A Jolly Good Sort Of An Extremist American Day
By Charles Orloski
22 February, 2015
Countercurrents.org
Jeopardy-laced question: How did my personal campaign to prevent neighborhood people from being radicalized to violence fare today? Am certain neither ISIL or the C.I.A. are very interested, but perhaps someone in snow pummeled Boston shall understand me? Indeed... tonight at 4:30 P.M., my Scranton School bus run completed, I tried to park our KIA Sportage alongside Harrison Street curb, and get close to family apartment door. Freezing temperature, less than ten (10) degrees, all parking spots were taken by a neighbor up-the-block who evidently had a birthday party going on, and radical people who did NOT share my values, took all the spots. It's an ugly hassle in Scranton to stand united and empower snowed-under communities.
At first, I considered a large-scale attack on each of the five cars, a little jihad tap of my KIA bumper against their passenger side doors, and that would teach them! Upon second thought, I desired to brutally knock upon the party door, and explain to ignoramuses how Jesus would never occupy the entire Harrison Street block with either donkeys or camels, and force a mere Publican (like me) to park a block away, walk home in the cold. However, “Better Angels” prevailed, and I realized how America is successful because we welcome people off all drunken faiths and backgrounds to take our parking spots. Humbled, I stared at gasoline gauge, less than ¼ tank, and came to grips with having to park my car inside the Taylor Hose Company # 1 lot. Kia staged in a dark lonely space, engine shut down, my work boots peacefully touched ice. Maybe its the goddamn good childhood I had? For its fact that Boko Haram massacred and kidnapped men, women and children for less offenses than I endured this wicked Winter behind the wheel of a large public school bus. Gives one something to think about, eh?
Yeah – I climbed twelve apartment steps, chanted, “I am not an extremist who kills innocents because an extremist happens to be parked wrong!” Wife Carol met me atop steps, she heard weird chant, and suggested I remove wet boots, “so our tan carpet will not get dirty.” After 25-years of marriage, one would think Carol would have something more uplifting to say to her husband? Indeed, Carol's focus should have been on “empowering me” and leave me with a sense of improving “entrepreneurial development.” But no, she simply informed me about a hot bowl of chicken soup upon dinner table, and warned, “take it easy with the salt shaker, Chuck, and you'll find today's Scranton The Times-Tribune upon the table... and the news will put you in a better blood pressure mood.”
Our homeland life? Carol and I remain dead centered committed to vow, “better or worse.” We pray to God so that our thermostat is never raised above 65-degrees, and Pennsylvania Water does not turn off service. Like Muslims, we dream of taking an annual Haj to Mount Airy Casino, and circle rows of slot machines until touching the right one. Although beleaguered, we strive to be teachers for our two sons, modeled upon the wisdom of Buddha and T.V.'s Blue Bloods cop family. Penniless, we want to behead members of U.S. Congress, but the Law of Moses, as explained by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, staved our hand! I have a pretty firm Protestant work ethic, but no matter, last March 2014, I still got fired.
At kitchen table, Splenda poured into black coffee. The siege upon City of Scranton's treasury continued, and I read front-page article, titled “Islamic militants turn to Facebook to terrorize.” (Los Angeles Times, by David Zucchino; February 20, 2015) I felt too crabby to read about this errant social media development, and I turned to The Times-Tribune, OP-ED section, and a Guest column titled, “Uniting Against Extremism,” written by President Barack Obama. He opined “the U.S. has made significant gains against terrorism... we've decimated the core of al Qaida leadership, and strengthened homeland security.” In other words, under the standard banner, “We Alone Are Right,” the U.S. government takes carte blanche privilege to hypnotize divided Americans, and kill EXTREMISTS until we see a quality of life improvement in our nation. Uh, Obama said “decimated?” That means, like Romans, our government only managed to kill one (1) out of ten (10) core terrorists? Alas, they have a tremendous amount of hard work to do before creating positive change!
Under any other circumstance, and after the extreme pain, and suffering the U.S. has inflicted upon Iraq thrice, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Detroit, and Yemen, I never expected to see President Obama heading a pro-war/peace campaign to “prevent people around the world from being radicalized to violence.” Ah, think of it – all the government lies forced upon trusting and financially decimated Americans? How about the judgment of millions of American citizens who deplore George W. Bush for the tragic events unfolding and escalating in Iraq today? And how can Barack Obama say, “it is our free societies and diverse communities that offer the true path to opportunity, justice and dignity?” Hogwash! It's always valuable for a Planetarchis to foster tame & compliant Christian, Jewish, and Islamic religions, and subsequently dictate what type of “unity” best serves the ends of oligarch (1%) power.
Given chiseled down beliefs and enforcement of Vegas ethical principles, Janet Reno could fry Branch Davidians; Secretary Madeline Albright could assert all death & mayhem in Iraq was “worth it;” Senator John McCain can call protestors, like Code Pink, “scum;” techno-killers imprison Kathy Kelly for acting in the name of Christ's peace; and Catholic ex-Senator Rick Santorum (R., PA) wants to feed “Islamo-Fascists” to Wall Street sharks. (Note: Forgive me, I just talk off top of my head here; there's no doubt more indignities.)
A time has come when American communities seek an alternative ethical yardstick, and understand WHO are the world's real dangerous extremists, those parked illegally on the Main Street block. Face it – a growing number of average citizens are uncomfortable with being impaled upon Cargill meat hooks, and hung-out to dry in the slimy swamp of Citizens United vs. F.E.C. The other day, from F.M.C. Lexington jail, Kathy Kelly wrote an article, recommending Senator John McCain “repent” for his barbaric talk about Code Pink. Repentance... Repentance? Wuz dat – Marc Rich on slick pardon ropes? Our government and painstakingly programmed society is so UNREPENTANT that The American Sniper (Chris Kyle) becomes a role model hero for millions of high school kids; those whom upon graduation, must either compete for fast-food and low paying warehouse jobs or join Pennsylvania Army/National Guard.
During America's Times of Trouble, we're taught repentance is only for has-been dissidents like Solzhenitsyn, throwaways like John Edwards, NBC, Brian Williams. Lieutenant William Calley did time for My Lai, Charles Garner & Lynndie England got wrist slaps for Abu Ghraib, “so let's move on to civilize Gaza Strip, Syria, and Tehran!” Cut ISIL into hamburg, and help Muslims become perfect morsels like us, “be all they can be.'” O shit – it happened again outside!
My KIA Sportage parking space is taken by another heartless extremist! Once again, I experience radical impulses to decimate cars that park on snowy block, and owners who deceptively claim Manifest Destiny. What to do? Are there voices of Islamic clerics and scholars around who can teach me the true peaceful nature of Pat Roberts' religion? A pretty slick bastion of Wall Street-Christianity we are – and how many self-righteous soldiers can President Obama's pro-war/peace campaign deliver? Indeed, no country in the 21st Century has become uniquely messianic & hostile as the U.S.A, and the Supreme Court made sure we get decadent leaders, supported by Koch Brothers, Adelson, and Soros, who shall ”empower” Average Joes to ark alongside The Golden Calf Banquet, feast upon leftover scraps in the snow.
Charles Orloski lives in Taylor, Pennsylvania. He can be reached at [email protected]
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