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Post by timothylane on Nov 28, 2019 7:59:36 GMT -8
Something like this is needed sometimes. I hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving Day, and remember everything you have to be thankful. If nothing else, remember the words of Lee Greenwood.
And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me.
Despite everything, America is still the greatest place on Earth precisely because we remain free no matter what the fascists of all sorts try to do to us.
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Brad Nelson
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עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 28, 2019 9:01:41 GMT -8
There once was a Thanksgiving feast With Pilgrims and Indians out east It was all just a mistake According to the snowflake Leave them all to the Iroquois beast
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 28, 2019 9:07:04 GMT -8
That reminds me of Lincoln’s words that expressed much the same idea.
The ideas can certainly live if we have the courage to defend them.
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Post by timothylane on Nov 28, 2019 9:56:56 GMT -8
That was a nice poem, and reflects the historical reality of a major reason why the Wampanoags helped the Pilgrims. It also didn't hurt that one of them, Squanto, had been enslaved by the Spanish years earlier, spent enough time in England to learn the language, and got back in time to meet the Pilgrims. It also helped that they landed on land made vacant because the inhabitants of the immediate area were wiped out by disease.
That's one of the most famous parts of the Gettysburg Address. "The last full measure of devotion" was used as the title for a book on one aspect of the Battle of Gettysburg -- the desperation assault by the 1st Minnesota against Wilcox's brigade. Hancock needed a few minutes to get a line formed where Wilcox had broken through, and their suicide charge (which led to over 80% losses) gave him what he needed and a bit more.
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Brad Nelson
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עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 28, 2019 10:15:08 GMT -8
I read something the other day in the comments section of an article. And it made me think of “last full devotion” — particularly into putting that idea into perspective.
It may have been an article about this Gender Bending fascism. I think it was one about a “transitioning” girl, shot full of testosterone, who was beating the other girls in wrestling. One of the commenters said something like “I can’t wait. In two years I retire and then I can speak out about this sort of stuff.”
That was a wonderfully unselfconscious comment. And I can think of no better description of what our problem is. How about offering at least 1/16 devotion before retirement age in the meantime?
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Brad Nelson
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עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 28, 2019 17:31:06 GMT -8
Q: Why does a pilgrim’s pants always fall down?
A: Because they wear their belt buckle on their hat.
Q: What did the turkey say to the computer?
A: Google, google, google!
Q: What do you get if you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by its diameter?
A: Pumpkin pi.
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Post by timothylane on Nov 28, 2019 17:50:09 GMT -8
Good ones. Way back when, I remember a teacher (this was in seventh grade) discussing pi and how no one knows exactly what it is. (One can know it to many digits -- I can take it to 3.14159265 and a friend knows it a lot further than that -- but it technically never ends, as Spock pointed out in The Wolf in the Fold when the spirit of Jack the Ripper took over their computer and he gave it a top-priority order to compute pi to the last digit.) One student joked, "I do. It comes in many delicious flavors." (It does indeed. We had both pumpkin pie and pecan pie for Thanksgiving lunch. The menu for next weeek includes chess pie.)
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kungfuzu
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Post by kungfuzu on Nov 28, 2019 21:06:35 GMT -8
Brad,
Your holiday jokes gave me a good laugh.
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Brad Nelson
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עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 29, 2019 8:41:19 GMT -8
I can’t be like Joe Biden and take credit for someone else’s work. But I’m glad you like those, Mr. Kung. Now….here’s an original:
There was an old fat guy named Santa He came from the north, not Atlanta His sleigh was half full For the Reindeer to pull “I hate online shopping” he’d rant-uh
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Post by kungfuzu on Nov 29, 2019 10:08:12 GMT -8
Also good.
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Post by timothylane on Dec 24, 2019 21:04:33 GMT -8
Well, it's now Christmas, at least here in Louisville. So: Merry Christmas, one and all. Peace on Earth to men (and women, too, Lynda) of good will.
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Post by lynda on Dec 24, 2019 21:28:34 GMT -8
Merry Christmas Timothy!
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Post by kungfuzu on Dec 24, 2019 22:18:25 GMT -8
Ho, ho, ho. I can now officially wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
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Post by lynda on Dec 25, 2019 11:06:50 GMT -8
Merry Christmas KFZ! Merry Christmas Brad! Merry Christmas Glenn! I know you're out there.
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Post by timothylane on Dec 31, 2019 22:18:24 GMT -8
Well, it's after midnight here, and for that matter in Central Time as well. So Happy New Year one and all, and for that matter Happy New Decade. (The 2nd decade of the 21st century still has a year to run, but the decade of the 2010s has now ended, and that's usually how we think of decades.)
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Post by kungfuzu on Jan 1, 2020 12:09:20 GMT -8
The Germans say "Have a good slide into the New Year" and I hope this is the case for all here. Let's hope 2020 is better than 2019. I wish you all "Health, Happiness and Prosperity."
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Brad Nelson
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עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Jan 1, 2020 19:33:24 GMT -8
Agreed.
Merry Christmas KFZ! Merry Christmas Glenn. Merry Christmas John Boy. Merry Christmas Mary Ellen.
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Post by timothylane on Apr 12, 2020 6:08:01 GMT -8
I hope you all have a happy Easter today, such as it can be under the circumstances.
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Post by kungfuzu on Apr 12, 2020 6:19:09 GMT -8
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Post by timothylane on Nov 26, 2020 8:58:24 GMT -8
I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving Day, whatever can be managed in the time of shutdowns. One friend of mine mentioned that he'll be having his feast with a niece. Our lunch here is the big meal, and should arrive in less than an hour. I selected all but one item (green beans) from the menu.
Let's face it. Despite everything, we all have something to be thankful. I'm thankful that the people here generally do take care of us (including me) well, and also that the taxpayers are paying for me to survive instead of being kicked out. And since so many people here are taxpayers, as I used to be, thanks to all of you.
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