A Christmas Thought

Even though I’m going through a difficult time I need to stop and remember to be grateful.

Frist I’m very grateful that my stepson is doing very well and is alive to see another Christmas considering he was close to dying earlier this year and was saved by double lung transplant. I’m grateful that someone was giving of themselves to be an organ donor. Yet I'm sadden that a family out there has one less member at Christmas died.

I’m lucky to have two older brothers who still come to the aid of their baby brother and who have been very generous this Christmas so we can have a nice Xmas. I’m grateful to have my mother still alive and every year sends me country ham and a bushel of grapefruits and oranges from our birth State of Florida.

I’m grateful to have a wife who has been understanding and is hard working. I’m grateful to have a wife who has a family that is understanding when it comes to my unemployment and who has been helpful and generous when it comes to the kids or I should say the young adults.

I’m grateful that I have two stepdaughters who are understanding and are good people and not criminals or trouble makers.

Even though my unemployment is a bit less than I was making and I have to pay for a COBRA insurance that is a considerable cut into my unemployment wage, I need to be grateful that at least I’m getting financial assistant and I have insurance.

I have a roof over my head and bread on the table and at least my pickup is paid off. I’m grateful to have good friends in the real world and a few on the internet. I’m grateful to be born in a free country. Plus I’m grateful that I have a Creator who has eventually help me in the pass when times really got hard and provided a path to follow and even worked a miracle or two. The Creator may not give me what I want but he does give me what I need.

I know that there are people due to no fault of their own who have it so much tougher than me. Even if I was homeless and living on the street with nothing than the clothes on my back and a blanket to keep me warm at night I would have to remember that I’m better off than the homeless person without a blanket. As long as I know that there are people who have it worst that I do I should not complain and be grateful.

So I want to wish all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

UR

Another Victim of the Economy

Well after 13 years of work at the same construction company as a concrete estimator I have become another victim of the economy. As of today I’ve been laid off from work due to the lack of work and that not enough money is coming in to keep me on for the time being. I was told that if we pick up work they would be bring me back that’s if they don’t have to close up.

Upside this give me time to take care of neglected home project. Believe it or not I may do some volunteer work just to keep busy and give me some purpose to get up in the morning and not let myself slip into lazy behavior and stay up all night and sleep all day. Plus I need to get my resume together and figure out what jobs am I qualified for and considering I'm just a High School graduate it won’t be much. Should I stay in the construction industry considering that it will never be like it once was or should I figure out something new to do? Maybe welding?

Anyway, even though on Nov 1st I was actually told that I was going to be laid off back on Nov 1st I was going to laid off on Nov 11 I'm not sure how feel about this yet. Not a total shock I had a feeling it was coming for a few months. Part of me is trying to stay positive because I know we have a good shot at getting some jobs and I’ll be back at my old job but another part of me feels that this maybe the end of life as I know it. Meaning that after 13 years of going to the same job I may have to do something different and probably at less pay.

Kind of bummed,

UR

Master Debaters

So another GOP primary debate is done or what I call Republican Playoffs.

I must say not thrilled with anyone except maybe Newt Gingrich. It’s funny that at the end of most of the debates commentator will say that Gingrich is the smartest one in the room but then go on and talk about whether Perry or Romney and now Cain and which one won or lost the debate. But if Newt is the smartest in the room shouldn’t that mean he won?

Then again during these debates isn’t really about the best debater but about putting on a show and have everyone go after the front runner it almost like a watching TV wrestling Battle Royal match. These debates should be called Debate Entertainment.

During these debates the moderators tend to focus on the front runners and basically leave the other contenders out. Instead of asking one question and allow everyone equal time to give their answers, they end up going off track because someone answers critiques one of the others then they give the person time to respond then the back and forth between goes on and the moderator ends up changing topics and the other people on stage doesn’t get a chance to answer the original question. Here is an idea let everyone answer the question then go back and people a chance to respond.

All I know is Newt seems to be the only adult at these debates and is considered the smartest one in the room.

So as you can tell I lean towards Newt but can Newt win the Republican nomination? Well that’s a tough one due to some of his baggage and the far right being based on idealism and not realism when it comes to their purity standards. But regardless of who is nominated the real question is who can win the Presidency?

No one can win with their base only. Yes each candidate need their base to stay loyal but to win you need to keep party moderates with you and you need as many Independence to come to your side. So as for electoral votes you need swing states and swing states aka purple states tend to have a majority of moderates or near equal Repubs and Dems and Indies. Which tends to mean though aren’t far right or far left when it comes to policies.

I’m sorry I don’t believe a far right can win against President Obama. President Obama make no mistake is a far left politician who tries to pretend to a center left politician. President Obama will have his far right support but if a Republican that is center right on social policies and a fiscal conservative with plans to change this country’s economic and job crisis around and can keep the base and the party moderates together plus get the majority of Independents to come over to the Republican side and if a Republican candidate even get a portion of moderate Dems like the Blue Dog Dems there would be no way for President Obama to win.

So wouldn’t one think that the smartest person in the room be the one to run against President Obama? Even though Newt probably won’t be the Republican nominee I just can help but think about how great it would be to see Newt debating President Obama.

UR

Winds of Change?

Well things change. In New York the seat that was once held by Democrat and former Rep. Anthony Weiner, who resigned his seat do to an embarrassing sexting scandal, is now been won by a Republican. The NY district the Weiner once held is a very strong Democrat area but yet instead of voting for the Democratic State Assemblyman running for the seat they ended up voting for a 70year old Republican who is a political newcomer. With unofficial result at 80% of the votes in 54% of the vote when to the Republican and 46% to the Democrat.

Strange thing is the former Representative Weiner was a very liberal and out spoken an liberal causes and seem well liked by his district yet his district went for a Republican who vowed to push back on the Obama policies.

So is this a sign that Democrat Party is out of touch with their own members?

UR

The Ghost Dance

My commentary is below the video.



The Ghost Dance was a “round dance” that was part of a religious movement in 1890 that was started by a Paiute Indian named Wovoka also known as Jack Wilson, a name he adopted after his father died and was taken in and raised by a rancher by the name of David Wilson as a teen and worked there well into adulthood. Now Wovoka’s father was a medicine man and Wovoka was learning from his father but Wovoka was also known for having visions. Wovoka was well versed in Paiute traditions and religion but while being part of the Wilson family he was also taught the Bible and Christianity.

In January 1889 Wovoka had a vision during a solar eclipse. Wovoka’s vision showed the return or resurrection of the Paiute dead and that the white man and all that he has brought and done to the Indians would vanish and that the Indians and buffalo return to the days before the whites. Wovoka believed this could only be done by doing the Ghost Dance and living a righteous life. Wovoka was a pacifist and encouraged his follower not to harm the whites and continue to work with them. I believe Wovoka incorporated Indian beliefs with Christianity and some have said even as far as that Jesus would return as a Indian to bring about Wovoka’s vision. Wovoka’s vision and Ghost Dance began to gain attention from other western tribes who then sent representatives to meet and learn from Wovoka.

Now these tribal representatives returned to their tribes after learning the Ghost Dance, songs and prayers. Many tribes made changes to the song, prayers and even the dance so to fit into their traditions. But it was the Lakota Sioux who went further. Many Lakota by this time were highly resentful to the wasicu, which in Lakota means non-Indian and not “fat taker” which is “wasin icu” but wasicu overtime did become a derogatory and is associate with “greedy” or “untrustworthy”. Lakota were also resentful to the US Government and corrupt Indian Agents. We need to remember this 1890 and Custer’s last stand at the Battle of the Little Bighorn which the Sioux killed Custer and massacred the US 7th Calvary was only about 13 or 14 years earlier. So the Sioux felt that they were still paying for that. Sioux were eventually forced on to the reservation due to lost of their main food resource the buffalo which were hunted nearly to extinction for their hides and bones by whites with the encouragement of the Government so that the Plains Indians would lack their number one resource and the cattle ranchers how want the buffalo and Indians gone for their land to raise cattle.

By February 1890 the Federal Government decided to break it treaty with the Sioux and breakup their reservation into smaller reservation and divided up the Great Sioux Nation. Even thought the Government tried to teach the Sioux to farm they did take into account the difficulty to farm in the Dakotas at that time. So at the end of the growing season of 1890 with poor precipitation and extreme heat the Sioux were unable to have any kind of substantial harvest. But the Government simply accused the Sioux of being lazy and they cut the Sioux’s supply rations and now that the Lakota didn’t even have the buffalo anymore they began to fear that they might starve. So the Lakota saw the Ghost Dance as a last hope but where Wovoka want a peaceful conversion the Lakota saw it differently.

The Lakota took the Ghost Dance and created specially designed shirts which were said to give the wearer special powers and protects the wearer from bullets. The Lakota reservation’s Indian Agents became increasingly worried about this movement and those who wore special magic shirts that they thought were bullet proof on the reservation and two great tragedies came to pass. The first was that the Sioux reservation Indian Agent suspected the great Sitting Bull was behind it or may soon join it. On December 15, 1890 the Indian Agent sent a group of Indian police to take him to custody but as they were trying to arrest Sitting Bull’s supporters began to gather around and when Sitting Bull began to resist and member of supporters raised his gun and shot the head officer who in turned shot Sitting Bull in the chest then one of the Indian police shot Sitting Bull in the head. By the end of the skirmish 9 Indian police and 7 of Sitting Bull’s supporters were dead as well as the great Sitting Bull. For trivia purpose apparently in 1983 Sitting Bull was baptized into the Roman Catholic faith.

The second tragedy of course was December 29, 1890 the Massacre at Wounded Knee. Of course story about what happen on the day depends on which side is telling it. This is what we do know. 200 members of Sitting Bull’s band left the Standing Rock Agency where Sitting Bull lived after hearing the death of Sitting Bull and fearing reprisal went and joined Spotted Elk (aka Bigfoot) at Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. Then on December 23rd Spotted Elk and his band along with 38 members of Sitting Bull’s band left for the Pine Ridge Reservation to seek protection under Red Cloud. But on December 28 they were intercepted by the 7th Calvary and Spotted Elk and his 350 followers were taken to Wounded Knee Creek which the rest of the 7th Calvary joined up bring the 7th’s numbers to 500 and the Indians’ at 350 with 120 of those being women and children. Well the US Calvary began disarming the Indians and here is different stories about who shot first happened. But in the end over 150 Indians were killed out of that over 60 were women and children and as for the Calvary over 30 were killed some speculate that many of that 30 were from friendly fire due to crossfire.

The Ghost Dance seemed to vanish after Wounded Knee. Perhaps it been turned into another round dance. I only heard of only one tribe still doing it. Interesting the Navaho never accepted the Ghost Dance due to cultural fear of ghost and dead. Even today Navaho Indian Police will get calls by elder Navaho and/or traditionalist if they even think they hear something they believe is a ghost and the Indian Police will come out and investigate. As Wovoka he passed way in 1932.

I thought this interesting regarding Ghost Dance Photos
Reading Photographs:
Imaging and Imagining the Ghost Dance: James Mooney's Illustrations and Photographs, 1891-1893
Thomas W. Kavanagh


UR

Am I Old?

When does one realize that they are getting old?



Chorus:

"They said all
Teenagers scare
The living shit out of me
They could care less
As long as someone'll bleed
So darken your clothes
Or strike a violent pose
Maybe they'll leave you alone
But not me"

The lead singer who wrote this song after being on a subway train with a group high school age teenagers. He said,

"That was the first time I felt old...I was nervous and I was a target. I felt like I had become a parent figure or part of the problem."

The lead singer at the time was probably around 28 years old.

It suck when you begin to realize you’re not a teenager or even 25 anymore even though in you’re mind you think you still are. But one day you look around and see young people looking at you as if you’re old. I know I could go to a Alice Cooper concert or a Rob Zombie concert and there will be young people looking at me like what you doing here old man. Even though I was listening to Alice before they were born and Alice is 63yrs old or that Rob Zombie and I are the same age. Fact is that if I sat down with Alice or Rob I would have more in common with them than some 20 year old.

The song “Teenagers” to me is about the violence in the youth culture and that adults are to blame due to their lack of involvement in teenagers life and that we should be more involve in their lives even if they don’t want it. But involved not has either a policeman or as a best friend but as a parent or as a mentor. To me a parent’s job is to teach your child how to survive with out them, to understand the rules of one society and prepare them to be able to cope in the real world. To learn from mistakes and if they fall to always get back up.

When I was a school age teenage in the late 70’s and early 80’s I knew kids who had parents with guns and they would have never touch them nor would have brought them to school no matter how angry they were. We did carry pocketknives to school, which could be confiscated if a teacher saw you playing with it but usually you were warned to put it away. If it was confiscated you could get it back at the end of the day. Fights were rare and usually quick and weaponless. Most of the time students would jump in and break it up before a teacher got there. Reason is because their fellow students would break it up so the two who are fighting wouldn’t get in trouble. Teacher had no problem jumping in the middle of a fight because typically a student would not dare hit a teacher because they were taught at home and school to respect their elders. Don’t get me wrong I’m sure a few got hit in the heat of things.

But today it seems when a fight breaks out the surrounding students standby with their cell phone videoing it for the Internet. I too think adults are to blame because we are the one making the rules and produce media programs showing insane drunken behavior of reality TV. I believe children and teenager needs rules and boundaries that will allow them express themselves and be themselves but not violate others rights or peace. But adult need to lead by example especially by parents and teachers. It seems today there are parents and teachers who don't think they have an obligation to be a moral role model without regard of how it's going to influence young minds. Truth is those adults are lazy and self-centered.

I do understand how teenagers can scare me. We fear what we don’t understand and where I once could relate now I wonder who are these people. I’m sure all the things I felt then is about the same as today teenagers do. Most teenagers tend to be idealist because the lack experience in being in the real world unless they are in a very poor gang control area then its just a form hopeless survialism. Maybe what happens is as we get older and go through life we begin understand more and life becomes less fearful and more secure in our own skin and we begin to understand our parents better. As I say to my young adult kids, just because you’re an adult it doesn’t mean you’re grown up. The day you grow up is the day you realize you have responsibilities. Responsibilities to work, to family, to friends, to community and even responsibilities you don’t even want to have but you do. That’s the day you grow up whether it be at 20 or 50 and I know some who are in their 40s and still haven’t grown up because the won’t take responsibility and I’ve know 16yr old who had to grow up because they had to become responsible to support their mother and siblings after their father died.

But the real question is; have we let an untrained dog off the leash? Many “parents” today will allow a minor do things that in my day we couldn’t do until you were over 18 and living in your own place unless your parents were old hippies even then they would draw a line. Will young people today be able to grow up?

I think it’s important to be young at heart but be real about it. There just some things our aging bodies can do anymore. I use to be able to stay up all night and then go to work but oddly it just doesn’t seem to be the smart thing to do anymore.

UR

Musical Interlude