Just another Cumberland Plateau set of postings

He’s out of jail, again. I figure his drug use is a violation of his parole, so he’ll end up serving out the rest of his original sentence, and he will go away eventually for a long time. That is probably a good thing for him since he can’t take care of himself.

He’s still without a job so that confirms how worthless he is. He actually stopped by last late afternoon to get a bunch of his stuff out of this house, and lied some more about his circumstances. Too bad he doesn’t want to work.

All I kept saying was see you later. He’s got someone else supporting him right now, poor fellow. I suspect his world is finally closing in on him at age 40.
I presume his truck is still down, too. Like I said he can’t take care of himself, or pay to get his truck fixed if he doesn’t work.

It makes me curious as to how long his next term in jail will be. He comes up with a new excuse to not work every day. People like that piss me off. I go to bed at 10 and get up at 6 and go to work. It doesn't take a genius to do that.

I can’t remember exactly, but suspect it will be over one year, more likely a year and a half. And that is just the parole violation of his previous sentence stuff! Who knows what is being added on to.

Why he does not want to work still escapes me. I have done everything I could to break that code, and failed. I suspect he is, at age 40, just scared to leave Monterey, which one usually has to do that to get a job these days (not a periodic project). Hence he is not what I think of as the normal criminal, just a lazy human who lives off of the goodwill of family, friends, charity, and the local governments (think of food banks as an example). But like the old pecker head I can be, I warned him about all this, and he just blew me off. Now let the government take care of him (using my taxes of course). He should respond well (or at least better) in that environment.

Anyway, I don’t have to wake up at 0200 anymore to hear Jeremiah Johnson the movie in French, or find out the next day the movie Happy Gilmore has been reprogrammed to a serious adult level that I could not even see, after years of watching it again and again. Like I joked to you, I only live here, and still pay my way. And at the time he was highly drugged by himself, and mumbling at best.

Last, let me reverse, like mission first! There are a lot of good young people who can use all the reinforcement old people like me can provide. And I choose to do so.

Hope springs eternal. There are plenty of good American people around. And losers like him are still a minority, kinda like normal throughout the world I have been to and lived in.

And compared to the Marines from Monterey deployed overseas, Putnam County is OK. At least where I live now it is not a canvas tent with a dirt floor, with ice on the inside tent walls in the morning. Although long johns in the house did help, at this last winter that we are coming out of. And back then I did have to use an outhouse for obvious public sanitation reasons. Anyway, Putnam County is still OK, to me.

Ignore the people at your own peril

Most people know this in their own way. Whether it is in business, the military, political governing, or dealing with your relatives, the principle is pretty much the same. Just listen to them, and they will pretty much tell you what you probably want to know to get your mission or goal accomplished.

There are many famous lines that say this well. One is about relatives. It goes: "we can pick our friends but not our relatives". Another is about customers: "the customer is always right".

This post, and poster, chooses to focus on USA ideas. Of course one can expand it to many other places in the world where people ignored have been set off to demonstrate or even revolt against their status quo. The obvious area reported these days is the middle east, but the idea really does cover the world and all it various circumstances.

One common theme everywhere, I think, is that people want to be warm and fed, have dignity, and take care of their families. There are, again I think, about a zillion ways this gets expressed around the world.

Here in the USA I think it gets expressed mostly through the vote and at all levels: school board, city, county, state, and federal. Now if that is not possible for whatever reasons, then things like the Civil War occur; or otherwise called many other names to include the War of Northern Aggression, the War of the Rebellion, and the War Between the States.

The point is that ignored people will act in their own way where ever they live.

What worries me, and that is the correct term, then concerns and imagination takes hold, or at least comes into play. And our imagination is often our worse enemy. But it happens, and should be recognized by anyone with experience as a factor to be reckoned with, especially if they are in charge whereever.

So what worries me is thinking we have light weights in charge at too many levels. Let me define lightweights: "lacking experience though well intentioned". The obvious follow on to this idea is: what will they do when times get really hard? Like most, I think again, I hope for the best, and expect the worst.

What might the worst look like in the USA. Only your imagination really counts. Mine is going cold and hungry next winter, and having no expectation things will get better. Said another way, one can lose hope and faith in the ability of our present elected leaders at all levels. Another expression is trust and confidence. Things will get really tough when people start dying in large numbers, and communications suffers along with energy blackouts, or at least rolling blackouts. Like it or not, we are dependent on public electricity, which has only been around for about 100 years.

Having followed that logic line, then what happens when the present lightweights who hold the reigns of governments do their responses, which I suspect may include imposing some kind of martial law to rule. And what do we the people do to survive in our own local way?

Will it include demonstrations, revolts, tribal rule, religious rule, or some kind of royalty? I don't know. I imagine it depends on where you live and your customs.

And all I want to do is be warm, and able to eat, have dignity, and take care of my family.

Like the title says, ignore the people at your own peril.

The beginning of an end

Much change is going on these days in the USA, I think.

The end of governments (local, state, and federal) involvement in charity is coming to an end. My guess is during hard times the taxes we still pay for basic services, like police, fire, clean water, and waste water will bubble to the top of spending priorities. My guess is that is if it doesn't happen where you live, then it will be based upon the votes of those we elect for our future where we live.

Now this idea is not that complicated. If our taxes we pay only offer so much for our elected politicians to expend, just what is their priority. If it means I have to suffer to support some deadbeats, then I have a problem.

All this premise assumes we can still vote to influence our future. If that does not happen, by various means I know about, then maybe we are going to have a revolution, which is a painful process. I sure hope this does not happen.

What galls me, is that where I live on the Cumberland Plateau in east Tennessee, there is a whole class of humanity that now depends on living on the government dole of the last decades, either directly, or indirectly. And when I use the also local charity methods that are more tough love, they, the government dependents, still have choices that avoid tough love, and use them (like the once a month government check). Now that hacks me off, though that is just how it is around here.

Especially when they are so drugged up I have to hear one of my favorite old time movies in French because of their drugged induced boo boo. Even then they could not speak English...mumbling was the best this one fellow could do at 0200 (2 AM), and woke me up to boot to help him. He was one of my charity cases I booted out later. In the end, this fellow just does not want to go to work, like most of us have to do. This, I hate to report, does happen a lot around here. Like I said, I am a tough love kind of person.

Much change is coming...I hope. Why it had to get to this state is another story that will often be reported, I think, and later.

Maybe we have screwed the pooch?

I think most of us in new world America are doing OK. After all we have warmth and food, and public electricity to boot. Even the Kings and Queens of our European ancestors probably did not have it that good even when they were at the top of their food chain.

Now I am beginning to wonder about the classical dilemma of democracy in America. It is when the have nots can vote themselves benefits from the haves, then we are in a pickle.

Here's why I think about this. I, by my personality, believe in and do local charity. So do my local county and state governments, of course using my tax money and the votes they get. I think I am more tough love than the local governments, but of course, that is just me.

What can be frustrating is dealing with those who are deadbeats, that is those who will compromise their integrity in order not to work for a living like most do, and still survive, and even breed. Whether they are born poor, or just choose to live that way, is of course an individual circumstance, in my view. There are just as many females like this as males, in my opinion, and where I live in east Tennessee.

What really galls me is the question I ask? Am I enabling their drug habits, which is my recent experience in east Tennessee. Have you ever heard the old time movie Jeremiah Johnson in French, for example at 2 AM, 0200 in 24 hour time. Or wake up with some drug induced idiot (mumbling to boot) failing to use the remote control for the DVD player, and wanting me to help him. Just so you know, I sent him packing to camp in the barn.

Now I have "consulted" with his local relatives, too. And they pretty much concur, and have done their best too.

Sometimes you just to have to let go, as much as it hurts me to say this. Send them packing I would say. Heck, they might even want to get minimum wage jobs just to survive.

I had a dream, too

I recently had a dream which I actually remember, which is unusual for me. Usually, the dream just disappears in front of me, and I cannot remember it, as much as I want to.

In this dream, I caught two yard invaders, who actually shot at me first. Well, I shot back, and actually killed one, I think. At least he did not shoot at me anymore. The other I deliberately aimed low when shooting back, and still hit him, or he faked it, I just don't know in this dream. Then I called the police. I was shooting a pistol (where it came from I do not know) in this dream, and I consider myself a pretty bad aim, though sometimes I guess in this dream I can hit home.

Two principles follow.

Tell this dream to local criminals and their friends, who I hope will blow the story up, and hopefully keep them away. After all I have about a square mile and a two house compound to protect in rural east Tennessee.

Wish for the best as how our today's elected politicians have their dreams, too. And dang, I sure hope I can vote in the future about who they are.

Are not we humans fickle?

Times do go on, as much as it hurts my feelings.

And much of the hoopla over the terrible earthquake in NE Japan is one thing that is a big deal. But don't leave out other human caused things, like the problems in the USA, or the probable other human caused things, like the bus accident in Brooklyn on I 95.

How about we brag about ourselves? Especially like how we react to a very bad earthquake in a rural part of Japan. Messing with public electricity is a big deal, for example. Most of us depend on it.

Having lived in Japan for about two years, I would rather be a USA citizen (new world) , than this really great group of people who deal with it in their way.

Our New World America

And it is not too shabby.
Like invest in America today, or it may be too late tomorrow.
This photo I think is from the Williamson County Square (TN) circa 1941.


I suppose most of the people in this picture are dead from old age.
Yet they did things seldom reported these days.
Now it is your choice these days.

Suppose public electricity goes out where you live

Forget all the arguments and politics of why. This post is imagining the impacts if it should happen.

If we don't have public electricity, then things will get pretty hard. After all, our USA was created without public electricity, but I suspect most who use public electricity don't want to go back to that standard of living. But, in turn, those who still live in rural areas may find many relatives from urban areas coming their way. Who knows.

I still use the USMC standard of marching 4 mph, including a 10 minute break every hour. That seems to work pretty good.

Most of us use public electricity routinely, like don't even think about it. Hence, our thermostats always work, and even when we turn on the switch for artificial light, that is expected. And even when we pump gas for our cars, of course all these pumps are electrically powered, too. All of this amazing stuff is less than 100 years old. What a country!

I assume any recovery will happen many ways, but of course there will be a priority system (that is what I would do). I assume the rural area I live in will be last on the totem pole. Hence I just want to use all the old time things, like making acorn coffee, which is pretty good, to me. Anyway, our USA ancestors did OK in their time, and I suspect we USA Americans will do OK, too. I also suspect many adults will not be happy, but most kids will survive just fine.

The unintended consequences of change

The status quo of the last 100 years is changing. The USA federal elections of 2006 and 2008 were good indicators, I think.

The rise of an American third party was obvious to many as a symptom of this coming change. Even where I live in East Tennessee, the often answer to who are you going to vote for President in 2008, was, I wish I had another choice.

Even now so many media people expect the general public to join or let a party represent them, as in somebody else can speak for them. But many just want another way to do things. This idea is a good example of the unintended consequences of change. Ah, the times they are a changin'. And all most people want is to hear the news. Opinions I can go to the local Hardees to listen to. Yep, would you like fries with that order is a joke I often hear about the change going on.

Even the deadbeats will learn about change. The era of the "government dole" will winnow as they have to either go to work for a living at minimum wage, or otherwise try differentiate themselves from the otherwise poor people. Even their relatives will probably give them the boot as the various governments sort out the differences between their role in charity, and the private sources in charity, whom I think are more tough love in their practices. Even where I live in East Tennessee, many present deadbeats think living in a room with common bathroom down the hall is a hardship. Boy, their lives are going to change when they have to live like so many other Americans already live today, and even work to upgrade that standard of living if they don't like it.

One other obvious idea is this change is mostly due to our present hard economic times. I think it is way past that, like the old status quo of having good intentions and voting money towards that intention is now going to be judged by another standard, like performance. Only the voters at all levels can decide that.

This begs another obvious question. Will the USA's Constitution survive in today's times, or will we revert to other ways of government, like royalty. I suspect that it will be the people's way of doing things. Lord hope it doesn't take another revolution, so popular until one has to go through one.

And all I can report is what I think and where I live. I expect there are many more unintended consequences where you live.

And I am a baby boomer, too.

It's fun getting older

First, the obvious downside. I will die before most people younger than me (I am age 62), or so I hope.

By the way, I can be an ungrateful wretch, too. About three years ago I died in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Cookeville, TN, and some well meaning people saved my life and my brain. Good on 'em. But now I have to go and die again, and I just hope the next time will be as quick and painless as the first time. Like I said, I can be an ungrateful wretch, too.

One thing that hurts my feelings is this. When young people ask me what was it like in the "old days", it is both an honest question and reflects my getting older. Even in the last few years I have lied about fighting a dinosaur raptor on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee, and the young children then challenged me around the fire. I used as a reference the movie " Jurassic Park", and they all said what is that. Now in fairness, they all knew about the movie the next year. But right then I knew my time had come and gone.

So good luck being a parent in your own right. After all, you will do it your own way. And listening to your own ancestors will help you, I think.

Last getting older comment. I presently live in an 100 old time place on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. My mission statement to myself was to make it a living museum for my descendents, and provide them an opportunity for them to live like fellow Americans lived even 100 years ago. I suspect most adults don't like it, though kids will thrive. After all, just being able to turn on the thermostat is a pretty good deal. Plan B is to put in wood into the wood stove, which is an imposition to most these days, since one has to maintain the wood stove heat overnight.

To put things in one's perspective, I personally have lived in a canvas tent with a dirt floor in Korea up near the DMZ (for months) when it never got above freezing for over a month. Hence I think where I presently live is at least better, like more comforting, than fellow Americans who live in Nebraska, or New England, for example.

These are times to write home about

The times they are a changin'. This title of an old Bob Dylan song it seems has changed to less liberal themes than I think he intended when he recorded this song back in the early 1960's.

And I think change is constant. What I note is that the rate of change is increasing, and at a faster pace. Hence somewhere in the future, like 2050, when some young people then ask you what it was like in the old days, you are really in a good position to report what you observed and lived where you lived at the time.

At least that is my method. And using this method, I am worried about the next 5 to 10 years of change. The main good news, is that you can report it as you see it, either now or in 2050.

Here in the USA the obvious usual worry is about our budget (federal, state, and local). But I have another question that is seldom reported. What happens when inflation goes back up to like the 18% it was under Carter, and our pay remains frozen? Does that mean people won't loan us money to finance our federal way of life? And what happens let's say in 2025 when our young people then have to work 2 or 3 months a year just to pay the interest on our National debt?

I am age 62, and hopefully will check off the net before then. Call it avoidance if you will, which is pretty much what it is.

I am particularly galled by those who call for USA military action in the present Libyan debacle. When I hear people say the USA is the most powerful nation on the earth, which it still is I think, don't they know that the USA has much less military resources than, say 20 years ago. So when the USS Kearsarge, for example, sails towards Libya, the USA is losing an asset in the Afghan and Iraq areas, and that will hurt there. And these people have families, too. So dredging up another group of Americans to deploy there from the USA has impacts, too.

Like I said, these are times to write home about.

The status quo has changed. And we had a lot to do with it.

Voting with my pocket book

A recent light bulb went on, to me. Until this "light bulb" went on, I thought I had to assume and take about any insult and lack of service, including what I paid for.

Now I am beginning to think maybe many others think like me. Hence, in this idea, just vote with your pocket book and wait, and see what happens.

Let me provide some stories.

My local USPS (US Post Office) fellow would not walk the last 20 yards to deliver a package, which I paid to have delivered. I later found a note in my mailbox saying to hike or drive the 2 miles to the local post office, and back, just to get the widget I had ordered and paid for. Now, being a good local citizen who does not want to put anyone on report, and having bitched to local post master, he brought it out to me. Forget that UPS and Fedex and my local Mexican maid routinely do the same thing, like come the last 20 yards. When I later confronted the postmaster (in a nice way), he suggested there were union rules involved.

So I called Amazon.com to try put me a no USPS shipping list. I was told that was not possible.

So I no longer shop with both, or use their shipping methods. Now that is voting with my pocket book, to me.

Now it gets worse. I live in east Tennessee, but have land in the Nashville metro area (middle Tennessee). Now to even use their legally required and provided GIS (Geographical Information System) I am having to kiss the tail of some young person who is probably not from there, just to get some simple GIS data. And I still pay taxes, which I think, still helps pay their salaries. They can run me off, all they want, but in the end I have a pocket book, too. Even the old time water board leader fellow, a retired vet, suggested when he died other outsiders would take over. That did not bother me as long as they provided a service. I listened, and now I also get to vote with my pocket book.

Let me go on. I recently ordered a widget through some firm not local. Now 17 days into trying to get it returned (which has failed so far), and not even being able get Netflix, which I still pay for but get no benefit, now I wonder why?

One more go on. I have been arrested three times for the same thing in my local county. Even the last time, the police apologized, and brought me back. So much for the effects on my Family, which are obvious to most. But so called jack leg boots coming into my home on a late Sunday evening and waking me up (like 2300) is another example. And this has happened to others, if you believe the local newspaper. I still got a County tax bill, later, by the way.

Last, and in your local area, I suggest just to vote with your pocket book, and see what happens. You might be surprised.

Words mean things

To me there is a swirl of word things around me. To simplify things, in my military mind, words mean things.

And I don't think we humans have changed much in the last 2,000 years; but at age 62 I have also seen changes in my lifetime that disturb me about our political American culture. And these changes are not about the status quo, but in words meaning things.

Now I think it is time to even speak about things like morality, ethics, and even political correctness.

Now I think most are not surprised by a candidate for any office claiming and saying about anything in order to get elected. Most voters know to take it with a grain of salt. But when they continue, if elected, to rule by lies and subterfuge and too many obvious reverses, then that is different in my lifetime, I can report.

Even more so I am bothered that those elected and those appointed by them take oaths so casually, to include the inauguration of our Federal President in front of our whole Country. Even signing documents about disclosure and avoiding purchasing conflicts of interest seem above the law to so many. Even more, too many elected and even appointed people saying they will not enforce a law previously voted on and signed by an executive disturbs me. This idea smacks of royalty, which is not the USA I want and am willing to pay taxes to. After all, these people may be in the executive, but they are not the judicial, another branch of government in the USA.

Now I accept an appalling amount of ignorance in our elected politicians, whether I like it or not. In fairness some are smarter than others, and I guess and hope most are pretty hard working. But when I read reports about federal elected politicians, or their staff members, wanting to check on railroad schedules from California to Hawaii (across the Pacific Ocean), or Senator Charles Schumer saying there are three branches of government, the Senate, the House, and the President, then I am at best disappointed, and wonder what I can do, other than vote, of course.

All this ignorance has nothing to do with ethics or morality I would also say. Whether one is smart or dumb, educated or not, experienced or not, being honest (ethical and moral) is a simple way to rule in the USA.

But the alternative of things like lying, as in doing some simple kind of debate point or method in order to advance one's cause, is something I suspect most of our Moms and Dads did not teach us, or even encourage us on. After all peoples' lives are at stake as goes ruling, and helping a business succeed is crucial to keeping so many of us being gainfully employed.

I often wonder what times were like during the fall of the fall of the Roman Empire; or more "recently", the American Revolution against England. I suspect things are different now, though I will never know and will not speculate on.

So I expect some kind of uniquely American and New World way to go forward, with much pain in the process, and where words mean things. The status quo of the last 100 years is changing, right in front of us. In Apollo 13 talk, anarchy is not an option, and never has been. Citizens will step up and be guided in ways other than what is happening these days; that is they will act in their self interests for their Family and where they live. And I expect the anchor to all this will be words meaning things, at least more than seems to have been happening in the last half century.

The power of video

You can believe it or not. I don't believe most contrived and presented pictures. You may. Like I said, I don't, and take things with "a grain of salt", an old time expression. And I know how to do Photoshop stuff (including videos), like many of us.

In the old days (like since WWII), most video was TV delivered, like over the over the air networks. Now the internet and cell phones have made video another way to "report". Check out YouTube for example. But even before then, the power of video, and pictures in general, was well known. Even in the "old" days we all who went to the movies would often have to watch Real Tone movies about current events. This idea later expanded to even when "news" gained 15 minutes a day in the evening USA national TV after people came home from work, to include Huntley Brinkley. That period was the first time I heard my mother fart.

Later things "progressed". Even CNN and many other 24/7 news channels entered cable TV systems. Now where I live in east Tennessee, I still wonder why I can't get just the channels I want to want and do watch. I still have to buy packages, including things like CNN and MSNBC, which for my politics, I abhor. I asked a lawyer lobbyist 1st cousin who attends to the Tennessee legislature about this, and his opinion is that it was their decision.

Now I have been a Marine recruiter in Kentucky a long time ago, and I think I understand the basic principles OK. I've even had a lot of training is this area.

And I think I "know" a lot about "propaganda". I used these principles all the time. I am as good as any Nazi, I would think. This included exploiting video, back then. After all, I had a quota to make for that month.

Now I advance to today. I still only believe about 10% of what I read, and at best 50% of what I see, to include video. So if you want to be an informed USA citizen about what is going on, for real, then good luck. There are other sources, thank goodness, paltry as they are. And video stuff is suspicious, at least to me.

Even look at the composition of any video you see. For example, is it an area shot or a more focused local shot. Anyway, I think this way. Maybe you should, too.

Now the "news" people who present their news should be subject to the American Sherman Antitrust Act, which will probably never happen. But I also predict many subscribers and voters will vote with their pocket book, to include even the recently reported item that Newsweek magazine sold for $1. After all, why should I pay for other humans giving me their opinions? I can go to the local Hardees at breakfast time and coffee club for that, for example.

So what is the value of video when you watch it however. I would say be careful, like most I think.

Are we being exploited?

In my mind exploited means being taken advantage of.

Those running for elected office may not be acting in our interests, like be a representative, but more acting in their interest and intentions. However you think about this, your answer does affect our human future.

This is a worldwide idea, and problem I think. The common theme I read about is "democracy", whatever that means in one's own country, or even my local County in the USA. Even local sharp fellows have tried to steal an election, using computers of course. And all I want to do is have my vote count.

And even politics can be hard ball. Like one method is to impugn your opponents credibility. That has seemed to work in our human past, at least in the USA.

But how about "our" future, not some politician's future?

After all, most humans just want to work, and promote and defend their family's futures. This idea has little to do with "democracy". After all there are alternatives, like tribal leaders; even dictators and royalty. The key point to me is listening to the ruled, however the government sorts out. I am confident all these kinds of governments know how to listen. And some do better than others.

So are we being exploited? I think so.

How are we people going to sort it out? I don't know for sure.

All this turmoil in the USA was and still is predictable

Here's why. Humans are being themselves, which is mostly selfish. And some are worse than others. All want to do well for themselves, their families, and their grandkids that they know right now. Whether they loan money, rate the credibility of the borrowers, or simply just work to get through life (like be warm and fed), we are all human in how we think about things and make decisions.

It is the predictable decisions that makes things so...predictable. Even two or three years ago, Moody's, one credit rating company that does this for a living, predicted the down rating of the USA's ability to borrow in 2016. And while that was an opinion, it seems to have made a point to me.

The logic line I follow is twofold, both folds human. When governments can no longer borrow like in the last many decades, then people will lose jobs, and even schools and police protections may shut down. And two, when the loaners start imposing their conditions, then voters are no longer in charge.

Now then can we local voters even decide as to how our future goes? After all, if there is not enough money for all good intentions, then what will locals vote for as to be represented for their benefit? Think priorites in this case. And I still think we can vote, and help it count.

There is a worse logic line I have thought of, and hope never happens. Suppose all the borrowing continues, somehow, and in the future when our kids or grandkids grow up and find out they have to work for two or three months a year just to pay the interest on the federal debt, and can't even buy a house because they can't afford the house payments after satisfying all that the present generation is borrowing on, then I predict generation warfare, whatever that means. After all they want to have families, too.

Now I cannot predict the future at that level, but it is a good guess that things are going to be painful here in the USA. And some places will be more painful than others. Even where I live in east Tennessee I suspect times are going to get harder in 2012 and later. I am weird enough (age 62) to still appreciate all the public electricity benefits we have today, which may decline in the future if our elected governments have their way. And my military retirement payments (all electronic will also suffer, I suspect). I would say come arrest me, but then maybe this option will become unaffordable to state and local governments. Now I am just speculating, but the point is what I think is predictable is coming sooner than Moody's 2016 estimate.

And we USA humans did it to ourselves so far, including our votes so far.

And I really don't want to go through anarchy, again. Try exiting a hotel in Istanbul in ways just to keep from being shot. I can be devious, too.

And, for my DC friends, even I have biked the C&O Canal bike path all the way from Cumberland, Md. to Georgetown, DC, twice. I have even paddled the lower Shenandoah in flood stage, and was scared to death when it met the Potomac River, and the standing waves were such that I had to look up to the crests. I have even fished both Forks of the Shenandoah River, but I'll always remember catching hellgrammites for bait on the South Fork. And I have many many other stories, some going back to post Civil War observations, and even more modern trips like on the Yakagany in PA.

So I don't think DC is like Rome in its' end. We new world humans are better than that, I think.

But stand by for heavy rolls.

It will be a better world in the end, including the USA. After all, the old world has its problems, too. But the interim is going to be painful, like being hungry and cold. But if this forecast becomes what happens I would rather be in the new world USA than anywhere else.

Just another report from Monterey, Tennessee

First a perspective. Monterey is located in east Tennessee on the upper Cumberland Plateau. It is a nice place to live. Almost most humans up here are white, mostly I would guess from Scotch-Irish descent. Racial prejudice is tough against blacks (which are few up here), unless they excel in football. High school and middle school sports are a big deal, including girls basketball. There are even a lot of college girls scholarships to college if they are good in basketball. In geography terms, Monterey is about halfway between Nashville and Knoxville, TN. The altitude here is around 1900 feet, so it is cold here, too.

The drug problem here is horrible. Having lived elsewhere, my guess is that we locally are about average, which is a sad state of affairs.

Let me define the local drug problem, as I see it. Some girl (age 40) gets an inheritance check for $25,000, and goes through it in three weeks. A lot of pills around here go for like $80 dollars a pop (about six months ago). Many are dying early, so that appears to be a self correcting problem.

Now the good news. Compared to some other places I have lived, this is an OK place. My local county and city property tax bill is about $4800 a year.

Now the bad news. A lot of people live off the government dole, and maybe even some charity stuff.

The obvious, to me, debate, is this local "poorness" do to inheritance or even circumstances , or just plain laziness, like go get a job like most of humanity tries to do. In the meantime, just breed kids and let the government pay for it (like a once a month check).

Here at Monterey these days, I think there are a lot of low life and also well intended humans who rip us off as well as compromise to exist on the government dole. Now that upsets me, mostly about the kids they breed.

So I wonder locally how helping poor people works out in the end. Right here being a tough love kind of person is my choice, both in those I vote for and how I might contribute. Of course most don't like it.

For sure I will not, or hope I don't help contribute to maintain somebody's drug habit, especially if they exploit their kids. I offer as evidence, up here of course, going to the Crossville Flea Market and observing the women who are chubby, pierced, and tattooed, all getting in vehicles better and newer than I can afford. Now that upsets me.

What's wrong with wanting to be warm and fed?

The simple answer is nothing is wrong with humans being themselves.

My guess is also simple. Enough lightweights that are comfortable in their own lives are willing for the rest of us to suffer. And so many of these lightweights are just that. I still wonder who pays for all this life style they might enjoy right now? I sure hope is not some government using legally collected tax payer money to pay their way to pontificate their opinion, while I suffer.

What really worries me about my families future's is the impacts of the lightweights now voted in (like our President in the USA), and all these similar lightweights he hired. It even bothered me a lot that so many or our elected Congressmen (and their hired staffers) a while back still wanted to know things, like the train schedule to Hawaii.

People are already dieing even here in the USA. When Parkview Hospital in Dallas, Texas has to suffer from an electrical blackout, that is poor performance for fellow humans in dire straights. I still appreciate being able to turn "on the switch" and have the lights come on, even where I live in Eastern Tennessee.

Another worry is about some local "kids" who are now in the military and deployed overseas, like in Afghanistan. I fear for them for the simple reason of: what would I do is some foreign invader took over my local town? To me, obviously, I would fight.

Even "more" is the thought that some lightweights may send some of my family in their cause.

Like I said, most of we humans in the USA just want to be warm and fed during our winter time. Now that principle is pretty heavy weight, to me. It is kinda like paying taxes for obvious reasons to so many Americans.

When the poo poo hits the fan

Then new world America, like the USA, is probably a good place to be. Of course some places will be better than others, but compared to other World places, there is hope here. No wonder so many still want to emigrate here. There are poorer choices for family and children's futures. Said another way, we have our own problems, too. But so do others.

So when times get hard, like harder than today wherever you live, come here (legally) and make things happen. That, in my mind, is pretty much the best part of the USA New World idea. And we humans have so many problems wherever we live, to include our own Family problems, and even things more simpler like enough food to eat, or just being warm in the winter, will come up, I suspect.

Part of whatever transition occurs will probably be a change in the "status quo". After all what has gone on in the last 100 years, including old ideas like the Durand Line, are simply for their time, but not our time. Just imagine the friction that will occur, which is simply human to me.

In the meantime, are we willing to fight for our USA New World ideas, like some people will die, and we have to pay taxes to finance all this?

Right now I do not know the answer, in my mind.

Make up your own mind when the poo poo hits the fan.

When east meets west

Which is better for we humans, today, I just don't know.

Now as a westerner, I sure like the idea of the vote. I just want to influence my future, hoping the vote helps. But having lived around the world, there are other eastern human type ways to do the same thing, I also hope, and recognize them.

So my idea, today, is just to recognize the vote ( a western idea), and then let people sort it out where they live. Others may disagree. Propaganda comes to mind. These days in the West I think it is called marketing.

Change is always tough for we humans, where ever we live.

And some times change is well deserved, I think. And it is also often painful. Even some devious people will take advantage, which often lasts as long as 100 years before a human correction occurs.

What seems simple to me is that nobody wants to be cold or hungry, whatever our government happens to be at the time while we are alive. And most want to be happy, to include their immediate families. The rest of the problems are lower in priority, I also think

Stand by for heavy rolls

While it is an old time maritime term, it still applies to the ships of states these days. And many of these "ships of states" are going through status quo changes. Much is exhibited or reported by the news media, but most, in the end, is just human type stuff. By that I mean many will roll against the changes that are affecting them, and this whole status quo change is going to take a long time, like more than a decade. After all, dinosaurs didn't die easily. Neither would I.

And then many just want to be warm and fed by themselves. Now that is pretty simple, but is not automatic, it seems, depending on where you live.

And even in the USA many people still wear extra clothes in the winter just to keep warm. That is normal to so many people throughout our human world, I think. A smaller portion of humans may discover this, again.

Another heavy roll, the big one I think, is what happens when other humans just won't loan the borrowers money anymore, for their own selfish reasons. This will be an example of a heavy roll, and probable change in the status quo.

The good news is where is a good place to be if this kind of scenario even happens. The answer to me is the "New World". In the new world, I suspect, all the best human ideas will bubble to the top, even while the old time dinosaurs slow the process down. It will all sort out in the end, and whatever emerges will be different from today. And don't forget the "loaners with money" are still around; and our population is still growing.

The last heavy roll I imagine is the happiness factor. To me it is just good health and self respect. And I imagine, like even today, that is what is going on and will happen as much in the future, in its own human way, and depends on where one lives as to how it sorts out. It will sort out differently, I think, like some tribes or cultures are better than others.

OK, get sick if you want too

So many in the USA are used to being able to go to a doctor, and getting a prescription from them, to heal our bacterial diseases.

Yet there are so many other diseases we can get, including viral and fungal. There are even prions from 'mad cow disease', for which there is no cure these days.

I myself think about all this, and make my own decisions. My bottom line is to be conservative. So for me I won't eat any meat that includes anywhere where prions might lurk, like pig brains, squirrel brains, or any kind of cow that includes brains or even spines, like even T-Bone stuff. And one cannot cookout prions with heat, like works for bacteria, viruses, and even fungal stuff.

So much my mother's mother making scrambled pig brains and eggs for breakfast. I and my brother would lie to her back then "as to why we not hungry", which I am sure she saw right through.

Now in fairness, our USA beef industry has done a lot, as well as our USA Federal government, dating back to the 1990's. So probably most food things are safe to my health, to include our export of our beef. Yet I choose to go another way. And there are many other good choices I trust more. All are good choices, so this is a good problem.

So today, make your own choices about what you eat; the medicines you take; the vaccines you may take and even introduce to your kids; and what even you are willing to vote for, like draining malaria wet lands.

Vengeance versus "heart and minds" as policies

Well, I have a heart and mind, too; and I live in rural America today, though I consider my upbringing more urban and cosmopolitan.

The hearts and minds theory is now decades old, and still popular. It is more new world in my mind.

The vengeance idea is even older. It is more old world, again, in my mind.

As an American news junkie, I have kept up with it all. As a retired Marine, I still remember how I might be a part of applying either, or both, policies. I still read much the same is going on in the new world here in America.

What I wonder today is how it might sort out for our future. I have gotten to point where the rule of law is a big deal to me. Tamping down anarchy is a basic function of any government, of all stripes, and this often implies vengeance, or ruthlessness, or some other variation of all this.

There are plenty of bad people all around the world. They are just a percentage of our population. I don't want them in charge, or even running around, kind of like the lunatics are charge of the asylum. If this makes me a rule of law type person, so be it.

In the same vein, the "hearts and minds" argument also appeals to me, up to a point. When those that buy that argument are willing to let the bad guys assert themselves, then I have a problem.

Hence, why can't society have it both ways?

Listen to the grievances, maybe even agree with some, depending on your experience and exposure. After all living in, let's say the Midwest in the USA, is not the same as living in the Caucasus area in Russia.

But, also, don't let the inmates take over, too.

Now all I want to do is be safe, and for my family to be safe, which mostly means police protection. That is a traditional reason for a government, the taxes or tributes we pay, and the leaders we elect, one way or the other.

If they can't, or don't want to sort it out and balance things, then it is time to change them, that is, our leaders.

Let us hunker down

If times get "hard" I suspect most will do Family type things. Mostly we will do smart things like stay warm and fed, though the standards of both may change for so many. And the old line about we can pick our friends, but not our relatives also comes to mind. Now many in the world still have more than one family "under the roof", but to many others that will be a new experience, I would guess. And even when I lived in Okinawa, Japan, there were "love hotels" where couples could get some "private" time, so even they needed to get away from home now and then.

Now, for me, I kinda liked the love hotel idea, especially when my "bride" came over from the USA. I was willing to pay for an "all nighter", and even enjoyed the water fights in the bathroom area as big as you might imagine. Nothing like being wet and naked. All this was after I took her to a Japanese McDonalds, which had very good service most would imagine it should always be like, and where I even presented her with a fake Rolex watch bought in Bangkok. It had a Seiko internal watch, I was told. Later, back in the USA, I abandoned all this. Got to take care of the home country, by the way. And by the way, I blabbed the real truth while at the Japanese McDonalds.

So if times "get hard" I suspect we New World humans will do OK, though probably not happy right off. I still think this part of the World is a good place to hunker down, if times get hard.

What I wonder about, and think about, is the "happiness" factor. Along the way human dignity, and self respect comes into mind, too. Hence, many may be miserable by their previous standards, but perhaps many will be happy, too.

Just an "Uncle Harry" report

It could even be called an "Aunt Rachel" report.

The principle, or idea, is pretty much the same. We learn a lot from our ancestors still alive, and too often what we learn is not taught in school.

Hence most of us concerned "elders" do care about our descendents, and are willing to share it, if asked.

Today I just to want to share one story and maybe a lesson learned.

I have listened to a young man (age 24) about getting a bad cold (worst in his lifetime he reports). And he even went to the local doctor, who prescribed some antibiotic to help cure him. He also reported he was using a locally sold, and marketed product, called a neti pot.

Now that got my attention, since as an old guy, like a grandfather type, I actually know about this. The idea is like thousands of years old, and works. I myself divide all this treatment idea into two parts. First is the treatment, which is pretty much salt water conditioned for our human bodies; and the second part, which is pretty much flooding the sinuses to help them clean the body of the disease.

Anyway, who I am to argue with a marketing campaign that works these days. And this young man and his relatives will pay. As long as it works, that sounds OK to me. And as long as he introduces saline solution into his nasal stuff, that sounds OK to me, too.

The other alternatives work too, by the way. Like try Neo-Synephrine ( a 50 year old idea) or even more modern Oxymetazoline ( like in the last few decades).
They just work for shorter periods of time.

This is what happens when lightweights are in charge

Change that is coming is obvious, to me. Some of it is on our side, like lying as a ruling method is now "acceptable" will be changed, most likely by a change in the USA national parties. Lying to run for office is one thing, but lying to rule is another. This idea is way above lightweights, I also think, and will take years, maybe decades, to come to fruition. After all, it took many decades to get to this point in 2011.

The other obvious change to me, is the present day version of "the enemy at the gates". This time around it will be more financially oriented, like our present lightweight leaders and parties can't borrow any more (as in nobody will loan them money anymore for financial reasons), and imagine the downstream political impacts of it all, at least in the short run, like the next 10 years.

The good news is fourfold, I think.
1) We in the USA will have to balance good ideas and intentions with what we can pay for.
2) The new world (like north and south America) is still a good way to go.
3) Heavy weight leaders will do their "thing".
4) Western educational institutions will change to provide education over indoctrination, I think. After all, many young people from around our world do come to the USA for good reasons, I also think. Now funding will also influence things, too. But most will work and pay to better educate their kids, within limits. And the educators have to make a living, too.

There is an appalling, to me, amount of poor education of those humans we have elected to be our leaders, though I suspect most are hard working and well intentioned. Imagine the conequences? And we have elected them, all. What a sad state of affairs if it takes humans dieing because of what they (our elcected leaders) have done.

Many still hope during all this coming friction we, the common citizens, can still vote, and have it count. Historically, the odds are not there, like many regional powers and their citizens will go another way, and that will only drag out the process, like another war in their areas. The classic expression comes to mind: war is just politics worked out another way.

But what a bunch of lightweight leader losers to even have us go through this turmoil in which many humans will die, needlessly.

I trust regular humans more than our political and educational leaders, like normal to me in 2011.

I suspect most of regular humans are three things: 1) family oriented, 2) somewhat educated by the school of hard knocks where they live, and 3) have survived indoctrination or other such things like local popular opinion, kinda like what was in the old days called high school fads in the USA.

I sure hope our aspirations and votes can still count, like we can influence our future, to include paying taxes or tributes or whatever it is called where one lives.

Only time will tell.

Now I fear for how these lightweights will act in future problems, like the next few years.

Much human change is coming

Most is out in plain sight, though some is not. And the earth is changing, too.

Of course, anyone, like even this author, can predict the future...much is obvious. But there are many wildcards, too, like the earth's evolution and cycles of cold and warm, and our food, too.

But back to humans. We in the USA have done much since WWII to promote the rest of the world's humans, mostly their lifestyles, like improving standards of life. By standards of life things like food, clean water, being warm, and even septic stuff is a big deal. Along the way some might even expect police and fire protection and public electricity, and even public schools for their children, like it is automatic.

Most are willing to pay public taxes for all this when the light bulb goes on, I think, especially when alternatives like paying tributes to the king and queen, or the tribal leader, are also alternatives. Just look at a night satellite photo of our earth to give you a hint of what has been done. It is pretty good, from a human point of view. A similar photo from 100 years ago, which of course was not even possible then, is a good way to brag about what has been done to improve human quality of life in the interim period.

My question is how is change going to occur in the future, which I am pretty sure it will occur. Will it be local, which is my guess, or otherwise, like more generic world type change, which I think not. Whatever the change is, it will be selfish, like we humans will do about anything to survive, mostly making sure our families survive. It kinda sounds like "dog it dog" which may not be far off the mark.

Here's a good news possibility. We humans will respond in our own way and where we live. That's it. For example our birth rates will go down, world wide. And maybe even our energy demands will go down, too? And even if our food supplies from our present day grain belts go down, I also suspect many humans will also survive. It is going to be an ugly process, though!

The modicum of change

OK, I have used unusual words in this title, though they are not unusual to me. This post is right from the heart, and my education from the past in expressing it. I am age 62 and been to many schools, including the school of hard knocks.

Anyway, to me modicum means mostly rational thought, presented in a reasonable sort of way so as not to offend. And human thought, mostly about change, just tries to do reasonable ideas about change, since most humans don't like change, mostly human change. I think we will accept mother nature's change as it affects us, mostly because it will happen anyway. It is the human element that get's to so many of us.

So I think much change is going on. This is pretty normal and usual, I think. And I also think we New World USA citizens have a lot of influence about our human future.

What appears different today, is the western influence, mostly in people of their lands getting the vote, or some variation of it. In other words, the era of dictators and tribal leaders and warlords will probably decline in the next 50 years or more, and much friction will occur in the meantime. After all, it takes generations for change, and to me a generation is about 20 years. Some of these old timers simply just have to die off. In the interim, I suspect many may go with dictators, in the short term, like 20 years or so. Think like Nazi's is an example of this.

And the old time present status quo people (some who govern in their own way, like in Tunisia for 23 years) won't go down quietly; hence there will be much friction in the interim.

Now let's see how it all sorts out in the next 50 years? After all, we humans have a lot in common, too. And we all hope for our children's futures, and none of us want to be cold and hungry.

That is the great hope that modicum of civility may bring, I hope.

Well it finally happened to me today

Trying to twist open a new tube of Chap Stick was too hard to do by hand, like the slippage factor got me down. Then I just re-cleaned my hands, and even used a new piece of paper towel to try get a good grip on the twist off place, and still failed. Finally I just went to the tool box, and got some pliers, and that worked just fine. I then got to put Chap Stick on my lips, which made me happy.
So I got my feelings hurt.
Now I just hope the problem is due to higher "plastic cover" standards, which I think all of us have been living with for quite a while.
But maybe it is just me?
Clay
PS I really like using Chap Stick. I even remember when in Marine Corps boot camp it was taken away from me as an illegal drug. I about panicked then, but got used to going without it about a week later.
PPS All girl's lipstick is "red" to me.

The good news and the bad news

There is much change in the status quo of the last 100 years going on. Depending on where you live, you might change that 100 year figure. I suspect many may suggest the changes in the status quo are since World War II, for example. Others might suggest "in their lifetime" which is pretty normal, I think. I also suspect many others will see it in a different way where they live. Most will probably be correct, from their perspective and experience.

Now I also think that change is always going on, mostly because we humans change. But give our earth some credit, too. It changes, too.

What I sense is that the "rate of change" in the status quo is both happening, and increasing, vice decreasing. Now most humans don't like change in any way it affects them. That is normal, too, I think.

So the good news is that change is happening. The bad news is that change is happening.

Now all I can report is about where I live, and experience life. Here on the Upper Cumberland Plateau in eastern Tennessee I can report what I see, or at least perceive. And I see the fall or decline of both of the present national political parties, the Republicans and the Democrats. And I see the rise of some kind of third party, presently called the Tea Party.

Now in the coming times, like up until 2020, much friction will probably occur since to all human change is painful and not easy. What will accelerate the change is western people dying from being cold and hungry, which in theory our elected people who collect our taxes are supposed to make their priority. Hence I sense we may have to elect new representatives. And this assumes we can still vote here locally, and even federally.

And maybe we'll vote to go cold and hungry, though I doubt it.

What are we paying taxes for?

This post is about all our local taxes, like city and county.

Now from where I live, sanity still survives. In other words, things like public safety, clean water, fire protection, waste water treatment, and public schools still enjoy a priority in the budget process. Other lesser priorities may fall.

Recently, like the last few decades, we locally have become rich enough to have our local public governments, and those we elected, do so many nifty other things.

And I think, locally again, most of us like what happened. This even includes when local government got into the charity business, and that was well thought of, decades ago, of course. Even we voters tolerated deadbeat types abusing the system. After all, we all want to take care of their kids, even if they get abused or taken advantage of by mostly their moms, financially speaking. Just go to any local flea markets to observe all the obviously chubby tattooed and pierced people, driving vehicles nicer than what I can afford, and I start to think things are rear-end backwards. Even locally observe an obviously chubby gal (with two kids by two fathers) who doesn't even know her present boyfriend's name. Now that is pretty bad, but is presently happening (like with tax payer funding) where I live on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee.

In other words, there are alternatives as to how to we help our poor, and even our deadbeats, who continue to breed children, too. In my case I will just use tough love, and also vote! These days I suspect that approach is not popular.

My guess is the future vote will count, a lot! I sure hope so!

Those we have voted in locally during our recent decades "old time" past will probably pass by the way side if they don't change to represent today's voters. Only time will tell, of course.

And all I wanted to do was call for help if I need it.

The beginning of the end

Or is it the end of the beginning?

Either way, the status quo of the last 100 years is changing. And we humans are making the change happen. Good on us!

Now much human friction is coming. It has already begun. Mostly it will look like anarchy when so many humans lose faith in their present system. What a shame it is coming to this. After all most humans just want for their families to be warm, and not hungry. Along the way, independence and dignity is a big deal.

Now people are starting to die in increasing numbers, and the numbers will probably increase, I think. That our human political leader's actions cause this will be a catalyst for change, I think. Sometimes even revolutions will occur.

The good news is that more and more humans have the vote, but even that is still evolving. After all, even in this present world, there are still many who want to rule other ways, and will assert their ways. And I understand that, too. Sometime the "masses", us common folks like me, just vote in our own interests, and not our culture's interests. And again, then people will die unnecessarily. Going quickly is one thing, but dying slowly through being cold and hungry is another thing.

So what does our future look like? Bottom line is that nobody knows.

My thoughts are that some "head knocking" will go on for the next 100 years. And this "head knocking" will involve hard tribal like human decisions. Hopefully, the vote will count, too. Only time will tell.

Now one wild card to add to the thoughts. Our earth will change, too, kind of like normal, at least to me. So what happens when our vast warm season grain belts succumb to colder weathers, like has happened in our human past?

Flowers of the forest

The title is a Scottish traditional lament for the dead, at least as I believe on the Cumberland Plateau in this rural part of east Tennessee.

I think about this a lot, for reasons which will follow. Like all humans, I too can have feelings, laments, thoughts, and worries; and plans of action, too.

Now my main lament is that our votes may be taken away in the next few years. Now since all I can report and lament about is the local votes where I live, like school board, city, county, and even State. Now that right now I don't think will happen, though locally some well meaning types may try to do it, like manipulate the local voting system. Much friction will follow, as has happened in my part of the Country.

It is the federal types that worry me a lot. And yes, I lament and have feelings on this subject, too. Anyway, the federal government also collects federal taxes, has rules, and even has a Congress, Executive, and Judiciary which rule at that level, hopefully with friction between all three branches of federal government.

What I worry about is our Federal Executive trying to rule by fiat. These days it is called things like Executive fiat, even Executive authority our elected Congress has given the Executive, which even now has begun having the Congress and Judiciary being ignored. I still wonder why we the people put up with it, but I suspect that may end soon, like in the next 10 years. Here I hope the vote will predominate over another Revolution, which will come if our American vote is ignored.

Now I personally have lived in and under other political systems, and I really don't want to go through a Revolution in America. But I can and will, if I need to. Right now, I think, this Revolution idea is simply beyond the experience of most fellow Americans, all over our Country. A Revolution is not a fun thing for so many. Going through checkpoints and raiding party visits are an obvious example of what I am lamenting. Nobody wants to go through their Family divided, for another example.

Last, another lament. Why did we Americans get to this state? I don't know my answer right now, but I am sure am worried! And I sure have my guesses.

What a bunch of losers

There was a time when the term “lightweight” applied. Now it is much worse I think.

And we elected them. And we can also elect replacements. This assumes “they” won’t try assume some kind of royalty way of ruling, or even try steal our votes. And it has gotten down to even below the federal level, though that federal level stuff gets all the media attention these days on TV. But I can report, at the more local level where I live on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee, the vote idea is alive and well at all levels, to include the local levels, to include even the school boards.

So even a normal human like me can distinguish between political ideas and politicians. The losers I think of are too many of the present politicians, and those they hire. Now we do have some good politicians, too, but that is a voter decision.

We can argue and debate over political ideas all we want. After all, all most families want to do is live.

What is happening now is that USA and other citizens of the World are beginning to die at a new rate. Not just cold and hungry, but just die, but more now. Like in wars, present, and probably future, and because our loser politicians are influencing the action.

One definition of insanity, or even political silliness, is to keep repeating the same thing expecting a different outcome. How dumb are we humans, in the end?

Do we New World people have something worth preserving, and even fighting for? I think so when my life and my kid’s life is being threatened, in my opinion.

Now in the USA even a third party is arising in 2010. This one is not based on an individual, but an idea. If you follow this theme, then much change is coming.

The present USA national political parties will sink, in the end. By 2020 things will be different, but still human, I think.

And the political losers will suffer in the end.

Much friction is coming. The status quo politicians at all levels won’t go down easily.

We New World humans are OK

In this there is hope. Good on us!

What unites us in the world is the ”idea” of family future, and hope in a new land to help in this process. Right now that land is the new world, like our present USA in my case. And as recently as a century or two ago, the idea was agriculture. Now it is more services and sometimes making things.

Much is being said of our new land in the USA. Most of us enjoy what we have, and our hopes and work towards our kid’s future.

Yet much change is going on, too! Mostly it is the idea of a Constitution with legal rights, like the rule of law. That is a bigger deal than who you know, for example.

Hence, we are not too shabby in the new world.

There are other alternatives.

I would rather have a family here, and raise them here.

Let others pursue their goals, while I will pursue mine.

That’s why I like living and voting in the USA.
Now that is an idea worth defending.

Some ironic thoughts

When I think about several things, sometimes on face value, the thought often seems kind of crazy or silly.

Here’s some thoughts.

Thanks to modern medical practices, and some good education about diet and exercise, I think our life spans and quality of life are being extended. Now I think we are also talking about extending the retirement age. I find the linking of the two ideas ironic. Is keeping we humans healthier longer so we can work longer? I don’t think so, but that seems to be what is happening in the USA.

The present USA federal executive and the recent control of the two federal legislative houses by the same National political party prompt another ironic thought. It is one thing to debate the politics being practiced by the party in federal power, and another thing to debate the competency of those actually practicing these policies. Linking those two is a normal human tendency, and often results in people talking past each other. I find this ironic because it is really two different things, at least to me.

Are we in one United States, or fifty different states united for federal purposes? The question still goes on all the time, and I find it “interesting” when people say, in essence, why can’t all people think like me? Extend this to the whole world, with the Eastern value customs often being different from the Western value customs. I find it ironic that many humans think of the world has a whole vice a collection of many different states and government types, some which seem to perform better than others.

People often think of intelligence, education, and experience as being much the same. I find that ironic, since they are all different ideas, at least to me. How many people have heard others say that their kids are smarter than them? Well, if that were correct, then I think we should have a bunch of little Einstein types running around, and most of us don’t think that is the case. Better educated, perhaps? Better connected because of ancestors, maybe? But smarter, or more experienced, I don’t think so.

I find it ironic that many humans think their status quo will go on indefinitely. It could be our politics, our language and customs, even such things as public electricity or clean water and waste water treatment, or public travel at modern speeds, all on demand. Now the old expression that death and taxes will probably always occur is correct, and probably for sure change will always also go on. I believe this change idea for three reasons: humans are involved, and both gradual and catastrophic evolution are happening and will continue to happen.

Now the reader may apply these ideas to their experience and thoughts. I suspect other words like naive, idealistic, inexperienced, dichotomy, educated fool, shame, key-stone-cops, and even dumb may cross their mind. Another old time expression comes to mind too, kind of like Clausewitz's famous "fog of war" idea. This one is slightly older, but in modern terms says: "for lacking knowing what to do, we do what we know".

Last I find it ironic that most humans who promote change faster than other change already going on are also usually comfortable in their status quo existence. Their quality of life is usually pretty nice. Other humans live in a more base way where their status quo is not so comfortable, or predictable. Their quality of life is not so good, like coldness, sickness, and hunger are every day kind of problems.

I conclude this post with one example to show this is not just some idealistic diatribe about ironic situations. I once went through a Philippine village after a typhoon had come through, and all was pretty well devastated (so was where I lived at the time). And no government "help" was coming in, and people, husbands, wives, and kids were hungry and unhappy; and I went armed with 45 ammunition after that experience, and did not return there on purpose.

This is one to write home about

Sometime in our future, when one’s kids ask about how things were in the “old” days, just tell them what you think now, and observed in your lifetime and experience. Of course, this probably goes on about everywhere and anyway, but these days are full of more change than has happened in even the recent decades. And the change is mostly human caused, I think.

Much like the idea of a “perfect storm” (either the book or the movie) things are converging in ways worth recording. Some of the outcomes may be surprising to many humans. Even the novel “The Coming Global Superstorm” may have some validity.

If you buy the idea of a “perfect storm” then think about this. In the book and movie, three different relatively individual storms combined to make a catastrophic event. Such a similar set of events may be occurring to we humans today.

Now just what do I mean, or imagine.

Storm one: Much of the world is going through economic distress, and nobody will tolerate them or their kids going cold and hungry.

Storm two: The clash between east and west value cultures continues. One has to live in other cultures to believe and observe this. It is the increased modern communications means that brings this to the front. Sometimes it is more base, like being chauvinistic. The good news is that we new world humans are “balancing things out”. And we New World humans are “from all over the world”.

Storm three: The friction between the rural human world and the urban human world will continue. Most of the human world is still rural, and any “progressive ideas” these days by urban humans will probably fail, like fall on deaf ears. Even the various forms of governments, like royalty, dictatorship, western style democracy or republican governments, tribal government, or some combination will only assert that we humans are still different in so many ways.

Like I said, these are times to write home about.

The military, expeditionary, and farm life

The purpose of this post is to talk about the common themes that surround the subject topics. More specifically, I want to think about portable electricity, mostly batteries, that seem to power most portable widgets that benefit us these days. A recent email from a relative got me thinking this way.

Anyway, public electricity to use in general is a recent phenomenon in human history, like the last one or two hundred years depending on how you count and where you live. Where I live today it is in the last 80 years or so. And in the older days here a two or three day electrical outage was considered OK…now people call to complain (on the electrically powered telephone) if they have to go 15 minutes without electricity for their home or business.

And it is a wonderful way to help we humans in whatever endeavor, like even sports games at night. Even gasoline or diesel engines that power so many good things usually get their fuel from electrically powered pumps. We are so spoiled, but can do OK if we need too, though.

When I think about batteries, I now think about them in two terms. One is the “battery case” or delivery method. Most think in terms of battery size, like “D” cell or “AA” cell. The other way to think about batteries in the chemistry that makes portable electricity, like lead acid, alkaline, lithium ion, or the various other schemes for rechargeable batteries. None are created equal.

Fast forward to the present day as far as batteries go. Most of us still have widgets (like cell phones) that use proprietary batteries. The wonderful military transceivers that talk to airplanes that support ground forces use batteries, too. Proprietary to me means custom designed, but hard to get after a few years (though they do work pretty good when they are working). And in the military, and especially in expeditionary situations, and now in farm life, getting batteries that will run whatever widget I have is a pain in the tail. Even a marketing and retail sales giant like Amazon.com should be applauded for all their inventory efforts.
But when one lives in rural America, or rural China, or rural Haiti, or rural anywhere (like the Saudi desert area) then the problem becomes both more apparent, and more obvious. There is a solution other humans have already thought of. And it is decades old. After all, right now Wal-Mart mostly exists in the USA.

Why not sell and use widgets that all of us use, be it military, expeditionary, farm, or mostly city use, that rolls in the wonderful portable electricity efforts going on into deliverable means, like the present batteries like “D” cells and even “AA” cells. Old companies like Racal out of England have figured this out already in then sales efforts to the third world where I captured some of their equipment. I was always impressed with the night vision equipment that ran on “AA” batteries, for example.

Whoever the human was that got the DVD standard for movies and later discs should be applauded. Later one could observe the competition between the follow on technology, BluRay vs DVD HD, two competing technologies, and both worked just fine for most of us. I for one hoped it would get sorted out other than the way it ended up. I am pretty much a generic human in this regards.

Now the portable widgets will always be around, and most help us humans in good ways. I just hope some smart people will make it easy on the rest of us, to include the batteries in our future.

Recording what you observe in your lifetime

Seems like a silly idea to most, and it may be. After all most adults think greater changes went in on in their ancestors’ times, and they may be correct, depending on where they live. That is correct in my case.

But much human change is going on in the whole world, including the USA America, and these days we all effect each other more than used to be the situation. This is a good problem, I think.

Now change can be recorded many ways…video is popular in many places I inhabit. But it still can be recorded in stories, as when some young person asks me about living “in the old days”. After all we humans are inquisitive, to include our kids.

Now one thing did hurt my feelings when I was telling some youngsters about fighting some dinosaurs at the rural place I live in Tennessee, and naturally some of them challenged me (after all I was making up a story). I used as my reference the movie “Jurassic Park”, and they wanted to know what that even meant, because that young crowd around the fire had never heard of the movie. Then I knew my time had passed, and recording history was a bigger deal than ever, and a little honesty might help, too, at least in my case.

Last, a little bit of politics from the Cumberland Plateau in East Tennessee. Even here, it appears, the times they are a changing. Not all I like, but at least I get a chance to vote my opinion and preferences.

It is when I sense hints of royalty and dictatorship at this low county level, as in stealing the vote, then I get alarmed.

And for sure, my stories about what I record these days will be interesting…some maybe even true.

And all I want to do is live OK until I die in Putnam County, Tennessee, USA. And record it of course. Mostly it will be with words, and that includes a blog.

Affirmative action gone bad

Now I still believe in the idea of “a diamond in the rough”. And I even taught at the Atlanta University Colleges for three years.

Now for those who think Negroes are inferior humans, just join the Marines and make up your own mind. I would not want to be on the other side when fighting Marines, from any race.

The key question in my mind is the cost of our national policy of trying to overcome past racial discriminatory policies and even laws. Or as a recruiter, I had quotas, and finding enough qualified females to make my quota made me happy when the rules changed. Thank goodness we can man our military, for example, with competent people to accomplish the mission. I, and we, should be proud of them.

What bothers me is our present federal President, Barack Obama.

When he spoke of 57 States, or even spoke of creating a new National Service equal in funding and manning to DOD, that got my attention. Then when I read he was elected President of the Harvard Law Review by his peers, that also bothered me since I also read he did a poor job. And after he was elected President and took a much needed vacation in Oahu, Hawaii, and then visited his dying grandmother from Kansas, and did not take his kids and wife; that bothered me a lot.

I have concluded he is a lightweight. While his ego and intentions are his alone, he is still, and in the end, a lightweight. And the “perfect storm” idea of having a National Party back him is also bad, in my opinion. When Nancy Pelosi began practicing her own foreign policy visits, that also got my attention.

Now as one who also thinks about consequences and which way to go forward, I am worried about the consequences of affirmative action when it affects me and my family. After all, nobody wants a lawyer or doctor they think is some beneficiary of affirmative action.

In such a consideration, affirmative action can also work against our best national interests. Some “diamonds in the rough” are in fact poor stones that should not be promoted beyond their ability. Most parents know this. And most of us want to make our kids happy.

Rehearsals

The idea is pretty common.

The traditions, for example, of wedding rehearsals, most humans know about.

How about plays? Most performers go through rehearsals for human reasons.

How about amphibious landings? The military does it mostly to figure out the lessons learned. How about a future raid somewhere in the world to rescue people?

How about a musical rock tour? Most are rehearsed, too, for obvious reasons.

How about our wonderful emergency responders to police, fire, and water problems? They also rehearse, and good on ‘em. Even where I live bad weather brings down trees, for example. Even this can block roads, and maybe bop me in the head if I am dumb enough to go out in the storm.

To conclude, most humans can plan about most things ahead. That is a good reason for enjoying being a human. But sometimes, other things happen, and then a rehearsal is not a bad idea.

And I don’t mind paying for it in local city and county taxes since I respect these boys and girls good work and self sacrifice, and thinks it benefits me and my fellow citizens when we need it.

What happens if we have crummy leaders?

Now this question can apply about anywhere, and at all levels, like school board, city, county, state, and federal in the USA. Now it can also apply anywhere in the world since leader types are all over the place. Some are elected, some are dictators, some are royalty or tribal, and some are even some combination of all. Even nepotism is still around in a few places.

What worries me is if I think they can cause death or even starvation to my descendents while they are leaders that can influence my descendents. Then I have a problem, to me. Now if they die too, that is OK with me, but I doubt it.

Now maybe it was gonna happen anyway in the USA. But maybe not? After all we have all the advantages of being New World with all the Old World problems being shed. Maybe even the USA is destined to be an agricultural breadbasket, but probably not. Most Americans like working and making things.

Even one Marxist theory of dialectic materialism is an old world term appropriate to the Old World and another way of thinking back then about human history and actions in their time and experience.

Along the way, much friction is still occurring since most humans don’t like change, to include, it seems in this New World USA. Yet change is always occurring since it seems humans are involved, including immigrating humans.

So what happens if we have crummy leaders where we live today in the USA?

My suggestion is twofold.

First is to do whatever you think is right. Now that will probably be a painful process. And it is most important to start, thinking the finish will maybe be much later in the future, and good leaders at all levels may perish along the way. At least they will be proud leaders until the day they die. And they will have started things that are important to them.

Second is to applaud all the social and political change efforts that have gone on so far in the USA. A soft revolution is much preferable to what I imagine as a hard revolution.

To conclude, change is good, though most humans don’t like it. It makes us feel uncomfortable. Yet how are we going to elect in the USA New World leaders who represent us better than some of the crummy leaders it appears we have elected up until this time.

Yep, the times they are changing. And that includes the political status quo of the last century.

Last I heard, we are still in charge of our future, and our kid’s futures. My guess is this non revolutionary change ( I hope) will in the end take up to around the time 2020. The Moody’s forecast about two years ago suggested 2016. So where you live be yourself, and then guess and plan anyway you think is correct.

Things are “different” now

Stealing the vote seems to happen all the time. All too often I would say. Asian dictatorships are especially good at this idea and following legitimacy.

Now it seems many fellow Americans want to do it for their reasons and advantages, and are more obvious now than in the past. Many are bureaucrats, hired minions if you will, and will manipulate the system where they may live. After all they have their sincere opinions and beliefs, too. But still they only get one vote in the area where they live.

But it sure seems too many of them want to rule us in their way. One can even think of dictatorship in some USA sort of way, but there are other obvious also human ways to rule which ignore the vote.

Now there is nothing magical about the vote, other than the key idea that the ruled people are in charge.

So one guess is that the massive change going on includes the power of the vote. Yes, things are “different” now.

For example, I don’t want some drifter idealist who gets an election job at my local county elections office (though local family connections) deciding my vote. How about my “vote” counts, too.

Like the title suggests, things are “different” now. Or so I hope.

A soft revolution is underway

Let me define this idea. Much change is coming, as in the 100 year old status quo is changing throughout the world, and a soft revolution means many more people will live in the process. A hard revolution usually means death to so many humans in my definitions. Being soft, it will go on to maybe 2020.

Now this guess is at a World sort of view, but even in the USA new world, people are making it happen in their own way. Most humans don’t support failure, but rather success. And here in the USA that idea still seems to resonate. The present USA political system has been “under performing” at best. After all, we still have many vast riches to exploit, at least right now. Meantime a lot of people are going cold and hungry.

The motivations are pretty simple. Most people want to live, and provide for their family’s future. Now this is a whole World family idea, though those of us lucky enough to live the new world USA are provided an opportunity to do it our way.

There is always friction in the World, and now is no different. What is different, though, is that more humans have, or think they have, the power to vote where ever they live. Now maybe I am wrong, and dictatorships and tribal cultures will still have an influence for the foreseeable future. But my guess is even in these cases a soft revolution is underway. Change is coming to them, too.

Now let’s be realistic, too. For example, too; much of present day boundaries around the world are often boundaries decided by western diplomats back about 120 years ago. I think of this idea mostly in the Middle East and Caucus areas, though Africa counts, too. And old style dictatorships and tribal leaders still have a role now for muddling through and ruling in their way these days.

Bummer. And the times they are a changing. Thank goodness we in the USA have the advantage of all that our immigrants bring. Hopefully it will be a soft revolution here, too.

Analyze this

Much has been said about politics in USA America today. I myself have both the time and inclination to read much of it. Well, we all do have our own hobbies.

What still astounds me, as in disappointing me, is the amount of time pundits spend analyzing, which usually amounts to doing amateur psychobabble type stuff. And it seems to pay well these days as far as I can see, and read.

What I would like to point out is the alternative. Rather than try put oneself in some other’s shoes and analyze their way of thinking and their intents, try soothsaying their capabilities. In my mind, the latter option is both more reliable, and a better and easier way to predict the future.

Four examples come to mind.

1) Are the Democrats in the USA simply executing some party conspiracy, or simply incompetent, or is it something simpler? For my mind, I think they (the Congress and the Executive) are running our economy into the ground, and hopefully we can recover in some other new human world less likeable to we USA citizens than before. In this example, it is the capability I can act and vote on. I won’t waste my time trying to analyze this group’s intent.

2) In Zimbabwe, is it simple human greed and ego or something else that is forcing so many to starve, or emigrate away. Again, the idea of capabilities vice intents is an idea one can vote on. Either way, a big piece of land is being run into the ground, and it appears to be human caused.

3) In Moro land, aka the Southern Philippines, is the now century old Islamic insurrection still locally based, or now exploited by outsiders? Just how to deal with this brings me back to intents vice capabilities. I myself think of the Philippines as the 51st state, but would never venture into Moro land.

4) Is the present Islamic terrorist threat to so many (who want to live without such a threat) based on some Arab Wahhabi sect or some other Islamic idea that others like in Indonesia accept? Again the example is what is the intent? And again, what is the capability of those intending to kill some of us. I myself have done my math, lived in these areas, and even worked with these others in the USA. In my math, 99.99% of Muslims are good people, but with a world population of 1.6 billion Muslims, the remaining 0.01% still amounts to about 160,000 people. Now eliminate most non Arab Muslims, and I am still left with a big number of potential people who want to kill me. Now that is an example of capability. And where does their money come from?

Intents are one thing. Capability is another.

It is so obvious

There are few bad bureaucrats…only bad leaders.

I personally don’t know anyone who wakes up in the morning wanting to do a bad job. And I mean this at any level: school board, city, county, state, and federal.

So if you want to shoot the messenger, so to speak, then keep the political leaders in your voting crosshairs, too. In my mind, the hard working “mindless” bureaucrats are doing the best they can with what they’ve got. And what they’ve got is what their political leaders lead them to. Like I said, I don’t know anyone who wakes up in the morning wanting to do a bad job.

And of course the political leaders are those we have elected.

So if we want to change things, like make the future better for our kids and grandkids, then we should think about who to vote for while we are alive and can vote.

One idea drives me crazy.

Now most families will work months for making house payments in order to raise their family, but if in the near future one family has to work months just to pay interest on all the federal borrowing that has already occurred, and that means they cannot borrow to buy a house for their family, then generational warfare is coming. At least that is what I would do.

Now generational warfare is an idea that is still evolving. Just what it means even I don’t know. There are options. One is revolt, one is simple default on the debt, one is civil war, and one I can think of is more gradual, like using their vote to change things and sort it out the best they can.

While one today is alive and can vote, do whatever you think is obvious.

I get to vote, too.

Now I also get to vote, too. Why the cynical title? Because I am suspicious that others may try to take away my vote. If and only if that happens, then some kind of physical revolution will occur in the USA.

Now some kind of political revolution is already occurring from where I sit on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. And the vote counts a lot, I think, in making the changes that are needed to keep our new world USA American idea going. Of course, much of what has happened and will happen is simple human selfishness, but what is wrong with being warm and eating and supporting a family at a reasonable rate? And if we exploit our resources to the end, so what? Let the voters decide what to do next, and then expect our elected representatives to do it. If they don’t do it, then I suspect more humans will step up the plate and get elected.

In my thoughts, and if you buy this argument, then capitalism is a good way to balance human behavior with creating wealth. Now let me define what I think creating wealth is…getting others to pay for my work in a way that benefits us both. In this example, all families benefit from their labor, or as John Kennedy is quoted as saying, a rising tide raises all boats. In the USA example, we don’t have to work through a caste system, like in India. After all we never started it.

Why do I worry, or become cynical? I have thought about this a lot. My answer is that our present USA political system has screwed us in the long term. Both of our present and old two National Parties are simply failing us. They had their chance, and have simply failed. And it is not the economic recession problems today, which are considerable. More it is what I think of as the interference with the wonderful human ideas that have made the USA the Mecca of the world. After all, people do vote with their feet and pocket book, and there is still much good going on here in the USA. As the military says, let’s reinforce success, not failure.

Not too many decades ago, this idea was called public policy, and our politicians used this idea to advance we in the USA.

Last idealism only goes so far. One has to be practical, too.

To me, that means voting at the local public school board level, the city level, the county level, the state level, and even the federal level. And continue paying taxes all these governments presently levy on us. Practically speaking let us just elect humans who will dispense our tax money the way we want it done using their hired bureaucrats, too. Of course this idea assumes our vote still counts.

Now to me I also buy the argument that one of the intrinsic faults of any kind of democracy is that when the have nots can vote themselves benefits from the haves, then the system will collapse in the end. Hence, let the majority vote!

And of course, practically speaking, historical change takes time. So do we humans I think.

Just another report from the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee

Just in the last month two things got my attention.

One was the answer to my question where do you come from? The fellow was probably from India in the long run, but his answer got my attention. His answer was that he was from London. And he was being honest, I think. He runs a local restaurant and beer store. Wine and liquor are not permitted for sales in this Putnum County.

Second was having my new “maid” show up to try keep up with all the main house upkeep. Now I am an OK cleaner, but the dust is still a constant problem when the local breezes flow through the main 1905 house. This is where I appreciated Bianca’s good work and time. Anyway, when I asked her where she was from, she answered Los Angeles. Now that got my attention, since I have about 6 years of my life in southern California.

Now I asked Bianca how she ended up living in the local city, Cookeville. She reported her grandmother moved out here from L.A., and then got her parents to move out here.

Now I am the beneficiary, at least for a while.

In the meantime, 12 out of 24 local county commissioners recently got elected as first time members. Here locally county commissioners are like the local legislature.

Last, local connections count, too. Recently an appointment to a routinely elected position was made by the local already elected politicians. Now that bothered me, even though I think well of the appointee.