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Heal Union Spring Finale: A Juneteenth Aesopic Spirit Visits Gus and Johnny

6/19/2015

The Heal Union spring finale, LIMA.

Gus and Johnny Mt Horeb Goddess

There's a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.

“Hey Gus!”
“Hey Reb!”

“You good?”
“Sure,” Gus hesitated, “though what’s Mt Horeb?”
“The name of the cemetery.”
“What does it mean?”
“Mt Horeb is Mt Sinai.”
“Two names -?”
“- For two sides of the same mountain.”
“Oh.”
“It’s God’s Mountain.”
“That’s the translation?”
“Right.”
“Moses got the commandments on Mt Sinai; what happened on the Mt Horeb side?”
“Elijah.”
“Prophet.”
“He went to God’s Mountain because he felt alone.”
“And?”
“He heard he wasn’t alone, that -”
“- I am with you.”
“Yeah – something like that,” paused Johnny; “This approach work?”
“Fair.”
“Whatcha’ see?”
“Twelve O’clock Goddess.”
“Me too.”
“What’s with the slab?”
“Shall we?”
“Let’s …”

Gus and Johnny Mt Horeb Slab

“An old monument.”
“One worth saving.”
“Read it Gus.”
“Sure. Major General Daniel Mor …”
“Morgan.”
“Thanks – Major General Daniel Morgan departed this life on July the 6th 1802 In the 67th year of his Age – He preceded us Johnny.”
“Thunderbolt of the Revolution.”
“Right – Patriotism and Valor were the …”
“Prominent.”
“… Prominent Features of his Character And - ”

Gus and Johnny Mt Horeb Spirit

“SONS.”
“General Morgan!”
“Drop the rank men: we’re all Sons here.”
“Yes sir,” said the Sons.
“What are you two doing?”
“Sir?”
“Lurking around the other day,” said the Thunderbolt, “goddess skirmishing today – what’s going on?”
“We’re here to see you,” Reb offered.
“For what?”
“Reb said you were someone I should – a Virginian Revolutionary.”
“A Yankee Doodle Dandy Rebel.”
“Yes,” said the Sons.
“That is understood, yet the question remains: what are Gus Yank and Johnny Reb going to do?”
“Do?” asked the Sons.
“A True American -”
“Sir?” interrupted the Sons.
“Listen, time is short: a True American is one who lives the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.”
Gus and Johnny were silent.
“You two need a sign, something Aesopic perhaps.”
“Okay,” said the Sons.
“Here then …”

Gus and Johnny's Mt Horeb Sign

“… What do you see Sons?”

“I see some things,” Gus answered.

“Me too,” Reb seconded.

“What do you see?” Thunderbolt furthered.

“Reb?”

“Two animal heads.”

“Me too,” Gus echoed.

“What kind of animals?” Thunderbolt asked.

“Gus?”

“Snake and Turkey.”

“Yeah, Snake and Turkey.”

“There’s your sign,” noted Thunderbolt.

“Where do we start?” asked the Sons.

“Winter – and start here …”

Gus and Johnny Berryville Spirit

“Berryville!?” blurted Gus, “what’s this place?”

“Small town a little bit from Winchester.”

“What was that?”

“Big Spirit,” spoke Johnny.

“Big Spirit gave us a sign.”

“It did.”

“A Juneteenth Aesopic Snake and Turkey sign,” summed Gus, “and Thunderbolt said winter.”

“Yes.”

“Guess we have some Virginia time Johnny …”

“Looks like it Gus …”

“Thanks for the spring time Reb!”
“Thanks for the spring time Yank!”

*The Union 2016 winter series begins 21 December 2015.

Ew Publishing has a couple of pamphlets and new science postings planned for the summer and fall.

Peace All.
Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

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Heal Union: Gus and Johnny’s Napoleonic Somewhere Sunrise

6/18/2015

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The Heal Union spring series continues with KILO.

Reb Yank Somewhere Sunrise

Are we not wise enough to give all we are?
Surely we're bright enough to outshine the stars

“Morning Gus!”
“Morning Johnny!”

“Welcome back to Somewhere.”
“Thank you ~ and where we Somewhere at?”
“The Dunkard Church plateau.”
“Oh,” Gus noted, “a fulcrum.”
“Correct.”
“Antietam Creek is toward the sunrise?”
“Yes,” Reb followed, “and Sharpsburg a bit to the south.”
“Antietam was in 1862.”
“It was.”
“Then why Napoleon today?”
“Two hundred years ago -”
“- On 18 June 1815?”
“- Yeah, on 18 June, Napoleon was defeated for the final time.”
"Final time?”
“Right. Napoleon, after two decades of war, tried one more time.”
“Persistent fellow.”
“Sure.”
“What happened?” Gus asked.
“Here or there?"

Reb Yank Somewhere Peace

“There.”
“Napoleon assaulted the British army while it was separated from its German ally.”
“And?”
“The French had the Brits on the ropes," Reb continued, "so much so that the British commander said something like ‘Only nightfall or the Germans can save us.’”
“Which did?”
“The Germans. They marched to Waterloo a day earlier than Napoleon had thought possible, assaulted the French flank and routed his army.”
“Oops Napoleon.”
“His Waterloo.”

Reb Yank Somewhere Sons

“What happened here Johnny?”
“Humans went nuts.”
“Yeah?”
“That’s what the crows call it: The Day the Humans Went Nuts.”
“Seventeen September, 1862.”
“Yes.”
“Apt.”
“Antietam had phases Gus: this was the objective of the Republic’s morning offensive.”
“Confederate’s held this at first light?”
“There was artillery here, a battalion of cannon.”
“And later?”
“The Republic gained the ground.”
“Things got crazy?”
“They say blood cleanses.”
“Christian.”
“Then this place has been cleansed.”
“I hear ya,” Gus offered; “there’s a marker by the cannon.”
“There is.”
“Can we see it?”
“Sure …”

Reb Yank Somewhere Peace Sons

“Sons.”
“True,” Reb echoed.
“Peace.”
“Peace.”
“That’s Dunkard Church.”
“Now and then.”
“A place of worship for German pacifists, right?”
“Yes,” Reb confirmed.
“God’s people.”
“Strange fulcrum Gus.”
“They usually are.”
"Time."
“Back to Virginia?”
“Mount Horeb.”
“Mount Horeb?”
“Mount Horeb Cemetery,” Reb clarified.
“Oh ... you mean, like ...”

“See ya tomorrow Gus!”
“See ya tomorrow Johnny!”

*Heal Union Finale: 150th Juneteenth and Aesop with Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

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Heal Union: Dwarf Stars and Supernovas Shadow Gus and Johnny

6/17/2015

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The Heal Union spring series continues with JULIETT.

Gus and Johnny Lil Man

And I awoke, faintly bouncing round the room ~ The echo of whomever spoke

“Here Yank!”
“Hey Reb!”

“Whatcha’ think?”
“This place rocks,” glanced Gus, “people from everywhere.”
“Emigrants and immigrants.”
“For sure.”
“Look there Yank.”
“Where?”
“There in the shadows.”
“I see the Lil Man.”
“There’s no little man.”
“Sure there is.”
“That’s not a little man Gus,” offered Reb, “let’s say it’s just light and you’re seeing things.”
“I see a Lil Man.”
“It’s a dwarf star then.”
“Death Star?”
“Dwarf.”
“Oh,” guessed Gus, “and what’s a Dwarf Star?”
“An unlit sun.”
“Meaning?”

Gus and Johnny Dwarf Star

“A dwarf star is like a sun,” Reb explained, “except it’s not lit.”
“How’s it get lit?”
“Two ways mostly: it can collapse on itself -”
“Heavy.”
“ – Right,” continued Johnny, “and the other way is by uniting with another star.”
“So lit means boom …”
“The lit creates a supernova.”
“Super what?”
“Nova – it’s Latin for new.”
“Oh,” Gus mused, “so it sounds like a new light.”
“Sure ~ the birth of a new star actually.”
“So that Lil Man -”
“- Dwarf stars aren’t male or female Gus.”
“Fine; so It can explode?”
“Yes.”
“What’s It doing here?”
“Like us I imagine.”
“Which is?”
“Visiting the monument in the shadows.”
“The one with the splotch of light?”
“Yeah.”
“Lots of monuments here Johnny.”
“Testimonies.”
“Sure – so what goes with this one?”
“A supernova.”
“A new star?”
“One still lit.”
“Oh,” Gus noted, “some kind of Virginian revolutionary.”
“Thunderbolt of the Revolution.”
“Did he know Thomas Knowlton?”
“Same army.”
“Bunker Hill 1775?”
“He was here, here in the colony of Virginia.”

Gus and Johnny Supernova

“And he heard about Bunker Hill?”
“He would have,” confirmed Reb and added, “let’s go show respect.”
“Toward the Death Star?”
“Dwarf star.”
“Right.”
“Yes.”
“Sensing caution here Reb.”
“Yeah?”
"You said It could explode."
"Possible."
“So yeah,” Gus thought, “since we gotta few more days, maybe we do this tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow is Somewhere.”
“Really?”
“Right, a Somewhere Sunrise.”
“Is it near?”
“As the crow flies, not so far.”
“How about the next day?”
“That’ll work,” Reb lighted, “and we’ll try a different approach.”
“Good idea.”
“Just wanna fade here?”
“Just a bit longer … trying to see what Lil Man is wearing.”
“Sheer.”

“See ya Somewhere Reb!
“See ya Somewhere Gus!

*Next Heal Union: Somewhere tomorrow and the 200th of Napoleon’s German Waterloo

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

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Heal Union: Grant Sides With Lee: Gus and Johnny Track Virginia

6/13/2015

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The Heal Union spring series continues with INDIA.

Gus and Johnny Tracks

“Nice tracks Reb!”
“Right on Gus!”

“Virginia’s pretty – from a hobo’s perspective.”
“This is old Virginia Gus.”
“Whatcha’ mean Reb?”
“Remember the Monster Bridge?”
“Yeah,” Gus recalled, “we said we’d cross the river, the Potomac.”
“We did.”
“Where’s it at?”
“Back the tracks.”
“Back down the tracks is Maryland and Antietam – Sharpsburg.”
“Correct.”
“So we crossed over,” summed Gus, “and we’re in Virginia.”
“Not anymore.”
“You said Virginia was on the other side Johnny – and we was going there.”
“I did.”
“Then what’s up?”
“I was talking like an 1862 Johnny Reb.”
“Compared to …”
“An 1865 Johnny Reb.”
“Okay.”
“Like the one who wrote to Grant.” clarified Reb.
“Lee’s letter to Grant,” Gus followed, “seeking clarification on the terms of his surrender.”
“ – And the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.”
“Right.”
“Lee sought Grant’s help – ”
“We’re not in Virginia?” Gus interrupted.
“Not yet.”
“Can we rally at the Potomac?”
“Sure thing …”

Gus and Johnny Potomac Rally

“There’s that confounded bridge.”
“A different one,” Reb noted, “and over there is Maryland and a place called Ferry Hill.”
“Fairy Hill.”
“Right.”
“And we’re in?”
“Shepherdstown.”
“Virginia.”
“No,” Reb added, “not anymore.”
“West Virginia then.”
“Correct.”
“I get it,” Gus pondered; “the Johnny seeing Virginia was true, just with the war, this land became the star known as West Virginia.”
“In 1863.”
“What is this place?”
“A monument.”
“To Fairies?”

James Rumsey's Steamboat

“To Firsts.”
“How so?”
“Down there by those ruins …”
“Those Fairy stepping stones?”
“No, bridge ruins,” Reb offered, “down there a dude first powered a boat by steam.”
“Here on the Potomac?”
“Yeah.”
“When and who?”
“1787 by James Rumsey.”
“So it’s a monument to a Virginian in West Virginia.”
“Right.”
“True American.”
“We should be going.”
“Back on track.”
“There’re lots of people waiting.”
“Lots?”
“Sure,” confided Reb, “a receiving party even.”
“A party,” Gus gathered, “that’s special.”
“Ready?”
“Am.”

Gus and Johnny Virginia Land

“Welcome Home Gus!”
“Welcome Home Johnny! ~ These Virginians, eh?”
“They are.”
“Lots of em’ too.”
“Correct.”
“So Grant stood up for Lee?”
“He did,” explained Johnny, “as lots of people were in favor of punishing the leaders of the rebellion.”
“Punish men like Lee.”
“Right, so Lee reached out to Grant and suggested the terms of surrender excluded trials.”
“Grant agreed with Lee?”
“He did,” continued Johnny, “and Grant fought for Lee against President Johnson.”
“Grant and Lee working together.”
“President Johnson wanted to punish Lee and the others; Grant was livid and said no way, that he didn’t fight for the surrender of Lee’s army to then see it all blown on a trial.”
“Grant got mad?”
“Yes.”
“So what’s next Johnny?”
“We have a week pass Gus.”
“Weak?”
“Seven days.”
“Oh … and we’re off ‘til the 17th?”
“That’s it.”
“So a ‘hurry up and wait’ moment.”
“Soldier’s time.”
“Right on Reb ~ I’ll do some visiting …”
“Right on Gus ~ me too.”

*Next Heal Union: 240th Bunker Hill and Thomas Knowlton on 17 June.

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

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Heal Union Spring Finale: A Juneteenth Aesopic Spirit Visits Gus and Johnny

Heal Union: Gus and Johnny’s Napoleonic Somewhere Sunrise

Heal Union: Dwarf Stars and Supernovas Shadow Gus and Johnny

Heal Union: Grant Sides With Lee: Gus and Johnny Track Virginia

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