask, does your statesman/woman lead you and your neighbor together equally and honestly? Do they understand you and your neighbors diverse needs and are they mature and skilled enough to reconcile and make the hard choices demanded  of them? What message are you giving them? It is high time for an introspection of our convictions, because they are much different than our values and morals. A divided government is not what makes America great. That is not democracy and we need to remember that divided we will fall.