The United States of America, may they rest in peace.
This day people in a nation called America celebrate the birth of a country that for all intents and purposes died September 11, 2001.
July 4, 2009
June 30, 2009
Welcome to the Texas Bohemian Blog!
A Web Log, called a Blog these days, serves many different purposes. People use them for business, for religious promotion, for ranting, for political commentary. They’re free and easy and so who knows how many million people have one? How many people dutifully pound away every day or two keeping their blogs up to date? And how many people read them?
The Texas Bohemian
Considering the plethora of blogs out in this cyberspace wonderland and the lack of promotion this blog gets my little bit and byte journal gets very few hits and is not likely to get many. Maybe that’s good. This blog is mostly like a diary that has been left on a park bench, leaves fluttering in the wind, a page or two peaked at by the curious before the whole thing gets knocked to the curb and floats away in the gutter.
I bare my soul, speak frankly, make unkind comments on occasion that I never would anywhere else except maybe in the confines of my home. Take me or leave me as you wish. Most people leave. That’s OK, I suppose, since I’m insignificant anyway. I only always wanted to be important so I could be in a position to change the lives of others. In these waning days of my life that does not appear likely so I merely care for my family as best I can and wait.
On being friends, please read more:
June 15, 2009
The Hypocrite
No doubt the editors of the Lufkin Daily News print some letters merely for entertainment. A letter directed to me in this morning’s Sunday edition is a case in point.
A woman by the name of Sharon Farringer wrote a letter “in answer to Ted Gresham’s letter on Sunday, May 24,” saying, “get off it and wake up buddy. You are a hypocrite.” The words that follow are the screwiest collection of right wing fanaticism I’ve read in some time.
It is very sad that there are people like Ms. Farringer, so totally deluded and filled with lies and hate by right wing idiots, bigots, and self-serving religious twits. Hate is such an ugly emotion. Prejudice is awful. I do not resent Ms. Farringer. I feel sorry for her and the many thousands in East Texas who are exactly like her.
Since Ms. Farringer concluded her letter with the words, “let me hear your views on these or more,” I shall oblige her request. I’ve written a letter to the paper (see Update 061409 at right) but there’s no way the LDN would print a complete reply there. Thus I shall reply here.
June 1, 2009
I am a MORON!
…and I am proud to be!
Wear the T-Shirt! Be a Moron for Peace!
Why? Because I oppose war.
Two letters in the Lufkin Daily News recently caught my attention. The first, by a guy named Scot Skipper, was one I could agree with, mostly. He wrote about the need to honor soldiers who gave their best efforts for the nation. I can go with that. He also wrote that the way Vietnam Vets were treated was horrible. I agree.
But then he blew it.
Skipper wrote this: “I saw a T-shirt today which said, ‘I’m opposed to the next war.’ What a moron.” He followed up with this: “What if Iran nuked us, would you still be opposed?”
Of course I would. Buddha said you can’t get rid of hate with more hate.
Then there was the letter by a guy named Larry Winthrop. Winthrop took issue with the numbers I gave in the last letter to the editor. “Only 100,000″ have died in the war, he said. ONLY?! Then he spends a long time telling the wonderful happenings in Iraq and how we have helped rebuild and restore the country. All this restoration was because of what? Maybe that little war? And I’m a moron?
(See the Letter to the Lufkin Daily News updates at right, dated 060109.)
May 24, 2009
I cried today.
I am shaking a little right now. I’m rather upset. The truth of war is ugly, so ugly it gives nightmares to the strongest men.
My son, Trace
In my research I ran across a link to a video about a massacre in Iraq last year. It took some digging to find a copy, all the links were gone. Not surprising. I managed to find an embedded copy that I am not so sure I even want to see. The first few seconds were enough.
From the Video
A little while later I was trying to catch up with my nerves. My boy came in, walked up to me and gave me a huge smile. I realized how much he looked like one of the boys in the video. Except the boy on the video had a hole in his head a tennis ball would fit in. That boy’s eyes were open, vacant, empty. My mind merged the two images and suddenly I was holding my boy and crying.
May 23, 2009
Choose Peace
The letter arrived today. Now Lufkin has yet another reason to scream at the liberal crazy guy. View the letter update here: And The War Goes On.
My wife and I had a little “discussion” today. She, like almost ever other American, sees the war the same way the military sees homosexuality: don’t ask/don’t tell. The reality of war is far from her mind. I don’t know how to get her to understand. I don’t know how to get the rest of America to understand the horrors of war.
January 21, 2009
New President. Now what?
Before I continue let me state the following?
I am a white man. I live in the South in the most “southern” (as in southern attitude, not geographical location) part of East Texas. I live in a mobile home. Do not make assumptions based upon these facts. By appearance and geography, my accent or even my colloquialisms one might mistakenly believe I am a “typical southern white man” or worse, a redneck. Such is absolutely not the case. I am neither Christian, prejudice, nor conservative. Those do certainly go hand in hand in this part of the world. I reject Christianity, detest prejudice and vehemently disagree with conservative politics. I live here by accident of birth and lack of funds to escape.
Having said all that, I am not exhilirated nor hopeful of a “new America” this day after O’BamBam has taken office.
June 5, 2008
The Politics of Igorance.
Ignorance is Bliss.
Don’t remember who said that but it sure is true. Especially when it comes to American politics.
There was an article somewhere, Alternet I think, that pointed out the fact that the war has disappeared. Not from the earth, certainly not, but from the news. Every minute of every day American soldiers–and a growing number of American mercenaries–are battling God knows who in at least two countries. There is NO coverage so who knows exactly what George and Co. is up to. (When I say that understand that I mean Cheney and the Puppet.) But who hears anything? In the days of my youth I remember Vietnam was the lead story every single night. Day after day it was body counts and troop movements and Ho Chi Minh or Peace Talks or whatever. The tinker-toy wars we had in the nineties were front page news, too. (more…)
