Windows into the Past

 

In my wanderings, I will roam through some of the small towns.  Seldom do I travel the Interstate any more.  I prefer the slower pace of the old two lane highway.  Many I have driven before, now I see things I used to fly past. 

I put some extra time into my trips now so I can pause for a bit at some of the more interesting things. 

Many of the smaller towns are fading, less farms and ranches to support the communities and the with the Interstate, people whiz on down the road.  Many building sit empty, ghosts of another era now walk the floors, open the doors. 

 

 

Other days, they were active little hubs, people came and went.  Now they are collectors of ghostly webs spun from the past.

 

Sometimes these old buildings get a new life.  An out of towner sees one and wants it or sees an opportunity.  Occasionally it is a retiree that likes to fix things up.  A small section gains new life and old falling apart sections gain a new look. 

Then the new owner moves on or passes on and the new life building fades back into the past again. 

Sometimes it is hope faded.  A vision came to fruition soon to fade.  Empty the building sits, reminder of a hopes that was not shared.  There is a lure of country life.  There is also a harsh side of the romantic notions.  Too many people see nothing and pass by, pausing not to savor the country. 

Many a dream sits dimly in repose.  Days of different life, lived at a different pace.  The siren song of the big city drawing the masses.  Listen to the ghosts talk.  hear the dreams lived out, fading into oblivion. 

New desires and wants cover over the old.  Wanting the new, buries the past. 

I trundle down the road, capturing moments, freezing them into pixels.  Later times, I return to see vacancies.  My memories are all I see. 

Assorted thoughts…….. …….None connected

 

The dog days of summer are ending and its going out in searing heat.  We are in the high 90’s, tripping over triple digits.  Rain has left, monsoon is over and fall’s cool is over there.  Early winter a few say, but right now it is hot summer.  We did not have spring till the last week of May and then after Memorial Day, summer set in.

In a dry climate like I live in there are big temperature swings, sometimes as much a 60 degrees.  Usually the evenings are cool and a delight to sit out side for a spell.  Few bugs in the dry air to bother a person.

There were times to sit outside, enjoy the sights, listen to the sounds and relax after a hot day in the sun.  Overhead in a clear sky, the stars sparkle, rivaling the fireworks.  The occasional shooting star flashing over head.

Sitting the east side of the house, the horizon is a hill side.  Shielding the moon.  Easily the moon creeps over the hill revealing itself.  In its nude glory, revealing its craters of swiss cheese.  The night of the blue moon it was cloaked in thin clouds, lightly covering its nakedness.  That night it wore clothing of high thin clouds.

It had the appearance of a refugee from a cheese factory.  Most nights I can sit outside and in the clear dry air, watch the heavens sparkle in all their glory.  The milky way dusting, big dipper and others just hanging on the tapestry of the darkened sky.  There meteor showers most every night, the passing satellite and the airplanes.

High overhead can be heard the throaty roar of the jet engines as it hurtles its cargo homeward.  Is that a plane from St Louis to Denver, maybe that crossing one is from Chicago to LA or Phoenix.  Passengers riding 30-35,000 feet in the air, hurtled along at about 350mph. 

Someday will those journeys to other planets as the writers portray so well in the programs.  A satellite whirls along overhead, miles above the atmosphere, a shooting star crossing its path.

Yes it is in wonderment when I sit out side in the evening cooling off.  These warm summer nights are waning and soon it will be frozen air out on the porch.  The frozen crystals will join the sparkle of the stars.

The awesome beauty of nature, that man tries to recreate and has not only been kind of successful.  With the passing of summer brings the sleep of nature, to be reborn in the next cycle of warmth.  Dormant will the land be, hunkered down for the icy blast of ol’ man winter. 

I shat have a few more nights to sit outside and look skyward and ask self, what is really way out there?

 

 

 

Oh ….. For Frustrations

 

Projects become time consumers when the best of laid plans fail.  Great aspirations rode on the wings of hope.  The elements were laid out, a nice outline was made.  Together the pieces would make a nice tableau.  Some of the bits were stored over there, and some in here and the rest were scattered, in easy reach.

The moment arrived, the parts were to be gathered up and assembled.  Into the puter they were placed.  Delicate care was given to each.  Embellishments were added.  No parts left dangling.  Some time later the project was completed. 

The next phase begins.  The files are to be uploaded.  Wind the puter up, put the file name in the little box, sit back, let the bits and pieces be crunched into a whole.

Later the sum of the parts is completed.  The crunching is done, the verdict is in.  The puter at the other end says I have problems.  I sort through, see them and say, Okay, they are fixable. 

I go back through, gathering up new parts to replace the non acceptable pieces.  Time paces, the new bits are ready.  I delete and I replace, a whole new assembly is created.  To the upload page I go.  Into the window the file name is entered and the crunching process begins again.

Sometime later the crunching is finished.  Oh happy day, it is completed.  Then I see them, the little red dots.  I have issues it say.  I examine the issues, they are not major, I can fix them, just very time consuming.  A bit of steam ushers forth from the nostrils, it is becoming frustrating.

Again I go through patch and repair.  Go back and upload again and await the results.  Oops, it spits little red dots back at me.  harumph, more steam is rolling out of the nostrils, a bit of flame is rolling overhead.  I have to go through the process again, frustrations are building but I fix and redo things.

This learning curve is becoming a monster, I need to get a handle on things.  There in the little box is red letters, save and go on.  I click and everything is okay, all is great.  But I am not happy.  The changes have made other problems that need to be straightened out.  I go back redo things, check the files, make some more changes.  I am satisfied.  All the bits and pieces are where they should be.  I go to the upload page and put the file in.  The puiter sits there, crunching pieces and bits, sending them through cyber space. 

I check back, an error message is in the window, task was not completed.  I check things, see nothing wrong.  I try again, bleep the window say.  Whoops the ceiling is scorched from the flames issuing forth from the cranial structure.  I go back through and send a nasty note to the people at the other end, nothing.

I redo things again, put a little twist on and reload.  Voila, it is uploaded but with numerous red dots.  I click the ignore button and finish the project.  Humbug, a project that should of taken no more then two days, got stretched out over 8 days.  I did learn how to get mad at the other end and how to fix things. 

There are other projects on the drawing board, hopefully the will not be as fraught with these problems.

Such is the life of mice and me.

A Day In Life

 

Sunday morning was magnificent.  It was one of those mornings in a blue moon.  Temp was in the low 40’s, the house was comfortable and life was still.  Breeze was somewhere, clatter was distant, sky was azure blue speckled with lacy wisps few and far.  Life could of not been any better at that moment.

Dogs fed, coffee made, steaming mug in hand I sit down.  Looking out the window was clarity to the ridges beyond.  Calmness traveled throughout, lightly broken by the occasional passing truck on the highway.  It was Sunday morning, I tarried a bit longer.  Sipping on the coffee, gazing into the great outdoors.  Listening to the chirp of birds passing by.

My soul rested, pores absorbing the moment.  There was not the city buzz droning in the ears.  This is why I left the hectic harried cacophony of the metropolis. 

Country life carries a pace that that is easy to follow.  There are no great big golf course lawn, well groomed grounds.  Nature passes by the steps, leaving its mark on the walkway.  Deer were bedded down next door last night, tracks of the coyotes dot the gravel.

Sunday morning was a day that will be cherished and sought after for they are few and far between.  God blessed me that morning with His peace. 

Changing Times and Blizzards

 

In the beginning, it was overcast and foggy, the wind rustled through the barren limbs, flakes of snow smattered across the lines.  It was a somber time, a time to meditate and watch life for a bit, reflect on the past times.  Passage of moments edging onwards.  Clouds began to boil, wind was gaining volume and the flakes more numerous.

High noon, the skies were dark and splattered with white.  The ground was embracing a blanket.  Intensity of the wind gained.  Howling across the land, flakes dancing sideways.  White blanket fluttering off in to drifts.  Brown earth ushering forth, covered by ribbons of white, climbing ever higher. 

Roadways obscured by clouds of white boiling over them.  Icy sheen covered in slick white cloth.  Spinning flakes, swirling over windshields obscuring sight.  Highway shoulder a parking spot.  Time passing as the land changed to a blinding white.  Seeing no further ahead then the length of arm.

Into the night the screech of the wind drove the white flakes.  Slashing into the grasses, attaching to the trees.  Highway a white sledding trail, no huskies mushing.  Cars along the roadway, waiting for snow to stop, wind to cease.  High overhead the stars shine through, snow has stopped.  Wind shrieks again, blasting snow into objects in its path.

Sun rises on a clear day covered by the drifting snow.  Blinding for a bit, giving way to clear spots.  Wind does not abate, racing over the land.  Life is sputtering, animals in their burrows and dens.  Birds buffeted overhead, flying erratic into the wind.  Travelers braving the howling snow across the roadway.   Mounds of white, monuments to the call of nature.  And the clock doth tick on with a different beat.

Now that the saving of time is back. Leave it alone.

The Towns of Ghosts

 

The Great Depression left lots of empty shells on the prairie.  Towns boomed around the westward migration and the immigration wave of the late 1800’s into the 1920’s.  During the Roaring 20’s people were living high and fast.  It was prohibition and speakeasies, the flapper girls and gangsters.  Money was plentiful and easy to come by.  Self indulgence was the mantra of the day. 

Then came the crash of 1929, life was to change like no one could of froe seen.  People were going hungry, no jobs.  Dreams that had been built were being shuttered and left, abandoned.  Some small communities disappeared and are but a reminder on old time maps.  A few hung in through the 30’s only to decline with the coming modern age of the automobile.

Along some highways are reminders of these past days.  Small communities hang on but the shells of other days sit empty.  No longer is main street a bustling burg.  People seldom stroll down the sidewalks to go shopping.  Here one can walk the median stipe of main and not meet a car.

With time permitting, I like to drive off the beaten path and drive the streets of these little towns.  It offers a glimpse back into the past that has been glossed over by many or ignored.

This neat old building had been a grocery store at one time.  There were not supermarkets back then.  From the side one can see the living quarters on the second floor where the store owner lived.  Wasn’t much long distance commuting back then.  With the two brick chimneys, it indicates that there was stove of some type, wood or coal probably.  The building was probably built around 1900’s.  There was no electricity back then or natural gas on the prairie.

On the sides can be seen the additions as the shop was expanded.  Maybe another business was opened next door.  It is fascinating to speculate on what when on in this little town 100 years ago.

On the roof one can see the modern conveniences added over time,  The utility lines for electricity, a television antenna and maybe central heating.

Today it sits vacant, falling to the ravishes of time.  With the curtain and shades on the window it appears someone may of bought it and used it for a residence.  I have seen some people move out from the big city and buy places like this dirt cheap and fix them up.  It would make a nice large spacious home, great studio.  Not much racket and noise in these small towns. 

In silence the grand store sits awaiting its fate.

Hedonistic

 

Commercials are a telling part of society.  They are directed a segments of people.  Oh, the purpose is to get people to buy things, support something or create an awareness, sometimes just support of a media.  The messages reflect a part of the group we live in.  So when I puzzled by advertising I have to ponder, what are they trying to say. 

Lately there have been a bunch of computer type commercials that just did not register with me.  First thing that came to mind was the generation gap.  Yup, I’m an old fuddy duddy….. hehe.  One of the common threads in them was the goal of deriving pleasure if one used their product.  Then I seen that in some other messages.  Indulgent pleasure was the message.  No work was implied, just use the stuff and be happy.  Self indulgent pleasure was such a common theme in so many other commercials.

It made me stop and wonder, what kind of new generation is issuing forth.  So many youngsters I interact with any more, ages mid 20’s to young teenagers.  Seem to be bent on pleasure only and the adults are there to provide this for them.  Its like the concept of putting something out to gain this is foreign to them.  I have seen some children treat their parents like servants.

Then I see commercials pandering to the self indulgent.  Man is a pleasure seeking being but there has to be some work in there someplace to create these machines.  It sometimes comes across that people don’t grasp that somebody has to create these machines and it takes some kind of work to acquire the money to purchase them.

The entrepreneur that works and markets to these people will create a type of slavery.  These companies will have a great control over others.  They probably will become quite wealthy also.

Leisure time for some has become more important then work time but they expect to be compensated the same as those who work.  There have been leisure seeking people for eons, but most of them also were hard workers.

So I wonder where these people will find the money to sate their hedonism?

Ah, the pleasures of my life, sit and count snow flakes.

 

Your indulgence is…………. ?

The Illusion of Hollywood

 

One of the neat things about the Internet is how it has shrunk the world and opened windows all over.  Some of these windows take me into the past.  Now on the web are collections of old TV shows and movies.

Watching these old flickers shows the many changes that there are that really haven’t changed.  The most noticeable changes are in styles and technology.  People haven’t changed that much.  There were obnoxious people back then as well as great people.

There were bad story lines back then and thay are still bad.  Some of the more enduring stories are the ones that mimic some of the old classic stories, IE Shakespeare.  Watched “Taming of the Shrew,” other night, except it wasn’t titled that.  It was a John Wayne western.

Then there is the quest story, which is what made the first “Star Trek,” shows so great.  Oh wow, talk about a change in technology.

Picture of a cowboy from a 100 years ago.  Look at all the changes that remain the same.  Again it is style, looks or appearance.

Then there is the theme of the good guys, us, vs. the bad guys, them. A theme that can be followed all the way back to classic literature of the ancient world.

One of the current TV shows I watch is “Blue Bloods.”  It has an unusual portrayal of family life.  And, yes there is the good guys and bad ones.  But look at the family portrayed. 

Hollywood wants this dysfunctional family to be portrayed as the noble family, the american pie collection.  They have family dinners but look at the age disparity, lack of marriages or divorces and the living arrangements.  Then from that look at the relationships portrayed outside of the family, that’s where it gets scary.  Yet the program is decent drama and has a good following. 

The troubling part is how relationships are portrayed by Hollywood.  The dysfunctional families are portrayed as being normal and people accept the abnormal as being the way to live.

So what does one anchor their life on, what could be considered as acceptable behavior?

Looking back over the centuries at the variety of stories, some of the greatest stories, are ones from conflict.  The torment the protagonists deal with as they live out their lives.  Where is peace found, how does one sail on an even keel, why does the roller coaster life appeal to so many?

Being Presidential

 

I didn’t watch the inauguration, but I did read some articles and there were the pictures.  Two things struck me, the pomp and ceremony of royalty and aging.

Politicians are slowly evolving into a royal family club.  So much money is lavished on them, they make the kings and queens of Europe look like pikers.  Your choice of political party, both live extremely lavish lifestyles.  There are dukes, princess and princesses who would be envious of their lifestyles.

They get very large expense accounts, a generous staff and budget for their office.

Looking at the events, it came across as watching a royal coronation.  The royal family in oohs and ahhs.  We the taxpayers foot the bill…. harumph.

The other was the aging.  Obama is no longer the young vibrant looking stud.  Then there was Bill Clinton, the antique fossil.  Bush in his last years in office was frazzled looking and very worn out. 

To me this points to reasons to start looking at shorter terms for presidents.  The last two years Bush was in office, he gave the impression he was marking time.  Clinton carried on the same way. There is lots of pressure leading a country, from both the opposition and the international front.   About 6 years puts lots of stress on a person.  Maybe one term of 6 years and that’s it.

Oh maybe do like the brits, their Prime Minster goes out to pasture without a pension.

Then maybe term limits for all members of congress.  That would be nice.

Arrogance

 

The amazing statement people make.  I am to trust them because they said it.  Then when I question the substance of their statement, they get all upset.  It is, How dare you question me.

When I was growing up, one of the things instilled in me was to question things, it was a learning process.  If I don’t understand things, ask questions or if it is not clear ask questions.  So, questions I did ask.  Then as I grew older, I learned a few things.  I took classes in philosophy, which was the very questioning of the order of life.  It was, no, that is not how it is, it is this way, why was the response.  So a person would have to present their thesis with evidence to support their statement.

Today, people put their hypothesis forth with none or very little supporting evidence and expect people to believe it, just because they said it.

I follow some people on facebook that are like that.  They say don’t do this or that, or not buy this.  They don’t say why or anything, it is an empty statement.  Then question them, better get the storm gear on and be ready for a tantrum.

So many people want to be an authority that they will follow along with others, even when it is a half truth.  Look at all of the different stories and blogs out there.  How many support their statements.  Even the weatherman is not always there supporting their forecast.

Arrogance is a psychological disorder, it can be ;looked up.  One of the key parts of arrogance is that arrogant are never wrong.  That is why they blow up when questioned.  They also tend to be control freaks.  Watch people around, especially in crowds and listen to so,e of the statements that are made.  The authoritiarian voice they speak in, they edge of anger or the bully tone.  Then look in the mirror, how close am I to being that way. 

A bit of education can mess one up and if that education comes from a big name school it even messes things up more.  Then there are those that think they have an education…. look out.

Listen to the politicians talk.  Watch their manipulation of facts and how they distort them to fit their agenda.  But do not dare to question them.

The Black Lagoon

Hilary Clinton’s injuries and medical problems were questioned by some.  Boy did some people get hateful over the questioning of her problems.  It was how dare you question what happened to her.  It was, like the truth was irrelevant.

To wonder why one would question her actions, one has to look at her past history of responses to other damming situations she has been in.  Actions speak louder then words.  Just one speaks does not make one and authority or correct.  Even if they say they are correct……. or….. trust me.

Then I ask….”Why can't I question you, you work for me, you are on the taxpayers salary rolls?”

Arrogant people get so mad, especially when they are not in control.

The Control of Laws

 

So many people are up in arms over gun control.  But is it really about controlling guns.  Think again, Laws do not control inanimate objects.  Laws control the people that use these objects.

Most universal example in the laws governing speed of vehicles.  Do speeding laws keep cars from going to fast or slow.  No the laws are designed to keep the vehicle operator within certain boundaries.  The laws are about people control.

Do these laws prevent cars from driving to fast?  No, The car has no idea of what to slow or fast is.  The law is aimed at the driver, to control the driver’s behavior.  The law tells the driver if he violates the law there will be consequences.  Does the law prevent the driver from going to fast?  Even if the consequences are loss of operators license, do the vehicles operate within the law.

If a person does not want to obey the law, they will use excuses to justify their behavior of violating laws.

So how effective are laws in preventing certain behaviors? 

Look at driving.  How many are in jail for vehicular manslaughter.  Most have had previous convections of driving to fast, driving while impaired and operating without a driver’s license.

Based on that I would say that the laws to control vehicle operation have not been real successful.  Just drive down the roadway, watch the erratic behavior of some drivers.  Yet there are laws to prevent that behavior.

Most laws that are passed are failures.  Think you could get a lawmaker to admit that?

 

So what prevents certain behavior in people.  Does the removal of inanimate objects stop certain behaviors?  From time immemorial man has violated other man in some form or other.  Why is it that all people do not violate others.  They can drive a car, have no problems and operate it with courtesy. 

It is an inner motivation for caring for others.  It is not controlled by laws, it is an internal compass that has evolved over their growth in life.  Many were tutored in Christian values that arise out of the Ten Commandments.

There is nothing that says they have to obey these rules, it has become their choice to follow these rules.

Ex 20:13 “You shall not murder. z 
Ex 20:14 “You shall not commit adultery. a 
Ex 20:15 “You shall not steal. b 
Ex 20:16 “You shall not give false testimony c  against your neighbor. d 
Ex 20:17 “You shall not covet e  your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

These are from the book of Exodus, (NIV).

God knew his creation would make mistakes and he provided consequences for those mistakes.  His rules were not meant to prevent a certain behavior.  Rather provide a guideline on how to live with others.

Look at the last commandment, I starts, “You Shall Not covet.”  What does covet mean?

Does it mean the government can take you property, through taxes, consequences or by law if they do not like how you behave?

Now look at of the laws that have been passed by this country that are designed to control you behavior?  Have any of them prevented you from behaving in a certain manner?  What has prevented you from behaving in certain ways?

Laws are the most oppressive form of government available to mankind. 

God gave man 10 commandments, then later added a few rules, which became known as Mosaic Law.  Later the Jews started what was called the Torah.    Look how oppressive that became to the Hebrews.  And did that really stop the Hebrews from acting in their chosen manners.

As laws are passed, your freedoms are lost.  Your choices are eliminated.  Even taxes limit your freedoms.  When you pay taxes, what choices do you have?  You have only one choice, give your money to the government.

Laws no no boundaries, they apply to all equally.  Whether you are right or left, the law applies the same.  Many laws are like abandoned buildings, not much use any more but they are there t control people.  The 20th Amendment is the best example of people control.  Look what happened?  What gun control laws would of prevented the speakeasy era of the 1920’s.

I would like to see a 100% prevention rider on laws that it would prevent people from acting crazy.  If lawmakers want a control law, give me a 100% guarantee.

Attractions of the Roadside

Roadside Attraction

            Overlooking the valley is an oxymoron of a roadside attraction Built in the era of late 1910.  The horseless carriage was taking to center stage and the American traveler was being born.  Highways were being built to accommodate this new machine.  Boundaries were being broken and the country was prosperous.  There were numerous noveau rich living the American dream.  World War one was on the horizon, Marx and communism were popular and the world was an oyster for many.

            Jump in the car, travel cross country, see the wonders.  No longer was tourism limited to the rich.  The automobile had opened up new vistas for the peasants of the land.  Onto the new highways in their new fangled contraptions the populace jumped.

Many a business sprung up along side highways.  Giving the wearied traveler a brief respite, place to refresh. gas up, eat and spend money.  It was wide open country free of many modern restrictions.

            Conversation in coffee shops on the college campuses was about Marx and his ideal dream.  People were discussing on campus how to impose this dream on their countries.  Meanwhile WWI breaks out and the dream is put on the back burner except in Russia where Lenin and the Bolsheviks bring the communism revolution.  Even in the USA there was a small attempt to bring communism to the country.  WWI slowed it down as did the prosperity after the war.

            People had money to spare, there was land so there was no need to overthrow the evil empire of capitalism.  Jump in the car, go visiting.  After WWI there was a new affluence for the average person surplus income to spend lavishly, in particular on the new automobile.

            The roaring 20’s floated in, flappers, speak easies, gangsters and the car.  It was a buoyant age 

 Federal Government policy built the Interstate highway system bypassing many a roadside business and pushing cars onto to super slab cross country speedways.

            On the highways a new enterprise was cropping up, the roadside attraction, and a place to separate the new tourist from their money.

            Communism went to the back burner in the US but the tyranny in Russia was just beginning.  The people’s party, Bolsheviks were ruling with an iron fist.  Churches were destroyed and people disappeared that opposed the new Russian regime.  A new ruling class was formed in Russia.

            More and more automobiles were being built in the US.  More and more people were acquiring money.  The 20’s were a golden age to be in.  Then 1929 showed up because of a government boondoggle and greed on the part of a few.

            What had been a golden period became a depression leading into the dirty 30’s and communism reared its head again.  There were also numerous government programs leading to the claim of socialism, kind of a polite name for communism.

            All the time people were still traveling cross country seeing the sights it had to offer.

Winter Time

 

The drought has mellowed out winter.  It has been cold but no icy blasts so far.  The cold does not bother me much.  Get the parka out n flannel/wool shirts and I shall venture forth. 

It also makes a nice time to capture a few pixels.  The trees are barren, the weeds are shuttered and the grasses dormant.  It is when nature goes for a nap getting ready for spring.

I like the abstract pattern of the trees, the limbs, branches and their twists and turns.  It is amazing the patterns a tree has under all those leaves.  Oh yes fall colors are great but I like the nude tree also.

Then there are the sunsets of winter.  Biting icy fingers crawl over the face, standing facing the setting sun.  Sunsets are a dime a dozen but the hand of man makes it different.

It is amazing how we clutter up the country side with technology.  A cellphone tower sits in the middle of somewhere.  High power utility towers race over the horizon.  Interrupted  by a tree.  On far horizon is the shallow outline of the Rocky Mountain foothills.

All the latest gadgets.  Surrounded in our homes, our cars and in the office. 

To truly escape technology is almost impossible.  An escape in the mind;s eye.

Have a good week and may the Lord bless your travails.

Calvary outpost….. Ft Wallace

 

Took a short trip to check out an old steam engine and chase it.  Along the way there were other things to look at and take pictures.

One of the places I wanted to go to was Wallace, Kansas.  Here are the remains of an old military building.  It had been a museum at one time but Kansas changed their tax policies for places such as this.  Losing their money the locals closed it up and today it sits vacant.

 

It is given some care but for the most part it appears to sit neglected.  There are stress cracks here and there that probably will become worse over time.  Being made of rock it will wear pretty good.  I just hope Kansas will give some funding to it to keep it from falling apart.  Then it is not alone, I have run into other places that have closed up when the state pulled the funding.

I hate to see the funding pulled yet the local county is not all that poor and something more could be done with it.

Yet it is so typical, rely o n big brother, in this case the state, and all of a sudden big brother closes the pocket book.  People throw their hands up and …………

Ft Wallace came into being in the 1860’s to protect the Smoky Hill Trail and the railroad.  In 1868 the railroad stopped building and Ft Wallace became the railhead for a couple of years.  It was a wild and rowdy town.  Railroad workers hanging around, not much to do, gold seekers passing through and the outlaws plundering anything and everything.  Late 1869 the railroad started building west again and Wallace shrunk.  A few years later, most of the Indian problems were over and the Calvary had not much to do. 

On off went the Army to other jobs and the building was left behind.  The town of Wallace prospered until the depression and then dust bowl.  Today it has a few residents and lots of ghosts.  The building was fed and well cared for but today it is abandoned.

In back the horses await the return of the cavalry to go riding on the prairie looking for Indians and bad men.

Things like this I have no problem supporting with tax money but at what level.  So much tax money is spent on special interests and things like this get lost.  There also needs to be some local help and not reliance on big brother because look what happens when big brother changes his mind.  Maybe there is a lesson in there someplace but do we learn?

                     _________________________________

Other Notes

My pelvis is pretty well healed up and the tailbone is doing pretty good.  I am still battling the hematoma, but at least I can sit for a spell now.  I am looking at blogging some more and getting around to others also.  Got a bunch more stories from this short trip.  Some neat train pictures and buildings in the small towns.

Have a good week.

Damm People

 

Yep, that’s what I said…… dam damm dam people.   Someone goes on a shooting spree and kills some people and out of the wood work crawl the anti gun people.

Laws do not change behavior, they provide consequences.  Even the consequences do not stop behavior.

For centuries people have been killing people and all kinds of laws have been passed and people still kill other people. 

We live in a world full of evil people and this will not change.  So why do the anti-gun people think if they act like god’s and pass laws against guns the killing will stop.  It is one of the most stupid assumptions. 

On to their god box they jump, telling people they will be safer if guns are outlawed.  What a myth.

 

It is very simple…… The Constitution says the citizens of the United States have the right to bear arms.  There are no restrictions in the Second Amendment.  Yet lawmakers have compromised on  this amendment to shut up the cry babies.  None of these gun laws have stopped the killings.

Because of these compromises the Constitution is slowly eroding into oblivion.  When are a few people gonna stand up and tell the cry baby liberals……. NO…… emphatic…… NO.

Hey… got me two cents.

Have a good week.

Support Counter Intelligence

 

Out in a little town, in the middle of nowhere, close to somewhere is Mama’s store.  Here is a collection of old stuff, for she rents space to a variety of people.  Even the store is old.

In the old days of saloons and pool halls this shop thrived.  Pool balls made great missiles to be launched at the enemy.  Even the ceiling had it’s stories.  There and here was the occasional bullet hole. 

 

The clientele has changed, it is now mostly the wives of the pool players that wander the aisles. No longer to the six shooters thunder forth, or dodge the lost pool ball.

The floor can still be heard shuffling some soft shoe.  The hair from the barber getting mixed into the floor.  His chair long gone, but a memory.

The bar, cabinets and stools still await the thirsty traveler.  One can belly up to the bar.

I  stop in for the iced latte, maybe a shake just for  the ambiance.  Walk the aisles, hear the memories whisper to me.

Earth…. Terra Firma

 

Earth Day has came and went.  In the little home town burg it was not even noted.  I only remembered  it because I read about it from others.  What does Earth Day mean any more? 

Forever the landscape changes.  Man moves and rearranges the shapes and Nature battles back to reclaim the changes.  Pyramids, monuments to these changes.  Man’s quest for immortality. 

Raging torrents, smoke, flames soar over the sky.  Remodeling at work.

Litter used to be a bane, nowadays it is part of the landscape.  Have the environmentalists went to far and lost sight of daily life.  Even in the little burg there should have been a simple litter pick up.  Has the battle over global warming… oops I mean climate change pushed the little things off the table.  As we litter it points to bigger problems of pollution.  There is lots of indifference in society today in regards to the environment that we live in.

Like many things greed sets in and no longer is the cause noble, it has become a green chase for big bucks.

People today, walk into their home, flip the switch and expect the light to turn on.  Turn the television on, check the mail on the computer, play e-games, cook on a stove and the list of gadgets goes on that we expect to be powered.

No longer does one have to render the tallow and make candles, find oil for the lamp, gather wood for the stove.

Is man willing to give up this lifestyle and turn the clock back over 100 years and have to gather all the little necessities to live by.  Overheard a comment, he wanted the land returned to the way it was 100 years ago.  Thought to my self, wonder if would be willing to be a lemming and jump off the cliff.

There were only 100’s living back then, not millions.  Lots of people would have to die to return the land to the way it was a 100 years ago.

Yet the earth needs to be tended to and taken care of.  Not jawboned about something that is maybe.  Stewardship of the earth is not easy and the reality of things need to be looked at not imagined things or in theory.

There is but one earth to live on.

Going Nuclear

There have been a couple of stories that I have read recently that caught my interest.  The surprising one is Bill Gates promoting nuclear power.  The other is the a nuclear process developed by the TVA back in the 50’s.

Bill Gates being a liberal, one would think he would be very anti nuclear.  Instead he is pro nuclear.  He sees electricity as one of the key elements in the Third World’s development.  Low cost electricity for developing/poor countries is very critical, as he sees it.  Looking at that, one can see how it would affect the creation of jobs and how poor people live.  Even in the USA, utility bills impact the poor and elderly.  Good low cost energy is critical for all people involved and Bill Gates sees this in the development of a new nuclear process.

The process that the TVA developed was put into moth balls and the back shelf, as a result it was forgotten about.  Probably some political skullduggery involved.

The TVA process used an isotope that had a life of about 100 years and very little by product.  Disposal was not a problem for in a 100 years it would be harmless.

With these things I wonder why nuclear power is not in use more.  What nuclear power plants that are in use today are very efficient and produce a low cost product.  Surprising, the USA gets about 25% of its electricity from nuclear power plants.  Then there is the Navy, how many of their ships are nuclear powered I’m not sure, but I would venture a guess that it is a vast majority.  The carriers and submarines are the most oblivious.  I see the spent cores from some passing through here on the railroad occasionally.

But why are so many people anti nuclear?  First thing that comes to mind are the bombs dropped on Japan, WWII.  Then there have been the accidents in the past that have caused some problems.  Then there are the anti mind set people.  If one side of the fence is for something this group will come out against it.

This small group of anti people create lots of problems for being such a small minority.  As a result things tat could be of great benefit to society is ignored because they raise such a ruckus.

One of the anti groups, the Sierra Club, bragged on their web page they had stopped over a 100 coal fired power plants.  That is a lots of lost electrical power generation. If your electrical rates are going up, this is one of the reasons.  And, Yes Coal is dirty, but there is a scientist who has developed a process to clean up coal fired plants.  The anti people do not want to hear this, they do not encourage his research.  There are others out there doing similar research but the anti groups cloud things in legal lawsuits. 

As I look at the costs these anti groups are causing to consumers, it becomes frustrating.  For this anti mind set is part of the reason Nuclear power is so frowned on.  Yet in nuclear power there appears to be some hope.  With the proper mind set it could probably be developed and used in a safe manner. 

It would be nice to see the anti people try to help society rather then being a hindrance.

One of the things that has happened is the power companies are switching to natural gas to keep the nay sayers off their back.  This is also pushing up the cost of energy.  Everything that is produced in the US is rising in cost because of the rising energy prices.  People focus on the price of gasoline, as that increases so does the utilities increase.

Jobs are lost, homes are lost and people tend to become poorer because of rising energy costs.

So is nuclear the answer, only partial but it should be looked at.  Particularly after the calamity of the tsunami in Japan.  There were problems at their plants but they were fixable and life goes on.

Look at how many nuclear power plants that are operatizing in the United States. 

Rather then being so negative, the anti people need to become part of the solution rather then being s problem. 

Wind power is 30-50 years in the future and is not reliable.  Solar is someplace in its infancy and it is also not reliable.

Overheard a comment from a nay sayer, "Return the land to where it was a 100 years ago.”  Wonder if he realizes how many people would have to die to get the land back to how was 100 years ago and what all would have to be destroyed.

Stewardship of the environment is a major job.

On the Backroads

 

In my travels from here to there, I prefer to take the back roads, time permitting.  Lots of small gems pop up and then there is the clutter of civilization.  Over the years things have changed, like it or not.  When my grandparents homesteaded, there was no such thing as electricity or indoor plumbing.  Today it is expected for any and all homes.

What had been open country, dotted by a few trees, scrub brush and rolling hills.  Is now dotted with utility lines and homes.

The barn and corral make a nice pastoral scene but right there in front is the utility pole.  Place for a yard light and lights in the barn.  Until the REA came around it was kerosene/oil lamps to light the way. 

Electricity has had a major impact on the way one lives their life.  It powers our homes, heats it, fuels jobs, a level of security and lights the darkness.  Without electricity I would not be posting this blub.  What started out as small generating plants for communities to large power complexes.

From what had been a pastoral scene to now a cluttered horizon.  They stand there whooshing in the breeze.  Electricity flows off the wind in someone’s pocket book.  I turn on the computer and hear a slight swoosh. 

What’s interesting is the jealousy these things have created.  Just a few people get money from these giant erector sets.  The neighbors that have none, want some and they gripe about the neighbors that have some.

Oh the price of electricity has went up but it appears to of created another type of class warfare.  A struggle among the classes that has been going on for centuries.  The ones that perceive themselves as having nothing and envying those that appear to be rich.

Sop when I look out across the plains, no longer to I see the follies of man spinning but I see their struggles to live within themselves.  Envy is a bitter pill to live with yet so many harbor it.

A bitterness that cascades across the rolls of life.

Now where did my barn get off to.

Within, The Terror

 

When Hitler came to power, couple of the things he did, persecute the Jews and try to control the printed word. 

Looking back through history one of the things despots do when they come to power is to pick on a religion.  The Romans, the lions and the Christians comes to mind.  Yet compared to what Lenin and Hitler did, the Romans pale.  Lenin kicked the church out of Russia,no religion of any type was allowed in Russia.  Hitler was an exterminator of the Jews.

The other thing was they controlled was the press and books they did not agree with were destroyed.  Lenin and Hitler wanted to be the focus, they were the god’s of the day.

consider though, Hitler and Lenin at opposite ends of the spectrum.  Prior to WWII there was a communist part in Germany.  The communists were opposed to fascism.  The fascist state invaded Russia.

Reading through history one can see the parallels of communism and fascism, their methods are very similar but very opposite mode.

The other thing is the control of weapons.

So as I watch the politics I watch who is trying to control or rid one of these facets of American life. 

The church has been under attack for a number of years by the left wing of the democrat party in the form of the ACLU and a few others.  Marxists do not want religion in their controlled state.  Marx was very clear, religion is in competion to his state run government.  The gods are to be the political elite of the governing party.

It is also the left wing of the democrats that push for gun control.  Look at the flap over the comments that were made between political pundits.  Free speech comes under attack by both sides but who apologizes for their remarks.

When Hoffa junior told President Obama, “We will get those Republican Sons of Bitches,” and the president said nothing there was lots of implications of how the president views the opposing part.  But let the Republicans use a similar style of language and look what happens.  The left tries to silence their speech.

So as I look at the democratic party I wonder what has happened.  Why have the democrats let the communists run their party.  Is there that much hatred of the Republicans that they would rather live with commies then try to live as free people?

Wonder if the Democrats will stand up to the bullies in the far left wing?  It is not something new, communism has been on the left for a century or better.

During the early 1900’s a group of elites got together in Europe.  Their stated purpose was to move their home countries into communism.  Lenin is the only one with any kind of success in Russia.  There were communist movements through out the world.  In the 30’s though it was the fascists that took a different tack through warfare.

These elements of fascism live today and right now the communist movement is gaining momentum. 

As long as the Constitution can stay intact there is good level of protection for citizens to be protected from both extremes, communism and fascism.  If the left continues to attack the constitution they are leaving the door open for the fascists.

So I wonder if the sensible Democrats will wake up and take back control of their party.  For a reasonable two party system is also a good measure of protection.