Dreams

Dreams; daydreams, or fantasies, not nocturnal dreams, are what sets us apart from the animal kingdom. We humans have a fascinating capacity for evisioning the future. Dreams take on various and myriad shapes and sizes. Some people dream big, they want it all, so to speak, while others' dreams are more modest. Mine lie in the latter catagory. I personally think modest dreams are far more enchanting; they lend themselves to be much more honest and worthwhile, not to mention much more obtainable. People who dream big, usually fall into one of two catagories- they're either movers and shakers, who are used to getting what they want; the Trumps and Gates and Rockerfellers fall into this catagory, or they are totally, massively egotistical. Truthfully, the only people I can think of who fall into this catagory are most of our present-day celebrities. Some folks who hit big ticket lottery jackpots usually succumb to this type of dreaminess as well. Modest dreamers are usually people who are either well grounded in life, or like me, find themselves on the short end of a long stick. Most of the time I don't mind being here, it's made who I am, but the dreams I have call for a much more secure and ordered life. The unique thing about dreams is that they can be tailored to fit anyone. We often hear about the"American Dream", which in all actuality is pretty much a misnomer, especially in today's economic climate, but there are those, who through sheer will, make those dreams come true. If nothing else, dreams keep hope alive, and we can surely use all the hope we can get.

It's Fun to Bitch and Moan

Every now and then I like to read the comments posted on some political site or another. Sometimes I even post a comment myself. It's such a blast to read some of the bull some people write. A lot of these commenters take themselves SOOO seriously! In all honesty, it really is a good thing that we're able to exercise the right to bitch and moan, even if it's only "to the choir".
The more I read of people's dissatisfaction about the state of the nation, the more I realize that there's probably never going to be any change in the status quo. It's just human nature. We get uncomfortable, and if we experience that discomfort for a long enough period of time, our comfort level goes way down. Just a little bit of movement, just enough to make the discomfort go away, and we're happy. That's how it's been for decades. Little by little, our rights have been eroded, our liberties compromised, and soon we find ourselves aching for a little adjustment. Some figure or some action comes along, promising to alleviate our suffering, and-BOOM!, we're just peachy again. Right now I have so little faith in the American people. I seriously doubt that things will ever change, at least in the right direction. Those who do take their liberty seriously are so few in number, and so overwhelmed by the odds, that it seems that they have a snowball's chance in hell of succeeding. I hope I'm just being pessimistic, but we'll have to wait and see how things pan out.

The Never-Ending War

In the late 70's I was a fan of the British sci-fi drama Dr. Who. During those days, it was actor
Tom Baker who played the Doctor. I remember one particular series of episodes which featured
the genesis of the Daleks, a race of robotic creatures, which were one of the Doctor's nemises.
As I can recall, the Daleks were created by a "mad scientist" working for one of two city-states on a distant planet, which had warring for what might have been centuries. They were intended to be this side's secret weapon, but as all such megalomaniacal endevours turn out, they lost control and eventually everything else.
Which brings me to my topic, our seemingly endless war in Afghanistan. Apparently Gen. David Patraeus, the U.S. commander in theatre, was quoted as saying that we "might be in Afghanistan another 9 or 10 years". Huh? Hell, why not make it 20?...Actually we've been in that country for damn near 30 years already. Remember the Soviet invasion? How many Stinger missiles did we send over to the Jihadis so that they could shoot down Soviet aircraft?
And like that fictional war from Dr. Who, we've taken to using robot weapons...Predators anyone? I don't envision a Terminator-like future, but like all such never-ending wars, this one won't have a happy ending either.

Mad Men

I've taken to watching AMC's "Mad Men" on Sunday nights. It's not a bad show, but I think if it weren't for the historical ambience, I probably wouldn't bother. There's one thing that particularly bothers me, though. It is how seemingly cruel and just downright mean everyone seems to be. Oh, I know there's the typical era sexism and racism, which is actually still with us, but I mean the pettyness and ignorance that the characters display toward one another. Truthfully, people are still like that, they always have been. Last night's episode was full of that kind of demeaning behavior. I really hate the mean and obnoxious way people act. Even now, some folks just don't know how to be civil toward one another. No one gives it a thought to ever apologize for wrongs committed, or to be polite in their daily interaction with others. Few people have sympathy or empathy for their fellow man. Hearts grow cold and stony, eyes are blind and ears are stopped up. Like Jackie Deshannon sang so long ago, "What the world needs now, is Love, Sweet Love".

9-11

That time of the year is upon us again. That horrible DAY, when we were brutally and dastardly attacked. I find it somewhat bemusing that this day has been named Patriot Day, as if we don't have any other days worthy of such rememberance. But, what of THAT day? Time and time again, September Eleventh is compared to December Seventh, another one of those "patriotic" days, and yet, the aftermath of that day lead us into World War II, which we helped win in only four years. This war has been going on more than twice as long, and are we any closer to victory? Perhaps we're not so committed to winning this "war". It's no secret that FDR goaded the Japanese into attacking us, he desired it, and he got his wish. Ten years after WWII, we were Japan's biggest trading partner, a position we still hold. What will come of this conflict? We were and still are the Middle East's biggest customer, there's really not a whole lot that they have to offer us besides oil. Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that America never got to participate in the Great Moslem Ass-Kicking Games, otherwise known as the Crusades. Those frequent wars lasted from the 11th til the 17th centuries, WAY before we were even a gleam in our daddy's eyes. Or perhaps it's our elites' lust for empire? In any event, why we were attacked,
well that's easy. It's not for Baby Bush's reasoning that, "They hate our freedoms", that's laughable. No, the real reason-that we go sticking our damn noses where they absolutely don't belong. Maybe if we would have adhered to Washington's admonition to keep ourselves from foreign entanglements, we would have never experienced such a tragedy.

P.S. Oh, and as for that church in Florida that plans on burning copies of the Koran on 9-11....
Really? Don't they have anything better to do that day? I have no love for the Koran, but to me, it just seems like a waste of time. If you want to waste your money buying one and throwing it on the fire, fine, just don't make a media circus out of it; it's gauche.

Uncle Woody

I met Uncle Woody a few weeks ago, and two weeks ago I bought him and brought him home.
You see, Uncle Woody is a lemonwood American flatbow, 66" long, with 46# draw. As best as I can find out, this lovely self longbow was made, probably in the late 50's, by Outdoor Sports Co. That's ok, 'cause Uncle Woody(a moniker I've dubbed him), is a nice old shooter. I'm getting pretty accurate with him. I need to get myself a nice back quiver so I can take Uncle Woody roving. Next thing after that I'll find me a bunch of Merry Men and take on that nasty ol' sheriff.