Skip to main content

The Liberty of Obediance



I was taking a long walk through my neighborhood the other night and saw this sign. I was admittedly gobsmacked when I saw it. Enough so that I had to take a picture of it just so I could be sure I really saw it. Now, just so you know, I don't live in any kinda of kooky neighborhood. No gangs, no snake handlers, not much of anything really. Shaler Township is a nice, quiet, BORING area. The church posting this sign is technically in Etna...not a particularly exciting area either...unless you count the flood some years back.

The last few days this sign has really bothered me. No, I'm not against "obediance" but obediance to who? God? Sure, all for it. The government and it's agencies on the other hand, I'm all for disobediance. This country has slid a bit too far to the right and is pretty much becoming a third world nation for it.

I take this sign as meaning "OBEY and you'll be left alone". I don't relish that thought one bit. It strikes me as an appeal to this minister's congregation to accept the status quo...don't rock the boat...let those in authority do whatever they need to do to keep everyone safe. Safe from who or what? Maybe I'm paranoid. I've done my fair share of partying...but it seems to me that the only people or groups that WE THE PEOPLE need to fear are governmental in nature. They are the ones creating the mess that we all are in.

Sure, give tax cuts to the rich...the poor will make up the difference. Sure, allow the politicians to give themselves pay raise after pay raise...and pensions for long after they've performed their duties...most often badly.

At what point did our country become a military state? Just today, my girlfiend and I were coming home from dinner and were pulled over. The crime? My girlfriend made a right turn on a YELLOW light. OK, judgement call perhaps...but this cop was WAY out of line! As my girl made the turn, the cop (on his motorcycle) yelled "Hey! What do you think you're doing ASSHOLE?" Yes...the cop called my girl an asshole. Her car was nowhere near his bike. There was very light traffic and I can tell you from watching the whole scene unfold, she turned on a yellow light. Yellow. Sure, she probably should've slowed to a stop rather than make the turn but who among us hasn't done the exact same thing?

As we drove up the street I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the cop turn around. I suggested she pull over as he was coming. She did. He put on his light and pulled into the lot behind us. (a school parking lot) She already had her license and registration, etc. out and ready for him. Was he polite about it? No. He continued speaking to my girlfriend in a rude, insultory tone. When he asked again 'what the hell she thought she was doing' she calmly stated that she had made a right turn on a yellow light. Before she could even finish her sentence, the officer become even angrier and stated that he was planning to let her off with a warning but since she wanted to argue, she would get a ticket instead.

OK, most of us have had traffic tickets before...but come on...this was bullshit.

Had we been obediant little drones and merely "Yes sir"ed and "No sir"ed the officer, he probably wouldn't have given her a ticket. Had I not been in the car, I can only guess the actions he might have suggested! He was really that much of an ass.

Is this the type of America We The People want to live in? What happened to police accountability? Serve and Protect! Who is being served or protected by this type of police behavior? This guy is nothing more than a bully with a badge and a gun and the assumed right to use them.

The Liberty of Obediance? I don't think that's the world I want to live in. Count on me to do everything I can, all the time, to disobey those who think they can control our lives. Because folks...that's what it comes down to. Being controlled. Do you feel the need to be controlled? If so...enjoy the liberties of obediance. You can cower in the shadows like mice. I'd rather be taken down on my feet than live on my knees.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Clearing up the Great Gretsch/Rockabilly Sham!

I've had a long-standing friendly argument with a couple of friends about guitars. This has gone on for 20+ years. We're all pickers, and we're all usually lumped under the rockabilly category too. They both love Gretsch guitars. I can take them or leave them. Rockabilly fans have asked me many times why I don't play a Gretsch, which is often associated with rockabilly music.   First, I point out that what I play ain't exactly rockabilly. Sure, there's a definite rockabilly influence...but there's also blues, jazz, surf, garage, punk, country, Tex-Mex, and even some Gypsy & African influences in my music. A Gretsch just ain't gonna cut it. Don't get me wrong, Gretsches have their place and their own, unique sound. But...for a picker who is coming from the afore-mentioned influences, a Gretsch just ain't gonna cut it.   The new Gretsches, mostly reissues, are well-made guitars. MUCH better made than the original ones, which tended to ...
14 comments
Read more

Since they changed YOUR life, how about YOU changing someone else's?

The recent deaths of Lemmy and David Bowie have caused a mighty ripple through humankind. People that I never would've guessed to be "fans" have shown their true colors. An old lady I know, it turns out, is a huge Motorhead fan. Folks I work with, who seem much more at home listening to bland modern country, have vocalized their lifelong love of Bowie's music and movies. These two musicians changed a lot of lives for the better. Both died of cancer. As a two-time cancer survivor, as well as being a musician, their death hit home with me...and hit hard. I was lucky enough, both times, to not only survive but to also have decent health insurance at the time. My out of pocket costs were minimal. Many aren't so lucky. With Obamacare we're all forced to pony up for affordable health insurance...or be fined. For many, it's just not feasible. One of the groups hardest hit by the US health care nightmare is musicians. Professional musicians make their liv...
5 comments
Read more

Colin Hardy: We'll Meet Again

 2026 has been off to a rough start. Not even a month in, and I’ve already lost a few friends. Now, before anyone reaches for the tiny violins and assumes I’m whinging - relax. I’m not. Yes, it always hurts to lose someone, but I’ve learned to use moments like these to lean into the good memories: the reasons we got along in the first place. This morning, I found out my old buddy Colin Hardy passed away over the weekend. Col hailed from Stoke-On-Trent (which I always jokingly called Stoke-On-Rye ). He was a working-class bloke through and through, but we shared a deep love of music — especially the old-school rockin’ variety. We first crossed paths on a music-sharing site and immediately began raiding each other’s collections. This was back in the dial-up days, when downloading a single MP3 could take half an hour if the phone didn’t ring. Eventually, we started emailing instead. Col sent me tracks by the likes of Crazy Cavan, Freddie Fingers Lee, and others. He was always hungry f...
Post a Comment
Read more