Oh yeah, and another thing, and while I am on the subject...

Well, I got that Hollywood junk off my chest and I feel a little better, they were driving me nuts. It's been a weird week at work finishing up our project and my friend brought something to my attention on Monday while we were working the federal holiday. He looked down to me, shook his finger and said "and another thing... How come we pay federal workers for a day off and we have to work?" 

Dang, that's a really good question. You know, with as many taxes as we pay for these guys to work in government, why do we (the working class), get stuck working on federal holidays while they get the day off? Here's what I propose:

1. Our excess tax money should be funneled back to us. How? Federal holidays should mean that we get the day off at the government's expense. The FEDS should be giving US a holiday.

2. Do they really need that many days to begin with? There's like 650 of them. What happens on those days besides the banks screwing us by not allowing us to deposit checks and pushing new comics off until Thursday. Let's cut the number of days.

3. Aren't government workers civil servants? In what way are we being served with their days off? I mean, seriously. I see a lot of my money being wasted here... 

And while I am on the subject, who does these public civil servants serve exactly? Who do they serve at the pleasure of? John Lewis is who is on my mind. A man who had a great civil rights start at the beginning of his career working for equality, but now has become part of the problem. So he was a great civil rights activist......... 40 years ago. So what? Now what I am hearing is you can't speak out against him if you are white? Hogwash. Let me ask... What has he done lately? Isn't Atlanta his congressional district? One of 6 people in Atlanta live in poverty, and they rank 15th in the nation for crime... Not bad, except there are roughly 19,429 cities in the US... Oh snap, 15 doesn't look so good for "Hotlanta" now...  

Hey, did you know that Atlanta is now a major transportation hub when it comes to trafficking young girls from Mexico and is one of the fourteen U.S. cities with the highest levels of sex trafficking of children.

Why do I say all this? Because you can't rest on your laurels. What you did yesterday only counts for yesterday. Every day is a new day, and that means we must work anew to earn or keep the respect and reputation that we have earned in the past. For a man who wants equal standing, he sure doesn't want to extend the same equality to our soon-to-be-president. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Mr. Lewis has missed what it means to be a public servant and what it means to honor the office of president, even if he doesn't like the man. However you feel about the new president, there is an office and to boycott the inauguration shows an ignorance of both what it means to hold an office and how to honor an office. 

Hell, maybe Trump was right. Maybe he (and all the other men and women serving in office) should stop looking out for themselves and realize that they are servants. They SERVE, not rule. Stop playing a victim and play at being adults that are mature! Have we forgotten what that means in this country? Not my president? Pfhtbbbt! He is, unless you are not an American, in which case, shut up and get out of the country.

That is all.

More Hollywood Hysteria: An Open Letter to U2

My friends that know me, know that U2 is my all time favorite band. Musically, I believe they are gifted beyond belief, their music is thoughtful and purposeful and it speaks to me on multiple levels. Heck, I even liked POP when it came out. In addition to that, I believe that they have used their fame to do much good in helping those in need. Where they fail, is in their politics. Sadly, they have missed the mark, and with their recent announcement that they will punish America for our presidential choice this year, have proven that they are only hurting themselves. They are not the spokespersons for the American people. Our spokespersons were elected this year. With that said, let me present an open letter to the band, which I hope you will share and spread to as many people, both liberal and conservative as you can.

Dear U2,

It is with much sadness that I write this to you. America has voted and our president is elected (despite much protest from those unhappy). It was the will of the American people. It has never been the popular vote that has elected any president in this country, in fact, while our system is not perfect, it is the best we have. I understand you are not happy with America's choice of president, many are unhappy. It will not change the fact that he is our leader now. We live in a world where we don't always get what we want. So, with that said, here are a few things I would like you to consider:

Just because things didn't go your way, I would like to remind each of you that you are a man, not a child. A mature response would be to say "even though I do not agree, I respect the process and the decision and I will follow".  I know you feel things are out of control, but as Christians, you must know that God is in control, even if you are not.

In fact, what it really seems like is that because things didn't go your way, that you are now in a place where it feels like the streets have no name, that you think we can't live with or without you, and you really just want to throw a brick through a window to express your disappointment. The truth is, you are acting like a boy and not men. I would dare say that you feel like a stranger in a strange land, and refuse to rejoice along with the rest of America.

You think you are punishing us for the choice you made, but what is going to happen in 4 or 8 years when our new president leaves office? Will you be expecting a sort of homecoming? I doubt you will be missed. I am sad to say that you will fade from the eyes and ears of the American populace as you take your exit, because we have chosen to not run to stand still and will indeed make it with or without you. So go ahead and trip through your wires, your money will run out and you will find out that sometimes you can't make it on your own.

It is interesting that someone who takes such pride on declaring things in the name of love has no desire for freedom for my people. If you want love to rescue you, maybe you should see that the hate being spewed is not from the supporters of our current president, but his opponents. If you fail to see that, then you're really going to miss it when love comes to town. But I think you already have missed it haven't you? You already caught that train.

Maybe if you gave us a chance you might see that we really are even better than the real thing, that it is not the end of the world, that we are not quite so cruel as you would believe, and that there are other ways (like ours) to accomplish throwing your arms around the world. I know it seems like we as a country are acting in mysterious ways, but take a step back and look at yourself. What is your one love? Why are you acting so cruel? Maybe it wasn't us, but you who missed it. I mean, after all, Love is blindness, right? When you look at the world, what is it that you see? Please! Wake up dead man! Maybe you have spent too much time in your relative safety and comfort and have become disconnected with us as a country because you have spent all your times in Discotheques and in the Playboy mansion?

Maybe the problem is not us. Maybe you are stuck in a moment and you can't get out of it. I know you want peace on earth. We all do. Personally, I don't want to see you just "walk on".  Or have you forgotten grace? Do you remember your own words? Do you live by them?

Grace, she takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name

Grace, it's the name for a girl
It's also a thought that changed the world
And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness in everything

What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because Grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things

Maybe, if you gave America a chance, you would be one step closer to knowing. The truth is, there is no Miracle drug to fix things in this world. You act like everything is love and peace or else, but just breathe. Remember, we all grow and change with every breaking wave, and as men who grew up in Ireland during one of its darkest times, I would implore you to not be a perpetrator of the Troubles here in America, but rather help us work towards mending the rift that was created in our country and worsened over the last 8 years. 

You have a wonderful gift in your music and talent beyond most of ours measures, but you are squandering it on identity politics and selfish desire. You really are only punishing yourselves as you end up losing more fans. 

Think about it.