Where Are All The Dead?
July 9th, 2008 by ACTivist
Have you ever wondered where all the dead are? I know that when the physical body dies that it can be burned, buried, mulched or feed (unintentional…..maybe not) for “others”. Now the spirit (for those that believe) lives on for eternal life or damnation. Maybe even a personal ghost or two while waiting for resurrection. Absolutely NO ONE comes back as a tree!
There are cemetaries everywhere and even Arlington National is having to expand its grounds. People are looking for alternatives-espescially the “greeners”. Because I am old and am still making my “peace” with the creator (which, in itself, is a lifelong chore for me) I don’t necessarily want to be reminded about my vulnerability and inevitable end. Mind you, I worked in a bone orchard for many years and it has no phasing on me whatsoever. However, what I want to know is this:
Are all those memorials along the road right-of-ways and in the medians really gravesites? If not, why are they there? I won’t get into statistics but I guarantee that at least 12 people die everyday in this counrty and I probably don’t know them. I don’t know most of the people in the cemetaries. If I did and I really wanted to talk to a piece of marble or a dirt spot, then that is where I would go to do it.
Death is inevitable (physical). Sometimes it is tragic-sometimes not. Regardless of how or where, if you want to memorialize someone then name a building or street or park after them. Create a schlorship fund in their rememberance. Whatever you feel you must do, do it in a way that does not get in my face or infringe on my quality of life because I don’t want to see YOUR memorial for Pop, Pepe or Pooch on the right-of-ways that I am taxed for up-keep! It kinda bugs me just like when your favorite TV show gets done with 5 minutes of commercials, then rejoins the show while you are subjected to MORE commercials on the bottom third of the screen (especially when you can’t read the subtitles because of the commercial). These memorials don’t belong there. Yes, as a taxpayer AND an activist, I don’t believe….I know they don’t belong there. Period. More signage eyesore in my book. Put the memorials where they belong-in your locker, on the mantle, on the dash of your car, on your livingroom or bedroom wall (or bathroom for you sicko’s), in your yard. Heck, you can stick them up your a** for all I care. Just keep the frigin things off the road right-of-ways!!!! Thanks.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 at 9:08 am and is filed under Community, Environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Well this is one of the weirdest posts we’ve had, which is saying something considering the hours I keep. Ok, I will kick it off by saying a) I am interested in creating a catalogue of those deaths which were NOT tragic - because that is quite a concept, seriously, and maybe should be a new category here - and b) I think roadside memorials are really not so bad for the most part because they indicate some untimely death which the survivors clearly grieved over to such a degree they felt it necessary to place an ad hoc monument.
What set you off, did you run across a giant stuffed panda blocking the right of way or something?
July 9th, 2008 at 9:37 am
I’d rather have the memorials to dead people than the damned campaign signs left as memorial sto a dead candidacy.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Tragic things happen everyday. Why do I need to SEE someone else’s grief? There are places as listed that can be used as memorial sites without contributing to the public eyesore. When traveling south, how many billboards for South of the Border can you stand before you have that nagging urge to stop and buy a chainsaw? The law says these memorials don’t belong there. I don’t want them there. And Jack has hit on one of my pet peeves as YOU well know. Memorials are just like signs to me. For those who know me there are 2 distinct mindsets-to hate signs and love the 30-06 Garand!
BTW I love Pandas. That doesn’t mean I love your Panda.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Where are all the dead?
Well, according to the WashPost, pg A13 today, many of the dead medical doctors are still being useful even if nobody knows where they are at (the “at” being added since this is Virginia).
“Medicare has paid as much as $92 million since 2000 to medical suppliers who billed the government for wheelchairs and other home equipment purportedly prescribed by physicians who, according to records, were dead at the time, congressional investigators said yesterday.”
“In more than half the cases studied, the doctor listed as having ordered the equipment had died more than five (5) years earlier.”
On the subject of memorials - I must say I have never understood the use of teddy bears. I mean - TEDDY BEARS!
July 9th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Joe,
I don’t think you could get a catalogue of tragic deaths because it seems every death is tragic. “Oh, her death was untimely and it was tragic for the little ones” or “it’s tragic that he died in that crash because he was drunk and killed 5 other people”. Whose to say that a dog which was run over with a car didn’t commit doggy suicide? Tragic yes, but only those that know the dog would really need to grieve. And the dog just wanted to get away from life (maybe the owners). What’s it all about, Alfie? Where does it end? If you were zimzo you would stop me from planting a cross in the right-of-way in rememberance of Christ. Otherwise we would have symbols of all religions. Once it gets a foothold it gets out of hand. Tragedy is a shame. You want a cause, fight for Darfur!
July 9th, 2008 at 10:07 am
The memorials are for the survivors of the dead, so I guess you have to ask, do the survivors really need to have the place of death marked to ease their pain? Perhaps they do.
We drove by a memorial on 495 S where a State Trooper lost his life in 2005 (I believe) and even though I think it is probably a traffic impediment (rubber necking on the beltway), I thought it was nice. There were no Teddy bears or Pandas on the memorial!
I don’t know what to say about ACT’s sign hating, but we all have our pet peeves.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:31 am
“The law says these memorials don’t belong there.”
I’m not so sure. Can you find that law for me?
As for the question, “Where are all the dead?”
They are well, and voting Democratic.
July 9th, 2008 at 11:09 am
As I mentioned, some of them are still active in the medical field; probably voting Republican.
July 9th, 2008 at 11:24 am
“Have you ever wondered where all the dead are? ”
Not really, I have a hard enough time keeping track of the living.
“Absolutely NO ONE comes back as a tree! ”
Don’t bet money on that. There must be a reason for all the liberals hugging trees, while saying “I love you tree”..
July 9th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Jack,
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+coh+33.1-206.1+403658
Signs, of course, carry pages of code. Pretty soon they will allow us to hunt sign planters. I just hope we can have blinds along secondary roads…with permits, of course!
July 9th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Dan,
“Don’t bet money on that. There must be a reason for all the liberals hugging trees, while saying “I love you tree”..”
EASYRIDER-Peter Fonda hugging a gravestone espousing love. Remember the scene? The reason for that as well as the possible “tree” connection could just be bad acid! (LSD to you none hippie/law enforcement types)
July 9th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Thank you, ACTivist, but the statute reads:
How do you know these memorials are not in accordance with the established criteria?
July 9th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
What I meant was I’d be interested in building a catalogue of NON-tragic deaths, ie, deaths that are roundly accepted as positive developments.
July 9th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
If you want to know what the sign has to look like, vdot (which is part of CTB) has in fact made the specification, and it is available here:
http://www.virginiadot.org/info/roadside_memorial_signs.asp
July 9th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Joe,
Hitler, Atilla the Hun, Stalin, and such?
July 9th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Have you ever wondered where all the dead are?”
No one mentioned soylent green..
Act, yes, I remember that scene with Captain America..
July 9th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
If you ask me, requiring one to BUY a sign from the state, rather than simply “establish[ing] regulations regarding size, distance from the roadway, and other safety concerns,” is a violation of the statue as it is written.
VDOT has overstepped its authority.
July 9th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
So since you hate roadside memorials to the dead why not take a sledgehammer to the Vietnam Memorial wall? Why it’s only feet from Constitution Avenue.
July 9th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Very asinine post tom.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Brian, yes that’s exactly the direction I was going …
July 9th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
ROFL! Tom.
“because it seems every death is tragic”
Not TRUE! There are some very good deaths. Hopefully mine will be too. This place/life ain’t mine, it’s on lease. Yours is too; you should be grateful for every minute you get and when you putz out you should say thanks, that was a blast!
July 9th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
The real question is where are we going to put all the now-living after the Second Coming.
I always wondered about that in Sunday School.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Dan, my comment was not half as asinine as your tree hugger comments.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
tom, don’t see where my comment shows any disrespect to deceased vets or their families, do you ?
July 9th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
tom,
OK. Your comment appears to show disrespect for veterans. Why do you lash out at dead veterans, when Dan takes a pot shot at live tree huggers? Are live tree huggers the left wing equivalent of dead veterans in your world?
I don’t understand your thinking here. Care to explain?
July 9th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Jack,
I learn many things from your comments and posts. I want to edify you on this.
“VDOT has overstepped its authority.”
What you are dealing with is the government and its enity. It has an abiguity clause. You may not see it but it is there. Only when the law or code is challenged does a legal reading and interpretation take place. And the interpretation ALWAYS belongs to the agency that made the rule. Been to court on too many rights-of-way issues; especially with the state. Ambiguous and interpretation=as THEY see it! Besides, even if what I say didn’t exist you are dealing with a government. They have NO BOUNDS!
July 9th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
tom,
“So since you hate roadside memorials to the dead why not take a sledgehammer to the Vietnam Memorial wall? Why it’s only feet from Constitution Avenue.”
Because it is a permitted memorial. Just like the named signs of dead law enforcement officers at all bridges in N.C. They belong there. Your remark is ignorant and unwarrented.
July 9th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
So you agree that VDOT overstepped its authority, but still want to require people to hold to that rule?
Anyway, the regulation may be interpreted by those who write the regulations, but in court, the law is interpreted by the judge and jury.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:32 am
There are some non-tragic no-brainers out there. Robert Mugabe’s death would not be considered “tragic,” right? Unless he fell out of a window and landed on a baby stroller.
July 10th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
The down side to shooting Robert Mugabe would be the bullet was worth more than Mugabe.
July 10th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Stone,
Nonsense!! Shooting Mugabe would be more than worth the bullet. When blasting vermin away one does not compare the cost of the bullet to the vermin, but the cost of the bullet to what you are protecting from said vermin.
July 10th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
tommy boy,
oh you hoo, you out there tom? or do you just spout off and run?
July 10th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
I’ll be glad to donate a bullet, just tell me where to mail it..
Speaking of Mugabe, I recently viewed the HBO film john Adams on DVD from Netflix. Recommend it if you haven’t seen it. But, to cut to the chase, seems that there are many countries in the world that could have used some of their own “old dead white guys”..
July 10th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Unlike ya’ll Tommy boy has a life, and doesn’t spend 6 hours a day on this site. I think you all must be autistic with how literally you take everything people write. I was not offering any disrespect towards Vets. I was showing my disrespect for the original post because I found it so disrespectful and ridiculous to people who have lost loved ones along the highway, as well as slightly disturbing that someone could be so angry about something that does not affect them and brings a small measure of peace to someone who is grieving. For a bunch of people who vote for a party that consistently guts or prevents environmental protections you all sure take roadside beauty seriously, which is odd since by far the biggest scar on the landscape is the road.
I thought the conservatives believed in using public land for private purposes at public cost (for instance the national forests and BLM lands being cash machines for timber and mineral interests). I guess since there’s no profit involved in these teddy bear crosses they’ve no right to be there. I say keep the crosses, and get the mining companies off the public lands.
And now I’m done spouting off so I’ll run back to life. I won’t be waiting for your kool aid related remarks.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Tom,
But why pick vets?
July 10th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
So, if I am hearing this right we should not take literally what you write, but we should take literally what you write ?
You believe we should leave public lands alone so they may go up in flames every year, taking peoples homes, and lives with them. You do not use roads, you walk everywhere. Timber is a renewable resource, is it not true that you guys are big on renewable resources ? You do not use any products containing minerals ? You use no coal generated electricity to power the computer you typed this on ?
Everyone here votes for the same party ? You must live in Maryland, as that’s the only place around here that I know where this rings true.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
ACT,
Please allow me to comment on your original comments on roadside memorials. I also believe that these have gotten way out of hand.
Number one, for a road side memorial to be seen, a driver needs to look at it. That’s not where the driver’s eyes should be, and creates a potentially dangerous scenario, possibly creating a requirement for yet another memorial.
Many tend to be somewhat ostentatious. Empathy and grief are most sincere when given voluntarily, instead being expected of them.
Many roadside memorials do not appear to be temporary in nature, appearing to be maintained over several years. At what point is enough, enough ?
Using the analog of the Vietnam Vets memorial, when I visit, I plan the trip, and spend the visit remembering those boyhood friends whose names can be found on the wall. Sorry, but I can’t get emotional about all the makeshift wooden crosses on the side of the road. This is why we have cemeteries.
July 11th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Tom: “…since by far the biggest scar on the landscape is the road”
Tom is a parlor philosopher, a boutique leftist, a property owner espousing marxism; in short, a bozo. Unless Tom actually flies to work each day in a helicopter, he is as dependent on the roads as the rest of us. In any case, though, we should appreciate the irony of the bourgeois railing against the bourgeois.
Hey Tom, if you own property and have not already given part of it to the needy - say, to illegal immigrants who need a place to live - you are not living up to your stated philosophy. There should be migrant workers in your basement. Prove me wrong, brother! Tell me about the illegals living in your house.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Like the Hatfields and the McCoys, I say.
July 11th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
PERFECT analogy. We need us a good old-fashioned feud.
July 12th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Jack,
“So you agree that VDOT overstepped its authority, but still want to require people to hold to that rule?”
Not at all. I’m saying that that they make the rules and when they do, they foresee most aspects of things. The ambiguity is for what they miss. I have never seen a rights-of-way case with judge AND JURY. The ones with the judge has a state rep who interprets the meaning for the judge when asked because the judge isn’t sure by the way it is worded. Funny, these lawyer types.
July 12th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Dan,
I thought by the way Joe stated it that I was the only deranged thinker on this subject. Welcome to my sanity. Oh, no, I wasn’t calling you a dirty name!
July 13th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
The rep can interpret the RULES, but not the LAW. That’s the judge’s job.