The Ranting Raven

What have we ever learned?????

2010-05-30T21:21:00.004-04:00

Listen, children, to a story
That was written long ago,
'Bout a kingdom on a mountain
And the valley-folk below.

On the mountain was a treasure
Buried deep beneath the stone,
And the valley-people swore
They'd have it for their very own.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

So the people of the valley
Sent a message up the hill,
Asking for the buried treasure,
Tons of gold for which they'd kill.

Came an answer from the kingdom,
"With our brothers we will share
All the secrets of our mountain,
All the riches buried there."

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

Now the valley cried with anger,
"Mount your horses! Draw your sword!"
And they killed the mountain-people,
So they won their just reward.

Now they stood beside the treasure,
On the mountain, dark and red.
Turned the stone and looked beneath it...
"Peace on Earth" was all it said.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

Tomorrow it's Memorial Day and memories run deep...why the hell are we going backwards? We have the science and the technology to move into the future and yet there are groups of people that would take us back to the tenth century. What the hell people, grow the fuck up and grow a sac while your at it.

I am talking to all of you, of all stripes and beings, get a fucking grip on reality and move us forward to a world that finds peace a better alternative to the death of our young men and women for pointless causes, simply because a "higher power" seems to command it.

All I ask for this day is that we all take a long look at what we have created in our race to make the world perfectly awful ... dominion over the earth is not a licence to kill, rape, and pillage our own resources or our fellow humans.

To quote someone much more astute than I..."Give peace a chance"..John Lennon.

Take time today to remember fallen friends and those who remain unknown.Respect the price they paid for our own idiocy. And never ever give up the struggle for peace in your childrens lifetime. They are the one who will inherit the mess we leave them, not to mention all the oil that BP has given us.(sarcasm but the truth as well).

Some lessons take a lifetime to learn...Peace, Love, and Light...Tau

Ten soldiers and Nixon's coming...remember?

2010-05-03T22:53:00.004-04:00

This is a repost of something I wrote a couple years back but I have to say it again, because it is to important to forget...Kent State University 40 years ago, and still important more than ever now. From an old Woodie Guthrie song brings to mind a simple question..."How many deaths does it take till we know, that to many people have died?"

How many does it take? How about countless thousands in Darfur, or how about 50,000 plus in VietNam, or maybe its 4,0000 and counting in Iraq, oops I forgot the 1.25 million Iraq soldiers and mostly civilians, then again maybe its the 33 students killed at Virginia Tech, at the hands of a poor delusional nut, is that enough or should we add more...?

Maybe four more...the four that should count pehaps the loudest. May 4, 1970, a date that should live in infamy, four students, some exercising the right of free speech and some not, died at Kent State University because our own soldiers, Americans themselves, following immoral orders, turned as they were retreating and opened fire on unarmed civilians. At a school! American soldiers , most not more than kids themselves, shooting at unarmed kids. All in the name of politics and "moral outrage". This has been swept away in the gift of forgetfullness, for the vast majority, but to this writer it was a life changing experience. I found myself questioning freedom itself and our inherrant right to express it in our own way. Maybe that is why I taught all my kids to "question authority", which they have done, way to well at times.

I was in the Navy at the time, fairly gung ho and all proud till that fateful day, in an instant I changed, I came to the realization that no war is worth such a price and I could not support such an unjust cause. This is just not what ones pride and sense of justice is able to understand, and to this day I still dont. What the hell were we all dieing for, and I mean troops and civilians.

In a day or so I will turn 58 and though its been a long hard road, my deepest feelings have not changed. In these past 40 years many things have changed and unchanged as the case may be, I am still a "hippie" and a "peacenik", but now we find ourselves yet again facing the horrid reality of an immoral, illegal, and lost war. A war with more horrid implications than I care to think on. Not only are our rights being eroded or stolen at will, but the voice against it is weaker it seems and perhaps with good reason, perhaps not enough remember....or maybe to many are just afraid to stand anymore because to many have died. So tomorrow I will don my "remember Kent State" shirt and do just that....remember.

Those of you that are to young won't remember because most History books will ignore ...those of you that do had better learn and remember to stand for what is meant to stand for freedomm in the 21st century.

Peace, love, and light to all and I Hope Beltane was happy for you all..

TR...

P.S. those of you that know it, turn on your music boxes and listen to CSN&Y,or just do what it takes to never forget. Per the Declaration...Life, Lberty, and the persuit of Happiness...they died for that right!

PSS.. Remember the right of all people to tie the knot...support equal right for everyone.

A repost but an important one to me. Blessings to all this new spring.

2010-04-03T15:37:00.004-04:00

Easter or Eostara and I am just making a point.
I just had to do this kids.. it means alot. An Ostara TaleAuthor: ScoutGhst Posted: March 9th. 2003.. . It was long ago, and it was the time of winter. Snow covered the ground and the chill in the air made this a harsh and unforgiving time to be about. Whiteness everywhere. The world slept.....A little girl had strayed from her home (a very bad thing, but such as children are wont to do) and she found herself wandering about in the woods; alone. She was cold and tired, and afraid. In despair, she dropped down in the snow and began to cry. She cried for her home. She cried for her mother and father. She cried for her life.Then she saw it - a bird - a frozen bird - lying, dying in the snow. She jumped up and rushed to take the bird into her arms. She held it close to herself; wrapping it tightly in her arms. She tried to warm the bird and thaw it's frozen wings, but it was too cold and life was quickly leaving the bird's body along with its warmth. She was beside herself! She thought only of the bird now, not seeing that she, herself would soon be in the same situation that this small bird was in now.She cried out for help! "Help! Help, this bird to live", she cried. "Goddess Eostara, please help this bird!".Now, Eostara was one busy Being about this time. Under normal circumstances the Goddess of Spring and Warmth would have dismissed this cry for help and continued about Her more important business. But it piqued Her interest that this girl was calling on Her to help a bird instead of herself. She decided to investigate and perhaps lend a helping hand.Eostara came to the girl. She floated over the snowy landscape. In Her wake flowers bloomed and sweet-scented blossoms burst open as colors blazed into view. Spring followed in Her path and the sound of laughter and gentle breezes could be heard on Her breath. She was glorious to behold. Rebirth and new life radiated about Her. The girl was astounded.She jumped up and thrust the bird at Eostara. "Save it!", she cried. "Make it well!". Using the demanding tone that only a child would have the nerve to use in the presence of a Goddess.Eostara took no mind of the girl's inappropriate behavior. She knew of her intent and her motives. The girl was sincere... the girl was unselfish.... the girl was so very young.....Eostara reached out Her hand and touched the bird with one delicate finger. Light flowed through Her, warming the bird. It's eyes opened suddenly. It's foot twitched. It hopped out of the girl's hand and began to flop about madly in the snow. The girl squealed with delight. "You saved it! You saved it!", as she danced about in the snow, overjoyed. But wait --"Hey....." the girl said after watching the bird for a while. "Its wings are still frozen to its body. It can't fly! You didn't do it right!!".Oh my. Now, Eostara surely wasn't used to this kind of response when She had just performed a minor miracle. But with Her infinite patience (which by now was wearing thin) intact, She gave the bird one last effort, another chance at survival. She reached over to the hopping bird and touched it again gently with Her hand, turning it into a bunny. "There!", she said to the girl, "Now it has no need of its wings".And as the now totally confused bunny hopped off into the brush, Eostara drifted away to perform other tasks of sunshine and light (as far away as possible from this girl). The girl was delighted at the sight of the bunny scrambling into the snow-covered brush. "All better", she smiled. She suddenly knew the way home...Now, all this was fine for Eostara and the girl, but what of the bunny? Well, now, this is one totally confused little animal here. This rabbit still has a habit of laying eggs! And to this day, when the snow begins to melt, and the flowers begin to bloom, and the air is filled with the sweet scent of blossoms and warmth, the bunny begins to lay its eggs. Oh, and these aren't ordinary eggs either. These eggs tell of color! Of Spring! Of Eostara and her gift of renewed life and release from winter's chill. They are tokens of recognition and gratitude to the Goddess Eostara for the gift of Spring.Note: Some children today maintain the tradition of building nests in the fields for the Spring bunny to lay its eggs into. Twigs and grass make an inviting nest for such a creature to deposit its brightly colored eggs. I like it.My love and gratitude to my circle-mate and good friend Walt, for his telling of this ....ahem.... hoppy tail ScoutghostMarch 10th., 2003Author's Bio: Scoutghost lives in Northern California with her family. In her spare time she serves as the Networking Coordinator for Full Circle Events ( http://www.fullcircleevents.org/ )
I wish to leave this deep bit of love and gratitude for the author of this and My heartfelt thanks to all who read and understand it to share with their kids.
Peace love and light to all...TR Be well and always carry the gift of spring in your hearts, the world needs it.

Some people...just don't deserve the attention they get.

2010-03-05T19:22:00.002-05:00

But in some cases, attention is the one thing they need.

I'm talking, of course, about Michael and Debi Pearl, two horrible excuses for human beings who profit off of the abuse of children.

www.nogreaterjoy.org

They sugarcoat it, and glorify it, but at its core is an extremely literal application of the Bible--that is, using "the Rod" to "guide" children.

The Rod, of course, is a symbol of authority. "Guiding", in this case, means behavior modification--swatting and smacking children for even the most minor of transgressions, and sometimes no transgression at all.

Michael Pearl's practices have directly led to the deaths of not one, but TWO children.

http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2010/02/22/no_greater_joy/index.html

Many other links can be found in that very article that serve purpose there far better than I could make them.

Spread the word. Make these people known. Show them that they only get their fortunes because the people they sell their books to are young, naive, and simply too stupid to raise a child themselves!

Quarter-inch PVC pipes and branches from bushes are NOT proper tools with which to "guide" children! It is NEVER okay to hit a baby for crying, and raising a child is NOT about the parents' comfort or desires!

www.stoptherod.net

Mordric is out.

Peace.

He's here, He's new, He's my son and has his own mind...

2010-03-04T20:58:00.004-05:00

I want to take the time to introduce to my gazillion(6) readers to a new poster ....he is my son Ben, AKA Mordric...

He has an new and fresh view on the world that we all inhabit, please take a look and give your opinions to a new, fresh, attitude, offered to you with no apologies.....He is his own person.

On the other side, I would like to hear your opinions on todays issues ...fire away and be ready for response from either of us.

Peace, love and light, TR

I could not have said it better...

2010-02-14T17:59:00.003-05:00

This being cross-posted from "the Smirking Chimp" and also and to the point, Harvey Wassserman's blog on the same Smirking Chimp.

Our Founders Were NOT Fundamentalists
Religious Right
by Harvey Wasserman | February 13, 2010 - 12:43pm
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"God made the idiot for practice, and then He made the school board."
--Mark Twain

Tomorrow's New York Times Sunday Magazine highlights yet another mob of extremists using the Texas School Board to baptize our children's textbooks.

This endless, ever-angry escalating assault on our Constitution by crusading theocrats could be obliterated with the effective incantation of two names: Benjamin Franklin, and Deganawidah.

But first, let's do some history:

1) Actual Founder-Presidents #2 through #6 -- John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and John Quincy Adams -- were all freethinking Deists and Unitarians; what Christian precepts they embraced were moderate, tolerant and open-minded.

2) Actual Founder-President #1, George Washington, became an Anglican as required for original military service under the British, and occasionally quoted scripture. But he vehemently opposed any church-state union. In a 1790 letter to the Jews of Truro, he wrote: The "Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistances, requires only that they who live under its protection, should demean themselves as good citizens." A 1796 treaty he signed says "the government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." Washington rarely went to church and by some accounts refused last religious rites.

3) Washington was also the nation's leading brewer, and since most Americans drank much beer (water could be lethal in the cities) they regularly trembled before the keg, not the altar. Like Washington, Jefferson and Madison, virtually all American farmers raised hemp and its variations.

4) Jefferson produced a personal Bible from which he edited out all reference to the "miraculous" from the life of Jesus, whom he considered both an activist and a mortal.

5) Tom Paine's COMMON SENSE sparked the Revolution with nary a mention of Jesus or Christianity. His Deist Creator established the laws of Nature, endowed humans with Free Will, then left.

6) The Constitution never mentions the words "Christian" or "Jesus" or "Christ."

7) Revolutionary America was filled with Christians whose commitment to toleration and diversity was completely adverse to the violent, racist, misogynist, anti-sex theocratic Puritans whose "City on the Hill" meant a totalitarian state. Inspirational preachers like Rhode Island's Roger Williams and religious groups like the Quakers envisioned a nation built on tolerance and love for all.

8) The US was founded less on Judeo-Christian beliefs than on the Greco-Roman love for dialog and reason. There are no contemporary portraits of any Founder wearing a crucifix or church garb. But Washington was famously painted half-naked in the buff toga of the Roman Republic, which continues to inspire much of our official architecture.

9) The great guerilla fighter (and furniture maker) Ethan Allen was an aggressive atheist; his beliefs were common among the farmers, sailors and artisans who were the backbone of Revolutionary America.

10) America's most influential statesman, thinker, writer, agitator, publisher, citizen-scientist and proud liberal libertine was -- and remains -- Benjamin Franklin. He was at the heart of the Declaration, Constitution and Treaty of Paris ending the Revolution. The ultimate Enlightenment icon, Franklin's Deism embraced a pragmatic love of diversity. As early America's dominant publisher he, Paine and Jefferson printed the intellectual soul of the new nation.

11) Franklin deeply admired the Ho-de-no-sau-nee (Iroquois) Confederacy of what's now upstate New York. Inspired by the legendary peacemaker Deganawidah, this democratic congress of five tribes had worked "better than the British Parliament" for more than two centuries. It gave us the model for our federal structure and the images of freedom and equality that inspired both the French and American Revolutions.

It's no accident today's fundamentalist crusaders and media bloviators (Rev. Limbaugh, St. Beck) seek to purge our children's texts of all native images except as they are being forceably converted or killed.

Today's fundamentalists would have DESPISED the actual Founders. Franklin's joyous, amply reciprocated love of women would evoke their limitless rage. Jefferson's paternities with his slave mistress Sally Hemings, Paine's attacks on the priesthood, Hamilton's bastardly philandering, the grassroots scorn for organized religion -- all would draw howls of righteous right-wing rage.

Which may be why theocratic fundamentalists are so desperate to sanitize and fictionalize what's real about our history.

God forbid our children should know of American Christians who embraced the Sermon on the Mount and renounced the Book of Revelations...or natives who established democracy on American soil long before they saw the first European...or actual Founders who got drunk, high and laid on their way to writing the Constitution.

Faith-based tyranny is anti-American. So are dishonest textbooks. It's time to fight them both.

HARVEY WASSERMAN'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES is at www.harveywasserman.com, along with PASSIONS OF THE POTSMOKING PATRIOTS by "Thomas Paine." This article is written in honor of the spirit of Howard Zinn.
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Harvey Wasserman / Solartopia.org

About author
Harvey Wasserman is author of HARVEY WASSERMAN'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES; SOLARTOPIA! OUR GREEN-POWERED EARTH and A GLIMPSE OF THE BIG LIGHT: LOSING PARENTS, FINDING SPIRIT, all at www.harveywasserman.com. He writes regularly on politics and the environment at www.solartopia.org and www.freepress.org.

Much more eloquent than anything I could say yet it embodies the reality of my belief ... We are Americans dedicated to the advancement of all people and for the freedom to indulge in true pluralism amd the understanding that multiculturalism, is fundamental to our exixtence on this planet and perhaps even our place in an advanced universe.

Peace, love, and light....TR

P.S. Go hug someone, even if you don't like them ...it makes the bond of dislike weaker and then perhaps you will see the world from someone elses concepts, even if you don't agree.

New guest and of His own opinion...

2010-02-04T21:02:00.003-05:00

Welcome one and all to the New and possibly improved version of the Ranting Raven...I hope that the new addition will enlighten you and amuse you at times, this is my son and co-writer, treat him with your thoughts , opinions and respect...

Hi, readers. This is TauRaven's son. Call me Ben.

My dad wanted me to write a post for his blog, so here's my shot at it.

Let's start with a question.

"How many minors must be put on the sex offender registry before one realizes the law is being abused?"

...I should hope you all know the answer. It's deplorable. It's maddening. It's gut-wrenchingly sickening. That people can turn a blind eye to people as young as FOUR YEARS OLD being put on a life-destroying list in the name of "get those disgusting pedos!" makes me sick to my stomach.

I am 21 years old. I'll be 22 in January. And if these laws had been abused when I was a kid as they are now, I could very easily be on the list for being caught playing DOCTOR with a little girl I knew once.

This is what's happening. Children--teenagers, confused by hormones and growing bodies--are being targeted and treated as adults for the horrifying, immoral crime of GROWING UP.

I apologize for the upcoming barrage of links, but I cannot make these claims without some proof.

http://www.rickyslife.com/

This young man, 16 years old, met a wonderful girl his age. You were 16 once, you know what happens...this and that, a kiss here, a rub there...only it turned out she was 13 and lying about her age. Ricky is STILL forced to be on the sex offender registry and spent YEARS trying to fend for himself when everyone turned their backs on him. They blamed him for being lied to! Is this acceptable?

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4783650

I can't even find the words necessary to describe the lunacy! How can a 13-year-old girl be both the victim AND the offender?! Is this acceptable?!

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/10573391/detail.html

Two for the price of one. Two children UNDER THE AGE OF SIX were accused of sexual harassment. How the fuck would you explain to your child what sexual harassment is and why they're in trouble for it?! IS THIS ACCEPTABLE?!

I have more. They're sickening, they make me want to vomit, and I wish to God, Allah, Buddha, and all the other deities that I were making this up, that I were playing some kind of prank...but I'm not.

These are the last two, guys. I promise. I have so many more examples, but I think the point's been made.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,190586,00.html
http://freestudents.blogspot.com/2009/09/there-is-fury-and-and-sadness-inside.html

Read them. Read them and understand, once and for all, what's really happening when a politician says "look, we're helping".

This is a tragedy, folks. This is something that absolutely must stop. This isn't protecting children at all! There's no "stop the molesters" here! It's "punish children for growing up"!

Is this the stance we're taking as a society? Is this what's happening? We're taking little girls and boys and telling them their bodies are terrible. We're telling little girls that all men are depraved perverts and must be actively distrusted, while at the same time they must be as attractive to those depraved perverts as possible (while STILL at the same time telling them they have no sex drive and are pure, innocent angels). We're telling little boys that they are worthless, and that they have no chance to be anything better than a drooling idiot with his hand around his dick--or worse, a rapist and child molester, simply because he had the misfortune of being born with a penis!

Here's my request to you. When people in the media say "think of the children", they mean nothing more than "I know how to get votes/publicity". I implore you, every last one of you, to truly and honestly think of the children, and spread the word. Make it known that the law is being misused and MUST be changed.

Please. For me, for you, and for our society's future--because as it stands, we're not protecting our children.

We're destroying them.

Peace.

-Ben

Well there you go my friends, take it for what you will and respond as you see fit....I care for you all and may you blessed ...and on top of that ... have really nice day!!!!...LOL

No, I haven't given up...

2010-01-09T00:54:00.002-05:00

To my gazillion(6) readers...no I have not forgotten you, I have had some issues that needed dealing with.

For now I won't rant, I merely wish that all that read this, have a most happy and truly wondrous New Year and that all realize that while peace on earth is the ultimate goal, it takes the smallest of changes from each and every one of us to start that initial ripple that becomes a sunami of peace and prosperity for everyone.

So all I ask of you all this new decade is to be a part of the ripple, because when ripplin' waters flow, who can imagine the power it can create.

Brightest Blessing for the best of New Years for all of you...

Peace, love and light...TR

Pesident Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize...

2009-10-14T23:29:00.004-04:00

Yes, he won the prize,so what,it was accepted and the people of most of America think it's a wonderful thing. Why do the rightwing wingnuts think it's not deserved? Alfred Nobel invented dynamite and several other explosives because he was a manufacturerer of armaments. He never expexted that it would eventually lead to his death (which it did), so in his will he left a grand amount of money for the developement of a prize to be awarded to the deserving candidates from around the world in all the sciences and one in peace for the person who set forth a show and plan to change the world for the better without the violence...wow what a concept.

Now onto my rant...The fact that many rightwingnuts think that it is an award udeserved are spouting supidity and nonsence. This award is given by a group that looks at what a leader (or other person) does to ensure that peace can be achieved without the use of violence, hell I am all in favor of that, and works to ensure that it will happen. So does The President deserve it?
Yes for if no other reason then that he has worked hard to show that negotiation is far more productive than death!

What is wrong with people that have "air time" and are allowed to spout anti-America rhetoric to the public, unwatched and uncontrolled? What is wrong with the public that is willing to deafly listen to that rhetoric and not get angry that their President is being slandered to the nation? Why weren't they this pissed off whem the shrub was in charge and destroyed our economy and our treasury to fund an illegal and immoral war and steal millions from unmetered oid wells in Iraq, and some think he was a saint?

Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, Savage, and O'Ripley(Believe it or not), spout their insidious rants all about insighting people to violence, and unfortunately many of the deluded minority not only listen but seem to plan and plot against the President and the United States and is true patriots.
This type of behavior is not only unacceptable in this country , but it also borders on treason...but damn it does sell ratings don't it? What the hell happened to honest journalism in the free nation we call home?

President Obama has done much of all he promised to do and yes he has a great deal of work left to do, but for chrissakes people, he hasn't been in office even a year yet, any employee has a period of time given to show what he is made of , and not one of the wingnuts has given him even five minutes to change that disaster the last administration left us. I would never want that mans job for anything , he has a bazillion things on his plate and no time to even eat it. Let's stand up and put on our big person pants and give him some time to show us his metal. In fact maybe it's time we took a closer look at the idiot blue dogs that seem to like money more that their constituents, or maybe the rethuglicans who seem unable to find the forest for the trees. There is a new vote coming soon kids and it time we look at what our representatives are and are not doing.

Oh, by the way kids, don't let them tell you that health care is not a right, as I have said before no American should be refused, denied, or not given the right to quality healthcare for any reason. As I have written before, the constitution states that it was written in part for the "general welfare " of the people. That has far reaching implications that need to be addressed.

Oh and not as an afterthought, let us never forget that the LGBT community was instramental in getting our President elected and truly deserve the rights that they are asking for. All people have basic human rights and no one can be denied them for reasons that only affect their sensibilities. C'mon folks lets all wake up and realize that this "grand experiment " does work and it's up to us to make sure it does.

End of rant .

Now for some humor, or at least my feeble attempt at it...

A guy falls asleep on his boat for several hour and gets a horrible sunburn. He goes to the hospital, and is admitted promptly after being diagnosed with second degree burns. With his skin starting to blister, and seeing the severe pain he is in, the doctor orders an IV with saline, electrolytes, a sedative, and a Viagra pill every four hours.
The nurse, who is rather astounded asks, "What good will the Viagra do him, doctor?"
The doctor replies," It'll keep the sheets off his legs."

Peace, Love, and Light all,
TR

I can't really say it's plagerized, but it's close...

2009-10-05T11:05:00.002-04:00

With a hat tip and a free beer to whoever wrote originally,I offer this tidbit thanx to my dear friend Rose...

So I was telling my kids the other day that I did not want to be kept alive by a machine and have to take liquid nourishment, so they came over and unplugged my computer and threw away my beer...they can be such assholes...!

On another note...Why can't the congress get it through their collective heads that people really do want a public option. I mean come on idiots we hired you to vote for us not yourselves, quit taking all the lobby money and vote the way your constituents want, what are you?, stuck on stupid? Grow a spine and a sac and we might even think about reelecting you...or NOT!

End of rant ...Peace, love , and light.
TR

P.S.The halloween tree is finally decorated, as soon as I can figure out how, I will put up a pic.(never said I was perfect, I just implied it.)

My own rant on Health Care

2009-08-22T22:51:00.004-04:00

It's time I said a couple things about the idiotic fight over "gov. run healthcare", and so it starts. We already have it so deal with it you people, now it just needs to include every one. Now I want it understould that I am just talking and not presenting a better solution, it's my opinion and everyone is entitled to it.

I have gotten overly tired of hearing that all the Feds want to do is take over more of our lives, this is a silly and irrational statement. First lets start off with the simple fact that we are the only industrialized nation that does not provide health care for its citizens. Second let's take on the fact that, though many say that healthcare is not a right, I contend that it is simply for the fact that the preamble to the Constitution of the United States says that it is. Remember kids that this is what our Founding Fathers said..."We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." Did you all notice that little tidbit about general Welfare? If that does not mean the welfare and wellbeing of all Americans don't mean healthcare , I will bow to you superior intellect(I don't expect to do much bowing at this point).

At this point I will tell you that I will not spout statistics or other numbers that can be adjusted to say anything the writer wishes them to be. I will although tell you that I am writing this because of "government healthcare", because if it were not for the VA I would not be writing this today because I would be dead. Yes I said the VA, that means I am a veteran, not someone who just decided to take on a cause because it happens to be the news of the day. The last time I checked the VA is a government run health and welfare agency. If it were not for a concerned lab tech and a Dr. I would not have been told that my blood sugar was 1465 and I need to get to the closest E.R. So I know I owe them a great debt I cannot repay. Does the system have a few problems? Yes of course it does but so do the local hospitals in the area I live in , it's a problem we all face, but it is not insurmountable. Problems can be fixed along with the fixing of people who depend on the sevices that the orginizations offer, be they private or federal. No system is perfect and never will be. Which leads to another point, what the fuck are death panels? To my knowledge they already exist, they are called insurance company bean counters, or, Medical Directors,(nice title for a peon with absolutely no trainingin medicine) that have no medical training and that decide whether or not you get the care you need instead of your own physician, go figure. Hell I would rather go to a witch doctor at that point.(no pun intended)Hey Sarah ...go scratch.

I watch the news on several networks and I have seen so many of the people that are screaming that they don't want the government involvement seem to this writer to be at or close to the age that they are going to retire or already have, does this mean that they will walk away from their Social Security or their Medicare because they don't want it because the feds control it? I am taking bets that they won't. I saw a cartoon not to long ago and would love to post it but I haven't gotten permission to use it so I can't. The jist of it is that there is a a fellow talking to another at a townhall meeting weaing a No Socialism t-shirt and he says to his buddy ,"sorry I'm late but I had to drop my mom off at the SS office and I had to stop and apply for unemployment benefits." Hmmmmm.

What the hell people? We are, as the Founding Fathers so succinctly put it, "A grand experiment", does that mean that we have come this far to think that the experiment is a failure and we should not think about the "general welfare" of our fellow countrymen? And I mean all of them (yes even the GLBT). All of those who think so need to go back a few hundred years and see what was done and why . Evry child and every citizen of this country has the right to quality healthcare , made affordable with the help of the government that was created to help, not hinder, it's people in their personal persuit of the happiness this country has afford them.

As an aside I will now say that this whole rant also applies to the right for marriage equality, because it is this writers opinion that everyone deserves the right to be happy and to tie the knot.

To quote the computer from Tron.................End of Line.

Peace, Love, and Light...TR

P.S. Remember, the GOP could be running this show , now all the Dems have to do is grow a spine and a sac, and to quote Bartcop," Why can't they just list the facts?"(Beware the PalinMonster).

Summertime cookout, Part2, the burger...

2009-08-14T17:02:00.003-04:00

This recipe is so easy that if it were not for lack of opposible thumbs, most family pets could make these burgers and leave you free to guard the beer cooler. Let's go...

1lb. ground chuck

1/2lb. ground pork

1 pkg. onion soup mix(any kind will do pick your favs).

2 Tbs. Whatsthatthere sauce(Worchestershire)

2 tsp.(healthy)oregano

1 squirt of ketchup to taste

Mix that whole mess together and let it rest for at least a half hour in the fridge.
Now I am gonna assume that you have a scale , if not get one they are real cheap at one of the local box stores.Now measure out a 1/4 to 1/3rd lb. pattie and roll them into balls and then squich them into a patty and round off the sides with your hand to keep them even, and lay them out on wax paper.
Go fire up the grill and let it get to medium/high heat and while your waiting go enjoy a cold one.
When the grill is ready slide the burgers onto the grill and season with a dash of season salt, close the grill and IGNORE them for 4 min.(I mean it don't lift the lid).
When the time has past, open the lid and flip the burgers over and temper any flame (with a water spray bottle)and leave them for 3 min.
This will give you a medium rare burger that you can add(yuck)cheese or such and let them sit there for another minute
Take'em off and onto a plate to rest for five minutes and during that time you can toast your buns(though I find that annoying cuz my jeans get scorched).

So there ya'll go the very best burgers that can be had, enjoy them with that there Tater Salad and a cold one and have a party with good family and friends.

Peace,love, and light...TR

P.S. How many Druids does it take to change a light bulb?
A. 12, one to hold the bulb and eleven to drink and dance until the room starts spinning.

(so much for humor)Byeeeeee..........

And now for something really odd...Christians and Democracy.

2009-08-13T17:06:00.002-04:00

The RRR(Radical Religious Reich and other fellow idealogues that function under the guise of historical revisionists or better yet just plain old wingnuts) are at it again. Aside from the fact that they would have any of us believe that this country was founded on christian ideals and prinipals, despite the fact that the COTUS says distinctly otherwise, they also wish us to believe that any marriage not sanctioned by a church is less than valid, that cohabitation is against their personal faiths, and gods forbid if two loving humans of the same sex wish to get married, it is an abomination before their personal vision of god.

They constantly point out that good old Prop 8 in CA was won by the democratic principals of Majority Rules. What they fail to grasp is that this country is not a democracy as the word is defined, but is truly a Constitutional Republic( let that sink in for a moment kids). To quote my friend (((billy))), "News flash, folks: the Constitution of the United States of America exists to protect the minority. Majority rule must be tempered. And it is by our laws." Much better said than I ever could have.

What the Moral Meatheads and their ilk fail to grasp is that the COTUS was written to protect those citizens of this country that could not otherwise protect themselves, that means it is up to the majority to make sure the minority get the same freedoms that all should enjoy despite ANY supposed, or concieved fault on their part. Now someone please explain to me how something so simple and straightforward could possibly be so horribly misinterpreted by a minority of people that think they are speaking for all Americans.

We are a nation of laws that throughout history have been drawn from the Hammurabic Code, the laws and notions of the ancient Greeks and Romans, and last but not least were compiled together by a group of militant Deists that sought to preserve the freedoms that they themselves so desperately sought. These men were not christian in the sence that the dominionists would have us all believe. That age old argument that some god set down our laws is as factually wrong as it is as incompetent to proclaim so.

Those relgious zealots that would steal our freedoms are also the first to scream socialism all the while they are driving to the Social Security office, or perhaps to the unemployment office to file for benefits. To quote an old song,"C'mon people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another right now."

Support the right for everyone to "Tie the knot", or to get prompt and quality health care.

Peace,love, and light, TR

Summer picnic time recipe..."hey, he can cook too!"

2009-07-26T18:24:00.003-04:00

Now ya'll get to find out just how eclectic this blog can be.(really I am just desperate for readers). Actually yes it's true, I am one of the best cooks I know. I should have been a chef but then all the fun would have been gone. Anyway here is a recipe I know so many people think takes to much work or are afraid to try,(trust me it's easy)but is a needed part of any type of cookout.

Real American Tater Salad(You say potato I say tater)(and no damn mustard)

5 pounds yukon gold potatoes(russets work fine too)
6 eggs(of course we cook them)
2 Cups salad dressing(mayo is for skinny folk)
1 onion diced(not to small but not to big)
1 small green pepper seeded and dice like the onion(sweet banana peppers work too but less color)
3 stalks celery(sliced really thin and watch your fingers)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. season salt(for both adjust as you have need)
1 tsp. pepper(fresh ground is always better)
1 tsp. dillweed(the secret ingredient)

DIRECTIONS(or,on to the real work)

1.Boil taters till they are fork tender (not mushy). Drain and cut in cubes(you choose the size I shoot for 1/2", don't forget to watch yer fingers).

2.Put eggs in a pan(yes still in the shell)and fill with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil and immediately remove from heat and cover for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool, peel and chop(I said watch the fingers).

3.In a large bowl,(I said large)combine taters and eggs( yes the yellow parts too). Mix together the salad dressingand all the other stuff I told you aboutand mix well. Cover that mess and stick it in the fridge for several hours or overnite is even better.

4.When it's ready go out and fire up the grill get the brats and dogs and burgers ready and cracked a cold one and have the best cookout you can (the beer helps if you burn the food but the tater salad will be great).

There ya go, ya'll can't blame me if your cookout don't work out(next time buy better beer)and have a great time. Next week maybe I will share with everyone my secret to the best burgers on the grill(in my opinion of course, read the top of the blog). Kthxbi.

Peace,love and light, TR

The Giving Tree

2009-07-21T14:50:00.002-04:00

Anyone recognize that title? If your were born after 1969 you probably should. A most wonderful childrens author, Shel Silverstein wrote it along with a miriad of other childrens stories, books, and songs. But the question remains what it really means.

A tree giving its all to a boy that grew and thru his own life used the tree for his own happiness and enjoyment leading to the ultimate end of things with a mere trunk to sit upon and yet the tree still willingly gave that. Quite the concept don't ya think? If you think this rant is just rambling, trust me I am not, there is a method to my madness,(there usually is, I am a legend in my own mind). A tree...are we as humans supposedly one up on a tree?, except that we don't live as long. I find myself not sure who I envy.

I am not real good at hyper links but I will tell you all to go visit my friend (((billy)))at http://iambilly.wordpress.com/ and find a very good thinker and friend of mine. He recently wrote about the failure of parents to feed their child as a type of punishment(I am talking starving, not overlooking a meal). That in and of itself is is horrid and terribly wrong for whatever reason it was, especially when you are talking about a toddler.

What I want to gripe about is the fact that, for god knows what reason, we cannot seem to be willing to offer our own here in America the simple enjoyment of basic healthcare for all children, actually hell I want that same healthcare plan our beloved members of Congress have.
here has been a rash lately of deaths from Wisconsin to Oregon of children that have been cut short in the beginning of life by denying them treatable medical care in the name of fundementalist religion."Jesus will heal or ressurect the child, "I just have to have faith". What crap. This is the best, richest and most open form of country on the planet, yet we have a group or groups of people that refuse to make sure an ill child is merely prayed over but still sympathize the fact that there are dying children in many other countries not at lucky as we happen to be. What the hell is wrong with this picture? Is it ok that they die to? For Crissakes people,"wake the hell up". In this country there is absolutely no excuse for ignoring a child that needs what amounts to most of the time, simple medical intervention. Are we not as willing to give as that simple tree? Go ahead try to answer that question , are we not better than a mere tree? Perhaps Shel was right some lifeforms are more willing than others, because when the best of us do not care, as the trickle down theory works, then truly few if anyone cares. We all suffer when we ignore out own future.

Once there was a tree……
And she loved little boy.
And every day the boywould come And he would gather her leaves And make them into crowns and play king of the forest.
He would climb up her trunk And swing from her branches And when he was tired,he would sleep in her shade.
And the boy loved the tree…..Very much..And the tree was happy.
But time went by, And the boy grew older. And the tree was often alone. Then one day the boy came to the tree and the tree said:
–”Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be “happy”
–“I am too big to climb and play”said the boy. “I want to buy thing and have fun. I want some money.
Can you give me some money?”
–”I’m sorry” said the tree,”but I have no money. I have only leaves and apples. Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in city. Then you will have money and you’ll be happy”
And so the boy climb up the tree and gathered her apples and carried them away. And the tree was happy..
But the boy stayed away for a long time…… and the tree was sad.
And then one day the boy came back and the tree shook with joy, and she said:
–”Come, Boy come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be “happy”..
–“I am too busy to climb trees,” said the boy. “I want a house to keep me warm,” he said. “I and want a wife and I want children, and so I need a house. Can you give me a house?”
–“I have no house” said the tree.The forest is my house.” said the tree “but you may cut off my branches and build a house. Then you will be happy”
And so the boy cut off her branches and carried them away to build a house. And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time……and the tree was sad. And when he came back, the tree was so happy she could hardly speak.
–“Come, Boy” she whispered, “Come and play”
–“I am too old and sad to play.”said the boy. “I want a boat that will take me away from here. Can you give me a boat ?”
–“Cut down my trunk and make a boat,” said the tree. “Then you can sail away…… and be happy.”
And so the boy cut down her trunk And made a boat and sailed away.
And the tree was happy…..But not really.
And after a long time the boy came back again.
–“I am sorry, Boy,”said the tree, “but I have nothing left to give you— My apples are gone.”
–“My teeth are too weak for apple,”said the boy.
–“My branches are gone,” said the tree.”You cannot swing on them—”
–”I am too old to swing on branches” said the boy.
–“My trunk is gone,” said the tree.“You cannot climb—-”
–”I am too tired to climb,” said the boy.
–“I am sorry” sighed the tree. “I wish that I could give you something… but I have nothing left. I am just an old stump. I am sorry…”
–”I don’t need very much now” said the boy. “just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired”
–“Well” said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could, “well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down…and rest.”
And the tree was happy..

The end.

Please, please, think on the story and think of so much of our life together on this planet, because if each of you don't then there is no excuse for the loss of humanity and all the gods.
Ya'know they are still sort of watching what happens to us, wondering if we will wake up and see past that one cloud and see the whole picture.

Sometimes we can easily find the milk but it takes work to find the honey.

Peace love and Light, TR.

A Monday concept...

2009-05-18T16:30:00.002-04:00

If Y'all dont care for religious talks stop reading now, if not please feel free to continue...

I was told the other day that the monotheistic god as we (sorta) know him is omnipitent, that means all everything, all powerful, all knowing, all perfect. I will take a couple moments of your time to refute that concept and then leave it up to you to contemplate it.

per⋅fec⋅tion /pərˈfɛkʃən/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [per-fek-shuhn] Show IPA
–noun 1. the state or quality of being or becoming perfect.
2. the highest degree of proficiency, skill, or excellence, as in some art.
3. a perfect embodiment or example of something.
4. a quality, trait, or feature of the highest degree of excellence.

Now using that criteria it would seem that god is perfect, therefore he cannot create that which is imperfect for it would deletirious to the gods nature. So that being said it seems resasonable that god cannot create that which is imperfect, right?, right. so let's move on.

We must all admit to being imperfect in some way, shape, or form, That being the case how could god have accomplished this feat . He cannot by the nature of his perfection, create anything that is not as pefect as he , which leads us to the simple thought that if an all poweful,(hence perfect) being created us , why do we have imperfections, the concept that some kind of sin made us this way is ludicrous at best, having to beg forgivness of a deity is like having to go to the barber and begging forgiveness that your hair grew back. It makes no sense, any deity that demandfs blind obedience is not worthy of regard much less worship.

That question in and of itself leads to a miriad of other concepts and thoughts that I will leave to you dear readers...After all its Monday what more can you expect?

If you talk to God, you are praying. If God talks to you, you have schizophrenia.
~ Thomas Szasz

Peace, Love, and light. TR

Tuesday Twofur...

2009-05-12T15:03:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the the blog where you can get two rants , and sometimes more, for the price of one. Blogs tend to come and go much like the proverbial winds of change, but it seems that the Rabid Religious Right hangs on to a form of life that border on being zombieish, if ya'll pardon the pun.

It seems that U.S.Congressman Paul Broun(Rethug-GA) has introduced a non-binding resolution(HR 121),that would declare 2010 as "The National Year of the Bible". Now my first reaction was that if good ole Ronnie Reagan already did that in 1983, would not redoing such a thing seem a tad silly or redudant? Thanks to my friends at FSTDT.net I will reprint a small portion of the resolution as written at Govtrack.us...CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Encouraging the President to designate 2010 as ‘The National Year of the Bible’.

Whereas the Bible has had a profound impact in shaping America into a great Nation;

Whereas deep religious beliefs stemming from the Old and New Testament of the Bible have inspired Americans from all walks of life, especially the early settlers, whose faith, spiritual courage, and moral strength enabled them to endure intense hardships in this new land;

Whereas many of our Presidents have recognized the importance of God and the Bible, including George Washington; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Harry Truman; John F. Kennedy; Ronald Reagan, who declared 1983 as ‘The National Year of the Bible’; and especially Abraham Lincoln, whose 200th Birthday Celebration in 2009 highlighted freedom for the slaves;

Whereas shared Biblical beliefs unified the colonists and gave our early leaders the wisdom to write the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, both of which recognized the inherent worth, dignity, and inalienable rights of each individual, thus unifying a diverse people with the right to vote, and the freedoms of speech and vast religious freedoms, which inspired courageous men like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to lead the Civil Rights Movement;

Whereas the Bible has been the world’s best selling book since it was first published in English in 1526, and has influenced more people than any other book;

Holy Crap, what a load of history revisionism, and that is the part I find frightening about this kind of crap. America, while questionably colonized by religious zealots, was in fact, thanks to the intelligence of our Founders, formed a secular society and it was ensured in the Constitition that it stay as such. One up front example of such revisionism is as follows..."

Whereas shared Biblical beliefs unified the colonists"... I fail to see any type of unification of beliefs between the Puritans and the Quakers, the two most common religious groups in 1600's of America,(that wasn't yet a country).

I have been a history nut for the vast majority of my life and I can't stand the pathetic attempts by people that are blind and ignorant, trying to reteach me the history I know to be true.I suppose I could be forgiving if it were a simple error but it is not, it is an attempt to usurp the rights of a free American people, in order to do the bidding of a select few of idiots and morons.( Those are code words for RR Rethuglicans).

Now for something really different, and this is a true "What the Fuck?" moment. O.K. I care about alot of the things President Obama does because it pertains in even a small way to me, but is there anyone short of a good grill cook that cares if he want Dijon mustard on his damned burger? I mean why is this something to bitch about, I am one of the poorer in the country and if I am out I will order that as well beause I absolutely despise yellow mustard ,(except on a hot dog at Sox Park, and I actually do not care for baseball). Not only do the pundits whine and cry about it they find that the fact he ordered it medium well instead of medium-rare to medium. For shits sake anyone that orders a medium rare buger from a fast diner is asking for a side of e.coli with their meal. It's just common sense folks , and lets hear it for those that use Dijon, or just brown mustard (similar) on their ground, medium-well meat patties.

On a parting thought my friends...

Civil disobedience, that’s not our problem. Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while the grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem.
~ Howard Zinn

Peace, Love, and Light to all...TR

Does remembering make a difference?

2009-05-03T14:42:00.004-04:00

Hi all, the following is a reprint (with a change or two) from a couple years ago. It is still as poignant as it always is, for those who remember a line from an old Bob Dylan song brings to mind a simple question..."How many deaths does it take till we know, that to many people have died?"

How many does it take? How about countless thousands in Darfur, or how about 50,000 plus in VietNam, or maybe its 4,200 and counting in Iraq, oops I forgot the 850,000 Iraq soldiers and mostly civilians(conservative count), then again maybe its the 33 students killed at Virginia Tech, at the hands of a poor delusional nut, is that enough or should we add more...?

Maybe four more...the four that should count pehaps the loudest. May 4, 1970, a date that should live in infamy, four students, some exercising the right of free speech and some not, died at Kent State University because our own soldiers, Americans themselves, following immoral orders, turned as they were retreating and opened fire on unarmed civilians. At a school! American soldiers , most not more than kids themselves, shooting at unarmed kids. All in the name of politics and "moral outrage". This has been swept away in the gift of forgetfullness, for the vast majority, but to this writer it was a life changing experience. I found myself questioning freedom itself and our inherrant right to express it in our own way. Maybe that is why I taught all my kids to "question authority", which they have done, way to well at times.

I was in the navy at the time, fairly gung ho and all proud till that fateful day, in an instant I changed, I came to the realization that no war is worth such a price and I could not support such an unjust cause. This is just not what ones pride and sense of justice is able to understand, and to this day I still dont. What the hell were we all dieing for, and I mean troops and civilians.

In a day or so I will turn 57 and though its been a long hard road, my deepest feelings have not changed. In these past 39 years many things have changed and unchanged as the case may be, I am still a "hippie" and a "peacenik", but now we find ourselves yet again facing the horrid reality of an immoral, illegal, and lost war. A war with more horrid implications than I care to think on. Not only are our rights being eroded or stolen at will, but the voice against it is weaker it seems and perhaps with good reason, perhaps not enough remember....or maybe to many are just afraid to stand anymore because to many have died. So tomorrow I will don my "remember Kent State" shirt and do just that....remember.

To all of you I wish that the events of the past are never forgotten, for then, by the gods, we will be destined to repeat them.

Peace, Love, and Light to all...Tau.

P.S. Happy Birthday to Pete Seeger, a true rebel with a cause.

It's May

2009-05-01T15:31:00.005-04:00

"It's May, It's May, the lusty month of May , The time for every frivolous whim, proper or im...Vanessa Redgrave in Camelot.

Welcome to the month that symbolizes the growing start of summer, when plants begin to grow and life rebirths anew. This is the time to clean off your trowels and rakes and go play in the dirt left over from the past winter. Go have fun snd enjoy , even those that can't can also build a small garden in the kitchen or other sunny spot. A cheap plastic tray will build a wonderful and tasty herb garden, or just use what you have, a box and a plastic bag with a few rocks for drainage or whatever , just grow something for your family.

I have found that time spent with a family playing in dirt is invaluable, I am sure many disagree but that is my opinion. Go out with a pack of seeds and watch your kids go nuts, it's a wonderful personal time. Take time to appreciate the nature around you , you might be surprised by what you find. The wonder of a bee buzzing from flower to flower , the amazement as seeds become a life, the joy of a tomatoe that you grew, take all and enjoy.

This day all I wish is that my gazillions (6) of readers take a moment to remember the wonder of the world around us and take a moment (and it only takes a moment of time), to see and small the world about them .

And one more thing, grab whatever partner you may have and give them a big kiss,... as I said it's May, the lusty month of May.

Peace, Love, and Light, Tau.

100 days...

2009-04-30T14:10:00.002-04:00

As I noted on another blog earlier, though I may not agree with hows certain things are being handled, I feel that our President's overall grade should be a B-, and that given a bit more time that will go up as he acclimates himself into the new role he has as leader of the free world.

The main reason I gave a bit lower grade than others is mainly due to the hesitant stand he has tended to take on the "faith-based intiatives". The whole concept needs to be scrapped permanently. There is way to much pandering to some faiths who don't wish to not discrimate for multiple reasons. Just as the voucher system is a proven failure so are most of the faith based intiatives with regard to equality and "fair and equal treatment under the law".

I think we as a society have come way to far to continue to constantly aquiess to the Religious Reich. Progress can only advance and continue when dogma and narrowness is avoided like the plague. So, Mr. President, I am sure that as your adminstration progresses your grade will no doubt go higher, and I for one thank you for your hard work.

Tomorrow is Beltane, or May Day as many call it, so if any of my gazzillions(6) readers feel so inclined go dance naked in the woods.

Peace, Love, and Light, Tau.

Texas??? who really cares?

2009-04-25T00:36:00.001-04:00

Since Gov. Perry said he felt that leaving the union was not out of the question ,I figure I have a few questions ...
1. Do we really care? (I mean think about it, we could tax the hell our of them for whatever resources they use and give a good aid to our tax base.).
2. Should we care? (nah, I don't think so, if they think they can function independant of the rest of America so be it.).
3. Don't they care about the amount of Federal Aid they already get for many programs in their state,...er country? (Aparently they only care about what they think is their own and that they can dictate terms to the United States.).
4. Last but not least ...What are they gonna do with the rest of the population that does not wish to leave? (Are they gonna deport them or just make them refugees like any other third world nation does?).

OK there is my thought for Friday, answer or laugh or just ignore it it was the best I could do on short notice.*grin*

For the fun part I will leave you all with a quiz. (1 internet and a cookie to whoever gets it right).
What TV sitcom had the following song as its theme.."Hit the road Jack"

Peace, Love, and Light, Tau

One More Tiiiime....

2009-04-23T15:18:00.002-04:00

I decided to give this blog one more try , though I am not quite sure what to make of it, so lets see, to attempt to offer things to think on, have fun with, and just generally bitch at or about, so let's do it people.

I won't waste all your time reintroducing myself because my gazillions(5) readers already know who I am and those that don't will eventually find out.

We have new leadership, and I am sure we all hope He lives up to all our hopes and dreams...ain't gonna happen folks , get it through your heads that as long as there are 300 million of us there are gonna be 300 million opinions. Facts are facts, this is why we are a Constitutional Republic and not a true Democracy. We elect people to represent our interest and then quietly retreat to our beds hoping that they make the right choises, and many times they do, even if they are not just yours. For example I saw a picture today of a person holding a "No Socialism" sign, and I am sure that when he is old and poor he will be sure to send back his Social Security checks and never ever use Medicare......yeah right.

O.K. So much for the serious side, isn't it absolutely wonderful that state courts and even a legislature is waking up to see that rights in America are for all people, not just the ones with the most money. Go to WhiteKnot.org and get yourself a ribbon and wear it proudly.(shameless plug to a worthy org.). If any of you don't get it I am talking about Equality in Marriage, nuff said.

HHHmmmmmm. ok it's spring and the ground is thawing ...go out and make even a small garden , you would be suprised the bit of money you can trade for a little bit of fun playing in dirt. And all kids love playing in dirt wether they admit it or not or how old they are...so have fun with it, grow things that are hard to find in your area, I do.

Next time we might tackle a few more serious issues but for now I offer a simple attempt to make all of you smile...
There once was a girl from Nantucket...no wait that's not it...

aha I found it, bumper stickers we love to read,
--------------------------------
I' not your type
I'm not inflatable
--------------------------------
Red meat is not bad for you
Fuzzy green meat is
--------------------------------
Reality is only an illusion
that occurs due to lack of alcohol.

And with that for today I wish you all
Peace Love and Light...TR

Easter or Eostara and I am just making a point.

2008-03-15T19:45:00.003-04:00

I just had to do this kids.. it means alot. An Ostara TaleAuthor: ScoutGhst Posted: March 9th. 2003 . It was long ago, and it was the time of winter. Snow covered the ground and the chill in the air made this a harsh and unforgiving time to be about. Whiteness everywhere. The world slept.....A little girl had strayed from her home (a very bad thing, but such as children are wont to do) and she found herself wandering about in the woods; alone. She was cold and tired, and afraid. In despair, she dropped down in the snow and began to cry. She cried for her home. She cried for her mother and father. She cried for her life.Then she saw it - a bird - a frozen bird - lying, dying in the snow. She jumped up and rushed to take the bird into her arms. She held it close to herself; wrapping it tightly in her arms. She tried to warm the bird and thaw it's frozen wings, but it was too cold and life was quickly leaving the bird's body along with its warmth. She was beside herself! She thought only of the bird now, not seeing that she, herself would soon be in the same situation that this small bird was in now.She cried out for help! "Help! Help, this bird to live", she cried. "Goddess Eostara, please help this bird!".Now, Eostara was one busy Being about this time. Under normal circumstances the Goddess of Spring and Warmth would have dismissed this cry for help and continued about Her more important business. But it piqued Her interest that this girl was calling on Her to help a bird instead of herself. She decided to investigate and perhaps lend a helping hand.Eostara came to the girl. She floated over the snowy landscape. In Her wake flowers bloomed and sweet-scented blossoms burst open as colors blazed into view. Spring followed in Her path and the sound of laughter and gentle breezes could be heard on Her breath. She was glorious to behold. Rebirth and new life radiated about Her. The girl was astounded.She jumped up and thrust the bird at Eostara. "Save it!", she cried. "Make it well!". Using the demanding tone that only a child would have the nerve to use in the presence of a Goddess.Eostara took no mind of the girl's inappropriate behavior. She knew of her intent and her motives. The girl was sincere... the girl was unselfish.... the girl was so very young.....Eostara reached out Her hand and touched the bird with one delicate finger. Light flowed through Her, warming the bird. It's eyes opened suddenly. It's foot twitched. It hopped out of the girl's hand and began to flop about madly in the snow. The girl squealed with delight. "You saved it! You saved it!", as she danced about in the snow, overjoyed. But wait --"Hey....." the girl said after watching the bird for a while. "Its wings are still frozen to its body. It can't fly! You didn't do it right!!".Oh my. Now, Eostara surely wasn't used to this kind of response when She had just performed a minor miracle. But with Her infinite patience (which by now was wearing thin) intact, She gave the bird one last effort, another chance at survival. She reached over to the hopping bird and touched it again gently with Her hand, turning it into a bunny. "There!", she said to the girl, "Now it has no need of its wings".And as the now totally confused bunny hopped off into the brush, Eostara drifted away to perform other tasks of sunshine and light (as far away as possible from this girl). The girl was delighted at the sight of the bunny scrambling into the snow-covered brush. "All better", she smiled. She suddenly knew the way home...Now, all this was fine for Eostara and the girl, but what of the bunny? Well, now, this is one totally confused little animal here. This rabbit still has a habit of laying eggs! And to this day, when the snow begins to melt, and the flowers begin to bloom, and the air is filled with the sweet scent of blossoms and warmth, the bunny begins to lay its eggs. Oh, and these aren't ordinary eggs either. These eggs tell of color! Of Spring! Of Eostara and her gift of renewed life and release from winter's chill. They are tokens of recognition and gratitude to the Goddess Eostara for the gift of Spring.Note: Some children today maintain the tradition of building nests in the fields for the Spring bunny to lay its eggs into. Twigs and grass make an inviting nest for such a creature to deposit its brightly colored eggs. I like it.My love and gratitude to my circle-mate and good friend Walt, for his telling of this ....ahem.... hoppy tailScoutghostMarch 10th., 2003Author's Bio: Scoutghost lives in Northern California with her family. In her spare time she serves as the Networking Coordinator for Full Circle Events ( http://www.fullcircleevents.org/ )

I wish to leave this deep bit of love and gratitude for the author of this and My heartfelt thanks to all who read and understand it to share with their kids.

Peace love and light to all...TR

It's Friday again...Muuaaahhahahahaha.

2008-01-11T13:45:00.000-05:00

Well alright, perhaps starting the New Year out with such a heavy and somewhat depressing list was not a good thing. For that I do offer my humble apologies and my promise to make this Imfamous Friday Five a bit more humorous and fun.

Now I am aware that my gazillions of readers(5) are far and away smarter than myself , yet I still think I can offer a few tidbits of obscure knowledge, that may even pass as interestingly inane. So with that and without further ado, I humbly present to you this Friday's Infamous Five things you might or might not have known, yet are none the less just out there.

1. The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building. "whoa Dudes, what a HEAVY concept."

2. 23% of all photocopier faults world-wide are caused by people sitting on them and photocopying their butts. "Imagine that."

3. It is physically impossible for you to lick your elbow. "No dudes, really."

4. If Barbie were life size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet, two inches tall. " Now that is a whole lot of woman, I dare ya to tell her to go back in the kitchen and get you a sammich."
With that ya'll knew I was gonna bring a little sex into it....oh yes you did.

5. Sex is the safest tranquilizer in the world. IT IS TEN TIMES MORE EFFECTIVE THAN VALIUM. " whoa, dudes and dudettes does that mean being addicted isnt a bad thing?"

Well kids there ya go, its now up to all of you to comment of all of them, or some as you see fit, or to give me five that I might not know, your choise, but have a load of fun with it. Oh and by the way: Almost everyone that reads this will have tried to lick their elbow.

Peace, Love, and Light to all ......TR.

2008-So What Now?

2008-01-04T14:22:00.000-05:00

First and most of all I want to hope that all of my millions (5) of readers had the most wonderful and happiest of Holidays. It is my wish that all of you that dont read me start doing so so I have a really good excuse to rant more.....(think they read that?).

I am going to attempt a sort of experiment. To be a copycat of a few dear friends I am going to call it the Infamous Friday Five. Now allow Me to explain...it may be a meme or just a sinple list of things I feel strongly about, or then again it may be five things I like alot. Memes will include tags , and others will be open to any one who thinks I am the finest person on the planets , or the dumbest loser, or anyone else actually. Sound like fun? Cool lets go.

THE INFAMOUS FRIDAY FIVE. Subject: The five things that should have happened in 2007.

#5. Paris Hilton should have faded into oblivion. Reason: Our constitution has been shredded by the government formed to protect it and almost 4,000 troops have been killed, and the biggest news we see is when that bitch is gonna get arrested again.

#4. Alberto Gonzales should have had to endure what He said was not torture. Reason: Maybe (glurb) he would (glug) have seen a few((choke ,gasp!) ideas of what sort(choke,wheezz, gluuuu)of things that torture is(gasp,wheeezz,).

#3. Michael " I am not sure what is torture" Mukaskey for the same idealogy. Reason: No sense in senseless repetition, over, and over and over and over and over and over. ok I am bored now.

#2. The U.S. should have been first on the Global Warming bandwagon. Reason: Because we have always been at the forefront of any new technology and cause of change for the sake of the planet.(at least until the present monarchs reign). Now we rank 25th and 24th in science and math among industrialized countries.

#1. The Bush/Cheney regime should have been brought to task and impeachment for unconstitutional behavior, treason, and high war crimes. Reason: Do I really have to explain this to you ?

O.K. there we go...the first of , I hope, many Infamous Friday Five articles... the rest is all up to you my friends and fellow bloggers.

Peace, Love, and Light to all ...TR

I'm Baaaaccckkkkkkk.....(oh crap, here He goes again)

2007-11-03T16:13:00.000-04:00

Yes I took the summer off and didn't write a darned thing..(rips a page from the "Dubya" playbook. "Need to know basis only").....HHmmmm ok ok y'all dont need to know. so in the interest of the Ministry of Inteligence, read( propoganda), I aint tellin' why.

Now on to ......well whatever pops into My pointed lil head. Lets see, ahhh, a student in Florida this year was at a talk by former Presidential coward, err, contender John Kerry. He went up to ask a very poignant question of Him and wound up subdued by SIX, count'em SIX University cops that obviously hadn't been trained well enough on how to take down one lone young person, and tasered him twice because he was resisting. Now I dont know about anyone else but I am pretty wirey and I think if SIX cops pin me down I dont think I am gonna resist to damn much. So I ask why the use of potentially deadly force on a kid that asked a legitimate question of our government...smacks of totalitarianism to Me. Have we all become such a nation of sheep, fat happy and led to the slaughter?

On to more current events, I found the last Democatic debate somewhat lacking in any form or substance, but one thing struck me, when Tim Russert was ending the debates and could have finally pinned down any one of the candidates on any number of real positions, He chose instead to ask ( in his infinate wisdom...read in loss of reality) them what their favorite bible verse was. Now I can only imagine some poor foreign journalist looking on and wondering why this is imortant to how a person is voted into control in this country. The one thing that I sadly missed was the one verse that not one candidate quoted, yet it is probably My favorite and the most important...Mat. 22:21...Render unto Ceasar that which is Ceasar's, and unto God that which is God's. You see Jesus was the best and first proponent of seperation of church and state.

Now I guess I will make myself the most hated pundit on the planet. That will be hard seeing as Mr. Ann Coulter is one of the competitors. I find Myself at odds with the recent decision of the court to award 10.9 million dollars to the Father that lost His son in an illegal, immoral, war, because of Fred Phelps and crew of the WBC. My heart goes out to this man..He was hurt and they made that hurt worse.. that in and of itself is deplorable, but does it cross the line of the first amendment? I am not so sure...I watch the fine line between the person walking and the rope..I watch the rope. Voltaire once said " I do not agree with what you say , but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Now I think anyone that vocalizes such hatred is less than intelligent, because intelligence teaches you to speak when it is right and not to harm others...these supposed people of god, and I use a small g for a reason are blinded by nothing but hatred for anything that defies what they call "right". This opens us up to a miriad of other reasonings... do think on this.

O.k last but probably not least I have a mind to ,(rips a page from the religious right playbook), ever notice how I get my hands easily on those playbooks, I should work for the NFL, fire the opening salvo on the supposed myth of the " War on Christmas". A pre-emptive strike at the ones that think they are "persecuted". Jerry "the big man" Falwell coined the phrase and yet didnt he realize that it was the Roman Catholic Church that proclaimed Dec.25th as the birth of Jesus, just to try to overide the pagan holiday of Yule?
This from the same group of fundies that say the catholics are not even christian? Oh Puleeez! I guess they believe in the old addage that " the enemy of my enemy is my friend.". Idioligical idiocy. Tell you what fundies, you quit having decorated trees and wreaths clebrating the spirits of past Yule, and stop with the holly and don't ever kiss under my mistletoe, and I wont be so demanding of my rights to my own holiday. Till then when you make someone say Merry Christmas to me I will smile and with all the love the holiday gives I will wish them a Blessed Yule to them and theirs. By the way as long as I am at it I want all your Yule Log cakes.

Well hell folks , so much for a fair start again. Please do take care all of you and I hope that you all had a blessed Samhain holiday, and that the lil ones got more candy than they will eat in a year, and if your house got an egg or two.....give out better stuff, unless of course you listen to Hannity who said that all Halloween does is teach kids to be liberals, alwasy knocking on doors and asking for a hand out...(maybe he wont get social security, y'know one of those liberal things)

Peace, love and light to all ....TR

When its all said and done, there is always more said than done.

2007-05-30T18:22:00.000-04:00

Welcome everyone to yet another rant of an ambiguously political nature, oh hell who am I kidding, it's very political. O.K. call me a visionary, an elitist, a steaming pile of liberal bovine fecal material, maybe even a tad paranoid, I really could care less, but when I see the greatest mouthpiece for the American way and the best voice for a reason to leave VietNam the Second, give up and go home in very sad and bittersweet defeat, I tend to incorporate all those feelings into one. Here's to Cindy Sheehan, you are a true heroine and American patriot, and we will miss your special type of spirit.

I find it a shame that when one speaks out against both sides for their unimaginable caving in to funding a war that no one wants, gets thrown to the wolves and is summarily whipped into a former shadow of the spirit that made this country great. It seems the worst torture comes from those that you once trusted.

Then to add insult to injury I found out that our Fearless Leader(to be read nervous Prez), just recently signed two directives that the Minister of Propaganda obviously failed to mention to the American public(because we all know the mainstream press would never tell us), those being, National Security Presidential Directive/NSPD-51, and Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-20. The subject of this being: National Continuity Policy.

These "minor little directives" give the current President, and a "National Continuity Director" all the power to effectively take over the government and the private sector in the case of a national emergency. Anyone scared yet? I am, I have thought this was a plausible scenario for a few years now and most of my friends called me paranoid. Well just cuz your paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you. So what constitutes a Catastrophic Emergency? "(b) "Catastrophic Emergency" means any incident, regardless of location, that results in extaordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severly affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions."

Scared yet? To quote Yoda "You should be", because now I worry more and more about the upcoming elections, perhaps they won't be needed. By the gods and all that is America I hope they will be. What happened America? When did we become a nation of sheep that are more concerned with individualism than with keeping this country the beacon of Freedom and the bastion against lies and tyranny it has always stood to be? Hey America Are You Out There?

Peace, TR

Two Rants for the Price of One...maybe three,

2007-05-25T14:08:00.000-04:00

I tried really hard to not let this bug me but as they say, "if at first you don't succeed, don't be a diehard, let it out".

Rant#1

The "War Funding Bill", and I use the term loosely, is yet another fine example of the fact that not only do the people we have elected to bring change failed to do so, but also is a fine example of the fact that the Democrats really don't have a collective spine nor do they have the kahonas it takes to adhere to the will of their constituents. I find it pathetic that the old statement,"those whom do not learned from history are condemned to repeat it" is sadly so very true. I tend to wonder if any of these crusty old congress-people remember VietNam?

Do the majority of Americans want this war? NO! Do the majority of Americans want to see unlimited spending and resource usage to maintain this war? NO! Do The majority of Americans want our elected officials to listen to Us, the people who hired them to honor our wishes? Hell YES we do! Unfortunately, as Josef Stalin once so sadly yet eloquently said, " It's not who votes that counts, It's Who counts the votes". What a terrible thing to think about America.

So in ending this rant all I have to say to the people We hired to do a job for us is that, always remember that "We the People" voted your happy asses in and "We the People " can vote them right back out, so go see a Dr. for a spine transplant and try to grow a sac and do what "We the People" want!

Rant#2

The Immigration Reform Bill, otherwise known as "the Sort of Spanish Inquisition", (pun intended). After writing a multi-hundred page document defining the new intended policy, I think they could have done it alot easier if someone would have taken just one piece of paper and written down the dance moves to the "Hokey-Pokey", I mean they made it a Dog and Pony circus dance routine that staggers the imagination. Now immigrants get to jump through a miriad of hoops and then tap dance around a while just for the chance to become at best a "second class" citizen who then still has few if any rights and still cant get a fair "living wage".

I tend to get very tired of hearing over and over again the old adage,"America for Americans". I call bullshit on this one, because unless you are one hundred percent Native American, then by the gods you are Immigrant Stock whether you like it or not. Mexican immigrants are today being treated just as the Irish immigrants were treated a hundred or so years ago, not to mention the African-Americans until the 1960's, even the Cambodian and Laotian refugees we promised freedom to in the late seventies, and let us never forget what we did to the Japanese-American citizens during WW2 and the "Internment Camps". When if ever will this capitalistic racial bigotry end, if ever,"The answer my friend, is blown in the wind".

Rant#3...ok its not a rant I have to leave with a smile so heres a little joke I read recently.

Butch the Rooster
Farmer John was in the fertilized egg business. He had several hundred laying hens, called "pullets", and ten roosters, whose job it was to fertilize the eggs (for you city folks).

The farmer kept records and any rooster that didnt perform found itself in the stew pot and was replaced. This took up an awful lot of his time, so he bought a set of tiny bells and attached them to his roosters.

Each bell had a differrant tone so John could tell at a distance which rooster was performing. Now he could sit on his porch and fill out an efficiency report simply by listening to the bells. The farmers favorite rooster was old Butch and a very fine speciman he was too.

But on this particular morning John noticed old Butch's bell hadn't rung at all! John went to investigate.

The other roosters were chasing pullets, bells-a-ringin'. The pullets, hearing the roosters coming, would run for cover. But to Farmer John's amazement, old Butch had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring. He would sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.

John was so proud that he entered Butch in the county fair and he became an overnight sensation among the judges. As a result the judges not only awarded old Butch the No Bell Piece Prize, but they awarded him the Pulletsuprise as well.

Clearly old Butch was a politician in the making: Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most highly coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention.

A Special thanks to the Porcupine Press Publications from up in da U.P.
Well hell I had to try to leave Y'all with a grin...see ya soon, TR

It's Spring! or Yippeeee lets play in dirt...

2007-05-17T13:16:00.000-04:00

"Spring is here, yes sprrring is here,
Life is skittles and life is dear,
I think the most wondeful time of the year is the spring,
dont you, course you do...." Tom Lehrer.

O.K. Now that I have truly dated myself, its true I do believe that spring is the best of the seasons. Things grow anew and everything is fresh and vibrant with new life, and the best reason of all is because I revert to being even a bigger child than usual...I go play in the DIRT...woohoo. I think all lil boys have this tendancy, to go out and find the biggest pile of dirt and wallow in it for hours until they becom indistinguishable from the pile they are playing in. Now that is good fun.

Actually I like to think of myself as a somewhat accomplished gardener, though its been whispered among others that I am just a bleeding heart that rescues plants that no one else would think of buying and tries to rehabilitate them. No matter I like playing with dirt and things that grow, hmmph. So before I digress any further into second, or perhaps, third childhoods let get onto my original thought.

Spring is the time I think everyone notices the most because deep down in our pointed little hearts, we all value the realization for a moment that life and nature are what we are made of and what it is that connects us to this precious globe we inhabit. We are its caretakers and we have in many ways failed miserably, including yours truly. Even I at times take resources way to much for granted and I regret that. Now dont think I am getting all preachy on ya'll cuz I'm not, I am just taking a moment to remind everyone to look at the new life growing around you and think of ways to help stem the encroaching tide of global destruction I fear we may be leaving to our grandkids...we can do better than that, I know we can.

On an afterthought as I rush to get back to my dirtpile... I have always said that if you cant say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all, so here goes.
Jerry Falwell is dead.
Thats as nice as it gets.

Later everyone, TR

Does anyone remember?...May 4, 1970

2007-05-03T18:29:00.000-04:00

A line from an old Woodie Guthrie song brings to mind a simple question..."How many deaths does it take till we know, that to many people have died?"

How many does it take? How about countless thousands in Darfur, or how about 50,000 plus in VietNam, or maybe its 3,300 and counting in Iraq, oops I forgot the 600,000 Iraq soldiers and mostly civilians, then again maybe its the 33 students killed at Virginia Tech, at the hands of a poor delusional nut, is that enough or should we add more...?

Maybe four more...the four that should count pehaps the loudest. May 4, 1970, a date that should live in infamy, four students, some exercising the right of free speech and some not, died at Kent State University because our own soldiers, Americans themselves, following immoral orders, turned as they were retreating and opened fire on unarmed civilians. At a school! American soldiers , most not more than kids themselves, shooting at unarmed kids. All in the name of politics and "moral outrage". This has been swept away in the gift of forgetfullness, for the vast majority, but to this writer it was a life changing experience. I found myself questioning freedom itself and our inherrant right to express it in our own way. Maybe that is why I taught all my kids to "question authority", which they have done, way to well at times.

I was in the navy at the time, fairly gung ho and all proud till that fateful day, in an instant I changed, I came to the realization that no war is worth such a price and I could not support such an unjust cause. This is just not what ones pride and sense of justice is able to understand, and to this day I still dont. What the hell were we all dieing for, and I mean troops and civilians.

In a day or so I will turn 55 and though its been a long hard road, my deepest feelings have not changed. In these past 37 years many things have changed and unchanged as the case may be, I am still a "hippie" and a "peacenik", but now we find ourselves yet again facing the horrid reality of an immoral, illegal, and lost war. A war with more horrid implications than I care to think on. Not only are our rights being eroded or stolen at will, but the voice against it is weaker it seems and perhaps with good reason, perhaps not enough remember....or maybe to many are just afraid to stand anymore because to many have died. So tomorrow I will don my "remember Kent State" shirt and do just that....remember.

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."...Theodore Roosevelt 1918.

P.S. My apologies to all for being errant in my ranting, due to a death in the family things have been a tad hectic, hopefully I will come up with something to laugh at quite soon.

Hope Beltane was a Blessing to all , TR.

Why kids ask why, and what the hell do we say?

2007-04-13T19:48:00.000-04:00

Why is the sky blue dad? From the reflection of the sun. Why is the water blue dad? Actually for the same reason. Why do I have to follow the rules dad? Because the law says so. Why does the law say so? Lil one the law is written by those whom we have chosen to make choises for us. So then why are you mad at the president, dad?...Welllll...because he doesnt obey the law little one and no I can't explain why.

But Daddy, isn't He the leader of our country , and shouldn't he be following what we want him to do? Yes honey, He should but he says, He knows what is best for our country, and he expects us to just follow him, he said he is who DECIDES what's best for us.

But Dad, I learned in school that he is supposed to do what we decide and follow the law or the conti..consta...contastitshun...?
Yes lil one, he is but he has DECIDED that he alone knows what is best for us. I can't explain why he thinks that way, I don't understand myself why over three thousand young Americans have died in a vain attempt to appease his desire to overthrow what took this countries founders many years to bring to life, a land that was given the rule...of the people, by the people, and for the people.

But Daddy, arent we supposed to decide what is best for us?
Yes honey, but it takes much more these day to do that, we have to depend on those we have elected to represent us to do the right thing for the sake of our country.

Why Dad, I learned in school that we have the right to change the govenm, goverment as we need to?
Yes child, that is true we elect many people to take our thoughts and feelings to the government and then we expect them to follow what we have said, but many times it doesn't happen.

Why Daddy?
Because sometimes there are many people with alot of money who actually control what the lawmakers we voted into office do...and they think they know what is best for us and themselves.
Do they think of what we need Daddy?
No, not most of the time they seem to only think of themselves alot.

Well then Dad, I think you should get elected to an office and change everything.
Honey, I can't because I haven't the money to do it. It takes a great deal of money to accomplish that.

But dad, I was told that Mr. Lincoln lived in a log cabin , and we have a nice house? Doesn't that count?

At that point I had to sigh and just give My lil one a hug, because I could not answer the question. Why can't a small voice, any more, make a change. Why does everything we may want get ignored by those we vote for? Why doesn't anyone listen to the little man anymore? Suddenly, I realized that My lil child was right all along, why don't we get a voice and just scream if we have to...WHY????

Happy Birthday Mr. Jefferson.

Next thought.....TR

A Theocracy...no..no.. arrrrggggg!

2007-04-08T19:53:00.000-04:00

"Render unto Ceasar, that which is Ceasar's, and unto God that which is God's. A simple phrase actually, spelling out any relationship between a religion and its government. Who one might ask spoke so eloquently and yet in such simplicity about seperation between church and state? Well actually it was Jesus himself. Imagine that, seperation of church and state in one simple to understand phrase, two thousand years almost, before the founding fathers of America put it into the supreme law of the land.

Amazed , dont be...Astounded , not really...Afraid, well maybe a little. Good you should be, because in almost all of history, when a single belief in any type of deity occurs, war, totalitarianism and eventually total anarchy ultimitely brings such governments to their knees. Take a close look at the Roman Empire shortly after it embraced christianity, it crumbled into memories and history books. I dont just pick on the Christian faith, the Muslims, the Budhists, the Hindu's, and others to numerous to belabor here, even many various tribes in Africa suffer from religious persecution at the hands of some kind of an overly zealous faith guided government.

Why am I bringing this up you ask? Simply because of these several types of theocratic/autocratic scenerios I can imagine, this is by far the worst and most frightening, especially in a country like America. We are one of the most (if not the most) diversified peoples of any country in the world and we cant even agree on a hamburger much less a religion, yet there are those with money and powerful influence that would love to decide for us. "If You Don't Worship My Way You are obviously a Dissident and a Traitor to the Country !" that is what I fear, total desemimation of the people of a free nation to decide what church, what mosque, what synagogue, or what temple to woship ones own personal deity.

So today I ask, no, I beg you all...dont let any of our freedom slip through our hands for the sake of a religious fervor, or an obviously misguided attempt at control, stand and say with me, "I am an American and My God/ess/'s said I am Free to Worship as I so Choose"! Peace and No new War!

I humbly thank you all and I will talk to Y'all later.

Is this reality or am I only dreaming?

2007-04-02T14:38:00.001-04:00

Have you ever been woken up by a bout with the flu at the crack of dawn one morning and instantly you felt like someone has used your head for a mop and your butt for a broom and cleaned the backyard up with you? Good. I was afraid I was alone in this.

During this incursion into illness induced delirium(my only lucid thought being the ability to calculate my location in the house and the proximity of the closest bathroom, but I digress) I found myself pondering questions that I believe at any other time would have been simple and understandable, yet to me they defied logic. I cite three rants, er, examples.

Example 1. Who really and truly cares one tinkers damn what personal religion any of the Founding Fathers had? Does it matter if they were Deists, Theists, Agnostic, or even (gasp) Mormon? What matters it seems to me is that they valued their personal ideals of faith so much that they made damn sure they stayed out of the supreme law of the land, the Constitution. Why is that such a difficult concept to grasp?

Example 2. The oil companies continue to post record profits and yet this happens. Eight British servicemen are captured by Iran and it doesnt matter whose side of what line they were on, why in the hell did gasoline take an almost 75 cent jump in a mere few days with no dropping in sight? When I was a bit younger I was taught that war profiteering was illegal. Maybe they just didnt get the memo.

Example 3. Remember a while back how silly everyone thought it was that the Muslems became so enraged over a couple of cartoons of the prophet Mohammed? Whether in poor taste or not most everyone thought the reaction was a bit over the top. But then an artist over here carves a statue completely out of chocolate of an anatomically correct Jesus and what happens?
Every religious zealot gets their undies in a knot over it as if the worst sacriledge had been commited. Last time I checked most everyone agrees that He was male, or perhap they are upset because the artist didn't carve Him "miraculous" enough. Hmmm.

At anyrate so much for my recovery ranting, the rest is up to Y'all because I hear my orange juice calling me...I hope its my orange juice. Talk to ya later, TR.

Tuesday Afternoon, no I dont sing

2007-03-27T15:00:00.000-04:00

As you might have noticed I skipped Monday. I do this on purpose because I have always believed that Mondays are a hell of a way to spend a seventh of your life. I try to think of them as an extension of Sunday but without sports , save for Monday Nite Raw, if your into that sort of mindlessness.

Today though I did find a tidbit I want to share with Y'all from another forum I was perusing, I didnt find an author to give credit to but I found it quite true and humorous at the same time , along with a hint of truth for good measure, so here Y'go...THE REAL RULES!

At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down Finally, the guys' side of the story. >> We always hear "the rules" From the female side. >> Now here are the rules from the male side. These are our rules! Please note... these are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!
1. Men are NOT mind readers. >> 1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down. >> 1. Sunday sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be. >> 1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way. >> 1. Crying is blackmail. >> 1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! >>Just say it! >> 1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question. >> 1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for. >> 1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a Problem. See a doctor. >> 1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 Days. >> 1. If you won't dress like the Victoria 's Secret girls, don't Expect us to act like soap opera guys. >> 1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us. >> 1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of them makes you sad or angry, then we meant the other one >> 1. You can either ask us to do something Or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself. >> 1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials. >> 1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we. >> 1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is. >> 1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that. >> 1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle, besides we know you will bring it up again later. >> 1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear! >> 1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine...Really. >> 1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or golf. >> 1. You have enough clothes. >> 1. You have too many shoes. >> 1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape! >> 1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight; >> But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

M'kay so I am still learning how to get this stuff just right but it works for Me, have a great rest of Your day. See Ya later.

It's Sunday and I think I am sober...Hmmm

2007-03-25T17:06:00.000-04:00

Greetings and welcome to sobriety....err, Sunday. I find little or nothing terribly relevant about the news so lets just talk. I'll start...ok so what happened to all the hippies?, did they vanish in lieu of the almighty dollar or did they just find that making money was more important than changing the world, or perhaps they just gave up? Didn't we end a war and change a few things?

What gave us the right to quit? Change and freedom go hand in hand, when I was younger than I am now I fought for the 18 y/o vote....now its there and little used, why, because of apathy, and maybe even a bit of ignorance on our part. We didnt give those who needed it the right example. Perhaps the "I dont give a fuck attitude" and the " It dont affect me" attitude hit us a tad to hard and we took it seriously. What the hell happened, did we just give up and say its everyman for himself?...it seems so.

We did , I believe, a good thing this past November, but it seems those we voted for to bring about a change, took the oath and then ran off to a surgeon to have their spine replaced with a mass of quivering lemon jello. I hope it gets a bit more solid quickly.

OK enough of a rant for starters and My coffee cup is empty...speak as you feel.

talk to y'all later....TR

OK, so I'm a newbie, lets try this out.

2007-03-24T14:54:00.000-04:00

First of all, Welcome one and all to this feeble attempt at humor, ranting and all other types of assorted BS. After reading an awful lot of blogs over the past few years I finally said to myself, "self, you can do this so why not try ?" so here I am the newbie on the block. Now I get to be the new resident pain in the butt.

This blog is actually a small attempt to let anyone spout their feelings without to much criticism, and maybe even a laugh or three. Hope the experiment is a success . By the way I hope Y'all can read computereze cuz sometimes my mind goes faster than my fingers.