A pome I penned after being discharged from the hospital in 2007.

Seeing Red

"THE GUY IN THE RED SUIT"

 While doing your Christmas shopping

at Target this year, you might want to bring this to mind.

The real life, "Jolly Ol' Saint Nick" might have been a genuinely happy soul,

but not as care free as you might have thought him to be.

A Bishop in the 4th Century, he had a very hazardous job that included

preaching the truth about God within a corrupt and dangerous society.

It could mean sure martyrdom at the hands of the Supreme Roman Empire

which was often led by an Emperor who considered himself to be a god. 

This is why Bishops have always traditionally worn red.

Anyone who would dare challenge the absolute power of the State

was an instant target, and Nicholas was no exception.

So the next time you see Santa, keep in mind that

he didn't shop for toys at Target. He Was One!

 

My Evolving Thought and an Attempt at Humble Repentance

After some serious reflection and a visit to my confessor, I must admit that

my recent writings on gay marriage and our President's

comments of the past week have been a bit uncharitable at best

and completely duplicitous at worst.

Although I do know a little bit about the origins of American money,

and it is most certainly clear that it affirms our country's connection to religious beliefs,

my arrogant and supposed ability to know what Benjamin Franklin

was truly thinking when he designed the newly founded Republic's currency

is completely ridiculous.

I also took a couple of paragraphs from Obama's Commencement speech

out of context in order to bolster my own point and I ignored his. This was not

playing fair. His speech was eleven pages long and my surgical superimposition

of two short comments was as devious as it was untruthful.

As far as my obvious outrage over the issue of gay marriage,

I have decided to mind my own business and leave that issue to those directly involved.

Perhaps the debate will go on among the clergy, the States, the lawmakers and gays

themselves, but I should keep in mind the wisdom of what is said in the 12 step programs.

"We do not take another's inventory."

But what I am most sorry for is my comparison

of the present Administration with that horrific and Fascist State

in Orwell's novel, 1984. This was downright mean spirited.

And these comments of mine came right on the heels of my short blog on

"Restraint of the Tongue." Shame on me.

Sure, Orwell wrote his novel as a warning against totalitarianism and this is a good thing,

but our Country has a long way to go before it gets that bad.

I love America, and today I heard one of the Tuskegee Airmen

state exactly what I feel in my heart of hearts.

"America's not perfect, but I'll hold her hand until she gets well."

I could have just deleted my last post, but I think this might have been

somewhat dishonest. It would also have defeated the entire purpose of this blog,

which is to be an honest, integrated and consistent

record of my daily thoughts.

So, although I think my last commentary was written fairly well,

it ultimately drew conclusions that relate more to

my own personal and psychological

defects of character than to anything else, and I deeply apologize

to any that I have hurt or offended.

Thomas Nicholas Grasso

1984 REVISITED and the "Newspeak Dictionary"

                                           In George Orwell's dystopian classic, "1984," one way the proletariat was kept in a state of absolute submission to the Government, was to be deprived of any connection to the past. Tradition was unheard of and change was constant; even a daily experience. One might read the paper on Monday and by Tuesday it would be completely re-written. The media was merely a tool in the hands of a ruthless and fascist state, intent upon complete control of the masses down to even the very words used in everyday language. The dictionary was being revised by the hour and became smaller every day. "Newspeak," as it was called, had fewer words with each printing and a  revised edition was published every few years. Revisionist history was the Government's biggest tool. "Who Controls the Past, Controls the Future" was one of the State's many terrifying slogans. Today's heros became tomorrow's traitors, constant war kept the rabble united against a common foe and it was always the same enemy. If suddenly the enemy changed, one had to ascent to a new reality; "We have always been at war with THIS enemy." And the icing on this mind wrenching cake, was that society was under constant surveillance. One could marry, but only within State guidelines and true love could only be directed towards, "Big Brother"... a kindly, yet stern, imaginary father figure that was, of course, only out for one's best interest at heart. A phony, bargian basement, counterfit god. 

My point is this. There is nothing wrong with long standing tradition, and when words themselves lose their meanings and are revised to fit someones private "Newspeak" definition, will it not be long untill history itself is re-written to conform to something completely alien to what America has been since it's very foundation? Ben Franklin literally illustrated this foundation on our money, but in a somewhat covert fashion. Can you decipher his symbology? 

Take out a dollar bill, flip it over and on the left you will see a pyramid with the "All Seeing Eye" on top of it, centered in an unbroken circle. Within the circle are the words, "Annuit Coeptis" and "Novus ordo Seclorum." Loosely translated, I believe this means, "Proclaim the Beginning of a New World Order." Chiseled into the bottom of the pyramid is the date 1776. To the immediate right is a giant ONE with the words, "In God We Trust" above it. That big "One" carries a dual meaning. On the left side, the eagle, with a banner in it's beak that reads, "Out of the many, ONE." The design of this artwork, sometimes cryptic, sometimes plain to see, was adopted hundreds of years ago when our country was first established. Are we now to establish a NEW, new world order? Based not upon Judao-Christian, monotheistic teachings, but of an Order that is more like that of Paganist Greek and Roman civilizations, and due to decadence, greed and lust of all sorts, eventually came crashing down under the weight of their own depravity?

Look at that dollar bill again. The date of 1776 is carved in stone at the foundation of a pyramid that ascends to the "All Seeing Eye." Doesn't that say something about long held traditions of the past. Not the past of the Aincent World, but America's past! Which leads us to Benjamin Franklin's secret. That eye might well be the eye of God, but it could also be the eye of Big Brother! Sadly though, for old Ben, he must have known that the choice, ultimatlly, was ours. He could not... would not make it for us.

    

Restraint of the tounge

One has the freedom

to speak ones mind

but one should weigh each word.

For words once spoken

can never

be taken back.

__________________________

"IT IS NOT WHAT GOES INTO A MAN THAT DEFILES HIM;

BUT THAT WHICH COMES OUT."

Jesus



"Oops"

                                                        
Could the "Tunguska Event" been of human origin?
   In 1908, 37 years before the advent of nuclear weapons, an occurrence referred to as "The Tunguska Event" took place in a deserted North Russian forest which to this day remains unexplained. Observers many miles away witnessed a blue light as bright as the sun sweeping across the sky approximately 10 minutes before hearing a rumble which was described as the sound of intense artillery bombardment. For hundreds of miles, windows were shattered, people were knocked off their feet and many experienced intense winds and shock waves.
   When an expedition was mounted in 1921, surprisingly, no crater was found. A five mile area of scorched trees were still standing, surrounded by an 830 square mile field of trees that were leveled flat. This would suggest an explosion in the air somewhere above the blackened ground zero patch. This same result was observed in the air bursted atom bomb tests of the 1940's and 50's.
   Since then scientists have proposed many theoretical explanations, the most common being that it was caused by a meteor or comet. This seems to be the most plausible cause but has never been proven. It was proposed that a small black hole passed through the earth, but no point of exit was discovered. Some said that a tiny chunk of anti-matter, which annihilates matter on contact was the cause, but then why the "air burst" effect. Others said that an escape of natural gas had ignited, but this does not explain the strange "ground zero" pattern of trees. Of course there are those that chalk it up to some alien visitation but why waste our time.
   My favorite proposed cause, and the one I intuitively go with, is that a colossal science experiment went terribly wrong.
   At that time, Nicola Tesla, the electricity genius that gave the world alternating  current, was conducting experiments that might prove his theory that electricity could be drawn directly from the ionosphere. He was also working on, what he called, "directed energy weapons." These could transmit enormous energy directly through empty space. A kind of "lightning gun." He even tried to interest the War department in these theories but they were not interested. (The US Government did confiscate all his research notes when he died though.)
   My belief is that Tesla (or someone) had an accident. A BIG one. If a run-of-the-mill chemist makes an error he could blow up his entire lab. Tesla was hatching plans that involved such incredible scale and power that he easily could have leveled a forest thousands of miles away. He even said he could create earthquakes, simply by using sonic resonance. He claimed to have almost knocked down his apartment building at one time. And he would have, had he not switched off the device in time.
   Yes, If Tesla had any accident, it would have been on a grand scale. Perhaps he did. Then he took the knowledge of it to his grave. It gives one pause.

The Sad Truth About Civil Conflicts

Recently, as I watched the debate

concerning military aid to Syria,

a question arose in my mind.

Why did not anyone come to the aid of Atlanta

when Federal troops burned it to the ground?