Thanks for the “Merry Christmas”. Admittedly 2020 was a crazy Christmas amidst the weirdest year of my 74.
As a youth, the thought of Adolf Hitler, Pearl Harbor and WWII seemed almost unimaginable in terms of world shattering events. Then I used to think the Vietnam war was my worst memory. I remember the body counts posted each night on the nightly news. Today, similar numbers are posted daily for my state alone. Then 9-11 inched out Vietnam to move to the top of horrific acts and times. Nearly 3,000 dead; replacing the “day of infamy” as the worst daily attack on Americans. Now we reach that number in a single day, by day, by day tabulation totalling over 330,000 in a single year.
Deaths; not on a battlefield or a designated target, but spread throughout the country to our homes and hospitals. Deaths; not from foreign adversaries or terrorists. Deaths; thousands unpreventable for sure, but many thousands the result of political power brokers led by a tyrant from within.
An attack from within. An act that the Framers feared and attempted to prevent by separation of powers and individual rights. They envisioned the tyrant and built in checks for that, but they could not imagine a majority of one party participating as co-conspirators to overthrow the democracy.
Thus far the creaky old democracy, with all of its flaws and crying out for reforms, has held the plot in check. But 2020 has brought us dreadfully close to the realization that it could actually be lost right before our eyes while our minds were distracted with the routine of life.
On a bright spot, this Christmas season I discovered Angry Bear — an intellectually challenging and stimulating collection of missives from some talented life actors and commenters. I just finished reading Ken Melvin’s “Meanwhile…Climate Change… The Anthropocene and Global Warming.” An impressive chronology of ignorance and greed of humans from the hunter-gatherers to free market capitalists that have brought us to our current state of crisis for disrespecting our natural environment.
Let us look forward to a far different New Year with welcomed truth and fact-based leadership guiding the way.
Found this a day late, but hope you had a Merry Christmas and please have an even happier New Year.
I won’t complain about 2020 though. It was a piece of cake for me compared to 1968, when we lost both Martin and Bobby, imploded in Chicago, and then got Dick-ed, or 1969, when I married my first wife in January and went to Vietnam in November. Being retired at home with my 9.5 year younger work from home wife was not a sacrifice, plus we are well on the way of ridding ourselves of Fat Donnie.
Also, our pre-Trump vigilance with the CDC in SE Asia working to prevent global outbreaks has been validated well enough that we would not tolerate another such Trump-fail calamity as that again. In addition, I hope to see the term “Trump-fail” introduced into the lexicon of policy making as the accepted terminology for the nexus of privilege, arrogance, and ignorance in leadership.
what a bunch of grumpy bears. did the kids forget your milk and cookies again this year?
i haven’t been so cheerful myself. until my old dog decided on her own to lie next to me on the couch.
so i thought i’d try to remind us of what christmas is about.
God rest ye merry gentlemen.
Let nothing you dismay.
Ron (RC) Weakley (a.k.a., Darryl for a while at EV) says:
“damn well” indeed. lets start with a message of hate disguised as a message of common sense love-thy-brother liberal values.
for part of my career i drove to job sites in a vehicle known as a “crummy” with people who did not bother to even pretend to cover their coughs and sneezes.
i never thought to ask any of them if they had christmas spirit.
glad to see that simple hygiene has become a political issue. that way we know whom to hate.
Ron (RC) Weakley (a.k.a., Darryl for a while at EV) says:
I sincerely hope you guys have Christmas in your heart, but I just cannot do it.
The last time I was with any family members was last Christmas, I am not in the mood for it this year.
SHORT SUBJECTS
Holy Cow! Pictures! Wonder how I did that? ??? :-O
Thanks for the “Merry Christmas”. Admittedly 2020 was a crazy Christmas amidst the weirdest year of my 74.
As a youth, the thought of Adolf Hitler, Pearl Harbor and WWII seemed almost unimaginable in terms of world shattering events. Then I used to think the Vietnam war was my worst memory. I remember the body counts posted each night on the nightly news. Today, similar numbers are posted daily for my state alone. Then 9-11 inched out Vietnam to move to the top of horrific acts and times. Nearly 3,000 dead; replacing the “day of infamy” as the worst daily attack on Americans. Now we reach that number in a single day, by day, by day tabulation totalling over 330,000 in a single year.
Deaths; not on a battlefield or a designated target, but spread throughout the country to our homes and hospitals. Deaths; not from foreign adversaries or terrorists. Deaths; thousands unpreventable for sure, but many thousands the result of political power brokers led by a tyrant from within.
An attack from within. An act that the Framers feared and attempted to prevent by separation of powers and individual rights. They envisioned the tyrant and built in checks for that, but they could not imagine a majority of one party participating as co-conspirators to overthrow the democracy.
Thus far the creaky old democracy, with all of its flaws and crying out for reforms, has held the plot in check. But 2020 has brought us dreadfully close to the realization that it could actually be lost right before our eyes while our minds were distracted with the routine of life.
On a bright spot, this Christmas season I discovered Angry Bear — an intellectually challenging and stimulating collection of missives from some talented life actors and commenters. I just finished reading Ken Melvin’s “Meanwhile…Climate Change… The Anthropocene and Global Warming.” An impressive chronology of ignorance and greed of humans from the hunter-gatherers to free market capitalists that have brought us to our current state of crisis for disrespecting our natural environment.
Let us look forward to a far different New Year with welcomed truth and fact-based leadership guiding the way.
Posting should not be this hard.
Found this a day late, but hope you had a Merry Christmas and please have an even happier New Year.
I won’t complain about 2020 though. It was a piece of cake for me compared to 1968, when we lost both Martin and Bobby, imploded in Chicago, and then got Dick-ed, or 1969, when I married my first wife in January and went to Vietnam in November. Being retired at home with my 9.5 year younger work from home wife was not a sacrifice, plus we are well on the way of ridding ourselves of Fat Donnie.
Also, our pre-Trump vigilance with the CDC in SE Asia working to prevent global outbreaks has been validated well enough that we would not tolerate another such Trump-fail calamity as that again. In addition, I hope to see the term “Trump-fail” introduced into the lexicon of policy making as the accepted terminology for the nexus of privilege, arrogance, and ignorance in leadership.
the hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
[who is captive Israel?
captive to what? exile from where?]
what a bunch of grumpy bears. did the kids forget your milk and cookies again this year?
i haven’t been so cheerful myself. until my old dog decided on her own to lie next to me on the couch.
so i thought i’d try to remind us of what christmas is about.
God rest ye merry gentlemen.
Let nothing you dismay.
Coberly,
“God rest ye merry gentlemen.Let nothing you dismay.”
[Back at you. From the words of some you would think that we reelected Fat Donnie.]
(S)he who has the true spirit of Christmas at heart, had damn well better have a mask on the face, and when possible, a vaccine in the blood stream.
O’Rear
“damn well” indeed. lets start with a message of hate disguised as a message of common sense love-thy-brother liberal values.
for part of my career i drove to job sites in a vehicle known as a “crummy” with people who did not bother to even pretend to cover their coughs and sneezes.
i never thought to ask any of them if they had christmas spirit.
glad to see that simple hygiene has become a political issue. that way we know whom to hate.
Pink Floyd – Time (with lyrics)