The End...?

I will more than likely discontinuing this blog.  I haven't kept up on it, it's meandered and meant different things to me at different times.  The message has not been clear and has changed over time.  At times it was a creative outlet, at others a political ranting space.  For a brief time I tried my hand at podcasting, and it was the main site for my podcast.  Grad school, work, and family obligations took priority and that endeavor unfortunately fizzled out.  I enjoyed it while it lasted.  I wish I could continue.  The research required, the recording and editing, re-editing, and publishing took a lot more time than I guess I thought that it would.  I never made any money from doing it, it was simply recreational and therapeutic for me.

This blog has gotten around 3000 page views, and that's 2900 more page views than I would have ever thought it would get.  I'm guessing most of those were stumbled upon by chance, read some of my angsty words and moved on.  If anyone followed this blog and enjoyed it, no one would be more surprised than me.  I guess it seems fitting to retire this blog on my 100th post.  A nice milestone sounding ending.

I mostly did this blog for myself.  If you enjoyed it, wow, thank you.  I don't know what will happen with this. I may just remain as is, sitting in a dark corner gathering electronic dust on the web forever.  I may revisit and revamp at some point, I don't know.  I'm proud of most of the stuff on here, so it would be a shame to dump it.

I've decided to narrow my concentration and start a new blog.  I will probably borrow from the writings I've written here and add to them.  It just seems to me that I attempted too many different things with this one, and that only someone who knows me personally could appreciate the crazy mess that I'm leaving behind.

Again, to anyone who followed this blog or liked it, thank you.  I never met you, probably never will, but thank you.  For anyone else stumbling on this post, thanks for the 3 seconds you spent on my page skimming the title and not reading this heart-felt thank you at the bottom.  You know who you are.  Or do you?  Nope.

Cheers!

Donald Trump and 21st Century Fascism

You saw the freedom kids. You saw Trump throw out a peaceful Muslim in a hijab at a rally. You saw him throw out a black man at a rally. You heard him say he wants a ban on Muslims entering country. You heard him say Mexicans bring drugs and crime, are rapists, and there may be some good Mexicans, but he's not sure. You've heard him time and again insult anyone who disagrees with him.  You've seen him reduce the value of women to their appearance. You've seen him lie unabashedly and criticize anyone who fact checks him, proving the loudest voice is the only voice heard. You've seen him throw journalists out of speeches and Q&A's that challenge his competency or integrity. You've seen his supporters beat up minorities and shout "go back to your country" at US citizens. You saw his proposed tax plan that helps him and his elite rich friends, adds billions to the deficit, and protects the interests of big business. You've seen thousands of misinformed, angry jingoistic xenophobics flock to his chest-pounding war cry; no agenda, no solutions, only a desire for power to increase his own wealth and promote his tunnel vision for America.

What you've seen is 21st century fascism.  What you've seen is a modern-day Stalin. What you've seen is a boy in a man's body lacing up Hitler's boots and walking around in them to the cheers of his rabid supporters who are willing to attack and hurt other people in his name.

The saddest part, is that despite the behaviors he has exhibited that are textbook definition of fascism, you cannot convince his supporters of the dangerous ideology they are subscribing to. They cannot be persuaded. Many who claim to be Christians are too blinded by their hatred of their neighbor to care. Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. History is recycling before our eyes. 

Trump's campaign should have imploded by now, but has only grown stronger.  Don't let this man put his twitchy finger on the nuclear button.

Memorial Day: Remembering America's Perpetual War

I just realized there is not a proper greeting for Memorial Day.  I mean, think about it.  "Happy New Year!", "Merry Christmas!", there are even greeting cards that say "Happy Valentines Day", which is pretty weird. But you can't wish someone a "Happy Memorial Day", because it's not really something worth celebrating.  So what do you say to a grieving loved one on memorial day? What can you possibly say to show your sympathy for their pain?   

Although the practice of decorating soldier's graves is ancient, the day itself formed in the United States after the American Civil War, arguably the darkest period of our Nation's history.  Memorial Day is a day of mourning those lost in conflict, a day of remembrance. But what I'm going to say here probably won't be popular.  And I'll probably get some angry responses to it.  I in no way mean to diminish the pain felt by those who've lost someone. But I think it's worth saying.  Memorial Day should be a day of protest.  It should be a day of anger.  It should be a day when the American people cry out to their government for redress.  After all, they wouldn't have suffered and died if it hadn't been for war.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace." Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8.

Is there a time for war? Yes.  When diplomacy has failed and life and liberty are truly at risk, then yes, there may be no other option but war.  But looking over the 239 years of our country's history, a majority of these conflicts the US was the aggressor.  When 93% of the years of our existence our nation has been involved in war, it would appear other channels have not often been pursued. President Obama has recently received criticism from the right for his peace talks with Iran, a rare move considering his administration's previous and current foreign policy initiatives.  They were able to reach a positive outcome without war while the right is beating the war drums calling for aerial strikes and more drones drones drones. And yet, peace was successfully achieved without going to war. Maybe something worth trying again? 

The following list is not new, I've seen it on multiple websites.  This is a list of all the wars that America has been involved in since it's formation in 1776:

1. 1776 – American Revolutionary War, Chickamagua Wars, Second Cherokee War, Pennamite-Yankee War
2. 1777 – American Revolutionary War, Chickamauga Wars, Second Cherokee War, Pennamite-Yankee War
3. 1778 – American Revolutionary War, Chickamauga Wars, Pennamite-Yankee War
4. 1779 – American Revolutionary War, Chickamauga Wars, Pennamite-Yankee War
5. 1780 – American Revolutionary War, Chickamauga Wars, Pennamite-Yankee War
6. 1781 – American Revolutionary War, Chickamauga Wars, Pennamite-Yankee War
7. 1782 – American Revolutionary War, Chickamauga Wars, Pennamite-Yankee War
8. 1783 – American Revolutionary War, Chickamauga Wars, Pennamite-Yankee War
9. 1784 – Chickamauga Wars, Pennamite-Yankee War, Oconee War
10. 1785 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
11. 1786 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
12. 1787 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
13. 1788 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
14. 1789 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
15. 1790 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
16. 1791 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
17. 1792 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
18. 1793 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
19. 1794 – Chickamauga Wars, Northwest Indian War
20. 1795 – Northwest Indian War
21. 1796 – No major war
22. 1797 – No major war
23. 1798 – Quasi-War
24. 1799 – Quasi-War
25. 1800 – Quasi-War
26. 1801 – First Barbary War
27. 1802 – First Barbary War
28. 1803 – First Barbary War
29. 1804 – First Barbary War
30. 1805 – First Barbary War
31. 1806 – Sabine Expedition
32. 1807 – No major war
33. 1808 – No major war
34. 1809 – No major war
35. 1810 – U.S. occupies Spanish-held West Florida
36. 1811 – Tecumseh’s War
37. 1812 – War of 1812, Tecumseh’s War, Seminole Wars, U.S. occupies Spanish-held Amelia Island and other parts of East Florida
38. 1813 – War of 1812, Tecumseh’s War, Peoria War, Creek War, U.S. expands its territory in West Florida
39. 1814 – War of 1812, Creek War, U.S. expands its territory in Florida, Anti-piracy war
40. 1815 – War of 1812, Second Barbary War, Anti-piracy war
41. 1816 – First Seminole War, Anti-piracy war
42. 1817 – First Seminole War, Anti-piracy war
43. 1818 – First Seminole War, Anti-piracy war
44. 1819 – Yellowstone Expedition, Anti-piracy war
45. 1820 – Yellowstone Expedition, Anti-piracy war
46. 1821 – Anti-piracy war (see note above)
47. 1822 – Anti-piracy war (see note above)
48. 1823 – Anti-piracy war, Arikara War
49. 1824 – Anti-piracy war
50. 1825 – Yellowstone Expedition, Anti-piracy war
51. 1826 – No major war
52. 1827 – Winnebago War
53. 1828 – No major war
54. 1829 – No major war
55. 1830 – No major war 
56. 1831 – Sac and Fox Indian War
57. 1832 – Black Hawk War
58. 1833 – Cherokee Indian War
59. 1834 – Cherokee Indian War, Pawnee Indian Territory Campaign
60. 1835 – Cherokee Indian War, Seminole Wars, Second Creek War
61. 1836 – Cherokee Indian War, Seminole Wars, Second Creek War, Missouri-Iowa Border War
62. 1837 – Cherokee Indian War, Seminole Wars, Second Creek War, Osage Indian War, Buckshot War
63. 1838 – Cherokee Indian War, Seminole Wars, Buckshot War, Heatherly Indian War
64. 1839 – Cherokee Indian War, Seminole Wars
65. 1840 – Seminole Wars, U.S. naval forces invade Fiji Islands
66. 1841 – Seminole Wars, U.S. naval forces invade McKean Island, Gilbert Islands, and Samoa
67. 1842 – Seminole Wars
68. 1843 – U.S. forces clash with Chinese, U.S. troops invade African coast
69. 1844 – Texas-Indian Wars
70. 1845 – Texas-Indian Wars
71. 1846 – Mexican-American War, Texas-Indian Wars
72. 1847 – Mexican-American War, Texas-Indian Wars
73. 1848 – Mexican-American War, Texas-Indian Wars, Cayuse War
74. 1849 – Texas-Indian Wars, Cayuse War, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and Indians
75. 1850 – Texas-Indian Wars, Cayuse War, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Yuma War, California Indian Wars, Pitt River Expedition
76. 1851 – Texas-Indian Wars, Cayuse War, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Apache Wars, Yuma War, Utah Indian Wars, California Indian Wars
77. 1852 – Texas-Indian Wars, Cayuse War, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Yuma War, Utah Indian Wars, California Indian Wars
78. 1853 – Texas-Indian Wars, Cayuse War, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Yuma War, Utah Indian Wars, Walker War, California Indian Wars
79. 1854 – Texas-Indian Wars, Cayuse War, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Apache Wars, California Indian Wars, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and Indians
80. 1855 – Seminole Wars, Texas-Indian Wars, Cayuse War, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Apache Wars, California Indian Wars, Yakima War, Winnas Expedition, Klickitat War, Puget Sound War, Rogue River Wars, U.S. forces invade Fiji Islands and Uruguay
81. 1856 – Seminole Wars, Texas-Indian Wars, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, California Indian Wars, Puget Sound War, Rogue River Wars, Tintic War
82. 1857 – Seminole Wars, Texas-Indian Wars, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, California Indian Wars, Utah War, Conflict in Nicaragua
83. 1858 – Seminole Wars, Texas-Indian Wars, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Mohave War, California Indian Wars, Spokane-Coeur d’Alene-Paloos War, Utah War, U.S. forces invade Fiji Islands and Uruguay
84. 1859 Texas-Indian Wars, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, California Indian Wars, Pecos Expedition, Antelope Hills Expedition, Bear River Expedition, John Brown’s raid, U.S. forces launch attack against Paraguay, U.S. forces invade Mexico
85. 1860 – Texas-Indian Wars, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Apache Wars, California Indian Wars, Paiute War, Kiowa-Comanche War
86. 1861 – American Civil War, Texas-Indian Wars, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Apache Wars, California Indian Wars, Cheyenne Campaign
87. 1862 – American Civil War, Texas-Indian Wars, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Apache Wars, California Indian Wars, Cheyenne Campaign, Dakota War of 1862,
88. 1863 – American Civil War, Texas-Indian Wars, Southwest Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Apache Wars, California Indian Wars, Cheyenne Campaign, Colorado War, Goshute War
89. 1864 – American Civil War, Texas-Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Apache Wars, California Indian Wars, Cheyenne Campaign, Colorado War, Snake War
90. 1865 – American Civil War, Texas-Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Apache Wars, California Indian Wars, Colorado War, Snake War, Utah’s Black Hawk War
91. 1866 – Texas-Indian Wars, Navajo Wars, Apache Wars, California Indian Wars, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and Indians, Snake War, Utah’s Black Hawk War, Red Cloud’s War, Franklin County War, U.S. invades Mexico, Conflict with China
92. 1867 – Texas-Indian Wars, Long Walk of the Navajo, Apache Wars, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and Indians, Snake War, Utah’s Black Hawk War, Red Cloud’s War, Comanche Wars, Franklin County War, U.S. troops occupy Nicaragua and attack Taiwan
93. 1868 – Texas-Indian Wars, Long Walk of the Navajo, Apache Wars, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and Indians, Snake War, Utah’s Black Hawk War, Red Cloud’s War, Comanche Wars, Battle of Washita River, Franklin County War
94. 1869 – Texas-Indian Wars, Apache Wars, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and Indians, Utah’s Black Hawk War, Comanche Wars, Franklin County War
95. 1870 – Texas-Indian Wars, Apache Wars, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and Indians, Utah’s Black Hawk War, Comanche Wars, Franklin County War
96. 1871 – Texas-Indian Wars, Apache Wars, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and Indians, Utah’s Black Hawk War, Comanche Wars, Franklin County War, Kingsley Cave Massacre, U.S. forces invade Korea
97. 1872 – Texas-Indian Wars, Apache Wars, Utah’s Black Hawk War, Comanche Wars, Modoc War, Franklin County War
98. 1873 – Texas-Indian Wars, Comanche Wars, Modoc War, Apache Wars, Cypress Hills Massacre, U.S. forces invade Mexico
99. 1874 – Texas-Indian Wars, Comanche Wars, Red River War, Mason County War, U.S. forces invade Mexico
100. 1875 – Conflict in Mexico, Texas-Indian Wars, Comanche Wars, Eastern Nevada, Mason County War, Colfax County War, U.S. forces invade Mexico
101. 1876 – Texas-Indian Wars, Black Hills War, Mason County War, U.S. forces invade Mexico
102. 1877 – Texas-Indian Wars, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and Indians, Black Hills War, Nez Perce War, Mason County War, Lincoln County War, San Elizario Salt War, U.S. forces invade Mexico
103. 1878 – Paiute Indian conflict, Bannock War, Cheyenne War, Lincoln County War, U.S. forces invade Mexico
104. 1879 – Cheyenne War, Sheepeater Indian War, White River War, U.S. forces invade Mexico
105. 1880 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
106. 1881 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
107. 1882 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
108. 1883 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
109. 1884 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
110. 1885 – Apache Wars, Eastern Nevada Expedition, U.S. forces invade Mexico
111. 1886 – Apache Wars, Pleasant Valley War, U.S. forces invade Mexico
112. 1887 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
113. 1888 – U.S. show of force against Haiti, U.S. forces invade Mexico
114. 1889 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
115. 1890 – Sioux Indian War, Skirmish between 1st Cavalry and Indians, Ghost Dance War, Wounded Knee, U.S. forces invade Mexico
116. 1891 – Sioux Indian War, Ghost Dance War, U.S. forces invade Mexico
117. 1892 – Johnson County War, U.S. forces invade Mexico
118. 1893 – U.S. forces invade Mexico and Hawaii
119. 1894 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
120. 1895 – U.S. forces invade Mexico, Bannock Indian Disturbances
121. 1896 – U.S. forces invade Mexico
122. 1897 – No major war
123. 1898 – Spanish-American War, Battle of Leech Lake, Chippewa Indian Disturbances
124. 1899 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
125. 1900 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
126. 1901 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
127. 1902 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
128. 1903 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
129. 1904 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
130. 1905 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
131. 1906 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
132. 1907 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
133. 1908 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
134. 1909 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
135. 1910 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
136. 1911 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
137. 1912 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars
138. 1913 – Philippine-American War, Banana Wars, New Mexico Navajo War
139. 1914 – Banana Wars, U.S. invades Mexico
140. 1915 – Banana Wars, U.S. invades Mexico, Colorado Paiute War
141. 1916 – Banana Wars, U.S. invades Mexico
142. 1917 – Banana Wars, World War I, U.S. invades Mexico
143. 1918 – Banana Wars, World War I, U.S invades Mexico
144. 1919 – Banana Wars, U.S. invades Mexico
145. 1920 – Banana Wars
146. 1921 – Banana Wars
147. 1922 – Banana Wars
148. 1923 – Banana Wars, Posey War
149. 1924 – Banana Wars
150. 1925 – Banana Wars
151. 1926 – Banana Wars
152. 1927 – Banana Wars
153. 1928 – Banana Wars
154. 1930 – Banana Wars
155. 1931 – Banana Wars
156. 1932 – Banana Wars
157. 1933 – Banana Wars
158. 1934 – Banana Wars
159. 1935 – No major war
160. 1936 – No major war
161. 1937 – No major war
162. 1938 – No major war
163. 1939 – No major war
164. 1940 – No major war
165. 1941 – World War II
166. 1942 – World War II
167. 1943 – Wold War II
168. 1944 – World War II
169. 1945 – World War II
170. 1946 – Cold War (U.S. occupies the Philippines and South Korea)
171. 1947 – Cold War (U.S. occupies South Korea, U.S. forces land in Greece to fight Communists)
172. 1948 – Cold War (U.S. forces aid Chinese Nationalist Party against Communists)
173. 1949 – Cold War (U.S. forces aid Chinese Nationalist Party against Communists)
174. 1950 – Korean War, Jayuga Uprising
175. 1951 – Korean War
176. 1952 – Korean War
177. 1953 – Korean War
178. 1954 – Covert War in Guatemala
179. 1955 – Vietnam War
180. 1956 – Vietnam War
181. 1957 – Vietnam War
182. 1958 – Vietnam War
183. 1959 – Vietnam War, Conflict in Haiti
184. 1960 – Vietam War
185. 1961 – Vietnam War
186. 1962 – Vietnam War, Cold War (Cuban Missile Crisis; U.S. marines fight Communists in Thailand)
187. 1963 – Vietnam War
188. 1964 – Vietnam War
189. 1965 – Vietnam War, U.S. occupation of Dominican Republic
190. 1966 – Vietnam War, U.S. occupation of Dominican Republic
191. 1967 – Vietnam War
192. 1968 – Vietnam War
193. 1969 – Vietnam War
194. 1970 – Vietnam War
195. 1971 – Vietnam War
196. 1972 – Vietnam War
197. 1973 – Vietnam War, U.S. aids Israel in Yom Kippur War
198. 1974 – Vietnam War
199. 1975 – Vietnam War
200. 1976 – No major war
201. 1977 – No major war
202. 1978 – No major war
203. 1979 – Cold War (CIA proxy war in Afghanistan)
204. 1980 – Cold War (CIA proxy war in Afghanistan)
205. 1981 – Cold War (CIA proxy war in Afghanistan and Nicaragua), First Gulf of Sidra Incident
206. 1982 – Cold War (CIA proxy war in Afghanistan and Nicaragua), Conflict in Lebanon
207. 1983 – Cold War (Invasion of Grenada, CIA proxy war in Afghanistan and Nicaragua), Conflict in Lebanon
208. 1984 – Cold War (CIA proxy war in Afghanistan and Nicaragua), Conflict in Persian Gulf
209. 1985 – Cold War (CIA proxy war in Afghanistan and Nicaragua)
210. 1986 – Cold War (CIA proxy war in Afghanistan and Nicaragua)
211. 1987 – Conflict in Persian Gulf
212. 1988 – Conflict in Persian Gulf, U.S. occupation of Panama
213. 1989 – Second Gulf of Sidra Incident, U.S. occupation of Panama, Conflict in Philippines
214. 1990 – First Gulf War, U.S. occupation of Panama
215. 1991 – First Gulf War
216. 1992 – Conflict in Iraq
217. 1993 – Conflict in Iraq
218. 1994 – Conflict in Iraq, U.S. invades Haiti
219. 1995 – Conflict in Iraq, U.S. invades Haiti, NATO bombing of Bosnia and Herzegovina
220. 1996 – Conflict in Iraq
221. 1997 – No major war
222. 1998 – Bombing of Iraq, Missile strikes against Afghanistan and Sudan
223. 1999 – Kosovo War
224. 2000 – No major war
225. 2001 – War on Terror in Afghanistan
226. 2002 – War on Terror in Afghanistan and Yemen
227. 2003 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, and Iraq
228. 2004 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen
229. 2005 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen
230. 2006 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen
231. 2007 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen
232. 2008 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen
233. 2009 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen
234. 2010 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen
235. 2011 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen; Conflict in Libya (Libyan Civil War)
236. 2012 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Syria and Yemen
237. 2013 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Syria and Yemen
238. 2014 – War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Syria and Yemen; Civil War in Ukraine
239. 2015 – War on Terror in Somalia, Somalia, Syria and Yemen; Civil War in Ukraine

America Has Been At War 93% of the Time - 222 Out of 239 Years - Since 1776 (Washingtons Blog)

222 out of 239 years of our nation's history, we have been at war. 93% of our existence. Wow. And

we wonder why most other countries of the world distrust or dislike us. With a history of war and bloodshed, it's no wonder our culture is saturated with violence. It's no wonder more Americans kill other Americans way more than any other country finds it necessary to murder each other. And no wonder the US allocates more money to their military budget than any other country by leaps and bounds.

So this Memorial Day, grieve the dead of yesterday, and ask your government to prevent the dead of tomorrow. Let's stop sending our friends, our fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters to early graves.  Let's stop policing the world and seek for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness at home.

And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

I was 8 years old when I got her.  A friend was trying to place her kittens in good homes, and I begged and begged my parents to let me have one.  On Mothers Day 1995, my wish was granted. 

I named her Tigger for her stripes, though I knew she was female. I learned that it was uncommon for females to have such defined stripes, so already I knew she was special.  The name suited her just fine, thank you, I didn't care what others said. She was mine and that was her name.

I played with her a lot those first summers. I discovered she didn't ALWAYS land on her feet, didn't like going frontwards OR backwards down the plastic yellow slide in the backyard,  and couldn't kick her addiction to the Chicken O' the Sea. She never learned that she couldn't catch the red dot of my laser pointer; she attempted tirelessly and in vain every time.  It wasn't ever about the prize for her,  the chase was all that mattered.  Never seemed to care much about cat nip.

At night she would sleep at my feet. Sometimes she'd crawl up and nudge me in the face while I slept. Sometimes she wandered around looking for a way under the covers. Whenever she did find a way under,  she always bit my toes.

I told her secrets, because she wasn't going to tell anyone.  She watched me laugh, she watched me cry, and she stayed by my side unless she saw something shiny. But that was fine I guess. 

Tonight she left Earth too soon, like all good things do. She was old; not as careful, not as quick. The spring in her step had faded over the last few years; her skin a little too saggy, her fur not as shiny.  She was run over on accident by a car, and after a painful struggle was graciously euthanize and freed from her pain. I didn't know when I last saw her that that was the last time I'd see her.  Had I known I would have said goodbye, spent some time holding her, remembering those adventurous summers long ago. Instead, she slunk by me on her way outdoors, pausing to look up at me only briefly.  And that is all I have left of her.

So Tigger, this is my goodbye. Though you'll  never read this, or know it exists, it's here.  Forgive me for putting you down the slide, for testing laws of gravity with you in the tree house, and for pushing you off the bed when you bit me.  May this entry stand forever; a record of your existence, a memory of your life. May it outlive us all, captured in the cloud.

Heaven gained a great soul tonight. 

The rest is silence.

Writing Music Again

With my wife and daughter out of town for the weekend, I finally got around to writing, recording, and mixing music again; something I haven't done for a very long time.  I've always loved doing it, but with work and school and family it just has been near impossible to do.  So!  Here they are.  The two songs that I wrote, recorded, and mixed this weekend:  Corridors of Stone, and Fairways and Greens.

Corridors of Stone
Jake Garrett - 7.28.13

I'm living with fear
that it's here when I wake
Tell me does that mean
I'm becoming just like them?
Paranoid, and seeing what?
It's these visions in my head
That toss and turn me now
I let them grind me down
Oh how they grind me down

If I lose them they will find me
Confuse them but they bind me
Let down; criticise me
Refusing to let go
If it's not one thing than another
Call me when it's over
Pull the strings that make me sing
Then leave me in the corner

So I'll swim for the present
And hope for a future
Of empty dreams and darkened sleep
Void of any color
As the green fields wither
Preparing for winter
I'll store away the season
That I let them grind me down
Oh how they grind me down

If I lose them they will find me
Confuse them but they bind me
Let down; criticise me
Refusing to let go
If it's not one thing than another
Call me when it's over
Pull the strings that make me sing
Then leave me in the corner

Still waiting when I rise
In the corridors of stone
Beckon me forward into the gray unknown
Rotating eyes; the glass disguise
If it keeps safe the unsafe
That dwell inside
If it keeps safe the unsafe
That dwell inside

If I lose them they will find me
Confuse them but they bind me
Let down; criticise me
Refusing to let go
If it's not one thing than another
Restart it when it's over
Pull the strings to make me sing
Then leave me in the corner

If it keeps safe the unsafe
That dwell inside
If it keeps safe the unsafe
That dwell inside



Fairways and Greens
Jake Garrett 7.27.13

In Memory of Richard Bruce Garrett 1937~2004

Memories of fairways and greens
A breath; photograph
All I keep
The leaves changed
and so have we
We aged and moved away
What would you say?

What would you say,
If you could say anything?
Isn't she beautiful this little girl of mine?
The way she would have laughed at you
I can only imagine

I can't say I blame you
Who hasn't made mistakes?
Maybe you knew
And you did it anyway
I know you had regrets
But we're now all that's left of you

What would you say,
If you could say anything?
Isn't she beautiful this little girl of mine?
The way she would have laughed at you
I can only imagine

Going on ten years now
I'm taller; a father
I'm imperfect but stronger
Than the boy you left behind
Torn up inside
Hoping you'd see this day
Wondered what you'd say

What would you say,
If you could say anything?
Isn't she beautiful this little girl of mine?
The way she would have laughed at you
I can only imagine
The way she would have laughed at you
I can only imagine

So memories of fairways and greens
A breath; and a photograph
Are all I keep
After the leaves have changed
And so have we
We aged and moved away
What would you say?
What would you say,
If you could see her now?
See her now?
What would you say?
Can you see her now?
Can you see her now?

I Should Have Been A Weatherman.

I was just looking at the weather and according to weather.com, it says it is currently 91 degrees but it "feels like 90." I wonder how much the person gets paid to say what they think the weather "feels like".  I could do that job, "Whooo, man, it feels like really hot out here tonight, I'm gonna guess based solely on how much I'm sweating, it's gotta be at least 100 degrees." 


Money in the bank. 


But then I thought to myself, do I really wanna be the guy who disagrees over one degree? "Yeah Bob, I see that the thermometer says 91, but it just ain't that hot out tonight. I'm gonna go ahead and say it feels like 90, because come on, 91?  There is just no way.  I've felt 91 countless times in my life, and this? This just isn't a 91 kinda heat." 

I guess it depends on how much they're paying me to be a jerk for a living.

I wonder how a job interview for that position would go? I imagine it to go something like this:

"What makes you qualified to feel weather?"
"I don't know, ever since I was a kid I just kind of had a knack for it, you know?"  
"I thought I felt something just now...do you know what that was?"
"That was probably indigestion."
"Very good..."

Then they would test the candidate's ability to feel things by blindfolding them and having them touch random stuff.  

"This feels like a dead rat."  
"That is correct.  And this?"
"Definitely a shoe string dipped in peanut butter and...sprinkled with oregano."
"That is also correct. And this?" 
"The object with which you slapped me across the face was a live herring."
"Gooooood..."

The weird thing is you know that that person probably has a masters or doctorate degree in something.  

So I browsed around on the website for a little longer, and saw this thing that says "15 Minute Details."  And you know what?  I'm not so sure that I want this job anymore.  The Feels-Like weatherperson has a grueling job!  Every fifteen minutes he/she has to be confrontational.  Right now, for example, science is declaring that the temperature has dropped down to 83 degrees,  but it "feels like" 81 degrees.  "Yeah Bob, I know it says 83, but I have an instinctive habit, a Pavlov's dog, if you will, that I put on a light wind breaker at 82.  I have put on my windbreaker, and I wouldn't do that if it didn't feel like it was sub 82.  I have zipped it halfway and put my hands part way in my pockets, which means it's gotta be an 81 right now, Bob."  Man, I would hate working with someone like that.

Predicting weather is kind of a sham anyway. It's been less than 100 years since meteorologists have been tracking weather patterns that could influence chance of rain. Since they don't have that much to go on, it's still a work in progress.  That's why when they say there's a 10% chance of precipitation and I plan on a big outing outside, it rains like crazy all day and I have to stay inside.  And with global warming becoming more and more of an issue, that's gonna throw some crazy outlier wrenches into the cogs of statistics.  What they should do, is the "Feels-Like" weatherperson could wear two hats, if he/she has time, and be the guesser for rain.  "It feels like 50 degrees, and maybe some rain, I don't know.  That's a funnel cloud over there.  I just felt a small cat strike the side of my head, I'm thinking a tornado.  Ok, there is definitely going to be some crazy stuff going on, so don't get out the barbeque just yet."

Ok, I guess maybe I don't want to be a weatherman.  Being confrontational every 15 minutes and getting struck by flying felines would just bring me down.  Plus I'd have to go through all that extra school, too. 

I can't help but feel bad for Bob, too.  

The State of the Unions

In response to a prompt from my Labor Relations professor, here is an expert from my answer on labor relations:

I don't think that unions and management will ever achieve a state of total cooperation.  Capitalism is not, and has never been, kind to workers.  If you are on top, it is extremely generous, but if you are on bottom, you can work your hands to the bone and still be below the poverty level.  Management focuses a lot on lean processes, including getting more out of employees for less.  As long as that type of relationship exists, I don't think it's possible for unions and management to achieve a state of total cooperation.

The Preamble to Constitution of the Industrial Workers of the World states: "The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of the working people, and the few who make up the employing class have all the good things of life...We find that the centering of the management of industries into fewer and fewer hands makes the trade unions unable to cope with the ever growing power of the employing class. The trade unions foster a state of affairs which allows one set of workers to be pitted against another set of workers in the same industry, thereby helping defeat one another in wage wars. Moreover, the trade unions aid the employing class to mislead the workers into the belief that the working class have interests in common with their employers."

Management sees unions as a hindrance to productivity and higher profits, while unions see management as looking for every possible way to cut corners, even at the expense of its employees.  These two attitudes may never disappear.

I have to say I cringe whenever I hear someone talk about the "haves" and the "have-nots".  Labeling people who have money and people who don't have money perpetuates the myth that money is the only factor that defines the worth or success of an individual.  There are coal miners, train operators, construction workers, etc. who enjoy what they do and would not want to be CEO of a company.  They are happy where they are at.  The problem with labeling people as "haves" and "have-nots" is that it leads people to believe you are only as successful as the size of your bank account.  It bothers me that there are so many people who see blue collar workers as inferior or lazy.  I worked on the production line of  a factory one summer, and the people I worked with had a lot of integrity and a hard work ethic.   They were not lazy, and they did not see their job as demeaning or dishonorable.  Now I have a "desk job", but I'm still below the living wage for a family of three in my state.  The textbook talks about unions for white collar workers, and I see a need for that.  I know workers who have masters degrees and make $16/hour, and yet,  the average wage for a nonsupervisory construction worker in 2008 was $21.87/hr.; and they only need a high school diploma!  The degree that was supposed to put these office monkeys ahead financially has instead put them in debt for a career with little potential.  Universally, management demands expertise and higher education, and compensates pitifully for it.  

Blue collar workers are not lazy; they should be treated with respect and compensated fairly for their hard work.  And more and more I'm beginning  to see that the same is true for white collar workers with higher education.  They should be treated with respect and compensated fairly for their expertise and greater knowledge.

The Myth of Absolute Rights

I heard recently a phrase that bothered me a great deal,  that of "absolute rights". "Absolute" meaning irrevocable, fixed, and universally accepted as truth.  That is,  of course,  absurd -- there are no absolute rights.  There may be rights that one believes to be absolute,  but they contradict reality.  Let me clarify my original claim: there are no absolute rights under government. 

Each "right" that we Americans enjoy is actually a conditional privilege limited by governance.  The forefathers shrugged off an extremely oppressive government to establish a less oppressive government.  Government, in itself, implies suppression.  To govern is to control.  When we establish government,  we enter into a social contract where we give up what in a state of nature would otherwise be our "absolute rights", and in return, we are given conditional privileges.  Often we forget how limited they truly are,  simply because we're left alone when within the confines of the law.   Allow me to explain.

Here  is a widely known phrase, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."  Unalienable,  of course,  means inseparable and irrevocable.  These are basic rights that most humans can agree are inherent.  The irony is that all three are traded in by the social contract, being subjected to governance. 

Example 1: a convicted murderer is faced with the death penalty in a court of law.  How is that possible? Does he/she not have an unalienable right to life?  Governance decrees that he/she forfeited that right by disobedience to law,  and the person is put to death.  Example 2: An elderly man is in need of a transplant, but the merciless free market insurance companies and bureaucracy of government fail to provide a transplant,  resulting in his death.  Did he not have an unalienable right to life?

Liberty is also given up in the social contract.  Liberty by definition is the freedom of autonomy. The ability to act however one sees fit.  But that won't do with government,  because government controls.  Therefore, complete liberty cannot exist, and conditional privileges are granted instead.  A convicted murderer,  again, forfeits the right of autonomy after breaking the law.He/she cannot leave the prison cell whenever he/she sees fit, cannot eat whatever he/she wants,  etc.

The Pursuit of Happiness.  How could a term so broad be assumed an absolute right? Many things that make some people happy are illegal,  and offenders who are caught can have restrictions put in place to prevent them from seeking what they view as happiness.

These three rights are considered unalienable and absolute, but are in reality conditional under governance. "Conditional" contradicts "absolute", being by definition in opposition.

If, therefore, the very basic of human rights are transformed into conditional privileges through the social contract of government,  how can any other so called right be more absolute?  In other words,  how can any part of the Bill of Rights be more absolute than the conditional privileges considered to be the most fundamental of all human existence?  I submit that they are not and can not.

"Free Speech" is not absolute.  It has it's limits just as other "rights".Government programs control what can and cannot be seen and heard on TV and radio, the McCarthy witch hunts, even recently at a whitehouse celebration an artist was escorted off for singing a song against the president 's policies.

The fifth amendment can be waived in cases of national security,  like that of the Boston bomber.

The second amendment already has limits.  The public does not have access to all military type weapons  because the amendment,  like the others,  is conditional.  Felons should not have access to weapons because rights are, and always have been, conditional under government.

No right is absolute under government.  Each is conditional and subject to control by the government established by the social contract.  If any rights are to be made absolute, government ceases to exist, and the state of nature will claim its own.   Governance comes at a price: the willing forfeiture of absolute rights. Both cannot exist together, and present reality thus proves that there are no absolute rights.

Petition to the White House

I started a petition, please read the details below, and sign it.

WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:

End civilian casualties resulting from Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (Drones).

Between January 2006 and April 2009, 687 innocent Pakistani civilians were collateral damage from drone strikes. During that time, only 14 terrorists or suspected terrorists were neutralized. That is 49 civilian casualties per terrorist. The United States government should not continue a program that takes the lives of innocent people in other countries. That is inhumane and unAmerican. President Obama, please end civilian casualties as a result of drone strikes by discontinuing the use of unmanned combat air vehicles.

SIGN PETITION