Thursday, March 17, 2011

St. Patricks Day

Arrrrgggghhhh... I don't feel much like celebrating this year. It's strange, usually by this time of the year we've suffered through the long dreary winter and hard economic times and we are ready for a little sunshine and cheer. But, this year hardly seems like a time for rejoicing or cheer. If you feel up to it, more power to you. I admire people that can overcome.

I have almost completely lost faith in the people that build nuclear plants, that people are now dying from, while trying the save the rest of humanity's sorry ass. Is that a sentence? I can't think. I am such a fan of technology, but it seems that everything that I love has been taken over to feed somebody else's greed. We now have airplanes that are marginally safe because pilots are require to fly too many hours, and the maintenance of aircraft has been reduced to a minimum. We can't drill oil wells safely, because it's cheaper to skip the safety measures. We can't afford to pay teachers and other service providers because the greedy and the wealthy have shipped our jobs offshore. How can we afford to pay people to provide for the things that society needs if we have no jobs, and we produce nothing in America?

I have absolutely nothing against having high standards and tough environmental restrictions, but I think that the restrictions should also apply to the other countries that we buy from. I don't know about you, buy I'm getting tired of finding out that the toys that I buy for children are poison. Why aren't there any restrictions again a country that would do that to us?

So tonite I'm just going to go home, open a bottle of beer, pour it in a glass with a drop of green food coloring in it, say "here's to the Irish" and sit down and watch the depressing news on TV about the greed that shouldn't have been allowed to happen. Japan would have had enough problems without a major nuclear crissis to deal with that has become far more important than the earthquake and tidal wave that they are already dealing with.

My toast for Saint Patricks day is going to be, "Here to Americans taking their country back from the greedy, and showing the world how to be a good  and decent people".

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Go ahead and put two drops of green food coloring in your beer Ernie, I just hope your Grandpa Bill doesn't see you drink something green.
The biggest problem for you Ern is, watching the news. You should know they sensationalize. If the national news reported on every car accident with all the details you would be putting red food coloring in your beer and wonder how come we let them build motorized vehicles.
Just relax and be thankful you have lived way over a half century.
Happy St. Patrick's Day Ernie:-)

Oregon

Ernie Branscomb said...

It's the greed and lack of jobs that bothers me the most.

Speaking of automobiles, do remember that insurance companys were upset that they had to pay for so much bumper damage, because cars couldn't soak up an impact, and they passed the 5 MPH impact rule?

What does a bumper cost you now???

Ernie Branscomb said...

Charlie Two Crows called to cheer me up. He said that he was sorry for bringing me down. I appreciated his call, but what he doesn't realize is that my worse day is probably better than most people's best day. I'm a pretty cheerful guy. But thanks for the cheerful thoughts Charlie, and I'm sorry that I didn't have time to talk.

If anybody else is thinking about saving me, it's okay! The only thing that I accept in life as an emergency is warm beer. The worse possible emergency is NO beer. So last that I checeked, I'm fine.

Paddy Waygone said...

I think it was an Irishman who slurred:
"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy".

I'll be a gnome's patootie before I ever tip a glass to some snake hating pseudo-saint. (Us pagans have a wear a snake on St. Paddy's day campaign fyi)

Now Brigid, there's a patron saint I could get behind, so to speak.

charlie two crows said...

Ernie.......When your family came to the new world they brought many new ideas. One thing all the Irish brought was HOPE! Hope for a new life a new home and new family. E no one can take your hope away. You have a measure of hope from your ancestors. Believe in it. Use it. OK Beer goes good with hope. So throw one back for all of us.

Robin Shelley said...

I have been told that adding food coloring to beer is for people who don't know that beer is already fun. (:

Ernie Branscomb said...

Oregon
I did dye my beer green, (you are right, it tastes the same, but did you know that for sure?)

My wife got a laugh out of it, and a happy wife is always a plus. Who knows maybe that's how the Irish got lucky...

Ernie Branscomb said...

How many people are afraid of the radiation???

Did it occur to any of you that we live on some kind of a mega-thrust earthquake fault, from Mexico to Vancouver Island? One that is ripe to pop. That doesn't bother you? All you have to do is move off the slippery slope, but do you? noooooo....

Anonymous said...

No worries here Ernie. I worry more about the other drivers on the highway than anything.

Oregon

Ben said...

What's green and Irish and stays out on the lawn all night?
Paddy O'furniture...

My great grandfather Blair, put on an orange tie each Saint Patrick's Day and went to town looking for a fight.

charlie two crows said...

Ernie..Let's do a what if; Big quake, Big wave. Let's say off the mattole. So Ernie Mr Fireman what's the protocol? Who's in charge? We don't practice Civil Defense anymore. Is (Home land Security) incharge? Will NATO Forces come as part of Marshall law? We do have unilateral treaty's with other countrys. Does everyone in SOHUM have food,water,gas stored for a what if? With out quake insurance FEMA only gives you $340 for an entire house hold of furniture. Ernie you are always telling us the big one is coming. So you tell us what will really happen to US when it does? Tell us the plan for Garberville? We may be like those people in Libia. We may not like it!!

Anonymous said...

Ernie.
No power in So Hum today

Anonymous said...

My cellphone is a lousy blogging machine.
Ernie

Power out!l

Anonymous said...

Hook your genset up..

Oregon

Ernie Branscomb said...

Oregon
I've got a lot of country boy in me. Electricity isn't a very big deal in my life. The only thing that I don't have is TV and high speed net. I can still blog on my cell phone, but it's a pain.

I have a generator that runs the whole house. Even when it has a woman in it that forgets and runs the trash compactor. The lights wiggle and dim, and sometimes I have to reset the gen breaker.

Tonight we had Chinese dumplings, turkey soup, and cornbread cooked on the woodstove downstairs. The woodstove collection coils also heats the water for the bath.

Sometimes I even feel sorry for people that can't build things.

My sister Sharon is here tonight and her daughter in law and her sister. My wifes sister Judy is also here. The house gets a little hot with all that cookin' and chatter, but when it's snowing outside the house being too warm somehow seems acceptable.

Anonymous said...

I know your house is cozy Ernie. I like electricity because I only have well water. I do have several 2-1/2 gallon bottles of water but hate to use that for the bathroom. The power goes out here frequently but never over 5 hours so is not a problem.
I had a generator when I lived in Greenville and needed it there as the power would be out 3 or 4 days at a time.
I only mentioned the genset so you could blog more easier (is that a word?):-)
My house only has wood heat and I have a table set up with cast iron 3 burner propane camp stove and 2 Coleman lanterns. Now if the power was out more often here and for extended periods of time I would buy another generator so I could at least run the well pump and my computer. My computer is about my only social life and very seldom talk on my phone. I do have company here 3 or so times a year for a weekend but that doesn't always cut it. But I know life is different with folks at home to talk to even if it is a house full of women...he he....

Oregon

Anonymous said...

Do you have power today?

Oregon

Kirby said...

St. Pats day was my moms birthday.