End of An Era...And Other Stuff...
Tomorrow will mark the final flight of our space shuttles, weather permitting (it doesn't appear all that promising right now), and it does indeed mark the end of an era in the history of our manned spaceflight program.
*** After the final journey of Shuttle Atlantis (mission STS-135) this last space craft will be decommissioned and sent to the Space Flight Museum in Florida, in a new facility that will open by 2013.
Then, we (the United States) start "hitching a ride" from (most likely) the Russians in order to get either TO or FROM the International Space Station.

NASA will continue to pursue UNmanned flights, including those to other planets, but for now, we're pretty much where we were PRIOR to 1961...
...when Alan Shepard became the first man Io make a suborbital spaceflight in the Freedom 7 Mercury capsule atop that Redstone booster.
Do I think we should continue manned flight into space?
Hell , yes.
We proved we could achieve goals laid down before us...the way America used to do.
But, it was not without sacrifice on the part of those brave men (and later women) who dared to "slip the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God".
















When I was growing up, our space program was a pretty BIG deal...especially if a launch occurred while we were in school.
We were all taken to the auditorium and watched some way too small TV placed on the stage as the liftoff took place.
Or we got to watch the recovery of the capsules at sea.
When John Glenn became the first American astronaut to circle the earth, they made an LP RECORD of the flight you could purchase.
I STILL have that record.
We knew the names not only of the astronauts, but those on the ground that took us through the missions, like Jules Bergman, John (Shorty) Powers, Chris Kraft, Gene Krantz, and so on.
And, it was a great time to BE an American...
Now, with the final shuttle flight, how do we feel about it NOW?
Sure, the shuttle program was costly, and it did have it's share of bumps in the road, not the least of which were the shuttle disasters that claimed the lives of 2 crews, but in the end, did it do MORE for man's understanding of space and provide knowledge and insight into our universe?
It sure as hell DID.
(anyone remember something called HUBBLE?)
And it also provided quite a few THOUSAND jobs...jobs that will no longer be needed very soon.
That means more unemployment...just what this nation needs right now...NOT!
If we are to maintain a presence in outer space, then we need something ELSE to replace the space shuttle.
Maybe a new generation of reusable craft, perhaps not as large or as costly.
We've proven that the technology certainly exists, and that we CAN do what we set out to do.
There are already plans on drawing boards and mock-ups of potential craft designed to continue the mission that our shuttle fleet began.
We can make America the leader in space flight and exploration still...if we have the willingness to do so.
Or...we could always "call a cab" to get us to orbit.
The choice is up to us.
Meanwhile, back at the Fortress...
*** Yes friends, we're still hearing FIREWORKS around the ghettohood, and where all these mooks manage to GET this crap blows my mind.
I was doing some pricing online for some of the "items" they have been shooting off.
And let me say that they usually wait UNTIL after the time allotted for shooting them off to...well, shoot them off, which makes getting to sleep problematic at best.
Gee, be nice if the FWPD decided to ARREST some of these assholes, or at least CONFISCATE the "goods" from them and send them off to bed.
Anyway, the prices for this ordnance are not for the "financially-challenged", shall we say.
Just ONE aerial can cost anywhere from $24.99 up to close to $100...PER ITEM.
Now, let's do some math here, kids...get out those #2 pencils and some paper.
We have FIVE locations shooting off ONE aerial EVERY MINUTE over a period of FOUR HOURS (that's 60 per hour, in case someone didn't pay attention in math class).
Take the average cost of ONE aerial (let''s say somewhere in the middle range - about $40.00) and MULTIPLY that by ALL the locations for the time mentioned.
Yes, that IS some serious money being "blown away" (literally)
So how can people who claim "poverty", receive government assistance, and live off the fat of the taxpaying public AFFORD all this junk, anyway?
Oh, maybe that's not CLAIM poverty, but rather FEIGN poverty...yeah, that sounds much better.
Those houses around us have tossed out trashbags FULL of expended firework ordnance...and that's one helluva LOT of crap that cost a helluva LOT of moolah! You could think of it as YOUR contribution to THEIR entertainment, I suppose...
Even a "rock-bottom" prices, we're talking serious fireworks...like those 500 GRAM models (much like the type of weaponry the ARMY uses to blast Al Queda hideouts from a half mile away...we call them MORTARS).
And Indiana ALLOWS this to occur, not in rural areas where it's a lot safer to set them off, but right here in the second largest CITY in the damn state.
Sorry, but urban "warfare" isn't on MY top ten list for things to do this week...or ANY week.
Yet, these "people" are permitted to buy all this crap with money they seemingly pluck from thin air (when they're not in YOUR pockets, wallets, or purses) and are able to AFFORD so much of these fireworks...just so they can bug the hell out of the "normals" (who usually attend professional displays elsewhere).
Amazing that THEY can set THEIR fireworks off and yet I cannot set off MY fireworks (pistol or shotgun) to dissuade them from annoying others.
Technically-speaking, fireworks and firearms are NOT that far apart of the evolutionary scale of pyrotechnics.
They BOTH utilize a chemical reaction to achieve the noise and flash,
They BOTH expend projectiles.
But while there is no "license" required to not only possess but fire off fireworks, you DO need a license to carry a pistol off your property, and you NEED a background check to see if you're NON COMPOS MENTIS (or not) and can legally own a firearm.
Funny, by the manner in which most ALL our ghettohood "neighbors" perform, they certainly COULD be considered non compos mentis (not of sound mind), otherwise we'd have a lot LESS crime down here.
But THAT is another post for another day....
I will stay maintain that Indiana needs to change the laws regarding "explosive" devices...or ones that chemically expend a some sort of projectile.
And that's just for safety's sake...for everyone.
Maybe if all the money spent on fireworks BY these cretins were used to IMPROVE THEIR OWN COMMUNITY, this part of town would be viewed a lot differently, and perhaps these idiots might find out what the hell REAL PRIDE is...for once in their pathetic lives.
We can but hope.
*** Lastly today...are we doing what we can to improve ourselves?
I know that sounds a bit intimidating, but it's not that hard to do, really.
We might be working out, and that's only ONE way of personal improvement.
Actually, it's the most obvious way.
But how often do we engage in a form of improvement in our lives that is NOT as readily evidenced whenever we look in the mirror?
Are we doing what we can to become AS INFORMED as we need to be, especially in times such as these?
Are we practicing common sense, instead of trying to over think everything?
Are we making as good a choice with our finances as we should be doing?
Now we might not be able to do ALL these, and certainly not ALL AT ONCE, but we can take some moments here and there to "fine tune" some of the aspects I mentioned.
We might have to read just parts of our lives to accommodate frugality, but it's nothing new.
Our parents have done it, as did their parents before them...and so on.
Personal improvement can always begin with all the little things...never start big.
Improve the mind, and the body will follow has always been something I prefer to hang onto.
Our lives are like finely crafted artifacts...all one of a kind.
How we take care of them says much.
And how we ignore them says likewise.
There has to be balance...and commitment...and persistence.
THAT is how we get by every single day.
That is how we better ourselves so that others might see our example.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and... Stay safe out there, America.

Humpday Happenings...
Wow..Wednesday already...I keep forgetting about that Monday holiday gig.
Tends to throw me off my game, and you'd think by THIS time, and after all these years, I'd get used to it.
Well, some things you NEVER really "get used to", that's for sure.
Like life...and death.
*** Now, I'm not gonna get into a philosophical diatribe on my ex's passing...that's left for better men than I with a lot more initials after their last name.
But I would like to say that it really "weirded me out" to see her obit in the paper.
Seems like some prank instead of cold, hard fact.
When you think back to things you did together, and then read that obit, a profound sense of non-belief washes over you.
In some ways, it actually makes me want to "get my OWN sh*t in order"...just in case.
I know I'm always telling Mrs. Bobby G. (whenever I hear a certain song or piece of music) that: "I want that played at MY funeral", or "Have that played when they lower me into the ground".
It seems light-hearted enough when I mention it (and a bit macabre), but none of us know WHEN our Maker will call any of us "back home".
Our own mortality stares us in the eye whenever we see or hear about the passing of someone in our lives, be they a parent, sibling, spouse (or former spouse), or, and I really don't like reading about this...a child.
Val's funeral will be Friday, 9AM (no military time for her) in Philly, and the first thing Mrs. Bobby G. asked was if I wanted to go.
Truth be told, as much as I would like to attend, it's too far to drive, and flying THESE days spooks me even more than seeing a person I knew for over a decade who was 9 years younger than I was, "at rest" in a coffin.
I'd much rather remember her as someone very different from that somber depiction.
Maybe I'm at the age where having seen those in my life go before me is downright frightening.
It's sure depressing as hell, I can tell you that.
I know that in the past, I was always the one who was THE ROCK when it came to emotional displays at a funeral.
It took a profound moment to get me to break down, and many times, I patted myself on the back for being as STOIC as I was.
But friends, even THAT type of stoicism comes with a price...
What doesn't bother you NOW...WILL come back and bother you LATER, trust me on this one!
When Dad passed, Mom was a wreck, and deservedly so...I was the pillar to lean on in those moments.
I think my main concern at the time was making sure Mom had that "strength" to cling to.
Trouble is, MY grief didn't surface until several months later.
Suppose it's different for other folks...that's just how it turned out for me.
So my reasons for not being there are justified in my mind.
If I still lived in Philly, that choice would even more difficult...no one can really say.
But we will send flowers and condolences...and I will mourn in my own manner.
'Nuff said about that for now.
Moving ever onward...to something completely different
*** You all know I've had my car for 28 years (right up there with my TV and BETA VCR...lol -tomorrow is her birthday, but no cake...maybe a wash and wax? - how time flies), and it was back when cars had a LOT less electronic stuff than they do now.
Sure, I've got me a set of "idiot lights" on the dashboard, and all TWO gauges (fuel and speedometer only ) are ANALOG, but I like it that way...automotive minimalism at it's best.
The Wifey-mobile at least has a set of smaller gauges for oil, battery, and water temp, but that was 13 years newer than my car.
Nowadays, everything is done "electronically". You can't do ANYTHING in any vehicle that is not controlled by something requiring VOLTAGE.
Want the window UP or DOWN?
There's a button for that.
Want to LOCK the doors?
Yep, gotta button for that, too.
Adjust the seat?
No sweat...gotta BUNCH of buttons for THAT one!
UP. DOWN. FORWARD. BACKWARD. LUMBAR. RECLINE.
(whew) Does every thing but take the dog out for a walk.
Then there's all the "entertainment" crap taking up space and weight.
We apparently can no longer do for ourselves...we need "electrical intervention" along the way.
We have to be MORE comfortable in our cars than we are AT HOME?
Something just ain't right with that.
And when asked by consumer panels what the NUMBER ONE complaint was with their NEW cars, people invariably stated it was....(drum roll, please....wait for it...) THE ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS on board!!!
(who knew?)
We've over-complicated things SO damn much, that the car won't take to going into gear unless the damn seatbelt is buckled.
Take this new Ford Fusion HYBRID they have out.
It gets 41 MPG in the city...(wow).
It's engine has 156 BHP and there's a whole lot more technical "stuff" I won't get into.
What I WILL mention is that (for your viewing enjoyment) several LCD full color video screens where the GAUGES should be.
So while you're driving "green", you can WATCH leaves and vines "growing" on those screens...
(( "WTF?"))
Why in God's name would I want growing vines on my dashboard?
Why do I even NEED such crap being a distraction?
(got OTHER DRIVERS taking care of THAT)
Don'cha miss those days when gauges where mechanical in nature, and the only distraction was the wind whipping through the cabin as you rolled along at 60 MPH with the windows down and the Beach Boys on the damn radio?
But, if it's NOT an electronic issue, it COULD be a major MECHANICAL one, like this story:
(( Published: July 6, 2011 3:00 a.m.
Suit accuses GM of failing to fix Impalas
DEE-ANN DURBIN Associated Press
DETROIT – A lawsuit claims General Motors Co. treated the police better than it did average citizens when taking care of a defective part in 2007 and 2008 Chevrolet Impalas.
The lawsuit alleges that Impalas from the two model years have defective spindle rods, which connect the suspension to the rear wheels. The defect causes the wheels to misalign, which makes the tires wear out faster. The tires could also wear out unevenly, increasing the risk of a blowout.
GM fixed the part on police versions of the Impala three years ago but didn’t correct the same problem in hundreds of thousands of other Impalas, according to the lawsuit filed last week in Detroit.
Donna Trusky of Blakely, Pa., who bought a new Impala with Goodyear tires in February 2008, claims that before she reached 6,000 miles, the tread on her rear tires was so worn she had to replace them. Typically, tires should last for 30,000 miles or more. Her lawyers are asking the judge to certify her lawsuit as a class action.
According to the lawsuit, GM sent a bulletin to dealers in June 2008 telling them to replace the spindle rods and tires on affected police vehicles. It also authorized dealers to reimburse police who had bought replacement tires as long as the reimbursement request was made before July 31, 2009.
But GM allegedly didn’t offer the same remedy to non-police owners. The company sold a total of 423,000 Impalas from those model years. GM spokesman Alan Adler said 23,800 of those cars became police models.
Adler confirmed that GM issued a service bulletin for police cars from the 2007 and 2008 model years because of suspension problems. But he said the company wouldn’t comment further. ))
Talk about an "OOPS" moment THERE, hmm?
*** We might be staring at homicide #13 in Fort Wayne, too.
(( One person is dead after an early morning stabbing in Fort Wayne
Updated: Wednesday, 06 Jul 2011, 8:20 AM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 06 Jul 2011, 4:14 AM EDT
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - New information has been released on Wednesday morning's fatal stabbing in Fort Wayne.
One person is jailed in connection with the crime. It happened just before 2 a.m. at 6053 Bunt Drive.
38-year old Aung Kyaw was pronounced dead at the scene.
With the help of Burmese translators investigators arrested a suspect.
That person is now charged with aggravated battery and in the Allen County Jail.
A preliminary investigation shows there was a disturbance between the victim and the suspect when the stabbing occurred.
An autopsy today will determine the exact cause and manner of death. ))
The entire area of Bunt Drive between the 5700 blocks and the 6100 blocks is ALWAYS a "busy" place for the local po-po. Never a day passes without some FWPD officers being called to that area.
And Burmese prefer bladed weapons to guns (for now). Just wait until they all LEARN ENGLISH...and start stopping by the gun shops.
Won't that be "fun"?
*** Finally today...each of us is here for a REASON.
We might not have any idea WHAT that reason is, and many times, that will bother the hell out of us.
Yet, if we were someplace else (which is where most of my neighbors should be), we wouldn't be able to do the work that's required of us (whatever that might entail or however unpopular we might find it).
Sure, it's great to be someplace you WANT to be...living La Vida Loca, but life doesn't guarantee that to any of us...at all.
And if we were at THAT place, what good would we be to ourselves...or to others?
We might find ourselves up to our necks in problems, and eventually, we will extricate ourselves from them...one day at a time, one problem at a time.
And THAT builds character; it rather defines WHO we (can) become in life, so that we might help others in our families or even beyond such confines.
We grow stronger by advancing THROUGH our adversities, not by shirking them.
We make better decisions by learning from mistakes, not by avoiding them.
And we become better people that we all were the day previous.
So if you ever doubt your purpose in life, or the path you find yourself trodding upon, take just a moment to look around you...at the little things...
Everything in life has brought you to that point in time...for a REASON.
So strive to become the best "you" possible and give that reason the meaning it richly deserves.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

To Everything There Is a Season...
Now most all of you have heard that phrase, and many can probably quote where in the Good Book it can be found.
And today, after the 235th birthday of our nation, it hits home a little closer for me than I would have preferred.
All of us have some sort of "past lives" to speak of...times when we did things or had jobs in other places with other people; people we don't hear tell about any longer. Some of those times can contain friends, loved ones, co-workers, spouses...you name it.
And I've had my share thus far.
So imagine my disbelief when my nephew Erik (my favorite VA firefighter) called to inform me that my former wife, Valerie had suddenly passed away.
It's times like this that you hear an internal "THUD"...like that proverbial "other shoe" that dropped in your life.
She was 9 years my younger, and we did split on as good terms as could be after more than seven years.
Having no children made it easier, although she did take our cat and kept him until he passed at 13 years.
You don't really want to assess blame on yourself, either...but you do.
You can't help it.
There is always a "what if?" lurking in the closets of our lives, and many times, we might even take them out, dust them off, and take another look at 'em, just to see if we could have done things better...or sooner...or less costly.
Then there's times when good old denial works best, but thankfully not for long.
Who we were brought up to become surfaces and we face those cold, hard facts of our lives.
Time stops for some folks...and continues for others, and only the Lord God Himself knows WHY.
And again, I will find some way to move forward with the rest of life.
Originally, Val was my supervisor in the Treasury Department (What? marry the boss?) and I guess we were two rudderless ships at the time who managed to "bump" into each other along life's vast ocean.
We travelled to VA often (family) and usually spent this time of year in Gettysburg, PA for the re-enactments (where I bought my 1861 Colt percussion revolver, and YES, that is the two of us having a sepia photo sit down there...I told you it was a few lifetimes ago), and we spent time together at the pistol range in Philly. (she was often a better shot than I was, which scared my buddies Bob & Jim)
We laughed together and cried together as couples will sometimes do, yet through it all, we had a pretty decent time of it while it lasted.
I guess you could say I grew out of love...a static relationship wasn't cutting it.
My job was keeping me up & out to some weird hours, and I was on a short leash (we had pagers back then), so I never knew when I'd be called back out for some dumbass thing. My life wasn't my own anymore, and certainly wasn't making for happy bedfellows.
We parted ways in 1996, and she was the one who called me (here) when Mom passed in 1998.
My only hope was that she could find what our relationship had lost over time once again.
Now, while I wish we lived closer, I don't know if I would feel comfortable attending the services.
And while I do have a valid reason for being there, I wouldn't want to intrude or dredge up any ill feelings from anyone there.
When I get the details, I will send along flowers, and sign the online guestbook, if they provide one.
*** We never do know the road ahead in our lives, and that can be both intriguing as well as terrifying.
We would LIKE to know what's in store for us, but maybe it's best we DON'T know, because if we DID know, that might have farther-reaching ramifications not only to us, but to others as well.
And yes, I can debate the issues on such things ad nauseum...maybe it's just my way of coping. For everyone, it IS different.
I do know that losing people in one's life makes a person weary beyond their years.
This is not the FIRST time something like this has happened in my life.
A LONG time ago, I was working a job, and the buddies I made were finished for the week, We said our goodbyes for the 4th of July weekend and all said "...see you on Tuesday". Well, Tuesday never came for one of us.
One friend was attending a family function and a small nephew fell into the pool there. My friend dove in to save him, struck the bottom and broke his neck...that was it. Over in an instant.
Never forgot that...and for the life of me, I can't remember his damn name.
The weird part is that the rest of carried on...don't ask me how, we just did.
Maybe my generation had much of the former one, and we kept on "keeping on", as it were.
So, if I suffer some DEJA VU for a while, I hope you'll all understand that I'm a firm believer that lightning can strike twice in the same place.
(the human heart)
It never gets easier to totally mend such a delicate item of our humanity, but we keep repairing the cracks.
*** Elsewhere, around out "Fortress"...
Sounded like a busy night in Fallujah...or Saigon during 1968's Tet...or the Ardennes in the winter of 1944.
And we didn't even have to leave our bastions to "enjoy" it all.
I will say ONE THING about the fireworks laws in Fort Wayne, Indiana...CHANGE THEM...change them NOW.
In residential areas with LESS than 50 feet BETWEEN properties, it's just NOT RIGHT to set off AERIAL fireworks that rival the size (and often the sound) of a damn 81mm MORTAR!
Shards of debris rain down on property, and I even heard a radio call from a citizen who had their vehicle DAMAGED by fireworks.
There was another call for a trash bin in someone's YARD that caught fire from them also.
And in our little part of the ghettohood, we had minority morons (white people are at a premium, and SMART ones who are RESPONSIBLE are even fewer in number, trust me on THAT one) setting off fireworks in the MIDDLE OF THE DAMN INTERSECTION.
We're talking huge-ass mortars with lots of display such that even TRAFFIC couldn't get through, and even when you call the police for the violation (which it certainly is, if you read the ordinances)
they only roll through and say something...even when an aerial goes off RIGHT NEXT to their cruiser as they drive away...amazing!
Here's a local article that says WHERE (as well as when) you can set such things off...not that any of the local flotsam have a freaking CLUE (because they're all dumber than a bag of rocks):
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local/local_wane_fireworks_laws_for_fort_wayne_and_Indiana_200905221633
I found the FWPD response to be marvelously INeffective in that regard (yet prompt), but I'm SURE they didn't have ANY trouble with compliance in those nice, GOOD neighborhoods, where people actually LISTEN when a law-enforcement officer says to REFRAIN from such activities, and follow the LAW.
What truly amazes me, is HOW people that DO NOT WORK manage to BUY so damn MANY of these things...and like I said before, they ain't cheap, kids!
And there's NO damn way a person could STEAL that much sh*t from the local stores.
We're talking HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS SPENT...(per idiot)...and used up during the FOUR HOUR "event" last evening.
And that's not including the days both leading UP TO and FOLLOWING the 4th of July.
I suppose that the WIC program now INCLUDES fireworks?
Or maybe instead of FOOD STAMPS, they get VOUCHERS redeemable at Phantom Fireworks stores for the month of July?
Perhaps DRUG MONEY does but a SH*TLOAD of aerial annoyances...I can't say, but something is DEFINITELY WRONG with this picture.
And that is one thing that NEEDS to change.
Then again, it does make sense that the kids can't be clothed properly...or fed...or even have a toy bought for them (instead of those primitive rocks and sticks) when all the cash is going for FIREWORKS...or CAR STEREOS...or RIMS & TIRES, right?
Sure glad we have the TAXPAYING PUBLIC to thank for all the assistance, right? YOU paid for it in some way.
How's about we require people to GET A LICENSE to set such fireworks off...like getting a FIREARM?
(and no straw-purchasing)
Let's hold these morons to SOME level of accountability...and responsibility for once.
Hey, I love a good fireworks display, but NOT when I feel as if I'm living at ground zero of an M 109 ARTILLERY BATTERY sending greetings downrange.
Again, our city needs to extricate it's cranium from it's alimentary canal (get their head out of their damn ass) and make some laws that have some TEETH, and manage to achieve that QUALITY-OF-LIFE our mayor shoves down our throats at every photo-op.
Life is too short to waste on annoying others...or being annoyed by the idiots in our midst.
And that you can take to the bank.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

Monday Musings on America's Birthday...
Today, America turns 235 years old...
America, "The Great Experiment" as it was once called. If you're ready for some "history", then buckle up, 'cause we're setting the WAY-BACK machine to that all-imporatnt date in America.
*** Back in 1776, this day was the date on which the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE was adopted by our fledgling "government", otherwise known as "those wonderfully rebellious band of traitors to the Crown".
It was drafted between 11 June and 28 June by Thomas Jefferson, and is his most enduring legacy to this nation.
The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers.
What Jefferson did was to summarize this philosophy in "self-evident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country.
It was a bold (and some argued at the time), a reckless move, but there were those that KNEW this had to be done.
This document was ONLY the beginning of the battle FOR independence, and NOT the end of it.
It would take years of war between the colonies AND the British to allow this declaration to become effective and worthy of respect by those wanting to keep America under British rule.
Actually, the FINAL hostilities of the Revolutionary War occurred in 1783 and soon after the last British troops left New York City. The entire TIMELINE for America's Revolution can be found here:
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/revwartimeline.htm
Interestingly enough, considering the manner in which "word got around", as well as the TIME involved in getting such information to others, the Declaration of Independence was FIRST READ PUBLICLY on 8 July, 1776...a mere FOUR days after it's adoption.
Goes to show that even printing presses of THOSE days can accomplish small miracles.
*** Now, growing up in Philly, I often visited Independence Hall downtown - the entire area is a historical park...only one I know of in a DOWNTOWN locale of a major city.
Actually got to see the Liberty Bell up close and personal LONG before they moved it into that special pavilion away from it's original location.
Of course, in THOSE days, our schools thought that field trips to our wonderfully-preserved HISTORICAL SITES merited frequent visits...to allow us all the chance to revisit much of what made this nation in the first place.
Then again, we also saluted the flag and would recite the Pledge of Allegiance (to the proudly displayed FLAG in the rooms) EVERY morning in class.
Wonder how much of that is STILL done these days?
To visit downtown and walk in the same buildings and upon the same floors as our founders never had the impact THEN that it does for me today.
Then, it was a day out of class to see some "old stuff"...we didn't appreciate it near as much as I do these days.
I was fortunate enough to walk in many of the steps of Washington, Adams, Franklin, Hancock, Jefferson, and so on...
Makes me wish I was older when I did so, and took a camera with me, instead of lunch money.
Anyone that has the chance to spend some time in those halls of freedom, should do so.
If you're lucky enough, you might even "bump" into Ben Franklin, walking the streets (I always liked that guy...dressed and talked the part ALL too well). This man who portrayed Franklin knew his stuff, and made history come alive.
*** Anyway, back to the 4th of July...
Like I said, this was the START of our battle for freedom, and many times, even our leaders had to pause and wonder if it might still be worth it, after losing battles and cities to the Brits.
But, with this new-found American Spirit, they all persevered, and in the final result, deemed this nation as one independent from outside rulership.
We were now "on our own", as it were...
Talk about a real "Okay, we won...NOW what do we do?" moment.
Well, we all know that cooler heads prevailed and that our Declaration was the cornerstone to the rest of our founding documents, not the least of which was our Constitution (1787).
Still, it wasn't all smooth sailing...we had people wanting a return (or a continuation) of the type of rule we had under the Crown...(damn loyalists), we had others who had little faith in our new leaders, and some just wanting to start trouble for no damn reason at all.
For the full description of the Declaration, here's the WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence#TextI I will include the first two sections, because they are usually the most attributed and most well-known.
(( When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
--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.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. ))
*** Jefferson did have a way with the written word, did he not?
Yet, had it NOT been for the oratory of John Adams, it might have all ended there.
Adams was a champion of separation from England and the fiercest advocate of Jefferson’s declaration.
Without his persuasive speeches in the Philadelphia chamber, the document wouldn’t have been signed.
While Jefferson was silent during what he considered the convention’s editorial debasement of his work, Adams defended every clause, including an excised call for the abolition of slavery. Jefferson called Adams “a colossus on the floor” of the Congress.
And those words still echo TODAY, as we celebrate the 235th birthday of OUR NATION.
For the lowdown of what today means (to those that understand what was done and what was sacrificed to bring it all to being), here's the WIKI link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(United_States)
We all comprehend what is meant by celebration...some more than others, obviously.
But when it becomes ALL about "having fun", we need to back up and think about WHY we're able to do so.
The first celebrations were held in much higher esteem, with a lot less "frivolity" than we display these days.
-On the first anniversary of America's independence, THIRTEEN guns were fired...at both dawn and dusk...period.
That was done in Rhode Island.
-Philadelphia celebrated the first anniversary in a manner a modern American would find quite familiar: an official dinner for the Continental Congress, toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews, and fireworks. Ships were decked with red, white, and blue bunting.
In 1778, General George Washington marked July 4 with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute. Across the Atlantic Ocean, ambassadors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin held a dinner for their fellow Americans in Paris, France.
And so on, down through history we went...marking this day as one of the pivotal points in America, if not THE most important one.
Military bases perform a "salute to the union", promptly at 1200 hours, consisting of a FIFTY-GUN salute (one for each state).
And yet, every year, everyone tries to outdo one another when it comes to fireworks...
Usually it's one city that has the BIGGEST YET display, or some idiot on your street that is the CLARK GRISWOLD of store-bought PYROTECHNICS, and isn't happy until everyone has bleeding ears and burnt houses.
The spirit of the day gets lost easily under such auspices.
This is one IMPORTANT day in our history.
And it should be honored that way, but then again, I'm such a traditionalist.
It would be nice for the idiots to even recognize that if it were NOT for our independence, they wouldn't have the chance to act as STUPID as they do (making the rest of us look so much smarter, I might add...thanks, morons).
This day took place for EVERYONE all those years ago...not for some, but ALL Americans.
We were this GREAT EXPERIMENT.
Today, we face challenges we've yet to fully comprehend, let alone know the proper method to find solutions.
Can we say with conviction that we CAN still be UP TO THE TASK of solving our problems and getting this nation back onto solid ground, much like our founders believed when they climbed way out on a limb for the chance at freedom and liberty?
I think we can...and are...we have to be, if for no other reason, than the fact that we ARE Americans all.
It worked back then, and I think it will STILL work for us today.
All we have to do is believe and trust in divine providence to motivate ourselves.
Therein lies the lesson for today.
Have yourselves a very happy 4th of July, and remember WHY we celebrate.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.
(Btw, you don't look all that bad for being 235 years old)