Northington Notes--Exceptional
Jerry W. Northington, DVM
September 30, 2013

#################################    The dictionary tells us the definition of exceptional has to do with the characteristics of being unusually excellent or superior. In recent days President Obama used the word to describe the United States. One could argue his usage was correct in any one of many ways when describing our nation. We live under what may be the best example of freedom in our world today even though the government continues to limit our personal freedoms in increasing ways. For the most part we are a prosperous nation even though far too many suffer the daily pangs of hunger. The latest use of the term, exceptional, to describe our country went on to explain the term applied because we as a nation 'were willing to fight unpopular wars.' Under that use of the word we must look to another definition, forming an unusual or rare instance, for our working defnition. The overall tone of the speech and the media coverage is disturbing since at the time polls showed Americans to be opposed to another war on foreign soil. During a time in Vietnam it was my turn to see the effects of war on the people, the land, and on the troops on both sides of the conflict. The sight was not a pretty one but the experience did serve to shape much of my life since those days. In Washington today we have very few elected officials with any measure of military experience let alone firsthand duty in a combat zone. Perhaps if more had such an experience their viewpoint might be different today. The current state of the nation is one of mixed values. We as a nation continue to pour large amounts of our annual budget into military affairs. We possess enough firepower to turn the globe to a cinder at the flip of a switch. No other nation around the world has near the military capability of the United States yet we continue to maintain more than 700 military bases around the globe (more as a sign of our strength than for any real need for action). At the same time we have people struggling on a daily basis to find food to feed themselves and their families. Increasing numbers of people are reduced to welfare and food stamps as the gap between the haves and the have-nots grows at a rapid rate. Today the difference in economic status between the upper echelons and the lower class is greater than at any time in our history. And still our Congress and our President want to increase spending on the military and to fight the 'unpopular war.' Our children are reported to be less and less prepared to enter college with the high school diploma of today. Our legislators continue to push for 'Race to the Top,' 'No Child Left Behind,' and 'Common Core' at the expense of real education. All these programs manage to enrich the corporations supplying our so-called educational system but fail to respond to the science surrounding the ways children learn. This picture is wrong on so many counts one could spend days accounting the wrongnesses. Yet the scene continues to unravel and to increase in severity day by day. Where this will end is not yet open to our vision today. The future is not predictable but if the current course continues we can begin to see the end is not going to be in the best interest of any nation let alone an exceptional one. We as a nation are beginning to form an exceptional issue based on faults and not on solid ground. We should one and all fear the situation and work in all the ways we have at hand to insure the future direction of our nation is truly exceptional in all the goodness of the word. Peace. *************************************** Quote of the Week: It's a deft trick to turn American exceptionalism into an exceptional political tactic.--Ron Fournier  ***************************************

Northington Notes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyone may subscribe to Northington Notes, a two times a month commentary.  Please forward this newsletter to friends and neighbors who may be interested.  The mailing list is a private one which will not be sold or shared.