Liking Things That Aren't True ?

I hate being wrong

I don't mind changing my opinion about things. "Live and Learn" is good advice. My mother always said though, that I'd rather be right than president. So when I find out that I was wrong, it just bugs me (a lot). I guess that's why I get so fired up on the internet so much. Like this little gem that I saw yet again tonight.

I've been seeing this for years and never really looked beyond the obvious lie. You see, Dr. Rogers was from my home town and since he wasn't born until 1931, that alone was enough for me to just curse and move on or mention Snopes and let the poster know on the off chance that they cared about being lied to themselves. Usually the response is something along the lines of, "who cares- it's still true". This sort of thing still bothers me, but I'm just funny that way I guess. I still think that if it's not true then wishing it were just doesn't make it true.

But you know what ?

I was not looking at the whole picture. I was taking the lazy way out.

Here's the deal. (with footnotes)

The quote was from a sermon that Dr Rogers gave in 1984. He lifted it almost verbatim from a work by Gerald LK Smith in his magazine "The Cross and the Flag" in the late 1940's (or early 50's). 

I know - pretty boring history lesson Theo ! But wait - There's More !!!

Gerald Lyman Kenneth Smith (February 27, 1898 – April 15, 1976) was an American clergyman and far-right political organizer, who became a leader of the Share Our Wealth movement during the Great Depression and later of the Christian Nationalist Crusade. (Wikipedia)

What is this Share Our Wealth you ask ?
Hmm...

Share The Wealth was a movement begun in February 1934, during the Great Depression, by Huey Long, a governor and later United States Senator from Louisiana. (Wikipedia again)

Now Long claimed that the Great Depression was caused by the great disparity of wealth between the very rich and everyone else. If he hadn't been assassinated in 1935 it's likely that he would have started a Share the Wealth Party. They actually had a platform that I'll excerpt from here. It looks like somewhere along the way, their message got twisted up a little.

No person would be allowed to accumulate a personal net worth of more than 300 times the average family fortune, which would limit personal assets to between $5 million and $8 million. A graduated capital levy tax would be assessed on all persons with a net worth exceeding $1 million.

Every family was to be furnished with a homestead allowance of not less than one-third the average family wealth of the country. Every family was to be guaranteed an annual family income of at least $2,000 to $2,500, or not less than one-third of the average annual family income in the United States. Yearly income, however, cannot exceed more than 300 times the size of the average family income.

Free education and training for all students to have equal opportunities in all schools, colleges, universities, and other institutions for training in the professions and vocations of life.

The raising of revenue and taxes for the support of this program was to come from the reduction of swollen fortunes from the top, as well as for the support of public works to give employment whenever there may be any slackening necessary in private enterprise.

This message somehow got completely flipped around. The whole "take from the rich and give to the poor" thing turns into "I got mine and it sucks to be you". Which is okay I guess. You don't have to agree with my world view and I can (and do) have an opinion about yours.
(just kidding - not you really, just some people)

But I ask you. If you're going to be posting stuff for the world to see, doesn't it bother you just a little that you're being lied to. 

Grrrr....

1931 Quotation

Smith Bio

Share Our Wealth

Remember That One Time Where Your Vote Really Did Count ?

Remember When ?

THEODORE KELLY·TUESDAY

, JULY 26, 2016

I'm anxious about a Trump presidency but resigned to it. We'll probably be able to survive it and I hope his lasting legacy via the SCOTUS appointments will put us back only fifty years and not a hundred and fifty.

What scares me much more are his "supporters". Them and the other "NeverHillary" people of all types. A quadruple whammy from them and all three branches of government may well be just too much for us to bear. So - yeah, you want to vote Green or whatever ? I know I can't persuade you otherwise. Even Bernie can't get through to you. But just remember to tell your children and their children how it was you. You and just a few others who made all the difference back in the old times. Back before it all fell apart

What Lives Matter ?

Who's Lives Matter ?
The BLM has a phrase they use. Black Lives Matter.
Do they ? And to whom and how so ?
I mean the actual declaration itself. Not the wide range of associated meanings and inferences that get bundled up with the phrase in conversation. Do they matter or not ?
Now I hope that the majority of people who read this would say, "Of course they do". I would hope that they think it as well as say it too.
Some might say, "No. But black lives SHOULD matter".  I'm feeling more in line with that version myself. Some folks want to add a "too" on the end. Too many I think add a "but" instead. You can only decide for yourself if they do to you.

Another popular expression these days is, "All Lives Matter"
I don't see much evidence that very many people agree with this though.
I know you want to disagree with me. Hell, I want to disagree with me.

Every time somebody gets killed, I feel bad. I wonder why it happened.
Of course I know why.
Mostly fear or maybe anger or sometimes maybe just a mistake was why.
I know for sure though that for that at least one moment, for at least one person; not all lives mattered.
I know for sure one more thing. Almost all of us could be that person for that one moment.
It might take different things to push us each to that point but at least sometimes we all have added an "except" as in "All Lives Matter" (Except certain ones or a specific one).

I would suggest that it matters little who pulled the trigger or who got killed. It's not important weather you identify with the killer or the victim or even if they were a good buy or a bad guy. What matters most is very simple to understand but something we all need to work on.

Not all lives matter.

Dear Trumplings:

Actually this memo is not written to, or for, you at all. I can't reach you. Haters gotta hate. Nothing I can do about that. I know this picture is going to upset you and well, that's just going to have to be enough for now.

Not a violent action

Dear Sane People, Protesters, and other Minorities:

Relax. Resist. Remain Patient. Quit fighting those you must oppose. If you lower yourself to their level, they will beat, or wear you down. Love them and reach out. Do what the people in this picture did. Do what some of them are still doing. You can't win by becoming like those others. You can show them the way out of their place of fear and hate. Show them your grace and strength so that they will want to be like you.