A FINE SUMMER'S DAY

Today,  is the first day of summer 2013.

There are not too many summer's in our
lives. They swiftly drift by.

Took some time to sit in the shade of
the Birch tree in the back yard with an
ale in hand and my loyal pals Paddy
and Mick nearby.

The sun was warm. Humidity low and
a clear blue sky above. The songs of
birds were interrupted by the roar of
passing traffic and airplanes.

My thoughts drifted back through
the years to a time when America
was a different place.

The Great Depression was ended
and America was on the verge of
entering WWII.

Grandfather John and his loyal
right hand man were nearing the
end of their years.

The farm where he and grandmother
Elizabeth raised 14 children, was no
more.

Gone were the days when  John's
loyal horse would safely convey
John  home, asleep in the wagon, after
a session at the West End Tavern.

The horse would stop at the unguarded
rail crossing, determine that no train was
coming, then pause at the highway to
make sure no cars were coming, then
proceed to the farm house.

There were two mighty oaks that stood
before the rail crossing - one a White
Oak, the other a Black Oak. Both were
over 400 years of age. I know this
because when the fine oaks were cut
down to make way for elevation of
the railroad, I counted the rings in each
tree stump.

On a fine summer's day, such as this
Grandfather John, and his loyal right
hand man, would sit in the shade of the
Oaks.

My father would bring them pails of
draft beer from the tavern and they
would reflect on their lives and the
world that was changing around them.

John was a hard man. He opposed
the imposition of the income tax
and resisted FDR's order for all
Americans to turn in any gold that
they had acquired.

He had come to America to escape
tyranny, only to experience it again
on this side of the Atlantic.

Fast forward 70, or more, summers
and the tyranny of our government
has progressed beyond anything that
John could have imagined.

Enjoy the summer as best you can.

But, keep an eye out for the coming
September 10 party primaries and
November 5 General Election.

Strike a blow for Liberty!

While you still have a Constitutional
Republic.

Vote out those political officeholders
who do not uphold our Constitution.

Elect officeholders that do and will.

                               Joe Sullivan