Saturday, July 23, 2016

Been Thinking...

View of the Rhode Island State House from near Saints Sahag and Mesrob Armenian Church. I-95 is in the foreground.
Those of you who have been following along know that I am currently doing a stint as a juror in Superior Court in Providence, the capital of Little Rhody. While I can't talk about the details of the case, the participants, or anything else about the case now, I will, eventually post about the trial itself. All I can say at this point is that the trial is a criminal matter.

I consider myself a student of the human condition, anyone who studies history must be, for history (as we know it) is made by, and recorded by, humans. To my knowledge, no other species on this planet does so. Though I often wonder about elephants, they even mourn their dead. I wonder if they have some form of history, perhaps passed down from generation to generation orally. Much as we did long before the written word was invented.

(Source)

That lead in picture was taken Thursday morning as I was waiting for the shuttle bus over to the court house. As is my wont, I had arrived rather early (I'm all about beating the traffic, I'd rather sit and wait in a parking lot than sit in traffic). Usually the shuttle is already there but there were no new jurors needing to show up at 0815, so I had some time. I decided to stroll around to see what I could see.

As I mentioned above, the picture was taken near an Armenian church. I had no idea such a thing existed, and I've had a few friends of Armenian descent. I also learned (from a sign out in front of the church) that the Armenian language has it's own alphabet, for instance - Հայ Առաքելական Եկեղեցի is (as you might guess) Armenian, for the "Armenian Apostolic Church." I had no ideer. They also have a few beliefs I find quite interesting. Most interesting. (Of course, I Googled the church. Seems that that branch of Christianity has been around since the Fifth Century AD.)

Anyhoo.

When I took that opening photo, I had time to spare, nowhere to be right away. I looked around. I watched a small bird rooting around in the grass leading down to a very busy interstate highway. People going to and fro, going about their business. That bird didn't give a fig. He was looking for food, no doubt the same way his kind did ten thousand years ago.

Other than the traffic noise, it was most pleasant where I stood, just watching things going on around me. Part of it, but detached, at least for the moment. All too soon I would have to head on over to the court house. Back to business as it were.

But I thanked my God for that brief opportunity to just take a moment and watch. The people, the birds, the clouds in the sky. Stopping to smell the roses, as it were.

Being in court, thrown in with a bunch of strangers has been very enlightening. One thing I've noticed, even in this very red blue* state of Little Rhody, is that normal folks seem disgusted with "politics as usual." Gives me hope it does. I mean, many of my fellow jurors are life long Dems! They cannot stomach the current circus either. What happens in November, I have no idea. I pray for the best. I still have hope. Perhaps the Creator is testing us. It certainly feels like it. But I see things which give me hope.

There is another thing about court that is most depressing. I am often appalled at the evil we do unto each other. Some of the things I'm hearing are, depraved. There is no other word for it. The things we humans do to each other is, in a word, disgusting.

But there is no court today (Friday as I write this), Saturday, and Sunday. I am away from that. I have no idea how people in the court system manage to do this every day. Week after week, year after year. I don't know if I could. I suppose you learn to stay detached from it, to develop a hard shell to protect yourself. But still, what the Hell is wrong with some people?

It's depressing...

But I have my faith, my family, and my friends. That's enough for me, it suits me fine. The outside world will do what it does, as for me, I will sit in my garden, have a beer, and watch the sky.

The Lord's canvas is vast, if one is observant, you can see a masterpiece that would make the great artists of old weep at the beauty of it.

Je suis content...









Friday evening at sunset was breathtaking.

I am blessed...



* Freudian slip. I know that red is used to represent Republican enclaves and that blue is for Democrat. I see red, I think Communist. Sorry. Thanks for the correction Cap'n Steve!

28 comments:

  1. "Red" Rhode Island? Or did you mean in the Communist sense?

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    1. Yeah, I meant blue. I'm guessing Freudian slip. I'll fix that.

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    2. I was going to ask the same. I didn't know for sure but assumed that R.I. was a blue state.

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    3. Yup. I fixed it in the text. I have trouble with that whole blue state / red state.

      Maybe blue is because those states are depressed? Pun intended.

      From now on I will use the mnemonic R = Republican. My other excuse is that I associate red with left, or port, as in the Sea Services and aircraft lighting. (Red right returning, port wine, etc....)

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    4. I have a problem with the blue-red state thing as well, but more in the sense that the state you live in defines your politics. The farther west you travel in Massachusetts the more conservative sentiment you hear, but anybody from this state is automatically considered a "bleeding heart liberal" (another bit of political silliness, IMO). We've got plenty of conservatives here, something that likely contributed to our choosing Reagan for president twice.

      People also don't realize that we've had just one Democratic governor since Michael Dukakis, a fact I attribute to us wanting political balance. This is especially important (I believe) considering the sad state of Massachusetts' Republican Party, who are generally too liberal for Alabama and too conservative for their home state. They seem conflicted and confused. They once ran a guy for the U.S. Senate who had an auto accident while conducting a radio interview. It wasn't a serious crackup, but it seemed indicative of their problems.

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    5. The Republicans in most states are disorganized and in disarray.

      Massachusetts is no exception. The Republican Party is Little Rhody is pathetic. I've had phone calls from the party where I wondered if the guy calling was able to dress himself in the morning.

      Pathetic.

      Massachusetts has surprised the country before, they might again.

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    6. << I wondered if the guy calling was able to dress himself in the morning. >>

      That's funny--or sad, depending on your point of view.

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    7. Kinda my point. It could be both.

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    8. I'm no fan of political parties, but I have to admit that two are better than one. I was stationed in Utah in the '90s, so between there and Massachusetts I've seen both sides. No matter which party dominates, it's not good.

      Both states have poor marks for transparency in government, and both have had high officials indicted, including three CONSECUTIVE Mass. house speakers and Utah's attorney general. The dominant parties in each steamroller over the other, which guarantees unbalanced lawmaking.

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    9. Having a single party system is very bad. Ask the Russians, the Chinese, the Germans, the Italians, the Cubans, and many more at various points in their history.

      But I say two is not enough, over time they start to collude I think.

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  2. "...normal folks seem disgusted with politics as usual."

    I have a theory ;-)


    Isn't the Rhode Island Red a chicken?

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    1. The Rhode Island Red is indeed a breed of chicken. There is a Navy strike fighter squadron that has the Rhode Island Red as their mascot, VFA-22, the Fighting Redcocks. The 67th Fighter Squadron of the USAF also has a Fighting Cock as their emblem, but it doesn't look like a Rhode Island Red.

      (Heh. "Normal," I see what ya did there.)

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    2. And don't forget the 18th Wing at Kadena, with its "chicken" emblem and the apocryphal story of the emblem's origin.

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    3. I remember that story. I need to research that, might make an interesting post.

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  3. "There is another thing about court that is most depressing. I am often appalled at the evil we do unto each other. Some of the things I'm hearing are, depraved. There is no other word for it. The things we humans do to each other is, in a word, disgusting".

    Depravity. Have a LEO cousin who is a decent human being and has an amazing track record in policing. He busted a child porn ring within the public safety personnel in his area (can't be more specific). Told me he had to change jobs as the process of correlating evidence meant he had to view it and describe it in written documents. A year and a half was all he could take.

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    1. I know what you mean. My best to your cousin.

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  4. OAFS:

    As always, my best thoughts and wishes are with you.

    Paul L. Quandt

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  5. Yes, Sarge, you ARE blessed. And those pictures are beautiful.

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  6. Enjoying nature at her finest isn't a bad way to go... :-)

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    1. No it isn't. But all that energy piling up in those photos eventually reached a tipping point around 0100 local. Crashing thunder, constant lightning and rain like nobody's business.

      Also caused the power to die and come back a couple of times. Kept me awake it did. Made me crabby on Saturday it did.

      Sometimes there is such a thing as "too much Nature."

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  7. I understand your confusion over red state/blue state. I can remember a time when it was exactly reversed. Some liberal snowflake probably complained about the association of 'Red' with the left and Communism, so the networks changed it at least a few elections back. Can't remember just when, but it was a shock the first time I saw the reversed color schemes. You're probably of an age where you remember the old way, too.

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    1. There's an explanation I can live with!

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    2. Still the Blue=Conservative scheme in the Old Country.

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    3. It could also be that "red" is a reference to redneck, a group who tend strongly toward the conservative.

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    4. Not in this case. As Mike points out, it was originally red for democrat.

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Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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