With the exception of Fox News, the headlines of most major media today are dominated by the all-clear given to today’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the balloons are soaring down the streets of New York City.
“Bread and circus,” or panem et circenses was a phrased used by the satirist Juvenal around 100 A.D. that refers the loss of interest by a nation’s people in the actual workings of government, and the ease with which they are placated by gifts of food and entertainment. Daily, we see this in our media: Dancing with the Stars receives more coverage than Quantitative Easing ever did, Justin Bieber’s every move is followed more closely than Fast and Furious (oh wait – is Fast and Furious followed at ALL?) and so on and on. And here we are, with Obamacare’s destructive tentacles invading every aspect of our lives, inserting itself between us and our doctors with its commissions and panels, creating chaos for employers and insurance companies, encouraging layoffs and cut-backs in hours, and putting our personal information at risk of abuse and theft. Let’s not forget who was the primary sales force for Obamacare, shall we? That would be the major networks who took it upon themselves to shill for the White House and to slander those who opposed this nightmare as racist and worse.
And meanwhile, we have entered a “deal” with Iran which cost us everything and them nothing, and which demonstrates to the world that America seems to have lost its mind. There is no doubt that we need circus. We do. One can’t wallow in these horrors without respite. We need circus indeed.
So today is a day for circus. And while certainly the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is a time-honored tradition, so, too, is being thankful for all our forebears suffered to give birth to this remarkable nation, this “City on a Hill.” We are a land created from a vision of and need for freedom, and while the struggle never quite seems to end, this great nation continues to be a beacon for freedom, and never forget: this land is EXCEPTIONAL and we are blessed to be here.
On this day, let us enjoy the bread, and the circus, but not forget to take a moment to be thankful for the tremendous bounty that is ours.
**image from www.mindopenerz.com **