Internet friendships are interesting, occasionally exhilarating, & often very strange things.
I'm pretty shy. A reasonably well-known fact. I usually sit back & wait for people to come to me... wouldn't want to interrupt... But when friendship is solid, when love is cemented I'm right there front & centre of the battlements.
I miss my best friend. Is that juvenile to say? I couldn't care if it is. She has real life things to deal with, a life I only read of on screen.
I miss her. . .
Friday, August 22, 2014
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
When There's Injustice...
So, a young man, unarmed, is killed by the police.
It's a tragedy. An honest to God tragedy. Things like this shouldn't happen. A mother has outlived her son. Something needs to change.
But things like this have happened before. Civil disobedience just doesn't seem to have an effect.
The logical conclusion is to have a protest. Yes. Of course.
But protests are ignored. So, the next logical step is to riot. Exactly! Target the offenders! Riot against the police department!
No?
Wait! You want to loot your own community? You want to steal from your neighbors?
I don't understand. Why is this ok? Not that I am advocating attacking the police. But at least that I could begin to understand. Frustration makes us do irrational things.
But why is there not an uproar about the inappropriate response for the community?
In a much more benign case, there was also a story of employees who, in support of the CEO who had been ousted by the board, decides that walking off the job was a good idea. And customers joined them! And now the company is on the verge of default because thin margins have been compromised... because there's no business.
People are dumb as fuck and we shouldn't accept it anymore.
It's a tragedy. An honest to God tragedy. Things like this shouldn't happen. A mother has outlived her son. Something needs to change.
But things like this have happened before. Civil disobedience just doesn't seem to have an effect.
The logical conclusion is to have a protest. Yes. Of course.
But protests are ignored. So, the next logical step is to riot. Exactly! Target the offenders! Riot against the police department!
No?
Wait! You want to loot your own community? You want to steal from your neighbors?
I don't understand. Why is this ok? Not that I am advocating attacking the police. But at least that I could begin to understand. Frustration makes us do irrational things.
But why is there not an uproar about the inappropriate response for the community?
In a much more benign case, there was also a story of employees who, in support of the CEO who had been ousted by the board, decides that walking off the job was a good idea. And customers joined them! And now the company is on the verge of default because thin margins have been compromised... because there's no business.
People are dumb as fuck and we shouldn't accept it anymore.
Appreciating What We Have
My home town has a fairly high number of seasonal residents. Most of these seasonals are well off. Some of them are seriously beyond well off. One of these beyond well off couples (he is the owner of a very successful business in Chicago and she is the CEO of a relatively well known internet company) more or less struck up a friendship with my wife and I. Not because we run in the same circles or any such...far from it...but because they have horses and we have horses. There is really no comparison to the levels of "having" horses, but it was enough to start a conversation between my wife and the wife of this couple. Discussions about economic development and contribution to the community started the conversation between myself and the husband of this couple.
We have always led a fairly simple life. Satisfying but simple. I would not change it. We rarely go "out" to supper and the once a month or so that we do is usually to a local special where it is more a social event than supper. We were at one such event, spaghetti night, and had sat down at a table when the couple I am discussing came in the door. They looked around the room and saw us and came over and asked if they could join us. Of course they could. We talked about mundane items and had a good meal and, to be quite honest, I never thought a thing of it. It was a nice evening, but not anything particularly special or exciting.
About a week later, my wife came home laughing. She had run into the couple in the grocery store and all they could talk about is what a good time they had eating spaghetti with us. They raved about it. We were both amused, but more than a bit flabbergasted. Silly. A simple meal and mundane conversation with a couple of beers....nothing to rave about.
The following week, I ran into the fellow myself, and spaghetti night was still the topic. Again, silly. I told my wife that night that maybe we should have them over for supper some Saturday evening. She agreed and the next time she ran into them, arrangements were made.
They came down to our house that Saturday evening and had brought what was probably a very expensive bottle of wine. My son and I had been salmon fishing on Friday night, so the supper I was making was fresh salmon filet cooked on the grill. Very simple...salt, pepper and a bit of dill weed with butter. We had new potatoes dug from our garden. Again, simple, cleaned, boiled with the skins on and drizzled with butter and a bit of salt and pepper. We had green beans and snap peas from the garden that were just slightly stir fried so they were hot, but still had that fresh garden crunch. We had home made ice-cream and fresh cherry pie (from our trees) for desert. In addition to the wine that the couple brought, I had home made cherry wine on the table.
It was a good meal. A hearty meal, but again nothing special or out of the ordinary...at least for us.
I don't think we even uncorked the wine that the couple brought. They absolutely raved about the food. At one point, the fellow said that he could not go to the best restaurant in Chicago and get as good a meal. I felt pretty good as did my wife, but we were still a bit confused by the level of the compliments.
Then it became apparent. The fellow made a comment, "I wish I knew how to grow potatoes!" A bit later, he told us that neither of them had ever been fishing. The light bulb turned on! The meal we were eating for the most part, was entirely home made. Simple certainly, delicious? definitely, but the fact that we had caught the fish, dug the potatoes, picked the beans, peas and cherries and made the wine and ice cream ourselves was something they simply had not experienced. Elegant? No way. Good? Without a doubt!
They were experiencing something totally mundane to us, but that they had never had before. With all their resources, they had no idea how to grow a potato.
It was a bit of an eye opener. It was also an excellent lesson illustrating the fact that having everything can also mean having nothing. And, I still have an expensive bottle of wine, unopened in the cupboard....
We have always led a fairly simple life. Satisfying but simple. I would not change it. We rarely go "out" to supper and the once a month or so that we do is usually to a local special where it is more a social event than supper. We were at one such event, spaghetti night, and had sat down at a table when the couple I am discussing came in the door. They looked around the room and saw us and came over and asked if they could join us. Of course they could. We talked about mundane items and had a good meal and, to be quite honest, I never thought a thing of it. It was a nice evening, but not anything particularly special or exciting.
About a week later, my wife came home laughing. She had run into the couple in the grocery store and all they could talk about is what a good time they had eating spaghetti with us. They raved about it. We were both amused, but more than a bit flabbergasted. Silly. A simple meal and mundane conversation with a couple of beers....nothing to rave about.
The following week, I ran into the fellow myself, and spaghetti night was still the topic. Again, silly. I told my wife that night that maybe we should have them over for supper some Saturday evening. She agreed and the next time she ran into them, arrangements were made.
They came down to our house that Saturday evening and had brought what was probably a very expensive bottle of wine. My son and I had been salmon fishing on Friday night, so the supper I was making was fresh salmon filet cooked on the grill. Very simple...salt, pepper and a bit of dill weed with butter. We had new potatoes dug from our garden. Again, simple, cleaned, boiled with the skins on and drizzled with butter and a bit of salt and pepper. We had green beans and snap peas from the garden that were just slightly stir fried so they were hot, but still had that fresh garden crunch. We had home made ice-cream and fresh cherry pie (from our trees) for desert. In addition to the wine that the couple brought, I had home made cherry wine on the table.
It was a good meal. A hearty meal, but again nothing special or out of the ordinary...at least for us.
I don't think we even uncorked the wine that the couple brought. They absolutely raved about the food. At one point, the fellow said that he could not go to the best restaurant in Chicago and get as good a meal. I felt pretty good as did my wife, but we were still a bit confused by the level of the compliments.
Then it became apparent. The fellow made a comment, "I wish I knew how to grow potatoes!" A bit later, he told us that neither of them had ever been fishing. The light bulb turned on! The meal we were eating for the most part, was entirely home made. Simple certainly, delicious? definitely, but the fact that we had caught the fish, dug the potatoes, picked the beans, peas and cherries and made the wine and ice cream ourselves was something they simply had not experienced. Elegant? No way. Good? Without a doubt!
They were experiencing something totally mundane to us, but that they had never had before. With all their resources, they had no idea how to grow a potato.
It was a bit of an eye opener. It was also an excellent lesson illustrating the fact that having everything can also mean having nothing. And, I still have an expensive bottle of wine, unopened in the cupboard....
I hate gluten-free vegans
Y'know what I want? I want to want a beef burger. Cooked just right; with fried onions & cheese, pickles, ketchup, & mustard. No salad. Let's not even give a nod to healthy eating. The bap (or, bun, or whatever you American types call it) has wheat flour in it, & the sauce is all oozy. I'd need fifteen napkins just to get through with any semblance of dignity.
I want ice-cream. Mint choc chip was always my favourite. Or truthfully, I want key lime pie... But in saying that I'm not really one for sweets.
I want to swim in a vat of pasta sauce like a happy little noodle. That's it that's the very thing, to come back in my next life as gnocchi, or as a pizza. God but I miss proper pizza...
*sips green smoothie*
*pouts*
(rant over)
I want ice-cream. Mint choc chip was always my favourite. Or truthfully, I want key lime pie... But in saying that I'm not really one for sweets.
I want to swim in a vat of pasta sauce like a happy little noodle. That's it that's the very thing, to come back in my next life as gnocchi, or as a pizza. God but I miss proper pizza...
*sips green smoothie*
*pouts*
(rant over)
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Reality Bites....
Since when did we become old?
When did it ever matter what we wrote about?
I have spent many months away from EP and honestly I am glad. It has given me the chance to wake up again and be in my reality.
Reality....what is reality? Reality is living each day as it comes...sometimes our reality definitely sucks ass...but it does not have to. I have spent a good part of the last three years wallowing in my own self pity...being sucked into depression and beating myself up for being human....but I have spent the last several months rebuilding myself....figuring out that it will only be myself who drags my ass out of the hole....that I dont need to allow other to tell me who I am or what I should or should not be doing.
It will only be myself...myself who writes that book and publishes it...myself who starts that blog that will become other peoples daily read...
Me , Myself and I....
This is what I have spent this time away on....fixing me.
Loving myself...
I am me and slowly I am getting back to that girl who I used to know so long ago...the one I lost along the way...
I can , without a doubt, say that all if you helped me through to this point. You all reminded me of that girl...gave me courage to express her through writing and led me back to the place I needed to be to find her....
So I write this...as a tribute...to that Jagged Little Pill I was hiding and as a tribute to you guys.....who helped me to find my path back ...to me!
I have missed you tremendously and am so happy to be able to be here!
When did it ever matter what we wrote about?
I have spent many months away from EP and honestly I am glad. It has given me the chance to wake up again and be in my reality.
Reality....what is reality? Reality is living each day as it comes...sometimes our reality definitely sucks ass...but it does not have to. I have spent a good part of the last three years wallowing in my own self pity...being sucked into depression and beating myself up for being human....but I have spent the last several months rebuilding myself....figuring out that it will only be myself who drags my ass out of the hole....that I dont need to allow other to tell me who I am or what I should or should not be doing.
It will only be myself...myself who writes that book and publishes it...myself who starts that blog that will become other peoples daily read...
Me , Myself and I....
This is what I have spent this time away on....fixing me.
Loving myself...
I am me and slowly I am getting back to that girl who I used to know so long ago...the one I lost along the way...
I can , without a doubt, say that all if you helped me through to this point. You all reminded me of that girl...gave me courage to express her through writing and led me back to the place I needed to be to find her....
So I write this...as a tribute...to that Jagged Little Pill I was hiding and as a tribute to you guys.....who helped me to find my path back ...to me!
I have missed you tremendously and am so happy to be able to be here!
Monday, August 11, 2014
It's none of your damn business
I've hit a bit of a hiccup with this blogging malarky. Well, in truth I've been here in this bothersome little spot since almost the very beginning of this venture. & as this place was set up for us all to communicate what is on our minds I thought I'd scribble a quick something on the matter of not having a clue what to write about.
Mr Foxx suggested something inane, so I suppose I'm living up to that pretty well. But in truth, I'm flummoxed. Because to write about what is going on in my life right now would be much too personal, & as the title would suggest...
Perhaps though, this will be all the ice breaking we need... Only one way to find out.
Mr Foxx suggested something inane, so I suppose I'm living up to that pretty well. But in truth, I'm flummoxed. Because to write about what is going on in my life right now would be much too personal, & as the title would suggest...
Perhaps though, this will be all the ice breaking we need... Only one way to find out.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Simple Farmer? Simpleton Maybe....
Farming ain't simple. Much like spell checking the word "ain't." Cycles are important to farming for obvious reasons. Right now I am in the "Hay Cycle.
Usually the "Hay Cycle" is where I decide that I must be a simpleton farmer and not a simple farmer. Who but a simpleton would put themselves through this?
1. The hay is getting close to where it is ready to cut.
2. Time to service the old haybine and grease the 54 zerks, lube all the chains, adjust the cutter blade and stone guards. Gotta tune up the engine and fix the flat tire. While crawling under the haybine to grease, get stung by bald faced hornets who have built a nest. Then change the oil in the old farmall that we use for raking, lube the rake, replace a couple tines.
3. The plan is to cut tomorrow, rake the next day and then start baling after that. No time to service the two balers (square and round) until tomorrow after cutting or the next day after raking.
4. Forecast changes (fucking weatherman) beautiful tomorrow, but rain the two days afterwards. Postpone cutting until after the rain
5. Can't cut, so service the balers. Clean, grease, adjust timing on the knotters on the square baler. Polish the duckbills on the knotters. Take a couple old bales and break apart and feed them in by hand to insure everything is working properly. Timing chain is skipping...replace timing chain. Clean, grease, adjust the belts, fill the lubers on the round bailer...can't test this one, requires too much hay. Weld cracked opener pin on the door lift.
6. Everything is ready. See number 4.
7. Finally cutting. First field goes well, second field goes well, third field is a bitch. Third field is thick and some of the hay has lodged (gone over and matted) in the rain from two days before and keeps binding the sickle so I have to stop and get off the machine and pull it out of the sickle and guides by the handful.
8. 6 more fields to cut, but need to get this stuff raked and baled first.
9. Raking is uneventful. Pleasant in fact, until I blow a tire on the rake. Stop, remove, take back to the shop and replace. Start again.
10. The hay is dry enough to bale.
11. Forgot that one of the wagons had a flat. Remember when I go to hook on to it with the tractor and baler. Fix the tire.
12. Square baling. The baler keeps missing ties on the right side. Remember that I did not put in fresh twine. Last years twine has deteriorated from the humidity. Fresh twine fixes the problem. Bale 250 square bales (two short wagons) and park and cover the wagons in case the weatherman is wrong again. Trying to find a kid who will stack bales on the wagon, even at $10 per hour is nigh on to impossible. The price of video games I guess.
13. Round baling. This baling can be done without help, and goes quite well until I blow a hydraulic hose on the tie. Remove hose, go to shop, crimp a new one, install hose and fill with hydraulic fluid. Unload baler and mark the bale so that it does not get fed (I will use it as bedding) due to being sprayed with hydraulic oil.
14. Repeat steps 1 through 13 until all fields are done (hopefully, but not likely, without mechanical issues)
15. Load and haul round bales home.
16. Throw square bales up into the barn mow and stack. It will be 100+ degrees and dusty...fun.
16. Hope the cows and horses are fucking happy.
17. Enjoy a big thick steak dinner.
Ok. I could probably go to the store and buy a steak. Does this make me a simpleton? Very likely so.
Farming is not my "career." I am an electrical engineer. Most days farming is pretty satisfying. Some days I wonder "what the hell am I thinking."
The whole venture for me (we always had animals when I was growing up and I helped on several local farms) started with 40 acres of my own land and a love of old rusty iron and tractors. Put the two together and hey, I'm a farmer. Not really though because I am probably just a step above hobby farming. I am far from well off and the equipment I have is old. I enjoy maintaining it and running it...most of the time. It keeps me out of trouble, for the most part.
Usually the "Hay Cycle" is where I decide that I must be a simpleton farmer and not a simple farmer. Who but a simpleton would put themselves through this?
1. The hay is getting close to where it is ready to cut.
2. Time to service the old haybine and grease the 54 zerks, lube all the chains, adjust the cutter blade and stone guards. Gotta tune up the engine and fix the flat tire. While crawling under the haybine to grease, get stung by bald faced hornets who have built a nest. Then change the oil in the old farmall that we use for raking, lube the rake, replace a couple tines.
3. The plan is to cut tomorrow, rake the next day and then start baling after that. No time to service the two balers (square and round) until tomorrow after cutting or the next day after raking.
4. Forecast changes (fucking weatherman) beautiful tomorrow, but rain the two days afterwards. Postpone cutting until after the rain
5. Can't cut, so service the balers. Clean, grease, adjust timing on the knotters on the square baler. Polish the duckbills on the knotters. Take a couple old bales and break apart and feed them in by hand to insure everything is working properly. Timing chain is skipping...replace timing chain. Clean, grease, adjust the belts, fill the lubers on the round bailer...can't test this one, requires too much hay. Weld cracked opener pin on the door lift.
6. Everything is ready. See number 4.
7. Finally cutting. First field goes well, second field goes well, third field is a bitch. Third field is thick and some of the hay has lodged (gone over and matted) in the rain from two days before and keeps binding the sickle so I have to stop and get off the machine and pull it out of the sickle and guides by the handful.
8. 6 more fields to cut, but need to get this stuff raked and baled first.
9. Raking is uneventful. Pleasant in fact, until I blow a tire on the rake. Stop, remove, take back to the shop and replace. Start again.
10. The hay is dry enough to bale.
11. Forgot that one of the wagons had a flat. Remember when I go to hook on to it with the tractor and baler. Fix the tire.
12. Square baling. The baler keeps missing ties on the right side. Remember that I did not put in fresh twine. Last years twine has deteriorated from the humidity. Fresh twine fixes the problem. Bale 250 square bales (two short wagons) and park and cover the wagons in case the weatherman is wrong again. Trying to find a kid who will stack bales on the wagon, even at $10 per hour is nigh on to impossible. The price of video games I guess.
13. Round baling. This baling can be done without help, and goes quite well until I blow a hydraulic hose on the tie. Remove hose, go to shop, crimp a new one, install hose and fill with hydraulic fluid. Unload baler and mark the bale so that it does not get fed (I will use it as bedding) due to being sprayed with hydraulic oil.
14. Repeat steps 1 through 13 until all fields are done (hopefully, but not likely, without mechanical issues)
15. Load and haul round bales home.
16. Throw square bales up into the barn mow and stack. It will be 100+ degrees and dusty...fun.
16. Hope the cows and horses are fucking happy.
17. Enjoy a big thick steak dinner.
Ok. I could probably go to the store and buy a steak. Does this make me a simpleton? Very likely so.
Farming is not my "career." I am an electrical engineer. Most days farming is pretty satisfying. Some days I wonder "what the hell am I thinking."
The whole venture for me (we always had animals when I was growing up and I helped on several local farms) started with 40 acres of my own land and a love of old rusty iron and tractors. Put the two together and hey, I'm a farmer. Not really though because I am probably just a step above hobby farming. I am far from well off and the equipment I have is old. I enjoy maintaining it and running it...most of the time. It keeps me out of trouble, for the most part.
Sausage Taco
It's Thursday. Let's talk about food.
As much as I enjoy discussions about shampoo and the Lone Ranger, as we close in on the weekend, food is more compelling to me.
There are few meals better than a sausage taco. Of course, this type of meal shouldn't be rushed. Assembling the meal is important to ensure that the taco has all the necessary condiments prior to applying the sausage. It's worth the wait when you are intent on what you want.
Some have said that not only should the taco be prepared properly, but that the sausage can also be prepped with a couple of melons, or oranges, or even grapes. To each his own I say.
Others have suggested that serving chocolate with sausage can be a good dessert as well.
Either way, I just like talking about food. And when the opportunity is right, enjoyed a prepared meal is one of life's great joys.
Know what I mean?
As much as I enjoy discussions about shampoo and the Lone Ranger, as we close in on the weekend, food is more compelling to me.
There are few meals better than a sausage taco. Of course, this type of meal shouldn't be rushed. Assembling the meal is important to ensure that the taco has all the necessary condiments prior to applying the sausage. It's worth the wait when you are intent on what you want.
Some have said that not only should the taco be prepared properly, but that the sausage can also be prepped with a couple of melons, or oranges, or even grapes. To each his own I say.
Others have suggested that serving chocolate with sausage can be a good dessert as well.
Either way, I just like talking about food. And when the opportunity is right, enjoyed a prepared meal is one of life's great joys.
Know what I mean?
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
A Blatantly Racist Joke in Honor of Elizabeth Warren, or Fauxohontis.
The Lone Ranger was ambushed and captured by an enemy Indian War Party.
The Indian Chief proclaims,
"So, YOU are the great Lone Ranger... In honor of the Harvest Festival, YOU will be executed in three days."
"Before I kill you, I grant you three requests. What is your FIRST request???"
The Lone Ranger responds, "I'd like to speak to my horse."
The Chief nods and Silver is brought before the Lone Ranger who whispers in Silver's ear, and the horse gallops away. Later that evening, Silver returns with a beautiful blonde woman on his back. As the Indian Chief watches, the blonde enters the Lone Ranger's tent and spends the night.
The next morning the Indian Chief admits he's impressed. "You have a very fine and loyal horse, but I will still kill you in two days. What is your SECOND request???"
The Lone Ranger again asks to speak to his horse.
Silver is brought to him, and he again whispers in the horse's ear. As before, Silver takes off and disappears over the horizon. Later that evening, to the Chief's surprise, Silver again returns, this time with a voluptuous brunette, more attractive than the blonde.
She enters the Lone Rangers tent and spends the night.
The following morning the Indian Chief is again impressed. "You are indeed a man of many talents, but I will still kill you tomorrow. What is your LAST request???"
The Lone Ranger responds, "I'd like to speak to my horse. Alone." The Chief is curious, but he agrees, and Silver is brought to the Lone Ranger's tent.
Once they're alone, the Lone Ranger grabs Silver by both ears, Looks him square in the eye and says,
"Listen Very Carefully!!!! FOR... THE... LAST... TIME... I SAID...' BRING POSSE'"
This place apparently needs a bit of lightening up. *wink*
The Indian Chief proclaims,
"So, YOU are the great Lone Ranger... In honor of the Harvest Festival, YOU will be executed in three days."
"Before I kill you, I grant you three requests. What is your FIRST request???"
The Lone Ranger responds, "I'd like to speak to my horse."
The Chief nods and Silver is brought before the Lone Ranger who whispers in Silver's ear, and the horse gallops away. Later that evening, Silver returns with a beautiful blonde woman on his back. As the Indian Chief watches, the blonde enters the Lone Ranger's tent and spends the night.
The next morning the Indian Chief admits he's impressed. "You have a very fine and loyal horse, but I will still kill you in two days. What is your SECOND request???"
The Lone Ranger again asks to speak to his horse.
Silver is brought to him, and he again whispers in the horse's ear. As before, Silver takes off and disappears over the horizon. Later that evening, to the Chief's surprise, Silver again returns, this time with a voluptuous brunette, more attractive than the blonde.
She enters the Lone Rangers tent and spends the night.
The following morning the Indian Chief is again impressed. "You are indeed a man of many talents, but I will still kill you tomorrow. What is your LAST request???"
The Lone Ranger responds, "I'd like to speak to my horse. Alone." The Chief is curious, but he agrees, and Silver is brought to the Lone Ranger's tent.
Once they're alone, the Lone Ranger grabs Silver by both ears, Looks him square in the eye and says,
"Listen Very Carefully!!!! FOR... THE... LAST... TIME... I SAID...' BRING POSSE'"
This place apparently needs a bit of lightening up. *wink*
It's Not About Religion. It's About Money
Disclaimer: this blog isn't a fun topic and it's a potentially polarizing topic. But it's been bugging the hell out of me, and I have a compulsion to share.
What's happening in Israel is wrong. Simply put.
Under no circumstances is it ok to disenfranchise, enslave, punish, or imprison someone simply because of what they believe, or don't. And yet this is exactly what the Israeli government is doing to the Palestinians.
Israel has used terrorist tactics for decades, but that's ok because they are considered allies to the the US, the UK and others outside the Middle East. Hamas is a terrorist organization and should be wiped from the planet. But the reason it's so easy for them to increase their membership is because it seems to be the only means of discourse that Israel respects.
Internationally agreed border are simply ignored. Israeli only roads are illegally build across Palestinian land and Palestinians have plates on their cars that make them easily identifiable by the police. Anyone happen to recall when Jews were forced to wear armbands?
Palestine never had a state. This is true. But it's a red herring argument. This is how the Palestinians have chosen to live for thousands of years. The individual farmers do have documentation of ownership of the land, but because they aren't Jewish, it's irrelevant.
It's called apartheid and it's wrong.
And why is it allowed to occur? Why does no one else stand up for Palestine? Money.
There's money to be made. Palestinians, culturally, are not interrsted in thriving economies. So roads are built cheaply. And then, without conflict, where will the weapons manufacturers sell their goods?
I saw footage of a Rabbi who said something to the effect that while God did decree the land to the Israelis, it's not something to be taken for granted and it's something that must be earned by having high moral character.
According to ancient scripture, while the Jews were driven from Isreal by others, the true reason is that they had abandoned morality and civility. They no longer deserved it.
Subjugating another people is not moral. Israel does not deserve the land, even according to their own scripture.
Now, most of you know that I don't believe in the book of fables. I'm merely pointing out that there is something intrinsically wrong about what Israel is doing.
And until there's no money to be made, it will continue.
What's happening in Israel is wrong. Simply put.
Under no circumstances is it ok to disenfranchise, enslave, punish, or imprison someone simply because of what they believe, or don't. And yet this is exactly what the Israeli government is doing to the Palestinians.
Israel has used terrorist tactics for decades, but that's ok because they are considered allies to the the US, the UK and others outside the Middle East. Hamas is a terrorist organization and should be wiped from the planet. But the reason it's so easy for them to increase their membership is because it seems to be the only means of discourse that Israel respects.
Internationally agreed border are simply ignored. Israeli only roads are illegally build across Palestinian land and Palestinians have plates on their cars that make them easily identifiable by the police. Anyone happen to recall when Jews were forced to wear armbands?
Palestine never had a state. This is true. But it's a red herring argument. This is how the Palestinians have chosen to live for thousands of years. The individual farmers do have documentation of ownership of the land, but because they aren't Jewish, it's irrelevant.
It's called apartheid and it's wrong.
And why is it allowed to occur? Why does no one else stand up for Palestine? Money.
There's money to be made. Palestinians, culturally, are not interrsted in thriving economies. So roads are built cheaply. And then, without conflict, where will the weapons manufacturers sell their goods?
I saw footage of a Rabbi who said something to the effect that while God did decree the land to the Israelis, it's not something to be taken for granted and it's something that must be earned by having high moral character.
According to ancient scripture, while the Jews were driven from Isreal by others, the true reason is that they had abandoned morality and civility. They no longer deserved it.
Subjugating another people is not moral. Israel does not deserve the land, even according to their own scripture.
Now, most of you know that I don't believe in the book of fables. I'm merely pointing out that there is something intrinsically wrong about what Israel is doing.
And until there's no money to be made, it will continue.
Monday, August 4, 2014
The Great Down Under
Now that we have a visitor from the Southern Hemisphere , I shall post a blog in her honor.
When exactly did everyone decide that it was best to go completely bare down there? I'm not complaining precisely. This is just of mild curiosity.
Many women seem to complain about the pain needed for establishing the bare patch as well as the maintenance, which would seem to be counter-productive, unless they get as much out of it as us men. In which case, why the bitching?
Maybe that's what life is all about. If there's nothing to complain about, then there's nothing to talk about?
Maybe.
I will say however that I do very much appreciate the effort, regardless of the complaint level. It's no so much the visual, as it is the taste.
That said, during the winter, it's also welcome to have some foliage in order to trap the scent. There's benefit to that as well.
So Kat? As the winter approaches, feel free to let's things grow. I won't hold it against you.
When exactly did everyone decide that it was best to go completely bare down there? I'm not complaining precisely. This is just of mild curiosity.
Many women seem to complain about the pain needed for establishing the bare patch as well as the maintenance, which would seem to be counter-productive, unless they get as much out of it as us men. In which case, why the bitching?
Maybe that's what life is all about. If there's nothing to complain about, then there's nothing to talk about?
Maybe.
I will say however that I do very much appreciate the effort, regardless of the complaint level. It's no so much the visual, as it is the taste.
That said, during the winter, it's also welcome to have some foliage in order to trap the scent. There's benefit to that as well.
So Kat? As the winter approaches, feel free to let's things grow. I won't hold it against you.
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