Fran Bitz – January ‘10

Posted by Frankly Francis on January 2, 2010 under Personal | Be the First to Comment

 

First off, I humbly consider myself lucky and blessed because of the people and circumstances that I have been fortunate enough to have experienced.

Judged by conventional standards, my life has had a lot of high highs and low lows.  For me it is just my adventure.  However, the last few years have been the most difficult of all.  I am intensely curious to see where this all leads me to.

So, as the year begins, I find myself looking forward, more so than usual, to my next revolution around the sun.

Didn’t we just celebrate the new millennium?  A decade has passed?

And this Internet thing…any chance it will catch on?  The impact of the World Wide Web is both amazing and fantastic.

It’s difficult for me to believe that marijuana has not yet been legalized, regulated and taxed.

Furthermore, we’re making more of this than needs to be made – Gays should be legally allowed to enter into civil relationship contracts that some call marriage.  And the exclusion from the military thing needs to go too.

Been watching more TV than usual lately.  Dexter, Sons of Anarchy, Stargate Universe.  Also been catching up on House and Stargate Atlantis.  I know that TV is a legal drug induced vacation from living my own life, but…

Been reading more than usual lately (although I have always been an avid reader) and this pleases me.

I think that we should pay a lot more attention to the Rights of States as opposed to the Federal Government.  The United States of America is a Union of States first, not a federal government imposing national rules upon every individual.  The foregoing  within the Constitution, of course.

I prefer the features and interactivity associated with MySpace, but I continue to surrender to Facebook, being a willing victim of fashion…

Still cannot understand how in these most politically correct times, females, it seems to me, are more denigrated than ever in pop culture, especially music.  Even more confused that there seems to be no one objecting.  Ladies come on.  Your sisters have fought hard before you in a battle that should not even had to be fought.

I am hoping that Stephen King’s “Under the Dome” comes even close to “The Stand.”

Most Americans are a lot more libertarian than they realize.  See where you really stand (if you dare) by taking The World’s Smallest Political Quiz at: http://www.theadvocates.org/quizp/index.html

I’m a grandpa now, but in these ever life span expanding days, I consider myself a “junior grandpa” as opposed to my personal concept of a grandpa in my younger days.  Gotta say that for me it is pretty cool to have grandkids.

No Chicken Little, the sky is not falling.  We need much less emotional reaction and much more empirical evidence in the debate over global warming.

The advances in our technology are incredible.  There is a lot to look forward to in the immediate future.

Did we not occupy Afghanistan for the purpose of hunting down Osama Bin Laden?  And increasing the current mission there is for what?  I don’t like how this is playing out.  Oh, and could we please rebuild Iraq already and get our troops home?

As a citizen and even more so as a veteran, I support our military members, but I question our leaders’ use of our military.

I don’t vouch for the accuracy, but if you are feeling the need to Keep Up With The Joneses, check out how you are doing on a world wide basis at: www.globalrichlist.com

If I was silly enough to make New Year’s Resolutions, I would resolve to spend more time on music performance, foreign language study, creating creative travel opportunities, engaging the people I know, meeting new people, and treating writing more as work, as opposed to pleasure.

May The Road Rise With You.

Frankly,

Francis 

Fran Bitz – March ’09

Posted by Frankly Francis on March 13, 2009 under Personal, Social Issues/Politics | 2 Comments to Read

This is a potpourri of personal thoughts on topics that have occupied me recently.  I reserve the right to expand upon any of these in the future, but for now, consider this:

If ever I should go missing, and if anyone should care to find me, start the search in New Orleans.

How come the sin/crime of “Rape” is not enumerated as one of the Ten Commandments?

We should re-look at the unbelievable benefit to life and the ecology by encouraging the growing of hemp.

Television ads I would like to never see again: girls gone stupid, males being enhanced, phone chat, how to become a real estate millionaire with less than a dollar, etc.

Obama is not the first black president.  Being bi-racial, he is no more white than black.  Who knows if he is the first bi-racial president?  He is the first African-American president however, as his father was African and his mother was American.  How literal can you get?

I do not like to be around people that advertise that they have no fear.  I think fear is one of our best natural attributes and to deny it means that you are too willing to become extinct.

Frankly,

Francis

Phelps: One Toke Over The Line!

Posted by Frankly Francis on February 16, 2009 under In The News | 9 Comments to Read

I feel compelled to comment upon the notorious dope smoking photo of US Mega Olympic Champion Michael Phelps – As a society, we seriously need to grow up.

Perhaps Michael Phelps smokes marijuana, perhaps he does not – I don’t care either way.  We do have a picture of him hitting a bong, which he apparently does not deny.

Michael Phelps Doing What He Does Best

Michael Phelps Doing What He Does Best

If it’s true, then we would all have to face the fact that you can win more gold medals in Olympic history and still smoke grass.

Is our civilization crumbling?  Is the sky falling?  Are we all lost?

When I was much younger, I realized that sooner or later, we would be able to rationally think through our position on marijuana and then re-legalize it.  I still feel that way, but had no idea that the “later” would be so much later.

Barney Fife

And to the Barney Fife Sheriff down there that has spent unbelievable amounts of money and manpower to get to the bottom of this heinous crime, I am truly glad that you are not my Sheriff.  I suspect that the victims of rape, murder, assault & robbery in your jurisdiction wish that they had received the same amount of dedication of time and resources as the Michael Phelps photograph.

Frankly,

Francis