For SweetZombieJesus

[wtmusic]

Tell us a little bit about your dad (pic?)

If you're up to it.

[SweetZombieJesus]

1. My dad was a section man for Union Pacific

Basically, he did all the grunt work. If a rail broke at three a.m. in the dead of winter, they call people like my dad to come fix it. I've told people here this before he died, but of all my political heroes, my dad was number one. He only voted once in his life: For McGovern in 72. By the time he was raising us, he was still a Democrat, but Reagan's relentless, rampant, repulsive Republican regime had ground a lot of the spark out of him that I saw in his eyes whenever he'd talk about fighting with his dad over Nixon. He was laid off three different times under Reagan despite having seniority that should have kept him working. After the third time, he had to take a job in Idaho for six months just so we could all eat. I hated Reagan from the day I was old enough to recognize the motherfucker, because he hurt people like my dad and my family, all the while pretending to be some sort of hero to the populist working man. So I inherited my very keen bullshit detector from the old man, among other things.

The thing I remember most vividly, especially now, is watching George Carlin and Richard Pryor specials with him, and the long and winding political and historical conversations they'd inevitably spark between he and I. If not for my father's encouraging my curiosity and lust for knowledge, I wouldn't be the incredibly vain but well read young go getter I am right now. He never taught me anything so much as he taught me to teach myself, and I believe that's a skill that many people go their whole lives without attaining.

My dad took me to my first movie: The Return Of The Jedi. The Rancor monster scared the shit out of me, but the story opened the door for Dad to teach me what was the most overriding moral in my life: Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

And now I'm getting that all too familiar as of late feeling like I've been punched in the stomach, and I'm missing him like I imagine amputees miss their limbs, and I know he'd squeeze my shoulder and tell me not to be sad, because he always told me death wasn't something to fear or hate or dread, but just remind us of the joys of life more. I fear I'm not nearly as strong as the old man was, but I hope to God I'm wrong, because if I'm half as strong as he was, I'll be one hell of a father someday.

[Fenris]

2. Wow. That's a very impressive and touching story SZJ

Very moving. Your dad was a hell of a man.

[never cry wolf]

3. From the little time I have been on here

I think you'll make one hell of a father someday too!! For what it's worth.

(btw: First movie, return of the jedi?? Gawd ya make me feel old, man)

[TheReligiousLeft]

4. You are very lucky

to have such a wonderful father. I'm sorry he is gone, but I'm very glad you had him for the time you did.
The only good advice my father has ever given me was, "Never walk a picket line, and never play the scab." Which I try and live by.

[SweetZombieJesus]

6. I did get 23 years, which is more than a lot of people get

Two of my best friends have still never met their fathers, and my dad was like a father to them, and it hit both of them pretty hard.

My friend Chez told me this story the other day, which I had no idea about: Chez was a high school football player, but none of his family ever came to any of the games, because they were all scattered across the country or too old to go out in the cold Nebraska falls and winters to watch him play. I never knew it, and neither did my brother, who is Chez's best friend, but apparently my dad would go to the games sometimes and watch Chez play.

That was the kind of guy my dad was. Chez was sort of an asshole to us at times, and we'd get in a fight about every six months, but he's ok now, he was just having trouble not having his parents around. And even though he didn't like that our friends would be dicks sometimes, he still saw Chez as another son, and he felt the same way about my friend Toby, and Mike's friend Fredo, who actually lived with us for about a year when he was having emotional problems and fighting with his parents.

Fredo's dad called the day after my dad died, and he broke down in tears, which surprised the hell out of me, because Jesse Rodriguez was always your prototypical macho, show no emotions Mexican guy. He told me that my dad was a "righteous man", which is something I never would have thought, but it was fucking true. Jesse's in Wisconsin now, and he might get deployed to Iraq. I hope to God it doesn't happen, because Fredo's already lost my dad, he doesn't need to lose his real dad too.

My dad was a good man, and everyday I'm realizing he was good in ways I never knew about. I just hope I can measure up to him someday.

[Elidor]

5. Nice

Don't worry: as you get older you'll find you're every bit as strong as the old man, maybe moreso. We all stand on the shoulders of giants.

And death will have no dominion....

[Don_G]

7. My Grandfather Worked For L&N Railroad

He did the same thing your Dad did with one possible exception.

My Grandpa beat up a cheap, worthless, two-timing prick he used to work with one time back during the Depression.

Harlan Sanders just couldn't seem to pay my Aunts for the chickens they raised and had a habit of firing "his" employees whenever he had a fight with his wife or girlfriend Claudia.

Like I said, my Grandpa knew Harlan fairly well at L&N working with him but my Grandfather didn't have a "fowl" fondness and left my Aunts and Uncles with a wide variety of skills from PhD's to Construction.

[pansypoo53219]

11. be glad of what you got

my pater was not around(thank god as he is a DITTOHEAD), but I had uncles and 2 gradfathers who were a shitload better. I guess I had 5 dads. cool.

[ewagner]

8. SZJ

Perhaps belatedly, but please accept my condolences for your loss.

I envy your closeness with your father and your (obvious) deep respect for him.

You have something to always be proud of...

[SweetZombieJesus]

10. It's funny, but right now, the feeling of loss isn't as acute as it might

be if not for the good people of DU.

Honestly, would you see something like this on FreeRepublic? Fuck no, those bunch of cannibals would flame each other back to the Stone Age they pine for so if they showed the smallest glimpse of humanity. Their reptillian hindbrains are the only functioning part of their brain, so anything poignant or real or human is anathema to them.

I'm watching the Wild Bunch, and the scene where the two sleazy bounty hunters are fighting over the people they killed, and I can't help but see them as old west versions of our current Republican scumfucks.

These people are the same ones who idol worship a man who made my father's life miserable, and took him 500 miles away from us on my 10th birthday. And now the idiot son of his idiot VP is using the same god damn policies to make a new generation of little me's have to watch their dad struggle just so they can eat.

[wtmusic]

9. Thanks

My father-in-law worked on the Southern Pacific for 22 years. He did the night shift, grabbed an hour of sleep, then woke up, took his "pills" (speed) and was a roofer during the day so he could feed 9 kids.

It's easy to have regrets, my mom died in '93 and I never felt like I had said everything I wanted to say.