The Firecracker Effect

The Match is the spark that begins it all. It’s a mere tiny flicker of flame that by itself can do little good or harm. It must be struck with force against an abrasive resistance and its little light should be coaxed into a glimmering yellow filled with promise and potential. Left to its own devices the match will weaken and disintegrate, but when treated harshly and challenged, the little sulfur tipped stick springs to its own defense….lashing and lunging toward the abuser. Failure to respect a peaceful match could result in the aggressor getting burned. If one wishes to extinguish the match, kid gloves will not work. One must shake it, blow on it and stomp it into submission while being certain its spark has been extinguished for all time.

If the Flame is permitted to flourish, it will rise upward with increasing heat and growing intensity. It will range around the glowing match looking for additional fuel to accelerate its growth. The flame struggles for life as it begins to consume its host…the match. At its outer limits it burns a burnished yellow, but as one’s sight slips toward the inner core, the flame shifts color to blue then to a white-hot center. While entrancingly impressive, the little match flame has no real power. It does however have immense potential if it comes into contact with any highly combustible material. Its tiny combination of heat and light could be transformed into a towering conflagration that could consume everything in its path. It would become dangerous, deadly and undeterred.

The quiet but critical member of the firecracker is the fuse. Although it is combustible, it is tightly wound to limit and control the flame. The little fire must struggle and squirm as it consumes its way along the fuse. It emits a distinctive but misleading sizzle as it sucks the life from the silent string. The “hiss” we hear is a near-silent reminder that the task is underway, but the goal has not been reached. The outcome has not been determined. We anticipate the end. Some of us do so apprehensively, and others gleefully await the fateful contact. As the fizzling fuse continues its climb, the tension mounts. Those who fear the result become to tremble, and those who yearn for it quiver with excitement.

The Boom ricochets across the land. The fearful hold their ears and turn their heads. The hopeful ones snap to action after the explosive concussion has subsided. The sound has meaning. It represents the loud booming voices of the discontented, the abused and those who yearn for freedom. It also suggests the collapse of the old regime, and the crumbling of the House-of-Cards constructed by out-of-touch self-appointed elites. The boom is loudest at the point of ignition, but its reverberating echoes cascade far and wide across the land. Others hear the faint sound and stand in wonder as it becomes louder and more distinct with each wave. The boom is the signal that causes the people to spring into action to rebuild it all. They thoughtfully and determinedly scramble to “form the more perfect union” that once upon a time was their heritage and their comfort.

Nearly concurrent with the boom the Flares arc into the sky. The array of intense colors can be seen throughout the land. The streaming lines of light appear to cover the country in a canopy of color. The frightened elites, bureaucrats and their willing minions can be viewed as they scurry for cover of darkness. Meanwhile the citizens who had been trapped in the darkened dungeons of dependency could observe that the land was a place of glowing opportunity when seen in the full light of the flare. In the beginning the brightness was painful because of their entrapment in the gloom, but as their eyes were opened to the glorious brightness, they began to detect that indeed this was a better world.

The afterglow remains when the flare has subsided and the boom has traveled to its furthermost extremities. The pungent smell of cordite pierces the air as the people begin to assemble and reconstruct the nation. They debate. They cajole, shout and whisper as they attempt to convince one another to support their views of what a “more perfect union” may look like. The citizens review the old regime and its successes and its failures. They seek the good and discard the unworthy. Because the elitist leaders and their flunkies have gone aground, the people can openly dream, discuss and decide which path to pursue toward liberty and prosperity for all. But first…..they build a new firecracker.

Comment:  cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Friday, 3-6:00pm, 1370 WSPD, Toledo  www.wspd.com

The Cherry Table

One of my favorite pastimes is woodworking. Because of my fading eyesight and diminishing digital dexterity, I have begun to restore furniture as a reasonable alternative. The first few pieces that I tackled were some that my grandfather, a master carpenter, had built. These included a birch dresser, an oak whatnot stand and an oak chair. My purpose as a refinisher is to restore the structural integrity of the piece but to allow the nicks, cuts and stains to remain. I believe that if a piece of furniture has survived daily use by one or more families or generations, it has earned each mark of honor. Obviously if the flaw negatively impacts the sturdiness or strength of the piece, I will correct it. I then attempt to coat and finish the article as closely to the original as I can determine. If I do not foul things up too badly, the final work is a strong and glossy piece of furniture that proudly bears its history through its scars.

Last week I felt confident enough to try to restore a cherry coffee table that I had purchased at auction for the princely sum of $1.00. Although the craftsman’s name was obscured, it was clear to me that it had once been a grand focal point in someone’s parlor or living room. The simple yet elegant inlay work complements the grooving and scrolling on the gracefully curving legs. It appeared as if someone had played hockey on the surface, and the sides and the small drawer have numerous gouges of varying sizes. For a few days sanding and gluing were my primary activities. The old piece began to reflect some of her former glory as the grime and finishes of many years gone by were slowly removed. The sturdy old gal needed some TLC and healthy doses of Gorilla Glue as I sought to recapture her basic structural integrity. Now the cherry table was finally ready for a makeover…..wild cherry for the basic unit and light cherry on the inlays. I’ve not yet completed the table, but I can picture the final product……and it’s good.

If you are familiar with my writing, you have been anticipating the object lesson from this exercise in my shop. Here it is: the old cherry table (let’s say 224 years old---just for giggles) is a metaphor for our nation. Once glorious and stately it has been beaten and mistreated in recent times. Although the basic frame is intact (The Constitution), it does need some tightening, gluing and reinforcement. Our devotion to our primary document has come apart and must be retightened. The sanding represents our removing all the noxious toxins that we have draped across our beloved First Document. Wild-eyed interpretations, legislative acts that exceed their constitutional power, and executive mandates that are not allowed by law must be ground down and eliminated.

The numerous scars and gouges are representative of the need from time to time to amend The Constitution thus changing or tweaking its original structure. Some of the deeper gouges or wider cracks must be repaired to maintain the document’s integrity (I would suggest eliminating the 16^th and 17^th Amendments and clarifying the 14^th). Once we have strengthened and cleaned our table we can begin to apply the various coats of finish. The finish in my model represents our commitment and fidelity to The Constitution of the United States of America. Each coat enhances the beauty, strengthens the piece, and preserves it for a long and useful future. As the layers are applied, the beauty of the table (and wisdom of the Constitution) becomes more evident.

Liberty is the glue that holds our table together. Prosperity is represented by the intricate inlay work….it’s an obvious enhancement because of freedom. The stripper and sandpaper represent the difficult and rough tasks we face as we attempt to restore our Republic. Clearly the gouges and cuts are representative of the various attempts to alter her---some successful, some not. Staining is commitment. Each layer represents a new generation that embraces the entire document and seeks to preserve it from time and weather.

The glory can be restored to our abandoned table. It takes time and dedication, but the end result is amazing to behold. It is worth the effort. The table is NOT for sale…at any time…for any price. It is priceless.

Comment:  cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Tue. & Wed., 6-7:00pm, 1370 WSPD, Toledo  www.wspd.com

The Remnant and the Reality

A remnant is what is left over after the task has been completed. For today’s discussion the remnant is what is left over after the larger portion of the people becomes dependent on the government for their provision. As accountable individuals, we are each responsible for our own livelihoods, our own safety and our personal security. Each of us bears personal responsibility for our actions, and we must answer for failures and errors in judgment. The remnant, as I see it, in today’s United States is not poised to restore America or to recapture the ideal that was advanced by the Founders. Today’s remnant must rebuild our nation…brick by brick, wall by wall.

Restoration is significantly different from rebuilding. Using antique furniture as an example, when one restores the piece, it may involve stripping the finish, replacing the upholstery, tightening the dowels, and finally putting everything back together with a new finishing. If the piece has rotted, however, or its structure has been compromised, then rebuilding is necessary. The builder reforms the new parts as close to the original as is possible, but the rebuilt unit will have more enduring structural integrity than if the original flawed piece were merely cosmetically refinished. 

It has been 220 years since the ratification of the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States. Since that time only seventeen additional amendments have been approved, but do any of you really believe that the basic structure of our government and nation has been limited to those twenty-seven formal changes? No, throughout our history and especially in the past century, our system of self-government has undergone radical change. In my view the gross distortion of our original concept of a free self determining society has been the product of three major areas: the people, career politicians, and personal perspectives.

Our citizens have become fat, happy, stupid and lazy. They are willing to allow others to make critical decisions for them, but willingly moan and whine if they find those decisions unsatisfactory. As long as the vast majority of the people lean on government and others, restoration is unlikely if not impossible. The bright spot is that if the people prefer to remain relatively unengaged, then an eager and committed remnant can rebuild the social structure when they ignore the moaning, whining, and teeth-gnashing of their fellows.

Career politicians are a serious barrier for those who wish to rebuild the nation. Their self interest and their instincts for self preservation would drive them to give lip service to a true rebuilding process…but only if they can foresee their holding on to the power and the perks. In many of my speaking engagements I have remarked that career politicians are particularly adept at jumping to the front of a parade. A rebuilding movement would attract the most opportunistic of the political class as they scrambled to provide their bona fides as true defenders of the Constitution and the people. In other words, they would lie….again. Their lack of principle and shortage of honor would drive them to become the face, the voice and the beneficiaries of the movement.  For a rebuilding effort to succeed the careerists must not be allowed to participate in any meaningful fashion.

Perspective is probably the most difficult element to identify and to overcome. What are our attitudes about the role of government in our lives? Some of the most vociferous supporters of rebuilding will clamor for the restoration of their Social Security payments, or their agricultural subsidies…or their home mortgage deduction. Policies that have developed over the years as vote-purchasing mechanisms have been ingrained as “rights” by many of the citizenry. Many of the most ardent supporters for restoration or rebuilding will, nevertheless, expect and insist that their favored programs be continued. “I’ve earned it” will become the dominant cry in the rebuilding process. Their pampered self-interest will propel them toward “getting theirs,” even as they commend the Founders for pledging their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. Every recruit for a restoration or rebuilding movement must be willing to forfeit everything.

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