The beautifully sedate city, Concord, inhabiting the mundane state of ‘first in the nation primary’ New Hampshire, in the late 70’s and early 80’s seemed oblique to a young and restless youngster such as myself.
the NORM
Yet, there were a few townie characters to which I owe my vivid imagination. One such customer, Norm, traveled with a shopping cart, an old army sleeping bag, a de-fluffed down jacket and several empty cardboard boxes from the nearest liquor store.
Mind you in New Hampshire we provide liquor on almost every street corner. It is funded and administered by the state, so that makes our larger than life addiction problem…okay!
Norm had been homeless, so my father had said. He had once been employed by the same state that now offered him free cardboard boxes…so they say.
‘And, something just happened, and he’s been down here at the tracks ever since.’
Words of notoriety from my father.
Thought of Norm today when I received a correspondence that will soon follow this soapbox tirade.
this Lands is Your Land
Thought of Norm. Thought of my father not buying anything not made in America. Reminisced on my own plight with lack of loving from Obamacare. Glanced at local photos of a main street that no longer exists.
I have said it before but I have chosen to live simply. I need little or am in want of much. To the unfocused eye; tattoos, piercings and Birkenstocks adorn me like a liberal. Perhaps, maybe even a democrat if my voting record came to surface. Most likely, politically correct for many see me as a lesbian. And Christ knowns lesbians are nothing if politically correct.
If there is one thing that I know I am…frugal and lacking in social grace when it comes to stupidity.
1. Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart Every hour of every day.
2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!
3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year.
4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target +Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.
5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people, is the world’s largest private employer, and most speak English.
Low Budget Housing
6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the world.
7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger and Safeway combined, and keep in mind they did this in only fifteen years.
8. During this same period, 31 big supermarket chains sought bankruptcy.
9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world.
10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more than it had five years ago.
11. This year 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at Wal-Mart stores. (Earth’s population is approximately 6.5 Billion.)
12. 90% of all Americans live within fifteen miles of a Wal-Mart.
Mind you, I am not upset. Dazed and confused and concerned…yes! Does Wal-Mart cause a stir in the papers from time to time…shit, yeah. But doesn’t the U.S. government? Perhaps, instead balking this the world’s largest employer…we may want to ask for a few lesson plans!
Dear Mr. President and all the lame ducks/current voting members of the legislature. I now announce you, at least a majority of you, corrupt Beavis and Buttheads:
a.. The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is broken.
b.. Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is broken.
c.. Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right and it is broken.
d.. War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to “the poor” and they only want more.
land of the free
e.. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are broke.
f.. Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right and it is broken.
g.. The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.
You have FAILED in every “government service” you have shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars.
AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM??
Norm, townies, artists, hippies, gays, Caucasians, blacks, Hispanics and whomever else is in this melting pot….we’d be better off with Jimmy Buffett and his friend Warren running the show!
We spent ninety jillion dollars
Tryin’ to get a look at Mars
I hear universal laughter
Ringing out among the stars
Fruitcakes in the galaxy
Fruitcakes on the Earth
Strut naked towards eternity
We’ve been that way since birth
Passionate Readers and Budding and Fuming Feminist:
Every month, 46 women are murdered with guns by a current or former intimate partner. This October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, and it’s time for us to say: we won’t stand for this any more!
It’s too easy for dangerous people, including domestic abusers, to get their hands on guns. And until Congress closes loopholes that allow them to buy weapons without a background check, more women will die at the hands of their intimate partners.
I was shocked to learn how easily a domestic violence situation can become deadly. The laws that are currently on the books are deeply flawed — but together, we have the power to make sure that Congress takes action.
This is an issue that affects all Americans — our mothers, sisters, and daughters. Please stand up for those who are most at risk.
Click the link below to automatically add your name, and let’s urge Congress to save women’s lives:
It is all about words. Your words are enough to shatter someone's heart. Your words are enough to make a broken heart unbroken. Words have the power to change your life perspectives.
EARL'S PLACE: "AN OPEN & RESPECTFUL ONLINE SPACE TO DEBATE OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES FACING THE GLOBE," CURATED BY AWARD-WINNING COLUMNIST, EARL PLANTE, AN UNFLINCHING ADVOCATE FOR SOCIAL & ECONOMIC JUSTICE
