Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Have Become A Member of a Club No One Wants to Join

With great sorrow I have become a member of the club of people who have had friends killed by a drunken driver.
I had known Phyllis for almost 50 years (she was 4 years younger than my Mother). She taught me how to arrange flowers and was the florist for my wedding over 24 years ago. Just this past Sunday afternoon after having had brunch with my Father, she was injured in a three-car crash caused by a drunk driver who had left one of the casinos in our area (I think it was the Mohegan Sun). She was transported to a local hospital where she was med-evaced by helicopter to Hartford Hospital. Around 10:30 PM she succumbed to her injuries.
There have been a number of crashes with fatalities in our area in the past few months caused by drunken drivers leaving the casinos. Another victim was a young woman who was going to Africa on a humanitarian mission and another was a young mother. Aren't there laws that hold establishments like this just as guilty as the perpetrator? They have many security people as well as having State Troopers assigned. These people should have had their keys taken away and should have not been permitted to leave. In addition, they should have been cut-off from alcohol. Just because they are so-called "sovereign nations" does not reduce their responsibility for attempting to prevent these alcohol-related crashes.

A New Jane Austen Contest

Jane Austen is getting more press in the blogosphere. The Book Girl at
http://thebookgirl.net/2009/09/21/jane-austen-week-grand-prize/ is having a contest this week for all things Jane (Mr. Darcy, too). Go over and see some of the great things she is giving away!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The Ugly Americans

Far back in the mid-1960's I read "The Ugly American." Even though the story occurs overseas (VietNam), the themes from it are as relevant today as ever. From the early years of the 19th century with the rise of the Know-Nothing and Anti-Masonic political parties; through the mid-century treason of the Confederacy (yes, it was treason led on by those same forces); to the KKK and Jim Crow laws; and now, finally, to all the ugly faces screaming lies, with some of them being elected representatives (Wilson et al) and even governors (Texas) besides the purveyors of verbal diarrhea on Cluster Fix News (as if that somehow would make it the truth), this country has had to deal with a particularly vicious type of wacko. Like the ugly American overseas, this person thinks he/she knows it all and can lord it over anyone who disagrees -- or who is different. Needless to say, these screamers are not even close to being a majority in this country; however, they have the majority of news time because of all the noise they make. I was pleased with President Carter's interview yesterday, when he pointed the finger where it had to be pointed: at the racism inherent within the created lies of this particular group of people who do not want to be educated out of a willful ignorance caused by this. I am ashamed daily at these so-called citizens of my country. They don't know the first thing about true citizenship and how to think through what they believe.

Monday, September 14, 2009

A Sunday Hat Trick

I have a ritual which I have to do everyday: 3-4 crosswords (NL Day; Hartford Courant; Westerly Sun; and New York Times); 3 sudokus (all the above except NY Times which doesn't have one -- boo!!); and 2 cryptoquotes (NL and Westerly).
Yesterday (Sunday) I completed the Sunday crossword puzzles in the New York Times, the New London Day and the Hartford Courant. I also successfully completed the sudokus in the Day and Courant as well. Yeah me!!!