Aqui

Well neighbor, today was Election Day here just like everywhere else in the good ole US of A.  And yessir, I done my civic duty.  ‘Course I didn’t want to get into no rush hour what with all the young folks wantin’ to vote before they headed out to work or chores and stuff.  So I wandered over to the schoolhouse round lunchtime.  Right nice.  No waiting at all. 

But let me tell you neighbor, that was the must cornfusing ballot I ever did see.  We was only voting on a mayor and councilman, a few state and county issues and 1 local issue.  They wanted to know if we’d let the market sell beer and wine on Sunday after 1PM.  But that took up 2 of them big ballot pages, front and back!  The problem was I couldn’t even read half of it!

Last time around they had them fancy new computer things.  That weren’t too bad.  Better than them punch the holes things.  But this time, they went back to a mark the circle paper ballot.  Now that woulda been OK by me, if it weren’t half in a foreign language.  Now I know there ain’t nobody in town that can’t speak English.  And I reckon everybody in the county is the same.  Oh there might be a couple migrants around that ain’t got their English down pat.  But they don’t live here permanent, so they can’t vote here (I don’t think).

Well anyway, it took a while to work my way through that thing.  Pickin’ between English and Spanish.  Reckon I shoulda known there’d be a problem when I saw them signs out front of the school.  They said, “Vote, aqui, here” (on 3 lines). 

I think this 2 language stuff is a waste of my tax dollars.  And it’s down right stupid in towns where citizens ain’t got a problem with English.  I say, nobody that ain’t a citizen should be allowed to vote.  AND nobody that can’t speak English should be a citizen.  But what do I known, I am…

Justan O. Geezer

White People Can’t Say Nigger – part 2

Hey neighbor, I knew it was gonna happen sooner or later.  A little over a year ago I writ on eBlogger about this very thing. (http://justanogeezer.blogspot.com – 8/18/10)  Well it’s back.  White folks still can’t use the word “nigger” in America.  Now I ain’t talkin’ about using that word in any kinda mean sorta way.  I’m talkin’ about just using the word period!

Yesterday, Herman Cain and some others, once again, made a big deal outa the use of that word.  Don’t get me wrong friend.  I think Mr. Cain has been one straight talker on a whole slew of political stuff.  He’s been straight-up on taxes, debt, big government and such.  But I ain’t sure why he’d go messin’ with this issue.  Looks to me like he went hook line and sinker for that liberal bullshit.  

I don’t particularly cotton to Rick Perry or the hat he’s wearin’, but this here is just another bunch of bull made up by the media.  It’s just amazin’ to me that the media would stoop this low to create “news.”  Reckon it don’t matter that it ain’t Perry’s spread.  He’s just leasin’ the place for huntin’ just like his Pappy did.  And his father painted over that name 30 odd years ago when Ricky was still a youngun.  So now, the fools that runs the “news” shows play “the race card.”  Sure ‘nough, that’s one way to kill a political opponent now ain’t it?  And that’s cause white people can’t use the word nigger.

In the black community, nigger gets used a whole bunch.  And it ain’t in a nice way either.  Black comedians use that word almost as much as they use the F-word.  And you probably don’t remember, but Niggerhead used to be a pretty good chew.  The word gets lots a use in other parts of the world too.  In England, nigger means people from India and Asia as well as from Africa. Nigger Head is the name of an island off the north side of Australia.  Nigger is the right pronunciation of the French word “nègre.”  Lots of English-speakin’ folks all over the world still call Brazil nuts “niggertoes” and without any kind “racial slur” intended.  Up there in Canada, they once had a Niggertoe Mountain.  At least it were till they got one of them politically and socially acceptable names back in ‘66.  Yet, white folks can’t say nigger in the good old US of A (and in them parts of Canada that don’t speak French).

So if me and all my neighbors can’t use the word nigger, you damn well better NEVER use words like whitey, whiteboy, cracker, honkey, whitetrash and the like!  Well, that’s what I think, even if I am…

Justan O. Geezer

A Lesson from Burma

Did ya ever hear of the Burma Road or “flying the Hump”?  Well there ain’t too many of us left to remember it.  I know, I can hear the younguns sayin’, “What’s a Burma?” And “Where’s the camels?”  And even some of my neighbors want to know if I’m talkin’ shaving cream.  I even heard one fella say, “Hump what?”  Well it ain’t got nothing to do with none of that.  Reckon I’ll have to give a history lesson.

Back in WWII, the Chinese was our allies.  That was before them Communists took over and ran the real Chinese out to the island of Formosa.  Well anyway, we was supplying our Chinese friends from India using the Burma Road to get supplies over the Himalaya Mountains.  That was till the Japs took over most of Burma and cut off the road.  It weren’t much of a fight.  The Burmese was easy.  A gun always wins against a pitch-fork.  So then the only way in to China was to fly them supplies from India up and over the mountains.  That’s what got nicknamed “The Hump.” 

Well, that’s a fact, but it ain’t the lesson I was talkin’ about.  Besides, the lesson ain’t for you anyway.  It’s for them politicians in Washington. 

It seems they was startin’ to build this huge power dam in Burma. Of course it’s the Chinese that wants the power from that dam.  And they done a bunch of prodding and give stacks of money to help it along,  The Chinese need more electricity, but they didn’t want the thing in their back yard.  So, they conned Burma into burying whole towns and thousands of acres of good bottomland.  Lots of folks in Burma was against the whole thing.  And rightly so.  They give their government a ear-full.

Now here’s the lesson friend:  The President of Burma just announced that they’re gonna stop building that dam.  Why?  Because, "We have to respect the will of the people as our government is elected by the people. We have a responsibility to solve the worries of the people".  Yessir!  That’s what President Thein Sein said.  He listened to the people of Burma.

You think them politicians in Washington got a clue of what this lesson is all about?  Didn’t think so.  Reckon them folks in Burma got this democracy thing figured out better than us. That's what I think, but I am still…

Justan O. Geezer 

History Lesson for the President

Last Thursday evenin' I was watchin' when President Obama give that speech on his job plan.  Jobs ain't that important to an old-timer like me.  But I'll tell ya neighbor, I been real worried for the younguns that ain't retired yet.  Especially them folks in the cities.

I liked to agree with the need to put folks back to work.  Folks still need work even if them big corporations did send all the factory work to China.  But I just ain't real happy 'bout the way he went about it givin' that speech.  I mean, first off, he just pulled up his soapbox and told everybody he was gonna do it on Wednesday, knowing the Republicans had plans for that day out in California.  That don't show no respect for other folks.

Then he showed he ain't give up that blaming thing either.  Maybe he ain't blamin' George directly no more, but he's still aimin' for them Republicans.  'Course it's plain as the nose on your face that he likes teatotalers even less.  He says Congress oughta stop playin' politics and pass his proposal. Naturally he's meanin' the other folks not his own people.  Now I don't know about you friend, but when somebody wants somethin' from me, he knows enough not to blame me for the problem and then tell me what to do about.  Most folks are smart 'nough to know you don't put vinegar out to draw bees.

That plan of his is supposed to cost $447 BILLION and he said it ain't gonna add to the debt.  So I got a question for you Mr. President: How you gonna do that?  Sure woulda been nice if he'd explained that at least a smidgen.  If this is like other plans, it likely means he wants more taxes or more debt.  Maybe both.

You know, I got carried away and almost forgot what I was gonna say today.  Anyway, don't ya think the President would know his history?  I mean, beenin' a college graduate and a lawyer and all.  But there was one place in that speech where he said Lincoln founded the Republican Party.  Tain't so.  Even I know the Grand Old Party (GOP for short) was started around 1854.  And for you, Clyde, the GOP and Republicans is the same thing.  Somewheres around 1856 Lincoln switched from the Whig Party to the GOP Party.  Reckon lots of folks do that.  Governor Perry done it back in '89.  Well, I hope you got that Mr. President.  'Cause it just don't look good when you mess up like that.

Oh, and another thing that was kinda half messed up.  Lincoln didn't "set up the first land grant colleges" no more than Al Gore invented the internet.  It was up to each state set up their own colleges and education system.  'Course now days, Washington tries to run education the way they want.  Actually, what Lincoln done was sign into law the Morrill Act of 1862.  That Morrill Act was to give each state a piece of government land where they could build their college.  That's how come they got called land-grant colleges.  Justin Morrill got the idea back in 1857 and got Congress to write it into law, but President Buchanan vetoed it in 1859.  Being from Vermont, Morrill weren't about to quit easy.  So he got it goin' again in '61 and Lincoln signed that one into law.

Well, that there's about the end of my history lesson for today.  Reckon the President's damn lucky his name ain't Bush.  If it was, them "news" people woulda been havin' a hoedown about now.  Well that's what I think even if I am...
Justan O. Geezer

9/11/11

Like most my neighbors, I been thinkin' lately about that anniversary coming up Sunday.  We ain't gonna be "celebrating" the day.  No sir.  Nobody's gonna celebrate the worst thing that happened to us since Pearl Harbor.  But there's gonna be a bunch of remembrances to honor those innocent Americans who was  just living their lives, but happened to be in the wrong place that day.  And we should be remembering 'em.  But I been thinkin' more about the them police and firefighters and EMS workers.  Like our military folks, they went into that hellacious mess anyway.  Also them folks on flight 93 that prevented even more damage by sacrificing themselves.  They all showed what it means to be the "land of the free and home of the brave."

And folks been haulin' out them 10 year old newpaper clippings and pictures and stuff.  And all kinds of pictures been showing up on the internet too.  Lots of flags and eagles and of course them towers.  I even seen one picture of a young muslim girl holding a sign that said, "I am not a terrorist."  I believe her too.  There's good and bad everywheres.  Even in religion.  Like them priests and ministers that molest the younguns.  There's always headlines 'bout them kinds of trouble.  But I got questions for Muslims.  How come we never hear about y'all cleanin' your own house?  How come we don't see headlines about your bad apples gettin' arrested?


Anyway, a couple of them pictures got my attention.  This first one come from the Houston Police Dept. and it don't need no comment.

Reckon I don't know where this 2nd picture really come from.  Can't find nobody to own up to it either.  It looks a might suspicious, like somebody been messin' with it, but I like the idea behind it.  In case you ain't seein' what I do, Clyde, I'll explain.  If you look real hard at the top of that smoke cloud there to the left of the tower, you can see what looks to me like a face.  And just under that it looks like an arm reachin' out to the tower.  

Like I said, I ain't no photo expert so I can't say if it's real.  But I'll tell you neighbor, I like to believe it's the Good Lord welcoming them folks home.
Justan O. Geezer