What Ever Happened To Good Manners?

We who are of a certain age remember them. We had them drilled into us from the time we were capable of comprehension. They seem to matter little in this country any more but they are still the mark of a person in many others. It is why I get upset when a Susan Boyle lets loose with a stream of profanities and our President seems uninformed regarding the rules of protocol.

We've been through it all. No elbows on the table; children are to be seen, not heard; hold the door for women; stand when they enter a room; relinquish your bus seat to the elderly or disabled. How long ago was it when Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips doffed his signature cowboy hat in the Astrodome because his Mama taught him never to wear his hat inside? How long has it been since you received or wrote a thank you note for a gift or kindness?

Manners, as I knew them, have largely disappeared. While men often hold a door for me and always respond to a thank you, they will likely be the one sitting at the next dining table with a baseball cap turned backward, or not, on their head. How long has it been since women wore hats to church or men a coat and tie to the theater?

Ah, as my dear departed Mom would say, those were the good old days. She would also point out the fact it was a standard of living.

In this morning's Wall Street Journal there was a graphic article depicting the onslaught of the "ugly American" to the theater scene. It speaks of latecomers asking the actors to suspend their lines until the latecomer settled in, how pictures are snapped when expressly forbidden, when bare feet are propped on a rail in front of other patron's noses, and a family passing a bucket of chicken down the front row.

Speculation about these breaches of etiquette ranged from the decrease in ticket prices to attract audiences to exactly the opposite - top dollar was paid and the attendee was "entitled" to behave as he/she pleased.

I don't agree with either. Manners are not the cause and effect of ones dollar value. It's the cause and effect of how one was raised. Period.

The days of casual Fridays drove the point home in the work place. Businesses that cared found sloppy dress promoted sloppy work habits.

In Peggy Noonan's column in the same issue, mention was made of Nancy Pelosi's demeanor at the unveiling of Ronald Reagan's statue at the Capitol's Statuary Hall.

"At public events Mrs. Pelosi always tries to look engaged, a pleasant half smile on her face. This is a courtesy women in their middle years unconsciously give to the world. It is precious and largely unremarked. You see it on the street in small towns."

Something taught so well it's ingrained.

You see, good manners are noticed. Protocol and manners are synonymous. They remain, even today, the measure of a person. Our President would do well to recognize this.

It's A Lot More Than The Speech

It would seem a few of my regular readers did not agree with my observations regarding Obama's speech in Cairo. That's okay and I'm not writing this to justify those thoughts but to illustrate what I look for overall when writing a critique.

I stand by my point that it was a soaring speech. It was delivered to a selected audience under the watchful eye of the host country - Egypt. It was filled with generalities that said little other than you're okay, we're okay. I disagree. They are not okay.

When Obama stated:

"That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't. And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear," Obama said to applause. He said neither Muslims nor Americans, though, can fit the "crude stereotype" they are sometimes assigned. "

What exactly did he say? "...based on what Islam is, not what it isn't." Well? What is it and what is it not? Eliminate the terrorists, it is still the Islamists who under their archaic laws beat and stone their women and behead their enemies.

He wasn't quite so generous with the Israelis other than affirming that we would always stand with them yet they have to tear down the settlements. According to the Jerusalem Post those settlers did not take kindly to his rhetoric and today reconstructed structures dismantled yesterday and dubbed them "Obama Huts".

The New York Times tells us he has need to mend a rift with German Chancellor Angela Merkel ranging from the global economic crisis to the future of Guantanamo inmates.

Things have been shaky with the French too. How can the President of the United States decline a dinner invitation from the President of France? The article tells us the problem between these two leaders began at the G20 summit when Sarkozy told colleagues, in private, he found Mr. Obama inexperienced and less than well briefed.

Bowing to the Saudi King at the G20? Michelle's arm around Queen Elizabeth?

This is what happens when the lines get blurred between governing and entertainment and the President and his family are regarded more as "stars" than leaders. Give him a break? He's only been in office a short time? The Presidency is not a position for on the job training yet that is exactly what it is. There is no way to foresee from week to week, sometimes even hour to hour, what may occur needing immediate attention.

Being likable or considered "cool" holds little sway on the world stage. Not knowing proper protocol gives the appearance of inexperience and yes, weakness. There is no excuse for it. That I have a problem with these issues is of little matter. When the heads of state of Israel, Germany and France have a problem all eyes are watching.

Some may be inclined to give Mr. Obama time; others are likely getting ready to pounce.

Being All Things To All People Won't Work Forever

We had to drive to Pullman today to get another month's supply of medicine for Bacchus. During the time we listened to Ingraham, Limbaugh and Hannity dissect Obama's speech.

I found from the actual sound bites that nothing much of substance was said. It seemed to me to be mostly platitudes. Considering where he was that was probably prudent, but I'm wondering how it will be received in the rest of the world.

For some time now, in his major speeches, Obama seems to be an apologist for things that have happened before his watch. It has been happening so often it's beginning to sound like we've never done anything right. Which of course, is incorrect, even under George W's administration.

Something else that seems to be more and more prevalent is how Obama is trying to be all things to all people. He involved his Muslim heritage to a fare-thee-well in today's speech yet he ran from it during his campaign. He reiterates our bond with Israel yet defends the Palestinians right for their own state. Never mind that they had one before it was split up to form Israel. He defended Iran's right to have nuclear power yet while elsewhere insists they will never be able to develop a bomb. He does not believe they intend anything else. In other words, every word that was uttered was parsed for the audience which may cause more skepticism than anything else.

What he is doing is not exactly what I would call diplomacy. That concerns me. Diplomacy is when two sides have differing views and negotiate to find a common area of agreement from which to build.

He speaks of how we can all live in peace if only we can find that common starting point. Therein lies the fallacy. Take the government out of the equation, there is little common ground between the western and Islamic worlds. They beat their women, behead their captives and thumb their nose at the world order. We stew. Let's face it. The Islamic world does not like us. It's not because they don't understand us; they do. It's because they believe, and rightfully so, we (the west) want to change the way they live and what they believe. As it stands the chance of the two sides ever seeing eye to eye is remote.

I don't think I will ever see in what's left of my life, Americans embracing the Muslim community that resides within our border what's more around the world. There is too much bad water under the bridge and too much instilled fear.

It's time for Obama to come home and listen to the growing concerns the people he was elected to serve have concerning too many of his policies. He's had his say. W's administration was bad and we're sorry. Okay. Enough said. If there is any additional placating to be done, have Islamic leaders come to us and explain why they cling to their beliefs and justify them to us. The same for Israel. Come on over and explain to us why you won't budge on the illegal settlements which is a huge roadblock in the "peace" process.

No one seems to care how we, the people, feel about any of this. We're not as uninformed nor complacent as may be thought. We understand our culture is slowly being changed without our stamp of approval. Car companies being saved because of a "brand" that will be forced to build cars we don't want, won't buy and in no way will begin to resemble what the "brand" was initially representing! We understand the Republicans are providing no counter argument nor action nor leadership. We understand that soaring rhetoric that can't be delivered without the aid of teleprompters does not mean a thing without some substance behind it yet none is forthcoming.

We understand. Oh, yes we do. That's why, as innocuous as it may seem today, a new militia is being formed in upstate Idaho and gun sales are soaring. That, my friends, is the real handwriting on the wall of what's brewing barely beneath the surface in this country. We understand. We are not the ones who are tone deaf. One can only hope those in power are not totally blind too.

This Is How I Came Home

My hand is still numb. The sling comes off Thursday. Hunting and pecking with one finger is proving difficult. Besides I'm still groggy. All for that little cyst! Can't wait to see what's underneath all this swathing! See you Thursday or Friday.

The Cyst Has Got To Go!

I've had this nuisance factor for about eight years now and it's coming off tomorrow! When it gets aggravated it hurts; it's gotten infected more than once and snags on everything! Though I couldn't find anything about stress causing it to act up, just after Bacchus's initial diagnosis it flared to about twice what is now. It may have gotten aggravated from giving him his pills in a less than delicate manner. It's time for it to go!

What is it?

According to E Hand.com it is a ganglion. I love the explanation of how it can be this or that and caused by this or that and may or may not be an issue. I may or may not lose my finger nail. I can't help but laugh. I do figure I may or may not survive the procedure but will take a wild chance and say I will! Who knows, I may or may not be back as soon as tomorrow afternoon! More likely Tuesday, however.

This is how E Hand explains it:

In the hand, a ganglion is a particular type of lump which shows up next to a joint or a tendon. Inside, it is like a balloon filled with a thick liquid. It may be soft or hard, may or may not be painful, and may get bigger or smaller on its own. It may also be referred to as a mucous cyst, a mucinous cyst or a synovial cyst.

What caused it?

Normally, joints and tendons are lubricated by a special liquid which is sealed in a small compartment. Sometimes, because of arthritis, an injury, or just for no good reason, a leak occurs from the compartment. Now, the liquid is thick, like honey, and if the hole is small, it can be like having a pinhole in a tube of toothpaste - when you squeeze the tube, even though the hole is small and the toothpaste is thick, it will leak out - and once it is out, there is no way it can go back in on its own. It works almost like a one way valve, and fills up a little balloon next to the area of the leak. When we use our hands for normal activities, our joints squeeze and create a tremendous pressure in the lubricating compartment - this can pump up a balloon leak with so much pressure that it feels as hard as a bone.

The lubricating liquid has special proteins dissolved in it which make it thick and also make it hard for the body to absorb it when it has leaked out. The body tries to absorb the liquid, but may only be able to draw out the water, making it even more thick. Usually, by the time the lump is big enough to see, the liquid has gotten to be as thick as jelly.

I'm seeing more of my Doctor these days than Bacchus is his. I'm using the time for a bit of a tune up. After this little snippet is over, we tackle the arthritic back. One more time. Sigh.