Mattes's Musings by KC2GIK

Well here it is October in Cape May  and this month I'm all over the map, literally I e. Let's step back a few days into September, a lot was going on so there wasn't time to write it all on the blog piece by piece but here it is all together, a end of summer, beginning of fall wrap up. It's also a warm up to a winter of writing, including something coming up the beginning of next year which I'll introduce shortly. First right after Labor Day is the annual firemen's convention in Wi=ldwood ( I was going to say down but Wildwood is north of Cape May). It was a little extra special because Jason, a fellow license pllate collector and fir buff took me to the parade on Saturday. Unfortunately for me the backup camera batteries didn't last but I got some good shots in the mean time and have my spot picked out for next   My mom had another doctor's appointment  in North Jersey, one of her last for awhile. So my dad offered to bring my scooter so I would hav...

In all honesty I don't usually watch the National Anthem at the beginning of football games so the kneeling controversy didn't bother me, until now.  First of all people need to stop defending the players' actions need to stop saying "It's their right".  I don't know anybody, including President Trump, denying the players have a right to take a knee. This has been established since day one we get it.  After all if part of the protest is about "freedom of speech" then you have to accept the consequences, including a drop in viewership and risking sponsors , after all that's their right to respond to your protest. You wanted to get their attention well you have it now, what are you going to do? What's your next step? Also nobody is running up to them forcing them to stand. If you saw some of sizes of these guys you wouldn't dare. However it shouldn't automatically be assumed critics of the movement want to take away their rights, ...

Today marks sixteen years since our nation was attacked and changed forever.  We say we never forget but what does that really mean? Does it mean we only think about those who were killed today and forget about them tomorrow?  How can we balance remembering them without letting our sorrows stand in the way of living our lives? Wives who no longer have husbands, husbands who no longer have wives, children left without parents. Parents left to grieve for their children; However there is one thing we can do, keep the memories alive. When you say "never forget" that does not mean dwell on  this day to the point that you don't allow happiness back into your lives. We all need times to grieve and times to celebrate, it's part of a process, not of healing but of living, which is what the people who died on that day want for all of us. One of the best ways to honor the memories of those who died on 9/11/01 is pause, remember and then move on. The best way to celebrate a perso...

Before I begin to even dive into the meat of this post, let me stress I AM NOT defending the Confederates OR the Nazis, they were both evil and needed to be defeated. However I am disturbed by the comparison because ironically they are politically opposites. I cringe when people say they are a like because that tells me people don't understand history at all and not understanding bad history makes it more likely for it to repeat itself. I wanted to break it down for myself so I could understand it better. I am disturbed  by people taking statutes of Confederate soldier down by force When people mention the United States Civil War most say slavery was the only  cause and if the South won they would  still have slaves in 2017. While nobody can tell what it would have been like if the South won, given the technology revolution and the advent of say farm equipment, it's a bet there would be less slaves. Kind of like how there are now more kiosks in fast food joints and eve...

How do I respond to being banned from a Facebook group?  Mock the website that got me kicked out of the group in t he first place. I was going to say boycott at first but then I disobeyed my own boycott. Also I need to look at it in order to mock it. Anyway I read it to get a good chuck every now and then. With the terms "fake news" being thrown all over the internet I decided, BAD NEWS was m ore appropriate for the Daily Voice. Bad news because the stories are basically short misinformed rants with poorly researched material and erros glalore. They get the when and the where correct but that's usually where the facts end Daily Voice is  heavily self-promoting, which is the tell-tale sign of desperation in the business. It would be one thing if they had their own Facebook page and just distrubuted their news on there. However the two main "writers" constantly post their own works on multiple Facebook pages.  On more then a few occasions they have been challeng...

I FLY THE F LAG  I fly the flag on the back of my scooter because I stand with the men and women in ALL kinds of uniforms. I fly the flag   because I know even though I am no t always proud of my country, I am still proud t o be in this country I fly the flag in times of sorrow because it is a reassurance that everything will be alright I fly the flag during parades out of respect out of everyone who marches I fly the flag every time someone in the service gives his or her life so I can live mine I fly the flag out of respect for the military  police, fire, medical and other emergency workers who protect me and  people I love I fly the flag to remind myself no matter what comes my way I am blessed to have so many wonderful people who care about me I fly the flag because I pray every day those leading our nation find a way to make the country great for everyone. I fly the flag as a symbol of hope and a promise to never lose hope even in the dar...

There are too many good Allman  Brother's songs I could write about, my two favorites are  Jessica  written by Dickey Betts and Midnight Rider  by none other then Gregg Allman. The song to me is about a loner weary motorcycle rider and his journey t o a better life. However the longer he rides, eventually he realizes he can't outrun he's problems, hence the phrase "The road goes on forever". It's n ot really a cheery lyric but the hook is a slap of reality everybody needs frome time to time. However the other part of it goes "I'm no t going to let them catch the midnight rider" which to me means  he       won't let all his problems in life ruin his life. They  almost did a few times, but in the end I hope All;man made peace wit h himself. The  "Them" are multiple demons, the murder of his father and losing h is brother, Duane, in a horrific motorcycle accident, drugs, illness you name it, Gregg Allman surviived it Truthfully I don...