Live and Let Die

When you were young and your heart was an open book,
You used to say live and let live.
(You know you did, you know you did, you know you did)
But if this ever-changing world in which we live in
Makes you give in and cry,
Say live and let die!

"Live and Let Die" by Paul McCartney and Wings

I'm so sick and tired of how politicized everything has become. What ever happened to non-political decorum, manners, etiquette, courtesy, and just plain niceness? Why do people have to pollute these things with a political agenda? It only results in picking and choosing the recipients of decent treatment based on some particular trait, while making it okay to mistreat anyone else. It's mainly the "liberals" who do this in the guise of "political correctness" which means that you can't be correct or worthy of courtesy unless you are another liberal. Sorry, but that's just really dumb and wrong.

Not to let the conservatives off the hook, though. I'm also bothered that some them seem to forget their manners too. I do not agree that "freedom of speech" protects abusive language regardless of its political orientation. From a perspective that is not left or right, but is somewhere else, one can see that "freedom of speech" cannot truly exist in the absence of tolerance and temperance. How can people really promote freedom of expression and still try to shame or humiliate others for their expressions?

There has been an outpouring of bleeding heart sympathy for this young physicist in prison because he went on a $5 million SUV trashing spree. He and supposedly some "friends" spent a night vandalizing and torching SUVs (many Hummers) because they thought it was okay to destroy other people's property because of some "environmentalist" concerns. This boy's mother even condoned and enabled this destruction of property.

The leftists are bothered that this "genius" and possibly "autistic" physicist has been labeled a "terrorist" by the penal system. For a bunch of apparently very intelligent people, they sure are kind of dense to not see that Cottrell is in fact a terrorist, just as much as if he'd burned down an abortion clinic or anything else with the intention of causing terror. His actions weren't just a "prank."

terror:

1: a state of intense fear
2 a: one that inspires fear: SCOURGE b: a frightening aspect (the terrors of invasion) c: a cause of anxiety: WORRY d: an appalling person or thing; especially: BRAT
3: REIGN OF TERROR
4: violence (as bombing) committed by groups in order to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands (insurrection and revolutionary terror)
synonym see FEAR

For the owners of SUVs and the car dealerships whose vehicles were ruined his actions most definitely caused terror and were meant to "intimidate a population" (SUV owners) "into granting their demands" (to stop "polluting" with these vehicles). How can a bunch of PhDs not see this when even a lowly housewife can? Well, the reason is that they allow their emotional, political beliefs to impair their judgment. This whole thing is a perfect illustration that a person's level of education and "intelligence" does not guarantee wisdom and discernment.

"Genius" is no more a "protected" status than "female" or "black" or "gay" or any other trait that the PC liberals try to tell us are "even more equal." Sorry, but if someone is such a "genius" he should know better than to go destroying other people's property. And his defense that he's "autistic" just doesn't hold up to examination. He's plenty capable of feeling his own self-pity, indignation, etc. I would venture to say that if he has some mental disorder it would be more like a sociopathic personality disorder, just like most other highly intelligent criminals.

And incidentally, autism has become one of the newest medical cash cows (supposedly odds of child being diagnosed with autism: 1 in 166), much like ADHD. Not that there aren't real cases of autism and other developmental disorders, but come on, I'm not buying that there is an epidemic of it. Hell, according to some of the literature even I might be autistic. Hey, where's my special treatment? ;-)

Of course, I've caught all kinds of grief over expressing my rather sensible and objective views on this story. I've just looked at it with the same skeptical and discerning eye as any other sensational story. I've tried to look at it from all sides and not just the one that I might most relate to. (Gee, why the hell don't they put me on the Supreme Court? I would so rock as a Justice. ;-) )

You know, being nice, kind, and generous is a terrible investment. I cannot stress enough how bad it really is. When you put your whole self into those things you're just using yourself up for nothing. It's not worth it. Eventually, your bank gets broke. Well, folks, mine's broke and I don't see any new resources coming in. (Though donations are always welcome.)

I've always tried to be a "live and let live" kind of person. But it's increasingly clear that I'm just about the only one left, so it's just a big, rotten losing battle. So what do you do when you're in a losing battle? Live and let die! Sorry, but my kindness, generosity, and self sacrifice are gone. There's nothing left anymore. Congratulations to the few who managed to steal the very last bits of it.