Political Morsels and Other Droppings

         There’s the old saying that America is known as the “land of opportunity.”  However, I’m seeing more evidence that we’re full of folks who are more opportunists than anything else.  This stupid “Balloon Boy” and the details around it make a good example. The parents met each other in an acting class.  After seeing them in their interviews, I say that they should to go back and get their refunds, because their bullshit was as believable to me as that of George W. operated without strings while in office. 

            When it came out that they had called a news station before 911, that they had been on one reality show and were shopping around for another, it’s clear that instead of carving out a living in a honest, halfway moral manner, these folks tried to pull one over on the nation.  They stopped air traffic, and wasted thousands of dollars to send up the National Guard to chase after a stupid balloon that would not have been able to leave the ground had the son even been in the damn thing in the first place.

            Another example is that of the Arizona sweat lodge deaths. A bunch of folks paid James Arthur Ray, a guy who was once a body builder turned “self-help guru” thousands of dollars for some “Spiritual Warrior” retreat. Part of that included a sweat lodge ceremony that was total shit and resulted in the deaths of three people and put a few others in the hospital.  These folks were unaware that sweat lodges are not supposed to be packed with 50-60 people. Also, the Native Americans who hold sweat lodge ceremonies will allow outsiders to participate for…. Free. Oh, and they don’t kill off the participants either.  What got me is that this guy took off and kept up his little speaking tour instead of hanging around and talking to the authorities, or showing great concern for those who have suffered from his botched bullshit ceremony. Oh, and I don’t know if it’s because of the great respect I have for the Native American population, but taking advantage of the ceremonies and customs of a the Native American people is fucked up!!! 

            When you see an ambulance chaser after an accident, you’re watching an opportunist at work. Those jackasses that flood your spam box with offers to extend the penis you don’t have are desperate opportunists.  The coworker or boss who’s busy kissing up and covering his ass before taking care of others, is the most common opportunist.

            Then, of course, we have the politicians who are HUGE opportunists.  One example of this involves Congressmen and women who prefer to maintain the flow of campaign contributions from insurance companies instead of caring their constituents by trying to work on Universal Health Care.  Yes, because maintaining their place on Capitol Hill, with great pay and benefits, (and more vacation time than any of the rest of us see) is much more important than the people who put them in office in the first place.  It doesn’t start or end with the latest Health Care deal.  It’s been going on since the first lobbyist strolled into the Willard Hotel and it won’t stop until strict reforms are put into place.  However, don’t count on that since the very people who would have to vote on such measures are the ones getting big bucks from Big Business.

            We see the actions of opportunists on a daily basis between our own lives and what we see and read about in the news.  It won’t fade away, but I can wish it to go away, can’t I?

Filed under: political morsel Tagged: | balloon boy, James Arthur Ray, opportunists