Hell (Wallingford, CT) Is For Children
I
went for a walk tonight and got really bummed out by some things that I saw and
heard. I walked to downtown Wallingford, CT (not my favorite place on earth,
but where I’m living at present) and saw the sad scene of young folks stuck in
central Connecticut trying to imagine that they are living real lives in
run-of-the-mill bars, and boys chasing after girls in their tweens and threens—and
sadly imagining that they are yuppies and that this is something to be when all
they are, are simply John Lennon’s ‘Working Class Heroes,’ “still fucking
peasants as far as I can see.” Even sadder than that was the sound of a
horribly incapable cover band with an even more horrible sounding woman
vocalist ‘singing’ “Hell is for children” as if Pat Benatar’s rabble-rousing
gut-ripping American culture tear-down was a Christmas carol. Yup. Those folks
in downtown Wallyworld tonight (they’ve all turned back into pumpkins or
whatever, since CT closes at 2pm, even on weekends) are definitely ‘still
fucking peasants.’
The silly monuments to CERTAIN wars on the 'green' in
Wallyworld, CT
So
I meandered a bit further, and saw the town ‘green.’ All New England towns have
‘em, but Wallingford’s is a pathetic little postage stamp. Really the green is
just the front yard of one church and the pathetic 50’s style architecture
yellow brick city hall. That’s it. They have the nerve to actually call it a
parade ground. Any parade you tried to have on this ‘green’ would have to
include less than a dozen people and maybe one bicycle. Or 6 folks and 3
bicycles, or some combination therein, but you get my point. It’s small, in
other words. Pathetically small is what it is, as greens go. Wallingford is
pathetic, so the green is very much in keeping with what those of us who are
part of the club that’s here and doesn’t want to be not so fondly refer to as “Wallyworld.”
It sure as Hell ain’t no amusement ride this Wallingford place.
Anyway,
it’s around midnight and I’m walking past the ugly yellow City Hall and I
notice the ‘war memorials.’ Having been in New Hampshire for R & R last
week, and having seen some memorials up there, I decided to shoot this one. But
instead of a gun, like the heroes memorialized with these monuments, I decided
to use my cell phone camera instead. Smooth move since the Police Department is
within eyeshot of the statues. Also, since I’m a pacifist. It just wouldn’t do
to go shooting up the town war memorials with artillery, handguns or rifles and
still claim to be a pacifist. And since the cell phone camera was at my
disposal I figured it was fate.
If ya really lose big-time and come back from one of
the wars selected for monuments in Wallingford in a body bag,
then they just put an asterisk next to your name
along with all the others who came back still breathing.
They did somethin' different for the Korean War folks,
they listed the dead guys at the top of the monument
saying "All gave some, Some gave all."
Yah! Dontcha think???
I
took my first shot, seen here. There’s three memorials, really altogether. But
what really bummed me, was that the City of Wallingford just stopped erecting
monuments to war dead, it seems after our aggression in Korea in the 1950s.
There is a WW I monument. There’s a WW II monument. Then there’s that Korea
monument. And that’s it. All the dudes and dudettes who served, and survived or
not, are listed on the town green in front of that drab ugly yellow City Hall
since 1917. But if you served during conflict since then…. Well… you’re just
shit outa luck in Wallyworld. Nothing for those who served in the losing
ventures in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Not word one about both Iraq wars or
Afghanistan. Dead silence about those supposed heroes. Hmmmm.
That absurd Betsy Ross product,
the bloodlust glorifying "American Flag"
got itself all twisted up somehow.
Shhhh....
I don't even like the 'Star Spangled Banner"
or national anthems at all.
They suck and glorify
"bombs bursting in air"
and perpetuate the glorification of uniformed bloodlust!
Yuckipoo.
I
walked up to investigate closer. Each of the three monuments lists all who wore
the uniform of the US government military in each conflict, including some that
were added who apparently had been forgotten the first time around. On the WW I
and II monuments there are special asterisks next to those poor souls who came
back in body bags instead of troop carriers. On the Korean monument that’s
handled differently, the folks who came back feet first are given special mention
at the top of the huge list of folks from Wallyworld who took a tour of northeast
Asia on the taxpayers’ dime in the 1950s. No asterisks for them. I’m pretty
glad my name isn’t up on the green with an asterisk next to it. Just sayin’.
War Sux. Period.
No matter how many statues ya build
and how hard ya try to glorify it.
Ask the rape victims.
The burnt kids.
The tortured civilians.
The homeless suffering cats and dogs.
The dismembered.
The...
dead.
OMG!
:'(
I’m
pissed that this stupid town hasn’t erected a monument to the folks of the
Vietnam era. Admittedly, the first and second Iraq wars and Afghanistan are
recent, but if you’re gonna erect monuments to folks, HOW DAREYA EXCLUDE
CERTAIN OF THEM. THE FOLKS WHO SERVED DURING VIETNAM DESERVE A MEMORIAL, OR ALL
THE MEMORIALS JUST SHOULD BE TORN DOWN. We have a mayor here in town, a
Republicon who has been in way too long named DICKinson. Those Repubicon DICKS’ll
getcha every time! The Dems in town aren’t real Dems, they’re kowtowing to
DICKinson, and squabbling with each other so much, that they actually cross
endorsed this fool a coupla years ago and might just as well roll over and play
dead.
When
I took that closer look at these monuments I noticed a few things. The WW I
memorial depicts some soldiers, sailors and what-not. Those guys (and they are
all male) all look stiff-jawed and courageous marching off to battle. Two of
the 5 dudes in the monument have rifles, but 3 in the middle are carting
American flags. DUMB! If you’re in Europe in WW I and carting around American
flags like that, yer guaranteed to get an asterisk next to yer name, I promise
ya! The Milford, CT green is bigger and nicer and has a better statue of both a
Vietnam soldier and a Korean soldier on it. Both of them look real young and
REAL scared, like they probably really were. I know I woulda been. And if yer
REAL scared and not carting around that Betsy Ross product advertising where
you’re from and the fact that you’re out to occupy their country and kill their
countrymen, then you have a far better chance of avoiding your name winding up
on the town green with an asterisk next to it.
Each
of the three monuments had eagles on top of them. All three eagles looked
different but they all looked REAL aggressive. I’ve seen eagles on Connecticut
River Eagle watches. They look cool, but nothing like the monsters depicted in
these three eagle statues. They look awesome. And even though they’re called “American
Bald Eagles” I know of no single eagle nor do I believe the species has taken a
stand as a whole, either pro or anti-America. I think they’re pretty much
neutral, but I also think they want us to clean up our act so their habitat
sticks around awhile, and I also think they want us to pretty much make sure
eagle hunting and poaching can’t happen.
On
the street in front of the drab, ugly yellow city hall and the monuments was an
American flag looking pretty shabby. No wind, it was pretty much pooped out.
That’s America! The next flag was all twisted up, looking all messed up! That,
too, is America! Even my liberal friends get all pissed off when I tell them I
don’t like the American flag at all. I call it ‘that Betsy Ross product’ and
fly it upside down on Facebook, and that really pisses people off. I can’t
stand that the red stripes glorify blood and I believe nationalism is the worst
‘ism’ of all and that nationalism has caused more wars and death than Nazism,
Socialism, Fascism, Communism and Maoism combined. And I think American
nationalism is more deadly than any other form and has resulted in the most
absurd and costly killing machine in living history, the American Department of
Defense, which is the most powerful independent institution ever contrived. It
has more power than all the three supposed branches of government which try and
rule over it. We’ve lost control over American nationalism and need to regain that
control. We need to stop glorifying the bloodlust of organized gangs of thugs
called Armies, Navies, Air Forces, Marines, etc. We really SHOULD stop building
monuments to war dead and service people.
A parade?
A PARADE????!!!!
To comemmorate war DEAD???!!!
Are you NUTS??!!!
Insane!
That's the United States of America
Imagining that bullying the world is somehow
heroic.
It just makes for dead folks.
And
misery and suffering.
Peace Pleeeeeeze......
I
looked up at the ugly city hall and saw a sign of what folks are fighting for.
The right wing Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Rascals later this year in
Wallyworld, come join the Rascals and celebrate your rights? Huh?
Then
I looked up and saw that Wallyworld was having its annual parade this month for
Memorial Day. How sick is that? A day set aside to commemorate those
slaughtered via organized violence in war, should NOT be ‘celebrated’ with
parades, marching bands and what-not. Silence, reflection, candle-light vigils,
religious services would be far more appropriate. I’m going to have my own
personal boycott of Wallyworld’s Memorial Day parade. And how obscene is it that Memorial Day has
become a three day weekend and a reason for barbecues instead of that calm and
sedate reflection. I’m sorry Wallyworld, but you are a sick puppy.
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