Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Occupy Philadelphia 11-29-2011

I was watching the news earlier about the people still in Dillworth Plaza (at Philadelphia City Hall) as part of Occupy Philadelphia. I don't understand these fools who are battening down the hatches to prevent being removed from the plaza. The city has been very patient and considerate of these people.
Their permits have expired and they have no legal right to stay. And I see no moral imperative for their presence there either.
They are protesting but without a specific aim. In the 60's and 70's protests were held for racial equality and to end the war in Vietnam. These were concrete aims. There were measurable results. People voted and men stopped dying.
These people want to end social and economic inequality but how is that accomplished? These aims must be earned with hard work. I grant that big business in this country, and throughout the world, has a lot to be taken to task for. However the Bank of America or Wells Fargo or any of the other corporations folks are angry at can't simply grant someone social or economic status.
In the meantime the construction crews that should be working on the plaza are being held up. No work is being done and the men and women waiting to do their jobs and earn a paycheck and take care of their families are being held up.
These protesters are not the idealists of ATLAS SHRUGGED. Many of the squatter/protesters I've seen on the news appear to be young and angry at the world in general or the sick and homeless who have been a problem for society in general for the last 30 years or so. I have yet to see a protester here in Philly who actually appears to have a valid argument to make or a way the businesses they are protesting against can resolve that problem.  
I may be getting old but I just had to get that out of my system. Thank you for your patience!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Sunday 11/20/2011

A big hello to anyone who actually clicks on the link to read this.

Today is my brother's 60th birthday. Cards were sent and we, his sisters, took him out to dinner to celebrate last weekend. Eileen even took a ride and took him out to lunch today. He is a low key kind of guy and after his kids & family his interests in life are the Civil War and history in general. I do remember that the day he was born I was in center city with my grandmother and when we got on the bus at 2nd and Market to go back to her house I announced to the bus driver that I had a new baby brother. That is my earliest memory and to this day I can remember what the inside of that bus looked like.

This Thursday is Thanksgiving. As things stand now we won't be having a lot of company. My brother and his son will be here for dinner and Eileen and Bill will be doing the cooking. Turkey with the fixin's and that will incluse creamed onions which is a family favorite reserved for Thanksgiving only. Those small white onions are a bitch to peel but taste so good. They just aren't the same if you use the canned.

Earlier this week I posted the following and am repeating it here in case you missed it:
You've got to love facebook and the cyber universe in general for the world that has been opened to us. We can be in touch every day with people we may not have seen in years. We can share a laugh or a picture or a song that will bring a smile to someone thousands of miles away. We can meet people who enjoy the same pastimes we do and are on the other side of the earth. You can reach out to an author or musician or artist that you admire and let them know what their work has meant to you. But in the words of Sgt. Esterhaus on Hill Street Blues "be careful out there".     


I also saw R.E. Bradshaw's blog about things her mother says. You can find it at 
http://rebradshawbooks.blogspot.com/2011/11/stuff-my-mother-says.html?zx=2e229f4542e8afed.
Here is a small sample:
There are the threatening ones, because we were hellions. "I'll snatch a knot in you." "My God, I hope you have two just like you." "Don't let your mouth write out a check your ass can't pay for." "I will beat you within an inch of your life" (That was an idle threat, but it worked.) And last but not least, another favorite, "Y'all are driving me crazy. You're going to have to come peek at me through the bars on Sunday." There was the constant threat that we would drive her to the Sanatorium.