sunnywords4shadypeople

Bob Doyle and the 4 hour Election

2012-01-11T14:13:00.000-08:00

Time to call the Doctor. You know the commercials. If something lasts up to 4 hours you should see a Doctor. Bob Doyle made the original commercials famous. This after he lost to Bill Clinton in the 1996 election. I remember meeting Bob and Elizabeth at a greet and meet at Liberty Life and coming away thinking she should be the one running for President. Don't get me wrong, I respect Bob Doyle greatly especially for his service and injuries in the war and for his many years in the Senate.
But as the republican party normally does, they chose their candidate by whose turn it was, instead of who's views came closest to the parties. My parents were what you would call Goldwater/Eisenhower republicans. They believed in small government, fiscally conservative and don't fight wars unless attacked. Now days Eisenhower would probably be a libertarian. Once again the republican party is annointing Mitt Romney because it is his turn. He lost to John McCain in 2008 so it's his turn at bat. This line of thinking is what drove me to campaign and vote for our current president. When does it end.
I looked at the entire crop before making my decision. My view of each one: Perry-I spoke with a family member in Dallas who owns his own business and the stories he told of Perry makes me think he is very reckless. Santorum- wolf in sheeps clothing. He is not a fiscal conservative and he voted against Right to Work legislature. Newt-I gained a whole new respect for Newt watching the 1 on 1 debate he had with Governor Huntsman. But, too many questions concerning his relationships with Fanny & Freddie, and his endorsement of the Medicare Drug Plan takes him out of the picture. Uncle Ron Paul- I actually like alot of his views, my friends Hammer and Red know exactly what I mean, but I said I like a small government not none at all. and Finally Romney- You may think he is the most electable, but think again. This Bain Capital crap, (which I have no problem with, it's called Capitalism)is making waves now, wait until Axlerod gets his teeth into it. Trust me I know how they work.
Governor Huntsman is really our only choice. How is the president going to debate him? Compare his record in Utah with Mass. or the last 4 years. A man who chose to serve his country instead of serving the Republican party and earning his way to the front of the line. Lets not make this a 4 state election.

I'm back and in the Hunt

2012-01-10T08:51:00.000-08:00

I sometimes wonder what makes people do the things they do. Is it from habbit, how they were raised or simply what they see on television? Through Facebook we are able to catch a brief glimpse into other peoples lives. This new obsession has grasped our nation and you would think that somehow or somewhere we have all become "Friends". It gives the seven degrees of seperation a whole new meaning. I mean are we all really that friendly? You know I have 383 friends on Facebook, but I'm really hoping that I can find 6 buddies to carry my casket when the good lord calls me home.
Watching episodes 17 & 18 of the new series "The Republican Debates" I started wondering how many people are "Friends" to the candidates. I'm sure by now Newt has de-friended Mitt, Rick S and Rick P. He may still be friends with Jon H. but was never a friend of Ron P. As for Ron Paul, his list of political friends is limited to his son and possibly Jim Demint on occasion. I was also very impressed with Governor Huntsman's performance in this week-ends debates.
As many of you know, I supported President Obama in the 2008 election. He was the first and only Democrat I had ever supported. Iraq was the main reason and I saw the 2008 version of John McCain as "W" 2.0. Knowing what I know now, would I have voted differently? Probably not. If McCain had won there probably would not have been a TeaParty or Occupiers. Status Quo would have been rule.
In Governor Huntsman I actually see someone who gets it. Who understands our problems are not who can and cannot get married. It's allowing banks to become too big to fail. It's making the tax plan simplier and easier to understand by lower taxes and removing loop holes. Our problems don't reside in Afghanistan but knowing they lie in Pakistan and having someone who knows the way to handle it is through a strong fiscal policy and not threats of war. Someone who knows that the only way to get out of the Middle East is to stop importing their oil, thus funding the terrorist we spend Trillions to fight.
I know I'm probably not going to persuade anyone to vote for Governor Huntsman. I only ask that you do your homework and at least give him a shot here in SC. He is not perfect, but who is? There has only been one who can make that claim.

"When you come to the fork in the road, take it". Yogi Berra.

Ash Wednesday and the start to Lent

2011-03-09T13:20:00.001-08:00

Some of you may or may not know but I gave up Facebook for Lent this year. Over the years I have given up such things as cheese, beer, caffiene, salt and even one year listening to sports talk radio.
Sometimes we don't notice how certain things we do have gained power over us and dictate our actions. In Lent fasts, we discover these things and give them up so that God can be in charge. Franciscans use the term 'detachment': the less that 'stuff' preoccupies your life, the more room there is for God, as well as for yourself and for other people.
When I consider the sacrifices that have been made in the past from not only the first believers but the ultimate sacrifice at Calvary, it makes the few hours I am giving up seem small. I plan to read more, write more and pray more.

Syd

Oh by the way.....

2010-11-04T01:59:00.000-07:00

Throughout the last couple of weeks of campaigning did anyone notice one thing missing in all of their speeches and commercials? I heard plenty of talk of overturning "Obama Care", lowering taxes, "taking back our country", but I heard nothing of ending wars. Even yesterday as victory speeches were made and political analyst tried to tell us what happened nothing was mentioned. Have we been fighting so long now that we have forgotten about our soldiers? Not once did John Boehner mention what the new congress was going to do about Iraq or Afganistan. Also something else that I'm curious about, how do we pay for 2 wars when we are cutting taxes or cutting our revenue?
Least we forget, while the people were speaking and the tea party was taking back the country, on Tuesday Spc Jonathan Curtis(24)of Belmont, Mass and Pfc Andrew Meari(21) of Plainfield, Ill lost their lives in Afganistan. Please, their families and the families we know and love deserve to know what your plans are for these 2 wars. By the way Mr. Speaker I have a question.....

Syd

1 Never Works

2010-11-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

It's election day and unfortunately, I'm afraid the straight party people are going to win out again. These are the people who automatically hit the Big R or Big D button each and every time. In this state it usually means the Big R. I'm not sure if it's because they don't want to take the time to examine each candidate or they don't know how to examine each candidate, or they are simply doing what they were told to do by Fox News. Funny how things have changed. I remember growing up in Oconee County and my family being the only Republicans there. 36 years ago today my dad had me out holding up signs for James Edwards, to help elect the 1st republican governor since reconstruction. Imagine that, South Carolina a democratic stronghold.
Several years ago I was having a conversation with State Senator Fletcher Smith and we were discussing the change. I told him 40 years ago you could walk into any church in SC with a handful of rocks and not hit 5 republicans, now you can walk into any church in SC and not hit 5 democrats. When they find out what went wrong they may make inroads back into this state. But the sad part is that most people now will not give any other candidate a chance unless they have the R beside their name.
If we have learned anything in the last 10 years is that when 1 party is in charge the system goes to hell. During Reagan we had a republican president and a democratic congress that started the end of the cold war and economic growth. Likewise with Clinton. Democratic President and a Republican Congress gave us a Balanced Budget, Welfare Reform and a surplus. Under Bush (Republican President and Republican Congress) we had record deficit, 2 wars, wall street meltdown. Once again with a Democratic President and Democratic House we are seeing things once more going to hell.
I for one am happy to see the changing of the guard in the house. I hope history repeats itself and the prosperity of split leadership returns.

Happy Voting

Syd

Same trail different hiker

2010-10-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

Nikki Haley has been called Mark Sanford in a skirt. For all of his good intentions the bottom line was Mark Sanford never got anything accomplished because of his refusal to work with the General Assembly. A general assembly made up of his party. With Nikki Haley I am afraid the same thing is going to happen.

She's been in the South Carolina General Assembly for six years, and hers is the party that's been in power the entire time. A woman with ideas about what needs to be done in our state, one who works hard and knows how to get things done... she's had ample time to accomplish things.

And yet she hasn't. I'm not badmouthing the woman. I'm talking about facts. She was the primary sponsor of five bills in the last two years. None of them passed.

In six years in the legislature, she's been the primary sponsor of exactly one bill that's passed. Just one. It allows people to wash hair in hair salons without having a cosmetology license.

Being governor is not like being a king in olden days. She doesn't get to do whatever she wants. She has to get laws passed by the legislature to do anything. Otherwise, nothing happens (ala Sanford and his inability to work with his own party).

She was at the Citadel this weekend talking to cadets and told them she would be giving out report cards to legislators who weren't working with her to pass legislation or weren't keeping their promises to voters.

I don't think that's going to make any lawmakers eager to work with her -- having her give them failing grades. They don't work for the governor. They work with the governor, if all parties are willing. She's already set the wrong tone.

Don't take my word for this. Look up information for yourself. Ask her. Ask her campaign. What has she accomplished in the legislature? She hasn't shown the initiative to come up with legislative proposals herself, get them through the House and Senate and signed into law. Simply has not done it. Not in 6 years.

She's campaigning on roll-call votes in the legislature, so we can hold lawmakers more accountable for their actions. Roll-call votes are part of the permanent record, so we can look back and see who voted yes and who voted no on particular issues, as opposed to passing legislation by lawmakers simply saying yeah or nay as a group.

I think that's a great idea. I support her completely on that.

But she couldn't get it passed, not with a Republican majority in the House and Senate.

Why couldn't she do this? Why couldn't she rally her party to pass something important? To pass anything?

What is she going to do differently as governor? I think a person's past actions are the best indicator of what they will do in the future. Nikki Haley simply hasn't gotten anything done.

"In God We Trust"?

2010-05-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

I recently received another one of those annoying e-mails claiming how the Obama government wants to remove "In God We Trust" from our currency. I don't know how true these emails are but I think it should be removed. Should our trust in god really be associated with our money? Think about all the things people are willing to do to obtain money. Lie, cheat, steal, whatever it takes to obtain wealth. We now live in a society that it takes boths parents working, and the 60 hr work week is not unusual. All these things for money. I know it takes money to live but do we really need to associate our god with money? Matt. 6:24 tells us you cannot serve both God and Money. So do we need gods name on there? Think about all the evil that is caused by money. We fight wars over oil(money). We see the con's and swindles of Wall Street(money) even locally the collapse of Carolina Investors was a simple case of a few people wanting more and not worrying about who they hurt. Everyday a convenience store is being robbed, or home invasion, drug traffic, etc. All for the love of money. How true was Paul's letter to Timothy saying "for the love of money is the root of All Evil"? (Paul amazes me with his ability today to step on our toes).

Also, Do we really trust in God?

So, count me as one of those who does not want my God associated with money. Next thing you know he will expect me to give him a portion of it.

Syd

Is this who we are?

2010-03-25T07:01:00.000-07:00

So it has come to this. The health care bill was passed and there have been threats to congressmen and vandalism to democratic hq's. Racial slurs to James Clyburn, homophobic shouts at Barney Franks, death threats to many and bemoaning by all of those who opposed the bill. Is this really who we are? Maybe we should remove "In God We Trust" from our currency. With the amount of hate that has been shown this week in our country are we really "One Nation Under God"? No I do not agree with everything in the bill. But I do agree that something had to be done. The republican response throughout has been "we need to take more time to discuss" which was BS. 14 months has been long enough. They only wanted to prolong the effort to tie things up. My question to all those who oppose this because we can not afford it is, Where were you when Bush & Cheney were financing 2 wars with borrowed money? Speaking of fiscal irresponsiblity, cutting taxes while staging 2 wars? That doesn't begin to make sense. During WWII Americans were encouraged to give more not less. How sad is it that we have an unlimited budget for killing and worry about the price of saving someones life.

Again I say, I don't agree with everything in the bill. But I do not think my healthcare should be limited to the amount of money in my checking acct. Or do I believe that someone should risk bankruptcy because they became ill. With Insurance or Without it's happening everyday. Aren't we a better Country than this?

"We are the people our parents warned us about" Jimmy Buffett

Deserving?

2010-03-22T07:10:00.000-07:00

After reading and listening to everyone fussing about the health care bill a couple of thoughts crossed my mind. The general feeling is that people who don't deserve to be covered may be covered and it's going to cost to much. I read someone say "I might as well quit my job so I can be covered by the government". Or "these people don't pay their share of taxes so why should I pay for their health care". I'm so glad God doesn't think like this. If you think about it, Does any of us deserve God's Grace? We worry so much that someone else may receive something that they didn't earn, that I work hard for what I got and they didn't. How many times have you thought this? Or, That these welfare families have gotten to where they are by their own doing. They are getting what they deserve and I shouldn't have to pay for it. Thank you Jesus for not thinking this way.

With this line of thinking, you could say, "that person does not tithe so they should not recieve God's Grace" or 'they don't go to church so God shouldn't love them as much as he loves me", "I've Earned his grace". None of us could ever do anything to Earn such a gift. Romans says "ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Grace was paid for at the cross for everyone. Even the ones we may not think are deserving. Whether or not someone deserves health care is really not for us to say? When and if I meet my maker I don't want the lord to say "I was sick and you denied me healthcare for what you did not do for the least of these you did not do for me". Remember "For God So Loved THE ENTIRE WORLD he gave his only son."

Syd

Lenten Thought

2010-02-23T15:53:00.000-08:00

As we finish the first week of lent I thought it would be a good time to continue a discussion we had this morning in our Madmen group. Reading the story of the transfiguration the question came up, how have you transfigured since becoming a christian? For those who don't remember the scripture, Jesus had taken Peter, James and John up the mountain and while there his face shown bright and his clothing turned to white. Then Moses and Elijah appeared and begin talking with him.

What a glorious sight this must have been. Especially for these 3 jews who had grown up with the stories of these two historical figures. And those words "this is my beloved son whom I am pleased, Hear Him" had to reconfirm their actions in dropping everything and following him.

The question is after you have "heard him" how have you transformed? I don't think we should expect our faces to shine bright with light but they should shine bright with a smile. Our faces should show the brightness of love and understanding, not the darkness of divisiveness and hate. If we really "hear him" we know we should love our god and love our neighbors as our selves.

As I begin the second week of lent my hope is that I will continue to hear him and not let other things interfere with the signal.

Syd

Facebook is not that new

2010-02-22T16:51:00.000-08:00

It's been a very long time since I actually wrote anything of substance or of anything on here. Blame it on Facebook. I now know why they call it crackbook. It is very addictive because its too easy. It reminds me of the old party lines we had growing up. For those who are too young to remember, this was when people had to share phone lines. We had an aunt who loved listening in on our phone calls. You could find out all the personal information from other people by simply picking up your phone and catching them talking. Not saying it happened alot but it did happen at times. Also growing up the local papers would have different churches and communities write basically a newsletter in their papers. It would go something like this, "We had 13 visitors this week at church. Jesse Hightower's aunt from Atlanta was visiting Jesse and Louise this week and we all enjoyed a church dinner Sunday. Also Mary Jones is in the hospital and remember such and such in your prayers".

Reading the local newspaper (which came once or twice a week depending on the paper) was our facebook. We knew who was getting married, who was sick or dead, who visited who over the week-end, who needed our prayers and what the school menu was going to be. This was all we needed to know. Mr. Bill wrote on a board if our school was closed for snow. If we needed to buy or sell something we didn't need Craigslists or Ebay we had WGOG and the Pickens Flea Market. If they didn't have it, you didn't need it.

So you see all this new technology is not all that new. We had all the technology we needed. If you wanted to know more, you just picked up the phone and listened.

Veterans Day (Duty, Honor, Country)

2009-11-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

Below is General Douglas MacArthur's farewell speech to the cadets at West Point. Please take time to read and reflect on its body.
General Douglas MacArthur's Farewell Speech

Given to the Corps of Cadets at West Point

May 12, 1962

General Westmoreland, General Groves, distinguished guests, and gentlemen of the Corps. As I was leaving the hotel this morning, a doorman asked me, "Where are you bound for, General?" and when I replied, "West Point," he remarked, "Beautiful place, have you ever been there before?"

No human being could fail to be deeply moved by such a tribute as this, coming from a profession I have served so long and a people I have loved so well. It fills me with an emotion I cannot express. But this award is not intended primarily for a personality, but to symbolize a great moral code - the code of conduct and chivalry of those who guard this beloved land of culture and ancient descent. That is the meaning of this medallion. For all eyes and for all time, it is an expression of the ethics of the American soldier. That I should be integrated in this way with so noble an ideal arouses a sense of pride and yet of humility which will be with me always.

"Duty," "Honor," "Country" - those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you want to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn. Unhappily, I possess neither that eloquence of diction, that poetry of imagination, nor that brilliance of metaphor to tell you all that they mean.

The unbelievers will say they are but words, but a slogan, but a flamboyant phrase. Every pedant, every demagogue, every cynic, every hypocrite, every troublemaker, and, I am sorry to say, some others of an entirely different character, will try to downgrade them even to the extent of mockery and ridicule.

But these are some of the things they do. They build your basic character. They mold you for your future roles as the custodians of the nation's defense. They make you strong enough to know when you are weak, and brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid.

They teach you to be proud and unbending in honest failure, but humble and gentle in success; not to substitute words for action; not to seek the path of comfort, but to face the stress and spur of difficulty and challenge; to learn to stand up in the storm, but to have compassion on those who fall; to master yourself before you seek to master others; to have a heart that is clean, a goal that is high; to learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; to reach into the future, yet never neglect the past; to be serious, yet never take yourself too seriously; to be modest so that you will remember the simplicity of true greatness; the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

They give you a temperate will, a quality of imagination, a vigor of the emotions, a freshness of the deep springs of life, a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, an appetite for adventure over love of ease. They create in your heart the sense of wonder, the unfailing hope of what next, and the joy and inspiration of life. They teach you in this way to be an officer and a gentleman.

And what sort of soldiers are those you are to lead? Are they reliable? Are they brave? Are they capable of victory?

Their story is known to all of you. It is the story of the American man at arms. My estimate of him was formed on the battlefields many, many years ago, and has never changed. I regarded him then, as I regard him now, as one of the world's noblest figures; not only as one of the finest military characters, but also as one of the most stainless.

His name and fame are the birthright of every American citizen. In his youth and strength, his love and loyalty, he gave all that mortality can give. He needs no eulogy from me, or from any other man. He has written his own history and written it in red on his enemy's breast.

But when I think of his patience under adversity, of his courage under fire, and of his modesty in victory, I am filled with an emotion of admiration I cannot put into words. He belongs to history as furnishing one of the greatest examples of successful patriotism. He belongs to posterity as the instructor of future generations in the principles of liberty and freedom. He belongs to the present, to us, by his virtues and by his achievements.

In twenty campaigns, on a hundred battlefields, around a thousand campfires, I have witnessed that enduring fortitude, that patriotic self-abnegation, and that invincible determination which have carved his statue in the hearts of his people.

From one end of the world to the other, he has drained deep the chalice of courage. As I listened to those songs of the glee club, in memory's eye I could see those staggering columns of the First World War, bending under soggy packs on many a weary march, from dripping dusk to drizzling dawn, slogging ankle deep through mire of shell-pocked roads; to form grimly for the attack, blue-lipped, covered with sludge and mud, chilled by the wind and rain, driving home to their objective, and for many, to the judgment seat of God.

I do not know the dignity of their birth, but I do know the glory of their death. They died unquestioning, uncomplaining, with faith in their hearts, and on their lips the hope that we would go on to victory. Always for them: Duty, Honor, Country. Always their blood, and sweat, and tears, as they saw the way and the light.

And twenty years after, on the other side of the globe, against the filth of dirty foxholes, the stench of ghostly trenches, the slime of dripping dugouts, those boiling suns of the relentless heat, those torrential rains of devastating storms, the loneliness and utter desolation of jungle trails, the bitterness of long separation of those they loved and cherished, the deadly pestilence of tropic disease, the horror of stricken areas of war.

Their resolute and determined defense, their swift and sure attack, their indomitable purpose, their complete and decisive victory - always victory, always through the bloody haze of their last reverberating shot, the vision of gaunt, ghastly men, reverently following your password of Duty, Honor, Country.

The code which those words perpetuate embraces the highest moral laws and will stand the test of any ethics or philosophies ever promulgated for the uplift of mankind. Its requirements are for the things that are right, and its restraints are from the things that are wrong. The soldier, above all other men, is required to practice the greatest act of religious training - sacrifice. In battle and in the face of danger and death, he discloses those divine attributes which his Maker gave when he created man in his own image. No physical courage and no brute instinct can take the place of the Divine help which alone can sustain him. However horrible the incidents of war may be, the soldier who is called upon to offer and to give his life for his country, is the noblest development of mankind.

You now face a new world, a world of change. The thrust into outer space of the satellite, spheres and missiles marked the beginning of another epoch in the long story of mankind - the chapter of the space age. In the five or more billions of years the scientists tell us it has taken to form the earth, in the three or more billion years of development of the human race, there has never been a greater, a more abrupt or staggering evolution. We deal now not with things of this world alone, but with the illimitable distances and as yet unfathomed mysteries of the universe. We are reaching out for a new and boundless frontier. We speak in strange terms: of harnessing the cosmic energy; of making winds and tides work for us; of creating unheard synthetic materials to supplement or even replace our old standard basics; of purifying sea water for our drink; of mining ocean floors for new fields of wealth and food; of disease preventatives to expand life into the hundred of years; of controlling the weather for a more equitable distribution of heat and cold, of rain and shine; of space ships to the moon; of the primary target in war, no longer limited to the armed forces of an enemy, but instead to include his civil populations; of ultimate conflict between a united human race and the sinister forces of some other planetary galaxy; of such dreams and fantasies as to make life the most exciting of all time.

And through all this welter of change and development your mission remains fixed, determined, inviolable. It is to win our wars. Everything else in your professional career is but corollary to this vital dedication. All other public purpose, all other public projects, all other public needs, great or small, will find others for their accomplishments; but you are the ones who are trained to fight.

Yours is the profession of arms, the will to win, the sure knowledge that in war there is no substitute for victory, that if you lose, the Nation will be destroyed, that the very obsession of your public service must be Duty, Honor, Country.

Others will debate the controversial issues, national and international, which divide men's minds. But serene, calm, aloof, you stand as the Nation's war guardians, as its lifeguards from the raging tides of international conflict, as its gladiators in the arena of battle. For a century and a half you have defended, guarded and protected its hallowed traditions of liberty and freedom, of right and justice.

Let civilian voices argue the merits or demerits of our processes of government. Whether our strength is being sapped by deficit financing indulged in too long, by federal paternalism grown too mighty, by power groups grown too arrogant, by politics grown too corrupt, by crime grown too rampant, by morals grown too low, by taxes grown too high, by extremists grown too violent; whether our personal liberties are as firm and complete as they should be.

These great national problems are not for your professional participation or military solution. Your guidepost stands out like a tenfold beacon in the night: Duty, Honor, Country.

You are the leaven which binds together the entire fabric of our national system of defense. From your ranks come the great captains who hold the Nation's destiny in their hands the moment the war tocsin sounds.

The long gray line has never failed us. Were you to do so, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise from their white crosses, thundering those magic words: Duty, Honor, Country.

This does not mean that you are warmongers. On the contrary, the soldier above all other people prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. But always in our ears ring the ominous words of Plato, that wisest of all philosophers: "Only the dead have seen the end of war."

The shadows are lengthening for me. The twilight is here. My days of old have vanished - tone and tints. They have gone glimmering through the dreams of things that were. Their memory is one of wondrous beauty, watered by tears and coaxed and caressed by the smiles of yesterday. I listen then, but with thirsty ear, for the witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll.

In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield. But in the evening of my memory I come back to West Point. Always there echoes and re-echoes: Duty, Honor, Country.

Today marks my final roll call with you. But I want you to know that when I cross the river, my last conscious thoughts will be of the Corps, and the Corps, and the Corps.

I bid you farewell.

I really need your help!!!

2009-08-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

I really need everyones help. With all this discussion on healthcare I am a little confused on what should be done. You see, I have always been one of those who has felt that we should all take responsiblity for our own actions. I have done it and I expect others to follow suit. But I have a couple of real life situations that I need some help on. Here they are:

1) We are going to call this person John. John was having severe pain in his back. He thought he had pulled a muscle or something in his lower back but had no insurance and could not afford to go to a doctor so he ignored it. The pain continued on and on but he just hoped it would eventually go away. A year or so passed and the pain continued and actually increased. Finally, John went to see a doctor. The doctor imediately put him into the hospital. To make a long story short John had kidney disease that eventually costs him a kidney. No insurance the total costs @ $250,00 that he has no chance of paying. The Dr. states that if they had caught it early enough they could have saved the kidney plus the pain and suffering that came and continues with it.

2) We are going to call this person Mary. This person is someone who has tried to do everything right her entire life. Started and was successful for a while in her own business. For many reasons, her business closed and in the process she lost everything. Her house, her business and her dignity. Mary was forced at 52 to move back in with her elderly mother. Mary has had many physical ailments throughout her life and such her health insurance is @$1500.00 per month. Without insurance her prescryptions run $1400 per mo. A year later she can no longer afford health insurance. She falls between the cracks of medicaid and disablity. With her age and medical history, the chances of her finding employment are slim. What is she to do?

Folks these are 2 people I actually know. This is not a scare tactic or stories made up. What are we to do? To help these people some would call it socialism, or government interference. We scream about choice, but what are their choices?
Call me whatever you may, I am big enough and tough enough to take it. But I really am ashamed of a country that allows this to happen. Matt. 25 tells us that what we do for the least we do to Jesus.

I look forward to your replies.

Syd

Microwave Minds

2009-06-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

I apologize, and I admit it, I now understand why they call it "CrackBook", I'm addicted. Since signing up for Face Book I have not taken the time to write anything on this blog. The problem is, with Face Book you don't have to think. You can just write a quick sentence of what is on your mind and leave it at that. This is the world we live in. Between twittering, facebook, texting and instant messaging, our thought process has been deminished to a simple sentence.
Recenting we lost a great journalist and a great man in Dan Foster. Dan had a great gift of taking any sporting event and giving it a personal feel. You felt you were there. Dan's insights into the upstate and upstate sports legend were built over a lifetime. His unique perspectives would translate into a story that you felt was being told to you by your next door neighbor. He was our ears and voice to the outside world, whether it was at the Super Bowl,the Masters, or the Kentucky Derby, Dan brought it all back to us in a way that we could all identify with. Sadly, the days of the Dan Foster's and Jim Murrays of the world are going away.
Imagine these guys trying to describe Jack Nicklaus's charge on the back nine at Augusta in a twitter message. Or him texting you with JN birdd #13 4 led. Or Jim Murray IMing you with Secrtariat Fast Horse. It just doesn't feel right does it.
This instant gratification society we live in has brought us to this point. No thinking required. It's more important to know that someone is eating dinner than for them to describe what they had. I'm waiting for the day that our sermons will be texted or on twitter. I can see it now, JC luvs u, luv ur nghbor, c u in hven.

LOL,
C U on FB
SS

Christian Nation

2009-04-07T05:39:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I have taken the time to write anything. Alot has happened. Birth's and deaths, basketball and work, the normal things that happen when you have a very large extended family. The births and deaths I will write about in the next couple of days. This morning riding to work I made the mistake and found myself listening to the local talk radio. The discussion was on the president's remark of this not being a christian nation, nor a jewish nation etc, etc but a nation of citizens. All the callers (as you would expect) said we are a christian nation.

All though I agree that the majority of Americans claim to be Christians, are we truely a Christian Nation? As a nation do we strive to be Christ Like? Do we love our enemies? When we give to the needy Do we "announce it with trumpets" or "give in secret"? Are we a Christian Nation when 44% of married men, and 36% of married women have committed adultery? We want to announce to the world that we are a Christian Nation, but we are the only country in the world to have ever used a nuclear bomb on another country. We are quick to invade a country for military use but slow to send troops into Dafur."Whatever you did not do for the least of these you did not do for me". So are we a Christian Nation?

I have always said that no one should ever have to ask whether or not you are a Christian. Your actions and the way you treat others should be proof enough. The same applies to our country. No one should ever have to ask whether or not America is a Christian Nation. Our actions should remove all doubt. St. Francis of Assisi says " Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words".

Syd

Bye!!!

2009-02-23T08:59:00.000-08:00

I thought of something over the week-end as I was watching a new documentary on HBO. The documentary was done over the course of the election with all the views coming from the McCain campaign. The amount of hatred was unreal. I also remembered how many people said that if Obama won they would leave the country. Well, I'm figuring it was @ 5-7% of the population. If this is the case and our national un-employment is @ 7.5%, then I have one word for them, BYE. It's time to go. If you are so unhappy, leave and let someone have your job. Also, leave the keys to your home for the people who are losing their homes to foreclosure. My expedition is about to turn 285k, I need your car also. That is if you are not taking it with you. Yep, gotta go. You are the ones preaching honesty and integrity. If you said it then stand by your words, pack your stuff and get out.

And please take Mark Sanford with you.

Syd

It's everybody's child support

2009-02-20T11:35:00.000-08:00

This morning the rants and raves continued about PRESIDENT OBAMA'S plan to help the toxic morgages. Everyone was saying "we shouldn't help these people who bought beyond their means", or "I paid my morgage on time, why should I be responsible for their irresponsiblity?". Well as I see it there are a couple of factors that have been left out.

1) If you did not see your house go up in value over the last 7 years then you are right, you shouldn't have to assist. The value of houses did not go up 5-7% annually on their own. It was a direct result of more buyers (qualified or not) entering the market. Greenville was not as badly effected as other markets but we for sure were not exempt.

2) If you did not see a significant jump in your 401 or in your stocks during this period you are exempt too. In Jan 2003 the stock market was at @7600 pts. Over the next 5 years it almost doubled. Peaking at @ 14000 at the end of 2007. People were not only buying houses they couldn't afford, but they were 2nd/3rd mortgaging and buying items they couldn't afford. Thus driving up the market with borrowed money.

It happens all the time. During those prosperous 80's, it was called junk bonds. The market crashed in 89,we stayed in a recession until the mid-90's then the dot.coms came to the rescue. The market took a downturn in 2000, 9/11 hit and we used make believe mortgages and money to bail us out. The only problem this time is peoples homes and lives are effected. We used greed and a lack of oversights to create this problem. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend watching "House of Cards" on CNBC. It is very educational and explains how deep it really goes.

Bottom line is this: homes and the stock market were never meant to be cash registers or slot machines. Houses were things you made a home of and raised your family in. The stock market was something for long term investments. Not a source for a quick fix. This is our baby.

"People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction". 1 Timothy 6:9

Syd

http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Dow_Jones_Industrial_Average_(.DJIA)/WikiChart

Does this sound familiar?

2009-01-14T07:12:00.000-08:00

Someone please help me here. Utah goes 13-0 and doesn't win the National Championship. They beat 4 ranked teams, destroyed Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and still no national championship. Florida had a loss, and was losing to Alabama into the 4th quarter. Oklahoma a loss. Texas a loss. USC lost to Oregon State who Utah beat earlier in the season. What more did Utah have to do? They did everything they were asked to do and still was not invited to this private club known as the BCS. The BCS, a system to make the rich richer and to keep the poor poorer.
The BCS is more of a reflection of our country over the past 20 years than we want to admit. More times than not it seems that those who do everything that is asked of them are left out of the party. You do all that is asked of you at your job, and it is sent overseas. You buy a house in your price range only to see the overbuilt and overpriced houses around you foreclosed on, and thus drive down the value of yours. The so-called best schools are built near the more affluent areas of a city. Thus denying equal education for all social classes. Your kids must go to the "Right" church or wear the "Right" cloths to fit in and be invited into the club.
In the coming years what incentive does Utah or any other school have for seeking perfection? It's not going to insure anything but self satisfaction. Knowing that you have done your best whether its on a playing field, as a husband/father, employee, or simply being a decent human being, should be all that is needed anyway. In Utah they know who the champions are.

Syd
"If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad"
If it makes you happy, Then why in the hell are you so sad"
Sheryl Crow

No Excuses, No Pics only this

2009-01-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

It's been almost 2 months since I have taken the time to post a blog. Baron DeKalb reminded me this past Tuesday at Madmen. Those who know me know that it wasn't from not having anything to say but basically from laziness and a problem with pictures. See, someone suggested a while back to add pictures to my blog. Well that would be fine and dandy if this was meant to be a running pictorial of the day to day life of Anna and Syd Smith. Its not. I always viewed this as an avenue for me to express my feelings on certain subjects. A place to let off a little steam and a place (as meagerly as it is) to realize my journalistic dreams. In my early years I dreamt of being the next Woodward of Bernstein. The funny thing was so did alot of others. Damn that "All the Presidents Men". My letters to the Editor at the Greenville News filled some of the void. But, owning a local business I had to be carefull on what I wrote or said. Here I don't have to make any excuses or begin to explain my warped view of the world. So Peg, No Pics and No excuses.

Now that the new year is upon us I have plenty of things to say. I'm not going to waste alot of time reliving the past 2 months. In a nutshell it went like this:
1) Clemson beat USC. (Nothing new, one is always the hammer and the other the nail)
2) Dabo got the job. (I was very happy. $$$$$)
3) Christmas with 4.5 grandchildren was what you would expect.
4) Bethelem Revisited - COLD!!!
5) New Years Day - a 50/50 split. Good Randall's Food, Bad Gator Bowl.

There you have it. I'm not going to worry about finding or uploading pictures only giving my opinion on things that don't matter to most.

PS: Peggy, I am working on another blogspot for pictures and happenings with our clan. That will hopefully be a joint effort.

Also, 10 days left until Inaguration!!!

Syd

3 yrs later

2008-11-12T06:14:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture we took last week of me and the boys. Here is also a picture of me and the boys taken almost 3 yrs to the date.

Syd

Catch up time

2008-11-11T04:57:00.001-08:00

I was reminded this morning at MADMEN that I needed to catch-up on my blogging. I replied that I had too much to write about and once I started it would not stop for a while. But here goes.
Observations from the campaign trail.
I had a chance to go and work a day in NC with the Obama campaign. I had worked in the phone bank and canvassed here in Greenville back during the primary but had not traveled. I spent a day in Hendersonville going house to house knocking on doors and reminding everyone to vote early. The neighborhoods we canvassed in were mostly low-income homes and some government housing. A very Obama friendly area. I was paired with a lady from Chattanooga who along with husband had driven their motorhome over in Auust and had been working with the campaign since. She was originally a Hillary supporter but was committed to electing Senator Obama. The most interesting thing I noticed throughout the campaign was the number of young people involved. The head of the Hendersonville office was a 19 yo young man from St.Louis who is a sophomore at Georgetown. Also working in the office were 2 students from the University of Iowa. These kids had taken a semister off to travel and work on something they believed in. Something else I found interesting was the response everyone had for anyone who showed interest in the campaign. They did not simply ask someone to vote, they ask them to make phone calls or canvass and if they couldn't do any of these things to simply bring food by the campaign headquarters. They were asking them to take ownership in the campaign.
Historians will write many books about this campaign. Mostly about the election of the 1st African-American president. What shouldn't be lost in this and should be a model for all campaigns in the future is how they were able to get so many people involved for the 1st time in their lives. We are going to need the same enthusisiam because it's going to take every single american to get us out of the mess we are in.

Syd

Did you notice?

2008-10-16T06:01:00.000-07:00

Did anyone notice that John McCain did not have an american flag pin on his jacket lapel again last night and Barack Obama did? That's 2 debates in a row that McCain did not wear one and Obama did. Is something wrong with our country John? Let me guess, you have stopped placing your hand over your heart during the national anthem now. Also, who's to say that during his time in the Hanoi Hilton his mind was washed and he is the real "Manchurian Candidate"? Sounds silly when you say this crap about McCain, but people have no problem saying it about Obama.
You remember Vietnam right? The country where 58,196 american soldiers died. Now our 3rd largest trade partner. Remember we went there to fight communism. Communism? Oh yea, the other major communists country in the world, China, is our largest trade partner. Look, at our economy, nothing is built here, and our banks are owned by the government. How did the battle with communism work out? I think they won.
And you still don't think we need to change the way we do things?

Syd

And still the train rolls forward over history's rugged trail
Straightin' by the journey and the land beneath her rail
And you and I roll along and stroke the freedom fire
For we stand to all Americans hold old honor can't be hired
Merle Haggard, "Here comes freedom"

Opportunity Lost

2008-10-10T06:07:00.000-07:00

Now it's GMC's turn. Their stock dropped below $5.00 per share for the first time since 1951. They are finding out its tough selling 30K vehicles without financing. So do we go ahead and stroke them a check to? I'm sure we will do something to bail them out. Boy, did we miss a great opportunity to turn things around in this country 7 years ago.
President Bush had it all. Right after 9/11 he had the congress, the people, and most of the free world behind him. With the right direction alot of these problems could have been avoided. If you remember President Bush in his speech told everyone to go out and spend money. WRONG!! He said that Iraq was responsible for the attack. WRONG!! He said we needed to attack them on their soil and take the fight to them. Partially WRONG!! What he failed to say was this. The people who attacked us were Saudi's, Egyptians, and Syrians all funded by us. Yep, everytime we import oil from the middle east we are funding their campaign. Instead of telling us to spend he should have told us to cut back. During WWII this country was asked to make sacrifices. What sacrifices were we asked to make after 9/11? During WWII the automakers converted over to building tanks and planes. Why weren't the automakers told to convert over to building vehicles that would get a minimum of 30mpg? Do you think he would have faced as much opposition to drilling and to nuclear power if he had explained it was for fighting our enemy? Of course not. And finally he should have made it clear we were coming for Al-Quida in Afghanistan and there would be no prisoners, no negotiations, no questions. The Taliban could turn them over or they all could die together.
No what happened was we invaded a country that had nothing to do with 9/11. We spent 100's of billions of dollars while giving tax breaks. We were encouraged to buy houses we couldn't afford. Detroit continued building oversized vehicles and we continued financing them up to 84 months. Now the chickens have come home to roost and unfortunately they are producing no eggs.

Syd

"In trouble where will we turn
And when you're losing the fight
Who's your white knight gonna be
Our worlds out of order and all I
see is missed opportunity" Hall & Oates "Missed Opportunity"

What have we become?

2008-10-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus". Galatians 3:28.
This morning I read an account of a black journalist being told to "Sit Down Boy" at a rally for Sarah Palin yesterday in Clearwater Florida. At this same rally as she spewed her venom at Barack Obama someone shouted out "Kill Him". At a rally the day before, when John McCain asked "Who is Barack Obama?" Someone shouted Terrorists.
Is this where we are in our country? Is this who we have become? It's 2008. People are seeing their retirement dry up and go away. 150k people became unemployed in September alone. We are fighting 2 wars that we can't afford and the banks are hanging on by a shoelace and we are worrying about the color of a candidates skin? Of the number of people at the Palin rally, I wonder how many called themselves Christian? Has this election brought us to this? The good news is that this tactic is not working and the polls are showing it. People really don't want to talk about things that happened 40 yrs ago, they are worried about the next 40 days. They are worried about keeping a 40 hour work week. They are worried about it costing 40+ dollars to fill up their tanks.

I understand more than most how this election has separated people. Most people are fearful of the unknown of change,and what it could and couldn't bring. While others see it as a chance to correct the mistakes of the past and forge a new direction. But, I do believe most people can agree on one thing, Something has to give.

Syd

It's the singer not the song
The same old places and the same old songs
We've been going there for much too long
There's something wrong and it gives me that feeling
Inside that I know I must be right
It's the singer not the song" The Rolling Stones (1965)

More Pics (Clemson Basketball)

2008-09-22T05:40:00.000-07:00

Last week it was Terrence Oglesby, this week it is Raymond Sykes and David Potter. The picture was taken as we were going into the game. Coach Purnell is doing a great job of recruiting really good kids. Both were really nice guys and seemed to enjoy having their picture made with Eddie and Logan.

Clemson Football Round 2

2008-09-22T05:26:00.000-07:00

This week it was Logan's turn for Clemson Football. At first I didn't think I was going to the game but the wedding we had on Saturday night wasn't until 7:30 so that allowed us time to go. I can't remember the last time I left at 11:15am for a 1:00pm start. Actually it wasn't that bad, we were still in our spot by 12:15. The game went as expected but the highlight was the South Carolina State Marching Bank (The 101). Clemson's halftime concessions sells had to take a huge hit. No One left their seats and they were not disappointed. I had seen them several years ago at a Furman game and knew what to expect. The weather was perfect, Logan had a great time, Half-time show was great, and the football game was good. All in all a very nice afternoon.

Syd

More Pics

2008-09-15T06:27:00.000-07:00

Tiger in Waiting - Jonah

Bryson with Clemson Basketball player Terrence Oglesby. What a nice kid and boy can he shoot the 3.

Week-End In Clemson

2008-09-15T06:16:00.000-07:00

Anna and I spent Friday Night in the motorhome with Noah and Bryson. Then breakfast Saturday Morning, then on to the game. Why Clemson continues to schedule noon starts for early September home games is beyond reason. It was soo hot and they didn't have any COLD water. You would think they would take some of the tv money and invest in an ice machine that could keep up. The "Nitro Rev" with his able body assistant "Beach Babe" came by to visit us Saturday Morn. Together they are fighting Sin in the Midlands and through out the greater Isle of Palms region. You asked for pictures (Peggy) you got-em.

Syd

Square 1 on the field

2008-09-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

Anyone at the game this past Saturday got a chance to see Square 1 at work. Our pop-out signs lined the backline in the west endzone. Someone told me they thought there would not be 65k at the game. I think the final total was 75k. Not bad for Citadel. What really sucks this year is they are requiring motorhomes to be in their spot 3 hours before the game or they will start filling your spot with cars. This makes no sense. It seems to me that if you have paid for this spot it should be yours no matter what time you show up.

Syd

Which Georgia?

2008-09-05T13:39:00.000-07:00

We are giving $1billion to Georgia? Where is this money coming from? This country is lead by example. We wonder why so many people are drowning in cc debt. Why so many are losing their homes because they bought so far out of their price range and financed it a 125% of value. Its because they are only following the example of the WhiteHouse and now the McCain/Palin. This is why I can no longer vote for the irresponsible idiots. Everyone is panning over Sarah Palin, saying she is one of us. Their right. She probably is like them. Spending money and going into debt without any thought on how to pay for it. Ask the citizens of her town. Before she was mayor- ZERO DEBT, when she left - 22 million dollars in debt. Now this is for a town of @8000. In othe words she handed each citizen a bill for $2750.00. GWB has spent this country into bankruptcy and now they want to give Georgia $1billion dollars?
Hey, I'm an Atlanta Braves fan. Give the money to our Georgia. We can build up the Braves and the Falcons and buy everyone a hotdog from the Varsity. Makes as much sense.
"When you're hot, you're hot
And when you're not, you're not
Put all the money in and let's roll 'em again
When you're hot, you're hot" Late Great Jerry Reed. RIP

Syd

Ok, how does this stupid thing work

2008-09-02T13:33:00.000-07:00

I've done it. I have broke down and purchased a blackberry. So far it's just a fancy phone with a keyboard. I don't know why I have such a hard time with these things. Heck, I know the difference between a 268 and 280 pantone color. I am very knowledgeable with photoshop and many other graphic programs, or why I can operate a 72" printer and I can't figure out how to sit this stupid e-mail up. I can't even change out the ringtone. The bottom line is I'm going to have to have someone walk me through this thing. Probably my kids.
Oh well, I probably can't think straight because my head is still spinning from McCain's pick as VP. I'm trying to understand the reasoning behind this. If it is because she is a woman I can think of at lot of republican women 100 times more qualified. Kaye Bailey Hutchinson, Christie Todd-Whitman or Elizabeth Doyle to name a few. I think this choice scares me more than anything. That someone who has basically governed the city of Pickens and Richland County is a heartbeat away from the presidency. I also feel sorry for her children especially the teenager who is pregnant. They are leaving the security and no media scrutiny of Alaska to have their lives plastered everywhere. And who is going to take care of the downs child? My sister can tell you that this is no easy task. I'm just confused with this pick. What was she or McCain thinking?
"If you feel like leaving, you know you can go. Why don't you stay until tomorrow?
If you want to be freeeeee, all you have to do is say so." Hall & Oates "Sarah Smile"

Syd

A Four Letter Word- IRAQ

2008-08-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

Many people have asked me why I'm supporting Barack Obama for president. There are many reasons. Ranging from a total dislike for the Clintons to a total dislike of what the Republican Party is at this moment in time. But, I think the main reason is a simple 4-letter word, IRAQ. From day one I have beeen against the invasion of Iraq. Didn't understand why we were going in. There were NO Iraqi's on any of the planes on 9/11. Anyone who would taken time to read and research would have known that under no circumstance would Sadam Hussian assist Osama Bin Laden. One was sunni and one is shite. I will agree Sadam Hussian was a madman and should have been overthrown, but when did we become the police force for the Iraqi people? There are plenty of evil men in this world. Why didn't we go into Uganda, The Sudan or Cambodia? Simple reason was oil and money. War is to profitable. Dwight Eisenhower in his last speech as president warned of the "Military Industrial Complex". Here was a real military hero. One who had orchestrated D-Day. He warned that when wars became profitable we would fight wars for the wrong reason. He had just seen it happen in Korea.

I love when people mention now that the surge is working and that Obama was against the surge. Let me give you an analogy. I come by and set your house on fire and we only call one fire dept because it would be too expensive to call 2. Well the house continues to burn so I say lets go ahead and call 3 and get this fire put out. Yes, the fire is put out and the firemen go home but the house is still burned down for no reason. The bottom line is we never should have been there to begin with.

Instead of going into Iraq, we should have turned all of our resources into chasing down Bin Laden. I mean that old testament type justice, the type the Israelis used after Munich. Watch the movie Munich. Not only did they go after the terrorists, they went after their families, their friends and anyone who was associated with them. When Obama said he would go into Pakistan if he knew he could get Bin Laden, he was raked over the coals. We either want him or not. I realy don't think this adminstration does.

Oh well, blame this rant on too little sleep from watching the convention and the olympics. The whole world should be required to operate off of Eastern Standard Time.

"I've been used, abused and so confused, and I had no where to run,

But I stood and looked, and my eyes got hooked, on that beautiful morning sun".

Van Morrison .... Brand New Day

Syd

A gift of 4 years & 4 months

2008-08-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

My dad passed away 3 years ago today, August 22, 2005. On one hand it seems like yesterday on the other it seems like many years ago. During these 3 years we have added 2 and substracted 1. We have added Jonah and Ellie & substracted Stephanie, with one addition on deck. We have seen what New Orleans looks like underwater, and nominated an african-american for president. But unfortunately we are still fighting a senseless war in Iraq. All in 3 short years.

He died at the young age of 91. Born September 17, 1914. He lived through the depression, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. He also traveled a good deal, working in Detroit and Baltimore and down in Florida, basically anywhere he could find work after the war. The funny thing was that it wasn't until after a surgery in 2001 that we heard many of the stories of that time. He had a brain tumor removed from between his eyes on May 25th of 2001. At 86 years young, he was in surgery for almost 7 hours. I personally did not think he would ever come out of surgery. That morning as they took him back I said my good-byes with the belief that at his age he probably wouldn't come back. But he did. He came out of surgery, hungry, and even though he had lost 75% of his vision was able to recognize me when I came into recovery. Now don't get me wrong, the recovery was anything but easy. My mother, sisters and brother-in-law can testify to that, and I can give you a first hand description from his time in the hospital.

But he did survive and lived over 4 years. He was able to dance at my daughter's wedding, see 4 of his great-grandchildren born (Bryson (finally a red head), JJ, Noah & Logan).

He had time to catch us up on stories we had never heard, say his good-byes and to die at home and not in a hospital. It was truely a gift of 4 years & 4 months..

"We walked troubles brooding wind swept hills And we loved and we laughed the pain away

At the end of the journey, when our last song is sung Will you meet me in Heaven someday"

Johnny Cash "Meet me in Heaven someday"

Syd

It's just not fair

2008-08-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

Where's Doc. Brown and the De Lorean when I need him? You remember Doc. Brown from Back to the Future? He had the De Lorean with the flux copasitor that when you hit 88 mph you could travel to your pre-set time, backwards or forward. Doc Brown take me back to when Bryson was only 1 and lets just stay there awhile. Bryson started kindergarten today at Reidville Elementary and I feel OLD. The good part of this is that I am not old alone. Yep, Stephen Taylor you were there with me when we found out the news and you were there to baptize him, so you are old too. My sister who is already 6 yrs older than me, you were there with us at the hospital, you too are old. My son and all of his friends, who have been a part of his life from the start, yep you're getting old. And my wife nothing more needs to be said as well as all you folks in Quail Ridge and you know those of you of whom I speak who are getting old.
There, now I feel better, since I have included most of you in my misery. Getting older is not so bad as long as you have friends to enjoy it with you. It's just not fair.

First time you feel it, it might make you sad nexttime you feel it it might make you mad
But you'l be glad baby when youve found hats the power makes the world go round"
Huey Lewis & News "Power of Love" of course.

Syd

august 16th, 1977

2008-08-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday we celebrated the 31st anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley. It was our annual luau with all of the good fixin's. All of you who missed it, missed a very laid back evening with music from Radio Margaritaville and food from Nard's Backyard BBQ. Pictures will be coming later.

Thiry one years later. I remember it well, I had just picked up my school bus (driver) and was coming home when I stopped at Pat's Cash & Carry and was told the news. The media went crazy, people rushed out bought up all the newspaper, Enquirers, you name it. As much of a media feeding frenzy as it was then, can you imagine with all the cable networks we have now what it would be like. It would never stop. I found out a couple of things recently. At the time of his death, Elvis had $100.00 in savings and $1,000,000 in his checking account. Also, Elvis's net worth was @5 million dollars. Today Graceland is valued at over $100 million alone. This does not count what the Elvis name, music or image is worth. Elvis would have been a wiser investment than General Motors.

This brings up a couple of interesting questions; Do we have to die to find out what we are truely worth? and should our worth be judged in dollars and cents?

"I can't remember if I cried, when I read about his widowed bride, but something touched me deep inside, the day, the music died". Don McLean "American Pie"

Syd

A Month of Sundays

2008-08-12T07:37:00.001-07:00

Alright already, I get it, people actually read my ramblin's. It's not that I didn't have anything to say, it's finding time to sit down and type it out. This is not a complaint, but right now we are so busy and under the gun to get things turned around and out the door that there are not enough hours in the day. College students are moving in this coming week-end and we have a couple of schools who are wanting things finished by then. Western Carolina University decided to change their logo and school colors this year but decided to wait until 8/13 to publicly announce it. So it was a hurryup and wait to show their new look. Speaking of kids moving in, I want to be the first to congratulate Ian Barlow on moving in to Clemson. The next step is to get Julie and Grant, and especially Floyd out to a ball game and all of them dressed in Orange.
It is hard to believe that the kids are heading back to school. That I will be fighting that Buena Vista traffic on Tuesday mornings, that we will be hit soon to order wrapping paper or a coupon book and before I know it, that awful day will arrive and it will be time to close the pool. Oh well, life goes on. I have alot of things to write about coming up in the next week or so. Anniversaries, parties, hopefully divorce finals, etc. so check back in. Thanks.

"I love the Tigers but I hate the Mets ,I ride my Hog but I race my Vette
I gotta job, but hell I'm still in debt . I love America" Alice Cooper "I love America".

Syd

Less than 45 days

2008-07-16T07:59:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe we are less than 45 days until football season. I have mixed feelings about this. I love football season, the games & the tailgating. There is something about getting up early, hustling around packing things up, then getting over to Louie's and waiting 30 minutes. But it's all good and makes for a fun day. But, football also means the end of summer. It seems that as soon as football starts, the week-ends are shot and before you know it, it's October and time to close the pool, then its Thanksgiving, Christmas, and then we're back to the god-awful months of Jan.& February. Anyway, it will be here sooner than we think.

My friend Russell Smith with the Make-A-Wish foundation called yesterday. We have a M.A.W. kid (actually 17) who's wish was for season tickets to Clemson Football and a parking pass. Well, we have secured the tickets and pass but he wants to do a little more. He is trying to put together a tailgating package for her and her family. A tent, a table, possible picnic basket, car flags, etc. basically anything Clemson or Tiger Paws. I am donating a tablecloth. So to all you tailgaters if you have anything left over you want to donate, please let me know and I will forward the information over to Russell. Also, the other good news, if her health allows, she will be enrolling at Clemson next year.

"Another day goes by And still the children cry Put a little love in your heart"
If you want the world to know We won't let hatred grow Put a little love in your heart"
"Put a little love in your heart" artists Many

Syd

Minus 2 trees, plus 3+inches of rain

2008-07-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

Its been a fun week to say the least. This has been one of those times when you definitely take the good with the bad. The storm may have taken my trees but in return we have had over 3" of rain. The rain has been a blessing so I'll take the rain and replace the trees.

I have been asked to put up more pictures of the grand kids. So here is one for everyone and I will try to add more as we go. Well, it's going to be a very busy week-end, the amwayians are in town and I will be parking cars at the Bi-Lo Center.

"C'est la vie", say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell " Aaron Neville "You never can tell"

Syd

Where's FEMA?

2008-07-09T05:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, Ok, Ok,...you were right. To all those who are saying I told you so, you were right. The trees did finally come down. Yep, a storm blew through Quail Ridge yesterday and took down my 2 bradford pears in my front yard. They had survived ice-storms, numerous storms, and this drought. 13 years out of a bradford pear is not bad. I bought them for $10.00 ea. at the K-Mart in Greer in 95, so I think I got my money's worth. Leo(neighbor across the street) said it was the worst storm he had seen in his 20 yrs in the neighborhood. We received 1.75" of rain in just over 30 minutes.
Now comes the decision on what to replace them with. Any suggestions out there? My wife won't let me put in a Pindo Palm, so it will probably be either a cherry or maple tree. The other big question of the day came from David Snider when he asked, "what are you going to decorate this Christmas". A very good question, a very good question.

"you've just given,
given it all to the wind" Ozark Mtn. Daredevils.

Syd

What's in your wallet?

2008-07-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's time to get back in the blogging business. My dog (our youngest daughter) Cookie received a credit card application in the mail yesterday. You heard me right, Capital One invited Cookie to open an account with them.

Now lets see what do you think would be the first thing Cookie would buy with this card? 1,000 tennis balls and a machine to shoot them out for her. I can also see her buying a cat disposal unit, or maybe a swimming pool of her own. For a dog who has everything already, I'm not sure she really needs to start building her credit just yet. Who knows, she may even qualify for a home loan from Country Wide.

Folks, this is one of the major problems in this country. Anyone who has had kids in college knows how many credit card applications are sent to them. They know that the sooner they can create an addiction the sooner they can start collecting outrageous interest rates. I am not pointing fingers at anyone, we have all been there, but if this application to Cookie is not icing on the cake nothing is. This cycle needs to come to an end. I don't know how and when or of it ever will, but the sooner this generation gets it, the better.

"God money I'll do anything for you.
God money just tell me what you want me to.
God money nail me up against the wall.
God money don't want everything he wants it all." Nine Inch Nails "Head Like a Hole"
(one of my favorite songs of all time)

Syd

Independence Day Memories

2008-07-02T06:55:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 3 years since my dad passed away. The 4th of July was by far his favorite holiday. Hillbilly Day in Mt. Rest, SC was the place he had to be. Getting there early (@10:00am) was a must, he wanted time to walk around and talk to his old friends and to make sure he found a good seat near the stage. You see bluegrass music and square dancing was his love. I think he enjoyed watching the dancers as much as listening to the musicians. All the regular musicians new him well. One of the bands actually played at his funeral. The proudest moment came the last year he was able to attend. They recoginized him from the stage as the only person to have actually attended every Hillbilly Day from the start ,41 straight years. True dedication. I also believe his love of the 4th came from his love of country. He served during WWII and was always active in the local American Legion. The 4th was a chance every year to show this love.

Over the years the 4th of July has grown into my favorite holiday of the year as well. I view Christmas as more of a Season. The 4th brings back great memories from my Dad but it also has allowed me to create new memories for my kids and grandkids. When my son's friends call to make sure we are still doing something at our house reconfirms how important it is to create your own memories and traditions.

No we want have a blue grass band, or a grease pig to chase, but hopefully one day my kids will look back at their own great memories of the 4th. Thanks Dad for the inspiration.

"Well you may not like my appearance An' you may not like my song
Well you may not like the way I talk But you like the way I'm gone"

Bill Monroe "Free Born Man"

Happy 4th of July

Syd

And the papers reported "A Fun Time Was Had By All"

2008-06-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

Well I survived 3 straight days of playing golf in Myrtle Beach this week-end. We had an unbelievable time, the hospitality and the golf courses were un-real. We played at Grande Dunes resort and members courses over 3 days. The event in its 7th year is held by the resort and the Mariott as a fund raiser for the Make-A-Wish foundation of South Carolina. I invited my brother-in-law and his wife as well as a client and his fiancee from the College of Charleston. It's going to take a while for Charlie to repay this week-end. Here is a picture of myself and Josh Bryson from the College of Charleston and Perry Tuttle of Clemson/SI Cover Fame. We actually played Sunday with Adrien Morrell, an ex-NYJet running back. The food was great also. The other big news was that I actually won the closest to the pin on Sunday. Not a bad week-end at all.

Syd

"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road,
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs where to go,
So make the best of the test and don't ask why.
It's not a question but a lesson learned in time,
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life"......Green Day "Time of your life"

Early Bird Special

2008-06-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

Yes I know, it's Thursday and not Friday. But, I'm heading to Myrtle Beach in the morning so here it is. Going down to play in a Celebrity/Pro-Am Golf Tourney at the Grande Dunes Golf Course. You heard right, I am playing in a Celebrity/Pro-Am Golf Tourney. The tournament is for the Make-A-Wish foundation of SC. Big to-do, with yours truly crashing the party. My only concern is whether or not this old out of shape body can handle 18 holes of golf 3 days in a row. As most of you know, I can hold my own with anyone drinking 3 days in a row but actually playing golf in the Myrtle Beach heat for 3 days in row could get interesting. But, I am willing to take the challenge for a worthy cause. All indications are we will have a very good times. Invited my brother-in-law and wife to go also as well as a customer at the College of Charleston. Boy is my brother-in-law going to owe me for this one, I don't see me paying for a round of golf at Greer in the foreseeable future. Well enough of me rubbing this in the face of Nitro Rev, and any other golfers out there. See ya Monday.

Syd
"Where 'd all the good people go Ive been changin channels I dont see them on the tv shows, Where 'd all the good people go We got heaps and heaps of what we sow."
Jack Johnson "Good People Go"

Peaches, Palms, and cucumber vines.

2008-06-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

Stopped by Fishers Orchard on my way back from Gardner Webb today. After last years losses it was great to see the shed open and the business brisk. The trees are still full and people were out picking their own peaches. (Man, I would hate to have my entire life wrapped around not having a late season frost). 95 today and no a/c in the honda, but I still love summer.
My palms trees are hitting stride right now. The washingtonian that dies out in the winter has come back bigger than ever this year and the younger windmills are starting to grow upwards instead of only outwards. Did I mention I love summer.
I wonder what the record is for the most cucumbers off of one vine? We have one vine that is threatening to take over not only the palm tree but my hibiscus and the tomatoes. (You would have to see how I plant things to understand). But, as long as it continues to produce fruit, hell, it can run up the driveway, I'll park in the street. No a/c and a wandering cucumber plant, these are problems I will take over scrapping ice off of my windshield any day. I love summer.

"We made it through winter We made it through fall
We made it through the spring timeTough times and all
It's good to seeI love the summerI'm riding with the top down
Let the wind blowChillin' with my lovePartying fo' sho
'It feels good to seeI love the summer Everybody if you with me sing......"
Snoop Dogg "Another Summer"

Who's left to make us think?

2008-06-23T14:08:00.000-07:00

I'm going to miss George Carlin. Everyone of my age who remembers the early George Carlin will know what I am saying. The Hippy-Dippy weatherman, the sportscaster, "William 7 Mary 0", 7 words you can never say on the radio, etc. But what I will miss the most is his take on politics and religion. Now don't take this the wrong way, I disagree with his lack of belief in god, but his takes on the hypocrisy of organized religion were dead on. Also, his views on politics were absolutely hillarous. He not only had the ability to make us laugh, but more importantly he made us think.
Tim Russert didn't make us laugh, but he did make us think. By giving us an unbias interview, doing the homework for us, and not being afraid to ask the tough question, he gave us the information to help us form our own opinion.
One of the problems we have today is that people don't want to hear opinions that differ from their own. Is it a fear that they could be wrong? Not being strong in their beliefs? Or just living in a very intolerable society? I have always loved to talk to people who are different. Different cultures, different beliefs, different points of view, etc...
"When everyone thinks alike, no one is thinking".

Syd
"You can't judge an apple by looking at the tree, You can't judge honey by looking at the bee".
"You can't judge a daughter by looking at the mother, and you can't judge a book by looking at the cover".. (Late Great) Bo Didley, "You Can't Judge a book by the cover"

Freedom for who

2008-06-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

Been a busy morning, already been to Clemson and back. I hate to cheat at this but I'm going to do some copying and pasting this morning. George Wills Op-Ed piece this week in the Washington Post is worth the read. For those that missed it and don't want to go through the effort to subscribe to the Post, I am posting it in my blog. For those of you who don't know, George Will is a conservative writer and news celebrity. He hits the nail on the head with this though. Enjoy the read.

"And I've just got to wonder what my Daddy would've done
If he'd seen the way they turned his dream around
I've got to go by what he told me, try to tell the truth And stand your ground
DON'T LET THE BASTARDS GET YOU DOWN"
Kris Kristofferson..."Don't Let the Bastards Get You Down"

Syd (Have a Great Week-end)

Contempt Of Courts
McCain's Posturing On Guantanamo

By George F. WillTuesday, June 17, 2008; Page

The day after the Supreme Court ruled that detainees imprisoned at Guantanamo are entitled to seek habeas corpus hearings, John McCain called it "one of the worst decisions in the history of this country." Well.
Does it rank with Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857), which concocted a constitutional right, unmentioned in the document, to own slaves and held that black people have no rights that white people are bound to respect? With Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), which affirmed the constitutionality of legally enforced racial segregation? With Korematsu v. United States (1944), which affirmed the wartime right to sweep American citizens of Japanese ancestry into concentration camps?

Did McCain's extravagant condemnation of the court's habeas ruling result from his reading the 126 pages of opinions and dissents? More likely, some clever ignoramus convinced him that this decision could make the Supreme Court -- meaning, which candidate would select the best judicial nominees -- a campaign issue.

The decision, however, was 5 to 4. The nine justices are of varying quality, but there are not five fools or knaves. The question of the detainees' -- and the government's -- rights is a matter about which intelligent people of good will can differ.

The purpose of a writ of habeas corpus is to cause a government to release a prisoner or show through due process why the prisoner should be held. Of Guantanamo's approximately 270 detainees, many certainly are dangerous "enemy combatants." Some probably are not. None will be released by the court's decision, which does not even guarantee a right to a hearing. Rather, it guarantees only a right to request a hearing. Courts retain considerable discretion regarding such requests.
As such, the Supreme Court's ruling only begins marking a boundary against government's otherwise boundless power to detain people indefinitely, treating Guantanamo as (in Barack Obama's characterization) "a legal black hole." And public habeas hearings might benefit the Bush administration by reminding Americans how bad its worst enemies are.

Critics, including Chief Justice John Roberts in dissent, are correct that the court's decision clouds more things than it clarifies. Is the "complete and total" U.S. control of Guantanamo a solid-enough criterion to prevent the habeas right from being extended to other U.S. facilities around the world where enemy combatants are or might be held? Are habeas rights the only constitutional protections that prevail at Guantanamo? If there are others, how many? All of them? If so, can there be trials by military commissions, which permit hearsay evidence and evidence produced by coercion?

Roberts's impatience is understandable: "The majority merely replaces a review system designed by the people's representatives with a set of shapeless procedures to be defined by federal courts at some future date." Ideally, however, the defining will be by Congress, which will be graded by courts.

McCain, co-author of the McCain-Feingold law that abridges the right of free political speech, has referred disparagingly to, as he puts it, "quote 'First Amendment rights.' " Now he dismissively speaks of "so-called, quote 'habeas corpus suits.' " He who wants to reassure constitutionalist conservatives that he understands the importance of limited government should be reminded why the habeas right has long been known as "the great writ of liberty."

No state power is more fearsome than the power to imprison. Hence the habeas right has been at the heart of the centuries-long struggle to constrain governments, a struggle in which the greatest event was the writing of America's Constitution, which limits Congress's power to revoke habeas corpus to periods of rebellion or invasion. Is it, as McCain suggests, indefensible to conclude that Congress exceeded its authority when, with the Military Commissions Act (2006), it withdrew any federal court jurisdiction over the detainees' habeas claims?
As the conservative and libertarian Cato Institute argued in its amicus brief in support of the petitioning detainees, habeas, in the context of U.S. constitutional law, "is a separation of powers principle" involving the judicial and executive branches. The latter cannot be the only judge of its own judgment.
In Marbury v. Madison (1803), which launched and validated judicial supervision of America's democratic government, Chief Justice John Marshall asked: "To what purpose are powers limited, and to what purpose is that limitation committed to writing, if these limits may, at any time, be passed by those intended to be restrained?" Those are pertinent questions for McCain, who aspires to take the presidential oath to defend the Constitution.

Oil flavored Kool-Aid

2008-06-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

"Please ignore the man behind the curtain". Finally, the line in the sand is being drawn. Actually the line is being drawn at the bottom of the ocean, off of our coasts. So President Bush and John McCain have decided its time to open up the drilling rights off of our coasts. Great Idea!! Lets see, our refineries are operating at the max and we haven't built any new ones in years. With this new drilling and all this new oil, it would be 5-10 years before it would go online.

As I have stated in the past, the price of gas was too low. Recently the Saudis have said they want to increase production and bring down the price of a barrell of oil. Of course they do. It's like the drug dealer who knows that a cheap crack cocaine is better than the higher price version. With cheap drugs, the user has no reason to fight the addiction. The Saudis know that with high gas prices, we will begin to fight our addiction with alternative fuels and more effecient vehicles. We are already seeing this happen. The ones who profit the most from oil are the ones who will be pushing for openning up ANWER, and drilling off of our coasts. "Follow the Money"!! As a country I know we can do better. We have the technology to break this addiction, we just havn't found it yet.

"belief is a beautiful armor but makes for the heaviest sword
like punching underwater you never can hit who you're trying for"...John Mayer, Belief

Syd

From the road, the pew and the office

2008-06-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

Nitro-Rev, I really don't see how you do it. It's not that I don't have anything to say every other day. It's finding the time to sit down and write it.
I hit the road to Dallas last week. Attended the National Assoc. of College Athletic Directors meeting. 3 days of working a booth. Actually on the floor for only 4 hours a day, but all indictations are that it was worth the time and expenses. I had been to Dallas on a couple of occasions but had never had the time to go downtown and walk over the spot where JFK was assasinated. It was very surreal. The most amazing part was how close everything is. The grassy knoll, the book depository and the street are all within a couple hundred feet. Call me a nut, but I have always thought there was NO WAY Oswald could have done it alone. Too many people benefitted from his death. Standing there on the spot I could not help but wonder what would this country be like had he lived.

Watching Luke Russert on the Today Show this morning reminded me the role that our children play in our lives. Like or not they are a direct reflections of us. Their strengths and shortfalls at times are tied to our own. Luke's ability to come in front of the Nation, and conduct an interview less than 72 hours after his dads death was a fitting tribute to Tim. Darren's sermon for fathers day was "Who's your Daddy?" I do believe that we all answer that question everyday. Like it or not we are all reflections of our fathers. Good or Bad the reflection you give is your choice. In our christian walk no one should every have to ask that question.

Well, I'm back in my office, ready for the July 1 (new budget year for schools) wave and ready to ride.
"Now a life of leisure and a pirate's treasure Don't make much for tragedy But it's a sad man my friend who's livin' in his own skin And can't stand the company" Bruce Springsteen, "Better Days".

Syd

30 years and going

2008-06-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

It was my 30 year class reunion this past Friday night. I can proudly say we had over a third of our class in attendance. That's not very hard when we only had 32 graduates. It was alot of fun looking back at those times. The era we were in, the cloths, the fewer aches and pains, the smaller bodies, the "Glory Days" as Springsteen would say. What saddened me the most was the beauty queen who longed for those days. To think that your days in high school are the highlight of your life is sad. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my days in high school but by no means was this the highlight of my life.

It's like getting older. Alot of people hate thinking about it, go out of there way to avoid it, won't admit it, and won't accept it. I on the other hand wear it like a badge of honor. Getting older always beats the alternative in every case. With my dad living to 91, I'm hoping I'm just getting started.

"Don't mind the grey in your hair. Just think of the fun you had puttin' it there and as for that old book of time Boy, you never skipped a page So, don't be ashamed of your age Brother, don't be ashamed of your age"... Willie Nelson "Don't be ashamed of your age"

Syd

More Pics

2008-05-30T05:43:00.001-07:00

Here are some more pics

"A Week In the Life"

2008-05-30T05:03:00.000-07:00

"Woke up, got out of bed, ran a comb across my head"... It's been a week since I have been able to post. But quite a week in deed. Last Thursday (May 22) at 4:00pm, Jonah Lucas Simmons arrived into this world at 9lbs, 10oz. Ashley did well, she has found something she is really good at, making beautiful baby boys. They went home on Saturday after we waited for 6 hours for the pediatrician to discharge Jonah. (This takes us through Saturday).

We took our annual trip to Hilton Head for the Southern Conference Spring Meeting this past Monday. Always a great trip and the Conference does a good job with all the accomodations. Last year we took Bryson with us, this year Noah was introduced to the ocean for the first time. A little apprehensive at first but by Wednesday he would at least get his feet wet. Bryson on the other hand is his Grandfathers boy. Born with an absolute love of the ocean, the waves, and the creatures we found on the beach. The papers reported a "Fun Time Was Had By All"

"Where it all ends I can't fathom, my friends.If I knew, I might toss out my anchor.So I'll cruise along always searchin' for songs, Not a lawyer, a thief or a banker". J. Buffett, Son of a Son of a Sailor..

Jonah will be here Thursday

2008-05-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

Looks like Thursday is the induced "Labor Day". Ashley's going to be induced this Thursday so Jonah Simmons should be arriving sometime that day. I'm not sure what it is about the 22nd of the month, but this will be her 2nd son with a birthday on the 22nd. Prayers requested that everything will go as well as the first 2 did. Rumor has it, this is going to be another 9lb+ baby.

Syd

It's Broke!!!

2008-05-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

Our health system is broke. Actually I wouldn't call it a health system, it's a medical conglomerate run by the insurance companies. I found out on the 1st of May my health insurance with my wife's work was going up to $450.00 per month. I immediately contacted a local agent and applied for a different policy. Now both policies would have been through Blue Cross, with the newer policy having a higher deductable and no prescribtion card. Blue Cross drug their feet (ordering medical records) which they should already have. Knowing I only had 2 weeks to secure a new policy, this basically insured I would be forced to keep the higher priced policy.

Along the way I learned a very interesting fact. Did you know that everytime you have a prescription filled and use your prescription card that your insurance company sells that information to a drug company or marketing specialist for somewhere between $15.00 - $50.00 per transaction? Per Transaction!! This is a way for say Merck to know how many people are using lipitor in the 29662 zip code. This helps direct their sales rep on who to buy off each month. This additional income along with the negotiated price they have with the pharmacist, represents another lucrative revenue stream.

If you ever hope for change, Forget About It!! Take time and do a quick check on the most popular occupations of our state senators and representatives. Lawyers and Insurance Agents. They have the most to gain by staying in power.
"People get ready, there's a train a coming, you don't need no ticket you just hop on board" Curtis Mayfield

Have a Great Week-End

Syd

The Educated?

2008-05-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

I am greatly confused. For the last couple of weeks the media and the Clinton campaign have continued to harp on the fact that Billary is winning the white uneducated voters. The working class, the uneducated, the less informed. Is this something to brag about? Does this mean the less you know the more likely you will vote for Hillary? With only 56% of African-American teens graduating from High School, why aren't more voting for Hillary. In a state such as South Carolina, never known for its high education marks, why did 40% of the white males vote for Obama? Are we more educated than advertised?

I think the Clinton's and the media are avoiding saying the obvious. These states are voting along racial lines. In Indiana the birth place of the KKK, West Virginia with Senator Byrd as a past Grand Wizard, and the devisive campaigning in OHIO and PA. this was all to be expected. The campaigns should open and out front with this charade. It's all in black and white.

Syd

Just another place to vent...

2008-05-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, here we go!! I am retiring from writing letters to the editors and now moving into the world of the bloggers. My plans now are to write my thoughts on issues, impressions of this elections, updated happenings at 116 Northridge Rd.(Quailridge Beachclub & Pool Society), and generally anything I think someone may be interested in reading. I doubt I will be able to write a daily blog like my friend the NitroRev. I'm not sure whether he has more to say, or just more time to say it. I'm thinking it's more to say. But, I do think I can find something to report on at least 3 days a week. So, here we go, check in on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Syd