Summer - Weddings, Friends and Loose Change
A few weeks ago, in early August, we went down to Baltimore for a quick weekend to attend my sister's wedding. The weather, for the week or so leading up to the wedding, had been hot and sticky. A typical steamy, humid August. However, on her wedding day, the weather was picture postcard perfect, as was the wedding.
There were over 50 folks there, with friends and relatives from all sides of the families, including the extended ones. All were on their best behaviors, with smiles and glad-handing all around. I enjoyed myself and I'm sure the rest of the people there did, too.
The wedding was held in the backyard of the house and went off without a hitch. The food was good, with drinks all around and lots of conversation throughout the afternoon into evening. My other sister made the 3 layer wedding cake and, like the bride, it was gorgeous. The cake also tasted good and I had to resist eating more than one piece.
Earlier in the weekend I got a chance to briefly meet up with the guys of the men's group I used to be a part of. It was nice catching up with them and listening to what each of us were up to as we sat around a picnic table in Oregon Ridge Park on a Saturday morning. It was infinitely better than meeting at a bar/restaurant, much more relaxing and convivial. I miss having that network of friends, especially guy friends, to get together with. We were all products of failed marriages involving children. It was really helpful to me to have been able to discuss issues of relationships, raising kids in a divorced/widowed setting, and gaining insight through the collective experiences, good and bad, of the others in the group. It was a good group and I miss them. However, life moves on, both within you and without you (George Harrison said that.)
In my previous post I spoke about the internet documentary, Loose Change. After watching it and really thinking about the implications of the Bush Administration (allegedly)staging the 9/11 event to galvanize the American people into supporting Bush's (actually Cheney's) agenda, I really got scared about what's going on here in America. It's mind boggling and almost impossible to believe that something like what happened in New York could have been contrived, but, when you watch the documentary and start to think about it, I mean - of all the world wide airplane accidents in the history of aviation, and there have been several hundreds at least, there have only been three in which there were no bodies or discernible wreckage. And those three were on 9/11. Also, how many times have you ever heard of a building literally falling straight down, unless it was through controlled demolition?
I don't know. It's hard to believe; however, that's why I think people need to be aware of what's going on around them and to question the motives and especially the actions of our country's leaders. It's very scary times we live in right now and I have to wonder whether the times are really that scary or whether it's been contrived to be that way to control the public. How real is terrorism as a threat to America, or is it that the threat of terrorism can keep a political party in power?
There is a management style that works by keeping people at odds with each other. The premise is if you keep your employees divided and at odds with each other, you don't have to worry about them coming after you and, as a result of the chaos, you can control and manipulate them. People in positions of authority who are insecure with low self-esteem will often use this management style. Iron fisted rulers, generally men with control and lack of confidence issues, are often this way. At some point they almost always self-destruct but the people under them suffer immeasurably. Think of families headed by an abusive, alcoholic father. Think about a leader like that in charge of a country.
What continues to amaze me is the lack of outrage over the Bush Administration's actions - or is it that people are outraged but the media is suppressing it. Makes one wonder. I'm not given to being a conspiracy theorist, nor do I necessarily support consipiracy theories, but it just seems to me that the current administration is very, very dangerous. Are we losing our civil rights (Patriot Act)? Have we elected a despot (Signing Statements)? Are we still a democracy (2000 and 2004 election fraud)? And, is Cheney really the President? If you're not for them then you're anti-american. If you don't support the war you're anti-american. If you disagree with anything the Bush Administration proposes you're anti-american. That's scary. I've been trying to think of at least one thing that the Administration's done that has helped the general public; i.e., people with less than six figure incomes. I'm still thinking.
There were over 50 folks there, with friends and relatives from all sides of the families, including the extended ones. All were on their best behaviors, with smiles and glad-handing all around. I enjoyed myself and I'm sure the rest of the people there did, too.
The wedding was held in the backyard of the house and went off without a hitch. The food was good, with drinks all around and lots of conversation throughout the afternoon into evening. My other sister made the 3 layer wedding cake and, like the bride, it was gorgeous. The cake also tasted good and I had to resist eating more than one piece.
Earlier in the weekend I got a chance to briefly meet up with the guys of the men's group I used to be a part of. It was nice catching up with them and listening to what each of us were up to as we sat around a picnic table in Oregon Ridge Park on a Saturday morning. It was infinitely better than meeting at a bar/restaurant, much more relaxing and convivial. I miss having that network of friends, especially guy friends, to get together with. We were all products of failed marriages involving children. It was really helpful to me to have been able to discuss issues of relationships, raising kids in a divorced/widowed setting, and gaining insight through the collective experiences, good and bad, of the others in the group. It was a good group and I miss them. However, life moves on, both within you and without you (George Harrison said that.)
In my previous post I spoke about the internet documentary, Loose Change. After watching it and really thinking about the implications of the Bush Administration (allegedly)staging the 9/11 event to galvanize the American people into supporting Bush's (actually Cheney's) agenda, I really got scared about what's going on here in America. It's mind boggling and almost impossible to believe that something like what happened in New York could have been contrived, but, when you watch the documentary and start to think about it, I mean - of all the world wide airplane accidents in the history of aviation, and there have been several hundreds at least, there have only been three in which there were no bodies or discernible wreckage. And those three were on 9/11. Also, how many times have you ever heard of a building literally falling straight down, unless it was through controlled demolition?
I don't know. It's hard to believe; however, that's why I think people need to be aware of what's going on around them and to question the motives and especially the actions of our country's leaders. It's very scary times we live in right now and I have to wonder whether the times are really that scary or whether it's been contrived to be that way to control the public. How real is terrorism as a threat to America, or is it that the threat of terrorism can keep a political party in power?
There is a management style that works by keeping people at odds with each other. The premise is if you keep your employees divided and at odds with each other, you don't have to worry about them coming after you and, as a result of the chaos, you can control and manipulate them. People in positions of authority who are insecure with low self-esteem will often use this management style. Iron fisted rulers, generally men with control and lack of confidence issues, are often this way. At some point they almost always self-destruct but the people under them suffer immeasurably. Think of families headed by an abusive, alcoholic father. Think about a leader like that in charge of a country.
What continues to amaze me is the lack of outrage over the Bush Administration's actions - or is it that people are outraged but the media is suppressing it. Makes one wonder. I'm not given to being a conspiracy theorist, nor do I necessarily support consipiracy theories, but it just seems to me that the current administration is very, very dangerous. Are we losing our civil rights (Patriot Act)? Have we elected a despot (Signing Statements)? Are we still a democracy (2000 and 2004 election fraud)? And, is Cheney really the President? If you're not for them then you're anti-american. If you don't support the war you're anti-american. If you disagree with anything the Bush Administration proposes you're anti-american. That's scary. I've been trying to think of at least one thing that the Administration's done that has helped the general public; i.e., people with less than six figure incomes. I'm still thinking.
posted by Frank at 1:05 PM
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