politics

It Felt Like Ancient Rome

Valerie Cullers 12 Comments

Last week, when I heard the politicians debate, it felt like I was living in ancient Rome. Many times, the emperors tried to get power or stay in power by appealing to the masses. “The State will give you free bread and wine. There will be free gladiatorial games in the arena.” 

In this latest debate I heard, “We will end cash bail. We will get rid of private prisons. We will defund the police.” When you appeal to those who are breaking the law to help get you into power, you will invariably need to rely on them to keep you there. 

We should be aware that there is a historical precedent here.

Shooting Buffalo

Valerie Cullers 20 Comments

brown bison

Photo by Lukas Kloeppel on Pexels.com

Where I used to live in Oregon, there was a ranch about fifty miles north that had a herd of buffalo (bison). They advertised hunts and people from around the world would come there to shoot buffalo. After they shot them, they would take home the head, cape and whatever other parts of the animal they wanted to. When they returned home, I’m sure they told their friends about it and their friends were probably wowed. “Way to go,” they probably exclaimed.

The only problem with this scenario is that buffalo are like cattle. They stand in the field and stare at you. A person can walk up to them and easily shoot them from fifty or a hundred yards. They will not even move…there is no sportsmanship required at all for the hunt. 

It reminds me of the politicians today who stand with the violent mob and say it is okay to loot, deface property and burn down buildings. They think it is okay to topple statues instead of letting the people of their cities and states make an informed decision on the matter. They go along with the crowd when the crowd says, “Defund the Police!” I even heard one political operative say yesterday that social workers should be sent into domestic disturbances instead of the police. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

The only problem with this scenario is that the elected officials who say those things are only standing with the violent mob. It takes no courage whatsoever to agree and placate those voices that want to enact change by violent methods. As a mother of a former police officer, I know firsthand that the most dangerous call a policeman can respond to is one involving domestic violence. Really, send in a social worker to deescalate the situation? When I hear this lunacy coming from our elected officials, I just shake my head. Doesn’t anyone remember the French Revolution? No one was safe, not even the people that agreed with the violent mob. The mob eventually came for them also. So when our elected officials are praised by their likeminded peers and are admired for their stands condoning the violence, remember they are just shooting buffalo. No skill, wisdom or courage required!

This Play Should Have Closed After Opening Night!

Valerie Cullers 24 Comments

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For almost two and a half years, I have watched the political drama playing out in our nation’s capital. Instead of focusing on our country’s problems, our representatives in Washington have spent their time shooting volleys at each other across the aisle. Our elected officials should be trying to find solutions for the problems that plague us as a society but sadly they are not. These political players don’t seem to understand that Americans elected them with the hope that they would do something constructive while they are on the job, supposedly serving their constituents. If they worked in the private sector, they would all have been fired long ago for their ineptitude and inability to get anything accomplished.

The rent is paid on the theater and the actors in this drama continue to get their salaries whether anyone is sitting in the seats or not. Let’s hope they wake up and see that the only ones watching their spectacle are the stagehands and the media sycophants hanging around the dressing rooms. Sadly, the audience has long since left the building and is looking elsewhere for solutions. If this political production had opened on Broadway, it would have closed months ago and the actors would be looking for work elsewhere. If only…