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Lenses

What kind of lens are you looking at the world through? Chances are you’re looking through the lens of your experience. Through the lens of your personal preferences. Maybe even through the lens someone told you to look through. But what if we looked through an objective lens… rather than a subjective lens… what would happen?

Each day, I’m a bit more troubled by the level of blind passion that we treat our fellow brothers and sisters with. “I’m on a team- my team is right, even when it’s wrong. If you’re not on my team, I hate you.” I’ll never forget walking into a Burger King in central Kentucky. It’s a Sunday night. There are only 4 people there, well into their 50’s, maybe 60’s. They are all talking, almost over each other in the excitement of their conversation. They’re all smiling. Until they see me. I happened to be wearing an LSU sweatshirt that night. The conversation came to an abrupt halt and they all just stared at me like I’d just ran over their dog. I remember thinking, this must be what black people felt like in the 60’s. I remember being appalled that they would show such disdain for a fellow human just because of a sweatshirt with a college from a different state.

They were looking at life through a blue lens (Kentucky blue). All they saw was that I wasn’t wearing their color blue. Never mind that I could wear red, white, and blue and all of the sudden we’d all be on the same team.

The 2020 Super Bowl produced its same level of predictable controversy. Someone is going to get upset at something and blow it way out of proportion. The exact same women that were grabbing napkins off of the snack table to wipe their mouths at Adam Levine shirtless just one year before, were now, all of the sudden, offended. They’re looking at the world through a few types of lenses. The lens of jealousy may be one. They know they don’t measure up so they attack. Another lens may be the good ole double standard. “It’s ok for me to drool over Adam Levine but my husband better not even glance at J-Lo!”

Then there were the men that pretended to be offended by it so they didn’t have to sleep on the couch that night. For those that say, “it was not a family friendly event”, I can’t disagree. But if that’s going to be the stance, then we need to redefine the dress code of every water park and every concert. Because I’ve seen more at those events than I did on the super bowl. I’m not defending pole dancing. I’m just saying that we are looking through clouded lenses.

The State of The Union speech. Here we have the most powerful man in the world speaking on behalf of the most powerful country in the world. This is one place we should be unified. But no. The minute it was over, the country suited up and took their sides, ready to battle for their team. The first team struck…

“What a classless witch Pelosi is for ripping the speech up!” This team decided that for this one moment, Pelosi has to be civil. The rumor is that President Trump handed her a speech with the pages in the wrong order. I’m not sure if that’s true, but if it is… that’s Hilarious! But the same people that are tearing into Pelosi are the same people that were completely silent when Trump mocked a dead congressman, US Rep Dingell. The same people that are silent when Trump tweets the dumbest things on earth. When he brags senselessly and sounds like a ruthless, coarse, businessman… these people are silent. But let’s go crazy on some papers that get ripped. I personally found it funny.

Another lens is “Never Trump!” If Trump announced he found the cure to cancer, they’d scream “How dare you take away the jobs of the Sarah Cannon Cancer center!” The man simply can do no right. These same people were silent as Maxine Waters called for violence against Trump’s cabinet members. Deafening silent when the House clearly made sure there was no chance of a fair hearing. Created walls to block the chance of hearing the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help them God. Then they wondered why the other side didn’t play fair in the Senate trial. Where were the people that despised Trump for an alleged interference in Ukraine… when all this unfairness was taking place? Looking through a lens that is fogged with blind allegiance.

Here’s what I’m getting to: If we can SOMEHOW get to a place where we are looking at life, the world, our country and our fellow Americans through an OBJECTIVE lens, we may just see that there is more to agree on than fight about.

If we decide that mocking a dead congressman AND ripping a speech up is classless, we may just get somewhere. If we decide that dancing in little clothing AND wearing bikinis to water parks are ok OR NEITHER is ok… then we get somewhere. I’m not saying one is more right than the other. I’m saying decide what is right and wrong for you and stick with that, regardless of who does or says it.

It’s when we keep seeing life through these clouded lenses that we don’t really see the world for what it is. We don’t see that the person that votes for the other team is actually a pretty good person. That the person that loved the halftime show may have just loved the art.  Personally, I didn’t care for the halftime show, but not because of what they were wearing. To me, it didn’t matter what they were wearing- it wasn’t going to make that music sound any better. I just didn’t care for the music. But that’s just my humble opinion.

Objective lenses help focus light to produce a real image. They don’t block the image, they show what the REAL image is. So let’s see if we can take the glasses off that have foggy lenses and put some on that have clear, objective lenses that allow us to see the beauty in the world. Give it a shot… I dare you!

Stay Classy GP!

Grainger

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The Pelosi Effect

I’m not a Trump apologist. There are many things to dislike about this man. The recent statements about Rep. Dingell were just plain gross, unnecessary, uncalled for, and in extremely poor taste. I would expct a statement like that to come from a drunk DJ. Not the POTUS! But no one questions his intellect. He’s very smart. Extremely intelligent. But recently the American people saw the beginnings of a plan and are about to see the rest of the plan. And this plan will make Trump look not nearly as smart as he once looked. Her name is Nancy. And she just said “checkmate!”  

We really aren’t giving this beautiful young woman enough credit for being the genius that she is. Think about it. She could start all of these impeachment hearings any time. But she waits until September 2019. Why? Well, she figured the vote would come right before the holiday break for the government. She was right. Then she figured once the vote took place in the House, obviously in favor of Democrats who hold the majority, that there’s no way to beat the republican senate majority. And she’s right again. So Ms. Genius knew she could just hold on to the articles of impeachment until after the election because 23 republican senator seats are up for election. Once they gain the majority of the senate, she comes forward with the articles to the democrat controlled senate for trial and subsequently removes the newly elected 2nd term president. It. Is. Genius! Brilliant! I’m personally in awe of her brains. Not kidding. Obviously, i’m merely guessing at all of this, but this makes the most sense.

Upside: Impeachment is a process, not a vote. In order for impeachment to be reached, there has to be a vote. Then they have to have managers deliver and declare the articles of impeachment before the senate. At that point, he is then “impeached” … or “accused”. The senate then holds a trial and eventually settles the debate on whether the accused is guilty of the charges against him. We’re a long way from all of this.  

Downside: with this plan, she has made it perfectly obvious that people don’t matter. American people don’t matter. Nothing matters more than winning in Politics. That’s it. Regardless of who it steps on in the process. The American people, the constitution, doesn’t matter. If you’re in her way, you will be eliminated. And everyone gets to see this unfold.

Another downside: the American people aren’t going to take this lying down. They’re going to resist. This will get ugly before it gets better.

Another downside: her colleagues aren’t nearly as smart as she is. They cheered when impeachment was announced. She didn’t. She pretended much better than they did. She waited until later to celebrate with her not-so-brilliant colleagues. Her colleagues also kept saying the reason they weren’t giving the republicans their fair say at the hearing was because speed was of utmost importance. Pelosi didn’t say that. Because she’s smart. She already knew her plan that was devised in 2016. They weren’t smart enough to figure all this out. So they kept saying “speed!” And “got to get this done quickly!” Then once they got the vote, the need for speed vanished. Amazing how that works. (Double standards usually preclude an unethical agenda/motive). Now she’s doing something that has never been done and certainly was never done during Clinton’s impeachment. Something that is grossly unconstitutional. She’s withholding the articles of impeachment. She knows that there’s really no designated time frame to release them. So she’ll say that she’s waiting until the republicans do exactly what she says. Which won’t happen.  And she knew that! The elephants are playing right into her pretty little brilliant hands.


One day there’s going to be a section of political science classes called “The Pelosi Effect” where students have to devise a fool proof plan to win at ALL COST! And if they consider the American people during this, at all, they fail!

For now, we’re left to admire the wit, brilliance, and utter intellectual superiority known as Nancy Pelosi. She may be the only person in the country to outsmart Trump at his own game. My hat’s off to you Madame Mumbler… I mean speaker.

Stay Classy GP!

Grainger