Well I don't know why I came here tonight
I've got the feeling that something ain't rightI'm so scared in case I fall off my chairAnd I'm wondering how I'll get down the stairs....Stealers Wheel
I have often wondered why I came here. I seem to have always been a step out of sync. I'm sure many people feel this way so I'm not claiming to be "special." But I do feel like I have been trying to wake up from this dream for a while. I graduated high school back in the dark ages of 1976. I have gone through many stages of life. Raised Christian conservative. Became more liberal and less dogmatic. Became more religious and tried to live more in line with my faith. Became fond of pot and beer and then became more religious again and then became more liberal and finally in the middle of my 6th decade I have found myself to be sufficient without trying to appeal to outside authority such as peers, scientists, preachers, philosophers and others for permission to just be me.
This weekend while talking to my oldest friend from childhood who is much farther to the right than I am and in watching a youtube video from a rock music enthusiast who ironically is very far right and in listening to a very liberal "spiritual" wanna be guru who is more left of center and thinking of another lady who is very much woke although very sweet I find that I am indeed stuck in the middle.
Clowns to the left of meJokers to the rightHere I am stuck in the middle with you...Stealers Wheel
Pulling the public strings of these two camps on the left and right are the politicians, race baiters, pop scientists and preachers. Trying hard to tell one group that the other group are all inhuman demons and that the very fabric of decency is dependent on stamping out conversation, civility and contact. That it's wrong to censor but in this case the threat is so great that tolerance can't be tolerated. So watch my podcast, buy my book and vote this way and you will be saved, spared and weaponised to fight the murderous inbread baby killing child raping bastards on the far right or far left depending on which podcast or book or sermon you're listening to.
One particular string pulling puppet from the right went completely stone cold senile a couple of times at the microphone during a press conference. Another idiot from the left compared an electrical fire in one of his mansions to the loss of life, children and loved ones in a fire in Hawaii. Now I'm no Trump fan but if Trump had said that the idiots at CNN and MSNBC would be howling for years about how evil he is.
Yes I'm stuck in the middle with youAnd I'm wondering what it is I should doIt's so hard to keep this smile from my faceLosing control, yeah I'm all over the place...Stealers Wheel
The music guy got on a biblical kick about gay marriage and gender. Look, I understand. having been brought up on the bible, what it says. However, being a curious young man I dove into the history and translations and how we got the bible and found that it isn't a "book." and the writings were not assembled and made holy by angels but by a group of men in funny hats from Rome under the direction of various popes. Now they didn't write it. But they absolutely translated and delivered what they wanted to be dogma. I'm not trying to disprove the scripture. I still read it. I just don't want anyone to govern me by it or declare it to be infallible and the Law of the land. If I were gay I wouldn't feel condemned because of ancient texts that were never meant to be a science book or a history book or even a book at all. On the other hand the very liberal person I know of wants to make six year old's feel responsible for the oppression and slavery of a whole race of people that they never met and wants certain other children to feel inferior and beholden and in need of more liberal policies to be able to live in the land of the free.
Clowns to the left of meJokers to the rightHere I am stuck in the middle with youWhen you started off with nothingAnd you're proud that you're a self-made man...Stealers Wheel
It isn't easy having your own voice in this world. You have to pick a lane and stay in it. Choose a team jersey and never question the reasons just accept the labels you're given and the dogma you're taught. I'll be honest the two easiest things in the world to be are a far left liberal or a far right conservative. The script is already written and the path already laid out. The good guys and bad guys are clearly marked out for you.
And your friends they all come crawling
Slap you on the back and sayPleasePlease....Stealers Wheel
Please just accept me. I'm just like you. I have on the same jersey. Me and God hate the same people you do. Or me and the late night TV hosts hate the same people you do. I'm Popular dammit. You like me. You really like me. It's a hard thing to realize that everybody doesn't like you and everyone doesn't thump the same bible or see the world just like you do or even agree with you. But, that's okay.
It doesn't mean you have to sacrifice the truth. It just means you have to respect the other person's right to be wrong or even admit that you might be wrong. I know it's crazy. But, it happens.
Trying to make some sense of it allBut I can see it makes no sense at allIs it cool to go to sleep on the floor?'Cause I don't think that I can take anymore...Stealers Wheel
So I decided to look up an honest definition of gender since that appears to be the latest tool of people that want to separate the good guys and the bad guys. First I have always assumed that gender meant sex. Well it turns out that gender means attitude or personal affiliation with sexual identity. Meaning it's more about how you identify than what your body is biologically. Still the identity is between male and female. So both sides are correct. Gender isn't about being biologically male or female. But, it is about identifying as male or female and there are NOT a hundred and eleven to infinity genders out there. So both left and right can take a victory lap. NOT.
I'm a social liberal. That means that I feel that a nation such as the United States should have healthcare for all. We should treat addiction and build less jails and more mental health facilities. I personally believe in a higher power and have my own inner life but I don't think that everyone needs to follow a religious text or be religious at all. I feel if Bob wants to marry Bill and leave all his worldly possessions to him that it's nobody else's business.
I believe if we took all those billions that we are sending to the Ukraine for war and instead gave every American a full stomach and shelter and healthcare we would still save billions of dollars.
Student loans should be eligible for bankruptcy just like any other debt. Our borders should be protected and we should have an honest path to citizenship. You can't not have a border if you are going to be a nation. But, hating on people for trying to get a better life is cruel because you would do the same thing if the shoe was on the other foot. I know I would.
If you want to be called a man or woman then that's fine. I'm a nice person and I'll certainly try to treat you with kindness and respect. However, No a man can't become an actual woman at 50 years old the same way a woman who was biologically born and lived as a woman for 50 years is. But, that's a personal opinion and if you want to try it I'll certainly support your right to do that.
If you are letting your 8 year old go into ANY public restroom alone then you're not doing it right. Politicians got y'all going crazy over silly chit. If you are blocking puberty of any child or minor then you're an idiot and not as enlightened as you would like to think you are. Yes I do feel drag shows are protected free speech and expression under our constitution. No, I don't want a drag queen reading to five year olds in public libraries. especially with your junk hanging out of your panties. On the other hand I don't want a fire and brimstone preacher telling my five year old they are a hell bent sinner and need to repent. So, it's not a left or right issue with me. It's common sense. Let kids be kids. There is plenty of time for your political, religious, and sexual questions as they age.
No, I don't like abortion. Yes I do feel it's the woman's decision to make and not mine. Not yours either. If some of you would support child care and financial assistance and Medicaid then your dream of less abortion would come true. But, some of you also need to stop "slangin snot" as if it's a holy right of womanhood to have an abortion. Actually, most of us or at least many of us on both the left and the right aren't that concerned except when the politicians start firing us up about it.
Yes. I was caught up in Trump derangement at one time. I still Think he's a seriously flawed and nasty human being. But, so is Joe Biden and the Democratic and Republican parties. No it's not a good look for the ex president to be paraded on trial for the world to see. It makes us look like a banana republic. Just my opinion and I"m entitled to it. I just don't have the energy to write out my reasons right now and I doubt they would change anyone else's mind anyway.
One thing about getting older. You stop sucking in your gut to make sure a woman likes you. Or if you are a woman you stop worrying about how men are looking at you. As you get older you try to leave some of the drama and putting on facades behind. It's liberating and I no longer am looking for a pat on the head from an employer or a church leader or a pretty girl. I just go off on my old fart rants and get on with life.
Peace!
