Pride goeth before a fall

No one ever choked to death swallowing his pride

Temper gets you into trouble. Pride keeps you there

pride is not a virtue

So by now you get the point of this posting, pride. What is pride? According to Webster's Dictionary, the quality or state of being proud. That helps a lot. So what does Daniel have to say about proud, feeling or showing pride. Thanks Dan. This seems to be the problem with pride, everyone knows what it is but no one can tell you what it is.
The reason I'm talking about pride today is that Michael finished his run as Ben in the play, The Graduate this weekend. Everyone kept telling me what a great job he did, and he did. They also kept saying "you should be so proud". Should I only be proud of my children if they do something good? If good deeds are the source of pride where do we draw the line? Were Charlie Manson's parents proud of him? "I'm so proud that Charlie didn't kill those people himself, he just got others to do it for him". I guess not. So where is the line? When people tell me I should be proud of one of my children for some accomplishment I always try to answer that I am proud of all my children. What's the opposite of proud, ashamed? Is the line the same for ashamed as it is for pride? Can the same event conjure both? "I'm so ashamed of Michael, he drove his car into the lake" "I am so proud of Michael, he swerved his car to miss that group of people sitting next to the lake". With pride you can be humble but with shame...we can never show are faces again.
I like to take pride in the fact that my children have grown into good people. They have done so in a world that pushes you a bit towards the dark side, but that's only other peoples pride doing it. So to clear up this whole post I would like to say that I am ashamed to say I am a proud person. I am proud enough to be ashamed. It's a vicious cycle.

Happy Grown up day.
Saratoga Springs High School class of 2008.
http://picasaweb.google.com/saratogairish/MikeSGraduation

So I promised a post on politics and patriotism. Where better to get your facts then movies, music and novels. The idea for this post started when I was listening to my ipod at work. I have an older ipod mini with only 4g of memory. That means I have around 1000 songs. I make playlist for a lot of reasons and some songs fall into the cracks and are very seldom heard. I put together a playlist of these songs. The list of songs includes a plethora (nice word huh?) of bands from Edison Lighthouse (Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)) to Shakira (My Hips Don't Lie) to Led Zeppelin (Going to California). In the middle of all these songs was Toby Keith's Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue. I know that Toby Keith and the Dixie Chicks had a public feud about the war in Iraq a few years ago and I don't agree with our present administration but that is a bit off point. Toby Keith was born in 1961, which means he's about my age and grew up in an America that I can relate to. After 9/11 he wrote this song and it touched my inner feelings of America and it had an attitude of the way we were brought up. When I was a kid we played war. We could buy plastic helmets and guns and hand grenades and everything else to outfit young soldiers at Woolworths. The hit TV shows of the time were, Combat, The Rat Patrol, 12 O'Clock High. Even the comedies were about war, McHale's Navy, Hogan's Heroes and Gomer Pyle. So I understand this song. Now in 2008, listening to this song only reminds me that the America that Toby and I remember is gone.

Now don't get all upset, open your mind and think about this. The world is getting to be a smaller place. You are reading this blog on the world wide web, Europe has gone to a unified money, the Euro. Remember how it was a pain to travel Europe and keep changing money at each country? In July, the 34th G8 summit will take place in Japan. Globalization. On the Agenda for the July summit is Africa, and the economic development of this Continent. Leaders of eight nations will discuss how an entire continent will develop? Are any African Nations part of the G8? No. Well South Africa is an invited nation; for partial participation. In North America there is a plan underfoot for the amero. This will be the by product of an economic and monetary union of the three principal countries of North America. So where is this all going?

I heard a news story the other day and the thought came to mind that if you went to the movies and saw a film about, greed and corruption it might go like this. The heads of the oil companies, who are making record breaking profits, see an end to their profits. The leader, who they hold in their pockets will be out of office soon. This President has had a strange relationship with the middle east, set up by his father, a former President himself, doing the dirty work for a country like Saudi Arabia, by ousting a tyrannical dictator of a neighboring nation. So who is the President working for, OPEC, the oil companies or the American people? A plan is set in motion to get the people behind the oil companies because the Administration has done such a good job in painting a picture of fear and death to Americans by the Arabs that Americans will never trust them. The oil companies start buying oil on the commodities market (remember frozen orange juice in Trading Places). Oil prices skyrocket. Gas prices skyrocket. The American people are outraged. The commodities market keeps soaring as oil is bought for higher and higher prices, gas reaches $4 a gallon. Mr. President you must do something!!! The President says we must lift the ban on oil drilling in American waters like the Gulf of Mexico. Yes, yes Mr. President we need more oil!!! You are the best! Wait a minute; there is no shortage of oil. This is not supply and demand. Why not put the money into alternative fuels? Now here is the big twist in the plot. The oil companies say it will take about five years to see the benefits of this drilling. Old President out, new President in, four years of higher gas prices, new President not voted in for second term and old President's brother elected. OPEC and Oil Companies have another patsy. Credits roll and you think, thank God this could never happen in this country.

Happy Father's Day. To all of you out there with young children, remember the best is yet to come. My father passed away in 1980. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him and miss him. With age comes wisdom (why do I hear Rob saying, "spin us a yarn old guy"). Hopefully, I have learned to be a good father by the actions of my father. Remember the little bastards are always watching you (how could I not be a good father and write a sentence like that). The lessons that you teach may not be understood for a long time. My father was 41 when I was born. I don't remember my dad being young. We would walk to the corner store and the woman there would call him "red". My dad didn't have red hair, it was all gray. My dad worked two jobs but still had the time for us. My mom worked nights so my dad would cook dinner, if you didn't like what he had made, there is the kitchen. So I learned to cook for myself. Everyone that knew my dad has a funny story to tell about him. I hurt my dad in June of 1976, I failed a half year social studies class and could not graduate with my class. I will never forget sitting outside the principle's office with my father, him not saying anything (this had lasted about a day and a half already, from the time we had gotten the word till this point in time). Just about then Mrs. Rothstein, the head of the English department, came out of the office, "YOU" that was all I can remember her saying, I do know that she went up one side of me and down the other tearing me a new one and the whole time I was thinking "Dad, stop this crazy woman. Don't let her yell and scream at your son like this. Do something" but he didn't. He just sat there listening to everything that he wanted to say but didn't. It took me until 2002, when my oldest graduated from high school to really know how much I had let my parents down. I went over to my mom and hugged her and said I was sorry. I only wish my dad had been there. That is the one true regret I have is that my dad had not lived to see my children.
Now I have four children, grown but not all grown. Each is special in their own way but as they get older I see more of me in each one, (sorry Sam but you are your father's daughter). over the next few months we, as a family, will break new ground. Michael graduates from high school in two weeks. He will be off to Chicago for school in the fall. Sean and Sara will wed in early September. All the kids are in the wedding party so you will see a photo of how well we clean up. Sam will be finishing up her college career and Jack will have to endure high school with out his big brother around. So what am I looking for this father's day? Nothing, I have father's day every day, (don't tell them about this I still want gifts). A couple of years ago, it was Christmas and I was very depressed. I was feeling sorry for myself and taking it out on everyone around me. It was going to be the first Christmas without my children, according to the courts, every other Christmas the children spend with me. So here it was Christmas Eve and we were sitting in my mom's church waiting for mass. My sister came over with a woman and asked me if I remembered her. Of course I did, I hadn't seen her in a long while but I grew up with her sons and had spent a lot of time at their house as a kid. I introduced her to my children and she said,"you have a very lovely family" I said yes I do and thanked her. After she left I sat with my very lovely family and the depression lifted. So to all you fathers out there, do not take for granted the times with your children, they will pass all to quickly. Hold on to that home made card and treasure it as if it were a priceless piece of art; because it is. As they make a fuss about you today keep in mind the old Crosby, Stills and Nash song, Teach Your Children, playing in your head.
So just look at them and sigh and know they love you

Break up the Yankees. The Bronx bombers have put together a two game winning streak. Yes TWO games in a row. They are charging up the standings headed for the hated Red Sox. I know that a two game winning streak is nothing to get excited about except the way they did it. Sunday in Joba's second start, the bull pen held the Royals scoreless for 4 1/3 innings as the offense came from behind, again to secure the win. Saturday the Yank's for only the first time since 1934 ( yes, 74 years), came back from a four run deficit twice in the same game. The fact that they fell behind by four runs twice in the game doesn't say a lot for their pitching. All that being said the Yanks are a game over .500 with 99 left to play. So far, the Yankees are leading the league in only one offense category, suspensions. Yes, the Yank's have had more suspensions handed to them then any other team in the AL. Being behind the Yankees does not sit well with the Red Sox, (although you would think that they were used to it by now). The Sox set there sights on the top spot when Coco Crisp charged the mound the other night. Crisp, who was pummeled by at least four Rays, including Carl Crawford who got to the pile from the outfield. Sean Casey was also suspended for fighting. the Sox first basemen and a good Irishmen knows when to jump into a donnybrook when he sees one ( Speaking of Donnybrook, remember the Donnybrook Open on September 13th) Jon Lester helped the suspension cause, the following inning by throwing at the Rays hitter after the brawl. Knowing that this was not enough to pass the Yankees, Kevin Youkilis and Manny went at it with each other in the dugout. Neither was tossed out of the game or suspended. I guess it's just par for the course, Manny being Manny (speaking of par for the course, remember the Donnybrook Open on September 13th).

In all the talk on this blog about sports, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the passing of Jim McKay. For those of you who are not old enough to remember the pre ESPN era, sports on television was limited to say the least. NBC had the baseball game of the week on Saturday afternoon. During the week you had nothing, unless you happened to live in a city that had a team and then you had local programming but on the national level you had one game a week. ABC had a Saturday afternoon sports show that was so influential that it's opening is embedded in sports lore forever. The Wide World of Sports with Jim McKay as host brought you the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Just reading those words brings the picture to your mind of the ski jumper falling off the jump. McKay, as he has been discribed by sports journalist, was the consummate story teller. He made every sport on the show exciting. Remember spanning the globe for sports brought you surfing, hurling, the Harlem Globetrotters, motorcycle racing and from Grossmen's resort in the Catskill Mountains, barrel jumping. McKay hit a golf ball over the great wall of China. He will always be remembered for his reporting of the Munich Olympics and the tragedy that occurred there. Instead of putting a "real" newsman on the air, Roone Arledge kept McKay as host and it was Jim's finest hour. When the hostage ordeal was over, McKay's "they are all gone" put everything into perspective. There are times when you feel part of your childhood is taken from you and the passing of Jim McKay is one of them.

DIVISION NEWS:

Mark your calenders for July 20th. The annual family picnic will be held at Rob's house. This is a covered dish event and has always been a fun day. Check your newsletters for all the information.

Sept 13, 2008 The Donnybrook Open golf tournament. A four man scramble at the Saratoga Lake golf course to benefit thew Saratoga AOH. $85 a man includes, greens fees and cart. lunch before and a steak dinner after. Free refreshments on the course. A chance to win a new car and other great prizes. Contact person is Brian Murphy.