GOOD OLD DAYS? HMMM???

Buckle up, this is gonna be fun.
Email from a friend/email relationship:

Cultural diversity has made it so we can't even safely go to the mall anymore. Not culture in a race sense; culture as in the shared rules and values of a group. It used to be that society had a set of rule and standards that we expected all people to live by, a culture; in our quest to make all people feel accepted, we lowered our standards and expectations to what we have in place now.  By lowering our standards, we’ve enabled people to act and live their lives in a way that would have made them outcast years ago. There are now two distinctly different groups of people in this country; the people that live by the laws, know right from wrong, attempt to do what is right and be self sufficient and the others. This is not a race, religion or political party issue, it’s a cultural issue. We’ve lowered our standards to make the culture fit the people rather than make the people fit the culture. We’ve made it acceptable to have babies out of wedlock and live for generations on welfare. We’ve made it acceptable to use language in public that would have gotten my my mouth slapped as a child. We’ve made it acceptable for teens to drink and use drugs. We’ve made it acceptable to have thousands of dollars worth of tattoos, smoke and drink away hundreds of dollars a month, have a $100 manicure, carry a $500 purse and expect the government to pay for food and healthcare. We’ve lowered our definition of what it means to be a “decent American” in the name of cultural diversity.

I immediately respond:

Hey, talk about ESP.  Belle and I we're returning home from a short mission gathering in Moreno Valley.  We had talked about the same thing that you mention in your note today.  It used to be that the core of our culture was "fair play."  The soul of the rules and regulations was the non-negotiable conscience of trust in the people with whom we lived and helped and competed.  That core cultural virtue has been eroded considerably since I was young.  As a society we seem to be living according to the attitude that I do what I can get away with, no matter what the consequences to you are.  All that matters is that I win and you lose, no matter what.

What you fail to mention is the pain and the disdain that the super rich inflict on the country.  The gutting of the country's income by favoring the ultra rich with tax cuts that over burden the hard working "middle class."  The organized, legal bribery system that allows our law makers to take millions upon millions by special interests lobbyists who buy favor for the rich at the pain of the rest.

This system of "government" makes a total mockery of our elections.  No wonder those on the bottom rungs have no shame...they are but imitating the shameless cannibals at the top.

Being who we are, we can compare our present situation with the one that is described in the Gospels.  The Torah had been used and abused for so long and by so many that the Pharisees, the strict fundamentalists were warping the Law as  much as the slackers.  Jesus came along and threw fuel on the fire by injecting the common sense of Love into the mix.  This infuriated the Hard Right as well as the Hard Left and it caused havoc in the culture.  

Jesus was not the first culture "tweeker" between Moses and Jesus.  Think of the prophets; think of David; think of John the Baptist.

Culture is not the synonym of behavior.  It is the soul of behavior.  The culture of the USA is indeed different now than it was 100 years ago.  It is different now than it was 50 years ago.  Think of the way the Transcontinental Railroad was built.  If you don't have a clear idea about it, consider that it is not something about which we are not particularly proud, so we don't glorify it.  It surely is overshadowed by the way the Interstate Highways were put into place.  Oh, I almost forgot NASA.  

While I'm at it, our soul gave us the Marshall Plan, the Peace Corps, the reconstruction of Western Europe and of Japan, not to mention South Korea and VietNam.

Our culture was never based on an external symbol.  It was based on an "all for one, one for all" fair play conscience.  We don't have a Temple; We don't have an Emperor.  We have one another.  We live and let live in the attitude that good fences make good neighbors.

The neighbors are so good that they protect one another in time of need.  No questions asked.  No excuses needed.

That, John, is what is significantly eroded.  As I have stated before, this erosion, if it continues at this pace, will spell the end of this republic within the next 75 years.  I say that because no nation can live without a moral soul.

The miracle of the Jews is that they remain faithful to God.  Catholicism is on track to stay alive.  But, the 10,000 years of Judaism far overshadows Catholicism/Christianity.  These Spiritual realities continue in God's presence.  Nations are born and die from age to age, era to era.  

On a lighter note (??) Maybe it's time for a Sodom and Gomorrah repeat?

I go to bed and I start reviewing my "good old days."

- My paternal grandmother is a widow

- My maternal grandfather has one hand - the non-dominant left

- My father never knew a day without crushing back pain

- My father's 25 year old sister dies from a bungling doctor's incompetence while      her husband is in Europe struggling through WWII.

- Dad overruled Mom and let me accompany him to the funeral home (I was 5)

- Dad's youngest sister marries a divorced drunkard with whom she has 5 children

  before he dies and is refused a Catholic funeral because he is a public sinner.  My    aunt was his 2 or 3 wife.

- This aunt never found time to work and counted on all kinds of aid to get by

- My first job was washing floors for old people on Saturday mornings (I was 12)

- I went to school at 5 years and 9 months.  I knew very little English.

- The school was a parrochial school, French language in the Morning, English PM

- Every national community had a specific church; French, Polish, Italian, Irish...

- If a store didn't hire French speakers, we would not patronize it ... except the           little market on the corner owned and operated by a polish family.

- My mother used to say, "shit", "damn", and "hell", but never said a bad word in      French.  English was for swearing, French was for prayer and civility.

- I had a cousin who was a drunk.  He had a sister who was a floozie.

- I only carried nespapers as a favor to a friend  for about 1 month when he went       to Canada once time. There was one house where the lady would always pay me     with her bosoms very daringly exposed.  

- There was also one customer who couldn't stand French kids who would let his       dog loose.  Yeah, I got bit.  My father ripped this guy in English.

- My father who was a high authority at a manufacturing company hired a very             competent African American.  The senior partner of the company told my                father that the African American had to leave - like NOW - or else.  My father          was emotional when he told me the story.

- In the 50's when there was a tsunami of Puerto Ricans coming into our corner of     Massachusetts, I lived a first degree witness of raw, vicious hatred out of                 discrimination against the Puerto Ricans, even by Catholics who, in their own         right, could hardly speak English.  I worked with some of them and took the             opportunity to learn my first words of Spanish.

I never smoked, but I did swear a lot, in two languages, did some co-ed skinny dippin', drove dad's car to some God awful places, set fire to one of the minor dumping grounds in our town, cut some clothes lines on "Cabbage Night", and that was all before I started doing adult things!

Yep, the "Good Ol' Days!"  I have more.  After all, I'm just in the mid 50's here.  You don't want me to bore you with the 60's and 70's and 80's, I am sure.  

My closing remark will simply be to remind you all that a very wise person once said "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

After more than 1,450 words, I don't have to remind you to remember that there is to be "No Crying at my Funeral."

MITSUBISHI FIGHTER PLANE, FOR REAL!

Paul and Belle
2018

See that aircraft in the background?  It took me all this time before I actually saw one with my own two eyes.  I mean, a real one.
The impact of this experience was more than I could have predicted.  I was actually shivering from emotion to see such a reality.  I recognized it immediately not only by the Rising Sun but also by the umistakeable shape that I had learned very well from building the "stick and paper" model of it when I was but a little boy.
The Voice from the Kitchen was with me that day so that made it special.  I knew that she had seen many of these in the skies of her homeland.  She does not remember them with the same intensity that I do, and that no doubt seems strange.  Don't let it get to you, after all, she is sooo much younger than I.  That and the fact that she did not have the same cultural experience of the action that we did here in the USA.  That is a whole "nuther" story.

This is a refurbished, salvaged, real survivor of the Second World War, Pacific Theatre.  ONE of only TWO that remain flying.  (reference) This fighter plane was the bane of the fighter pilots in their P-47 Thunderbolts, Corsairs and others whose names I can't remember.  This fighter far outperformed anything that the US arsenal encountered in Europe.  We children were in awe of this machine and that is why its hobbyist "flying models" were in such high demand.  The kits of rubber band powered models were available at $0.10, $0.25, $0.50 and $1.00 sizes.  Our family economic status dictated the $0.25 size.

The history of this machine is very interesting.  At the height of their success, the Japanese had 11,000 of them.  As it happened, it wasn't enough.  USA intelligence found a performance weakness in the plane and adopted a dog-fight strategy (turn left and dive) that doomed the survival chances of the Zero. 

I am glad that I saw one of the survivors in the air before my "Turn left and dive" moment.

EMPLOYEE vs INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR

Not one or the other – both

For most of my life have been an employee while at the same time taking advantage of other talents that I have and offering them to those who would hire me.  I made a conscious effort to never work for a unionized company, so I never had to contend with that financial burden.  I have been careful to never operate in the gray area of the federal IRS guidelines defining employees and contractors.  I may be a fairly rare specimen who has had two distinct careers, so here is how I did it.

1.       1. I am a holder of a master’s degree in Theology.  I have been engaged by churches for           varying amounts of times and for specific deliverables.

2.      2.  I am fluent in four languages so I am always available for translating/editing projects.

3.           I offer my education and my life experience to a travel company and organize                       pilgrimages.

4.      3.   For years I maintained a relationship with a multi-level marketing organization.

   4.    Twice in my career I did work for a former employer as a contractor.  This happened when I left my job to follow my spouse to another city far beyond commuting distance.  This was possible because I was talented enough to carry some projects with me and deliver the results according to set deadlines.

For the last twenty years I have not been a full-time employee.  For the last 15 years I have not been a direct employee at all.  I take advantage of my social security benefits, including Medicare and I continue to make my personal talents and abilities available to those who want them.

Being a pure independent contractor can be lucrative for those who have the ability and talents but I personally want to caution the reader to be sure to consult professional people who can inform and teach the aspiring contractor concerning the intricacies of law and practice.  The legal framework around employment is complex.  The ability to “be on your own” is not given to all who would be attracted to it.  One of the reasons why I split my energies is the attraction of funding my social security/Medicare account, the insurance coverage offered by employers (Life, health, workers compensation, steady work schedule, etc.) and the national and international networking opportunities that come from working for a large, successful enterprise.  The split endeavors that I practiced served as training for the day (now) when I would not be an employee but could continue working and earning.

Oh, I almost forgot.  No, not really.  I was keeping it for last. Taxes, remember them?  This is one of the areas that require study and constant attention if the independent contractor wants to take advantage of the tax code of the USA.  This is the point of this post.  

The independent contractor who is not a direct employee at the same time may have income tax advantages but these advantages can be wiped out by other aspects of the tax structures present in every American’s life.  Don’t forget the taxes that are required but are not necessarily refered to as "taxes, i.e. social security, Medicare, IRS, State income tax, higher automobile insurance rates, etc.  It is possible to lessen the tax burden if while being a contractor there is a direct employer carrying the basic, if not full tax burden that every employed adult incurs.

Being independent can be nice.  I enjoin you to educate yourself about the regulatory world into which you will be plunged if you become “independent.”  I pray that you will be successful and I remind you not to cry at my funeral.

DEMAGOGUE ON THE LOOSE

In August of 2016 I wrote this piece in order to share the vision of the immoral reality that is Donald Trump.  

QUID EST VERITAS?

Russian proverb:  "It is better to be slapped by the truth than to be kissed by a lie."

The two year old boy on his grand father's lap has already been told that it is not OK to lie.  He hasn't yet had to suffer the consequences that visit people who do lie.  Later on, in not too many years he will come to know what happens to those who lie and get caught in the falsehood that they proclaimed.  He has grown to be the 82 year old author of these simple lies and is telling you now, that Camay bath soap sure tastes BAD.  As I write this, the sensation of the Camay memory is actually bringing goose bumps to the nape of my neck.  It was my mother's favorite punishment against lying and swearing.
That should have been bad enough, but being the stiff necked, proud, I'm "smarter than you are" kid, I can still feel the pain of a well planted right hook from the kid down the street who caught me lying to him once.  I also remember the edict from my father that I had to submit one half of the money that I might receive at Christmas to the offering basket at Church one year when he caught me lying.
Now, here's why I am telling you this.  There is a high placed political operative by the name of Michael Flynn who lied to the FBI, who is now in court over the facts (the true facts) and his defense is, "The FBI didn't warn me not to lie."
What?  Have you ever heard such a heap of stercus taurorum in your life?  Does a successful(?) 60+ year old man have to be warned not to lie?  Can such a person be so naive and daring as to try to defend himself by blaming the FBI for not warning him that lying can bring on much greater punishment?  Sheeesh!
As it turns out, he is not the only one who downplays the value of the truth.  The president of the country and his flacks are all afraid of falling into "perjury traps."  What?  How can you perjure yourself if you tell the truth?  If you don't want to tell the truth because it would incriminate you, plead the 5th to protect yourself.
Frankly, it is shiveringly disgusting to hear such immoral expressions taking root in our society.  Jesus had to put up with the distortion of the truth, so we are not experiencing anything new.  All we are left with is the famous question, "Quid est veritas - what is truth?"
Finally, if you don't agree with me, just Don't Cry at My Funeral

WALL AGAIN...BAD IDEA

Two Palestinian women on the street walking past the painted image of Donald Trump on the separation wall between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

The following is a comment about the linked video:

https://www.facebook.com/prageru/videos/2078089425567236/

I did pass some time with Mr. Krauthammer who appears in the video behind the above highlighted link.  It turns out that it is 6 minutes of self indictment to the incompetence and the crass venality of the US government.  He admits that a wall in and of itself is not sufficient to "protect" the country from illegal "immigration."  The illegal immigration reality in the world is not a "problem" that can be solved mechanically.  The only solution lies in the resolve of the people on the one side to assure that the people on the other side will not find safe haven.  Walls do not work because of the lack of human resolve on the one side.  The only true wall is the internal conviction on the one side that the people on the other side should not have access.  Walls without human conviction on the one side enforcing their reason for being are useless.  Krauthammer makes this point very clearly.  He mentions visa "over-stays" which account for 40% of illegal residents present here.  He mentions the Simpson-Mazzoli Act of 1986.  It failed because of one, and only one reason: The lack of enforcement by a venal government owned and lobbied by voracious employers seeking cheap labor.  The self-same government that had passed the law in the first place.  I know.  I lived through it during the height of my Human Resources career.

He does not mention the most common-sense weakness of any wall: The gates.  Intruders do not have to foil the forbidding surface of the wall...all they have to do is to befriend (or reward) or outwit the gatekeeper.  The reason why walls do not work is the human element.  Walls with, or without, draconian Laws, and yes, even with armed military and technological support to enforce the physical barrier, do not work.  Human ingenuity will always win.

I could name the number of "insurmountable" walls I have lived with and/or visited in my short life.  Even the Israel/Palestinian barrier.  I am here to tell you that most of them (95%) have become tourist attractions.  [Jerusalem (old and new), Rome, Vatican City, Carcassonne, Paris, Jericho, Manila]  The one that most people praise the most, the Israel/Palestinian Authority one, is not impervious for the reason stated above, the human factor.  I have witnessed it first hand.  Plus, the intrepid souls can walk until they find the end, in the desert...just like here.

Finally, pay attention to the presentation and you will note that it never promises 100% impermeability.  Neither Krauthammer nor Trump can do that...the indomitable human spirit will win and the artifact will become a tourist attraction.

On the personal side, I have to admit that I shake my head in wonder that the trammel of history doesn't seem to mean anything to those who keep running back to solutions that have failed.  Walls, in my view, are nothing but glowing confessions that humans have not matured to the point of discovering how to get along with one another.  Walls,in my view are an extension of the opinion of my namesake, "The Law brings Death,  the Spirit brings Life. (2 Cor. 3;6)" I suppose that we have not yet attained the last chapter of John's masterpiece, we will always need Law until...

  20  The one who gives this testimony says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.  Amen  (Revelation, chapter 22)

ELECTRIC CAR - 1905? SEE BELOW

The other day I received this picture from a friend of mine who regales himself with reminders of this sort about how things were when I was "younger."  I have to admit that this one really got me going.  I was feeling OK about the picture and the insinuation about my age until about 9:00 AM this morning when I got a telephone call from my favorite auto mechanic.  The "Maint Req'd" light went on yesterday, so I decided to do something about it before things got worse.  That was a good decision because as it turns out things were already "worse enough!"  They are 15 years old, 262,000 miles "worse enough!"  I'll spare you the shock of the bottom line "worse enough!"

Now that was this morning.  The other day I was shaking my head at the thought that here was a 115 year old picture of an electric car.  How old was Elon Musk in 1905?  I mean, really??  This was 35 or 40 years after the Europeans had invented the internal combustion engine.  We were still messing around trying to figure out how to have a long enough extension cord to be able to drive to the corner grocery store and back.  Boy! What a bummer!

Now, come back this way a couple of steps and listen to this.  15 years ago we bought this neat little Japanese hybrid Honda.  Four cylinders and 50 MPG's.  Really, but only in certain directions.  San Francisco to San Diego = 50 MPG.  No lie.  San Diego to San Francisco = 42 MPG.  It's the lay of the land.  No refill going south.  One refill going north at the same cruise control setting of 70 MPH.
Interesting, right?  OK.  Now here's something more interesting for those of you who might think that you know something about cars, internal combustion engines and a combination electric and gasoline engines and the number of cylinders (4) that they have. I found out this morning that our little four cylinder Japanese car needs eight, yes, 8 spark plugs all for the king's ransom price of  11,290 Japanese yen ( $105.00 ).  Yes, it is somehow true that our little four cylinder Honda Civic Hybrid requires two spark plugs for each cylinder.  Once again, Elon Musk, where are you?  Better yet, if you have a battery to help the internal combustion engine you have to add an extra spark plug for each cylinder?  Is that the battery's fault?  Now, I ask, Is progress by any other name still progress?  Wouldn't it be easier to just produce a 600 mile long extension cord?

Tesla Roadster 0 cylinders
0 extension cord

ALL GENDER - INCLUDING NEUTER?

MALE, FEMALE, WHEELCHAIR? Hmmm!

More and more, signs of this format are staring me in the face when I decide to test the ceramic fixture offered to the cross-legged dancing public for expulsion relief. This is a fine arrangement when I happen to be in a lightly frequented establishment where there is but a 15% probability that the facilities will be blocked by a slow moving line of "dancers."
I think that the hub-bub about the separation of rest rooms is nonsense.  65 or so years ago I took a trip to Canada with EFR Dion.  We went fairly far north to a place by the name of  Midland.  It is a small city that is situated some 20+ miles south of Georgian Bay, an arm of Hudson's Bay.  This was FAR from our home in Western Massachusetts so we had to make several "pit stops" along the way.  At the first one we looked in vain for a "Men's Room."  So, after a few moments we decided that the "Toilet" was the "Rest Room."  We were glad to discover that it worked very well...just like back in the USA's "Men's Room."  In the week that we were in Canada we were unable to find one of these "Toilets" that was defective.  We even greeted some women coming out from behind the door.  Yeah, 65 years ago.  Think about it.

So, boys and girls, my suggestion to you is this:  Hold your urge until it gets to be so intense that you will be able to use the public toilet with nothing else on your mind but relief.  

$16,000,000 vs $32,000 SON OF A BITCH vs MOTHERHOOD AND APPLE PIE

I have been boycotting professional sports for many years now for reasons that touch on the (im)morality of the relationship that the athletes and the owners and the media and the public have with one another.  To state that the athletes are disparaging our great country is pure, fresh fertilizer straight from the source.  The salary of the successful career military professional will never attain 8 digits but his healthy life expectancy will outdistance that of the millionnaire athlete whose conditioning regimen and violent livelihood will cut his life expectancy by decades in comparison. Both will have to overcome huge statistical odds to gain the promotions and professional status that they attain.  Both will be compensated according to their state in life.  Both know what to expect and neither one will be jealous of the other because both will be at home with the status that they have achieved.  Given that incontrovertible fact, each will have reasons to exercise the freedom of expression that is guaranteed to each and everyone of the citizens of the United States of America.  To imply that the $16,000,000 guy should be happier than the $32,000 one is to be blind to the human fact that gold alone is not the source of happiness.  (Don't forget to add about 45% more to the $32K for non-cash benefits, present time and post active duty.  Don't worry, all that will not equal $16 Mil)
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To see a similar, but slightly different way of expressing myself on this topic, you can click here if you are so inclined.

Furthermore, I am shaking my head at the accusation that those who demonstrate disagreement with the expectations of others when they exercise  the freedoms that we all have because of the sacrifices of those who have created this country thanks to courageous revolutionary demonstrations are disrespecting the flag and the country itself.

The son of a bitch who leveled that accusation at the players is spitting on the graves of those who broke the yoke of the Kingdom that never dreamed of granting such freedom to its subjects.  That same Kingdom now imitates the life that the Son of a bitch in the West Wing is supposed to be protecting, not accusing.  

Oh, by the way, what is he, the self declared billionnaire, complaining about?  Shouldn't he be the first to shut up and be happy with his mountain of gold?  All he ever does is complain.  If America is not so great, as he himself proclaims (MAGA ???) why isn't it OK to demonstrate dissatisfaction, like he does all the time?  

This is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

FIRE THE SONS OF BITCHES - PRESIDENT TRUMP

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._national_anthem_protests

Village Idiot son of a bitch Trump is nothing but a pile of human detritus, wannabe dictator of the national territory between Canada and Mexico.  I have lived during the presidency of the following:

Tommy Smith & John Carlos
Mexico City Olynpics, 1968

1. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933-1945
2. Harry S. Truman, 1945-1953
3. Dwight David Eisenhower, 1953-1961
4. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1961-1963
5. Lyndon Baines Johnson, 1963-1969
6. Richard Milhous Nixon, 1969-1974
7. Gerald Rudolph Ford, 1974-1977
8. James Earl Carter, Jr., 1977-1981
9. Ronald Wilson Reagan, 1981-1989
10. George Herbert Walker Bush, 1989-1993
11. William Jefferson Clinton, 1993-2001
12. George Walker Bush, 2001-2009
13. Barack Hussein Obama, 2009-
14. and, of course, Village Idiot Trump

During this time there have been many public demonstrations against racist, white supremacist violent and cruel behavior against African American people.  Never, NEVER has any one of these men, some of whom had rather colorful vocabularies, as the stories have it, never, in 80+ years has any one of them ever called a segment of the populace of the USA "Son of Bitch."

There are those who would think that if anyone could have said something similar, it could have been LBJ, the sitting president at the time.  The two athletes in the picture above did what they did on the international stage of the Olympic Games in Maxico City(1968), and LBJ dealth with it in a professional, diplomatic way.  

There is a long history of National Anthem protests.  The latest one is far from the first and I predict, far from the last.  The Village Idiot president of the United States these days says that these people do not have the right to protest because they make a lot of money.  Therefore, the white supremicist president is saying, they should be quietly comfortable in their corner of the plantation and enjoy the privilege of their riches.  Their human freedom is limited to the boundaries of their bank account.  Thanks, Village Idiot.  Is that how you define your freedom, racist son of a bitch?  

This meme of yours makes you the lowest breed son of a bitch of the land.

You are wrapping yourself in the flag while you never dare to challenge Putin, you never accuse the killer who drove a vehicle into the crowd in Charlottesville, Virginia and you continuosly and viciously attack the media.  So, don't wrap yourself in the flag that signifies freedom of speech, even to the point where you can use foul and insulting language against African Americans.  You are so steeped in your idiocy that you don't realize (or you have actually intended) that speech of that degree of insult coming from you, the president of the country, can actually be an illegal threat against the safety and security of the person(s) to whom it is directed.

You, the Village Idiot POTUS, son of a bitch,  make us ashamed to be citizens here.  Thanks to your warped mind and idiotic behavior your place in the USA history Hall of Shame is guaranteed.  

WALLS, WALLS AND MORE WALLS DO NOT EQUAL JOBS.

Unmistakable sign of weakness

Border walls are the greatest proof of weakness that governments display in the name of national security, job protection and of course, racial "purity."

Weakness?  You bet.

1. Weak border control at the gates.  

2. Weak visa enforcement re. students, tourists, sales reps, politicians, etc.

3. Weak tracking of holders of temporary stay visas.

4. Weak enforcement of labor laws.

5. Fear of loss of campaign contributions from those who hire low wage undocumented migrants

These are but a few elements of our national weakness concerning the entry and stay of migrants.  In order to escape our national responsibility to govern and enforce the migratory movements of  people in our land, there are some who insist on delegating these responsibilties to brick and mortar.  History has shown us that brick and mortar and even other more or less sophisticated erections do not do anything more than to make those who built them happy for a short period of time.  After a while they all become nothing more than tourist attractions and historical footnotes.  The proof of this is spread out over our planet, from sea to shining sea and from fruited to non-fruited plain.

My position to the government of the United States is:  Save money.  Get in your car and go find those who are thumbing their noses at the existing immigration and related labor laws and you will solve what you seem to believe is a problem.  Believe me, building a wall is not going to stop the US employers from hiring non documented persons...in fact, those employers will smuggle people in through the existing gates - mark my words.

HISTORICAL FACTS -- ¿REALLY? -- WOW! THANKS

This is one of those days when I receive my favorite class of emails.  The kind that someone "forwards" with a forceful directive on the subject line to "read this carefully"- or - "Your History Lesson for Today" - like the one I am talking about as we proceed.

This one is an apotheosis of Robert E. Lee.  It closes with the finger-wagging warning that I, and anyone else I might forward this drivel to, should not change history.  Aahhh, OK. 

We therefore proceed to the deep study of the historical facts that according to above referenced email, will support the idolatry due to Master General in charge of the Confederate Forces.

1. He worked with Grant during the Mexican / American War - USA

2. That earned him a decoration as a war hero - USA

3. His wife broke the law by teaching slaves to read and write

4. He believed that slavery was a great evil

5. He worked with Andrew Jackson in the Reconstruction - USA

6. He became popular with northern states and some barracks at West Point are named after him

7. He was a great man who served his country his entire life in one form or another - ?

8. No decorated war hero should be treated as such - ?

9. This is not Iraq and this is not a statue of Sadam(sic)

10. He was very torn about the prospect of the South leaving the Union -?

11. George Washington had a great influence on his life

12. He believed that states rights trumped the federal government

13. The government demanded that he pay his taxes in person - USA

14. When he did not pay his taxes in the proper form, the government took his land and turned into a cemetery for burying Union soldiers - Now Arlington National Cemetery

Poor Robert!  Looks like he had a pretty good thing going until he decided to commit treason. He had some good things going for him.  He had a rather good upper middle class life, what with having a solid education, arable land, working slaves and solid political connections.  The decision that he made to fight for the independence of the states over the decisions of the federal government was a bad one. The decision to fight to the death for the continuation of slavery was a bad one.  The decision to go counter to the intelligence that had been delivered to him did not deter him from attacking at Gettysburg was a bad one. 

So, General Robert E Lee agreed to meet with the respected General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomatox. Lee surrenders.  Grant accepts.  They go their separate ways...but it doesn't end there.

What the email doesn't say is that Lee was never prosecuted for treason.  Why doesn't anyone ever bring that up?  It is true.  He was never brought to justice for all the killing and the misery that he visited upon the country that he tried to vanquish.  Something happened between that April day in 1865 and the rest of Lee's life.  It is my strong suggestion that what happened between that day and the rest of Lee's life is the greatest monument that could exist because it tells the story of how the United States treats the victims of the wars that it wins.  It happened despite the fact that Lee had tax problems.  It happened because his friend, General Grant and Frederick Douglas (Yes, it's true), who lost the debates to be the presidential candidate,  convinced Abraham Lincoln not to pursue charges.  

The bottom line is that history does not have to be changed.  It is beautiful as it is.  I won't change it.  Before you warn me not to change it, be sure that you have the bottom line facts that matter, not just the feel-good fluffy ones, but the hard ones, straight.  Like the one that an escaped slave was instrumental in saving your hero's ass from prosecution.

You are surely one person who will not be tempted to cry at my funeral.  

100% PLAGIARIZED FROM A REAL FRIEND, EXCEPT FOR THE PICTURE

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE (PART 2) (You need 15 minutes of quiet time for this one)

Listen first to this presentation, then click here to read the original post here then see the comments below.  I have been having a polite and respectful discussion about the building of walls around countries. This discussion was started as a comment sent to me by a brother in the faith. 

Comment 1.
Anthony here. Been a while.
Hope you and family are having a fruitful Lent. Interesting comments on your post. I suspect we are on different political ends but I wanted to make sure. My Lenten work is to not have quick opinions about others without at least 10 exchanges of ideas. People are complex and ideas are complicated. I need to give people more time to express themselves and vice versa.
1) Do you see the problem that Trump is trying to decrease with a wall? 
That is the most important question before anything else can proceed in a potential discussion.
 I realize you are probably very busy and may or may not have time to start a discussion but I was interested in seeing the viewpoints on a fellow Catholic who may have different political views.

God bless you and your work.
Sincerely, Anthony.

Response 1.
Anthony:
Glad to hear from you.  This email was a good way to open Lent.  Now I know that most of those on my list are still alive, and that's a good thing.  It beats sending an email asking for a "Test response."  I hope that you and your family are well.
The answer to your question, "Do I know the problem that he wants to solve?" is yes, because he has said it.
My opinion is that walls only exacerbate human problems, but they are great solutions in the control of water flows.

I will not forget you during Lent.
Paul

Comment 2.
The reason I wanted to make sure we see the same problem is because only then can we discuss the urgency and severity of the solution proposed.
 Do you see the illegal immigration problem as I present it below? Here is information garnished from several websites and edited by me.
The main problem with illegal migrants is lost jobs, depreciated wages, stolen taxpayer resources, and increased numbers of crimes and domestic terrorism. Each of these problems harms Americans in many ways.
Illegal migrants force taxpayers to pay for their education, their healthcare needs, increased infrastructure to handle their presence in our land, and increased costs in our courts and prisons.
Illegal migrants fill our emergency rooms, classrooms, and courthouses and demanding that we speak their language and provide free interpreters for them.
Illegal migrants use food stamps and welfare to benefit their families ahead of US citizens.
Some illegal migrants steal American identities and engage in document fraud.
Illegal migrants come from lawless third world countries where the gangs rule, not laws or Constitutions or elected officials. Many of them retain that "rape and pillage" mentality once they enter the US, and to make the problem worse, our own government shows illegal immigrants that they can violate our laws and get away with it! That is why many illegals also drive drunk, burglarize homes and cars, molest children, join violent gangs, deal drugs, etc. They know that the US Government will turn a blind eye or only slap them on the wrist if they are caught, or if they become wanted for a serious crime, they can simply escape justice forever by returning to their home nation.
Terrorists are among the illegal migrants coming into America from the Mexican border.
A few illegal migrants are members of gangs like MS-13 and the Mexican Mafia.
The 9/11 hijackers were violating their student visas and here illegally.
Illegal migrants are voting in US elections stealing votes from Americans.
 All of these actions dilute and weaken the American culture that makes America what it is. That is why I refer to such people as illegal migrants and not illegal immigrants --- we cannot even say they want to be part of America. They don't want to assimilate and learn how to abide by laws and learn English. Immigrants are invested and respectful of the new nation they move to. Migrants are not.
 Protecting America from illegal migration is not about hating immigrants. It is about loving the people already in America by keeping them save. It is about being fair and just to those already here.
 The Catholic Church and its excessive focus on social justice is misguided I believe. Jesus was not an illegal migrant. I am positive that Mother Mary and St. Joseph respected the laws and customs of Egypt when they legally migrated there for protection from Herod.

If we see the problem as above, we can work on what the solution is. We can discuss Trump's zero-sum game tactics in the future.
Sincerely,
Anthony
PS: Cognitive dissonance is an intrapsychic phenomenon --- it occurs when a person has beliefs that conflict with each other and lead to actions that are not consistent with one of those beliefs and thus result in discomfort. Your use of the term is out of place. I doubt Trump has any discomfort doing what he is doing. Our view of what he is doing may not agree with what we belief but that is not cognitive dissonance more than it is just disagreement.

Response 2...Based on Krauthammer YouTube presentation as well as your comment
Interesting position.  I am against walls because they are a radicalizing catalyst for those who live on both sides.  In the end, wars, or better accords make them come down or the gates swing open never to close again.  The gates then become social gathering locales and positive energy is rekindled on both sides, but only after a long time of discomfiting internal and external strife.
Your example of the Holy Family taking refuge in Egypt is pertinent here because Egypt had no wall, and still does not.
On the theological and spiritual side we have the salvation story through the centuries that is a long exhortation toward openness and care...naturally tempered with a dose of discrimination and war.
Krauthammer skirts the issue.  The wall is a material barrier that is doomed to crumble.  The real wall is in the will of the governed and the governing.
The governing have no will to follow the laws that they pass.  They failed to enforce Simpson-Mazzoli and they ignore over-stayers of visas. (I'm sure that any family with immigrants in the house knows how this works.) I enforced Simpson-Mazzoli from my office as Human Resources Director.  My intransigence before the law made hundreds of people unhappy.
The governed are unhappy about the influx and blame many social ills on the migration activity..  The truth is that the movement over the border has made room for the "legals" to get the higher paying, less strenuous employment while the interlopers take the work that the "legals" really don't want to do anyway.
A look at history through some of the early pages of Scripture reveals that when things would get rough in the Euphrates/Tigris/Canaan area, the migrants went to Egypt. There they found themselves where the Egyptians did not want to be...the Nile Delta region.  Father Abraham was likely a part of this migration.  (Google "Hyksos.")
As you know, even that turned bad after a while, just like everything else human.

I have no quarrel with border control. I have the quarrel with the lack of will to exercise it in a human and humane way.  That excludes walls.  I have a quarrel with the governing "class" who accepts millions of legalized bribe dollars (campaign contributions) in exchange for turning away from the existing law and then placing the blame on the "illegals" who did not break the law in absolute fashion...they took/take advantage of the venality of the system.

I suppose that it is unnecessary for me to mention that Jordan, Italy, Germany and Sweden to mention but a few seem to be refuges whose resources are strained but who are comforting those who need it most.

I close my opinion by noting that I am aware that in any wave of refuge seekers there is a percentage of "snakes and rats."  So, I ask, what else is new?  We have that approximate same percentage of humans born in every country that fall into those categories.  The only difference is that we have to wait for them to grow into them.

Anthony, I thank you for staying on this topic.  I willingly admit that I am a "Catholic globalist."  It is out of religious conviction resting on a fairly long life of multiple international experiences.  The latest one is two-fold: Annual visits to the Holy Land (with all that entails) and a sincere friendship with the Muslim community in the Riverside area of California, including the Imam of the local mosque.  Finally, the visits to the Holy Land show that there is a weakening, slight but tangible, of the discipline imposed with regards to crossings through the Wall.  I am confident that this wall too, will crumble someday.  All I can say is, "Why waste the time, especially in God's country?"
Followed by, "Find a higher resolve to straighten out our USA situation without a brick and concrete barrier..
God bless you.  You made me fight my gouty fingers into doing this without my voice recognition tool.
Peace and joy to you.
Paul

NEW TOY -- TOY?

21st century marvel

Hey there.  Here it is a new phase in the life of "365 Thoughts."  We have come upon a situation where I have to type what I write with my tongue.  Thank God for this 21st century invention.  I have been quiet because my typing hands are not what they used to be.  So now I have to change the way I say things from my writing personality to a an electronic invention typing personality. That is according to the typing that I can do with my tongue through the magic speech recognition invention.  I will try to stay in touch or to get back in touch with you all as we go forward towards the twenty second century.  You are all invited to join me in this new phase of my life and yours as it relates to mine.

The rest of the family are doing quite well thank you.  Isabel and I live in San Diego just as we have for the last 40 plus years.  We will visit Western Massachusetts for a couple of days just to visit dear hearts and gentle people who still walk the ground where I was born.  Our two sons Mark and  Jo-El will accompany us.

They have given me a list of just what it is that they want to see.  These things we're all normal to me as I was growing up before they became what they have now become,  museums for the younger people of today to visit and to roll their eyes in amazement over the way things looked so many years ago.  Here is their list:  the Springfield Armory, the Basketball Hall of Fame, the Museum of the Titanic, the Museum of Old Ironsides, and the Airfield Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.  Good luck!
I will take pictures, so stay tuned. You might have a small trip through Memory Lane.  Happy Nostalgia.

Mothers Day, 2017

1946 - I REMEMBER

Today, driving home from a morning "mission" my mind got to wandering.  I was listening to the radio of course, and of a sudden, I remembered a time in my life when automobiles didn't have standard equipment radios.  The buyer of the vehicle had to buy the radio.  They were not inexpensive.  A new car was maybe an $800.00 dollar purchase and the radio at the time was around $75.00.  A real luxury.  

Along with that, I moved on to one of the great experiences of my childhood life.  I was coming home from a fishing expedition with my three uncles, brothers to my father.  We had been fishing in the morning and now were heading back home toward the end of the afternoon. On the way the radio was playing so that we could hear the play-by-play description of the seventh game of the World Series.  It was a very special series that year because the Boston Red Sox were engaged in the World Series.  We lived in the western part of Massachusetts. My uncles were all Red Sox fans.  My father and I were Braves fans.  

As I was basking in the memory of the game, I enjoyed remembering that in those days there were 16 major league teams.  I enjoyed remembering the distribution of their locations.
Boston - 2; New York - 3; Philadelphia - 2; Chicago - 2; St. Louis - 2; Washington, DC, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Detroit, one each.

Anyway, the score is now tied at 3 apiece.  Second half of the 8th and St. Louis gets a man on first. His name is engraved on the brains of every baseball fan in the state of Massachusetts, one, Enos Slaughter.  It all happened so quickly.  Slaughter breaks for second and  the hitter swings and drills one into left center field.  The regular centerfielder, Dom DiMaggio had to be replaced by Leon Culberson because of a pulled hamstring.  Now Slaughter is already around second and steaming ahead at break-neck speed with absolutely no intention of stopping at third.  Culberson gets lackadaisical and sloppy while Slaughter has pulled out all the stops.  The throw from the substitute centerfielder is late and short and Slaughter scores from first, spit, sweat and a cloud of dust at home plate.  My uncles are stunned, shouting semi-swears (I'm only 9 years old) and stating that what happened to Dom was the curse that made this happen.  Well, as everyone in the galaxy knows, the Red Sox did not recover and that is why the picture at the top of this article is of the Cardinals. 

Surely there is someone in the audience who has a memory of this event. It should also be mentioned that back then each team played 154 games and the Word Series were finished by the third or fourth week of September.

As for me, I have come a long way since then.  Now I don't even know who the participants in the World Series are from year to year.  The Braves are no longer in Boston and Bickford, Spahn and Sain are gone.  So has my interest.  But the memories are great.  

No, I did not have to check this out at Wikipedia.

I GOT A J.D., NOW WHAT?

I find myself around the parish church a lot.  I get to do a lot of important things around campus.  I check the postings that deface the walls and take them down when the dates that they announce are many weeks past.  When the dates are still in the future and the material is not all wrinkled and torn I leave it up.  Many times during my quasi aimless wandering I am acosted by people of various sizes, ages and colors.  Most of the time they are lost and want to know how to get to an office that may or may not be occupied for the moment.  This is the easy stuff because I have been vagranting around the same campus for well nigh 12 or 13 years now.  Sometimes I get asked something interesting. Like a short while ago I was met by a quiet, soft spoken lad who, after the initial greeting formalities announced that he had just passed the bar...first try, too. I was impressed and then quickly unimpressed.  Soft spoken lad says to me, he says, "What do I do now?  I have a JD and I want to know where I can find work where my JD will give me an advantage."  Whooooaa!  Similar to a question that I had 45 years ago.  So, I am ready.  Here's what I say to my new found quasi child.

This is a question that drives me to my innermost, deepest conviction about education. I am convinced that human life is a complex of experiences, all of which make up the “university” of hard knocks. So, every day we live and breathe is a day at school. My father drilled that into me from the day of my birth, and maybe even before.

I, personally, have come to the conclusion that we don't have JD, MBA, Ph.D, etc. we live the initials we place after our name.  

EFR Dion had to leave school in his sophomore year because of the death of his father. My father was the eldest of 8 children and this was 1914, before social services were a common way of life. He grew up in a machine shop environment. His leadership skills put him in lower management at 22. Before he was 30, he was the superintendent of a 50 person machine shop. At 38, he passed the state of Massachusetts professional tool engineer certification exam on his first and only sitting. All along the way, he told me to knit all of my life experiences together so that everything that I did would be inter-related to make me more and more knowledgeable about many things.

I have a master’s degree in Theology. That means that I was in school a long time. I worked my way through a private boarding school for 6 years. I worked for the Church, so a lot of my education was payment for my “in-house” work. Along the way I married, fathered children, lost jobs, quit jobs, was in debt, out of debt, totaled a couple of cars, sold vacuum cleaners, painted, drove airport shuttle vans, security guard, teach Catholic doctrine, Bible studies, organize and host religious pilgrimages and make a little bit of change as a translator. Through it all, I was a missionary pastor, a canon law counselor, a personnel recruiter and a personnel director. How much of what I learned in school did I apply? All of it. However, not all at once, of course. We never apply what we have learned, in school or along the road of life, all at once. No matter how much life learning we knit together, we only use what is sufficient for the moment. Furthermore, while we are using, we are learning from the feedback that the job gives us.

Therefore, everything that you have learned, from the crib to now is going to be useful for you on your first job, assuming that you are talking about your first job. If not, realize that you already know a lot. The first day on the job is going be your first day at new learning experiences as well as a new day of practicing some of what you have learned, not just in school but also in life.

So, don't carry your JD around like a badge or a passport. Live it.  Do what you want to do.  No matter what you do, you will be better at it because you are a JD.

We entered the church.  I said a short prayer for him, blessed him and he left.  I suppose that the next time we see one another he'll be on St. Peter's Public Defender staff.

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE

These sure are interesting times.  At least I think so.  I keep wishing that I could entertain myself with the antics of the DC Village Idiot.  It turns out that the more time goes by, the more mental garbage that flows into the Village Square.  The more I try to accommodate the language with the goal that I am told is desired, the more mushy my brain becomes.

I am told on a daily basis that the goal is the safety of the people and the security of the nation.  Oh, and by the way I also hear "Jobs, jobs, jobs."  The larger issue of safety and security is really where the fun is.

"Illegals" from Mexico are bad people sent here to make life miserable for us.
Answer:  Build a wall.
Me:  Huh?  Will you wall off the beach side too? You know, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.  Are you including the eastern shore?  There are some interesting possibilities there.  I'll bet the Mexicans are already plotting those routes as I sit here doing this.

Drugs from Mexico are flowing across the border.  
Answer:  Build a wall.
Me?  Huh?  What about the drugs that are smuggled in through the border gates open to legal crossers, pedestrian and automotive.  Many people who cross through the border gates legally are USA citizens, traffickers bringing tons of drugs in every single day because the USA market has a ravenous appetite for them.

How much wall do we need?  
Me?  I wonder what we are going to do about walling off 7,558 miles of possible entry points, excluding the Alaska / Canada border of 1,538 miles more.  We also have a very decided habit of shooting ourselves in the foot by not forcing overstaying visa holders to get out and go back where they came from.  There are nearly 300,000 Illegal Filipinos here right now.

History of walls.
1. Jericho - Historical oddity - remembered in song.
2. China - Histrical oddity - Tourist attraction
3. Jerusalem - Historical oddity -  Tourist attraction
4. Constantinople - Historical oddity - Tourist attraction
5. Berlin - Tourist attraction
6. Athens - Tourist attraction
7. Carcassonne - Tourist attraction
8. West Bank - Tagger's playground
9. Belfast - Curiosity item
10. Masada - Tourist attraction
Me?  I'm laughing already because I think it will be a tourist attraction from the first shovel full

Tension, Apprehension and Dissension are alive and well.
The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester 1953
Department of State budget is in line for shrinkage of 37%.
Me?  Huh?  Safety?  Security?  Deals?  This does not make a wall anything but a tourist attraction.  We stay safe by interacting with the world, not by shutting it out.  Shaking my head in sheer disgust over this one.

Our country is retrogressing into being nothing but an object of humorous inanity.  Yes, our democratic constitutional republic is inching toward the edge of the tyrannical cliff.

One way or the other, now you have a reason not to cry at my funeral.

A TOAST TO "ALTERNATIVE FACTS"

Leonardo da Vinci

Not too long ago, I heard and saw a shameless political shill lie through her teeth on TV.  When the interlocutor pointed out her lie, she said, "Don't get so upset over nothing.  It's an alternative fact."

Upon hearing that, I was immediately reminded of one of my favorite poems.  It is entitled "My Madonna" and came from the pen of the prolific poet, Robert Service.  Through this genteel poem I present you an illustration of an alternative fact.

MY MADONNA

I haled me a woman from the street, 

Shameless, but, oh so fair!

I bade her sit in the model's seat

And I painted her sitting there.

I hid all trace of her heart unclean;

I painted a babe at her breast;

I painted her as she might have been

If the Worst had been the Best.

She laughed at my picture and went away.

Then came, with a knowing nod,

A Connoisseur, and I heard him say:

"'Tis Mary, the Mother of God."

So I painted a halo around her hair,

And I sold her and took my fee,

And she hangs in the church of Saint Hillaire,

Where you and all may see.

As far as I know this poem dates from late in the 19th century.I have been enjoying it for some two decades now.  This is the first time I share it.  Like I said, I couldn't resist after being subjected to the "alternative facts" intellectual dissonance.

I hope you enjoy it.