Editorial

I'm tired

David A. Lombardo

I am sick and tired of all the crap that's going on in the world in general and in this country in particular. The world's shining beacon of hope has been dragged down to a level of chaos heretofore only seen in distant, third world and despotic countries. This isn't the country I was born into, and it certainly isn't the country my parents immigrated to for a better life in the early 20th Century. 

I'm tired of smiling faces telling us what they'll do when elected only to turn around and do the opposite once they are. I voted for the restoration of sanity, and all I've seen is business as usual. Elected officials should come with a 90-day warranty with a self-destruct clause.

I'm tired of a government that makes up bogus threats and uses them as excuses to whittle away at our civil liberties. Here's a message to the executive, legislative and judicial branches: take your drones, red light cameras, national health care plan, spy satellites, wire-tapping, IRS, EPA, TSA and stick 'em where the sun don't shine. Oh, yeah, and how about you sleazeballs being required to abide by every law you pass that John Q has to abide by? I'd like to see you clowns forced to live on Social Security and Medicare. 

I'm tired of entitlement programs and everyone associated with them, from beneficiaries to their elected officials-those shiftless politicians who buy votes by convincing people to trade personal responsibility for a free cell phone, food stamps and subsidized housing. If you're truly down on your luck, then we should give you a hand, but you have to work for it-no more free rides. And how about you pee in a cup to get that check? Some poor working slob had to do it to earn the money we're giving you; here's a cup-go do it. 

I'm tired of paying for people to have babies so they can get more government handouts. Okay, first kid-you get a pass, and we'll give you a hand, but again, you've got to work for it. Second kid, with no dad in sight: zippo, nada. You figure out how to pay those bills. Third kid: all your benefits get revoked, and you're on your own. 

I'm tired of people rioting in the streets because of some perceived injustice. The facts are the facts, and no amount of stolen televisions and burning businesses will change the truth. If someone's guilty, let them pay the penalty; if they're not guilty, embrace the suck and accept that your favorite cause du jour really is a scumbag who deserved what he got.

I'm tired of anyone who bashes the United States of America. I don't mind intelligent discourse on how to make things better because we're far from perfect, but no country on Earth has ever done more for the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. If you fools acted this way in two-thirds of the countries on this planet, you'd simply disappear, never to be heard from again. You don't like it here? Go somewhere else. 

I'm tired of political correctness, of the ability of one loose wingnut to be able to disassemble an entire group's lifestyle simply because they feel offended by it. I'm offended by your self-indulgent, narcissistic attitude. Just shut up and let law abiding citizens follow their religious and social tenets. Among my friends I see a rich diversity including black, Asian, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, atheist and gay. I wished them all Merry Christmas, and they replied the same; we respect one another's diversity and understand my saying Merry Christmas is a gesture of good will. If that offends you, shut up. Oh, yeah, and sign up for some psychotherapy. 

I'm tired of people bashing cops. Are there bad cops? You bet, just like there are bad doctors, bad teachers and bad politicians. But I spent the better part of 20 years in two states working as a part-time deputy, and there is nobody on the planet more dedicated to preserving the peace and righting wrongs than the average, day-in, day-out cop. The notion that law enforcement specifically targets any law abiding group is crap. These are people who have dedicated their lives to protecting the innocent, who willingly put a small silver or gold target over their heart every day and hope they will return home that night to their families. You think your particular special interest group is under-represented in law enforcement? How about you get an education, lead a law-abiding life and apply to be a cop yourself. 

I'm tired of pacifist losers telling me I don't have a right to be armed to protect myself, my community and my country. Conservatives cite the Constitution; liberals are forever trying to interpret it. Excuse me, the Constitution works perfectly fine as written because it's written to protect us from idiots like you. 

I'm tired of what America has become under liberal leadership. We have become a weak, obsequious nation. We have so stripped our military of the equipment, support and pride they need to effectively fight a war that third world clowns bedecked in phony medals and gold braid think they can do as they please. How did we get to the point that some fanatical gang of thugs can behead our civilians with impunity or that some two-bit punk kid with a bad haircut can shut down a major motion picture studio, if even for a little while? As crippled as it may be, we still have the most powerful military in the world, yet we shackle it with foreign policy dictated by cowards and apologists. 

And more than anything, I'm tired of a populous that shakes its collective head then puts up with it. It's no longer possible to turn the tide of over 50 years of entitlement programs, to stop rioting in the streets over injustices that may not even exist or to stop ISIS or any of a half-dozen other terrorist groups from causing havoc on American soil. My advice is to be prepared for what is most likely to come: be armed, be vigilant and be ready. You owe it to your family and your country.