NEXT WEEK IS...

NEXT WEEK IS….

Next week we’ll celebrate Memorial Day. Another national holiday to some but one that should be of major importance to us all.

Memorial Day is the day we’ve set aside to honor those who have died in the defense of our nation since its inception. All too often we use this day off from work as the start of summer without any regard to its meaning or significance. We picnic, barbecue, swim or do a multitude of other outdoor activities without taking even a moment to think about why we are observing the day in the first place.

If you go to this website: (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004615.html) you’ll find a list of all of the war casualties beginning with the Revolutionary War to the present. Total these up and it comes out to a little over 1,190,000 citizens of this country who have died in battle or as a result of a battle for our liberty. I haven’t been to any of the military cemeteries in Europe, but I have seen photos of the 1,000 of markers for some American who gave their life to allow you and me to have the freedoms that we enjoy. I have been to the Vietnam memorial in Washington, D.C. and that will certainly put a lump in your throat.

This is what Memorial Day is about. It isn’t about carpooling to a theme park or grabbing a choice table at the park. It’s about remembering those who died so that we can live in this country. It’s about giving some thought to how we remain free and enjoy our lives as a result of someone giving up their lives to protect us.

I am a veteran, but it isn’t me that should receive honor on Memorial Day, it’s those who did not get to come home. Those of us who survived celebrate ‘Veteran’s Day” in November.

In the past several years we’ve had several movies or television programs about war. “Saving Private Ryan” as well as “Band of Brothers” and the series…. “Pacific”. It’s my opinion these should be required viewing for all of our students at some point in their education. The only time anyone ever shot at me was when I was a cop and I had a hard time remembering how I felt at the time since the incidents were so brief. If you have seen any of the war productions, I think you will agree with me that they are probably the most accurate portrayal of an actual battlefield experience other than a documentary. I cannot see how anyone who survived those battles could easily sit through a screening of these films without having some sort of flashback. I have heard real war veterans tell me they had a hard time sitting through some of the movies. These will hurt your heart.

My Dad made the Normandy invasion on June 6th, 1944, but he never talked about it. After seeing these film productions, I think I can imagine why. The violence was so great and inhuman I think it would be impossible not to scar you for life with the imprint of death and destruction. It’s a wonder any of our men and women who did come home could ever function in civilized society again. Requiring our youngsters to see these films would serve to make them aware of the huge sacrifices others have made for our freedom. Certainly, we have issues and differences in this country between ourselves, but in the end we are Americans and we owe a lot to the people who died on our behalf.

The holiday was actually started back in May of 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina by a group of former slaves who had been freed as a result of the Civil War. A mass grave for Union soldiers was exhumed and their remains reburied in individual grave sites. Their memory was celebrated and called Decoration Day. A crowd of over 10,000 showed up for the celebration. The term ‘Memorial Day’ was first used in 1882 and was celebrated on May 30th, until 1968, when the Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill which moved three holidays to a specified Monday in order to make a three day weekend. The time for a moment of remembrance is 3pm on Memorial Day and all flags should be flown at half-staff until noon on this day.

I’m certain there are those reading my columns who may object to the thought that we should teach our youth about war and its horrors. My only comment would be that their freedom to object is given to them and to me as a direct result of the lives of the men and women who sacrificed their lives for all of us. Not just one or two of us, but for all of us. Our history is what defines us, we should never forget these heroes and certainly should think of them at least for a moment on Memorial Day, 2026 and every year thereafter.

© Peary Perry

"Crime does not pay, except"

 

"Crime does not pay ... as well as politics."
By Alfred E. Newman

Seems to me that Alfred E. Newman was that weird little guy from the old Mad Magazine comic books. Even though he is a fictional character, he sure got it right this time. Here we are at the beginning of the political season once again. As Americans we can eagerly look forward to another round of vigorous mud slinging, back stabbing, lying, cheating and scandal as the candidates get under way once again in their pursuit to lead this country. We'll probably get all of the aforementioned within the first year or so, leaving us more time to mull over which candidates are the most convincing in their efforts to sway the undecided voters in our nation.

Don't be fooled into thinking it's the Republicans or the Democrats who will decide who will lead us because it isn't. The Democrats will exercise their votes for their candidate no matter what. The Republicans likewise. Those who voted Republican and those who voted Democratic are not likely to change their minds, no matter what, you can forget that idea.

No, the deciding vote in this election will be those who are currently undecided. Those are the votes that will make the difference. Those are the voters that each party will be courting for the next five; count 'em, five months until November gets here. This is also the group who have somehow avoided what each of our political parties has been doing for many months. How you can avoid liking or disliking the political activity in this country is beyond me. Various polls recorded 15% of our voters are ‘undecided’. I didn’t realize this many people lived in areas so remote in this country that they can remain ignorant of our political situations.

So, just sit tight and get yourself prepared to see nothing but political posturing along with family pictures with lots of dogs and 'the little people'. Then you'll see long shots of various candidates looking as if in deep concentration over some worldwide dilemma in which their decision might just mean the end of human existence, as we know it. In addition, we must survive the debates and the interviews with all of the networks talking heads. Now, some of these I find amusing since they ask questions, which are impossible to answer or for any normal person to be prepared to handle.

These are along the lines of:
Interviewer (I): "So, if you're elected Senator, how would you handle the effects of an oncoming collision with an asteroid the size of Rhode Island?"
Potential contender (PC): "I'm glad you asked that question, Steve…I've prepared a study (unrolls a large chart) showing what we should do under my leadership once I'm elected."
I: "Your chart is blank…."
PC: (Looking astonished) "Well, so it is Roger, that's because my Blue Ribbon Select Asteroid Emergency committee is developing an exit strategy for Rhode Island as we speak, something my worthy opponent hasn't even started to think about. We'll unveil our twenty-five-point plan in December."
I: "But, that's a month after the election."
PC: "Of course, it is…. John, you can't expect us to announce this daring new and innovative idea BEFORE the election, can you? Our worthy, but slimy opponent might steal it and try to use it for themselves.
I: "Moving on, can you share with us your vision for improving the economy in this country?"
PC: "I'm so glad you asked that question, Sean, which is one very intelligent question that deserves an answer."
Time passes. Nothing but silence from the continually smiling, pointing and waving candidate.
I: "I'm sorry but I didn't hear your answer."
PC: "Well, Tom, without telling you too much of our plans ahead of time, I will say to you that when I am elected we will be able to add another 500 million new jobs to our current economy. This should bring us back to full prosperity and make us the envy of the free world."
I: "That's a very ambitious plan, but we only have a current population of about 350 million people in the entire country, including children, where would you get all of the people to fill those jobs?"
PC: "Well, Peter…that's a secret you and the rest of the country will just have to wait to hear about…but I will tell you this, consider what would happen if we annexed either India or China. All those jobs would be ours once again. This is a bold new vision for America. One I heartly embrace. As a bonus, we would greatly expand our tax base.”
I: "Yes, well, I suppose we'll just have to wait to see how all of that shakes out…. One final thing, sir do you plan on debating your opponent?"
PC: "I'm so glad you asked that… Andy, we have asked the other side for a debate to be held each and every night at 9PM  before the election, but so far they have not responded to our challenge. It just goes to show you they are yellow liver lilied Commie cowards of the first order and cannot or will not respect the will of the American people."

So there you have it folks, some six months from now, it will all be over. About the same time, it takes a baby sheep or a goat to be conceived and born. Instead of watching these idiots talk about nothing, get a goat or a sheep going for you, wool and free grass cutting can be in your future.

There's a thought….

Be good to yourselves

See you next week…..Peary Perry

WHERE AM I?

  WHERE AM I?

Sometimes the thought occurs to me that perhaps I've already died and have been living in Hell. As much as I'd like to think this is not true, I am still forced to concede to the following which I'm sure you'll agree cause us so much grief, we might think we are in Hell already. Voice mail - how much of our time is wasted each and every day listening to that dumb little voice which always starts out…"Your call is important to us, please be patient and stay on the line. We will answer your call in the order it was received. Our operators are on the other lines assisting other customers. We estimate your call will be answered within ten minutes." First off, how come I'm never, ever the first person on the line and everyone else is waiting? I mean, do some people get up at five in the morning to call the phone company or the power company just so they aren't placed on hold? Not that it would matter since these folks don't start taking calls until about nine o'clock anyway. This is a little piece of Hell… in my opinion. Taxes - have you ever heard of any tax going down? All I've ever heard about is how much more they need to fill their coffers. Not that the service for any governmental project seems to get any better, it just means more and more people are working at the same old inefficient agency, doesn't it? Someone sent me a quote the other day that said something along the lines that in some cases throwing more people into some project or another will not improve their efficiency. For example, no matter how many women you apply to the task, it still takes nine months to have a baby. The same could be said for the government. Another piece of Hell, we all endure. Politics - this is the time of the year, when we start with the process all over again of determining who will be the lesser of the evils in running our country. I don't care if you're a republican or a democrat; they all have their faults and quirks when you get right down to it. If you go back in history, I think you'll find that every candidate has promised a chicken in every pot and what do we get? Well, it isn't a chicken, that's for sure. Each side blames the other for anything that goes wrong, and each side takes credit for everything that goes right. We expect our candidates to be saints starting at about the age of accountability or five years old. If their candidate ever cheated at marbles, then we want to hold them up to the world as unworthy. On the other hand, if our candidate lied, cheated and stole, well then, it's ok because we shouldn't be concerned over his/her personal integrity. It was his or her own business. We have at least 6 months more of this daily drudgery to look forward to. My mailbox is full of fliers telling me this guy is bad or good. More trash to be hauled off.  One more piece of evidence that we're in Hell. Television/ streaming  - doesn't it strike you as odd that we have about 450 channels to choose from and nothing worthwhile to see? I mean how many times can you watch "Friends”? Why do we need reruns of Dallas when we already know what happened to J.R.? Look at the History channel, twenty-four hours, seven days a week, three hundred sixty-five days a year of old World War Two films. Are we hoping to see a change? I mean, let's face it. Germany lost. We won. How much more of this do I have to see in my lifetime? I think I'm in Hell. Give me something new, please. Decline and fall of the stock market - do I need to say more? Tell me this doesn’t look like a roller coaster, up one day, down the next. Diets - the final straw and most sinister of all Hellish devices. Tell me you haven't ever been on a diet at some point in your life. But, which one? We live in the most modern and best-advanced medical country in the world and we still can't get information to tell us if we should eat bread or not. Is steak good or bad for us? Can I have salt or not have salt? Will we die if we drink coffee? For every doctor or scientist telling us that we can eat pasta, there is another one who says we can't. Who should we listen to? Who is telling us the truth? Who knows? Diets alone are enough to convince me I'm already in Hell. The only people benefiting are the authors of the millions of diet books. Of course, I may just be wrong, and this may only be a preview of what Hell is like. If so, then I need to make certain my act is straight and I get squared away before my number comes up. Who'd want to endure this kind of misery for eternity?   Especially the politics.   See you next week….