Auto Evolution

My thoughts turn back to the time I attained the ripe old age of fourteen. Graduation from grade school and thoughts of the upcoming trials and tribulations that accompany the start of high school. But like so many of my peers at the time, contemplation that a driver’s license would soon be close at hand was a most exhilarating thought .

The boys crammed on the hot rod magazines and for sale classifieds forsaking all nominal forms of education. Dual quads and positraction equated to a sophisticated form of physics. A great fixer upper could be had for $50-60 bucks. If the vehicle looked cool, could be made to run fast, made a loud sound when revved up and had a back seat worthy of paradise by the dashboard lights, it was the dream car. Of course the girls of that ancient past looked to the privilege of borrowing the family car only when and if deemed necessary.

As time passed and social mobility became the norm, so did then the need for reliable modes of transportation. The boys and girls of days gone by sought out sleek, modern and sexy autos. Bright new colors took hold. Personalized license plates adorned the new chariots exemplifying the owner’s personality. A ton of steel was molded into a work of art.

But boys and girls one day tire of their trivial toys. Boys turn to the more sophisticated full bodied style of vehicle, until they reach the mid life crisis stage, while the newly christened soccer moms exchange their little yellow convertibles for minivans and SUV’s . And all the while, a conspiracy amongst evildoers reaches out and strangles us all. Technological advances and the soaring cost of oil have put us at a terrible disadvantage. One might be able to perform the simplest of maintenance, an oil change, without the aid of the “dealer”, but why bother. Diagnosis of a problem is a problem unless you happen to have one of “their” computers in your garage. In the old days even the semi mechanically inclined could work on their ride. Autos are now designed to prevent any attempt at maintenance by the owner. Let’s face it. Cars are a necessary evil. You can’t get along without one and the manufacturers and Congress know this.

And if you voice your opinion, your battery dies out in the middle of nowhere.

Long Term Fornication

Laws. Laws. Laws. Ever since Moses was handed the Big 10, the powers whomever be at the moment have inundated us with laws. Some good; some just utterly stupid. I’ll be the first to say that laws are necessary for an ordered society. But it seems that the legislative intent pertaining to the enactment of some laws, both federal and state, clearly intrudes upon the personal life of an individual.

North Carolina’s “fornication and adultery statute” dates back to 1805 and still stands on solid ground today even though it is rarely, if ever, enforced. It provides for criminal sanctions for the heinous offense of cohabitation of unmarried couples. No, don’t read into this the word ”homosexual”. Think “heterosexual”. A 40 year old woman lived with her boyfriend in a state of unwedded bliss. Her employer, the Sheriff of Pender Co, N.C., uncovering the details of the sordid affair, gave the woman an ultimatum. Marry the guy, move out or find other employment. She chose to quit and live happily ever after with her boyfriend or at least until the state found some other method to intrude.

I find two things quite ironic with the case. First, the legislative intent behind the law concerns the family value argument and that the law is designed to strengthen the sanctity of marriage and provide for lawful procreation. Yep, Bubba, we have to save ourselves from not only those damn homosexuals, but also those straight fornicators. Sorry, N.C., but we all can’t be W.A.S.Pish. Would it be any different if only one toothbrush was maintained in the house?

Secondly, and I find this so amusing, the woman was in violation of the law. Her boss, the Sheriff, found out. However, he mad no attempt to incarcerate her. To this date the loving live in couple is still cohabitating in notorious open defiance and scandal and the state has not prosecuted.

Now enter the A.C.L.U. Although I once carried a membership card issued by the ultra liberal organization, my relationship is one of love/hate. The group serves a useful purpose in protecting our liberties, but sometimes they should sit on the sidelines and watch the world go by. But this is one of the cases where they should be involved and so they have entered the fray on behalf of the woman. They have the law on their side. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Texas anti-sodomy in 2003 on the basis that what consenting adults do in the privacy of their homes does not justify an unwarranted intrusion by the state. Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003). Today, a federal judge in Nebraska struck down that state’s law banning gay marriages based upon the same case. However, the fact pattern of the N.C. case may pose problems since she was never arrested.

A Soldier's Lament

The job knows not the luxury of a time clock. Banker’s hours exist in another world. A stop for eggs benedict on the way to the office is not on the list of things to do. A can or bag of something which resembles food will suffice for now. Work conditions are deplorable; a veritable hostile environment. Surviving monsoons and mud leads only to be ravaged by heat and humidity. The wind whips the sand so that it stings your very being. The bitter cold chills the soul.

The ring of the office phone is deafening and deadly. The ring is constant. Explosions erupt all around. Small arms take the sound of a runaway freight train. In mid sentence a business associate becomes a mass of raw meat lying in a pool of blood. Zombies walking or crawling without limbs. The acrid smell of burning flesh pervade the nostrils. The eyes are seared by smoke mingled with tears.

No escape to the suburbs at the end of the day. No martini or frosty brew with which to unwind and commiserate for the trials and tribulations of the workplace. No loved one to massage the stressed temples. A brief nap anywhere, anyway, to temporarily relieve the exhaustion, the fear.

Time passes , but the thoughts remain. An arm or leg can be replaced, but the mind may never heal. Sleep is restless and uneasy. The innocuous sound of the refrigerator starting in the middle of the night announces a mortar round leaving the tube. The dreams are unrelenting. Screams pierce the night. Sweat cascades over the body. Paranoia rears its ugly head. Who is the enemy? Where is he?

The country responds with gratitude. A medal, a new limb and to some a flag.