On Monday, Tina and I spent the day in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We make the short trek up there every couple years to see if anything has changed with the Amish. This year, we decided to stay overnight. I got a great deal on a hotel which was formerly a cork factory, of all things.
As we made out way into town around early afternoon, we stopped off at a shopping village in Intercourse. This is place is a "touristy"place where people are fooled into thinking that they're buying authentic Amish products. But in reality, most of the stuff here is likely mass-produced is an overseas sweatshop. But if buying a "I ♥ Intercourse" t-shirt makes a person happy, who am I to stand in the way?
After walking around for about an hour, we were getting rather parched. There were plenty of places to buy a lemonade. But I'm not much of a lemonade guy. So, Tina says, "Hey Ken, do you want to walk over to that restaurant and grab an appetizer and a couple of beers?" That sounded like a great plan to me, so we pointed ourselves in the direction of the Kling House. When we walked in, we told the hostess that we were just planning on grabbing a beer and an appetizer. She informed us that the restaurant did not serve beer because it was a dry town. Tina and I both looked at one another and simultaneously said, "A dry town? Are you you kidding me?" It was like one of those old Daffy Duck "Sufferin' Succotash" moments.
Anyway, the hostess is looking at us as if we're a couple of refugees from Alcohol Anonymous. She then informs us that the Lancaster Winery is in an adjacent building and they sometimes offered wine tastings. We thanked her for the advice and headed out. A short time later, we found ourselves passing by the Lancaster Winery building. So, I think you can figure out what we did.
We entered the small shop and were greeted by a nice man. He showed us a wine list and told us we could either do a tasting of their product line or we could just order a full glass. Tina opted for the tasting and went for the glass. I'm not much of a wine guy but I occasionally like a glass of red wine. So, went for a glass their Merlot. The wine rep was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his products. He laughed when we told him about the "dry town" story. He pointed out that he was in here selling wine, so the town couldn't be that dry. I tried my best to mask my deficient wine IQ as I discussed tannins and residual alcohol with the guy. Our brief stop in the wine shop was quite enjoyable. After settling up and buying a couple of bottles to take home, we ventured back out to the general population.
A passing storm had hit the village briefly while we were inside. But it had since given way to a burst of bright sunshine. There was a bustling of activity as we mixed in with the crowd. Walking along the main street, we would occasionally hear the clopping of horseshoes in the distance. Before long, we would see an Amish buggy appear. Passing hoards of curious tourists, the "driver" of the buggy would generally ignore them as he kept his eyes concentrated on the road ahead. The abundance of Amish travel in the town was made evident by the scattering of horse manure along the road.
Instinctively, I'm always wanting to snap a photo to capture these moments. But the Amish generally frown on people taking their picture. I can respect that, so the images will have to reside in my head instead of on my SD card.
I also saw children and young women riding these small scooters. Unlike some of the modern scooters today, these scooters had no electric or gas motors. Instead, they were propelled by leg power alone. On a hot summer day, it looked a bit peculiar to see a woman in a long black and white dress kicking her scooter down Main Street. But perhaps the strangest scene was when I saw a baby riding in the basket of one the scooters. The kid couldn't have been more than 18 months old and here he was sitting up in the basket as his young mother propelled them down the busy street.
As we took everything in, Tina says, "What a way to live life. These people don't have all of the distractions and chaos of the 'regular' world. Wouldn't you want to be Amish?"
I don't know, maybe she was feeling the effects of the wine. But I looked at her like she was crazy and blurted out, "Hell, no!"
Now, I have to admit that I don't know a whole lot about the Amish way of life. But there's no way that I would want to confine myself to their restrictions. I'm not judging. I'm just saying that I like to indulge in the pleasures of life (beer, an occasional burst of profanity, a Sopranos marathon on HBO, etc).
When I don't completely understand someone, I like to talk to them. Personally, I think the world would be a much better place if more of us took this approach, but that's another story. But I would love to hang out with a couple of Amish guys and see what makes them tick. I hear the Mennonites are a bit more progressive in terms of the modern world. So, maybe I could start there. My knowledge of the Amish is pretty much limited to what I learned from watching "Witness". Sitting down with a couple of Mennonites over a couple of beers would be something that I would really enjoy.
With this being said, I can certainly respect the hard work and dedication that comes with the Amish way of life. For instance, I would love to see those guys "raise" a barn. As we entered town on Monday, we saw a recently constructed barn. To envision the Amish constructing this thing with only hand tools was fascinating. This brings me to something that I'd like to add something to my bucket list. One day, I'd like to take a fold-up chair and a cooler of beer to one of these barn raising events. I'd sit front and center so I could really take it all in. I would tip my beer at them as I occasionally shout, "Lookin' good, fellas!" Doesn't that sound like a great way to spend an afternoon?
As we finished up our stay in Lancaster yesterday, we stopped off at the Central Market. This place was located in a busy area of downtown. I expected to see a lot of bearded men, clad in black and white, along the busy street. But, surprisingly, I saw none. It was actually similar to a modern city. We walked into the crowded market where people were lined up at the various counters to buy meats and vegetables. Many of the stands were managed by Amish women. I find the women to be much friendlier than the men. But this is just my observation. Tina was fascinated with the variety of fresh produce. But to me, you see one bunch of kale, you've seen them all. But I hung in there with her as she gathered up several bags of vegetables and at least two pounds of freshly cut bacon.
As we made our through the old part of town on our way home, we passed several Amish horse buggies. And in the distance, you could see Amish farmers working in the fields along the road. Men, horses and mules were the only farm equipment that you see in these parts. The absence of the familiar green John Deere tractor is somewhat profound. But the Amish like to keep things simple. We give the town of Lancaster one last wave goodbye as we head back home to our convenient, modern lives......
kw
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Friday, July 15, 2016
The Hunt for the Butterfly Net
This morning, Tina asked me to pick her up a few things at Walmart. One of the items happened to be a butterfly net. You see, we have an abundance of frogs around our yard and one of them occasionally winds up in the basement window well. Tina informed me that there is one imprisoned there now. So, it's my duty to break him out. We've exhausted almost all other extraction methods, so a butterfly net seemed like a logical next step.
So, as I pass the Glen Burnie Walmart earlier today, I reluctantly swing into the parking lot. I make my way in through the garden section. The entrance door is broken so I have to squeeze through a hoard of Wal-martians via the exit door.
When I finally get inside, I try to figure out where I can find a butteryfly net. I venture towards the fishing and hunting section. As I walk down an aisle of fishing rods, I see an attractive woman in a short, tight dress examining some fishing gear. To say that she looked out of place would be an understatement. But nonetheless, it made my quest for the butterfly net a little more enjoyable. Walking past her, I fought the urge to ask, "So, what's a nice girl like you doing in place like this?" But I let it go.
I eventually found some nets. But choices were limited to crab nets and minnow/shrimp nets. I guess there's not a lot of butterfly (or frog) hunters in Glen Burnie? So, I take the minnow net and move on. I see that the woman is still browsing in the same area. She has drawn the attention of a couple of Walmart employees who nonchalantly take turns gawking at her.
As I make my way to the other side of the store, I see a guy with a mullet. I know that mullets and Walmarts go hand-in-hand like drunks at Denny's at 2 in the morning. But this was special. The guy had permed it to make it look extra full and curly. He was wearing it loud and proud. It looked like a large rodent clinging to the back of the guy's head. The contrast of his white tank top really made it pop.
I was having a lot of fun, but it was time to hit the checkout line. On my way there. I passed two woman who were arguing pretty heavy. They dropped a few casual F-bombs on each other. The one woman, whom I guess was in her mid-60's, was there with her teenage granddaughter. But let her age fool you, she more than held her own in the battle of 4-letter words. And just when I thought it was over, the grand-daughter decided to get in on the action. She started to advance on the other woman, unleashing her own satchel of profanities. I heard her say something like, "How 'bout I come over there and bust you in your f*ckin' grill?"
Now, I've been in enough Walmarts to know precisely when things are about to get real. And we were officially at that point. Meanwhile, I'm standing there looking like the old man in the American Gothic painting. But instead of holding a pitchfork, I'm holding a minnow net. I figured it was time get out. I walked past the store manager and told him there was about to be a beat-down in aisle five. He must have been used it because, before I even finished my sentence, he was already bolting in that direction.
I made it home without any further incidents.....
kw
So, as I pass the Glen Burnie Walmart earlier today, I reluctantly swing into the parking lot. I make my way in through the garden section. The entrance door is broken so I have to squeeze through a hoard of Wal-martians via the exit door.
When I finally get inside, I try to figure out where I can find a butteryfly net. I venture towards the fishing and hunting section. As I walk down an aisle of fishing rods, I see an attractive woman in a short, tight dress examining some fishing gear. To say that she looked out of place would be an understatement. But nonetheless, it made my quest for the butterfly net a little more enjoyable. Walking past her, I fought the urge to ask, "So, what's a nice girl like you doing in place like this?" But I let it go.
I eventually found some nets. But choices were limited to crab nets and minnow/shrimp nets. I guess there's not a lot of butterfly (or frog) hunters in Glen Burnie? So, I take the minnow net and move on. I see that the woman is still browsing in the same area. She has drawn the attention of a couple of Walmart employees who nonchalantly take turns gawking at her.
As I make my way to the other side of the store, I see a guy with a mullet. I know that mullets and Walmarts go hand-in-hand like drunks at Denny's at 2 in the morning. But this was special. The guy had permed it to make it look extra full and curly. He was wearing it loud and proud. It looked like a large rodent clinging to the back of the guy's head. The contrast of his white tank top really made it pop.
I was having a lot of fun, but it was time to hit the checkout line. On my way there. I passed two woman who were arguing pretty heavy. They dropped a few casual F-bombs on each other. The one woman, whom I guess was in her mid-60's, was there with her teenage granddaughter. But let her age fool you, she more than held her own in the battle of 4-letter words. And just when I thought it was over, the grand-daughter decided to get in on the action. She started to advance on the other woman, unleashing her own satchel of profanities. I heard her say something like, "How 'bout I come over there and bust you in your f*ckin' grill?"
Now, I've been in enough Walmarts to know precisely when things are about to get real. And we were officially at that point. Meanwhile, I'm standing there looking like the old man in the American Gothic painting. But instead of holding a pitchfork, I'm holding a minnow net. I figured it was time get out. I walked past the store manager and told him there was about to be a beat-down in aisle five. He must have been used it because, before I even finished my sentence, he was already bolting in that direction.
I made it home without any further incidents.....
kw
The Media Plants Another Seed
The tensions around the country remain high as people try to comprehend the recent police-involved shootings. Many people, including media outlets and high-level politicians, have seemed to already chosen a side. Instead of coming together, the country is once again, clearly divided.
The media wasted little time to pour gas on the fire after the police shootings in St. Paul and Baton Rouge. They immediately ran with their predictable taglines "Police shoot and kill black man in St. Paul", "Police shoot and kill black man in Baton Rouge". While these statements were certainly true, they were also strategically biased. The reports conveniently added the word "black" knowing that it would stir up emotions.
Have you ever heard of a guy named Vinson Ramos or Richard Dinneny? How about William Patterson or Jonathon Justice? Or what about a woman named Melissa Ventura? I'm assuming your answer is no. But do you want to take a guess what all of these people have in common? They were all shot and killed by the police in the past couple of weeks. Oh, and there's one other minor detail........none of these people were black. Hmm....
So far this year, there have been over 600 people shot and killed by the police. If you've got time, click on some of the names on the link below. Sure, there are plenty of black men on this list, But there's a helluva lot of white folks on it too. But I don't see a whole lot of outrage and protests over it. And I didn't see any major media coverage on these cases. Why? Because they simply don't fit the narrative.
http://killedbypolice.net/
As a result of this narrative, our nation is becoming increasingly more divided. There's a huge and growing distrust within the black community of the police. The police have been portrayed as a rogue band of racists who are using young black men as target practice. Black groups have thus risen up to protest "the blue line of racists". And while it's true that groups like Black Lives Matter have some white supporters, the truth of the matter is that the majority of white folks find these groups to be divisive and incendiary.
Over the weekend, President Obama said that "America is not as divided as some have suggested". Well, in his defense, he was in Poland last week, So, maybe he missed all of the disruptive protests and the murdering of police officers in Dallas.
I also find it interesting how the police are often generalized in these situations. Although it's an extremely small percentage of cops who actually shoot black people, we're led to believe that there's an out-of-control racial element that lives within police departments across America. However, when a racist gunman kills five Dallas cops (and wounds several others), we're quickly reminded that he's a "lone-wolf" and should not be associated with the rest of the anti-cop movements. (Excuse me while I change the batteries in my bullshit detector).
Whenever there's a police involved shooting (or any police altercation, for that matter), it should be fully investigated. If it's determined that the police used unnecessary force, they should be held accountable. The problem that we have today is that everyone rushes to judgment before they know all of the facts. Of course, when we have videos of police shootings, such as the recent ones in St. Paul and Baton Rouge, we rarely see what led up to the altercation. Kind of convenient, don't you think? The media then leads every news segment with the shocking video clip and subsequently labels it with the "white cop shoots black guy" tagline. Once the seed is planted, there will be no shortage "breaking news" stories and flaring tempers.
Instead of working for an amicable solution, we've been pitted against one another by people who's main goal is to sell a story. As a result, everyone feels compelled to choose a side. And as we know, there are usually three sides to every story. Maybe one day, that elusive third side might be invited to the table...
kw
The media wasted little time to pour gas on the fire after the police shootings in St. Paul and Baton Rouge. They immediately ran with their predictable taglines "Police shoot and kill black man in St. Paul", "Police shoot and kill black man in Baton Rouge". While these statements were certainly true, they were also strategically biased. The reports conveniently added the word "black" knowing that it would stir up emotions.
Have you ever heard of a guy named Vinson Ramos or Richard Dinneny? How about William Patterson or Jonathon Justice? Or what about a woman named Melissa Ventura? I'm assuming your answer is no. But do you want to take a guess what all of these people have in common? They were all shot and killed by the police in the past couple of weeks. Oh, and there's one other minor detail........none of these people were black. Hmm....
So far this year, there have been over 600 people shot and killed by the police. If you've got time, click on some of the names on the link below. Sure, there are plenty of black men on this list, But there's a helluva lot of white folks on it too. But I don't see a whole lot of outrage and protests over it. And I didn't see any major media coverage on these cases. Why? Because they simply don't fit the narrative.
http://killedbypolice.net/
As a result of this narrative, our nation is becoming increasingly more divided. There's a huge and growing distrust within the black community of the police. The police have been portrayed as a rogue band of racists who are using young black men as target practice. Black groups have thus risen up to protest "the blue line of racists". And while it's true that groups like Black Lives Matter have some white supporters, the truth of the matter is that the majority of white folks find these groups to be divisive and incendiary.
Over the weekend, President Obama said that "America is not as divided as some have suggested". Well, in his defense, he was in Poland last week, So, maybe he missed all of the disruptive protests and the murdering of police officers in Dallas.
I also find it interesting how the police are often generalized in these situations. Although it's an extremely small percentage of cops who actually shoot black people, we're led to believe that there's an out-of-control racial element that lives within police departments across America. However, when a racist gunman kills five Dallas cops (and wounds several others), we're quickly reminded that he's a "lone-wolf" and should not be associated with the rest of the anti-cop movements. (Excuse me while I change the batteries in my bullshit detector).
Whenever there's a police involved shooting (or any police altercation, for that matter), it should be fully investigated. If it's determined that the police used unnecessary force, they should be held accountable. The problem that we have today is that everyone rushes to judgment before they know all of the facts. Of course, when we have videos of police shootings, such as the recent ones in St. Paul and Baton Rouge, we rarely see what led up to the altercation. Kind of convenient, don't you think? The media then leads every news segment with the shocking video clip and subsequently labels it with the "white cop shoots black guy" tagline. Once the seed is planted, there will be no shortage "breaking news" stories and flaring tempers.
Instead of working for an amicable solution, we've been pitted against one another by people who's main goal is to sell a story. As a result, everyone feels compelled to choose a side. And as we know, there are usually three sides to every story. Maybe one day, that elusive third side might be invited to the table...
kw
Thursday, July 7, 2016
For All Intents & Careless Purposes
The recent decision by the FBI to not prosecute Hillary Clinton over her email scandal has certainly generated some heated water-cooler conversations around the country. Not surprising, people have pretty much lined up along party lines. Republicans are outraged over Hillary's escape act while Democrats view the whole thing as nothing more than a partisan witch hunt.
FBI Director James Comey described Hillary's handling of the classified emails as "extremely careless" but saw no reason why she should be criminality charged. The reason? Because there was no intent to harm the United States. This, of course, has people scratching their heads. Can a drunk driver now use this excuse if he happens to get into an accident? Even though he may have been "extremely careless", he really didn't get behind the wheel with the intent to hurt anyone.
From what I understand, the "intent" clause was only recently added to Section 793(f) of the Federal Penal code thus giving Hillary the loophole she needed. It kinda sounds like they changed the rules in the middle of the game. I wonder if they'd do the same for you and me?
Although Hillary will not be charged, the negative exposure that she's gotten over this ordeal certainly can't help her bid for the White House. Along with being "extremely careless" with sensitive material, she has been exposed as a liar. Her claims of not sending or receiving any classified emails via her server turned out to be false. Her claim of using only one device to send/receive email also turned out to be false. Hillary also claimed to have returned all work-related emails to the State Department. But we learned that there were thousands of these emails that were not returned. If it walks like and duck and talks like a duck......
The thing that's most profound in all of this is the blatant disregard for the basic rules. We're led to believe that Hillary "just didn't know" that what she was doing was wrong. Anyone with even a low level security clearance should know the guidelines regarding sensitive documents. So, are we to believe that an attorney, former First Lady, former US Senator and current Secretary of State didn't know that she was breaching protocol? Will this set a new precedent of deniability for future infractions? What ever happened to that old "ignorance of the law is no excuse" proclamation?
Of course, the investigation received even more public scrutiny after Bill Clinton met privately over the weekend with Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Maybe they were only talking about golf and the grand-kids but it sure doesn't look good when, Right in the middle of the investigation, Hillary's hubby has a closed-door meeting with the boss of the FBI Director. If I didn't no any better, I'd say that we could have a conflict of interest here...
I caught some of the Congressional grilling of Director Comey earlier today. Actually, it was only the Republicans who seemed to be doing the grilling. The Democrats spent their time voicing outrage that the GOP would even question the motives and integrity of Comey. (Considering that Comey is a Republican, this would almost seem like a Kum Baya moment between the parties. But we know better than that....)
Attempting to defend Hillary's "extreme carelessness", the Dems also pointed out that high ranking Republicans have done the same thing and have not even been investigated. Perhaps they have a legitimate point. But this particular instance involves the person who could very likely become our next President. If she can't be trusted to handle government secrets. is she really worthy of a promotion? It's hard for me to believe that Joe Schmoo would be treated in the same manner. If a normal everyday government employee was found to be "extremely careless" with confidential information, there would likely be some serious repercussions. At the very least, his/her clearance and employment future would be in serious jeopardy.
With all of this being said, I actually expected this outcome. With all of the political scandals the Clintons have dodged, why would this one would be any different? The email revelations may have a negative effect on her current poll numbers, but memories can sometimes be short. Can any of this carry over into November? It's hard to say but I would expect Donald Trump to keep it alive during the debate season. Pull up a chair, it's going to get interesting.......
kw
FBI Director James Comey described Hillary's handling of the classified emails as "extremely careless" but saw no reason why she should be criminality charged. The reason? Because there was no intent to harm the United States. This, of course, has people scratching their heads. Can a drunk driver now use this excuse if he happens to get into an accident? Even though he may have been "extremely careless", he really didn't get behind the wheel with the intent to hurt anyone.
From what I understand, the "intent" clause was only recently added to Section 793(f) of the Federal Penal code thus giving Hillary the loophole she needed. It kinda sounds like they changed the rules in the middle of the game. I wonder if they'd do the same for you and me?
Although Hillary will not be charged, the negative exposure that she's gotten over this ordeal certainly can't help her bid for the White House. Along with being "extremely careless" with sensitive material, she has been exposed as a liar. Her claims of not sending or receiving any classified emails via her server turned out to be false. Her claim of using only one device to send/receive email also turned out to be false. Hillary also claimed to have returned all work-related emails to the State Department. But we learned that there were thousands of these emails that were not returned. If it walks like and duck and talks like a duck......
The thing that's most profound in all of this is the blatant disregard for the basic rules. We're led to believe that Hillary "just didn't know" that what she was doing was wrong. Anyone with even a low level security clearance should know the guidelines regarding sensitive documents. So, are we to believe that an attorney, former First Lady, former US Senator and current Secretary of State didn't know that she was breaching protocol? Will this set a new precedent of deniability for future infractions? What ever happened to that old "ignorance of the law is no excuse" proclamation?
Of course, the investigation received even more public scrutiny after Bill Clinton met privately over the weekend with Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Maybe they were only talking about golf and the grand-kids but it sure doesn't look good when, Right in the middle of the investigation, Hillary's hubby has a closed-door meeting with the boss of the FBI Director. If I didn't no any better, I'd say that we could have a conflict of interest here...
I caught some of the Congressional grilling of Director Comey earlier today. Actually, it was only the Republicans who seemed to be doing the grilling. The Democrats spent their time voicing outrage that the GOP would even question the motives and integrity of Comey. (Considering that Comey is a Republican, this would almost seem like a Kum Baya moment between the parties. But we know better than that....)
Attempting to defend Hillary's "extreme carelessness", the Dems also pointed out that high ranking Republicans have done the same thing and have not even been investigated. Perhaps they have a legitimate point. But this particular instance involves the person who could very likely become our next President. If she can't be trusted to handle government secrets. is she really worthy of a promotion? It's hard for me to believe that Joe Schmoo would be treated in the same manner. If a normal everyday government employee was found to be "extremely careless" with confidential information, there would likely be some serious repercussions. At the very least, his/her clearance and employment future would be in serious jeopardy.
With all of this being said, I actually expected this outcome. With all of the political scandals the Clintons have dodged, why would this one would be any different? The email revelations may have a negative effect on her current poll numbers, but memories can sometimes be short. Can any of this carry over into November? It's hard to say but I would expect Donald Trump to keep it alive during the debate season. Pull up a chair, it's going to get interesting.......
kw
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