Test #2

Due to extremely poor data returns, I have put Test #1 on hold indefinately; if I am able to get a significant data pool for that experiment, I will revisit with a complete Lab Report. We are now moving on to Test #2:

In 50 words or less, please intimate the ultra-pomo, cyber-signifigant, graphic art connection between the two images shown above...

Please send an email with your answer to:

mysterytests2001@yahoo.com

Please be sure to put Test #2 in the SUBJECT line.

Results will be posted at approximately 30, 60, and 90 day intervals.

If you would like to be notified of result postings, please visit my "Netiquette" post and sign up for Blog Alerts.

Thank you for your participation; oh yeah, tell your friends to come on by and take a guess.

©2005 hpb©reations

My Ass is on Fire!

On my favorite blog, Shithouse Rat, Elvira recently ranted about some serious ass burning issues. Among other things, Elvira is pissed about the treatment and portrayal of people with mental illness in our society. Shortly thereafter, I followed up with my own brand of rant about the disparagement of the mentally ill, even by the "scientific" community.

The source for my addition to the Binder of Bizarre has done it again! Is every other week at Parade Magazine bash the loonies week?

Read this:


Here's an email I sent to Walter Scott, the columnist responsible for that week's CRAP:

From: Henry
Subject: Images of Einstein and son(?s)
Date: July 16, 2005 2:20:33 PM PDT
To: personality@parade.com

Dear Mr. Scott,

I read the Personality Parade column almost every week. I have a question about an item that appeared in the July 10, 2005 column.

In the piece on Albert Einstein's children:

http://archive.parade.com/2005/0710/0710_personality.html

you explained that Hans, the older son, did have a successful career as an engineer and professor at Berkeley. This was accompanied by nice pictures of Hans and his pops, Albert. You also covered the story of Eduard, the younger son.

I was quite dismayed at the implication that Eduard was a failure in life due to his mental illness. You did not even have the decency to indicate whether he was still alive or not. The really insulting part was that there was no picture of Eduard included in the short piece.

Here's my question:

Was the exclusion of a picture of Eduard due to lack of there being any, or because you don't want to put a picture of a "psycho" in your column?

Henry Babcock

I am still waiting for a response.

Hey, did anybody just see that flying pig?

Maybe everyone should write Walter Scott an email and let him know how you feel.

Allow me to close with some facts:

There are more than 2 million people over the age of 18 in the U.S. who suffer from BP.

There are less than 1.2 million people of all ages living with HIV/AIDS.

Where's our quilt?

PS: My advisors have recommended a softening of the blog; one said something about the pendulum swinging the other way.... I tend to agree. In the near future, I will be balancing out some of the yang of late with a little bit of yin. Stay tuned...

UPDATED INFORMATION:

Hail fellow cybernauts!

I definitely got a nice helping of aloe vera to soothe my blistering butt burns. This came to me in the form of the BEST radio station I have ever listened to. Allow me to present a responsible media agency that is the bipolar opposite of the above mentioned wretched trash rag:



I was turned on to the JACK by a good friend, Mama Mia. I had 93.1 FM preset on my car for the occasional trip to Hell-A, but that was back in the days of The Arrow. It’s been a while since I drove down that way, so I was unaware of the phenomenal music I was missing until Mama Mia saved me.

Anyway, I was heading for a visit with Dr. Bill, L.Ac. (it’s his last name) for some of his artistic needle wizardry. On my way, I’m relaxing with a little JACK in the car. While listening, I hear one of those goofy Station ID blurbs they have, except this one was not so funny:

You don’t have to be schizo to like JACK FM, but it helps.
I thought I was going to crash the car! I recovered and made it to Dr. Bill’s office safely. I had a nice trip to the place with no name, so I was able to get home and give a little call down to JACK HQ. I spoke with Carlos in the Promotions Department; he listened patiently to my concerns and directed me to email the wise and wonderful Mr. Ebbot. Here is what I wrote:

From: Henry
Subject: One of Your Station ID Blubs
Date: July 26, 2005 3:09:40 PM PDT
To: Chris Ebbot

Dear Mr. Ebbot,

Your email address was given to me by Carlos in the Promotions department. I just got off the phone with him, and I am hoping he talks to you about the phone call we had and the subject of this email.

I want to start by saying that I love Jack FM. I used to listen to Arrow once in a while, but mainly I listened to the Octopus 95.9 FM out of Ventura for the classic rock format. A friend told me a few months ago about Jack. It's what I listen to now almost all the time. I love the new format!

I was driving around earlier today (11:25 AM to be precise) listening to Jack. A station ID blurb was broadcast right around then. It said:

"You don't have to be schizo to like Jack FM, but it helps."

Are you familiar with this station ID blurb?

I want you, and the Station Manager, Mr. Federman, to know that I am mentally ill. I have been diagnosed with Bipolar 2 Disorder (BP2).

Here are some more facts:

There are over 2 million people in the US over the age of 18 who have the same condition I have:

NIMH Stats

In ALL age groups, there are 1.2 million people who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS:

CDC Stats

Since BP is a genetic life long illness, I can safely say that there are more than twice as many people who have BP than have HIV/AIDS.

When we start adding in people with Depression and Schizophrenics, the numbers sky rocket.

The mentally ill in this country, and the whole world, do not have parades in our honor; we do not have a quilt that travels the country in our honor; we do not have movies stars speaking out in support of our illnesses. In fact, we have movie stars like Tom Cruise bashing mentally ill people like Brooke Shields, the doctors which help us, and the medications which sometimes help us. He gets boat loads of media attention, and no one will dare stand up to him and tell him he is wrong, and he needs to SHUT THE HELL UP!!!

We do not need to have your radio station contributing to the misinformation about us, or the attitude that we are a joke to be laughed at.

I am asking you to never play that station ID blurb ever again.

Sincerely,

Henry Babcock
(Address Deleted)
Ventura, CA
805-80X-XXX7

PS: Do I sound mentally ill to you?

I thought, "Yeah, like they’re really gonna care what I have to say… bunch of insensitive louts!"

OK, here’s the good part:

I swear, in less than 20 minutes my phone rang, and Mr. Ebbot was on the line. He was very apologetic; they pulled the blurb immediately. Whoa!

I try to be as quick to praise, as I am to punish. Here is the email that followed our phone conversation (please note the time on both emails):

From: Henry
Subject: Thank you
Date: 4:01:54 PM PDT
To: Chris Ebbot

Dear Mr. Ebbott,

I want to thank you very, very much for your immediate response to my concerns.

I am actually still in shock a bit from the speed with which you responded.

I LOVE JACK FM!!

I will be singing your praises all about town.

You know who to contact if this is an issue your station might like to take a lead on.

Here is my blog address:

www.henrypbabcock.com

If you like, or don't like, what you see, I invite you to comment. Anonymous, pseudonym, or real name, it does not matter. I am just interested in the community dialog. If you want, take a look at the "Netiquette" post and sign up for Blog Alerts:

Netiquette

Please be aware that the pendulum is swinging the other way, and I will be softening up the blog; I will be balancing out some of the yang with a little yin soon. Look for posts on music, movies, art, gardening, pets, and even a few crazy science "experiments". Most of this will have a community service flair, so I think people will enjoy it. Also, I would like to point you to some of the links to other blogs I enjoy. Shithouse Rat is my particular favorite.

Thank you again, and I'll keep listening!

Sincerely,

Henry Babcock

PS: Did you see my letter in the paper last week:

Letter to Editor

There's a whole lot more, if you are interested.

There you have it folks! In less than 1 hour, these guys had realized their mistake, admitted it, and took action to correct it. Simply awesome!

I feel kind of bad that I made them pull one of their Station ID blurbs, so I am offering a solution to help fill that deep, empty void they must all be feeling down there at JACK HQ. How about using the following blurb:

You don’t have to be a chameleon to like JACK FM, but it helps.
(I know it’s kind of lame, but ID blurbs are really not my forté.)

I’d also be willing to do a PSA for the station concerning BP and/or MI in general; this could even include an on air endorsement from me, and I could tell the story of how JACK FM is sensitive to their listeners needs and concerns (even though they don’t take requests... LOL).


If you live in the psychedelic zone shown above, set your #1 preset to 93.1 FM, and break all the others. You won’t need to listen to anything else!

Thanks to all the crew at JACK HQ.

©2005 hpb©reations, except the 93.1 JACK FM crap!

Run Hillary, Run

A while back, I was sent the text to a speech given by John Gaddis, a Professor at Yale University. The speech was delivered at Middlebury College, and it's sort of long, but absolutely worth the read. I did not want to clog the blog with the full text, so I have made it available by clicking here.

I have included a few excerpts below, but I really feel it is important to read the entire speech to get the full impact of what is to follow. Trust me; it's worth it.

"It is a matter of public record that I did, on January 10th, attend a meeting at the White House at which several journalists and academics were invited to discuss the course of our Middle Eastern policies over the next four years - together with what the President should say in his upcoming inaugural address."

"In the interests of full disclosure, I can confirm that I paid my own way down and back, plus taxi and hotel accommodations. I did not attend under an alias. I did, however, accept lunch with the group in the White House mess. And, at the suggestion of Mr. Rove, I consumed a dessert listed on the menu as a "chocolate freedom tart." Prior to the United Nations debate over the invasion of Iraq, I understand, this dessert had a French name."

"I did indeed meet with Condi and the NSC staff in mid-July for a lively discussion of points made in the book and possible future directions for the administration's grand strategy."

"There followed a twenty minute conversation with Bush asking all the questions. After which we found, cooling their heels outside, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, Under-Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Myers. 'This is Professor Gaddis,' the President said, waving the book at them. 'I want you all to read his book.'"

Here's your last chance to read the full speech: CLICK HERE

This speech spawned an email exchange between a good friend, and mentor, known to us as RHR (aka Run Hillary, Run). This is his chosen pseudonym, as he fears retaliation from flaming Liberals.

He really does not desire to read about himself in the NRA’s America’s First Freedom magazine column, The Armed Citizen:

"Armed Citizen shoots Liberal whiner trying to peel GWB sticker off the back of his gas guzzling, American made, environment destroying, SUV while parked on his own property"

BTW, this column has been turned into a TV show called Crime Strike. Call your local bube tube provision company and demand that they air this show.

Anyway, here’s what we had to say about Professor Gaddis’ speech:

From: RHR
Subject: Re: The Past and Future of American Grand Strategy
Date: June 13, 2005 06:15:12 AM PDT
To: Henry

Got it Henry. I read it last night. It is a good and accurate perception of Bush's leadership and foreign policy.

I really do think that history will remember him as the man who stood up for freedom when no one else would.

People hate him because he does what he says, does not waver and does not govern by polls.

I am just wondering who the rising star in the Republican party is that will clean Hillary's clock.

McCain (although not the man Bush is) and Condi ticket would be the one I think.

-RHR


From: Henry
Subject: Re: The Past and Future of American Grand Strategy
Date: June 13, 2005 07:50:24 AM PDT
To: RHR

RHR,

Glad you enjoyed it.

I wouldn't mind seeing Colin Powell take the helm for a while. However, I just don't think the American public is ready for a black, er, I mean African-American, president. (Can someone tell me when Colin Powell lived in Africa?) The Republicans should run Colin and Condi for the one-two punch. We might even be able to soak up the idiot vote from the Libs and Dems; in their rush to vote PC, they might forget that a black man and black woman could be conservative Republicans. LOL

Have you seen the Jib Jab cartoons? Check this old one out:

Godzillary

You can also surf around and find some other good ones. Look for one called "The Founding Fathers". Be sure to click all the levers and "scratch" the turntables on the sound board....

Enjoy,

Henry


From: RHR
Subject: Re: The Past and Future of American Grand Strategy
Date: June 13, 2005 08:21:33 AM PDT
To: Henry

I agree. But it sounds like CP is done with Politics but who knows.. Imagine: "Colin and Condi 2008"!!

I do think that middle America could carry the race and the majority are ready for a bit of a shift back toward the center. Colin is more of a centrist, while Condi still holds a solid conservative base. We could carry the black vote and rub the faces of the Dems right in their own shit. Imagine us being able to cry racism every time the Dems and media attacked them! Barbara Boxer would not know how to act...

The election would truly be an issue oriented one.

Either way, I think one of the two, if not both would make a strong ticket.

-RHR


ROFL This stuff is hilarious!

What do you all think?

The comment lines are now open!

Letter to the City Manager

Here's a letter I wrote to the Ventura City Manager, Rick Cole:




July 10, 2005


Rick Cole, City Manager
City of San Buenaventura
501 Poli Street, Room 205
Ventura, CA 93002

Dear Mr. Cole,

I am writing to you today in reference to your Commentary piece in the Ventura County Star on Sunday, July 3, 2005, page B13.

As I read the piece, I began to have an unsettled feeling. The more I read, the queasier I became, and the less easy it became for me to swallow your hypocritical rhetoric.

I agree that a vibrant democracy requires getting involved. That is why I am very involved in watching you and select members of the City Council. While I am not able to attend every City Council meeting (I don’t get paid $74.52 per hour to attend them like you do, yet you still can’t seem to make it to all of them), I do faithfully watch the video recording of each week’s City Council meeting.

You find the language of our Constitution quaint? Perhaps you think you can update the Bill of Rights with your brand of modern thinking. I guess you would know what’s better for the citizens of America than the creators of the longest standing democratic system of government the world has ever known. By the way, I really like your ultra, post-modern, twice-ripped quote about “government of the people, by the people and for the people”; you truly are pomo!

Your feel good, new-age-speak about moving our city into the 21st Century and being the model of urban growth for a new era may inveigle the ill-informed masses you disdainfully refer to in your Commentary, but I’m not one of them. I’m not swayed by your hypno-talk of unpolished gems hidden within the city. Where? Your (I should say our) new home, that you happen to live in, must be on top of a diamond mine.

It must be nice having your select friends on the City Council authorize the purchase of half your home at $36,000 above the listed price of $639,000, since you can’t afford it on a salary of $155,000 a year (4.2 times the national average; 3.7 times the state average), plus benefits and perks. Mr. Cole, 15 months ago you could have bought a 4-bedroom, 2-bath home in my neighborhood for under $500,000; then, you could have used the $75,000 for a down payment and paid your own mortgage, like the rest of us working stiffs, instead of over-building on your current lot. Or, is it that the “executive housing” that you discourage because it won’t really bring any business to our model city of the 21st Century, should be reserved for only the highest level city bureaucrats, like yourself? By the way, the $325,000+ given to you for your home, could put a 3% ding in the annual $9,000,000 Municipal Budget shortfall you mention so often. Care to help the rest of us out of a tight situation?

While I won’t be trying for City Council this fall, I will be running a campaign this fall: A campaign to inform all the citizens of Ventura about the lack of transparency, the disparaging remarks made by you and certain members of the Council after citizens from the public avail themselves of the time allotted for public comments at the Council meetings, and the blatant violations of state and local laws.

Even though The Ralph M. Brown Act (California Government Code §§ 54950-54962), which the City of Ventura’s own Council Protocols claim to follow, indicates that the proceedings of public meetings be fair, I have witnessed many actions by certain city staff members and particular Council members that are in direct violation of this state mandated law. You can be sure that I will be requesting remedies to these violations, and when those remedies are not enacted, I will be informing State Attorney General Bill Lockyer of the violations here in Ventura. I have also witnessed many violations of the Council Protocol by select members of the Council, which are disrespectful to the proceedings and the members of the public whom are addressing the Council. These will be included in my video-graphic evidence presented during the campaign to clean out City Hall this fall.

I try hard to take an active role in local government. I just find it difficult when no one in City Hall will give me a straight answer to simple questions; it’s really difficult when most of the City Council will not give me an answer at all. Like one of the stated goals in The Basics for a Good Life in Ventura (the “ABC’s” brochure), I aim to increase voter turnout this fall as well, except I intend for the citizens to be informed about the odious activities of select incumbents and why they should be voted out of office. Hopefully, your new bosses will do us all a favor and relieve you of your duties.

I find it repugnant that you even mention the Global War on Terrorism, and the efforts that are underway to instill self-governance and democratic elections world wide, which are currently focused in Iraq. I have a friend serving in the Army; he is stationed in Mosul, Iraq, risking his life, so that you can live here in quiet Ventura and criticize the people (your employers) for not knowing, what you get paid $2980 a week to know, about city governance. My friend is on the other side of the world, fighting Islamic extremists, making sure that we continue to have something to celebrate on the 4th of July.

I’m wishing that you and your family had a restful 4th of July celebration; the nearly constant two-week barrage of all-day explosions and all-night colorful sky displays that upset the dog and frightened the cat disrupted ours. Maybe you could direct the police to respond to calls about a dangerous nuisance, and fire hazard, like illegal fireworks purchased in the City of Fillmore, and then used by residents in a neighboring city where Class C fireworks are illegal. I hope your reference to “lighting fireworks” was not an advocacy of such illegal activities.

What do you think, Mr. Cole? Am I just another ill-informed, self-serving citizen filled with anger, impatience and venom?


Sincerely,

Henry P. Babcock


PS: I’m still waiting for a reply, from anyone at City Hall, regarding the progress of the development of the policy regarding Citizen Generated Content on, what Mayor Brennan called, “the people’s website”. Many of the citizens of Ventura would like to utilize a valuable resource that our tax dollars pay for. It’s been over three months, and no one has answered a single email I have sent requesting information on the formation of this policy, which Mayor Brennan stated was being developed. Even you have not responded to my email, which you said you would reply to during the Westside Community Council Meeting on July 7, 2005. I’m trying not to be angry or impatient, but three months with no response is a long time to wait.

Cc: Mayor Brian Brennan, Deputy Mayor Carl Morehouse, Councilmember Christy Weir, Councilmember Neal Andrews, Councilmember Bill Fulton, Councilmember James Monahan, Councilmember Sandy Smith, Congressman Elton Gallegly, Senator Barbara Boxer, Senator Diane Feinstein, President George W. Bush, Joe Howry, Stephanie Kinnear

Click to see scan of actual letter

Click to see scan of original clipping

©2005 hpb©reations

Newest Addition to the Binder of Bizarre

Ahh, another delightful tid-bit for the Binder of Bizarre.

In the June 26, 2005 issue of Parade, I came across a tiny article on page 21 with the curious title "Crazy Cabbies". Go check it out.

I want to know who comes up with the ideas for stories like this; even more so, I want to know which editors allow this poorly researched nonsense to be published. Crap like this really burns my ass!

Yes, while it is true that Robert De Niro's role as Travis Bickle portrayed a psychopathic taxi driver turned hero in the dregs of NYC's worst era, the study referred to in the Parade clip is inaccurate.

It mentions that 40% of the bus and cab drivers demonstrated "psycopathic tendencies, including antisocial behavior." The drivers studied stated that they would not feel guilty about injuring or running over a pedestrian. The drivers they are referring to are, by definition, sociopaths.

I invite you to take a look at the definitions of psychopaths and sociopaths. Once you've done your homework, you will know that sociopathology is a sub-catagory of the mental illness milieu covered under psychopathology.

I'm getting sick and tired of the media portraying mental illness erroneously. Statistics show that the vast majority of people suffering from mental illness are much more likely to harm themselves than others. It is only the sub-species of sociopaths that are excessively prone to hurting others.

Let's all start letting the media know that their disgustingly skewed portrayals of mentally ill members of our society offends decent, intelligent people.


Click to see scan of original clipping

©2005 hpb©reations

Death to Lowe's

Boycott Lowe's Immediately

Ice, I feel your Primal Pain, man!

I have just returned from that most loathesome of mega-sized shopping places, Lowe's. That place is a total fucking NIGHTMARE!!

OK, let's get the vitals out of the way; here are the details on the particular Lowe's store in question:

Lowe's of C. Ventura, CA #1734
500 South Mills Road
Ventura, CA 93003
805-675-8800 (phone)
805-675-8803 (fax)

Here's a map:

Now you know where to send your letters, phone calls, and firebombs of complaint.

OK, here's what happened:

I've been to the Lowe's in my town 3 times since it opened. I thought the last time was the last time. My wife and I got some Lowe's gift cards as wedding gifts from some of our friends. Now, usually free money is great, but when it comes with a headache, that kind of kills the joy. I finally was able to spend the remaining balance on, what I thought was, the last card.

But, nooooo! Recently, I discovered one last card with some money on it. I needed some plywood to build shelves out in the laboratory, so I figured that couldn't be too hard to accomplish at Lowe's. Famous last words.

I head to Lowe's, gift card in hand. I know exactly what I want, and the nice person on the phone said they cut the plywood for free. So far, so good. I get to the store and the first person I see is Pimples (the summer-employed high school kid who physically pushed me away from the cable cutting machine on my last visit there); I avoid him and head straight to the lumber section. I find the size and style (not to mention unwarped) plywood I want, but there's no one around to help me move it. An 8-foot by 4-foot sheet of 5/8 inch plywood is kinda heavy and very unwieldy for a single person to manipulate; nevertheless, I manage to get the wood all the way from the front of the store to the rear, where the plywood saw is located. I push the button for assistance (yeah, like that's going to work), check my watch and wait 12 minutes. While waiting, I read the signs on the machine, and I am confused as to whether this is self-serve or not. I walk all the way back to the front of the store, ask a lady at the Contractor's Service Desk if the machine is self-serve. She says no, and gives me the stink-eye. I get about half way back to the machine, and some employee runs up and says he's gonna cut the wood for me. Wow, I didn't even have to ask. Hmmm, maybe it'll be a good day after all.

Uh oh, I wished too soon. The guy is futzing with the saw, getting it ready for the cuts; he pushes the start buttton and, POP! He blew the circuit breaker on it. I'm thinking, "All right, just a few minutes, and we'll be back on track.

Uh oh, I wished too soon. The guy starts explaining to me about how the circuit breaker is really far away, and he doesn't want to deal with it right now, so he won't be able to cut my plywood....

WHAT THE F*%$ ?!? I just wasted an hour because some asshole is too lazy to go flip a switch to make the machine work? UNACCEPTABLE!!

I leave that moron in mid-sentence (he can put those two sheets of plywood away) and immediately head to the Customer Service Desk. I wait another 11 minutes in line to ask for the money off the card. A cute, summer-employed high school girl is the unfortunate soul who has to deal with raging, hypomanic Henry as he begins to explain how he wants the money off the card because he refuses to shop at Lowe's ever again.

Uh oh, I wished too soon. She calls over a mananger; he must be the twin brother of the guy from the late night smoke shop of The Cost of Living Keeps Going Up fame. He has the same dull look in his eye, just like Blaster:



He starts telling me that he can't give me the cash for the card. I let him know that I would not be shopping at Lowe's anymore and that I will be taking my money elsewhere. He says that it's company policy, and that's there's nothing he can do. I explain to him, and several people within a 30 foot radius, that the customer service on every ocassion I have been in the store is deplorable. He offers a very weak, insincere apology, but never asks what today's problem is. I explain that the idiot in the back is too lazy to flip the circuit breaker on the wood cutting saw, so I have wasted 45 minutes of my time (an hour after driving back home empty-handed), and that's wholly unacceptable! The bozo still couldn't catch a clue; he starts in with some kind of aggressive attitude, so I look at his name badge and say, "Listen, Sean, Zone Manager, I will be sure to let Lowe's Corporate know that you were unwilling to assist me with my customer service complaints today." To that he replied all huffy that he didn't care and that I would just have to take it up with corporate. I snatched my gift card away from his fat little webbed fingers, and proceeded to the nearest exit.

To add insult to injury, Sean followed me out of the store all posturing like he was going to kick my ass if I tried to vandalize anything on the way out of the store. Don't worry Sean, I won't be trashing the store on my way out; I'll just find out where you live and make sure the cops know that it is a secret meth lab.

So, I'll be writing a little letter to Lowe's corporate and demanding my money off that gift card. I will never shop at that Hell hole ever again!

I'll come back and post the letter for the whole cyberverse to see after I am done composing it.

BTW, I'm not the only one complaining about the nastiness that is Lowe's: check out the Consumer Affairs website about Lowe's.

©2005 hpb©reations

Independence Day

Here's a little lesson in American history for y'all to contemplate while you are swilling down some brews and inhaling hotdogs today:

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

5 signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

12 had their homes ransacked and burned.

2 lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

9 of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they?

24 were lawyers and jurists. 11 were merchants, 9 were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or British soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

George Wythe was murdered by a younger member of his family in a plot to prevent him from working as an abolitionist and freeing slaves.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

On the lighterside, I wanted to share with you an old Jib Jab cartoon about the Founding Fathers. However, Slogger will not allow me to integrate video into my blog. (Damn you, Blogwhore!) So, I can only ask you to click here to watch, and play with, this oldie but a goodie.

Remember: Freedom is not free!

Have a safe and, somewhat, sober 4th of July Celebration.

Now, I'm off for some red meat and beer myself, and then I will be enjoying some fireworks down at the beach!

©2005 hpb©creations

Technical Difficulties

Due to circumstances beyond my control, the lastest post I have been working on will not be available for a little while.

It seems the folks at Blogger HQ don't appreciate my cleverness in coding. I was all ready to launch a whole slew of the latest and greatest in multimedia with that post. However, I have discovered a nefarious plot by those in control.

I will continue to place pieces, of a technologically inferior nature, here for your entertainment, but I will be seeking new digs for my blog's brain.

I simply cannot allow your experience with my blog to be muted any longer.

Damn you Blogger, damn you to Hell!

©2005 hpb©reations