May Week 1, 2005
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May Week 1, 2005
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Sunday May 1 , 2005 Nothing so completely baffles one who is full of trick and duplicity himself, than straightforward and simple integrity in another. Charles Caleb Colton, author and clergyman (1780-1832) Listening to a show on NPR I heard a 21 year old kid talking about what he called "Primitive Thinkers". He was talking (I am paraphrasing) about how he KNOWS that they are primitive thinkers because he lived by a code of Right and Wrong...The interviewer asked him how he knew, who taught him what's Right and Wrong... the kid had to stop and think... he said No one taught me, Right is Right and Wrong is Wrong... everybody knows that, it just IS. Oh to be young and sure again. The young man started talking about the behavior of people polluting the rivers and oceans, throwing out trash, drinking eating unhealthy food how the police acted when they came into their house to arrest his father... I thought that there is no way to convince this fella that the police were not evil, the polluters were not evil. that people can do bad things and still be good. People can also be well intentioned and do bad things. Is it right o condemn people for ignorance apathy and a lack of compassion? I don't know... I think not but in a Black and White world with iron clad rules ignorance is punishable by death. The saddest thing is that it's the ignorant who see the world and everything in it as either Good or Evil and when the ignorant make the rules the educated are persecuted. I like to think that I am eclectic in my opinions on most things. I think it my eclecticism carries over into the way I look at the world too. I don't have many hard and fast rules about much of anything. Some might say that that is a weakness, and maybe it is in a world that judges everything as being good or evil... hard to say... it's fairly obvious to me that I am outside the mainstream in my perception of the way the world should be. I do become a bit of hardliner when it comes to what I believe and what I will defend but I can allow others to think and do just about anything they want as long as they don't infringe on my ability to do the same. I get a little testy when people try to inflict their moral values and beliefs on others, and I get downright confrontational when they try it on me. I guess that's why I have little or no respect for, or patience with, Pundits, Preachers and Politicians and other actors in the self-promotion industry. The level which we are being manipulated borders on brainwashing. We are being pushed, shoved, compelled. bullied, intimidated, persuaded, terrorized and frightened into behaving in a predictable pattern all day every day. Everything we hear, see and smell is being analyzed and manipulated to push us in one direction or another. It is hard to resist when every move we make is inventoried and catalogued. The purchases we make, the votes we cast, the books we read, the shows we watch, the colors on the packages we by the smells that lure us to a particular counter, the music that is played the tone and gender of voice used to promote every thing for sale on the television is analyzed in focus groups and tested and marketed... we can't escape it... all we can hope to do is be aware of it... and that is getting harder to do every day. Monday May 2 , 2005 Someday, we'll look back on this, laugh nervously and change the subject. (Wish I knew, probably a dad) I am thinking about Jennifer Wilbanks, the woman whose last-minute wedding jitters turned into national news. Georgia prosecutors are deciding whether to press charges against her... The law has no compassion, all it takes is one cold hearted redneck SOB who wants to get his name in the paper to take that poor young woman and expose her to seven stages of hell. 50 years ago tongues would have wagged and she might have had some serious explaining to do but she wouldn't have been exposed to international ridicule and embarrassment. In today's world of 'Competitive News' and cut-throat sensationalism she hasn't got a prayer of ever leading a normal life. Freedom of the Press is a joke, with freedom should come responsibility but it doesn't... it apparently comes with greed. When corporations own the press corporations make the rules and the only rule a corporation gives a damn about is "If we do this is it going to have a positive or negative affect the bottom line." If harassing Jennifer Wilbanks will sell newspapers or air-time then what the hell. If prosecuting her will promote me as a hard-line Law and Order DA and get me votes in the next election then it's worth her future.
Seen on a birthday card: Mike decided that he was going to let Scott take him to school today... yeah... sure. it is now 0840 and school started 40 minutes ago and Mike just got out of the shower... I told him that if he ever hoped to do this again he had better be to school on time. School called... "B" hit a teacher... twice... they called and said we had to pick him up, then they called again and said they were calling the Sheriff because the teacher was pressing charges... when we got there the Principal said that the teacher had changed his mind but Baldo still had to go home... We talked for a while and commiserated with each other. We were home for about 5 minutes and Cindy called saying she had sprained her ankle so I went to pick her up. When I got home "B" was outside and then he came in an started an argument which ended with him being upset and storming into his room because he wasn't getting any respect... I guess I don't understand people from his planet as well as I thought I did. The girls had a slow-pitch softball game today, I managed to get away from home in time to take the kids to their game. Monica couldn't play, they can only field so many kids and two alternates. Though she isn't the worst player by far she is the youngest. Calie made two runs and one hell of a catch, she stopped a line drive that popped out of her glove then she pulled it back in before it hit the ground... very cool. Tuesday May 3 , 2005 Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that! Lewis Carroll, mathematician and writer (1832-1898) I can't get Bill Murray's line in Meatballs out of my mind, "It Just doesn't matter!". These baseball games are great, the kids are having a lot of fun and they've been winning... up until today. Today they are in the playoff's and they played the best team, an "A" team from the Catholic School across the street from their school. that school is about 10 times larger so they have an "A" and a "B" team... their "A" team is not very good by any standard you want to use, but they are better than our team, most of the kids who are on it are reportedly ex-little leaguers... we got beat 16 to 5. We played another game a half hour later and proceeded to wipe them out 14 to 7... 5 of their 7 runs coming in the last inning as we attempted to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I found out later that this was the Catholic School's "B" team. There are parents that attend the games that actually think something life altering is going on, that the games are somehow significant beyond getting exercise, learning sportsmanship and technique. Perhaps they are right but I can't figure out what is going on out there that is worthy of one second of my anger. I will raise my voice occasionally when one of the kids does something well... like Calie's catch yesterday... but a bad call by the umpire or a muffed play by someone on our team is not worth getting excited about. The umpire and the kids are doing the absolute best they can and to reprimand them for not doing better is cruel and unnecessary. The final play-off is tomorrow at 1300... I will try to be there. Wednesday May 4 , 2005 Minor Operation: Any operation performed on someone else. Richard Selzer On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on anti-war protesters at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others. This date has a sobering affect on me every year... Blaine is having his Carotid Artery surgically cleaned today. This is a big deal and everyone is very concerned... especially him. One artery is completely blocked and they can't do anything to it but the other is 80% (+) blocked and they have no choice but to try to clean out the blockage. Blaine is not the healthiest specimen in the world because he hasn't taken the best care of himself (Look who's talk'n) over the past 64 years. Christy has gone over to Riverside to be with Karen, both his daughters and my Mother-in-law are there too. Gary (Our other brother-in-law) is going to have surgery on his legs today Gary is had some pre-gangrenous veins stripped from his legs, he has emphysema and the Anesthetist was afraid that if he put him under he wouldn't be able to pull him out again so they did it with a local... damn... 'twas me I'd tell them to put a bullet in my head and go to lunch... gives me the hebegeebes just thinking about it. We lost the game 11 to 14... not bad... they put up a commendable fight... If we could throw out the first inning we would have won. I found out later there was an episode of bad sportsmanship after the game involving three kids... not one of mine thank goodness As of 1430 Blaine was in recovery and should be on his way to ICU in an hour or so. He came through the operation OK ... if something is going to go wrong it will be in the next 24 to 48 hours. Christy just found out Grandpa is having a hard time getting around so she had Grandma talk to a Doctor and Christy went over to the apartment and took him into the hospital too... seems like the whole family is in the Intensive Care Unit. Thursday May 5 , 2005 The beloved of the Almighty are the rich who have the humility of the poor, and the poor who have the magnanimity of the rich. Saadi, poet (1184-1291) I took the kids to School, Christy is teaching at AV College. I saw a nasty (apparent) fatality accident on the AV Freeway, I didn't know the area had that many cops. Baldo needed to be at the Orthodontist by 08:05 we got there at 08:03, I took Baldo to school the long way because the AV Freeway was backed up at Red Rover Mine Road with a spilled load of dirt, on the way back from Sierra school Monica called to tell me she's sick so I picked her up in Lancaster, lunch at Don Cuco's, took a short nap and went to pick up Cindy... 150 miles before 11:00, how was your day? I'm through feeling sorry for myself... at least outwardly... for today. Brother in law Gary is home with sore legs, Brother in law Blaine is in Recovery now, he is awake and seems to be feeling fine, anxious to get home. Autumn goes to Kaiser Neurology tomorrow to see Dr. Nathan... 0940 appointment... that will be a logistical challenge... another 150 mile day...
Kansas is putting evolution on trial again... If they are so convinced that they are right and that God is on their side why are they acting so threatened? I guess they don't believe in Psychology either, any psychologist will tell you that the person who has the most to lose will yell the loudest. If in your heart you know that you are standing on firm ground you would go about your business but if you know that you are standing on thin ice then you scream for help. It's very upsetting to me to think that with all the knowledge accumulated by the scientific community there is still a lingering remnant of the Spanish Inquisition and our Puritan Witch Burning Founding Fathers who refuse to accept that there might possibly be another explanation for our existence beyond what some self-serving fundamentalist wrote to promote his religion 2000 years ago. I posted three articles on this, one by A Roman Catholic Nun/Franciscan/?... I wish I could figure out just what she is, Joan Chittister, another by David Brooks, a Conservative Columnist and the third is by George Will... I haven't categorized him yet... they are concerned too. Friday May 6 , 2005 Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, then that of blindfolded fear. Thomas Jefferson, third US president, architect and author (1743-1826) Autumn has a fever and spent the night in bed with us, we were concerned because she seemed to have trouble breathing but her nose was stuffy and she sleeps with her mouth closed. She kept me and Christy awake most of the night. She would stiffen up occasionally and sometimes flail about with her arms but not like during a seizure more like she was having a bad dream.
The visit was illuminating. Our
primary reason for taking her in was that she has had a couple seizures
recently and that usually indicates a need to modify her medication. I told
the Doctor about running into Autumn's big toe with one of the wheels on my
desk chair and how I was certain that it must have hurt like hell but she
said that it didn't, I asked if it was possible that she really didn't feel
it. She said "Oh yes, that is one of the parts of her brain that was
damaged. Her ability to sense pain is very poorly developed." I also learned
that though the official diagnosis of Autumn's condition is Cerebral Palsy,
it is further defined in her case as Intractable General Convulsive
Epilepsy, Quadriplegic & Retardation.
I wrote to John to
thank him for comments on an article I posted on the election in England by
Greg Palast, his comments paralleled or amplified my perceptions. I am
copying a paragraph from that e-mail because I'd like to include the thought
here.
I wish I could forget about all the crap that's going on in the world but, unfortunately for me, getting agitated about the news and trying to dig through the garbage to find the truth is as addictive as heroin. I am learning, slowly, that all Truth is subjective. It's impossible to convince someone from another perspective that your version of the truth has any relevance. It is a damn shame people have to die because they can't understand that fundamental concept.
Hi, you have reached the CNN "Distraction of the Week" hotline. Please listen to all the options as our menu has recently changed.
Hey, thanks for calling and have a bright sunshiny day! The stuff above is a joke but this is real, I just pulled this off Bill O'Reilly's website, this is what he has deemed relevant:
They refused to allow a High School band in Benton Harbor play Louie Louie because one of the Superintendents said that the lyrics were obscene... not true... here are the actual Lyrics:
Saturday May 7 , 2005 “Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes that you can do these things. Among them are a few Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or businessman from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid.” President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1952 This quote personifies the difference between the meaning of the words Perceptive, and Prophetic. It's too bad Ike's gift of perception didn't carry over into prophecy. Christy, Calie and Monica will be gone all day to Conejo 132.9 miles round trip... Calie is singing, then they will go to the beach and then they will play a game of basketball. George McGovern is a guest on The Prairie Home Companion. He should have been our President... his opportunity to win was submarined by Mayor Daily in Chicago... I wonder how the world would have been altered if he had won. Sunday May 8 , 2005 The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent tolerance; to a friend your heart; to your child a good example; to a father deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself respect; and to all men charity. Frances Balfour (Maitland)
I have been sneezing for about a week, it's making me crazy... my mother used to get hay-fever every Spring or Summer, I can't remember, I thought all that sneezing was just an annoyance and never understood why she thought it was such a big deal... now I know.
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