personal history

Old man yells at cloud

deranged Libs, personal history / January 28, 2022

 

I first heard Neil Young way back in 1966. At the time he was in a group called Buffalo Springfield. I was at a friend’s house, and their album was on the “record player”.  His older brother had been in the military overseas and had come back with this gummy substance that he called “hash” that you smoked in a corncob pipe that was lined with tinfoil. It was the first time I had gotten “high” and it was to “For what it’s worth”.

 

Three years later I heard “Cinnamon Girl”, a song that I would be playing on air guitar for the next three decades.

And during those decades, I purchased every album he released. At that time of my life and the things that I was going through his music related to me. But years go by and attitudes (mine) change. The last CD I ever bought of his was in 2000. It was “Silver and Gold” It was a beautiful pean of love and commitment to his wife (14 years later he dumped her).

 

Now I don’t begrudge Neil Young a dime of the revenue he has earned from his recording and performing career, he has a net worth of over 200 million dollars, and to be fair over the years he has done a bit of philanthropy. But, I’ve always known that Young was very left of center in his politics. Most old multi-millionaire rock stars are. He’s heavily into climate change hysteria, against GMO foods, and concern for the homeless and downtrodden only during Republican administrations, E.g. “rocking in the free world”.  He had no love for Bush the younger either.

 

As for Donald Trump, well, this goes without saying.

 

Neil Young, he’s now the “old man” he sang about so long ago. I’ll bet most people under fifty have never heard of him. But being “woke”, a Trump hater, married to a much younger Hollywood actress, and now a do-not-question-the-government, anti-free speech zealot when it comes to government orthodoxy on COVID vaccines and treatment. This of course gets you a lot of fawning publicity from the mainstream media, progressives, and music critics reviewing your latest release.

 

“Reviewing in his Substack-published “Consumer Guide” column, Robert Christgau gave Barn an “A” and declared it the first worthwhile album of new Young songs since 2009’s Fork in the Road.”

I haven’t heard any songs off it, maybe it’s decent. But I stopped caring a long time ago. And after seeing your attempt at censoring people who disagree with your opinions it’s apparent that a lot of people feel the same. However, you don’t seem to care in the least that both the United States and Canada are becoming more and more authoritarian coupled with the breakdown of law and order.

 

And Neil, what do you think of the truckers of Canada? Are you going to write a song condemning them?

 

 

A final note: I’ve just heard that 76 y/o Neil Young’s 60+ y/o wife (WTF) is pregnant!!!! You’ve previously sired three children with two women and all of them had genetic diseases.

 

Just STFU, live what’s left of your life and stop embarrassing yourself. 

Once I thought you were cool, now I think your pathetic. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A way back in the day.

personal history / May 2, 2021

When I was in High school many years ago I tried out for the baseball team in my freshman, sophmore, and junior years. My parents paid out money they really couldn’t spare for a pair of cleats. I went to every practice, and tried my best, but my obvious lack of talent, and athlectic ability in general, led to my being the first one called into the coaches office and told that my presence was no longer neccessary.

Academically it was the same. I did graduate of course; but with a G.P.A. of around 2.5. The guidence counselor didn’t mince any words: forget about college. I didn’t have the grades to be accepted anywhere I was just mediocre.

Which was all for the best. With no sport or academic scholorship possible, my parents couldn’t have afforded it anyway.

So I joined the Coast Guard and had the time of my life. Afterwords I was able to go to college and got an associates in a STEM field. And for the next fifty years I ‘earned’ a paycheck, paid taxes, had a very succesful marrage, and we raised two kids who are now doing very well, thank you.

Could I have done better with my life? Hindsight is 20/20 they always say: but the past can’t be changed. You’ll always have those cud’da, shud’da, wud’da feelings. “If I’d only done this instead of that”. My life would have been different but not neccessarly better. There is no point dwelling on it.

I do know my life could have turned out a lot worse.

So this is…but one example of…

meme 20210430 05.jpg

It was a big part of my life !

personal history, Political Correctness / April 12, 2021

It’s not anymore!

A Long, long time ago in a era that now seems so far, far away.

Way back in 1966 my Aunt and Uncle took me on my first trip to the big city of Boston to go to Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox play the Kansas City Athletics in a double header.

It was August 25th; the Red Sox won both games. The attendance was 8,321.

They finished ninth that year. Looking back it’s worthy to note that they finished ahead of the Yankees who finished tenth.

Of course 1967 was the year of “the impossable dream”. After 15 years of mediorcracy and an indifferent fan base the Red Sox had become revalent again. I became a rabid fan.

This of course meant gut wretching disappointment over the next 35 years. Missing the playoff in 1972 by a stinking 1/2 game on account of lost games due to a players strike.

Then came the 1975 world series loss to the Reds in seven games.

1986…the less said the better. Same with 2003.

If a game was on T.V. the set would be on. Otherwise I would be listening on the radio, I remember many times listening to west coast games that would often go into extra innings; on work nights, sometimes to 3-3:30 in the morning only to have them lose with one out to go.

But then in the miracle year of 2004, after an 86 year drought, the curse was lifted. People had gone their entire lifetimes without seeing the Red Sox win a world championship; then suddenly 4 in the span of 14 years.

Then 2019-2020 football and basketball went full”WOKE”, with kneeling during the National Anthem and displaying the Marxist ‘BLM” logo’s in their arena’s and on apparel. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 12 began a three(3) week shutdown “to flatten the curve”. Three weeks turned into indefintely. In Minneaplois on May 25th came the death of George Floyd while in police custody. From that day on riots ensued in practically every blue/democrat run city. Their Mayors ordering law enforcement to stand down while thousands of small businesses (many minority owned) were destroyed by fire and looting by BLM and Antifi thugs who were given cart-blanche.

Major league Baseball’s spring training had been suspended because of the pandemic. It was originally hoped that after the ‘curve was flattened’ the season could commence but the lockdown was never lifted. Finally it was decided that an abbreviated sixty game season would begin on July 23rd with games being played before empty stadiums.

Major League Baseball had a golden opportunity not to follow football and basketball’s example and not go “woke”. To offer a place for people who just wanted to watch a baseball game in a safe enviroment with their family or friends, and root for their team, a respite from political correctness and division. BUT NOOOOOOO!

So now we come to 2021, and MLB is doubling down on ‘wokeness‘ by moving the All-Star game from a majority African-American city (Atlanta) to a majority ‘white’ city (Denver). Why? you ask !

It’s because the State of Georga inacted some new voting laws that makes voter fraud a little more difficult and elections a little more honest. Of course THAT’S RACIST !!

Never mind that the event was going to honor a baseball and hometown legend, The late great Hank Aaron.

Never mind that 30% of the businesses that stood to benifit from the event are BLACK OWNED !

I once though of going to professional Baseball game as a place where people of all races and political beliefs could congregate, drink beer, eat hot dogs, and watch gifted millionaires (Black, Brown, and White) who are paid a princely sum to play a little kids game.

Not anymore, because the Left ruins everything it touches.

Did you know that 75% of their fan base, the people who bought the tickets at watched the games on T.V. are now RACIST BY BIRTH ?

I have watched no T.V. or listened to any radio of any baseball games in general and the Red Sox in particular. They are dead to me. I have no idea whose on the team nor do I care.

And that’s why it’s so depressing; it was something that I enjoyed very much.

But like Rush, my country, and especially my partner of 28 years, my passion for baseball and the Red Sox had died too.

I’m glad I’m old.

Being a “Deplorable” in Deep Blue Vermont

personal history / November 20, 2019

On a personal note,  over the last four years my life has been turned upside down.  I won’t go into details but whatever anyone may be thinking you’re likely wrong.

I had recently joined an on-line dating service to see if I might be able to meet an honest (XX) woman of appropriate age, intelligence, and pleasing in appearance and demeanor. Someone I could have a stimulating conversation with about anything and everything.

Being that it’s a nationwide service there are hundreds of women to chose from.  The first cut of 90 out of 100 is because of distance,  you just live to far away from each other to make any kind of  “dating” practical. So I try to keep it within fifty miles.

Of course I can be as shallow as the next guy.  I would like to be able to connect with a woman of “nice” physical appearance, intellegence,  and open mindedness. To get aquainted over a cup of coffee and perhaps at the end to decide wither it would be worth it to meet again.

Now out of that remaining 10 out of 100, 7 of 10 are divorced, 2 are widowed and 1 “never married“.

As I read their profiles nearly every one of them starts with a bucket list of all the “fun” things they look forward to doing with that special guy. “Traveling” being #1 by a very wide margin. #2 is the beach. It’s understandable, these women had expected to be doing these activities with their former husbands. Many are professional college educated women and judging by their lifestyles have very expensive tastes. They are looking for successful men of equal or greater value. Needless to say I couldn’t afford any of them, and that’s ok.

Of course the other thing to which I shouldn’t have been surprised is that the vast majority of these women 53-64 years of age and financially well off are “LIBERAL” or “VERY LIBERAL”. These women are so smart they haven’t a clue. which will certainly narrow the field for a deplorable like me.

Some quotes…

“No smoking, No Trump ers”

“Gosh, please don’t be a Trump / conspiracy fan”

“I am liberal in my thinking. I despise Big-Pharma and the current administration”

“I am ‘very’ liberal, a critical thinker”.  (an oxymoron if I ever heard one)

“Respectfully, Trump voters are not welcome.”

  ‘No Trump”

“I’m a very honest person and am looking for the same. I still believe I can find a best friend and lover. If I sound interesting to you send me an email. No Trump supporters, thanks!”

Of course in these troubling times it’s not just relationships that can be stillborn. Whole families are torn apart.  We deplorables attempt to use logic, reason and the truth. They counter with raw unhinged emotion, and hatred.

Sometime in the near future I will be single again, not by choice. How the rest of my life will play out only God knows.  There has to be a few Trump women out there. We shall see.

K.A.G.

 

This is Personal.

personal history, Single payer / October 19, 2019

Targeting People With Mental Illness and Dementia for Euthanasia

Alas, the first small legal steps toward permitting the demented and mentally ill to access suicide by doctor have already been taken. After California legalized assisted suicide for the terminally ill, the Department of State Hospitals promulgated a regulation requiring that patients who have been involuntarily committed — and who have become terminally ill — be provided access to assisted suicide despite their mental illness. By definition such people are not legally competent, or else why would they be involuntary hospitalized?

Meanwhile, Nevada just enacted a law that allows dementia patients to instruct caregivers to withhold “food and water” once they reach incapacity toward the end that they starve to death. Please note that this first-of-a-kind law isn’t about refusing a feeding tube or preventing force-feeding. Rather, the law (SB 121) permits patients selves to be refused “food and water” — even if they willingly eat, perhaps even if they ask caregivers for sustenance. That’s homicide by neglect

The thing one has to remember is that if your ever told by your doctor(s) that you have an incurable debilitating and TERMINAL disease, that you will likely have perhaps 5-6 years left to live, and that during this time you will  slowly(?) lose your memory, suffer frightening hallucinations, and look at your spouse of many years as a total stranger.  And on occasion(s) LASH OUT at them both verbally and physically, you might consider the option of planning ahead, that when your wheelchair bound, can no longer speak, and require two trained professionals to take care of your most personal needs. You just may want to consider, while you’re still of reasonably sound mind, to ease the burden on your spouse, that when a certain point of no return is reached  your physician will put you “to sleep” just like the Vet. does with a pet
Just remember in places like Belgium and Holland, once this decision is made there is no going back, no changing your mind, because to the doctors you don’t have one anymore.
Of course I’m talking about deciding one’s own fate.  Unfortunately it wasn’t me, It was my wonderful wife of 25+ years. The woman I planned to grow old with, to travel, and play with grandchildren. That’s not going to happen.
The signs were there before the official diagnosis. I’m not going to describe the three plus years of what it was  like to be a caregiver to someone with dementa. Only someone who has experenced the the ordeal themselves would comprehend.
After a lot of tears the unsoken decision between us was that we would carry on  as long as we could.  For some time she didn’t want friends or her  family to know of her condition. She made no living will of any desire of any assisted suicide prior to the disease taking its natural course. She is not in any physical pain. 
A cocktale of drugs would delay the symptoms for a while. And for nearly two years they did. Then the decline accelerated finally to a point where I could not care for her any more.
She is now in a nursing home, wheelchair bound, can barly speak, and requires two attendants to care for her personal needs.
I visit her everyday.  She knows me.  She EATS !
My wife is on Medicaid, an entitlement that she more then qualified for and we’re very glad to have to cover most of the cost of her care. Otherwise it would have been financially beyond our reach. Most people don’t anticipate or plan for something like this when in their twenties 
I’m told the time will come when she will simply stop eating, when will be determined by a higher power.  not by the doctors, not by me, and “not by the State”…for now. 
She will leave this world when the Lord decides to take her.
That may no longer be an option if the proponants of ‘Single Payer Health care” obtain political power to make it a reality. It would cost $TRILLIONS (that’s 1 Billion dollars x thousands). Rationing will be a certainty. especially for the very young, the very old, and the terminally ill (did someone say “death panels”)Will a culture of death descend on American health care as it already has in Europe.

Life and death decisions concering You and your loved ones most likely will no longer be between You, your Doctor, and God, but will be decided by a faceless State bureaucracy.

And when they decide that your no longer worth the expense     (perhaps a guideline will be your “Social Credit”), and the natural course of the illness has taken longer then expected (allowed), you or your loved one will be terminated by trained professionals quickly and painlessly.
And there is nothing you will be able to say to stop it.

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

Now this is personally nostalgic

personal history / April 10, 2019

 

I toiled a good portion of my life on working on the ACELA  passenger cars. 

But I’ve never had the chance to ride the train in service.

This video may be the closes I’ll ever get.

Fear and loathing in Honolulu ( preface)

personal history / March 15, 2017

Apologies to the late Hunter Thompson.

It’s 1973.

A while back I was telling the story of my year in Kodiak Alaska as a member of the USCG. Which I’ll always remember as one of the most fun years of my youth.  After which I was sent back to Governors Island for further training and to find out where I would be sent for my next tour of duty.

I was hoping for an assignment a little closer to home so I requested on my dream sheet LORAN stations in Maine or Massachusetts. No such luck. I was being sent back to the same time zone the previous year. This time Kauai Hawaii.

When I left for Hawaii It was still winter, I was in my wool blue uniform. My White uniform was packed away in my seabag.  A quick stopover In San Francisco didn’t allow time for a change of uniform, so I landed in Honolulu in my wool blues.  Exiting the plane I was hit by the tropical air, that and the jet lag nearly caused me to pass out on the tarmac.

There was still one more flight to go, a short hop to the island of Kauai.  After landing at the airport it was by then fairly late in the evening.  I called the station and was informed that there was no one available to pick me up but to take a taxi and I would be reimbursed for the fare.  I arrived late at night. Everyone of the rank of petty-officer and above had left the station for the night. They all lived in off-base housing. I was greeted at the barracks door by one of my new station mates. And here it all began.

“Do you have any weed on you”,  were his first words to me.

I said “no”. He said “do you want to go to my place, I’m having a party” ( he was married, married personal get off base housing)  So I said “what the hell, why not”. It was fairly typical what I can remember, loud music, beer, and weed of the homegrown variety.

But I really did try not to go overboard.

Got back to the barracks sometime after midnight.

The big surprise was what happened the next morning. Early the next morning.

I was summand to a interrogation meeting with my C.O. (1st impressions) X.O. ( from Texas he was) and a representative of CGI (Coast Guard Intelligence).  I was duly informed that I was not being charged with anything and that I could halt the interview at any time. Apparently they knew all about that party I went to the night before. They wanted to know if drugs were present and also names.  Of course one tries to walk a tightrope, you don’t want to piss off the brass on your first day but your not going to be a stool pigeon informer and be shunned by your station mates for the rest of your tour.

Fortunately the fact that I had only arrived the night before worked In my favor. Pleading beer and jet-lag I had no clue at placing names to faces,  I didn’t see anything wished to terminate the interview.

The C.O. who fancied himself in the image of MacArthur with the sunglasses and corncob pipe said to me on my way out “Well,(deepred) you certainly haven’t made a good first impression.”

Thus began day 1 of my Hawaiian tour.

 

 

 

 

 

And at one time it seemed all so far away.

personal history, Social commentary / February 24, 2017

I remember a time not that long ago.  I was a young man in the Coast Guard. Having the time of my life. It was the early seventies. We had already landed on the Moon, and by the end of the century we would have a permanent base and be headed for Mars. The Vietnam debacle was winding down.  Nixon had gone to China.  The majority of Democrats still loved their country but their leftward movements were becoming more apparent. I wasn’t sure what the future would hold for me but I was optimistic. I was going to fly like an eagle.

The twenties teens seemed so far away. But time keeps on slipping into the future.

Now they’re here. And I’m getting close to applying for Social Security.

Social Security was the brainchild of the Roosevelt administration.  The same one that made the depression of the thirties “great”.  It was supposed to be only a “supplement” to your retirement.  The Government would take money from your paycheck all your working life and when you “retired” at age 65 you would be able to get a portion of it back to “supplement” the retirement income you wisely prepared through stocks,  bonds, and annuities.  Of course some people don’t save for retirement,  some  situations in life can be beyond ones control and it can be tough if you are unable to hold a paying job. Others can and do save for retirement through company 401K’s

Of course when you mix “government” and “economy” in the same sentence bad things can and do happen. Like 2008 when many retirement portfolios were wiped out.

Then Social Security becomes VERY important.

Of course we’ve known for a long time that Social Security was and is a Ponzi scheme.  Way back then the  life expectancy of an American male in 1935 was 60, It was a good bet that he would never live to see his first S.S. check.  Now you have people living into their nineties who have been collecting for nearly three decades. But this is not a bad thing. The bad thing is how the government squanders the money it has, such as handing out money to people who have never put in to the system. People with no S.S. number, ILLEGAL ALIENS!

From the Washington Free Beacon

One billion dollars!

 

…Government benefits are also going to illegal aliens through the representative payee system. 17 percent of representative payees in the sample did not have an SSN recorded because they were undocumented noncitizens, the inspector general said.

Illegal aliens without SSNs are allowed to receive benefits from the government when acting as representatives for their minor children…

Read it all.

In the morning of your life you didn’t think about such things.  It’s late afternoon, I think about it a lot. What once seemed far away…

 

Something different.

personal history / December 2, 2016

Its been an exhausting past few months for me.  Both with the election the present state of our country, and on a personal level too.

On occasion I’ll post some video of the area where I live. Driving the back roads of Vermont can make one feel safe, away from all the turmoil of the world.  My friend who has lived in the area all his life and knows the area by heart will sometimes point out to me all the  beautiful trophy homes that have been bought/built by “flatlanders”. Their little piece of paradise. We have interesting conversations.

This is my first video. Practice.

They’ll get better.