A Little Free Writing

I decided to start a blog because I thought I had things to say that were timely and relevant. I try hard to be objective, and don’t wish to convert or blurt political, religious or personal agendas. I simply wish to share and tell stories. I committed to this blog thinking I would discipline myself to write not less than once a week. I have sort of made up for that on average by posting what appears to be 4-5 posts a month…but I have cheated the averages.

The past month has been a bizarre collection of events and observations that I have thought about and will share from my perspective.

So many things come to mind, but first and most important is the loss of my brother. James Allan Reed was 58 years old and in the process of moving to his retirement home that he had worked for nearly 40 years to acquire.

Growing up with Jim was an anomaly of history in that even though we were barley more than 3 years apart, we were of different generations. He was old enough to get hooked on Elvis; I was young enough to start with the Beatles (Paul McCartney’s first back up group). Jim joined the Navy when Vietnam was in full swing, and while he was on his second tour, I was actively protesting the war. I was divided because I hated the war, but I worried everyday about my brother being in harm’s way. An irony I still find odd is that the entire military force (with very few exception) during Vietnam was drafted [they had no choice], and yet I saw returning soldiers spit on at airports as they came home and chastised for participating in war. Today, the military is 100% volunteer (and I support them 100%), but they return to a much different sentiment.

I miss my brother and in spite of the “generational” gap, I loved him and will miss the opportunity to drive him crazy by hanging out with him while he otherwise tries to enjoy retirement…his pay back was to foil me pay back…go figure!

I guess my next rant is about health care reform. What the hell!?! I’m sick of both sides of the issue…you are all retarded (I don’t care if that was PC)! A bill will pass congress that wouldn’t keep a birthday balloon afloat, and it wouldn’t matter which side won. In my lifetime, and with very few exceptions, and regardless of which party was in power, the mandate of law that has been shoved down the constituents’ throats is very much like writing your name on a mailbox in front of a house you don’t own or live in…IT’S MEANINGLESS! I don’t even know where to start with sorting out the lunacy of what started out as a societal necessity and turned into a more expensive version of THE SAME OLD CRAP! Shame on you Congress! Why don’t we hold a 4-8 year moratorium on government all together…could we really do worse? Fire the government, demand repayment of our share of the bailouts, and self manage for a few years.

That’s enough for tonight.