Introduction
Imagine,
based onthe above image, that several other skunks are with that one
in your front yard. That image is fitting, as the final conclusion
will explain. Yes, skunks invaded our front yard.
Greetings,
dear reader. I trust that you are well. It is a warm and rainy Sunday
afternoon in this neck of the woods. There are no skunk sightings
today.
I
apologize for the need to write my sixty-fourth article on
“poly-ticks”
(Greek πολύς, meaning
“many,” and “ticks,” or blood suckers).
I prefer to continue working on the sixth article in my Christian
Evidences series. I, however, will remove these “many
ticks” from my
thoughts by writing this article, if you will indulge me.
The news
media—specifically, the 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 weeks a
year type—present the “reactions” of various pundits to
trending news topics. I don't care to know the reactions of pundits.
I have my own reactions. I am not a pundit. The news media simply
need to state only the facts as verified by accurate information. If
they did only this, they would not need to be on constantly.
This
article denotes my public “reactions,” first to the Tennessee
State of the State Address on 2/6/2023 and then to the State of the
Union Address on 2/7/2023. I did not listen to either
televised live address. Instead, I read each address, based on the
references listed below.
TN
State of the State Address (Monday, 2/6/2023)
The
Address
The
complete text of Governor Bill Lee's address is found at TN,
Office of the Governor, 2023 State of the State Address, 2/6/2023.
(The spending details—of a billion here and a million there, in
nine spending categories—are found at TN
Office of the Governor: “Gov. Lee Delivers 2023 State of the State
Address – ‘Tennessee: Leading the Nation,’” 2/6/2023.)
The televised live record is at “Governor
Bill Lee – 2023 State of the State Address” on The
National Governors Association (YouTube).
The
governor spoke for 59 minutes. I read his address. I didn't watch it,
since I preferred to watch an episode of Gunsmoke. Four of the
governor's five main topics by section were on:
Good Jobs + Opportunity
Great Schools + High-Quality
Education
Safe Neighborhoods
Brighter Future
My
Reaction
My
general reaction to those four topics was nominal interest. Tennessee
by law must balance its budget—unlike the USSA (Ununited
Socialist States of America). The bureaucratic details bored my
mind. The governor wants to spend money on stuff.
I hope
that his “choice lanes” idea will repave roads near us—not just
repatch the patched potholes again. The immorality of citizens causes
unsafe neighborhoods. Good and moral neighbors—with my weapons to
stop a threat if it arises—keep Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and me
safe at home under the Good Lord's provision. Apparently, the
“brighter future” involves a cleaner, greener, and more nuclear
environment.
As long
as the governor plans to restrict further government intrusion into
my life, maintain a balanced budget, and not increase taxes, whatever
he said is of mundane interest. Bill Lee is doing well enough.
Regrettably, he knows too well how to write and speak like a
bureaucrat.
The
governor's other topic was on Strong Families, on which he
stated in part:
There was a significant shift in
this country last year when it comes to protecting the lives of the
unborn. We now all have an opportunity and a moral obligation to
support strong Tennessee families ....
... Tennessee has the opportunity
to ease one of the biggest financial burdens on mothers. We are going
to propose covering the cost of diapers during the first two years of
a baby’s life for mothers on TennCare.
My
article
from 6/30/2022 referenced the Supreme Court's 6/24/2022 decision
and affirmed the pro-life position. In general, I agree with the
governor's remarks under his Strong
Families topic, the
bureaucratic minutiae notwithstanding.
Individuals,
families, and churches have the primary moral obligation to support
families. Fathers should not be absent. The government usually
“supports” families by funding programs.
Amazingly,
the governor's plan proposes that TennCare buy diapers for babies. Is
that a moral obligation? The governor, apparently, thinks that it is.
Mom
washed cloth diapers (in an old washing machine or the bathtub) for
us four boys, when we were young enough to need them. Those diapers
were reusable. By the way, my father was, of course, in the home.
In his
closing remarks, the governor stated, “In many ways, our country
is off track. But America’s best days are not behind her.“
Generally, I am a realistically optimistic person. Unlike the
Governor, I am not optimistic about America (the USSA). I wish that I
could be.
Mrs.
Appalachian Irishman and I, however, are glad that we live in
Tennessee. The state
government is bloated by layers of bureaucracy, lack of common sense,
incompetence, waste, and inefficiencies. I know, based on my ten
years as a state employee and on my recent interaction with the
Tennessee Department of Revenue (which my
12/5/2022 article highlighted). My
9/3/2006 article on the “Big Dig” denoted wasteful spending.
We
don't ever plan to move to California, for example.
State
of the Union Address (Tuesday, 2/7/2023)
The
Address (including my efforts to read and watch)
The
televised audio and transcript of President Joe Biden's live address
are found at The
White House: February 7, 2023, State of the Union Address. The
address as prepared for delivery is found at The
White House: Remarks of President Joe Biden – State of the Union
Address as Prepared for Delivery, on 2/7/2023. I wonder who
prepared the remarks. The president spoke for one hour, twenty
minutes, and seven seconds.
The
president's remarks as prepared for delivery are not organized by
topic, as Governor Bill Lee's were. Initially, on 2/8/2023, I started
to read every word of the prepared remarks; however, the political
spin was so fast and furious that I became dizzy! Thus, I glanced for
key topics and phrases. That was all that I could endure. Finally,
with reluctance, on 2/9/2023, I printed President Biden's prepared
remarks and read them more closely.
On
2/7/2023, I did not listen to the president's televised live address.
(I preferred to watch an episode of Star Trek.) On 2/10/2023, I
listened to much of his address from the first website reference
listed above until I could endure no more. I did not compare the
transcript of the president's live address to the prepared address.
My
General Reaction
From
what my closer attention could determine, the president jumped,
fairly randomly, from topic to topic. An organized outline, by topic,
would have been better. The political spin was intense and obvious.
President Biden spoke from a teleprompter on the following primary
topics, as underlined. (My reactions, notes, and comments are
included in parentheses.)
His “accomplishments” in two
years (which are rife with spin and do not mention the Biden
family investigations that are being conducted in the House).
COVID-19 (including his spin. I
have written 30 articles on “Corona
Myopia.” I am done with the new cold virus. I have moved on.)
The events of January 6, 2021
(with his abundant spin).
The Slavic war, or the Russian
invasion of Ukraine (as I call it, not “Putin's war,” which
did not cause economic decline in this nation. I have written five
articles on the “2022
Slavic War,” which began on 2/24/2022.)
American assistance to Ukraine
(i.e., spending federal Monopoly money on weapons to give to
Ukraine).
The economy (with several pages
on inflation, jobs, manufacturing, wages, imports and exports,
infrastructure, supply chain, and so forth with an abundance of
socialist spin).
Veterans (with proper emphasis
on their care, often and unfortunately through the improved but still
too bureaucratic, wasteful, and inefficient VA).
The “Respect for Marriage Act”
(but see my
12/15/2022 article on that act).
Healthcare and health insurance
(in the context of the socialism that monopolizes both with abundant
socialist spin).
“Clean” energy and electric
cars (in the context of the global climate “crisis,” which is
a cover phrase for a propagandized and socialist agenda).
Border insecurity (which is
obvious, despite the President's spin) and “immigration
reform” (i.e., the “pathway to citizenship” for illegal
alien invaders).
Drug trafficking (especially
due to border insecurity and human immorality).
The federal government's Monopoly
money spending (as I call
it; see my
most recent, 1/23/2023, article on the topic).
The national debt (which is
huge), debt limit (which is too high already), and
budget (which continues to spend more than it
receives).
The federal tax system (i.e.,
taking more from the haves to punish them and giving to the have-nots
to keep them dependent on socialist government programs).
Big corporations and “Big Oil”
(with emphasis on taxing more of their “exorbitant” profits,
which will raise prices for consumers).
Public (i.e., socialist)
housing and public (i.e., socialist) education.
Public safety (or the lack
thereof, due to the moral decline in the nation).
“Gun control” (i.e., again
about banning so-called “assault weapons” with no comment on the
moral decline in the nation).
A cure for cancer by a “Cancer
Moonshot” (whatever that will be and cost).
“... to
protect every woman's constitutional right to choose”
(i.e., to murder their unborn babies, which is not a constitutional
right.) See my
6/30/2022 article on the topic. The President, once again, did
not say what
is chosen, which is usual for those who advocate the moral evil of
murdering unborn babies. To
choose what, Mr. President?)
Ensure the “safety and dignity”
of LGBTQ citizens (i.e.,
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer.) Not for safety and
dignity; this is the forced acceptance of those immoral lifestyles.
See my
6/26/2022 article under the “LGBTQ Pride Month” section.
China (and its military and
economic domination, with only a mild inference to their recent spy
balloon).
Voting (with spin and labeling
against those who want only fair elections).
My
Specific Reactions
In his
introductory remarks, President Biden stated his “vision
for our country,” which
included “to restore the
soul of the nation” and
“to unite the
country.”
I doubt that the president's vision is based on biblical values and
the biblical worldview. (See my eight articles so far under the
Worldviews
in Conflict topic section.)
Early
into his remarks, the president stated in part that he “ran for
President to fundamentally change things....”
That was a very vague statement, but the president revealed his
change agenda throughout his address. The change should be to return
to founding constitutional principles, not to further advance
socialism and immorality.
Later,
but still into his early remarks, the president stated in a single
paragraph, “I’m a capitalist. But just pay your fair share.”
I simply had to laugh out loud! I assume that the president was
joking by stating that he is a capitalist. “Fair share” is the
commonly used and euphemistic expression for taxing the haves more to
give to the have-nots to further expand the socialist federal
government.
In his
closing remarks, the president stated in part:
My fellow Americans, we meet
tonight at an inflection point.
We are a good people, the only
nation in the world built on an idea.
That all of us, every one of us,
is[sic] created equal in the image of
God. A nation that stands as a beacon to the world.
Because the soul of this nation is
strong, because the backbone of this nation is strong, because the
people of this nation are strong, the State of the Union is strong.
I have never been more optimistic
about the future of America.
Those
words did nothing to inspire me. The inflection (or turning) point
should be to repent as a nation and to return to godly and moral
living under the original intent of the Constitution, which is based
on biblical values. The president, of course, believes that some of
us are more equal than others (i.e., the socialists are elevated,
while the conservatives are relegated). He, of course, does not
affirm the equality of the unborn child. This once-great nation needs
to return to the Beacon to the world in Christ. The souls of true
followers of Christ are strong. The national soul, which, in
majority, does not follow Christ, is morally weak and corrupt. The
State of the Union is at best continuing to weaken ever so slowly.
I am a
realistic optimist. I, however, am very pessimistic about the
socialistic future of America.
The
Blackburn Report: Responding To The State Of The Union
Tennessee
Senator Marsha Blackburn's The
Blackburn Report, which I received by email on 2/10/2023, is the
title of this section. I subscribe to her weekly emails.
Senator
Blackburn's introductory paragraph is as follows. (The website links
are in her original paragraph.)
This week, President
Biden delivered his second State of the Union address in front of a
weary nation. On the day Biden walked into the Oval Office, inflation
sat at 1.4%,
border encounters were three
times lower,
and our adversaries feared us. Two years later, inflation is at a
40-year high, our national debt has exceeded
$31 trillion
for the first time ever, 4.6 million immigrants have illegally
crossed the southern border, and Chinese spy balloons are violating
U.S. airspace. The Biden administration has intentionally implemented
policies to further a destructive left-wing agenda, and the American
people are paying the price.
The
inclusion of Senator Blackburn's response to the president's State of
the Union Address, is added to this article simply to strengthen my
own response.
“Supper”
Bowl Sidenote
Apparently,
today is “Supper” Bowl Sunday. It is the 57th “Supper” Bowl.
The football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia
Eagles starts at 6:30 PM.
About
that time, our supper should be finished, and Molly (our “old
puppy”) should be inside with us. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman will
probably be washing dishes. An episode of Gunsmoke will most likely,
as usual, be my television selection.
Previous
notes about the “Supper” Bowl are in my articles from 8/8/2021
and 2/20/2022.
Roger Goodell never did reply to my 7/19/2021 email to him.
Conclusion:
Balancing the President's Spin
Apparently,
I was one of millions who chose not to watch the president's 2/7/2023
State of the Union address. See “27.3
Million Watched the 2023 State of the Union Address,” Nielsen,
2/8/2023. The article states that viewership was down 29% from
President Biden’s 2022 State of the Union address. The article
includes historical audience data for State of the Union addresses
from 2/17/1993 to 2/7/2023.
The
latest
Gallup poll, “Presidential Approval Ratings—Joe Biden”
(1/2-22/2023), shows that 41% of
Americans approve of his job performance.
The
viewership and approval ratings, which I have cited, place into
context President Biden's political spin and propaganda in his
2/7/2023 address. I do not understand how even 10% of Americans could
approve of the president's job performance. At least 41% of
Americans, apparently, are drinking the poison-laced, socialist
Kool-Aid.
Final
Conclusion
What
about the skunks, which the introduction mentioned? Why did I select
the above photograph for this article? I will explain as I close.
Last
Sunday night into Monday morning, the skunk invasion of our front
yard occurred! Early in the morning darkness on Monday, 2/6/2023,
when Mrs. Appalachian Irishman was leaving for work, we both smelled
the pungent odor of skunk spray, even before she opened the garage
door.
Later
that day, I noticed several diggings in and around our front yard. I
spoke with a neighbor a few days later. He had spoken with other
neighbors. The conclusion was obvious! Numerous skunks had
entertained themselves in at least three yards by having a skunk war!
The spray lingered for two days. The diggings are still present in
our yard.
Thankfully,
Molly was not sprayed. She did, however, do a lot of barking and
sniffing around the skunk diggings.
Beware
of political skunks. Their stinky spray is unpleasant. We can't keep
from smelling it. Just don't let them spray you directly.
