I'm Tired and Weary

It's my day off. I'm tired...........physically and mentally. And even culturally.

I am tired of what America has become. No longer is there common sense, civility, restraint, or any other virtues. These days, the only thing that seems to matter............the number one "right" in America today..........is the right NOT to be offended. Certain people cannot say anything out loud, it seems, for fear of swift retribution. We see it politically, in business, in dealing in everyday life. Certain people cannot express opinions without fear of the "thought police" ruining them.

Now I agree that there are things that are harmful.............using disparaging words about ethnic groups, and such. Even with all the awareness of the last 20 years or so, there is still bullying. It is constantly said that "educating children about bullying being wrong will stop it."

BALDERDASH!

Bullying still exists. Name calling still exists. Hazing still exists.

That's just one example. "Political correctness" is a stench in the nostrils of what America should be about. It is nothing more than the silencing of people who hold moral and conservative views.
What makes me maddest is this: The very same people (who tend to be liberal politically) who preach 'tolerance' and 'acceptance' will vociferously shout you down IF YOU DON'T AGREE WITH THEM. They have no problem loudly and constantly pushing their ideas, opinions, and beliefs, but anyone who disagrees better shut up; they say "don't you push your ideas down my throat.' IT IS THEY WHO ARE PUSHING THEIR IDEAS DOWN MY THROAT, AND I AM SICK OF IT! IF THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO IT, SO DO I!!!!!!!!!

I am tired of media of every sort giving only one side of important issues. Why does this happen?
Because every person only cares about their own agenda. It used to be that reasonable people could come together for the common good. Not any more. The only thing that matters these days is our own agenda. Yes, there are times we have to be concerned about things that matter to us. But must we be SO self-centered that nothing or no one else matters? Is it necessary to hurt others so that we can have what we want?

America is done as a decent, moral, powerful country.

That's my opinion.
What's yours?

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Change of plans

After a long day of work, Ingrid and I were planning to go to my niece's 8:30pm (!) softball game.

At 7:55pm, it started raining. It is such that we are not now going.

Instead we have on the tv the show "18 Kids and Counting" on TLC. I can handle this show better than Kate and 8 plus Jon.....the show jumped the shark when the network.......the NETWORK.....paid for Kate's teeth whitening and tummy tuck. Plus she treats Jon like crap. Whatever he may have done (and he acknowledges bad decisions), I have never observed him disrespect her on the show like she disses him. Plus, no matter what anyone says, the children pick up on this. We are all products of the environment we were raised in. We take on in our own lives those things we observe in our parents (or whomever raised us). Remember the old line "do as I say, not as I do?" If we're honest, we all have times when we either heard that or feel like that. Those who recognize negative things and have resolved to make changes in their lives are to be commended. (Full disclosure: I am not a parent; but I have been a child, raised by a single mom, plus I have over 20 years of observing parents raising children.) I am not elevating myself to some pedestal. I'm just expressing my opinion. Which, since this is my blog, I am entitled to. I do not wish to push anything down anyone's throat, so to speak.

I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.

Now I have a headache.

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

5-31-09 (Random Thoughts)

Today is Sunday.

A day of worship for some, the second day of the weekend for most.

For me, I see it mostly as a day of worship. In my current job, I work every Saturday in order to have Sunday off. Otherwise, the world's largest retailer would have me working both Saturday and Sunday and give me days off during the week. As it is, my days off are Sunday and Thursday.

I miss the routine of the former factory job. Monday-Friday, every once in a while a Saturday, no Sunday. The pay was better too. But that's the past.

I was going to make comments about politics, but I changed my mind.


Sometimes I feel like..........

*I don't have a brain in my head.
*I'm the biggest idiot on earth.
*I'm not worthy to breathe air.
*I'm just a drain on society.

It is at those times that I must remember......God loves me, no matter what I've done, or thought, or said. That is what matters.

Just remember......God is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to eternal life. That means you.

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

A new entry

Wow.....what a concept.

Most of my activity online has been on my Facebook page. Facebook has been great for me because I have found many friends and acquaintences I had lost touch with over the years. So it's been mainly there that you will find me. If I ever have any coherent thoughts again, I will post them here.

Tonight marks the end of the line for Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. Seventeen years and one week after taking over for Johnny Carson, Leno steps aside for Conan O'Brien. My personal feeling is that had Carson been making the choice 17 years ago, David Letterman would have been his successor. Carson was pushed out by NBC, and the network chose Leno. Mainly because Letterman's late night show was turning a profit. The fact that Letterman continued on "Late Night" for 13 months after Leno got 'Tonight' speaks to his sense of loyalty. Finally, he could take it no more.

Just as the show changed when Leno took over, it will change again beginning Monday night when Conan becomes host. He has two things going for him right away: his band, the Max Weinberg 7, is making the move with him, and Andy Richter, his sidekick on Late Night for 7 years, is the new announcer.

As I did on Mr. Carson's last night, I will watch Leno's final show. I prefer Letterman, but for historical purposes I want to see how Leno goes out.

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Gout rears its ugly head

Being overweight (or in my case, morbidly obese), I have a condition known as gout. Crystallized particles collect on bones, resulting in terrible arthritic pain. I am thankful that it is on the top of my right foot. If it were in a toe, or the sole of the foot, I would be unable to move. As it is today, I am using a cane. I am able to get around; we just got back from Walmart about an hour ago. It has been a beautiful day, but still wintery cold, even with a temp hovering around 40.

Rantoul is being hit hard again. The local pork processing plant, employing 600, has been closed for close to a month, and most likely will close for good. Financial troubles.....just another in a long line of casualties in the job market around here. It has been 15 years since the air force base closed for good, and the town still struggles to bring jobs in. The climate in Illinois is not great for potential employers looking for locations. I keep wondering if I should go to the Amish country about an hour south of here, and buy a horse and buggy and REALLY simplify. But I digress.......

Having taken a very strong pain pill a few hours ago, I am beginning to nod off. Thanks for reading, and.....

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

A legendary voice is silenced

Radio broadcasting pioneer Paul Harvey died earlier today at his winter home in Phoenix, at the age of 90. Mr. Harvey lost his wife and producer, Angel, last May, and never seemed to fully recover from the blow. He began his "News and Comment" on ABC radio in 1951, and he continued in the role (albeit in a limited capacity the last year) until his death. His program "The Rest of the Story" premiered in 1976. No word yet on what will happen to the broadcasts. His son Paul Jr. and Ron Chapman have filled in during Mr. Harvey's absences.

He is survived by his son Paul Aurandt.

Another legend is gone. People under 25, or even 30, do not understand the significance of losses like this. Jack Benny, Bing Crosby, George Burns, Bob Hope, Dean Martin, Johnny Carson.......the list goes on during the past 35 years. I understand that everyone's frame of reference is different...........but I can't help thinking that this generation's popular performers cannot, and will not, measure up to the standard set by the aforementioned performers and their contemporaries.

Being a radio enthusiast, this is a loss that hits hard. Paul Harvey is the last link to the so-called 'golden era' of broadcasting. He is now gone. Even if we don't realize or sense it, we have all lost a national treasure.

Rest in peace, Mr. Harvey. You are now with your Lord, and with your Angel.

Today's your birthday.................

or in this case, mine. I was born in Keokuk, Iowa this day in 1965. Forty-four years ago.......@ 7:26 am. Son of Charles Arthur and Ruth Oraleen Tripp Menge. Raised an only child.....mom & dad lost twins, Jerry and Julie, in 1963. Moved from Warsaw IL to Arenzville IL in 1967 when dad transferred with the railroad. Parents divorced in 1973.....mom and I moved back to
Warsaw in 1975. Lived there until Mom's death in 1981.....moved in with Dad and stepmother in Arenzville....graduated HS in 1983. After washing out of army basic training, I moved to Springfield IL in January 1984 to attend community college. Got a part time job at Hardee's which became a full time job.....I dropped out of college. Continued working at the restaurant until i was let go in July 1987. After a futile attempt to find work, I moved to Rantoul IL in October 1987. Three days later, through a temp agency, I got work in a local factory. I was hired full time in January 1988, and remained there until the plant closed August 31, 2007.

I became involved with, and joined, Bible Baptist Church in Rantoul in November 1987. Easter Sunday 1988 I led singing for the first time. I have done so (with a few brief sabbaticals) ever since. I first met Ingrid in 1997 when she visited the church with her mother. We got to know each other later that year, after she came to faith in Jesus Christ. I proposed on Valentine's Day 1998, and we were married six months later.

Over the years we have had highs and lows. We have each lost a parent; yet we have had wonderful times with family and friends, and with each other. I am so grateful and thankful for my wife. I cannot adequately convey what she means to me.

This has turned into a brief biography of my life. I hope I have not bored you. Just some insight into this life placed here by God.

Happy Birthday to me.

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.