Sunday, May 31, 2015

Baby Boy

My former wife has a 200 year old house she is slowly renovating.  I've been helping.  It's a lot of work.  And there are always little human dramas around.

The area itself is relatively stable, except for a rental next to her house and a deserted house just south of that.

Rentals in the 'inner city' are a huge problem.  They are often owned by absentee landlords, even sometimes little corporations which shelter illegal activities.  And bet that there is enough corruption in Indianapolis to perpetuate the problem.  The problem is exacerbated by many who move into the rentals.

Oh oh.  The collectivists will writhe about claiming I'm racist or prejudiced against the poor or some other tired commie rhetoric.  Nope.  It's a fact the rentals are magnets for drug dealers and attendant criminals.  They are hotbeds for trouble.

Over the years, there has been a panoply of shady characters as 'neighbors'.  It's almost exhausting to think of the aforementioned ne'er do wells which blighted the area. 

We have disrupted drug making, dealing, fencing activities among others.  It has made us persona non grata with the criminals.  Allies, enemies and those who are not what they appear could fill a mini series.  Truth is stranger than fiction.

The subject of this post is Baby Boy.  He is a mostly black Pit Bull mix with white feet, chest and tail tip.  He is consistently abused by the 19 year old kid who is among the current inhabitants of the rental.

Baby Boy is yelled at, underfed, hit and left outside on a short chain.  We've had some bad rainstorms lately and he has endured them, curled in the back yard.  Then he barks, begging for attention, to be sheltered and fed.  It is mixed with whines of desperation.

When we first met him, he was surly and suspicious.  He barked and growled, even when I offered him some roast beef, talking to him.  He was passively aggressive and backed up as I approached.

My ex got through to him.  He liked our dog, a girl, and as my ex talked soothingly she fed him dog treats.  I joined her and he started wagging his tail.  We got him food and he ravenously consumed it.

We got to calling him Baby Boy.

The kid is a controlling street punk, or thug if you like.  We suspect drug dealing with his digging up and burying objects in their back yard.  There is no visible means of support as he comes and goes picking up and delivering packages.  An aside:  We happened back one day and a young man of Oriental extraction emerged from the rental.  Ironically, he bore a carry out container bulging with plastic bag sticking out.  When he saw us he got nervous and tucked the sack in.  Like I said, the makings of a mini series.

The kid, btw, is very careful not to do much drug activity on the pot.  However he does get high and likes to stand outside in the middle of the night and sing.  There have been cops a few times, but nothing has come of it.

So, round red robin's barn and back to Baby Boy.

My ex got into an argument with him about the dog.  He claimed to have raised 20 Pit Bulls.  When she asked if they were all mean, he answered yes.  This was in response to how he treated Baby Boy.  She offered to take him and he refused.  We believe the dog is supposed to be the literal outside guard.  He has two Pits in the house.

Oh yes, he has admitted to having a 'temper'.  Spent time in jail as a result.  Hmmm.  We wonder what else there is. 

And his name for this sad dog is 'Street N*****'  Uh-huh.

No deep psychological analysis here.  What we've witnessed is endemic of the thugs who have invaded us from within.

They live in entitled violence ruled hell.  Killing is a right of passage.  Robbing, drugs are just business as usual.  The measure of their twisted version of 'manhood' is to beat down others.

Street gangs and outlaw bikers are a whole different post.  I'm taking a while with this as it is -s-.

Why?  Why bother?  Why not sell her house?  Why endure the stupidity and actual danger?

Where are you gonna go?  Where are you gonna hide?  Reminds me of the quote at the end of Body Snatchers with Gabrielle Anwar, where one of the pod people asked the still human girl why she resists?  The question is left unanswered.

Terrible things are happening.  There is a mobile army amongst us threatening our infrastructure.  Either we expose it or knuckle under.

Strength in love or hate?  We've seen it all before over the centuries.  Might makes right has been the credo of collectivists for a long time.

Will it be love, with the resolve to defend it?  Or will it be terror, abuse and disarmed sheep at the mercy of thugs?

Baby Boy or Street N*****?  Which will it be?

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Uncle Wiggily

I was reminded of a childhood game the other day.  It was one of my favorites.  Uncle Wiggily.

It was a boardgame based on a series of children's stories written by Howard R. Garis.  He was prolific, penning 79 books and many stories over the years.  The illustrations in the books are beautiful, timeless pieces of art.  Search engine Uncle Wiggily and check it out.

Uncle Wiggily was an elderly engaging rabbit who has rheumatism.  He gets around with the help of a red, white, blue cane resembling a barber's pole. 

He takes a lot of trips, goes on many adventures and meets many others on the way.

He encounters 'bad chaps' who make life difficult for him.  They perform pranks and some want to take 'ear nibbles'.  Remember, these were written with little kids in mind, so the violence is played down. 

Uncle Wiggily also has many friends ad allies who travel with him and aid him to safety.  I find it amusing he has a niece and nephew, no kids though.  Why is it these guys/gals are almost always like that?  Donald Duck, Popeye etal have the same situation.  Puritanical overtones?  Who knows lol?

He often helps friends out of bad predicaments before the 'bad chaps' descend.  As well he is aided by them in thwarting bad machinations.  He also relies on his crutch and an occasional 'thing-a-ma-bob' brought along in a satchel against the villains. 

The games takes players from Uncle Wiggily's place to Dr Possum's house.  There are traps and obstacles along the way.

Up to four people can play, so there is a little competition, taking turns and so forth.

About those traps and obstacles, I remember the fox in particular.  Even in early childhood, I figured he'd do more than nibble an ear or prank the Uncle.

Need I point out the analogy?  Real life is more than pranks and ear nibbles.  Our bad chaps are evil, malignant, controlling.  We are in the fight of our lives.

We must be resourceful.  Devise solutions as we go along.  We can't draw another card when it's our turn.  We have to think on our feet.

Being wiggily is helpful.  Flexibility is key.

Perhaps the game was a very early indication of something more.

Unlike wiggling our way out like our slimeball enemies, we simply wade in, with agility.

We need wiggle room and an uncle able and willing to teach us -s-.

Friday, May 29, 2015

Nothing We Can Do

I remember that phrase specifically, though it's common enough with defeatists.

Years ago, I was having a discussion about Freedom with someone showbiz related.  I'd known this person for quite a while.  Most of our previous conversations were relegated to showbiz, actors, movies etc.  This was different.

I mentioned the encroaching tyranny suffered after 911.  Without reiterating all that, she cut the conversation short by saying 'there's nothing we can do' so why bother getting upset.

I had an impression she might be Freedom minded before, thus our chat.  Apparently she was as statist as Star Trek let's say.  You know, the Federation as a socialist state heading to fascist alliance.  No, I'm not going to discuss all that here.  Figure it out for yourselves -s-.  And btw, I'm a ST fan but I never hold back my critique.

That impression of the lady was naïve.  Since then, I check out people even more closely.  Paranoid, nosy?  Nah.  Just don't want to waste my time on people such as the one above who impress with 'my mind is made up so don't confuse me with the facts'.

Speaking of Trek, I'd say her attitude was pretty much 'resistance is futile' vis a vis the Borg.

Nothing we can do harks back to that German prof I've mentioned who was a translator at Nuremberg.  She talked of East and West Germany.  Some people sought Freedom and some preferred to be told what to do.  It's easier to be controlled once you give up.

So get lost in science fiction and ignore reality.  Or perhaps you might see a message in the ravioli such as Babylon 5 about fighting on all levels for Freedom.

SOMETHING we can do is resist.  Learn the enemies' ways and fight. 

As for the nothing we can do crowd, well, they reap what they sew.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Blind History

'There are none so blind as those who will not see.'  Attributed to Matthew Henry, it is quoted all over and there are variations Biblically, in song and elsewhere.  It is used by many different political and social persuasions.

The quote comes to mind as a line in Everything is Beautiful by Ray Stevens.  Interesting song re tolerance, brotherhood etc.

I had two very different Grandfathers.  One, my maternal, lived with us.  He was stoic but kindly and honest.  The other, my Dad's Dad, was petty, conniving, selfish.  My Dad was raised, btw, by my GreatGrandmother and Great Aunt and Great Uncle.  They were of the same good ilk, producing loving, caring, wisdom, balance.

Frank (I never call him Grandpa) just loved that song.  He'd sit and keep time to it, nodding to the words and music.

At the same time, he was an example of what the song despised.  Among his negative qualities, racial prejudice evidenced itself.

He frequently used the 'n' word and I was flabbergasted at his stupidity.

He apparently saw no problem with his negativity and enjoying that song.  The opening line of this post went right over his head.

So it is with many.  They pick and choose what they accept, either glossing over facts or excising them re history and all the events which lead to it every day. 

My son is a history major intent on the military then teaching.  We have frequent discussions about historical events.  We exclude nothing and prefer a 'warts and all' approach, history in toto.

That can be uncomfortable and I'm reminded of why many are blind.  As well as that mentioned above, many exhibit cognitive dissonance.

My point is you can't make people see.  But you might point the way so they will think for themselves.

Beware that outcropping of blind history ie cult of personality.  It leads many a follower off a cliff.

Instead, remember we are all human and we, in spite of faults, strive to do better.  We seek to reestablish Liberty, calling on the best we can be.

Take off the blinders and see warts and all.

I'm not afraid to mention the above family skeleton.  I suggest the same for all personally, nationally and worldwide.