A 70 Year-Old Lesson.

not my best work... (2.00 / 9)

but rants never are eloquent are they?

"I spend my days and nights pondering the meaning of life, the state of the universe, and the Home Shopping Network." -- Donald Roller Wilson

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by: canadian gal @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 04:32:05 AM UTC

Actually, I think it was pretty damn good. (2.00 / 6)

The events of that night eventually led to the death of my mother's dearly beloved older brother during the Battle of the Bulge. My father ended up in the Pacific. He left behind a pregnant wife. My older brother was 2 yrs old before my dad ever saw him. One of my dad's brothers was also in the Pacific during the war. Another brother was on the North Sea runs as a merchant seaman, and another was on sub patrol off the east coast. I was born in '47 only 2 years after the war. Sadly, humans haven't seemed to learn a thing since then. Everyone says never again and then you have horrors like Vietnam, Cambodia, Darfur, Sudan, and on, and on. We have a long, long way to go before we see utopia.

I second these comments you made about discrimination.

It is outragous that in the year 2008 - that the LGBT community was stripped of their equal rights.  ALL of those that voted for Prop 8 deserve shame and ought to listen carefully to the following:...

You're on the wrong side of history.

This is not a recession. It's a robbery.

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by: John Allen @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 05:18:26 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

47 huh? the year my mom was born. (2.00 / 5)

crazy stories from those times no? most of my stories are pretty morbid so i won't go there unless someone wants to hear them.  but yeah - my mom has an older sister who she met 3 times in her life.  she was born during the war and my grandparents sent her to live with a christian family in chezoslovakia for her safety and they couldn't get her out after the war when chezoslovakia went communist.

"I spend my days and nights pondering the meaning of life, the state of the universe, and the Home Shopping Network." -- Donald Roller Wilson

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by: canadian gal @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 05:26:08 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

It's a crazy world, that's for sure (2.00 / 5)

This is not a recession. It's a robbery.

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by: John Allen @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 05:48:39 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Somebody should sell tickets. (2.00 / 4)

I'd buy one...

"Conway, whom experience had taught that rudeness was by no means a guarantee of good faith, was even less inclined to regard a well-turned phrase as a proof of insincerity."  James Hilton, Lost Horizon

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by: Chris Blask @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 06:12:50 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I think so (2.00 / 1)

there are real results from using hate to gain power.  Those who campaigned for 8 should be ashamed, but I doubt they are, you see, they know they're simply 'better' people. Just like ...

What, me worry?

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by: anna shane @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 22:50:51 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Indeed (2.00 / 6)

It's something that the culture warriors never understand, whether it be abortion (legal for over 35 years now), stem cell research, gay marriage, etc.  These debates will seem pathetically trivial to our ancestors, who will not even be able to conceive of the other side's position.

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by: rfahey22 @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 04:38:48 AM UTC

too true. (2.00 / 6)

but maybe its because im a canadian urbanite that i don't AT ALL understand the other position in in any way.  it seems to me that the insertion of religion into civil issues happens WAY to much in the states.  and by way too much i mean at all. ;)

"I spend my days and nights pondering the meaning of life, the state of the universe, and the Home Shopping Network." -- Donald Roller Wilson

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by: canadian gal @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 04:44:42 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

You'll get no disagreement from me there (2.00 / 6)

But then, nearly half of the U.S. population believes that the earth was created 6,000 years ago, so what can you do?  

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by: rfahey22 @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 04:52:11 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

well... (2.00 / 6)

its not what they believe that sits wrong with me, but rather that some feel that said beliefs should be imposed onto others in society.

"I spend my days and nights pondering the meaning of life, the state of the universe, and the Home Shopping Network." -- Donald Roller Wilson

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by: canadian gal @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 04:59:56 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

What's even odder (otter?) about the whole things is that (2.00 / 4)

in the States there is a legally definitive separation of Church and State, while in Canada there isn't.  My high school principal told me that in answer to my 40-minute harangue at him in law class about playing the Lord's Prayer every morning over the PA system (maybe that's why he hated me so much? hmmm...).  He said "Canada is a Christian country founded by Christians.  Every principal has the choice to play the Lord's Prayer, and I choose to."

Here we are supposed to have the separation, but it keeps finding its way into the law.  In Canada there isn't that legal separation, but the law does a good job of staying out of it theses days (other than that Catholic School thing).

"Conway, whom experience had taught that rudeness was by no means a guarantee of good faith, was even less inclined to regard a well-turned phrase as a proof of insincerity."  James Hilton, Lost Horizon

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by: Chris Blask @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 06:11:46 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

great point. (2.00 / 4)

and I have vague memories of a teacher asking my grade 2 class to the lord's prayer.  but you put it perfectly, aside from the school thing our fundies are sort of tolerated rather than kaotaoed to.

"I spend my days and nights pondering the meaning of life, the state of the universe, and the Home Shopping Network." -- Donald Roller Wilson

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by: canadian gal @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 06:16:39 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

You seem to be conveniently forgetting (0.00 / 0)

the role of the Catholic church in Quebec. Are native children still being indoctrinated in Catholic schools?

This is not a recession. It's a robbery.

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by: John Allen @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 16:35:25 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

true. (2.00 / 1)

but Quebec is a whole other story.  everything is different there than in the rest of Canada literally the laws to the way ok which they can be applied.

"I spend my days and nights pondering the meaning of life, the state of the universe, and the Home Shopping Network." -- Donald Roller Wilson

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by: canadian gal @ Wed Nov 12, 2008 at 01:24:15 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

You seem to be conveniently forgetting (0.00 / 0)

the role of the Catholic church in Quebec. Are native children still being indoctrinated in Catholic schools?

This is not a recession. It's a robbery.

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by: John Allen @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 16:35:25 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

This nation (2.00 / 7)

never has been too good about learning from history.

Hopefully a majority of this country hasn't become too brain dead to fix the most recent mistake of Prop 8.

Progress doesn't happen over night, but fuck how I wish it would.  

"The past is indestructible; sooner or later all things will return, including the plan to abolish the past" -Jorge Luis Borges

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by: alyssa chaos @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 05:00:48 AM UTC

fuck how i wish it would.... (2.00 / 5)

just about perfectly sums up my feelings right now chaos.  you rock.

"I spend my days and nights pondering the meaning of life, the state of the universe, and the Home Shopping Network." -- Donald Roller Wilson

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by: canadian gal @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 05:02:53 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Thank you for the diary (2.00 / 6)

I actually do better with short ones having the attention span of a gnat.

I am years behind and decades ahead. ~ Somebody else, I am certain

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by: Hollede @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 05:57:28 AM UTC

ha (2.00 / 5)

most of my blogging lately has been dome from a phone so it's more out of necessity than anything else ;)

"I spend my days and nights pondering the meaning of life, the state of the universe, and the Home Shopping Network." -- Donald Roller Wilson

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by: canadian gal @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 06:06:47 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Seconded. (2.00 / 5)

I'm having serious trouble reading anything lengthy. My attention span is never grand, but seems to have worsened of late.

Thanks, CG!

Come to me in my dreams, and then
By day I shall be well again!
For so the night will more than pay
The hopeless longing of the day.

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by: sricki @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 07:29:43 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

It's the school work. (2.00 / 4)

I can't read pages and pages of psychobabble day after day and then sit down and read 1000 word blog posts.  My brain gets angry.

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by: psychodrew @ Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 13:56:29 PM UTC

[ Parent ]