Friday, July 04, 2008
Enjoy the day
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.Amen.
Some Independence Day trivia for your enjoyment.
We're celebrating with friends and will be enjoying my wife's pound cake with strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream. And on this day, we'll do it without irony or sarcasm.
No fireworks graphics this year though. The wind is up and I'm a little nervous. I like Joe Heiney's suggestion on Thank Jah of a laser/smoke show in lieu of fireworks. Maybe next year.
Image comes from Patriots for Peace.
Addendum: We celebrated with a family who owns a deep sand volleyball court on which they set off some cool but safe fireworks. My daughter was kind of freaked and said she was scared for her brother when he took sparklers to play with. She didn't want any part of them.
Fireworks have come a long way since my childhood when you would buy that boring standardized pack of Red Devil Fireworks from the Boy Scout booths. They would contain several "piccolo pete" type items which each sent up a nearly identical cone of sparks, sometimes slightly varying in color. And they'd whistle. Then there would be that pinwheel thing you attached to a tree or telephone booth that never worked right. You'd have those little cherry bomb looking items that would spin around and change colors looking like a flower. You had the smoking cabin, the fascination of which I never quite got. And you'd have an assortment of sparklers and snakes. Same thing every year.
I remember one year on Montara Beach when the whole beach was lit up, mostly with fountain type fireworks, with the occasional illegal bottle rocket or firecracker bought in Chinatown or an out-of-state Indian reservation. You won't see that today as fireworks are banned (for use, but not for sale if you're the Boy Scouts) in San Mateo County.
A few miles to the south at Pillar Point we could see official fireworks complete with mortars, except that most of the time it was foggy so you'd see the shots and a faint glow and somebody would say, "oooh, I bet that one was good!"
....
I can't help but think of an interview with Allen Ginsberg in the documentary Growing Up in America about leftist icons from the 60s reminiscing on the successes and failures of the counterculture. Ginsberg's conclusion was that the spiritual wing of the counterculture erred in adopting the eastern chant of "ohm." Americans, being influenced by wide open spaces and 4th of July fireworks were more inclined towards "ahhh," and so the Buddhist mantra should have been adapted for America and made "aaaaaahhhmmmm" instead of "oooooohhhhmmmmm."
Damn! The opportunities lost.
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Yes, but the deist God, who is not the Christian God.
Speaking of pursuit of happiness, or at least easing of pain, the Feds are going after the homes of those whose land deal they have already destroyed. This includes medical marijuana patients, the FBI Spokesperson to the contrary. Not content with having pointlessly wiped out their future, now they want to also take everything they have built up in a lifetime of work. To say it is not right hardly starts to describe what the Feds are doing right here in our own community
Speaking of pursuit of happiness, or at least easing of pain, the Feds are going after the homes of those whose land deal they have already destroyed. This includes medical marijuana patients, the FBI Spokesperson to the contrary. Not content with having pointlessly wiped out their future, now they want to also take everything they have built up in a lifetime of work. To say it is not right hardly starts to describe what the Feds are doing right here in our own community
# posted by 
: Fri Jul 04, 06:49:00 PM
: Fri Jul 04, 06:49:00 PM
Those no-good, facist, neo-nazi, neo-con, , , , , ummmm, , , , what are some of the other tired old names comrades?
# posted by : Fri Jul 04, 07:25:00 PM
: Fri Jul 04, 07:25:00 PM
Whoopdefuckingdo! Hurray for everything!
Yeah Eric, you Go girl!
Yeah Eric, you Go girl!
# posted by : Fri Jul 04, 09:05:00 PM
: Fri Jul 04, 09:05:00 PM
It takes a religionist to interpret 'creator' as 'god.'
My creator was my mom and dad, but on a grander scale, the universe. No god required.
My creator was my mom and dad, but on a grander scale, the universe. No god required.
# posted by : Sat Jul 05, 02:29:00 AM
: Sat Jul 05, 02:29:00 AM
i have to respond...
when i was 19 and living in ginsberg's neighborhood in new york, circa '73, i asked him a few times about kerauac and his writing style...realizing that i was probably pestering the legend the next time i saw him on the street i said "Allen the next time i see you i'll just say OM"...he said "I'm saying Ahh now" and walked away...
paul
when i was 19 and living in ginsberg's neighborhood in new york, circa '73, i asked him a few times about kerauac and his writing style...realizing that i was probably pestering the legend the next time i saw him on the street i said "Allen the next time i see you i'll just say OM"...he said "I'm saying Ahh now" and walked away...
paul
# posted by : Sat Jul 05, 06:35:00 AM
: Sat Jul 05, 06:35:00 AM
Interesting idea that your parents are your ultimate creator. Did they endow you with the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, or did they suggest in various authoritarian ways that certain pleasures were to be avoided?
The deists felt that the Creator of the Universe was God, and that god essentially built the universe so that it followed certain laws, and did not intervene or tamper with it after that. That's why the deist god is not the Christian God, since the story of Jesus is the story of a massive intervention, as are miracles. In the deist view God did not need to perform miracles because he was smart enough to design things so they were not needed.
The deist god designed a law into the universe that directs the actions of humanity: people are drawn to pleasure, and flee pain. Since this was god's law, then it followed that the good things to do created pleasure and the bad or evil things created pain. Thus the purpose of human life was the pursuit of happiness because the pursuit of happiness was god's intention for our lives.
It is interesting to consider medical marijuana in this setting, as it brings pleasure AND reduces pain. On the other hand the founders of the US probably didn' t know that smoking tobacco, which is pleasant, can cause lethal illnesses with attendant pain, or the consequence of alcoholism. I don't know how they would sort all this out, and probably never will because I don't think deism has survived as an important religious point of view.
(I learned all this stuff driving around in my car on the way to court. I recommend lectures sold by the Teaching Company if you're interested in history and philosophy)
The deists felt that the Creator of the Universe was God, and that god essentially built the universe so that it followed certain laws, and did not intervene or tamper with it after that. That's why the deist god is not the Christian God, since the story of Jesus is the story of a massive intervention, as are miracles. In the deist view God did not need to perform miracles because he was smart enough to design things so they were not needed.
The deist god designed a law into the universe that directs the actions of humanity: people are drawn to pleasure, and flee pain. Since this was god's law, then it followed that the good things to do created pleasure and the bad or evil things created pain. Thus the purpose of human life was the pursuit of happiness because the pursuit of happiness was god's intention for our lives.
It is interesting to consider medical marijuana in this setting, as it brings pleasure AND reduces pain. On the other hand the founders of the US probably didn' t know that smoking tobacco, which is pleasant, can cause lethal illnesses with attendant pain, or the consequence of alcoholism. I don't know how they would sort all this out, and probably never will because I don't think deism has survived as an important religious point of view.
(I learned all this stuff driving around in my car on the way to court. I recommend lectures sold by the Teaching Company if you're interested in history and philosophy)
# posted by : Sat Jul 05, 08:23:00 AM
: Sat Jul 05, 08:23:00 AM
"Creator = GOD"
Frankly, I don't see how the religious beliefs of our "Founding Fathers" matters in the least, but they do not appear to have been the pious Christians that modern-day religious fruit-cakes would have us believe.
Frankly, I don't see how the religious beliefs of our "Founding Fathers" matters in the least, but they do not appear to have been the pious Christians that modern-day religious fruit-cakes would have us believe.
Aside from schollarly interest, the beliefs of the founders matter in constitutional interpretation by the courts. That's one aspect of it which has sparked my interest in this otherwise obscure subject.
# posted by : Sat Jul 05, 10:44:00 AM
: Sat Jul 05, 10:44:00 AM
Ed, I don't think that we should run our lives by what our ancestors thought. At one time they thought that the Earth was flat. They were wrong about that too.
I don’t think that God should enter into what is right or what is wrong. Government should be based on reality not superstition and or supposition.
Our founding fathers were right about that though. They were wise enough to insist on separation of church and state, that way we can believe in the Easter Bunny if we want to, without having to wonder; “What the Easter Bunny would do. Get Real!
Religion is one thing, Government is another, like in apples and oranges.
I don’t think that God should enter into what is right or what is wrong. Government should be based on reality not superstition and or supposition.
Our founding fathers were right about that though. They were wise enough to insist on separation of church and state, that way we can believe in the Easter Bunny if we want to, without having to wonder; “What the Easter Bunny would do. Get Real!
Religion is one thing, Government is another, like in apples and oranges.
Well, some of our ancestors also though that the earth was round, and that scientific method was better than scripture interpreted by the church when it came to figuring out reality. So I wouldn't toss them all out.
The thing about "pursuit of happiness" is that there the ancestors and I agreel, and the phrase occurs in one of the founding documents of the country. If it is not valid, then perhaps we should still be English colonies. But if it is valid, what does it mean. Words change their meaning over time. Happiness then was much more than it is now, or so it seems. It is almost just frivolity now.
So, in legal terms, what the founding ancestors meant has some importance. Naturally we've moved ahead - we've read Buddhism now, for instance, and understand that the Greeks were right when they said "Count no man happy until he is dead."
I think the bottom line is: there is the law, and there is life.
Ernie: Also,
More pix now on the firefighter entry in my blog.
The thing about "pursuit of happiness" is that there the ancestors and I agreel, and the phrase occurs in one of the founding documents of the country. If it is not valid, then perhaps we should still be English colonies. But if it is valid, what does it mean. Words change their meaning over time. Happiness then was much more than it is now, or so it seems. It is almost just frivolity now.
So, in legal terms, what the founding ancestors meant has some importance. Naturally we've moved ahead - we've read Buddhism now, for instance, and understand that the Greeks were right when they said "Count no man happy until he is dead."
I think the bottom line is: there is the law, and there is life.
Ernie: Also,
More pix now on the firefighter entry in my blog.
# posted by : Sat Jul 05, 05:58:00 PM
: Sat Jul 05, 05:58:00 PM
I think you have to wrap your mind around the different context that the time period of the founding fathers lived in. The philosophical views of the west still had such strong ties with the monarchy and the idea that one human or small group of humans had the divine gift of being able to explain the why and how of things. Jefferson's personal writings certainly show he had a good agnostic grasp on how this created specialized power and interests that intervened in government and business. A smart man he also understood the politics driving the emotions. There is no way the founding father's could have built a political consensus without throwing religious background into the mix. They had to address the issue the same way both republican and democrats have to acknowledge the belief and emotions of the main demographic capable of voting them into office.
I think Jefferson deftly used the phrase to acknowledge the spirituality and emotionality of the overwhelming majority of the populace (the elite being the educated)but put it into such a context that the basis of law would be the least impacted by the phrasing.
I think Jefferson deftly used the phrase to acknowledge the spirituality and emotionality of the overwhelming majority of the populace (the elite being the educated)but put it into such a context that the basis of law would be the least impacted by the phrasing.
# posted by : Sat Jul 05, 07:35:00 PM
: Sat Jul 05, 07:35:00 PM
Words change their meaning over time. Happiness then was much more than it is now, or so it seems. It is almost just frivolity now.
The phrase is based on the writings of John Locke, who expressed a similar concept of "life, liberty, and estate (or property)". A materialist notion as opposed to a spiritual one. I see the pursuit of happiness today as having evolved from that to the pursuit of the middle class dream of a house in the suburbs with two cars in the garage. IE it's the idealistic carrot that the establishment dangles in front of your nose so that they can rip off your time and energy. Anyone 'pursuing happiness' is a fool. Happiness will find you if you don't pursue it.
The phrase is based on the writings of John Locke, who expressed a similar concept of "life, liberty, and estate (or property)". A materialist notion as opposed to a spiritual one. I see the pursuit of happiness today as having evolved from that to the pursuit of the middle class dream of a house in the suburbs with two cars in the garage. IE it's the idealistic carrot that the establishment dangles in front of your nose so that they can rip off your time and energy. Anyone 'pursuing happiness' is a fool. Happiness will find you if you don't pursue it.
# posted by : Sat Jul 05, 07:35:00 PM
: Sat Jul 05, 07:35:00 PM
Ed, I should know better than to argue with a lawyer. A good one at that. But I cant resist the partheon shot:
“History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes."
-Thomas Jefferson to Alexander von Humboldt, Dec. 6, 1813.
“History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes."
-Thomas Jefferson to Alexander von Humboldt, Dec. 6, 1813.
Well Ernie I don't know Ed but I do know that the sitting Supreme Court has proved this point more than once in the last couple of months.
# posted by : Sat Jul 05, 10:01:00 PM
: Sat Jul 05, 10:01:00 PM
Ed I am surprised you're not blogging about the enormous amounts of food you consume.
# posted by : Sun Jul 06, 10:26:00 AM
: Sun Jul 06, 10:26:00 AM
Ed I am surprised you're not blogging about the enormous amounts of food you consume.
Perhaps you have missed my "Best Burger" blog entry that I recently posted?
But it isn't quantity that I blog about, it is quality of food and geographic variety in locations. I think a careful read of the blog will show that I actually never claim to have eaten more than 3 meals a day, and don't forget that breakfast is always a bowl of unsweetened cereal.
Don't worry, tho. I am going to Crescent City soon and hope to have some useful entries arise from that trip's meals. I can think of 3 places to avoid already.
Glad you are following my gustatory adventures so avidly. More to come.
Perhaps you have missed my "Best Burger" blog entry that I recently posted?
But it isn't quantity that I blog about, it is quality of food and geographic variety in locations. I think a careful read of the blog will show that I actually never claim to have eaten more than 3 meals a day, and don't forget that breakfast is always a bowl of unsweetened cereal.
Don't worry, tho. I am going to Crescent City soon and hope to have some useful entries arise from that trip's meals. I can think of 3 places to avoid already.
Glad you are following my gustatory adventures so avidly. More to come.
# posted by : Sun Jul 06, 10:52:00 AM
: Sun Jul 06, 10:52:00 AM
Ed, you should join one of those hot dog eating contests. Get Ed, a bunch of hot dogs and some cheap merlot together and this is something that wins trophies.
# posted by : Sun Jul 06, 01:07:00 PM
: Sun Jul 06, 01:07:00 PM
Ed, concerning life liberty and the pursuit of hot dogs --Costco has the best.
# posted by : Sun Jul 06, 08:54:00 PM
: Sun Jul 06, 08:54:00 PM
I note some food fans read this blog. If you want to see more try http://manabekawori.cocolog-nifty.com -ED
# posted by : Mon Jul 07, 08:23:00 AM
: Mon Jul 07, 08:23:00 AM
Ed really does have a fascination with food. Some might even call it obsession.
# posted by : Mon Jul 07, 10:42:00 AM
: Mon Jul 07, 10:42:00 AM
ED Denson said...Interesting idea that your parents are your ultimate creator. Did they endow you with the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, or did they suggest in various authoritarian ways that certain pleasures were to be avoided?
Certain pleasures like the oral ingestion of a weenie? My parents showed me by example how to enjoy life.
Certain pleasures like the oral ingestion of a weenie? My parents showed me by example how to enjoy life.
# posted by : Mon Jul 07, 11:53:00 AM
: Mon Jul 07, 11:53:00 AM
Ed really does have a fascination with food. Some might even call it obsession.
The odd thing is that I don't cook.
But, if you are a frequent traveller on the highways and byways of Northern California, you may want to know about local eateries and sleeperies (you didn't mention this, but I not only eat every day, I also sleep)
Watch for some Crescent City meals soon. -ED
The odd thing is that I don't cook.
But, if you are a frequent traveller on the highways and byways of Northern California, you may want to know about local eateries and sleeperies (you didn't mention this, but I not only eat every day, I also sleep)
Watch for some Crescent City meals soon. -ED
# posted by : Mon Jul 07, 02:38:00 PM
: Mon Jul 07, 02:38:00 PM
Ed, I think you should Google "Two girls, one cup" it is a fascinating video on an unconventional culinary taste.
# posted by : Mon Jul 07, 07:14:00 PM
: Mon Jul 07, 07:14:00 PM
Ed, I think you should Google "Two girls, one cup" it is a fascinating video on an unconventional culinary taste.
Well, that was a surprise! Let me suggest that most readers will not enjoy this video, unconventional tho it may be. If you watch it after reading this, its your own fault. You are not going to like it. Not at all. Don't say I didn't tell you. I mean it. Seriously, don't Google it. You'll hate it. You won't be able to watch it all the way through and you'll never Google an unknown video again. No kidding. If you must go ahead, read the Wickipedia article first.
Well, that was a surprise! Let me suggest that most readers will not enjoy this video, unconventional tho it may be. If you watch it after reading this, its your own fault. You are not going to like it. Not at all. Don't say I didn't tell you. I mean it. Seriously, don't Google it. You'll hate it. You won't be able to watch it all the way through and you'll never Google an unknown video again. No kidding. If you must go ahead, read the Wickipedia article first.
# posted by : Mon Jul 07, 09:02:00 PM
: Mon Jul 07, 09:02:00 PM
"Partheon shot"?
Why do we think we can just make words up? I know the language is being changed by the technology of the day,but what were you trying to say that 'parting shot' wouldn't have covered there? Did you think it was a real word? Trying to fancy it up kinda blew the ref. for me and it was pretty good- but really.
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Why do we think we can just make words up? I know the language is being changed by the technology of the day,but what were you trying to say that 'parting shot' wouldn't have covered there? Did you think it was a real word? Trying to fancy it up kinda blew the ref. for me and it was pretty good- but really.
# posted by : Tue Jul 08, 06:20:00 PM
: Tue Jul 08, 06:20:00 PM Links to this post:
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