I checked the weather last night before going to bed. They forecast predicted temps down into the upper 50s. So, like a redneck, I opened the windows to let in the cool, refreshing air. Now, it's so nice.the air is light and crisp with a slight breeze.
The mind plays dirty tricks on the mind. As m enjoying the cool temps, my mind wanders back to the days when I was young and the August days were similar to now. I remember times of going fishing early and needed a overshirt to keep from shivering and you cuddled up with cousins to keep warm in an open pickup bed. Sitting on the river bank, talking softly and seeing your breath.
Such memories....
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Over already?
Friday, August 18, 2017
Eclipse Safety
REMEMBER: DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN WITHOUT PROPER EYE PROTECTION!!!
The total eclipse is fast approaching. It's only a few days away. Please check and make sure that prepare for eclipse watching in advance. Don't wait until the last minute. The longer you wait, the greater chance of injury. The blindness caused by observing with the naked eye is permanent. The light from the sun will also ruin camera optics. Be cautious about that too.
You can find several plans to make your own eclipse viewer. They are available on the internet so, Google them.
Make sure that your glasses have an ISO 12312-2 certification. Reputable manufacturers will print the certification on the glasses. Check to see if the manufacturer is also printed on the glasses. This is important if there is an injury while using the products.
One final item...there is nothing to do if its raining or cloudy. Sorry. Watch it on tv.
Happy viewing!
The total eclipse is fast approaching. It's only a few days away. Please check and make sure that prepare for eclipse watching in advance. Don't wait until the last minute. The longer you wait, the greater chance of injury. The blindness caused by observing with the naked eye is permanent. The light from the sun will also ruin camera optics. Be cautious about that too.
You can find several plans to make your own eclipse viewer. They are available on the internet so, Google them.
Make sure that your glasses have an ISO 12312-2 certification. Reputable manufacturers will print the certification on the glasses. Check to see if the manufacturer is also printed on the glasses. This is important if there is an injury while using the products.
One final item...there is nothing to do if its raining or cloudy. Sorry. Watch it on tv.
Happy viewing!
White hate by the numbers
Let's look at some numbers....The vast number of the US population prefer equality over other points of view. Only a small fraction of people have the inequality point of view. I would guess (just a guess) that out of the 325 million citizens (no, I didn't take into account of ages) less than 30,000 are involved in white supremacy activities. That's a very, very, very small percent of the population. A couple of thousand haters in +/- 1000 hate groups according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. I love numbers and I'm not concerned about it.
It only takes a handful of people to cause problems. Two handfuls easily attract media coverage. Racism is an easy payday for the news agencies. All they have to do is start taking pictures. Actually, in reality, they just reuse someone else's media. News is instantaneous. A handful of idiots, a dozens of cameras and you get Oh My God the sky is falling. You add idiots in opposition, it's the Apocalypse!!
White supremacy IS a worrisome problem. But, it has been taken way out of proportion. How much out of proportion? One media outlet said that there were 63 million white supremacists. That number comes from the number of people who voted for Trump. That's bullshit. (Hey, the political left use profanity, why can't I?) That kind of thinking makes all Muslims terrorists. It just ain't so.
Now, the statues are really a none issue. The real issue is irrational fear. Those statues have been around for several decades. A few are over a hundred years old. Why now? What do a handful of racists have to do with statues? Absolutely nothing. The statues are just another excuse to keep hate going.
It only takes a handful of people to cause problems. Two handfuls easily attract media coverage. Racism is an easy payday for the news agencies. All they have to do is start taking pictures. Actually, in reality, they just reuse someone else's media. News is instantaneous. A handful of idiots, a dozens of cameras and you get Oh My God the sky is falling. You add idiots in opposition, it's the Apocalypse!!
White supremacy IS a worrisome problem. But, it has been taken way out of proportion. How much out of proportion? One media outlet said that there were 63 million white supremacists. That number comes from the number of people who voted for Trump. That's bullshit. (Hey, the political left use profanity, why can't I?) That kind of thinking makes all Muslims terrorists. It just ain't so.
Now, the statues are really a none issue. The real issue is irrational fear. Those statues have been around for several decades. A few are over a hundred years old. Why now? What do a handful of racists have to do with statues? Absolutely nothing. The statues are just another excuse to keep hate going.
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Un-American Activity
I know Senator Joseph McCarthy has wore out his coffin from rolling over. (If you don't know who Joseph McCarthy, educate yourself.) Communism/Socialism is alive and doing well in the United States. Many Americans are oblivious to this. They fail to see how dangerous the situation has become. The United States is re-organizing into the United Socialist States of America. I am dead serious. The warning signs are everywhere but they are being ignored. More Americans are worried about the signs of the Apocalypse or the Second Coming than the communist take over of their country.
The Communist/Socialist take over of America comes in many shapes and sizes. On one side there are Neo-Nazis and other white supremacist movements. On the other side there are socialists and communists. We all know these groups. They are nothing new. We have been living with white supremacists, communists and socialists even anarchists for over a hundred years. We know their stories and histories. New groups have sprung up. Now, we have Anti-Fascists (antifa), Black Lives Matter (BLM) and a few others. While the names are new, their stories and goals are not.
All of these groups are a danger to the "American Way of Life." While the groups sound altruistic, their actions interfere with daily commerce. They comment acts of vandalism and wanton destruction. Worst of all, they injure and, even kill people. Generally, for the ordinary citizens, they are a pain in the ass.
The Communist/Socialist take over of America comes in many shapes and sizes. On one side there are Neo-Nazis and other white supremacist movements. On the other side there are socialists and communists. We all know these groups. They are nothing new. We have been living with white supremacists, communists and socialists even anarchists for over a hundred years. We know their stories and histories. New groups have sprung up. Now, we have Anti-Fascists (antifa), Black Lives Matter (BLM) and a few others. While the names are new, their stories and goals are not.
All of these groups are a danger to the "American Way of Life." While the groups sound altruistic, their actions interfere with daily commerce. They comment acts of vandalism and wanton destruction. Worst of all, they injure and, even kill people. Generally, for the ordinary citizens, they are a pain in the ass.
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Why we remember
Around the Southern U.S. there are hundreds of monuments to dead Confederate soldiers. They question shouldn't be what they represent but who they represent. I opine that monuments to Confederate soldiers do not represent slavery, but the bravery of thousands of individuals, standing in lines across a field walking into swarms of lead balls. The monuments represent what is best in America, standing up for what you believe in and stand for this belief even unto death.
The United States has a strong and proud history of military service. The bravery of the American soldier is unquestionable and has been demonstrated time and time again. This bravery is without question or challenge. We have always been proud of this heritage. In fact, our nation would not exist without this sacrifice. I am a product of generations of men with the ability to serve through the horrors and sacrifices of war. Win or lose, we remember the sacrifice and service of our veterans.
The monuments erected memorizing Confederate soldiers were erected late in the 19th Century and in the early decades of the 20th Century. During this era, the Civil War are still on the minds of Americans. The scars of war were still visible on individuals on the streets and on the land of the United States. Families still lived with that lose of loved ones. Remembering the fallen with monuments and memorials was a common and acceptable practice. They remembered the individuals not the cause.
Confederate generals such as Lee, Jackson, Forrest and others were great military tacticians. Grant, Sherman, and even Abraham Lincoln, mentioned the great military prowess of these Confederate military masters. Why should not this genius be memorialized? Military greatness has always been touted with pride and honor. Our military geniuses are studied around the world! Should we not be proud? I think so.
The United States has a strong and proud history of military service. The bravery of the American soldier is unquestionable and has been demonstrated time and time again. This bravery is without question or challenge. We have always been proud of this heritage. In fact, our nation would not exist without this sacrifice. I am a product of generations of men with the ability to serve through the horrors and sacrifices of war. Win or lose, we remember the sacrifice and service of our veterans.
The monuments erected memorizing Confederate soldiers were erected late in the 19th Century and in the early decades of the 20th Century. During this era, the Civil War are still on the minds of Americans. The scars of war were still visible on individuals on the streets and on the land of the United States. Families still lived with that lose of loved ones. Remembering the fallen with monuments and memorials was a common and acceptable practice. They remembered the individuals not the cause.
Confederate generals such as Lee, Jackson, Forrest and others were great military tacticians. Grant, Sherman, and even Abraham Lincoln, mentioned the great military prowess of these Confederate military masters. Why should not this genius be memorialized? Military greatness has always been touted with pride and honor. Our military geniuses are studied around the world! Should we not be proud? I think so.
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
The Illusion of Equality
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." These lines come from the Declaration of Independence. Ever since those words were penned to paper, Americans have been on a continual quest for equality.
Equality is an illusion. Thomas Jefferson knew equality was a lie when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson had his food cooked, clothes washed and gardens worked by slaves. Under his very nose, Jefferson there was no equality of persons. In colonial Virginia, 30%of the population were slaves. In addition to Jefferson, a third of the Founding Fathers owned slaves.* Yet, all these men and non-slave owners signed the Declaration of Independence.
Over the next 200 years, equality were granted to different segments of the population. By the 21st Century, one would think that equality was no longer an issue and every one was equal. Sure, there are little things that need to be tidied up. Unfortunately, equality is still out of reach. Every time a group of citizens are granted equality, another groups loses some portion of their equality. The First Amendment to the Constitution has been hit pretty hard. Other parts of the Constitution and the Amendments have been eroded.**
There is no equality in America. The illusion of equality is continually perpetuated.
* A good deal of the population had no problem with slavery. In colonial America, slavery was not a North versus South issue.
** The list is too long to be covered in one blog post.
Equality is an illusion. Thomas Jefferson knew equality was a lie when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson had his food cooked, clothes washed and gardens worked by slaves. Under his very nose, Jefferson there was no equality of persons. In colonial Virginia, 30%of the population were slaves. In addition to Jefferson, a third of the Founding Fathers owned slaves.* Yet, all these men and non-slave owners signed the Declaration of Independence.
Over the next 200 years, equality were granted to different segments of the population. By the 21st Century, one would think that equality was no longer an issue and every one was equal. Sure, there are little things that need to be tidied up. Unfortunately, equality is still out of reach. Every time a group of citizens are granted equality, another groups loses some portion of their equality. The First Amendment to the Constitution has been hit pretty hard. Other parts of the Constitution and the Amendments have been eroded.**
There is no equality in America. The illusion of equality is continually perpetuated.
* A good deal of the population had no problem with slavery. In colonial America, slavery was not a North versus South issue.
** The list is too long to be covered in one blog post.
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