Saturday, April 26, 2008

Spring has sprung...

Well, the last Friday in April, and we had close to a blizzard, here, dropping at least three inches of snow that is piled up on the railing outside my patio door.

Am I missing something here?

I thought we were in the period of spring.

I look out the patio door, and watch the little sparrows going crazy in the storm trying to find a place to hide.

They fly into the evergreen trees, and fly back out, apparently not finding protection there.

Is this weather directly attributable to global warmen? Shouldn't someone tell Algore it ain't nice to fool mother nature?

Wonder if this is hurting sales of speedos and baggies!

Oh, well, time and tide waits for no man.

Reminiscing...

I recall, back in the 50s there was a sharp line of demarcation between country and western music and rock and roll.

It stood out in my mind, because I was a teen-ager, who was interested in much of the rock music of the day, and my dad was a hard core subscriber to the country genre.

I well remember being told that kind of music would not be played in our house. So many times while doing dishes, I would change the radio station, and would almost immediately have my dad chewing me out and changing the station back.

Let me say, there was a great difference between Hank Williams and Tex Ritter, and Elvis Presley...Jerry Lee Lewis was completely out of phase with Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow and Hank Thompson.

It didn't take a discerning ear to be able to tell the difference; you didn't need Ed Sullivan to show you either.

Then in the 60s we found the sound of psychedellic rock, which eventually turned into hard rock. There was now a dividing line in rock music that was as sharp as the one between country and rock was in the 50s.

Now, today, I turn on the radio to the local country station, and I am treated to Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley! The same songs that my dad railed against as being not country, are today, touted as being country.

In all truthfulness, I can only listen to the local country station on Saturdays, because they dedicate the day to playing only classic country. Through the rest of the week, they play "progressive" country music.

And yet, I hear the psychedellic lead guitar interspersed within the country music.

I truly hate to admit it, but the raucous sounds of rock and roll in my youth, have become the bedrock easy listening sounds of my older age.

What a difference half a century can make!

Friday, April 25, 2008

More on personal responsibility

Continuing on in the department of gummint kontrol, Kim of http://www.theothersideofkim.com/ has an interesting note titled: Premature Self-Congratulation

Go and read it, and do what you have to, or ignore it...

What me worry?

The Anchoress at http://theanchoressonline.com/ has a quote, in her header, attributed to Pope Benedict XVI: “Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility." --

What a thought!

So, here in this, the greatest country the world has ever known, we are being taught to trust the gummint for everything...

As I was cogitating on this quote, the thought came to me about some things we could do in this country to maybe encourage personal responsibility.

The federal gummint is paying out mucho dinero to farmers and ranchers to not farm their land... seems to me, the gummint would be better served, to claim all the land in the CRP program under eminent domain, and open it up to homesteading.

Is that not more advantageous, to have taxable income coming in from the land, rather than paying out tax money to the land?

Seems like a "no-brainer" to me.

But, that is just a part of what we are up against, these days, ain't it?

There are too many individuals in this country who wish to be king and queen...you know, have all the wealth, and hold sway over what the common people can and cannot do.

One of the easiest ways to bring about a monarchy, or dictatorship, is to make the people dependent on the gummint.

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his need."

That is a statement that defines gummint as the one who determines who gets what.

Every year we are finding more and more people on the roles of welfare; free, or reduced, meals at schools; food commodities.

And now we have a national discussion going on regarding the gummint controlling all health care.

Yeah, freedom is a summons to personal responsibility... why put forth the effort to take care of yourself, when someone else, who is more willing, can do it for you?

Beam me up Scotty, there ain't no intellugent life on this planet.

Maranatha!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

tired, again = retired

Woke up this morning to a gentle rain. I do appreciate the sound of a gentle rain.

As opposed to "raindrops keep fallin on my head" an occasional gentle rain, is soothing, and while it works to wash away the dirt of the days; it tends to wash away some of the cares of the days, too.

Now, the local paper indicates that cold weather is on its way also...

Gentle rain, with a moderate temperature is good; rain, with a cold temperature is not good... not good for all the "ritis" relatives.

Well, now the rain has turned into thunderstorm, and the radio weather-guessers are saying possible snow by tomorrow nite.

Is this still the effects of global warmen?

Sheeeeessss, am I ever tired...

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

This is yore life...

I am sitting here reflecting on how environment affects a person.

In a way, kinda reminds me of that TV show, years ago, "This is your life". Kinda neat to go back and look around where ya been, now and then.

I was born in Denver, CO and spent my teen years in Thornton, CO.

Life was pretty idyllic in those days; but I couldn't wait to get out of school, and away from home.

I really thought school was a waste of time, and I felt like a square peg in a round hole. A lot of the stuff in the classes made no sense to me, and frustrated me.

After graduating from high school, I joined the Marine Corps, and was on an airplane to San Diego, CA.

After basic training, I was allowed to have regular liberty, and began exploring the territory.

Down at the marina, in Oceanside, I could go and get a dynamite order of fish n chips. Sprinkle on some malt vinegar, and you got a cool meal. Add a beer or two, and a professional football game, and I could spend a few hours.

That time frame being the 60s, and pay being quite low, I couldn't afford a car or motorcycle, so, I traveled around on the bus system.

Yeah, I took the bus and left the driving to that smiling cat on TV; as Ray Stevens would say.

Being dependent on the bus, meant spending a lot of time in bus stations and on bus trips. This was where I began my life long learning of Spanish.

In high school, I hated reading, I guess mostly because any reading done required a book report, and I hated outlining and writing book reports.

But hours spent on buses and in stations leaves lotsa room for boredom...so, I started working crossword puzzles and reading.

When I was out from under the stress of having to report on what I had read, I found out I could enjoy a book or two.

Years later, I was to spend a year in Japan. I was able to spend a portion of that time with a Japanese local girlfriend. She introduced me to many traditions and foods. I now loved to eat rice, and fish, and had even eaten octopus for the first time and liked it. mmmmmmmm oye shee! This became the start of my learning to speak Japanese. Beautiful language...

While stationed on an aircraft carrier, I was able to spend some time in the Philippines, and learned to love lumpia and pancet.

With a week spent in Perth, Australia, learned about Vegemite and the tradition of drinking iced coffee and hot tea. Directly opposite of my preference.

I eventually spent a couple of years on the Gulf Coast in southern Mississippi, and quickly learned to love gumbo, red beans n rice, fried catfish, fried okra and mississippi mud. Oh what a time!

During this time, I had the privilege of being a part of a Barbershop chorus. We had the privilege of singing at the World's Fair in New Orleans.

Where I learned about "white coffee". If you are in New Orleans and order coffee, and the person asks you if you want white or black, my opinion is you better orde white; that chicory is some strong stuff.

As time rolled on, I was stationed in Hawaii, and learned to eat raw fish, poi, and lotsa other foods, prolly only found there. broke da mout... Here, learned a little "pidgin" English.

Upon retiring from my military career, I was able to spend about a year in Quito, Ecuador. Opportunity to add to my knowledge of Spanish. I might say, that sometimes when I want to think in Japanese, I come up with Spanish and vice versa. Makes for some interesting conversations with myself.

Back again to riding the bus everywhere I went, and enjoying local customs.

I soon came to enjoy a daily almuerzo. Not to mention an occasional papas fritas. It was here, I was introduced to potato soup with a quarter of an avocado in it. mmmmmm mighty good!

Overall, my life has been good. I have had the privilege of enjoying the best of many cultures. I don't mean in the sense of sitting and dining with kings and queens, but the people I did dine with were pretty special people.

That's about all I'm gonna say about that, just reminiscing...

Proverbs 31: 10-31

The Anchoress at http://theanchoressonline.com/ has got her groove going...

"My husband is a gem, a jewel!"

I love how she so adroitly takes to an issue and leaves no doubt where she stands and who is important in her life.

I never knew there were wives like her...

Maybe in my next life, if God Almighty is willing, I may find a wife like her.

I'll not be holding my breath...

Monday, April 21, 2008

Rave on! Gettin tireder and tireder...

What are "unintended pregnancies"?

Just heard the local news radio comment that the governor has been asked to throw some weight behind preventing "unintended pregnancies".

Is that an oxymoron? Or is this just a ploy to get state funding for another "crisis"?

Now, when I was a young Marine, we used to jokingly say, "You don't have a birth certificate, you only have an apology letter from BF Goodrich".

Is this kind of a parallel to "oral sex is not sex?"

Can we return to the absolutes?
If you intend to have sex is that not an intentional means of impregnating?

Ah, yes, unfortunately, the only fail-proof contraception known to man, is refraining from sex.

Seems to me, we are trying to use tax revenue to make sure every female between the ages of, maybe, 10 and 20 be innoculated with the vaccine that is supposed to help avert contracting cervical cancer.

So, we really have come to the point where we encourage the young people to have indiscriminate sex, any time, any where, with any one.

And if whatever birth control method is being used, fails to bring about expected results, we now want to use tax revenues to clean up any unintended consequences.

Bravo Sierra, Bovine Scatology, El Toro Poopoo!

How have we gotten to the point where we are no longer responsible for whatever happens due to our behavior?

Can you tell I am tired of the BS that is passed off as humanitarian assistance?

You don't want to get pregnant, intended or unintended, don't have sex!! Damn, is that so hard to comprehend?

Beam me up Scotty, there ain't no intellegunt life on this planet!!

Filed under FYI

This item of information was found at James Tichacek's Veterans Information Bulletins http://post_119_gulfport_ms.tripod.com/rao1.html [Source: VA Fact sheet Feb 08 ++]

Vietnam Census Stats: Some interesting Census Stats and "Been There" Wanabees:

* 1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of AUG 95 census figures.

* In the AUG 95 census 9,492,958 Americans falsely claimed to have served in-country.

* As of the August, 2000 Census, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. If this loss of 711,000 between '95 and '00 is accurate it equates to 390 deaths per day.

* During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. By this census, four out of five who claim to be Vietnam vets are not.

* The Department of Defense Vietnam War Service Index officially provided by The War Library originally reported with errors that 2,709,918 U.S. military personnel as having served in-country. Corrections and confirmations to this errored index resulted in the addition of 358 U.S. military personnel confirmed to have served in Vietnam but not originally listed by the Department of Defense. (All names are currently on file and accessible 24/7/365).

* Atrocities: Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did so received commendations. From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. The death squads focused on leaders at the village level and on anyone who improved the lives of the peasants such as medical personnel, social workers, and school teachers per the Nixon Presidential Papers.

[Source: NM e-Veterans News 9 Jan 06 - Research accredited to Capt. Marshal Hanson, U.S.N.R (Ret.)
and Statistical Source Capt. Scott Beaton]

Yeah, well I have photos taken of me while there, and I have the DD214s that prove I was there; and my name is on the Agent Orange register.

Forty years ago, I spent my "summer vacation" in South East Asia... yeah, been there, done that, left the t-shirt there...

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Trigger happy

Dr. Helen at http://drhelen.blogspot.com/ comes through with an item titled: "Are Gun Owners Really Trigger Happy?"

She posits some good ideas, and as usual, I am in agreement with her.

However, as I read the article, the thought came to my mind, exactly what does "trigger happy" mean?

The rational side of my military mind tells me this is code word, for wanting to shoot anything, anytime, anywhere, anyway.

The subjective part of my mind, tells me that a lot of that is "BS" brought out by those who are ignorant regarding guns and gun owners.

Somewhere around 1956, my brother and I were presented with a single shot .22 rifle. Dad must have spent some time training us in respecting the weapon, because we never loaded a round unless we were well away from any form of civilization.

I can remember going with my friends and plinking at ground hogs, and other varmints. We enjoyed shooting, and never once thought about shooting at another person.

In 1963, I joined the Marine Corps, and in short order was introduced to firearms. I have had the privilege of firing some of the most awesome weapons available.

And today, forty-five years later, I own three firearms. I keep one of them loaded at all times, I have a current concealed carry license, and at no time have I ever thought about shooting someone, just for grins or giggles, or any other reason than self-protection.

Of course, I also have a membership at a local gun range, where I can go and throw lead down range, at a paper target, to keep me familiar with the weapon.

When I visit my son, we often take our guns, to his local range, and throw a bunch of lead down range.

He also owns a number of guns, and has a concealed carry permit, and carries a loaded weapon.

As far as I know, he harbors no ideas of shooting someone just to be blowing off steam.

So, again, I wonder what does "trigger happy" mean?

Watch any movie on the market today, and you can observe people carrying guns, who can't wait to get someone in their sights, to pump them full of lead.

Seems to me we have been fed these kind of movies for so long, we really believe life follows along the same pattern.

Hollywood, seems to me, would have us believe that if you own a gun, and/or carry one loaded, you cannot wait to pull it out and unload it into someone.

Real life has shown me, that life is too precious to want to take it away.

I am content, to carry my loaded piece, knowing well that I will prolly never have to use it; but understanding that a day may come when someone, prolly not a "gun owner" will be trigger happy, and will entice me to reciprocate by tossing some lead at him/her.

Should that day come, I am ready; should it not come, hey, I ain't missed nothing!