Step Outside To Smoke [2012 original with modified background]
What would we do, you and I, if we woke one morning to suddenly find that everything was, in our opinions, perfect? Would we know how to react? There are plenty of things for us to complain about as it is now. The kids and I disagreed this morning on whether they sufficiently completed yesterday’s chores. The dogs didn’t like my decision of when to get up this morning. Queen Bit argued loudly that I stepped too close to her tail. I’m sure Kat and I disagree about something, I just don’t know what it is yet.
I know I’m not necessarily in the mood to argue matters that I’ve spoken about before. Standards for completing chores have been sufficiently outlined. Those standards were not met. I’m not going to stand in the hallway arguing the matter with a 14-year-old at 6:00 AM. They’ll get the chance to lick their calf over when they get home this afternoon. Today is an early release day, so they’ll have plenty of time.
We can’t take that approach to everything, though. I wish we could tell Congress to, “Go back and do it over until you get it right,” but that doesn’t seem to work. We’ve really only one option for punishing elected officials and waiting until the next election rolls around doesn’t necessarily send the message as strongly as we might like. Approval ratings and polls carry no real clout. We need the ability to exercise more immediate consequences for stupid actions.
For example, the Orange Felon decided that it might be a good idea to release AI-generated images of Taylor Swift endorsing him. This is a feeble, less-than-successful attempt to turn the media spotlight on himself when the Democratic Convention is getting all the attention. One would think that fakes like this would be illegal. There have been multiple attempts in Congress to regulate such material, but opponents scream that it’s squashing their First Amendment right to free speech, so nothing has passed. Meanwhile, the confusion over what is real or fake only grows deeper.
Maybe Congress is fake. They don’t really exist.
What’s not fake is the way Michelle Obama tore apart the Orange Felon at the DNC last night. The ultimate quote from the night is, “Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs?'” One could make the argument, if prone to do so, that Mrs. Obama’s speech was stronger than the one her husband gave after her.
Former Detroit Lions’ Offensive Tackle Gosder Cherilus is realizing he made a mistake after being arrested for urinating on a passenger aboard a Delta flight headed to Dublin. He has apologized, saying, “The flight was unexpectedly delayed for approximately four hours, and it did not take off until after 12:30 a.m. In preparation for the unexpected overnight flight, I took a sleeping medication that I don’t normally use, which resulted in behavior that is not representative of my character, and I would like to apologize to the passengers and flight crew.” I doubt the apology will prevent him from being hit with a hefty fine, though. Some actions can’t be reversed.
Everyone makes mistakes. A perfect world requires perfect people and those don’t exist. What matters is how we respond to those errors, both our own and those of others. Project 2025 is a mistake. Electing a felon is a mistake. How are we going to respond?
What would we do, you and I, if we woke one morning to suddenly find that everything was, in our opinions, perfect? Would we know how to react? There are plenty of things for us to complain about as it is now. The kids and I disagreed this morning on whether they sufficiently completed yesterday’s chores. The dogs didn’t like my decision of when to get up this morning. Queen Bit argued loudly that I stepped too close to her tail. I’m sure Kat and I disagree about something, I just don’t know what it is yet.
I know I’m not necessarily in the mood to argue matters that I’ve spoken about before. Standards for completing chores have been sufficiently outlined. Those standards were not met. I’m not going to stand in the hallway arguing the matter with a 14-year-old at 6:00 AM. They’ll get the chance to lick their calf over when they get home this afternoon. Today is an early release day, so they’ll have plenty of time.
We can’t take that approach to everything, though. I wish we could tell Congress to, “Go back and do it over until you get it right,” but that doesn’t seem to work. We’ve really only one option for punishing elected officials and waiting until the next election rolls around doesn’t necessarily send the message as strongly as we might like. Approval ratings and polls carry no real clout. We need the ability to exercise more immediate consequences for stupid actions.
For example, the Orange Felon decided that it might be a good idea to release AI-generated images of Taylor Swift endorsing him. This is a feeble, less-than-successful attempt to turn the media spotlight on himself when the Democratic Convention is getting all the attention. One would think that fakes like this would be illegal. There have been multiple attempts in Congress to regulate such material, but opponents scream that it’s squashing their First Amendment right to free speech, so nothing has passed. Meanwhile, the confusion over what is real or fake only grows deeper.
Maybe Congress is fake. They don’t really exist.
What’s not fake is the way Michelle Obama tore apart the Orange Felon at the DNC last night. The ultimate quote from the night is, “Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs?'” One could make the argument, if prone to do so, that Mrs. Obama’s speech was stronger than the one her husband gave after her.
Sometimes people do realize their mistake and correct it. Disney has decided that using its Disney+ Terms of Service to block a wrongful death lawsuit is, in a word, wrongful. They’ve dropped that particular objection and will likely limit their defense to more realistic information. While Disney never has been up for sainthood, it’s nice to see them admit their mistake for once.
Former Detroit Lions’ Offensive Tackle Gosder Cherilus is realizing he made a mistake after being arrested for urinating on a passenger aboard a Delta flight headed to Dublin. He has apologized, saying, “The flight was unexpectedly delayed for approximately four hours, and it did not take off until after 12:30 a.m. In preparation for the unexpected overnight flight, I took a sleeping medication that I don’t normally use, which resulted in behavior that is not representative of my character, and I would like to apologize to the passengers and flight crew.” I doubt the apology will prevent him from being hit with a hefty fine, though. Some actions can’t be reversed.
Everyone makes mistakes. A perfect world requires perfect people and those don’t exist. What matters is how we respond to those errors, both our own and those of others. Project 2025 is a mistake. Electing a felon is a mistake. How are we going to respond?
Your call.
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