Life is Good

On the Bay

I originally had a political rant all lined up and ready to go for today. One in which I announce who I will be voting for come November. That may, or may not, come as a surprise to long time readers. Or not.

In chatting with The Nuke during her visit, I discovered that she and I had more common ground politically than I had realized. Some of her reasoning made me reconsider a thing or two and I decided to express my sentiments in a post.

But that's for tomorrow Dear Readers, the glow of an excellent weekend with my eldest daughter and her two pups is still too fresh to have it spoiled by the filth which is modern day politics. No doubt someone will remind me that it used to be much worse. I would guess they mean pre-Vietnam? Pre-Twentieth Century? Medieval Europe? Ancient Rome? Who knows? I can only base my thoughts on what I personally have witnessed.

Saturday (when I took the photos seen in this post) was a spectacular day. Not too hot but what I would call "just right." Bit of a breeze coming off the Bay and the smell of the land / sea boundary was lovely. (It helps that it was high tide, if you know what I mean.)

It was a quiet evening in Colt State Park, we weren't overrun by the city dwellers from Providence nor were the locals much in attendance. No doubt they were all over at a different venue for one of the Fourth of July free concerts. The only music I need is the laughter of my children and the sound of the waves on the rocks. Besides which I can hear the free concerts quite well from my house. A couple of the bands sounded okay, most were why no admission gets charged. Not bad but they shouldn't quit their day jobs.

After the park we went for ice cream, our earlier repast of grilled veggies, shrimp, and couscous having settled by then. The dogs liked the idea of ice cream and tried desperately to help themselves to ours. But The Nuke indicated that they wouldn't be spoiling their diet just because they were on vacation. Both pups looked wondrously sad at that announcement but then some other cool thing attracted their attention so we could eat our ice cream in peace.

Well, as much peace as one can have with a sixty pound dog trying to get in the front seat with you. Which is already occupied by one human and a forty pound dog.

The grass is getting a bit dry, hence the reddish hue. We need more rain.

Did have an interesting couple of moments in church on Sunday. Our pastor's sermon was based on Romans 13, which is what monarchs used for centuries to claim "the divine right of kings." And this the weekend leading up to Independence Day with perhaps the worst Presidency of our history. (At least it's the worst I've seen.)

Then after the service there was the lady who in speaking with my daughter declared her hatred of the United States and asking The Nuke how she felt about "wasting her life" in the Navy. I had wondered why The Nuke was wearing her most neutral facial expression when I glanced in that direction. No doubt I will get in trouble with The Missus Herself for saying this but the lady who assailed my daughter for her career choice is a bit of a loon. We're used to her, but yeah, I don't go to church to get pissed off. Which happened twice on Sunday last.

Had perhaps more beer than I should have Sunday afternoon while grilling steaks. Which somehow the women folk let me do unsupervised and which turned out to be surprisingly edible. Somehow I managed to "not screw it up." Which had been, after all, the orders I had been given when sent off to grill the meat.

The one in the left foreground was mine. In case you're wondering...

Ah, but the weekend is over, The Nuke headed home Monday as she has to be on duty today. And of course her plan to leave early was thwarted by the pups who discovered a rabbit in the backyard. They gave chase, the rabbit diverted into the poison ivy and 'lo and behold, much shampooing and watering down of canines later, no one got infected. Did delay departure by over an hour though.

All in all, a fine time was had by all but, as always, it was far too short.

Yup, happy camper.

"Red sky at night..."

When in the Course of Human Events...

July 4, 1776 is not the date of our Independence, rather it is the date that we DECLARED our Independence.  The date we said "enough", we will no longer be governed by a despot and will take such measures as we deem necessary to preserve our God-Given rights as human beings.  The date we said we would no longer tolerate the assault on our way of life. The date were we would overcome our fear of the unknown and the tolerance of the comfort of a slow destruction of our way of life and freedoms.  The date we achieved our independence was several years in the future, but like the parable "the journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step, July 4th 1776 was that all important first step.

The first step toward freedom and independence
Source

I've read the Declaration of Independence many times, to include a quick run through of the original at the National Archives.  One of the more moving places I've read it was at Thomas Jefferson's grave at Monticello.  I had to congratulate him on a well written  document.   I believe it to be one of the most courageous and moving documents written by man.  

I am not a Constitutional Lawyer nor a Historian, although I have studied my fair share of History.  I'm not particularly gifted as a writer or linguist, but the following is what I believe the words, clauses, sentences and paragraphs in the document mean.

I welcome your comments.

When in the Course of human events,

--Human interactions has it's ebbs and flows, but sometimes those interactions take a sustained path

 it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another,

--sometimes the flow of those interactions takes such a negative aspect that a group of people no longer want to be governed by the other group of people

 and to assume among the powers of the earth,

-- and want to join with other governments

 the separate and equal station

--as a separate government with equal stature to other governments


 to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them,

-- because the nature of man and our understanding of God's laws entitle us to this decision

 a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

--so that other peoples and governments understand why we take these actions, we're going to explain them

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

--Probably the most powerful statement ever written about governance and the way to govern, IMHO.  BTW, my belief is that the word "Men", was a very intelligent noun inserted by Mr. Jefferson.  People that believed it meant only status quo, i.e. males, could not disagree.  People that believed that it meant all humans would have reason for hope.
  

A great man, a man with faults, foibles and mistakes, yet still a great man.

Source

--"Endowed by their Creator".  it wasn't any human that gives these rights to us, and who therefore could take them away.  Rather they were "Endowed" (i.e.  to provide with a permanent fund or source, the operative word being permanent) and therefore could not be taken away.  "Unalienable", cannot be alienated (taken away).  So basically in two separate clauses, Mr. Jefferson says that Life, Liberty and the pursuit (not guarantee) of happiness if infringed, restricted or reduced by any government provides grounds for dissolving relations with that government.  My favorite paragraph in the document.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
--   "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men...", preserving Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness is the sole reason for Government.  

 deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, 

-- Another powerful clause.  My Lord, I do love that statement.  Governments ONLY get their powers as long as the people consent to be governed by them.  Doesn't matter if it's the USA or the USSR, the government only has power when the people consent to that power.  When consensus ends, so does the Government.  In recent history, one needs look no further back than the 80's for examples of that.

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,

--When the Government no longer serves to protect the right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, the people have the Right (notice Mr. Jefferson capitalized the word to indicate it is a God given right, again not to be taken away by any human.  Additionally that Right allows changing the structure of the government by modification or dissolution.

and to institute new Government, 

-- or creating a new government.

laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. 

--restructuring that new government in a manner that will best guarantee the preservation of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Prudence,indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes;

--Changing or abolishing a government is a serious endeavor and should be entered into only with serious consideration of the outcomes and repercussions.

 and accordingly all experience hath shewn, 

--Therefore a study of history shows

that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable,than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

--Mankind has historically stayed with their existing form of government past the point where that government should have been replaced.  All that having been said, even though they may not have abolished the government in the past, they have not given up the right to abolish that government.

 But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism,

--After a sustained period of similar government abuses of power enacted solely to advance the power of the government at the expense of the governed, and which seek to deprive the populace of their freedoms and God given Rights.

 it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, 

--Another powerful clause.  It is not only their right to dissolve that government, it is their DUTY!  


and to provide new Guards for their future security.

--Create a new government that will govern in such a manner as to protect the Right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

--Everything described above has been inflicted on the Colonies and now we want to list the specifics of our treatment and why we are dissolving our ties with the King of Great Britain.  I found a  a lot of similarities in the list in the Declaration to actions being taken today, I'll leave them to the readers to compare, contrast, and append.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offencesFor abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.

--This has been going on for quite some time,  we have been playing by the rules and continuously had those rules changed on us.

A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

--"I won"
--"I've got a pen and phone and I'm not afraid to use them". Need I say more?

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

--We would prefer this dissolution be conducted peacefully, but understand it most likely will result in war.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.

--As the elected Representatives of this people, we are asserting our God given rights and performing our duty to form a government that will secure those rights.  By doing so, we sever our governmental relation with Great Britain and as a Free Nation will conduct the affairs of government independent of any other sovereign authority.

 And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

--With a belief in the protection of God, we understand this action may result in the loss of our Lives and Property (in many cases it did), but our honor as free beings requires it.

Source

Thunderbirds 360

(Source)

Place the mouse cursor on the video. It should turn into a hand, left click and hold, you are now in control of the view.

Enjoy.

Bear and Kodi Have Landed

Kodi on her morning inspection tour of the backyard.

The Nuke and the grand-puppies eventually made it through the wilds of Connecticut and arrived in the Chez Sarge Operating Area at roughly 1930 hours local, Friday evening. The dogs were most pleased to have the opportunity for some extra-vehicular activity after surviving 11-odd hours in The Nuke's Jeep.

To the backyard they went to ease the kinks out and were in no time dashing through the gardens in full grunt, exhibiting lots and lots of canine exuberance. Bear and Kodi are both very happy dogs.

The feline members of the staff, Anya and Sasha, were less than thrilled with the presence of their canine "relations" and spent the evening in the cat bunker in the upstairs area of Chez Sarge. (The cat bunker is under the bed in the master bedroom behind various pairs of ladies footwear. Mine own shoes are kept isolated in the computer room of the manse as they are "not fit" to be with the ladies. Something to do with aroma I'm told.)

A movie was watched (I won't mention the title as it was, while somewhat entertaining, forgettable in the extreme), we all went to bed far too late, followed by getting up far too early. It seems that the dogs were on the schedule for the early go. (That last bit has quite a bit of nuance to it, if'n you catch my drift.)

It's hard to get a frontal shot of Bear, she is constantly on the move.

If you look at her surroundings, the blur is not from the camera. That's just Bear, in full grunt, emerging from Grandma's garden from whence she had just been advised to egress most riki-tik.

Again, while the felines are "less than thrilled" with this visit, The Missus Herself and I are having a capital time. It's great to see The Nuke and her puppies.

Those dogs, like me, find the backyard at Chez Sarge to be a garden of earthly delights. I've been told that there might be beer later.

No, not for the dogs silly.

Moss roses, (Portulaca Grandiflora) a Sarge favorite.

Hope your weekend is as good as mine!

Blogging Might Be Light

Anya and I are chilling, awaiting the arrival of the visitors.

The Nuke, (eldest daughter and middle child) and the grand-puppies will be in town for the celebration of our Nation's independence. As I write this, she (and the pups) are stuck in traffic somewhere in the wilds of Connecticut on I-95. (No, we don't call it "the 95." That's just weird.)

So as she wends her way through the crowd of folks who are arguably the worst drivers in New England (and that is saying a lot), I thought I'd bang out a quick post to keep you, Our Valued Readers informed and on top of things here at The Chant.

Hopefully there are no Juvat tales of malfunctioning tech in the middle of the night preceding this rather short post. Hey, I have a life. Sort of. When the kids are in town anyway...

So Anya the Wonder Cat and I bid you adieu until next time, which may or may not be tomorrow. I'm not sure.

"Kick the tires and light the fires Grandpa, let's get this party started."

That's L'il Sweetie, the youngest of the clan and who might be known henceforth as TOPGUN Baby. Is it apparent that her Daddy flies fighters and her Mommy is a WSO?

The Somme

British soldiers go "over the top" at the Somme. (Source)

On this day in 1916, one hundred years ago, the Battle of the Somme began. Three Allied armies, one French and two British, launched their attack against a single German army. The attack spanned the area from Foucaucourt, south of the Somme River, northwards to Serre, north of the Ancre River and at Gommecourt.

The British Fourth Army took 57,470 casualties, of which 19,240 were killed.

The 29th Division attacked towards Beaumont-Hamel. Part of the attack was filmed and showed the detonation of a 40,000-pound (18,000 kg) mine, beneath Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt at 7:20 a.m., ten minutes before the infantry attack began, which alerted the Germans. British troops failed to occupy all of the mine crater before German troops arrived and took over the far lip. Many troops of both brigades were shot down in no man's land, which was dominated by Redan Ridge and then caught by German artillery barrages. German white signal rockets were seen and taken for British success flares, which led the divisional commander Major-General de Lisle, to order the 88th Brigade from reserve, to exploit the success.

The 88th Brigade included the 1st Newfoundland Regiment, which advanced on open ground from reserve trenches 200 yards back from the British front line, to avoid the congestion of dead and wounded in communication trenches. Many of the Newfoundlanders became casualties to German small-arms fire while still behind the front line; some of the Newfoundlanders got across no man's land near Y Ravine but were held up by uncut wire. Most of the German shelters and Beaumont-Hamel were demolished and shell-craters overlapped. Reserve Infantry Regiment 119, who had been sheltering under the village in Stollen survived and with other units at Leiling Schlucht ("Y Ravine") and the Leiling and Bismarck dug-outs, engaged the British troops from the wreckage of the trenches. The Newfoundland Battalion suffered 710 casualties, a 91 percent loss, second only to that of the 10th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment, which lost 733 casualties at Fricourt, south of the Albert–Bapaume road. The 29th Division lost 5,240 casualties.

For Newfoundland, the first day of battle changed the course of the island's history, ending any hope of independence. After the war the Newfoundland government bought 40 acres at the site of the battalion's attack and created the Newfoundland Memorial Park to commemorate the dead, which was opened by Haig on 7 June 1925. Although the rest of Canada celebrates Canada Day on 1 July, it remains Memorial Day in Newfoundland and Labrador. W

The British Plan (Source)

I read an article not too long ago about Newfoundland's role in World War I. At the time, Newfoundland was not actually part of Canada but was a self-governing dominion of the British Empire. You can read more about the role of Newfoundland and Labrador during the Great War here.

In proportion to wealth and population, Newfoundland's contribution in the First World War was outstanding. Approximately 8,500 men were enrolled, nearly 7,000 in the Newfoundland Regiment and Forestry Corps, the remainder in the Royal Navy. Casualties were extremely high. In the Newfoundland Regiment about 1,300 were killed and over 2,300 wounded; of those who enlisted in the Royal Navy about 180 lost their lives and 125 were invalided home.

Of the men in the Naval Service, the Cambridge History of the British Empire says: -

The seamen of Newfoundland had long been known in the Navy as efficient and resourceful, but the end of the War left them with a greatly enhanced reputation. They readily undertook almost impossible boarding operations in wild seas which others would not face. Nothing but praise was accorded by the Fleet.

The great test of the Newfoundland Regiment came at Beaumont-Hamel in the Battle of the Somme, on July 1, 1916. They went into action 753 strong; only 68 answered the roll call next day. A memorial to the fallen stands on the field of Beaumont-Hamel and on Commemoration Day  the people of Newfoundland gather at their war memorials in remembrance. (Source)

The Somme Offensive lasted until the 18th of November of 1916. Allied casualties numbered 794,238, of which 481,842 were from the British Empire (United Kingdom, Australia, Bermuda, Canada, India, Newfoundland, New Zealand, South Africa and Southern Rhodesia). The French lost approximately 250,000 and German losses were 236,194. (Those figures are from the Wikipedia article cited above.)

But on the very first day, one day mind you, 57,470 men of the British Empire fell in battle. Of those, 19,240 were killed outright, no doubt many of the wounded later died of their wounds or carried the scars of those wounds, mental and physical, for the rest of their lives. A very good post about the Somme, The day Sussex died, written by the Brighton Pensioner can be read here. I highly recommend it.

Also recommended is a very good photo essay by The Telegraph here.

19,240 dead. That's not just a number. Each of those men had parents, a home town, dreams for the future. All of that ended, on a July day in France. One hundred years ago today.

In 2010, the town where I live had a population of 22,954. Puts things in perspective it does.

Well, THAT's just peachy,

0305. Awakened by an alarm going off. "Honey, why'd you set an alarm for 3 AM?"

"I didn't "

"Front Desk"

"Are you aware there's an alarm going off in the hallway?

"No, we'll have someone check it out!"

0310. Thump thump thump.

"Yes?"

"Sir, would you please evacuate the building? We've got a smoke alarm going off!"

Flashing lights in the parking lot.

"On, our way!"

0324. Bad battery in the smoke detector. Could be worse. Now let's see about some sleep.