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You know what really pisses me off? I mean really pisses me off. My Grandfather was an orphan during the Depression. He fought and he suffered and he did his duty to the country in the tail of a B-24 with a couple of .50s over Europe. Two silver stars, an air medal, a DFC.
He rebuilt a B-24 in flight to get his crew home. My Grandmum was an immigrant. A Brit who built lead acid batteries in a factory Hitler dropped V rockets on pretty regularly. She knew more about our country than any conservative I've ever met. She hated fascists as much as I do.
Me... Well, my mum wasn't well and dad bailed. She had a few mental issues. Not her fault. I knew suffering, misery, shame, and hunger at an early age. At that time everyone tried to ignore it. I was "the man of the family" at 5. I did my best. We got through. It wasn't easy.
Reagan and the right wing "moral majority" didn't help. Took me years to figure that out and find some peace with it. Would be easy for me to hate this country. I didn't though. I really believed in the ideal.
I Worked my ass off for years and years. I went in the Army. Sapper, Airborne, Ranger, Mountaineering Instructor, NCO, Combat Vet. I pretty much said "I'll do it" to everything that came my way. Partially for a GI bill. Partially to see the world. Mostly I just had to do it.
I did my duty as those who came before me did. I've had about every job in the world since then... at least people always give me crap about the things I've done to get by. Some of them gross (septic installation and repair), some dangerous
(guiding; hard rock mining; heavy construction, diving). Some just odd - environmental sampling bird poop in tundra, raising penny a pound cattle. I also gave my time to make my community a better place. Volunteered as an EMT, a Ski Patroller, started an Avalanche School,
wrenched on bikes for poor people. If there was something that needed to be done and I could do it, I did it without question, complaint, or desire of a reward. It just needed to be done and no one was doing it. I think I'm damned good at rolling up my sleeves,
spitting in the dirt, cutting through the bullshit, and getting things done. Always only slept about 4 hours a night anyway. Along the way I earned a science and graduate (also science) degree. Taught myself a little art, literature, poetry, philosophy. Figure that is important.
I don't regret any of that. It's been a wild ride and I wouldn't change much. What pisses me off to no end though - is being lied to and stolen from by people who claim they are my "betters." A gross shallow old orange tosser who, despite being born with every opportunity,
despite his father being a war profiteering fascist, and his grandfather a complete coward and pimp, has produced nothing but hate and misery in his life. Count his children in that too... people who stole from kids with cancer - and see no problem with their behavior.
Add in the republicans - greedy shallow bastards who don't even try to hide that they are just here to make a buck and promote themselves at any cost (as long as it is borne by someone else). And then we have the right wing christian conservative moral majority...
The buggers have always hated me because I was born poor. People with no life experience or honest motivation, but a lot of unearned privilege gained by denying others their basic humanity and the fruits of their labors.
On a level playing field... I figure I could work any five of these tossers into the ground and just keep going. It's what I do. It's the one thing I think I'm really good at - yet here we are. They are throwing away all the work and suffering me, my grandfather, my grandmother,
and so many others committed to our ideals have put in, all while telling us they are "the only real patriots." What makes them this? Waving the GD flag? Never questioning our "leaders?" Nothing could be more unAmerican. Selfish, self-important buggers.
Anyway... I sorry for the rant. Needed to get that off my chest. Mad enough to spit these days, and I'm damned tired of both sides... the side stealing from everyone... and the side coddling them looking to justify their existence despite the shitstorm they are bringing.
