I made it to the big SIX-OH.

YEA! I made it to 60 ... made it through the Vietnam era, through the marches, through the speaking out and unabashedly voicing of my fact based analysis of events ... I even made it through the first four years of the Bush 43 insanity. But, the real achievement will be the nation surviving “four more years” – with the obvious intent and direction established.

“It's common sense that Bush's go-it-along approach to Iraq isn't working. Who's going to volunteer for this mess in Iraq? Who's going to reenlist? Doing the math, even a small additional requirement of troops could stretch the volunteer military to the breaking point.”
Idiots abound. Those who support liars, simply because they admire the boldness of making such lies so blatantly, will come out in force. The margin for Bush 43 – subject to change after tonight’s debate – will easily out strip his electoral margin of 2000.

Those in the know – which includes anyone who doesn’t have their head up their own ass, or up the ass of some republican spinster – will recognize how easy that last statement will be for Bush 43 to achieve; any win has got to be by a larger margin than 540 votes and a court decision to silence additional voices represented by honest ballot count.

BUT WHO CARES!

I’m S-I-X-T-Y! Yea! No heart attacks! No bypass surgery!

Hey, I got a nice roof over my head, food in my stomach – and, as needed, a girl in my bed. YEA! I got six kids (sniff, no grand-kids, sniff) ... Two are bloody geniuses... and in high school ... with 99 plus averages and plenty of time for winning state championships – be it in mock court events, or literary competition. YEA! YEA for them ...

OK, I also have two who are well educated and talented idiots and failures. I go a law school grad who could pass the BAR, but is too stupid to actually be able to practice law – instead he is a gofer data digger in a law firm who makes less than the part-time secretary he’s been assigned. The other is a musicologist and production manager who stupidly turned up the volume for fun and blew out her eardrums – so she can’t do the job she’s trained for, or make the money she should be making. Still, with no real skills, she got a job as a secretary ... and is also making more than her brother.

The remaining two are still in elementary school. Both honor students following in the tracks of their high school siblings. Let’s pray none of them follow the pattern of the older ones.

Y-E-A! I made it to the big SIX-OH.

Of course, I’m slowing down. Twenty to Thirty years ago – when I was the age of the idiots – I had already gained international recognition in my field ... and several secondary fields of interest. I haven’t done much in the last fifteen years – except produce four young, highly competitive and talented, genuses; exposed financial fraud and incompetence in the State Department of Human Services; State ended up netting a surplus equal to about $160 per family or $200 per taxpayer. At least I’m doing something concrete for the public good – add the surplus to the loses that were stopped, and every taxpayer in the state gets to keep, on average, $780. Y-E-A! The old man might have dun-good.

So far, a great birthday. The weather was perfect – just the right temperature, with solid sunshine. None of my friends had problems needing solutions – and one has even gotten more business in the past week than he’s had in three months or more. Another friend sent me a book I’ve been anxious to read, but haven’t had the time to get. Got a new phone ;-) sigh ... so far, it’s been a good day. Now – if Kerry will only whip Bush 43 to a bloody pulp ... the day will be perfect.

And on that note – a few words from Howard Dean:

"George Bush is not being straight with the American people about the draft. He promised in the first presidential debate to win the war on terror with "an all-volunteer army". He has already violated that commitment.

"The truth is that a draft has already begun -- it just hasn't affected most of our families yet. Active duty soldiers who finish their commitments are being forced to stay in. And the flagrant misuse of the National Guard and Reserves has ripped apart families by sending unprecedented numbers of them to occupy a foreign country.

"Because of George Bush's failure to lead the world, we are nearly alone in Iraq. If we "stay the course" with this president, he will face a choice: drastically reduce our commitments or reinstate the draft."

And so, a new generation will learn what Vietnam was really all about. To quote the kid in “To Sir With Love”: Who cares, I got my ba-rah. ;-)

On a less cynical level ... on my 60th ... a few minutes to remember the kids I grew-up with, played tag with, played soldier with – when war meant WW2 ... friends who didn’t make it past the rice fields and patties – some of whom are still submerged there. You are remembered.