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From the Boatshop
by Ron Magen
(YO) HO - HO - HO !
{How do you think Santa got that big red nose !}
The past month American’s have had an election which
resulted in an unprecedented change in our Government. Three of the four
‘legs’ [House, Senate, President] are now in philosophical agreement. A
few weeks later we celebrated our traditional Thanksgiving. At the end of
this month we will have a couple more Holidays, one Religious and one
Ecumenical. While there have been ‘glitches’ and a few abuses, this
sequence has been going on for over 200 years.
It’s interesting to ‘watch’ the squabbling that goes on
between people in the various Groups and NewsGroups. Some of it gets
pretty heated. The same goes for the fights, some times devious and cruel,
between opponents in our political & religious ‘systems’. What is so
amazing is that we go through this every 2 to 4 years . . . and NO ONE is
killed or imprisoned because of it.
Within the last few weeks National Geographic announced
the results of a WORLD WIDE survey they had done. A map of the world was
shown to ‘young people’ 18 to 24 years of age {OUR future leaders ?!?}.
They were then asked to identify such countries as Iraq, Afghanistan,
India, Israel, etc. Although these places have been in INTERNATIONAL NEWS
for the past several months, THE BEST was ONLY 30%; who could locate them.
Where did we stand? . . . just above LAST place Mexico !! {pun INTENDED}.
As to where their heads were . . . although most knew that "SURVIVOR" took
place in the Pacific, fully 50% COULDN’T LOCATE the OCEAN !! [Chuck,
told you I’d make a nautical reference - Ron] The representative of
Geographic stated, "Children. . . have innate intelligence and inquiring
open minds until age 6; then we do everything we can to shut them down".
‘Santa’ is an ‘Old Timer’, a ‘Traditionalist’, if you
will. Besides, remember how Rudolph got to be ‘Lead Reindeer’ . . .
technology failed, that’s how. GPS. is nice, but not when you’ve got to
dodge the satellites . Plus, on his mission he’d have to get a ‘lock’ 100%
of the time! CELESTIAL NAV is his method - ‘as sure as the stars in the
sky’. He sets his course not with a mariners Sextant, but an Octant . . .
what the aviation Navigators used when they had to be aboard those ‘Flying
Boats’ setting the routes across the Oceans of the world.
What with playing ‘Dodge ‘Em’ with space debris,
skateboarders and motorized scooters in the streets after dark when he
tries to land [forget the roof these days . . . single homes have more
‘tophamper’ than the Fleet on the Queens Birthday, and Apartment &
Condominium Security want 3 forms of ID and a ‘full body search’] just
to bring presents to ungrateful children who don’t have a clue to where
they are; no wonder he only goes out once a year. Mark Twain, another
nautical fellow, I believe once said "Youth is wasted on the young". That
was some time ago, and it’s only gotten worse. If the last couple of
‘Christmas movies’ are to be considered . . . the old elf’s definitely
looking for a replacement !!
Personally, I KNOW I wouldn’t get in that sled sober,
and I believe the ‘Old Boy’ feels the same. Me, THAT night I’m going to
fold the cover forward, off the cockpit of ‘Quahog’. Then I’ll hoist the
mooring light to the top of a spar I’ll attach to the gallows that
supports the lowered mast. With a freshly opened bottle of the finest Dark
Rum, some strong hot coffee and a couple of mugs, I’ll wait to share my
good fortune, that I LIVE in AMERICA, with him.
And to say, "God Speed" and "Well Done".
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop |
