The leaves are turning color and the air has a chill. It feels like fall, but what happened to summer? I guess we had a few weeks of it this year, but the winters here in the mountains seem to get longer and longer. The familiar smell of wood stoves burning in our small community is not unpleasant. It adds to the atmosphere somehow and I still like to ride my Triumph and breathe the crisp air, flavored by wood stoves. It’s definitely Halloween weather.
Back in civilization, the cities are beginning to reap the results of an unhappy populous or maybe one segment of the population. To compare the current protestors to the Tea Party folks is ludicrous. There is no comparison. Compare a flea bag with a tea bag. Most of these kids have no idea why they are involved, but it is a lot of fun and some even make it to the TV screen. Now they find that many are being paid to show up. In my humble opinion, this is just the start.
We are seeing an extension of “protestors” to “rioters’ in Europe , but, of course, none of that can happen here. But I remember something about the Rodney King riots in L. A., so maybe it can happen here and I faintly remember when the lights went out in New York
During the depression, men lined up for soup and sold apples to buy food. There was a moral law built into those folks. If today’s inner cities lost electricity for ten hours, what would be left when the lights came back on? It’s a different mentality now. Most vestiges of morality, empathy, and individual responsibility have been effectively eroded as our culture devolved.
So sitting on my deck with a drink while my dog explores the forest behind us or riding my bike up a winding road leading to a lonely lake may not be a bad alternative to urban chaos, road rage and the stress of life in the fast lane. And in our little community, the natives would tolerate scummy protestors about as long as it takes to drop a shell in a 12 gauge shotgun.
But Ralph, the 'protesters' have a right to demonstrate! Our forefathers understood that that right assumed one had a brain to utilize. Wrong. What do these folks do besides live in a constant state of extreme angst over some undefined problem like 'corruption'?
ReplyDeleteI remain completely disgusted with both the protesters as well as those they seem to protesting about, even if they don't understand their nemesis nor have any solution.
Remember our deep philosophical discussion this summer, lubricated as I recall, and my solution: Throw the Bastards out. Every one of our elected official at all levels because none of them proposed nor was part of a solution, so they are the problem.
Flame off Ralph!
Malcolm - I agree with you-throw them all out.
ReplyDeleteI think these movements are being orchestrated and manipulated world-wide by a nefarious mixture of anti-capitalist puppet masters. I guess that makes me a conspiracy nut to some.
Not sure what "Flame off" means...
Ralph, back in the early days, before the Web, CompuServe and several other 'Bulletin Boards' were available for special interest users to communicate and exchange info and often opinion.
ReplyDeleteTo avoid making folks on the Board react badly to a statement one often started a rant with 'Flame On'. When you were done with your rant you said, 'Flame Off'.
So just an old guys re-use of an old, and out of date, saying.
Malcolm - More evidence that I was behind the curve even back then. Thanks for reminding me of our "lubricated" discussions. Gayle and I both really enjoyed that time with you.
ReplyDeleteHappening as I write in Oakland. We just returned from New England where the protestors are camping in quite a few cities.
ReplyDeleteCrazy world we live in.
Ed - Do they know what they're protesting or does it matter?
ReplyDeleteParadox of "apple selling to buy food"
ReplyDeleteFirst: what did they sell to be able to buy apples?
Second: if they were hungry, why not eat an apple?
Just asking...