Memorial Day 2015, ever vigilant for those we Love

Memorial Day 2015, ever vigilant for those we Love

fiction
Edward w Pritchard

Author is of that type accused more ready to help a stranger than his best friend, hence he must rely on the kindness of Strangers today. Ours sins haunt us from afar. Christians without a clue.

It's so difficult to kick the children out of the nest and let them fend for themselves. Will they come to understand that life is not a free ride and no one cares if you eat today or freeze tonight?

Two philosophers who hated each other argued endlessly over how to care for a family and the role of the individual toward the State, their country. Which is the higher duty, the Father to the family or the Father to the State?

Two philosopher, German of course,  Hegel and Schopenhauer, and way back when wrote and wrote about Duty, honor, and War; this Memorial Day as we fret over who to put first Family or country we republish something we wrote elsewhere, " Patriots in the Ready".

"Patriots in the ready" is about some inmates of the asylum who were recruited to save their country when no one else was available.

Memorial Day 2015, ever vigilant for those we Love we wait left wondering about the whys, and how's of life.

Meanwhile author worries tonight about old friends and vanished family sick in Hospital.

Everybody knows this is nowhere.- Carry on, carry on;- the inmates have left the asylum.

"Patriots in the Ready" a story about the noble Country of Turkey. A story about personal problems and Public duty to Country. Life goes on no one knows why.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Patriots, In the Ready

Patriots in the Ready

fiction
edward w pritchard

Note to Greeks, story is a Metaphor, please don't take offense, moment chosen is historical, interpretation is not intended to be slanted. Author admires Greek civilization, author is ignorant of actual political situation in Cyprus in 1974 or today.

Patriots, In the Ready

Situation critical Ephesus Turkey, summer 1974.

A Greek madman was threatening, we had no army just here, the Western powers were preoccupied and Nikos Sampson, Cypriot Greek,  had littered Cyprus with graves and now threatened invasion of Turkey proper.

I was in charge of our small town's defense. We sent the women and children to hide in the hills in the ancient way. Our Turkish army was at Bodum, Herachia and Iniz but here there were no troops to assist our small town directly on the coast and likely invasion spot.

I had twenty men and boys in the ready waiting to die defending our town against superior forces.

Desperate I recruited thirty patients from the nearby insane asylum. Crazy yes, all, in various ways but today each a patriotic Turk.

Dawn broke, no invasion here, Turkey was invading Cyprus, the Greek Colonels had fallen our town was safe.

My fifty men celebrated for two days. Women kissed us and we were carried food and drink on trays until we could eat no more.

I waited until late the third day to take my thirty soldiers back to the asylum.

Memorial day 2015; why am I supposed to care about people in Idaho or Vermont again?

Memorial day 2015; why am I supposed to care about people in Idaho or Vermont again?

fiction
Edward W Pritchard

The United States aren't too affiliated too much anymore.

Why is I who is always in Ohio so much and so often anymore supposed to care about people in Idaho or Vermont again? Do I know or care enough about them and people from other of the United States to put on a military uniform, pack a rifle and march clear to Russia to fight to protect their interests?

It's a moot point me being so old anymore, my priorities have changed. Still it's an interesting question.

Can a Patriotic song be written and composed to Unite the United States if circumstance poofs up an emergency requiring patriotism, action and self sacrifice to defend and honor one's country?

People in the United States are United by us all wanting things, it's why we aren't interested in Marxism. We desperately want material stuff and the freedom to pursue and acquire a garage full of Things and items.

Our ancestors and predecessors met the challenge when duty called. They were busy with their self interest at the time I suppose but they answered the call to Duty.

Honor our ancestors this Memorial day 2015 and spend a minute trying to understand their motivations. It's a fitting and appropriate thing to do.  

this means that; Holidays are hard on some of us

this means that; Holidays are hard on some of us

fiction
Edward w Pritchard


Holidays are hard on some of us. Alienation becomes center stage and disintegration from society
spoils the joyful mood.

Nothing to buy and nowhere to celebrate. It's just another weekend to us this Memorial day as we forget to think about Soldiers who have died and suffer instead ourselves in the field Hospital alone with our memories.

Here's one of those "this means that" stories below about Holidays:

roadie etiquette

fiction
Edward w Pritchard

Rules of etiquette change for roadies as the original band changes. Members of the group come and go but the original band name usually stays intact. Individual band members change with the success and failures that come with a life in and out of the spotlight and fame scars people in different ways.

Over the years a roadie's stamina will wane. A roadie may work at one thousand successful gigs but one blundering failure obscures decades of diligent effort. Sadly one bad setup is how a roadie will be remembered. Ultimately no one remembers a roadie or prints his picture on an album cover.

A roadies nickname will change occasionally. The changes that a roadies nickname go through are often more revealing of a roadies reputation and status with the band than the tone of voice the band members greet the roadie with in meetings after work or the fact that the roadie must stay at a cheaper hotel than the band members or no longer rides to gigs in a limo or a taxi when hitting a new town or exotic location.

A roadie knows he has become obsolete when instead of being moon scar or boner he becomes Mr. Johnson or "nuisance" to members of the group.

Of course original members of the band who are still around after half a century don't want to be reminded of their age especially by a roadie when he is carrying their guitar cases or setting up drums. Roadies should address band members only when necessary in the course of business and not be chummy or touchy feely with them. Roadies should not talk during meet and greets and shouldn't express personal opinions unless solicited. After work don't ask band members about their health or their private lives.

Roadies don't have pension plans and no one writes books or magazine articles about retired or replaced roadies.

Rules of etiquette for roadies change over time and a good roadie will have thick skin and not confuse proximately and access to band members with friendship or fame itself.

how can the coal industry in America all go bankrupt?

how can the coal industry all go bankrupt?

fiction
Edward w Pritchard


Back in 2011 this Author predicted the Coal Industry would soon have serious problems. [1] Now in May of 2015 BTU, which is the stock symbol for Peabody energy, and WLT, which is Walter energy and ANI, and ACR are about to default on their bonds and bankruptcy will follow soon.

President Obama and the green lobby have destroyed "Prince" Coal in America and the Great State of West Virginia has lost a lot of mining jobs of Late.

How can the coal mining industry in America go Bankrupt? Easy go down to Charleston WVA and find the only one large law firm there and file a few papers and the coal industry is relieved of it's debts and only a few equity investors will suffer for a while as they lose the rest of their money they invested in coal.

That's the beauty of Capitalism, waves of Schumpeter's creative destruction. No Wars in historical site for the USA so no coal is needed. Let the coal rest in the ground for a while until it is needed again someday until tanks roll and cannons shoot again.

[1] here's what author wrote before, story is as clear as coal sledge but author sees it as a prediction that coal stocks would be in trouble. The story below was one of many about pre-Hitler Weimer Germany by same author.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Wiemar Germany is where my heart finds fellowship/draft 1, part 5

Wiemar Germany is where my heart finds fellowship/draft 1, part 5

fiction
edward w pritchard

My brother, the German soldier has came to our families fishing cottage here on the beautiful Lake to lecture me officially for the Family on my profligate ways.

Father's money is nearly gone says Hans. Not just because of me being a spendthrift with Father's checkbook but also because of German inflation and a series of bad investments by our Father and Hans my Brother. I must talk to Father about finances which means I must return to coal mining territory, where our Family home is. I hate the thought of going back home; the smell of our neighborhood turns my stomach for we live on the largest slag heap in the world. Coal is money, and money stinks, to me at least. But I must go home for I am good with money and finance when I am not being perverse. I must leave Berlin and return to coal country. To the mess and smell of the coal tar with it's sticky streets and pervasive smell of over-work. Men toiling dawn to dusk, and women, such as my Mother killing themselves to keep a dilapated shack clean. Back, back home to coal country to rescue the Family fortune so my Brother Hans can continue to torture the weak and I can spend my nights in a whirl of sexual deparavity in Wiemar Berlin.
end part 5

books without value

books without value

fiction
Edward w Pritchard

The barb wired fence from up-close was surprisingly thin and wobbly for enclosing a full grown bull and five cows. Not electrified to the touch either as gingerly through the thin wire I rambled to get up close to the herd.

The cows were resting on all fours and one Bull was standing dazed with relaxation as I walked purposely up the gentle slope toward the apple orchard where the five cows and one bull rested in the shade.

The Bull moved quickly towards me and it was shocking how much ground he covered as he charged at me as I scrambled back across the fence and into neutral territory. Later when I told my father what had happened he was too dumbfounded with my stupidity to punish me.

Twenty years later at a sales meeting the big Boss was just about to start the presentation when I was distracted as young woman after girl drifted in and found a seat and sat with a tight short pink skirt and a note pad and pen on her petite lap. Big boss man smiled at me as he noted the effect the woman had on me glad to see that I knew my place in the pecking order around here. He began his speech with: "unless the customers are rushing to make appointments to see you, you  are becoming obsolete."

Now a days no women in tight pink skirts text or call me to chat and the only way I end up talking to an attractive woman at all is if I aggressively sit down too close next to her at a Panera or Casino risking a charge by a Bull.

Most of what I learned in life is like Books without value, not too useful when one is in the trenches.

stations of the cross

stations of the cross

fiction
Edward w Pritchard

More than likely your Father actually never really taught you to box preferring instead to send you out into the world to learn to defend for yourself on you own. Although there is a shared set of stories and lore  about the first punch and the old round house one two that Your Father told you about sixty years ago neither of you are very professional in your boxing presentation.

When you and the old guy you hate in some ways so much finally square off to fight long after your Father is dead and gone it's not long before you realize he's just sparring, just jabbing and paring with you and he 's not himself; your Father is how he was when he was young and he won't use any of the lethal tricks they taught him when he was a soldier. He loves you so much. Meanwhile as you slug away at your Father's thin arms and young face you hurl a hundred submerged insults and slurs at him as he smiles down at you. It's then you finally realize he was just trying to take care of his family as he found it, as it was presented to him and all those old sins you have turned over in your mind a thousand times are not epic transgressions just small steps in making a living and adapting to the trepidations of life your Father went through taking care of His family.

Right in the middle of a punch at his unfamiliar face your Father will disappear. Your son will come up behind and tell you your Father who your son never met is walking in the darkness out  in the light snow out along the highway on a distant Hill looking for the lug nuts to the rear wheels on his car so your Father doesn't have to buy new lugs for the car and can use the money instead for food and other things for His family.

About then you realize that if you go out there to help your Father find the lug nuts to the car he will be hanging on the cross with his arms stretched out with nails in his hands and feet, and a bloody  wound in his side and his head slumping really badly to one side with his broken torso elongated un-naturally from the ordeal.

Then you have to go over to Pilate and beg for Jesus' body so you can preform the burial rites and put the situation to rest.

Which great artist will paint the Disposition painting and what will the demoralized faces look like as they remove the broken man from the Cross?

everything becomes an original for talent and genius

everything becomes an original for talent and genius

fiction
Edward w Pritchard

Ever hear Snooks Eaglin the blind guitarist play a song that he didn't own? It doesn't matter who did it before, even if it was Chuck Berry or the Beatles, Snooks Eaglin does it with style and uniqueness.

There's something about freedom and the spontaneous-ness of music in America. Blind, Snooks Eaglin must be lead on and off the stage by the Bass player but once the song begins the Blind guy gets it right.

Check out Snooks Eaglin cover Johnny B Goode or Saint James Infirmary on you tube. It's life affirming and enjoyable. Everything becomes an original for talent and genius.