Supreme court? Political??

I never followed this level of politics much…Interesting.

One Supreme Court guy croaked at the end of Obama’s Presidential term. (Scalia)

The Republicans in Senate actually told Obama they would block any nomination he made until the next President was in office. (of course they assumed Trump would beat Hillary)

They did that. (Held up his nominee until the nominee was withdrawn.)

Then, Fuckin Obama announced he would allow the incoming President to nominate a judge.  (hoping it would influence the election, no doubt When his nominee was already being blocked by the republicans.)

So, Trump gets to make a nominee as soon as he takes office, and does.  His nominee is quickly confirmed by the new (republican controlled) Senate.

Then, ANOTHER vacancy happens. (Justice Kennedy retired.) Only, like the Obama incident, now we are close to an election. Taking a card from the Republican playbook, Democrats try to stall and block the nominee until after the damned fall elections are over.

(Give candidates something to use as a political point.)

Same playbook.  Same play. (delay, delay)  Sad for America that politics are so heavily involved in appointments of Supreme Court Justices. Sad for the lifetime of rulings we will all have to live with.

Sad for the accusers and the accused, who will now have to live the rest of their life being remembered for bad things that either never happened or they did not want to remember in the first place.

Class Reunions?

High school class reunions

This is an open letter to my High school class...you know who you are.....

I was recently invited to my high school graduating class' 35th reunion. (It's still a year away)

 I will respectfully decline the invitation.

Ya know, I tend to take up for the people who want to say things.... get them off their chest... but are afraid to for whatever reason (OK, sometimes the reason is good taste, or decorum, but still...)

For that reason, and because I am sure others can relate to this, I will say it. I was not popular to begin with, so nobody much wonders where I am now, or whatever happened to Scotty. 

I was in so many clubs and activities our senior year I can't count them all, but they didn't even list them in the yearbook with everybody else's accomplishments. As if I didn't even exist.  One of the detriments of not being one of the "anointed" "in crowd", I suppose.  No kidding here...look at your senior yearbook...people look forward to having all of their accomplishments and activities listed there, forever more... I was not allowed that verification of my accomplishments. Probably some prick on the yearbook staff that couldn't see letting me have even one moment of glory.  One little list of accomplishments that was more than the "annointed few" had. One more petty insult from high school I must endure forever. 

  Added insult to injury for my high school career, let me tell ya.

 Did you know I was in the state finals for Speech my Junior and Senior years?  Or District finals in Debate? Bet not. I was a crappy football player but I stuck it out, no matter how poorly I was treated by my so-called "team mates". Played every year. With a curved spine and extreme pain. But I was just a "pussy" to them, with their little sore knees getting all the attention... I was in A Capella Choir, singing vocal parts that only about 3 or 4 other guys in the entire school could sing.  Then there was Spanish Club, German Club, Photography club, and MYF too, plus traveled with the Voices of Jeff girls choir and god only know what all else. I got such high SAT scores that I was a National Finalist for the National Merit Scholarship.  Top 1% in the nation. All this while working a part time job. That amounted to zip to pretty much everybody in our class.  Oh, by the way, do you still have your class ring?  Graduation announcement? Yeah, that's me too, I was on the committees that designed those, and helped choose the vendors that supplied them. You're welcome, as if any of you cared.   

Went to the 20th class reunion, hoping, but not expecting, that a few would have matured, and would want to make conversation, but, other than Lisa Stone punching me for not saying hello to her....(gotta Love Stoney!),  I sat at a table with similarly situated fellas pretty much all night on "bar night". They weren't feeling the love either, I can tell ya. Getting up and milling about did not generate any camerederie, back slaps, or glad hands exteneded.  Not one.  As it once was, so shall it always be.....

As far as the 30th reunion went, in my humble opinion, especially not being one of the "country club crowd" myself, a golf outing and country club dinner did not hold interest for a large portion of our class, is a poor choice for an all inclusive activity......just another way for the anointed or competitive to prove they still have more skill, or money, or both than me.....Slap each other on the backs and remember fondly how well they were treated, how they were the "king or queen of the hill"... Ignoring how poorly they treated people like me. I guess some people just can't stop trying to prove they are better than the rest of us. 

So, the 30th reunion, I skipped it entirely.

I don't want to re-live High school.  Other than having a very special girlfriend my Senior year, who made me a better man, and who I'll never forget, I have no "glory" to bask in.  It wasn't as fun for me as it was for you.... And I am not the only one who feels that way.

If I feel like hoisting a few with my friends Bill or Mike, I know where to find 'em.  And, since I  do the Facebook thing under my own name, anybody who wants to find me can easily do so.

The reason I have sent our reunion class organizers so many updates on others in the past few years is that I want to make sure they are included in peoples thoughts, or prayers, or whatever.  There is no reason for our classmates to be "lost", and some small part of me feels sad that some were, and are.  You can bet your last dollar that every jock and "a" list cool clique member is accounted for though......

They are not beating down a path to find me.  I won't be missed, but I don't expect to be, and that is OK.  I genuinely hope those that partake in the reunions get what the expect, or hope for, out of it.  I hope you enjoy it, and I hope everybody appreciates all the hard work you put into it.  I'll pass, and stay home with my grandkids. I have nothing to prove to them, and I like it that way.

Of Unconditional Love....

     My Mommy has a rather large family.  She had 8 Brothers and Sisters (counting the Aunt raised as a Sister).  I'm sure they fought, and disagreed from time to time, as siblings often do, but make no mistake about it, they clearly, and openly, all loved each other.  More than that, they treasured each other.  Between them, they had over 2 dozen offspring, including yer ol' buddy Scotty.  That group of cousins is an interesting group.  A darn good cross section of Americans. Having that group of cousins taught me, and teaches me, some of the most important lessons in life......
     Remember, our group of over 2 dozen "first cousins" were all raised by parents who openly loved and treasured each other, no matter what the politics, or morals, or religion.  The example my "Cuz's" and I all saw was one of acceptance. We learned, by example, to love people for their heart.  I like to say we love people for who they are, not what they are.
     In our group of Cousins, we have Males, and Females. Gays and Straights. We have several who have been married for over 30 years, and several who have been married multiple times. We have several religions, from fundamentalist to Atheist...actively practicing, to indifferent. We have those who are dealing with severe health issues, including a Para/Quadrapalegic, and a sufferer of Multiple Sclerosis, several Arthritis cases, heart issues, bad backs, etc.  We have those who deal with mental health issues. Then we have those who are perfectly healthy, as well as those who enjoy extensive physical fitness regimens.  We have gifted musicians, cousins with perfect pitch, and cousins who are effectively tone deaf. Quiet, and Loud. Leaders, and followers. Geniuses, and those who were less intellectually gifted than average.  And at least one very large, loud, boisterous, grouchy, overbearing asshole (Guilty! LOL).  And, remember, that's all out of a little over 2 dozen people, ranging in age from early '60s to early '30s!
     Growing up knowing people who are all of these things, and loving people who are all of these things, makes it easier on our family to accept these behaviors and physical differences.  After all, how can I honestly hate gays, for example, and not want them to have the same rights as the rest of us, when people I have known all of my life, people whom I love and respect, people with the kindest most loving souls I know, are Gay? How could I possibly want to judge people who have several marriages, or children with several spouses, as somehow more or less deserving of love that someone who has been married 35 years? And intelligence? How can the most intelligent among us sometimes exhibit little common sense, while the ones who did poorly in school sometimes seem the most wise? And, since I am always glad to see or interact with any or all of them, and I love all of them, how could I see any of these things as a reason to love a person any less?
     Times and surroundings were different for some of us than others, because our age range spans more than 30 years, so we have those for whom "recreational chemicals" in one form or another were a normal part of society in their youth, and those who would never even consider such things. That said, among and between us, we all know and accept that almost all of us have endulged or experimented with chemical "enhancements" at some point.  Some more than others, to be sure. Many have endulged to excess.  A few developed a habit.  Some, an addiction. Most of us have been able to keep these types of activities in check, or stop participating entirely, but, sadly, a few can not.  Could not.
     Thing is, just like the things we were born to- such as sexual orientation, or intelligence- in the case of chemical enhancements (I.E. drugs or alcohol), while we may not understand why our loved ones make these types of choices, or become addicted to the point where choice or reason has little to do with the matter, we still love them.  We have hope for them. We see them for their kind heart.  Their genuinely loving soul. Their dry wit.
     We see them... as human beings.  All with faults.  All with strengths.  All deserving of love.  Our family has learned, based on our personal experience and interaction, not to be so quick to judge others.  That gay person may be the kindest soul you will ever meet.  That Atheist may be the most loyal husband and father you know. The guy in the wheelchair may get more done in a day than you do all week.  The guy with the bad back may be able to ignore more pain that a pro football player, and still be a great parent, productive member of society, and genuinely nice guy.  That addict may possess a wicked sense of humor and dry wit only understood by a precious few.  That Alcoholic may be among the most sincerely loving and loyal people you will ever meet.
     Having such a large extended family was a blessing for me. I am proud of every one of my "Cuz's" for being who they are.  Because of them, I learned that one should accept ALL people as individuals, and love them, respect them, for who they are, in their soul.  What they are -choices they have made in life- is secondary.  Irrelevant.  It's not our job to make choices for them, or force them to follow choices we make for ourselves.  
     Why then, can't people apply the methods they use dealing with their own families, to the rest of the world? Hell, I can't dry out an alcoholic any more than I can make a quadrapalegic walk. So why beat myself up over it? I want better for them, certainly. But their life is theirs. Theirs to  choose.  Theirs to live.
     Outwardly, yer ol' buddy Scotty may seem curmudgeonly at times.  Downright mean.  But, in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.  I am very loving.  Extremely loyal.  I take immense pride and pleasure in seeing those things in others which go under-appreciated by the rest of the world. I believe with all my heart that people should be accepted for who they are at their core.  Treated with respect until they have earned less than that.  We are perfectly capable of loving those with bad habits or those with lifestyles we don't necessarily agree with, without passing judgement or condoning, and certainly without actively participating in that which we don't agree.
     I try to apply the lessons I learned from loving my family, to the rest of my interaction with the world.

     Dig it....If you want to worship the Devil, I don't give a shit. You want to get wasted?  See ya when ya get back (I hope). You have a same sex relationship?  Good for you, if you are happy! You see, Kids, these are not things which I personally will participate in.  That doesn't mean I can't love and respect those that do.
I don't have to help 'em do it. Hell, I don't need to stop 'em from doing it either. They have their life, and I have mine.  All I need to do is love them for what they are at their core.  Loving.  Honest. Loyal.  Funny.  Witty.  Whatever......

     I have my extended family to thank for that.  Sometimes it has been painful.  Sometimes enlightening.  But always, always, worthwhile.  I wouldn't trade a one of 'em!  And, I love them all.  The other stuff?  It just...doesn't....matter.  Dig it?

You got it straight from the heart of yer ol' buddy, the Rev. Dr. Scotty, so you know damn well it's the truth.

On life, love, and passion

Thoughts from yer ol’ Buddy Scotty… ( A.K.A. The Rev. Dr. S.A. Schnarr )

Today’s lesson:  Passion

There is one predominant reason I see a lot of couples get together, and a lot of couples split up.  At it’s simplest, I would say that reason is passion.  Yep, you read right.  People split up because of passion.  Think about it, passion is a two-edged sword, isn’t it?  People love with passion.  They have, let’s say, intimate marital (or extra-marital) relations with passion too.   Being part of a couple that has a passionate relationship has the potential to give us the highest, most powerful, extremely intense joy we can imagine.  So much so, that for those of us who are open to a passionate relationship, many of us allow our need for that joy, that passion, drive our choice of a mate.  When the passion wanes, then we tend to be tempted to look elsewhere for “new” passion, rather than rekindle that passion we already have (which is another cause for divorces, but not my point today)….Passion….back to the nature of passion…..

I freely admit to being a passionate soul.  It’s more than a conscious decision for me, it’s in my nature.  It’s who I am.   I have struggled with anger management issues more than most.  I am more intensely loyal than most.  And I feel like I love deeper than most.  I can’t help it.  Then again, if you love someone so much it hurts, at some point, the hurt becomes the bad sort of hurt.  The tough part is dealing with that “bad” hurt, getting through it. 

Thing is, passion, as I said, is a double edged sword.  Passion can also be hatred, anger, depression, heartbreak, can’t it?  It can.  Because you opened your heart to the potential for extremely passionate relationships, to embrace the unequalled joy that they can provide, you must also be open to the potential for lows that are every bit as mercurial as the highs.  In other words, the person who brings the heights of passion to your heart, is also the person who can most easily break your heart.  Once you turn on the passion faucet, so to speak, the only way to get the passionate highs,  is to be open to the passionate lows as well.  If you shut yourself off to one, you shut yourself off to the other…..

Younger couples tend to be passionate, right?  Hormones.  Inexperience. Eventually, as we mature in our relationships, we all begin to experience the lows that go along with the passionate highs, and adjust how we deal with it.  Sooner or later, somebody cheats, somebody lies, somebody starts wanting to hang out with their friends more often than their spouse, somebody wants to get physical more or less often than their spouse.  Whatever…..  Eventually the giant helium balloon of life that was filled with, and floating on, the power of passion, gets a big ol’ hole popped in it, and you come crashing down to earth in a big hurry.   It’s what you do from there that marks the course of your life.

Some people choose to callous their soul, put up walls, keep their guard up, whatever convenient cop-out of a metaphor they can think up.  Those people, while they stand less of a chance of being hurt again, also stand less of a chance of ever falling deeply, passionately in love again.  They certainly lose out on the opportunity to regain or experience the passion in their current relationship. No “bad” passion is also no “good” passion, can’t have one without the other.

That’s where we come to the crossroads.  Getting through it.  Weighing it out.  The emotional pain you feel when you are hurt by someone you feel passionately about is extreme, and I know firsthand, that it can feel like the most painful emotional experience you’ll ever know.  So, many of us decide to guard ourselves from pain like that in the future.  In doing so, we also guard ourselves from the joy of the passionate highs.  Then, there are those of us that continue to be open to the experiences life has to offer, with all the highs, and lows.  That’s where the weighing it out comes in.  If we want to stay open to the potential for the highest highs of a passionate relationship, we need to stick with it for a while, and weigh it out.  Are the lows worth the highs?  Are there more lows than highs?   Is the pleasure worth the pain?

For me, it is. Always will be.

Think about it…and dig it, take it to heart….cause you know…..If you got it from yer ol’ buddy, the Rev. Dr. Scotty….  It must be the truth!

Makin' things better for the next guy?

Here’s food for thought…..

     A friend recently mentioned that the people, (more specifically the taxpayer), of today needs to step up and fight taxes they think are unfair, and support those that will help “the next guy”, or future generations, I.E. : Infrastructure, better roads, bridges, utilities, parks, schools….

     That all sounds well and good, on the surface, doesn’t it?  Sure it does.  Till you figure out what they are REALLY looking for…. And it assuredly is NOT to improve things for your kids, or your grandkids, unless you think that all cities and towns need to shut down small business, family farms and homes that children were raised in, memories live in, ancestral ghosts live in, all under the guise of “good for the community”….

     What they ACTUALLY want, is to attract more factories, and wealthy inhabitants with big fancy houses, so they can get more money, more taxes and more control. Of course, they may have to take your farm away from you, or your family’s home of decades, or close down a longstanding family business, “for the better good” , so they can sell the property, (or give it), to some developer.  Still think it’s all for the “public good”? 

     Now, to interest those developers, they need more and better infrastructure, which, natch, you have to pay for now.  If you fight the new tax, they just float a bond, rather than actually “raise your taxes”, effectively forcing you to pay for the stuff now, let’s say, over the next 5 years,  that the rich will want later, but never have to pay for.

     We all know about the Gov’t taking people’s property against their will so a factory can build, and a lot of us were for that, but these days, they do it so some Daddy Warbucks can build a new apartment complex, or housing addition, because they see it as “in the best interest of the community” or it’s all part of their “long term plan”.  Isn’t that Communist?  You know it is Brothers and Sisters….

     Now, the infrastructure issues….  Think of tiny Rossville Indiana.  Growing in leaps and bounds…Population doubled in the last 20 years, and along with it, the average household income probably also increased 20-30%, minimum.  Why?  New construction.  Expensive new construction.  We already have a great school.  But to grow much more, the school needs to be even more attractive if they want to attract new home builds by rich people --who pay (in theory) lots of taxes--so you know what they do?  Float a bond for school improvements that adds a hundred a month to MY taxes…. For 5 years. (Bond RESOUNDINGLY defeated, so they float it without voter approval in smaller chunks).  So I starve, and I pay, so the rich can move in for free? Get enough rich people together and my house, my neighborhood, will be an eyesore to them that they will want removed and rebuilt with new homes, “for the common good”…. Then, there’s that infrastructure I mentioned, in Rossville’s case, water.  Let the town grow till the water plant can’t keep up with current standards, then short term finance the updates, again, so that the poor schmuck that already lives there bears the entire burden of the improvement, and  “the next guys in the door” get all the benefits on my dime…….

     That’s all well and good when we assume the “next guy in the door” is our child, or grandchild.  Not so much when they are pushing you, the working class, out the door in favor of the more affluent, is it?  How about when you are being forced out of your property or business by Eminent Domain so they can build, and force you to help pay for, another Government subsidized housing complex (the other extreme)?  Working class forced out, and forced to pay for, a new development where some Daddy Warbucks makes a killing on an apartment complex, “for the good of the community” that the low income portion of our society gets to take advantage of……and not pay for. 

     I’m all for better infrastructure, and better schools, but that isn’t really what all this is about these days.  It’s about money, and the politicians controlling it --now and in the future. They take our money, and give it away to political contributors, cronies, or voting blocks to buy more votes.  

     Either way, the working class gets screwed, and has to pay the bills for those that economically are significantly above, and significantly below, them….  That’s not what our country was founded on, and not where we should be going, is it?  I say, that simply isn’t right.  That has to change.   

You know it’s the truth, ‘cause you got it from yer ol’ buddy Scotty!