Friday, January 30, 2015

Conquering Hero

This a piece I wrote for a flash fiction challenge.  I wrote it in memory of a friend who did not die in Vietnam.  He died because of Vietnam.
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His eyes were full of the things he had seen.  His mouth, full of stories better passed over than passed down.  Memories caught in his craw and woke him sweating cold in the dread of his nights and left him staring into his darkness til Dawn’s early light.


Well meaning people wearing blue scrubs and white coats did what they could.  As it was with so many others, it did not work out.  Scarred and broken he was sent back to a homeland that would never be the same.  His innocence pooled bloody on too many foreign plains.  Feeling forgotten, discarded and alone with his demons, he sought solace in barbiturates, whiskey and gin.  He could never forget his role in the pre-meditated chaos of Man killing Man in faraway lands.

One day he gave up, double hit China White, laid down, and he died.  Before his curtain closed, with one final sigh, the untold stories and nightmares at last said goodbye.  Our conquering hero had finally found his peace.
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Tuesday, January 20, 2015

The State of the Union

"My fellow Americans."

The President pauses and looks up at the peanut gallery for just one friendly face.  He finds none. So he looks back at his teleprompter.  He sees the words so carefully crafted, polished and contrived to convince the citizens he is on top of it all.  He shakes his head and a slight grin forms at the corners of his mouth.

"My fellow Americans ......... Once a year at least, my job as your president is to come down here to the hallowed halls of Congress to make a speech.  I would rather not be here, but being here is a requirement of my job.  It is actually written in the Constitution that I show up. I have this speech set up on the teleprompter.  It is about the State of the Union.  It is my take on where this country is now, where it was last year, and where it is headed in the near future.  Once I have hit all the bullet points, you will know what we as Americans should be concerned with.  The economy, jobs, taxes, and because it is just 24 hours since MLK Day, I suppose I ought toss out few thoughts on race and content of character crap."

The President pauses once again.  This pause is expected.  It allows the audience time to fulfill their obligation to applause after every paragraph   Instead there is silence.  Nothing.  The President looks out and sees the wide eyed look of astonishment on every face in the room.  His grin turns to a full blown smile.

"But I know you don't want to hear it.  What you should be concerned with sucks hind tit to what really concerns you.  You would much rather worry about deflated footballs, what Katy Perry will wear at Super Bowl halftime and will Lenny Kravitz show wearing his classic mirrored sunglasses.  And of course there is the possible cut of Taylor Swift from Triple J's Hot 100 list.  This would indeed be tragic and affect all of us for at least the next 5 seconds.

Another pause.  Another moment of silence.  The President sweeps the room with his eyes.

"So I won't stand up here and bore you with what I think is important to us as Americans.  You already know what is important.  All you need is a twitter account and a few apps to fill you in on that.  Worrying about the ethics of our sports teams weighs heavier on your minds than the shady dealings in the smoke filled back rooms of this building."

The President doesn't pause this time.  He pushes forward and his smile fades.

"I just do not care anymore as it has become grossly apparent that you don't care either.  The state of the union is a mess and you only have yourselves to blame.  Thank you very much and go fuck yourselves."

The President steps back.  He raises his hand as if to wave and then turns his hand and flips everyone there the finger and walks out.
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Later Gator ...................................................

Monday, January 12, 2015

Is Satan Real?

Sometime  this past summer I found my latest edition of  "The Watchtower" stuck in the storm door.  I used to actively resist rubbing shoulders or other body parts with folks of the intense religious variety.  But now I have come to terms with the Lord and how folks feel about him/her.  With less time left than I had yesterday, I decided there were things I would not, could not deal with any longer.  I still have lots to cram into what time I have left, and worrying about stuff like God, the Devil, and where they sit regarding Good n' Evil is riding the pine at the moment.  Odd how if it feels Good, it is probably Evil.

So I have become friendly and polite to the couple of Bible thumping Witness Ladies who seem intent on saving my soul.  And instead of tossing their fine comic in the trash as soon as I hit the kitchen, I take it to the office, crack it open for some comic relief, and give their propaganda a chance to turn this heathen into a believer.  Truth be told I usually open it when  under an influence of one kind or another.  And though I should treat said periodical seriously, I chuckle more than is religiously safe I am sure.

The one issue that really caught my eye was titled,  "Is Satan Real?"

I wasn't sure if this was an open book test or was I suppose to provide an essay answer and then open it and find out if I was right.  Not wanting to be caught cheating as the consequences could be rather dire,  I opted to consider the question and come up with my take before finding the "truth" of the matter between the covers of this Witness magazine.

I decided that it does not matter if Satan is real.  It does not matter if God is real.  Reality is flexible when considering notions that are created in the mind and not a result of observing the physical world.  Besides I don't care if Satan or for that matter if God is real.  If either of them are that interested in torturing me in the afterlife or before, then they need to get a life.  My impact or influence is pretty far from having any effect on the over all cluster fuck that makes up life on this planet.

I actually think a better question would be "Is Satan Evil?"  I wonder if somehow the whole Good v. Evil thing has been twisted bass-ackwards over the years.  Anything that feels good is "Evil" , yet inflicting pain and anguish on people in the name of God is somehow "Good"?

I dunno, seems one might be the other , or at the least, not much difference between the two.  Which leaves me in a quandary........... Not.

Good and Evil are not black and white.  They are every color under the Sun.

Later..........................................

Sunday, January 11, 2015

The Thousand Word Picture

My wife posted the image to the left on her Facebook page minutes after the final play of Patriots/Ravens dust-up down to Gillette Stadium last night.  No explanation, just the picture. No explanation was needed.  All our fanatical Raven relatives and friends will get the point.

Generally the Balti-moron fanbase allowed their mouths to run without brains engaged last week.  They always do. Can't seem to keep from talkin smack about this, that and everything under the Sun.


Something about talking smack with no back up.  Can't take it back and it sits in the back of the throat making one feel nauseous.  One could only hope this is the case for the multitude of loudmouths down Bawlamer way.

Meanwhile Pats fans seemed subdued last week.......  Quietly Confident?  ....... Hmm.........No, more like quietly nervous.  We didn't have the best results when meeting the evil Ravens in postseason matches in recent years.  The Ravens were not scared of the Brady/Belichick led Patriots.  They proved it today.  They smacked the Pats in the mouth early and never let up.  The Pats got back up, never gave up and took the lead with about 5 minutes left.  In a squeaker that came down to a timely interception, the Pats prevailed.

In your face big haired Raven Hon and all Raven fans everywhere.  I don't want to hear excuses, whinin, no complainin.   Already heard and read more than enough from you last week.

Later..........................................

Wednesday, January 07, 2015

SSDY

So it's 2015.  Another year has passed while another new one spits and sputters its way into life.

I have become so used to each year being wasted with rampant global stupidity, I decided I guess a couple of years ago to pay as little attention as possible to said stupidity.  Nothing seems to change much.  Good or bad.  We continue to put idiots in the drivers seats and allow them to take us wherever their interest lies.  So this year it is the Republicans who will dictate the road trip.  Already their best blowhards are posturing, slapping each other on the back, and rubbing their hands together in anticipation of screwing the average schmoe more than usual.

I especially like the Right's call to bi-partisanship.  I know they know what it is called, but over the last twenty five years I became convinced they did not have a clue on how to actually do it.  Yet here they are trying to be the gracious winners and give the impression they want to include Democrats in their plans.

Hmm ..................................... I say Bullshit.

Regardless, I will enter 2015 as I have every other year.  With some enthusiasm and optimism that this year will at the least be no worse than the previous year.  Unfortunately it is becoming more difficult to hold onto any hope of a brighter future past the first of February.

Happy New Year ... and oh yeah ... Keep it 'tween the ditches.