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".

Future Awards

Since we are now giving out awards (Nobel Peace Prize) for accomplishments not realized I want to accept the next Pulitzer Prize for my writing. This has got to be one of the strangest occurences I can think of in recent memory. Surely just not being George Bush does not qualify one to win the Peace Prize. Maybe the committee was just caught up in the "Rock Star" hype and was trying to bring attention to themselves. Maybe they're hoping the publicity will push their own views to the forefront, Who knows?

Problems

I have been using Google Chrome for awhile now and really was beginning to like it. However lately I have been experiencing some issue with it. For some reason I keep getting and error message about shockwave player crashing. it doesn't do it when you first start browsing but inevitably it will pop up the error message and videos won't play. I've tried updating everything I could think of but still have the problem. And it's not just on one computer but on all three of the computers I use on a regular basis

My current solution is to use the newest version of the Opera browser. It has the "speed dial" option kind of like the Chrome browser but without the crashes. It seems to work extremely well but then again I haven't used it that long. I will so that I am very impressed so far.

'tis the season

Yes!!! Football season is underway! Good old football........ high school, college, or pro.... it's all good!

My personal favorite is college ball, especially the Iowa teams. The Hawkeyes and the Panthers look good but I'm not sure about the Cyclones just yet. They are definitely improved over last year as near as I can tell.

The only bad this about football season is it means winter is just around the corner, but then again it comes anyway.

Czar is gone

Well, one is gone, who's next? The "Green" czar has resigned. Of course, Van Jones never should have occupied that position. How could a man who held these views and publicly stated them ever gotten past the vetting process?

This was either the most inept investigation in the history of politics or the "powers that be" thought nobody would complain, that we would just let them do what they wanted. They were wrong, weren't they? This is just the beginning of the resistance to full government takeover. People are slowly beginning to be aware that we must watch politicians at all times, they are like kleptomaniacs, if you let them take a little power, they'll keep taking.

It is of utmost importance that everyone is vigilant or we will end up with no power and no freedoms!!!

taxes

It's been a while since I've posted mostly because I've been fairly busy. I do have to make some comments about some of the stuff you see, hear and read in the news.

I really was hoping our new president and his administration was going to do well but as anyone who pays any attention at all to the news knows, it just ain't so. From the snitch web site to the "Chicago Style" strong arm tactics it not just "politics as usual" but politics more radical than ever. From the mind numbing amount of money to be spent on the "cap and trade" proposal to the "big brother" style health care proposals we, the taxpayers, are going to be burdened for generations.

I get tired of hearing the bullshit from both sides of these ideas. Everyone is exagerating bits and pieces to prove their points. Does anyone even know what the real bills say? The bottom line really is the cost! It's too much for such sweeping changes.

There is a couple of items I would like to make comments on however. When people say what a huge percentage of health care costs are spent on the final year of life I have to say to myself "Are these people too stupid to see the obvious?" Of course more money is spent then, when you're healthy why would you spend money?

The other thing is when proponents of the health care get out there and tout how they're "Not going to pull the plug on Gramma" pay attention. Of course they're not......... they're never going to allow Gramma to get plugged in in the first place. Think about it. The social engineers in power will only consider what your worth is in society and if you're old you're not worthy!

must-read book

If you want to read a book that will make you think you need to check out "One Second After" by William R. Forstchen. This is an excellent work of fiction that has an almost chilling basis in facts.

The premise is what could happen if our electrical infrastructure was to go down. The severe chaos that would follow such an event is detailed in this book in an extremely believeable manner.

After reading this book you may want to stock up on food, water, batteries and ammo. You might even want to find yourself an old car or bike that would run after the apocalypse. The scary part of reading this is when you realize how easily this scenario could unfold. The sheer number of people in this country who would be unable to survive for any length of time because they are totally reliant upon other people for their subsistance is mind boggling. Think about it. How many people do you know that can fix a car, build a water distillation system, hunt or trap wild game, catch a fish, build a fire without matches, etc.? Scary isn't it?

new movie

Well, believe it or not I finally seen a new movie I really liked. If you haven't seen it you must check out Clint Eastwood's movie "Gran Torino"!

I feel this is one of Clint's finest roles. The story of how a bigoted old man can change is quit remarkable and he plays the role to perfection. Kind of reminds you of "Dirty Harry Gets Old."

There are not many roles left for senior citizens that have any teeth but this one really hits the mark. Baby boomers will feel this.

Car Problems

Well it looks like it's all but done....... the government is taking over GM. What is this country coming to? We will not be seeing much in the way of exciting new cars for the forseable future. Government and labor will never stimulate innovation, never has in the past, won't in the future, it will only stifle creativity because it will take away the incentives. Why would anyone want to work extra hard to make more money only to have it taken it away.

common sense

Am I just missing something? Are people actually as clueless as the politicians seem to think they are? 

We've got the president on TV with the rest of his puppets touting the benefits of these high mileage overpriced tin cans they wish to foist on the American public. 

If you throw out the fact that in order to meet these standards cars will have to be made lighter and thereby less safe in a collision,(F=mv) for people who didn't take high school physics that means force is equal to mass(weight) times velocity(speed). In other words if a 4000 pound SUV traveling at 50 mph collides with a 2000 pound tin can traveling at the same 50 mph (of course it will take it a while to get there) guess who will get the short end of the straw. 20,000 pounds of force will always win out over 10,000 pounds of force. You still have cost issues.

When you can buy an 8-10 year old SUV for $4,000 that gets 20mpg and if you drive 12,000 miles per year which would cost you about $600 per year for gasoline you would have a 5 year cost of $5,800 and if you were to buy a close to comparable new standard SUV for $35,000 and got 30mpg you would have a 5 year cost of $36,200.

Does any of these make sense? No safety advantage and definately no cost advantage that I can see here. Where do we go from here?

Back in the saddle

Well, it's been a while since I posted, sorry about that! I've been a little preoccupied with work issues and with trying to make progress on my restoration projects.

Anyway, it's kind of therapuetic to sit down and write again. 

Even though the economy is still extremely shaky at least I still have a job. 

The politicians are trying their best to burden us, our children and grandchildren with debt us or them will never be able to repay. They try to spin this as stimulus and divert our attention by giving us a little more of our own money in our paychecks by using lower withholding rates. They're banking on the basic apathy of the public to not notice that that money buys less because it's worth less. That's at least until they get all their social programs in place and get the masses dependent upon the government. This is an agenda people need to wake up and take notice of before it's too late. 

Stand up! Go to www.americansolutions.com/teaparty and take a stand for America.

Happiness

Happiness can be anything. Your team won the Super Bowl, you got a raise, you got a promotion, new grandchild, whatever.

Sometimes however, you just have to accept that happiness isn't always noticed. When you wake up in the morning you should be happy. When the sun is shining, smile, it's a good day!

The reason I mention this is we may all be looking for any semblence of happiness for the near future given the state of the economy and the absolute prescription for disaster the knuckleheads in Congress are getting ready to unleash upon us. Be prepared to be absolutely underwhelmed by the effects you will feel. 

New era

Well, it's the dawning of a new era in American politics. I really hope the new administration can help put the economy back on the right track. I know they can't do it themselves, the public has to participate. They really have their work cut out for them; more layoff announcements every day, companies that aren't laying off are announcing wage and hiring freezes, banks aren't loaning money, cars aren't selling...... everything seems to be looking bleak.

You have all heard the old saying about being darkest before the dawn, so I guess it must be getting close to daybreak! The bright spots in the whole deal is the people of this great country; the people who are innovators, the visionaries, the hard working people who make this county what it has been in the past and hopefully will continue to be!

new year new outlook

Welcome to my first post of 2009. It is now a new year, time to reflect on the past and decide what, if anything, you will do with the time we have now. Everything seems to be up in the air.... political, financial, etc. However, most of us can't do much about those things, we can only do with what we have control over. I personally am going to try to improve my health. I am going to lose more weight than I did last year. I intend to get much more exercise and hopefully reduce or eliminate by dependence on high blood pressure medicine. I also am going to make a concerted effort to get some of my automotive projects completed. I need to get my Gransport back on the road, finish my Morris Minor restoration and make noticable progress on my street rod project