Labor Day, 2013

 

 

at this point, I don't know if I should kiss
the first union rep I see, or shoot him...

Independence Day

It is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or pretended, from abroad.  - James Madison


The duty of a patriot is to protect his country from its government.  - Thomas Paine

No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots. - Barbara Ehrenreich

 If you are not free to choose wrongly and irresponsibly, you are not free at all. – Jacob Hornberger (1995)

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. – P.J. O’Rourke

 No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session. – Mark Twain (1866) 

There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him. – Robert Heinlein

 

Dissent is the highest form of patriotism. - Howard Zinn

If you want total security, go to prison. There you're fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking... is freedom.  - Dwight D. Eisenhower

  

I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do. I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do. - Robert A. Heinlein

Freedom and justice cannot be parceled out in pieces to suit political convenience. I don't believe you can stand for freedom for one group of people and deny it to others. - Coretta Scott King
 

 

The End is Near....

Another "day in the life" at my house:

Some Would Sacrifice American Ideals To Protect America....

Honor Those Who Did Not

Struggling to Return Home

a humble homage to the great Terry Border -
http://terryborder.com/

Cherish Your Old Friends

We pulled the 31 year old carpet out of our parlor to find underneath a genuine hardwood floor.  So hard, many of the nails sticking out could not be driven in but had to be pulled.   So hard, many nails were rusty, but the floor itself shows no sign of damage from that.  And I got to thinking about how trends change, and why a beautiful, sturdy hardwood floor would be covered up by carpet that can only wear “out” and not “in”.  Some things get better with age, like fine wine and a hardwood floor.  And I thought about how sometimes our relationships with our friends are like flooring. 

 We’re happy enough with our Friend, but she no longer thrills us, no longer makes us shiver with anticipation.  So we start looking for more exciting friends, more trendy friends, friends who are “with it”, who are “in with the in crowd”, friends who are flashy and “now”.  We put down a rug, we lay carpet.  But those kind of friends are not solid and sturdy and long-lasting.

So after time passes and we again start looking for exciting friends, we peel back the carpeted layers of our friendships and, lo, we find our old Friend there, like my hidden hardwood floor.  She’s a bit worse for the wear, maybe a bit ragged around the edges, she let herself go a little when we let her go.  But, by the gods, you can still count on her; she’s still as solid and sturdy and trustworthy as the day you met.  You just forgot what a gem she is.

Isn’t that a shame?  If we would only spend some time and energy polishing up our old friends, we’d remember  how well they age, how comforting they are to be around, how beautiful they are, like a fine hardwood floor…

Surprise Casserole!

 I said it so many times, somebody finally made it into a cartoon.    

Doncha just hate it when They steal your ideas?