A Word About Fusion…A Rant

Simply put, FUSION has come to be (to me) a very annoying word.  The word was dug out of the dictionary by some marketing/public relations type for the express purpose of  annoying me to the point of distraction. Only after FUSION had become the second F-Bomb did my Doctor find it necessary to prescribe statin drugs as part of my morning pill cocktail!

It was once a very normal word…minding it’s  own business in the middle of Webster’s until that fateful day when it crawled into common usage.  Siri says “the  process of joining two or more things together to form a single entity”.   I picture the motor and all ancillary bells and whistles seizing up to become a metallic  blob when one starts their Ford car!

A short internet search reveal, literally, scores of products given the appellation: Fusion.

I picture my Fusion razor bonding to my face, women’s slacks (Kohls) forming a bond with…well…!!

Lastly, we take up the dire results of sitting upon a Fusion toilet seat !  I found, on Ebay, A Floral Toilet Seat Elongated and Hand Painted.  At least if this thing should live up to it’s name and become one with the sitter (or s*itter) it will be a fashionable bonding !  

Larry LaBounty

God, by a popular definition is: One’s ultimate reality or that than which there is nothing greater in one’s life. Recent studies seem to indicate that humans are “wired” for a god and that we ALL have a god. That god might be money, power, position and even an all consuming belief and dedication to a concept or particular value. It can be said that even atheists have a god….their dedication to their idea. Certainly, it can be said that the God of the Christians and the Jews is their ultimate reality. He is now, always was and forever shall be. God does NOT exist in the sense that some folks would like him to. For something to exist, it must be created. God was NOT created. As explained in the Athanasian Creed: Uncreated is the Father; uncreated is the Son; uncreated is the Spirit. The Father is infinite; the Son is infinite; the Holy Spirit is infinite. When we try to make God conform to OUR idea of existence, we demean him, anthropomorphize him and turn him into an idol.

Presidents and American Thinking.

It seems to me that we are way too hard on (all) our Presidents. We expect more from them than they are required to give and blame them for things over which they have no control or authority (gas prices, etc.)

Part of our problem is that advances in media, such as immediate (and often erroneous) reporting have outstripped our capacity to think critically. This shouldn't be a surprise because we make little or no effort to teach the art of thinking to American students, at ANY level.

We have come to the point where greedily lap up the swill fed to us by talking heads and publicists for pop-culture types, with no thought regarding the accuracy of or ethical weight of the comments. 

We NEED to think or we are lost. We NEED to develope ethical values or our humanity will rot in front of our children's eyes.

Facebook is a great instrument for the sharing of ideas thoughts and art, not just "look at my cute doggie" or quotes picked up on an "app".  The rest of the World is way ahead of us, when it comes to the sharing of ideas.

We NEED to take a hard look at ourselves. Our ethnocentricity will be the death of us...we are already becoming a laughing stock.

Latest Kantele

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Ashley LaBounty's outfit...

2nd Ohio Independent Battery

compiled by Larry Stevens

References for this Unit

• see also Bibliography of State-Wide References
• Ohio In The War-Volume II. Whitelaw Reid. Moore, Wilstach & Baldwin. Cincinnati 1868
• National Tribune. Incidents of Champion Hills. T.S. Young. 2nd Ohio Battery. August 21, 1884. Per "To Care For Him Who Has Borne The Battle": Research Guide to Civil War Material in the National Tribune. Volume 1: 1877-1884. Dr. Richard A. Sauers. See Ohio Bibliography
• Unit Bibliography. U.S. Army Military History Institute. Carlisle Barracks. PA. 1995
• 2nd Battery Ohio Artlllery Monument. Vicksburg National Military Park. 3201 Clay Street. Vicksburg. MS. 39180. 1998

History

Organized August 6, 1861, under Captain Thomas J. Carlin, on the 15th it started for Missouri and was assigned to General Fremont's corps. It marched to Springfield against Price, and in March, 1862, participated in the battle of Pea Ridge, sustaining a loss of thirteen men and seven horses. The Battery thereafter marched with General Curtis to Helena, Ark., where it remained until March, 1863; it then joined Grant's army in the rear of Vicksburg, taking part in the battles of Black River, Raymond, Champion Hills and Vicksburg. After the surrender the Battery joined General Banks' Red River expedition. It remained in Louisiana and Mississippi until mustered out July 21, 1865.

From Dyer's Compendium

2nd Independent Battery Light Artillery. Organized at Camp Chase and mustered in August 7, 1861. Ordered to St. Louis, Mo., August 15; thence to Jefferson City, Mo., and duty there till October 4. Attached to Army of the West and Dept. of Missouri to January, 1862. 5th Brigade, Army of Southwest Missouri, to March, 1862. Artillery, 2nd Division, Army of Southwest Missouri, to May, 1862. Artillery, 3rd Division, Army of Southwest Missouri, to July, 1862. District of Eastern Arkansas, Dept. of Missouri, to January, 1863. Artillery, 12th Division, 13th Army Corps, Dept. of the Tennessee, to July, 1863. Artillery, 3rd Division, 13th Army Corps, Dept. of the Tennessee, to August, 1863, and Dept. of the Gulf to November, 1863. Plaquemine, La., District of Baton Rouge, La., Dept. of the Gulf, to March, 1864. Artillery, 3rd Division, 13th Army Corps, to June, 1864. Defences of New Orleans, La., Dept. of the Gulf, to August, 1864. Reserve Artillery, Dept. of the Gulf, to February, 1865. Post of Ship Island, Dept. of the Gulf, to August, 1865.
SERVICE.--Fremont's advance on Springfield, Mo., October 4-27, 1861. Duty at Springfield till November 8. Moved to Rolla, Mo., and duty there till February 24, 1862. Curtis' Campaign against Price in Missouri and Arkansas February-March. Battles of Pea Ridge, Ark., March 6-8. March to Batesville over Ozark Mountains April 5-May 8, thence to Helena, Ark., May 25-July 13. Duty at Helena, Ark., till March, 1863. Expedition from Helena to St. Francis and Little Rivers March 5-12. Madison March 9. Ordered to Milliken's Bend, La., March 20, and duty there till April. Movements on Bruinsburg and turning Grand Gulf April 25-30. Battle of Port Gibson May 1. Fourteen-Mile Creek May 12-13. Battle of Champion's Hill May 16. Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., May 18-July 4. Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22. Advance on Jackson, Miss., July 5-10. Siege of Jackson July 10-17. At Big Black till August. Ordered to New Orleans, La., August 13; duty there and at Plaquemine, La., till March, 1864. Western Louisiana Campaign October 3-November 30, 1863. Red River Campaign March 10-May 22, 1864. Advance from Franklin to Alexandria, La., March 14-26. Middle Bayou May 8. Retreat to Morganza May 13-20. Duty at Plaquemine till February, 1865, and at Ship Island, Miss., till July. Mustered out July 21, 1865. Battery lost during service 2 Enlisted men killed and 45 Enlisted men by disease. Total 47.

Mystique of the Kantele

They say that there is magic, even music, in wood. Working in the shop last night, the plane seemed to sing as it busied itself, working on a kantele. More remarkable, Jouhiorkesteri was on the ipod and the plane (hoyla...pardon my keyboard) was in sync with them !!! It was as if I was only a spectator.  Maybe I'm nuts ?

Said old Vainamoinen:

"Do not weep now, tree so green,

Leaf-bedecked and girdled white!

You will have a merry future,

New and joyous life awaits you.

Soon now you will weep for gladness

And sing out in ecstasy."

Then he carved the weeping birch tree,

Whittled out an instrument;

On a summer's day he carved it,

Saped it to a five-stringed harp....

Runo 44 The Kalevala

A winter scene along Lake Erie

A tree on the beach at Fairport Harbor.....I like this

Defending my country's freedom to do what?

As I celebrate my veteran-hood, I had some thoughts. Thoughts that some of my friends  may find troublesome and un-patriotic but things I feel compelled to share.

As we talk about "our boys" serving "over there", in "harm's way" and defending the "freedoms we hold dear", are we really sincere? Sometimes, it seems, we heap these platitudes on "our troops" to gloss over the fact that "our freedom to do as we please" has not really been in real jeopardy since World War II. Thousands have perished due to poor decision making and vagaries of political maneuvering and profiteering. 

In the case of the current conflict, we have lost sight of our original objectives and "our boys (and girls)"  are dieing for reasons we can't quite put our finger on. Maybe to protect the "freedom" of politicians to stonewall and the freedom of hate spewing, pundits to make treasonous statements about  othe Commander in Chief.  Are we protecting the "freedom" of certain Church Leaders to damn gays, entire racial groups and ethniceties to Hell? 

For those who have died in our many wars,  we can better honor their memories by praying that we will, someday, live in REAL freedom and peace. So that, in fact, they will NOT have died for nothing.