Panic of the Week

Last week it was gas stoves – this week it looks like we need to be aware of the rainbows connected to the 50th anniversary of the release of Dark Side of the Moon, a recording by some rock group which incidentally stayed on Billboard’s Top 100 album chart for as long as anyone can remember. More on the record here in a bit.

But gas stoves. Seriously? The first I heard about some government agency warning about gas stoves came with the headline: “Biden Wants to Take Away Your Gas Stove!!” Yep, Joe Biden, President of the United States, to some the root of all evil (something about stealing an election by getting more votes), is set to send thousands of IRS agents to your house to confiscate your gas range! Just like Obama was poised to set government gun confiscation vans minutes after he was sworn in as President back in 2009.

Oh! The humanity!

It seems that we are bombarded by headlines from certain news sources telling us that we are on the brink of disaster on an almost weekly basis. I recall being told back sometime in October that we would run completely out of diesel fuel by Thanksgiving and that the economy would come to a standstill.

We’re still waiting on that to come to pass. Never mind that the 60-day supply of diesel fuel some portions of the media are trying to get you to panic about is what is usually on-hand and that the supply is being supplemented daily. Note, too, that the panic mysteriously went away shortly after election day.

Imagine that!

Every day there’s something trying to grab our attention – attempting to scare us into action or inaction, usually to the benefit of some group or another wanting power to… well, to twit whatever opponent they care to choose. It’s like the headline back there in the second paragraph of this little essay. There are people who dislike Joe Biden, and they love it whenever he gets even a small measure of comeuppance.

Can you say, “Classified Documents”? I knew you could!

It was pointed out the other day that time was that you had only three sources of national television news. These days, you have a multitude of sources to choose from – and people tend to choose whatever source they feel is closest to what they believe are their own views. Any source other than the chosen source is nothing but “Fake News!” Any opportunity to twit an opponent is good news – pure and wholesome, and 100% true!

Back to gas stoves.

There are risks involved in any sort of cooking as there are risks in every aspect of life. No need to panic. No one is going to come knocking at your door, wanting to confiscate your gas range.

As far as Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, fifty years is a landmark. Even more amazing is the fact that the album remained on the Billboard Top 100 album chart quite literally for decades. (Bruce Springsteen’s first album, Greetings From Asbury Park New Jersey, also hit the 50-year mark this month. Hardly anyone noticed.) The graphic artist who created the 50-year logo included a rainbow – something seen on the album cover. All of a sudden, there was an outcry from some quarters about the rainbow, and how there was an alignment with the Gay community! Think what you will about Pink Floyd’s Magnum Opus, I really don’t think that the musicians involved in making that album were signaling the Gay community. Yet, there you go. Someone with too much time on their hands and/or a chip on their shoulder is out there making something that isn’t about a 50-year-old record album.

It’s time to light up the gas stove, make some home-made soup, and take another listen to Pink Floyd!

Be Seeing You!