War on drugs, war on terror,
war on poverty...and....blah,blan,blah....the war of words.
To the government of the United States everything, life itself, is a war. Which is exactly what my grandmother said. While we spend our lifetimes ranting and warring when do the 'good times' start?
I have lived through WWII, the Cold War, the Korean War, Vietnam, Watts, Detroit riots, Grenada, Haiti, Kosovo and 9/11. Oh yeah, and the occupation of Iraq. And for what?
It's not like after each one there was a decade or two of peace, or calm. No, my friends, at the end of each horrible episode is the beginning of the next.
Our government touts peace and promises that at the end of this latest debacle we'll be able to get back to living the American Dream.
I've been here almost seven decades and not a single one of them has been peaceful. There has always been a warning, a threat or the promise of disaster.
No wonder Americans are dying of stress related illnesses. If we, the mightiest nation of the world cannot live healthy,happy lives imagine how hard it must be in a Palestinian refugee camps or in Somalia or Zimbabwe or Iraq or Colombia or Sri Lanka or...well, you get the picture.
It's a simple question: When do the good times start?
AND:
How smart are the Australians who, while grieving the death of their icon, Crocodile Guy, have begun killing manta rays? Not just killing them but cutting off their tails. That'll teach those goddamn, vicious, fish!
And:
Globalization is a term that means the world is shrinking. It means the least of us may barter with and buy from the greatest of us. It means we learn from each other, it means we can adopt cultural nuances from each other.
The Mexicans have already adopted one of the Middle East's customs. A few nights ago, at 1:30 A.M., in a tavern in the state of Michoacan´, several gunman burst into the place and threw six decapitated heads on the floor! Praise be to Allah.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. - Mark Twain
MEXICO(as I see it):
Many Mexican men, especially from the middle-class upward, are pampered their whole lives. If not married it is common for a man to stay in his parent's home into his forties or all of his life for that matter.
The "Go West Young Man", adventuresome spirit does not attract many takers in Mexico. Educated Mexican men do in life whatever they learned in college. Nothing else. They don't change tires, pull weeds or make sandwiches. Their niche is carved by whatever it is they graduated as.
This weekend we were awaiting a visit from Leti's sister from Mexico City. All was set. A last minute call told us the trip could not be made. My sister-in-law's son, who is 33 years-old, had his business trip to Monterrey canceled and, therefore, she could not come to see us.
Why? Her son would be home alone for the weekend! Who would feed him? Iron for him? It just would not do to run off and leave him in such a lurch.
This social commitment to the sons of Middle class Mexican families doesn't only rest on the age of the male in question.
Another brother-in-law, a 75 year old doctor, was to be abandoned for one day while his wife, who never went outside without her husband, was pressed into going to Guadalajara to pay respects at the funeral of one of her family members.
Two days before her departure she made arrangements for her husbands breakfast at one relatives and 'comida' at another's. She would be home about 9:00P.M., in plenty of time to serve him his bedtime snack.
To a fellow who hitch hiked away from home at the age of 15 I find it difficult to take this culture seriously. But, make no mistake, it's no joking matter anything less would be seen as a dereliction of duty.
Damn, you'd think a doctor would have enough capacity to buy a chocolate bar and a tall boy to get through the day, wouldn't you?
To the government of the United States everything, life itself, is a war. Which is exactly what my grandmother said. While we spend our lifetimes ranting and warring when do the 'good times' start?
I have lived through WWII, the Cold War, the Korean War, Vietnam, Watts, Detroit riots, Grenada, Haiti, Kosovo and 9/11. Oh yeah, and the occupation of Iraq. And for what?
It's not like after each one there was a decade or two of peace, or calm. No, my friends, at the end of each horrible episode is the beginning of the next.
Our government touts peace and promises that at the end of this latest debacle we'll be able to get back to living the American Dream.
I've been here almost seven decades and not a single one of them has been peaceful. There has always been a warning, a threat or the promise of disaster.
No wonder Americans are dying of stress related illnesses. If we, the mightiest nation of the world cannot live healthy,happy lives imagine how hard it must be in a Palestinian refugee camps or in Somalia or Zimbabwe or Iraq or Colombia or Sri Lanka or...well, you get the picture.
It's a simple question: When do the good times start?
AND:
How smart are the Australians who, while grieving the death of their icon, Crocodile Guy, have begun killing manta rays? Not just killing them but cutting off their tails. That'll teach those goddamn, vicious, fish!
And:
Globalization is a term that means the world is shrinking. It means the least of us may barter with and buy from the greatest of us. It means we learn from each other, it means we can adopt cultural nuances from each other.
The Mexicans have already adopted one of the Middle East's customs. A few nights ago, at 1:30 A.M., in a tavern in the state of Michoacan´, several gunman burst into the place and threw six decapitated heads on the floor! Praise be to Allah.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. - Mark Twain
MEXICO(as I see it):
Many Mexican men, especially from the middle-class upward, are pampered their whole lives. If not married it is common for a man to stay in his parent's home into his forties or all of his life for that matter.
The "Go West Young Man", adventuresome spirit does not attract many takers in Mexico. Educated Mexican men do in life whatever they learned in college. Nothing else. They don't change tires, pull weeds or make sandwiches. Their niche is carved by whatever it is they graduated as.
This weekend we were awaiting a visit from Leti's sister from Mexico City. All was set. A last minute call told us the trip could not be made. My sister-in-law's son, who is 33 years-old, had his business trip to Monterrey canceled and, therefore, she could not come to see us.
Why? Her son would be home alone for the weekend! Who would feed him? Iron for him? It just would not do to run off and leave him in such a lurch.
This social commitment to the sons of Middle class Mexican families doesn't only rest on the age of the male in question.
Another brother-in-law, a 75 year old doctor, was to be abandoned for one day while his wife, who never went outside without her husband, was pressed into going to Guadalajara to pay respects at the funeral of one of her family members.
Two days before her departure she made arrangements for her husbands breakfast at one relatives and 'comida' at another's. She would be home about 9:00P.M., in plenty of time to serve him his bedtime snack.
To a fellow who hitch hiked away from home at the age of 15 I find it difficult to take this culture seriously. But, make no mistake, it's no joking matter anything less would be seen as a dereliction of duty.
Damn, you'd think a doctor would have enough capacity to buy a chocolate bar and a tall boy to get through the day, wouldn't you?
posted by bbuckman | 4:47 PM
6 Comments:
"When do the good times start?"
None too soon, I'm afraid!
Hey, I got stung by a catfish fin once... come to think of it, I skinned it alive and ate the little slimy bastard! ;-) Love the quote! I'm a Samuel Clemmons fan, myself. I really do enjoy visiting here. Thanx, it's great reading!
Ooops! That would be (if I had spelled it right) Samuel Langhorne Clemens! I have to quit staying up so late. lol! Have a wonderful day!
I'ma I've done my share of skinning and eating catfish too.
The difference between us and the Australians is we were not avenging someone's death, just hungry.
That manta ray thing. Just bizarre.
You know what our problem is with "War on Terror" and "War on Drugs" etc?
We're stupid, that's what.
How the hell do you declare war on an idea or state of mind. Or derivative of the coca friggin' plant.
"War on Fear!" we scream, hysterically. "There's fear! Get it!"
Assholes.
Hate it.
At least the Australians declared war on something a little more concrete. I think a war on manta rays is almost as logical as a war on terror. And it sounds like they're making some headway, too, unlike the U.S. which is just creating more and more of thing it has sworn to destroy: Terror
Shutting up.
Miss Toasty,
Don't stop, love reading your rants.
Agree totally. We've become a nation of slogans...war this, war that, terror, fear this, that,etc.,etc.
The U.S.A. now has wars against plants, theories of government, religious myths, sexual preferences, fried food and God knows (pardon the pun, if that's what it is) what's next.
Friends, if you're looking for a war you've come to the right place.
I think the goodtimes are always here. You have to weed through the shit to find the good but it's worth it. I do not have the time to let the hell deter me for long. I cannot have myself in defeat all the time and if I listen to this asshat we have in charge for too long I would have to take a bath and slit my wrists.
Again, love the quote. And the middle aged Mexican men...Well, you probably know where I stand on that front. Right next to you.
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