Today the temperature in Indianapolis was -7 degrees and in my book, that's too cold for me. In all my travels, I don't think there's a prettier state than Indiana (my opinion) for three seasons, but let me tell you, winter "sucks" (my opinion also). The dampness and the cold affect my bones. Fortunately, we leave for the south of Florida tomorrow. We've spent the last two weeks laying out clothes (my wife has), and generally speculating how much of our belongings to leave here and what we should take for down there. We rent a house down there for six weeks so it requires more than just throwing a few things in a bag and getting by. So today we had clothing, bags, and boxes layed out on the floor in the living room and I doubted that it would all go in the car, but it did with room to spare. So we're all set to leave bright and early tomorrow. I don't think we'll have too much Super Bowl traffic competition going down since the game is in Miami and our rental is on the west side of Florida in Englewood. Besides, we take four easy days getting there.
Staying in Florida for six weeks really breaks up the winter. By the time we return in mid-March, the worst of winter is over. The grass is beginning to green, bulbs are beginning to push through the earth, its time to think about garden and best of all, golf season is underway. My wife and I both enjoy watching sports on TV and unfortunately we miss several of IU and Purdue's basketball games. Once in a while there is a Pacer game and since the recent big trade, the Pacers got rid of their poor attitude deadwood and they're fun to watch again. We'll get to watch the Super Bowl down there and the way they've been playing, we'll get to watch them win it all. By the way, I want to note that in a recent Posting I said that if the defense keeps playing like they did after the game I commented on, I said they could go to the Super Bowl. Well, they did! We'll be cheering them on!!
My brother and his wife also go to Florida this same time, stay in the same area, and we get to play some golf and enjoy each other's company down there. Our middle child also comes down and stays with us three weeks and his sister stays with us for one week. Our oldest son and his wife have children and school prevents them from joining us.
I'm not sure how I'll get my laptop hooked up down there and that may prevent me from writing any post during that time, but if I get hooked up I'll try to add to my blog.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Political Correctness
Political Correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional illogical liberal minority & rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous liberal press which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end." --This definition has been attributed to students at Texas A&M University.
Discontented?
I'm taking the liberty of publishing the following item which I recently received in my E-Mail. I don't know who originally wrote it but believe it "hits the nail squarely on the head". It follows:
"The Newsweek poll alleges that 67% of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69% of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.So being the knuckle-dragger I am, I starting thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?''Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4% of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?
Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.
Perhaps you are one of the 70% of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.
How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.
Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? Why...because he knows that Iran next door is our #1 threat for war. They vowed to destroy Israel. Iran's evil President Ahmadinejad recently met with & embraced Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez whom he has a strong relationship. Why the visit?? Venezuela is close enough to the U.S. so that if Iran can use Venezuela to put war missiles there, they will hit the U.S. They will not hit the U.S. if sent from Iran. Hence, more troops are needed in Iraq to hold Iran at bay...they are just waiting to take over Iraq. The president is very wise and is trying to keep a disaster from happening here in the U.S. It would be a shame to learn how he was trying to protect us the hard way!!!!
The president who has a measly 31% approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all- volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?
Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.
So why then the flat out discontentment in the minds of 69% of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds, it leads, and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells. Just ask why they were going to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book and do a TV special about how he didn't kill his wife but if he did, how he would do it . Insane!
Stop buying the negative venom you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad."
It kind of hits home, doesn't it...
"The Newsweek poll alleges that 67% of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69% of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.So being the knuckle-dragger I am, I starting thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?''Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4% of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?
Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.
Perhaps you are one of the 70% of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.
How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.
Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? Why...because he knows that Iran next door is our #1 threat for war. They vowed to destroy Israel. Iran's evil President Ahmadinejad recently met with & embraced Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez whom he has a strong relationship. Why the visit?? Venezuela is close enough to the U.S. so that if Iran can use Venezuela to put war missiles there, they will hit the U.S. They will not hit the U.S. if sent from Iran. Hence, more troops are needed in Iraq to hold Iran at bay...they are just waiting to take over Iraq. The president is very wise and is trying to keep a disaster from happening here in the U.S. It would be a shame to learn how he was trying to protect us the hard way!!!!
The president who has a measly 31% approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all- volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?
Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.
So why then the flat out discontentment in the minds of 69% of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds, it leads, and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells. Just ask why they were going to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book and do a TV special about how he didn't kill his wife but if he did, how he would do it . Insane!
Stop buying the negative venom you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad."
It kind of hits home, doesn't it...
Monday, January 15, 2007
Times Gone By ----
Seventy-one years ago when I was just seven years old, after begging my parents help, together we scraped up the money to send me to summer camp. This was during the depression and I know they sacrificed to raise the money for my week of vacation. This was prior to WWII and my good friend, John, from across the street went also. The cost of one week at Camp Crosley on Lake Tippecanoe was, as I recall, about $6.00 or $7.00. I raised my part of the cost, which couldn't have been more than $1.00 or $2.00 at the most, by pulling my wagon through the alleys picking up bottles and scrap metal from trash to sell at Abromson's Junk Yard. Camp Crosley was sponsored and possibly owned by the Muncie, Indiana, YMCA. It was run by a Mr. Pettijon and was operated on the principles espoused by the YMCA. I was very fortunate during those times to go that first year and by saving my nickels and dimes each year hence and with my parents help I was able to go to Camp Crosley for four years in all.
Today, after my daily walk at the Mall while enjoying my cup of coffee at the Food Court, I spotted a young lad in a sweat shirt that had "Camp Crosley" emblazoned across the front. He didn't look to be more than 8 or 9 years old and was with his mother and a younger sister. I watched them for a while, wondering about Camp Crosley and if it still existed. My wife accuses me of not being very friendly with strangers but this time my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to talk to them. I went over to their table, excused myself and asked if this was the same Camp Crosley I had attended as a boy. It was. The lad was a year or so older than I was his first year and I think he was only impressed that someone as old as I could have gone to the same camp as he. His mother was friendly and in our conversation I asked if she would mind telling me what the present cost is for a week. She said they had spent somewhere around $450.00 but that included a couple of extras, sailing instruction,etc. Possibly a little more than a young lad with a wagon could raise. I thanked her for letting me interrupt them and excused myself. Small world!
Today, after my daily walk at the Mall while enjoying my cup of coffee at the Food Court, I spotted a young lad in a sweat shirt that had "Camp Crosley" emblazoned across the front. He didn't look to be more than 8 or 9 years old and was with his mother and a younger sister. I watched them for a while, wondering about Camp Crosley and if it still existed. My wife accuses me of not being very friendly with strangers but this time my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to talk to them. I went over to their table, excused myself and asked if this was the same Camp Crosley I had attended as a boy. It was. The lad was a year or so older than I was his first year and I think he was only impressed that someone as old as I could have gone to the same camp as he. His mother was friendly and in our conversation I asked if she would mind telling me what the present cost is for a week. She said they had spent somewhere around $450.00 but that included a couple of extras, sailing instruction,etc. Possibly a little more than a young lad with a wagon could raise. I thanked her for letting me interrupt them and excused myself. Small world!
Monday, January 8, 2007
About My Hometown ------
Last summer one of my sisters, of whom I have two still living in my hometown, told me of a new project that was taking place there. The town of about 7000 population was a laid-back, typical, small, rural Indiana town that showed little, if any, progress for years. However, in the past few years it seems to have come alive and, thanks to some progress-minded citizenry, has began to stimulate some new industry, and some pride and growth in the community. Specifically, my sister told me about a new park that was being developed, and so my wife and I drove up there one weekend to investigate it.
It isn't a development of large acreage but rather small, and I can't say that it is fancy or ornate. But it has been done in good taste with an honest attempt to honor the servicemen and women from the county. It's called "The Freedom Park". Bricks are laid in a circle around a center area which may or may not be intended to have a fountain (I don't know). The bricks are sold to the family members or to the veteran and have the name, rank and service of the individual being honored. The price of the brick goes to the local Portland Foundation and is tax deductible. I hadn't known of the existence of this foundation previous to this, but I learned that it has existed for a number of years and has been awarding grants and loans to a number of local students to further their education.
I was truly impressed with the park and what I learned about the Portland Foundation, and I have attached a picture of the park.
It isn't a development of large acreage but rather small, and I can't say that it is fancy or ornate. But it has been done in good taste with an honest attempt to honor the servicemen and women from the county. It's called "The Freedom Park". Bricks are laid in a circle around a center area which may or may not be intended to have a fountain (I don't know). The bricks are sold to the family members or to the veteran and have the name, rank and service of the individual being honored. The price of the brick goes to the local Portland Foundation and is tax deductible. I hadn't known of the existence of this foundation previous to this, but I learned that it has existed for a number of years and has been awarding grants and loans to a number of local students to further their education.
I was truly impressed with the park and what I learned about the Portland Foundation, and I have attached a picture of the park.
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