WE Blog

Happy Father’s Day!

Close your eyes
Have no fear
The monster’s gone
He’s on the run and your daddy’s here

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful boy
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful boy

Before you go to sleep
Say a little prayer
Every day in every way
It’s getting better and better

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful boy
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful boy

Out on the ocean sailing away
I can hardly wait
To see you come of age
But I guess we’ll both just have to be patient
‘Cause it’s a long way to go
A hard row to hoe
Yes it’s a long way to go
But in the meantime

Before you cross the street
Take my hand
Life is what happens to you
While you’re busy making other plans

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful boy
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful boy

Before you go to sleep
Say a little prayer
Every day in every way
It’s getting better and better

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful boy (x3)

Darling, darling, darling
Darling Sean

-John Lennon

Not sure Mary, but I gotta go now….wife and kids calling me to breakfast…I am so very fortunate…

Woops! I meant to say:

“Two months ago, I returned to my hometown. I shall NOT do so again.”

My bad. Or, rather, my non-existent family’s “bad.”

And that’s a shame, especially when there’s a history of major depression in the family.

FF, I’m sorry you didnt have my Dad. He was “Simply the Best”. Here’s my annual tribute to him.

Father’s Day

Well, it’s Father’s Day weekend, and between barbecues, gag gift opening, and other traditional activities, you may hear someone say “thanks Dad for all you do.” Father’s Day wasn’t something we celebrated when I was young because it usually fell during wheat harvest, which is a polite term for “collective madness” in Western Kansas. Dad was too busy getting that crop in the bin so we could survive or thrive, depending on the yield and the price, for another year. The “thanks” just had to wait.

My father’s been gone now thirteen years, but he remains the biggest influence in my life, and in my business adventures. He never really thought of himself as a businessman because that was a term reserved for bankers and merchants in town. “I’m just a dirt farmer,” he would say, as though that didn’t require any special business acumen. But everything I know about business, finance degree not withstanding, I learned from him, standing on the edge of a wheat field.

Early in the morning, we’d get up to grease the combine, check belts and hoses, air up the tires, and gas up the trucks. “Take care of your equipment,” he’d say, “because an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Then, before we’d hit the field, we would have a little meeting to assign duties and discuss the game plan for the day. “Pay attention” he’d shout to someone not listening, adding “if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there”. I still hear that when I’m writing a business plan.

Later in the day, when the sun was directly overhead, he’d shut off the combine and yell, “let’s go to the house and eat!” That was unusual, because most farmers were in such a hurry that they made their wives bring sandwiches to the field. But not us. We went home and ate a full meal in air-conditioned comfort and watched “As the World Turns” while we rested. He used to tell me “if you’re working too hard to feed your men and water your horses, you’re working too damn hard.” I remember that when I’m making stupid mistakes because I’m exhausted and really need some time off.

About mid-afternoon, we’d stop to have a snack and a soda in the shade of the combine. Of course, as a teenager, I was already talking about how I would spend my harvest wages, which were paid in bushels of wheat to be sold later. “That crop’s not in the bin yet Sandra Kay” he’d say with a frown. “I wouldn’t spend that money yet”, and that was how I learned not to depend on future income, but live instead on what’s already in the bank.

I have lots of these memories, but the most important lesson I learned was also the most painful. We were about midway through harvest, with half the crop still in the field, when overnight we had one of those Kansas storms you’ve probably heard about. This one was different though, and in my bed, I heard the clatter of golf ball sized hail pound the roof of the house. Even as a kid, I knew what that meant. The next morning, no one could eat, and Dad and I went out alone to survey the damage.

If you’ve never seen a field completely mowed down by hail, you’re lucky, because to us, it was the saddest sight in the world. A whole year’s worth of blood, sweat, tears, and expenses were invested in that crop, and overnight, it was destroyed. That meant no income until next year, but the expenses for planting the next year’s crop would just keep mounting. I was only about 10, and I started crying because I was afraid we might have to sell the farm and move to town. (Yes, farm kids grow up early.) For me, that would have been the end of the world. And worst of all, it wasn’t even out fault! I thought surely God must hate us. Even being my Dad’s “tough little cookie” couldn’t prevent me from crying my heart out.

When Dad heard my sobs, he knelt down beside me for a minute, and rubbed his own eyes and cleared his throat. “Why are you so upset?” he asked. When I told him my fears, I saw him try to hide a smile. “Sandra” he said, “you don’t have to ever worry about that. We are not quitters. It may not seem like it now, but the sun will come out tomorrow, the bank will loan us money, and we’ll farm another year. It’ll be all right, I promise. You just have to have hope, and a little faith, and not give in or give up. It will be better next year. Let’s go home and eat, and I’ll take you fishing today. We’ll worry about the farm tomorrow.”

So today, on Father’s Day, I’ll just say, “thanks Dad” because I never forgot those words. Thirty years later, when the financial skies cloud up and the hail pounds down on my business, I think of you, Dad. I still have hope, I still have a little faith, and I try to believe it will be better tomorrow. I think I’ll go fishing this weekend.

Okay, time for your quiz……….

“A Day in the Life” from Sgt. Peppers is one of the greatest rock songs from the Sixties Era and marked a shift from “love songs” to social commentary by the Beatles.

Who wrote the song and did they write the whole song?

I just noticed your “Day in the Life” reference, FilmFan – what a coincidence.

Brilliant minds do think alike.

“OK I cheated:”

Put your hand out so I can rap your knuckles with this ruler.

That was really beautiful KFG.

Thanks guys!

Thanks Linda. I can only hope to be half the person he was. He lives on deep in my heart.

ksfarmgrrl,
Thanks for the tribute to your dad; we all should have had dads as great as yours.

I lost a good friend to suicide one year long ago. We used to fish off the rocks in Mission Bay, San Diego. I went down to the bay after the funeral, and tossed out a line. I caught a pretty good sized fish, and let him go as my own tribute to my friend. Point is: give that first catfish a kiss, and let him go. Dad would approve.

March 13, 2002

President Bush Holds Press Conference
Press Conference by the President
The James S. Brady Briefing Room

Q Mr. President, in your speeches now you rarely talk or mention Osama bin Laden. Why is that? Also, can you tell the American people if you have any more information, if you know if he is dead or alive? Final part — deep in your heart, don’t you truly believe that until you find out if he is dead or alive, you won’t really eliminate the threat of –

THE PRESIDENT: Deep in my heart I know the man is on the run, if he’s alive at all. Who knows if he’s hiding in some cave or not; we haven’t heard from him in a long time. And the idea of focusing on one person is — really indicates to me people don’t understand the scope of the mission.

Terror is bigger than one person. And he’s just — he’s a person who’s now been marginalized. His network, his host government has been destroyed. He’s the ultimate parasite who found weakness, exploited it, and met his match. He is — as I mentioned in my speech, I do mention the fact that this is a fellow who is willing to commit youngsters to their death and he, himself, tries to hide — if, in fact, he’s hiding at all.

So I don’t know where he is. You know, I just don’t spend that much time on him, Kelly, to be honest with you. I’m more worried about making sure that our soldiers are well-supplied; that the strategy is clear; that the coalition is strong; that when we find enemy bunched up like we did in Shahikot Mountains, that the military has all the support it needs to go in and do the job, which they did.

And there will be other battles in Afghanistan. There’s going to be other struggles like Shahikot, and I’m just as confident about the outcome of those future battles as I was about Shahikot, where our soldiers are performing brilliantly. We’re tough, we’re strong, they’re well-equipped. We have a good strategy. We are showing the world we know how to fight a guerrilla war with conventional means.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020313-8.html

As of Saturday, June 14, 2008, at least 4,098 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

And many times that number of innocent Iraqis.

Bob Dylan, the maverick architect of American protest music, appears to have endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Or did he?
Historic Nod: For the first time in his storied career, Bob Dylan has clearly signalled his support for a candidate in a political campaign.

In an apparent break from the singer-songwriter’s lifelong policy of refusing to make political endorsements, Dylan told The Times of London, “Well, you know right now America is in a state of upheaval.

“Poverty is demoralizing,” he said. “You can’t expect people to have the virtue of purity when they are poor. But we’ve got this guy out there now who is redefining the nature of politics from the ground up — Barack Obama. He’s redefining what a politician is, so we’ll have to see how things play out. Am I hopeful? Yes, I’m hopeful that things might change.

Some things are going to have to.”

The biggest threat to capitalism, is when capitalism abuses and fails to benefit the masses. Bush has done more for socialism than any previous pres.

McCain Takes Gitmo Ruling Personally

“Following the last Supreme Court ruling on this topic, which also struck down stubborn Administration detainee policies, the Senator (a Vietnam torture victim himself) invested no small amount of his own treasured (and well-earned) historical capital to try to broker a deal on the detainees.

And, in late 2006, he did.

It’s called the Military Commissions Act. It was a terrible idea from the very beginning, and it was one of two federal statutes undercut by the Justices last Thursday. It’s no wonder the nominee is taking the defeat personally.

After first insisting that federal law clearly and unambiguously outlaw “torture,” McCain suddenly caved to White House pressure on the MCA, allowing the Administration to insert into the law a clause that effectively allows (and, indeed, legally buttresses the efforts of) the executive branch to implement torture as a means of interrogation.

Without McCain’s pander, there would have been no bad law for the Court to strike down last week. Without McCain’s grandiloquent appeal to Democrats and moderates during that lame-duck session, there quite possibly might have been a better law that just might have passed its constitutional test this term.

McCain’s sell-out on the torture language is not the reason the Justices declared the MCA unconstitutional. It is not the reason why the detainees now have more access to federal courts than they did before. But it is emblematic of the larger and much more destructive, seven-year-long sell-out of the legislative branch in the legal fight against terrorism.

And that emblem, thanks to the Supreme Court, now has John McCain’s face on it just in time for the run-up to the general election.”

http://tinyurl.com/5a4s5x

Text of Obama’s fatherhood speech

“Of all the rocks upon which we build our lives, we are reminded today that family is the most important. And we are called to recognize and honor how critical every father is to that foundation. They are teachers and coaches. They are mentors and role models. They are examples of success and the men who constantly push us toward it.

But if we are honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that what too many fathers also are is missing — missing from too many lives and too many homes. They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it.”

“But we also need families to raise our children. We need fathers to realize that responsibility does not end at conception. We need them to realize that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child — it’s the courage to raise one.”

“It’s up to us — as fathers and parents — to instill this ethic of excellence in our children. It’s up to us to say to our daughters, don’t ever let images on TV tell you what you are worth, because I expect you to dream without limit and reach for those goals. It’s up to us to tell our sons, those songs on the radio may glorify violence, but in my house we give glory to achievement, self-respect and hard work. It’s up to us to set these high expectations. And that means meeting those expectations ourselves. That means setting examples of excellence in our own lives.”

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/11094.html

American
Posted June 15, 2008 at 12:28 pm | Permalink
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

I would say this to the above and in full agreement:

Character is above the color of a person’s skin, especially in regards to presidential elections.

If an African American or Black American, either man or woman was running for the office of the president and stood for the best solutions for the USA, I would vote for that person, based upon the content of their character, not their skin color.

American
Posted June 15, 2008 at 12:30 pm | Permalink
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

American
Posted June 15, 2008 at 12:32 pm | Permalink
“I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

American
Posted June 15, 2008 at 12:35 pm | Permalink
“If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values – that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

American
Posted June 15, 2008 at 12:41 pm | Permalink
“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hey Jude was a reference to the bands “roadie” or so I was told by someone that was very into knowing everything about the beatles’ songs.

From Wikipedia:
“Hey Jude” is a song by the English rock band The Beatles that was recorded in 1968. Originally titled “Hey Jules”, the ballad was written by Paul McCartney—and credited to Lennon/McCartney—to comfort John Lennon’s son Julian during his parents’ divorce.

My bad, for thinking someone that thought they knew everything actually did.

“They were on the forefront of establishing the 60s hippy and flower child culture, involving totally unrestrained freedom of sex, drugs, etc.”

You’re just pissed off, after all these years, because you didn’t get any, American.

Sucks to be you.

WS,

Do you deny the effect the Beatles (and other groups) had on the culture here?

No problem with my culture. ;-) I think the influence was perfect! Smile. You’re really not getting out of this life alive. If I had to spend my time being afraid, I’d just check out. There’s so much more worthwhile to spend my time on.

“lindainks55
Posted June 15, 2008 at 5:14 pm | Permalink
No problem with my culture. I think the influence was perfect! Smile. You’re really not getting out of this life alive. If I had to spend my time being afraid, I’d just check out. There’s so much more worthwhile to spend my time on.”

So fill me in linda.

Are you talking about yesterday or now?

You think checking out, when times get fearful, is OK?

I agree with being happy and smiling and that’s a good thing!

How was the influence perfect?

But the Beatles invasion of the US started in the early 60s (62, 63) and their influence pulled along many more than did other contemporary artists.

Also, look at the deaths that occured from suicide/drug overdoses:

Jim Morrison
Janis Joplin
Jimi Hendrix
Brian Jones

I love the Beatles…always have…but they were not instrumental in STARTING the 60’s revolution. They joined much later.

The Doors, Kesey and the Dead, Burroughs, Kerouac, Ginsgerg, Leary were already going full steam before the first Beatle even turned on.

KansasNative,

So where did the “Revolution” get us to?

And another NOW…only it’s the same NOW….dig?

It’s always the same NOW!

Get it?

Too bad…

“So where did the “Revolution” get us to?”

A start passed bigotry, homophobia and hatred.

That must have really pissed off the fundies, right?

oops, forgot the link!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohfM_PqYeg

Ha! Clark, this is the song I was thinking of the other day. They used to play it every Friday at 5pm on 101 in Houston.

Hope you can come visit!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VoyEsTSAhn4&feature=related

Oh, and guess what. It’s Jonathan Edwards, not John Prine!

IF I WERE A SINGER (Steve Camp Version)

If I were a singer, I’d sing my song for you
And my pen would point out all the things you’re made of
And the only thing that I could sing would be love.

following verse possibly added by Steve Camp for his recording:
If I were a planet or better yet a star,
I would try to show the Universe who you are.
I would take my place among some constellation,
I’d be visible from every observation,
I’d be a sign among the heavens to each nation,
And overwhelm the wise men with the wonder of creation.

These are troubled days,
I want to live my life in a special way.
These are troubled days
I want to live my life for you and point the way.

If I were the blue sky, all my winds would blow for you,
I would storm upon the night to show your power.
I would rage upon the earth with heavy showers
Hurricane upon all men to make them cower.
Make them watch me ’til that unexpected hour
When you come again from heaven’s loft tower.

These are troubled days,
I want to live my life in a special way.
These are troubled days
I want to live my life for you and point the way.

If I were a singer, I’d sing my song for you
And my pen would point out all the things you’re made of
And the only thing that I could sing would be love.

I would sing ’til the faithless ones received it,
Until the children of your wayward church believed it.
I would sing it to the governments and leaders
And to the writers who have misled all the readers.
I would sing it though they jailed me and they killed me.
Let them empty me of life, for you have filled me.

These are troubled days,
I want to live my life in a special way.
These are troubled days
I want to live my life for you and point the way.

American = thread killer

Hey ksfarmgrrl,

Isn’t this the open thread?

Ever heard of freedom of speech?

“Almost ten percent of the county showed up at public meetings to support me when I was fired, essentially for testifying in the legislature against the hate amendment.”

kfg, what were you fired from?
Unless it was a position related to a faith based organization where the tenets of the faith were being broken, or an organization who’s mission was felt compromised, I wouldn’t support that.
My question is not one where I have an agenda to get on you over, promise, I am simply interested. I don’t believe in persecuting people like that.

As a musician who was born some 15 years after the beatles broke up, I can’t help but appreciate what they contributed musically to the world.
Lucy in the Sky with Dimonds: mixed meter in rock music (transitions form 4/4 to 6/8) beautiful, and rarely found in rock music.
Facinating cadences and chord progressions.
The use of an awesome clarinet choir in “When I’m 64″
A french horn ensemble in “Sgt. Pepper”
The Beatles did more revolutionizing the music world than many other bands, if for no other reason than they brought rock music that was more complex to the forefront of popular culture.

That’s why as a person in his mid twenties I can appreciate music that was written forty years ago.

And that albums probably the closest to a drug trip that I’ll ever get…

Wait…. can’t stop myself… listening to beatles…. must have sex….

One thing the Beatles should get credit for that’s often overlooked is that they fought for and eventually got ARTISTIC CONTROL of their material and packaging.

Even Elvis had no control over what songs would be on an album or the liner notes or the photography/artwork.

The Beatles were able to take that away from the record co. execs.

jbsaab99,

Nothing was said about the Beatles causing anyone to have sex or even influencing them to have sex. Those are your words.

Anyone,

Please tell me in a cogent way how the 60s Revolution, in your words, helped us as a society?

“Phantom
Posted June 15, 2008 at 8:25 pm | Permalink
We learned to question authority ( a lesson recently forgotten) and that we could force our leaders to do the will of the people. Also, produced some of the best music during that time period.”

That is nothing new and it has been done many times before in history.

Anything else?

“BlueJay,

In the 80’s, I was a Reagan conservative. I HATED this song. “Damn hippy peacenik crap!”

Now, I look back at how stupid I was then. I LOVE this song.”

Who wrote this song?

Why do you believe you were stupid?

“American” asks –

“Anyone,

Please tell me in a cogent way how the 60s Revolution, in your words, helped us as a society?”

If we hadn’t ended the Vietnam War, John Sidney McCain the Third (for Shrubs 3rd term) would still be a POW.

60’s Revolution —

Women got into the job market… not dependent on stay at home mom status… thanks to advances in birth control….

Kids learned they could be more than just possessions until they turned 21…. they had a voice in society….

And MUSIC became a major market commodity!!

Bra burning!

I say I was stupid back then…

Because I WAS stupid back then. I went around saying crap like “Better dead than red” and other such mindless slogans. In 1984, my Dad was on strike. I tried to hire on at the place to replace the strikers. Dad kicked me out of the house for that one. He was right to do it too.

The song is by Nina. It was originally composed and sung as a pop hit in German.

The Americanized version is called “99 Red Balloons”

The original German is “Neun und neunzig Luftballons.” It loses a little in the translation.

For the first time in our history, the People told the Military and the Government what LINE they could not cross… Vietnam… the Draft… Civil Rights…

We seem to have forgotten some of that in the past several years… at least since Gulf War I..

Chas,

Let’s see, you’re saying women never worked out of the home before that time, right, and it was because of birth controlthat they started working out of the home? What about all the women who worked out of the home before then?

Kids were possessions before they were 21? Where did you buy them at Chas? How were they possessions?

Music was important before this time period. So you are saying, capitilism caused music to become a commodity? Technology had a lot to do with it as well! if you can’t broadcast or record the music, it probably won’t sell.

Merican, you dont have to agree with me… But you also dont have to unload personal attacks… What do you offer as a counter?? Anything?? Or you just want to do your usual flaming??

Pretty much my feelings about religions:

EVERETT RUESS
Dave Alvin

Well I hate your crowded cities
With your sad and hopeless mobs
And I hate your grand cathedrals
Where you try to trap God.

‘Cause I know God is here in the canyons
With the rattlesnakes and the pinion pines
And they never found my body, boys
Or understood my mind.

Nano,

Good post.

Questioning Authority in the 60s, however, is not an original concept.

Nixon, though, really got trapped into the Watergate scandal, by others below him or associated with him, and tried to hide it afterwards.

That was his mistake.

Chas,

How did the people tell the government and the military not to cross a line and what was that line?

PS: I took my grandkids our to my cousins farm to ride the combines for an hour or so.

Boxlock,

I’m just curious, but where did you find ground dry enough for combining? I’m sure there are some areas who haven’t had near the rain we’ve had, I just don’t know which ones.

More storms rolling in tonight. 40 days and 40 nights?

I was born in 1947 and grew up in the 60s. Since I didn’t grow up in another era there is no way I can accurately compare my coming of age in that era to another.

The Vietnam war, reliable birth control, the deaths of both Kennedy’s, racial riots, racial equality, the space race, landing on the moon, the best music that could ever be..

And the largest numbers of people becoming young adults in one era in history. The post-war babies (boomers) coming of age. We have always affected our world by our sheer numbers and the 60s were a time of youth, a time of liberation and awareness.

We did youth right!

So, it might not answer your question, but it’s all I’ve got. I guess I’m doubting there will be an “acceptable to you” answer.

One more song. I grabbed the lyrics earlier today. I think Obama should use it during his campaign.

Save the Country
5th Dimension recorded the hit (Lyrics by Laura Nyro) Great song!

Come on, people
Come on, children
Come on down to
The glory river

Gonna wash you up
And wash you down
Gonna lay the devil down
Gonna lay that devil down

Come on, people
Come on, children
There’s a king
At the glory river

And the precious king
He loved the people to sing
Babes in the blinking sun
Sang We Shall Overcome

I got fury in my soul
Fury’s gonna take me
To the glory goal
In my mind I can’t
Study war no more

Save the people
Save the children
Save the country
Save the country

Come on, people
Come on, children
Come on down to
The glory river

Gonna wash you up
And wash you down
Gonna lay the devil down
Gonna lay that devil down

Come on, people
Sons and mothers
Keep the dream of
The two young brothers

Take that dream
And ride that dove
We could build the dream
With love, I know
We could build the dream
With love, I know

We could build the dream
With love, I know
We could build the dream
With love, I know
We could build the dream
With love, I know
We could build the
Dream with love

I got fury in my soul
Fury’s gonna take me
To the glory goal
In my mind I can’t
Study war no more

Save the people
Save the children
Save the country
Save the country
Save the country now

“and I am a child of the sixties is this”

Let me think about this – you weren’t one of the “cool kids” in High School, were you, ‘Merican?

Kinda of a nerdy loser, were you, eh?

Predistined,
Your question is absolutely right on, and a good one, thank you, hope you don’t regret asking.
Without revealing too much on this blog let me just say my high school stomping grounds and the home to many of my family is in south-central Kansas and northern Oklahoma. I lived and went to high school with a cousin my age and his family as I loved the small town county life, and did not like going to school in a large urban high school, which was home. I worked harvest and bucked bales till I was exhausted. Sat many an hour driving tractors, and wheat trucks with multiple gearboxes and no gearbox synchromeshing devices. Double clutching all the way, and praying I didn’t blow a down shift on a hill because the brakes would fade with a full load of wheat and I’d roll all the way to an old bridge that wasn’t designed for the weight. I am a business man, medical sales, but love working cattle, fixing fences and windmills and working in the field and farm, love it. It’s therapy!
I took my grand kids out to my cousins farm, where I lived for two and a half years because I expected to find them working on combines, and other equipment and staring at the fields trying to ‘will’ them dry, but not expecting them to be cutting. One combine was being repaired but one was in the wheat and another in the canola and as soon the one was fixed aboard I and my 4 yr. old grandson went and after one bin full I went to town and grabbed the other two kids to put them aboard the other machines. They rode for a couple hours and several unloads before we left.
There is no better life, living close to nature and to God, and depending on both. One day, if my health holds out, I want to return and work for free just to have some of that life back.
In direct answer to your question, far south-central Kansas on Wednesday afternoon, and the wheat was dry, under 13.5% moisture, the ground soft but firm enough.

WS,

Are you messin’ with me man?

I can argue a few.

1. Drug culture fully bloomed and it’s effect on society. Drug-up, cop-out.

Not everybody was into drugs. In fact, it was a small minority who made the news and the covers of Time.

2, The start of the disintegration of the traditional family and marraige.

I strongly disagree with that. The effect on children whose parents stayed in terrible marriages “for the children” were not necessarily better off. And it’s been proven that a “traditional family” can now mean many things.

3. Eastern religions effect on society.

And that’s so bad? Many of those Eastern religions are more peaceful and tolerant than anything we have here in the U.S.

4. The start of the sexual revolution and it’s effect on society. Leading to STDs, AIDs, out of wedlock pregnancies, etc.

Oh, that’s right. Sex outside of marrage (or on the side) NEVER happened before the 60’s.

5. The removal of prayer from the public schools.

And just how has that affected our schools? Students are allowed to pray anywhere, but no one is forced to pray to one particular diety. Nothing wrong with that.

6. The political limitations on the Vietnam War, which dragged the war out longer than it should have gone, and increased the number of fatalities.

The war that never should have been. The political limitations happened because the voice of the people was heard.

As for the assasinations, take a hard look at what was behind them.

Leary was a nut, but so is Fred Phelps. ;)

Boxlock,

It’s good to know there’s dry ground and wheat somewhere.

I’ve done my share of driving tractors and trucks full of wheat; snipping rye with a pair of scissors in the hot sun; cooking and carting farm dinners out to the field; praying hail or insects or cold or too much rain didn’t destroy a year’s crop. Over 20 years of it, in fact, and now I’m happy to let someone else take over. But I still worry.

Sandra,
Bless your father for his wisdom and his love. You made me cry.

Perhaps you should come up with answers instead of questions.

Sometimes we did.

Predestined,

Where were you in the 60s?

Linda (and other Beatles fans),

Have you seen Across the Universe? It’s…wow. I love how the writers took Beatles music and wrote a story around it. The singing was fantastic! And they were not recorded in the studio, but done on location. Bono and Eddie Izzard fans, take notice.

I can’t say my 18-year-old daughter was impressed. She thought it was…weird. LOL

My point was this,
I get sick of this whole “question everything” mentality. My view is cowboy up and figure it out yourself! Get off you ass and do something if you feel so strongly about it! Quit asking questions to people who are going to give you BS answers to make you FEEL better! Don’t half-ass a Revolution! Which is what was done in the 60’s….If the damn drugs would have been minus the event, 2 things would have happened: 1. Everybody goes home…. 2. Something besides nostalgic feel good bull shit would have been done!

Chas, you out there?

You never did answer my question about hope.

Excuse me, but how do you italicize?

I haven’t seen Across the Universe? Sounds like I better plan to!

#
lindainks55
Posted June 15, 2008 at 10:36 pm | Permalink

It’s all been said here — the tolerance, acceptance of each other and our differences which started us on the long path to racial and sexual equality. We’re still making good progress but we haven’t got there yet.

Religious freedom like the founders of our country fought and died for.

It was a time of revolution against authority. Just because it wasn’t the first era of revolution doesn’t mean it wasn’t very effective. Wars have a way of getting the attention of those who are sent to die in them. ESPECIALLY wars that should have never been fought and made no one safer. Look at how many more youth are involved in politics today.

More of us sought a college education.
—-
was that some sort of an answer??

Hey Boxlock,

I was born in ‘45, joined the Navy Reserve in ‘62. Always wanted to be in submarines. Retired in ‘86. Spent most of the sixties in the Navy. Good times!

Keep my XM radio on channel 6. Sixties music.

My passion now is dogs and horses. I spend a lot of my spare time training sheep dogs.

“It’s all been said here — the tolerance, acceptance of each other and our differences which started us on the long path to racial and sexual equality. We’re still making good progress but we haven’t got there yet.”

The definition of tolerance has chnged since the sixties. What is your definition?

Where do you think we should be in sexual equality today? Where do you think we should be in the end, when we reach the goal you are referring to?

“Religious freedom like the founders of our country fought and died for.”

What religious freedom are you referring to?

Was this country FOUNDED upon being influenced by any other religion other than Christianity?

The ‘63 Corvette Stingray
Bob Gibson’s 1.12 ERA
Going to the moon on less computer power than in a pocket calculator
Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts
The Smothers Brothers’ Show
Rocky and Bullwinkle
Richard Brautigan

Chas,

Where does hope come from?

Man or God?

Mickey Mantle
Roger Maris
Smother’s Brothers ditto.

Richard Brautigan?

ANTI,

Be nice!

“Monkeyhawk
Posted June 15, 2008 at 11:01 pm | Permalink
“American” apparently burns a roach and asks –

“Where does hope come from?

Man or God?”

Man, probably.

God knows better.”

Wrong Hawk! Wrong road.

“Was this country FOUNDED upon being influenced by any other religion other than Christianity?”

What difference does that make?

Name the commandments that our Nation views as laws that are NOT laws in other nations.

ANTI Posted June 15, 2008 at 10:45 pm\
Excuse me, but how do you italicize?
—-
I bought an IROC and a lot of pasta… :) sorry to the Italians! I am one, and find No offense to that comment because I AM NOT A PUSSIFIED AMERICAN!

ANTI, sorry guy, I am tired and not keeping up I guess. I don’t understand your post.
I simply was asking how some of the posters were italicizing some script, as I don’t know how to do that.
Okay, that was a joke maybe, good enough…see, I told you I was tired.
I still would like to know how to italicize script on this blog. But it will have to wait till tomorrow, as I’m out of here.
Good night and God Bless you all.
PS: And not as some say “you understand Him”, but as he is, as there is only one God, unchangeable, forever.

Correction –I have NO illusions

“So you are saying that you would do it today?”

Ah, if I were fifteen again, yes.

At 56, I am a bit older and slower.

But I still like the music, I still am against the war, I am still a liberal and I still like gettin’ a little.

Any questions?

What was going on in Wichita in 1969? I have no idea. I lived in a small town back then, so what I experienced was somewhat removed from the “big city”.

I lost a friend in Vietnam and still have the letter telling me of his death and the last letter he wrote me that came back to me, unopened.

I can remember watching the draft lottery picks on TV.

I remember NOT watching the moon walk, much to the chagrin of my parents. I spent the evening in the park with friends, just chillin’.

I was a pep club member, sang in girls glee club and mixed chorus, participated in drama, went to football and basketball games, homecoming dances and proms.

I watched the news every night and saw the footage from VN, but had no idea what political party my parents supported. I never thought to ask. I registered to vote at the age of 21…as a Republican and learned my parents were registered Democrats. :)

I had friends who made plans to go to Woodstock…and didn’t go.

I dragged “main” with my friends and went to keg parties and river parties (and managed to hold on to my virginity, in spite of them).

I hung out at the pool with my friends on a daily basis and was rewarded with a great tan!

I attended college and learned up close what race riots were like. Scared the beejeezus out of this smalltown girl.

All-in-all, I’d say I was pretty typical of most teens in the 60’s, but I was, like them, aware of a lot going on around me. Only now do I realize how really important those things would become.

Oh, and I never did drugs. Drank more than I should have though.

ITALICS:

Before the quote, put (no spaces). After the quote, close the command with (no spaces).

Same with bold, only use and .

Will repeat tomorrow if no one else does.

Underline is…it’s isn’t it guys? I forget. I’ve been spoiled using Dreamweaver. ;)

Yep what, my dear Chas?

and

LOL forgot the spaces.

lindainks55,

Can you answer for Chas, since you understand his answer then?

Thanks Linda!! :-)

ROFL

Go for it, Linda! Educate the man.

“Any wiser?”

Much. I would have asked Kathy out instead of Pam and I would have opted for the Editor of the school newspaper, rather than just being a section editor. I would have dated Heather rather than Angie and I would have chosen to graduate early rather than wait until the end of the school year.

I would have went to Woodstock instead of working at the grocery store and I would have kept my Beetle rather than trade it for a Fiat Roadster.

And I would have bought better quality dope.

Sleep well, Linda… keep in touch!!

Informative piece comparing
Obama’s and McSame’s Tax Packages.

Basically, if you earn less than $250,000 a year you’re better off with Obama.

Matthew 12

God’s Chosen Servant

15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, 16 warning them not to tell who he was. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he leads justice to victory.
21 In his name the nations will put their HOPE.”

Good stuff here >>>>

From Romans 5:3-8 >>>>

5:3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

5:4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

5:5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Good stuff!!

What number are we up to now Chas, the number being how many Bible Verses you actually believe?

Half a dozen now?

PEACE TRAIN

Now I’ve been happy lately,
thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be,
something good has begun

Oh I’ve been smiling lately,
dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be,
some day it’s going to come

Cause out on the edge of darkness,
there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country,
come take me home again

Now I’ve been smiling lately,
thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be,
something good has begun

Oh peace train sounding louder
Glide on the peace train
Come on now peace train
Yes, peace train holy roller

Everyone jump upon the peace train
Come on now peace train

Get your bags together,
go bring your good friends too
Cause it’s getting nearer,
it soon will be with you

Now come and join the living,
it’s not so far from you
And it’s getting nearer,
soon it will all be true

Now I’ve been crying lately,
thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating,
why can’t we live in bliss

Cause out on the edge of darkness,
there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country,
come take me home again

I suppose that would be the same as your arguments against abortion… LOL

See, there ya go again, “WSClark’ –

Quotin’ a Muslim, you socialist Liberal arugula-swilling white wine-eating gay elite terrorist statist freedom-hating fairy,

Serious question, nathan: Does your right to own an AK-47, with munitions that could kill a police officer wearing a kevlar vest – outweigh that officers right to safety?

Just curious.

For the record, in my opinion no one needs to own an AK-47 with said munitions.

Song lyrics for my father on this father’s day – my dad had the 45 rpm disc for this song:

PRIMROSE LANE
(George Callender / Wayne Shanklin)

Jerry Wallace – 1959
O. C. Smith – 1970

Primrose Lane
Life’s a holiday on Primrose Lane
Just a holiday on Primrose Lane
With you

Can’t explain
When we’re walkin’ down the Primrose Lane
Even roses bloomin’ in the rain
With you

Sweet perfume
Those little old roses bloom
And I want to walk with you
My whole life through

Primrose Lane
Life’s a holiday on Primrose Lane
Just a holiday on Primrose Lane
With you

(Instrumental Break)

Sweet perfume
Those little old roses bloom
And I want to walk with you
My whole life through

Primrose Lane
Life’s a holiday on Primrose Lane
Just a holiday on Primrose Lane
With you
With You
With You……FADE

My parents have been married for 56 years. Are they happy? I don’t know. Some habits are just hard to break, I think.

Compare the two comments by “American”. Look for obvious contriditions.

A)

“Jbsaab99,

Nothing was said about the Beatles causing anyone to have sex or even influencing them to have sex. Those are your words.”

B)

“They were on the forefront of establishing the 60s hippy and flower child culture, involving totally unrestrained freedom of sex, drugs, etc.

Unfortunately, baby boomers of today still have not learned from the errors of such thinking and living with such unbrideled “freedoms”.

The consequences on society, due to the life in the 60s, is still being played out today.”

Funny how so many conservitives are willing to blame their actions on other people.