5/29/2006

Memorial Day

I'm going up to "silent city" this morning as I have for almost all of the years since I retired from the Navy 31 years ago. I go by myself because I don't like to get caught weeping in public. I wind up doing that every time when I get to thinking of all the millions of guys who died defending the US from all who would like to see this one of a kind Democracy eradicated from the face of the earth. Most all of them faced the wars they were going to fight with misgivings as to whether they would ever see their loved ones again. And millions of them didn't. But still they went, and because of them we are able to enjoy to the fullest, the best standard of living and the most freedoms of all kinds,speech, demonstrations without fear of death, religions of all types that go unpersecuted because you dare to practice them. You can rise to the limits of your ability in this country because of those "Defenders of Liberty" and their ultimate sacrifice.

So on this Day, take a minute to bow your head and reflect on just how lucky you were to be born in this country and why it is that so many also want to be a part of this "Grand Experiment"!

I came across this piece on the net and thought it described accurately the feelings of those left behind after a husband, son, or father had given their all to the "CAUSE" of freedom. I say, "Thank you all from the bottom of my heart and soul"!

THIS IS NOT SATIRE

She places the stems in the green plastic vase, and lightly pushes the blooms around until six colors work together. She approaches the stone, careful to avoid treading on the area directly before it. She pushes the spiked end of the vase into the rain-softened soil next to the stone. Her fingers flit across the petals, making slight adjustments, until she brings unity from diversity again. It pleases her to do so. She groans faintly as she stands straight. She steps back to take in the picture. A stone. Brightly dying flowers. Green grass.

Around her, perfect rows of identical stones radiate out, so it seems, from this one. As if they all come together at this point.

“It’s a shame the children can’t be here. Busy lives. They have grown children of their own, lives of their own.”

“I wonder what it would have been like to raise those children with you? To sit next to you at graduation, holding your hand? To see your face when your son said they had named the baby after you? To grow old with you? To trade places, leaving you to stand talking to a stone in a field of stones?”

“It’s a national holiday, you know. We’re remembering the sacrifice of all of them.”

“But I didn’t know the others. I knew you.”

“And I can’t remember the sacrifice. It’s not in the past yet. Because you’re gone, the sacrifice lives on. For me, it’s not a national holiday. It’s your day. It’s my day.”

“Sixty two years I’ve come on this day to say these hard words. It takes me all year to recover the strength to say them again.”

“Thank you.”

“And just in case I don’t make it back next year…”

“Thank you.”

TIFN.

5/24/2006

Bait and Switch, and Screw You!!

Well here is another instance of our wonderful Town Council showing their true colors! When the guy who is doing the paving of High Street came before them to get permission to set up his asphalt making plant,TEMPORARILY, in the sandpit on the west side, they told him, " sure bring it right over, you don't need a permit for it." After it had sat there for a few weeks in it's component parts, a few,three or four, of the neighbors decided they didn't like the look of it and for some reason that they pulled out of their asses, made a big stink about how awful it looked and how smelly it was going to be when it went into operation! Well the thing gives off less odor than some of the big deisel trucks that ply the roads around here on a daily basis. So anyway, because the paving contractor, Miozzi Paving, knew he wasn't going to make much money by doing just High Street, he thought he could make it worth his while if he could pick up a few driveway jobs while he was here. Now all of a sudden, either this pussy town council, or the incompetent Town manager or both in COLLUSION, notified Miozzi that he would have to have a permit from the Town in order to do any PRIVATE paving jobs here on the Island!! Can you believe that they are so damned two-faced and spineless,and hypocritical, that they would let those two or three people with the loud mouths, stampede them into such an odiferious,( that means it stinks to high hell!) decision? This reeks of Bob Smith and Mrs.Dodge! It must be a lawyer thing. I would bet all the money that I have that this behind closed doors, and last minute screwing of a private contractor was perpatrated by the two of them on their own. Haven't seen anything about this in the minutes of any of the previous council meetings which is what leads me to believe it is strictly their doing, or that maybe we are again having illegal meetings and decisions emanating from the council chambers. And by the way, having the plant set up on the Island has saved the Town somewhere in the neighborhood of $21K on just the High Street project! This is just the worst case and form of ingratitude I've seen in a long time. Geez, I wonder if it had anything to do with the Depot parking lot being paved? Seems like that instance got some peoples noses bent out of shape 'cause THEY didn't get to vote on it. This town and most all of it's boards have become havens for those people with Bonaparte complexes and their over-riding desire to control and have a say in EVERY stupid little action that takes place. I am fed up to the gills with all the Assholes who have arrived here on the Island over the years and think that we hick's living here are unable to survive with out their visionary and enlightened leadership!! Jesus H Christ, go back where you came from and leave us the hell alone! We did alright for 300-400 years. TIFN

Up next: What's this "secret", letter of agreement that has been bandied back and forth between the town manager and some un-named conservation group. How bad is it that it has to be discussed behind closed doors and in executive session? Would it not be in the best intrests of the people of the town to have it discussed openly? I'll be back when I know something of what's happening! Toodle!

5/14/2006

Sweepin' and such

Some of you might know that for the last three of four months, I have been volunteering some time at the school to sweep the new gym floor on a daily basis. It has amazed me just how much crap gets tracked onto it! One day while the new addition was nearing completion, I was engaged in conversation with one of the members of the School Committee and he was lamenting the lack of someone who could keep the the building in good repair and looking good. He said that, that someone needed to go through the building to discover just exactly what was wrong with it and how to get it fixed. So I told him I'd think about it for awhile and see if I could suggest someone. No names came to mind in over three weeks but one. Mine!

So I undertook to do as he requested and with the, tenous agreement of the S/C, have rooted around in all the little "holes" in the basement and every nook and cranny I could get myself into. What it all amounts to is that we have a brand new $7 M addition to an $8-10 M older building put together in two building episodes,that is in dire need of lots of tender loving care. Over the years the lack of someone dedicated to the upkeep and repair of the physical plant, has lead to it's being on the verge of becoming unusable. There is a huge list of things that need to be fixed/repaired. Some of them need to be done yesterday!

So this coming monday evening I'll be bringing my pile of problems and reccomendations to the S/C for some sort of resolution.It will take some soul searching on each of their parts to come to a decision that will hopefully put the old place back on a track that will see it still useful to the future generations of Island kids. I went to that school for all of my twelve years of public education, and I hope it will be there for my grandchildrens grandchildren. A lot of really fine people started on their road to elucidation in that beautiful old building.TIFN

New Swimming Pool!

Yep! I've got one IN my house this year. First we bitched all winter about how far we were behind in the accumulated water department. "The ground water level is going down fast" we cried! "OMg we might have water problems again this summer" we lamented. Well guess what? For anyone not living along the RI shore, we have reduced our water deficit to an over abundance of same commodity! I'm up to my ass in it down in my new pool. eerr, cellar! Pumps and vacuums going full bore and all of my model planes want to become amphibians. For the last eight days I believe, we have not even had a glimpse of the sun. It must be restricted to SPI in Texas where Sam, the Wiff&Poofs guy, says it was up to 100 the other day. Or was that 100% hum-ditty? But that would be rain huh? duh.

Anyway, I keep on trucking,aah bailing, and hope that we will soon be able to put out the tomato and pepper plants that are threatening to break through the glass of the greenhouse in order to find some sun. Onward and Upward! TIFN

5/12/2006

New Highway

I see that there is a nice new dirt road here on the Island. I'm assuming, (bad thing to do), that it was one of the Conservancy groups that owns the old Preston Dunn property out on the cliffs past Black Rock, that had it built. I'm told it was done so that rescue vehicles could access that property from the main road. It certainly was a risk too the vehicles if you went in through Snake Hole road. So after all that work, I understand that it will be blocked off to anyone else but Conservancy and or service/rescue vehicles. I have also heard throught the inimitable BI grapevine that they are concerned about the proliferation of "rogue trails" on that property and that they intend to restrict access to that form of trespass also. So if all the property owners who own the Snake Hole road access suddenly decide to restrict travel over their right of way too just homeowners and service vehicles, where does that leave all the would be fishermen, surfer dudes, and sunday walkers nee birdwatchers. I was always under the impression that this "preserved" land was for the use of the public, but only in ways that didn't destroy the reasons it was saved in the first place!

What is up with all these Conservation groups? Most times shortly after they acquire a piece of the Island, it becomes off limits to the general public except on their own strict rules that "let" you trespass. Witness the old Beane property and Hodge properties. For years my family used to go out there, the Beane property, with their permission, to have picnics swimming, clamming etc. Shorty after the confiscation by the Feds, it turned into a private little "get-a-way" enclave strictly for their use and little signs popped up all over the beach threatening you with prosecution if you dared to trespass on "their" land. For generations the original owners let Islanders travel over their land freely as long as you closed the gates etc. after yourself. Now you have to practically have to have a signed pass from god, whoever that is. Comments anyone? TIFN