Jun. 18, 2002 - 22:06 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

AND THINK

SO, what does an old man do for fun when his back has gone super-wonky ? Funny answer, "Not much." Real answer, "Mutter, moan, mumble and get on with life." An answer might be Tylenol and meditation (I just learned that word, tomorrow I'll get to the definition).

I wonder, what on earth business an old man has in reading the paper and talking about it ? I am not a columnist, though I wish I could be. I am not an educated man, grad of the School Of Hard Knocks you see. Not much of an expert on economics and politics either. Do I have any business doing my rants ?

In a free speech society the Right To Rant is engraved in gold on the foreheads of those who consider and speak. At least it seems to be so to me. I have spent a portion of my lifetime listening to rants by others -- some of them influenced me and led me to think more deeply about many things.

One of my ideas is that the 9-11 panic has created an opening allowing some dubious measures to be taken and laws enacted and allowing secrecy where it shouldn't be because of our panic. Even possibly understanding that the motives of those at the helm right now who might have purity of heart and motives unassailable, it seems to me that the framework being erected allows for some later person or persons to use that frame work legally, to terribly wrong us and make us a non democracy.

Many things I also read, from one source or another show that very definitely the rich are getting richer while the rest of us fight to survive. It seems that as time goes on there is no justification for the obscene amassing of wealth by unfair means to the detriment of us peons.

Heather and I will probably squeak through as we are old, but we both fear for our kids, grandkids and great grandkids welfare. Heather and I also fear that most everyone nowadays wants to be fat, dumb and happy without paying attention to what is going on -- laying all of us open to being abused.

I don't think the world is going to the dogs, heck, the dogs probably wouldn't touch it with a thousand foot pole. Nor am I one of the park bench old curmudgeons who used to walk hip deep in snow to school on a route that was uphill both ways, eat lard and pancake sandwiches on the good days, who feels things are all wrong -- no matter what.

I think we have come far in medicine, science, engineering and to a small extent economics (although it would be nice if the economists agreed and stopped throwing formulas about like confetti at each other). Looks to me that we still have an inborn selfishness which seems to allow us to ignore reality and feel as if everything is okay because, "I got mine." Politics seem to be a vicious dogfight wherein Mr. Average Guy pays the most in blood, fur and the loss of his rights.

What would I do to make things right if I had the chance ? I don't know, but I will fall back five AND THINK . . . . . . . . .

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