Relying On Mother, again

WHEN I WAS about four years old, and my sister six and a half or seven, she carved her initials into a fancy piece of expensive wooden furniture, and when mother confronted her, sis pointed at me and said "he did it". (good move, sis) Strange, said mother, because he can't read or write yet, and besides, why would he carve your initials and not his? (good thinking...go mom!)

forging relentlessly ahead, kind sis replied "you know how smart the little tyke is. he probably taught himself how to carve my initials!"..mom allowed as to how i was indeed a sharp toddler, but did not buy the story. You have to admire sis's tenacity, as well as the audacity.

over the years my sister and i have had a good relationship, improving with time, and distance - we've lived most of our adult lives hundreds of miles apart, though now we're close in distance and communication -  unlike many contentious american adult sibling relationships.

but now over fifty years later she's at it again. During a recent conversation with me, she asserted without hesitation that the jury is still out on global warming, marijuana causes cancer, and columbus thought the world was flat, or at least feared that it might be.

now, you and i both know she's wrong on all three counts, right? the only people who do not believe in global warming/climate change are paid by corporations,just ask any college biology professor anywhere, there is absolutely no evidence that marijuana causes lung cancer, no verified examples of medical cases, nothing.

and columbus, like every other half way intelligent person since ancient roman times, knew damned good and well that the world is round. all you have to do is watch a sailing ship disappear "below" the horizon. (if the world were flat, it wouldn't disappear, it would just keep getting smaller...and smaller...)

an ancient greek philosopher said "against stupidity, the gods themselves, contend in vain." he sure got that right. and yes, i won't argue with my sister about it, because i undersstand that you can lead a horse to water,but....

Had mother not intervened, I am quite sure i would have taken the rap for the vandalism thing. I was too young, and too dominated by my sister to fight back. But that was then, and this is now. this time, i aint gonna take it. Plus, i think i can get mom to back me up, again.