I Hate Politicians and War.

In 2008, a young man was driving along a country road when his life was changed forever. An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated next to his vehicle and he was severely injured. In 2011 he was medically retired from the Army and now receives treatment for PTSD, TBI and permanent nerve damage. He is enrolled in college classes, and is my student in Anatomy and Physiology. His goal is to become a practitioner in a medical field.

But first, he must overcome the barriers of his own brain. Barriers that were not there before he went to war. Barriers that we as, a society, put there. He has learning difficulties, attention difficulties, movement difficulties, social difficulties. He went to war for reasons I don’t know and will not ask. He goes to school to become a productive member of the society that put him in harm’s way. It takes all he has and more to get up, face the day, and work towards his goal. Can you say the same?  I can’t.
His story isn’t’ unique, or the worst story either. There are thousands of injured Vets trying to get along every day. Some make it, some don’t. Some could probably do better than they do, and some can never achieve their former goals due to massive destruction of body, mind or both.
In some circles this is called “The Butcher’s Bill”. Personally, I don’t think the end was worth the means. So I ask “how did we get into this mess”, and “how do we get out”? I know the answer to both of these questions, and my vote this November will be the way I respond. In the meantime, I am working with a couple of the “wounded warriors”, trying in some small way to make right the wrongs perpetrated on them.

I hate politicians and war. Well, some politicians anyway.

Image: http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/ied-1.jpg

Said Miss Mona to Ed Earl: You know what really burns my ass?

Sal and Woody, only younger

Over the weekend we, Sal and I, got together with an old friend to celebrate his 84^th birthday. He is showing his age, physically more that mentally, but showing none-the-less. He follows alternative spiritual views of the world, some of which I share, and has no fear of dying. In fact, he firmly believes that the end time is just around the corner. Not necessarily this December, but soon. We talked a bit about it, but in the crowd of friends and family there was no time to explore deeply as we have done in the past.
After thinking about it for a while, I conclude the same: the end time is not creeping, it is thundering upon us. But not the end time he was envisioning. He literally thinks the physical presence of the planet, solar system and the universe will end. I do not. At least not for a very long time. Yet his end time is almost here. His, not ours. Not yet. Not being a believer in any supreme being (my friend is) or any continuance of life after death, I believe that every time someone dies, the universe ends. For them. That is what I see him facing. The extinction of awareness permanently. He believes we all go with him. If you know anyone who has died, you know that is not true. For those of us left after someone dies the universe goes on. Then, “wink”, and it is gone. Forever.

So, I started counting my remaining years, 20 or so with any luck, and then the universe ends. For me. That really burns my ass. So does a fire about 3 feet high. (1)

1. http://www.metacafe.com/watch/an-VrtP2butJhbJmm/the_best_little_whorehouse_in_texas_1982_ed_convincing_mona_to_close_the_whorehouse/

2. Image: http://cineplex.media.baselineresearch.com/images/316964/316964_large.jpg

I Am Not a Boomer!

Boomers have 5 times the rate of infection of Hepatitis C than the rest of the population (1). They die in disproportionate numbers from liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. Why you ask? The CDC is not sure, but proposes one reason may be the use of shared needles when this population experimented with drugs. Whatever the reason, the epidemic is real and lethal.
I am not a boomer. I preceded them by at least 5 years, never used drugs, alcohol excepted, and probably don’t have Hep C. I do get tired, though, of being assumed to be one. Boomer I mean. Ex hippie. Free love generation. Woodstock. The fact is I missed it. Too old by the time they started their “Flower Power” crap. I was ensconced in graduate school, busting my butt to get a master’s degree, fishing and walking miles on weekends in the Everglades. Flower power my ass, I thought, as I veered around snakes and scratched chiggers. “Tune in. Turn on. Drop out.” said Leary. Drop acid more like it and then self-destruct. My highs came from catching big fish in the Keys, and finding new orchids in the ‘glades, and the occasional evening drinking with friends.
My highs now come from the love of my life, the company of friends, and the occasional brew. So I repeat: I am not a boomer. I am not at risk for Hep C. I am at risk though. As we all are. They tuned in and turned on, and now we, the rest of the world, have to pay the freight. Next time one of them shows up in the ER, just give them the “peace” sign, give them a flower, and tell them to stick it where the sun don’t shine. Flower Power my ass.

1. http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/08/16/158935794/cdc-recommends-hepatitis-c-testing-for-all-boomer

Image: http://aweirdthing.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/2.jpg

Time is Up.

An old friend sent me a column by Chris Hedges (1) with this note: “I thought of you when I read this this morning. Our old conversation in heartbreaking prose. Let’s find time again to spend a couple of hours together while we still have them.”
I read the column, published in the online journal “Truthdig”. And the essay, for it was really an essay, was absolutely heartbreaking. Not for the new ideas it presented, but in the cold and crisp way it summarized the state of the world. Hedges leaves no room for survival in his analysis, and I agree completely. As my dear friend said so eloquently “Our old conversation in heartbreaking prose.” Over the last 30 years, to friends, students and anyone else who would listen, I have presented each of the individual revelations that Hedges ticks off, with the predictions for the future that have now come to pass. And each time I was met by disbelief, or hope, or faith.
The future is upon us at last, and it is heartbreaking. So to my old friend I say “Yes, let’s find time to spend together before it is too late.” But in my heart I know it is already too late. Not to spend the time together, but to do anything but mourn. And it comes down to this oft repeated thought: drink the good wine, enjoy the good friends and savor what and while you can, for tomorrow you will surely die, and with you goes all of us, like dominos, inexorably to the end. Depressing? You bet. When there was still time to do something about it all, we did not. When there is no time to do anything, we still do not. We are presented with false choices, Mitt or Barack. No difference really. With one the slide is greased with money, with the other with hope. The end is the same.
Read the essay by Hedges and plan the rest of your life.
 
1. http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/life_is_sacred_20120903/
Image: http://www.truthdig.com/images/eartothegrounduploads/AP120517117806-320.jpg

 

 

Sow and Reap. Just leave me out of it.

It is almost that time again. Almost time to give up, again. Yes, I have given up before, and once even gave up giving up (http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7322716431460132023#editor/target=post;postID=1727575944594939689. But I have to say that I am getting very tired indeed of the reticence of otherwise intelligent people who continually blame Obama for all the ills of the country. I have tried to present what I thought were cogent and well-explained points of view, and get nowhere. Well, I get called things. Never mind. I can and will never believe that the current administration, faced with a massive debt at the front end, the speaker of the house announcing "Our goal in the next 4 years it to make this a one term presidency" and a shuffle of the house to make obstruction a fine art, is the problem. Not one bit. Yes, I think mistakes were made. By both sides. But the egregious ones were on the other side.
So I am not going to try to express my logical opinions for a while. When the election is over we will all see who wins, who loses, who was disenfranchised and who bought what. Until then, I will quietly watch the Republicans attack the Democrats and vise-versa. I will feel bad about all the lies that will fly, and all the distortions of positions that will be presented. I will not make a point about any of it.
Woody is turning over a new leaf.
We reap what we sow. So I say "Sow away pal, sow away. And be ready to reap what you sow."
I think I will consider the merits of beer for a bit. And maybe the merits of bird watching and orchid growing. No point what so ever talking about politics. It is way too late for that.

Image: http://rlv.zcache.com/i_give_up_mug-p168101874498167536enw9p_400.jpg

Merely the Imposition of Religion. What is Wrong With That?

Note Priest on right.Notic all the people getting tortured.

Vatican Investigating Girl Scouts for Links to Safe-Sex Education Groups

Catholics should be embarrassed and the rest of us should be really pissed off. Why? Just who the hell does the Vatican think it is, investigating the Girl Scouts? None of their damn business. Personally I think the Vatican should be investigated for all kinds of infractions of human rights. Kind of like an Inquisition in Reverse.

You see, this is the kind of thing that happens when one religious group thinks they have a monopoly on “truth”. They try to impose their values on everybody else. Burn Christians that disrespect the Quran. Pass anti-abortion laws to punish women who don’t believe in their narrow view of the world. Investigate the Girl Scouts for gods sake. Jail “Pussy Riot” for 2 years for blasphemy. The list goes on. I have railed against the imposition of religious views on people who don’t want them. I will always do that. On the other hand, wouldn’t it be SWEET to have a Scientology majority in the house and senate so they could impose their ridiculous ideas about dianetics on all of us? I didn’t think you would like that. So why impose your ideas about creation or “a day of rest” or Christmas? Sure, atheists love to get the holiday vacation, but what if they want to work on the 25^th of December and their PUBLIC OFFICE is closed? Imposition of religion again. What if Jews took over the government an outlawed Sunday holidays but enforced Saturday ones? Or made it the LAW that all males got clipped? I didn’t think you would like that. And what about laws that exempt religious organizations from paying property taxes? That means you pay a subsidy for the Jewish Temple, the Islamic Mosque, the Mormon Temple and many others. Like that? No, I didn’t think so.

So think twice before you so easily impose your religious beliefs on others. You may be next.

Image: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZAjzvdZFcC7m-iMkN6lbZ3gAbtWG9MbLsf2ZdgZZLDXrzxXbfRuyeNjN_eMcG6FtxB3WjD1wyKAuS2bhwmZQWYQ74I-b9f3rmDkLWYvwldojWW2I1bIPtW9R2VZ-vvxGoFXj6iMNY-1c/s1600/inquisition.jpg

Asheville Really Is “Beer City USA”!!

At the Pisgah brewery

This past weekend Sally and I went to Asheville to visit family. Of course the real reason was to visit some of the breweries in this “Beer City” mecca. (Just kidding kids.) We didn’t have much time so we passed up the Highland Brewing Company, the home of a nice IPA called Kashmir IPA (1). We had quite a few pints of that tickle our throats in past trips and we were anxious to try some others.

Ever notice how you can tell you are in an authentic brewery by the beards, hats and attitudes of the people who work there? Well, the three we visited were no exception. And I have noticed over the years how many craft breweries are located in out-of-the-way old warehouses. Hard to find but worth the effort. So we started our quest looking for the French Broad brewery in Asheville. Sure enough: old warehouse and not easy to find. Beards, hair etc. We tried several brews including the Wee Heavy-er Scotch Style Ale, Anvil Porter and the IPA, and the Ryehopper Rye Pale Ale.  They were all nice to the pallet, the Porter particularly smooth, but the IPA was just a little sweet at first taste so the Ryehopper got our "IPA" nod. No surprise huh?

Next we stumbled on the Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company (2). Situated in an old building in down town Asheville on a side street makes it hard to stumble on. Usual folks in evidence. We sat in the outdoor seating area and while we drank our brews we were treated to an animated game of “Corn Hole”.  We only tried the Shiva IPA since we were well on the way to happiness when we arrived, and were not disappointed. Nice color, head and at 69.3 IBU a nice long hoppy finish.

Next day, Sunday, we set out for the Pisgah Brewing Company in Black Mountain, N.C. Hard to find, warehouse, beards, the whole nine yards. We got there about 15 minutes before they opened, but got in and started on the IPA. Nice. Really nice. They were out of Wet Hop Ale, a fresh hopped ale that I really wanted to try, but the IPA was enough. They also had a Framboise Lambic on tap that was very tasty (not theirs, but an import). After a few pints we wended our way home to get ready for dinner and whatever. In a really surprising turn of events, the Italian place we went to for dinner, Nona Mia Ritrovo, had a brewery, the Altamont Brewing Company, in the adjacent space. Not theirs, just another craft brewery. We didn’t have time to sample their wares, but will put that on the list for next time.
All in all, Asheville well deserves the title “Beer City USA”.
 
1. http://www.highlandbrewing.com/craft-brews/style/kashmir-ipa

2. http://www.ashevillebrewing.com/

3. http://pisgahbrewing.com/beer/whats-on-tap

Yearning for Simpler Times.

Chicken and Beer. Simple.

That is it in a nutshell. The last few months have been filled with terror, angst, uncertainty, depression and yes, joy. Mind you not all of these are my personal emotions. Some angst, quite a bit of uncertainty and a good dollop of joy would more accurately characterize my recent past.
The most recent (no, this is NOT about politics) political moves from both major parties have left me a bit drained. Neither side seems to be willing to just tell the truth, unblemished. I see that unilateral “disarmament” wouldn’t work, so the political season will be more of the same.

This morning I think about the times when life was simpler. When terror was not a daily occurrence. When there was some civility among the elected officials. When the future was viewed as limitless possibility rather than limited by resources such as water and food. When climate was stable, or at least predictable. When hard work was rewarded with advancement and security.
I think that every generation that ever was probably looked back to the “good old days” and looked forward to the “golden years” one way or another. I am not so sure about now. For me and my generation the good old days were in many ways good. Maybe even another “golden age” of civilization. At least for the developed world, my world. Clean water, abundant food, cheap energy, “miracle” drugs, rising economic status for many. And somewhere it began to go wrong. Terribly wrong. Partisan politics got entrenched. Class conflict (denied by many) but none-the-less a reality. Over strained resources. Global climate shifts. International terrorism threatening everywhere.
So I yearn for the simpler times. And I really, really hope (and pray if that would help which I sincerely believe it won’t) that the generations growing up today will have their “good old days” and their “golden years”. I am not sanguine.

Image: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffGUfxIR30R2W6Eqq1iWOHqtgJ585t37XPyfzKI1S8fpAsAeiP6o_ppXF1KVTsDlNqxeyyupFSC6esXdcSJDLKo7SCaMzsgbcdR34jT1r1drlz6IHq3iPd25rkukgRM03VmNBd2_BlRbY/s1600/DSCN4871.JPG

Don’t turn you back on a cute squirrel.

The other day I was sitting at my desk writing something when a movement caught my eye. I turned and looked out and saw a squirrel with something in its mouth. Looked like maybe a baby. As I watched, it jumped up on a 4 x 4 short post and sat there. The object it was carrying was a very dead mouse. No doubt at all. And then it was gone. No time for a picture.
Today I looked around the internet for “squirrel carries dead mouse” and found only one blog that mentioned it. Pam Roach (1), Washington State Senator, reported the same thing in 2009. The only mention. Not good enough. So I entered “squirrel eats mouse” and bingo. Several hits including the article (2) below that has a video of a veterinarian talking about squirrels that do eat meat on occasion, a picture of a squirrel eating a baby bird, and a video of a squirrel eating a fresh-killed mouse.

So I wasn’t nuts. Next time you see one of those cute little critters, don’t turn your back.

Image: http://www.scarysquirrel.org/special/carny2010/carny2.jpg
1. http://pamroachreport.blogspot.com/2009/09/squirrel-carries-dead-mouse-up-tree.html

2. http://www.scarysquirrel.org/special/carny2010/index.html

My “Coming Out Story”

Our sons and their spice

It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Sally and I were sitting at the dining room table with our oldest son. He was getting ready to go back to his place, a couple of hours away, having spent the holiday with us. He said in a somewhat nervous voice “I have something to tell you”. Pause. “I’m gay”. I looked at Sally and said “And - - -“. And then one of us started the conversation by saying something like, yes, we know. He may have been a little surprised. He looked a bit like it. I asked if he had a steady and the said yes, I am seeing someone. I said in return that any partner of his would be welcome to join the family but there was a deal breaker. He looked suspicious and a maybe a little resigned.
Gays are rejected by a lot of people in their lives. Friends who didn’t know and can’t accept them as they are. Strangers who hate them but have no idea who they are. Religions that think they choose their life in some blasphemic statement. Families who are frightened or ignorant and cannot get past their own feelings of hate or guilt or whatever. And parents like the Dad that wrote the letter (1) that prompted this essay.
So our son was probably prepared to be disappointed while at the same time knowing that we were loving parents and liberal to the core. I dropped the bomb. Yes, I said there is a deal breaker. We don’t care what religion or color or age or occupation he may be. We do want him to be a loving and caring man. But the deal breaker is this: I don’t want him here if he is a Republican.

Silence, then a smile then hugs and some tears of joy. We have a fine Democrat son-in-law. Loving and caring. Matt did all right. So did John. So did we.

Image: Author

1. http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/fathers-hateful-letter-to-gay-son-after-coming-out-goes-viral/news/2012/08/07/45756