Oops, I lied
Topic: holidays
Here's something to think about:
The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
A Vast Wasteland
Topic: media
Back in the 1950's someone described TV as a "vast Wasteland". Keep in mind this was back when there were only 3 channels and everything had a script. Nowadays you have over 100 channels, mostly drivel. I watch 2 hours a week, unless there's a special on the History Channel. I find that there's nothing on. What used to be funny sitcoms have been replaced with game shows, reality shows (which don't seem very real to me), and police drama. What's next, a reality show about a group of people dreaming up the next reality show? Or what about a house full of cops who play games? We could call it "Law and Order House".
TV news isn't any better. It's mostly driven by soundbites, and every move made by a celebrity passes as news these days. Last year a CNN anchorwoman refused to to a lead story about Paris Hilton. Or was it Brittney Spears? Does it matter? Coverage of a Republican debate centered around Mitt Romney's hair. Lost in all the fluff of the debates: the issues! We had Romney and McCain arguing in circles about who said what about leaving in Iraq (their arguement sounded more like an agreeance to me) while Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee could've been putting on a magic show trying to get some attention.
Seen any good movies lately that you haven't seen before? Me neither. It's either a remake of an earlier movie (because I can do it better!), a movie based on a TV show from at least 20 years ago, or your standard fare action movie which uses the same plot as all the others. Oh, I almost forgot the Hugh Grant romantic comedy. If I see one more break-up caused by a tragic misunderstanding....
What's on tonight? Let me know what you're watching and if it's any good.
The Green Hornet
Topic: Days of Jeff's Life
The Green Hornet rides again! That's what the Dude I work with is calling DQ's riding mower. Actually, it's not his. He just "worked on it" for 6 weeks. DQ likes to make a little money doing odd jobs here and there, mostly using Camp Lakeview equipment. Like the time he said, "When will you guys get your pressure washer fixed? I have a couple people I need to pressure wash for."
And so it was with the Green Hornet. It was Mother's Day when we first noticed it, up on milk crates like the ghetto of the ghetto. The neighbor (it was on her lot) said, "DQ got me a Mother's Day present." It actually spent more time out of the 6 weeks sitting there than getting "fixed". After about a month, DQ got it to the point where it was running. So he'd drive around the park towing DQ Minor in his little truck.
OK, DQ you got it fixed, now give it back! Wait, there's more! He has to drive it in the grass and turf us. Then he can go back to "fixing" it. Time to test the blade. Mow one section of grass (not a whole area) so it's shorter than everything else and stupid looking.
Last week he was drenched in sweat with his hair slicked back. He was in a rush because the guy wanted his mower back. Only 4 weeks after DQ said he worked on it for 6 hours and "fixed" it. It's leaking fuel! SO he sub-contracted one of the neighbors. The next day, it was leaking again. "The neighbor did it wrong" was the excuse, but it looked like someone cut the plug that stopped the original leak. So where do I find DQ? Rooting through the Camp Lakeview workshop.
What's next for DQ? Fixing the water pump on the Camp Lakeview excavator. I'm expecting that project to be done around the middle of July. Of 2010.
