The US Post Office played Scrooge this year by denying a recovering wounded veteran a Christmas card. The image tells the story. Correctly addressed after notifying Post Office but returned anyway.

read more | digg story

You would think that facing a war would put a sour face on anyone, but after leaving McGuire Air Force base I felt energized. All these bright and happy faces surrounded me. When I looked at the civilian workers that I work with I saw nothing but misery. All we are facing are arrogant political hacks, not harm and death. I realize that we are so beat down that no one is happy anymore until you get out of work. What a sorry way to live, yet we elect these idiots and we fear these idiots. Everyday these young Army and Air Force heroes face an uncertain future. All we face are blank faces and supreme stupidity. How do thousands of unionized workers hide under rocks when a political appointee with a limited intelligence and a limited time span to exist stares at you? I think it is truly time to use Gandhi’s passive resistance and smile and do whatever you want. They die if we don’t help. We take away the souls they have been feeding on like oily succubi and they will shrivel up and blow away in the wind.

The old story about the frog in the pot seems to apply to current state of political affairs. As the flame increases and the water becomes warmer the frog continues swimming uncaring. The fire heats higher and higher and before the frog knows enough to jump out  of the pot, he’s frog legs dinner. New Jersey politics is a lot like that. Granted that the care of those that cannot care for themselves is a moral obligation for society. These obvious moral mandates keep growing in the legislature. The rights continue to grow and grow until society as a whole can no longer sustain itself. Then, in turn do we become those unfortunates that cannot care for themselves as medical costs skyrocket because the industry knows they have an ally in a seat in the government office that thinks nothing of spending every-ones money on these moral issues? My cynical nature starts to observe that those that seem the most in need do not get the help they need. Segments of the population are given handouts while others are relegated into some living purgatory of trying to sustain themselves and pay the price for the charity of others. Increasingly the state is losing revenues because earners are leaving the state for other areas less apt to reach into their pockets to sustain a personal whim of the politicians in this state. I have lived in a quasi socialist state of Great Britain. At that time 55% of my salary was taken to pay for social programs, but I was allowed to participate in these programs. My surplus money went to luxuries that I wanted. In this country they brag of the rich and poor tax breaks and the ever shrinking middle class worker having to pay for everyone else’s needs and from the forest of satellite dishes and SUV’s I see parked in urban areas, I would say some of the luxuries as well. How much does the average citizen pay in taxes in this country? With the fees, local taxes, Federal taxes, surcharges and other hidden charges inflicted on us, how much do we pay for taxes? How much did it cost for acting Governor Cody to check high school athletes for steroid use? Governor Corzine, this morning, announced he would make sure the state of New Jersey will pick up the tab for those children that will losing their medical coverage. He is already 2 billion in the hole and with the mandated funding of schools and pension systems how is he going to pay for these moral obligations? The typical strategy will be to demonize state workers. They have too many benefits, they have medical coverage, they have days off, they have pensions, what will he take away with the rabble screaming HANG THEM ALL.After all the blood letting, there will be a quiet rebuilding of government payroll budgets and business as usual in the capitol, although with a lot of wounded, demoralized victims of a war that was not of their choosing.

Shades of Jim Florio and the toilet paper tax.

I only wrote when forced to in classes for the grade. Most of the time I looked forward to the challenge the assignment presented. These assignments were nice and structured, lots of organized facts that backed up your opinion whether right or wrong. A nice cohesive argument that could be ignored as the ramblings of a silly undergraduate.

I still have my Filofax with all the scribbles I jotted down in fits of anxious creativity. i have left short stories around the world which were probably thrown out by the maid service in some hotel. I have never seen or heard of any play, book, or movie that resembled any of my original writings so I am pretty secure in stating that no one read my scribbles.

Now with the ability to instantly publish something not limited to a select class in college, but the entire world without structure. Publishing an unstructured document without any reason other than to publish your opinions and thoughts. there is something very subversive in this ability. My writing has begun to take on the anger and frustration of the common man. I forgot who wrote the phrase, “we live our lives in quiet desperation ” but it takes on a new meaning talking inside my head while my fingers voice the thoughts for everyone to read. This started to become frightening the other night when I realized that behind me at any time there may someday be someone that types in a Google search and I will be revealed to everyone as I truly am, at least for that moment in time. This is frightening, because like all other humans my thoughts and opinions change based on circumstances and newly revealed facts. Questions arise, will this ruin my viability as a Presidential Candidate someday? Will my words be used in evidence against me? Not likely, I chose not to run and I try to follow all the known laws.

But the spectre of a Google search sits and waits. Lingering like a tiger ready to pounce. Did you see what Sibby wrote? that seems enormously presumptuous that anyone would actually care what Sibby wrote. Will the Google threat reduce me to writing anonymous graffiti? Will my freedom be impacted? Will I begin to cheat on a game of solitaire with words?

Tune in next time for the answers to these and other questions when Tide presents As the World Turns and goodnight world.

Just because you live in New Jersey does not mean that you can live anywhere in the world. There is one place that is impossible to live in and that is New Jersey. In boot camp during the beginning of my four years in the Navy, the company commander told me that New Jersey has such changeable weather that you will be able to tolerate any weather in the world. After years of travel I found out that I could tolerate and mostly enjoy the weather in other parts of the world, but not because of New Jersey’s changeable weather but because the State of New Jersey is so terrible that every place else seems great.

It is mid October and the weather is hot and humid. I hate to say it but Al Gore may be right about global warming. But think what would have happened if his pet scientist stuck with his story that the earth was moving rapidly into the next ice age. This hot and humid weather would have been considered a blessing instead of a world wide disaster. It is a matter of perspective. The other lesson is that if you constantly change your dire prediction there will be enough of the eco-nuts that will follow you everywhere including Stockholm. Remember terrorist king Yassar Arafat can get a Nobel Peace prize for not killing as many Isreali’s one year than he did all the rest. I think it is called positive reinforcement.

See you all later.

I love the old crafts. I became fascinated when I started collecting meerschaum pipes. There was something satisfying about using a unique tool to do something as mundane as smoke. Researching the method of manufacturing was not much different than the great Renaissance painters and their apprentices. Each step of the process built on the previous step, culminating on a finished pipe that was easily destroyed if you dropped it. Fragility and beauty because that is the way that things were made. Victorian gingerbread, blacksmith-ed tools, all forms of art and beauty that surrounded everyone and became part of the background of life, unappreciated until today when form follows function.

I know it is politically incorrect ,but I grew up learning to read the Little Train that Could and Little Black Sambo. I mean no disrespect but trying no matter how impossible it may seem and chasing a tiger or the tiger chasing you around the palm tree just made so much sense. I see philosophies that people embrace and for me it comes down to those two. I think I can I think I can I know I can and holy sh*t now what do I do. Regrettably most of my life seems to have been the later. Is the tiger chasing me or am I chasing the tiger? I think the best lesson from any of this is to not stop. Keep going because you will get swallowed up. The only problem with this is if you catch the tigers tail what will happen to you then? Will the tiger say you got me buddy, you win? Or will he say Yum a tender morsel. I think the only way to win is to zag instead of zig. As the tiger runs in circles you run for the beach, jump in the ocean and swim for it.
The one great thing is that life has been interesting. I bluffed my way into more jobs because the lesson I learned is that most managers have no clue on how to judge your capabilities otherwise they would not be looking for someone and that most things can be learned if necessary because they have to be understandable or you would be Einstein and since no one but Albert is Einstein we find ourselves ignorant but willing to learn.

I drove past a field of corn that was well past its prime today. In the middle were a few stragglers that had been missed by the combine or whatever machinery they use. They looked forlorn. Standing alone against the weather, and elements where once they stood among all of their kind protected and secure from their surroundings. This got me thinking about schools of fish, trees in a forest and other things that are strong because they do not stand alone. That scraggly looking Monterrey Pine tree on the cliff that has stood for generations, in comparison to the redwoods that cluster over the Santa Cruz mountains that have stood strong for centuries with their growth rings marking epochs in the world’s history. So which is better standing alone or together? Each brings their own value to the world. Tourists take the same picture of that pine tree overlooking Monterrey Bay from its perch on the cliff and tourists take pictures holding hands around the girth of a giant redwood. Would the pine change places with the redwoods? I think for a brief rest from the wind, cold and rain but not forever. We each have to figure where we belong. Standing together or standing alone, we are who we are and nothing much changes us unless we are totally demoralized. The one thing I know is that those corn canes will not stand for long. Sooner or later the next planting will begin, churning them under for the next generation of crops to be planted, so maybe its the guy with the tractor that will always determine our fate.

I started to feel irrationally guilty about not posting on this site. I am really trying to write, if however, briefly on a daily schedule. I try not to plan the subject, just sit down and let a stream of consciousness flow out over the Ethernet. The one thing that is impacting my freedom is the rumor that the company I work for has installed web sense. I know they have had it installed for quite some time to assure whoever that no one is viewing pornography, racist, or hacking sites, but now they seem to want to check on how much time is being wasted on the web during work hours. The rumor states that they are monitoring times and if you go over some preconceived amount of time that they will charge you for the usage. They have made the use of computers one of the most painful processes imaginable. It can take upwards of 20 minutes just to get to the windows screen to click on a useful icon. All the virus checking in the world and they still get them, it is amazing the time and energy they waste to fight a battle they cannot win with software alone. They do not seem to understand the genie in the bottle theory that states once you open the stopper you can’t get the genie back in the bottle. The funny part is that they lost the opportunity to even get the three wishes that are traditionally given to the finder of the bottle. Lost opportunity the hallmark of the corporate world when they try to play with technology. So now I am working off a computer that is not in their audit list just for spite. My next step is to go to You Tube and view all the contact juggling videos they have. Contact juggling is fascinating. The acrylic balls seem to float effortlessly in space. It seems deceptively simple, but I still cannot seem to get the technique down. You seem to just have to move the ball and the viewers mind creates the alternate reality of a ball without the force of gravity. The ball seems to have a mind of its own and the juggler becomes the acolyte for the ball instead of the ball following the jugglers commands. Amazing. The heavy acrylic ball seems to lose all weight as if a bit of space was brought down to amuse you.
This begs the question about perceived reality. Our logical mind knows that the ball is not floating, nor is it weightless. Our emotional self wants to believe in the fantasy. How much in life is like that. I once put a play together that explored this area. The play centered around the lives of two individuals on a dark stage. In the middle of the dialogue the audience would see the give and take between the characters as they went through the normal emotions, Baby spotlights highlighting different people during different aspects of their dialog. Quick switching as tempers flared and the character became ugly. beauty highlighted during the gentler times. We are all these people in one. Jekyll and Hyde an old but true concept but not as simple as good and evil. The human nature goes from black to white but stays fairly centered in the different shades of grey.
We should all wear a mood ring to reveal the truth.

It is a day like hundreds of other days, yet there is a peace that pervades my environment. Driving through the park to see the squirrels madly running all over in preparation for a winter rest; seeing herds of gentle deer browsing the green grass to put on some weight, you know winter is near. It seems that overnight all the trees decided to change their colors. Greens turned to yellows and reds as if they are trying to hide from the cold to come. Maybe the trees are color blind and do not realize how much they stand out now. There are still a few trees that did not get the memo to start changing and stubbornly retain the green they have gotten used to carrying through spring and summer. Snow has begun to fall in the Great Lakes and the heat turns on and off. Our little orphan kitten that we adopted begs to stalk the balcony and then quickly begs pitifully to return to the warm bed that has just been vacated.

All seems right after such a protracted summer. Everything is back to synchronicity and the dour warnings of Al Gore are a distant memory where every warm day seemed to verify his inconvenient truth. maybe he and his followers will now hibernate until the next warm day to rehash the same warnings that chicken little spoke of when he said the sky was falling. Maybe if the ice caps and glaciers melt Niagra Falls will become a way to enter the Great Lakes instead of a way out of the lakes. Can you imagine the water level so high that the falls goes the other way after all these centuries? New Jersey, Long Island will become the new Atlantis’, a vague memory of what was where future undersea explorers will wonder at the Levitowns and urban sprawls and explore someones TV room like a long lost shipwreck containing treasures of HDTV’s and Xbox consoles with CD’s filling the silt, never going away or being absorbed by the waters that cover all that was.