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My Back Pages: Thoughts On Aging : Aging! There is no such thing as aging gracefully. We age like we learned to walk... with many pitfalls, bruises, and staggering around. Som...

Aging! There is no such thing as aging gracefully. We age like we learned to walk... with many pitfalls, bruises, and staggering around. Sometimes, we seem to forget where we are.. or who we are. We don't forget, but it seems this way to our families. You can't walk as well as you used to. You struggle for words when trying to make a point. People who once thought of you as intelligent, now think of you as a little odd. Members of your family nod their heads when you try to make a point, but you catch them exchanging glances with each other when they think that you are not looking.    All of this saddens me. I feel as bright and relevant as I did when I was in my twenties. The difference being, I now know what the hell I am talking about.   I am a thoughtful man. I am not one who jumps to a conclusion without thoroughly researching what I am talking about. However, I feel that everything that I say these days is either ignored, or taken with a grain of salt. Getting older s

Another day, more shootings, more deaths in New York. Young people facing violent death because of disagreements. What is the answer?? It's too easy to get firearms illegally in this state, despite the laws. The underbelly of our society simply go to states where guns are easy to obtain, then smuggle them into our state. What is the answer? The NRA would have you believe that we should arm everyone, so that people could retaliate. This is just insanity. We don't need to go ba ck to the fabled wild west days, where people routinely shot at each other. We are supposed to be an evolved society. However, it seems to me that we are sliding backwards. When I was a young man, most young people did not routinely shoot at each other. The concept of killing someone that you disagreed with was, for the most part, foreign and abhorrent to us. We might get into fist fights, but to murder someone was beyond our way of thinking. What has changed? Is it the glorification of gun v

My Back Pages: Another Mass Murder..... When Will Are Impotent Po... :   A few thoughts about these shootings that seem to happen with more regularity in this country. First, this latest piece of human garbage...

  A few thoughts about these shootings that seem to happen with more regularity in this country. First, this latest piece of human garbage claimed that he was not religious, but that he was spiritual. I often say this.... no, this is who I am.... but this evil bastard was not spiritual. Spiritual people do not commit mass murder. Spiritual people have love and acceptance in their hearts for all living things. He was an evil, troubled man who decided that he was going to die and that he was going to take as many people with him as possible. I wish that he had quietly taken his own life instead of inflicting as much terror, as much devastation, on as many people as he could. Make no mistake about it, his aim was to hurt not only those poor souls that he shot, but their families and all those in the community that have had their lives permanently changed by this. His acts were far reaching, as they have touched every caring person in this great country. It puts those who believe that it

September 13, 2015 On this, the beginning of the Holiday Season, which runs from Rosh Hashanah, through Yom Kippur, to Thanksgiving, and through Christmas and New Year; we should all reflect on what has been handed down to us over the centuries and how we are the keepers of the flame. We, as a people, have come so far, and yet, have so far still to go. We should all try to be good and respectful to one another. It doesn't matter what religion that you follow... it doesn't matter if you follow n o religion at all. What matters is that we all should respect each other, and be accepting of everyone's beliefs. I say accepting, not tolerating, because accepting means that we realize that we all have differences and respect that. Tolerating means that you are putting up with the differences.. Being kind to everyone that you meet does not require much of an effort. Being kind just means that you are nice to each other. I try to live my life to this way of thinking. Do I always su

   September 14, 2015   Good Evening, my friends. I don't have anything special to say tonight, only that I wish everyone peace, love, and tranquility during this beautiful holiday season. There is so much turmoil and hatred in the world: ISIS and it's hatred of everything. They kill, maim, and grind anyone under their heels of hatred. The regime in Syria who gasses and bombs it's own people, and of course, any government that thinks its a good idea to wage war on others because they do not subscrib e to their way of thinking. We are all individuals... we all have our own thoughts on the way to being a right thinking people. Where we go wrong is when we try to force everyone to think as we do. Not everyone is a a Muslim. Not everyone is a Jew. Not everyone is a Christian.. or a Wiccan.. or a Spiritualist, or an agnostic, or an atheist. It doesn't matter what religion or lack of religion you are, as long as you respect and acknowledge everyone's right to worship,

My Back Pages: Labor Day Thoughts, 2015 : Another Labor Day has passed, and it seems that each year the voice of workers in this country gets weaker. Corporations continue to look ...

Another Labor Day has passed, and it seems that each year the voice of workers in this country gets weaker. Corporations continue to look for ways to increase the workload, while cutting workers at every turn, despite record profits, despite increasing corporate officer salaries to dizzying levels. These faceless multinational monolithic corporations continue to ship American jobs overseas to countries where they can pay workers pennies a day. They look to cut hard-won benefi ts to the workers that they retain at every turn. The modern day robber barons like the Koch brothers have the ear of sympathetic politicians and work to get bills through congress that would enable corporations to give off time, instead of overtime pay. They work to eliminate FMLA and anything that would benefit the workers. Make no mistake about it, where for a brief and shining moment, America was the beacon for the world on how workers had succeeded in making it possible to live a comfortable life, there are

My Back Pages: Wake Up World Leaders! : I am sitting here tonight, stunned and saddened by the slaughter and neglect of such a large segment of society. We have the refugees i...

I am sitting here tonight, stunned and saddened by the slaughter and neglect of such a large segment of society. We have the refugees in Darfur, Sudan: 300,000 slaughtered, and 2.3 million displaced. This has been going on for years now. The souls of those lost cry out to the world, but seem to fall on deaf ears. Now, we have all of the refugees from the horrors of the ISIS wars in Syria and Iraq. They are fleeing death and mutilation from a group that vows world domination. So many have died just trying to get away. Those who make it are subject to being interred in refugee camps. So many have drowned, or died from other causes, in their desperate bid to find freedom from the horrors of these wars. Men, Women, Children... the very old, the very young, all desperately seeking a way out, a way to survive. In Hungary, they are put in camps by the government. If they choose to leave, they face a long walk to Austria so that they can get to Germany, which has promised them asylum. The

My Back Pages: The Circus Is In Town : Donald Trump is a bully and a coward. Of course, all bullies are cowards at heart. Donald Trump likes to ridicule and disparage people wh...

Donald Trump is a bully and a coward. Of course, all bullies are cowards at heart. Donald Trump likes to ridicule and disparage people who stand up to him. He doesn't engage them in a debate.... no, he chooses to call them names and minimize anything that they have done. Case in point: John McCain. This bully said that he was no hero, despite the fact that Captain McCain, while a prisoner of war, declined being repatriated to the US because others had been POW's longer than he, and s uch early release was prohibited by the POW's interpretation of the military  Code of Conduct : To prevent the enemy from using prisoners for propaganda, officers were to agree to be released in the order in which they were captured. McCain served with honor, while Trump used various deferments to keep from serving. As I said earlier, a coward. Case in point: Megyn Kelly of FOX News. She was the moderator of the first Republican debate and had the audacity to  challenge Mr. Trump about his a

My Back Pages: Why We Celebrate....... : Independence Day... the 4th of July... it has always meant so much to me.. it has always meant so much to everyone that I knew in my circle,...

I am very conflicted! We have a symbol of rebellion and hate flying over a state capital, yet

Independence Day... the 4th of July... it has always meant so much to me.. it has always meant so much to everyone that I knew in my circle, in my world. We celebrated our freedom from oppression, we celebrated our freedom from the being subjected to the whim of a king, or a government so far removed from our reality. We reveled in our ability to protest against laws that we did not agree with, we reserve the right to protest against anything that the government  did, without being subjected to persecution because of our beliefs. We won those rights, along with the right to worship. or not worship, as we wished. We won the right to free speech, no matter if it was against the government, as long as it did not injure anyone else. We can protest as we wish, even if it is abhorrent to the rest of the citizens. As long as we did not hurt anyone, we could state whatever we wished.   We are at a crossroads in this country. We have a faction that wants to burn the American Flag, because they

My Back Pages: My Back Pages: The Political Circus Begins : My Back Pages: The Political Circus Begins :  So here we go, into another Presidential race. Actually, it's been going on since the resu...

 We all have had heroes growing up, whether it was a sports star, or some Rock and Roll idol, or idols... someone that we wanted to be like. I had my heroes, some silly teen-aged idols, some political; but let's think about this. We had real heroes who were in our lives all along. They did what they had to do every day... without complaint, without looking for adoration. These real-life heroes were the fathers.  They went out to work each and every day to earn a living to support their family. They worked hard, without complaint, not looking for and special recognition, to make the lives of their families better. They put food on the table. They worked with their wives to make a beautiful home for their children. They were there to try to guide us all to be good people. If you needed them, they were there. They gave counsel when you needed it; they stayed out of it when they knew that they should. Most of all, they were always there. They may have been strict disciplinarians, or

My Back Pages: The Political Circus Begins :  So here we go, into another Presidential race. Actually, it's been going on since the results of the las one were publishe...

 So here we go, into another Presidential race. Actually, it's been going on since the results of the las one were published. Millions of dollars are spent on these things. So much time that could be used by some of these pols to do the jobs that they were elected to do. Yet, they use both to gear up for the ultimate elected position. First, they play coy with the press, saying that they are "Exploring their options." They quietly tell members of their inner circles to get the word out that they are running, while denying that they are any time that they are asked. They book themselves on talk shows to get their faces out there.They make policy statements. They criticize the current administration, taking potshots whenever they can. Finally, they call a press conference to announce that they are running for President. You get a menagerie of political animals of all stripes who tear at each other in a frenzy to grasp the nomination of their party. Over the com

My Back Pages: Greed and Hypocracy : Another phony pol bites the dust! I am so sick of those who claim to be righteous and religious, and who have the audacity to pass judgemen...

Another phony pol bites the dust! I am so sick of those who claim to be righteous and religious, and who have the audacity to pass judgement on others, being exposed for the hypocrites that they are! Hastert is just another in a long line of pols who have the audacity to pass judgement on gay Americans, and those who believe in choice, claiming that they are 'Christian Conservatives". The real Christians, those who believe in ALL that Jesus said, should be appalled and distan ce themselves from these fakes, phonies, and frauds. Hastert was a man who used his position to make money for himself. He took bribes from the Turks, and took money from all that would buy his vote. I am sick of these pols who sell their positions. I am sick of those who are supposed to serve the people, instead, use their positions to either enrich themselves, or feed their sexual proclivities. Because of Hastert, and so damned many like him, this country is in deep jeopardy. Our jobs a

My Back Pages: Memorial Day, 2015 :   Another Memorial Day is upon us, and as each year passes, the reason for this day seems to be diminished. It's a sad day of reflecti...

  Another Memorial Day is upon us, and as each year passes, the reason for this day seems to be diminished. It's a sad day of reflection for me, as I think about those who stood for the greater good and gave their all.    The members of the Greatest Generation are all but gone from the current scene. They stood, as one, to preserve the rights of a free people to exist. The horrors that they uncovered, both in the European and Pacific theaters of war are well documented. Yet, there are so many today who choose to forget the sacrifices of these great men and women. They all came together to fight for the freedoms that we all enjoy today. We must never forget their sacrifices. We must never forget those who were designated for annihilation by those who claimed to be the master races.   I spend these days reflecting on the efforts of those who wished a better future for us all. It was an effort that the entire generation of a free people voluntarily sacrificed for. So many died, wi

My Back Pages: Mother's Day : Mothers Day:   What is a mother? She is the person that has nurtured you throughout you growth. She is the person who was always there for ...

Mothers Day:   What is a mother? She is the person that has nurtured you throughout you growth. She is the person who was always there for you; to dry your tears. To pick you up and brush you off when you fell. She's the one person who was always there to cheer you on when did well. She was there when you failed, and told you that the loss, or the failure, was not the end of the world.. that you would do better next time.. that you would overcome whatever your weakness or your failure was. She sternly told you to stop feeling sorry for yourself when things got rough, and to do better. She was there to clean and bandage your wounds, and to stand up for you when some put you down.    A mother may have been the woman who gave birth to you, but not necessarily. A mother is the woman who worried about you and took care of you all through your childhood. A mother is the woman who was always there for you, through good times and bad. She was there when you met your first love, and she w

My Back Pages: Chris Kyle, An American Hero : We went to see American Sniper today, and two of our older granddaughters went with us, at their request. It was a very intense film, and tr...

We went to see American Sniper today, and two of our older granddaughters went with us, at their request. It was a very intense film, and true to life. It brought tears, anger, and respect. Respect for those who quietly go about their jobs to protect the lives of others. It's a terrible thing to have to take another person's life, but they do it to protect the lives of countless numbers of others. They suffer for it after their service is done.   To Michael Moore, and his ilk, who said ugly, dismissive  things about Chris Kyle.... You walk through this country, breathing the free air, and making whatever statements that you wish... Perhaps you would rather walk down the streets of Baghdad, or in one of the warlord dominated villages in Afghanistan, than where you are today; why don't you try it, you over-fed elitist scumbag! You want to call Chris Kyle a coward? Listen to me, you you piece of garbage,  if it wasn't for men like this, who put their lives on the line eve