Friday, September 21, 2007

The Golden Rule of Thumb

I was raised to follow The Golden Rule. You know, the one that says: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I think that's the way the saying goes in Bible-speak. In other words, treat people the way you want to be treated. I never had to work at this. It came naturally to me. I respect the rights of others, and expect that they respect mine. I don't mess in other people's business and expect in return that they leave me alone. It was a plan that should have worked. I followed the Rule. For years I colored within my lines, undisturbed. Suddenly there was Jim D'Angelo, reaching over and scribbling on my paper. He ruined my picture.

The Golden Rule teaches us how to behave; how we should behave. What are we supposed to do with people who don't follow the Golden Rule? How do you deal with people who treat you in a way you would NEVER treat them? Do you turn the other cheek? Or do you go for an eye for an eye?
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That old Golden Rule just may be the root of my indignation. In the past five months, I have had one person after another treat me in ways I would never treat anyone; in ways I couldn't have imagined possible in America. That arouses a consuming "How dare they?!" in me that results in a perpetual state of frustration - because so many individuals are breaking The Rule. They aren't playing by The Rule. And in the case of the Nexus/Onamia takeover, they are breaking a whole lot of rules besides The Golden one- including city ordinances and Minnesota State Law. Their Philosophy: Rules are for other people. They don't apply to us. Rules are meant to be broken - especially if there is money involved.
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So what's a Law-bider to do? Sure, under normal circumstances I could probably turn the other cheek; three others if you count the lower two. But I only have one life. You can't "turn the other life". Nor can I "turn the other farm." I only have one of those too.

Imagine my anguish when I realized that the Rule-breakers were so plentiful in Onamia. The Rule-breakers here are strong, and they've bought and paid for a shitload of followers. To me, supporting the Rule-breakers is the same as being a Rule-breaker yourself. Like being an accomplice to a crime. And what Nexus and the Onamia city council are doing is criminal. It is shameful.

Unless you have no sense of shame. Then its "nothing personal. Its business." That's what the shameless mayor told me. The sacrifice of so many families is nothing but "Business"??? I never realized how many people lack a conscience. Nope. No Golden Rule in the House of Milton.

As I stated before, turning the other cheek doesn't work with these Rule-breakers. The more you give, the more they take. You can't reason with them. First of all, they won't talk. Secondly, they won't listen. They are unreasonable. And the aggressiveness with which they have persisted in invading our .... LIVES..... (it is now much more than just invading our neighborhood) is beyond my golden-rule-mentality. "WHAT ABOUT THE RULE?" I cry. They are not only breaking The Golden Rule, they're sticking the sharp, broken shards up our collective asses - right between the cheeks we'd gladly turn if only they would back off and go away.

Although I'm not generally "an eye for an eye" type of gal, there are ways to fight back against the Rule-breakers. I can sound the alarm. I can shout "THE SKY IS FALLING! THE SKY IS FALLING!" and unlike Chicken Little, it really is, folks. I can out them. When I cry "WOLF!", there really is a wolf. And Grandma, what Big Teeth it has! The trick is to get the sheep to heed the warning. Removing the wool from their ears is no easy task. They don't want to KNOW. They prefer to BELIEVE.

What can a Law-bider do? Armed with the Truth and a mighty keyboard, I can expose them for what they are. I can squeal. I can alert. I can warn. Together, we can hold the Rule-breakers accountable - for their lies and misdeeds. We can peel back their sheep's clothing and reveal the true unprincipled wolves that they are. What Big Teeth indeed...

What may sound like Hannabelle's "personal attacks" to some, I view as telling it like it is. Somebody has to. It may be unpleasant. (It certainly is for me.) But it is necessary. We can't go on pretending that everything's o.k. when its not. People need to know the Truth in order to make informed personal decisions. They need to know who's naughty or nice. Its not always easy to discern. I'd rather have you hate me for telling you the Truth than have you adore me for telling you what you'd like to hear. What you think you'd like to hear....
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Nope. Everything ain't Hunky-Dory in the Land of Nexus.

The Golden Rule has been repealed.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

you must really be pissed off with this weeks poll lol

Hannabelle said...

Dear psycho dad,

Thank you for your comment. The people who vote for sex offenders are pretty stupid. What can I say? I'm not pissed at them - I'm embarrassed for them.

Hannabelle