When I was growing up, like so many other holidays Thanksgiving was a reason (or excuse) for the family to take some time off from the rat race and gather together. It was a time to indulge in some small allowances, cook something out of the ordinary, eat a little more than usual and allow ourselves some rest and relaxation. There were parades downtown and football on TV, plus the grownups seemed more cheerful and happy.
Both in school and at home we were given reasons to 'celebrate' the various holidays. In this case, so we were told, it was to give thanks similar to what the Pilgrims and Indians once did at their community feast. And what a warm story it was to help us embrace our thankfulness. Who would want to go and ruin it by examining why and how? Really, isn’t there anything left we can just enjoy for what it could be instead of all the ways it became something else? Continue reading This Thanksgiving→
As a young adult studying world history in high school I often wondered what happened to various countries that had turned despotic or dictatorial when previously they were republics or somewhat benevolent kingdoms. The list is endless and needs no repeating here other than a few recent examples for illustration purposes.
Just mention Nazi Germany or Fascist Italy and especially Japan in the run up to World War II and opinions are quickly offered by both apologists and those who wish to point fingers. All these countries were at some point peaceful and civilized, or at least not extremely dangerous to themselves and to others, before they tipped over into utter insanity and were consumed by their ‘self’. Continue reading Sovereignty Series: Lost in America→
Within a few weeks of moving to the mountain in June of 2013 Mrs. Cog and I found ourselves in the one and only bank within 10 miles of our new place opening a checking account in order to conduct (local) financial business as needed. The manager, a pleasant woman married to the realtor who sold us our place, helpfully informed us the locals were all on ‘Mountain Time’, meaning things got done when they got done and not necessarily when we thought they should get done.
I was familiar with the term, or more accurately the concept, since several decades earlier I had been married (briefly I might add) to a young woman who had spent most of her formative years on a Caribbean island. Yes, my ex-wife operated on ‘Island Time’, which for her meant if it was going to get done it would eventually get done, though not necessarily by her. It was her one redeeming quality. Continue reading Four Score and Seven Beards Ago→
