Bread and Circus

Times like this, I fear we are done as a culture.  If the worst happens and we suffer some sort of profound decline in standard of living, we will only have ourselves to blame.  I include myself in this indictment, as my priorities have been questionable most of my life.

You see, I just finished reading “The Ground Zero Mosque Developer: Muslim Brotherhood Roots, Radical Dreams,” by Alyssa A. Lappen.  It is about the mosque grand opening scheduled for September 11, in front of the Twin Tower ground zero site.  A heartsickening article to read. 

But that wasn’t all.  Next, I copied the mosque article and went to Yahoo! so I could email it.  The news featured in Yahoo’s main photo box on was . . .

drumroll please . . .

“What Were They Thinking?!”  Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon wear atrocious ensembles to the gym.

Yep.  We’re definitely done for.

The situation is worse than that.  On Yahoo’s main page, you can scroll through 40 various news articles, and right now these choices include:

Richest Teens; Coolest Senior

94 Year Old College Grad

Miss USA hopeful’s photos

Turn a Friendship into Something More

Katy Perry Changes Song Title in Tribute

Complaint over New Pampers

Cat Wiggles His Tongue

Worst Moves at a Dealership

Cruise Makes Stunt ‘Mistake’

Most Expensive U.S. Homes

Timesaving Foods to Stash (because we can’t figure that out by ourselves, just like we can’t keep our kids healthy without the government’s help)

Sheen’s Surprise Appearance

and, ironically enough:  Internet’s Effect on Mood.

I don’t have to read that last article to know the internet’s effect on my mood.

Out of 40 possible news articles, only 10 were of any substantive value.  I’m sure they were just as objective and incisive as most mainstream media product.

Yep.  So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Ministry of Childhood Obesity

The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity has issued its report on whether flashy cars really help geeky men score.

Not really.

The White House Taskforce on Childhood Obesity has issued its report on . . . childhood obesity!  (Sounds of cheers, party horns inserted here.)

Here’s the rundown.  On the left, you’ve got folks cheering this valiant and effective fight to micro-manage the populace through the use of statistics, nice-sounding jargon, and cocksure ego:

pressdemocrat.com, Huffington Post, Media Matters, Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide.

And on the right you’ve got folks booing and jeering this misguided or even sinister fight to . . . well, micro-manage the populace through the use of statistics, nice-sounding jargon, and cocksure ego:

Michelle Malkin, Ed Morrissey, Michelle Malkin again (with a nice bit of hypocrisy pointed out as a bonus), Howard Portnoy, There’s My Two Cents.

Me?  That silly voice from the rabble?  I’m sure you ten-readers-a-day are on the edge of your seats in nail-biting anticipation for my sage opinion.

Oh-kay then:  Every doggone day the Ministry of Silly Walks skit gets funnier and funnier:

At first I was bothered.  It’s a natural reaction, when someone tells you how to parent your child.  Hey, I get annoyed at my own mother if she’s too opinionated about whether I force my child to finish his vegetables. 

But with this task force thing, the annoyance quickly wore off, and I was left wondering:  how can Michelle Obama be so self-righteous and self-important to think she and her cracker jack team will get the whole population of America whipped into shape within a generation?

Perhaps the suspicions on the right are true, and she doesn’t believe her own marketing.  It’s all a subterfuge for gaining power and riches.  Fine.  My question then becomes:  how in the world do so many people take her seriously?

Because it’s absurd.  No amount of “task forcing” or other governmental meddling will change my children’s habits.  Only I have the ability to turn off the Wii and toss the rug rats into the yard for exercise.  Only I decide whether they eat McDonald’s or steamed fish and brussel sprouts.  (Folks at Finding Ponies have some excellent points worth reading.)

Folks on the left are lauding the fact that the recommendations are voluntary, not mandated.  Even though, by golly, this President has on taken the insurance, banking, and auto industries, and he’ll take on those evil peddlers of fast and junk food (oh-so-yummy fast and junk food) too!  Well hip-hip-hooray for them trying to nudge us, before they regulate the food market outright.  I feel better already.

To those on the left, I must ask:  really?  Is nothing a private, individual decision? (I mean, other than abortion, of course.) 

When will you wake up and stop acting like sheep?

It’s nutrition, not rocket surgery.  We learned this stuff ad nauseum in public school.  Just throw some chopped carrot, celery, mushroom, and stuff in your spaghetti sauces and chilis, and be done with it.  Your kids won’t even notice.  We need a federal task force to issue a 124-page report?  Is that where we stand as a culture now?

Sigh.

News flash:  The problem is not a lack of education and empowerment.  (The report’s copious use of the word “empower” was nevertheless most impressive.)

I suspect a real root of the problem is the breakdown of the family unit and family traditions in the last few decades.  Also, the increased cultural unwillingness to teach and train our own children.  You know:  putting veggies on their plate, and not allowing them to eat other foods until they’ve finished their dinner, and that sort of thing.

All the “education” and “empowerment” in the world won’t contravene a permissive, or lazy, or otherwise dysfunctional household that allows a kid to eat what he wants, when he wants.  Hmm.  Permissiveness.  Letting a child “find his own path.”  Isn’t that a kind of liberal idea?

UPDATE:  There is some complimentary legislation in the works, the Healthy Choices Act, which requires health care providers to submit BMIs of children to the state government, if that state receives federal grant money under this law.

One thing is sure.  If a liberal uses the word “choice” in a bill, that means you really don’t have any choice at all.