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Cziltang wanders the trackless wastes in search of truth, beauty and personal enlightenment. He had tried to be self-sufficient, growing his own ideas, but they withered and died in the great intellectual drought that gripped the land in his youth. One day, as he gazed at the parched landscape around him, he realized that somewhere there must be ideas growing. Somewhere, rational discourse must still survive. Since that day, he has searched for a mythical land of fields and forests of living ideas. Now and again he finds a thought or two in the rubble of an occasional deserted outpost of civilization. Its a hard way to live and its not much of a life, but that's just how it is, out here in the Ratlands |
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At Last
link Summer seems to have finally broken here in the Ratlands. It wasn't an especially brutal summer as these things go in Kansas and it was a lot wetter than usual. Still, I just don't handle the heat as well as I used to, so I really start feeling better about this time of year. We now have days in the high 70's and nights in the 50's. Still a bit warm for my taste, but I'll take it. I'll like it even better when Daylight Saving time ends and I have long dark evenings to enjoy. Give me a crisp fall evening with a waxing moon and the sound of geese flying overhead as an accompaniment to the sound of the keyboard and the glow of the computer screen and I'm happy. Add in a wee bit of Laphroaig Scotch, lose the computer and throw in an outdoor fire... On the family front, Rat Jr. got a job in a manufacturing plant. She is now getting up at 4:00 a.m. Our sleep schedule is seriously out of whack. Mostly I see her for a few minutes when she gets home from school at night. I've been hoping she would find a job, but full-time with mandatory overtime may be a bit more than she was bargaining for. Still, even adjusted for inflation, it is a lot better money than I was making when I was her age. And finally, one of the truths about blogging is that for most of us, no matter what you have to say, someone else has said it first and better. This came in my e-mail this week from a friend. The Bill of Non-Rights The following has been attributed to State Representative Mitchell Kaye from GA. This guy should run for President one day... "We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights." ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything. ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be. ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful, do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy. ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes. ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not interested in public health care. ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair. ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure. ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful. ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights. ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We don't care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from! (finally....) ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country's history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!!!! If you agree, share this with a friend. No, you don't have to, and nothing tragic will befall you if you don't. I just think it's about time common sense is allowed to flourish. Sensible people of the United States speak out because if you do not, who will? Vote - it's American as American can be...! OK. Maybe it is a bit over the top, but I'm especially fond of articles I, II, III, and V. And while it might be refreshing to watch, I don't think anyone this blunt would survive a presidential campaign. One other bit of food for thought. Some time back I ran across Dissecting Leftism. Guess what his political orientation is? One of the interesting things about this guy is that he is an Aussie, but spends quite a bit of time writing about American issues, having apparently spent some time working here. I don't remember where on the web site I read it (maybe in more than one place?) but one of his central points is that the mark of any good leftist is the desire to tell other people what to do. I thought that was a bit simplistic, but after having thought about it for a while, I'm having second thoughts. A while back, I wrote about my family gathering fiasco with my sister and brother-in-law. One moment keeps coming back to me. I don't remember how it came up, but I mentioned the California legislature passing a bill that would have made it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to go into a tanning salon without a doctor or dermatologist's prescription. I had mentioned it in the context of needless intrusion and government regulation with strong overtones of parental responsibility as opposed to the idea that the government should protect us from ourselves. My sister, on the other hand, thought it was a marvelous idea. I don't remember my sister suggesting anything that the government shouldn't regulate. My sister isn't what I would call a "flaming liberal". The willingness to accept both regulation and the underlying idea that people need to be told what to do disturbs me. I'm going to have to think about it before I buy the whole concept, but "telling other people what to do" does seem to capture something intrinsic to the left. by Cziltang Posted: Friday, September 24 2004 09:56:34 PM
Waxing Nostalgic
link When I was a kid (say 35 years ago, or so) we used to spend our summer weekends with our grandparents. The family would travel to the farm on Friday night after Dad got off work. We would get up early on Saturday morning and work in the garden or pick berries or fruit or whatever the season called for. We always had a big lunch. The best were in July and August with lots of fresh vegetables, maybe fried chicken and mashed potatoes and corn on the cob and lots of fresh, ripe sliced tomatoes. After lunch we would mostly relax until it cooled off in the evening. My memories of those days are all sort of a warm, orange blur. Mostly I remember laying on the linoleum in the living room in front of a box fan, as Grandma didn't have an air conditioner. It was often in the upper 90's or low 100's, but I don't remember physical discomfort. It is all a care-free, sleepy haze. I remember it fondly. Today I've been thinking about those memories. I don't spend much time thinking about them, usually. My currently life is pretty far removed from those days. My grandparents are dead. I haven't been on a farm in years. But today, they all came flooding back to me. Our air conditioner broke down last night. It's been in the low 90's today and I've spent the day lazing about under the fan. Funny, it isn't quite as much fun as it was 35 years ago. The food isn't as good either. by CziltangPosted: Sunday, September 19 2004 08:17:55 PM |
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