A Tale As Old As Time Predicts The Future
A Geezer’s Notebook, By Jim Foster
“There seems to have been an actual decline in rational thinking. The United States had become a place where entertainers and professional athletes were mistaken for people of importance. They were idolized and treated as leaders; their opinions were sought on everything and they took themselves just as seriously- after all, if an athlete is paid a million or more a year, he knows he is important … so his opinions of foreign affairs and domestic policies must be important, too, even though he proves himself to be ignorant and subliterate every time he opens his mouth.” – Robert Heinlein
This was written years ago. (You can tell by the ‘million a year’ part) I have to be honest I had never heard of Robert Heinlein until this morning. Even now I am not sure where I came across his name nor what prompted me to research his life and quotes.
Just a quick note to those of us who had never heard of him, Heinlein was a science fiction writer (1907 – 1988) and a not-always-popular political commentator. Some of his views on sexuality and organized religion were not appreciated by his main-stream readers and listeners. It is interesting how we can idolize a writer or public figure until he or she says something we don’t agree with and suddenly they are idiots.
One of my Heinlein favourites, Never underestimate the power of human stupidity. What a great line and so apt in this day and age. We only have to look across the border or (perish the thought) right here in Canada to realize it is true.
One more quote, Never attempt to teach a pig to sing, it wastes your time and annoys the pig. Although even a pig could do a better job than Roseanne Barr did with the American national anthem at a Padres game in 1990.Where was Lee Harvey Oswald when the world needed him?
I didn’t realize it but I saw one of Heinlein’s movies on TV a few years ago, Starship Troopers. I didn’t like it at the time, too much noise and violence and more than a little weird. It was about a future war between the good guys and giant alien bugs. Although it did have one redeeming scene, a girl in a shower room without her undershirt. Odd that it is the only good thing I remember about Starship Troopers.
I was originally hired by Jeff Day to be a humour columnist for the Packet and Times in 1995. A few years later the publisher at the time, Ken Koyama, told me if I switched to writing about politics with a humorous slant he could get me into several more papers. Here I am, probably 25 years later, wishing I had taken his advice. The political situation, both here and in the States, cries out for humour because there is nothing but problems out there since Trump took over and Lord knows we need a laugh. Can you imagine, 77,302,580 bozos voted for him?
We even have a few MAGA fans here in Orillia. That I find hard to believe; but that is one of the drawbacks of a free society, even wackos have a right to their opinion. As ridiculous as those opinions seem to be to normal people
Somehow the American political system got seriously out of whack over the past several years. The inter-party bitterness has increased and they were hardly the best of friends to begin with. I suspect the Republican hierarchy is to blame, at least this time. That is probably unfair but they were, and possibly still are, not capable of seeing what Trump can and would do, and quite content to ride on his coattails earning their annual salaries, $174,000 plus benefits and expense allowances. Oh, and don’t forget their government pensions. Plus most were not exactly starving when they went into politics in the first place and still earning additional monies from those sources. If not, they wouldn’t be there.
What can we do? I have no idea, just wait and hope for the best I guess.
I wrote this column February 13th. God knows what will have happened by now. (He is worse than I could have imagined and I imagined he would be a disaster) Say, I wonder if Trump would be interested in seeing a good play. Our American Cousin is playing at the Ford Theater in Washington DC.
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