Good Night!

Good night and God bless you Mrs. Robinson-el where ever you may be.

Calling Me a Hero Only Makes You Feel Better

I work in a grocery store. All this grandiose praise rings insincere.

Working in a grocery store has earned me and my co-workers a temporary status. After years of being overlooked, we suddenly feel a sense of responsibility, solidarity, and pride......

.....I’m grateful to be acknowledged for the risky work we’re doing. Being in an environment where morale is up despite global uncertainty is encouraging. But I have a problem with all this hero talk. It’s a pernicious label perpetuated by those who wish to gain something—money, goods, a clean conscience—from my jeopardization.......

.....I fear that many of my co-workers are so high on recognition and glorification, they can’t see the real danger they’re in......

Cashiers and shelf-stockers and delivery-truck drivers aren’t heroes. They’re victims. To call them heroes is to justify their exploitation. By praising the blue-collar worker’s public service, the progressive consumer is assuaged of her cognitive dissonance. When the world isn’t falling apart, we know the view of us is usually as faceless, throwaway citizens.......

.....I have immense gratitude for my job. I love my co-workers like family. I respect the company that has employed me......

......I can't speak for every occupation, but for supermarket cashiers, I think the best way you can show your respect is by not showing up at all. Minimize your shopping outings, and make them quick and efficient. Please save the small talk for next year. And I beg of you, don't call my co-workers heroes as you wait for them to bag your carrot-cake muffins and face serum. They would trade places with you if they could.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/i-work-grocery-store-dont-call-me-hero/610147/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

A Poem For Lucy

You Reap What You Sow

But, you want others to rescue you from the weeds and briers of your decisions.

Generally speaking, humans are born with free will and a capacity to learn right from wrong, good from evil and, hot from cold; how many times did you have to be instructed not to touch the burner on the stove when it is ignited – probably just once.

There is an individual who is very close to me who has ran their health into the ground because of a conscious decision that they continued to make after being made aware and, also seeing the consequences of not changing their path. Instead of throwing you a rope, I dived in head-first to trying save you.

Life is tenuous, nothing is guaranteed. People must look at their circumstances and decide what is best for the moment and, what is better for the long run. I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, I’ve been there at many forks-in-the-road and, I did not always choose the correct one but, I did accept full responsibilities for my actions; others have not.

Twenty-five years ago, our paths diverged, I was on a mission to save loved ones, I took the steeped climb up from the bottom while, you choose to wallow around in the mud. Sure, there were half efforts on your part (not of your own volition) to change but, you did not prevail and continued the downward digging of your hole.

You now find yourself clinging to the last rungs of the Ladder of Life, you have played all the cards in your deck and, you don’t want to be alone in the final chapter of this story; you were never alone. For the entire existence of this issue, you have dragged us behind you; we have all suffered through your trials and tribulations.

You call on the phone, sobbing and distressed at your circumstances; you shredded our emotions with your tears but, where were your own tears when you were destroying your health, relationships and, finances? It was all foolishness and finger-popping until now.

We are there for you, but we will not allow ourselves to be dragged further down this dead-end road.

Signed,

Those who care for you.

Hello Snowflakes

DISINFORMATION CAUSES BRAIN DAMAGE

MAYBE DO A LITTLE RESEARCH BEFORE YOU POST

Incapable of forming an independent opinion, those lacking in critical thinking skills allow others to manipulate their reality with specious claims and rhetoric that, they willingly accept at face value; my brother-from-another-mother has fallen into that trap.

Please forgive me for digressing but, there was a time when true knowledge was peer reviewed and written in books by scholarly individuals; these books still exist in libraries today but, the bulk of the population obtains its news and knowledge from the Internet, a medium that is open to anyone with a cell phone and one half of a brain. Disregarding the fact that we have made exponential progress in Technology, the addition of poorly educated masses to the mix has lowered the “Global Intelligence Quotient”.

One of my high school alumni is on a Social Media platform proselytizing and posting disinformation with regards to the upcoming elections in November of 2020; certainly, he has the rights to Freedom of Speech but, at the same time he opens his mouth or types content onto a page, he sets himself up for criticism and he is asked to defend his position; he cannot do it without gleaning the Internet for a quote to substantiate his position.

When confronted, he retreats and complains that he is being treated rudely and that the dialogue is uncivil. Well, in the era of tRumpism, all I can say is, “Buck-up Snowflake” because what we have here is a Frankenstein Monster of your own GOP creation; what used to be referred to as, “The American way” is now reviled world-over, our former allies can no longer depend on America for a stable foreign policy and, half of our citizenry is engaged in a cultural war with the other half.

It’s time for the country to reject tRumpism, the horse he rode in on and, the horse droppings that are now known as the Republican Party.

The build up for the big let down.

Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Cellphone Cases

Women

Your brassieres were not made to be cellphone holders; it just looks trashy.

"Be Better."

I'm Back.

Not that I went anywhere.

You know, I could get on here every day and highlight the things that appeal to me or, piss and moan about the things that don't; doing so would quickly allow you to draw a profile of me and, what I believe is and, is not important.

Just for today, I am evaluating the degrees of self importance on the Internet; what is it worth and, what will one do to achieve it.

Check back with me.

July 4th - Independence Day

Just for today.

I am going to give independence to my thoughts; the weight of life is too much to bear.

I hope tomorrow is better.

It's no wonder folks got a "kick" out of this. It won first prize by a landslide. #TrumpResign pic.twitter.com/Uydw8gKZ4j

— Dave Smith (@Dave_catch22) December 21, 2018

The Ties That Bind

RELIGION

Religion is the glue that hold society together; it also keeps it S-O-S; "Stuck-on-stupid!"

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away.

NOW IT LOOKS AS IF THEY ARE HERE TO STAY...

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day, to the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
the way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more.

Homer (as Macbeth)

Mom used to say, "Enough is enough; too much will make a dog sick!"

#ME (the flock) Too

This shit has gotten out of hand.

Quick digression into history; 20 years ago I was involved in a custody case over my child with his biological mother. As a means to gain her ends, she reported to the police that I “Threatened” her. I was arrested on Domestic Violence charges; I fought this and was eventually found “Innocent” (not ‘Not Guilty’, IN-NO-CENT!).

When Bio-Mom failed to gain traction with that stunt, she decided upon another move, in open court, she stood up and screamed, “He raped me!”

The Magistrate rolled his eyes, the Prosecutor sighed out loud and, there was an audible groan from the table of the Children’s Services workers; everyone there knew she was full of shit and went forward as if they didn’t even hear her.

But, she had won – after court was over that day, I called her lawyer and told her that if she and her client were that low as to try to ruin an individual’s life, it was not worth it to fight that custody battle.

Fast-forward ten years, the wheels come off the wagon at Bio-Mom’s house and Children’s Services again take custody of her children; she now runs smack dab into the faces of people at Children’s Services who have known her for better than twenty years, my child was placed with me.

Skip forward another three year (in which she hasn’t laid eyes the child), she wakes up one morning with “Hell in her” and travels 100 miles to where I live and, makes a claim of sexual improprieties surrounding the child – this in effort to regain custody.

After a thorough investigation covering 6 months, her claims were judged to be specious, unsubstantiated and, without merit; her custody request was denied and, for good measure, I was given a 5 year Order-of-Protection (which she ignored), any contact with us would have caused her to be arrested.

I bring this up only because, I know what it is to be caught up in someone’s agenda and be falsely accused and have to defend your honor and fight for your freedom, liberty and, justice.

Misuse of this #Me-Too sentiment / I’m a victim shit is going too far.

Personal Rant

Can you hear me now?

It really "tries my nerves" to try to communicate with someone with a *Free* / Cheap cell phone that came with the pay-as-you-go plans. The plans from Boost, MertoPCS and Cricket, the ones that are "Lifelines" dangling from the main Cell Phone providers.


There is an issue with audio quality with those phones and, typically, they are provisioned for lower "quality" connections with fallback to 2G-EDGE networks.

I find myself TALKING LOUDLY as if I'm trying to communicate with a deaf person because their phone is breaking up; no, it isn't me, I try to call those people back on a different line and still get bad results!

It's analogous to the Men's' razor model: They give you the handle and, you have to return to buy the blades to fit the razor handle; wanna be cheap, they make "Disposable Razors" especially for those with, DISPOSABLE skin on their faces and / or heads! They give you the phones and you have to use their service.

I implore *You* to do better; upgrade to better phones, please.

 

Just Sickening.

Check out @mcspocky’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/mcspocky/status/1107198892704219142?s=09

Compassion or Co-Dependency?

As seen on Facebook

This really struck a chord with me when I read it because, I could only imagine how many unfulfilled lives there are out there with the same aspirations that were never met or achieved because they didn't get what they "deserved."

Gentrification threatening neighborhood.

Check out @BaddJusteu’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/BaddJusteu/status/1079380446729916416?s=09

My World

A Fair Representation of my Brain

"Up" is constantly changing!

#Madisonville Bridge

There is a bridge in Madisonville – a railroad overpass to be exact, its claim to fame is that it tears the top off of trucks and other vehicles that dare to use this main traffic artery called Madison Road.  The overpass was possibly constructed during the WPA era, if not earlier; it now stands as a monument to progress or, the lack thereof. This is a short treatise on that progress.

Railroads and the trains that travel upon their tracks carry heavy load and connect distance places; they are what could be classified as, “National Infrastructure”, the maintenance of such is paramount.  Locally, roads were constructed to connect outlying communities and “Villes” to the municipal population center. The city and the outskirts benefited from the extensions and connections of the Infrastructure.

There comes a time that, if the infrastructure is not maintained or, updated to accommodate changes in technology such as, faster trains or larger vehicles, the infrastructure becomes an impediment to progress; an obsolescence, this is what the railroad bridge over Madison Road has become. Cameras trained on the bridge document on an almost daily basis, a vehicle that has become wedged between the low overpass and the city street.

Locals think it’s funny to see yet another vehicle trapped, the traffic patterns interrupted and resources tasked to deal with a problem that urban planners could not foresee or that community activist overlook.

I would ask, “After every Dump Truck, Earth-mover, Tractor-Trailer and cargo carrier slams into that bridge, is it inspected for safety each time?” I think not. I believe that any person with half an intellect would ask, “Why is this being allowed to continue to happen?” I’m sure that those questions have been voiced by many people but, no actions have been taken.

I would say that the least that could be done is the placing of Flashing signage and height warning ; if Rail-crossing gates and Flood Control gates can be installed on Madison Rd for the Duck Creek waterway then, a couple of signs don’t seem to be such a big deal.

“Progress” is what I am opining about, the world has progressed since the railroad bridge and roads were built but, as they are constructed now, they are an impediment to progress. The bridge blocks access to the Villes of Madison and the Villes of Plains, Madeira and beyond.

An answer to the questions posed: because we know that the rail bridge will not be raised, perhaps the answer is to lower the street under the rail crossing. This was done long ago for the main drag into Hamilton, Ohio and also to Glendale-Milford road just east of Route 4.

Improving that short stretch of infrastructure would remove a bottleneck and further open the area to development.

GTFOH!

Check out @BaddJusteu’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/BaddJusteu/status/1009427611603361795?s=09