I just got back from riding a rental bike from Sandy Hook National Gateway Park and body surfing with children from the United Nations.The riding was wonderful and I rode around Fort Hancock most of the time.Fort Hancock was built in 1895 to protect our N.Y/N.J. waterways.It had significant work during WWII when it had numerous large guns facing the ocean and bay for America's protection from the Nazis.What a war that was?30-40 million died because of total ignorance of life.Dictatorships and monarchies can go astray when they become greedy or insane.
As I rode around the foundations for these massive guns,I began to think of my teenage years and the war in Vietnam.I distinctly remember saying to myself, fighting overseas or joining the Army wasn't for me.I hated fighting in my own neighborhood and broke up numerous fights as a teenager. I always wanted to see a fight end as soon as possible.I would never go kill someone overseas for a political position (the containment of communism).I was interested in love (girlfriend type) and drinking beer,ect. Fighting against someone else (8000 miles away)with high powered weapons seemed crazy to me. I wasn't afraid or disliked my country.I just thought everything I was taught about violence(family and school) ran counter to the draft. The ironic thing about this perspective is that I would have been a wonderful soldier. I was a very good athlete and I'm fairly courageous.I didn't think about dying at a young age and I had good instincts about danger coming from the city.
Anyway,we lost 55,000 there and we're losing soldiers in Afghanistan now on a daily basis.I was thinking we shouldn't have a volunteer Army anymore(vast majority from underclass). We should all serve(male and female) at eighteen in some kind of service to our country.We could be placed in the type of service that we had an interest in.I would hope we could improve the country(building parks,etc.)and avoid getting involved overseas for national security (oil).Our national security should be about protecting our borders,not the 100 yr. love affair with combustion automobiles.It's time to change directions and look towards electric vehicles and improving public mass transit.Well, I can't stay long today...have a peaceful afternoon.
a very good athlete , mr. goonan ? a VERY GOOD athlete has both an outside shot AND a strong move to the basket ... you had only the former , and i the latter ... we were both GOOD athletes ! and as a teacher , you should know that the abbreviation for etcetera is etc. , not the ect. that you are always using ! one quick question ... while biking at sandy hook , did you stop by the nude beach ... be honest , mr. goonan ??? sevil adaeb
ReplyDeleteetc...been using ect.for months(Math Teacher)..thanks..this beadabgood was a fine athlete for one summer back in 1962 when he hit a homerun off Brendon M.at a little league field on Chatterton Ave. in the Bronx.He closed his eyes and swung the bat with all his might and got lucky.Since then he has only been interested in sex where he performs miserably.Nude beach?I'm a family man who likes to fish.
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