Brethren -
Billy had a bad morning, and didn't get transferred to Mon General. The plan now is to send him Tuesday or Wednesday and do the stents the day he gets there. He was doing well this evening, in good spirits.
He received cards from Acacia and Friendship and let me tell you he was just beaming! Brothers, keep sending cards/emails. He is now in Fairmont General, Room 321, visitation 9AM to 9PM, phone at his bedside 304-367-7321.
R
Acacia 157
Roger D. Curry, J.D.
Curry & Swisher, pllc
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
304-368-1000
Fax 304-363-1143
rogercurry@aol.com
31 March 2008
30 March 2008
Update - Bill Reid - Sunday night, 30 March 2008
30 March 2008
Good evening, Brethren -
For the first time in two weeks, I report on Wor. Bro. Reid with some cautious optimism. He has had a good weekend, and they have been building him up with good nutrition and even some modest exercise. The plan is that he will be transferred to Monongalia General Hospital (J. D. Anderson Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505) by the rescue squad sometime tomorrow, Monday, 31 March. At Mon General, he will have stents inserted into some coronary arteries. His physician, Bro. Dr. Brad Miller, has informed me that this procedure will be quite dangerous, given Bill’s general medical condition, but they really have no choice but to do it. A friend who is a staff physician at Fairmont General, Dr. Ilene Blacksberg, told me this evening that Bill has really shown improvement over the past couple of days. My son Tim is working tomorrow, so he may be the one to take Bill to Morgantown. Bill says that he will vigorously trash-talk this humble brother!!
As an indication of his feeling better, let me tell you that he ran me vigorously through Principal Fellowcraft tonight, and as you might imagine, informed me that there is no "uh" anywhere in the work.
Bill really enjoys calls and cards. I don’t know what the call/visitation situation will be at Mon General. Presumably, he will be in an ICU for at least some period, and those folks are rather inflexible about such matters. I will continue to pass reports on to Phil, who will post them on the Masonic Telegraph (my name for it, I’m not sure what Phil calls it), and I will also post those reports on my blog, www.No3EquityCourt.blogspot.com.
Please continue to send Bill cards & letters. You can find free cards to email at www.bluemountain.com, and can send those and/or emails to me at the address below, and I will carry them to Wor. Bro. Bill.
Bill looks forward to having his working tools cleaned and sharpened, and resuming his labor as soon as possible.
Bill isn’t out of the woods by a darn sight, so continued thoughts, prayers and brotherly love is absolutely necessary.
Roger D. Curry
Acacia 157
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
304-368-1000
Cell 304-282-8013
rogercurry@aol.com
www.No3EquityCourt.blogspot.com
Good evening, Brethren -
For the first time in two weeks, I report on Wor. Bro. Reid with some cautious optimism. He has had a good weekend, and they have been building him up with good nutrition and even some modest exercise. The plan is that he will be transferred to Monongalia General Hospital (J. D. Anderson Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505) by the rescue squad sometime tomorrow, Monday, 31 March. At Mon General, he will have stents inserted into some coronary arteries. His physician, Bro. Dr. Brad Miller, has informed me that this procedure will be quite dangerous, given Bill’s general medical condition, but they really have no choice but to do it. A friend who is a staff physician at Fairmont General, Dr. Ilene Blacksberg, told me this evening that Bill has really shown improvement over the past couple of days. My son Tim is working tomorrow, so he may be the one to take Bill to Morgantown. Bill says that he will vigorously trash-talk this humble brother!!
As an indication of his feeling better, let me tell you that he ran me vigorously through Principal Fellowcraft tonight, and as you might imagine, informed me that there is no "uh" anywhere in the work.
Bill really enjoys calls and cards. I don’t know what the call/visitation situation will be at Mon General. Presumably, he will be in an ICU for at least some period, and those folks are rather inflexible about such matters. I will continue to pass reports on to Phil, who will post them on the Masonic Telegraph (my name for it, I’m not sure what Phil calls it), and I will also post those reports on my blog, www.No3EquityCourt.blogspot.com.
Please continue to send Bill cards & letters. You can find free cards to email at www.bluemountain.com, and can send those and/or emails to me at the address below, and I will carry them to Wor. Bro. Bill.
Bill looks forward to having his working tools cleaned and sharpened, and resuming his labor as soon as possible.
Bill isn’t out of the woods by a darn sight, so continued thoughts, prayers and brotherly love is absolutely necessary.
Roger D. Curry
Acacia 157
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
304-368-1000
Cell 304-282-8013
rogercurry@aol.com
www.No3EquityCourt.blogspot.com
Welcome
I extend welcome to the denizens of the Bookshelf Community. This blog will be actively maintained for the forseeable future.
Pippa passes.
R
Pippa passes.
R
28 March 2008
A word about Chief Justice Maynard in West Virginia
Bear in mind that among other things, this is my political blog. As such I will use this place to express opinions that some people won't like. I can live with that.
The noise about Justice Spike Maynard in the Massey Coal situation has gotten dangerously silly. He has been loudly criticized for voting on the appeal of a case against Massey Coal, apparently because he knows the CEO, Don Blankenship. His critics point to the fact that Chief Justice Maynard ran into Mr. Blankenship at a vacation spot in Europe.
I’ve practiced law in Fairmont for thirty years. I may be the most liberal "Joe Manchin Democrat" you know, so I’m hardly some conservative apologist. I disagree frequently with Justice Maynard’s rulings. I take lots of cases to the Supreme Court, and Justice Maynard votes my way 10 percent of the time, tops, and that will never change. Every time I present oral argument at the Court, Justice Maynard and I get into a heated debate with raised voices, sharp comments and honest indignation. However, the thought has never crossed my mind that Chief Justice Maynard’s rulings are motivated by friends, influences, or anything other than his honest opinion of the law.
If you look carefully, just about everybody complaining about the Massey case have very strong (multi-million dollar) financial interests in getting the ruling changed or very strong ties to other lawyers running for seats on the Supreme Court. To the critics, it comes down to dollars and cents, not sense.
Once I get past a little envy for Justice Maynard vacationing in Monaco, I find nothing at all evil about his running into someone he knows at a popular resort. The "secret photos" trotted out by the critics reveal what no one has ever bothered to deny, that Chief Justice Maynard knows Mr. Blankenship, and ran into him. This is West Virginia – If a judge goes to any meeting of a state-wide group, s/he will see lots of people s/he knows. And this is West Virginia. Everybody, judges included, acts politely and nicely when not in the heat of a case. If it is required that judges not deal with people they know, we need to get our judges from Idaho.
What has been missing from news accounts is any meaningful discussion of what really happened in the Caperton vs. Massey Coal case. While it’s a lot more lurid and scandalous story without having to bother with little things like the facts, maybe we actually should look at the Court’s decision:
1. The decision was written by Justice Davis, not Justice Maynard. Justice Benjamin also joined in the decision.
2. The decision does not kiss or kowtow to Massey. Justice Davis says in her opinion, "At the outset, we [including Justice Maynard!] wish to make perfectly clear that the facts of this case demonstrate that Massey's conduct warranted the type of judgment rendered in this case. However, no matter how sympathetic the facts are, or how egregious the conduct, we simply cannot compromise the law in order to reach a result that clearly appears to be justified." In other words, Massey did something bad, that’s obvious, but the law has to be applied as it is and not as we would like it to be in special cases. Hmmm - this is a Court. Isn’t it supposed to apply the law and not make stuff up as it goes along?
3. The Massey decision isn’t made in the absence of legal rules. It is based on a great deal of legal authority from many states, including West Virginia. That’s just another way to say that the Court followed the law.
4. The decision says that there are two independent reasons that Massey won, and that either finding required that Massey win the appeal:
a. Sophisticated corporations with lots of high-priced lawyers doing million-dollar deals entered into a contract which said that "All actions brought in connection with this Agreement shall be filed in and decided by the Circuit Court of Buchanan County, Virginia. . . ." We’re mad that Coach Rodriguez wants to back out of parts of his contract. Is Caperton somehow different?
b. The "same transactional facts" about the same contracts had already been disputed in Court in Virginia, and Massey won in Court there. The West Virginia Supreme Court determined that the case here should never have been filed at all in West Virginia. You get your "day in Court." These litigants had theirs, in Virginia and years ago.
Justice Albright and Justice Starcher voted against Massey. Justice Albright is a smart and sophisticated judge with a big concern for people and no patience for bull****. He stated that the decision was "a result-driven effort to excuse without penalty an egregious exercise of raw economic power which a West Virginia jury has found seriously injurious to the plaintiffs in the case, deserving of substantial redress under the law." He disagreed with the three-judge majority’s basis for favoring Massey: "The first reason, res judicata, [i.e., the case has already been decided in another Court] is the easiest to address because the majority is just flat-out wrong," and Justice Albright gives good reasons why he is convinced that the majority is wrong. Justice Albright also writes about the state-selection ruling and its bad effect on public justice: "In the long run, the more devastating effect of this particular part of the opinion is that it invites future litigants to attack West Virginia litigants' ability to sue in the courts of this State based upon "forum-selection clauses" to which such West Virginia litigants were not parties and had received only cursory notice, perhaps by small print in limited warranty notices or financing agreements. The point is that the majority erred in favor of the powerful and against the unsuspecting. The point is our citizens have been put in jeopardy of losing remedies our law provides, in favor of more restrictive remedies provided elsewhere because such "forum-selection clauses" will only be invoked by those seeking to avoid responsibility - as in this case." He concludes that "the majority has [ruled for Massey] by twisting logic, misapplying the law and introducing sweeping "new law" into our jurisprudence that may well come back to haunt us, or more likely, haunt the people we are duty-bound to protect under our law." Justice Starcher agrees with Justice Albright, and the other three justices voted for the majority. Sometimes, "majority rules" is a hard pill to swallow. I appeared before Justice Starcher a great deal when he was a circuit court judge. Nobody in Charleston has a larger heart, and he has a lot of guts to boot. He says that the Massey opinion "is morally and legally wrong," and cites reasons. He also goes toe-to-toe with Don Blankenship’s unjust criticism of him. It is Justice Albright’s and Starcher’s SWORN DUTY to disagree when they honestly think that the majority is wrong, and they did so with strong language and honestly held opinions. But it’s also Justice Davis’, Benjamin’s and Maynard’s SWORN DUTY to vote for an opinion that they thought was right. No one there was acting with dark and sinister motives, just honest disagreement.
Finally, Justice Benjamin has written a concurring opinion that sets forth his very detailed reasons for the decision. He concludes that "with due respect to my dissenting colleagues, this case does not present a close call on the basis of the rule of law. It simply does not." Justice Benjamin is another judge who votes against my cases a lot. He’s a really smart guy, knows a lot of law, and I don’t whine that he’s out to get me, he and I just disagree. Some years ago, another Justice, my great friend and mentor Frank Cleckley, made a ruling that cost me personally around $15,000. I was not overjoyed with that ruling, but I didn’t whine, because I knew that personalities and influence had zero to do with it.
In the strange science-fiction world where I would be a judge, I would have voted against Massey. I think that the LEGAL bases set forth by Justice Albright are the right ones, but that’s not an easy or obvious choice. No doubt, philosophy affects Court rulings, let’s not pretend otherwise. In the last campaign, ALL the candidates (including Chief Justice Maynard) were very upfront with their beliefs. The people voted. Don Blankenship played a farcical role in the last general election. And he would be an idiot to pour money into the MY campaign. But the Law would mean NOTHING if Don Blankenship couldn’t get just as fair a shake based on the rule of law as any other citizen because someone (or even everyone) doesn’t like him.
Justice Maynard is a public figure and he has signed up to be criticized publicly. If you want to say that he is wrong in this or that case because of your view of the law, that is fair criticism which he can’t complain about. But Justice Maynard’s critics should have the guts to say that they think he’s too conservative and tell the public that they should vote for the other person because s/he is more liberal or will rule differently on cases. By telling fairy tales and spinning conspiracy theories, Justice Maynard’s critics are trashing the truth.
You know, Justice Maynard has been a judge long enough that he could retire and start drawing a judicial pension. Then, based upon his reputation, he could go to work at a big law firm and make a few hundred thousand dollars a year for doing one-third of the work he does now. Justice Maynard is at the Supreme Court because he is an honest servant of the law. I will continue to present cases and all of the Justices will continue to make rulings honestly. Sometimes, I’ll win. Sometimes, I’ll lose. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. I much prefer to win, but "sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you."
Pippa passes.
R
The noise about Justice Spike Maynard in the Massey Coal situation has gotten dangerously silly. He has been loudly criticized for voting on the appeal of a case against Massey Coal, apparently because he knows the CEO, Don Blankenship. His critics point to the fact that Chief Justice Maynard ran into Mr. Blankenship at a vacation spot in Europe.
I’ve practiced law in Fairmont for thirty years. I may be the most liberal "Joe Manchin Democrat" you know, so I’m hardly some conservative apologist. I disagree frequently with Justice Maynard’s rulings. I take lots of cases to the Supreme Court, and Justice Maynard votes my way 10 percent of the time, tops, and that will never change. Every time I present oral argument at the Court, Justice Maynard and I get into a heated debate with raised voices, sharp comments and honest indignation. However, the thought has never crossed my mind that Chief Justice Maynard’s rulings are motivated by friends, influences, or anything other than his honest opinion of the law.
If you look carefully, just about everybody complaining about the Massey case have very strong (multi-million dollar) financial interests in getting the ruling changed or very strong ties to other lawyers running for seats on the Supreme Court. To the critics, it comes down to dollars and cents, not sense.
Once I get past a little envy for Justice Maynard vacationing in Monaco, I find nothing at all evil about his running into someone he knows at a popular resort. The "secret photos" trotted out by the critics reveal what no one has ever bothered to deny, that Chief Justice Maynard knows Mr. Blankenship, and ran into him. This is West Virginia – If a judge goes to any meeting of a state-wide group, s/he will see lots of people s/he knows. And this is West Virginia. Everybody, judges included, acts politely and nicely when not in the heat of a case. If it is required that judges not deal with people they know, we need to get our judges from Idaho.
What has been missing from news accounts is any meaningful discussion of what really happened in the Caperton vs. Massey Coal case. While it’s a lot more lurid and scandalous story without having to bother with little things like the facts, maybe we actually should look at the Court’s decision:
1. The decision was written by Justice Davis, not Justice Maynard. Justice Benjamin also joined in the decision.
2. The decision does not kiss or kowtow to Massey. Justice Davis says in her opinion, "At the outset, we [including Justice Maynard!] wish to make perfectly clear that the facts of this case demonstrate that Massey's conduct warranted the type of judgment rendered in this case. However, no matter how sympathetic the facts are, or how egregious the conduct, we simply cannot compromise the law in order to reach a result that clearly appears to be justified." In other words, Massey did something bad, that’s obvious, but the law has to be applied as it is and not as we would like it to be in special cases. Hmmm - this is a Court. Isn’t it supposed to apply the law and not make stuff up as it goes along?
3. The Massey decision isn’t made in the absence of legal rules. It is based on a great deal of legal authority from many states, including West Virginia. That’s just another way to say that the Court followed the law.
4. The decision says that there are two independent reasons that Massey won, and that either finding required that Massey win the appeal:
a. Sophisticated corporations with lots of high-priced lawyers doing million-dollar deals entered into a contract which said that "All actions brought in connection with this Agreement shall be filed in and decided by the Circuit Court of Buchanan County, Virginia. . . ." We’re mad that Coach Rodriguez wants to back out of parts of his contract. Is Caperton somehow different?
b. The "same transactional facts" about the same contracts had already been disputed in Court in Virginia, and Massey won in Court there. The West Virginia Supreme Court determined that the case here should never have been filed at all in West Virginia. You get your "day in Court." These litigants had theirs, in Virginia and years ago.
Justice Albright and Justice Starcher voted against Massey. Justice Albright is a smart and sophisticated judge with a big concern for people and no patience for bull****. He stated that the decision was "a result-driven effort to excuse without penalty an egregious exercise of raw economic power which a West Virginia jury has found seriously injurious to the plaintiffs in the case, deserving of substantial redress under the law." He disagreed with the three-judge majority’s basis for favoring Massey: "The first reason, res judicata, [i.e., the case has already been decided in another Court] is the easiest to address because the majority is just flat-out wrong," and Justice Albright gives good reasons why he is convinced that the majority is wrong. Justice Albright also writes about the state-selection ruling and its bad effect on public justice: "In the long run, the more devastating effect of this particular part of the opinion is that it invites future litigants to attack West Virginia litigants' ability to sue in the courts of this State based upon "forum-selection clauses" to which such West Virginia litigants were not parties and had received only cursory notice, perhaps by small print in limited warranty notices or financing agreements. The point is that the majority erred in favor of the powerful and against the unsuspecting. The point is our citizens have been put in jeopardy of losing remedies our law provides, in favor of more restrictive remedies provided elsewhere because such "forum-selection clauses" will only be invoked by those seeking to avoid responsibility - as in this case." He concludes that "the majority has [ruled for Massey] by twisting logic, misapplying the law and introducing sweeping "new law" into our jurisprudence that may well come back to haunt us, or more likely, haunt the people we are duty-bound to protect under our law." Justice Starcher agrees with Justice Albright, and the other three justices voted for the majority. Sometimes, "majority rules" is a hard pill to swallow. I appeared before Justice Starcher a great deal when he was a circuit court judge. Nobody in Charleston has a larger heart, and he has a lot of guts to boot. He says that the Massey opinion "is morally and legally wrong," and cites reasons. He also goes toe-to-toe with Don Blankenship’s unjust criticism of him. It is Justice Albright’s and Starcher’s SWORN DUTY to disagree when they honestly think that the majority is wrong, and they did so with strong language and honestly held opinions. But it’s also Justice Davis’, Benjamin’s and Maynard’s SWORN DUTY to vote for an opinion that they thought was right. No one there was acting with dark and sinister motives, just honest disagreement.
Finally, Justice Benjamin has written a concurring opinion that sets forth his very detailed reasons for the decision. He concludes that "with due respect to my dissenting colleagues, this case does not present a close call on the basis of the rule of law. It simply does not." Justice Benjamin is another judge who votes against my cases a lot. He’s a really smart guy, knows a lot of law, and I don’t whine that he’s out to get me, he and I just disagree. Some years ago, another Justice, my great friend and mentor Frank Cleckley, made a ruling that cost me personally around $15,000. I was not overjoyed with that ruling, but I didn’t whine, because I knew that personalities and influence had zero to do with it.
In the strange science-fiction world where I would be a judge, I would have voted against Massey. I think that the LEGAL bases set forth by Justice Albright are the right ones, but that’s not an easy or obvious choice. No doubt, philosophy affects Court rulings, let’s not pretend otherwise. In the last campaign, ALL the candidates (including Chief Justice Maynard) were very upfront with their beliefs. The people voted. Don Blankenship played a farcical role in the last general election. And he would be an idiot to pour money into the MY campaign. But the Law would mean NOTHING if Don Blankenship couldn’t get just as fair a shake based on the rule of law as any other citizen because someone (or even everyone) doesn’t like him.
Justice Maynard is a public figure and he has signed up to be criticized publicly. If you want to say that he is wrong in this or that case because of your view of the law, that is fair criticism which he can’t complain about. But Justice Maynard’s critics should have the guts to say that they think he’s too conservative and tell the public that they should vote for the other person because s/he is more liberal or will rule differently on cases. By telling fairy tales and spinning conspiracy theories, Justice Maynard’s critics are trashing the truth.
You know, Justice Maynard has been a judge long enough that he could retire and start drawing a judicial pension. Then, based upon his reputation, he could go to work at a big law firm and make a few hundred thousand dollars a year for doing one-third of the work he does now. Justice Maynard is at the Supreme Court because he is an honest servant of the law. I will continue to present cases and all of the Justices will continue to make rulings honestly. Sometimes, I’ll win. Sometimes, I’ll lose. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. I much prefer to win, but "sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you."
Pippa passes.
R
Update - Bill Reid - Friday night
Brethren -
Bill remains at Fairmont General, visitation is somewhat restricted and he doesn't have a phone immediately available. Bro./Dr. Brad Miller told me today that Bill should be taken directly to Mon General soon to get heart stents. Bro. Brad is being a strong advocate for Bill, and is definitely going the second mile to show brotherly love.
Bill was in an OK frame of mind today - especially under the circumstances.
Brothers, Bill needs our prayers and our support - the best you can give him now is mail/email - If email, send to me and I'll print it off (in a big font) and take it to him. If I'm not making myself clear: Brothers, INUNDATE me with email for Bill, and INUNDATE Bill with cards - Fairmont General Hospital, Locust Ave., Fairmont, WV 26554 - you woulnd't believe how he lights up when he hears from you. If you want to do email card, go to www.bluemountain.com, there are free cards to download & send there, send them to me, and I'll print them off in color - there are other card sites, too, I just don't know what they are.
R
Roger D. Curry
Acacia 157
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
rogercurry@aol.com
Bill remains at Fairmont General, visitation is somewhat restricted and he doesn't have a phone immediately available. Bro./Dr. Brad Miller told me today that Bill should be taken directly to Mon General soon to get heart stents. Bro. Brad is being a strong advocate for Bill, and is definitely going the second mile to show brotherly love.
Bill was in an OK frame of mind today - especially under the circumstances.
Brothers, Bill needs our prayers and our support - the best you can give him now is mail/email - If email, send to me and I'll print it off (in a big font) and take it to him. If I'm not making myself clear: Brothers, INUNDATE me with email for Bill, and INUNDATE Bill with cards - Fairmont General Hospital, Locust Ave., Fairmont, WV 26554 - you woulnd't believe how he lights up when he hears from you. If you want to do email card, go to www.bluemountain.com, there are free cards to download & send there, send them to me, and I'll print them off in color - there are other card sites, too, I just don't know what they are.
R
Roger D. Curry
Acacia 157
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
rogercurry@aol.com
27 March 2008
I despise gutlessness and hypocrisy
Two things are on my mind tonight.
First, my friend Judge Born was at a candidate's forum of some sort Tuesday night. (Personally, I think they are boring and useless, wouldn't be caught at one if they were giving out hookers' service coupons as door prizes, and those are just my positive thoughts about them.) The Fairmont Times-West Virginian covered the event. Judge Born's opponents (friends, good lawyers and fine people all, one of whom is my dear partner, Amy Swisher) had their comments reported extensively. Judge Born's presence wasn't mentioned at all. Was this a mere omission? Oh, come on, you gotta be kidding me - all newspapers tout their fairness, courage and accuracy. (In fact, however, owning a news outlet gives corporations a pistol to hold at the knee of any citizen they don't like for any reason, including personal ones, with the threat to "kneecap" them if they don't kiss the ass of the newspaper.) Were the Times-West Virginian to publish an editorial endorsing a candidate and even damning the weaknesses of the others, nobody would have a legitimate complaint. The candidates are public figures so far as their campaign is concerned, so there is a large privilege to publish everything but malicious falsehoods about them in the political realm. It's the First Amendment in action. Pushing your political or personal vendettas disguised as news coverage is totally gutless and dishonorable. Oh, so I'm not a hypocrite myself, let me say that we have a delinquent advertising bill with the paper.
In a further effort to avoid hypocrisy, let me say that I noted with some (sad) satisfaction that the drug task force raided "Smoker Friendly," a business which sells beer, tobacco, and other socially irresponsible things. For months, they have had a sign outside offering "Glass tobacco pipes." Some months ago, I saw that and called the drug guys, just to make sure that I wasn't being unfair to these business people. I knew from countless drug cases that people smoke crack cocaine and other stuff in glass pipes, and had never heard of them being used for tobacco. At my question, the officer I talked to started laughing, and assured me that in his opinion they were openly selling drug paraphernalia. I made a "citizen's complaint" at that time, and nothing happened. Last month, I was at a hearing involving that business as the "victim" of a theft, and the self-righteousness oozed off of the company representatives like malodorous slime. That evening, I went with my family to Say-Boy's Restaurant, right beside one of the Smoker Friendly outlets and, wouldn't you know, there was the sign offering "glass tobacco pipes." As I age (55 tomorrow), I've started to channel Louis Schoolnic a little bit -- Louis was a wonderful guy and a highly respected lawyer who was honest and blunt. I'm not in his class, I'll be the first one to admit. But I try. And so, I wrote a rather lengthy letter to the Prosecuting Attorney again complaining that the hypocritical bastards were still selling drug paraphernalia. (I can't find it on this computer, or I would publish it here.) The paper said today that the raid was the result of a number of citizen complaints. So, Smoker Friendly, I was one of the citizens who complained. Just wanted you to know that.
I much prefer dealing with criminal clients who admit that they are flying the Jolly Roger and that they know that they are breaking the law. They're criminal, but they're honest about it.
Pippa passes.
R
First, my friend Judge Born was at a candidate's forum of some sort Tuesday night. (Personally, I think they are boring and useless, wouldn't be caught at one if they were giving out hookers' service coupons as door prizes, and those are just my positive thoughts about them.) The Fairmont Times-West Virginian covered the event. Judge Born's opponents (friends, good lawyers and fine people all, one of whom is my dear partner, Amy Swisher) had their comments reported extensively. Judge Born's presence wasn't mentioned at all. Was this a mere omission? Oh, come on, you gotta be kidding me - all newspapers tout their fairness, courage and accuracy. (In fact, however, owning a news outlet gives corporations a pistol to hold at the knee of any citizen they don't like for any reason, including personal ones, with the threat to "kneecap" them if they don't kiss the ass of the newspaper.) Were the Times-West Virginian to publish an editorial endorsing a candidate and even damning the weaknesses of the others, nobody would have a legitimate complaint. The candidates are public figures so far as their campaign is concerned, so there is a large privilege to publish everything but malicious falsehoods about them in the political realm. It's the First Amendment in action. Pushing your political or personal vendettas disguised as news coverage is totally gutless and dishonorable. Oh, so I'm not a hypocrite myself, let me say that we have a delinquent advertising bill with the paper.
In a further effort to avoid hypocrisy, let me say that I noted with some (sad) satisfaction that the drug task force raided "Smoker Friendly," a business which sells beer, tobacco, and other socially irresponsible things. For months, they have had a sign outside offering "Glass tobacco pipes." Some months ago, I saw that and called the drug guys, just to make sure that I wasn't being unfair to these business people. I knew from countless drug cases that people smoke crack cocaine and other stuff in glass pipes, and had never heard of them being used for tobacco. At my question, the officer I talked to started laughing, and assured me that in his opinion they were openly selling drug paraphernalia. I made a "citizen's complaint" at that time, and nothing happened. Last month, I was at a hearing involving that business as the "victim" of a theft, and the self-righteousness oozed off of the company representatives like malodorous slime. That evening, I went with my family to Say-Boy's Restaurant, right beside one of the Smoker Friendly outlets and, wouldn't you know, there was the sign offering "glass tobacco pipes." As I age (55 tomorrow), I've started to channel Louis Schoolnic a little bit -- Louis was a wonderful guy and a highly respected lawyer who was honest and blunt. I'm not in his class, I'll be the first one to admit. But I try. And so, I wrote a rather lengthy letter to the Prosecuting Attorney again complaining that the hypocritical bastards were still selling drug paraphernalia. (I can't find it on this computer, or I would publish it here.) The paper said today that the raid was the result of a number of citizen complaints. So, Smoker Friendly, I was one of the citizens who complained. Just wanted you to know that.
I much prefer dealing with criminal clients who admit that they are flying the Jolly Roger and that they know that they are breaking the law. They're criminal, but they're honest about it.
Pippa passes.
R
26 March 2008
Update - Bill Reid - Wednesday morning
Brethren -
Bill has had a tough couple of days. He's been moved to a rehab area, so that he can get built up to be ready for the ordeal of stents or surgery. Both visitation and phone contact are somewhat restricted, and I'm not sure yet what the rules are.
Bill needs a lift, brothers. Please send him cards - Fairmont General Hospital, Locust Avenue, Fairmont WV 26554; or email me, I'll blow it up and take it to him. Sometimes, I'll print stuff off a free greeting card site, www.bluemountain.com, and if you guys go there,you can send that to me and again, I'll print them and take them to Bill.
Bill is getting great care, managed by Bro./Dr. Brad Miller, Acacia 157.
R
Acacia 157
Roger D. Curry, J.D.
Curry & Swisher, pllc
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
304-368-1000
Fax 304-363-1143
rogercurry@aol.com
Bill has had a tough couple of days. He's been moved to a rehab area, so that he can get built up to be ready for the ordeal of stents or surgery. Both visitation and phone contact are somewhat restricted, and I'm not sure yet what the rules are.
Bill needs a lift, brothers. Please send him cards - Fairmont General Hospital, Locust Avenue, Fairmont WV 26554; or email me, I'll blow it up and take it to him. Sometimes, I'll print stuff off a free greeting card site, www.bluemountain.com, and if you guys go there,you can send that to me and again, I'll print them and take them to Bill.
Bill is getting great care, managed by Bro./Dr. Brad Miller, Acacia 157.
R
Acacia 157
Roger D. Curry, J.D.
Curry & Swisher, pllc
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
304-368-1000
Fax 304-363-1143
rogercurry@aol.com
23 March 2008
Update - Bill Reid - Sunday night
Brethren -
Bill has had a good couple of days - his spirits are definitely coming up. Dr./Bro. Brad Miller says that he's progressing well. The plan is that he will get a pulmonary function test on MOnday, which will seriously wear him out; and then this week be transferred to a rehab facility of some sort (perhaps even the one in the FGH building) to get built up for a couple of weeks. Apparently, the plan is then to get the stents installed in coronary arteries and then home with as-yet-undetermined home health stuff.
Bill is going through one of the big challenges of his life - he really appreciates hearing from the brethren. Please continue to go visit (Room 331, Fairmont General Hospital, Fairmont, WV 26554), call him (304-367-8616, right at his bedside, remember that he hears poorly) or if you email stuff to him to me, I'll print it off in big font and take it to him. Also any inspirational/biblical stuff you can send to him he appreciates, too.
R
Acacia 157
Roger D. Curry, J.D.
Curry & Swisher, pllc
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
304-368-1000
Fax 304-363-1143
Cell 304-282-8013
rogercurry@aol.com
Bill has had a good couple of days - his spirits are definitely coming up. Dr./Bro. Brad Miller says that he's progressing well. The plan is that he will get a pulmonary function test on MOnday, which will seriously wear him out; and then this week be transferred to a rehab facility of some sort (perhaps even the one in the FGH building) to get built up for a couple of weeks. Apparently, the plan is then to get the stents installed in coronary arteries and then home with as-yet-undetermined home health stuff.
Bill is going through one of the big challenges of his life - he really appreciates hearing from the brethren. Please continue to go visit (Room 331, Fairmont General Hospital, Fairmont, WV 26554), call him (304-367-8616, right at his bedside, remember that he hears poorly) or if you email stuff to him to me, I'll print it off in big font and take it to him. Also any inspirational/biblical stuff you can send to him he appreciates, too.
R
Acacia 157
Roger D. Curry, J.D.
Curry & Swisher, pllc
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
304-368-1000
Fax 304-363-1143
Cell 304-282-8013
rogercurry@aol.com
21 March 2008
Oddly enough, a meditation on some of the last words of Christ
Given at a Good Friday service, 21 March 2008
John 19:28: Jesus said "I thirst."
I’m not so far from my own "Road to Damascus moment" that can I talk with much understanding of who Christ really was. I’m finding that Faith is an open world of study and of learning, a sort of roadmap on this ephemeral journey. But a lot of the map seems to be written in some sort of Chinese, and I don’t speak Chinese.
The scholars are all over the map. They don’t agree on much at all, not the divinity of Jesus or even historical existence of Jesus.
I do not even begin to understand the "necessity" of the crucifixion. We "moderns" do not understand violent death. We have trouble talking to those few who do meet violence – military people, paramedics, police, ER people – but those experiences are so far outside our world that we really can’t fathom this whole crucifixion thing.
The Bible is interpreted, I find, in thousands of places by people who are supposed to be great scholars. A lot of what they say is lofty and beautiful. They interpret "I thirst" as Jesus thirsting for God the Father, or Cosmic Justice, or Good over Evil or the triumph of their country or their party or maybe even their football team. They even say that He (cynically?) said "I thirst" to fulfill a prophecy from Psalm 69, like this was a play with a script. Who am I to say that they’re wrong? But I suspect that they are.
Look, Jesus had a really, really bad day. He suffered unspeakable, protracted pain. He literally was nailed to a cross with dull spikes, which either crushed the bundle of wrist bones or jammed between the bones of the forearm where there are exquisitely exposed bundles of nerves. He was hung with his arms over his head, stretching his body tight. This created pain, exhaustion, and oxygen starvation from the restricted expansion of his chest. It amounted to being smothered slowly.
This came on top of a vicious flogging, a "crown of thorns," and a soldier spearing him in the side.
Maybe this was Christ’s last connection to the physical body, to his human form.
Coming among us in a human body made him vulnerable to pain. In this last connection with the body, he suffered real agony. He wasn’t acting or putting on a show; he didn’t use a miracle or magic to avoid the pain; he even refused wine laced with myrrh, a sort of narcotic which would have dulled the pain and made his death a whole lot easier. He was hurting. And he was thirsty. And what he may have been doing was confirming that His suffering really existed in the physical world, and it was not just some symbolic smoke and mirrors.
Why did Jesus have to pay this price? Couldn’t it have been avoided? I never wanted such a sacrifice - If he did it for me, I’m ashamed and I just want to go hide somewhere. I do not understand. I have only questions this evening, and a heavy heart and I profoundly fear that I’m missing the whole point.
R
John 19:28: Jesus said "I thirst."
I’m not so far from my own "Road to Damascus moment" that can I talk with much understanding of who Christ really was. I’m finding that Faith is an open world of study and of learning, a sort of roadmap on this ephemeral journey. But a lot of the map seems to be written in some sort of Chinese, and I don’t speak Chinese.
The scholars are all over the map. They don’t agree on much at all, not the divinity of Jesus or even historical existence of Jesus.
I do not even begin to understand the "necessity" of the crucifixion. We "moderns" do not understand violent death. We have trouble talking to those few who do meet violence – military people, paramedics, police, ER people – but those experiences are so far outside our world that we really can’t fathom this whole crucifixion thing.
The Bible is interpreted, I find, in thousands of places by people who are supposed to be great scholars. A lot of what they say is lofty and beautiful. They interpret "I thirst" as Jesus thirsting for God the Father, or Cosmic Justice, or Good over Evil or the triumph of their country or their party or maybe even their football team. They even say that He (cynically?) said "I thirst" to fulfill a prophecy from Psalm 69, like this was a play with a script. Who am I to say that they’re wrong? But I suspect that they are.
Look, Jesus had a really, really bad day. He suffered unspeakable, protracted pain. He literally was nailed to a cross with dull spikes, which either crushed the bundle of wrist bones or jammed between the bones of the forearm where there are exquisitely exposed bundles of nerves. He was hung with his arms over his head, stretching his body tight. This created pain, exhaustion, and oxygen starvation from the restricted expansion of his chest. It amounted to being smothered slowly.
This came on top of a vicious flogging, a "crown of thorns," and a soldier spearing him in the side.
Maybe this was Christ’s last connection to the physical body, to his human form.
Coming among us in a human body made him vulnerable to pain. In this last connection with the body, he suffered real agony. He wasn’t acting or putting on a show; he didn’t use a miracle or magic to avoid the pain; he even refused wine laced with myrrh, a sort of narcotic which would have dulled the pain and made his death a whole lot easier. He was hurting. And he was thirsty. And what he may have been doing was confirming that His suffering really existed in the physical world, and it was not just some symbolic smoke and mirrors.
Why did Jesus have to pay this price? Couldn’t it have been avoided? I never wanted such a sacrifice - If he did it for me, I’m ashamed and I just want to go hide somewhere. I do not understand. I have only questions this evening, and a heavy heart and I profoundly fear that I’m missing the whole point.
R
For the brothers - Bill Reid, Friday night status
Brethren -
Brothers have been calling & dropping in on Bill all day. We haven't talked with his doc (Bro. Brad Miller), but he looks better. His spirits are definitely raised by the brothers visiting and calling -
Please keep it up! He's now in Room 331 of Fairmont General Hospital. Call him! 304-367-8616, right to his bedside. Send cards, Fairmont General Hospital, Locust Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554. Or email to me, I'll print them and take them to Bill - rogercurry@aol.com -
R
Acacia 157
Roger D. Curry, J.D.
Curry & Swisher, pllc
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
304-368-1000
Fax 304-363-1143
rogercurry@aol.com
Brothers have been calling & dropping in on Bill all day. We haven't talked with his doc (Bro. Brad Miller), but he looks better. His spirits are definitely raised by the brothers visiting and calling -
Please keep it up! He's now in Room 331 of Fairmont General Hospital. Call him! 304-367-8616, right to his bedside. Send cards, Fairmont General Hospital, Locust Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554. Or email to me, I'll print them and take them to Bill - rogercurry@aol.com -
R
Acacia 157
Roger D. Curry, J.D.
Curry & Swisher, pllc
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
304-368-1000
Fax 304-363-1143
rogercurry@aol.com
20 March 2008
To the Brethren - Re: Bill Reid
Brethren - Bill had a pretty good day. As a layman, I'd say he looks about 10% better, and his attitude is 50% better - That's due in large part to the continued support and encouragement of the brothers. This is EXACTLY what I think Freemasonry is all about.
Visit Billy! He's now in Room 331 of Fairmont General Hospital. Call him! 304-367-8616, right to his bedside. Send cards, Fairmont General Hospital, Locust Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554. Or email to me, I'll print them and take them to Bill - rogercurry@aol.com - Frankly, brothers, the best thing you can do is talk to him.
Dr. & Bro. Brad Miller says Bill will be at FGH until at least early next week, and from there he doesn't yet know what the plan is going to be. I'll keep everyone informed through Phil's Telegraph and on my own blog, www.no3equitycourt.blogspot.com.
R
Roger D. Curry, J.D.
Curry & Swisher, pllc
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
304-368-1000
Fax 304-363-1143
Cell 304-282-8013
Visit Billy! He's now in Room 331 of Fairmont General Hospital. Call him! 304-367-8616, right to his bedside. Send cards, Fairmont General Hospital, Locust Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554. Or email to me, I'll print them and take them to Bill - rogercurry@aol.com - Frankly, brothers, the best thing you can do is talk to him.
Dr. & Bro. Brad Miller says Bill will be at FGH until at least early next week, and from there he doesn't yet know what the plan is going to be. I'll keep everyone informed through Phil's Telegraph and on my own blog, www.no3equitycourt.blogspot.com.
R
Roger D. Curry, J.D.
Curry & Swisher, pllc
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
304-368-1000
Fax 304-363-1143
Cell 304-282-8013
19 March 2008
Update to the brothers re Bill Reid
Brethren -
Brother Reid has been moved to the step-down unit at Fairmont General Hospital, Room 304. Much more open visitation, 9AM to 9PM.
Billy is very low and needs the support which can only come from the Architect and brotherly love. Please make an effort to see him.
You can also call him (304-367-7100 -remember, he doesn't hear well), mail cards etc. (Fairmont General Hospital, Locust Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554) or if you send an email to me, I'll print it off and take it to him.
He is still very, very sick, but he has held his own for the last day or so, and a positive attitude will help Bill immensely.
R
Acacia 157
Roger D. Curry, J.D.
Curry & Swisher, pllc
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
304-368-1000
Cell 304-282-8013
Fax 304-363-1143
rogercurry@aol.com
Brother Reid has been moved to the step-down unit at Fairmont General Hospital, Room 304. Much more open visitation, 9AM to 9PM.
Billy is very low and needs the support which can only come from the Architect and brotherly love. Please make an effort to see him.
You can also call him (304-367-7100 -remember, he doesn't hear well), mail cards etc. (Fairmont General Hospital, Locust Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554) or if you send an email to me, I'll print it off and take it to him.
He is still very, very sick, but he has held his own for the last day or so, and a positive attitude will help Bill immensely.
R
Acacia 157
Roger D. Curry, J.D.
Curry & Swisher, pllc
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
304-368-1000
Cell 304-282-8013
Fax 304-363-1143
rogercurry@aol.com
18 March 2008
Special to the Brothers - re Billy Reid
Tuesday, 18 March 2006, 10 PM
Good evening, Brethren -
Just came from Fairmont General - Billy Reid remains there in ICU. The plan to transfer him to Morgantown got scrapped, he's not healthy enough to face any surgery right now. Brother Doc Brad Miller says that this is real, real serious, but that these events ARE survivable. Again, it depends on what the Architect has on the trestleboard.
Current plan is that Billy remains in FGH for another week or so, then gets transferred somewhere for some sort of rehab. This is all up in the air, and that decision cannot be made yet. I and other brothers are contacting appropriate resource people so that Billy has all the info he can get and all the options possible when the decision point comes - He remains alert & oriented (and peeved), and HE will be the one making these decisions - and I hope that decision point does come soon. He SHOULD get transferred to ICU/Step-down tomorrow morning.
I had a long chat with the ICU people tonight- that Billy has a very big family, mostly brothers, who aren't necessarily genetically related -- They are OK with that, as long as we don't get in their way, they're easy to get along with. In my opinion, Billy needs to see people who care about him. He is very low. This is about the anniversary of Tek's death a year ago, and he is facing the ultimate test of life. I'll report through Phil tomorrow what room, and any additional info re visiting. FGH phone no. is 304-367-7100. If I can't get to a computer, my staff will email Phil. I will also post these updates on my blog, www.no3equitycourt.blogspot.com so that they are there semi-permanently -- But Phil will be by far the fastest way to find out the status. To get on Phil's telegraph mailing list, email him at PHIL1434@aol.com.
I don't know of anything other than emails (send to rogercurry@aol.com, I'll print them off and carry them to bill) or cards (Fairmont General Hosp., Locust Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554) or VISITS that the brethren can do at present. I can envision circumstances where Billy may need the presence of brethren together or in shifts, and I would appreciate any brother who will let me know that he may be available - I pray that doesn't happen, by the way. Billy's got too darn much work to do on THIS house before he packs up his tools and goes to the celestial one, and that's something he needs repeated to him lots.
you can get me 24/7 at numbers/addresses below.
Pray for Billy, brethren - the Great Physician is the main guy with the plan right now.
R
Roger D. Curry, J.D.
Curry & Swisher, pllc
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
304-368-1000
Fax 304-363-1143
cell 304-282-8013
rogercurry@aol.com
Good evening, Brethren -
Just came from Fairmont General - Billy Reid remains there in ICU. The plan to transfer him to Morgantown got scrapped, he's not healthy enough to face any surgery right now. Brother Doc Brad Miller says that this is real, real serious, but that these events ARE survivable. Again, it depends on what the Architect has on the trestleboard.
Current plan is that Billy remains in FGH for another week or so, then gets transferred somewhere for some sort of rehab. This is all up in the air, and that decision cannot be made yet. I and other brothers are contacting appropriate resource people so that Billy has all the info he can get and all the options possible when the decision point comes - He remains alert & oriented (and peeved), and HE will be the one making these decisions - and I hope that decision point does come soon. He SHOULD get transferred to ICU/Step-down tomorrow morning.
I had a long chat with the ICU people tonight- that Billy has a very big family, mostly brothers, who aren't necessarily genetically related -- They are OK with that, as long as we don't get in their way, they're easy to get along with. In my opinion, Billy needs to see people who care about him. He is very low. This is about the anniversary of Tek's death a year ago, and he is facing the ultimate test of life. I'll report through Phil tomorrow what room, and any additional info re visiting. FGH phone no. is 304-367-7100. If I can't get to a computer, my staff will email Phil. I will also post these updates on my blog, www.no3equitycourt.blogspot.com so that they are there semi-permanently -- But Phil will be by far the fastest way to find out the status. To get on Phil's telegraph mailing list, email him at PHIL1434@aol.com.
I don't know of anything other than emails (send to rogercurry@aol.com, I'll print them off and carry them to bill) or cards (Fairmont General Hosp., Locust Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554) or VISITS that the brethren can do at present. I can envision circumstances where Billy may need the presence of brethren together or in shifts, and I would appreciate any brother who will let me know that he may be available - I pray that doesn't happen, by the way. Billy's got too darn much work to do on THIS house before he packs up his tools and goes to the celestial one, and that's something he needs repeated to him lots.
you can get me 24/7 at numbers/addresses below.
Pray for Billy, brethren - the Great Physician is the main guy with the plan right now.
R
Roger D. Curry, J.D.
Curry & Swisher, pllc
213 Locust Avenue
Fairmont, WV 26554
304-368-1000
Fax 304-363-1143
cell 304-282-8013
rogercurry@aol.com
More aggressive publication "schedule"
One of the habits I got from my Dad was that of carrying a little memo book in my pocket (along with my nerd pack of 4 writing implements) and making notes of interesting stuff, lists, reminders to be transferred to the calendar, and so forth. Among the things I write there are notes for blog entries, letters, emails and future publications, and I have a STACK of stuff "in the pipeline." So, I will be picking up the pace of publishing here. Read down the posts, there will be new stuff appearing frequently.
Keep your powder dry. Pippa passes.
R
Keep your powder dry. Pippa passes.
R
The start of Holy Week - The Via Dolorosa
Pastor Josh sang an absolutely haunting song, The Via Dolorosa, at the end of the Palm Sunday service. Here are the lyrics:
.
.
Down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day
The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street
But the crowd pressed in to see
The Man condemned to die on Calvary
.
He was bleeding from a beating,
there were stripes upon His back
And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head
And He bore with every step
The scorn of those who cried out for His death
.
Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King,
But He chose to walk that road out of
His love for you and me.
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.
.
Por la Via Dolorosa, triste dia en Jerusalem
Los saldados le abrian paso a Jesus
Mas la gente se acercaba
Para ver al que llevaba aquella cruz
.
Por la Via Dolorosa, que es la via del dolor
Como oveja vino Cristo, Rey, Senor Y fue
El quien quiso ir por su amor por ti y por mi
Por la Via Dolorosa al Calvario y a morir
The blood that would cleanse the souls of all men
Made its way to the heart of Jerusalem.
.
Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King
But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.
.
.
I think that it translates as The Way of Sorrow (Suffering?).
.
I am annoyed at the false image that we so-called Progressives are somehow separated from God. And also at the hesitation of some to refrain from mentioning God, Christ, eternity or what-not, for fear of offending a Muslim/Jew/Buddhist/atheist/whatever. The First Amendment applies to us, too - a simple statement of faith is not pushing a religion on anyone, and it's neither establishing a religion nor "preventing the free exercise thereof." People, READ THE MEMO: WE ARE ALL IN THIS LIFE TOGETHER.
.
Keep your powder dry. Pippa passes.
.
R
.
.
Down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day
The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street
But the crowd pressed in to see
The Man condemned to die on Calvary
.
He was bleeding from a beating,
there were stripes upon His back
And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head
And He bore with every step
The scorn of those who cried out for His death
.
Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King,
But He chose to walk that road out of
His love for you and me.
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.
.
Por la Via Dolorosa, triste dia en Jerusalem
Los saldados le abrian paso a Jesus
Mas la gente se acercaba
Para ver al que llevaba aquella cruz
.
Por la Via Dolorosa, que es la via del dolor
Como oveja vino Cristo, Rey, Senor Y fue
El quien quiso ir por su amor por ti y por mi
Por la Via Dolorosa al Calvario y a morir
The blood that would cleanse the souls of all men
Made its way to the heart of Jerusalem.
.
Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King
But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.
.
.
I think that it translates as The Way of Sorrow (Suffering?).
.
I am annoyed at the false image that we so-called Progressives are somehow separated from God. And also at the hesitation of some to refrain from mentioning God, Christ, eternity or what-not, for fear of offending a Muslim/Jew/Buddhist/atheist/whatever. The First Amendment applies to us, too - a simple statement of faith is not pushing a religion on anyone, and it's neither establishing a religion nor "preventing the free exercise thereof." People, READ THE MEMO: WE ARE ALL IN THIS LIFE TOGETHER.
.
Keep your powder dry. Pippa passes.
.
R
17 March 2008
True and fantasy headlines I'd like to see - in the old-fashioned seriatim style:
In keeping with my curmudgeonly pique this evening, I offer the following which are either (1) true or (2) I honestly wish they were true. Perhaps this will be a continuing feature. Perhaps it's just me blowing cold flame. Coincidence? I think not.
MILLIONS OF STUDENTS SOBER, STUDYING, WORKING'
- Student leaders: " 'Everybody does it,' my ass!"
- Book purchasing soars
- Take time for church, volunteer work
- Youth recognize the elderly as having had hard & honest lives
- West Virginia bag boy: "The old guy blocking the register line went ashore on D-Day - Leave him alone!"
- News execs pledge no longer "If it bleeds, it leads."
BOTTLED WATER INDUSTRY COLLAPSES
- Surgeon General: "What kind of moron would buy it?"
- States continue to regulate safe tap water.
- Coke, Pepsi Board Members hurl selves from Midwest water towers.
- God promises: Rains will continue until further notice.
- President of France: "Damn, you finally figured out that Perrier tastes like bubbly piss."
- Hypocrits! Leading law firm continues to stock bottled water.
BRITNEY ONLY ONE OF A MILLION
- Surgeon General: "There are at least a million screwed up young women out there."
- Major healthcare need finally recognized.
- Insurance executives hurl selves from Midwest water towers
- Microsoft offerring update to Word; "Britney" will be auto-deleted from the news.
SMOKERS ABANDON LAWSUITS
- Surgeon General: "About time - what morons!"
- Plaintiffs decide to accept personal responsibility.
"COP KILLER" BULLETS BANNED
- Made to penetrate body armor
- Have been available by mail order
- Wayne LaPierre: "About time. What the hell were we thinking?"
INSURANCE COMPANIES TO OFFER FAIR SETTLEMENTS
- Companies pledge to end lying and abuse
- Trial lawyers fail to hurl selves from Midwest water towers; too many people already there.
- Gecko, Guy with Deep Voice, Good Neighbor Agent, "Cave Men" all exposed as frauds.
CONGRESS ENACTS MINIMUM LIVING WAGE
- Two working parents to be able to live, raise children
- Chamber of Commerce admits that small business will prosper; "We were really protecting the huge & greedy. Sorry!"
- Union bosses avoid the Midwest; Depressed because no longer needed
PARENTS UNITE, BECOME GOOD EXAMPLES
- No longer preach abstinence of alcohol and get wasted on weekends.
- Apologize for acting like "buddies" rather than parents.
- Apologize to grandparents who had to step in to raise grandchildren.
Keep your powder dry. Pippa passes.
R
MILLIONS OF STUDENTS SOBER, STUDYING, WORKING'
- Student leaders: " 'Everybody does it,' my ass!"
- Book purchasing soars
- Take time for church, volunteer work
- Youth recognize the elderly as having had hard & honest lives
- West Virginia bag boy: "The old guy blocking the register line went ashore on D-Day - Leave him alone!"
- News execs pledge no longer "If it bleeds, it leads."
BOTTLED WATER INDUSTRY COLLAPSES
- Surgeon General: "What kind of moron would buy it?"
- States continue to regulate safe tap water.
- Coke, Pepsi Board Members hurl selves from Midwest water towers.
- God promises: Rains will continue until further notice.
- President of France: "Damn, you finally figured out that Perrier tastes like bubbly piss."
- Hypocrits! Leading law firm continues to stock bottled water.
BRITNEY ONLY ONE OF A MILLION
- Surgeon General: "There are at least a million screwed up young women out there."
- Major healthcare need finally recognized.
- Insurance executives hurl selves from Midwest water towers
- Microsoft offerring update to Word; "Britney" will be auto-deleted from the news.
SMOKERS ABANDON LAWSUITS
- Surgeon General: "About time - what morons!"
- Plaintiffs decide to accept personal responsibility.
"COP KILLER" BULLETS BANNED
- Made to penetrate body armor
- Have been available by mail order
- Wayne LaPierre: "About time. What the hell were we thinking?"
INSURANCE COMPANIES TO OFFER FAIR SETTLEMENTS
- Companies pledge to end lying and abuse
- Trial lawyers fail to hurl selves from Midwest water towers; too many people already there.
- Gecko, Guy with Deep Voice, Good Neighbor Agent, "Cave Men" all exposed as frauds.
CONGRESS ENACTS MINIMUM LIVING WAGE
- Two working parents to be able to live, raise children
- Chamber of Commerce admits that small business will prosper; "We were really protecting the huge & greedy. Sorry!"
- Union bosses avoid the Midwest; Depressed because no longer needed
PARENTS UNITE, BECOME GOOD EXAMPLES
- No longer preach abstinence of alcohol and get wasted on weekends.
- Apologize for acting like "buddies" rather than parents.
- Apologize to grandparents who had to step in to raise grandchildren.
Keep your powder dry. Pippa passes.
R
12 March 2008
911 is there for us to use
Folks, at least 100 people in Marion County are responsible for building our modern emergency response system, 911 plus all of the various departments. I am proud to have been one (and only one) of them. At least 100 people work somewhere in the system every day. You call, you get an answer in seconds from someone trained to handle the call.
Too many people either do not call 911 at all, or delay calling because they "don't want to inconvenience" the responders, or "aren't sure that the rescue squad [etc.] is absolutely necessary," or "don't want to make a fuss that the neighbors see."
I cannot tell you how many thousands of hours, tens of thousands of hours, has gone into the 911/fire/rescue/police system in every county. Your tax bucks, fire fees, phone surcharges, insurance, etc., pay for most of the great majority of this whether you use it or not.
Consider being in a school building, standing by a fire alarm. You look down the hallway, and see smoke coming from under a doorway. What do you do?
a - Wait for more smoke so you're SURE there's a fire.
b - Go down, open the door (and possibly give a fire a blast of air that will get 'er going good).
c - Nothing - there's no flame visible.
d - Pull the fire alarm.
Answer: Well, it's obvious.
It is so sad for people in the system to hear about problems or tragedies which could have been lessened if only people had called 911. If your relative goes into cardiac arrest in your car as you are driving him/her to the hospital, there is NOTHING that you can do.
Another quick example: A couple of weeks ago, my mom had a minor fall, and her oxygen line got disconnected. She couldn't get it reconnected. Fortunately, someone was home at our house to go over and help get the line reconnected. But if there had been nobody available, Mom would have been perfectly justified to call 911 and explain the problem. They prioritize calls, so if you have something (relatively) minor, someone else's need will not be met with a delay. They would have put the call out to the rescue squad or fire department (whoever was available in station or driving around) as a "public service" call. The fire departments and rescue squads don't mind public service calls. That's part of what they are there for.
Remember to thank these people. Send a tray of rigatoni from Muriale's to your local station unexpectedly. If there is a station close to your church, invite the folks there to come to special services, and assure them that you'll leave a space right out front to park the engine.
READ THE MEMO, PEOPLE: WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.
Keep your powder dry. Pippa passes.
R
Too many people either do not call 911 at all, or delay calling because they "don't want to inconvenience" the responders, or "aren't sure that the rescue squad [etc.] is absolutely necessary," or "don't want to make a fuss that the neighbors see."
I cannot tell you how many thousands of hours, tens of thousands of hours, has gone into the 911/fire/rescue/police system in every county. Your tax bucks, fire fees, phone surcharges, insurance, etc., pay for most of the great majority of this whether you use it or not.
Consider being in a school building, standing by a fire alarm. You look down the hallway, and see smoke coming from under a doorway. What do you do?
a - Wait for more smoke so you're SURE there's a fire.
b - Go down, open the door (and possibly give a fire a blast of air that will get 'er going good).
c - Nothing - there's no flame visible.
d - Pull the fire alarm.
Answer: Well, it's obvious.
It is so sad for people in the system to hear about problems or tragedies which could have been lessened if only people had called 911. If your relative goes into cardiac arrest in your car as you are driving him/her to the hospital, there is NOTHING that you can do.
Another quick example: A couple of weeks ago, my mom had a minor fall, and her oxygen line got disconnected. She couldn't get it reconnected. Fortunately, someone was home at our house to go over and help get the line reconnected. But if there had been nobody available, Mom would have been perfectly justified to call 911 and explain the problem. They prioritize calls, so if you have something (relatively) minor, someone else's need will not be met with a delay. They would have put the call out to the rescue squad or fire department (whoever was available in station or driving around) as a "public service" call. The fire departments and rescue squads don't mind public service calls. That's part of what they are there for.
Remember to thank these people. Send a tray of rigatoni from Muriale's to your local station unexpectedly. If there is a station close to your church, invite the folks there to come to special services, and assure them that you'll leave a space right out front to park the engine.
READ THE MEMO, PEOPLE: WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.
Keep your powder dry. Pippa passes.
R
03 March 2008
Relevance at the Barber; Jesus Meets Bernard Goetz and They Become Buds; and Other Fables
Friday, I was running around, going to the Courthouse, etc., and drove past the barber shop. You can tell what it is by the name of the establishment: "Barber Shop." Simple. Direct. Informative. Not unduly flashy. My kind of place. Sometimes I wonder if I’m caught in sort of time displacement, and this place is the direct incarnation of Floyd-the-Barber in Mayberry. (Those over whose heads that cultural reference has passed are forgiven, so long as you forgive this humble scribe for his profound indifference to contemporary cultural "icons.") Also, I’m reading a rather quirky novel at the moment by Wendell Berry, The Life Story of Jayber Crow, Barber, of the Port William Membership, as Written by Himself. Wordy title, quirky book, and I’m quite enjoying it. (The title is a touch of Rocky & Bullwinkle. I like Rocky & Bullwinkle.) This was loaned to me by Parson Jim, who is one of the few people I know who will conscienciously read a book and then return it. Anyway, the Barber Shop is an endless inspiration for my meanderings. I parked right in front of the door, went in, and in my own quirky tradition wished a quiet "God bless all here." I do that in bars, too. At least, I think I probably still do, but it’s been rather a long time since I’ve been in a bar. There were several fellows in there, one of whom was holding a rifle. Now, I don’t know where that would be a common sight. Certainly, here in Our Town, it isn’t UNcommon. This was a nice little rifle, a .22 caliber, with some sort of curious sort of semi-automatic action that ejected spent brass without bringing another round into the chamber. Why anyone would invent such a thing is beyond me, but we live in the age of Mighty Putty, Hercules Hooks, KaBoom and other stuff hawked by Billy Mays. This was an ordinary little rifle, and he passed it around, and while it’s ordinary, it’s always nice to see a well-made firearm. One of the fellows there was quite old, and talked about having "qualified" on an ‘03 Springfield, meaning that he was in the military a long, long time ago. Another fellow came in with his dog (not on a leash, quite a nice animal) and we proceeded to talk about dogs for a while. In my own continuing saga of idiosyncratic behavior, I got my already short hair cut to the length that is popular amongst law enforcement. I wonder why - I still have most of my hair follicles, and it’s mostly salt with some pepper, and I’ve kept it mostly long over the years. In the chair, five minutes, eleven bucks, and I’m gone. MamaMia and I did a bit of furniture shopping, and I went back here to No. 3 and spent a quiet evening dictating stuff.
Church as usual Sunday morning, and quite enjoyable. As we were filing out, I asked Pastor Josh if he’d like to go with my friend Dave and I to the Gun Show in the afternoon, for culture, commerce and politics. I think Josh was a tad taken aback - maybe he’d never been invited to a gun show? Well, the duality of a morning of Christian love with an afternoon of destructive devices was positively irresistable.
Yes, "destructive devices." Firearms are weapons. The so-called sporting uses are either (1) violent or (2) to develop finer skills for the user to be violent in the future. They are lawfully used for hunting. That’s violent. I choose not to hunt, but I don’t condemn those who do. First, people close to me hunt and they are fine folks, and second, the meat in the meager meals I have didn’t come from animals who got depressed and committed suicide. Target practice is seldom a free-standing sport, and those who are really serious about it are few and far between. It is not divorced from violence. Anything you do with a pistol is even more steeped in violence. Pistols are not useful for anything but to kill things, mostly people. Practicing with a pistol is to improve one’s skill, both speed and accuracy. Carrying a pistol is not done for sporting purposes. Carrying a pistol concealed is not sporting in any sense of the term, it is done so that one can employ deadly force unexpectedly when it is warranted. As long at the gun community (of which I am a part) hides behind the "sporting myth," we cannot have a genuine conversation about violence in our society and the presence of seriously bad actors who present situations where a violent/deadly response is legally (and morally?) justified. And that discussion needs to take place in the absence of loads of macho garbage where people exaggerate the dangers in the world and their own willingness to pull a weapon and kill an intruder, and in the absence of denials that the bad actors are out there. Doctor Reality, where are you?
Anyway, Dave picked me up at No. 3, and off we went to the local armory. Part of the building is secured and I presume that military stuff is kept there. The rest is a big open space used for basketball games, proms, and other public events. At the door, there were prominent signs: "Unload Your Weapons. ALL of them. This means you!" The entrance resembled the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, with lots of people slapping for holsters hidden all over to pull pistols, remove magazines and clear the weapons. My buddy and I toured around, chatting with people we knew, and he was handing out campaign brochures. I’d rather go to a gun show than a hooker bazaar, because I’m much more likely to buy something at the gun show. (Also, the noise I would receive from She would be less, although still significant.) I was sort of looking for a particular type of firearm, but when I found what I was looking for, it was (1) too small and (2) too expensive. (A Kel-Tec 9mm, which is just too darn small for that big a round.) However, the local Guard unit was running some sort of raffle for the benefit of the troops, and that bled a bit of cash, without any hesitation. The sergeants who were selling the tickets were uniformed, and I idly wonder if that’s kosher in the military – not that I mind, quite the reverse, anybody who would object to that is wasting their time with trivia. As we talked with them, one of the sergeants thanked us (Dave ponied up a good bit of cash, too) and commented that people who support the troops also should be supporting the war. Well, this was a nice guy, and it was neither the time nor the place for a political debate, so I moved on. Right next to the Guard table was a table with three guys I didn’t know, but a Shrine Fez on the table. One of them saw Fred’s ring (of which I’ve written before), and asked quite loudly how good a brother I was going to be. This was all in fun, but also an obvious and straight-forward way to put the squeeze on me for a nice slug of cash. Hey, that’s OK, if you want something, ask, don’t be mealy-mouthed. Being a good sport, I simply asked how much seeing the brothers was going to cost me. Twenty bucks, it turns out, but for a pretty good raffle, something called a "gun club." The idea of a gun club is that the sponsors arrange with a FFL holder (Clank, dearest, my friend in the U.K., dealers must be licensed in the U.S.) to buy a bunch of guns, usually rifles and shotguns, maybe 20 or 30. Then, once a week for several months, they draw a ticket and give away the next gun on the list. Some of them are ordinary, and some of them are nice, and they are a good fundraiser around here. (They used to be a better fundraiser when they were illegal. Wes Ruby, the patron of Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, who was a friend of my Dad’s, made the Boy Scout Council a LOT of money in the 60's with gun clubs.) I was amused at one table where a fellow had some .22's with synthetic stocks. There was a matched pair of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. and Jr., rifles, and I have some difficulty making the connection. The vendor also had a small child-sized rifle that was - no kidding - pink. I thought that was a bit over the top. There IS such a thing as a "woman's gun," (years ago, I seriously annoyed the national Chief Scout Executive when he was picked up in an airport for stupidly forgetting he was carrying a gun -- I told him that the boys in West Virginia could understand the offense, but just couldn't forgive him carrying a .25 caliber woman's gun.) And let’s see - I found a handmade leather "scabbard" for the new cell phone I just got – The Blackberry finally annoyed me to the point that I got rid of it. And one vendor had a table of nice knives, including some American-made Buck knives, so naturally I HAD to buy one. (See some months ago my tirade on Buck moving production to China, where slave-labor reduces costs.) I’m honestly curious about the cultural accomodation made for implements of violence elsewhere. Perhaps the culture I’m doused in is unusual. I don’t have a context for comparison. Oh, one thing that does really, really annoy me about gun shows is the presence of so-called "militaria," usually Nazi trash like emblems, knives and so forth. Were I immensely wealthy, I would do the same thing some guy in Illinois did with John Wayne Gacy’s paintings, he bought them all up and burned them publicly.
There was a sign posted behind one table that speaks to the extremism of gun people: "Let Gun Confiscation begin in West Virginia – It won’t take them near so long to get it out of their system." Sigh. So many people equate regulation with confiscation.
One vendor (the one with the cell phone scabbards) was selling very nice handmade leather "possibles bags." I wish those were stylishly permitted, it would make life a little easier. Sometimes, I feel like I’m supposed to be Batman or something with all of the gear I honestly need to carry on my belt or in my pockets.
It was kinda cool to be able to park far away from the armory and "glide" through crowds in the aisles. I have to internalize this stuff.
What is this fascination with the American Idol contestants, and how they emotionally react to winning, losing, and so forth? Why do we really care what the "judges’" opinions are? These are young people who sing well. Part of that is a gift from God. Part of it is that most of them have worked hard to develop that gift. But this is all a part of the bread-and-circuses that distracts people from taking some responsibility and facing the lessons of Doctor Reality, and let’s them off the hook in their own mind and gives them the odd satisfaction that, if they cannot deeply care about anything that matters, they can always form a hazy, internal attachment to the lives of people they don’t know. This, to me, is just another variation on the theme of a "spectator society," where we are unwilling to interact with real humans, particularly when it involves any sort of unpleasantness. It’s also emblematic of the "celebrity society," where we strangely care about who Oprah, yadda, yadda, yadda, want us to vote for. Why do we favor these "gifts" over others? There are so many others in society who have gifts that they have developed and so many, many others who have overcome obstacles to develop skills or knowledge that are actually useful. A young man at the church [whose father is a good friend, whose grandfather was a good friend and mentor (those who do not like that word, tough), and whose great-grandfather I knew slightly] has the gift of an ear for music and hands that will play a musical keyboard WELL, and he has spent LOTS of time developing that, rather more I would think than your average American Idol. Heck, even grave diggers have gifts - there is a music video on the C&W stations now entitled "Grave Digger" by Willie Nelson. Someone who has a strong back and a willingness to do hard work is giving all of us a gift. There is no water holier than the sweat off someone’s brow.
Hmmm - perhaps there is a post on what I consider useless people coming. Let’s see, number one and two would be astrologers and psychics.
Pastor Josh says that he intends to link my blog to his "Pastor’s Blog," and I have warned him that the comments here are often somewhat edgy at times. Always honest, though. Well, at least indifferently so.
One good habit I have (at least I think it’s good) is that there is always a memo book in my pocket to keep notes. At some point in the service this morning, the idea for this "meditation" to do on Good Friday gelled in my head, and I was able to write it down. Now I need to get it translated into English on the keyboard. Perhaps I’ll turn it into several theses and post them on the door of the church. Nah, already been done.
Pippa passes.
Keep your powder dry.
R
Church as usual Sunday morning, and quite enjoyable. As we were filing out, I asked Pastor Josh if he’d like to go with my friend Dave and I to the Gun Show in the afternoon, for culture, commerce and politics. I think Josh was a tad taken aback - maybe he’d never been invited to a gun show? Well, the duality of a morning of Christian love with an afternoon of destructive devices was positively irresistable.
Yes, "destructive devices." Firearms are weapons. The so-called sporting uses are either (1) violent or (2) to develop finer skills for the user to be violent in the future. They are lawfully used for hunting. That’s violent. I choose not to hunt, but I don’t condemn those who do. First, people close to me hunt and they are fine folks, and second, the meat in the meager meals I have didn’t come from animals who got depressed and committed suicide. Target practice is seldom a free-standing sport, and those who are really serious about it are few and far between. It is not divorced from violence. Anything you do with a pistol is even more steeped in violence. Pistols are not useful for anything but to kill things, mostly people. Practicing with a pistol is to improve one’s skill, both speed and accuracy. Carrying a pistol is not done for sporting purposes. Carrying a pistol concealed is not sporting in any sense of the term, it is done so that one can employ deadly force unexpectedly when it is warranted. As long at the gun community (of which I am a part) hides behind the "sporting myth," we cannot have a genuine conversation about violence in our society and the presence of seriously bad actors who present situations where a violent/deadly response is legally (and morally?) justified. And that discussion needs to take place in the absence of loads of macho garbage where people exaggerate the dangers in the world and their own willingness to pull a weapon and kill an intruder, and in the absence of denials that the bad actors are out there. Doctor Reality, where are you?
Anyway, Dave picked me up at No. 3, and off we went to the local armory. Part of the building is secured and I presume that military stuff is kept there. The rest is a big open space used for basketball games, proms, and other public events. At the door, there were prominent signs: "Unload Your Weapons. ALL of them. This means you!" The entrance resembled the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, with lots of people slapping for holsters hidden all over to pull pistols, remove magazines and clear the weapons. My buddy and I toured around, chatting with people we knew, and he was handing out campaign brochures. I’d rather go to a gun show than a hooker bazaar, because I’m much more likely to buy something at the gun show. (Also, the noise I would receive from She would be less, although still significant.) I was sort of looking for a particular type of firearm, but when I found what I was looking for, it was (1) too small and (2) too expensive. (A Kel-Tec 9mm, which is just too darn small for that big a round.) However, the local Guard unit was running some sort of raffle for the benefit of the troops, and that bled a bit of cash, without any hesitation. The sergeants who were selling the tickets were uniformed, and I idly wonder if that’s kosher in the military – not that I mind, quite the reverse, anybody who would object to that is wasting their time with trivia. As we talked with them, one of the sergeants thanked us (Dave ponied up a good bit of cash, too) and commented that people who support the troops also should be supporting the war. Well, this was a nice guy, and it was neither the time nor the place for a political debate, so I moved on. Right next to the Guard table was a table with three guys I didn’t know, but a Shrine Fez on the table. One of them saw Fred’s ring (of which I’ve written before), and asked quite loudly how good a brother I was going to be. This was all in fun, but also an obvious and straight-forward way to put the squeeze on me for a nice slug of cash. Hey, that’s OK, if you want something, ask, don’t be mealy-mouthed. Being a good sport, I simply asked how much seeing the brothers was going to cost me. Twenty bucks, it turns out, but for a pretty good raffle, something called a "gun club." The idea of a gun club is that the sponsors arrange with a FFL holder (Clank, dearest, my friend in the U.K., dealers must be licensed in the U.S.) to buy a bunch of guns, usually rifles and shotguns, maybe 20 or 30. Then, once a week for several months, they draw a ticket and give away the next gun on the list. Some of them are ordinary, and some of them are nice, and they are a good fundraiser around here. (They used to be a better fundraiser when they were illegal. Wes Ruby, the patron of Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, who was a friend of my Dad’s, made the Boy Scout Council a LOT of money in the 60's with gun clubs.) I was amused at one table where a fellow had some .22's with synthetic stocks. There was a matched pair of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. and Jr., rifles, and I have some difficulty making the connection. The vendor also had a small child-sized rifle that was - no kidding - pink. I thought that was a bit over the top. There IS such a thing as a "woman's gun," (years ago, I seriously annoyed the national Chief Scout Executive when he was picked up in an airport for stupidly forgetting he was carrying a gun -- I told him that the boys in West Virginia could understand the offense, but just couldn't forgive him carrying a .25 caliber woman's gun.) And let’s see - I found a handmade leather "scabbard" for the new cell phone I just got – The Blackberry finally annoyed me to the point that I got rid of it. And one vendor had a table of nice knives, including some American-made Buck knives, so naturally I HAD to buy one. (See some months ago my tirade on Buck moving production to China, where slave-labor reduces costs.) I’m honestly curious about the cultural accomodation made for implements of violence elsewhere. Perhaps the culture I’m doused in is unusual. I don’t have a context for comparison. Oh, one thing that does really, really annoy me about gun shows is the presence of so-called "militaria," usually Nazi trash like emblems, knives and so forth. Were I immensely wealthy, I would do the same thing some guy in Illinois did with John Wayne Gacy’s paintings, he bought them all up and burned them publicly.
There was a sign posted behind one table that speaks to the extremism of gun people: "Let Gun Confiscation begin in West Virginia – It won’t take them near so long to get it out of their system." Sigh. So many people equate regulation with confiscation.
One vendor (the one with the cell phone scabbards) was selling very nice handmade leather "possibles bags." I wish those were stylishly permitted, it would make life a little easier. Sometimes, I feel like I’m supposed to be Batman or something with all of the gear I honestly need to carry on my belt or in my pockets.
It was kinda cool to be able to park far away from the armory and "glide" through crowds in the aisles. I have to internalize this stuff.
What is this fascination with the American Idol contestants, and how they emotionally react to winning, losing, and so forth? Why do we really care what the "judges’" opinions are? These are young people who sing well. Part of that is a gift from God. Part of it is that most of them have worked hard to develop that gift. But this is all a part of the bread-and-circuses that distracts people from taking some responsibility and facing the lessons of Doctor Reality, and let’s them off the hook in their own mind and gives them the odd satisfaction that, if they cannot deeply care about anything that matters, they can always form a hazy, internal attachment to the lives of people they don’t know. This, to me, is just another variation on the theme of a "spectator society," where we are unwilling to interact with real humans, particularly when it involves any sort of unpleasantness. It’s also emblematic of the "celebrity society," where we strangely care about who Oprah, yadda, yadda, yadda, want us to vote for. Why do we favor these "gifts" over others? There are so many others in society who have gifts that they have developed and so many, many others who have overcome obstacles to develop skills or knowledge that are actually useful. A young man at the church [whose father is a good friend, whose grandfather was a good friend and mentor (those who do not like that word, tough), and whose great-grandfather I knew slightly] has the gift of an ear for music and hands that will play a musical keyboard WELL, and he has spent LOTS of time developing that, rather more I would think than your average American Idol. Heck, even grave diggers have gifts - there is a music video on the C&W stations now entitled "Grave Digger" by Willie Nelson. Someone who has a strong back and a willingness to do hard work is giving all of us a gift. There is no water holier than the sweat off someone’s brow.
Hmmm - perhaps there is a post on what I consider useless people coming. Let’s see, number one and two would be astrologers and psychics.
Pastor Josh says that he intends to link my blog to his "Pastor’s Blog," and I have warned him that the comments here are often somewhat edgy at times. Always honest, though. Well, at least indifferently so.
One good habit I have (at least I think it’s good) is that there is always a memo book in my pocket to keep notes. At some point in the service this morning, the idea for this "meditation" to do on Good Friday gelled in my head, and I was able to write it down. Now I need to get it translated into English on the keyboard. Perhaps I’ll turn it into several theses and post them on the door of the church. Nah, already been done.
Pippa passes.
Keep your powder dry.
R
Apocalypse now
Lack of desire hasn't been the reason for a post-less week -- it's been frantic 'round No. 3, and I've brought in an endloader to shovel off my tragic desk. OK, actually, Tammy & Kathy are pitching in, and that's every bit as good as an endloader.
Pastor Josh has started a "pastor's blog" for the church - excellent idea, I believe. I need a transparent identity to post comments - there is an elder named Roger there - Perhaps I'll be Roger-the-Heretic - you know, the one who they call on for the rebuttal after a particularly moving service, and have a congregational vote to either expel or burn at the stake. Actually, I've taken on giving one of many "meditations" about the words of Jesus on the cross. I'm curious - will Josh ask me for my thoughts in advance, or live with the nervousness of open heresy? I confess, I like watching people puzzle over my peculiarities. In a Bible study last night, there was a discussion of apocalyptic stuff - with the opinion offered that the current age isn't very apocalyptic. How's that again? You don't need to warp current events into Daniel, Revelation, Ezekiel (and Nostradamus) to detect oncoming disruption. We are truly in sight of the end of petroleum. When some people now living are old, they will NOT be driving gasoline powered vehicles. We have the end of coal & gas visible in the distance. There are still some tens of thousands of nuclear warheads which are still assembled and lots of fissile material (much of it missing) from which other warheads may be assembled. There is a growing disruptive influence in the Middle East, Northern Africa, and much of Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as hot spots everywhere else. The MTV generation thinks that privation is having the cheap champagne with dinner, and the growing desperate poor have no voice. Climate change is a fact, and the skeptics are flat-earthers. Gresham's law lives. So, perhaps Heaven will not open and from out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword and all of that, but this is not a stable or safe time.
Politics is heating up locally. I think that some candidates understand basically where I am coming from, that to me, politics is a cross between science and religion, and that sometimes Doctor Reality says things that you don't want to hear. I’ve told several candidates, including Partner Amy, my views of exactly how to change the current trends. In so doing, they MUST be the ones in charge of their respective campaigns, and must make the choices, right or wrong. They can listen to all sorts of advice, some of which will be well-intended but just wrong and the rest of which will be from people blowing sunshine up their kilts hoping that if they win, those folks will have some unfair advantage or influence. Sometimes, I think that Second Father Jim and I are the only trustworthy ones in the bunch, mainly because we don't have personal political ambitions or desire for glory. At least political glory locally. Oh, another part of that Bible study was the image of light vs. darkness. That doesn't translate well to me. I have always loved the night. Working midnight shift was a special time. An acquaintance of mine, one of the national leaders in EMS, the late Jim Page, wrote a book of essays on EMS entitled "The Magic of 3 AM." He was right. (Jim died at a relatively young age of a sudden heart attack, and in a darn ironic situation, there was a seriously delayed ambulace response to his event.) And night in the woods is even more magical. The only unusually acute physical sense I have is night vision, and it is positively a joy to walk silently at night. With the various "colors" displayed in badges on my car, I think that it's inappropriate to put a specific candidate's stuff there. There is a sticker though: "11-4-08" - It is important that we all vote.
I've five reviews to write for the canon, and honestly haven't had the time even block more than two of them out.
Down 185 solid. The silver band I bought as a sort of wedding band has gotten too big for my ring finger.
Keep your powder dry. Pippa passes.
R
Pastor Josh has started a "pastor's blog" for the church - excellent idea, I believe. I need a transparent identity to post comments - there is an elder named Roger there - Perhaps I'll be Roger-the-Heretic - you know, the one who they call on for the rebuttal after a particularly moving service, and have a congregational vote to either expel or burn at the stake. Actually, I've taken on giving one of many "meditations" about the words of Jesus on the cross. I'm curious - will Josh ask me for my thoughts in advance, or live with the nervousness of open heresy? I confess, I like watching people puzzle over my peculiarities. In a Bible study last night, there was a discussion of apocalyptic stuff - with the opinion offered that the current age isn't very apocalyptic. How's that again? You don't need to warp current events into Daniel, Revelation, Ezekiel (and Nostradamus) to detect oncoming disruption. We are truly in sight of the end of petroleum. When some people now living are old, they will NOT be driving gasoline powered vehicles. We have the end of coal & gas visible in the distance. There are still some tens of thousands of nuclear warheads which are still assembled and lots of fissile material (much of it missing) from which other warheads may be assembled. There is a growing disruptive influence in the Middle East, Northern Africa, and much of Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as hot spots everywhere else. The MTV generation thinks that privation is having the cheap champagne with dinner, and the growing desperate poor have no voice. Climate change is a fact, and the skeptics are flat-earthers. Gresham's law lives. So, perhaps Heaven will not open and from out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword and all of that, but this is not a stable or safe time.
Politics is heating up locally. I think that some candidates understand basically where I am coming from, that to me, politics is a cross between science and religion, and that sometimes Doctor Reality says things that you don't want to hear. I’ve told several candidates, including Partner Amy, my views of exactly how to change the current trends. In so doing, they MUST be the ones in charge of their respective campaigns, and must make the choices, right or wrong. They can listen to all sorts of advice, some of which will be well-intended but just wrong and the rest of which will be from people blowing sunshine up their kilts hoping that if they win, those folks will have some unfair advantage or influence. Sometimes, I think that Second Father Jim and I are the only trustworthy ones in the bunch, mainly because we don't have personal political ambitions or desire for glory. At least political glory locally. Oh, another part of that Bible study was the image of light vs. darkness. That doesn't translate well to me. I have always loved the night. Working midnight shift was a special time. An acquaintance of mine, one of the national leaders in EMS, the late Jim Page, wrote a book of essays on EMS entitled "The Magic of 3 AM." He was right. (Jim died at a relatively young age of a sudden heart attack, and in a darn ironic situation, there was a seriously delayed ambulace response to his event.) And night in the woods is even more magical. The only unusually acute physical sense I have is night vision, and it is positively a joy to walk silently at night. With the various "colors" displayed in badges on my car, I think that it's inappropriate to put a specific candidate's stuff there. There is a sticker though: "11-4-08" - It is important that we all vote.
I've five reviews to write for the canon, and honestly haven't had the time even block more than two of them out.
Down 185 solid. The silver band I bought as a sort of wedding band has gotten too big for my ring finger.
Keep your powder dry. Pippa passes.
R
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