Meaningful Poetry

Not sure what's wrong with me but I have been in the "reading old literature" mode lately. I spent the better part of a couple evenings reading poetry written by Rudyard Kipling. I had forgotten how much his writings really hit home. His insights from our relationships with our pets to the aftereffects of war are inspiring.
Especially good reading is "The Gods of the Copybook Headings" written in 1919. Government, socialism, and the gullibility of the public is addressed in stark detail. This is a poem that touches on gun control, on greed, on apathy, and the general human condition.
I will post the poem here for those of you that haven't read it. Enjoy...

AS I PASS through my incarnations in every age and race,
I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place.
Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.

We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn
That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn:
But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind,
So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.

We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace,
Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market Place,
But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come
That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome.

With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch,
They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch;
They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings;
So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.

When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "Stick to the Devil you know."

On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life
(Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife)
Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "The Wages of Sin is Death."

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."

Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew
And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true
That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;
And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!

Future now

Anybody remember reading Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury?
Did this book published in the 50's predict today's reality or what?
      From the clamshell earpiece radios (ipod) to the wall sized televisions broadcasting politically correct messages (ditto) to the mechanical hound chasing down and killing lawbreakers (can you say predator drones) this is as chilling a vision of the future as I can remember reading.
      Most people assume this book was about censorship (you know, firemen burning books) but read a little closer. It's about the dumbing down of society through constant bombardment of the masses with bland, politically correct entertainment from the TV sets. Nobody reads, nobody thinks for themselves, nobody questions the government, everybody's the same. Does any of this sound familiar?
      Wake up! Educate yourselves! Vote! Get involved!

Healthcare

Well, we're a day away from the government taking over the health care industry. Yes, I know that's not what they say, "it'll be better for everybody", "save money", "reduce the deficit", yada, yada, yada. Nobody in their right mind that even thinks about it believes it. The government cannot run anything efficiently, they never have, why would it start now?
If we add 32 million more people to the insurance rolls without adding more doctors will mean there will be less doctor time available per person. You all know quality and availability of care will suffer when this happens. Can you say "rationing"?
Don't get me wrong, I believe the health care system in this country has serious flaws which need to be addressed, but this will make it worse!

New Year

2009 is about gone. Congress is doing their best to screw with every aspect of our lives through health care changes, wasteful spending and the possibility of "cap and trade" but right now is not the time to worry about it because it is the Christmas season.
Celebrate the season with family and friends! Life is short, trust me, to do otherwise.
Football bowl games are in full swing, pro football playoffs are coming up, Christmas programs and other displays are everywhere! Get off the couch!
We can worry about the politicians and their ilk come next year, and yes, they will need a dressing down from the public, we'll get on it then.
Merry Christmas!!

Thanksgiving

It's that time of the year again. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Good food, no... great food, family, friends, football, and turkey induced naps!! What more can one ask for from a holiday?
     Regardless of how you feel about politics or government you are still living in the greatest country in the world, even if you're cynical and say it's only for now. You should always take a moment to give thanks to the people who have made it that way....... all the brave pioneers, our soldiers, the founding fathers, etc. Just remember the poorest people in this country are better off than 90+% of the undeveloped world!
     Have a safe and enjoyable Holiday!

Car Progress

I'm a little tired of writing about politics, government, sports, etc so I'm going to write about my project car I've been working on. It's a 1959 Morris Minor 1000 that I am mounting on a custom built frame. It has a FE series big-block ford engine, automatic transmission, Dana 60 rear end, "wavy tube" front axle mounted "suicide style"

I started with nothing but a pile of tubing and an idea of what I wanted to build. Then I just started... no specific plans, no blueprints, just started building. Originally this was not even the body I was originally going to use. First it was going to be a pickup cab but everybody's doing that. Then I was going to use a Fiat roadster but it was going to look too much like a sports car (not that there's anything wrong with sports cars.... just not the look I was going for). I'm kind of going for the 50's and 60's look of a altered/gasser competition coupe look

This project is a long way from being done but it keeps me off the streets (at least for now) and gives me an outlet for my creativity

Election Results

It's been awhile since I posted........... you know, certain things get in the way sometimes... like work, projects, family activities, etc. But I digress.
Anyway just sitting here watching the election results and all the "talking heads" trying to make sense of it. Of course both sides try to spin it their way. Democrats say it's no reflection on their progressive agenda, the Republicans want to say it's the start of a major power shift. They're both wrong; it is a reflection of the American people's mood. They are tired of unrestrained spending, bailouts, government interference and business as usual. The Republicans are right that it's the start of a power shift but wrong that it's strictly to the GOP. People want representatives who mirror their views not some "pie-in-the-sky" socialist agenda where the government controls all aspects of their lives from "womb to tomb".