Saturday, February 28, 2015

"Term Limits"

The worth of America's safety is being squandered away by purely political legislators. By abdicating their charge, limit their terms. 

"Term Limits" is an old song whose new release is being demanded. A legislator panders, not for his constituents, but for the job's paycheck.

America never expected professional legislators but thought elected officials would serve a few terms then go home. Term Limits do that !

Ronald C. Downie
"Term Limits" Time Has Come

I've expressed my feelings about "Term Limits" in a post where I repeated what I've just posted on Twitter.

I too have warm feelings for many of the federal legislators I've voted for, but, that's somewhat false.  We need legislators who are up to the job, proficient in their organization to administer for the public's needs and wants certainly knowing the difference. Limiting length of service wouldn't alter an elector's proficiency and it just may enhance it. Warm feelings are nice but governance, as many say, is like making sausage. When you see it done, you usually lose your appetite for it.

Time for "Term Limits" has arrived hopefully before  congress allows irreparable harm to our system. One man one vote is an illusion : the House is population based but the Senate is not. Two Senate seats from each state independent of their size in population. States of sparse population weald enormous power proportionate to their number of citizens. Imbalance is used as a sort of power; illusion's a sly fox which pulls the wool over a sleepy constituency. "Term Limits" is aboveboard and self governing whose time has come.

Ronald C. Downie


Thursday, February 26, 2015

Voting Gotta Grab You

Speaking in the vernacular of a modern American citizen : "if you have skin in the game", you damned well better vote. If you want it,vote !

Only about I/3 of eligible voters, vote. Vote if you're young, if a women, if black, brown, Asian, an immigrant. Eligible to vote, then vote

Voting Counts
World Series of life -    vote !
Football Champion -    vote !
Basketball Champion - vote !
World Cup of life -         vote !

Ronald C. Downie

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Future of the Past

Reason is an illusive theme in this day and age. Imbedded is an idea that faith transcends the logic of acquired knowledge. A World suffers.

To echo Jon Stewart : Sharia Law and The Bible are both products of a Middle Eastern location and culture. One worshiped other abhorred. 

In Roman times carnage elevated the slaughter of humans into a spectator event. Will future societies top ancients at this deadly sport ?

Ronald C. Downie

Monday, February 23, 2015

Winter Doings

Working in the medium of snow Mother Nature shadow outlines tree limbs upside down. White the etching atop larger limbs accenting their girth with winter dressing.

Warming up, today I see the birds finally found the suet cake hanging on a limb of our Star Magnolia. Grackles will pummel the cake in flocks not anticipated. 

Love thy neighbor ! So heartening is the Huber family who snow blow the sidewalks and parking places of our block without our asking as accumulation occurs.

Ronald C. Downie
Why Write

My desire is to record my thoughts, thoughts which may also be in line with the reader, but they be resistant to write them.

The challenge of writing lies in the inability to start recording one's personal thoughts. In truth, it's yours to do with it what you want.

Not all writing results in a novel, or play, or a poem. Still satisfaction may be achieved from writing what you believe, what you observe.

Ronald C. Downie

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Winter 

Sandwiched between her sons in college this winter: Connor in Washington, DC.,Ian in Rochester, NY. ; they're fulfilling our Heather's dream following in her footsteps. 

Why does a chill run up my backbone when I look out my front window and see my neighbor's roof whiting up even as I pull up the comforter.

Winter has little empathy for summer lovers, they'll be bitching about how hot and dry August is. Weather's like baseball, bats for an average. 

Ronald C. Downie 

Friday, February 20, 2015

Another Day

Trading away players who thrill old spectators like me may satisfy owners but not fans. My eyes go south to Washington, hell with 76ers.

So cold the crows which arrive on my tall oak each morning at sun up were hardly noticed this morning since they didn't make a peep, no caws

Reflection verses absorption. Sunbeams carrying heat just reflect off snow cover dissipating their energy into the atmosphere. Needed heat absorbing earth.

Ronald C. Downie

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Introspection

At the confluence of my desires and abilities I find an attitude equal to my aptitude both muddling along muted by the horrid din of today.

Composite interludes makeup my everyday world; the yin and yang, hoping to deliver to the World a more perfect sphere. Reap it that you sow.

God awful ugliness has plagued me all the days of my life. Unbending religion, pockmarks from teenage blemishes, then debilitating weight.

Ronald C. Downie

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Writers

I'm in awe of all you people who write well: those who compose prose pieces of interest, those who express themselves on Twitter within 140 characters, and the few who labor over lines of poetry. 

I've tried them all by typing on my iPad with gnarled fingers dangling from these arthritic hands. The mind still seems willing even though it doesn't get much support anymore from a deteriorating body. 

My only hope is that younger people pursue composition which displays their thoughts in whatever style that suits them. It's fine to repost items of interest, snippets of wisdom so others may bask in them also. But, to be able to express your own thoughts succinctly; that the world may need to know, may be a gift, that the world must need to know. 

The best way to learn to write is to actually write. Trial and error is a savvy taskmaster. Age is not discriminatory in judging style nor content of composition. Really, it's only marks on some medium made by you to be translated by others. Do it now! 

Ronald C. Downie
The World's Wide

Anticipation's a wonderful aphrodisiac, arousal by mental faculties ; but, the same minds must react to deep cold, extreme winds, driving snow.

Birds must sense the inevitability of extreme weather approaching. Out in force early morning they've retreated to where they roost hunkered in. 

Like you, I've become disenfranchised: the obvious eludes us, inescapable flees, unattainable gotten. Life's simply for us simpletons. 

Ronald C. Downie
Whoosh Of Wind

A sickle moon low eastern in the sky last night gave the hammering winds a home only old Russians accept, the Hammer & Sickle of Communist lore.

Imagine burying your head in a pillow most nights also some days as the eerie howl of wind gusts incessantly. Dirty dust invades all cracks.

I rush to analyze this day bathed in sunlight tricking creatures to leave their lairs and shiver until they return. Eyes accept what's seen.

Ronald C. Downie

Friday, February 13, 2015

Pulling Up The Covers

Bathed in the golden fluid rays that shower down from our own Milky Way star, we observe the sun's advance toward Spring Equinox's balance. 

The clipper went through last night in high gear thrashing the high limbs of tall oaks into submission. Bunching in flocks are grackles.

Born of an angle rigidly in place forming the axis of our planet to its orbit is the reason seasons come and go pulsating life here on Earth

Ronald C. Downie

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Weather Vane

The sun belies the nature of these cold days; blue skies and golden rays draws thoughts to mid-spring, early summer. Nights arriving later.

During a run up to spring, days become longer, nights shorter. Snow coverage begins to shrink as earth's temperatures begin to rise in cycle

Snow showers sprinkle a multiplicity of sized flakes over the ground but have stopped now during a period of brightness. Thinking sun!

Ronald C. Downie




 

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

This "Old Bean"

While waiting for the Ides Of March to come around again this year, my birthday gotten in the way. Shortly both will have arrived and be over in the wink of an eye. That is, if my body remains able to take in air as it's done these last eighty years. Of course, the inability to breath properly is a struggle for many my age and, for younger people, it's an affliction felt for the rest of their lives. 

Sure, I have been doctoring for asthma for a number of years but; even though, we are awash, surrounded by breathable atmosphere, a problem within our lungs reduces them in their physical ability to assimilate oxygen for the body to use. My lungs seem to accumulate phlegm which reduces the proper transfer of oxygen from air for bodily use. Gasping rather than breathing while a distinctive gurgling is felt and audibly heard emanates from my chest cavity. After a while constant coughing and hacking causes a real hurt inside the damned chest cavity. 

I haven't smoked in more than fifty years but my inability to walk, the best form of exercise for most, is a bummer. Most people can expel phlegm during normal exercise which I seemingly can't. I get to sleep now by inhaling from a nebulizer the fluid, albuterol, that the nebulizer atomizes into a mist which seems to sooth the lungs and loosens phlegm. The problem is that this inhaling only lasts a few hours; like last night, I awoke at 3AM wheezing terribly but was able to expel some spittle, as it turned out, enough for me to sleep till 5 when I had to turn the light on and get up. I went through preparing the nebulizer: filling the globe with albuterol and readying the breathing apparatus for puffing. In about ten minutes I could tell there was movement of phlegm in my lungs so I coughed it up, turned off the machine, and laid back down to sleep two more hours. 

Next Monday I go to my pulmonary doctor for my six month check up. Winter doctor's appointments are a chance for me to get out of the house. I was at the river New Year's Day, once again in late January for the foot doctor, and now this coming Monday for Dr. Pham, three times in just over a month. Someday my body won't recover enough for the process of this life to continue. All the problems with diabetes, the ills of asthma, the excesses brought on by living a life filled past the tipping point will have run its course. Eighty years of living, though some of these last years have been less than stellar, is enough for this "old bean".

Ronald C.Downie