Empathy

 The last Sunday in September is designated as Gold Star Mother's Day. Are you familiar with that? The symbol of a gold star for every family member lost in combat began in 1917! You display a flag with the appropriate number of stars on it to represent that. It was first officially declared by congress in 1936. It isn't a national holiday. Then it was called God Star Mother's Day. In 2011 Obama amended that declaration to include families as well as Mother's. I'm guessing the intent there is to "allow" anyone to display that flag not just Moms. Today we are urged to display a luminary. Beginning in 1936 luminaries were lighted on the last Sunday in September to honor and remember those lost in combat.

 I had heard about this when I was growing up, I saw the flags in some windows. Those flags were mostly from those that served in WW2 and were old and faded, in the window of "old" people's houses. I asked my mom about them, and she explained all that. She told me how our family hadn't lost anyone in the war, how lucky we had been. All of her brothers had gone off to war, my dad served, lots of Uncles and family friends. Some family friends had been lost but no one in the family. I never gave it another thought. I don't recall it ever being mentioned again for many years. Then, some years back when America was experiencing a surge in Patriotism, before that became a terrible thing, our town hall was handing out luminaries, requesting we all display one to remember our servicepeople. It wasn't to say you had lost anyone just a sign of remembrance, like Memorial Day but with Veterans Day added in. A sort of appropriation.

 Gold Star Mother's Day isn't anything official, although declared by Congress. It is often overlooked. I admit to letting it slide by this year without notice. I did see something about that on my memories page and was reminded. I remembered then getting that luminary and having it lighted for a few hours. I was also reminded once again of the velvet painting imploring you to Remember Pearl Harbor, that my wife's Uncle George placed in his front window each December 7th. It was a sentiment he certainly never forgot as he had served in that war. 

 Gold Star Mother's Day was originally to serve as a comfort to those Mother's that had lost their children to battle. A day for others to acknowledge that loss. Today we are all inclusive, the entire family is remembered. But it is my feeling the intent was a singular one, an outpouring of respect for the Mother's. Not such a popular idea in this "me too" world of today. It is the mom that is handed that folded flag when the final strains of taps is played. That is the case for thousands of mothers as their sons, and now daughters are laid to rest. There is no love like the love of a mother, and there is no loss greater than the loss of a child. Motherhood and Apple Pie the core of American values and sentiment. That is Gold Star Mother's Day in my estimation. That is the intent. Mother's don't need a reminder, that isn't the purpose at all. It is the rest of us that need that reminder! A display of empathy. 

I'm good with that

 Finding where you belong. That's the key to happiness, or so that's' what I've heard and read. I'm still trying to figure that out. I could just accept the explanation offered by my religious instruction, I'm exactly where God says I should be. The instruction there is simply to accept your circumstances. The issue with that philosophy however is that I was also given free will. So that means I can go wherever I want and do whatever I like, like I would know better than God where or what that is. That's also the reasoning behind just accepting what is and being happy with that. It's a real conundrum. I'm thinking the only person you have to convince is yourself. And therein lies the problem. You really can't fool yourself can you. I suspect that is what causes so many to have mental issues. They keep trying to do that.

 I'm where I chose to be, whether that was a conscious decision or not. I reacted to circumstance and chose what action to take in response. Certainly, I have been influenced, that is the purpose of religious instruction, education and experience. That is what we base those choices on. So, I have to say I'm where I'm supposed to be, where I belong. It is, after all, what I chose. Do I regret the choices I have made? To be honest about it, no. No, I do not regret the choices I made even though they may not have all worked out the way I had hoped or anticipated. I do think I could have done better though, thing is, you don't get a do-ever. I should have made those choices then, today does no good. Lots of people attempting to rewrite the past these days and that won't end well, but it's their choice. They will wind up where they are supposed to be. 

 The question being, where do I belong, still hasn't been answered. That answer would depend upon whether I'm where I belong for myself, or where I belong for others. I'm thinking they can be two different places. Can you be in two places at the same time? I think you can marry the two. Living life for others is considered the noble way! Those people are made into saints. They are the ones that step into that proverbial breach and pay the price of self-sacrifice. The problem there is when the others don't feel the same way about you. When they don't feel like they are where they want to be. That's when the marriage falls apart. Does that mean you weren't where you belonged? Is that God, or the other person telling you that?

 Well, I don't know the answers to all of that, but I think you don't really get a choice at all. I do believe in fate, preordained by a higher power. I don't think I can change that fate by any action I take. It's a good thing when you can convince yourself otherwise though, we all want to feel like we are in control at some level. The devout will tell you to give it God, just relax and trust God. It's a comfort, no doubt about that, the method of last resort for most of us. That's what we do when there is nothing else to be done. Is that where we belong?

 I don't think you get a choice about what happens to you in your life. I think the only choice you have is how you impact others. But even then, if I don't get a choice, I have no choice about that either. I'm just here doing what I am supposed to do. That means I'm where I belong at any particular moment in time. I am just a piece of the machinery designed to do a job, for a predetermined length of time, and then get discarded or recycled. I think recycled because you can't destroy energy only transform it from one form to another, so that makes sense to me. So, I don't believe it is about finding where you belong, I think it is being aware of where you are.  Yeah, I'm good with that.  

in second place

 It'll be on the ballot here in Maryland. The "legalization" of recreational marijuana. I put legal in italics because it can't be legal. I've brought this inconvenient truth up many times before; a state may not make any law that is in contradiction to federal law. All you need to do is read the supremacy clause of the Constitution to understand that; no law degree required. Still the legal beagles have somehow convinced many of just the opposite. As long as Marijuana remains on the Schedule One list of Controlled Dangerous Substances it is a federal crime to possess or use it. This "legalization" is really a misnomer, it is "ignoring" federal law and I consider it a breach of ethics. All law enforcement personnel take an oath to uphold the law, all the laws, not just the ones they feel they should. You can't make a law saying ignore the law! 

 But I 've written about all that numerous times. It'll be on the ballot, more than likely passed and recreational use and possession will be tolerated although still not legal. All the while the government, including state government insists I should be vaccinated, wear face masks, and stay socially distant to "protect" myself, to protect my health and for the safety of others, they are now going to allow the inhalation of a substance known to cause cancer. Yes, if you inhale that stuff into your lungs it causes damage. And yes, that's what is being "legalized" the smoking of that substance. So why would the government endorse that? It's simple really, money.

 That is my real issue with the whole deal. As I listened to the politicians on the television that support this bit of legislation, as I listened to their reasoning, it became crystal clear, it will provide a new tax revenue. They were citing how many millions other states have generated by the sale of this product. Of course, they were explaining how the revenue will benefit the children, the poor people, and keep the minorities out of jail! Well, because only the minorities get arrested for pot use anyway! In addition to that, when it is passed everyone that is in jail for breaking the law, when it was a law, will be released because now it isn't a law! That makes sense doesn't it? Just because you broke the law yesterday and the law gets changed a month later, doesn't mean you broke the law, it just means you were ahead of the curve, anticipating the changes, a leader, and progressive, why you were a trailblazer! You probably should be compensated. Perhaps a bit of the revenue generated could be used for that.

 The bottom line is simple enough to understand. Money before morality. Obeying the law is a moral choice. Many think that morals are simply religious beliefs but that isn't strictly true. Morals are what make us do the right thing. Obeying the law in society is the right thing to do. It is why we have a "justice" system in the first place. The justice system exists to provide civil penalties for immoral actions! Did you know that during the Civil war those drafted could simply pay someone else to take their place. It was perfectly legal. Was it a moral thing to do? It kept you from being prosecuted as a draft dodger. If you didn't pay or didn't go that's what happened. Morality was for sale. Now I don't think that was right any way you look at it. Still it was the law, a federal law. Each state didn't get to decide about that. My point is simply this; if the federal government wants to legalize pot, the federal government should legalize pot.

 The DEA and the FDA have the authority to place or remove items from that list. Why haven't they done so? That's the question to be asked here. I don't have an answer to that. I haven't heard anyone from either of those agencies hold any big discussion about that. All I hear from are those that want to use it for fun and those that want to tax it. In fact, anyone attempting to offer any reasonable explanation for why it should remain controlled is shouted down immediately! The cries of "it's no worse than" will echo out! But for me the argument should be, It's better than. Isn't that what we should be striving for, something better? Or is it, well it isn't any worse good enough? If there is money to be made, I guess no worse than is good enough. 

 The consumption of alcohol is often cited as the reason pot should be allowed. It's interesting if you read about the history of alcohol in the United States, even before we were the United States. Alcohol has always been the subject of taxes and tariffs. Yes, from the earliest days it was realized that people will pay for vice. To be fair early on many times alcohol was safer to drink than the water, so it was for "medicinal" purposes. But my point is simply people want to drink, for the effect it has on them, not so much for the taste. Contrary to what every advertiser will claim, taste isn't what sells the product. Yes, the more you can afford to spend the more likely you are to buy the "good" stuff that has a more pleasant taste, but you still want that "mood" changing effect. If you don't have much to spend a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20 will do the trick! People want to smoke pot for the same reason. So, the answer is tax it! Hey alcohol doesn't cause any problems, right? We just taxed it, placed tariffs on the importation of those "spirits" and all is well. Pot isn't any worse than that. Yup, just tax it and placed high tariffs on the importation of the product. Could set up a regulatory commission to label and define the various "strengths" of the product as well, in case you only want to be a little high or have it take you longer to get there. The good stuff would of course have to cost a lot more than that skunk weed. Still, both will get the job done, one is no worse than the other. Really, it's all about the money; morality and legality are secondary to that.     

the beat goes on

  Yesterday I made a posting about music. Tongue in cheek I stated that the problem with today's world is there is no good music. Part of that was inspired by hearing that someone named Riannah was going to be the half time show for the Superbowl. Now I have heard the name but not the music she sings, she is a singer right? I don't know much about any of that they all sound alike to me. These singers today I mean, lots of electronic help. But like 99% of the population, I quit listening to the "latest" thing somewhere along the line. For me, disco was the end of the line. I didn't listen to that at all, although it flooded the airwaves. 

 Well, I get it, it was what was selling, what was making a profit and that's all that really matters. Despite all the talk to the contrary, entertainers seek fame and fortune, that's how they measure success. Yes, I know, it's the art they love. You will hear that from the ones that can afford to say that anyway, that's how that works. I get it, I understand all of that, I'm no different. Start paying me millions, let me have adoring fans and I'll start telling you the same thing. I only do this because I love it, for the art and for the sake of humanity. 

 I like to believe I have varied tastes in music. I've always listened to whatever I liked regardless of current popularity. I admit I sometimes tried to hide that when I was a teenager, wouldn't want others to think I was a square! Still, I was never a big fan of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones and never bought a single album of either one. I wasn't spending money to try to fool anyone. No, I was buying Steppenwolf, Jr. Walker and all Stars, and George Jones songs. As I said, I liked what I liked and that's what I bought. Today I'm not buying a thing! Alan Jackson is about the end of the line for me. I almost bought a Zac Brown album once. 

 You know it's a funny thing about music, popular music that is. After a certain age you aren't supposed to like that. The "kids" will laugh and point at you saying, check out the old timer, who's he trying to fool, he doesn't get it! And the thing is, you do look foolish when you are older attempting to look younger. Popular music is for the younger crowd. It's always been like that too. It's just part of growing up. We will call it "our music" and the older generations aren't welcome to it. We know it's the best music ever made. Which is strange if you think about it. The "best" music, the pinnacle of expression musically is generally thought to be the baroque era. If anyone is composing that music today, I certainly haven't heard about it. I expect someone is. 

 The reality is the music we like is whatever music brings up emotion. Sometimes I want to be happy, sometimes I feel sad. There are music and songs for everything in between. Mostly though music, old songs, are vehicles to the past, even when they are brand new! That is what catches your attention. At a certain point however, your emotional spectrum has been reached. The music, the songs become alien to your ears. They are no longer pleasing. You don't want to try that! Yes, like Lima Beans I already know I don't want that. There is no explaining it! You can talk to you're blue in the face, attempt to bribe me, shame me, or call me names, but I'm not eating those Lima beans. It's the same with music.

 I was never one much for dancing, it was only something I did because girls like to dance. Even then what I was doing was hardly considered dancing, not sure what to call that. Luckily when I was a teenager we were busy doing on own thing so you could get away with that stuff. Dancing with actual steps and patterns were before and after that period, so I lucked out. Today I do a sort of two-step thing and it takes a good partner to follow me around. One of the reasons I married my wife, she is great at that, almost a mind reader! As I said, I do a sort of two step thing but it's really more of a where are we going next sort of thing. That being said though I have watched as others danced away in all sorts of styles. It's my thinking though that Disco killed dance. I don't hear about the kids doing any sort of "new" dance these days. At least not the way we used to hear about them. Seemed like for a while a new dance came along every few weeks. But then I'm not on Tic-Tok or Snapchat, Twitter or any of the cool sites. I haven't been out to a club in years. 

 Well, what goes around comes around as the saying goes. The old rockers look pretty silly today, Kiss is a great example of that. Keith Richards is the subject of memes. These rappers aren't going to be any different in their sixties and seventies. Hey, Snoop Dog is baking cakes with Martha Stewart! He's rich enough to do that and still be cool. Maybe some good music will return. You know music with a good beat, music you can dance to, and songs that tell a story. In the meantime, it's like that old song, the beat goes on. 

                                                                       

                           The lyrics ring true. 

It isn't that hard

 It isn't that hard. You get out of bed in the morning and do what needs to be done. Then you do that again the next day. That's pretty much what living is. How you feel about all of that is up to you. You can be resigned, assigned or benigned! Yeah, I know benigned isn't a thing, but it rhymed, and you know what I mean. Personally, I've pretty much resigned myself to all three of those conditions. I prefer to think of it as acceptance, it is what it is. The only thing I can change is my response.

 I do not see life as a struggle, some competition to be won. I'm not a survivor, I'm surviving. There will come a day when I don't! That is just a simple fact, happens to everyone. The vast majority of us will be forgotten about in a generation or two, lost to history. I don't like that, but I have to accept the truth of it. I'm no historical figure by any stretch of the imagination. So far fate hasn't led me in that direction. Well, it isn't something we get to choose is my thinking, it is something that just happens. Forest Gump knew that, it happens. 

 I do believe a lot of this comes from the setting of goals. We are constantly told we should set goals to measure our success. We should accomplish this or that. Others will tell you about that and others will tell you when you don't reach the goal. That's the key though, understanding that others are setting your goals for you. Don't allow that to happen and you will be much happier. It's not easy, I'm not saying it is, but it is the key to being happy. We all want acceptance; we all want praise and acknowledgement for our accomplishments. The quickest way to get that is to do what others want you to do. That may or may not be what you want to do. It may result in a temporary happiness, but it won't last. Others will expect more from you. It doesn't matter what it is. Maintaining popularity is a very difficult proposition. Even more so today. 

 Yes, bad things do happen to good people. The reason is debated by scholars and theologians and has been for centuries. For me the answer is simple enough, there are bad people in the world. The whole debate about why God would allow this to happen isn't that difficult to understand. Just about everything can be misused, it isn't the object, it is the person using it. If you are God and give the people free will, say you are free to do whatever you want, you can't say, except! Exceptions are not part of that. 

 It all goes back to one thing, doing what needs to be done. The only question there being, is it something for you, or for someone else? The someone else will always tell you it should be for them. Doing for others is what we are taught. Who teaches us that? Others. 

 It isn't that hard people, get out of bed and do what needs to be done. Everything else will follow that. I don't set goals. Goals are temporary things always moving. My focus is on doing what needs to be done. There is always something that needs doing. I will never get them all done! I'm resigned to that. I assign my tasks for the day in a rather arbitrary fashion, being retired it is pretty much do I feel like doing that, and yes, it is benign. The only ones thinking it isn't benign are others, the ones wanting me to do what they want. They get upset. My advice to them is simple enough, just do what needs doing. 

what you have

 It seems to me we have an awful lot of people that want to claim the past as their struggle, their life, and are making demands upon the present for that. I think the best we can hope for is to have learned from that past and not repeat it. I do not owe anyone anything for what happened before my birth, for what happened in previous centuries, or anything I was not directly involved with. My obligation rests solely with the way I treat others today and the policies I support.

 It is true that the past has led us to where we are today. That's just the way the world works you know. Everything that happened in the past, is past. You aren't going to change that; you aren't going to erase it. The only thing you can influence is the future! I'll say that again, the only thing you can influence is the future! Want tomorrow to be different? Change today. It's that simple really. Of course, it does require work on your part. You cannot achieve that by insisting others give you something for what happened yesterday. You can't change tomorrow by pointing to the past. You have to assume responsibility for today. 

 I've never been one to jump on the wagon. What I mean is to claim some identity for perceived favors. I'm just me, nothing else. I'm a veteran but that doesn't define me, I make no claim to fame based on that designation. It is simply what I did at one point in my life. I've been lots of things over the years. Everything from a garbage man to an industrial mechanic, if you want to go by titles. I was the same person in every role. In some roles I enjoyed more status than others and that remains true today. I certainly don't place any blame on the past for what was. I made the choices that led me to where I am today. No one to blame but me for that. If I was influenced, guided, or coerced into anything it was my fault as well. I allowed that; I made the choice. 

 The one thing I didn't have a choice about was the conditions of my birth. I didn't get to choose who my parents were, where we lived, how much money we had, or any of that. I was born into those circumstances. That's true for every one of us. If you are unhappy with those circumstances that's just too bad. You can't change that! There is no do-over. That is what was. I see no reason I should be held to account for that. 

  In this world it isn't what you deserve that matters, it is what you earned. That's the lesson that needs to be taught. Perhaps it was the circumstances of your birth that you feel you didn't deserve, thing is, it is what you were given. What you do with what you are given is your choice. No different than when you were a baby. If you didn't like what you were being fed, you spit it out. You didn't get a choice, but you did reject it. That doesn't mean that later on in life you can demand lobster for dinner! Works like that in the real world too. If someone is giving you something, they are expecting something in return. Yes, they are! Could be your continued good health is all they want, but they want that. What you feel you deserve is not the point, it is what you have that counts. 

 

How much

 How much does it cost to win an election? It's a question I ask all the time. You certainly hear about that often enough. Fundraisers and supporters. Both of those are integral to winning an election. Mostly however I believe elections are won on promises. Oh, you hear about the war chests and how much they contain. The opposition is always concerned with that. There has been talk about election reform, limiting the amount of funds, limiting what can be spent, who can give what to whom and when. That's because all of that determines how many people can hear the promises being made. People will vote for what they want, for what is promised. I'm always amazed at the politicians, however. Rarely do you hear them ask, what do you want. They are usually too busy telling you what they are going to do, and why that is a great thing for you! Barring that they are busy telling you that their opponent is out to prevent you from getting what you want. The promise is always the same. Vote for me and I will give you what you need! You may not know what you need but I do! That's why I'm not asking, I'm telling.

 In the political arena today, it is a battle of morality and ethics. It always has been on some level; it was what started the revolution after all. It was just wrong of the King to tax the people and restrict their ability to prosper. Why it was downright immoral! And so, for God and country we went to battle. Freedom being the battle cry we went forward and established our republic. A government of the people, by the people, for the people. That it was established on Christian values, Christian traditions and beliefs is indisputable. And what is being challenged today is the practice of those values, traditions and beliefs. That is what defines left and right.

 What are the major issues this election cycle? All are related to morality and ethics. The question is a simple one, can those be purchased with promises? The answer is upsetting because the answer is a profound, yes. What people will ultimately cast their ballot in favor of? What they want. And the simple truth is this, morality and ethics often stand in the way of what we want. The exercise of restraint, the adherence to the "rules" is always problematic. It's the reason for the Protestant reformation, the reason for litigation, appeals, exemptions and exceptions. Thou shalt not kill! Well except under certain conditions or circumstances that is. The irony of the whole deal is that morality and ethics will be used to justify the immoral and unethical! And that is the role of the politician. That is their promise.

 The money is used to get the message out there. That is what is said, and it works. I can recall when I was in high school the politicians would hand out all sorts of free stuff. Pot holders, calendars, buttons, stickers, pens, pencils, and all manner of things with the candidates' names emblazoned on them. We would go from the Democratic shop to the Republican shop and compare the goods. Must have been worth it to those candidates to spend that money in that way. I wonder how many votes were garnered as a result of that alone. Today I see a lot of signs in peoples' yards and along the highways. I haven't gone looking for headquarters though, I wonder do they still have all the handouts, the free stuff?  Advertising is an expensive thing and there are more platforms today than ever. 

 I've often thought that politicians should just ask the voters, what is it you want. But then I realize that they would be in a bit of a bind if they did. What do you say when two people in the crowd ask for the opposite thing? You are going to have to say no to someone. Yes, far easier to just tell you what I'm going to do and take my chances that you will agree. I don't want to tell you, no. I'll just make the same promise that your parents did; we'll see. But whatever decision I make it will be the best for you! Trust me. I'm just asking for your support. You can get whatever you want, you just have to pay the price for it. How much is that? At what price?               

it's a fact

  Is it fall or autumn? To me it is fall and will always be fall. Autumn, according to google is just the formal term for fall, like adding Mr. or Miss. I don't know but I suspect it depends upon where you were raised. I thought it was called fall because of the leaves falling, just seems logical. All the talk of an equinox never really sunk in. I don't think in astronomical terms much. I have watched many shows about the ancient people observing all that and devising methods to measure it. Stonehenge and other structures designed to reflect what was happening in the heavens. I wonder what they called the heavens before someone thought of the word heavens. In Genesis there are three different regions in heaven. But the idea that the heavens was somehow connected to the earth goes much further back than the Bible. It's easy to understand why. The weather is certainly a major force man has to deal with. I would have been constantly looking to the sky as well! 

 Whatever name you choose to call it fall has arrived. Time for apple picking, pumpkins, corn stalks, and all of that. The kids are back in school, and Halloween is already everywhere. My granddaughter Morgan was born on the first day of fall, her father was born on the first day of winter. With the arrival of fall we start to change our wardrobes, sweaters, sweats, jackets and hats are in order now. The quilt goes on the bed. Fall is also filled with thoughts of the holidays. The year begins to rush toward its' end. In years past raking leaves into piles and burning them was a common occurrence in the fall, today it seems more nostalgic than anything else. I can see people paying for a chance to stand around a pile of burning leaves, sipping warm cider. Of course, they would be wearing masks, have the fire department standing by and emergency services on standby! A safety briefing would he held prior to the burn. 

  When I was growing up on Long Island the months with an "r" in them were anticipated. It was in those months you could get oysters and scallops. You shouldn't eat Oysters that are harvested in any other months. September through April are the only ones. I was told you could die if you did! I don't recall ever hearing the reasoning behind that, it was just a known fact. There were a lot of "facts" when I was young that are called into question today. In my youth it only took one glance to know if you were a boy or girl, for a fact. Well, times change along with the seasons. Climate change is a big topic of discussion these days. Fact is that the climate has been in constant change since the very beginning. Now it's Fall, in eighty-nine days it will be winter. That will be on a Wednesday. That's just ten days before the end of the year. The climate will change, we'll all complain about it till the spring. And that's a fact that won't change.  

Messaging

 The fed raised the interest rate again. The media would have us believe it is because the economy is doing so great. Inflation is slowing down but still the highest it has been in forty years but that is good news. Yes, increasing the interest rate is a sure sign of prosperity. Of course, it will make borrowing any money more difficult and expensive. Mortgages and automobiles especially are affected. Hey housing isn't an issue, and those automobiles are just polluting anyway. Tax relief is being offered if you purchase the "correct" vehicles but I'm certain that has nothing to do with the "benchmark" interest rate set by the feds. And there are many special programs for home ownership if you "qualify" in the correct demographic group. It's really advantageous to be a minority veteran or illegal alien. Well and if you are in the "correct" grouping you will be provided housing anyway, at no cost to you. Well, if you vote the right way that is. 

  The thinking is, make it harder to borrow money and people will borrow less. If they borrow less, they will spend less. If they are spending less, they will have fewer goods and services. When they can no longer afford to purchase those things where will the people turn? To the government is the short answer. That's because the government has all the money. Except that money is your money and the government is now making it more difficult for you to borrow your own money! Control the cash, control the people. 

  I'm no economist, no expert on any of this stuff. High finance isn't my thing, I'm just the average guy when it comes to any of that. But I know a few things. First off, people or institutions don't lend you money when they don't have money to lend. When the government is in debt to the tune of thirty trillion dollars, it is time to tighten the purse strings. Maybe it has something to do with all the stimulating of the economy that was done. Maybe it has something to do with the billions being sent, sometimes in cash on pallets, to foreign nations. Maybe it has something to do with funding hundreds of thousands of illegals in the country! As I said, I wouldn't know about any of that. 

  I am aware of creative accounting. I've seen many examples of that. Most of the very wealthy people have little in actual cash, it's all in assets. It's all in what it could be worth. Appraisers and depreciation combined with "real property" and your credit rating determines all of that. Thing is, something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it, not what you think it is worth. I'm the holder of priceless artifacts. You might disagree with me and say, that's nothing but old junk. Then we hire a professional to assign a value to the object. 

  But how do assign a value to the dollar? How much is a dollar really worth? Depends upon how easily you can borrow it is my thinking. It's like everything else. If I have a lot of them, I don't mind lending you some, when I don't have quite as many, well maybe I don't want to lend you some. That depends upon how much return I can anticipate. If I figure you either won't or can't pay me back, I'm not lending you a dime. 

  So, what is the message from the feds when they raise that rate? It isn't that you will be prosperous! The fed is figuring you will have a hard time paying them back that's why the increase. It's not a good thing no matter how they spin it. It really does come down to a simple adage; a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. It's always best to read the message for yourself. Listening to others you often hear only what they wish you to know or believe. The message here reads, hard times ahead and don't expect any help. We are running low on that! Your dollar isn't worth what it was yesterday, it's going to take a few more.               

for what purpose

 Listening to the news this morning about construction taking a downturn. The expert explaining that typically the mortgage rate isn't set until after the house is built. In todays' market that can be an issue. If you applied for a mortgage at a certain rate figuring that is just what you can afford but the rate rises, you may not be able to afford that any longer. That is the reason many are canceling their builds. The expert says 7% more people are doing just that this year than last. He goes on to say, we have a housing shortage in America. It is that statement that led me to think, where are all these migrants going to live? Earlier on the broadcast it was reported over 200,000 migrants had crossed the southern border in the last month alone! A housing shortage sure seems likely to me. Probably the very reason we are seeing communities of tents, shacks, and whatever springing up across the land. We are becoming a third world country, at least in appearance.

 I live in a town with a population hovering around 2000. A hundred times that number crossed the southern border in a single month, a staggering statistic if you think about that. A housing problem? I certainly would think so. Even here in tiny little Greensboro we have homes filled to the brim with those not born in this country. I'm not so concerned with their immigration status as with the conditions they are creating. It isn't safe, sanitary or legal! I rent an apartment and am subject to inspections, for compliance to codes and regulations, while others live in "secret" under the radar in questionable conditions. 

 It is a valid question. Where are all those people going to live? Apparently, there are areas in the country where they won't be allowed, as evidenced by recent events. Affordable housing is touted as the answer. But what is affordable housing? It's a name for housing provided to those unable to provide for themselves. Typically, it is the "low income" folks. Affordable housing has taken on many faces over the years, but the end result is always the same. Let's just say it doesn't lead to quaint little communities, neighborhoods with white picket fences, well maintained properties and low crime. No, that isn't what happens. It's important to note those providing that "affordable" housing are the ones making a profit from it! It is always provided when it becomes necessary to maintain the work force. Plantations, ghetto's, apartment complexes or whatever name you wish to apply are created for that purpose, always.

 You do have to ask, for what purpose are we allowing these thousands of migrants to invade our land? Make no mistake about that, it is an invasion. The question to ask is, who will profit? It isn't some national compassion for humanity that is allowing and enabling this. There is an end game in all of this. That end is dependence and control. The surest method of control is dependence. If you overwhelm the system, overwhelm the resources available, you can begin that control. Hey, the government already has a good portion of the population wearing masks, standing in lines to receive vaccines and believing the world is coming to an end unless we buy electric vehicles. Again, ask yourself, for what purpose? 

For you

 Just wound my mantle clock and somehow find that a satisfying experience. It's something I do once a week. I check the time against my digital clock on the computer. It's an amazing thing that that clock stays as close as it does. That clock, as near as I can tell, is close to one hundred years old. A mechanical device relying upon the controled release of spring tension to keep that pendulum in motion. The pendulum itself has two tubes filled with mercury to provide the correct amount of weight. Quite the feat of engineering I'd say, already hundreds of years old by the time it was manufactured. Google says the first pendulum clock was made in 1656. 

 When winding that clock, I always think about the old days, what it must have been like. If you allowed your clock to wind down, you would lose the correct time. Before mechanical clocks a sundial, or perhaps a water clock were the only methods to keep track of hours and minutes. But I suppose back then just knowing the day was enough in most instances. Things surely moved at a much slower pace. Beyond that the time was told by the seasons. The old people were very much aware of the night sky, the position of the stars, and the movements of planets. They could determine the season from such, quite easily. I'm certain it took a little longer, but they did learn to read that clock. That, and they read all the other signs, what flowers or plants were growing, or in bloom, how the animals behaved, and obviously the temperature. 

 I think people felt more a sense of accomplishment back in those days. What I mean is, keeping everything in order and on time. You did have certain necessary chores to accomplish each day in order to survive. You couldn't simply take a day off and do nothing at all. You still had animals to feed, wood to chop, or any number of daily chores that simply couldn't be dismissed. But in doing so you had to feel a bit of satisfaction, a bit of accomplishment. In today's world many of us simply, go to work, do whatever our assigned task is and return home. Our reward for doing so is a paycheck, or more likely today, a direct deposit. A sense of accomplishment? Well not so much I'm thinking. What was accomplished is generally enjoyed by the one that hired you, a stark difference from doing it for yourself. I don't know but getting that check and saying, I just balanced the hell out of those books just doesn't sound very rewarding to me, nothing like bringing in a crop for instance. That's what I'm thinking about. That was independence! It seems to me we have gravitated toward dependence. 

 "Chose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life" It's an old saying attributed to Confucius among others. I'm thinking the job we all love to do the most will benefit ourselves. It may involve helping others to achieve that benefit but ultimately, we are doing it for ourselves. It is what makes us feel accomplished. I made that! Very few statements give us the same sense of pride, of accomplishment. Remember when then President Obama said, "you didn't build that" and the reaction to that statement? Yes, many of us were offended, upset by that and justly so. What was being said? Somebody else gets the credit! And it is that feeling that so many people feel every day in this modern world. Today success is generally measured in dollars and cents and popularity. It isn't in what you built, what you accomplished, it relies upon something else. Defining exactly what that is however is the challenge. Achieving independence is never easy, maintaining that independence is even a greater challenge. Today I wound my clock. I accomplished something, just for me. You may have seen this speech from an Admiral, it has been around a while. It is worth listening to. It's sorta what I'm talking about. 

                                                            

        

Memories shared

  I was given a collection of 35mm slides that belonged to my wife's Uncle George. I purchased a little machine that converted them too digital. With the help of my wife the people on those slides were identified as best as we could. A very few were labeled as to the person or date taken. There were also pictures of places, some recognizable, others not. There were clues to all that in the background of the pictures. You can see the automobiles and take a guess on the decade. The manner of dress and other visual clues is there. Christmas pictures are always obvious with the decorations. So, I decided to assemble those photographs into a slide show. My thought was to share them with other family members. You see Uncle George had been a lifelong bachelor, no children for him. Those surviving him were generally nieces and nephews, and precious few of them are still with us today that remember Uncle George. 

  It was a sobering experience I'll say that for it. When you stop to think about it all, it can be depressing. You realize just how transient your own life is. What I was looking at were his memories. Each slide, each photograph a single moment in time, his time. Those in the photograph may or may not remember that time depending upon the age when they were taken. Particularly poignant are the Christmas photographs, the smiling faces of the children with their gifts, the tree covered in tinsel, and the decorations. All those little faces are grown today, "old" people. People like me. Other pictures were vacations, picnics, and various outings. All without context except what my imagination assigned to them. No one left to ask, no one left to answer those questions.

  I did complete that process, making a slide show and adding my comments to that. The sobering part came after that. How many would know Uncle George and what these slides represent? What I mean is, who would want to look at the slides of a stranger, even if that stranger is a distant relative? That is what I'm thinking about. There is nothing historical about those pictures, Uncle George enjoyed no fame. He was like the majority of us in this world, living his life, enjoying what pleasures it offered and anxious to share those moments with others. He did enjoy taking pictures, later making video recordings, and sharing them with whoever came to visit him. In the final years of his life, he gradually lost his vision to macular degeneration. Things became dimmer and dimmer until finally the difference between the brightest light and darkness was barely distinguishable. He lost his ability to look at his memories and the slides sat idle. The videos had sound, of course, and he could listen to them. Perhaps that served as some comfort. 

 All in all, the whole experience was different than what I thought it would be. I'm not sure what I thought it would be, but I didn't think it would affect me in the way it has. Maybe I'm just getting old and sentimental. At the conclusion of that slide show I say, Uncle George your memories are safe. That's the way I'm going to leave that. 

  I summed up the whole process with this thought, "So many places, so many memories captured in time. Snap shots of the past shared to the future, just old photographs" It is what the photographs represent that is important. Now you can't remember what you never knew, that is true, but you can imagine what that memory may have been. They really are memories shared.    

Belief and speech

 Free speech. I listened to quite a long discussion on that topic the other day. Experts were discussing what should be taught in schools, what should be allowed on social media, and what parents should or shouldn't say. The primary focus was on what conservatives do not want taught in schools regarding sex, gender identity, and morality. There was some discussion about what the liberals want, but that was mostly dismissed. There was heated debate about what the first amendment actually means. As usual the liberal folks attempting to say it means anyone can say anything, at any time, to anyone. Much the same way liberals explain the second amendment allows the government to infringe upon your right to arms, even though it explicitly says the exact opposite.

 What wasn't discussed is when choice of vocabulary is age or socially appropriate. I was waiting for that discussion, but it never happened. There was discussion about not teaching critical race theory in schools, especially elementary schools, and how that was limiting free speech. That it was just racist not to do so. That "progressive" argument was also used for promoting the discussing of sexual matters, gender identity and the LBGTQ+ people. 

 My question being, is that age appropriate? At what age do we need to instruct children in such behaviors? Is introducing those behaviors to children, in essence teaching those behaviors in prepubescence, reflected in the rise of such behaviors? Beyond that though, by allowing unrestricted free speech in language, are we abandoning moral values? I am thinking about the free use of profane words and gestures as an everyday thing, an acceptable form of expression. Listen to the language on television today and compare it to forty years ago. This is what our children are hearing, this is what our children will repeat, this is what our children will deem normal and acceptable. Gone are the days when off-color jokes and profane language were used with a hint of nervousness, a sense of impropriety. There is no moral restriction, all the while providing criminal penalties for what is deemed hate speech. A difficult concept for me to reconcile. I can say whatever I want, to whomever I want, whenever I want, but it shouldn't be hateful? Or it shouldn't go against community standards on Facebook. I recall the time before social media platforms defined what was acceptable and what was not. I remember when society in general determined such things. When the moral compass was the deciding factor. 

 My concern is not that speech is being restricted, I don't believe that it is. My concern is that people are misinterpreting what free speech is. It isn't saying whatever you want to say, any way you want to say it. Prudence in the choice of words and delivering those words in the proper social context is what is important. That is what is intended by freedom of speech. Any fool can curse! Introducing ideas, concepts or ideologies to children incapable of understanding such cannot be a good thing. 

 For me, all of that is a sign of societal decay. People generally deport themselves as they were taught as children. What are the children being taught today? That there are no rules? Just say and do whatever you like. Your actions, your choices aren't upsetting to others, it's the others that are upsetting you! It's the others that need to change, to accept your choices unconditionally. Instead of unity there is division. The others are divisive however, not you. If you simply allow others to do or say whatever they please how can that be divisive? It's those that insist upon order and discipline that are causing the problems. To be truly free you should be free of any obligations, any restraint, any societal pressure or influence. Timothy Leary, the 1960's guru of LSD famously encouraged his followers to Tune In, Turn On, and Drop Out. It's the same message today, just repackaged as "progressive." Well, it doesn't take a PhD to figure this out. When you remove all restraint, anything goes. And the result is usually, it goes south! Without anything holding things up, holding them together, they fall apart, they collapse. 

 Mutual belief is the glue in any society. The extent of that society is dependent upon the numbers of believers. It can be what we call a cult, a small group of individuals usually considered to be a bad thing, to Christians, Jews and Muslims. Their beliefs hold them together. All belief systems instruct the believer in the proper way to act within the society, or nation for that matter. The real problems begin when those within the group begin to modify those beliefs. That's what sects and denominations are all about. The basic belief is the same, IE: one god, but the directions received may vary greatly. When those beliefs begin to clash with the others, even those with the same belief, things go bad. The removal of belief altogether is the final stage. Then it's, every man for himself. One nation, without God (belief), has neither liberty, nor justice for all!  

In theory

  Heard on the news they may have developed a one-shot vaccine for Covid, in all its variations, along with monkeypox. Further testing is required but it is promising. Well, I hear that as a promise, along with lower gas prices and shrinking inflation prior to the mid-term elections. Call me a skeptic if you will, or a conspiracy theorist, but the common flu has been around for decades and there is no universal shot for that. No, I've read where every year the scientists, the experts, take their best guess on what formulation to use. In their best years they are right 50% of the time. In others the efficacy is much less. Yet, in just a little over two years they are now saying they got this covid stuff licked! 

 The story went on to say these same experts are expecting a more severe flu season this year. They cite the fact that for the past two years we have had social distancing, mask wearing, closed schools and increased awareness. Those things have prevented the flu from spreading. That isn't the case this year though as everything is opening up. I just question that whole premise. I wonder if it couldn't have been because almost every case of the flu was diagnosed as covid, or some mutation of covid. Now I've read and heard the experts explain how the flu is different from covid. Thing is both are caused by a virus. When I hear the experts telling me they are different viruses however, I hear that as a mutation. A Dodge Viper is quite a bit different than a Volkswagen beetle, but they are both cars, just different mutations. It sounds like a bit of double talk to me.

 I also listened to another story where they are studying those that have never gotten covid. They were even asking for volunteers to study in an attempt to discover why that is. They even had a name for those folks, super dodgers! I had to smile because I'm one of those super dodgers and so is my wife. Neither one of us have ever received a covid vaccine or booster shot. It has been over two years and we have dodged that. In my thinking I haven't dodged a thing, it just hasn't found me. Could it be because I wasn't trying to hide? There was some talk of a specific genetic mutation that may be the reason. Maybe it is simply natural immunity. 

 I don't have any idea about that. I don't doubt that covid exists and that it is very bad. I also have no doubt that I may be infected with that someday, it could happen. But I wasn't willing to have some experimental vaccine injected into my body. In my estimation it surely hasn't done much good, and each booster shot reenforces that feeling. Today they are trying to comfort me with the promise of one-shot immunity. Call me skeptical if you will, I'm not buying that either.

 I'm being told I need to help save the planet! Climate change is going to destroy all of humanity. Yeah, well that happened before, I suspect several times as the climate on this planet changed. Call it foolish religious belief or scientific fact it makes little difference. I recall when using paper bags was the big issue, we were encouraged to use plastic bags in their place. Then plastic bags were very bad, using cloth bags was the only way. Today I need to buy an electric car. It's the only way to save the planet. Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are the answer. All we need to do is build batteries to store that power up when the sun isn't shining, or the wind isn't blowing. Surely extracting 500 tons of earth to get 5 tons of lithium isn't harmful to the planet. And that's not to mention all the other minerals required in the production of those batteries. Of course, the batteries only last so long and require replacement every fifteen or twenty years. The continued mining to obtain that ore surely won't have a lasting effect on the climate in any way. But I'm told one day those batteries will simply last forever, a one-shot purchase and we will produce all the energy we need without having to use a single drop of fossil fuels! Then, after just a few centuries the planet is saved! If not, we're all moving to Mars. Well, just call me skeptical. One theory says we came from Mars in the first place having destroyed it. Seems odd that we would be planning on going back.             

that counts

 Today my mother would have been ninety-three. Another reminder. I had written about those reminders just yesterday. This morning I'm remembering Mom. When I was a kid at home, I don't remember Mom ever having a birthday. Oh, I'm certain we kids made her cards and stuff. It's just that birthdays, adult birthdays, weren't really celebrated at my house. I don't recall Dad celebrating his birthday. As I am prone to say, it's just another day. It must be a part of my raising because even to this day I'm uncomfortable celebrating my birthday. I have mixed feelings about those making a big deal out their birthdays, and in recent years calling it their birthday week! It just wasn't something I grew up with. Birthdays as a kid were generally Mom made a cake, we had ice cream, and you got a gift. The family would sing Happy Birthday, that was the most unusual part of the whole deal, we weren't a family that sang together. It was like saying grace at Thanksgiving, that was the only time that happened at my house.

 Now Mom did expect a card for her birthday and Christmas. That was the minimum requirement. If you failed to send one you would hear about it, not from her though, from one of your siblings. Mostly I would hear that from my sister who would tease me about that. "You're on the list." That was all that needed to be said for me to understand I was in trouble for something. I had committed some faux pas. My mother did adhere to a strict set of social rules. Yes, she had expectations. It wasn't a good thing to disappoint her. Gifts were not expected or desired, a card was. As Mom was always quick to point out, it's the thought that counts. The thought accompanied by a card or letter is what she really meant. 

 Well, you can't mail a card to heaven. You can send flowers to the gravesite with an attached note, but I haven't done that. Mom is buried in Florida, and I have yet to travel there, perhaps I will make it one day. Dad is buried in New York, at home between his parents, his birthday is in a few days. Dad never expected anything for his birthday although he did enjoy the attention when it was given to him, although he wouldn't admit to that. I don't recall sending him cards for his birthday, just a phone call to acknowledge the day and that didn't always happen. Like most guys I'm not very good at remembering these things. Birthdays, anniversaries, things like that are generally what the ladies remember. I remember every car I ever owned, the size of the engine, the color, the transmission and what I repaired on them. 

 So today Mom will have to be content with the thought. I am thinking about her and that's all that counts. That's what I'll be telling myself all day. A part of me says I should have purchased a card. I just don't know what I would do with it afterward. No one to mail it to, I don't have that address. Wouldn't be right to just throw it in the trash. No, it is the thought that counts. It's one of those things though. You know what the mature thing is, the sensible thing but it doesn't seem right. Seems like there should be more than a memory, more than a thought. Something I'll have to think about, I guess.      

Reminders

 Every once in a while, a reminder appears. This morning on my "memories" page I was reminded of the passing of my sister in law, Joan Marie. That made me think of all the others I have said goodbye to over the years. No one told me that getting old was all about saying goodbye. It certainly seems that way at times. In my immediate family only one brother remains, only one that could give first person testimony to my youth. It was something my mother used to talk about when she was the last of her family. She tried to tell me how that felt, and I didn't understand. Now I'm hoping I never do. It feels pretty scary with only two. 

 The thing is though is, those reminders aren't a sadness, that's not the feeling, it's more of a warm sentiment. It's like a certain scent, a favorite blanket or a particular comfort food, memories flood your thoughts. Yes, there is sorrow associated with that, but not a sadness. Those memories are like a warm embrace. It's a comfort. Perhaps that is why I find myself surrounding myself with those reminders. The pictures on the walls, little trinkets set about, small reminders of yesterday. And despite all that unexpected reminders will appear. It is the unexpected reminders that create the largest impact. It was five years ago we said goodbye to Joan Marie. On one hand it seems like yesterday, and on the other a lifetime ago. My final memory of her was picking a tomato off her vine, eating that while laughing with her. She waved goodbye on her porch, smiling, laughing, and full of life. It was only a few hours later that she would pass. A life well lived. 

 I think what we miss is the ability to share. We all have friends and family. Each one plays a different role in our lives. We have those we turn to for every situation. What we miss is the loss of that outlet. Those that we share our secrets with, those that we know we can trust. There are those that listen silently, those that will empathize and those that will advise. We will go to that person to get what we need at the moment. Sometimes the same person can fill all three roles. The thing about sharing is this. The one you are sharing with has to be willing to accept what you are offering whether it is bitter or sweet. They are the ones we trust the most. It takes a long time to build that kind of trust, and the loss of that trust is great.  Irreplaceable. The best we can do is remember! That's what the reminders are for. Reminders are a good thing, embrace them.  

Democratic control?

 Unions, good or bad? It is an ongoing debate among the people. Unions exist to protect the workers, that's the narrative most often put forward. Unions control the working hours, the working conditions, and the salaries paid. Unions are controlled by the democratic process, with secret ballots and the majority rules. It is the case where the fifty-one control the other forty-nine. It's a sweet deal when you are one of the fifty-one! Unions are in reality the mob. The mob controls the unions, always have, and don't be fooled, they still do. They may go by different titles these days, but the union bosses are the ones that control all of that. Union leaders' average salaries higher than most CEO's. If you go against the union agenda, whatever it happens to be, you are called a scab and face retaliation. If you are a member of that union and fifty-one decide this is what they want, you have no choice but to comply or face the consequences.

 Unions, better known as the labor movement, were formed to force employers to give in to their demands. Yes, it was to make the fat cat pay! If we don't work, they can't make money is the reasoning behind all of that. Can't argue with that logic, it's true enough, unless that employer simply hires someone to replace you. How do you prevent that? Coercion works best. No job is worth getting your head bashed in. But we are civilized people and won't resort to that. What other methods can we use? The union will pay those on strike. They will take a portion of your "brothers" earnings and give it to you. That's what your union dues are for, but they aren't enough so another 10% may be deducted from your pay to cover that difference. Yes, the Democratic way, take from those working and give it to those that aren't. Again, a great scenario when you are the one on strike. If you are not, maybe next time you will be on strike, if the boss decides you should that is.

 The deal is this. Those in business are in business to make a profit. They aren't owned by the union; they are owned by individuals. Those individuals decide upon the profit margin they want to achieve. They will charge whatever it takes to get that margin. It can be a delicate balance between what the people are willing to pay, and what that cost has to be. The unions are the biggest driver of that cost! The more the employer has to provide, the higher the cost of the product. It's not a very difficult thing to understand at all. It's a never-ending cycle of supply, demand and cost. If you want to make more money your employer has to charge more for whatever product or service is being provided. Simple enough.

 Now the unions were formed initially in response to what? Poor working conditions and low pay. The ethics and morality of the employer being called into question. They simply were treating the workers unfairly. So, the unions are an attempt to force employers to act in a more ethical fashion. You might say to act morally. If they don't, we will refuse to work! Well except we don't want to actually lose our jobs, we don't want to really leave, we want you to pay us what we want and allow us to set policy. In short, we want to run the business! We will do so from the Bully pulpit! That's a Democracy! 

 “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy." (Alexander Tyler) I would say a Union, as a Democracy, will suffer the same fate. The workers will eventually vote themselves out of work! It will become unsustainable. The year I was born the average cost of a home in America was 8200 dollars, today it is 195,000 dollars! The Unions, controlling our workforce has been the largest contributor to that rise in cost! The Unions are running the business, and the business is currently 21 trillion dollars in the red! 

 Yes it's all good when you are part of the fifty-one, not so much when you are part of the forty-nine. The mob often reacts in unreasonable and brash ways. The mob often reaches for the most immediate solution to the problem. Emotions are great motivators but seldom good guides. That's why we say, let your conscience be your guide. It is when we set aside our conscience, making demands upon others, indeed forcing others into compliance that things go awry. The unions throw a tantrum, and we will pay the price. Well, at least forty-nine of us will anyway. 

Exceptions

  Listen, you can't be exceptional if you keep making exceptions! That is what we are facing today in America. There was a time when we were exceptional. It was the reason people wanted to come to America. The dream was attainable in this land through hard work. Then we started making exceptions to the rule. Think about it. 

 In the beginning there was open land for everyone. America was a foundling nation. We needed skilled workers, we needed those willing to work, to build, and to create a nation. That need continued well into the 19th century. But as far back as 1893 it was stated, the frontier was no more. Immigration needed to be monitored and controlled. It was in 1882 the first piece of significant immigration legislation was passed. It was in response to the state of California complaining about Chinese labor willing to work for less and costing jobs. I know, California right. But they were mostly unskilled laborers. At that time the bulk of the workforce were unskilled workers. That remained true until the industrial revolution began replacing those workers with machinery. The so-called second industrial revolution in America began in the mid 1800's. Manual labor was slowly being replaced by machines. Today the need for manual laborers is far less than it was a hundred years ago, yet today the vast majority of immigrants are unskilled. The impact on the economy and indeed the overall health of the nation is being affected. America needs skilled labor. 

 The requirements for admission to this nation have changed over the years. All the changes are far too numerous for me to pretend to understand. I know there were certain requirements in years past concerning your health, your ability to work, and your background. I know there was a requirement to have someone sponsor you. My own grandmother came from Sweden and was subject to all those requirements. None of that is required today. If you failed to meet those requirements, you were sent right back where you came from! There were no exceptions to the rule. 

 In years past immigrants assimilated into the neighborhoods where they settled. They didn't occupy city blocks and create quasi-nations in our cities and towns. That first happened in California with the creation of China town in San Francisco. It happened in other cities as well as the Chinese immigrants streamed into America. Today there are many quasi-nations occupying out cities and towns. Entire blocks of immigrants that can barely read, write or speak English. Some of these neighborhoods now insisting they should operate under their own laws! They feel like they should be the exception to the rules.

 And that brings us to today. Today we have literally thousands of illegal immigrants streaming across the border, each one an exception to the rule. They claim exceptions based on our laws. Refugees is the common exception, those fleeing for their lives! Yeah, they're running for their lives alright, carrying thousand dollar I-phones, backpacks, walking hundreds of miles yet appearing at the border well fed, relatively clean and in great shape. Each one an exception.

 Allow me to reiterate my original thought. You can't be exceptional if you keep making exceptions!   

 

one of these days

 The only class I didn't pass in my entire educational career was 9th grade English. I failed that class because I failed to submit a required piece of classwork. At the very beginning of the year, we were told to select a topic to write a paper on. This paper was to include footnotes. All I remember about that was we had the entire school year to get that done and I didn't. Oh, I threw something together in the last week of school and it was pretty obvious. Fail! Yup, I failed the whole year on account of that and it was my fault, no one else's. So, the next school year I took 9th and 10th grade English. I passed them both.

 I thought about that as I sat down to write my morning essay. I feel like that is what my blog really is, essays. I thought how strange that is. When I was in school, I always dreaded the essay questions. Multiple choice was the preferred format. If you were unsure of the answer at least you had a one in four chance of being lucky. Essays however required some thought. And, in most cases, you had to know what you were talking about. Today I write an essay nearly every day. I guess the difference is, I don't have to know what I'm talking about, I can just talk. I'm not getting a grade. I might get judged, well I do by some, happens all the time, but I can't get a failing grade. But I take that as any reaction is a good reaction, at least they are reading, and there is hope for them. I'm doing my part; the rest is up to them. 

 Essays have fallen somewhat out of fashion in the modern world. It's pretty sad really but Twitter gets most of the attention. As a people we have become lazy. Go on social media and post a lengthy post as proof of that. We all tend to scroll on down when we see that. We have become so lazy that acronyms replace our words so often some don't really know what the acronym stands for in the first place! It's a sort of pet peeve of mine. The use of acronyms doesn't impress me, doesn't make me feel like you are smarter, it just means you are too lazy to spell it out. That is especially true when you are speaking to those outside your area of expertise. Don't expect others to understand that jargon. I'm impressed when you explain it to me. 

 Most people famous for their essays are famous for something else, mostly novelists. Can you name any essayist? I couldn't until Google came to the rescue. Of course, then I have to go elsewhere to fact check that information. A lot depends on what library you are using. I suspect that has always been true. What I mean is, in the old days I'm certain the libraries in one nation differed from those in another, it all depends on who is writing the information down. Whether it is a historian, a novelist or an essayist, the story will have differences. It is something we hear a lot about today. There is even a name for that Alternative Facts. You have to love that turn of a phrase. It's like saying the water is dry. It's an alternative fact. Lots of those these days.

 I have started writing a book, I think about completing that. I get excited about it, then lose interest. My mind wanders off in another direction. I did assemble a very small volume of my poetry. I wrote them, bound them, and gave them as Christmas gifts to my grandchildren. You might say they are limited editions. I have the first edition on my bookshelf. Lately I have been thinking about just selecting some of my blogs and putting them together in a book of essays. The issue there is selecting the ones I would include. I have posted in excess of 4300 essays. I certainly don't remember them all and I don't have enough time to read them all again! I need an editor! What theme should I select? They should center on a theme, shouldn't they? I named my blog random thoughts because that is what I feel they are. The memories contained in them are sometimes random as well. You know how that is, one thing reminds you of another. 

 You know I had the same problem in the ninth grade, I just couldn't decide on a topic. That's why I didn't get it done. That's what I've been telling myself since 1967! I don't believe that requirement was in place the next year of ninth grade English, I had a different teacher. Back in those days the teacher really did have quite a bit of latitude in what was taught and class requirements. It was also his/her decision to make. If you failed, you failed! There was no appeal process, no, it isn't fair. You either passed or failed. Truth was, I was lazy, I kept putting it off. I received the grade I had earned. I keep putting my book off too. Guess some things just never change. Are you putting anything off? Something you figure to get done some day? Yeah, one of these days. I'll get it done. 

Just ask

 Went to an event that commemorates 9/11. That was tied with recognizing our veterans. All in all, a patriotic event, flags everywhere and veterans got a five-dollar discount on admission. The Army National Guard was there with a Humvee and a few members in Uniform to represent their unit. At one point the Sargeant from the National Guard took the stage and said a few words. He called for all veterans to stand up when he called out the branch of service, they had served in. I'm certain you have been to places or events that do that. I'm always uncomfortable with that. My wife or the grandkids will urge me to stand up but mostly I refuse to do so. I can't explain why that is, but I just don't like doing that. Self-conscious I guess. I never know what to say when someone says, thank you for your service. I just feel awkward and say you're welcome or something equally dumb. Not quite sure how to respond to that. It just all seems like platitudes to me. I don't doubt the sincerity of the person saying it, it just makes me uncomfortable.

 I was a little confused about the whole veteran's relationship to 9/11. The ones that fought and suffered that day where those in the towers and the first responders that tried in vain to save them. As a veteran myself I don't feel like we ever got retaliation for what was perpetrated upon us. Yes, I was ready to put my uniform back on and go to war with somebody! It was a frustration then and has remained so, I want my pound of flesh from the enemy! It is the way I feel about that, and I will continue to feel that way. Twenty-one years hasn't dulled that rage, the outrage and the desire for revenge. Yeah, I know, I'm not supposed to feel that way. I'm usually told that by those tearing down one hundred- and fifty-year-old statues because they offend them. 

 The biggest frustration is in knowing we will never get that satisfaction. The issue is in identifying the enemy. These terror groups, these bands of thugs and extremists are like shadows. The best we can hope for is capturing a portion of them and the anger comes when I read about them being released! Yes, that has happened more than once in the last twenty-one years. When I hear about the very deep concern for their human rights I cringe. They certainly didn't act humanely; they get no sympathy from me. A swift and sure execution is what I have in mind. 

 When I was growing up I would hear the old people talking about Pearl. Twenty-one years after that took place, I would have been eight years old. A world war had been fought and won! Yes, those that attacked Pearl had paid the price, in full, for their heinous attack on a day that will live in infamy! The Korean war had ended the year I was born but wasn't a victory. I heard about that as well. Mostly I heard about that from the veterans of that conflict and the frustration they felt about not being allowed to "win" the war. Later in high school I would hear the same about Vietnam. We weren't allowed to "win" there either. During my time in the Navy, I was there for Desert Sheild/Desert Storm and the associated shock and awe! We were kicking some serious butt! But once again we had to stop at the border, allow that enemy to escape our wrath. Yes, we wound up going back and still not having "won," the struggle continues. So, for me, 9/11 is my Pearl Harbor, I will never forget that and always seek revenge for that. I'm not forgetting, I'm not forgiving! May not be PC but its' me. I'm still standing by, ready if you need me. No need to thank me for anything, if you need help, just ask.         

   

  

  

In time

 We are fully one third of the way into September. It's something we say often, how time flies, and it is certainly true. I'm already seeing the mums and pumpkins popping up everywhere. The fall grass is sprouting its' seeds. The kids are all back in school and the air was cool this morning. The holiday season is rushing at us. For me though that train isn't as crushing as it used to be. What I mean by that is I don't feel pressured in any way. My intent is to simply have a Merry Little Christmas. I'll place my traditional decorations about, the familiar ornaments on the tree and celebrate with memories of years gone by. In our youth it is anticipation, then it becomes a stressful time, and finally I think, sentimental. 

 But I'm rushing ahead a bit, aren't I? There are other celebrations to consider before the big day. Halloween has filled the aisles at Walmart and the Dollar stores. It's been a number of years since I was excited about that. I'd say a decade or so since the grandkids were all excited about that. I was never one to get very excited about the whole deal. Even as a kid it was just an opportunity to snag some candy and not much more. That's probably because I've never been interested or entertained by scary things. I have no fascination with such. Thanksgiving is just a day for a big meal as far as I'm concerned. Yes, sometimes other family members gather around that table, but it hasn't happened often for me. No Hallmark holidays for me, at least not like the ones depicted in all those movies. 

  It is hard to grasp at times that it is the year 2022. It's hard when so many times in a day I speak of things that happened in the last century! It's the twenty first century for Gods sake. No flying cars in a briefcase, instead we are worried about global warming and a virus! Wasn't supposed to be like this. Now it feels like this year is almost over. We are in the final quarter after all. The mid-terms elections are coming up fast and will undoubtedly change the political landscape once again. Never can I remember a time when the mid-terms carried so much weight. It seems almost like lighting a fuse. It comes with that much anticipation and anxiety. We all have our expectations when that fuse is lighted and every time, we are surprised. 

 I just watched as Charles was proclaimed King of England, televised from the throne room for the very first time in history. Surprisingly it didn't take all that long, his speech was brief, the witnesses signed the documents and that was it. Pip Pip, Cheerio's for all. It was all very dignified and organized. No shouting reporters, no asking questions. I am King Charles the third and will do my duty. That was pretty much the statement made.  

A moment in history

 The Queen has passed. Charles ascends to the throne and becomes King. What does it all mean? Not much as far as I know. Yes, there is the sorrow with the loss of such a world figure. She was crowned Queen in June of 1953 and I was born in July of that year. I would hear about her and occasionally her husband. He couldn't be the King due to tradition. He wasn't in any line that could ascend to the throne, so he remained a Prince Consort. I wonder if that bothered him at all. Well, Charles becomes the king now with his sons next in line. It's all for show however, as they don't have much power in government, just a lot of influence. It's something difficult for myself, as an American to understand.

 It sure isn't like changing Presidents. I don't believe the British subjects feel any trepidation about Charles becoming king. I don't know for certain, but I don't think much changes at all. There will be the State funeral, I'm certain that will be quite the grand affair, as it should be. The coronation is bound to be quite the spectacle. I wonder how much the peasants will have to shell out to fund all of that? No matter, I'm certain many will do so happily. The "crown" is very important to the British, at least the British folks I have been in contact with. In my Navy days I did interact with them on several occasions. I can tell you this much, they are allowed to say whatever they want about the Royals, but you had better be respectful and say nothing! Them there is fightin' words! Literally, I have seen fights about that stuff when the boys were sharing a few pints!

 I remember when Kennedy was President and the press spoke of Camelot. Personally, I never thought there was anything royal about the Kennedy's. I had been told about how old Joe Kennedy got his money. I knew about all the scandals and shady dealings that were going on. But he was young with a pretty wife and cute children. He was a Democrat at a time when the Democrats weren't attempting to rewrite the constitution. President Kennedy was also a war hero; he had done his duty and earned the respect of the nation. Still, I thought referring to his administration and comparing that to Camelot was a bit of hyperbole. That was before I even knew what hyperbole was. Then he was killed and that cemented his legacy in the minds of the people. Some still saying the Kennedy's were the closest thing to royalty America ever had. 

 Occasionally I hear rumors of the Monarchy coming to an end. I know that the Royals started paying taxes like everyone else some years back. The rumbling I've heard is from the commoners that are funding a portion of the lavish lifestyle of the royals. Well, they are the Royals after all, what do you expect? The crown jewels are estimated to be worth four or five billion dollars. Who do they really belong to? And we aren't mentioning the value of the various castles, estates and business ventures the crown is associated with. If the monarchy was ended what happens with all of that? I don't all it's all pretty foreign to me. 

 There are twenty-five other nations ruled by a King or Queen. In five of those the Monarch has absolute power. In all the others they have partial or no actual power in government. The British crown is the most well known in the world and certainly the most influential. As an American I've always wondered how it is that a people will willingly follow a King or Queen. I don't see why I would. I guess it boils down to, all the Kings men. Obey the King or face his wrath! I suppose that is why so many Kings and Queens have met with an early demise. Interesting to note that the second longest reigning monarch in England was Queen Victoria. She ruled for sixty-three years. If history is a guide, it doesn't look good for Charles, William or Harry. 

 If you think about it, it is an amazing thing really. The Queen was a beloved figure and deserves all the accolades and respect. She did keep that famous "stiff upper lip" the British are noted for. She remained aloof, but not too aloof, while remaining regal. A queen for the people. All the pageantry that will follow her passing, all the tributes, and indeed her interment will cost millions. The coronation of Charles will follow all of that, at the cost of millions. And it is all for show. It is all like reliving a memory of a distant past. The Monarchy and all the splendor, pomp and circumstance. In a strange way it is reassuring though, a change that remains the same.           

   

     

   

Get over it

 Heard on the news that one in four children needed mental help after the pandemic. I can't imagine why that would be. The government only told them they were all going to die if they touched each other, breathed the air without a mask on, or went to school. Parents weren't allowed to go to work. Parents refusing to get vaxxed lost their jobs and were ostracized from society. I wonder why the kids suffered from mental health issues? Could it be related to the parents acting like the world was coming to an end? Could it have anything to do with the fear mongering, threats, and predictions of death? No, that isn't it, the experts just don't know and are trying to figure that out!

 Let's take a look on how we are teaching children to respond to a crisis. First let's look at what a crisis is. Someone called me names, alert the authorities, hold a crisis intervention session, and deploy the school phycologist. I scrapped my knee! Call the paramedics. I don't feel like going to school. That's okay dear, you just stay home today and take a mental health day, buy something on Amazon. Whenever something doesn't go your way, protest and demand change! It's not fair. Sure, you were born a genetic boy, but you can be a girl if you want to. We, and the rest of the world will support you. So, what is the response to a crisis? Internalize it, blame it on others, and break out your fidget spinners! After all, anything that happens in the outside world is directed at you! The world needs to change to suit you. 

 Now I know that isn't true with all children, but the experts say it happens to one in four. Twenty five percent of the children today are suffering from mental health issues. I'm no expert on any of this but I can tell you one thing, teach them to quit, teach them to seek help at every turn, and you will wind up with what you got. The reactions are extreme. Either they shrink into themselves, or they "act" out, as we used to call that. There is no middle ground anymore. It is evident to me. It's becoming that way with the so called adults! The reaction to every event is extreme. Remember when blurting out certain expletives in public was considered crass and, in some situations, criminal? Today those same expletives are used in everyday conversation, nothing extreme about that. Why? Because the extreme has become the norm, that's why.

 We are teaching our children that the world is coming to an end unless we "go green." It's the only way we will survive! We are teaching our children you must receive certain medications and vaccinations, or you will die. We are teaching our children it is perfectly normal to take mind altering drugs daily, as a therapy, as a cure for everything. Feeling anxious, take Xanax, works wonders, you won't feel a thing. If you don't want to take Xanax, smoke some pot, that'll calm you down. Don't want to smoke, you can get that same effect from brownies or other edibles, available in a shop near you, in most major cities anyway. 

 The overall message that is being taught to children today? You can't do it on your own. We even had a President that told us all that, on national television. You can't do it on your own, you need help. In fact, if you're not asking for help you are being foolish. Sure, you took out the loan but that doesn't mean you should have to pay it back, unless you really want to. Seventy two percent of the population in America claim to be white. That means that the others, all twenty eight percent of them should get fifty percent of all the jobs, housing, and benefits in the country. If they don't, it's prejudice. Of course, we are teaching the children to simply identify themselves any way they feel. Or really to adjust that identification in accordance with the current "requirements" or "entitlements." Hey, it worked for Elizabeth Warren didn't it. Worked for Kamala Harris who changes her ethnicity whenever that becomes expedient. And that's not to mention our health secretary, a man that thinks he is a woman. That's perfectly normal and healthy. 

 We have television shows where the objective is to lie, cheat, and deceive the other contestants to win the prize. Very popular those shows. We have a sport we call MMA. Two persons fighting in a cage with very few rules. Very civilized wouldn't you say? We promote drag queens as pop heroes. We even have drag shows in elementary schools and libraries! Yes, all that is just fine. And the experts are wondering what happened. Why are our children having social issues? Why are our children killing each other at an alarming rate or killing themselves? Experts, with a PhD just can't figure it out. 

 My advice is to begin with just a couple tactics, call them strategies if you like. First, tell your children, no. Tell them they are not doing this or that, they are not in charge, they do not run the show. Second, tell them to get over it! I'm not empathizing with you; I'm not making concessions. I'm not hearing your pleas or your threats! Simply explain why you said no and tell them to get over it. They will. 

 Now it's true there is no Bible verse that says this in these words but it's still great advice to impart to your children, God helps those who help themselves. The underlining message in that is that God will "help" you as long as what you are doing is in a Godly way. He won't help you cheat, lie or deceive others. You have to believe in yourself first, you can do it. When met with an obstacle, get over it.      

getting set

 Now we are hearing about the assignment of a Special Master. I'm quite certain many folks just like me have never heard of that before. Turns out there are Masters and Special Masters. I looked that up to gain an understanding of what they are talking about. Master and Special Master are the same thing, only different. Their job is to independently review documents, evidence and advise the judge in a case. That's the simplest explanation I could find. It can make a significant difference in how the trial is conducted. Seem to me it is like Judge Judy's, Hot Bench! Whatever the case is I am learning more about the law every day.

 I am learning that lawyers speak a different language than the rest of us. You have to be a lawyer to understand any of it and I'm thinking many of them fall short in that regard as well. If you are paying attention and aren't a trained attorney, I'm sure you are as confused as I am. The FBI raiding an ex-presidents residence, unprecedented in modern history. Justified or not? I don't know, but I know an ex-secretary of state that kept a secret server in her basement, destroyed phones and bleached hard drives. No raid at her house though. It's illegal to enter our country without the proper paperwork yet thousands cross the border every single day. The lawyers call them migrants, and insist they receive benefits. Some lawyers do anyway, others call them criminals. Premeditated murder is a felony of the highest order, but abortion is a right. Some states allow the use of marijuana for recreational purposes while the federal government says it is a crime. Still trying to understand how it is legal for a state to make a law contrary to federal law when there is a law that says you can't do that. It's called the Supremacy clause and is in the constitution. Trying to understand how elected officials can take an oath to uphold the law, then say they will not enforce the law. And that happens all the time. 

 I've got a grandson just starting law school this year. I'll be asking him questions as he learns to speak that lingo. It seems to me that the law has little to do with what actually happens. What matters is winning the debate. That's what attorneys do, debate the issues. Can they find a legal path to allow or to block? Years ago we used to see the Judge's chamber with bookshelves lined with law books. They would pour through those volumes looking for what? Precedent is what they want. If it was decided before, it must be right. Except when it isn't right, and we overturn precedent. A lot depends upon who set that precedent. Was it a minor court or the Supreme court? Of course, the Supreme court can set precedent, and that precedent is very influential, but it isn't a law. The supreme court doesn't make law only issue opinions. Precedent usually wins the debate.

 I can't help but think with today's ability to retrieve data precedent must be far easier to locate. I never did believe anyone read all those books and could remember what was in them. I always suspected there were those that spent their entire careers searching those volumes for others. I knew about the Dewey Decimal System to help you locate a book in general terms but what system was used in those books? I don't know but there must have been some method. Today just type in your inquiry and bam, results are flooding in. All that's left then is sorting out the precedent you want to apply. I'm certain there are many to choose from depending upon the outcome you are attempting to get. It's a battle of precedent! Guess that is why something being unprecedented is such a big deal! Never happened before, what do we do? We have to be very careful in setting precedent because it will be used in the future, even when it may not suit our purpose. That can cause problems.