Things Are Not Always As They Seem
Topic: Out of Flyover Land
As more information comes out after the first flush of confusion and chaos, the perceptions of the American People are starting to shift.

Feds Get Slightly Better Marks on Katrina Response
Thirty-six percent (36%) of Americans say that the federal government has done a good or excellent job responding to Hurricane Katrina. That's up from 28% ten days ago.

While 36% say the federal government has done a good or an excellent job, just 31% say the same about the response of state and local governments

Hurricane Katrina

Federal Response----------- President Bush Response
Excellent 15%-------------- Excellent 20%
Good 21%-------------- Good 19%
Fair 20%-------------- Fair 23%
Poor 42%---------------Poor 37%


Things are not always as they seem at first glance, even when the media does not go out of its way to point things blacker than needed.

Now I realize that drama sells more advertising than good news, but you have to admit, the Mainstream Media in this country do go to extremes at times.

Not however as much as the in Europe. There they do not allow even the most trivial action, such as going to the lavatory escape their eagle eye and sense of ridicule.

BREAKING NEWS at SPIEGEL ONLINE: Bush's Bathroom BreakThere is a new standard for quality and niveau in the German media when it comes to reporting on the United States. Forget explaining the complex workings of American politics, forget trying to present diverse political viewpoints from within the world's only remaining superpower, forget serious discussion of the Bush administration's plans for UN reform. No...none of that really matters right now...put all that on hold...this is far more important...

Sigh one wonders if they checked the room to see if the sink was wet indicating he did wash his hands afterwards. It is obvious he did we would have heard about it otherwise.

While I was reading this and like matters I got to thinking how different reality is from what most of the public perceive it and I recalled some events from my youth.

I will take a moment here to reminisce. Some may find this tale humorous some may not.

First I must provide some perspective and location.
I graduated from High School in 1969, some of you will recall those days, a time of great upheaval here at home and abroad.

I did not go to the University, until the Fall of 1971, my first two years I spent at a local Community College branch of the University of Kentucky.

I missed quite a bit of the excitement by staying home those two years. One particular incident I missed at UK was the night they burned down the ROTC Building A blow for the Revolution!

I say they, because I was about 300 miles away when it happened and had no involvement. But after wards at UK and during the years later I met quite a few who were very proud that we burned down the ROTC Building. Really I thought there were far too many "we's" for all of them to have been involved but some people do like glory through Association.

What divides me from them is that I know the real truth about what was done that night. I learned it from a girl I met on campus.

Maureen was a very pretty girl, which might account for my clear recollection of the tale she told after all these years.

Was she a Revolutionary, and Anarchist, a Sister in the Struggle? No, Maureen was a Dancer. A Ballet Dancer actually with the UK Dance Company.

Maureen also had a severe handicap, which was revealed to me by one of her closest friends. Ballerinas start training when they are not much older than babies, toddlers even and Maureen was VERY good at what she did, but alas she did NOT have the Classic Ballerina Build, she was how shall I put it? Too top heavy. EXTREMELY topheavy. Believe me, when those bright blue eyes flashed and her face flushed with emotion and and the Twin Peaks moved, your attention was RIVETED.

Maureen was very bitter about the Night They Burned Down the ROTC Building. No she was not a Young Republican, she was just a Dancer, but you see, the ROTC had not used that building in YEARS.

The Fine ARTS Dept used it instead to store the Props and Costumes for the Theater and Dance Company!

It was a case of Improper Target Identification and a lack of Intelligence in ALL the definitions of the term.

Over the years I have had the great pleasure of running into people who went to UK at that period of time and look back on their Revolutionary Youth with great Pride,

I just love it when they say, "Yeah man, WE burned down the ROTC Building!" and I get to see the confusion in their face when I reply, "Yeah that certainly was a Great Blow in the Struggle Against Culture!". "Rise up and throw off the Shackles of Ballet and Theater?"

Then when I explain with disgust what actually happened that night, and how long it took the Fine Arts Dept to recoup the blow to its budget, there is that moment, when I can see ALL of their Youthly Illusions Shatter, and Die,

Now, I want you to know, I am not an unfeeling person, I get a great deal of delight from these experiences. ;-)


The Lesson of this tale is always verify,
Things Are Not Always As They Seem.

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