Saturday 23 February 2019

On The Subject Of 'Our Daily Bread'


Today I went out for my daily in the direction of where I sit in the sun overlooking the ocean and get some reading in.(1)  With the late afternoon sun getting occluded by clouds, and the air picking up a cold breeze along the coast, I cut it off early, and headed back home by way of my local Rite-Aid, where I shop for ice cream on Special, and my regular quart of milk.(2)  On the way I pass the local park’s skateboard ‘rink,’ where guys are always present, trying out their tricks, like trained seals; and on past the fenced-in dog park.  That is always a treat.  Of all shapes and sizes and breeds and colors, the dogs really enjoy each other.  Sometimes there is an angry bark or two, but that is quickly put a stop to, by their owners, who likewise enjoy the ‘show’.  

I was reminded of the idea of dogs, and ‘which end to believe’ today, for having read, before venturing out for my daily, on the Internet a bit from my emails, including a posting of Paul Craig Roberts’s latest, at the OpEdNews site of Rob Kall.  Who is a ‘progressive,’ but very fairly allows his ‘megaphone’ to be used by other voices as well.  PCR’s is a bit of a curious one.  A former member of the Reagan administration (his Asst. Secretary of the US Treasury for Economic Policy), he has the basic voice of a conservative, but he is no person’s fool, is very outspoken about the ‘corporate crowd’ who have taken over much of the federal government these days.  And for some time now.  Today he has struck out very harshly against such hijacking, of what he obviously feels, from fondness, is a federal government being badly abused.  (The title of his rant: ‘No One Trusts the US Government, Not Even the American People,’ and which includes such acerbic comments as “As many have concluded, the United States is not a democracy  It is an oligarchy ruled by moneyed private interest groups.  There has clearly been a revolution in America.  An aristocracy has overthrown the people.  Democracy is dead.  We live in the Oligarchy United Against the People.”)

His remarks, and my walk home past the dog park, made me think, as I say, of dogs, and of ‘which end to believe’.  Which is what the likes of Pres. Putin must be thinking these days.  On the one ‘hand,’ he has to be wary of the U.S.’s Deep State’s barking at him; on the other ‘hand,’ he has to wonder about Trump’s tail wagging a message: ‘C’mon, let’s have some fun!’

May the latter end win out, at the ‘tail’ end of the day.


footnotes:

(1) Today it was further in Ralph Ellis’s remarkable book titled ‘Jesus, King of Edessa’.  It is an impressive job of scholarship, including his having visited the very areas that he writes about, including over in northern Syria and Turkey.  Much to ponder in it.  I started it years ago, whilst living here in retirement, and had to keep putting it down, to mull over what I had just read, and assimilate it, before picking it up again at some future point, as my ‘fancy’ struck me.  Or whatever.  

(2) I don’t always go home that way; often I take the spiral paved pathway down to the beach and walk home along the paved pedestrian & jogger walkway down there.  Alongside the people on their adjacent such path on their skateboards and bicycles and electric scooters and other conveyance contraptions, like the covered tandem bicycle carts for two people to peddle and carry the family along with them, from the Rental place further down towards town. 
    Long Beach has provided some good public amenities in this sort of regard.  Although the electric scooters get left all over the place, and often are left damaged.  A shame, that.  People not taking proper care of such convenient appliances.  
   I hope the City doesn’t cut off the supply of such scooters, just because of such damage being done to them.  They are a unique feature of the place.  Although I have to presume that other places, like beach cities, have introduced them to their public as well.  Alongside rental bicycles, available all over this City, too.  Nice.
   And speaking of ‘nice’: I went by the drugstore today on my way home because this week, ending tonight, they have their great ‘2 for $7’ sale on on their ice cream.  Not to be missed.  Especially now that I have defrosted my fridge, and can get them in the freezer compartment.  A chore, that was.
   Such is the vicissitudes of life.  To be taken in stride, in enjoying the rest of the experience.  Especially 'watching' the Dark side being taken down, by the Alliance White Hats...


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