Common Ground

So I spent the weekend trying to be a community organizer. It gave me new respect for Barack. It's hard to sit and talk about issues with people that don't have the same values and concerns as you. Common ground. Is there really any? Not much that I could find. A friend was trying to explain institutional racism to me. She quoted a letter to the editor in our local paper written by a black woman. This writer spoke of growing up black and having to always be aware of what size handbag she carried when going into a store. My friend told me that as a white woman, she had never had to think about it. Lucky her. I know my wife has thought about it. A couple of weeks ago we were in Atlanta for one of my eye appointments. A neighbor recommended a restaurant. Parking was bad, forcing us to a parking garage. We had to walk through Saks Fifth Avenue to get to and from. Coming from, we had a large bag containing desert for later that night. When we passed through Saks, a large black man in a suit walked over to us and looked into our bag, then walked away. He was doing his job. We and a young black couple pushing a baby stroller then got into the elevator and left.
I was reading Leonard Pitts the other day. He was ranting about the death of a young girl. She was caught in the crossfire. It seems they named a park after her. They should have named a jail instead. Then filled it with her killers. Leonard called the black community weak for not having seen anything. I wrote him and told him it wasn't weakness it was stupidity. It is my opinion that black people are raised up to fail by their own people. The ones that don't accept this teaching, or are taught to expect success for their hard work are the ones that succeed.
What about discrimination? Does it exist? Yes. It exists in all forms toward all people. I myself was turned down for a promotion once because of my eyesight. I was not hired at other places for the same reasons, and told these things to my face. What did I do? I kept knocking on doors til someone answered. I went to school and got good grades. I learned to outwork the competition.
Should Sherondric be judged the same as Jim? You bet! Is he? Likely not. When I named my children I remember thinking about what effect their names might have on them. Ruth was almost something else for fear that it might make her a target. It is stupid to name your kid something that will be a strike against them from the start. We all know about the baby Adolph Hitler Campbell.
Do people discriminate when hiring? Absolutely. Can you overcome it? Absolutely. Find someone that wants your talent. My wife hired the best person for the job when she needed someone. This included a black woman, and an Asian man. Business wants people that can do the job, not people that look like me. Will racism ever go away?
Don't axe me, cause fo shizzle I don't know.

News

Update on my eye. I'm healing. Hope to go back to work after next week.
Point of view on the Cal octuplets mother. It's a vagina, not a clown car! For gods sake take her uterus.
Pov Obama and his cabinet picks. Mrs and I aren't qualified due to the timely payment of our taxes. Do any of those people do the right thing?

Update

Had my one week postop today. I have a possible complication. There was some excess bleeding, which was difficult to pinpoint due to the gas bubble in my eye. It is believed to be just a minor concern at this time. My vision is down to large objects, with contrast, but expected to clear within the coming week. The blood is expected to settle and not be a problem. I want to thank everyone for the kind words, thoughts, and prayers, as they sustain me. On a final note, our daughter is home and I would like to thank those whose concerns were with mine (that be you, John). Once again, thanks to Mrs. C for typing this.

Where have I been?

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I have had an eye issue come up. This issue required urgent surgery this past Friday to repair a torn retina. The docs think they fixed it. It will be a couple of weeks before I know what I have. Hopefully, we will be back to our regularly scheduled show at that time. Thanks to Mrs. C for typing this for me. See ya soon. Tom

Long December

Pic is of a roadside memorial to two young men that died in a motorcycle wreck this past week.
So I'm going to work one morning a couple of days before Christmas, and as I pop over a hill I see Blue lights...... Lots of em. I see a bright light like they use to do road construction at night. Highway patrol has the center three lanes blocked but I didn't see a wreck.
Found out later that it was the subject of the above photo.
Tried to find out what happened on the news but got a bunch of he said she said. I was about to chalk it up to natural selection, and still might, but I needed time to process it all.
December is a time of promise, and silver and gold for the young. For some of us though it is the bitter witches heart of the year. For me, it was ten years ago the twentieth that my mother died. My wife drove 16 hours in a snowstorm to get me there in time to say a proper goodbye. I remember. About the time I get the tree loaded with gifts, I remember.
This year, about a week or two before Christmas my Dads girlfriend suddenly died.
I guess they had been together about five years now.
I got a call from a woman that lives in our neighborhood. (I don't know her well) She told me that a dear friend that had moved away was in the hospital, diagnosed with bone cancer. She works where he banks. It was tough to go and see him and to talk to him since he got home and started his treatments. He is one of only two in this neighborhood that I could talk to about anything. I think the thing I love about him most is that he is a thinking man. (Count blessings, I have more then one friend here) So the season has been busy, and the economy is in the tank, but it could be so very much worse. Just ask the mothers of the two young men that died this past week here.

Auto Bailout

Here is my take on whether to bail or not the auto industry.
Under no circumstance should GM or Ford be allowed to die. More on that later.
Chrysler: Sell the brand to GM for 0 dollars and some stock. What we're looking to save here is Jeep, and some niche products like Sebring Convertibles. Chicks dig em, and with the GM engine they might be worth more then spit, and live more then 90k.
Sell the Dodge Ram to Mitsubishi, or someone else.
GM: Bankruptcy. Restructure your debt and labor contracts. Use fed money to buy back your bonds at .50 on the dollar.
United Auto Workers: Put up or shut up. Use the one billion dollars in your strike fund to buy into GM. Become a full partner in the company, and continue buying into it. Play to your strengths. Outwork the rest of them. More hours, less pay, full profit sharing. I don't own the company that I work for, but I do own my workmanship. Fire those that don't own their workmanship. You work, you eat!
Back to the top: Machines of war are and have always been made in factories at home. No factories, no defence.
One more thing. China is a new world leader because they make stuff. We quit making stuff, and now have nothing to do.
It really is just that simple.

New stuff

I've added two new things to the page. One is a E mail link to send the blog things like viruses and porn an such...kidding.
The other is a link list of readers reads. Hope you will help me fill it.

What happens

What happens when you get a group of Americans and put them half a world away from home and kin?



They come together in celebration of what and who they are.

Thanksgiving

I want to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
While I'm cooking the bird I will be thinking of all of you. Hope everyone is where they want to be, and those that aren't I hope that you're among friends.

Socialism and my country

Pic is of Crisp point light house in the upper peninsula of Michigan. You are looking toward Duluth Minnisota some fourhundred miles west. turn right and you look toward Canada about a hundred miles.
So now we've had a day or two to digest the conversation between John and I. I just might, as John says be insufferably stupid. If so then I've got some Canadian company.
I see the election of Barak Obama as nothing les than putting Nancy and the gay guy...... (dammit I can't remember his name, so I'll call him Lispy) in charge of the hen house. These folks will do wonders with our money. Might even change the world. Ole Lispy's boyfriend worked for Fanny or Freddy, (can't remember which) and made a bundle. Wonder who got the mortgage on their love shack? (sorry I've got music in my head) So we should have some regulation? Can't trust folks to run an honest company? If someone did conspire to defraud investors of their money then they should be jailed. If someone lost money because of their own stupidity, then they should be laughed at and or pitied, NOT bailed out. What? My beloved GM needs money? I got a couple grand you can use. You take mine and Joe's and Pete's etc etc and you build something that makes all of us money. You don't however, buy Chrysler.
So back to John and I.
As most of you know I'm blind in one eye, and didn't see well out of the other. I then got a cataract in the high risk eye that I had left. It would seem that My friend (and I mean that) John also had a cataract. He had his removed first. He then had a Retinal detachment that went mis diagnosed for two weeks. He doesn't have useful function of the eye anymore. I had mine removed, and am seeing better then I've ever seen.
What might be the difference?
I'll tell you.
Socialized Medicine!
I and my Doctor were able to search out not only the best surgeon for my cataract, but also a Retina specialist to See me concurrently. The Retina guy told me to be ready for a detachment, but that if it was repairable he would do just that! The cataract guy is known as the best, east of the Mississippi. He knew he couldn't go in there like a bull in a china shop. I had a phone number to get ahold of the retina guy twenty four hours a day. Had something happened, I could have been in surgery within hours, not weeks. Johns country failed him. His Doctors failed him. He, failed him.
In this country you can go to any County hospital and get care at no charge if you are indigent. I remember when my youngest was a toddler. She had chronic ear infections. I had no insurance. I thought the world a cruel place that would let my child suffer this and not help. Some of my Canadian relatives (yes I have many) suggested that I go to Canada to get the surgery. I gave it some thought. I then found a social worker that knew just what to do, and whom to see. It was taken care of with just a small amount out of my pocket according to what I made. I am aware of many Canadians coming to America for treatment of one thing or another. Why? Cause they can, and it works.
In short, our system isn't broken, and I see. My friend on the other hand is now a member of my little club.

Election two

It would seem that I've witnessed my country receiving a mortal wound. I wouldn't have thought it would come from within. No matter, as I will stand watch over her as long as I've breath.
The eighth kingdom has now come to pass.

The Election

Pic is a view of the South Carolina mountains from Ceasars Head state park.
The view is one of the finest in the state. (my opinion)
Remember all the folks that said they were leaving if Bush were re-elected? I voted for him, so why are you still here? Remember you were moving to Canada? To cold?
So I've been hearing some folks say that they will have to leave if Obama and Biden are elected. Wassa matter, don't want to live in a socialist state? Remember the pic of the lighthouse I use from time to time? That view, and the one above are worth fighting for. Hold your part of the line, and know that I'm holding mine.

Dano's Two

The best thing about Dano's was Dan and Lavora. I think they know everyone for fifty miles. They had a knack for being there when folks needed them. I know of at least one instance where a regular customer needed to put her car in the shop for a week, and Dan and Lavora gave this person a Cadillac to drive. It goes much deeper then that though. One of the regulars was stricken with lung cancer. He used to clean the bar on weekend mornings. Dan cut his grass while he was recovering from surgery. I remember watching someone bug Dan about betting on a football game. When the man lost, he wanted double or nothing. Dan agreed, and told the man to pick his game and team. There are about a million stories, but two are near to my heart.
My wife retired from her day job to type for a living. The service she worked for told her that she wouldn't need anything but a dial up Internet account. As luck would have it, they didn't have enough work for her without high speed Internet. (satellite wouldn't work) I suggested that she try to rent space from one of the businesses on the main road. We couldn't pay much, as it came right out of her checks. Dan was her second stop. She went in for lunch and asked Dan if he knew of a place she could rent from someone local for cheap. Yes he said,"you can rent from me." She was there two years while I worked out the technology for her to work from home. While I was blind, a buddy came over to take me fishing. We stopped at Dano's for lunch. Dan came over to chat, asking me how I was holding up. I said I was having trouble being stuck around the house all day every day. He said "Your not! I'll come and get you any time you want."
We went to a party a while back. It was for another regular and sometime bartender that had taken a job out of state. I had gotten to know David a couple of years ago. He was from Illinois. We had both wrestled at Northern Illinois University though not for them. So as the party was coming to a close I got to thinking about us. David was from Illinois, the man with lung cancer and his wife were from Minnesota, and Me from Michigan. I asked Dan how all of us northerners could find a home in that bar? He said "I have never met a stranger, and I know only friends."
Thank God. Thank God for the both of you!
Dan and Lavora gave up the fight to keep the place open in a time when profits were very hard to come by.

Dano's

"Evil lurks in the hearts of man, not the haunts of man." Quote from Don on this blog some time ago.
So it's come to this. Everything in life has a time. A time to be, followed by a time to cease to be. I know a couple that own a bar in my neighborhood. It is a little, rundown place on the banks of Lake Murray. The burgers come in 1/3 pound patties that are bought from a meat market. It takes two of them to complete a Dano burger. The fries are hand cut. The folks that inhabit this place are as close as the neighbors that they are to me. The owners, Dan and his wife Lavora, are trusted friends met through the bar. I remember one of the first times I found a seat in the bar. (it was hard to do in the days before the expansion)
A big man came over to our (my wife and I's) booth and introduced himself. He then welcomed us to the neighborhood when told we were building a house near by. He introduced us around, so we would feel comfortable there. I remember telling some co-workers about the place. One told me that they check you for knives at the door. If they don't find one, they issue you one from the kitchen! I never really had problems in there. It could get a bit intense late at night, or when the girls on the dance floor had a bit too much, but I never saw the police there. I remember being there about one Christmas and seeing some bags of fresh shelled pecans on the bar. They were for sale for about seven bucks each. Danelle, (my wife) thought we should buy some so that she could make her holiday rum balls. I asked Dano about them, and he told me that he had a friend that was blind, and he shelled the nuts and was trying to sell them. We told Dan that we would take a bag for our rum balls, and to please add it to our tab. No! Came the reply, as he gave me the nuts and asked if we would bring him some of the rum balls. He was willing to donate the rum as well! He bought the pecans, so we bought the rum, and everyone got rum balls. continued.

Investment advice.

How much of your net worth have you lost over the last few months? I don't have a clear idea yet about my wife and I. The river is still rising. Will we be OK? Yes, we paid attention all along, and have a low debt ratio to earnings. Do I think the govt should bail us out? I have no idea, but lean against it. Did anyone see Nancy Pelosi the other night? Instead of telling everyone to work together, she took the opportunity to "blame Bush" and the rest of the GOP. Howd that work out for yah Nancy? Hell no we won't vote for your bill! I see no reason a sane person would ever elect her to office, so how did that happen? I think it's revenge. It is revenge from all the gays in San Francisco for the way the country has treated them. I told you they were some mean asses when you got em going! :) Most of us aren't anti gay, and even if we were..... we're sorry! Please call off your attack critter! Please!
My advice to weather this storm is simple. Buy seeds! Corn and other vegetables should do well in all of the manure Washington is handing out.

Sept 11

What did you do today? I chose to wait til the evening to make my post, because I don't need to be reminded. I have a Daughter over seas, and a Son-in-law going in a few months. I have bunches of pictures that were sent to me. Some from my wife, some from Andy, and more still from others. I couldn't choose one over the other, and then I thought it was more personal then that. I know my role as a Christian, but find the road too hard to walk at this time. I find the hate is still just below the surface. I don't need to bank the fire. For me it will always burn. So what to do? Turn on the tube? Should be a memorial on every channel. Nope, don't want to hear the talking heads. As I've gotten older I have become somewhat afraid of heights. Don't know when that happened, cause I used to do some crazy shit up high. Anyway, I always go back to the jumpers. People in such hell that a 100 story plunge was the preferred choice. What did you do today? I went for a walk in the woods to be with my God, and pray for the jumpers, and those like me that still hate.

Time

So I've now had the whole summer off, and live at the lake. Cool huh? Not so much.
Having the summer off is great if you have the money and ability to do things that interest you. I spent mine reading. I read until I could no longer see books, and then I modified my puter so that I could read online. (and y'all thought I spent the summer looking at naked pictures) I read anything to occupy the time. If a subject came up, I'd google it. So I learned that a Transman is a woman that becomes a man. (don't ask) I learned that they can function in their own best interests, if you know what I mean.....
I learned that sometimes we don't come out with the right stuff to match who we are. (in my case it was Dale Earnhardts eyes) I learned that from a genetic view, I don't have it so bad.

surgery

Surgery went well this morning. So well that I'm posting this myself. Danger of a detachment for a couple weeks but then lessening over time. Doc says the things that could have gone wrong didn't I now need reading glasses... Not sure what I see yet but it is better then the best I've ever seen before. Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers.
Tom

This is it

Well my week has finally come. I'm to have surgery Thursday. Don't have much to say but thanks to all that have called, e mailed, posted and prayed for me. I sure hope it's only gonna be one, but it's his will. No matter what happens I'll have my wife update the blog. Thanks again for being with me.
Tom

Update: Surgery scheduled for 9:45 Thursday morning.

The pick

So the Senator from Arizona has made his choice. Most that know me know that I'm a conservative, better known as a republican. So I'm watching the race unfold and wishing for my guy, Duncan Hunter, of San Diego. I get John McCain and....... What the hell? Sarah Palin? Who the hell is this broad? So the Russians and Iranians are going nuts, and I want Reagan, and I get Palin. Awww Shit! She can't even name her kids something that makes sense. Track? Trig? What the hell? She is going to have a nuke football? Awww what the hell? Barry O has no experience, and is a Muslim. Sarah has no experience and is a nut. Guess who just got screwed! Yep..... You and Me!

Continued

I want to know what her tax stratagy will be. She raised taxes to the tune of 6 billion dollars on big oil so she could give all Alaskans a check for energy help. Check was for twelve hundred bucks. I wonder who the oil companies passed that cost onto? More later.

More...
Most folks that read this blog know that we have an Alaskan cop that checks in now and then. He says Palin was a good choice, though she is under investigation for firing his friend. Hmmm
My comment about the names of her kids might seem a bit low blow but it speaks to her judgement. Think about it. A kid with downs syndrome. Geez that's tough. Being a handicapper myself I feel for her. So who is going to give the kid all the extra care he needs over his life?
All of this doesn't mean shit against the fact that she has less experience then Barry O. So all the adds that were run the last month are now null and void. We needed lots of help in the Midwest. Romney. Doesn't matter if you like it or not, it is what it is. Will she get my vote? Absolutely. Will I like it? No.