Not a Nazi

Those who are closest to the Mountain of a Man know that I'm not always correct, but rarely wrong.  If that bothers you, then think of it as some kind of a zen haiku, and move your ass down the road a bit.
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So it bothered me a little when I was observing some Facebook diatribe between some of my liberal and conservative friends, when one decides to label others  as a "Nazi" because of a disagreement in the debt ceiling compromise.
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Seems to me that calling someone, or a group of people, Nazi's is indicative of a case of paranoid schizophenia that probably doesn't belong within a friendly Facebook discussion.
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Before you call someone a Nazi, maybe you should consider whether they slaughtered six million Jews as well as an additional five million Gypsies, Homosexuals, and Mentally Retarded  people in death camps while simultaneously proclaiming the racial superiority of a select group of Caucasian Europeans.  Also, to be a Nazi, they would have trampled peoples rights, stolen their possessions and enslaved whole populations to work as slaves in forced labor camps.
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Hundreds of thousands of Americans died to rid our planet of these Nazis.
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So, before you glibly use your freedom of speech to lable someone who you disagree with as a Nazi.... think about how shortsighted, insensitive, and freaking stupid you sound.
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There are no Nazis in Washington debating the debt ceiling.  There are civilized people with differences of opinion who are seeking to find compromise.   It's called Democracy.

JimL. said...

Isn't it ironic, though, to realize that even democracy can lead a nation to ruin.

Professional and Responsible

I'm supposed to go to New Haven tomorrow, but six hours to and fro in the F150 just lacks the appeal that it used to.
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I'm seriously thinking of using that time getting gritty with Google Maps in the subject area  sitting in front of my office computer.  With the street view feature, combined with all of the assessor's ownership information availble on line, this is actually a tough choice. 
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The problem is that I've visited this particular part of New Haven County three times, and each time came up with a candidate that wasn't optimal from a network engineering viewpoint.   Usually it doesn't take this much effort to hit paydirt.  Plus, the area is not a garden spot.
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And if I just go to Google, I'm just postponing the inevitable.
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In the end, I will do the professional, responsible thing... because that is what a Mountain of a Man does at Nanepashemet Telecom.

More Spartacus.

More Spartacus in Jaunuary.  Another reason to wish these months away.

TommyO said...

Oh My...
I can't wait, we have to have viewing parties, this is too cool.
TommyO

Guitar Necessity

I've been keeping my eye on a Yamaha FGX730SC Acoustic Electric Guitar.  It's offered on line for less than $500.00 and since my other acoustic guitar was stolen about a year and a half ago, I've been looking for a suitable replacement.

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The problem is that I'm not a very good guitarist.... and just a little better on the Banjo, so it's hard to justify an expenditure like this.  But the other night, my grandson, Ethan (who with his older brother, Will constitute the best Grandkids on the Planet.... just ask their Nana Joanne) asked me to got get my guitar and play him a song.

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My Epiphone Les Paul is hardly appropriate for this type of request.   I mean that is an ax made to wail the blues.... and what the hell does two and a half year old Ethan know about the blues anyway?
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It is true that his Dad is doing prison time, but Ethan doesn't know that.   He thinks that FreshAyer is just a cool place to wrestle with his father around the fenced in picnic tables.  By the time he figures out what the annoying biweekly trips were all about to see his Dad every other Sunday, he will have forgotten what transpired in our lives before he turned three.

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So playing him a tune on my blues electric guitar is out of the question.

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Which is a perfect reason to purchase that Acoustic Yamaha.

Deck Push

Big push to get the deck finished today.  The stair railings and banisters have to be installed, stair risers need finish boards,and the deck door has to be trimmed out.
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Then some serious clean up and dump runs have to occur before the dump closes at 4:00PM today. 
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After that, the priority will turn to getting the rowing boats repaired and coated so that the months of Aug. and Sept. see them on the water.
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It never all gets done.

Singular AHoy.

Yesterday, we went for a nice shoreline cruise in the WhaleEye with Dale and Gail Johnson.  It was a perfect warm summer evening in late July.  You would have thought that everyone with a boat would have been taking in the perfect conditions.
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But it seemed like every boat was on its mooring.  There was little or no boat traffic.....the only other boater I knew was Tyler Gill, who gave the WhaleEye a hearty "Ahoy".
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I thought that I was the only one staying away from the boat this year.  Maybe the economy is keeping us away from recreational pursuits.
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It was nice to be crusing around Marblehead Sound by ourselves with the Johnsons.  But weird that we were the only ones around.

Private Jet Taxation

President Obama wants to increase the taxes on people who fly in corporate jets.  Does he know what turmoil he is really about to cause?

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If the CEO's and corporate BigWigs all travel by commercial airflight, it will screw things up for everyone.  Bigger lines in security, no seats in the airport clubs and the uneasy experience of potentially having to sit next to the Big Boss for endless hours in the air.

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What if you burp, fart, or snore?  Now it can have career consequences on middle management types, who are generally struggling to keep their jobs as it is.

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Plus, the poor smucks who cater to bigwigs in the private aircraft industry will be jobless.

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I had the experience of traveling on a Gulfstream with the Big Boss when I worked for General Dyamics.  Trust me... you want to keep these guys on their personal jets and avoid their appearance in commercial airports where you can fade in with the general public..

You have to think harder on this one Barack.  Once again, the middle class bears the burden.

Bitter Medicine.

There is another financial crisis looming is Washington.  This one involves legalizing a higher debt limit in order for the federal government to borrow and pay its bills.
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Imagine if everytime you had to pay the bills, you just got a new loan to do so.   And that your expenses vastly outweighed your income, and you had no plan in place to reverse the situation and balance your finances.
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Peeps.... that is our  situation in a nutshell.   And the people who vote to increase the debt have no real personal consequences.... no motivation to make the tough descisions about the expenses that have to be cut back to bring this situation under control.
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We are into financial pain... which will get worse every year if we don't take some bitter medicine now.

the Why

The other day somebody asked me why I took the time and effort to add to this Blog every day.
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It certainly is not an income producer, nor is it necessary to massage my ego and self esteem. That can happen in a lot of other ways.
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Part of the reason is that I like to write and always have.  I started keeping a journal as a sophomore in college and have always made notebook entries throughout the years.  Maybe it's the Irish in me, but I get a lot of satisfaction in turning a word.
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But that is a relatively small part.
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Another part is that it is good emotional therapy for me which helps to even out the highs and the lows.   A professional friend years ago told me that he always writes letters to people that irritate him, then decides whether to send them after he's all cooled down.   Writing does tend to mellow you out somewhat.
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I would say that this factor holds a little more weight, because I can write about the politcal issues that tend to irk me quite a bit, and diffuse the energy that can overcome and occupy my mind to an unreasonable extent.
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After a little bit of introspection, I can truly say that the largest reason that I publish this blog is to share.  To share thoughts, ideas, advice and observations with my family and friends... and yes, my enemies.  What I say isn't always right, but it is absolutely always what I believe.  And even if some of it is in parables, it is always pure truth... or my version of reality.
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Sometimes, it is fun to spice things up with a little satire.... like when I call myself a Mountain of a Man, or when I call the Peeps pathetic lesser beings.    I hope you can tell when my tongue is in my cheek.
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I want my friends and family to see benchmarks... to feel free to agree or disagree... to see if my insight or remarks can help them in any way.    I've been accused in the past of thinking I was always right about everything.  That was an accurate observation then, and I stand guilty today.  Going forward, I always think I'm right.  Looking backward, I realize that sometimes I miss the mark.
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But being wrong has value.  You have a benchmark to measure and probe so that the truthful reality ultimately shows up.
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Sometimes my posts are personal and other times they are pretty mundane.  I know that most of you really don't give a shit if my deck gets built and stuff like that.   These are usually communications to my kids or close friends.
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What this Blog has really given back to me is a sense of the depth and richness of life.   There is no way that I can communicate a sixteenth of the stuff that drifts by my earthly position every day.

Tuna Lips said...

Further to them points, yiz pervide a service to this here communitization, an "open mike" iffin' y'll allow, fer folk of bright cogitatin', such as myself, to get the message out on issues that effects one's day to day machinations in this woebegone vale of tears. Fer instance, I got me a stubborn case of crotch rot, and with no swamp weeds to swabble my whoochin' stick in, I am suffering like Jesus on the road to Calgary. Anyone, help a brother in need. Send yer homestyle cures for this most pernicious of malladies, forthwith. And on the double, too.
I digressify. Big mammal, you are a community organizer. Next step, the White House. And I will accept your nomenclature for head of the moonshine, smokes and gun shootin' board, straighten' things out right proper, I would.

Rock Star

Don’t want to be a Rock Star,
Take the chance of dying young.
Drugs and drink will come to stalk me,
Hold their fully loaded gun.

A demon drives my music,

Makes me think I’ve gone insane.

Need to find some peace and quiet,

Amy Winehouse Dead at Age 27

Next to the roaring freight train.

Where to find my self composure,

Riffs and chords to guide my ax.

Put a sheet to my exposure

Ease it up and just relax.

Don’t want to be a Rock Star,

Just want to jam and play..

Find some lyrics, write some music,

Live to rock another day.

A Moral Duty

I've never disclosed this to anyone, Peeps, and maybe the heat has gotten the best of me... but my secret ambition in life has been to be a Philanthropist..... someone who gives their money away for worthy purposes.
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I feel that it's my calling... my special purpose... to make billions, and give millions away.
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Not for Nothing, but you're really not chipping in here.
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I mean, not many of you have stepped up to the plate and bought my book.  Put your money where your mouth is so to speak.
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How the hell can I live my dream of being a Philanthropist, if you won't even shell out a little coin to buy my pathetic book???  I don't mean to lay guilt on you, but think of all of the needy people who won't be getting grants from me, if you don't start the ball rolling.
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So order the freaking book.  It's the moral thing to do.

Beat the Heat

Thought I could get through the summer at the Sundance House without having to install a room air conditioner.
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No Freaking Way.
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I broke down yesterday and bought two 5000BTU LG room air conditioners at Home Depot in Salem.  I was looking for a 10,000BTU for our bedroom, but Home Depot only had a few 5000 BTU's left, so I installed both of them into the master bedroom, giving it the distinctive appearance of a double wide house trailer.
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Seems like yesterday when we were battling snow drifts to move into this house.  Now it's time to beat the heat.
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Cool.