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mcscajun's Journal
A few quotes from Bradford's journals (which I have edited some of the antique spellings for easier reading):
(Criticism) 5. All men are not of one condition. (Answer) A. If by condition you mean wealth, you are mistaken; if you mean by condition, qualities, then I say he that is not content his neighbor shall have as good a house, fare, means, etc. as him self, is not of good quality. Not entirely apropos his article, but I thought it a telling point nonetheless. Squanto continued with them, and was their interpreter, and was a special instrument sent of God for their good beyond their expectation. He directed them how to set their corn, where to take fish, and to procure other commodities, and was also their pilot to bring them to unknown places for their profit, and never left them till he died. Afterwards they (as many as were able) began to plant their corn, in which service Squanto stood them in great stead, showing them both ye manner how to set it, and after how to dress & tend it. Also he told them except they got fish & set with it (fish placed with the corn seed as fertilizer) (in these old grounds) it would come to nothing....and he showed them...where to get other provisions necessary for them; all which they found true by trial & experience. Some English seed they sew, as wheat & peas, but it came not to good, either by ye badness of ye seed, or lateness of ye season, or both, or some other defect. Wouldn't have starved without the "Indians", eh? Shortly after William Bradford was chosen Governor...May 12. was ye first marriage in this place, which, according to ye laudable custom of ye Low-Countries, in which they had lived, was thought most requisite to be performed by the magistrate, as being a civil thing, upon which many questions about inheritances do depend, with other things most proper to their cognizance, and most consonant to ye scriptures, Ruth* and no where found in ye gospel to be laid on ye ministers as a part of their office. "This decree or law about marriage was published by ye States of ye Low-Countries Ano: 1590. That those of any religion, after lawful and open publication, coming before ye magistrates, in ye Town or Stat-house, were to be orderly (by them) married one to another." Petets Hist. fol: 1029. And this practice hath continued among, not only them, but hath been followed by all ye famous churches of Christ in these parts to this time, -- Ano: 1646. Civil marriages a 'laudable custom'. No further comment required.  Now, as to the matter of corn and land, he left out something extremely significant in the telling of his "real story": All this while no supply (ship) was heard of, neither knew they when they might expect any. So they began to think how they might raise as much corn as they could, and obtain a better crop then they had done, that they might not still thus languish in misery. At length, after much debate of things, the Governor (with ye advise of ye chiefest among them) gave way that they should set corn every man for his own particular, and in that regard trust to them selves; in all other things to go on in ye general way as before. And so assigned to every family a parcel of land, according to the proportion of their number for that end, only for present use (but made no devision for inheritance), and ranged all boys & youth under some family. This had very good success; for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted then other wise would have been by any means ye Governor or any other could use, and saved him a great deal of trouble, and gave far better content. The women now went willingly into ye field, and took their little ones with them to set corn, which before would allege weakness, and inability; whom to have compelled would have been thought great tyranny and oppression. No inheritance but the use only of the land. All other things to be held/done in common as before. *reference unclear; perhaps http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Ruth ? Chocolate is the classic, but vanilla's pretty good, too.
U-Bet syrup is still in the supermarkets. YUM. There was a great little scene in The West Wing on the Egg Cream: CUT TO: INT. THE PRESIDENT’S BEDROOM - NIGHT Bartlet is sitting in his chair going over some papers. Toby enters after knocking. TOBY Good evening, Mr. President. BARTLET Toby, I'm drinking the most fantastic thing I've ever tasted in my life: chocolate syrup, cold milk, and seltzer. I know it sounds terrible, but trust me, I don't know where this has been all my life. TOBY It's called an egg cream, Mr. President. We invented it in Brooklyn. BARTLET In Brooklyn. TOBY Yes, sir. BARTLET Not New England? TOBY There are some good things in this world not from New England, sir. BARTLET Toby, don't ever let me hear you say that again. TOBY Yes, sir. ============ Those of us who grew up in The Bronx in NYC enjoyed them quite a bit, also. Brooklyn couldn't contain it.  "An Irish Country Doctor" by Patrick Taylor, MD
A friend loaned it to me on Sunday morning, and I finished it in two sit-downs - one Monday night, and the other last night. I just could Not put it down. Here's a brief line on it from Publishers Weekly: "Barry Laverty is fresh out of school and uncertain about what type of medicine he should practice when he answers an ad for a physician's assistant in Ballybucklebo, a small Northern Ireland town populated, it seems, entirely by eccentrics. Laverty is initially taken aback by his new boss, Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly, whom he meets as O'Reilly is literally throwing a patient out of his office." And they do mean "throwing" as in the conventional pick-em-up and toss 'em out the door throw.  from 0 in nearly unattainable to 1 in nearly unattainable. That's a Huge Leap.
I feel the same way; I'd love to win, but haven't made a habit of buying tickets. I buy them only sporadically. Fourteen years ago I was faced with a similar phone call (actually, a short series of them), and as the people calling me were "friends", and I was literally the only person who knew what they needed to know I helped them out for a little while. In my case, it paid off, as a few were looking out for me and let me know when a position opened up again and I was only unemployed (yet still on full severance) for 3.5 months. I had gotten some satisfaction, though, as I had blown off one VP before I left who, when inquiring about my department's functions (yes, my staff and I were all let go at once) and asked a question about one item "Who would be the best people to do this?" I answered, "I can't help you with that; the best people to do this are being fired. You figure it out."
Four years ago when I was let go again in an offshoring situation (yes, from the same firm), not for all the tea in China and double time pay would I have taken any such phone calls. They never called though, and that's a shame, because I definitely would have enjoyed blowing them off.Thanks for sharing your story, and the best of luck to you.  started. It put me Back out on the streets, something I hadn't done since the Vietnam War. BushCo and the "Patriot" Act is what got me to join the ACLU. My anger led me back to participatory politics, to the DraftClark movement, to DU, and to seek public office myself. (I lost, but hey, at least I tried.)
The younger generation isn't subject to the draft, and with exceptions, of course, they're too busy trying to survive economically in the new globalist economy to care about much else. Unless you have skin in the game, or are a truly politically-oriented animal, it's easier to let others get worked up over things, and to do the work. The bread-and-circuses of faux-reality-TV, Paris Hilton, and American Idol has a lot to do with it, too. I'm heartened, though, by the many younger people here at DU, and the real youngsters like Ava. There's always hope in the young.  And, it was inspirational: You'll wonder where the logic went When the White House has the Pretzeldent! Pretzeldent! Pretzeldent! (Tune borrowed from an old Pepsodent commercial.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsodent It's the health care plan(s) for the rest of us that's totally fucked.
 A Stretch H2 -- seen 'em before, saw one again on 57th & 7th Avenue in NYC Saturday night.
 ...let "the War on Equinox" begin!
 Area Pagan Dreading Big Family Vernal Equinox Celebration MEDFORD, OR — Despite evidence that the planets are aligned in his favor, local pagan Jeff Birch, 27, said Monday that he would "rather have a peaceful weekend at home" than attend his family's Vernal Equinox celebration on March 21. "I realize it's supposed to be a festive time of conception and new growth in the womb of Mother Earth and all," Birch said. "But I just know that within an hour of arriving, things will get so bad that I'll be reverting to my 12-year-old self, hiding in the rec room downstairs, wearing my Iroquois false face mask and fingering my runes for comfort. It's not worth it." -snip- "But I don't want to have to use up my vacation time and travel almost 300 miles to Portland just to listen to Grandma Moon Odin Rhiannon complain during the sunrise ritual that Mom's not putting enough rose petals in the cauldron or is letting the bonfire get too low," Birch continued. "That will just set Mom off bitching at Grandma for constantly trying to undermine her spiritual relationship with the Pagan Goddess of Dawn and then no one will speak to each other until nightfall." Birch said he has little sympathy for his perfectionist mother, who reportedly tries to do too much and invites too many people. He says she is known to spend countless hours weaving thistle wreaths and sun-drying her own currants for hot cross buns in preparation for the Equinox. "It's hard to feel sorry for her when things don't go exactly according to her elaborate, impossible plans," Birch said. "And she knows better than to invite Aunt Isolde, who always has too much mulled mead and starts moaning about the lack of a good high priest in her life." More at...The Onion | March 12, 2007 © Copyright 2006 by Onion, Inc. All rights reserved. the former was coined by another DUer some time ago, and it inspired me to give the name form:
 the latter I first saw in a Garrison Keillor column, and I like it because it implies he's a squatter in Our White House, and also that someday, * WILL be Gone. I like to think about that. |
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