|
Echoes of My Cerebral Vortex
Just trying to make folks do some deep thinking |
The Love of My Life!
| The Last Perfect Act |
| 05.31.04 (7:25 pm) [edit] |
|
It is a good thing that mankind has not perfected the art of war - for surely this would eternally be the last perfect act; so we must forever remember those who fell in its cause, from generation to generation, until such time as we can perfect the art of learning to live in mutual respect and peace amongst each other. |
| Linclon's Thoughts on Memorial Day |
| 05.31.04 (5:08 pm) [edit] |
|
"The mystic chords of memory. stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart... should swell into a mighty chorous of rememberance, gratitude and rededication on this solemn occaion." [i]Abraham Lincoln[/i] |
| If You Could Only Be Like Us |
| 05.30.04 (8:56 pm) [edit] |
|
Let me take you back to a time of my childhood. I'm a child of the fifties and sixties. Until the mid-sixties America portrayed itself more idealistically than it does today; things were different in many ways. Even then America was still one of the wealthiest nations in the world, but people got by with much less. Most families back then only had one car, so schools and shopping places tended to be smaller and closer to the local neighborhood. There were a plethora of home delivery services; door to door sales was the rage back then making it unnecessary to travel to buy many things. Need, milk, potato chips, cleaning supplies, cosmetics, a dry cleaning service or a diaper service - they would all come right to your door - no extra cost it was just part of the service. Boys and girls, there was no such thing as a disposable diaper back then, it was a mater of mommy cleaned them or she had someone clean them for her and many a mother opted for the takeout service. In the fifties most folk need not go to a doctor, if they were too ill, he would come to them. Many men had just recently returned from WW II and the Korean Conflict looking for a niche in the job market. A good old boy network guarded the job market; it was a publicly accepted norm that moms' place was at home and dad earned the bread money. Because of all of all this most women were house wives, those that did try to go outside the house to earn a little extra cash found that their pay would only be about 75% of a man's pay, that is if they could get the job at all. The way American people spent their money was different too. People paid for most things with cash. Credit wasn't obtained on the spur of a moment by whipping out a plastic card. Credit was something that was obtained after doing a lot of paperwork down at the bank; credit was mainly used to buy a house or car. Back then one could often hear the phrase "The eagle shits on Friday night." It was customary for most firms to pay each Friday - that night the man went home with cash in his pocket representing his weeks' work. He might hide a little back for himself, the wife need not know. The world was a smaller place back then, only one quarter of today's world population. Interstate highways were just in their earliest stages; getting from place to place took more time and effort. Towns were smaller; the nation was a bit more self-sufficient. Ethnic communities were still common place along the American landscape and as such they often had a strong cultural acceptance as to what was right and wrong. In the fifties on Friday the Catholic community practiced abstinence from eating flesh from a warm blooded animal: on that night most Catholics ate a customary dinner of fish after praying as a family in thanks and reverence. Now in the Jewish community Friday was also a special night, they to would pray in thanks and reverence to start their Sabbath which runs from sunset Friday to Saturday. But they did not abstain from meat, with steak or brisket being a favorite Friday night meal. It was a time in the fifties when Abraham Goldberg moved into a predominately Polish-catholic community in Northern Illinois. Rumors of his arrival ran throughout his new place of employment and the men were preconceived not to like him. But when Abraham came to work he looked and acted for the most part just like anyone else. It was soon obvious that he was a hard working and cordial fellow willing to do his part to help anyone with anything - it was hard not to like him. But the scuttlebutt heard round the cooler was still, "If he could only be like us." Friday night came and all the men went home to their families. As they were praying in thanks for the fish they were about to receive a breeze kicked up and the smell of grilling steak infiltrated the houses for many blocks. Members of the families looked at each other and slowly pushed their plates away. They just couldn't eat the fish after the smell of grilling steak invaded their nostrals. Many of the men went down to the corner bar and shared in their common problem; "If only we could get Goldberg to be one of us everything would be perfect." So they drank into the night working out a plan, building their collective courage. When Monday came they all gathered at work a little early waiting for Abraham to arrive; as he did the spokes person came forward and explained to Goldberg all the troubles his steak had caused that past Friday night. He then said to Abraham, "It would be so perfect if you could just become one of us." Without hardly any hesitation Goldberg said smilingly, "No problem! What do I need to do?" They all cheered and told Abraham that they would all go down to the corner bar after work that night, there all the details could be explained. So that night the matter was placed into the hands of the parish priest who taught Abraham Goldberg in record time the ways and traditions of the Catholic community. In a ceremony highly attended by the towns' folk Abraham Goldberg was baptized and christened by the priest as he said, "Abraham you were born a Jew and raised as a Jew, but now by the powers vested in me you are a Catholic." With those words the town folk erupted in joy and the men took Abraham down to the corner bar to partake in a bit of celebration. At work the next week things were perfect; the men would smile knowingly at each other when Goldberg passed by. That Friday night the men went home with their paycheck, gathering at their respective tables with family to give thanks for the fish they were about to receive when the wind brought in the distinct smell of grilling steak. Quickly the neighbors converged on Abraham's back yard. Finally someone said, "Abraham Goldberg, I thought you were one of us!" Abraham exclaimed, "I thought I was one of you too, so what is the problem?" The neighbor pointed to the grill and said, "How do you explain this?" Abraham looked stunned momentarily and then he relaxed exclaiming, "Oh I almost forgot. You were born a cow, you were raised a cow, but now by the powers vested in me you are a fish." |
| You Fought and Died |
| 05.29.04 (9:16 pm) [edit] |
|
You fought and died to set us free to mold our own destiny. You fought and died brother against brother, in defense of what you believed in. You fought and died on distant shores so that innocent people need not die on our own sacred land. You fought and died on distant shores in the defense of other nations. You fought and died for many causes, at times without the proper gratitude of your nation. Some have fought for what they stood for. Some have fought for what they held dear. Some have fought when they were called. Some have fought for self-preservation, only to loose their life in the end. Let us not forget your ultimate sacrifice what ever was your call. |
| 05.28.04 (9:39 am) [edit] |
|
Major to Rocky for keeping up the vigil and getting tBLOG back in working order. Did the move go a little rougher than anticipated my man? It seems now that things are 99.9%back to the way they should be; no slam on Rocky here, it is just that Murphy will always be working with Rocky on tBLOG and Murphy hates perfection. Just because the flaw can not be seen that is no indication that it is not there waiting for its moment. It was much to my surprise to see the Hot Blogs list working again and find myself in 51st place. When tBLOG was being moved my page wasn't even in the top 100. Thanks so much to all of you that have been coming to my little contribution to the community and especially those of you who leave the comments. They help me grow and keep my sense of bearing. |
| Not a Greybeard Anymore? |
| 05.27.04 (9:59 pm) [edit] |
|
Anyone who has looked at my family photos can see that Greybeard is a bit of a stretch as a handle, but when I picked it up back in 96 it seemed to reflect an image of wisdom which was the persona in my mind. It also seemed to catch on with the ladies sight on seen and as a man immanently headed for a divorce that too seemed like a good enough cause to stick by Greybeard. Back in those days most of my computer socialization took place in a MSN chat group called 40+ friends clean and friendly chat. When ICQ came out it quickly became all the rage for members of the group; we used it to transfer sound files among the group to be play for appropriate moments of levity etceteras. I was one of the first people in the group to have a scanner so rather than describing myself it was simpler just to pass along a jpeg or wmf file to the other end. As often as not a remark would come back, "Your beard isn't all that gray Greybeard. Rather than argue the point as too the degree of the grayness of my beard I would tell them, "Yes, but Skunk Face wouldn't get much interest from the women now would it?" The prominent gray patch below the chin brought no argument from that response. Now I'm in a bit of a dilemma if I'm a Greybeard at all. A couple of months back there were three hot spots on my right jaw and two on my left chin. I'm rather prone to ingrown whiskers, which is the most significant reason for me growing a beard in the first place; the second reason is I'm inherently too lazy to shave. The two spots on the chin were ingrown whiskers and I was able to see them and clear up the issue, but the spot on my right jaw line remained bothersome. Last night I asked Margo to look it over. She said it wasn't an ingrown whisker and to go see the doctor. Like the obedient husband I am, I followed her advice and went today with her behind me t make sure I did go. As expected, the news wasn't good. The doctor asked me if I had been out in the sun. I replied, "That part of my face hasn't seen the sun in twelve years. Then he gave me the bad news; the bad part to me isn't that there is a lesion on my face that must be removed, it is the sideburn portion of my beard must be shaved. Had the beard been trimmed today the lesion issue would have been put to rest then and there. As it is, I've got a two-week reprieve before being able to see him again. Returning home I prepared the food for the evening meal (by the way, I'm a damn good cook) and put the homemade chicken cordon blau in the oven, that gave me time to consider this beard issue. Picking up the trimmers I made my move, cutting horizontal from the corner of my mouth and then down from mid ear. Once before I briefly had this look and it gave me a regal sort of appearance, something like William the Bruce in [u]Braveheart[/u]. But that was a time before the handlebar moustache and that beard with a handlebar just does not go together. Trim … trim … trim … What remains is a heavy goatee that that is complementary to my trademark mustache … but, I'm not sure a goatee even qualifies as a beard and so many people wear them now days that it doesn't settle well with me. I have a handle bar mustache because so few people do and it is a relic of the past which is also something I can identify myself as. But it is better than no beard at all it seems, so it stays. On the high side, upon my return to the kitchen, ready to finish of the green beans and yellow squash, Margo remarked, "This makes your face surprisingly thinner than with the beard." Well - maybe it is not a good thing after all; although I've got a very large head in the first place, it seems reasonable that a thin face will make my body just look fatter in proportion and that is yet another issue all in itself. |
| No Time for a Good BLOG Post |
| 05.27.04 (8:19 pm) [edit] |
| No deep thought post today, there is just too much going on in the real world. At least my Jenna will not have to mow the grass; after seeing the dentist for the broken post and the now pending tooth replacement I will not be mistaken as a citizen of Alabama. Also picked up some furniture to bring home and wouldn't you know it a cushion on one of the chairs blew off one of the chairs! I retraced my trip but it was not to be found; someone picked it up, or most likely it blew off as I crossed the Inter-coastal-water-way Bridge and it is now a hazard to navigation. Also broke down and had a doctor look at the boo-boo on my face and well, more about that later. At the moment hockey rules and the second period break is almost over. |
| Views on Perception |
| 05.26.04 (7:46 am) [edit] |
|
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Charles Dickens In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. [i]Desiderius Erasmus[/i] The eye of a human being is a microscope, which makes the world seem bigger than it really is." [i]Kahlil Gibran[/i] It seems as if I'm in the best of company when sharing the companionship of my ego ... but most of my of my other friends do not like that compaion and they avoid me when I'm in the presence of that associate. [i]Greyberard[/i] It is much more secure to be feared than to be loved." Niccolo Machiavelli To the man who only has a hammer in the toolkit, every problem looks like a nail. [i]Abraham Maslow [/i] If a man knows not what harbor he seeks, any wind is the right wind. [i]Senec[/i]a If a person sees their true inner self, chances are they have their head up their ass. [i]Greybeard[/i] |
| Stanley Cup Conflict |
| 05.25.04 (1:47 pm) [edit] |
 With the Stanley Cup finals? starting tonight it comes to mind that a conflict is on the horizon and I?m not talking about the one on the ice. Since starting this BLOG three weeks back, I?ve kept myself real committed to it, adding something each day. Someone is looking at it, I?ve had close to 1,700 hits in that time, and enough comments are coming in to know that there are at least a handful of appreciative and faithful readers and I thank you. Those of you that do follow my efforts know my product is normally original (not cut and paste), very verbose and deep. This is a thinking persons? forum and this often requires a significant investment of thought and time on my part; but I?m a student and teacher at heart so I wouldn?t want it any other way.The real conflict is a struggle between time, commitment and interest. The house is in need of some serious remodeling and improvement; this is an issue of great importance to the wife so it is of great importance to me (I?m sure most of you married men know what I?m saying here). I?m a frugal person, so sweat equity is an issue of great importance to me - it just seems such a waste to pay someone to do a job that is within my capability, unless there is a sense of urgency. Since buying this house, a lack of funding has been my number one fall back for not accomplishing many of the needed improvements; since the wife?s inheritance arrived that one will not work again, at least until the money runs out. I?m encouraging her to make some major purchases; this will facilitate my falling back into my old shiftless ways. Then there is the Stanley Cup Finals. I do not consider myself a sports enthusiast and that especially applies to professional sports. The reasons for this are very convoluted and not without a degree of inner conflict. It is all a mater of perspective really ? my mind?s eye sees a fat slob yelling and screaming with beer and snacks all around him - chances are he never played an organized game a day of his life; then what comes to mind is, ?get out there on the field you fat SOB, the exercise will do you good!? ? then I think of the kicking coach for the Dallas Cowboys ? here is a man that is a paraplegic, incapable of playing foot ball, yet his interest in the game and human nature has enabled him to assist others in achieving their full potential and that quest is one I can appreciate, as long as it is done with a balance of purpose. The quest for achieving ones full potential also has its dark side; it is a darkness that often disgusts me at many levels and it is at its? worst in professional sports. The root of this disdain essentially has its origins in free enterprise, the quest for the all mighty dollar. Don?t get me wrong ? I?ve never had too much money in my life and in my book free enterprise is the natural order of things ? the problem is, the average consumer is not smart enough or willful enough to prevent the system from getting the best of them and they pay through the nose for it. It is a snowball effect; the organization rewards box office draws with high salaries, the high salary encourages players to cheat nature through drug use, which destroys the purity of achieving ones? potential. In the end the outrageous administrative cost take the game out of the reach to the average Joe except through the media, which has an enormous hidden cost in advertising. Case in point: Shaq?s trade from the Magic to Lakers overnight drove up the cost of a general admission ticket in LA from $8 to $28; was it worth it? Yes, as long as someone keeps buying the tickets. Our fascination with public icons seems over rated and over priced! The only sports I invest myself into at a pro-level anymore are NASCAR - there the winners are paid on performance and not name recognition; sometimes baseball when the series playoffs come around - at that point I'm seeing the best of the best and I almost always pull for the under dog which normally is the team with the lowest salary budget. Then there is hockey; now I've never played this game myself and I'm struggling to appreciate the finer points of the game. But I love the asymmetry of three periods and the finesse of the players. Half my family is Canadian and this game is a part of their national culture, one I want to be able to share with them; after all, two of my boys do play the game. Repeatedly the Canadian family informs me "it is a great Canadian invention" and I agree, while adding "But Americans are perfecting the game." Now I have an invested interest in the Tampa Bay Lightning. They are the new kids on the block to the Stanley Cup finals and that motivates me: they still only charge $8 a ticket for their games, keeping it a sport within reach to any member of the community that supports them. Pensacola has a minor league team - those players play for the hope of their future and the love of the game; they are so poorly paid that they live with a hosting family as if they were a foreign exchange student. Tampa Bay at the draw of the regular season picked up four of our players so now there is a personal investment; I can say, 'I remember watching them when they were part of this town.' Of course last but not least, there is that inter-national rivalry in the family - all I can say is, "When Lightening strikes Calgary will go up in Flames!" So you see, there just might not be enough time to get too serious on the BLOG for the next ten days; hockey is of a greater importance at the moment. |
| Observations on Actions |
| 05.24.04 (8:05 am) [edit] |
 Words without actions are the assassins of idealism. [i]Herbert Hoover[/i] We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them. [i]Abigail Adams[/i] Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold -- but so does a hard-boiled egg. [i]Anon.[/i] Discretion is being able to raise your eyebrow instead of your voice. [i]Anon.[/i] Words are illusionary and immeasurable - actions are real and quantifiable. [i]Greybeard[/i] |
| A Political Rant |
| 05.23.04 (1:54 pm) [edit] |
 Six months to the election and I’m already sick of the political scene. Why don’t we have some real political reform? First off, let’s do away with the 17th Amendment; that is the one passed in 1913 enabling senators to be picked by popular election rather than be appointed by the state. How much money and time would be saved if it went back the way it was? This would also increase states’ rights and that is a good thing. States’ rights over the federal government enable the populace to vote with their feet. It’s a survival of the fittest thing with niche for everyone. If you don’t like freedom of choice then move to North Korea or Iran. Need more information? Check out the two links in the left column. Like the Fair Tax Act links I think they are important and they will remain there as long as needed. My second desire is to do away with all those federal matching funds. That program serves the better interest of professional politicians and not the people. Consider the tax cost to administrate this program and the likelihood of graft and pocket picking. Honestly, do you want to elect someone to run this country that is too damned dumb to figure out a way to earn their own election money without the governments’ help? Also tied to this issue is a party’s ability to make it onto a ballet and receive matching funds. Are the Democratic and Republican parties that afraid of competition? Let as many people as want to get on the ballot; just make them pay a fixed percentage of their campaign coffers to rank their position on the ballot. Hell that idea alone might balance the national budget! My third wish it to make elections fast and furious … say no more than six months in duration. Three months for stumping and the general election and three more for primaries. About those primaries, my hat is off to New Hampshire; it is the only state left that allows the citizens of an electoral district to have a representative vote. This winner take all stuff practiced by the other 49 states leads right back to the same issues of my first point. While I’m on my political rant, let me share bulleted observations: Politicians and Voters in the USA • Politicians seldom are the best or brightest of their population, but almost always they have the greatest personal ambition. • Good politicians prioritizing their efforts to serving their 1) nation 2) constituency 3) party 4) self. Most politicians reverse this order. • Few politicians understand The Constitution of The United States or they just execute their duties with disregard or conviction to it as being the supreme law of the land. • Politicians that create laws to make people dependant upon the government have the same morals and mentality as that of a drug pusher. • The average voter is too trusting and not as clever as the candidate they vote for. • Voters tend to be drawn to politicians that fulfill their immediate desire for security and gratification over the long term consequence to the nation. • Voting is a right and not an obligation; voting apathy is far less damaging than an uninformed emotional vote. |
| The Pursuit of Spiritual Identity |
| 05.22.04 (11:08 am) [edit] |
|
Sometimes I am mystified with regard to the singular purpose in which people peruse their spiritual identity. Predominantly folk seem to summarize their spiritual being with a single word such as, ‘I’m a Jew-Buddhist-Christian-at heist-agnostic …etcetera.’ In the case of Christians they often jump right to a more specific identity stating ‘I’m a Catholic-Baptist-Lutheran -Pentecostal-Mormon … etcetera.” Then there are the “Born Again Christians;” they may be any of the above denominations or of a singular house of worship that is very unique to that clan, but it takes three words for them to express their spiritualism. It is interesting to carefully listen to the voice inflection and watch the body language of a person as they claim one of these bulleted spiritual identities; often this tells me more about the persons’ true spiritual nature than by the words themselves. People often fail to understand that actions have more meaning than the words - words are illusionary and at times a vehicle of self-deception. My parents let me grow up in a state of denominational innocence in my early years, content to teach me morality from essentially a secular point of view. When my father became very ill we moved in with his grandparents for a time. Grandma R was a very faithful woman, attending church with regularity each Sunday and involved in many of its other activities, so I started attending church with her – it was one of our bonds. Dad’s health once again improved and both my parents had new jobs; we moved to an adjacent city. Left to my own devices, I started to explore other denominations. On a few occasions I even went to a temple with one or the other of my Jewish friend’s. For some reason I seemed to have a lot of Jewish friends and I respected who they were greatly. Morality I understood, but the vehicle people used to explore it seemed obscure … they couldn’t all have it right ... that is if any of them did. Many of my teen years were spent growing up in a suburb just north of Dallas where a regional news story caught my attention. The story made me think very hard, it served as a catalyst, one forever changing the way I would look at denominational religion. This story wasn’t the reason I stopped going to church, but it was the seed of a thought process that would bring about that eventuality. A new church in Dallas (Baptist as I recall) burnt to the ground in the time that passed between the Jewish and Christian Sabbath’s. There was nothing that could be done to save it; the fireman’s efforts were limited to confining any damage to neighboring structures. A plan circulated among many of the church members to go to the sight Sunday morning as they intended to in the first place and salvage what they could from the charred remains in fellowship. The congregation was stunned that Sunday morning to arrive and find several members of an adjacent synagogue already deep into their own efforts to clean up the site. The media staged a meeting between the reverend and the rabbi – the preacher went first -taking considerable time in giving praise to the ways of his faith, Jesus Christ and so on. He then looked at the rabbi and said, “What has taken here is one of the most Christian things I’ve ever seen.” The rabbi with a wiry smile stepped up to the microphone and proclaimed, “I don’t know how Christian it is, but it is very Jewish I assure you,” then he just stepped away. The truth in what he said that day struck me very deeply, forever changing the way I viewed the value in the way one expresses their faith. |
| THE ROBIN WILLIAMS PEACE PLAN |
| 05.21.04 (7:09 pm) [edit] |
Magoo has been using me as her domestic slave for the past two days, so my brain is numb. It is late and there is just little time or energy left for much original though or text tonight. But some insight from Robin Williams crossed my path recently and he says it just the way I would want to anyway. Also, Robin Williams is a brother spook, he worked as a Morse code interceptor back in Thailand while serving in the United States Airforce. Even before he made it in Hollywood his exploits in my field were stuff of legand. Copying Morse code for eight to twelve hours a day … now you know why he is so crazy. 1. The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs, past & present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, Noriega, Milosovich and the rest of those good ol' boys: We will never "interfere" again. 2. We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with Germany, South Korea and the Philippines. They don't want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one sneaking through holes in the fence. 3. All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave. We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of who or where they are. France would welcome them. 4. All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit. No one from a terrorist nation would be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here. Asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers. 5. No "students" over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get a "D" (for "deport") and it's back home baby. 6. The US will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy wise. This will include developing non-polluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while. 7. Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we go some place else. They can go somewhere else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.) 8. If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not "interfere." They can pray to Allah or whomever for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides, most of what we give them is stolen or given to the Army. The people who need it most get very little, if anything. 9. Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island some place. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens. 10. All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way no one can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer. The language we speak is ENGLISH.....learn it...speak it...or LEAVE... |
| Sunset Over Eden - Perdido Key, FL |
| 05.20.04 (7:36 pm) [edit] |
This photos was taken Oct 16, 1995 just twelve days after Hurricane Opal made landfall twenty-two miles to the east of this location. In my mind it is one of the best beach photos I've ever captured and the display over the Eden Condominium was just breath taking that night. Hope you enjoy the picture. |
| Schatze |
| 05.20.04 (6:08 pm) [edit] |
Anyone else notice a sudden end to Schatze terror post on Magoo's BLOG? I'm sorry to say they may be gone forever. Margo and Schatze have formed this blood bond so to say. Since Schatze went into heat and had to wear that diaper for two weeks she has received nothing but understanding from the wife. At that time could be heard, "Oh little girl, I understand…its terrible isn't it?" I also heard mention a few times about "…going through your woo-dog thing." Not being very in touch with my feminine side; I doubt the woo-dog thing will ever relate in my mind, albeit the diaper issue is self-obvious though. At fifty-one I'm already concerned about having to wear a diaper again and with luck it will never come to that. I digress, sorry! :oops:  A couple days back I came home and Margo was already at the house (she used to stay at work as late as possible so it would be me finding the damage first). The dog gate to the living room was up though and there were several little chunks of flooring scattered about and a few twigs; enough to have driven Margo up the wall just three weeks ago. As a rule Schatze never gets a harsh scolding from me when something like this happens and I'm just coming home. It is simply not a good idea to associate Daddy's coming home with a bad time. However, I will ignore her while looking at the bad things and say very matter of factually, "This isn't good." As soon as I launched into my routine Margo comes shooting around the corner defending Schatze. She said to me, "Well it isn't much … maybe it was an accident … the floor is torn up already, maybe they were just tearing around and she couldn't help it", . Now that the two of them have that female bond, one I can never be a part of, things will never be the same for me I'm sure. Anyway, for all you Schatze lovers out there: she and I spent some quality time together today while Daddy (that's me) gave her a haircut. As I've often found with other women, now that she has a fresh new look she wants to be out in the limelight, so here she is for all to see.  Snuggles was a little jealous of all the attention the camera was giving Schatze, so a few picture were shot of her too, even though she never changes hair styles. |
| The Reality of Terrorism Sinks In |
| 05.19.04 (8:49 pm) [edit] |
|
April 5, 1986 terrorism became personal, not a detached event that happens to someone else. On this date I am soldier in the US Army, assignment Field Station Berlin. That night while I was throwing a few frames at the base bowling alley a bomb goes off downtown inside the La Belle Disco, a spot frequented by American soldiers. There are deaths and there are casualties and I knew a few people who were there that night. In a tight knit military it only takes minutes for the news such as this to travel throughout the ranks. The tone on the lanes took a dramatic change, bowling seemed less important. Most people were wonder what comes next, was one of my troops in harms way? This was the catalyst that would change the way American Soldiers lived for the next full year. Berlin was a paradox to live in back in that times; its status was that of an occupied city. The players in the occupation of Berlin are the USA, Britain, France and the USSR. Each occupying nation had its own quarter to control. Further more Germany in this time is a divided country, one operating on two political ideologies; there were walls, barbed wire, gun emplacements and check points. The so-called Free Zone was west of the Elba River and it was known as the Federal Deutches Republic or FDR. East of the river was the Deutches Democratic Republic or DDR. The way my twisted mind works the biggest paradox is found in the names. The Republic (although unknown to many Americans is what the USA is) was the land of the free; the Democracy (which since the days of FDR is what most Americans erroneously refer the USA as) is the land of totalitarian rule. Democrats take a lesson! But, I digress. The Soviet Union had absolute rule over the DDR. Any of their land that bordered a free society was fenced or walled with a kill zone built along it. The French, British and USA quarters of Berlin were in the confines of the DDR. Free Berlin was a walled city with a kill zone. Anyone could walk out of it, but no one could safely walk in. They would be shot in the back as they made their exit from communism. Ways in and out of free Berlin were limited to air travel, the British, French or American Duty Trains and driving down the "Corridor", a section of the autobahn highway requiring adhearance to some serious planning, controls and checks. There was also Checkpoint Alpha, Bravo and Charlie; one checkpoint each was assigned to Britain, France and the USA. The USA's checkpoint was Charlie. All Americans going through the wall went through Checkpoint Charlie. Walled or not Berlin was rather porous. For example one subway line was closed to military users because it went under Soviet occupied Berlin with a terminal on that side. In theory by using that line someone could snatch you. I know for a fact that our side had covert tunnels to access communication facilities and gain covert entry into the other side. My guess is, if we did that so did the other side. The truth is, Berlin was a diode; the Iron Curtain and wall were not put up to keep free people out of the DDR, they existed to stem the flow of humanity from exhodousing the Soviet Block nations. Therefore the communists watched the wall with much greater scrutiny than did the Allies. If the communist wanted someone to pass - it was a simple matter to arrange it. As an occupied city, Free Berlin was a refuge for many of the worlds more renegade and desperate people. On more than a few occasions I struck up a conversation with a Berlin Resident that was not Germanic in origin. Often their reason for being in Berlin was that they were a draft dodger from the military of a nation like Turkey or Greece, or they were evading a crime that might be more political or finical in nature than a conventional crime against humanity. Political asylum was abundant in free Berlin. Sometimes the trail of these refugees passed through the DDR. The communist didn't want these folks so they passed them on to The West. There were a lot of Gastar Biders "guest workers" in Germany, many of them Turks with a good mix of Asians, African's and what ever you might be able to identify at a glance. From my fairly conservative perspective, much of Berlin was a freak show anyway. Leather, chains, purple hair, Mohawk haircuts, tattoos and piercing were prevalent sights in Berlin even on elderly grandma types. Before such trends started to show up in major cities of the United States they were going full swing in Berlin. The point to all this, it is hard to identify what is out of the ordinary in Berlin. Within hours of the La Belle explosion the military community made vast changes. No longer were the schools, Post Exchange and military housing open and integrated to the surrounding community. Fences went up around the schools with guards at the gate. Students had to show their military identification cards to pass. For those children to young to have military ID's they showed a lunch card and then their teacher vouched them for. On each school bus you would find a soldier inside armed with and an M-16. Two Jeep’s complete with a ring mounded machine gun would accompany each bus, one in the front and one in the back. Government facility’s now required each person to show proper identification as they passed; each vehicle was searched by dogs or people with mirrors; pop-up and zig-zag barriers were quicly installed and now there was the ever present host of armed soldiers or Berlin Politzi carefully scrutinizing anything that moved within their field of vision. A routine trip that once took three-minutes could now take an hour. To many it seemed as if the terrorist had already won, they had destroyed the freedom in which we lived our life just days ago. As a member of the intelligence effort I was keenly aware of the rapid decay that was taking place in the Soviet Union, the watch masters of the DDR. To have the USSR fall apart spelled disaster to the power brokers in the DDR, they depended on the hand that fed them. As a wild animal often does when it endangered the DDR acted out in an unpredictable way, allowing many know Middle Eastern terrorist to cross into free Berlin. Local intelligence efforts were fairly effective in that place and that time so other than the La Bell and Major Nichol’s incident not much harm was done to the community. But when the theater closed for three days because of “projector issues” it was closed because of a know threat to it and its’ close proximity to the road. A few days work by our agents and some new concrete barriers and the theater was once again available to the community and most were none the wiser or troubled by reality. Soldiers of the Berlin Brigade suddenly are committed to an on-going 24/7 mission to protect each citizen of the community and this has to take place on top of their normal duties such as guarding Rudolph Hess at the Spandau Prison, equipment maintenance and training. Military Intelligence types are normally exempt from routine garrison duties; their ongoing real time mission is considered ‘Mission Essential’, but not now. Silent Warriors are required to go the extra mile, to take up the administrative details thereby providing a bit of relief to the over extended soldiers’ of the Berlin Brigade. Most spooks stepped off their self-imposed elitist pedestal did the extra duty with pride and understanding. Military families are one of the most resilient groups to be found in American culture, always trying to help themselves and other members of their community as much as possible. We keep the bitching and complaining in the long lines to a minimal and it is unthinkable to take our frustrations out on the soldiers of the brigade. On every corner of every block can be found two armed soldiers; standing their guard, with one guard roving in between them. They work in four-hour shifts and we all know this. Look out of a bedroom window even at two-o’clock in the morning and chances are good one can see a military house wife delivering some fresh bake goods with a serving of tea, coco or coffee. That is how life went on for almost one full year. The La Belle Disco bombing is the straw that broke the camel’s back; an over whelming amount of evidence points to Libya aiding and abetting past terrorist activates. President Ronald Reagan sends a message back to Muammar Gaddafi by ordering a carpet bombing of his palace compound in Libya. Gaddafi escapes with injuries, but he loosed a child – now he has a loss to contemplate. This event seems to slow his ways, but others will take his place; we can not drop our guard however. The next event to really change the way the community has been living its life the past year is one that will also affect the citizens of Berlin as well. The cadence of occupation that had been the nature of this city since the start of the cold war is coming to an end, the Soviet Union, the Deutches Democratic Republic and the wall are all coming down - the time for us to leave this city is near. My departure from that city took place a few weeks before the wall was officially a part of history. As I boarded the aircraft on my journey back home to the USA, I had a feeling of accomplishment and hope for the newly freed citizens of the DDR. But at the same time, my Silent Warrior nature made me wonder, at what time and what place will the madness of the past year find its way into my own homeland. There is not enough optimism in me to ever believe the shadow of turmoil in the Middle East would ever quench it taste for the blood of free people such as my own kind. |
| Seeding the Downfall of the Super Powers |
| 05.18.04 (11:19 am) [edit] |
|
The reality of the Islamic emergence movement hit me in 1979. I was a "spook," an electronic warfare operator assigned to monitor KGB and flag grade command signals. This was an interesting assignment for me, one utilizing new technology. Shortly after my program becomes operational it is apparent that something big is happening. Showcase units that have been garrisoned in the Deutches Democratic Republic since WW II were on the move. In short time it was apparent the destination was the military districts adjacent to the Afghanistan border. Likewise, KGB activity along the Afghanistan border region starts to spike sharply. A real life electronic blueprint of a Soviet invasion is developing right before my eyes. This is exciting stuff for a Silent Warrior. Operating in a real world scenario on a daily basis always provided me a great deal of satisfaction. I need not practice my wartime mission; it was out there on a daily basis. It was clear to me that this was potentially the most important of mission event of my collection career. [b]Take note; the interesting revelation for this event didn't come to me through the efforts of my spook work! Multiple disclosure agreements prohibit me from doing that even if I was inclined to do so. The point being, my background and credentials provide me a depth of insight and skill not available to the average person on the street. Aside from a minimal amount of service chatter, all I hear is a digitally encrypted signal. The real insight is derived from order of battle analysis. A select few might actually read a transcript, the resulting of a successful crypto-effort made by a dispassionate computer, but the bureaucratic path strips away any details of the source.[/b] Ironically at this time I am taking a course in International Relations. The professor is an interesting man to be sure; an American citizen never having lived in the USA; of Lebanese decent, a career civil servant in the military intelligence community and the son of a career civil servant with the diplomatic corps. Most of his life is spent living in the Middle East; his full time job is with an MI Group where he works as an Analyst. Given my career field, I can relate to this man's talk and appreciate his credibility. He shares a story that I've never heard from any other source, but it makes so much sense that I've got to regard it as factual. The story binds the evidence of my SIGINT work to world events I've seen take place from that time forward. A side note: there are three Palestinian students also attending this class. On many occasions they become very emotionally extremely and opposed to his views. On one occasion the woman of the group runs out into the hallway and vomits as a result of her emotional investment in a discussion. The story starts with Mouammar Gaddafi. He has his own vision of expanding Islamic world dominance, with him in the lead of course. It is a complex multi-pronged effort, much of it being conducted on a covert basis. The overt prong is to establish a military structure that sends a message to his Arab neighbors that he can defend his and more importantly that he is capable of reaching out in the region. At this time Gaddafi has amassed the second largest air force in the third world, second only to that of North Vietnam. It is a troubled force however; it suffers greatly from a lack of repair parts. The air force also relies heavily on mercenary pilots largely of Korean origin. Still, it imposed a significant deterrent to its neighbors, especially Egypt. Kadafi also openly and covertly supports terrorist groups of both a Muslim and non-Muslim origin. These activities are divisive, serving to keep his enemies off balance and expend their resources. It is important to realize that to some degree any nation that is not Syrian is an enemy. His efforts eventually need to bring his Islamic neighbors in line and under his guidance; to do this his stated goal needs to be the eradication of the Nation of Israel. Gaddafi also needs to weaken the supper powers and expand the concept of Islamic rule, religion often being the opiate of the masses. Gaddafi masterminds and financially backs a covert plan that goes a long way to achieve his goals. He expends several million dollars in producing cassette copies of the Koran. These cassettes are distributed from Afghanistan into the surrounding military district (states) of the USSR. The borders into these military districts are porous; the rugged mountain terrain makes it nearly impossible to secure incursions across the boarders. The military districts surrounding Afghanistan have a long history of ethnic-cultural roots grounded in the Islamic world. The cassettes of the Koran have their effect. The flames of Islamic Fundamentalism are fanned. The Soviet Empire's effort to suppress religious influence in favor of their communist secular doctrine is quickly lost to an increasing inferno of Islamic resurgence. Hence the question is answered why the Third Shock and Eight Guard Armies are being moved from Germany into Afghanistan borders. At the time, cadre of the military districts surrounding Afghanistan is basically people indigenous to the region. Much of that leadership is a sympathetic abettor to the Islamic insurgence; they support it by inaction if by no other means. The integrity of the Soviet Union is seriously threatened. The only means for the USSR to have any hope of suppressing the growth of this Islamic movement is to replace leadership in the surrounding military districts with that which is not suspect of having any sympathy to the Islamic movement. At the same time, leadership and troops committed to the Afghanistan invasion force must also be of non-Islamic origin. To achieve this, forces must be drawn from the European heartland. This invasion is not mealy an expansion of the Soviet Empire; Afghanistan is a central portal into surrounding military districts, it is essential to shut the door on an invasion of ideology attributed to terrorism and civil insurrection. Shortly after the USSR invasion of Afghanistan a link is established between Kabul and Odessa on the Caspian Sea. At first glance this link doesn't make a lot of sense in terms of the expected order of battle communication line. Once again an open collateral source reviles the nature of this link. Soviet soldiers are getting hurt on a large scale and with some horrific injuries. Even in a political system such as found in the USSR, it is difficult to manage a social problem in the European heart of the Soviet Empire. The sons of the heartland are being killed and maimed in large numbers. Many are sons of important political forces. This telegraphs a strong message that a third world people, armed with little more than primitive to second rate weapons and a fanatical religious purpose can cause a significant hurt to even a major world power. Odessa was being used as a medical evacuation site in an attempt to cover the loss of the sons of the USSR. Of course it didn't work for long. In retrospect a question comes to mind with regards the Salang Tunnel explosion which took place on November 2, 1982. This incident claimed the lives of upwards to 3000 people with 8000 more in casualties. Most of the victims were participants in a military convoy traversing the 26 mile long tunnel. Reportedly a fuel truck swerved into another; the resulting fire mixed with loads of ammunition caused a fire that burned for days. This incident be the result of a pure accident or the results of well planed sacrificial sabotage, utilizing a local conscripted serving as a fuel truck driver. I doubt this will ever be settled publicly. If this incident was sabotage, it is an early blueprint similar in nature to that of the World Trade Center incident. It establishes that a very few people can inflict large scale damage and casualties to the enemy by utilizing the enemy's own resources. Many of the key players associated with master minding the 911 attack (to include Osama Bin Laden) are already ensconced in Afghanistan at the time of the Salang Tunnel incident They ware receiving support and training from the CIA. They were called Afghan Freedom Fighters back then albeit many were not Afghan's themselves. This is a case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend syndrome, a trap the United States often finds itself falling into. This is yet another key bit of evidence suggesting that what we know today as Al Queda was then making making its mark by inflicting a horrific human toll; perhaps in the long term they were the ones playing two major advisories against each other. In any event, this incident greatly hurt the Soviet Union. It is a significant debt in terms of human loss, material loss and national pride in their ten-year attempt to subdue the region If you accept the scenario as it is presented as plausible; it is reasonable to draw a conclusion that President Ronald Reagan has to share credit for bringing down the Soviet Empire with Gaddafi and his supporting cast. The Soviet Union's attempt to quell the spread of Islamic fundamentalism is a great burden on their financial and human resources. It causes the rearrangement of military resources within the Soviet Axis which significantly weaken its posture in the European portion of the empire. The loss of son's of the heartland is too great for the political information systems to hide or dismiss. When the Soviet Union ultimately falls apart nearly half of the break-a-way nations are adjacent to the Afghanistan border. Russia's current issues with Chechnya are not referred to as civil problem but as an internal terrorist problem. It is also worth noting that the law of the break-a-way nations in that region is a mixture of Islamic and secular rule with the secular ruled nations still clinging to a Soviet styled dictatorship. The largest threat to them remains the push for rule based upon law of the Koran. Another incident that may also be tied covertly to Gaddafi is the death of Anwar Sadat on October 6, 1981. Again much of this reflection draws on my class with Mister Sarkis. According to his lectures, Gaddafi sees Egypt as a key to his dominance in the Middle East. It is the only adjacent neighbor with significant military might to directly benefit or threaten Syria. Syria has a potentially dominant air power, but Egypt has a strong edge in armored ground forces and educated people. Such ground forces are the only things that can effectively operate and hold ground in the harsh desert region 24-7. A unification of these forces is essential for laying the foundation for the next step, the elimination of Israel as a nation. Syria is not adjacent to Israel so Syria needs Egypt as a corridor for any invasion. Sadat would have been in the way of any long-term hopes Gaddafi might have in immerging as the leader of an Islamic empire. Egypt's defeat in the 1973 war brings about a shift in Sadat's way of thinking. For his nations sake he openly moves away from confronting Israel and makes sincere inroads to developing a political and trade relationship that would benefit both nations. By 1979 he signs a peace accord with Israel. And that action is not with out risks. There are fundamentalist Islamic factions within his nation that will gladly do what it takes to derail these efforts. The remainder of the Arab nations openly opposed Sadat, or they sit back with a wait and see skepticism. If Sadat's efforts succeed it will open the door for all the fence sitters. But, this will project him into the world view as the dominant leader in the Arab World, at the same time casting a shadow on the emergence of Islamic fundamentalism. Sadat's success will clearly be to the detriment of Gaddafi's desires. Covertly supporting a plot to erase Sadat from the political front is to Gaddafi's long term benefit. In fact he states, "I am a leader without a country to lead and Egypt is a powerful nation without a leader." Granted the Gaddafi connection to Afghanistan is not something that has ever been covered in the media by any source to my knowledge; nor does it exists as a story line among the conspiracy theorists. But consider the following; Gaddafi only needs to deliver the seed in the form of the cassette tapes. He doesn't even plant the seed, that deed is left to the religious zealots such as the likes of Al Queda and Talaban followers. Gaddafi's aspirations are not religious but political. He aspires to be the secular leader of an Islamic economic empire, not a leader of a nation of Islamic law. His ploy is very Machiavellian. By using the religious zealots, people willing sacrifice themselves to achieve an end; Gaddafi's fulfills his long-term goal to weaken super power adversaries and at the same time eliminating many of those who would eventually cause him internal problems. Gaddafi's game plan is one of patience, playing both sides against the middle. He only needs to rattle a few sabers and be belligerently boisterous to keep him-self in the public eye of the Arab world. To directly move against the USA or USSR eliminates any hopes Gaddafi has to receive repair parts for his military machine. The Soviet Union clearly has nothing to gain by publicly accusing Gaddafi of being an abettor. Even if they have the hard evidence, a public declaration would undermine the credibility of their system; suggesting something as trivial as a cassette tape of the Koran can pose a threat to a major world power. At the same time this would bolster Gaddafi's position. Much the same can be said for the USA. Also, the United States gets more public support by playing up the concept of an expansion of the Soviet Empire. The act itself, not the underlying reason is what is of political importance. That is a concept the American public understands. To even publicly acknowledge that a cassette campaign presents a danger to the USSR implies there is a potential danger to the USA as well - at some point and some time. Intelligence community and diplomatic analysis briefings rarely find their way into public media unless someone within the government desires the information to be leaked. In the referenced time ABC, CBS, NBC and the printed press dish out the bulk of public information. They gravitate to fast hard hitting moment by moment segments. There is no drama in this story even if such a story leaks out from a reliable source. Political moral: culture, language and boarders are often used by ambitious politicians as a tool to serve their own needs. In the case of a dictator with totalitarian tendency; the best plan is to subdue the external opposition using fanatical internal forces to be sacrificed as pawn in a game; that leaves less internal opposition to be eliminated when the end game is put in place. This scenario has been played out countless times throughout time itself, the Third Rich, USSR and China being but a few modern examples. If you are a freedom loving person you should be opposed to the action of any nation which through overt action or inaction promotes ideological intolerance against its own people or its neighbor. Building upon the lessons of history; Islamic intolerance is reason enough for any freedom loving people to take the necessary means to stop it cold, unilaterally or other wise. To not fully commit to it amounts to making a statement 'Existence in respectful tolerance and freedom does not mater, as long as I,ve got mine'. |
| Meet Murphy |
| 05.18.04 (5:52 am) [edit] |
|
Anyone attempting to use tBLOG last night knows the truth of what follows, but hopefully you will find a way to enjoy the truth in it anyway. Let me introduce you to [b]Murphy[/b]. Murphy was an engineer, one who gained insight and wisdom through failure of his efforts. Fortunately Murphy's astute multiple point observations have survived the ages for all to share. The following will educate you on a portion of what today is simply known as [i]Murphy's Law[/i]. Enjoy! :lol: 1. "Nothing is as easy as it looks." 2. "Everything takes longer than you think." 3. "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." 4. "If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong." 5. "If there is a worse time for something to go wrong, it will happen then." 5. "If anything simply cannot go wrong, it will anyway." 6. "If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop." 7. "Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse." 8. "If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something." 9. "Nature always sides with the hidden flaw." 10. "Mother nature is a bitch." 11. "It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious." 12. "Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first." 13. "Every solution breeds new problems." 14. "Trust everybody ... then cut the cards." 15. "Two wrongs are only the beginning." 16.."If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried." 17.."To succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your principles." 18. "Exceptions prove the rule ... and wreck the budget." 19. Success always occurs in private, and failure in full view." |
| Do You Listen to Your Dreams? |
| 05.17.04 (12:53 pm) [edit] |
|
Do you listen to your dreams, have they ever changed the way you view things? Do you ever question why you hold on to some distant memories but not others? Have you ever had a moment of crystal clear visionary insight (without being under the influence of alcohol or drugs) only to painfully and irretrievably loose it moments latter? In my view dreams and memories are not just random events to be accepted without regard. As bizarre as many of my dreams have been, through introspective reflection, or turn of circumstance, many dreams have revealed themselves to be a useful tool; that is to say, dreams have meaningful purpose. My dreams seem to come in distinct flavors and they are in color (which is amazing in itself given I'm color bind). There are dreams that repeat themselves - not night after night mind you, but in their exact detail and often many years apart. It is like de'ja vu when this happens and at times unsettling. There is the recurrent theme dream, different in details but with a commonality that it is like dreaming a different [i]Gilligan's Island [/i]episode from time to time. Most frequently my dreams are a one time occurrence dream. They cover a believability spectrum ranging from absolute reality to settings where space, time and physics are tossed out the window. Another strange aspect of my dreams, one that I only became self-aware of about twelve years ago, is that my dreams come in first, second and third person perspective. My dreams have become almost a practiced art. As a child, many a day was spent laying in bed for as long as possible, resisting the need to get up; not because of being tired or lazy, just being self-absorbed in nocturnal fantasy. I seldom do that anymore. But as my dream technique has developed; sometimes there is a very blurry line between dreaming and consciousness. My ability to day-dream at times has become is as vivid as any nocturnal manifestation. After watching [i]?A Beautiful Mind?[/i], that aspect of dreaming I should find just a little bit scary! Often now I lay in bed trying to sleep only to finding my mind racing, fully cognizant of my surroundings but deeply absorbed in a dream like consciousness that bridges reality to my subconscious. One of my oldest reoccurring dreams has an origin dating back to about the time I was two or three years of age. At that age I was struck by a car when a woman had an epileptic seizure. That is the setting of the dream. Maybe it is just a memory, but if it is - it is a strange one. The dream starts with me slamming into the ground next to the car (I didn't see it coming), then being placed in the back of a vehicle with my mother attending me. This is a third person memory, as if seen from above, me watching me. Memories of a near death experience? I don't know. The first life altering dream that comes to mind took place when I was about eight or nine years old. Thank goodness it was a one time occurrence dream! In this dream my mother pulls into the parking lot of a large store new to the town. The now long defunct store was sort of a proto super store of its day. In this dream she asks me to run into the store, buy something and come right back; but, instead I wistfully loiter for just a moment in the toy department. Upon retuning to the parking lot all the cars are gone except for my mother's. The car is covered with snow and the lack of tire marks on the lots' surface let me know the car has stat there by itself for a long time. I open the door to see my mother sitting there blue skinned, lifelessly staring back with a look of agony and disappointment on her face. In horror I woke up from my sleep with a racing heart; then jumping out of bed, rushing down the hall to reassuringly see Mother alive and well. I'm not sure if Mom and Dad ever noticed the change in me, but I know from that day on my accountability was dramatically improved. Melissa transferred into high school in the middle of the eleventh grade. I was nuts about her from the start and she seemed to have an interest in me. The problem - one of my best friends also took a great interest in her as well, making it very clear to me he felt she was worth fighting for. In my dream there is Melissa, my friend and myself standing on a rocky beach, one void of people in all directions. Just in the background there is a wall of stone extending as high as the eye can see. Malcolm and I become engaged in battle - in the end I kill him. Turning to seek Melissa; she is stepping away shaking her head with a look a horror painted on her face. She turns around and just walks down the beach into the horizon still shaking her head. That was another dream that woke me up to consider its reason. I was a long time in returning to my sleep. The dream didn't change my desire for Melissa and it was often hard not see her and Malcolm together without a hint of resentment. However, something was worked out in my heart that night and Malcolm and I remained close friends. Melissa was his. While in the employ of the United States Army; technically a soldier, however in truth a servant to one of the larger intelligence agencies, my job was to intercept, analyze and report on specific types of communication signals used by other countries; ala Tom Clancy vernacular I was a Spook. I was assigned a seemingly daunting task to take approximately 136 communication links which were known to be related and devise a systematic means for sampling the first and last five minutes of each communication between them. The terminal objective was to do this once a week for each link without any missed connections, while utilizing only four receivers. Others with far more experience had been working on this project for several years. The current concept took two weeks and even then about fourteen percent of the targets seemed to defy a pattern of logic, often they were missed. After several months of attempting this task, one night in a dream I became a myriad of Soviet radio technicians jumping from one link to the next. The whole scenario played out in my mind in just minutes. Once again I awoke trembling. A glance toward the clock told me there was just enough time to jump into my uniform, and catch the 04:OO hour's bus soon headed to the secure facility - to capture the vision before it faded from my memory. When the day shift arrived at 07:00 hour's the plan was on paper. To the frustration of many, I could not explain the rhyme or reason for my conclusion. The truth of it all would most likely have resulted in my medical discharge or a debriefing by "The Agency" anyway. One week latter it was confirmed, a moment of crystal clarity had worked itself into one of my dreams. For years dreams of a recurring theme haunted me. In these dreams I was being chased, never truly seeing the sensed foe. Running through woods in the dark of night, crawling through pipes and tunnels, sometimes to have my shirt or leg momentarily grasped by the threat, I ran and ran without stop. Often I would mention something about these dreams to my spouse. Mostly she would say something like "You have a problem." Funny thing is, since a divorce back in 1997, that dream has never come back to haunt me. One last tale: about five years back, lying in bed with my wife, caught in a state between sleep and cognizance. I started to hear a violin playing a soothing yet haunting melody. It was loud and clear, as if set in the middle of a Bose 2800 surround system. I ask the wife, "Do you hear that," response "what?" my counter response, "the violin music." At this point I'm sitting up looking at her saying, "I hear violin music as clearly as if it was being played in this room." We have not been together very long at this point; she looks at me with a slight smile on her face that telegraphs a mixed message of concern and belief. She softly says, "OK." Shortly there is heard a purring sound that lets me know my beloved has fallen back to sleep, but the violin just plays on. I get up and go to the bathroom, then proceed to refrigerator, finally settling at the computer in an attempt to make the music abate, and it just plays on. Shortly frustration sets in, I go back to bed staring at the clock but still focused to the cadence of music. The music plays on fully for two more hours, but eventually my body yields to the sleep it needs. I wake in the morning and the melody is forever gone except as memory safely tucked back into the recesses of my cerebral cortex. Now at night the only ethereal sound I hear is the familiar ring of the tinnitus that has plagued me for many years. I know not if this was a moment of living on the edge of insanity; a connection with an unknown apparition; or a self-construction related to a slice of time in my childhood, a time when I played the violin albeit without the mastery of that night. If only I could gather the meaning of the music that night - it might make a difference to the ways of my life. |
| A Special Thanks to KRAZEDONE |
| 05.17.04 (7:09 am) [edit] |
|
I would like to make a public thank you to KRAZEDONE for all her work in making the wonderful graphic that links her BLOG to mine. |
| The Truth in Politics Act |
| 05.17.04 (6:48 am) [edit] |
 The only thing that saves us from the bureaucracy is inefficiency. An efficient bureaucracy is the greatest threat to liberty. Eugene McCarthy |
| Boxing Lessons |
| 05.16.04 (7:57 pm) [edit] |
 Last night I shared a moment with family and friends to watch the Jones-Tarver fight. It was no ordinary fight in terms of reason; it was personal for both boxers. Both thirty-five and very evenly matched, they had faced each other in the ring together several times since the age of thirteen. Jones was the most experienced boxer in terms of major fight events. Jones had been beaten only once in 50 previous fights and that was on a disqualification caused by two late punches while his opponent was already on the mat. Only once before had he never been knocked down, but never coming close to being knocked out. His accomplishment in the ring, across a spectrum of weight divisions, placed him in the minds of many as the best pound per pound fighter in modern boxing history. In his prior fight with Tarver, Jones struggled between fights to quickly drop over thirty pounds of pure muscle bringing him down from heavy to the light-heavy weight requirement. It was clearly not Jones' best fight and arguably one of Tarver's best. The fight ended in a split discussion undoubtedly leaving a question in the mind of both fighters. At that moment Roy Jones Junior was arguably the most accomplished boxer in the history of modern boxing. Aside from six million dollars, Jones had nothing to win last night in the eyes of many and everything to loose. As it is Roy Jones' is rich beyond most people's wildest dream. A bit of insight tells me that money was not a driving issue for last nights fight. In a nation that looks to idols he was almost unflawed. Even his disqualification was a technical loss; he was clearly in charge of that fight at the time of the decision. Before Jones ever went into the first fight with Tarver he stated that it would be his last, unless he got a shot a Mike Tyson. He felt Tyson was the only real challenge left to him. Many people would take what Roy had and they would just walk away patting themselves on the back at being the best there ever was, but not Roy. His reason for fighting was two fold, he is a fair man, fair to Tarver (even if there is no love lost between them) and fair to himself. Like some of the public, he just had to know for sure if he was without question the better man, no doubts - no questions. Roy Jones was an over whelming favorite in last night's fight but no place more so than this town. He is a local; Pensacola is where he was born raised and lives. The town doesn't love him for who he is they love him for what he is and how much good he does by sharing the good fortune he has found in his life. He is generous, involved and asks for little in return except the same loyalty and respect he gives others in his circle. Pensacola is surprisingly rich in home grown celebrities for a town its size, but no one is a better emissary of humble generosity than Roy Jones Junior. Although befriended by many, he doesn't travel with an entourage or put on airs. Just a few months ago he sat a table over from the wife I at our favorite Chinese place. Roy was by himself. He didn't look particularly special. Perhaps the cut of his dress shirt and slacks were of a finer cloth than the average person would wear in a place like that and his jewelry, although not over bearing, seemed to have a bit more weight to it than average. I nudge my wife and said, "Do you know who that is?" She didn't. She just asked, "Is he somebody special?" Was he somebody special? It was hard at the moment to give a better answer than to state he was a world class athlete, one of the town's own. Roy is just plain folk in many ways. Often he will show up on a basket ball court on the rougher side of town just to play a game of pickup basketball. I've talked to a lot of people that were playing a game of darts or pinball in a pub have only to have Roy come up and asked; "Do you mind if I play with you?" For someone of Jones' stature, it seems those actions say volumes about his character. For a town this size it is surprisingly rich in celebrates both home grown and Imported, so it is not surprise to find one showing up at my place of work. As a rule I don't bother them by saying, "Oh are you…and…can I…?" I just let them go on and enjoy their private moment. I will admit two months back a friend of Roy came to me asking for assistance on Roy's behalf to resolve a small problem. Given it required a bit of special effort on my part I did ask, "If it isn't to much trouble, please ask Roy to autograph my ball cap." Roy had to sign required paper work so it was just one more signature anyway. He did of course. Last night started with Tarver warily circling Jones while his corner urged him to throw punches. Jones began landing his right hand lead in the last minute of the first round. Through the remainder of the first round, and it looked as if Jones was going to be the faster and stronger fighter. At the last second of the round Tarver tattooed Jones with one good undefended punch, but it seemed to have no effect. In the corner after the first round Tarver said to trainer James "Buddy" McGirt: "He doesn't respect me!" McGirt replied, "Go out and get yours." The second bell rings and without hesitation Tarver takes a left jab and misses, Roy counters with a right and misses, Tarver comes back with a left hook making the perfect connection, knocking Roy silly with one punch and sending him through the ropes. To Roy's credit he was on hit feet in seven seconds but the referee seeing the stare of incomprehension on his face called the fight with Jones staggering along the ropes into a neutral corner. Roy's legacy in the eyes of most had just been shattered. After the fight Jones said, "I'm not making any excuses"; "What basically happens is I probably got bored with this guy"; "It's just the way it happens sometimes." Tarver's own statement brings balance to Jones' conclusion. Tarver said, "It takes a great fighter to beat a great fighter, and I am a great fighter." Such statements are the reason I still feel Jones was a winner last night. He didn't win the match, but by force of introspect he freely accepted the answer to the question he had asked himself going into the ring, even though without a doubt he didn't like the result. Asked if he would fight Tarver again he said, "No." Roy knows the next time it might be his day and that once again he might be on top in the public's mind; but another win will never erase the lesson he learned last night. Super Bantamweight Champion Bernie Torres as he often does came into my park today asking me with a wide eyed expression of disbelief, "Did you see Roy's fight last night?" When I said, "Yes," Bernie simply asked, "What happened?" I could only smile slightly as I said, "Tarver was just more hungry, and Roy said it himself, ' It's just the way it happens sometimes.' Bernie." He looked a bit confused at first and his friend leaned over touching him on the arm saying, "Maybe it is just the way God wants it to be." Bernie slowly nodded in comprehension as he drove away. I hope the next fight that Bernie has that he fights hungry with and with a feeling that he is a great fighter fighting a great fighter." I will place my bet on Bernie. |
| Notable Views on Anger |
| 05.16.04 (9:41 am) [edit] |
|
:roll: When anger rises, think of the consequences. [i]Confucius[/i] :!: If you do not wish to be prone to anger, do not feed the habit; give it nothing which may tend to its increase. [i]Epictetus[/i] :x Anger is a signal, and one worth listening to. [i]Harriet Lerner[/i] :oops: Speak when you are angry--and you will make the best speech you'll ever regret. [i]Laurence J. Peter[/i] :twisted: When you lead an angry life you mostly find yourself in the company of angry people. [i]Greybeard[/i] |
| I BLOG |
| 05.15.04 (7:33 pm) [edit] |
|
I BLOG therefore I am Long ten-hour workday, just got over. Off across town to watch the Roy Jones' fight t with family. Unless it is a very short fight this is it here for the night. :wink: |
| Genius is No Laughing Mater |
| 05.15.04 (9:07 am) [edit] |
 "But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown." [i]Carl Sagan[/i] |
| Quadratic Nonsense or The Real Question |
| 05.14.04 (6:25 pm) [edit] |
|
Anyone having taken second year algebra will remember the quadratic equation. All right … maybe you have spent the remainder of your lifetime trying to bury it deep within the recess of your sub-conciseness. But someplace it is still lurking there. Trust me on this! If an apology is due on my part for stirring up traumatic memories of emotional stress derived from repeatedly trying to master this equation just settle down. I'm not asking anyone to break out the old math book in an attempt to re-master this thing. Frankly, even though I do have a minor degree in mathematics, I can not say that now or ever have I liked the subject! It is just a necessary evil required to pursuit an understanding in science, which is my terminal objective. To be fair though, I will admit that there is a truth and beauty in mathematics. It is a powerful tool and it deserves an attempt in understanding it, just like everything else in this world. In the real world of chemistry and physics it is constantly stressed that nothing is lost or wasted. So, it strikes me as obscure to have a professor state that only two solutions of the quad are useful. This reality is perceptively obvious yet it seems incongruent with the principles they are trying to ingrain into the minds of the student. I am not sure what this all means in the big picture of things. But, I will keep an open mind. I can not help but wonder, if nothing goes to waste in the universe, what is the part of the question being missed and apples to those so called wasted answers? Much to do about nothing but my BLOG entry for the day is done. |
| Agreement |
| 05.14.04 (3:55 pm) [edit] |
 "If two men agree on everything, you may be sure that one of them is doing the thinking." [i]Lyndon B. Johnson [/i] |
| Looking on to Eden |
| 05.13.04 (10:01 pm) [edit] |
Perdido Key is where my wife (Magoo) and I live work and play. We don't live on the beach, but it is just a five minute walk to the north side of the sound and a five minute drive over the bridge crossing the intercoastal to the beach. To many it is paradise, hence the building in the background has been named Eden. It is a special slice of Earth and I just wanted to share a glimps of it with you. |
| Berra's Law |
| 05.13.04 (10:00 am) [edit] |
 "You can observe a lot just by watching." [i]Yogi Berra [/i] |
| Greybeards Construct of Universal Understanding |
| 05.12.04 (9:39 pm) [edit] |
 My favorite periodical read for the past thirty-six or so years is Scientific American. A few issues back it contained an article contrasting various forms of string theory to each other and quantum physics. For the sake of simplification the only detail of importance here is that string theory is based on the assumption that all matter in the universe is constructed of an undulating wave of circular energy (can you say energy donuts?). Stings fit together in various ways to form a variety of particles that keep building onto each other, eventually making the transition from elements of energy to particles of mass. My mind is prone to going off on a tangent and at some point and re-curving back onto itself. So it was no surprise to find myself spontaneously going from thoughts of John Edward, to Star Wars, element of Buddhism, spiritual pursuit only to consider how string theory related to all of this. All at once, string theory exited my agnostic mind. Why? Because I could see a thread that more clearly tied my pursuit of spiritual and scientific discovery. Agnostic 1) one who holds that the ultimate cause (God) and the essential nature of things are unknown or unknowable or that human knowledge is limited to experiences; 2) asserting the relativity and uncertainty of all knowledge. For me, agnosticism is an important tool to perusing truth in science and spiritual understanding. It keeps me objective. Accepting the limits of my perception and intellect only serves to perpetually catalyze my pursuit of a unified truth to cleanly tie concepts of science and spirit together. This perspective enables me to appreciate the positive achievements of others, even though it may be executed in a method and philosophy not of my own. Encountering a person entrenched in a dead end paradigm, unwilling to even explore other possibilities when an obvious exception to their understanding and belief presents itself is a personal source of pity or frustration. This is especially true when the person has an obvious wealth of unfulfilled intellectual potential. Sadly, there are innumerable people in this world so stuck in a paradigm that they become intolerable of others who hold a different position. That is the stuff hate and wars are made of. Re-curve back to the source --- operate on the assumption that God and the universe are inseparable or in other words one in the same. There is no rationale as to what came first or how it came to be, it just is. Applying the concept of string theory the essential component of the universe is energy. What if the sum of that energy is self aware, in discovery of its own self-potential? In order for this to happen, logic dictates, the universe must explore itself configured in all of its potential, divided into domains of experimentation that allow for one course not to interfere with another. Our existence would then be limited to a region of isolated perception; string energy would be the universal code for random experimentation. Assuming you are not trapped in your personal paradigm at this point, God is in the details, omni present, but not omnipotent. That is to say not exercising divine will and allowing the universe to proceed in a chance manner. The paradox; at some point the physical sub-elements of this random recombination become sentient in their own right, pursuing a limited free will to discovery their own nature. A reality of the physical universe is it is assimilate or be assimilated. Life is energy, energy is life, and nothing develops, evolves or reproduces without performing a process to obtain that what its need from its surroundings. At some point self-awareness evolves a set of rules to enhance individual well being, the well being of its kind and the well being of its environment. As things become more complex self-improvement (evolution) requires the development of a social order, ultimately leading to philosophy, politics and religion which of course it will follow many paths.  May the force be with you and may you be with the force. That is Star Wars speak to acknowledge a concept that we are part of something greater, that it has an influence on us and we have an effect on it. If God and the universe are one and the same and we are part of the universe, then logically humanity is an aspect of God. Our human pursuits are a fulfillment to the needs of not only ourselves; we are an extension of something greater. There is not necessarily a right way or a wrong way, only ways that work, that work more efficiently and work hopefully to serve the greater benefit of our universal destiny what ever that end may be. An agnostic approach to spiritual understanding leaves open a certainty that the human species is the only spiritually aware one on Earth. However, subjectively it is difficult to refute that for the moment the human species overwhelmingly represents the best form on the planet for exercising free will, manipulating its environment and its social order. In our domain (earth), we are at the top of the pyramid in terms of universal random experimentation.  Reincarnation is a concept that fits nicely into a model of universal self-awareness if it is illustratively modeled to the science of biology. Using an anatomical approach, every thing around us is an equivalence of an organism. Non-living parts would be enzymes, plasma, and etcetera. Living organisms are cells and depending on the nature of their social complexity bridge the equivalent gap from tissues to organ systems. In this biological comparison it is also important to consider one more thing; if a complex organism were to be stripped down to its own genetically pure form it would perish in a very short time. It could not conduct the necessary biochemical functions without the symbiotic mutualism that most humans take for granted. The brain is the focus of an organism, the essence of its being, yet totally dependent on other organ systems to explore and gain knowledge. The biochemical mechanism of the neural system leads to electrical waves, electrical waves radiate in space indefinitely until absorbed by something else. Transitioning to an electromagnetic model; radios and telescopes gather events on the edge of time, recording events that took place eons ago, but they are still within the scope of our experience. Is it not conceivable, even logical, to assume that an organism’s string of electrical essence can be intercepted by another to be re-modulated or interpreted forming a combined experience? Is not conceivable such a string of electro-magnetic consciousness is capable of learning how to reinvest itself into a newly developing life form, by seeding or tagging its’ newly forming electro-magnetic matrix, perhaps nudging it onto a specific path?  At least a handful of mediums exist that seem to be the real deal. They have been scientifically and objectively studied by unbiased and credible groups. The results of these double blind studies consistently produce evidence of contact greatly exceeding results generated by random chance. The contact method and experience of the mediums is consistent. Not one of them claims to be able to conduct an open dialog as we understand it. Contacts are essentially initiated and controlled by the other side though a manipulation of sensations and flashes of visual images taken from the mediums own life experience. Aural stimulation to the medium is generally limited to segments of phonetic similarity. This method of contact is highly interpretive, but it is the best measurable evidence available to confirm that interactive free will continues beyond the lifespan of a physical form. Can such contacts reveal anything about our existence and purpose? Contacts span across age (pre-birth), language, race, religion, color of skin and even species. Clairvoyants have produced or published a plethora of shows, articles and books. I have personally read or viewed a large number of them. What I find refreshing of those gifted folk that have scientifically been scrutinized is that not one of them says “This is the way it is.” At best most of them say something like, ‘based on my experiences I feel…’ Such contacts in themselves confirm a continuing connection with life on Earth and either world. They reveal that there is a method of assistance in making a transition from a corporal form to joining the community of the either world. Contacts often focus on an acknowledgment that it was time to move on from the physical, or that there was an acknowledgment and atonement to be made before rejoining a circle of souls connected to the past. Conclusion; what is done here does mater; living life without regard to a higher purpose does have consequences. At least one more aspect seemingly gleaned from contacts is that in the either domain life energy exists in some sort of levels. Association is a matter of choice and that separation is possible. Would not an isolation of interaction with others be a hell? Clearly contacts span generations but there seems to be a limit. Does this indicate an eventual investment of that energy into a different form of existence? May the force be with you. Amen |
| Validation for a Bad Day |
| 05.11.04 (5:46 pm) [edit] |
|
Albeit many of you will think I'm nuts, in my mind there are some truly gifted people (or perhaps people that are gifts) possessing a strong ability to communicate with souls crossed over into the either world. I'm not talking your average Psychic Hot Line people now, but from the evidence at hand seemingly John Edward, Sylvia Browne, George Anderson and James Van Praagh are the real thing. Even I seem to have had a few very strong encounters with my father and his older brother in a dream state. At those times I was fully aware of being in a dream state, so most of you are saying, "OK…it was a dream, not some psychic experience!" To me it matters not one bit if it was a dream or a connection, because over the course of experiences, my nocturnal encounters served to fulfill needs and closure that are of great importance to myself. Because of my beliefs, it is not uncommon for me to take a solitary walk engaged in a one way conversation with family and friends who have gone beyond their corporal form. To confirm if any real psychic ability is in my possession I ask for a sign of validation. Last night was a bad one for me, so today when I asked for a sign, I think the validation being asked for came across strong and clear this morning.   |
| Computers and Personal Growth |
| 05.10.04 (12:13 pm) [edit] |
|
My first computer was a Comadore-64. In its initial debut, aside from a few plug and play game cartridges it was a fairly useless device unless one took the time to learn a bit of DOS, how to type in many lines of machine code from a magazine, followed by long periods of rechecking your work to find a typo. Often it was a case of patiently waiting for the next month’s publication complete with the editor’s article correction. Eventually a word processor with a spell checker came along on a 5.25” floppy disk. That archaic program made a profound change in my life! Prior to that time composing text was essentially an activity of anathema to me. The prime reason for this was my atrocious spelling ability. In the beginning, spell checkers only pointed out a mistake, it was up to the user to find the correction in the dictionary. Being a person of economy (some might phrase that lazy) it became very frustrating to realize the high frequency to which the same words required correction. Frustration set in, but, it was a much different frustration than that which I experienced as a child. The computer was not judgmental nor was it sympathetic. There were no place to place blame feelings except upon my own shoulders. My new cyber enhance reality check pushed me into finally learning rules and exceptions that I had emotionally evading since the third grade. Today I often find it enjoyable to express myself in writing. Too be sure there is still much room for improvement in my spelling skills, but for the most part I can honestly say, that, a spell checker’s primary service is to catch my numerous typing mistakes. I don’t find this reality frustrating at all, because today one can compose with deliberate abandon using the powerful enhancements of modern word processors to quickly correct and wordsmith composition replete with the degree of eloquence desired to the task. There is little doubt in my mind that my story similarly parallels many other people of my generation. While in the employ of a magnet school, resourced well enough to provide one computer for every four student, I’ve been able to observe middle sixth and seventh graders compose text. For the most part they seem to compose with abandon and use the word processor’s features to improve their product. Hopefully they will gain at an early age what it took me so long to obtain, but it comes to question if they will ever have a true appreciation of what a difference a computer can make in their learning process. |
| THe Fair Tax Act - HR25 |
| 05.09.04 (8:14 pm) [edit] |
| I urge all of you to take the time out to deeply research [u]The Fair Tax Act[/u], [i]Bill HR25[/i]. I will not add my own verbose rendition of what this could do for the people of the USA, because there are many excellent sites that can do it so much better. In short, the bill if adopted and amended would [b]repeal the 16th amendment, pay-role taxes and the IRS[/b]. It is a well though out proposition that serves all people at all levels very well. I urge you to start your self-education on this topic by reviewing the first three Links on my BLOG page. They will remain the top three links until the day I see this bill becomes law of the land. Article three is Bill HR25 itself; it will be too much for those who are not ready to find the proof in the details. On the other hand, I feel I would not be an honest huckster for this bill if you were not provided the fine print in big letters. Need more information? Just do a Google search on The Fair Tax Act and your screen will become a cornucopia of important information. The only other thing I ask; if this proposition makes sense to you, contact your congressional representative and let them know that you the voter & tax payer think this bill is worth a try. Good reading! :-}) |
| Discipline |
| 05.09.04 (5:11 pm) [edit] |
| [b]Discipline[/b] - doing the right thing, even when no one else is there to know the difference. |
| The Value of the Social Security System |
| 05.08.04 (10:37 pm) [edit] |
|
On a rain filled day not too long ago, things were real slow at work. About the only mental diversion that came to mind at the moment was to look over my recently sent Social Security Benefits. Seeing it reminded me of a discussion I had gotten into a year ago with a significantly older set of gentlemen. They said that Social Security was one of the best investments they had ever made, but then they were Yellow Dog Democrats so their socialist mindset was already patently obvious to me. So I took up the task of crunching and projecting some numbers. Step one was to add up what I've paid into the system so far. Step to was to figure out a curve for what I could expect to put into SSI from now until retirement age. That curve was based on a growth curve for the job I've held the past six years. For clarity of argument I based this to age sixty-eight, which is the start of my full rate of payment (if there is any money left in the system by then). Also, I'm going to state that my donation rate was based on a 12% rate not my personal 6% contribution. My rationale for this; if the employer wasn't forced to pay a matching 6% they would pay it to me in salary. Step three was to sum the pay out over a ten-year period. Due to my sex, general health, family history et al, that is about as long as I can expect to draw benefits before I assume room temperature. The result, much to my surprise, is that I will be paid out a few thousand more than I will pay into the system. The semi-final test was to take all the estimated investment and calculate what the annual rate of growth was for the entire fifty-five years I will have been paying into SSI. That rate of growth is a paltry .05% and even my Yellow Dog friends could admit that this is a horrible rate of growth! The final test was to calculate what the growth would have been if that same money had been invested in my thrift savings plan. The final result is almost too painful to tolerate. I would have nearly two million dollars to draw from, to enjoy a comfortable remainder of my life. When the facts are looked at in this manner it is hard for me to see how any non-delusional being could look at SSI, as it is structured now, as a good thing. The shame of it is, the system was flush with money, until it was plundered by politician's to balance shortfalls in the income tax budge. There will be more on that another day. It is time to let generations after the Boomers find a way to ensure their own future, because they will become resentful of what it cost them to ensure payments for the Boomers and then provide for themselves. They would be much, much better off if the government forced them to invest 9% in a private sector mixed portfolio of their chice and that the government secured a shielded 3% take to ensure care for those people that are truly are incapable in providing for their own future. As for me, give me back the 12% my wife and I have invested into SSI so far and in ten years we will be doing great! It is not too late for us to do well as a nation providing the politicians will allow us the dignity of becoming self reliant and not governed. |
| A Bed Time Poem for Bad Children |
| 05.07.04 (11:54 pm) [edit] |
|
To sit in Solomon silence in a dull dark dock, In a pestilential prison with a life long lock, Awaiting the sensation of a short sharp shock, From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block. [i]Author unknown, circa 1600's[/i] |
| Unsaid Deeds |
| 05.07.04 (11:47 pm) [edit] |
|
I never said it once; I'll say it not once more. Therefore, it is up to you and not for me To gather any meaning for what it was not said. |
| Remeberances of a My Grandparents |
| 05.07.04 (10:12 pm) [edit] |
| Shark99 lost his grandmother yesterday. His reflective expression of remembrance flooded my mind with thoughts of so many things I owe to my four departed grandparents. I'm so blessed that they were such a large part of my life. Each one of them in their own right passed on an important pers |
