Glad Tidings and Peace on Earth Stephen, There has been a few letters guessing at who, what and where am I. I am neither animal, vegetable or mineral, don't live in or around Stromness have never been a councilor (and never will be). I am the long forgotten spirit of Scotland, and if I could take on flesh form I would have been found fighting side by side with Scotland's greatest hero "William Wallace", (the real "William Wallace" and not "Mel Gibson"). Wallace was also seen as one of the bad guys, not only by the English King, but by the Scottish noble men of the time. But there is no denying the fact that for a short period of Scotland's history he managed to unite men of courage to fight for the basic right of "FREEDOM" What would the great man make of todays Scotland?, well not much has really changed, the role of the Scottish noblemen has been taken over by Scottish Politicians, and like their forebear they are still in the pocket of the English King - Tony Blair! Wallace was one of a kind and his like will never be found again, he lived in a time where living and dying by the sword was for some an accepted way of life. In today's modern society we are told that the correct way to fight for what's right is through lobbying. Unless of course you are in a position of power, you can then start dropping so called smart bombs, invade far off lands, under the banner of freeing oppressed people, and then declare that you will manage their valuable resources on their behalf - bah humbug! Orkney was given as a dowry for marriage many centuries ago, little regard was given to the effect on local inhabitants's at the time. Decisions are made at high level, and to ensure that correct decisions are made we need more true natives in these high level positions, who cannot be bought for pieces of silver. Take care Grumpy -------Original Message------- From: ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com Date: 27 November 2003 02:34:34 To: ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [] Grumpy Hi there, Grumpy: I'm breaking a rule I made last week after the bantering about on the site of the "T" word. That was a ride of Titanic proportions. First time I ever got a red face from e-mail. You see, this week I decided to dump some of the mail off the in box, and read again a few of your comments in doing so. So here goes. I have to tell you that I admire your balance of common sense and power of observation and reporting ability on one side of the equation , and as an essential offset to keep you sane in this democratized shrinking world, a little cynical dark humour to exercise your capable brain where the world lets us all down. I gleaned from your musings that you once were a council member in Orkney. Is that correct? Assuming that the trip for you was a little frustrating, did you opt out? Ever think of giving it another go? When are your municipal elections, and how often? I too spent a time at this art form called government. When I bucked against the boring and popular with some of my ideas, they went over with my council like a pregnant poll vaulter. Seems all the bad guys were the best lobby people. Doing what was right, was usually unpopular. I became of the opinion that many meeting would have been more enjoyable with bar service. Poliiticians around here are either at sleep at meetings, or at war. So, Grumpy, why not toss the old hat in the ring, and colour up the political landscape on those unique little islands of ours? I'll help with the buttons and ads. Hey, at today's rates, I could work the phones from over here! Maybe someone in Australia would pitch in too. How could you beat that? Hey, when I'm over there I'd love to sit across a table from you in some quaint little stone dram well, and eat clams and exchange experiences and wash it all down with something wet and intoxicating. Good luck to you Grumpy. Hope there are lots more like you over there. Stephen To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the word 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com