rants part two: the twists begin

with the tickles mostly out of the, i'm warning you now, the twists are about to begin.  and i'm sure some nipples are about to become VERY sore.                                                                                                                  let's begin with the recent obama nominations already drawing flak, apparently from both sides of the aisle.  the objections coming forward, at least to me, are ridiculous on so many levels, i'm not sure exactly where to start, but let's begin with this one:  president obama nominated hagel to spite the gop.  instead of being about selecting someone who's qualified, this "reach-across-the-aisle" is being cynically viewed by some as a politically motivated trick.  granted, i am not versed in the ins and outs of the political process, but who's trying to trick who into doing what?  to me, it is similar to the criticism gov. christie received when he dared speak in glowing terms of the president and his response to hurricane sandy..  suddenly, this scion of the gop was not conservative enough and was treated like a traitor to the "cause".  next, we have the furor over his use of the term "jewish lobby".  using the term apparently automatically makes you an anti-semite.  it is my understanding that the most basic definition of "lobby" is a group of economic and political organizations that come together to help advance an agenda and influence policy.  even in israel the term is used, although usually qualifid by adding the word "american", thereby making it the "american jewish lobby".  so, the use of what seems to me to be an innocuous phrase makes him unqualified.  and add on the fact that he has in the past supported sanctions not supported by the state of israel, once again he is not a friend of the jewish state.  fact: friends don't always agree.  but that doesn't mean you're no longer friends.  and friends , real friends, don't insist on such agreements being a deciding factor.  please don't tell me that as your friend i MUST go along with everything you say or do; this is not something one friend should ever ask of another.  it's also been suggested that he's too abrasive to hold the post he's been nominated for.  as head of defense, and having to put up with some of those in congress, i would personally appreciate a little abrasiveness; it shows to me he has a mind of his own and is not willing to be run over by others, becoming just another yes man working only for the good of a political party.  and they're threatening to hold up the hearings for brennan until they get some "real answers" concerning the embassy attack in libya.  face it.  they will never get the answers they want until they get something incriminating they can hold over the head of the administration, because they so want to blame obama for SOMETHING.  so, let's pursue fair, timely hearings (and i really think that term automatically casts a negative tone over the proceedings)..or are FAIR and TIMELY too much to ask for?                                                                                                                                              the next is something that we recently have been drowning in..the discussion of gun control.  we've had meetings, panels, vigils, opinion pieces and letters to countless editors.  blame has been leveled on many, views endlessly recycled.  admittedly, i fall into the category conveniently labeled by most as anti-gun, but i prefer to call myself pro-enforcement.  we need to enforce the laws we have, strengthen them when necessary and enact, when it is proven those we have are weak and don't work.  and it's not video games, music videos or movies that cause these senseless acts.  we live, and have lived, in a society that glorifies war and violence.  the westerns of the 30's, the war and gangster movies of the 40's and 50's, all couched in history and/or patriotism, seeming to show that violence, especially when used by "the good guys", was necessary.  but in the seventies, the definition  of good guy changed, and the vigilante was cheered (death wish 1 thru ?).  however, even then , such mass shootings as we have today, were rare and when they happened, it was usually discovered there was an underlying mental condition.  so to paraphrase, movies/video games/music videos don't kill people, it's people with mental problems that kill people, and we must make it harder for those people to get their hands on guns.  people in the mental health field think the mentally ill are being unfairly targeted, but it just cannot be ignored or trivialized.  we no longer lock crazy uncle ernie in the attic and pretend he's not there.  we pump them full of drugs and say they're cured, allowing them to live "normal" lives.  to be honest, i think, in some ways, they had it right with the attic.   stricter background checks and waiting periods, two things the pro-side vehemently oppose, should be strengthened and enforced, and the availability of guns that should be limited to the military or law enforcement should be questioned.  so there.  if i've pissed you off...tough!                                                                                          going back to the obama nominations for a moment.  i just read a post by someone who declares the nominations "business as usual"..choosing ones "pals and cronies" to fill vacant offices.  RIIIGHT!  a democratic president selects a republican for his cabinet because they're such buddy-buddies.  and we all know how cordial the republicans and democrats are up there on the hill.  once again, bi-partisanship becomes a four-letter word and our elected officials keep acting like children.  oops!  sorry.  don't mean to insult children.                                                                                                                                                and finally, still talking about children it appears that president putin has put a stay on the recent law passed to put an end to adoptions of russian children, mainly by americans.  it now seems that adoptions that were in the process of being finalized will be allowed to proceed, and children will be allowed to become a part of loving families.  at last, somebody is putting  children first.  it's a step, and hopefully one of many.                   until next week.....