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Ok this one is going to ramble a bit, but isn't that the beauty of these things they call blogs? And although it's going to touch on a couple of points that may piss some people off, all I can say is , don't read on...or go write your own page someplace. I'm going to break a few of my own rules here and talk about some things that I said to myself I wouldn't or really didn't want to. One of the beauties of spending so much of my time in the past is, not having to deal with current events (not that I'm unaware of them) On the contrary I know if I think too much about what is passing for civilization today, I may as well punch out on my time clock right now.

The first rule I'm breaking is dragging the Knapps into it. They got their own web site and certainly don't need to have me write anything more over here about them. Funny thing is, for me lately it's getting more and more difficult not to find some type of connection to them, as remote as it might seem. Besides they already are over here in this Spooner Glob section in a small supporting role in the "Grilled Cheese Incident" but that's another story.

Some print isn't it ? I think it was titled "Our Banners Heaven Born" or something of that nature and it was printed by Sarony, Major & Knapp Co. in November of 1861. A very noble thought and title I might add. But if you think this is going to be about "Flag Waving", as it is practiced in todays climate, remove the quotes and think again. It's no more about that, than it is in what gets paraded around these days as "Christian". Now the J. F. Knapp family of Williamsburg, Brooklyn E. D. were as patriotic a bunch as you can get and as Christian too. History and Blessed Assurance will support that. However if the matriarchs of the family were here today and saw what is being spun as definitions of those terms or worse what is being conducted and prosecuted as , I firmly believe Mr. Joseph Fairchild Knapp would go up on the roof of his three story Bedford Avenue residence, turn that banner upside down, then proceed to gather his friends General and President Ulyesses S. Grant and General Philip Sheridan and a mustering of good old Brooklyn boys, then proceed to straighten some folks out.

And so here I go spurred on I might add by circumstances I seem to have no control over. I was watching the news this weekend and saw that incident in Chile where the president and first lady were strolling in to dinner when he suddenly realized his body guard was being held up at the door. For a brief second it seemed like the president was vulnerable and could of a been a moment captured on film that would replace the one of Ruby moving in to shoot Oswald in our national conscious. As much as I loathe President Bush and his policies and the toadies that surround him (no not the Secret Service, they protect him), but the creeps, ( there's no need to name names, you all know who they are ) had some tragedy befell him , I would of felt as bad as I did that day 41 years ago today when a schoolmate asked me if I had heard the awful news. But as bad as I would of felt about that, I think I would of felt even worse about the depths to which this world is going fast.

But before I go completely off the cliff of despair, I think I'll just stop here and post this photo below. It was taken when I was a freshman at William Floyd High School back on Long Island in the fall of 1960. I wasn't there that day the photo was taken, but my history teacher Mr. Don Collins was and I can still recall him telling us about it with enough detail and passion that I felt I was there with him. We reminisced about it and so much more this past August at my 40th High School Reunion. I'm happy to say Mr. Collins still feels the same way. I just wish the guy in the pic could of reminisced with us.