Coffee 12-3-11

OUCH, and to the point my friend.

I agree Franco, I think the time has come for everyone in all walks of life to reassess what priorities should be, we as a whole can't just keep demanding more & more, that does nothing but raise the cost of all goods. As with most things as unions, watch dog groups, agencies, laws & rules in general they come into effect for good reason & then somewhere along the line become no better than what ever brought them into existence in the first place.

It's called self will run riot, over inflated ego's, to become a legend in one's own mind---take your pick. Whichever, it's a sad state of affairs it's gotten the good old USA in.

samhill wrote:As with most things as unions, watch dog groups, agencies, laws & rules in general they come into effect for good reason & then somewhere along the line become no better than what ever brought them into existence in the first place.

Well said, have to agree.

Seems times were better then:
http://www.archive.org/details/Miracleo1955

Back in those days even Worcester MA was a nice place to live, full of jobs & working class people. Now it's a welfare city, with crime soaring. Abandoned mills & factories everywhere. Our state government at work.

Congrats, Worcester - you made the top 10!

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/these-a ... s-soaring/

I finally got my daughter to help me post some pictures from our trip to the Antietam Illumination. She was hanging out the window most of the time. It was totally amazing! A little background - if you remember back to your American history you'll remember that the battle of Antietam or Sharpsburg was the result of Lee's first foray into the North. Union met Confederate on Sept 17, 1862. When all was said and done 23,110 individuals were killed, wounded or reported as MIA that day. It is the most deadly day in the history of the country's military forces. The battle field sits over limestone formations which explains why it's so flat with little or no natural cover or concealment. At one point, it's estimated some 4000 men were dying per hour at "the Cornfield."

Every year, a group of volunteers set out 23,110 candles to create the Illumination in memory of the fallen. They have about 12 hours to set it all up. The candles are approximately 6 ft apart and stretch for as far as the eye can see. It's like trying to envision what a pile of a million dollars looks like; you just don't have any clue. The candles help but still.... Another way to look at it is to think that 23,000 is about 1/4 of a modern football stadium. That's a lot by today's standard but in 1862 it represented a much larger portion of the population. Like Gettysburg this battle was felt by families throughout the US.

It was certainly worth the drive and the 2 hour wait along the shoulder of the highway.