Little Stuff-minoosha

Just a Little Bit

2012-03-09T06:45:00.000-05:00

As we survey the social, economic and political issues around us, it is rather easy to become dismayed. I know. I have felt so overwhelmed at times that I was ready to curl up into a fetal ball and let the world move on without my participation. Upon further reflection, I decided that withdrawal wasn’t an effective strategy for dealing with our nation’s problems. I have children and grandchildren whose lives will be sorely limited by the onerous direction our land is pursuing. My obligation as the patriarch of our little clan is to preserve and protect their liberties to the best of my limited ability. And so….I have determined that if I cannot make all the difference in our national drift, I must make some difference….have some impact….do my share….if only a little bit.

Faced with an aging body that is reaping the consequences of a lifetime of unhealthy living, I find that my energy and my capabilities are limited. Even if I had an engorged super-hero complex, the aching bones and rigid nap times would minimize my capacity for turning things around. Some of you (the ones with bluer hair or fewer hairs) may remember the Brylcreme commercials. “A little dab will do ya’” they confidently stated about the unmovable hair grease. That’s where I am these days….dibbing and dabbing and hoping to motivate those who have more strength and energy than I have. I let the Founders and Framers carry the wood and start the fire. I’m the old guy with the poker in my hand who stirs the fire from time to time …. hoping to keep it going until the youngsters can haul in more fuel for the hearth and raise the temperature for the nation.

One of the advantages of growing older (aside from the obvious one of being on TOP of the grass) is that as one’s physical abilities diminish, one’s wisdom about how and when to get physical increases ( well, usually ). It’s called “choosing the moment.” Usually a crisis or opportunity emerges and I engage in frenzied activity to address it followed by high-intensity napping. Some of my “little bits” take place in the middle of the night as I spring awake from a deep slumber. It may be the “call of nature” that sets off my internal alarm or the throbbing sensation in my battered knees that interrupt my sleep. Facing the improbability of returning to the blissful quiet of a sound sleep, I stumble to the office to write some profound words about how our government is destroying our personal liberties. For me and perhaps for you also, the act of reviewing my writing recaptures the slumber bug and allows me to drift off for a couple more hours.

The purpose of this column isn’t to regale you with my sleep habits or patterns, but to suggest that each of us can do a little bit beyond thinking about our problems. If you wake in the middle of the night, write a letter to the editor or to a politician….that will put you back to sleep. As a cautionary note, I recommend that you review the letter in the morning before mailing it. Trust me on this. You don’t wish to be placed on another “watch list” just because you engaged in highly inflammatory language at 3:00am. Many of you are gardeners and you can take a short amount of time during lunch (the hottest time of day) to jot a note or an email expressing your concerns. The little bits for most of us can be squeezed into precious moments between activities or when first arising or at bedtime.

Most of us have neither the time nor the talent to accomplish great things for liberty. Our personal “little bits of difference” can add to the efforts of others. Cumulatively we can combine our “bits” and move the nation back to its moorings. Let me be clear here at the risk of offending you. Just attending the meetings and reading the email threads is not enough. Those efforts are pre-“little bits.” It’s the next step of involvement that moves you from a mere participant to a neophyte activist. Little bits by citizens who love liberty can seem like incessant drops of water torture to those politicians who believe they can woo us then ignore us. Little bits of letter writing and email campaigns may convince the editorial pages and program directors that we are here, we are angry, we are serious and we are numerous.

Even if you or I may not have the strength and endurance to lead the charge up Liberty Hill, we can do our little bits by loading the cartridges, holding the horses and joining the swarm when our stronger leaders reach the crest. Every little bit helps. Every little bit is needed. Every little bit counts.

George Washington

1st President of the United States
In office April 30, 1789* – March 4, 1797
Vice President	John Adams
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	John Adams
Senior Officer of the Army
In office July 13, 1798 – December 14, 1799
Appointed by	John Adams
Preceded by	James Wilkinson
Succeeded by	Alexander Hamilton
Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army
In office June 15, 1775 – December 23, 1783
Appointed by	Continental Congress
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Senior Officer of the Army
Delegate to the Second Continental Congress from Virginia
In office May 10, 1775 – June 15, 1775
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Thomas Jefferson
Delegate to the First Continental Congress from Virginia
In office September 5, 1774 – October 26, 1774
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	February 22, 1732(1732-02-22) Westmoreland, Virginia Colony
Died	December 14, 1799(1799-12-14) (aged 67) Mount Vernon, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Independent
Spouse(s)	Martha Dandridge Custis
Profession	Planter Officer
Religion	Deism, nominally Church of England / Episcopal^[1]
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Great Britain United States
Service/branch	Virginia provincial militia Continental Army United States Army
Years of service	Militia: 1752–1758 Continental Army: 1775–1783 Army: 1798–1799
Rank	Lieutenant general General of the Armies (posthumous: 1976)
Commands	Virginia Colony's regiment Continental Army United States Army
Battles/wars	French and Indian War • Battle of Jumonville Glen • Battle of Fort Necessity • Braddock Expedition • Battle of the Monongahela • Forbes Expedition American Revolutionary War • Boston campaign • New York and New Jersey campaign • Philadelphia campaign • Yorktown campaign
Awards	Congressional Gold Medal Thanks of Congress
*March 4 is the official start of the first presidential term. April 6 is when Congress counted the votes of the Electoral College and certified a president. April 30 is when Washington was sworn in.

Little Stuff-minoosha

Just a Little Bit

Sluts and Nuts

Biting the Bullet

Littlestuff Weekender-3-3-2012

Olfactory Identification

Disturbing Pragmatism

Mutual Exclusion

Littlestuff Weekender-2-25-2012

Homogeneous Diversity

George Washington

Long Knives

Littlestuff Weekender-2-18-2012

Living History

Greater Expectations

A Legacy

Littlestuff Weekender-2-11-2012