Diner Wisdom

Soldier's Circle

                                                         

                                                          

Many thanks to John from www.OldChesterPa.com for the use of this Photo.

Soon it will be Memorial Day. I always become nostalgic at this time of year. As a child in the 1950's I recall that Memorial Day was the biggest holiday of the year. I lived in one of the  row homes visible in the photo above. I could see Soldier's circle from my bedroom. On Memorial day there was a huge parade (High School bands, American Legion, VFW, Women's Auxillary, etc.) that culminated with a Military Gun Salute at the Soldier's Circle. Everyone attended and it was quite a spectacle for the youngsters in the neighborhood. Years later, my own father, and fathers of friends ...and then friends... were put to rest at this site. As the Vietnam War came along there was such devisiveness that the attendance dropped ... the honor changed .... the tradition subsided somewhat. This always troubled me.

I was very fortunate (and for years a little guilt-ridden) that I didn't end up in Nam as so many of my friends did. The devisiveness that existed then was often mis-directed at the soldiers as they returned to a completely different country than they had left. There doesn't seem to be the bitterness toward the soldiers from the protestors this time in an unpopular war ... but those of a certain age  know well how easily that could happen. Hopefully it won't, and that is the point of this post. I hope that everyone can take the time this year on Memorial day to visit the local cemetery near them .. and thank a soldier .... they deserve it. And if by chance, you know a soldier... or run into a soldier .... look him or her in the eye ... and say thanks .... it really does mean something.

That said, here is a set of lyrics I wrote in 1987 as an attempt at reconciliation with my own feelings about wars that were accepted ... wars that were not ... but mostly about Soldiers published here for the first time. Thanks, guys and gals. Happy Memorial Day

                         Soldier’s Circle

I remember at ten years old

All the stories that the old men told

A celebration and a big parade

To honor men for a price they paid

And people would line up on the Avenue

As men from the VFW

Marched to Soldier’s Circle

Amidst the flowers and the tears

Not long after our time came

But it never really felt the same

The people never could agree

That the fight we had was for liberty

And when they sent the young men home

There was no parade they were left alone

To their own devices

They had no flowers, only tears

After eight long years gone by

And still no answer to the question … why?

These boys; they made their own parade

And built their own place in the shade

From everywhere the people came

And traced the wall for a lost friend’s name

No Soldier’s Circle

But they had the flowers and the tears

And now my father is resting there

Inside that circle where we learned to share

Mixed feelings that ripped us all apart

And damned near broke a country’s heart

And once a year I travel home

To that place and I stand, alone

In Soldier’s Circle

Amidst the flowers and the tears

Copyright,1987 GN, Upland, PA. All rights reserved

More Gas at Cheaper Prices, Please

Had to sell the damn SUV, but I still gotta eat, ya know?

NSA/ Bush Ho(R)ro(R)scope

This from Holiday Mathis in numerous syndicated papers Sunday May 14, 2006 :

Leo - Knowing nothing is better than knowing the wrong thing. Misinformation is rampant. Check sources. Be slow to make conlusions. Decisions can wait.

It has been a long time now that we have  .... known nothing, known some wrong things and been mis-informed. It won't be long before the mid-term elections are upon us.. Have you checked your sources? Are you perpared to read between the lines of partisanship? On either side?

We have been a devisive populace for long enough. Let's meet in "The Middle" and drift to the right or left on the basis of "knowing the right things". We have an inherent responsibility to do part of the work required to put America on a strong path and help in the choosing of direction. We cannot, as a people, continue to ignore the  abberations of partisanship that has been the stalwart of political wars since the early 90's. The Republican Party cannot be 100% correct and neither can the Democratic Party .... and neither can the voters. If we can begin in the middle at least we can be representative of our population. We can demand that politicians speak to the people instead of listening to the slick ad folks ... talk about issues instead of slinging mud at opponents ... state a case for their positions, instead of shooting holes in the positions of the opponents ... let the voters decide before it is too late for a citizen to have any sway in the direction of our great country.

Do some work ... Google the Centrist Coalition and think about joining with some folks who believe that there is a way to break the partisanship that has held us hostage for so long.

Diner item of the day for me .... Chicken Cheese Steak Wrap w/ hot sauce!

Hello Diners

I am new to this blogging thing, and this post is a test flight because I am too dense to figure out how to preview my design ... so, here I am flying without a net .

Design changes are most definitely going to come soon. I am starting this blog as an outlet for my considerable frustrations with the political landscape as it currently exists. Sometimes I will sound angry (because sometimes I am) and sometimes I might seem to be a bit too light-hearted about serious matters. It should be fun (for me) and I will attempt to make it fun for you, too.

I am a "diner rat" and I get much of my news on cuurent events at the "Diners" that I frequent. There is not a better place to meet and talk with a cross-section of the population. Diners are diverstity and democracy at their best.

I can't close without giving props to the following folks for luring me into this environment, and promise to create links to all of them as I learn how to tweak the design of this blog.

Micheal Reynolds - The Mighty Middle - MR is the first (and one of the best) bloggers that I found at random when I decided to find out about weblogs. Very smart, well read(as opposed to educated) and a very insightful person. He would much rather be seen as a cigar-smoking, booze-swilling (the good stuff), mega-consumer, one man show .... but we all know where his heart lies and this guy has "substance".

Justin Gardner - Donlephant - Wheel-man for the most diverse centrist site out there. this is a must visit site for those who are of the mind that our political system is due for change and reason. If you visit this site and choose to participate .... have your act together ... these folks know how to make a point! Must reads at this site are Alan Stewart Carl, Callimachus, AMBA, MR, and a host of others who I will be introducing you to in the near future.

Annie Gottlieb - Ambivablog - Annie is a diverse individual who "keeps on keeping on" with an amazingly positive and fiesty demeanor, and on top of that, knows what she is talking about. A bright light in an ever dimming world.

That is it for now ... it is lunchtime ... can't miss lunch .... see ya at the diner. :))