1980

In 1980 I lived in West Palm Beach.I was working at The Breakers Hotel and was playeding pool after work one night in a cheesy bar that was in my neighborhood. I played against this black guy, who was obviously a GOOD pool player. NOT a hustler, but he was GOOD.

Anyway; he was kickn' my ass, but i was taking it well. He was a nice guy, and we quickly beacame pals. Soon after he beat me, another guy stepped up to play him. He kicked his ass  as bad as he kicked mine!

Not so smoothe.... The other guy was angry over the dollar that he lost! He accused my buddy of cheating, (which was far from the truth) and proceededed to threaten him as ( the nigger), which really pissed me off!  Anyway... things got ugly.

I called the red neck on his language; saying "this is 1980, not 1890," and he swung his cue stick at me. He hit me in my forearm as I'd stuck it up in defense. Soon a cop showed up because someone behind the bar had called 'em. He acted like WE were in the wrong!

Though it was obvious what had happened ,they let the red neck go, and threatened to take me and my black pal to jail, unless we left. Aint that America?

Sacrifice

    Mirriam-Webster has a definition of what they believe "sacrifice" means...

1:  an act of offering to a deity something precious; especially :  the killing of a victim on an altar

2:  something offered in sacrifice

3 a: destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else

   b: something given up or lost

Without arguing with them, I want to include a bit more of what I believe "sacrifice" to mean.

# 3a gets close to what I'm thinking, but I'd like to take it a bit further. Jesus spoke of qualities that make someone a good person in Corinthians 13:13. He spoke of faith, hope, charity, and love; with love being the greatest of these. He didn't include "sacrifice", which I'm sure wasn't an oversight. I believe he wanted us to discover that through our human experience.

I tend to call it "shit or get off the pot". A little bit more earthy. What I'm talking about is the act of putting someone else's well being before your own. This act has elements of suicide in it, as well as martyrdom. It's not for the feint of heart, and can often result in one's own destruction.

Is there anything worth sacrificing for in such a manner? I say; "you're damn right there is!" There is deep within us a part that WILL NOT comprimise or allow something to happen to a person/people we care about, if we think it's wrong. It's not too different than a German Shepherd protecting their human child. We will fight (and bite) anyone attempting to do so.

I've had that experience. I hope you have too. I've sacrificed a 27 year career that I was very proud of, to save the life of a friend who was unable to speak for themselves. For me, it was a no-brainer. I don't believe I could have lived with myself if I hadn't. The sacrifice I made cost me a lot. What it cost others is in their own souls.

I LOVE the concept, and reality of "sacrifice!" I really do think it's made me more human than I could have ever been without it... I hope you'll consider it, if you ever need to.

DAWG Oregon: Centrification

DAWG Oregon: Centrification: I've coined a new word, and hope to see it in dictionaries by Christmas at the latest. I'm proud of my new word, because it defines ...

Centrification

I've coined a new word, and hope to see it in dictionaries by Christmas at the latest. I'm proud of my new word, because it defines a phenomena which is growing in popularity in the US and several other former democratic countries.

"Centrification" is my new word. Most people understand this word's first cousin, "gentrification", which is the act of (generally speaking...) wealthier white people moving into low income neighborhoods, traditionally inhabited by people of color. They end up destroying the culture, and drive the cost of living up, causing these lower income people to move away.

"Centrification" has similar qualities. It's the act of (generally speaking...) upper middle class white people kissing the asses of the rich, and going along with activities that harm poor people. The acceptance of "war", "poverty", and "racism" without ever saying these things are wrong for fear of leaving the center, thus disappointing their overlords.

I've been known to quote my personal hero, Martin Luther King Junior, who said "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter". Bet he'd use my centrification word if he were still alive! He also said "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". I'm damn near sure he'd use my centrification word! I'll end this post with a quote from.....? MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends".

Back at Last!

After an absence of over a year, I'm back blogging again. Maybe I needed an extended break, or... who knows? A LOT has happened in the world and my own life since the last time I posted here. I plan to get into some of that in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.

It's great to be back! I really missed this old blog after a few months, but told myself I had made a decision, and needed to stick to it! Finally, my desire to share my thoughts with others won over my pride. I'm keeping this brief, so that we can get on with the show!