Happy Holidays to all out there.
In these days when we have so little control over things we can do and issues we can control, Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that do not control how we enjoy our food, families or time off.
So have a wonderful day, and love often.
DamSpot
While today has far less meaning than it once had, I am wishing you the best day you can possibly have.
Today is the last day of the ‘07 season for the Eastern resorts.
I have spent many seasons, at the shore. getting business’s up and running, in the Spring, keeping them staffed and stocked during the Summer, and breathing a sigh of relief in September.
So, for all those who have had that ’season at the shore’ or just work hard everyday. Happy Labor Day.
On this beautiful, sunny day, I hope that all out there, who still have their Mom’s spend a few minutes wishing them a Happy Day, and Thank God that they are still here.
You never know just how important they are…….until they’re gone.
Ah…..Nothing like an extended sabbatical to recharge ones batteries!
Lets see. What did I miss. Hmmmm!
The election? Nah. No surprise there.
Saddam’s execution? Nah. Surprised it wasn’t sooner.
Cheney shooting someone else? It’s not that time of year yet.
Well, for better or worse, I’m back.
Where do the Drunken Festivities come from?
. (Although there were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. The Irish culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. When this is considered, it is no surprise that the story of Patrick’s life became exaggerated over the centuries—spinning exciting tales to remember history has always been a part of the Irish way of life. )Who Was St. Patrick?
St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity’s most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling.Taken Prisoner By Irish Raiders
It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. Although his father was a Christian deacon, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of tax incentives and there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family’s estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. (There is some dispute over where this captivity took place. Although many believe he was taken to live in Mount Slemish in County Antrim, it is more likely that he was held in County Mayo near Killala.) During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.)Guided By Visions
After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice—which he believed to be God’s—spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.To do so, Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation—an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission—to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish. (Interestingly, this mission contradicts the widely held notion that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland.)
Bonfires and Crosses
Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish
The clocks are striking 12, ringing in the year 2006.
We will be marching forth this year, to reclaim this nation, of the people, by the people….for the people.
This is going to be a multi pronged attack.
The press and blogasphere coverage must remain strong in reporting the outrages of the Bush Administration. We must also go after the puppets, or PAC’S of foreign governments who insist on our attacks, on the Arab/Muslim community. And last, but not least, we must vote, to throw the yahoo’s out of congress and return to a sane, stable fiscal policy that will not destroy what remains, of our former selves.
It’s going to be a lot of work, but, if you want to be reading this, or any other blog, this time next year, I suggest you take my advice.
Happy Holidays to all the folks out in the blogasphere, and those readers who depend on them for unbiased news.
It’s been a rough year for many, as it always has been. It seems that, at this time of year, everyone’s thoughts turn to charity, and others.
If that attitude could continue year round, this would really be a wonderful world.
We have much to do, in this coming year. We must rid this country of Bush and his cronies.
This year VOTE, like you have never have. Rid the government of the problems that we have suffered the last 5 years. Also, send the message to those we elect, that we will not tolerate another group like this past congress.
Have a wonderful holiday. Eat well, love often, and hug all the children.
DamSpot will be back January 1st.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Today I would like to take time to Thank all of the people, in my life who helped raise and shape me to have lived these soon to be, 54 years. Yes I am defensive, and take no shit, (my mom), like a good joke and not afraid to cuss, (my dad) , decent vocabulary, (several tolerant English teachers, and a great print shop boss), tolerant of others who have an opinion other than my own, (still needs work), and the fact that I am warm, healthy and fed, (all of the above and many not yet met).
I really do thank God, to have had a fairly trouble free life. Have 2 great kids, a loving wife, and the world’s coolest Moose. (Dog)
And to all the readers, pundits and critics have a Happy Thanksgiving. Let’s hope that each coming year will be better, than the last.
Lou
On this 4th of July, we celebrate our 229th anniversary of our independence from tyranny. Over the years, many have fled to this country because they admired our way of life, our freedoms, and our opportunities to live, work, and pray free.
But, on this anniversary, I am led to wonder how many of those freedom virtues we still possess. We have sent most of our jobs to the very countries that people have fled from; those who live in this country can no longer afford our standard of living, meaning that we now have the largest homeless and hunger problem of any developed nation. People are regularly condemned in their beliefs that either differ from Judo-Christianity, or do not subscribe to the one God, one religion theory that is sweeping the nation.
The 4th of July is not a time to give thanksgiving, nor is it a time to thank our veterans or soldiers-in-arms for a job well done. It is a time to take an introspective look at the condition of our nation and how it currently relates to the wishes of our founding fathers.
Based on the partisan bickering of our lawmakers, the governments interference in everything from farm subsidies, to tobacco prices, the fact that we permit, as citizens, our leaders to tell us what they are going to do, as opposed to what our real wish’s are, I can say without fear of correction that we are a long way from Independence Hall.
America is also just about the only country where a mans sexual activities labels him a liability, but his business practices, no matter how shady, allows him the freedom to make poor decisions for millions of people while filling the wallets of himself and his cronies.
Our founding fathers wouldn’t recognize this country. And they certainly would not be treated with the respect that they would deserve. Someone, in a tabloid, would expose Franklin for his dalliances. Washington would be accused of hiding something behind those wooden teeth, and Jefferson, would be strung up for his multi-racial sexual preferences. And all of them would be hounded by their views, to a man on no religious involvement with government. After all, that was what drove them to seek freedom here to begin with. They did not intend to allow the mistakes of their homelands to occur again.
And so, I end this holiday greeting a tad less upbeat then I came in. It would be nice, that next year, on our 230th anniversary, if I will be able to reflect on a brighter, more hopeful, less hate filled…America. But, I’m already turning blue….holding my breath.
God Help America!