…there was a government that was being very unfair to its people. The officials who ran the government weren’t listening to what the people were saying about how they were being governed. The officials in the government seemed to have their own self-serving agendas, and did pretty much what they wanted over the people's howls of protest. Taxes were passed which were unfair; tarrifs on exported goods were passed which didn’t benefit the people producing the goods being exported, the money being spent elsewhere at the whim of the officials in the government. The leader of the government turned a deaf ear to the protests of the people, and let the people suffer.
Pretty soon there was talk of revolution, of throwing off the shackles and chains binding the people to the oppressive government and forming their own nation, governing themselves as they had the right to do. The talk of revolution spread quickly, and the movement towards rebellion grew and spread like a wildfire across the land. The people throughout the land gathered and spoke of revolution and rebellion, and soon the decision had been made to rebel against the government and form a separate nation to be governed by the people themselves as they saw fit. The critics warned that the new nation that was about to be formed wasn’t ready to fight a war, and that they surely would have to fight if they rebelled. They had no formal government, no established treasury, and no army or navy with which to fight. Surely they would be defeated if they rebelled!
But the talk of rebellion was a fever that could not be stopped. A formal notice of separation was prepared and served to the oppressive government, and shortly after that the first shots were fired. A full-scale invasion of the rebellious nation then took place, the troops of the oppressive government plundering and pillaging wherever they went. The government of the new nation struggled to establish itself and defend its land with its new and poorly equipped army, while at the same time trying to garner support from nations across the oceans in Europe. The war turned into a war of attrition, the soldiers in the new nation’s army enduring severe hardships as they fought to defend their land and their homes. For years the soldiers fought on with poor supplies, poor arms, and not enough food to eat, but still they fought. And then, almost without warning, the tide of the war turned….
Think you know how this story ends? I’ll bet you don’t.
If you think I’m talking about the events of 1770-1776 that led to the American Revolution and the first few years of the war, you’re dead wrong.
I’m talking about the events of 1850-1861 that led to the Second American Revolution, also known as the War Between the States, and the first few years of that war. (Personally, I prefer to refer to it as the War for Southern Independence.)
If this is the first time you’ve ever taken a look at those events in this light and find yourself being surprised, then I suggest that you’re a student of “conventional” American history – the one-sided, historically incorrect version of American history that has been taught in the American school system for about the past 50 years, using school books written and published by the victors.
And if that’s the case, then I strongly suggest you do some reading and learn the true history of this most turbulent era in our nation’s history. Trust me, there’s a hell of a lot more to what went on than is portrayed in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
By the way, did you know that Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” never did any research on Southern plantations, never traveled to the South to see a Southern plantation for herself, never interviewed any plantation owners OR slaves/former slaves, and used the stories she’d read in Northern newspapers as the basis of fact for her book?
Ain’t history wonderful?
IHC
Friday, July 31, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Of "Posers," "RUBS," and "Real Bikers"
I hate labels.
I hate labels almost as much as the narrow-minded, immature, and irrational logic that gives birth to them. I don’t necessarily hate the people who use labels, mind you – some of them are good folks who just have a different opinion than mine – but I absolutely abhor labels.
I know I’m gonna piss some people off with this, but ya know what? I don’t care. It’s my opinion and I’m entitled to it, and if you don’t like it, then stop reading my blog. So having said that….
Take, for example, the biker-related labels of “poser,” “RUB,” and “real biker.” Most of the time the first two are used as a derogatory term applied by members of the last term when describing someone who rides a bike and doesn’t fit their self-styled idea of just what a “real biker” should be.
Silly, isn’t it? I think so.
For clarity’s sake, “RUB” stands for Rich Urban Biker. This term is most often used by “real bikers” to describe people who are “rich” (which means they have more money than the “real biker” does), buy a bike, and ride it only on weekends. Never mind the fact that maybe the so-called “RUB” has a full-time job which prohibits him/her from riding anytime other than on a weekend; that line of thought involves common sense and logic, and that just doesn’t work here.
And I won’t even try to define “poser.” The variations of that term are so broad and numerous as to defy description. But some of the examples that I’ve heard are as follows:
1) If you wear a lot – or ANY – clothing with “Harley-Davidson” written on it, you’re a poser.
2) If you wear a leather vest that doesn’t have the three-piece club colors of a recognized motorcycle club on it, you’re a poser.
3) If you ride a metric bike – a Japanese bike – you’re a poser.
4) If you buy a bike and ride it only on weekends or around town, then you’re a poser.
5) If you’re just not considered to be a “real biker,” then you’re a poser.
Which leads us to the obvious question: Just what is a “real biker?”
Well, that all depends on who you’re talking to. It seems that the definition of “real biker” is even more varied than that of “poser.” I’ve been told that anyone who doesn’t work on their own bike rather than take it to the dealership for work isn’t a “real biker.” I’ve also been told that anyone who rides anything other than an American bike isn’t a “real biker.” Nor is anyone who rides anything other than a Harley-Davidson, or anyone who rides a Sportster (which is a Harley-Davidson, by the way), or anyone who rides a bike made after 1975, or anyone who rides a bike with an electric starter, or anyone who doesn’t ride a “rigid” bike (a bike with no shocks on the back wheel), or anyone who rides a bike with a windshield, or anyone who doesn’t ride a bike with a “jockey shift,” or anyone who doesn’t have ape hanger handlebars on their bike, or anyone who isn’t a member of a three-piece patch club, or anyone who waves to other bikers on the highway…..
See what I mean?
I always thought that the “biker” attitude involved being an individual, a free spirit doing his own thing on his bike, free from labels and rules and all of the other bullshit that sometimes comes with life in a civilized, organized society. I’ve always thought that “bikers” didn’t like having labels slapped on them just because they were different, and always respected the opinions of others because theirs were so often criticized by society. They had been so harshly judged by that society that they always made it a point not to judge others.
So why, then, are so many self-styled and self-described “real bikers” judging people and slapping labels on others? Could it be that these people are not “real bikers” at all?
What do I consider a “biker?” Simple: if you own a motorcycle and you ride it, you’re a biker. Period. (And no, scooters and mopeds are not motorcycles. Sorry.)
So what do I consider a “real biker?” Well, I’m not really sure there is such a thing. See, if I try to define what a “real” biker is, then I’m going to leave someone out in the cold and will place myself squarely in the middle of the group of folks I’ve spent the last few lines talking about. And I don’t want to do that. So I’ll just say that I believe anyone who owns a motorcycle and rides it – even if it is only on weekends or only around town – is a biker and leave it at that.
At the end of the movie “Wild Hogs,” there’s a scene that fits quite nicely with what I’m trying to say here. The four main characters in the movie – four urbanites who ride bikes as a hobby, call themselves the “Wild Hogs,” and take a cross-country road trip – have just finished getting their asses kicked by the members of a local motorcycle club called the “Del Fuegos.” They pick themselves up off the ground and square off to the club again, ready for more and not ready to quit. The leader of the club says, “You’re kidding me, right?” Just about that time another biker rolls up, brilliantly cast with Peter Fonda in the role. This biker, who turns out to be the father of the club leader, asks what’s going on and is told that “these posers” blew up their bar (which they did, but by accident). The old biker looks at the four “Wild Hogs,” looks back at the numerous members of the club surrounding them, and says, “These four guys stood up to all of you, and you call them “posers?”
Guess it's all in the eye of the beholder, huh?
IHC
I hate labels almost as much as the narrow-minded, immature, and irrational logic that gives birth to them. I don’t necessarily hate the people who use labels, mind you – some of them are good folks who just have a different opinion than mine – but I absolutely abhor labels.
I know I’m gonna piss some people off with this, but ya know what? I don’t care. It’s my opinion and I’m entitled to it, and if you don’t like it, then stop reading my blog. So having said that….
Take, for example, the biker-related labels of “poser,” “RUB,” and “real biker.” Most of the time the first two are used as a derogatory term applied by members of the last term when describing someone who rides a bike and doesn’t fit their self-styled idea of just what a “real biker” should be.
Silly, isn’t it? I think so.
For clarity’s sake, “RUB” stands for Rich Urban Biker. This term is most often used by “real bikers” to describe people who are “rich” (which means they have more money than the “real biker” does), buy a bike, and ride it only on weekends. Never mind the fact that maybe the so-called “RUB” has a full-time job which prohibits him/her from riding anytime other than on a weekend; that line of thought involves common sense and logic, and that just doesn’t work here.
And I won’t even try to define “poser.” The variations of that term are so broad and numerous as to defy description. But some of the examples that I’ve heard are as follows:
1) If you wear a lot – or ANY – clothing with “Harley-Davidson” written on it, you’re a poser.
2) If you wear a leather vest that doesn’t have the three-piece club colors of a recognized motorcycle club on it, you’re a poser.
3) If you ride a metric bike – a Japanese bike – you’re a poser.
4) If you buy a bike and ride it only on weekends or around town, then you’re a poser.
5) If you’re just not considered to be a “real biker,” then you’re a poser.
Which leads us to the obvious question: Just what is a “real biker?”
Well, that all depends on who you’re talking to. It seems that the definition of “real biker” is even more varied than that of “poser.” I’ve been told that anyone who doesn’t work on their own bike rather than take it to the dealership for work isn’t a “real biker.” I’ve also been told that anyone who rides anything other than an American bike isn’t a “real biker.” Nor is anyone who rides anything other than a Harley-Davidson, or anyone who rides a Sportster (which is a Harley-Davidson, by the way), or anyone who rides a bike made after 1975, or anyone who rides a bike with an electric starter, or anyone who doesn’t ride a “rigid” bike (a bike with no shocks on the back wheel), or anyone who rides a bike with a windshield, or anyone who doesn’t ride a bike with a “jockey shift,” or anyone who doesn’t have ape hanger handlebars on their bike, or anyone who isn’t a member of a three-piece patch club, or anyone who waves to other bikers on the highway…..
See what I mean?
I always thought that the “biker” attitude involved being an individual, a free spirit doing his own thing on his bike, free from labels and rules and all of the other bullshit that sometimes comes with life in a civilized, organized society. I’ve always thought that “bikers” didn’t like having labels slapped on them just because they were different, and always respected the opinions of others because theirs were so often criticized by society. They had been so harshly judged by that society that they always made it a point not to judge others.
So why, then, are so many self-styled and self-described “real bikers” judging people and slapping labels on others? Could it be that these people are not “real bikers” at all?
What do I consider a “biker?” Simple: if you own a motorcycle and you ride it, you’re a biker. Period. (And no, scooters and mopeds are not motorcycles. Sorry.)
So what do I consider a “real biker?” Well, I’m not really sure there is such a thing. See, if I try to define what a “real” biker is, then I’m going to leave someone out in the cold and will place myself squarely in the middle of the group of folks I’ve spent the last few lines talking about. And I don’t want to do that. So I’ll just say that I believe anyone who owns a motorcycle and rides it – even if it is only on weekends or only around town – is a biker and leave it at that.
At the end of the movie “Wild Hogs,” there’s a scene that fits quite nicely with what I’m trying to say here. The four main characters in the movie – four urbanites who ride bikes as a hobby, call themselves the “Wild Hogs,” and take a cross-country road trip – have just finished getting their asses kicked by the members of a local motorcycle club called the “Del Fuegos.” They pick themselves up off the ground and square off to the club again, ready for more and not ready to quit. The leader of the club says, “You’re kidding me, right?” Just about that time another biker rolls up, brilliantly cast with Peter Fonda in the role. This biker, who turns out to be the father of the club leader, asks what’s going on and is told that “these posers” blew up their bar (which they did, but by accident). The old biker looks at the four “Wild Hogs,” looks back at the numerous members of the club surrounding them, and says, “These four guys stood up to all of you, and you call them “posers?”
Guess it's all in the eye of the beholder, huh?
IHC
Sunday, July 26, 2009
My second letter to The Great Pretender
Not that it'll do any good, but here's the text of my second letter to Obama that is going in the mail tomorrow.
Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington DC 20500
July 26, 2009
Dear Mr. Obama,
This letter is in reference to the manner in which you conducted yourself and the comments you made in regards to the incident surrounding the lawful and procedurally-correct arrest of Professor Gates. In short, your comments were immature, emotionally-driven, and uneducated; your conduct is nothing short of disgraceful for a man holding the nation’s highest elected office. I have felt all along that you did no have the experience and maturity needed to hold this office, and your actions of the past week prove it.
You had absolutely no right to make any public comments concerning the arrest of Professor Gates. What you failed to realize is that any comment made about any case by the sitting President of the United States can – and absolutely would – be introduced into a court of law as evidence should that case go to trial. Richard Nixon discovered this in 1969 when Charles Manson was on trial for the Tate-LaBianca murders. I would have thought by now that you would have realized or been told by your staff that any and all comments made by you carry more weight than any other world leader, and that you must be careful not to make comments such as the ones you made.
To say that the comment you made in which you said the police “acted stupidly” is uninformed and uneducated at best, and blatantly insulting and racist at worst.
At the time you made that statement, by your own admission you did not know the details surrounding the case; you only assumed that a mistake had been made either because Professor Gates is a personal friend of yours, or that because he is black and the arresting officer is white. Either way, you were way out of line with that statement. If you made the comment because the professor is a personal friend of yours, that means you used the office of the President of the United States for personal reasons, those reasons being to lend Presidential support to a personal friend; if you made it because of the differences in race, then you are accusing the officer of being a racist and have unintentionally proven to the white population of America that we don’t have a “President,” we have a black President.
I ask you one simple question, Mr. Obama: had Professor Gates not been a personal friend of yours or had he not been black, would you have made any statement at all?
The comment you made was an insult to the police department involved, and you owe them an apology. Not a statement made by you in which you say you wish you could “recalibrate” your words; that’s political double-speak right up there with “mis-speaking” when getting caught in a lie such as what happened last year with your now-Secretary of State. No, Mr. Obama, you owe that police department as a whole an APOLOGY, a simple statement which says, “I made a mistake, and I’M SORRY.”
My father always told me that it took a big man to admit that he’s made a mistake; how big a man are you?
Between your cuts in the VA program, the bailout of the US automakers, the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, your bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia, your apology to Iran, your health care proposal which will be paid for by more new taxes (which you vowed during your campaign that you would not do), and now this, you have convinced me beyond any reasonable doubt that you are not worthy of the office of President of the United States or of my respect and support. You have also convinced me that you are not a President who is representing all citizens of the United States regardless of social placement or race, and that it is in my best interest and the best interest of the United States that I do my part for the campaign of your opponent in 2012 to ensure that you are not re-elected.
With Regards,
etc etc etc.....
The last time I wrote the White House, I got a form letter reply from one of his flunkie aides which in no way mentioned the text of my letter; I expect no better this time.
I'll keep you posted.
IHC
Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington DC 20500
July 26, 2009
Dear Mr. Obama,
This letter is in reference to the manner in which you conducted yourself and the comments you made in regards to the incident surrounding the lawful and procedurally-correct arrest of Professor Gates. In short, your comments were immature, emotionally-driven, and uneducated; your conduct is nothing short of disgraceful for a man holding the nation’s highest elected office. I have felt all along that you did no have the experience and maturity needed to hold this office, and your actions of the past week prove it.
You had absolutely no right to make any public comments concerning the arrest of Professor Gates. What you failed to realize is that any comment made about any case by the sitting President of the United States can – and absolutely would – be introduced into a court of law as evidence should that case go to trial. Richard Nixon discovered this in 1969 when Charles Manson was on trial for the Tate-LaBianca murders. I would have thought by now that you would have realized or been told by your staff that any and all comments made by you carry more weight than any other world leader, and that you must be careful not to make comments such as the ones you made.
To say that the comment you made in which you said the police “acted stupidly” is uninformed and uneducated at best, and blatantly insulting and racist at worst.
At the time you made that statement, by your own admission you did not know the details surrounding the case; you only assumed that a mistake had been made either because Professor Gates is a personal friend of yours, or that because he is black and the arresting officer is white. Either way, you were way out of line with that statement. If you made the comment because the professor is a personal friend of yours, that means you used the office of the President of the United States for personal reasons, those reasons being to lend Presidential support to a personal friend; if you made it because of the differences in race, then you are accusing the officer of being a racist and have unintentionally proven to the white population of America that we don’t have a “President,” we have a black President.
I ask you one simple question, Mr. Obama: had Professor Gates not been a personal friend of yours or had he not been black, would you have made any statement at all?
The comment you made was an insult to the police department involved, and you owe them an apology. Not a statement made by you in which you say you wish you could “recalibrate” your words; that’s political double-speak right up there with “mis-speaking” when getting caught in a lie such as what happened last year with your now-Secretary of State. No, Mr. Obama, you owe that police department as a whole an APOLOGY, a simple statement which says, “I made a mistake, and I’M SORRY.”
My father always told me that it took a big man to admit that he’s made a mistake; how big a man are you?
Between your cuts in the VA program, the bailout of the US automakers, the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, your bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia, your apology to Iran, your health care proposal which will be paid for by more new taxes (which you vowed during your campaign that you would not do), and now this, you have convinced me beyond any reasonable doubt that you are not worthy of the office of President of the United States or of my respect and support. You have also convinced me that you are not a President who is representing all citizens of the United States regardless of social placement or race, and that it is in my best interest and the best interest of the United States that I do my part for the campaign of your opponent in 2012 to ensure that you are not re-elected.
With Regards,
etc etc etc.....
The last time I wrote the White House, I got a form letter reply from one of his flunkie aides which in no way mentioned the text of my letter; I expect no better this time.
I'll keep you posted.
IHC
Friday, July 24, 2009
Of High Schools, Memories, and Reunions
I was on Facebook last night checking out some of the posts and comments being made by my friends there when I noticed a comment made to my brother-in-law who, obviously, is also on Facebook. Jimmy (my BIL) had finally signed up and posted a profile picture, and a friend of his from high school commented on it, telling him it was good to see him again and mentioning that there was a class reunion in the works. Then he posted the link to the web site set up by the reunion committee for Jimmy to check out. Since Jimmy and I went to the same high school and graduated in the same class, it would also be my reunion, so I decided to check it out.
I should note at this point that not only did Jimmy and I go to the same high school, we both enlisted in the same branch of the service at the same time; he also got stationed at my base, got assigned to my flight, was assigned as my roommate, and then turned around and married my sister. I’m never gonna get rid of him! (Just kidding, Jimmy! You know I love ya!)
So I spent the better part of an hour checking out the web site for the reunion and the profiles of the class members who had signed up and put their information there. I did it, too, signing up and putting a little bit of information about me there purely for the hell of it. There was a list of alumni who had passed away since we graduated, and I was shocked and saddened to see a friend of mine listed. (You were a cute, sweet girl, Jeanne, and I liked you a lot more than you realized. RIP, my friend.)
Ever since then I’ve been thinking about my high school, my classmates, the things that happened to me in high school, and whether or not I have any interest in going to the reunion. To be honest, I’ve been trying for the better part of 24 hours to come up with a reason why I should go to the reunion, and I just can’t think of one. There were 300+ kids in my graduating class, and I can think of only three of them that I’d genuinely like to see again. One of them is dead, one of them is Jimmy who I see every time I visit my parents, and the third one is Nancy, a girl in my English class who was the only one who ever really understood the stories I wrote for our English projects.
At this point a little background history is in order.
I grew up in a small town outside of Richmond, Virginia called Highland Springs. We moved to Highland Springs in 1966 when I started 4th grade and lived there until 1972 when my family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. As with most small towns, the town revolved around the high school – all you heard in elementary school and in junior high school (not middle school, but junior high school) was, “You’ll need to know this for when you get to THE HIGH SCHOOL!” or, “You’ll be glad you did this when you get to THE HIGH SCHOOL!” I was in Band starting in 5th grade, so I heard that a lot. And with good reason – the school was everything everyone said it was going to be. I got lucky and was able to go to the high school starting in 9th grade, because the 9th grade was moved back to the high school for the first time since the early sixties.
So what made this school, Highland Springs High School, so great? Two words: school spirit. The town may have revolved around the high school, but the high school revolved around its baseball, football, and track teams, and the student body was 100% behind them as well. Students went to the pep rallys on Fridays before the big game because they wanted to cheer the team on and encourage them to win, and the members of the football team all wore their jerseys to school on game days. And the rules of the school were different, too – girls wore skirts, period, and guys wore slacks, period. Not jeans, but slacks. And there was absolutely NO smoking on campus – get caught smoking in the boy’s or girl’s room and you were suspended for at least two days. Off campus lunches? Forget it – get caught sneaking back onto school grounds and you were facing suspension, expulsion if it was your third offense. And lastly, boys did not wear hats indoors. I learned this one the hard way my first week in the school, and I never forgot it.
The high school I transferred to when my family moved to North Carolina was the polar opposite. I went from a small-town high school with tons of good, old-fashioned school spirit and pride to an urban, almost big-city high school where the kids looked at you like you had two heads if you mentioned “school spirit” to them. The kids went to the pep rallies to get out of going to class, forget about encouraging the team to win. The only time you saw a football jersey was if you went to the game. And not only were the students allowed to smoke on campus, the school even had a smoking court set up to give the students a place to smoke! Off-campus lunches were approved for seniors at the time I got there; a few years later they were approved for everyone. And as for what the students wore – well, pretty much whatever they wanted. Girls and guys alike wore jeans; I think I was one of maybe a dozen boys who wore slacks to school, and I caught grief for it more than once. About the only thing that would get you sent home to change clothes at this high school – which shall remain nameless, thank you – was if you wore something with an obscene word printed on it. Other than that, pretty much everything else was okay. Bare midriffs on the girls? No problem. No bras? No sweat. Jeans all ripped to hell and full of holes? No big deal.
So take a sophomore transferring from a small town high school and put him in this kind of school, and just what do you think is gonna happen?
I never really felt like I was accepted by the students at this school, and I guess part of it is my fault. I’ve been a loner most of my life, and my really close friends have been few. I was never really good at sports (nor did I care to be) so I wasn’t a jock; I wasn’t any kind of mental giant so I wasn’t a geek, either. I didn’t fit into any kind of “clique” or group at the school, and I was kinda proud of that. My first year, 10th grade, at the new school was kinda tough, but the 11th grade was much better. I had gotten involved in the Drama Club and acted in a few plays, I was in the marching band which was doing okay for itself, and I was a Student Bus Driver and got the route that I wanted for my senior year. All in all my senior year was, I thought, gonna be a good one. I had the three things I cared about most in school all sewn up – band, drama, and my bus. Yep, my senior year was gonna be just great!
Boy, was I in for one great big mother-lovin’ surprise.
To start off with, our band director got a bug up his ass when the marching band of one of the local high schools got selected to march in the Rose Bowl Parade, and he figured if they could do it, so could he. So he came up with the idea of Band Camp, which was to be held in the summer of 1974. Only problem with that was that I was BIG into Civil Air Patrol, and had been selected to attend Cadet Officer’s School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama that same summer. I beat out 15 other cadets across the state for this school, and I was going to the school no matter what. When the band director told us about Band Camp near the end of the school year of 1974 I told him that I wasn’t going to be there and I told him why. He then told me that if I didn’t go to Band Camp I couldn’t march in the band during the football season. So I told him, “Okay, so I won’t march.” He then told me that maybe I could learn the routines during practice immediately after school; nope, sorry, Teach, I drive a bus for which I get paid, and I’d have to give that up in order to make practice. So I guess I won’t march. (Halfway through the season the director asked me to come march with the band, since having a Senior not marching made him look bad. I told him to go pound sand.)
So much for my senior year in Band.
At the end of the 1974 school year our Drama Teacher, Samuel Leland Garner, (whom everyone just adored including me) announced that he was leaving teaching and going back to school to get his Doctorate in Drama. The school was doing interviews for his replacement while the school year was winding down, and all of us in the Drama club, of which I was the elected Technical Director, were dismayed to hear that one of the applicants, a woman whom I will not name, had made a comment during her interview that in her opinion, “the musical comedy is the bastard form of American theater.” And by the way, the drama department of which she was competing to be the new leader had won awards and was renowned for – guess what! – its musical comedies. We did productions like, “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum,” “Funny Girl,” and “Bells Are Ringing.” We were absolutely famous for our musical comedies! And, of course, she got the job. And immediately changed the playbill for my senior year, dropping the musical comedy we had planned and announcing that we were going to do “Dracula” instead. Which, by the way, had just been done by North Carolina State University and was a dismal failure. She also announced that we were switching from traditional, “fourth wall” theater to “theater in the round,” and would be adding “The Fantasticks” to the playbill as well. Which would, by the way, involve taking down the Grand Drape (the velour curtain), building bleacher seats on the stage, and painting the wooden stage floor black. Well, that was all just too much for me, so I quit the Drama Club and dropped out of her class.
So much for my senior year in Drama, and so much for my Senior Year as a whole.
I drove my bus, went to my CAP activities, dated my girlfriend, and planned out my upcoming enlistment in the Air Force as soon as I graduated. My senior year was a boring routine of going to class – of which I only had four, all I needed – and sitting in my bus during 6th period, watching the band practice. I couldn’t wait to graduate because I wanted to get the hell out of there that badly. Eleven days after I graduated, I went on active duty with the Air Force and left. I never looked back, until now.
In 2005 the Highland Springs High School Class of 1975 – my class – was planning a 30th Reunion, and I was contacted and asked if I was coming. I replied that reunions were for graduates, and since I never graduated from HSHS I would be doing a disservice to the other graduates if I showed up. I told the woman I was talking to how much I had enjoyed my one year at HSHS and how much I wished I had been able to stay and go the full four years at the school and graduate with my classmates. The Reunion Committee then invited me to the reunion, and during the reunion they presented me with a framed Honorary Diploma from Highland Springs High School and the Class of 1975. The school spirit which had so impressed me in 1972 was still alive and well, and living in the hearts of the Highland Springs High School Class of 1975.
And the high school that I actually graduated from? I’ve never once heard anything from them in 34 years about a reunion or anything else. The diploma that was handed to me on the stage of Memorial Auditorium on June 8, 1975 is sitting in a file cabinet drawer in my computer room, where it’s been since 1975 and will stay until the day I die.
The Honorary Diploma from Highland Springs High School is hanging on my wall to the right of my computer desk, where it’s been since the day I got back from the reunion and will stay until the day I die.
Next year there will be two 35th Reunions going on, one in Richmond and one in Raleigh. Wanna guess which one I’ll be going to?
“Springer born and Springer bred, and when I die I’ll be a Springer dead! Hey! Hoo-rah for Springers, Springers, hoo-rah for Springers, Springers, hoo-rah for Springers, HIGHLAND SPRINGS!”
IHC
I should note at this point that not only did Jimmy and I go to the same high school, we both enlisted in the same branch of the service at the same time; he also got stationed at my base, got assigned to my flight, was assigned as my roommate, and then turned around and married my sister. I’m never gonna get rid of him! (Just kidding, Jimmy! You know I love ya!)
So I spent the better part of an hour checking out the web site for the reunion and the profiles of the class members who had signed up and put their information there. I did it, too, signing up and putting a little bit of information about me there purely for the hell of it. There was a list of alumni who had passed away since we graduated, and I was shocked and saddened to see a friend of mine listed. (You were a cute, sweet girl, Jeanne, and I liked you a lot more than you realized. RIP, my friend.)
Ever since then I’ve been thinking about my high school, my classmates, the things that happened to me in high school, and whether or not I have any interest in going to the reunion. To be honest, I’ve been trying for the better part of 24 hours to come up with a reason why I should go to the reunion, and I just can’t think of one. There were 300+ kids in my graduating class, and I can think of only three of them that I’d genuinely like to see again. One of them is dead, one of them is Jimmy who I see every time I visit my parents, and the third one is Nancy, a girl in my English class who was the only one who ever really understood the stories I wrote for our English projects.
At this point a little background history is in order.
I grew up in a small town outside of Richmond, Virginia called Highland Springs. We moved to Highland Springs in 1966 when I started 4th grade and lived there until 1972 when my family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. As with most small towns, the town revolved around the high school – all you heard in elementary school and in junior high school (not middle school, but junior high school) was, “You’ll need to know this for when you get to THE HIGH SCHOOL!” or, “You’ll be glad you did this when you get to THE HIGH SCHOOL!” I was in Band starting in 5th grade, so I heard that a lot. And with good reason – the school was everything everyone said it was going to be. I got lucky and was able to go to the high school starting in 9th grade, because the 9th grade was moved back to the high school for the first time since the early sixties.
So what made this school, Highland Springs High School, so great? Two words: school spirit. The town may have revolved around the high school, but the high school revolved around its baseball, football, and track teams, and the student body was 100% behind them as well. Students went to the pep rallys on Fridays before the big game because they wanted to cheer the team on and encourage them to win, and the members of the football team all wore their jerseys to school on game days. And the rules of the school were different, too – girls wore skirts, period, and guys wore slacks, period. Not jeans, but slacks. And there was absolutely NO smoking on campus – get caught smoking in the boy’s or girl’s room and you were suspended for at least two days. Off campus lunches? Forget it – get caught sneaking back onto school grounds and you were facing suspension, expulsion if it was your third offense. And lastly, boys did not wear hats indoors. I learned this one the hard way my first week in the school, and I never forgot it.
The high school I transferred to when my family moved to North Carolina was the polar opposite. I went from a small-town high school with tons of good, old-fashioned school spirit and pride to an urban, almost big-city high school where the kids looked at you like you had two heads if you mentioned “school spirit” to them. The kids went to the pep rallies to get out of going to class, forget about encouraging the team to win. The only time you saw a football jersey was if you went to the game. And not only were the students allowed to smoke on campus, the school even had a smoking court set up to give the students a place to smoke! Off-campus lunches were approved for seniors at the time I got there; a few years later they were approved for everyone. And as for what the students wore – well, pretty much whatever they wanted. Girls and guys alike wore jeans; I think I was one of maybe a dozen boys who wore slacks to school, and I caught grief for it more than once. About the only thing that would get you sent home to change clothes at this high school – which shall remain nameless, thank you – was if you wore something with an obscene word printed on it. Other than that, pretty much everything else was okay. Bare midriffs on the girls? No problem. No bras? No sweat. Jeans all ripped to hell and full of holes? No big deal.
So take a sophomore transferring from a small town high school and put him in this kind of school, and just what do you think is gonna happen?
I never really felt like I was accepted by the students at this school, and I guess part of it is my fault. I’ve been a loner most of my life, and my really close friends have been few. I was never really good at sports (nor did I care to be) so I wasn’t a jock; I wasn’t any kind of mental giant so I wasn’t a geek, either. I didn’t fit into any kind of “clique” or group at the school, and I was kinda proud of that. My first year, 10th grade, at the new school was kinda tough, but the 11th grade was much better. I had gotten involved in the Drama Club and acted in a few plays, I was in the marching band which was doing okay for itself, and I was a Student Bus Driver and got the route that I wanted for my senior year. All in all my senior year was, I thought, gonna be a good one. I had the three things I cared about most in school all sewn up – band, drama, and my bus. Yep, my senior year was gonna be just great!
Boy, was I in for one great big mother-lovin’ surprise.
To start off with, our band director got a bug up his ass when the marching band of one of the local high schools got selected to march in the Rose Bowl Parade, and he figured if they could do it, so could he. So he came up with the idea of Band Camp, which was to be held in the summer of 1974. Only problem with that was that I was BIG into Civil Air Patrol, and had been selected to attend Cadet Officer’s School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama that same summer. I beat out 15 other cadets across the state for this school, and I was going to the school no matter what. When the band director told us about Band Camp near the end of the school year of 1974 I told him that I wasn’t going to be there and I told him why. He then told me that if I didn’t go to Band Camp I couldn’t march in the band during the football season. So I told him, “Okay, so I won’t march.” He then told me that maybe I could learn the routines during practice immediately after school; nope, sorry, Teach, I drive a bus for which I get paid, and I’d have to give that up in order to make practice. So I guess I won’t march. (Halfway through the season the director asked me to come march with the band, since having a Senior not marching made him look bad. I told him to go pound sand.)
So much for my senior year in Band.
At the end of the 1974 school year our Drama Teacher, Samuel Leland Garner, (whom everyone just adored including me) announced that he was leaving teaching and going back to school to get his Doctorate in Drama. The school was doing interviews for his replacement while the school year was winding down, and all of us in the Drama club, of which I was the elected Technical Director, were dismayed to hear that one of the applicants, a woman whom I will not name, had made a comment during her interview that in her opinion, “the musical comedy is the bastard form of American theater.” And by the way, the drama department of which she was competing to be the new leader had won awards and was renowned for – guess what! – its musical comedies. We did productions like, “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum,” “Funny Girl,” and “Bells Are Ringing.” We were absolutely famous for our musical comedies! And, of course, she got the job. And immediately changed the playbill for my senior year, dropping the musical comedy we had planned and announcing that we were going to do “Dracula” instead. Which, by the way, had just been done by North Carolina State University and was a dismal failure. She also announced that we were switching from traditional, “fourth wall” theater to “theater in the round,” and would be adding “The Fantasticks” to the playbill as well. Which would, by the way, involve taking down the Grand Drape (the velour curtain), building bleacher seats on the stage, and painting the wooden stage floor black. Well, that was all just too much for me, so I quit the Drama Club and dropped out of her class.
So much for my senior year in Drama, and so much for my Senior Year as a whole.
I drove my bus, went to my CAP activities, dated my girlfriend, and planned out my upcoming enlistment in the Air Force as soon as I graduated. My senior year was a boring routine of going to class – of which I only had four, all I needed – and sitting in my bus during 6th period, watching the band practice. I couldn’t wait to graduate because I wanted to get the hell out of there that badly. Eleven days after I graduated, I went on active duty with the Air Force and left. I never looked back, until now.
In 2005 the Highland Springs High School Class of 1975 – my class – was planning a 30th Reunion, and I was contacted and asked if I was coming. I replied that reunions were for graduates, and since I never graduated from HSHS I would be doing a disservice to the other graduates if I showed up. I told the woman I was talking to how much I had enjoyed my one year at HSHS and how much I wished I had been able to stay and go the full four years at the school and graduate with my classmates. The Reunion Committee then invited me to the reunion, and during the reunion they presented me with a framed Honorary Diploma from Highland Springs High School and the Class of 1975. The school spirit which had so impressed me in 1972 was still alive and well, and living in the hearts of the Highland Springs High School Class of 1975.
And the high school that I actually graduated from? I’ve never once heard anything from them in 34 years about a reunion or anything else. The diploma that was handed to me on the stage of Memorial Auditorium on June 8, 1975 is sitting in a file cabinet drawer in my computer room, where it’s been since 1975 and will stay until the day I die.
The Honorary Diploma from Highland Springs High School is hanging on my wall to the right of my computer desk, where it’s been since the day I got back from the reunion and will stay until the day I die.
Next year there will be two 35th Reunions going on, one in Richmond and one in Raleigh. Wanna guess which one I’ll be going to?
“Springer born and Springer bred, and when I die I’ll be a Springer dead! Hey! Hoo-rah for Springers, Springers, hoo-rah for Springers, Springers, hoo-rah for Springers, HIGHLAND SPRINGS!”
IHC
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The latest step towards a socialized America, courtesy of Barack Obama
So have you heard about the provisions of Obama's latest amnesty bill that he's trying to push through Congress? Even Lou Dobbs of CNN.com is crying "FOUL!" on this one! I suggest that after reading this, you do two things: research it for yourself and come to your own conclusion, and then start voicing your outrage to every elected politician - including The Great Pretender - that you can think of.
This whole thing makes me think differently of NObama....I now think that he's one of the most cunning, sneaky, diabolical, plotting, and EVIL men to ever sit in the White House. And it is my most sincere hope that he does something bad enough, stupid enough, and blatant enough that even the blacks who elected him will start calling for his impeachment.
Stand by America....are you ready to be incensed? Here goes!
1) Illegal aliens will be given legal status just one day after they application has filed even if the background check wasn't completed. (I'm sure all of the criminals from other countries who are fleeing to the US to escape prosecution will just love this!)
2) US Tax payers will be paying for all the lawyers and lawyer fees for all the immigration attorneys. (Remember, America, "There's no such thing as a free lunch!" Unless you're an immigrant, that is....)
3) All US "temporary" visas are now permanent and can be renewed indefinitely.
4) Amnesty for all illegal gang members, of which we already have 30,000 illegally here in the US.
5) To persuade Mexicans to not come into America illegally American tax payer money will be going directly to the Mexican government to provide incentives like better education and health care for Mexican citizens who stay in their own country. (Like the Mexican government is really gonna spend that money on better education and health care....not to mention that the idea of MY tax dollars being GIVEN AWAY to another country, especially MEXICO, just pisses me off!)
6) Illegal aliens will not have to pay any back taxes. ("Illegal"....hello???)
7) In a prosperity partnership the "North American Union" which would in effect erase borders between the US, Mexico and Canada would be fast tracked for SPP and made a priority.
8) No border security addressed other then cutting of the already paid for and approved border fence from 800 mile to 200 miles.
9) Instate tuition for all illegal aliens, A benefit with of course is denied to all Americans. (So you're better off being an illegal alien in America than someone who was born here......)
10) All current illegal aliens will be able to cut the line and get immediate legal status before any and all other aliens attempting to come to our country legally.
11) Immediate amnesty for all absconders, meaning any illegal who was caught and ordered to be deported.
12) The shutdown of all immigration courts. Judges must close any illegal Amnesty proceeding and allow all illegal alien to apply for amnesty.
13) Learning English not required till the ninth (9) year of a illegal aliens amnesty period.
14) Illegal aliens will be eligible for the "earned income tax credit"
For all of the people out there who voted for this man, I ask you one thing:
IS THIS THE "CHANGE" YOU WERE "HOPING" FOR?
IHC
This whole thing makes me think differently of NObama....I now think that he's one of the most cunning, sneaky, diabolical, plotting, and EVIL men to ever sit in the White House. And it is my most sincere hope that he does something bad enough, stupid enough, and blatant enough that even the blacks who elected him will start calling for his impeachment.
Stand by America....are you ready to be incensed? Here goes!
1) Illegal aliens will be given legal status just one day after they application has filed even if the background check wasn't completed. (I'm sure all of the criminals from other countries who are fleeing to the US to escape prosecution will just love this!)
2) US Tax payers will be paying for all the lawyers and lawyer fees for all the immigration attorneys. (Remember, America, "There's no such thing as a free lunch!" Unless you're an immigrant, that is....)
3) All US "temporary" visas are now permanent and can be renewed indefinitely.
4) Amnesty for all illegal gang members, of which we already have 30,000 illegally here in the US.
5) To persuade Mexicans to not come into America illegally American tax payer money will be going directly to the Mexican government to provide incentives like better education and health care for Mexican citizens who stay in their own country. (Like the Mexican government is really gonna spend that money on better education and health care....not to mention that the idea of MY tax dollars being GIVEN AWAY to another country, especially MEXICO, just pisses me off!)
6) Illegal aliens will not have to pay any back taxes. ("Illegal"....hello???)
7) In a prosperity partnership the "North American Union" which would in effect erase borders between the US, Mexico and Canada would be fast tracked for SPP and made a priority.
8) No border security addressed other then cutting of the already paid for and approved border fence from 800 mile to 200 miles.
9) Instate tuition for all illegal aliens, A benefit with of course is denied to all Americans. (So you're better off being an illegal alien in America than someone who was born here......)
10) All current illegal aliens will be able to cut the line and get immediate legal status before any and all other aliens attempting to come to our country legally.
11) Immediate amnesty for all absconders, meaning any illegal who was caught and ordered to be deported.
12) The shutdown of all immigration courts. Judges must close any illegal Amnesty proceeding and allow all illegal alien to apply for amnesty.
13) Learning English not required till the ninth (9) year of a illegal aliens amnesty period.
14) Illegal aliens will be eligible for the "earned income tax credit"
For all of the people out there who voted for this man, I ask you one thing:
IS THIS THE "CHANGE" YOU WERE "HOPING" FOR?
IHC
Sunday, July 19, 2009
"There's no such thing as a free lunch"
Sound familiar? Sure it does...we've all heard the phrase many times in our lives, and I daresay that 99% of us have also used it at least once. Basically, what the phrase means is that nothing in this life is free - you have to pay for everything you get, one way or the other. And that should be no surprise to anyone....that you have to pay for the things you get, that is.
Well, I can think of a hell of a lot of people for which this little phrase is gonna be one hell of a big surprise, and those people are the ones who voted for NObama. You see, a few days ago I saw an interview with NObama on the "TODAY" show, and the interviewer asked him about his health care plan - specifically, who was going to pay for it.
And The Great Pretender's reply? "Well, the first thing everyone has to realize is that there's no such thing as a free lunch!" Couple THIS little gem with the statement made by his chief financial advisor a few weeks ago that a tax hike to pay for the health care plan "was on the table," and it becomes glaringly apparent just who is gonna pay for it.
WE ARE, and we're gonna pay for it through - hang on to your ass, America - MORE TAXES.
Now, think back to last year when the presidential campaign was in full swing...I seem to recall a speech where NObama stated that there would be NO NEW TAXES if he were elected President, and he then proceeded to name the taxes that he would NOT impose or raise. Now, here it is six months into his term, and he's all but come out and told us that he's going to either implement new taxes or raise existing taxes to pay for his health care plan.
Oh, sure, he's gonna tell us that he's not going to raise taxes for "anyone who has a combined income of less than $250,000.00 a year." But ya gotta remember, this is the same guy who told us less than a year ago that he wouldn't raise taxes at all. He lied to us then, so why shouldn't we think that he's lying to us now? Also, when the high rollers in America find out that they're going to be footing the bill for NObama's health plan to cover the poor, do you really think that they're going to just sit on their hands and let that happen? Hell, no, they won't! And I'm guessing that anyone who has enough money to have to worry about being taxed also has enough clout in political and economic circles to raise such a stink and put such pressure on the nice folks in the Congress that The Great Pretender is gonna have no choice but to raise taxes across the board, no matter what your income.
Mark my word, people, this is gonna happen....
People need to wake up and realize that they've been had by a smooth-talking, 'tell 'em what they wanna hear' charlatan, a snake oil salesman in a three piece suit. This guy told us all that his Stimulus Package - which the American people paid for with their tax money - would create jobs and cap unemployment at 8.5%. Well, the latest independent studies have shown that the great influx of "new jobs" promised by The Great Pretender haven't materialized, and nationwide unemployment is now at 10% - in some states it's closer to 11%.
But when you ask somone in the NObama camp about that, they'll be very quick to tell you that "the full effects of the Stimuls Package won't really be seen until 2010."
Well, that's not what they told us in January when the Democratic congress ramrodded the package through over the howling objections of the Republicans, is it?
The handwriting is on the wall, people - the Obama Administration is destined to be the ruination of this country, and when it's all over we're gonna be in worse shape than we were after Jimmy "Mr. Peanut" Carter's administration. And it's gonna be up to the next President to clean up the mess.
And that President, mark my words, is gonna be a REPUBLICAN.
IHC
Well, I can think of a hell of a lot of people for which this little phrase is gonna be one hell of a big surprise, and those people are the ones who voted for NObama. You see, a few days ago I saw an interview with NObama on the "TODAY" show, and the interviewer asked him about his health care plan - specifically, who was going to pay for it.
And The Great Pretender's reply? "Well, the first thing everyone has to realize is that there's no such thing as a free lunch!" Couple THIS little gem with the statement made by his chief financial advisor a few weeks ago that a tax hike to pay for the health care plan "was on the table," and it becomes glaringly apparent just who is gonna pay for it.
WE ARE, and we're gonna pay for it through - hang on to your ass, America - MORE TAXES.
Now, think back to last year when the presidential campaign was in full swing...I seem to recall a speech where NObama stated that there would be NO NEW TAXES if he were elected President, and he then proceeded to name the taxes that he would NOT impose or raise. Now, here it is six months into his term, and he's all but come out and told us that he's going to either implement new taxes or raise existing taxes to pay for his health care plan.
Oh, sure, he's gonna tell us that he's not going to raise taxes for "anyone who has a combined income of less than $250,000.00 a year." But ya gotta remember, this is the same guy who told us less than a year ago that he wouldn't raise taxes at all. He lied to us then, so why shouldn't we think that he's lying to us now? Also, when the high rollers in America find out that they're going to be footing the bill for NObama's health plan to cover the poor, do you really think that they're going to just sit on their hands and let that happen? Hell, no, they won't! And I'm guessing that anyone who has enough money to have to worry about being taxed also has enough clout in political and economic circles to raise such a stink and put such pressure on the nice folks in the Congress that The Great Pretender is gonna have no choice but to raise taxes across the board, no matter what your income.
Mark my word, people, this is gonna happen....
People need to wake up and realize that they've been had by a smooth-talking, 'tell 'em what they wanna hear' charlatan, a snake oil salesman in a three piece suit. This guy told us all that his Stimulus Package - which the American people paid for with their tax money - would create jobs and cap unemployment at 8.5%. Well, the latest independent studies have shown that the great influx of "new jobs" promised by The Great Pretender haven't materialized, and nationwide unemployment is now at 10% - in some states it's closer to 11%.
But when you ask somone in the NObama camp about that, they'll be very quick to tell you that "the full effects of the Stimuls Package won't really be seen until 2010."
Well, that's not what they told us in January when the Democratic congress ramrodded the package through over the howling objections of the Republicans, is it?
The handwriting is on the wall, people - the Obama Administration is destined to be the ruination of this country, and when it's all over we're gonna be in worse shape than we were after Jimmy "Mr. Peanut" Carter's administration. And it's gonna be up to the next President to clean up the mess.
And that President, mark my words, is gonna be a REPUBLICAN.
IHC
Sunday, July 12, 2009
A Public Assassination
There was a very newsworthy event that took place last week, newsworthy enough that it's still being talked about. The press all called it one thing, but to me - and hopefully quite a few others out there - it was really a public assassination. A character assassination, that is, but an assassination all the same.
The news media called it a "resignation." I'm talking about the resignation of Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, of course.
I won't go into all of the details as to why she resigned; if you're not up to speed on that, then I suggest you google it and read the details for yourself. What I will tell you is this: I am absolutely, 100% positive that all of the complaints - all of which have been PROVEN UNFOUNDED - that were lodged against her were made with the intent of discrediting and disgracing her in the eyes of the public, and to drive her out of the office she held and to destroy her political career. I am completely convinced that this smear campaign waged against her was done so as a "first strike" against her with the sole purpose of effectively eliminating her as a candidate for the Presidential elections in 2012.
But who would do such a dastardly, despicable, evil thing, you ask? The answer is simple.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, aka "The Wicked Bitch of the North."
Proof, you ask? I have none. No one does. Not yet, anyway. As the saying goes, "Nothing stays secret forever," so I'm sure that eventually the details of this character assassination plot will be revealed, and the details will all point directly at Billary Clinton. But I'm not counting on any of the accusations sticking to her - after all, we're talking about someone who escaped endictment for the Whitewater fiasco, so why should I expect her to be proven as the one behind this latest political move against a future opponent?
But then again, given her reputation as an evil, conniving, plotting, scheming, power-mad, self-centered, egotistical bitch, why would I not believe it? This little scheme has her name written all over it, and I truly hope that one day she is proven to be behind it. That will effectively end her political career, and I hope and pray that day comes. Personally, I can think of no one in politics today that I revile, detest, and abhorr more than her.
And if you catch me on a bad day I'll tell you how I really feel about her.
But I have a feeling that this move to disgrace Palin is gonna backfire. What has really happened is that Palin has been given a chance to get out of the news for a good, long while, to keep her face off of the TV screen and make people forget about her. Now she has a chance to recover, regroup, makes some key appearances, make some key political contacts in Washington and throughout the states, lay some plans, form "behind the scenes" alliances, and slowly work her way back into the political forum and into the good graces of the Republican party. By that time, hopefully, the Republican party will have gotten its collective shit together and will give her the chance to take the White House away from the Democrats and whatever candidate they field in 2012. So, when November 2012 rolls around, should Billary Clinton win the Democratic nomination - which she will, because NObama will have proven himself to be an incompetant buffoon by then - she'll be very surprised to find herself facing the "Pitbull with lipstick," Sarah Palin.
And boy, oh boy, is The Wicked Bitch of the North gonna get bit!
I can't wait!
But in the mean time, we still have three and a half years of "Hopeless Change" to wade through....
IHC
The news media called it a "resignation." I'm talking about the resignation of Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, of course.
I won't go into all of the details as to why she resigned; if you're not up to speed on that, then I suggest you google it and read the details for yourself. What I will tell you is this: I am absolutely, 100% positive that all of the complaints - all of which have been PROVEN UNFOUNDED - that were lodged against her were made with the intent of discrediting and disgracing her in the eyes of the public, and to drive her out of the office she held and to destroy her political career. I am completely convinced that this smear campaign waged against her was done so as a "first strike" against her with the sole purpose of effectively eliminating her as a candidate for the Presidential elections in 2012.
But who would do such a dastardly, despicable, evil thing, you ask? The answer is simple.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, aka "The Wicked Bitch of the North."
Proof, you ask? I have none. No one does. Not yet, anyway. As the saying goes, "Nothing stays secret forever," so I'm sure that eventually the details of this character assassination plot will be revealed, and the details will all point directly at Billary Clinton. But I'm not counting on any of the accusations sticking to her - after all, we're talking about someone who escaped endictment for the Whitewater fiasco, so why should I expect her to be proven as the one behind this latest political move against a future opponent?
But then again, given her reputation as an evil, conniving, plotting, scheming, power-mad, self-centered, egotistical bitch, why would I not believe it? This little scheme has her name written all over it, and I truly hope that one day she is proven to be behind it. That will effectively end her political career, and I hope and pray that day comes. Personally, I can think of no one in politics today that I revile, detest, and abhorr more than her.
And if you catch me on a bad day I'll tell you how I really feel about her.
But I have a feeling that this move to disgrace Palin is gonna backfire. What has really happened is that Palin has been given a chance to get out of the news for a good, long while, to keep her face off of the TV screen and make people forget about her. Now she has a chance to recover, regroup, makes some key appearances, make some key political contacts in Washington and throughout the states, lay some plans, form "behind the scenes" alliances, and slowly work her way back into the political forum and into the good graces of the Republican party. By that time, hopefully, the Republican party will have gotten its collective shit together and will give her the chance to take the White House away from the Democrats and whatever candidate they field in 2012. So, when November 2012 rolls around, should Billary Clinton win the Democratic nomination - which she will, because NObama will have proven himself to be an incompetant buffoon by then - she'll be very surprised to find herself facing the "Pitbull with lipstick," Sarah Palin.
And boy, oh boy, is The Wicked Bitch of the North gonna get bit!
I can't wait!
But in the mean time, we still have three and a half years of "Hopeless Change" to wade through....
IHC
Monday, July 6, 2009
NAACP - Negativism Aimed At Confederate Pride
So did you hear about the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship games that were supposed to take place in Myrtle Beach in 2011, 2012, and 2013? That's right, past tense - "were" supposed to take place in Myrtle Beach, only now they're taking place in Greensboro, NC. Seem that after making the announcement that the conference games were going to be held in South Carolina, the NAACP voiced their objection to the conference being held in South Carolina, and the ACC rolled over, kissed the NAACP's ass, and moved the conference to North Carolina.
And just what, you ask, is the NAACP's objection to the conferences being held in South Carolina? It's the same tired, worn-out, useless, and pitiful objection that the NAACP has voiced for the past nine years. Are you ready? Ok, here it is.
There's a Confederate Battle Flag flying on the State House grounds next to the Confederate Soldier's Monument in Columbia.
Now I ask you, is that not stupid, or what? Almost as stupid as the ACC's kowtowing to the NAACP on the subject, if you ask me.
A quick history lesson: in observance of the Centennial Celebration of the Civil War in 1961-1965, the state of South Carolina flew a Confederate Battle Flag as the third of three flags on the flagpole on the dome of the State House. The American flag was on top, followed by the South Carolina flag beneath it, and the Battle Flag below that. When the Centennial celebrations were over, instead of taking the Battle Flag down someone decided to leave it up there, and until 2000 there were three flags flying from the State House dome. In the years following, the NAACP had been raising holy hell about the flag being up there every chance they got, demanding from each governor in succession that the flag be taken down. Finally, in 2000 the state and the NAACP reached an agreement that the Battle Flag would be removed from the flagpole on the State House dome and would be flown instead on a flagpole that was to be erected next to the Confederate Soldier's Monument on the State House grounds - a monument that had been there since the early years of the 20th century, by the way. At that time, the NAACP said they were fine with that decision and would have no further objections concerning the flag.
Well, that was a lie - a year later they were at it again, this time complaining that the Confederate Battle Flag be removed from state property entirely. Fortunately, the state has pretty much ignored them and left the flag where it is. So in response, the NAACP declared a "financial boycott" of the state of South Carolina, insisting that everyone vacation somewhere else and that companies take their business somewhere else. All told, the "boycott" has been a resounding failure - tourist revenue has been up consistently for the past four years and is still going strong. So the NAACP can go pound sand on that one.
The only organization that has taken the NAACP's demands of a fiscal boycott seriously is the Atlantic Coast Conference, which has stated that no ACC tournament will be held in South Carolina as long as the NAACP raises an objection. What happened this year was that someone in the ACC thought that the NAACP was over its objections, and when they were told otherwise the conference was moved to North Carolina.
As far as I'm concerned, the ACC can go pound sand, too. They need to be more concerned with sports and less concerned with politics, especially in South Carolina.
I wasn't living in South Carolina at the time "the great flag flap" was going on, but I had at that time and still have two opinions on the matter: first, the Battle Flag really didn't have any place being flown on top of the State House dome, because the State House represents all of the people of South Carolina, and for obvious reasons the Battle Flag doesn't represent all of the people of South Carolina. So I thought the flag should have come down, and I think it's much more fitting for it to be at its present location at the Monument instead of up on the State House dome. And second, the issue of where the flag should be flown - if at all - should have been left up to the people of the state of South Carolina, and it wasn't. The matter was decided by the House and the NAACP, and one half of those parties reneged on its approval a year later.
This is the same organization that passed a resolution in 1998 that calls for the permanent, nation-wide ban of the display of the Confederate flag, no matter what. This is the same organization that supports the renaming of landmarks, schools, streets, buildings, and bridges from Southern and Confederate heroes to "civil rights heroes" such as Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr. This is the same organization that wants ALL Confederate monuments dismatled and destroyed, no matter what.
This is an organization that is blindly insistent on the erasure of a part of our nation's history and the elimination of MY heritage and traditions while shoving THEIR "heritage" and "traditions" down my throat and the collective throats of the nation as a whole.
And I ain't havin' none of it!
If the leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People would be more concerned with the real issues facing black Americans today - such as black-on-black crime, the high dropout rate among blacks, the high drug useage/selling rate among blacks, and the increasing amount of blacks committing crimes - and less concerned about who flies what flag and where, everyone would be better off.
Until then, as far as I'm concerned, NAACP stands for just what the title of this little rant says - Negativism Aimed At Confederate Pride.
IHC
And just what, you ask, is the NAACP's objection to the conferences being held in South Carolina? It's the same tired, worn-out, useless, and pitiful objection that the NAACP has voiced for the past nine years. Are you ready? Ok, here it is.
There's a Confederate Battle Flag flying on the State House grounds next to the Confederate Soldier's Monument in Columbia.
Now I ask you, is that not stupid, or what? Almost as stupid as the ACC's kowtowing to the NAACP on the subject, if you ask me.
A quick history lesson: in observance of the Centennial Celebration of the Civil War in 1961-1965, the state of South Carolina flew a Confederate Battle Flag as the third of three flags on the flagpole on the dome of the State House. The American flag was on top, followed by the South Carolina flag beneath it, and the Battle Flag below that. When the Centennial celebrations were over, instead of taking the Battle Flag down someone decided to leave it up there, and until 2000 there were three flags flying from the State House dome. In the years following, the NAACP had been raising holy hell about the flag being up there every chance they got, demanding from each governor in succession that the flag be taken down. Finally, in 2000 the state and the NAACP reached an agreement that the Battle Flag would be removed from the flagpole on the State House dome and would be flown instead on a flagpole that was to be erected next to the Confederate Soldier's Monument on the State House grounds - a monument that had been there since the early years of the 20th century, by the way. At that time, the NAACP said they were fine with that decision and would have no further objections concerning the flag.
Well, that was a lie - a year later they were at it again, this time complaining that the Confederate Battle Flag be removed from state property entirely. Fortunately, the state has pretty much ignored them and left the flag where it is. So in response, the NAACP declared a "financial boycott" of the state of South Carolina, insisting that everyone vacation somewhere else and that companies take their business somewhere else. All told, the "boycott" has been a resounding failure - tourist revenue has been up consistently for the past four years and is still going strong. So the NAACP can go pound sand on that one.
The only organization that has taken the NAACP's demands of a fiscal boycott seriously is the Atlantic Coast Conference, which has stated that no ACC tournament will be held in South Carolina as long as the NAACP raises an objection. What happened this year was that someone in the ACC thought that the NAACP was over its objections, and when they were told otherwise the conference was moved to North Carolina.
As far as I'm concerned, the ACC can go pound sand, too. They need to be more concerned with sports and less concerned with politics, especially in South Carolina.
I wasn't living in South Carolina at the time "the great flag flap" was going on, but I had at that time and still have two opinions on the matter: first, the Battle Flag really didn't have any place being flown on top of the State House dome, because the State House represents all of the people of South Carolina, and for obvious reasons the Battle Flag doesn't represent all of the people of South Carolina. So I thought the flag should have come down, and I think it's much more fitting for it to be at its present location at the Monument instead of up on the State House dome. And second, the issue of where the flag should be flown - if at all - should have been left up to the people of the state of South Carolina, and it wasn't. The matter was decided by the House and the NAACP, and one half of those parties reneged on its approval a year later.
This is the same organization that passed a resolution in 1998 that calls for the permanent, nation-wide ban of the display of the Confederate flag, no matter what. This is the same organization that supports the renaming of landmarks, schools, streets, buildings, and bridges from Southern and Confederate heroes to "civil rights heroes" such as Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr. This is the same organization that wants ALL Confederate monuments dismatled and destroyed, no matter what.
This is an organization that is blindly insistent on the erasure of a part of our nation's history and the elimination of MY heritage and traditions while shoving THEIR "heritage" and "traditions" down my throat and the collective throats of the nation as a whole.
And I ain't havin' none of it!
If the leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People would be more concerned with the real issues facing black Americans today - such as black-on-black crime, the high dropout rate among blacks, the high drug useage/selling rate among blacks, and the increasing amount of blacks committing crimes - and less concerned about who flies what flag and where, everyone would be better off.
Until then, as far as I'm concerned, NAACP stands for just what the title of this little rant says - Negativism Aimed At Confederate Pride.
IHC
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