As I sit here pondering my next move(bow hunt or blog), it looks like it will be blogging then hunting. I notice that many of us get into situations that, for the sake of argument, I will call "getting into a rut". Facebook friend Donna has called it " putting up fences" for ourselves. Whatever you want to call it, it is both fascinating and frustrating.
We dive into life after our school days are over and most of us begin a career, maybe not in the same company, but mostly the same field. Over time, some of you may lose a job and you sit and wonder what's next. Where can I go now? How can I move on? What will I do? All valid questions, but often they are surrounded by the limitations that you impose on yourself. You may already have a home and family and your mind limits you to a job within a reasonable driving distance or a certain type of company. You have limited yourself because you are afraid of upsetting your family, you may not want to sell your home and move, you dont want to or are afraid to start another line of work or you are just plain afraid and dont really know what you're afraid of.
My fascination has always been the "why?" of being afraid of these things. Love and respect of my wife has kept me from dropping everything on more than one occasion and rejoining the military. I am not afraid of it. I would have no qualms about selling most of what we own and leaving, I just dont think that something so drastic should be one-sided in the relationship. Now if she was ok with it, well, we'd have been gone long ago. I never understood the fear of the unknown as far as work or life-choices go. I like going new places, meeting new people and trying new things. I know you may look at selling a house(for the sake of argument--maybe it was half or more paid for?) as something that is taboo, but I think the other side of it is the adventure, the change itself. Kids are resilient, they can get over or past anything like being uprooted and finding new friends, I think after school tv and teen angst movies have caused a negative perception of starting over. As always, I have to say that I'm sure not every move is going to be wine and roses. I just think that real life is too often mixed and stirred by the spoon of Hollyweird.
You should do what you have to in that situation, making as little compromise as you have to. Dont let your fear keep you from being happy. Dont settle for something that could keep your family happy in the long-term because you are too afraid to discuss it and implement the change. As always, this is but one example. There are myriad situations that people throw up walls and cannot find their way around them.
That same fear keeps us from asking out a girl/guy, it prevents ideas from being implemented at work and even keeps us from looking for cheaper car insurance. Seriously. I know people that were afraid they would hurt the agent that they were with so instead of seriously reducing their rates at a big-name company, they paid over-priced premiums for years. On one hand it was noble not wanting to hurt the small-businessman, but on the other hand the fear of offending someone cost them money that could have been better spent somewhere else.
What kind of walls did Amelia Earhart have? What kind did Albert Einstein have? What kind did any person that ever tried something new or adventurous have? We all do it, it's just a question of when. Is it something that will cost us, hurt us or set us back? Is it something that will stagnate us and keep us in a pit of despair, wallowing in pity and never realizing why?
Make your choices and own them. Just dont make choices that are based on the "conventional" methods of thinking if it is going to wind up causing you and yours needless suffering.
I know this was a short rant, but I have a Christmas cookie calling my name and I have a snowstorm to watch. Damned walls. Need more windows.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
66 Merry CHRISTmas? Grusse Gott.
In our search for personal truth and satisfaction we often have a lot of stumbling blocks along the way. Let's begin by stating that most of us know our country was founded on Christian values. Okay, I'll buy that, sort of. Our forebears looked to escape religious persecution and the oppressive rule of an out-moded form of government. To steal a bit of a quote from F.D.R.- our country has always been about bringing equality and peace to the world through our "righteous might". You have to look past the corruption that is politics and look at the ideas that our founding fathers had, but you should get my point.
As we arrive at the Christmas season, I would ask a bit of leniency from the Christians. The spirit of the season is about love and forgiveness, hope and faith, is it not? It is to celebrate the life of a man that spread the word of these qualities, no matter the suffering put on him by the society of his day. His piety and staunch faith to the message that he spread has reverberated for two millenia.
His message has given hope to many and if nothing more than that, he should be lauded as much or more than what we do.
I will never understand why "devout" believers in any religion preach tolerance and yet will decry any stance that is not their own. Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Wiccan and even the baser, non-deity religions like Druid and Native American (some,not all) have their own messages of peace and hope. The dawning of a new day, the birth of new lives, the passage of the earth through her seasons of ebb and flow and the very journey through life are all good reasons to celebrate.
As the year comes to a close, let us not focus on the awful things we hear and see from the media. Let us remember the family and friends that have loved us and those that have gone from this earth to continue their journey. We should practice what we "preach", should we not?
Scientists at the CERN facility are looking for the so-called "GOD particle" and hoping to understand the big bang by the dazzling power of the experiments their machine has wrought. I say-forget about it. Let God be God, we are not meant to understand the why's and how's of the creation brought about untold ages ago. As usual, it's all my opinion, but I think life is about the journey, not the destination. You work towards a personal goal and strive to make it happen. There is a satisfaction upon completion of attainment, and yes, often the goal is worthy and satisfying, but, hear me out: was not the path leading to the goal just as satisfying? Sometimes maybe moreso? I relish the strength I feel from working through trials and roadblocks that stand in my way. I feel a sort-of strength and power that must be but a taste of what God felt as he created what is. My journey has been the learning part, not the ends to each minor event. Your schooling taught you, not the diploma received upon graduation.
I have said it before, but I think we are supposed to learn certain things in our journeys, some do, some dont. I think we all move along and through the paths to whatever the goal may be. Some get caught up, stalled if you will and are doomed to repeat certain things until they can move on or up. Heaven is not above, there is only atmosphere and then space. Heaven is in the eyes of your loved ones, it rests in the beauty of the scenery and in the creative works of man.
So, if I see you and say "Merry Christmas", I do so because to me, the spirit of the season is about reminding each other that we are here to love and get along, learn and grow. Many do not, but that is their failing. If by saying a few words we can get through even to one person, one time, it is worth the saying. Men of faith in this "modern" world are often not about faith at all, but about the money to be made from others blind faith. I do not lump all into one, but I chose a long time ago to make my own way, find my own "truths" and try to find my own way to give hope to people. Many times I have been chastised by the ones who bang their drums the hardest. I think they cant hear their own heart anymore for the noise.
I probably sound like the dope-smoking hippies from not-so-long-ago, but I say to you: Be tolerant, be peaceful, be hopeful. There is always room for hope. We can hope there is something after this life. No one wants to think that our life is all there is. What would be the point? You just have to be able to accept other people's vision of what comes next. I may not believe there are actual "pearly gates", but that doesnt mean there arent for you. You may not think you will move to a new life in a new "dimension" or world or even back on this world, but that doesnt mean that I'm not going to. Most religions are supposed to be about tolerance, but it is rarely so. Try talking to a Christian about your views as say, an agnostic or even as a Muslim. I bet most of the time you'll get the "yes, but I'M right after all" speech or at least the snide look. Before you start bashing me, think about it. How many of you on facebook have posted the "I dare you to post this if you're not afraid to admit you_____Jesus" stuff? Are you afraid to hear another viewpoint without judging it? Again, I would have to say no. I have been on both sides of the argument. I used to attend a structured religious setting and after I made up my own mind about God, the bible and organized religion I have taken a bit of flak about it.
I will always believe that the Christmas holiday is a good, viable outlet for your own brand of spirituality. I love having family and friends come together at our home and eat a big meal and catch up on each others' lives. It is a time to forgive and forget, show each other that you still care no matter what has happened over the years and keep the turkey and smoked ham industries in business.
So as you move about the country this year to see family and friends, remember that soon, your taxes will be due, you're one day closer to eternity and there is a God somwhere that is guiding you. Whether you choose to accept him or not, whether you think he's there or not, believe me, the IRS is there and they will be waiting.....
As we arrive at the Christmas season, I would ask a bit of leniency from the Christians. The spirit of the season is about love and forgiveness, hope and faith, is it not? It is to celebrate the life of a man that spread the word of these qualities, no matter the suffering put on him by the society of his day. His piety and staunch faith to the message that he spread has reverberated for two millenia.
His message has given hope to many and if nothing more than that, he should be lauded as much or more than what we do.
I will never understand why "devout" believers in any religion preach tolerance and yet will decry any stance that is not their own. Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Wiccan and even the baser, non-deity religions like Druid and Native American (some,not all) have their own messages of peace and hope. The dawning of a new day, the birth of new lives, the passage of the earth through her seasons of ebb and flow and the very journey through life are all good reasons to celebrate.
As the year comes to a close, let us not focus on the awful things we hear and see from the media. Let us remember the family and friends that have loved us and those that have gone from this earth to continue their journey. We should practice what we "preach", should we not?
Scientists at the CERN facility are looking for the so-called "GOD particle" and hoping to understand the big bang by the dazzling power of the experiments their machine has wrought. I say-forget about it. Let God be God, we are not meant to understand the why's and how's of the creation brought about untold ages ago. As usual, it's all my opinion, but I think life is about the journey, not the destination. You work towards a personal goal and strive to make it happen. There is a satisfaction upon completion of attainment, and yes, often the goal is worthy and satisfying, but, hear me out: was not the path leading to the goal just as satisfying? Sometimes maybe moreso? I relish the strength I feel from working through trials and roadblocks that stand in my way. I feel a sort-of strength and power that must be but a taste of what God felt as he created what is. My journey has been the learning part, not the ends to each minor event. Your schooling taught you, not the diploma received upon graduation.
I have said it before, but I think we are supposed to learn certain things in our journeys, some do, some dont. I think we all move along and through the paths to whatever the goal may be. Some get caught up, stalled if you will and are doomed to repeat certain things until they can move on or up. Heaven is not above, there is only atmosphere and then space. Heaven is in the eyes of your loved ones, it rests in the beauty of the scenery and in the creative works of man.
So, if I see you and say "Merry Christmas", I do so because to me, the spirit of the season is about reminding each other that we are here to love and get along, learn and grow. Many do not, but that is their failing. If by saying a few words we can get through even to one person, one time, it is worth the saying. Men of faith in this "modern" world are often not about faith at all, but about the money to be made from others blind faith. I do not lump all into one, but I chose a long time ago to make my own way, find my own "truths" and try to find my own way to give hope to people. Many times I have been chastised by the ones who bang their drums the hardest. I think they cant hear their own heart anymore for the noise.
I probably sound like the dope-smoking hippies from not-so-long-ago, but I say to you: Be tolerant, be peaceful, be hopeful. There is always room for hope. We can hope there is something after this life. No one wants to think that our life is all there is. What would be the point? You just have to be able to accept other people's vision of what comes next. I may not believe there are actual "pearly gates", but that doesnt mean there arent for you. You may not think you will move to a new life in a new "dimension" or world or even back on this world, but that doesnt mean that I'm not going to. Most religions are supposed to be about tolerance, but it is rarely so. Try talking to a Christian about your views as say, an agnostic or even as a Muslim. I bet most of the time you'll get the "yes, but I'M right after all" speech or at least the snide look. Before you start bashing me, think about it. How many of you on facebook have posted the "I dare you to post this if you're not afraid to admit you_____Jesus" stuff? Are you afraid to hear another viewpoint without judging it? Again, I would have to say no. I have been on both sides of the argument. I used to attend a structured religious setting and after I made up my own mind about God, the bible and organized religion I have taken a bit of flak about it.
I will always believe that the Christmas holiday is a good, viable outlet for your own brand of spirituality. I love having family and friends come together at our home and eat a big meal and catch up on each others' lives. It is a time to forgive and forget, show each other that you still care no matter what has happened over the years and keep the turkey and smoked ham industries in business.
So as you move about the country this year to see family and friends, remember that soon, your taxes will be due, you're one day closer to eternity and there is a God somwhere that is guiding you. Whether you choose to accept him or not, whether you think he's there or not, believe me, the IRS is there and they will be waiting.....
Friday, December 11, 2009
65 I Cant Drive 55
As a youth, I did what most teenage boys did when they got behind the wheel: drive like a bat out of hell. We had a souped-up truck at home and, well, what else should a fresh, young driver do with a few thousand pounds of jacked-up horsepower? I "drove it like I stole it", yes, I admit it. A couple months back, when I started this blog, I reported that my oldest, Nathan, had dinged up the ol family truckster. I really didnt give him that much guff over it because I know what I did to Dad's truck way back when. The worst thing I did(and had to admit to) was take out a row of mailboxes on my way home late one night. All things being equal, I know what happens when a new driver gets behind the wheel for the first couple years or so.
This brings me to what has become of driving on our highways and byways nowadays: cursing, raging tempers, high blood pressure, "Death Race" mentality and unmitigated slaughter. I am guilty of it myself. I catch myself cursing and yelling at drivers going either 20 miles under or 20 miles over the speed limit, drivers that feel they cant obey simple traffic signs or lanes and generally any idiot that falls under Scott DeWitt's "Shouldnt have a Licsense" category. How many times have you pulled up to a 4 way stop and some 'tard who cant remember his drivers handbook pulls through A-without looking and/or B-out of turn? How many idiots do you see trying to go 50 or 60 in a residential area? How many have you seen swerving and careening in and out of traffic because they were probably too stupid to either leave early enough to get to their destination on time or they are too damned dumb to care about the safety of the rest of the people on the road? Teenage boys and their "screw-you, I'm cool so I can do what I want and no one will say anything" attitude? How about people that are too old to be out of the house without an escort let alone driving a car? Little old ladies that cant see over the steering wheel, but by-God they're going to church/walmart? What about the guy who gets pissed because you're going the speed limit and he cant pass you? You know, he's the one in your rear-view mirror screaming and beating on the steering wheel, riding your bumper and laying on the horn at every opportunity.
Our roads have become an endless parade of steel, guided by short-tempered, over-worked, over-pressured folks that project all their frustrations from home and work onto anyone in traffic that doesnt conform to their idea of what speed and manner of driving they should be going. I have had women in nice vehicles that appeared to be in their 40's or 50's flip me off after THEY cut ME off at a 4 way stop. ME ME ME!!! Everyone wants everything to be about them. Of course that includes their destination being more important and their time frame being the more important one between theirs and yours. I know I have done some of this in a mild to medium manner and I regret it. Believe it or not, I do stop to think about what I've done, but only after I've gotten to where I'm going. Most of the time, I do try to obey the traffic laws, but, well....the flesh is weak.
Conversely, there is such a thing as the signage being out of place and therefore, hindering traffic flow and creating even more aggravation. For example: there is a posted limit travelling West on rt7 coming out of Reedsville of 35. Although there is a small mall ( with only 2 businesses in it) and a bank beside it, it is pretty much straight on and wide open until Masontown. The 35 limit goes for about a mile out of town and is usually a speed trap when they have the money to hire a cop. I cant really see a purpose in it remaining 35 from the grocery store to the bowling alley except for the ticket revenue, besides, the drunks at night usually dont pay attention to it anyway.
I suppose I may be putting too much into it, people get angry about everything and nothing, so why not get angry driving? You have independence and power inside your vehicle. You can choose where you're going and how fast or slow you'll get there. It may be one of the last things we can do at which we are truly free. At least as free as the laws will allow, but you should get my point. I have had to be somewhere in a hurry and so have you. Does that give us the right to be reckless and dangerous? No. You can be frustrated without contemplating mass murder inside a rolling battering ram.
Maybe we shouldnt be allowed to drive until we're 22. This would ensure that youths were either out of college (mostly unless you're Dewey Moore) or had been in the workforce for a few years. Maybe the damned bars and nightclubs should have to close a little earlier than 2 or 3 or 4. Maybe if you're caught committing a traffic violation that is a direct result of road rage you should be limited and tested somewhat like a drunk driver has a tube to blow in to start their car, maybe some sort of stress-tester. Oh that's right, most of the drunks around here just drive anyway or are slapped on the wrist and handed their license.
This time of year the traffic is insane anyway. Holiday travel and shopping, office parties and kids on break from school all contribute to clogged roads the same as summer travel and a white sale at J.C. Penny's. I would really appreciate it if everyone would stay off the Scott lane when I am out and about. Please be considerate and reschedule your happenings so that they dont conflict with my driving schedule. If I am going to be taking a leisure drive(you know, to put more money in the arabs' pockets) I will try to let you know so that you can alter your travel plans in accordance. I DO understand there are emergency situations and if you MUST head for a hospital or an injured friend/relative's aid, please disregard the wild-eyed red-head behind you, screaming and yelling and weaving in and out of his lane behind you. It is probably me and I am just expressing my frustration at your inconsiderate habit of driving in front of me and not behind and slightly to the right. Oh yeah, get the hell out of my way you friggin mook.
This brings me to what has become of driving on our highways and byways nowadays: cursing, raging tempers, high blood pressure, "Death Race" mentality and unmitigated slaughter. I am guilty of it myself. I catch myself cursing and yelling at drivers going either 20 miles under or 20 miles over the speed limit, drivers that feel they cant obey simple traffic signs or lanes and generally any idiot that falls under Scott DeWitt's "Shouldnt have a Licsense" category. How many times have you pulled up to a 4 way stop and some 'tard who cant remember his drivers handbook pulls through A-without looking and/or B-out of turn? How many idiots do you see trying to go 50 or 60 in a residential area? How many have you seen swerving and careening in and out of traffic because they were probably too stupid to either leave early enough to get to their destination on time or they are too damned dumb to care about the safety of the rest of the people on the road? Teenage boys and their "screw-you, I'm cool so I can do what I want and no one will say anything" attitude? How about people that are too old to be out of the house without an escort let alone driving a car? Little old ladies that cant see over the steering wheel, but by-God they're going to church/walmart? What about the guy who gets pissed because you're going the speed limit and he cant pass you? You know, he's the one in your rear-view mirror screaming and beating on the steering wheel, riding your bumper and laying on the horn at every opportunity.
Our roads have become an endless parade of steel, guided by short-tempered, over-worked, over-pressured folks that project all their frustrations from home and work onto anyone in traffic that doesnt conform to their idea of what speed and manner of driving they should be going. I have had women in nice vehicles that appeared to be in their 40's or 50's flip me off after THEY cut ME off at a 4 way stop. ME ME ME!!! Everyone wants everything to be about them. Of course that includes their destination being more important and their time frame being the more important one between theirs and yours. I know I have done some of this in a mild to medium manner and I regret it. Believe it or not, I do stop to think about what I've done, but only after I've gotten to where I'm going. Most of the time, I do try to obey the traffic laws, but, well....the flesh is weak.
Conversely, there is such a thing as the signage being out of place and therefore, hindering traffic flow and creating even more aggravation. For example: there is a posted limit travelling West on rt7 coming out of Reedsville of 35. Although there is a small mall ( with only 2 businesses in it) and a bank beside it, it is pretty much straight on and wide open until Masontown. The 35 limit goes for about a mile out of town and is usually a speed trap when they have the money to hire a cop. I cant really see a purpose in it remaining 35 from the grocery store to the bowling alley except for the ticket revenue, besides, the drunks at night usually dont pay attention to it anyway.
I suppose I may be putting too much into it, people get angry about everything and nothing, so why not get angry driving? You have independence and power inside your vehicle. You can choose where you're going and how fast or slow you'll get there. It may be one of the last things we can do at which we are truly free. At least as free as the laws will allow, but you should get my point. I have had to be somewhere in a hurry and so have you. Does that give us the right to be reckless and dangerous? No. You can be frustrated without contemplating mass murder inside a rolling battering ram.
Maybe we shouldnt be allowed to drive until we're 22. This would ensure that youths were either out of college (mostly unless you're Dewey Moore) or had been in the workforce for a few years. Maybe the damned bars and nightclubs should have to close a little earlier than 2 or 3 or 4. Maybe if you're caught committing a traffic violation that is a direct result of road rage you should be limited and tested somewhat like a drunk driver has a tube to blow in to start their car, maybe some sort of stress-tester. Oh that's right, most of the drunks around here just drive anyway or are slapped on the wrist and handed their license.
This time of year the traffic is insane anyway. Holiday travel and shopping, office parties and kids on break from school all contribute to clogged roads the same as summer travel and a white sale at J.C. Penny's. I would really appreciate it if everyone would stay off the Scott lane when I am out and about. Please be considerate and reschedule your happenings so that they dont conflict with my driving schedule. If I am going to be taking a leisure drive(you know, to put more money in the arabs' pockets) I will try to let you know so that you can alter your travel plans in accordance. I DO understand there are emergency situations and if you MUST head for a hospital or an injured friend/relative's aid, please disregard the wild-eyed red-head behind you, screaming and yelling and weaving in and out of his lane behind you. It is probably me and I am just expressing my frustration at your inconsiderate habit of driving in front of me and not behind and slightly to the right. Oh yeah, get the hell out of my way you friggin mook.
Friday, December 4, 2009
64 Ice is Nice
For those of you who read my blog, you know I tend to be a bit melancholy about the world. Many of you with strong religious backgrounds look forward with hope and peace and love and tolerance. I think you believe the world will someday progress into a perfect union of love and tolerance and believers will be living on a planet with a perfect society. I'm here to tell you that some billions of years from now, the sun will balloon into a red dwarf star and consume this little mudball. We are in the backwoods part of the galaxy. Our little world is an insignificant speck in the scheme of things and it exists only through an infinitely complex series of events that eventually lead to enough chemicals coming together and forming complex organisms to eventually evolve(debatable whether that's a good thing) into some homicidal, destructive, bipedal organisms that continually debate their own origin, questioning every aspect of both their physical world and their ability to be able to question themselves.
With that off my chest, I put to you a question: Have you ever noticed the patterns that exist in the life of the planet herself? I did not say mankind because there is a larger process at work here. It does manifest itself in humankind but it has been around far longer than some highly evolved primates have been scratching their rear-ends looking for bugs. What I am speaking of is a breath or pulse that seems to beat, almost like a heart, only it is on a global scale. After the birth-pangs of violent extremes, i.e.-planet cooling from a molten blob, developing rudimentary life, then more complex plants and animals and the seasons themselves(due to our orbit around our pathetic yellow star and her own revolutions). The planet herself seems almost alive.
There is an ebb-and-flow to this planet. During the age of dinosaurs our mudball was a hot, lush place for the most part. The air was nothing like it is now, the continents were different and of course, the flora and fauna. The planet has continued cooling and voila! we get ice ages and periods of higher-than-average temperatures. I dont like all this "global-warming" mumbo-jumbo. It has been observed by scientists that the planet has had periods of high heat and the big-ol' glacier-covered snowcone effect. I think we are experiencing a minor warm-up now. We are overdue for the big-freeze. Politicians and pundits screaming about carbon credits and how carbon dioxide is a pollutant have persuaded the mush-headed masses that man alone has caused the potential downfall of our planet by heating the atmosphere and melting the glaciers, drowning polar bears and raping whales. I say the sheeple tend to panic when they experience the least little change in their perceived norm.
I say screw the polar bears, the spotted owls, the forest jaguar and any other species that stands in the way of man's survival. I am all for helping a species get a leg up if they're having trouble reproducing, but if a million people will have to go without heat because a purple striped frog with 3 toes had his habitat encroached upon, well, let's say that frog legs are pretty good if they're cooked right. The trouble with humans is natural selection. We have pretty much figured out how to avoid nature's culling mechanism. More people are surviving horrific injuries, disease and birth defects than at any time in history. Our average life span is double what it was since we invented recorded history and quite frankly, the elderly are surviving(in many cases) way past their viable, enjoyable life span. We prolong many lives for the benefit of doctors, hospitals, nursing homes and da..da...da......drug companies. They poke, tweak and prod, medicate and near-eviscerate them like some sick biology experiment to milk every last dollar from insurance, government programs and family until the well is dry. This is about quality of life, folks. Plain and simple. Every single one of you has had a relative that has either been kept alive without a semblance of their former self, been kept alive in misery or know someone that has.
We are a small, almost infinitismal creature in the scope of things. This planet was only meant to support so much life and we insist on forcing it to our will. Massive algae blooms(look at the Gulf of Mexico) directly or indirectly from farming that drains massive amounts of fertilizers and pesticides into our waterways, Irrigation that drains natural aquifers, these and more are what's contributing to destroying the earth. The reasonably viable living space that is available here is being forced to support more people than it reasonably can. These areas become choked and poisoned and still we pile more on. I think this planet is a living organism. Eventually, she will get to a point that, just like our body, she will fight the offending virus with anything available. As if war, pestilence and disease weren't bad enough, the earth may come up with some new horror that will scratch the itch until it goes away.
I've said it a hundred times: use what we have and what we invent and live in harmony and achieve a balance with nature. Will we? I doubt it. We seem to have to learn the hard way with just about everything. We cant even find a way to acheive renewable energy without taking money from the poor, giant companies. If only we didnt have to take billions from their coffers to be able to let even the poorest among us have cheap heat and transportation. Sigh.
Maybe the world does need thinned out. Nature culls the weakest of the herd, the least viable plants, the slowest, the stunted, the diseased, maybe we should too. It's not as bad a problem in developed nations as it is in 3'd world countries. You've seen them on tv. Living in squalor, uneducated, unemployed and living from day to day in a hell and misery that we have never known. Their countries have not focused on development and education. They frequently have regimes that exist only to bleed money and power from whatever segment of the population they can, so the people multiply and suffer.
The balance will come whether by our own hand our the earth's. The only other factor that could undo us is man's penchant for war. Iran, North Korea, Russia...so many others that want us to fall, fail, die trying. If nations like us fall the rest of the world will soon become a pile of grinning skulls with a few dictators and warlords sitting atop the piles. The visions of madmen dont include a plan for anything past destroying that which they abhor. They would milk the world dry for nothing more than a pile of money, some possessions and some people to order around and some to torture.
My guiding force pushes me to do the right thing every day. The problem with that is that I have no real influence or power to effect a change. Maybe someday my words will provoke the right person, maybe not. I can think that I am Captain America all I want, it wont change it. I wear our flag wrapped around my heart, a shield strapped to my wrist and all the righteous might I can muster, and yet, for all my squawking and strutting, I cannot change that which I think must be. I would rally like minds to my cause and be smashed down for my efforts. Today, this rant ends and I am a beaten man. Oh yeah, screw the ozone, I need a tan.
With that off my chest, I put to you a question: Have you ever noticed the patterns that exist in the life of the planet herself? I did not say mankind because there is a larger process at work here. It does manifest itself in humankind but it has been around far longer than some highly evolved primates have been scratching their rear-ends looking for bugs. What I am speaking of is a breath or pulse that seems to beat, almost like a heart, only it is on a global scale. After the birth-pangs of violent extremes, i.e.-planet cooling from a molten blob, developing rudimentary life, then more complex plants and animals and the seasons themselves(due to our orbit around our pathetic yellow star and her own revolutions). The planet herself seems almost alive.
There is an ebb-and-flow to this planet. During the age of dinosaurs our mudball was a hot, lush place for the most part. The air was nothing like it is now, the continents were different and of course, the flora and fauna. The planet has continued cooling and voila! we get ice ages and periods of higher-than-average temperatures. I dont like all this "global-warming" mumbo-jumbo. It has been observed by scientists that the planet has had periods of high heat and the big-ol' glacier-covered snowcone effect. I think we are experiencing a minor warm-up now. We are overdue for the big-freeze. Politicians and pundits screaming about carbon credits and how carbon dioxide is a pollutant have persuaded the mush-headed masses that man alone has caused the potential downfall of our planet by heating the atmosphere and melting the glaciers, drowning polar bears and raping whales. I say the sheeple tend to panic when they experience the least little change in their perceived norm.
I say screw the polar bears, the spotted owls, the forest jaguar and any other species that stands in the way of man's survival. I am all for helping a species get a leg up if they're having trouble reproducing, but if a million people will have to go without heat because a purple striped frog with 3 toes had his habitat encroached upon, well, let's say that frog legs are pretty good if they're cooked right. The trouble with humans is natural selection. We have pretty much figured out how to avoid nature's culling mechanism. More people are surviving horrific injuries, disease and birth defects than at any time in history. Our average life span is double what it was since we invented recorded history and quite frankly, the elderly are surviving(in many cases) way past their viable, enjoyable life span. We prolong many lives for the benefit of doctors, hospitals, nursing homes and da..da...da......drug companies. They poke, tweak and prod, medicate and near-eviscerate them like some sick biology experiment to milk every last dollar from insurance, government programs and family until the well is dry. This is about quality of life, folks. Plain and simple. Every single one of you has had a relative that has either been kept alive without a semblance of their former self, been kept alive in misery or know someone that has.
We are a small, almost infinitismal creature in the scope of things. This planet was only meant to support so much life and we insist on forcing it to our will. Massive algae blooms(look at the Gulf of Mexico) directly or indirectly from farming that drains massive amounts of fertilizers and pesticides into our waterways, Irrigation that drains natural aquifers, these and more are what's contributing to destroying the earth. The reasonably viable living space that is available here is being forced to support more people than it reasonably can. These areas become choked and poisoned and still we pile more on. I think this planet is a living organism. Eventually, she will get to a point that, just like our body, she will fight the offending virus with anything available. As if war, pestilence and disease weren't bad enough, the earth may come up with some new horror that will scratch the itch until it goes away.
I've said it a hundred times: use what we have and what we invent and live in harmony and achieve a balance with nature. Will we? I doubt it. We seem to have to learn the hard way with just about everything. We cant even find a way to acheive renewable energy without taking money from the poor, giant companies. If only we didnt have to take billions from their coffers to be able to let even the poorest among us have cheap heat and transportation. Sigh.
Maybe the world does need thinned out. Nature culls the weakest of the herd, the least viable plants, the slowest, the stunted, the diseased, maybe we should too. It's not as bad a problem in developed nations as it is in 3'd world countries. You've seen them on tv. Living in squalor, uneducated, unemployed and living from day to day in a hell and misery that we have never known. Their countries have not focused on development and education. They frequently have regimes that exist only to bleed money and power from whatever segment of the population they can, so the people multiply and suffer.
The balance will come whether by our own hand our the earth's. The only other factor that could undo us is man's penchant for war. Iran, North Korea, Russia...so many others that want us to fall, fail, die trying. If nations like us fall the rest of the world will soon become a pile of grinning skulls with a few dictators and warlords sitting atop the piles. The visions of madmen dont include a plan for anything past destroying that which they abhor. They would milk the world dry for nothing more than a pile of money, some possessions and some people to order around and some to torture.
My guiding force pushes me to do the right thing every day. The problem with that is that I have no real influence or power to effect a change. Maybe someday my words will provoke the right person, maybe not. I can think that I am Captain America all I want, it wont change it. I wear our flag wrapped around my heart, a shield strapped to my wrist and all the righteous might I can muster, and yet, for all my squawking and strutting, I cannot change that which I think must be. I would rally like minds to my cause and be smashed down for my efforts. Today, this rant ends and I am a beaten man. Oh yeah, screw the ozone, I need a tan.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
63 Ruining the Blitz
First, let me say that I love WVU. They have done a good job this year with all the injuries, weak lines and suffering from "White" withdrawal and having a QB that has sat on the sidelines for 4 years. I hope they continue their winning ways. Go EERS!!
Now that you think this is about football, let me disappoint you: today we'll be discussing how the media is full of crap.
We can start with the latest attempt by the media to make something from nothing--Tiger Woods infamous tree/hydrant fiasco. I will say that there is some modicum of deserved scrutiny when it comes to any kind of star, whether they are an athlete or an actor, but it should only go so far. The media jumps at the first hint of a high-profile individual with a fart cross-ways. They manufacture stories where there are none or where there should be none. Tiger and his wife are obviously having problems and yes, that's what lead to the crash. Other than reporting that he crashed and injured himself, that is where the story should stop. Well, I'll give them that they could report whether he would continue on tour or if he injured someone else, but that's it. I dont give a fig whether he's fighting with his blond trophy wife unless it affects his playing ability and then, I dont want to know about his personal life. Besides, I find golf pretentious and boring. He might be interesting, but since he and I will never be close friends or buddies, I DONT CARE!!! They have blown it out of whack trying to garner ratings. It truly surprises me that the murder-ratzi dont have people following everyone of interest, letting us know when they have started their menstrual cycles or they're constipated. "Did they eat their peas and carrots? Film of the doo- doo at 11"
Good lord, they couldnt let Princess Di have her final moment. Some ass wipe actually poked his head in the car, snapping photos before the rescue vehicles got there. We should have stopped this crap right then and there. The dude should have been prosecuted and hung out to dry. From that point on, we should penalize every one of these dipsticks that think that ratings are more important than peoples' right to privacy. I will say that if someone volunteers information I think then and only then is it fair game. Yes, as a species , we crave blood and gore, death and destruction, and we will soak up any of it that is put before us. Does that make it right? During Katrina, if they would have put half the effort into rescue and aid that they did in getting the "money shot" they could have saved more lives. I know it did occur on some levels, but it should have been AID FIRST, ratings second.
We have gotten to hear how it was wrong for Miley Cyrus to pose with her Dad in what THEY called "suggestive" poses. HE is her Dad and if he decided it wasnt inappropriate, then we should have A-enjoyed the photos and B-moved on. We are told how so and so is "a diva on the set or in the studio" or some actor is "in rehab" I think we should not have to worry about their pampered asses when most of us are doing good to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. You know what I mean. They have the kind of money and/or influence to not work for months or years on end and hire people to handle and control every aspect of their lives, so yes, they probably have problems. Truth be told, they probably have more trouble than we do. It still doesnt make it right for the media to give us every little freaking detail.
I dont care if it's double standards: I think public officials SHOULD have a certain measure of elevated coverage. I still dont want to know if they get along with their wives or if their kid is emo or gay or a different political party from his parent. I want to know what their financial dealings are outside of normal home upkeep bills. Their morals and inclinations should be under scrutiny as well, they are after all, our choices to make important decisions on our behalf, right? They should be beyond reproach. If they dont want their decision-making abilities determined by how they comport themselves and how they handle their homes and/or businesses, then they shouldnt run for office.
We perpetuate this madness every time we watch a news story about how Brangelina is having a problem or who Paris Hilton is banging this week. Again, I dont care, unless Miss Jolie is coming over to hook up with me and the Missus. :) Megan Fox is just as acceptable, except that deformed thumb kinda freaks me out, anywhoo- I digress: We keep their ratings up and in turn, they determine that we want more and more of these stories, so, they keep picking and picking and breaking down even the most intimate details of those peoples' lives.
Do you hear 30 stories a day about how Iran's president is a madman, bent on attaining nuclear weapons? NO, you hear 1 or 2 about how he is suspect and how he is detaining(unjustly) a couple of Americans. Do you hear about the bloody conflicts in Africa? NO, only if it affects something related to us or our interests. Do they make a big deal about the ongoing drought conditions that are becoming critical in our country? NO. Do you hear about anyone doing anything good or moral? Rarely. Instead, you hear about how Tom Cruise is a Scientoligist and (wink, wink) he's keeping Katie and Suri under his thumb. We hear about things that only a few decades ago would have made most people blush. I think most of us would like to know the how's and why's of events that cause pain, strife, death and monetary imbalance, but we dont want to know why some guy ran over a fire plug and hit a tree, injuring no one but himself. Oh, that's right , he's worth 100 million or so. That makes it much more newsworthy that he and his plastic-enhanced wife are fighting and she thought using one of his own golf clubs on him was a good way to teach him not to cheat. What if one of you wives out there whacked your hubby on the head with a fishing pole for doing something stupid and he didnt press charges? NO STORY. What if you beat the windows out of his truck/car and he or the neighbors didnt call the cops? NO STORY.
Maybe it's time to turn off the tv or at least not watch any news shows for a while. Let the military sort out some of the madmen out there the best way they know how and on the homefront, we'll quit going to movies for a while to bring some of these over-paid theatre majors down to our size. Yes, yell at me about checks and balances. We COULD send mass e-mails and letters to news channels and radio around the country to tell them to just report the facts and lay off some of the sensationalized crap for a while, but, we're just too apathetic. "I dont want to be the only one to do it and then be ostracized or ridiculed" " I dont have time" " It's not my problem" It really doesnt take that big of a percentage of people to complain or praise to change programming or business tendencies. Trust me. If 5 or 10 percent would complain, maybe we could reverse the trend.
Wouldnt it be nice to get back to the "Fireman rescues cat" or "Maniacal despot eliminated by surgical SEAL strike" headlines? I think, as usual, I have generalized a bit too much or not covered enough for you, but then, you guys usually chime in and give me the "rest of the story" ...good day. ......Paul Harvey? Get it? hint hint, good news with a twist of Americana? We do need to hear the nitty gritty of the bad things that go on and I will say that I was relieved when that cop blew away that gutless cop-killer yesterday. Thank God we didnt have to listen to his lengthy trial and incarceration. Think of the money he saved the taxpayers by getting rid of this scum. We would have had to listen to the media picking apart every aspect of this guy's life. We still will, it will just be abbreviated. Look what happened with Michael Jackson's life and career. I dont care how much his funeral cost. We lost a musical icon with enormous talent who was misunderstood and pressured by the media and therefore the public until he directly or indirectly shortened his life. I blame the media for indirectly causing his death. I blame the media for being pressured by politicos into not reporting political and financial news until the damage is done and it's too late. We pay the price, time and time again because of our...anybody? Apathy. I beat that dead horse constantly.
As I go and prepare to return to the deep, dark woods, let me ask you this: Would your life really be that different without the news as it is reported by most media? You still go to work and plan for your futures. You may glean some financial leanings from them, but mostly you use traditional means of financial planning. Would your world fall apart if some teeny bopper star decides to get knocked up at a too-young age or goes on a drinking binge? You still have to teach your kids right from wrong and would be better off without the knowledge that a spoiled, rich star/starlet has gone over the edge. Last but not least, we wouldnt have to look at Perez Hilton or Tila Tequila anymore. I wonder if Kurt Loder is still alive?.....
Now that you think this is about football, let me disappoint you: today we'll be discussing how the media is full of crap.
We can start with the latest attempt by the media to make something from nothing--Tiger Woods infamous tree/hydrant fiasco. I will say that there is some modicum of deserved scrutiny when it comes to any kind of star, whether they are an athlete or an actor, but it should only go so far. The media jumps at the first hint of a high-profile individual with a fart cross-ways. They manufacture stories where there are none or where there should be none. Tiger and his wife are obviously having problems and yes, that's what lead to the crash. Other than reporting that he crashed and injured himself, that is where the story should stop. Well, I'll give them that they could report whether he would continue on tour or if he injured someone else, but that's it. I dont give a fig whether he's fighting with his blond trophy wife unless it affects his playing ability and then, I dont want to know about his personal life. Besides, I find golf pretentious and boring. He might be interesting, but since he and I will never be close friends or buddies, I DONT CARE!!! They have blown it out of whack trying to garner ratings. It truly surprises me that the murder-ratzi dont have people following everyone of interest, letting us know when they have started their menstrual cycles or they're constipated. "Did they eat their peas and carrots? Film of the doo- doo at 11"
Good lord, they couldnt let Princess Di have her final moment. Some ass wipe actually poked his head in the car, snapping photos before the rescue vehicles got there. We should have stopped this crap right then and there. The dude should have been prosecuted and hung out to dry. From that point on, we should penalize every one of these dipsticks that think that ratings are more important than peoples' right to privacy. I will say that if someone volunteers information I think then and only then is it fair game. Yes, as a species , we crave blood and gore, death and destruction, and we will soak up any of it that is put before us. Does that make it right? During Katrina, if they would have put half the effort into rescue and aid that they did in getting the "money shot" they could have saved more lives. I know it did occur on some levels, but it should have been AID FIRST, ratings second.
We have gotten to hear how it was wrong for Miley Cyrus to pose with her Dad in what THEY called "suggestive" poses. HE is her Dad and if he decided it wasnt inappropriate, then we should have A-enjoyed the photos and B-moved on. We are told how so and so is "a diva on the set or in the studio" or some actor is "in rehab" I think we should not have to worry about their pampered asses when most of us are doing good to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. You know what I mean. They have the kind of money and/or influence to not work for months or years on end and hire people to handle and control every aspect of their lives, so yes, they probably have problems. Truth be told, they probably have more trouble than we do. It still doesnt make it right for the media to give us every little freaking detail.
I dont care if it's double standards: I think public officials SHOULD have a certain measure of elevated coverage. I still dont want to know if they get along with their wives or if their kid is emo or gay or a different political party from his parent. I want to know what their financial dealings are outside of normal home upkeep bills. Their morals and inclinations should be under scrutiny as well, they are after all, our choices to make important decisions on our behalf, right? They should be beyond reproach. If they dont want their decision-making abilities determined by how they comport themselves and how they handle their homes and/or businesses, then they shouldnt run for office.
We perpetuate this madness every time we watch a news story about how Brangelina is having a problem or who Paris Hilton is banging this week. Again, I dont care, unless Miss Jolie is coming over to hook up with me and the Missus. :) Megan Fox is just as acceptable, except that deformed thumb kinda freaks me out, anywhoo- I digress: We keep their ratings up and in turn, they determine that we want more and more of these stories, so, they keep picking and picking and breaking down even the most intimate details of those peoples' lives.
Do you hear 30 stories a day about how Iran's president is a madman, bent on attaining nuclear weapons? NO, you hear 1 or 2 about how he is suspect and how he is detaining(unjustly) a couple of Americans. Do you hear about the bloody conflicts in Africa? NO, only if it affects something related to us or our interests. Do they make a big deal about the ongoing drought conditions that are becoming critical in our country? NO. Do you hear about anyone doing anything good or moral? Rarely. Instead, you hear about how Tom Cruise is a Scientoligist and (wink, wink) he's keeping Katie and Suri under his thumb. We hear about things that only a few decades ago would have made most people blush. I think most of us would like to know the how's and why's of events that cause pain, strife, death and monetary imbalance, but we dont want to know why some guy ran over a fire plug and hit a tree, injuring no one but himself. Oh, that's right , he's worth 100 million or so. That makes it much more newsworthy that he and his plastic-enhanced wife are fighting and she thought using one of his own golf clubs on him was a good way to teach him not to cheat. What if one of you wives out there whacked your hubby on the head with a fishing pole for doing something stupid and he didnt press charges? NO STORY. What if you beat the windows out of his truck/car and he or the neighbors didnt call the cops? NO STORY.
Maybe it's time to turn off the tv or at least not watch any news shows for a while. Let the military sort out some of the madmen out there the best way they know how and on the homefront, we'll quit going to movies for a while to bring some of these over-paid theatre majors down to our size. Yes, yell at me about checks and balances. We COULD send mass e-mails and letters to news channels and radio around the country to tell them to just report the facts and lay off some of the sensationalized crap for a while, but, we're just too apathetic. "I dont want to be the only one to do it and then be ostracized or ridiculed" " I dont have time" " It's not my problem" It really doesnt take that big of a percentage of people to complain or praise to change programming or business tendencies. Trust me. If 5 or 10 percent would complain, maybe we could reverse the trend.
Wouldnt it be nice to get back to the "Fireman rescues cat" or "Maniacal despot eliminated by surgical SEAL strike" headlines? I think, as usual, I have generalized a bit too much or not covered enough for you, but then, you guys usually chime in and give me the "rest of the story" ...good day. ......Paul Harvey? Get it? hint hint, good news with a twist of Americana? We do need to hear the nitty gritty of the bad things that go on and I will say that I was relieved when that cop blew away that gutless cop-killer yesterday. Thank God we didnt have to listen to his lengthy trial and incarceration. Think of the money he saved the taxpayers by getting rid of this scum. We would have had to listen to the media picking apart every aspect of this guy's life. We still will, it will just be abbreviated. Look what happened with Michael Jackson's life and career. I dont care how much his funeral cost. We lost a musical icon with enormous talent who was misunderstood and pressured by the media and therefore the public until he directly or indirectly shortened his life. I blame the media for indirectly causing his death. I blame the media for being pressured by politicos into not reporting political and financial news until the damage is done and it's too late. We pay the price, time and time again because of our...anybody? Apathy. I beat that dead horse constantly.
As I go and prepare to return to the deep, dark woods, let me ask you this: Would your life really be that different without the news as it is reported by most media? You still go to work and plan for your futures. You may glean some financial leanings from them, but mostly you use traditional means of financial planning. Would your world fall apart if some teeny bopper star decides to get knocked up at a too-young age or goes on a drinking binge? You still have to teach your kids right from wrong and would be better off without the knowledge that a spoiled, rich star/starlet has gone over the edge. Last but not least, we wouldnt have to look at Perez Hilton or Tila Tequila anymore. I wonder if Kurt Loder is still alive?.....
Saturday, November 28, 2009
62 Deck The Halls With Lots of Money, fa la la la la la, lala la la
Here we go again. Another beautiful holiday concept ruined by Americans. Whoops, greedy Americans. At our household we are trying to focus more on what the interpretation of the holiday is supposed to be. Whether or not you are Christian, the Christmas holiday should be something fun and personal to you. If that means spending exorbitant amounts of money so your family can keep up a certain image or your kids can maintain a social standing or you just dont want someone thinking you were cheap/cant provide, well, I feel sorry for you. I suppose shopping could be fun and personal, but I havent figured out how yet. At least not in the manner that say, buying a new tv or car that you saved for and can now buy knowing it is wholly yours, can be.
Lets back up a moment. We used to give in and buy anything and everything that the kids desired, within reason. We didnt go for high-dollar stuff like dirt bikes, $400 game systems or plasma/photon laser cannons. We did make sure they had many of the trendy smaller to medium items that came with each age group they were in. God help us, we even got into the pokemon craze.
Decorating has always been a favorite of ours too. There's something about the bright lights framing windows and eaves, the tree decked out with ornaments both bought, gifted and made and various swag about the house. It somehow makes the time more special. I suppose it is because it is an all-out effort of family co-operation and it is also something that you know is only done at that time of the year. Unless you're Roz DeWitt and it goes up between Halloween and Thanksgiving and doesnt come down until February because you cant bear to bare your walls again for another 10 months. :)
Back to the current: We finally figured out that it didnt matter what anyone else thinks about us or what we do. Everyone has a twinge now and then about what someone might think, but as a general rule, we just want to be us, do what we think is right and people that really like us for us will still be there. So, we have severely pared down what we actually buy for the holiday. We decorate, we get some staples(new clothes and kicks for the kiddies) and everyone gets one thing they really want, again, within reason. Our favorite thing to do is the dinner on Christmas day. We invite friends and family and we all gather around the groaning board to do pretty much the same thing as everyone does during Thanksgiving. Little kids get gifts, the rest of us just socialize and this year we will drink as much of our homemade booze as time will allow.
We have had laughs and curses talking about people that cannot stay away on the infamous "Black Friday" sales event. What on Earth possesses people to want to stand in long lines, jostle for position and max out credit cards or bank accounts so they can feel better about themselves? "I saved 30 percent on a solar-powered wenus scratcher!"(elbow skin, pervs) I suppose on the surface it makes them feel good, but how deep does it really go? Are you fulfilling an emotional need? Did you have issues with your past? Are you just so spoiled and needy that you can only feel better if you have an excuse to buy things? I just dont know. We have an unwritten rule that if we can afford something that someone wants and we agree on it, we get it anytime during the year, not just at Christmas. I cant really bash on folks for wanting to buy things that look so attractive because of slick ads and placements. We still have a powerful country and although the economy is sagging, we still have more opportunity to own life's little(and big) joys. Some people have to worry about stupid things like eating and staying in a place that shelters them from the weather and predators. If you have it, what the heck. If you have to rob peter to pay paul or max out a credit card to get that new thingamabob, I can only say to you: Good Luck.
This time of the year should be about remembering the best parts of you and yours. You dont have to have or spend a lot of money to have a good time and you dont have to buy something you cant afford(now or in the long run) to make sure someone else doesnt think less of you. Christmas was supposed to be a celebration of hope and salvation, dont let it become perverted and destroyed because a bunch of big corporations want you to keep up with the latest trends. Make your kids and family happy in other ways. Maybe a harkening to simpler ways and times would bring back the American ideals that made us what we were and could be again. Most of you dont want to be perceived as spoiled, rude Americans on the world stage. We can live without the Big Business mentality. Crash them, make the move back to the Mom and Pop stores that were such a buzz word a few months ago. Simplify your lives, actually pay attention to your family and do things that are fulfilling to all of you. There is a time and a place for technology, I've said it before. I have over-simplified again. There has to be a balance to what we have in our society and what we do with it and for it.
I want to wish you all the best this season and I really hope that you all find what you are looking for. Personally, I'm looking for a new re-loader or at least some stuff for my old truck....ehhh, it'll wait until the first of the year. I'd settle for a gutfull of pineapple covered ham and half bottle of that grape wine that's aging in the cupboard.....Happy Holidays Everyone!!!!
Lets back up a moment. We used to give in and buy anything and everything that the kids desired, within reason. We didnt go for high-dollar stuff like dirt bikes, $400 game systems or plasma/photon laser cannons. We did make sure they had many of the trendy smaller to medium items that came with each age group they were in. God help us, we even got into the pokemon craze.
Decorating has always been a favorite of ours too. There's something about the bright lights framing windows and eaves, the tree decked out with ornaments both bought, gifted and made and various swag about the house. It somehow makes the time more special. I suppose it is because it is an all-out effort of family co-operation and it is also something that you know is only done at that time of the year. Unless you're Roz DeWitt and it goes up between Halloween and Thanksgiving and doesnt come down until February because you cant bear to bare your walls again for another 10 months. :)
Back to the current: We finally figured out that it didnt matter what anyone else thinks about us or what we do. Everyone has a twinge now and then about what someone might think, but as a general rule, we just want to be us, do what we think is right and people that really like us for us will still be there. So, we have severely pared down what we actually buy for the holiday. We decorate, we get some staples(new clothes and kicks for the kiddies) and everyone gets one thing they really want, again, within reason. Our favorite thing to do is the dinner on Christmas day. We invite friends and family and we all gather around the groaning board to do pretty much the same thing as everyone does during Thanksgiving. Little kids get gifts, the rest of us just socialize and this year we will drink as much of our homemade booze as time will allow.
We have had laughs and curses talking about people that cannot stay away on the infamous "Black Friday" sales event. What on Earth possesses people to want to stand in long lines, jostle for position and max out credit cards or bank accounts so they can feel better about themselves? "I saved 30 percent on a solar-powered wenus scratcher!"(elbow skin, pervs) I suppose on the surface it makes them feel good, but how deep does it really go? Are you fulfilling an emotional need? Did you have issues with your past? Are you just so spoiled and needy that you can only feel better if you have an excuse to buy things? I just dont know. We have an unwritten rule that if we can afford something that someone wants and we agree on it, we get it anytime during the year, not just at Christmas. I cant really bash on folks for wanting to buy things that look so attractive because of slick ads and placements. We still have a powerful country and although the economy is sagging, we still have more opportunity to own life's little(and big) joys. Some people have to worry about stupid things like eating and staying in a place that shelters them from the weather and predators. If you have it, what the heck. If you have to rob peter to pay paul or max out a credit card to get that new thingamabob, I can only say to you: Good Luck.
This time of the year should be about remembering the best parts of you and yours. You dont have to have or spend a lot of money to have a good time and you dont have to buy something you cant afford(now or in the long run) to make sure someone else doesnt think less of you. Christmas was supposed to be a celebration of hope and salvation, dont let it become perverted and destroyed because a bunch of big corporations want you to keep up with the latest trends. Make your kids and family happy in other ways. Maybe a harkening to simpler ways and times would bring back the American ideals that made us what we were and could be again. Most of you dont want to be perceived as spoiled, rude Americans on the world stage. We can live without the Big Business mentality. Crash them, make the move back to the Mom and Pop stores that were such a buzz word a few months ago. Simplify your lives, actually pay attention to your family and do things that are fulfilling to all of you. There is a time and a place for technology, I've said it before. I have over-simplified again. There has to be a balance to what we have in our society and what we do with it and for it.
I want to wish you all the best this season and I really hope that you all find what you are looking for. Personally, I'm looking for a new re-loader or at least some stuff for my old truck....ehhh, it'll wait until the first of the year. I'd settle for a gutfull of pineapple covered ham and half bottle of that grape wine that's aging in the cupboard.....Happy Holidays Everyone!!!!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
61 $250,000 Fraud
On one of my favorite Family Guy episodes, Peter loses his job, applies for welfare and starts getting checks. They happen to be $250,000 a week and he lives it up, buying anything that suits his whim, until he gets caught. I know it's not exactly the same premise, but in the real world, folks seem to get away with welfare fraud on quite a regular basis.
I'll give you my current, favorite example. I know I am lumping welfare and disability together, but you'll hopefully get my point. There is a guy that lives across town from me. We'll call him "Bob". Bob got on disability a few years ago. He married a woman that is also on some sort of assistance. Bob is only about 6 or 7 years older than I am and as far as I know, he isnt in that bad of a shape. Bob bought a house, remodeled it, built a huge retainment wall(himself-I watched him do it off and on as I drove to town on various errands). He then proceeded to build a garage(again, himself) and now he has a place to keep his 2 almost new vehicles. WOW. The truck is about 2 or 3 years old and there is an SUV there as well. OK, I have nothing against someone that is on assistance having something nice, the point is he did the work HIMSELF. I saw it with my own two eyes. Does this not bother you? It sure did me. I do resent that he was able to purchase all the stuff and have enough for two really nice vehicles. Actually he bought the vehicles before he remodeled, but what's the diff?
I remember when we were growing up and some of the families that were on welfare always went out and bought new clothes for their kids with vouchers. Ok, I can see that, but it still frustrated Mom and Dad when they had to skrimp and scratch to buy school clothes for me and my sister. A bit on the current side- I know a couple that are not married, the woman's husband still lives with them and a couple years ago, they still had 2 kids at home, 1 now. Back then, they claimed the girl had some disability or such because of tubes in her ears. The mother got welfare as she was"separated", hubby, of course, having his own p.o. box. They got vouchers for fuel(double, because boyfriend had a child with her and claimed he needed assistance as a single parent--did I mention he had HIS own p.o. box?) They all got food stamps and whatever other benefits they could. I know this first hand because I heard them bragging about it.
If I had turned in any of these people or any of the others around the county that we know are getting away with murder, do you suppose anything would get done? I am not discussing folks that legitimately cannot work or just cant make ends meet and need help, these people I wholeheartedly support. Where is the justice that a single, working mother with a kid or two and no family to help her monetarily cannot get help because she either makes"too much" or "has too new a car"? I know that first hand as well. "Your car is too new, we cant help it you took out the loan." or "You shouldnt have made the bills before your divorce". What? Are you kidding me? A person should be penalized because before their messy divorce they had the "normal" 3-4 bedroom house, 2 cars a cat/dog and 2.3 children? Now that her(or his) kid(s) are being supported in a single income home with (usually) a small pittance from the ex, they should not be able to have some help with groceries and heat at the very least? Our system is flawed, for sure.
I have personally witnessed more than a few of the local "reliefers" as I like to call them, working at various labors to make extra cash. One local yahoo loves to cut firewood and sit around waiting for someone to buy it. Again, its PHYSICAL LABOR people! If you're on disability, you shouldnt be ABLE to work, right?
There is yet another side to the coin: west virginia lawn ornaments. You know what I'm talking about. I have a project truck in front of my half-finished house that I'm building myself as I can. I was told that I had to clean up my "mess" or I would be fined. True story. I drove past a place the other day that caught on fire a couple weeks ago. The tribe that lives there are all on assistance. They literally have a network of shacks and trailers and campers strung together with (not exaggerating) dozens and dozens of old tires around not to mention the actual garbage. No kidding, bags of trash, piles of rubbish and old junk, rusting in peace. Our "litter control officer" that was recently elected should have went to this place first, but nooooo, they continue to live this way, unimpeded. You know the type, they are filthy to look at, they make no attempt to help themselves and they probably dont even realize that there IS another way. Oh yeah, when part of the dump, I mean network of shacks, burnt, they literally shoved most of it aside and parked another, old, ramshackle trailer right on top of it. NO JOKE. Saw it with my own eyes. Where in the HELL is the person who is responsible for checking on folks on assistance of the various kinds? Oh, thats right, there is no such critter here.
You want stimulus? Stimulate yourself to find a government agency with people that are not just there collecting a paycheck. Stimulate yourself to figure out where our taxes go, other than the middle east, big business and bernie madoff. I have given you a smattering of the problems, trust me, they are legion. I preach about apathy, well, our apathy is letting this go on. Loud voices in the right ear would be a start. Long and loud. Long enough to make someone realize that the over-taxed middle and upper-lower are fed up and loud enough to make them realize you're serious.
I dont know where to start, honestly. Would it do any good to report the actions here? Probably not, they would just look at you like you were the crazy one. Know what I mean? If we gripe, WE are the ones that have the problem. They may make a note and say, "we'll have that checked out" but I think they are too lazy and they frankly dont care. What to do? Establish a National Socialist Party? Too radical. Extermination by any means necessary? Then I have to dig holes. Maybe there is a higher level of beuracracy that would actually care enough about our tax money to check out some of this crap. Any suggestions?
Dad always did tell me that I shouldnt have started working in the first place. Should have just applied for welfare when I hit 18. Or quit school and applied at 16 citing a reduced level of intelligence...hmm, I say they're smarter than we are. WE pay for them to live and WE do all the work. WE pay taxes and practically carry the stuff to them. I bet they would have fits if there were a person in charge of assigning work for them based on their evaluation aided by a full medical screening. Would that sound fair to you? Does to me. There should also be quarterly evaluations for the ones that are in good health to see if they have attempted to find employment and help themselves a little bit. If you leave them alone, they will only ride the system. I have a thousand suggestions, but then, some of you probably have some good ones too. Let me have 'em.
I wonder if I GAINED weight, could I get on some kind of assistance? Homer Simpson got disability, but he had to wear a mumu. Nah, I couldnt do that. My legs are NOT meant for a dress. Trust me, I tried once on a bender. Alcohol does wonders for your inhibitions, does it not? Besides, there are other folks out there waiting for their check to go buy beer and cigarrettes, lottery tickets and sell their food stamps for 50 cents on the dollar. Still want to keep the system we have? Or would you like to start over? Find some folks to get together, draw up some somewhat simpler laws that are comprehensive and organize some other people to enforce them. We could put them in 3 cornered hats, stockings, tails and they could convene in Philadelphia to plan this new government...wait, didnt that happen already? Wow, I wonder how it turned out?
I'll give you my current, favorite example. I know I am lumping welfare and disability together, but you'll hopefully get my point. There is a guy that lives across town from me. We'll call him "Bob". Bob got on disability a few years ago. He married a woman that is also on some sort of assistance. Bob is only about 6 or 7 years older than I am and as far as I know, he isnt in that bad of a shape. Bob bought a house, remodeled it, built a huge retainment wall(himself-I watched him do it off and on as I drove to town on various errands). He then proceeded to build a garage(again, himself) and now he has a place to keep his 2 almost new vehicles. WOW. The truck is about 2 or 3 years old and there is an SUV there as well. OK, I have nothing against someone that is on assistance having something nice, the point is he did the work HIMSELF. I saw it with my own two eyes. Does this not bother you? It sure did me. I do resent that he was able to purchase all the stuff and have enough for two really nice vehicles. Actually he bought the vehicles before he remodeled, but what's the diff?
I remember when we were growing up and some of the families that were on welfare always went out and bought new clothes for their kids with vouchers. Ok, I can see that, but it still frustrated Mom and Dad when they had to skrimp and scratch to buy school clothes for me and my sister. A bit on the current side- I know a couple that are not married, the woman's husband still lives with them and a couple years ago, they still had 2 kids at home, 1 now. Back then, they claimed the girl had some disability or such because of tubes in her ears. The mother got welfare as she was"separated", hubby, of course, having his own p.o. box. They got vouchers for fuel(double, because boyfriend had a child with her and claimed he needed assistance as a single parent--did I mention he had HIS own p.o. box?) They all got food stamps and whatever other benefits they could. I know this first hand because I heard them bragging about it.
If I had turned in any of these people or any of the others around the county that we know are getting away with murder, do you suppose anything would get done? I am not discussing folks that legitimately cannot work or just cant make ends meet and need help, these people I wholeheartedly support. Where is the justice that a single, working mother with a kid or two and no family to help her monetarily cannot get help because she either makes"too much" or "has too new a car"? I know that first hand as well. "Your car is too new, we cant help it you took out the loan." or "You shouldnt have made the bills before your divorce". What? Are you kidding me? A person should be penalized because before their messy divorce they had the "normal" 3-4 bedroom house, 2 cars a cat/dog and 2.3 children? Now that her(or his) kid(s) are being supported in a single income home with (usually) a small pittance from the ex, they should not be able to have some help with groceries and heat at the very least? Our system is flawed, for sure.
I have personally witnessed more than a few of the local "reliefers" as I like to call them, working at various labors to make extra cash. One local yahoo loves to cut firewood and sit around waiting for someone to buy it. Again, its PHYSICAL LABOR people! If you're on disability, you shouldnt be ABLE to work, right?
There is yet another side to the coin: west virginia lawn ornaments. You know what I'm talking about. I have a project truck in front of my half-finished house that I'm building myself as I can. I was told that I had to clean up my "mess" or I would be fined. True story. I drove past a place the other day that caught on fire a couple weeks ago. The tribe that lives there are all on assistance. They literally have a network of shacks and trailers and campers strung together with (not exaggerating) dozens and dozens of old tires around not to mention the actual garbage. No kidding, bags of trash, piles of rubbish and old junk, rusting in peace. Our "litter control officer" that was recently elected should have went to this place first, but nooooo, they continue to live this way, unimpeded. You know the type, they are filthy to look at, they make no attempt to help themselves and they probably dont even realize that there IS another way. Oh yeah, when part of the dump, I mean network of shacks, burnt, they literally shoved most of it aside and parked another, old, ramshackle trailer right on top of it. NO JOKE. Saw it with my own eyes. Where in the HELL is the person who is responsible for checking on folks on assistance of the various kinds? Oh, thats right, there is no such critter here.
You want stimulus? Stimulate yourself to find a government agency with people that are not just there collecting a paycheck. Stimulate yourself to figure out where our taxes go, other than the middle east, big business and bernie madoff. I have given you a smattering of the problems, trust me, they are legion. I preach about apathy, well, our apathy is letting this go on. Loud voices in the right ear would be a start. Long and loud. Long enough to make someone realize that the over-taxed middle and upper-lower are fed up and loud enough to make them realize you're serious.
I dont know where to start, honestly. Would it do any good to report the actions here? Probably not, they would just look at you like you were the crazy one. Know what I mean? If we gripe, WE are the ones that have the problem. They may make a note and say, "we'll have that checked out" but I think they are too lazy and they frankly dont care. What to do? Establish a National Socialist Party? Too radical. Extermination by any means necessary? Then I have to dig holes. Maybe there is a higher level of beuracracy that would actually care enough about our tax money to check out some of this crap. Any suggestions?
Dad always did tell me that I shouldnt have started working in the first place. Should have just applied for welfare when I hit 18. Or quit school and applied at 16 citing a reduced level of intelligence...hmm, I say they're smarter than we are. WE pay for them to live and WE do all the work. WE pay taxes and practically carry the stuff to them. I bet they would have fits if there were a person in charge of assigning work for them based on their evaluation aided by a full medical screening. Would that sound fair to you? Does to me. There should also be quarterly evaluations for the ones that are in good health to see if they have attempted to find employment and help themselves a little bit. If you leave them alone, they will only ride the system. I have a thousand suggestions, but then, some of you probably have some good ones too. Let me have 'em.
I wonder if I GAINED weight, could I get on some kind of assistance? Homer Simpson got disability, but he had to wear a mumu. Nah, I couldnt do that. My legs are NOT meant for a dress. Trust me, I tried once on a bender. Alcohol does wonders for your inhibitions, does it not? Besides, there are other folks out there waiting for their check to go buy beer and cigarrettes, lottery tickets and sell their food stamps for 50 cents on the dollar. Still want to keep the system we have? Or would you like to start over? Find some folks to get together, draw up some somewhat simpler laws that are comprehensive and organize some other people to enforce them. We could put them in 3 cornered hats, stockings, tails and they could convene in Philadelphia to plan this new government...wait, didnt that happen already? Wow, I wonder how it turned out?
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
60 Back Of The Bus
My good friend Tim just brought to my attention an article from his hometown of Johnstown. It involves a foster child named"Shaq". He is an honor roll student on the United High School football team (9 and 2 record) and he lives in a quiet, suburban, predominantly white neighborhood. His foster Parents have taken in 16 children over the years and from what I have read, he seems to be well adjusted and happy. After his team lost a playoff game over the weekend, some ignorant bastard decided to burn a 6 foot cross in the family's yard. Holy Mother of God!! Is it 2009 or 1809? I know there will always be ignorant people, because, at least as far as I'm concerned, it's illegal to shoot them on sight or upon discovery of their ignorance. This kid was having problems with his birth family and these people took him in and gave him the fresh start that he needed and wanted. He was doing well in school and apparently, in sports. Just because his team loses a game or whatever reason these idiots had to hate him, does that really justify perpetuating a stereotype or a hatred that has been supposedly outdated since, oh-I dont know?, say--1865? Millions of men died so that our country could be united and men of all races, creeds and colors could supposedly be equal. The racial hatred (from all sides, black, white, yellow, red) has continued on for over a century. As a child in the 1970's I was raised in a small town with small town mentality, but my Mother did NOT perpetuate racial hatred. There were blacks or "coloreds" as I heard them called back then, around town and none of my family at least differentiated them other than "nice so-and-so" or "jerk" or "drunk" or "nice lady" and on and on. You get it? The same way you would describe anyone else around town.
I did see a racial divide(somewhat) in the military and some other places that I have lived, but for the most part, I thought REAL, lasting, violent hatred had died a drug-soaked, eardrum-splitting death in the 60's and 70's. The youth of that day had learned to get along with each other and racial epithets were usually seen being spewed from the mouths of southern, rural, older folks and perhaps, their progeny. Oh, it happens everywhere, yes. I know,but it wasnt as prevalent as it had been in the previous few decades. The people of different color that I knew lived literally, right beside of us. They were friends and neighbors and we often interacted with no qualms. One of my favorite outings was a fish-fry at the local "black" church. It is still associated to this day as such, I think, because for many decades, that's what it was. The local blacks were sort-of segregated to that remote little building although I'm not sure that it was a forced thing. For my lifetime it has been a place of diversity and Pap and I were always made welcome. I remember asking about desegregation when I was in grade school. It wasnt an issue here because all children went to the same school, but I knew that it went on in other areas of the country. I remember hearing the odd comment now and then that was made by (usually) an ill-educated, God-fearing son of a tobacco-chewing redneck. Go ahead. Yell at me. Tell me I'm wrong. Yes, I'm proud of my redneck ways, but not the ones that perpetuate that kind of hatred.
There is no place for that kind of thinking in modern society. I have been known to tell an off-color joke and use words I shouldnt, but those who know me, usually realize it's just me trying to be funny. No, it's no excuse for using that dreaded word, it's the same as using "gay" to describe something you think is dumb or stupid. It's a word we hear all to often, even if it's much less frequent than a few decades ago. I dont even know where to start when it comes to stereotyping.
So here we have this kid that wants to be a better person and what does he get? A setback. How is this going to affect his attitude? On one hand, he probably realizes that all white people arent like that because he has a caring family now that happens to be white, but on the other hand, don't you think that incident will always be in the back of his mind with every white person he meets and every job he works at ? The racial crap will be perpetuated now through yet another boneheaded, deplorable act that was most likely some jerk kids, pissed off about a football game. It is possible that it was some adults, but most likely it was a couple of the "fringe" kids that every school has. You know: bad homelife, dad is probably racist because he's ignorant and was never taught any better so now he has passed it on to a new generation and the kids like that are usually full of other bad habits-smoking, drinking, fighting, etc. etc. This kid will never learn anything different and it will go on and on and on.
There is a bit of hope, because occasionally, an uneducated(in the ways of polite society) soul has some self-realization through an event or a revelation and changes his way of thinking. He realizes that not all crimes or events are racially motivated. Nor are all the people that commit the crimes as full of hatred as they previously thought. Racism does work both ways. I have seen it first hand, but again, what caused it? Did the individuals that I had the run-in with have some horrible experience with whites? Did their parents teach them that all whites are racist or evil? It's like the chicken or the egg riddle, which came first? Yeah, I know, whites abducted blacks from their homeland and forced them to work as slaves. Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, Mongols, Middle Easterners, Mayans, Incans--just about every race has taken slaves over the ages. Occasionally the slaves were assimilated into the conquering society, sometimes they were accepted, sometimes they were considered lower class citizens. The world we live in should have no place left for considering someone "lower or beneath" us. What happened to "all men are created equal" or "certain inalienable rights"? We preach to the world that America is a melting pot for everyone and that anyone can succeed here. How do we expect anyone else in the world to take us seriously if we cant think and act as one people?
Racial division is just one problem that is crushing our way of life, but it is still a big one. Even 1 incident a day compared to maybe 50 a day in a time gone by is too much. I say "all men are created equal, unless proven an asshole". I am not trying to make light of this kid's plight, I really do try to see things in shades of gray. You're not a jerk unless you do something to prove it. Besides, Mom always said that I never met a stranger. Anyway, this kid deserved more than what he got. He was trying to better himself and he gets a dramatic statement from a segment of society that is(thank the Gods) a minority in our country now.
No matter your skin color or your ethnic background, there is always some common ground for us to stand on. We all breathe the same air, we drink the same water and thanks to a small lady, there are a few empty seats in the back of the bus. Send this kid and everyone else that is still being oppressed in this country a little of your love, hope and respect. You want it, right? So does he, but he's earned his, have you?
I did see a racial divide(somewhat) in the military and some other places that I have lived, but for the most part, I thought REAL, lasting, violent hatred had died a drug-soaked, eardrum-splitting death in the 60's and 70's. The youth of that day had learned to get along with each other and racial epithets were usually seen being spewed from the mouths of southern, rural, older folks and perhaps, their progeny. Oh, it happens everywhere, yes. I know,but it wasnt as prevalent as it had been in the previous few decades. The people of different color that I knew lived literally, right beside of us. They were friends and neighbors and we often interacted with no qualms. One of my favorite outings was a fish-fry at the local "black" church. It is still associated to this day as such, I think, because for many decades, that's what it was. The local blacks were sort-of segregated to that remote little building although I'm not sure that it was a forced thing. For my lifetime it has been a place of diversity and Pap and I were always made welcome. I remember asking about desegregation when I was in grade school. It wasnt an issue here because all children went to the same school, but I knew that it went on in other areas of the country. I remember hearing the odd comment now and then that was made by (usually) an ill-educated, God-fearing son of a tobacco-chewing redneck. Go ahead. Yell at me. Tell me I'm wrong. Yes, I'm proud of my redneck ways, but not the ones that perpetuate that kind of hatred.
There is no place for that kind of thinking in modern society. I have been known to tell an off-color joke and use words I shouldnt, but those who know me, usually realize it's just me trying to be funny. No, it's no excuse for using that dreaded word, it's the same as using "gay" to describe something you think is dumb or stupid. It's a word we hear all to often, even if it's much less frequent than a few decades ago. I dont even know where to start when it comes to stereotyping.
So here we have this kid that wants to be a better person and what does he get? A setback. How is this going to affect his attitude? On one hand, he probably realizes that all white people arent like that because he has a caring family now that happens to be white, but on the other hand, don't you think that incident will always be in the back of his mind with every white person he meets and every job he works at ? The racial crap will be perpetuated now through yet another boneheaded, deplorable act that was most likely some jerk kids, pissed off about a football game. It is possible that it was some adults, but most likely it was a couple of the "fringe" kids that every school has. You know: bad homelife, dad is probably racist because he's ignorant and was never taught any better so now he has passed it on to a new generation and the kids like that are usually full of other bad habits-smoking, drinking, fighting, etc. etc. This kid will never learn anything different and it will go on and on and on.
There is a bit of hope, because occasionally, an uneducated(in the ways of polite society) soul has some self-realization through an event or a revelation and changes his way of thinking. He realizes that not all crimes or events are racially motivated. Nor are all the people that commit the crimes as full of hatred as they previously thought. Racism does work both ways. I have seen it first hand, but again, what caused it? Did the individuals that I had the run-in with have some horrible experience with whites? Did their parents teach them that all whites are racist or evil? It's like the chicken or the egg riddle, which came first? Yeah, I know, whites abducted blacks from their homeland and forced them to work as slaves. Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, Mongols, Middle Easterners, Mayans, Incans--just about every race has taken slaves over the ages. Occasionally the slaves were assimilated into the conquering society, sometimes they were accepted, sometimes they were considered lower class citizens. The world we live in should have no place left for considering someone "lower or beneath" us. What happened to "all men are created equal" or "certain inalienable rights"? We preach to the world that America is a melting pot for everyone and that anyone can succeed here. How do we expect anyone else in the world to take us seriously if we cant think and act as one people?
Racial division is just one problem that is crushing our way of life, but it is still a big one. Even 1 incident a day compared to maybe 50 a day in a time gone by is too much. I say "all men are created equal, unless proven an asshole". I am not trying to make light of this kid's plight, I really do try to see things in shades of gray. You're not a jerk unless you do something to prove it. Besides, Mom always said that I never met a stranger. Anyway, this kid deserved more than what he got. He was trying to better himself and he gets a dramatic statement from a segment of society that is(thank the Gods) a minority in our country now.
No matter your skin color or your ethnic background, there is always some common ground for us to stand on. We all breathe the same air, we drink the same water and thanks to a small lady, there are a few empty seats in the back of the bus. Send this kid and everyone else that is still being oppressed in this country a little of your love, hope and respect. You want it, right? So does he, but he's earned his, have you?
Monday, November 16, 2009
59 ThomasJeffersonandtheRestAreRollingInTheirGraves
Long ago and far away, there was a magical land of hopes and dreams full of people with heart and grit. They had a wonderful land, full of natural resources with plenty of room for all to work and grow. The people that lived there were from many lands and they came together with many skills and ideas and they used those ideas to become a great, powerful, independent nation. After a while, some nefarious people began to undermine the great country by buying up lands and businesses, homes and rights and selling these things to people from faraway lands that were looking for a way to make money from the people of the great land. Others found ways to profit by shuttering their businesses and paying people far away a pittance to make their products. By and by, the great country fell to its knees, its people, in ever increasing numbers, becoming destitute or just surviving, not living their old dream. The country was rotting from within, becoming a hollow shell of what it was. As the people hoped and prayed for change, their apathy and indifference prevented them from affecting their own destiny. One day, a small spark flew from the great, communal fire and began to smolder and burn. It consumed the country and all thought it was lost. But, from fire and destruction, a new hope arises. Like the often used Pheonix, the new rises from the old--new life, hope and dreams begin from the ashes of ruin.
I challenge you to pick up 5 things in your living room that were made in the USA. I can remember when I was small that "Made in China" was reserved to items from a bubble gum machine that were usually plastic or rubber and small enough to fit in a plastic "egg". I have had the final straw placed upon my back. I saw the posting from a friend about American flags being handed out that were made in China. We have become victims of our own greed, our insatiable appetite for all things cheap. Only, they aren't cheap. The more you shrug your shoulders and buy things, saying" It's cheaper and I dont feel like looking at the tag to see where it's made" you take another job from an American. You take food from the mouth of one of your countrymen and put it in the pocket of a rich person "over there". Oh, the worker that made it did not profit. They have it worse than we do here. They get paid quite meagerly and most live in deplorable conditions so that their "industrialists" and their government can profit. Their sweat only profits their bosses and the company owners and of course, the military. China's military budget could feed, clothe and house their massive population. (one-seventh of the WORLD'S population). They still control their populace like the Russian military state of not so long ago. Look at their atheletes that come here to play on our sports teams: they send much of their money to the "State".
Freedom isn't free, people. Wake UP!! Start somewhere. Make a decision that doesnt involve escapism. One that doesnt involve deciding which club to go to or what movie to go see. Decide to not buy one thing, one day a week that was not made in our country, by one of our workers. See if you can manage it. You may begin to put some integrity back in our once-proud nation.
At the risk of offending some readers, I know that many people have adopted children from China. We have children here that are in bad need of a good home. If you are kind and loving enough to want to adopt a child, start here. When all of our native children are adopted, then look elsewhere. Yes, yes, I know, red tape. Again, it is our laziness as a spoiled race that has led to this. Oh, there's still red tape, but then, China holds no value for a female unless it is to bear sons or to further the glory of the state's athletic programs. Our orphans and displaced children sit in foster homes or group homes the same as theirs, but due to government beurocracy, it's easier to adopt from overseas.
We have sat back, mildly complaining about "outsourcing". Wow. Of course some guy making 7 or 8 figures a year is going to look at paying "union" wages and benefits that total as much for one person as he could get some "manager" overseas to pay half a factory to manufacture the same product for a year. I was in a union and I have seen the upside and the down. Yes, I loved the payday but man, did I realize quick the laziness and inefficiency that it bred. I was literally told to "slow down" and "not make the older guys look bad", because I was working too hard and fast for them. I did not make that up, I was taken aside and told that I would "find myself out of a job" if I didnt work at their pace. One guy said he had "been there 30 years and I'll be damned if I have ever or will ever, work that hard". I simply stated for the wages they were paying us, I felt I should give something back. There was a sharp division between workers and management. Unions provided a real benefit for the tumultuous time they were brought to the fore. Now they have become a real, viable threat to our life and livelihood. Yes, workers were depressed and mistreated and unions helped stop that. The electronic and computer age that we are in, the instant communication and mass saturation of media has insured now that injustices will rarely slip through the cracks.
Only your fear of the unknown, the fear of not having your cell phone, your cable, your internet, your morning latte --has kept you(as a people) from making the personal and financial sacrifices necessary. I dont always buy American, but I do tend to look at the labels and if at all possible(sometimes you cant find some necessary item made here) I buy "made in U.S.". A start is a start. Try it sometime. I have preached time and time again about our failings as a people, but this one may be the worst. It will lead to our not being a country if it continues. There will always be something out there that is just not made here, we have to get it imported, say like a BMW, but then, how many cars are actually from here? Check the sticker on the door post. Ford, Chevy, Dodge, most of them say "made in Canada from U.S. parts assembled in Mexico" or some such.
Maybe it all has to crash before we can start over. Wages must go down, costs muct go down and if we cant or dont make a product here, we must find a way. Maybe we should hope for a total collapse. Nothing worth having is free, eh? No pain, no gain? I know that I am speaking of people's lives, but how can it change in a slow manner and still not be drug through the mire of corporate profiteering and greed? Not to mention the political twisting and bending that goes on, I almost forgot that one. I dont like seeing anyone suffer, well, maybe child molesters, rapists, thiefs and zealots. I hope we find a way that would prevent any unnecessary suffering by our people, but I just dont think it will happen. You may be ok now, but I fear we may see a lot more of a downturn in the near future. I try not to take too much stock in the so-called "recovery" that is supposedly going on, but I do find myself looking for signs in every news story, every article.
So, I go now, off to the solitude of the eerily- warm -for -this -time -of- year woods to sit and think about my tv(made in china), my computer keyboard(made in canada) and my work car(made in japan) while I wonder if my camo was made in bangladesh by illegal romanian workers or my boots were made in thailand by philipino slaves. All bow to the all-mighty dollar, wait, the euro, no, the yen,no the deutchmark....aw to hell with it, let's go back to the barter system....
I challenge you to pick up 5 things in your living room that were made in the USA. I can remember when I was small that "Made in China" was reserved to items from a bubble gum machine that were usually plastic or rubber and small enough to fit in a plastic "egg". I have had the final straw placed upon my back. I saw the posting from a friend about American flags being handed out that were made in China. We have become victims of our own greed, our insatiable appetite for all things cheap. Only, they aren't cheap. The more you shrug your shoulders and buy things, saying" It's cheaper and I dont feel like looking at the tag to see where it's made" you take another job from an American. You take food from the mouth of one of your countrymen and put it in the pocket of a rich person "over there". Oh, the worker that made it did not profit. They have it worse than we do here. They get paid quite meagerly and most live in deplorable conditions so that their "industrialists" and their government can profit. Their sweat only profits their bosses and the company owners and of course, the military. China's military budget could feed, clothe and house their massive population. (one-seventh of the WORLD'S population). They still control their populace like the Russian military state of not so long ago. Look at their atheletes that come here to play on our sports teams: they send much of their money to the "State".
Freedom isn't free, people. Wake UP!! Start somewhere. Make a decision that doesnt involve escapism. One that doesnt involve deciding which club to go to or what movie to go see. Decide to not buy one thing, one day a week that was not made in our country, by one of our workers. See if you can manage it. You may begin to put some integrity back in our once-proud nation.
At the risk of offending some readers, I know that many people have adopted children from China. We have children here that are in bad need of a good home. If you are kind and loving enough to want to adopt a child, start here. When all of our native children are adopted, then look elsewhere. Yes, yes, I know, red tape. Again, it is our laziness as a spoiled race that has led to this. Oh, there's still red tape, but then, China holds no value for a female unless it is to bear sons or to further the glory of the state's athletic programs. Our orphans and displaced children sit in foster homes or group homes the same as theirs, but due to government beurocracy, it's easier to adopt from overseas.
We have sat back, mildly complaining about "outsourcing". Wow. Of course some guy making 7 or 8 figures a year is going to look at paying "union" wages and benefits that total as much for one person as he could get some "manager" overseas to pay half a factory to manufacture the same product for a year. I was in a union and I have seen the upside and the down. Yes, I loved the payday but man, did I realize quick the laziness and inefficiency that it bred. I was literally told to "slow down" and "not make the older guys look bad", because I was working too hard and fast for them. I did not make that up, I was taken aside and told that I would "find myself out of a job" if I didnt work at their pace. One guy said he had "been there 30 years and I'll be damned if I have ever or will ever, work that hard". I simply stated for the wages they were paying us, I felt I should give something back. There was a sharp division between workers and management. Unions provided a real benefit for the tumultuous time they were brought to the fore. Now they have become a real, viable threat to our life and livelihood. Yes, workers were depressed and mistreated and unions helped stop that. The electronic and computer age that we are in, the instant communication and mass saturation of media has insured now that injustices will rarely slip through the cracks.
Only your fear of the unknown, the fear of not having your cell phone, your cable, your internet, your morning latte --has kept you(as a people) from making the personal and financial sacrifices necessary. I dont always buy American, but I do tend to look at the labels and if at all possible(sometimes you cant find some necessary item made here) I buy "made in U.S.". A start is a start. Try it sometime. I have preached time and time again about our failings as a people, but this one may be the worst. It will lead to our not being a country if it continues. There will always be something out there that is just not made here, we have to get it imported, say like a BMW, but then, how many cars are actually from here? Check the sticker on the door post. Ford, Chevy, Dodge, most of them say "made in Canada from U.S. parts assembled in Mexico" or some such.
Maybe it all has to crash before we can start over. Wages must go down, costs muct go down and if we cant or dont make a product here, we must find a way. Maybe we should hope for a total collapse. Nothing worth having is free, eh? No pain, no gain? I know that I am speaking of people's lives, but how can it change in a slow manner and still not be drug through the mire of corporate profiteering and greed? Not to mention the political twisting and bending that goes on, I almost forgot that one. I dont like seeing anyone suffer, well, maybe child molesters, rapists, thiefs and zealots. I hope we find a way that would prevent any unnecessary suffering by our people, but I just dont think it will happen. You may be ok now, but I fear we may see a lot more of a downturn in the near future. I try not to take too much stock in the so-called "recovery" that is supposedly going on, but I do find myself looking for signs in every news story, every article.
So, I go now, off to the solitude of the eerily- warm -for -this -time -of- year woods to sit and think about my tv(made in china), my computer keyboard(made in canada) and my work car(made in japan) while I wonder if my camo was made in bangladesh by illegal romanian workers or my boots were made in thailand by philipino slaves. All bow to the all-mighty dollar, wait, the euro, no, the yen,no the deutchmark....aw to hell with it, let's go back to the barter system....
Friday, November 13, 2009
58 Freddy Kreuger eh? IDK....
AAAhhhhh, the possibilities of a new day. The bright, unending future that can be yours depending on your mood and your ambitions for the day. How your future can change based on your mood or your drive to accomplish something....except today. We have developed a fascination with the particular 'Fridays' that coincide with the 13 of the month. Not everyone, but there are a bunch that dread Friday the 13th. No, not the movie smartass. They fear that bad luck or tidings will occur on this day. I say its just another day. I remember in grade school, "they" the infamous they that always promoted or exaggerated a particular event, agenda or ideology, drilled us into the belief that that particular day was "bad luck" and that we should avoid black cats and walking under ladders, among other things.
I remember a chain of events in 6th grade that changed my mind and started me on the road to question authority and preconceived notions: Ms. Watkins insisted on showing those awful movies from the 60's and 70's on a reel-to-reel movie player and more often than not, they just weren't that interesting. Friday the 13th rolled around and lo-and-behold, she wanted us to stay inside and watch a documentary or some-such. First the bulb burned out, then another, then the machine went bad, finally she just gave up and gave us some free time. Bad luck for her? Good luck for me, I said. I despised sitting through those campy, sometimes creepy films. Even for the late 70's or early 80's they seemed dull and pointless. My luck continued later in the day at home, getting a favorite dinner and some dessert. And so it began: every year I looked forward to that fateful day to see if something good would happen.
As it was, most of the time, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Well, other than hearing from half the people I knew: "OOOOOOOOOO, bad luck today, etc., etc." Blah, blah, blah. It was just another day. As I am too lazy to google it, I seem to remember something about the Knights Templar being slaughtered on Friday the 13th and maybe something else bad happening to someone. Over the years, I thought about it: something bad has happened to someone, somewhere on every day of the year, right? Christ was crucified, rose and we got Easter? WTF? We celebrate the Christian's saviour rising from the dead with bunnies and brightly colored eggs, candy and new outfits? The Pagans celebrated the dead and, correct me if I'm wrong, at one point made sacrifices(live) and it evolved into Halloween? I prefer Feast of All Saints or All Hallows Eve myself. Hitler murdered millions on every day of the year, so shouldnt every day be bad luck? You get my point, right? I know that traditions are handed down from generation to generation and they often get distorted to suit the times. Look at X-mas. Yes, I said X-mas. It has become a holiday about supporting businesses and wrapping paper-magnates, not celebrating your saviour's birth.
I do cringe walking under ladders on the rare occasion that it has happened, but that is because it is just common sense NOT to want something dropped on your head or the ladder fall on you. I will also admit that black cats freak me out, not because I think they shouldnt cross my path, in fact, other than target practice, I dont see much use for a cat. Seriously, black on a cat just doesnt look natural to me. They should be like most other animals- trying to blend in with their environment. Instead, it makes them look like little demons or shadow-creatures which is probably why they are associated with witches and halloween. I can remember my Grandmother teaching me to throw spilled salt over my shoulder for luck(dont see the point in that one). The only one that stuck with me, and dont ask me to explain it, is Pap teaching me to always close a knife you open. It's supposed to bring bad luck if you close one you didnt open and you are supposed to wind up cutting yourself. It happened to me once and it was a bad cut, so I suppose that is why that one stuck with me.
That glorious day of no stupid movie eventually led me to question a lot of things. Why do we have to behave a certain way? Why do we blindly follow politicians or religions? Why do we have to dress or appear a certain way? Why do people tend to follow the crowd and not want to feel "different" ? I say it's okay if you want to dress a certain way or adorn your body with tattoos, piercings, dyed hair, whatever. It's okay to elect someone and then raise holy hell if they become corrupted or make idiotic choices. It's okay to question your faith once in a while, after all, you are there to find your way in life, shouldnt your way be made with education and temperance?
Now, I am not trying to suck the fun out of holidays or old superstitions, sometimes they can be a hoot. Kissing under the mistletoe for luck, step on a crack-break your mother's back, Arbor day--there are some things that are just fun or interesting. Halloween is my second favorite holiday next to Thanksgiving anyway. I like the dressing up and treats that come with Halloween and Thanksgiving is the only honest holiday there is left. Friends and family coming together to give thanks for their health, happiness and welfare. And a big meal. No presents, no superstitions, no hokey mythical characters, just people stuffing their guts and talking. We should probably be doing that every day anyway. Get back to FAMILY meals, not eating on the run and barely speaking as one another rushes to their destinations.
The sprinkling of other so-called holidays throughout the year have been denegrated to bank holidays and excuses to have a 3 day weekend. So, Friday the 13th? Nope, not a contender in my book. We need to start a holiday called- Everybody Stay Off The Road Except Scott Day, if you ask Roz. Or how about- Whacking Your Useless Politician In The Head Day? Feel free to substitute "Boss" for politician. How about "Bad Luck For Non-Performing Elected/Appointed Officials Day"? We could sell warning cards from Hallmark and giftwrap both sharp and blunt objects to give to each other in anticipation of purging our government and/or business of dead weight. Tar and feather companies would see a sharp spike in sales as well as tarp, rope and shovel manufacturers. Oh yeah -lime too.
If you really want a scary day, give it to election day. It really is a crapshoot and should scare you more than chasing a black cat under a ladder while spilling salt on Friday the 13th. Which side is it that you're supposed to mount a horse from? That was another one I remember. Wow, now you've really got my head working. Anywho--If you really like to be superstitious, go for it. God-bless-you-when-you-sneeze-because-your-soul-may-escape or blow-out-all-your-candles-with-one-breath-to-get-your-wish.
I guess it boils down to your personality. Some people like to have fun with stuff and dont make any more out of it than it's face value or its entertainment value, but I have met some that really take this stuff seriously. To them, it is true and evil will befall them if they dont react a certain way. What a shame. I hope you can temper having a good time and recognizing things for what they are. We should all be able to enjoy a certain wives-tale or superstition, often because a cherished relative or friend taught it to us and still recognize that it came from a different era. Sometimes quite long ago, when the world moved slower, you couldnt google an answer to a dilemma or phone someone to ask for help. I will continue to hope for good luck on this most dreaded of days but I will always know in the back of my head that it is just another day. Yep, just another day without universal healthcare, an over-burdened military, weak dollar, over-paid executives and too many black cats. Oh yeah--Happy Friday!!
I remember a chain of events in 6th grade that changed my mind and started me on the road to question authority and preconceived notions: Ms. Watkins insisted on showing those awful movies from the 60's and 70's on a reel-to-reel movie player and more often than not, they just weren't that interesting. Friday the 13th rolled around and lo-and-behold, she wanted us to stay inside and watch a documentary or some-such. First the bulb burned out, then another, then the machine went bad, finally she just gave up and gave us some free time. Bad luck for her? Good luck for me, I said. I despised sitting through those campy, sometimes creepy films. Even for the late 70's or early 80's they seemed dull and pointless. My luck continued later in the day at home, getting a favorite dinner and some dessert. And so it began: every year I looked forward to that fateful day to see if something good would happen.
As it was, most of the time, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Well, other than hearing from half the people I knew: "OOOOOOOOOO, bad luck today, etc., etc." Blah, blah, blah. It was just another day. As I am too lazy to google it, I seem to remember something about the Knights Templar being slaughtered on Friday the 13th and maybe something else bad happening to someone. Over the years, I thought about it: something bad has happened to someone, somewhere on every day of the year, right? Christ was crucified, rose and we got Easter? WTF? We celebrate the Christian's saviour rising from the dead with bunnies and brightly colored eggs, candy and new outfits? The Pagans celebrated the dead and, correct me if I'm wrong, at one point made sacrifices(live) and it evolved into Halloween? I prefer Feast of All Saints or All Hallows Eve myself. Hitler murdered millions on every day of the year, so shouldnt every day be bad luck? You get my point, right? I know that traditions are handed down from generation to generation and they often get distorted to suit the times. Look at X-mas. Yes, I said X-mas. It has become a holiday about supporting businesses and wrapping paper-magnates, not celebrating your saviour's birth.
I do cringe walking under ladders on the rare occasion that it has happened, but that is because it is just common sense NOT to want something dropped on your head or the ladder fall on you. I will also admit that black cats freak me out, not because I think they shouldnt cross my path, in fact, other than target practice, I dont see much use for a cat. Seriously, black on a cat just doesnt look natural to me. They should be like most other animals- trying to blend in with their environment. Instead, it makes them look like little demons or shadow-creatures which is probably why they are associated with witches and halloween. I can remember my Grandmother teaching me to throw spilled salt over my shoulder for luck(dont see the point in that one). The only one that stuck with me, and dont ask me to explain it, is Pap teaching me to always close a knife you open. It's supposed to bring bad luck if you close one you didnt open and you are supposed to wind up cutting yourself. It happened to me once and it was a bad cut, so I suppose that is why that one stuck with me.
That glorious day of no stupid movie eventually led me to question a lot of things. Why do we have to behave a certain way? Why do we blindly follow politicians or religions? Why do we have to dress or appear a certain way? Why do people tend to follow the crowd and not want to feel "different" ? I say it's okay if you want to dress a certain way or adorn your body with tattoos, piercings, dyed hair, whatever. It's okay to elect someone and then raise holy hell if they become corrupted or make idiotic choices. It's okay to question your faith once in a while, after all, you are there to find your way in life, shouldnt your way be made with education and temperance?
Now, I am not trying to suck the fun out of holidays or old superstitions, sometimes they can be a hoot. Kissing under the mistletoe for luck, step on a crack-break your mother's back, Arbor day--there are some things that are just fun or interesting. Halloween is my second favorite holiday next to Thanksgiving anyway. I like the dressing up and treats that come with Halloween and Thanksgiving is the only honest holiday there is left. Friends and family coming together to give thanks for their health, happiness and welfare. And a big meal. No presents, no superstitions, no hokey mythical characters, just people stuffing their guts and talking. We should probably be doing that every day anyway. Get back to FAMILY meals, not eating on the run and barely speaking as one another rushes to their destinations.
The sprinkling of other so-called holidays throughout the year have been denegrated to bank holidays and excuses to have a 3 day weekend. So, Friday the 13th? Nope, not a contender in my book. We need to start a holiday called- Everybody Stay Off The Road Except Scott Day, if you ask Roz. Or how about- Whacking Your Useless Politician In The Head Day? Feel free to substitute "Boss" for politician. How about "Bad Luck For Non-Performing Elected/Appointed Officials Day"? We could sell warning cards from Hallmark and giftwrap both sharp and blunt objects to give to each other in anticipation of purging our government and/or business of dead weight. Tar and feather companies would see a sharp spike in sales as well as tarp, rope and shovel manufacturers. Oh yeah -lime too.
If you really want a scary day, give it to election day. It really is a crapshoot and should scare you more than chasing a black cat under a ladder while spilling salt on Friday the 13th. Which side is it that you're supposed to mount a horse from? That was another one I remember. Wow, now you've really got my head working. Anywho--If you really like to be superstitious, go for it. God-bless-you-when-you-sneeze-because-your-soul-may-escape or blow-out-all-your-candles-with-one-breath-to-get-your-wish.
I guess it boils down to your personality. Some people like to have fun with stuff and dont make any more out of it than it's face value or its entertainment value, but I have met some that really take this stuff seriously. To them, it is true and evil will befall them if they dont react a certain way. What a shame. I hope you can temper having a good time and recognizing things for what they are. We should all be able to enjoy a certain wives-tale or superstition, often because a cherished relative or friend taught it to us and still recognize that it came from a different era. Sometimes quite long ago, when the world moved slower, you couldnt google an answer to a dilemma or phone someone to ask for help. I will continue to hope for good luck on this most dreaded of days but I will always know in the back of my head that it is just another day. Yep, just another day without universal healthcare, an over-burdened military, weak dollar, over-paid executives and too many black cats. Oh yeah--Happy Friday!!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
57 Everything
I am a soldier. I was a soldier for 3 years and I will always be one. I still catch myself walking at a soldier's pace(keeping in step with people) and I like feeling like I am somehow a part of the young guys that I see every day on t.v. I like to think I developed a bit of tanacity while I was in service and that I have used that in my civilian life, ever since. Once in a while, I feel like the world is closing in and that I dont have any control, but then I remind myself that I am a soldier and that I can handle it. I can handle anything.
For those of you that have never been in service, you may appreciate the sacrifices and you may even sympathize a little with the men and women you see in uniform. Whatever the reason you took the oath and signed your name, you agreed to period of time in your life that you would be called upon to make sacrifice. You sacrifice time most of all. Time with your family back home and time with your family you may have with you there. You leave behind family and old friends and in most cases, you become part of a new family.
I made friends in the military that I still have today. One of my facebook friends, Tim, was there when we in-processed in Pittsburgh. We were stationed together throughout my tour, both basic training and AIT and 2 duty stations in Germany. We faced a call to arms that never resulted in combat and we weathered the draw-down in Europe after the war. We had a lot of good times, both in training, on post and at home and occasionally, we still see each other. Our lives took different paths, his keeping him in for several more years and mine, coming back here to raise the boys. The last time we visited Tim and his lovely wife Judy and daughter Amber, it was like we had never parted. When we met at the meps station, we exchanged a few pleasantries and then learned that we would both be going to Ft. Sill for basic. Upon arrival at the facility, we soon became fast friends. Tim is the polar opposite of me most of the time, quiet, reserved, but he does have a funny side. His manner often belies that point, though. Ha ha.
We watched with eager eyes as they stripped us(literally) of all that was civilian. They gave us clothes and gear, shaved our heads, gave us shots(air guns, ouch), lined us up and made us conform to each other and to them, and fed us(quickly and efficiently) what, I think, most prisoners probably dont have to eat. They "broke us down to build us up" and throughout the whole thing, we still found ways to joke, to comiserate. We had a lot of fun, interesting adventures and that was all in a space of a few months. We went on to AIT(advanced individual training) at Ft. Bliss Texas. We were given a few moments of freedom now and then while we were there and I learned that I REALLY missed home. I missed trees and grass, anything green. I am here to tell you that when they make you pull out a rare blade of grass because it doesnt conform to anything else around you, there is NO reason for human beings to live in such a place. I had eaten, drank, showered and lived with the other guys for several months now and I dont care how corny it sounds, I found brothers. I became closer to some of them(Tim most of all) than I had in 18 years or so with people I went to school with. Some guys dont take much away from their time in service, but I wanted to experience everything I could. No, I didnt stay in for a second term, but that is part of the equation. I had other things I wanted to try and although I never did it, I really thought that I would re-enlist in a couple years. I loved the structure and the comraderie. There are always jerks in any job, you just have to overlook them or work around them. It was worth every day I put in to meet the people that I did and be fortunate enough to have called them "friend" for a while.
With each task, each trial and tribulation you truly become "brothers". You live and perform, side by side, so close to each other, you can almost know what each other is thinking. Even if you have a personal problem with an individual, you would still give your all to help them, maybe even for them. I thank my God every day that I did not have to take a life to do my part. I am grateful that I learned and grew and I am grateful that I knew the men that I did.
We have fought wars for independence, for freedom-both ours and for others, we have fought so that others could be lifted out of oppression and we have fought to overthrow tyrants. Some of the recent events have cost the lives of our brothers and we have been made to believe it was noble. Whatever the real reasons, our soldiers have performed their duties to the letter. They have given what was needed for the task at hand. As we go about our lives today, I ask only that you put aside your politics, your preconceptions and your misgivings. Think only that your sons, daughters, fathers, brothers, sisters and mothers that have put on a uniform and sworn alliegiance to this country, are there for you and me. They will stand there post, stand their ground and put our enemies to the test as needs be. Remember the fallen on this day and realize that they have fallen so that you and I could live like we do. Is it too much to ask that we safeguard the nation from within while they protect us without? Recently, a man that should have been culled from service, committed a cowardly act in the name of his religion. His religion would never have condoned it, only fanatics and hate-mongers. We, the people, have allowed our country to nearly be ruined. The millions that have died, did not do so, so that we could allow corrupt politicians and businessmen to overrun our nation and corrupt it to their will so that they could pocket enormous riches and power. We are supposed to elect people to protect our rights and uphold the constitution, and we have failed grossly. We continue to elect people that distort and pervert aspects of our laws to subtly(and sometimes not so subtly) gain power and influence. They profit along the way.
I have nothing more to say other than - Remember the fallen, praise the living and follow your heart-it will tell you what is best. Happy Veterans Day, brothers, you are forever in my heart.
For those of you that have never been in service, you may appreciate the sacrifices and you may even sympathize a little with the men and women you see in uniform. Whatever the reason you took the oath and signed your name, you agreed to period of time in your life that you would be called upon to make sacrifice. You sacrifice time most of all. Time with your family back home and time with your family you may have with you there. You leave behind family and old friends and in most cases, you become part of a new family.
I made friends in the military that I still have today. One of my facebook friends, Tim, was there when we in-processed in Pittsburgh. We were stationed together throughout my tour, both basic training and AIT and 2 duty stations in Germany. We faced a call to arms that never resulted in combat and we weathered the draw-down in Europe after the war. We had a lot of good times, both in training, on post and at home and occasionally, we still see each other. Our lives took different paths, his keeping him in for several more years and mine, coming back here to raise the boys. The last time we visited Tim and his lovely wife Judy and daughter Amber, it was like we had never parted. When we met at the meps station, we exchanged a few pleasantries and then learned that we would both be going to Ft. Sill for basic. Upon arrival at the facility, we soon became fast friends. Tim is the polar opposite of me most of the time, quiet, reserved, but he does have a funny side. His manner often belies that point, though. Ha ha.
We watched with eager eyes as they stripped us(literally) of all that was civilian. They gave us clothes and gear, shaved our heads, gave us shots(air guns, ouch), lined us up and made us conform to each other and to them, and fed us(quickly and efficiently) what, I think, most prisoners probably dont have to eat. They "broke us down to build us up" and throughout the whole thing, we still found ways to joke, to comiserate. We had a lot of fun, interesting adventures and that was all in a space of a few months. We went on to AIT(advanced individual training) at Ft. Bliss Texas. We were given a few moments of freedom now and then while we were there and I learned that I REALLY missed home. I missed trees and grass, anything green. I am here to tell you that when they make you pull out a rare blade of grass because it doesnt conform to anything else around you, there is NO reason for human beings to live in such a place. I had eaten, drank, showered and lived with the other guys for several months now and I dont care how corny it sounds, I found brothers. I became closer to some of them(Tim most of all) than I had in 18 years or so with people I went to school with. Some guys dont take much away from their time in service, but I wanted to experience everything I could. No, I didnt stay in for a second term, but that is part of the equation. I had other things I wanted to try and although I never did it, I really thought that I would re-enlist in a couple years. I loved the structure and the comraderie. There are always jerks in any job, you just have to overlook them or work around them. It was worth every day I put in to meet the people that I did and be fortunate enough to have called them "friend" for a while.
With each task, each trial and tribulation you truly become "brothers". You live and perform, side by side, so close to each other, you can almost know what each other is thinking. Even if you have a personal problem with an individual, you would still give your all to help them, maybe even for them. I thank my God every day that I did not have to take a life to do my part. I am grateful that I learned and grew and I am grateful that I knew the men that I did.
We have fought wars for independence, for freedom-both ours and for others, we have fought so that others could be lifted out of oppression and we have fought to overthrow tyrants. Some of the recent events have cost the lives of our brothers and we have been made to believe it was noble. Whatever the real reasons, our soldiers have performed their duties to the letter. They have given what was needed for the task at hand. As we go about our lives today, I ask only that you put aside your politics, your preconceptions and your misgivings. Think only that your sons, daughters, fathers, brothers, sisters and mothers that have put on a uniform and sworn alliegiance to this country, are there for you and me. They will stand there post, stand their ground and put our enemies to the test as needs be. Remember the fallen on this day and realize that they have fallen so that you and I could live like we do. Is it too much to ask that we safeguard the nation from within while they protect us without? Recently, a man that should have been culled from service, committed a cowardly act in the name of his religion. His religion would never have condoned it, only fanatics and hate-mongers. We, the people, have allowed our country to nearly be ruined. The millions that have died, did not do so, so that we could allow corrupt politicians and businessmen to overrun our nation and corrupt it to their will so that they could pocket enormous riches and power. We are supposed to elect people to protect our rights and uphold the constitution, and we have failed grossly. We continue to elect people that distort and pervert aspects of our laws to subtly(and sometimes not so subtly) gain power and influence. They profit along the way.
I have nothing more to say other than - Remember the fallen, praise the living and follow your heart-it will tell you what is best. Happy Veterans Day, brothers, you are forever in my heart.
Friday, November 6, 2009
56 Those Damned Money Changers
For a couple days, buried inside the news stories on the radio, I have been hearing troubling news on the financial front. I am constantly hearing about bailout this and stimulus that, and as a taxpayer, I am a BIT concerned. I think most of you have blown it off. It has been written out of your minds and the only time it is thought about is when you hear another news story about how much some company got or what the cash for clunkers failed to do.
For example, I heard on the Fox radio news broadcast a couple days ago that the majority of the money that companies got for bailouts went to their top 5 percent. FIVE PERCENT!!!!! That is utterly unconscionable. We, as taxpayers, should be forming mobs and marching on Washington, we should have every phone line jammed and the U.S. mail shouldnt have to worry about solvency anymore because we should have the mail jammed with letters to our elected officials. The internet should crash with the amount of enraged e'mails we're sending. What in
God's name happened to us? I have said in the past that apathy will kill us. We constantly allow the people that WE elected to make poor choices and, worse, not follow up on those choices. We screamed "vengeance!" and gave Bush a blank check for 2 unending wars. We came to President Obama with our hats in our hands, patched clothes and worn out shoes, and asked him to fix this financial mess. While the stimulus bill was a good idea, it has been grossly mis-managed. Some company that should have failed(survival of the fittest people--nature's been doing it for millinea) was propped up with a paltry billion or two or five and then it's employees maybe got a few more paychecks and then get laid off. But WHOA!! wait a minute!! There exec's DAMNED sure will get their bonuses, retirement packages and perks. HOW IN THE HELL DID WE ALLOW THIS?????? If we are going to allow those that WE put in office to dole out untold BILLIONS that WE and our succeeding generations will pay for, why have we not made sure that they have a system of checks and balances to make sure the money went to shore up delinquencies and employee benefits, paychecks and the like and NOT go into the pockets of the already over-paid elite?
My chest is getting tight as I write this. I have friends that have been down-sized and even little, old Kingwood has been feeling the pinch. We have lost several hundred jobs. Some have gone on to work out of the county and some have retired. I know many that are still sucking up unemployment because they dont know what they want to do with themselves. How long before the majority of the viable workers that are left, leave here for other, more hospitable climes that offer better employment opportunities and infrastructure? How long will they commute?
Do you buy into the "the economy's improving" crap we've been hearing? I wouldnt if I were you, but then, I'm not you. I am mean, old and cynical. I think I see the writing on the wall, also. I mentioned a while back that it will start with the gas and, therefore, groceries. If you've been paying attention, the price per barrel of oil is about a hair away from 80 dollars as I post this. The SPECULATORS(the ones you need to lynch before we look to BIG BUSINESS) are driving up the market(I believe falsely) because-----anybody?-----they feel we are having a bit more cash in our pockets. They are driving the price of gas and other futures up, making you stock market investors some money and, in short order, driving the price of goods and , thereby, services up. I want to be on record saying that the price of oil and hence, gas will go wayyyyy up again and dont be surprised if you see 4 dollars or more over the winter. Then milk will be up, then bread, then your doughnuts and coffee and then meat and on and on and on.
Those jackasses in the large companies that we propped up should be kissing our feet. We have financed a slew of golf and recreational outings for them, we have put MILLIONS in their retirements and benefits packages and, i feel, created a horde of potential Bernie Madoff's. They are laughing at you and me right now. Wouldnt you? Suckers. Financed my trophy wife's next thousand years of enhancement surgeries and my worthless, emo kid's next laser -scar treatment when he cuts himself wondering why I'm in the Bahamas(on taxpayer nickel) and not at his band's premiere gig. TOP FIVE PERCENT PEOPLE!!!! I still cant calm down about it. I am more pissed off about this than when they discontinued Savage Sword of Conan. (dont get me started, I have a HUGE collection) . Where are the government regulators and bean-counters, standing at the gates of hell, I mean the company headquarters, beating on the door with adding machine in one hand and a copy of the tax codes and the stimulus bill in the other?
This is it. I am giving it til next summer and then I will organize some kind of movement, even if it's only a write-in campaign or e'mail. Maybe if I put enough of the electee's websites out there and get enough of you to send them something, maybe they will take notice. The only thing they fear is not being elected again and not being offered enough bribe money, I mean "research and campaign contribution money" from the lobbyists. The few honest people that are in office, probably will not be able to make enough of a difference. We need to threaten them all. Checks and balances, oh wisened sage! If you or I didnt pay our taxes for a few years, do you think they would turn the other cheek and ignore us? Let us take a nice vacation with the money we saved? HELL NO! We'd get a vacation all right--stainless steel toilet and a new boyfriend named "Tyrone the hatchet man".
For the sake of all that is holy people, WAKE UP !, before it's to late. start small if you must. Question someone and then pass it on. Harass them to the point that someone takes notice. Thomas Jefferson said " The tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of Patriots" One of my favorite quotes. It applies to so many situations. We must use our power and means to fight for those who cannot themselves. Hitler, Tojo, Ho Chi Minh, Saddam, Kim Jong Il, these were all outside influences and they have and must be, dealt with. There were some men a couple hundred years ago that got fed up with the internal workings of their country's government. They tired of the unfair system and corrupt overlords that stood over them. They did not have mail, phones, internet or even mass transit to help propel their messages and concerns forward. Things were done much more slowly. They grew so weary that they rose up and said"ENOUGH!!!". We must rise up, bloodless, and change this rotten, corrupt system that exists. My barrel of apples has mostly rotted, I wish to dump them out and pick new. Remember that when you rail and curse the officials that preside over you. You have already begun: you wanted CHANGE AND HOPE, remember? It is a start people. Temper yourselves for the age: we dont need to spill blood, we need to find people that WILL do what we want, not what THEY want.
I have managed to keep myself out of this mess until now, mainly through my own apathy and a purposefully chosen ignorance. Come spring, I may have to ask your help in getting the addresses and e'mails needed to begin a campaign, if they havent done something even mildly noble. Like ask MORE of those asses for OUR hard-earned money back and to settle for a reasonable salary until their company is solvent. Is that too much to ask? I dont think so.
I wonder if this is how Paul Revere felt? The Pundits are coming! The Pundits are coming!! Hide your iphones under the floorboards until we require thee to transmit scathing e-mails!! Give not sustainance nor succor to the Armani-clad upon pain of draining your 401K. Dont fire until you see the whites of their veneers!! Yeah, I know, a bunch of different heroes' quotes. Horribly mis-quoted and misguided, I'm sure. My heart has rarely failed me and right now it screams for justice and righteousness. I'd settle for a small army of C.P.A's and a rebate check to the government stimulus program. Live Free orDie!! or at least, let the businesses fail that are meant to fail. Others will pick up the slack and people will get re-employed at those, new powerhouses. Hopefully we can learn not to be so accepting of these slap-in-the-face injustices being done to us. No jokes this time folks. All bets are off, something must give before this country falls HARD. I hope I'm wrong, I hope we can all make it through and more importantly, I hope our future generations can make it with what we're doing. Do some digging, let me know some specifics about these unreal uses of OUR money. Try not to eat the whole bottle of antacid.
For example, I heard on the Fox radio news broadcast a couple days ago that the majority of the money that companies got for bailouts went to their top 5 percent. FIVE PERCENT!!!!! That is utterly unconscionable. We, as taxpayers, should be forming mobs and marching on Washington, we should have every phone line jammed and the U.S. mail shouldnt have to worry about solvency anymore because we should have the mail jammed with letters to our elected officials. The internet should crash with the amount of enraged e'mails we're sending. What in
God's name happened to us? I have said in the past that apathy will kill us. We constantly allow the people that WE elected to make poor choices and, worse, not follow up on those choices. We screamed "vengeance!" and gave Bush a blank check for 2 unending wars. We came to President Obama with our hats in our hands, patched clothes and worn out shoes, and asked him to fix this financial mess. While the stimulus bill was a good idea, it has been grossly mis-managed. Some company that should have failed(survival of the fittest people--nature's been doing it for millinea) was propped up with a paltry billion or two or five and then it's employees maybe got a few more paychecks and then get laid off. But WHOA!! wait a minute!! There exec's DAMNED sure will get their bonuses, retirement packages and perks. HOW IN THE HELL DID WE ALLOW THIS?????? If we are going to allow those that WE put in office to dole out untold BILLIONS that WE and our succeeding generations will pay for, why have we not made sure that they have a system of checks and balances to make sure the money went to shore up delinquencies and employee benefits, paychecks and the like and NOT go into the pockets of the already over-paid elite?
My chest is getting tight as I write this. I have friends that have been down-sized and even little, old Kingwood has been feeling the pinch. We have lost several hundred jobs. Some have gone on to work out of the county and some have retired. I know many that are still sucking up unemployment because they dont know what they want to do with themselves. How long before the majority of the viable workers that are left, leave here for other, more hospitable climes that offer better employment opportunities and infrastructure? How long will they commute?
Do you buy into the "the economy's improving" crap we've been hearing? I wouldnt if I were you, but then, I'm not you. I am mean, old and cynical. I think I see the writing on the wall, also. I mentioned a while back that it will start with the gas and, therefore, groceries. If you've been paying attention, the price per barrel of oil is about a hair away from 80 dollars as I post this. The SPECULATORS(the ones you need to lynch before we look to BIG BUSINESS) are driving up the market(I believe falsely) because-----anybody?-----they feel we are having a bit more cash in our pockets. They are driving the price of gas and other futures up, making you stock market investors some money and, in short order, driving the price of goods and , thereby, services up. I want to be on record saying that the price of oil and hence, gas will go wayyyyy up again and dont be surprised if you see 4 dollars or more over the winter. Then milk will be up, then bread, then your doughnuts and coffee and then meat and on and on and on.
Those jackasses in the large companies that we propped up should be kissing our feet. We have financed a slew of golf and recreational outings for them, we have put MILLIONS in their retirements and benefits packages and, i feel, created a horde of potential Bernie Madoff's. They are laughing at you and me right now. Wouldnt you? Suckers. Financed my trophy wife's next thousand years of enhancement surgeries and my worthless, emo kid's next laser -scar treatment when he cuts himself wondering why I'm in the Bahamas(on taxpayer nickel) and not at his band's premiere gig. TOP FIVE PERCENT PEOPLE!!!! I still cant calm down about it. I am more pissed off about this than when they discontinued Savage Sword of Conan. (dont get me started, I have a HUGE collection) . Where are the government regulators and bean-counters, standing at the gates of hell, I mean the company headquarters, beating on the door with adding machine in one hand and a copy of the tax codes and the stimulus bill in the other?
This is it. I am giving it til next summer and then I will organize some kind of movement, even if it's only a write-in campaign or e'mail. Maybe if I put enough of the electee's websites out there and get enough of you to send them something, maybe they will take notice. The only thing they fear is not being elected again and not being offered enough bribe money, I mean "research and campaign contribution money" from the lobbyists. The few honest people that are in office, probably will not be able to make enough of a difference. We need to threaten them all. Checks and balances, oh wisened sage! If you or I didnt pay our taxes for a few years, do you think they would turn the other cheek and ignore us? Let us take a nice vacation with the money we saved? HELL NO! We'd get a vacation all right--stainless steel toilet and a new boyfriend named "Tyrone the hatchet man".
For the sake of all that is holy people, WAKE UP !, before it's to late. start small if you must. Question someone and then pass it on. Harass them to the point that someone takes notice. Thomas Jefferson said " The tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of Patriots" One of my favorite quotes. It applies to so many situations. We must use our power and means to fight for those who cannot themselves. Hitler, Tojo, Ho Chi Minh, Saddam, Kim Jong Il, these were all outside influences and they have and must be, dealt with. There were some men a couple hundred years ago that got fed up with the internal workings of their country's government. They tired of the unfair system and corrupt overlords that stood over them. They did not have mail, phones, internet or even mass transit to help propel their messages and concerns forward. Things were done much more slowly. They grew so weary that they rose up and said"ENOUGH!!!". We must rise up, bloodless, and change this rotten, corrupt system that exists. My barrel of apples has mostly rotted, I wish to dump them out and pick new. Remember that when you rail and curse the officials that preside over you. You have already begun: you wanted CHANGE AND HOPE, remember? It is a start people. Temper yourselves for the age: we dont need to spill blood, we need to find people that WILL do what we want, not what THEY want.
I have managed to keep myself out of this mess until now, mainly through my own apathy and a purposefully chosen ignorance. Come spring, I may have to ask your help in getting the addresses and e'mails needed to begin a campaign, if they havent done something even mildly noble. Like ask MORE of those asses for OUR hard-earned money back and to settle for a reasonable salary until their company is solvent. Is that too much to ask? I dont think so.
I wonder if this is how Paul Revere felt? The Pundits are coming! The Pundits are coming!! Hide your iphones under the floorboards until we require thee to transmit scathing e-mails!! Give not sustainance nor succor to the Armani-clad upon pain of draining your 401K. Dont fire until you see the whites of their veneers!! Yeah, I know, a bunch of different heroes' quotes. Horribly mis-quoted and misguided, I'm sure. My heart has rarely failed me and right now it screams for justice and righteousness. I'd settle for a small army of C.P.A's and a rebate check to the government stimulus program. Live Free orDie!! or at least, let the businesses fail that are meant to fail. Others will pick up the slack and people will get re-employed at those, new powerhouses. Hopefully we can learn not to be so accepting of these slap-in-the-face injustices being done to us. No jokes this time folks. All bets are off, something must give before this country falls HARD. I hope I'm wrong, I hope we can all make it through and more importantly, I hope our future generations can make it with what we're doing. Do some digging, let me know some specifics about these unreal uses of OUR money. Try not to eat the whole bottle of antacid.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
55 Twenty One is a Magical Number
A few days ago, you may have read on facebook that I had been married to Roz(I should say she's been married to me) for 21 years now. I would like to tell you a tale today. A tale of 2 kids who acted like they were a little older than what they were:
As I began my first semester in college, like most young guys, I was in constant pursuit of young women. I didnt say college girls, that narrows the field too much. I dated for a short while, but nothing took. As I commuted from home and also worked here in town, I spent about half my time STILL in Kingwood, still running around with Dewey and harassing the locals. Funny way to put it, really. We had a contest at the radio station involving a local video store. People called in and answered a question that I would give and if they got it right, they got a free rental. I was supposed to give the store a list of winners so they could dole out the rentals to the right people. I started going to the store to deliver the list because I recognized the girl working there. Let me back up a second. I think it was my senior year in high school, a young Roz Arison was outside the school doing some school work(ahem). I took one of her books and Dewey and I proceeded to mark up quite a few pages (minutely) on the bottom edges. We put small instructions on how to get to the next page we marked, and on and on. A very upset Roz Arison was afraid she'd have to buy the book, so I got her a Pink Pet eraser to try and fix the damage.
All was forgotten for a while. Back to the video store. I started talking to Roz and finally convinced her to let me fix the contest so she would get free rentals. She probably got them anyway, working there and all. She was also a candy striper for the hospital and one day she volunteered at a blood drive. As I lay on the guerney(I've donated since I was 18) I asked her to go out with me. She kept shushing me and I kept on insisting that I was worth going out with. Later, she informed me that I was laying feet to head with her current boyfriend, that's why she kept shushing me. As you can see, it didnt stop me. I had talked to her sister and good 'ol sister in law to be invited me to a birthday party at their house. She was not thrilled to see me there, let's leave it at that. I brought here a little silver heart on a chain and her mother had to all but hold a gun to her head to get her to wear it. Heh heh. On a separate occasion, I asked her to cut my hair, pleading that I didnt have anyone else to do it. She had on a Minnie Mouse sweater when I got there. (still dont know why she agreed to cut it) Minnie had strategically placed rhinestone eyes. I remarked on them as I realized the vicinity that I was staring at. I still am amazed that she went further with the relationship later.
Sometimes you cant explain why something happens or why you feel a certain way, it just happens. I will be quite honest with you: I always wanted a family, even from a young age. I knew I didnt want to lead a life of wine, women and song... maybe just wine and song with one woman, right? Anyway, I had my mind made up, even as she dated some other guy. I asked her to marry me, of all things. I wrote it on the back of a picture and gave it to her. And then I asked her every day until she said yes. So on we went. After a few semesters of college, I grew restless and moved to the far side of the world. A place called Ohio. I worked in a government factory for a few months and made more money than I had ever held at one time. Roz came to join me and I denied her nothing. I made sure there was jewelry and flowers every payday and we took a lot of road trips. I wanted to continue my education and I knew I wouldnt do it there, the money was just too good. I moved us back home and shortly, joined the Army. I wanted to let you good taxpayers finance my education.
While stationed in Germany, we experienced the Gulf War and our first son, Nathan. He was born in a German hospital about 9 months after the war ended;) We took as many trips as we could and saw many places in Europe, we went to Czechoslovakia, France, Austria and a layover in England(didnt see much of it, though). All the while, we had many great friends and experiences and it really seemed a shame when we came home. Sort of. It was great to be home and to see 0ld friends and relatives, but our military friends were mostly gone back to their own lives. Tim and Judy have kept contact with us through the years and we have visited several times, although it is too few and far between. Judy was there at Nathan's birth and her and Tim have been as close to us as family, even though separated by several states and jobs that keep us apart for long stretches. Isnt it funny how you can come together with someone from a world away and wind up feeling as close or closer to them than people you knew your whole life?
A couple years after we came home, we had Nick. He was born the night Cindy Brown's(midwife) daughter and her boyfriend burned their barn down. What a way to remember it, huh? As we worked our way through life here, settling into a groove and jobs that we were comfortable with, we decided to get the kids through college and then we'd go back. We have been through a lot these 20plus years, good and bad. I think the reason we made it so long is that the good always outweighs the bad. Bad things happen to good people, I think that's a fact. I also think that bad things happen to test us and to teach us.
Roz has stuck with me through trials and tribulations and I her. She looks at me with the same eyes that I saw so long ago, eyes that thought if I wanted to be with her that bad, then I must be worth staying with. She has rarely questioned my motives, but she rarely hesitates to keep me on a good path. She has kept my poor impulse control in check and she has also encouraged me in my crazy endeavours. We've made it this long, I see no reason to give up now. As our children approach that age where they are going to be out on their own, or at least in college, I feel like we're about to begin a new chapter. It feels like a bit of nostalgia and a bit of fright mixed together. We've been fortunate to not have to much left to pay on our house and other than that we make do with older vehicles to avoid an unnecessary payment. When the house is ours alone again, we will still be young enough(in my opinion) to enjoy ourselves much as we did back then and still help out the boys. I can wait for grandkids, if you're reading this boys.
I have been a bit vague, I suppose. I can tell you that we have had a love affair with zoos and museums, both here and in Europe. We have a stack of souvenier plates from a butt load of castles we visited over there and we have always like unplanned road trips. We usually get an idea of the direction and maybe one destination and then let the wind take us where it may. We have been to the Hummel figurine factory and Euro Disney, Paris and Pittsburgh(who hasnt, right?), Toledo and Canada, Oklahoma and Texas. We got lost in the ghetto in a big city once and were all but strip searched by border patrols. They took the seats out of my car and ripped the carpet up, true story. We started a business and built a house. We have tried to help others and we saw the world change around us. We have tried to remain a constant while keeping up with the times.
I can only hope that the remaining years we have left, I will appreciate her as much as she has looked to me for hope. I try and empart some to you now and then, and I want to make you think sometimes, but much of what I am I owe to Roz. She was there for me when others were not, she calmed me when others could not and she has been a friend when no one else was there. I apologize in advance if I forget these things from time to time and I would like you to feel free to remind me, when you see fit. After all, Roz is only one person, and she has to deal with ME. She needs all the help she can get.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
54 Blitzkreig, Yetis and Quantum Physics
I would hate to say how much of my life has been spent watching the various discovery and history channels. It would be a lot. I dont think they get the credit they deserve, either. They have allowed me to become adept at interjecting into conversations that vary from one end of the scale to the other. For example, when my fellow rednecks and conspiracy theorists want to talk about Mothman or the Jersey Devil, I have a bit of lore and eyewitness accounts on file in my head. If my college edu-macated friends want to talk about how the European Union ascended from post-war countries to a viable economic powerhouse, bent on world domination( well, the conspiracy people fit in there too), I can relate how U.S. dollars rebuilt much of Europe after the War and both directly and indirectly influenced their economic growth, thereby causing our own economic downturn, at least in part.
I have found that information gleaned from the various shows are good for a lead-in with a new acquaintance, creating the illusion that you are learned, suave and possibly interesting. " So, did you know that Julius Ceasar's death mask actually shows that he had aged horribly? He also had a full-body death cast made from wax that was paraded around Rome, causing the populace to rend several of the local politicians limb from limb." Of course, you could also get punched in the face, if that particular lead-in is used on the wrong redneck or history major.
Where was the history channel when we were in school? We had to watch those stupid reel-type movies or the taped, PBS shows. We could have gotten the intricacies of Goering's Luftwaffe and Rommel's Panzer Corp without cracking a book. The rise and fall of Rome, the Greeks and American industrialism could have been gleaned from a couple weeks worth of 1 hour programs instead of reading a book and then debating with some "teacher". Kids get more from staring at a t.v. anyway than interfacing with a real human being, right? Dont get me wrong, I'm really not trying to be sarcastic on this one. I just know that the over-saturation of media and visual stimulation provided by 300 channels, umpteen video game systems and phones that do everything but wipe your rear end have bred a generation of kids that, for the most part, dont seem able to figure out something in the real world. Give them a keyboard, a screen and an earbud and they'll get it. When you have shows that literally pick apart something, say, a t.v. remote and explain how each part makes the other work, step by step, piece by piece, the kids can relate to the hdtv graphics, the exploded view that is made somewhat like video game warm up modes and the hip, interesting person(usually) that is explaining it.
I would never have known the utter disrespect for paleontology that the movie Jurassic Park had, if I hadnt watched Walking With Dinosaurs. Dolly the sheep? She didnt have anything on those dudes. I want to clone a pterosaur of some sort, now. Speaking of cloning, why cant we take some DNA from the clothing worn by famous people(Elvis, Marylin Monroe, Princess Di) and clone them, raise them up and see if they're similar to their progenetors? I would love to raise a little Michael Jackson clone and see if he wants to bleach himself white, or if he really has the skin disease that M.J. said he had. I wonder if he would be prone to wearing one glove and grabbing his crotch? Hell, it's not like most guys dont grab their crotch half the time anyway. As long as he didnt have a fetish for underage boys we'd be okay.
The swirl of knowledge that lasers into my eyes and seeps out of my pores, feels like a game of trivial pursuit gone wrong. One minute I'm thinking of Ferdinand Porsche and his rise to glory via the Third Reich and the next I'm wondering why twinkies dont ever seem to spoil. Oh yeah, it's all the additives they put in. Did you see the Snack-tech episodes where they explored the making of snack cakes, chips, candy and the like? Cool stuff. Chips invented by a chef being a smartass, bread's humble beginnings in unleavened glory back in antiquity, such things ebb and flow from my consciousness like the tides. I have layed awake, wondering if Jack Ruby got the right guy and if the bacteria being spewed forth by your minute particles of saliva as you talk will sicken me if I get too close. I learned how a modern train is operated, how to mark an underwater grid for an archeological survey and how NOT to bait a sasquatch.(their trail cameras captured nothing but local animals). I believe the footage of bigfoot taken in the 60's is real, due to extensive testing and modern attempts at re-creating the movement and realism of the creature on the film. Dont laugh, it seems real enough to me, they couldnt come close to it even with computer guided models and post-dreamworks puppet technology. Besides, the vast areas in the American west could well support an undiscovered, reclusive primate population.
I really do love all the shows, but my kids dont seem to have the same appreciation for the ones I pick. I do tend to watch the military-oriented and conspiracy or crypto-zoological ones. I suppose there is only so much t.v. you can watch without becoming a shut-in. If it werent for Roz and the boys making me do chores and go to work, I might wind up eventually having to be carried out of the house on a forklift through a hole cut in the wall. I absolutely LOVE all the shows, well, most of them, but we do have a couple hundred other channels. Skinnemax is always good and the Outdoor channel rocks most of the time. I never get tired of watching some trophy animal go down in a hail of lead or steel. If you have a better way to kill a no-football, crappy day outside weekend, let me know. Dont give me chores or spending time with the family. Alcohol is an option, but then, it DOES make Behind the Music funnier. Give me the history of textiles, the making of a Disney cruise ship or how siliconized sand has revolutionized the world. You can turn off the t.v., throw away the phones, shut off the internet and send your kids to school, but they probably wont learn anything. If you encourage them to watch Discovery and the History Channel, they might at least be good at Trivial Pursuit. I wonder if it would look good on a college application? 425lb, single, 33 yrs old. Kicks ass at Warcraft, Halo and knows a little bit about everything including Bill Gates' rise to god-hood, how to rebuild an automatic transimission and the production of mayonnaise. Hmmm. Sounds like Princeton material to me.
I have found that information gleaned from the various shows are good for a lead-in with a new acquaintance, creating the illusion that you are learned, suave and possibly interesting. " So, did you know that Julius Ceasar's death mask actually shows that he had aged horribly? He also had a full-body death cast made from wax that was paraded around Rome, causing the populace to rend several of the local politicians limb from limb." Of course, you could also get punched in the face, if that particular lead-in is used on the wrong redneck or history major.
Where was the history channel when we were in school? We had to watch those stupid reel-type movies or the taped, PBS shows. We could have gotten the intricacies of Goering's Luftwaffe and Rommel's Panzer Corp without cracking a book. The rise and fall of Rome, the Greeks and American industrialism could have been gleaned from a couple weeks worth of 1 hour programs instead of reading a book and then debating with some "teacher". Kids get more from staring at a t.v. anyway than interfacing with a real human being, right? Dont get me wrong, I'm really not trying to be sarcastic on this one. I just know that the over-saturation of media and visual stimulation provided by 300 channels, umpteen video game systems and phones that do everything but wipe your rear end have bred a generation of kids that, for the most part, dont seem able to figure out something in the real world. Give them a keyboard, a screen and an earbud and they'll get it. When you have shows that literally pick apart something, say, a t.v. remote and explain how each part makes the other work, step by step, piece by piece, the kids can relate to the hdtv graphics, the exploded view that is made somewhat like video game warm up modes and the hip, interesting person(usually) that is explaining it.
I would never have known the utter disrespect for paleontology that the movie Jurassic Park had, if I hadnt watched Walking With Dinosaurs. Dolly the sheep? She didnt have anything on those dudes. I want to clone a pterosaur of some sort, now. Speaking of cloning, why cant we take some DNA from the clothing worn by famous people(Elvis, Marylin Monroe, Princess Di) and clone them, raise them up and see if they're similar to their progenetors? I would love to raise a little Michael Jackson clone and see if he wants to bleach himself white, or if he really has the skin disease that M.J. said he had. I wonder if he would be prone to wearing one glove and grabbing his crotch? Hell, it's not like most guys dont grab their crotch half the time anyway. As long as he didnt have a fetish for underage boys we'd be okay.
The swirl of knowledge that lasers into my eyes and seeps out of my pores, feels like a game of trivial pursuit gone wrong. One minute I'm thinking of Ferdinand Porsche and his rise to glory via the Third Reich and the next I'm wondering why twinkies dont ever seem to spoil. Oh yeah, it's all the additives they put in. Did you see the Snack-tech episodes where they explored the making of snack cakes, chips, candy and the like? Cool stuff. Chips invented by a chef being a smartass, bread's humble beginnings in unleavened glory back in antiquity, such things ebb and flow from my consciousness like the tides. I have layed awake, wondering if Jack Ruby got the right guy and if the bacteria being spewed forth by your minute particles of saliva as you talk will sicken me if I get too close. I learned how a modern train is operated, how to mark an underwater grid for an archeological survey and how NOT to bait a sasquatch.(their trail cameras captured nothing but local animals). I believe the footage of bigfoot taken in the 60's is real, due to extensive testing and modern attempts at re-creating the movement and realism of the creature on the film. Dont laugh, it seems real enough to me, they couldnt come close to it even with computer guided models and post-dreamworks puppet technology. Besides, the vast areas in the American west could well support an undiscovered, reclusive primate population.
I really do love all the shows, but my kids dont seem to have the same appreciation for the ones I pick. I do tend to watch the military-oriented and conspiracy or crypto-zoological ones. I suppose there is only so much t.v. you can watch without becoming a shut-in. If it werent for Roz and the boys making me do chores and go to work, I might wind up eventually having to be carried out of the house on a forklift through a hole cut in the wall. I absolutely LOVE all the shows, well, most of them, but we do have a couple hundred other channels. Skinnemax is always good and the Outdoor channel rocks most of the time. I never get tired of watching some trophy animal go down in a hail of lead or steel. If you have a better way to kill a no-football, crappy day outside weekend, let me know. Dont give me chores or spending time with the family. Alcohol is an option, but then, it DOES make Behind the Music funnier. Give me the history of textiles, the making of a Disney cruise ship or how siliconized sand has revolutionized the world. You can turn off the t.v., throw away the phones, shut off the internet and send your kids to school, but they probably wont learn anything. If you encourage them to watch Discovery and the History Channel, they might at least be good at Trivial Pursuit. I wonder if it would look good on a college application? 425lb, single, 33 yrs old. Kicks ass at Warcraft, Halo and knows a little bit about everything including Bill Gates' rise to god-hood, how to rebuild an automatic transimission and the production of mayonnaise. Hmmm. Sounds like Princeton material to me.
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