Happy Birthday, Dad

My Dad, standing on the right, circa 1938

Well, another July 9th has rolled around and once more I quietly remember my father’s birthday. Today he would have turned 75 years old.
I miss him.
Alot.

“It was on my fifth birthday that Papa put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Remember, my son, if you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of your arm.’”- Sam Levenson

Posted from iPhone

Declaration of Independence

Yes, I posted this last year at this time. But, I’m betting there are still some who have never read this document. This document, for which the United States of America celebrates a national holiday. This document, for which patriots bled (and still do) and from which a nation was born. Read it. And after you’ve read it, ask yourself these questions:

1) What happened to that nation? And…
2) How many of our elected ‘officials’ would sign this document today?

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds 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 to 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 shown 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. –Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.
He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.
He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.
He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:
For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing taxes on us without our consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:
For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:
For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:
For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:
For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.
We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

My answers to those questions are simple. That nation wandered from the very Creator whom they recognized as having endowed those ‘certain unalienable rights,’ lost its way, and is too proud – too locked into the flawed theory of political correctness, and the terminal condition of greed – to admit its errors and seek forgiveness.
As for the elected ‘officials,’ my guess is that none of them would sign it today. Why? See the answer to question #1 above. (After all, can we all say “separation of church and state”? Apparently our founding fathers had different interpretation of the establishment clause, huh.)
When you celebrate tomorrow, and enjoy the fireworks displays that will go on around the country tomorrow night, remember the words of this declaration. Honor the men and women who have served this country since July 4, 1776, as they deserve our deepest gratitude. But reserve your praise for the One who made this nation. The God in heaven that our forefathers wrote of in this very declaration of independence. Yes, that same God that too many now find too politically incorrect to believe in. The founding fathers needed Him in 1776. We surely need Him now. So, when you say, “God bless America,” remember this – it’s not a motto, it’s a prayer.
Enjoy the fireworks.

“There, I guess King George will be able to read that.” – John Hancock

“It is my living sentiment, and by the blessing of God it shall be my dying sentiment, independence now and independence forever.” – Daniel Webster

Posting From My Phone

Did I happen to mention how utterly thrilled I am that today is Friday?
Yep… utterly thrilled.
And this is my first post from my phone.
Utterly thrilled and utterly mobile.

“Who’d a thunk it. My how times have changed!” – Jeff Jeter

I Don’t Think So…

I was riding to work yesterday when I observed a female driver who cut right in front of a pickup truck, causing the driver to drive onto the shoulder to avoid hitting her. This evidently angered the driver enough that he hung his arm out his window and gave the woman the finger.
‘Man, that guy is stupid,’ I thought to myself. I ALWAYS smile nicely and wave in a sheepish manner whenever a female does anything to me in traffic, and here’s why:

I drive 48 miles each way every day to work. That’s 96 miles each day. Of these, 16 miles each way is bumper-to-bumper. Most of the bumper-to-bumper is on an 8 lane highway. There are 7 cars every 40 feet for 32 miles. That works out to 982 cars every mile, or 31,424 cars.
Even though the rest of the 32 miles is not bumper-to-bumper, I figure I pass at least another 4000 cars. That brings the total number to something like 36,000 cars that I pass every day. Statistically, females drive half of these. That’s 18,000 women drivers!
In any given group of females, 1 in 28 has PMS.

That’s 642.

According to Cosmopolitan, 70% describe their love life as dissatisfying or unrewarding.

That’s 449.

According to the National Institute of Health, 22% of all females have seriously considered homicide.

That’s 98.

And 34% describe men as their biggest problem.

That’s 33.

According to the National Rifle Association, 5% of all females carry weapons and this number is increasing.

That means that EVERY SINGLE DAY, I drive past at least one female that has a lousy love life, thinks men are her biggest problem, has seriously considered homicide, has PMS, and is armed.

Give her the finger? I don’t think so.

Try to have a great weekend… I know I am! God bless!

“Most men are within a finger’s breadth of being mad.” – Diogenes the Cynic

“And that, my friends, is why they invented tinted windows.” – Jeff Jeter

What Would Your Father Say?

Yes, once again it has arrived. The day set aside each year to honor our fathers. Personally, my dad has been gone for some 22 years now… but I still miss him. I used to say that I would trade 5 years for five minutes with him – but as I get older, the list of questions I want to ask him grows longer and longer, and I realize that five minutes wouldn’t even come close. So, I suppose I’ll have to wait until I graduate from this life and move on to the next. Still, I look forward to it and miss him very much.
While he was alive, Father’s Day was never more than a bottle of after shave (whatever was on sale) and lunch… usually one that he either cooked or paid for. I usually felt like it was a chore to observe, as my father wasn’t much for ’special’ occasions. (To this day, neither am I!) But as I’ve grown older, adding the status of grandfather to my resume’, I’ve come to understand that Father’s Day means a lot more.
When I was a young man, I always felt like dads were just getting the raw end of the deal – either they were giving you the money to buy their gift, or they were paying for their own ‘celebratory’ meal. Either way, all it ever cost me was time. The finance always came from dad. But, now speaking as a seasoned father and grandfather, I can see things from the perspective that my own father no doubt always had.
It’s never about the gift, nor about the money that gets spent on food or whatnot. It’s all about the time. And trust me, it’s well worth the cost of a nice meal at a good restaurant to get to spend a couple of hours with my kids (and grandson). All the time I was feeling like my dad was getting gypped with that brand new bottle of Aqua Velva – which was usually the cheapest after shave/cologne at the grocery store – I realize that he wouldn’t have cared at all if I didn’t even bring a gift. The gift he wanted, and the gift I will always want, is the time. Everything else is secondary. And always will be.
As my kids were growing up, I always used to ask them to make cards for me, rather than buy them. There’s something to cherish in a card made with those precious little hands that Hallmark can never duplicate. And, far too often in my own life, those cards in the mailbox were my entire Father’s Day commemoration. And I loved them, each and every one. Not because of the paper, or the crayons, or even the wonderful words carefully scrawled on the page… but because of the time that was spent to make them for me.
That’s the best stuff any father could ask for.
May God bless each of you on this Father’s Day. Sure, I’m still a scrooge and a half and strongly oppose those businesses out there who just want to exploit family time. But try to spend a little time with “dear old dad” today. After all, time is the most precious gift of all.
Much love.

“I have the worst memory ever so no matter who comes up to me – they’re just, like, ‘I can’t believe you don’t remember me!” I’m like, ‘Oh Dad I’m sorry!’” – Ellen DeGeneres

“I once complained to my father that I didn’t seem to be able to do things the same way other people did. Dad’s advice? ‘Don’t be a sheep. People hate sheep. They eat sheep.’” – Margo Kaufman

“He always came to save me
from the bad dreams that I’d had,
a shining knight in cotton armor…
Yessir, that was my dad” – Jeff Jeter

Monetary Donations

You know, as we face these times of economic challenge – runaway inflation, home foreclosures, unemployment, business failures, bankruptcies, not to mention the heartbreak of psoriasis – everyone is having to find ways to stretch a dollar. And, you know what, that dollar just doesn’t stretch as far as it used to. And we’re all concerned about how we’re gonna fare as these unstable circumstances unfold with each new day.
With all of this on our collective minds, I found it somewhat less than a breath of fresh air to find a memo in my inbox this morning announcing the upcoming retirement of one of the upper echelon of my agency. This memo, which was distributed system-wide to all employees, excitedly invited everyone to a gala retirement event to celebrate the career of this distinguished manager. Now, don’t get me wrong… I know this man, and have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for him and his accomplishments… but what followed the announcement of the party is what pricked my apparently thinning hide. The pronouncement that monetary donations were being collected, and to be sent to the home of another upper echelon manager.
I’m sorry. That just ruffles my feathers. It’s not enough that a large percentage of staff were intentionally excluded from the recent pay raises… it’s not enough that the same percentage of staff were intentionally excluded from hazardous duty increases… it’s not enough that there is an ever-widening chasm between upper echelon management salaries and the rest of us. None of that is enough. Now, we must be solicited system-wide for monetary donations in order that a more elaborate retirement party can be given for one who garnered more income per month than 99% of the rest of the organization. One whose retirement check each month will far exceed the working pay of those being left behind.
Sorry… that just chaps my hind quarters. Sometimes, in their own clumsily worded efforts, people who have simply fail to consider those who have not. It feels an awful lot like the king is wanting a party, and expects the peasants to foot the bills. But, maybe that’s just me.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must figure out how to generate enough supplemental income in order to provide a respectable donation. After all, I still need my job and can’t afford to piss anyone off. So, if anyone would like to make a monetary donation to me, so that I can make a monetary donation to…

“The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms. The really important things are not houses and lands, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real state, but friendships, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love and faith.” – Bertrand Russell

“I’m a bit short on cash this year. Sorry. How about some blood?” – Jeff Jeter

Time for…

…a break? Yes, I know. From the looks of this place, I’ve been on one for awhile now! Life has become wonderfully busy for me lately, and I’m stepping away from the computer to enjoy it. As such, please pardon me for the lack of posts here at the old loft. I still love you guys, but the lovely Lady Gwynneth and I are opting out of the rat race for some “us” time.
Don’t give up on me! I’m not planning to delete the blog or anything rash like that (Tony!)… just a bit of time, a hiatus, if you wish. In the mean time, may God continue to bless and keep you all. And please keep on praying! If you’ve been following Jamie’s progress, you’ll see living proof of answered prayers! (And if you haven’t, you should!)
In the words of the Terminator… I’ll be back.

“Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.” – Sidney J. Harris

“Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.” – Will Rogers

“I’ve been trying for some time to develop a lifestyle that doesn’t require my presence.” – Gary Trudeau

Thanks to Paula E. Maloney for such a wonderful painting! God bless!