Thoughts

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Things I Should Have Said to My Father


My father was/is my hero. He died at the age of 57 when I was just 20. And because I was so young, it had not occurred to me to ask him a large number of questions plus just talking to him about things in general.

I am the eldest of three children my parents had and simple math shows that my father was much older than most people who were having children, particularly when considering how old a parent is when having that first child. My mother was 35 when I was born. That was in 1949 and at the time having a first child at that age was considered bordering on dangerous. Of course, it wasn’t as we know today.

My father lived in a large old house, built in 1790, a farmhouse style home, that my family occupied since 1791. The makeup of my family in 1912, when my father was born, was an upper middle-class family, a family that could afford to have a cook and housekeeper. My grandfather was a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and had a strange feeling towards his children and their education. While two of my three uncles went to college, my father graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology, a trade school in those days that had strong ties to the textile industry of Massachusetts. The industry was quite extensive at that time and my father, who graduated in 1932, became an employee at the J. P. Stevens Mill in North Andover Massachusetts, his hometown. When the war broke out in 1941, my father delayed his entry into the service because of his father’s impending death.

My father served in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was part of the armament section for a B-26 which had him serving in Morocco, Algeria, Italy and finally France. He declined a promotion that would have required his transfer to the Pacific theater of operations. But when he returned home, a law which required J. P. Stevens to take him back, was ignored and he was told his position no longer existed. A patent lie but my father was a gentle man who was not one to take issue.

From what I have told you, you might think I knew so much about my father. But those unasked questions came to surface when I interviewed his sister Charlotte in 1988. Even that interview was wanting for a more logical and extensive series of questions. Still, I learned a lot about my father’s family experience through her. But still, it was not done in his words.

A sampling of questions I might have asked: What are your earliest memories of your family? What were Thanksgiving and Christmas like? Tell me about your going to the Center School (elementary) and Johnson High School. Why did you want to go to Wentworth instead of a 4-year college? Why did you end up getting our house instead of Uncle Ike or Uncle John? Why did you go into the jewelry business and watch repair? How did you learn to repair watches? I am certain that were I to sit with myself, I could easily come up with 100 questions I would love to hear the answer. But as I said, my father died when I was just 20 years old and too much “all about me” as is common among young men and women then and today.

Year later I got a master’s degree in U.S. history which brought home the idea of written family histories. My thesis would have been ever so much better had I known of personal journals of the people involved. After I retired from the Federal Government with 30 years of service, I went into teaching, and I frequently would tell the children to learn as much as they can about their family history. It is only to common for a person to say that their family history is boring. But it is not! Each of us is a part of history and we all witness history from out own unique view. That view can be crucial for future historians. This fact was brought home when I was writing a paper in grad school about the beginning of the Revolutionary War. I found the diary of a young man who lived just south of Boston and wrote down, albeit briefly, his take on the first shots of that war. That was invaluable.

Not to put too fine a point on this subject, I was taking the train from Boston to San Francisco (Oakland) when at dinner one day in one of the mid-west states, I was seated across from an elderly woman. I asked her the usual questions, where are you from and what did you do from work. From that modest beginning opened up a wealth of information, totally unexpected. She too had said hers was a boring background as she was “only” a schoolteacher in a one-room schoolhouse in southern Ohio. In the late 1980s that was a story worth telling.

I do not expect any young people to read this article, however, I know adults will. I implore those of you who are reading this article that you get a written history of your family of birth and that you pass on to your children your own personal experiences. The importance of having first-hand knowledge of the events of history is extremely important. What you experience is unique and worthy of being told to following generations. When history is written, it is these first-hand accounts that will give a much more full understanding of history.

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World War III? Do Not Count It Out!


Right now the world is in a very precarious state. The war in Ukraine is front and center but it is far from the only issue of world safety. China is an ally of Russia and is already on a war footing. Will the Chinese send weapons to Russia? I think it likely. And worse, our ability to detect such movements of weapons can be made difficult simply by sending them by rail.

In the 21st century, China has had expansionist plans ever since it took over Tibet and the world did nothing. It regained Hong Cong and the world was forced to stand by as the iron fist of Chinese Communist rule struck down any inkling of democracy in Hong Kong. Now it has its eyes on Taiwan.

And while China built up its industrial complex to be a world supplier of electronics needed in our everyday life. Right now China is a world economic power and fast gaining influence in 3rd world countries, particularly in Africa.

The unstable variable in all this is President Putin of Russia. We have heard that it is doubtful that battlefield nuclear arms will be moved into Belarus. But I would not bet against that either.

We do not know 90% of the information our intelligence community has gathered. It has always been that way. And the hope is that they are getting good intel.

All the above items will figure into what happens next. And I expect the next thing to happen is Russia’s all-out assault on Ukraine which will include all portions of Russia’s armed forces. I expect the reason Ukrainian soldiers are being trained on the Patriot Air Defense system is our country is expecting Russia to launch a much increased missle attack but also a much higher use of jet aircraft to included bombers, something it has not done to date. Bombers can fly at 50,000 feeet over Ukraine and effectively hit any target it desires.

On the other side of the world China is making warlike moves on Taiwan. It would not take much for a war to break out there which we would ultimately be drawn into because of our commitment to help defend Taiwan. It is not unreasonable to expect Russia to be embolden after getting Chinese support to draw in NATO.

Then what? WWIII.

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SINGING THE ABORTION BLUES


According to the 2020 census, approximately 30% of Americans are Evangelicals with another 12% members of the Mormon Church. That is 42% of all Americans and that number may increase to close to 50% with the addition of conservative Roman Catholics. I bring that up because of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. It comes under thefirst portion which states that: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. “

In its landmark decision last year, the US Supreme Court said that the original Roe v. Wade decision was flawed and overturned it. That court was packed by Republicans with very conservative justices, most, if not all, can be included in the numbers I quoted above. Theirs was a political decision, to be sure, and not one of Constitutional Law as they are required. The 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was a 1st Amendment decision about a person’s right to privacy which included what happens between a doctor and his patient.

Yesterday the state of South Carolina declared that it intends to create a law which subject a woman who has had an abortion to either a prison sentence or 30 years or the death penalty! It takes absolutely no genius to figure out who is I abehind such a draconian statement.

I am someone who for his lifetime has been against abortion, however, I also realized that it would never be my body in play. This is the exclusive territory of women. Therefor, I became an anti-abortion/pro-choice man. It was my feeling that far too many abortions were simply a matter of convenience and not one of necessity.

The pro-life movement wants all embryos to be allowed to grow until birth. But it is at that point that they take a hands-off position. That baby born to a 13-year-old who lives in poverty is now that family’s problem. That is quite simply unacceptable. If you are to win the pro-life argument, you must take responsibility for all fetuses brought to term until that child is in a safe and secure situation that does not include any individual state taking responsibility for that child’s welfare by putting it into the fostFer parent style system. It should be that if you are going to be pro-life that you must give $250 a month to the state to care for these children who are born to parents who are unable to care for the child.

Furthermore, these pro-lifers have no consideration for the costs heaped upon low-income families who simply cannot afford either the costs of birth and then the costs of child care. The pro-lifers are single minded. They first shut down Planned Parenthood which is a 90% educational institution and 10% abortion. They have taken away the education these poor women need to prevent conception and thereby eliminate the need for abortion.

Our nation is now in a crisis of life. They call themselves pro-lifers but in reality, they are simply imposing their religious beliefs upon people who do not share that belief which means they are in violation of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution. The SJC’s decision was one of religious belief and not one of law as required by their position.

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Wither the Republican Party?


Since 1854, the United States has had a strong Republican party and with the exception of 1912, when the party was split by Teddy Roosevelt and his Bull Moose party, and again with Ross Perot’s Reform Party in 1996, the party has stood strong. But this next election cycle could once again split the party in a matter that will affect it for many years to come.

I find it stunning the 60% of registered Republican votes support Donald Trump and this despite a latinity of his bad acts. And he is buttressed by Marjory Taylor Green who is on the far-right wing. Should Trump win in Iowa, anything is possible. But the party, where most of its elected representatives are centrists, needs to take control. And that can only come via it taking control of the narrative be played to Republicans and Independents who are right leaning. To date, the RNC has done nothing to take back the narrative of a “stolen election,” “the big lie,” and by owning its mistakes by refusing to partake in the January 6th Committe hearings and then allowing two of its leaders to fall to challengers. One more member, who I have called a “Fascist,” is Ron DeSantis and his campaign to control the thoughts and minds or the people of Florida. I do not, for the most part, agree with Liz Cheney’s politics but I gained great respect for her standing by principles that all members of Congress should adhere to, and I include Adam Kinzinger in that narrative.

Political parties win when they are run by the centrists of their party. These centrists are the deal makers of our nation. These are the people who actually make our government run smoothly; not as Congress is being run today. But make no mistake, each party needs its members who are more conservative or more liberal than the majority to bring in opposing thoughts to caucus discussions.

I do hope the Republican Party finds a way to make amends with Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger by finding a place for Cheney and backing Kinzinger as its choice for the seat he once held. It is the right thing to do. I ask of the Repulican Party leaders to do one thing and one thing only, just do the next right thing.

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Slashing Programs is NOT the Answer: Republicans Take Note!


I read in today’s (March 9, 2023) Boston Globe how many Republicans are looking at slashing our foreign aid programs, making medicare receipients pay more and other cuts which only affect those on fixed incomes or of limited means. For my entire adult life I have paid into Medicare, and I continue to do so at age 74. This is NOT an entitlement; this is an investment I made for help exactly at this time in my life when I am no longer a part of the workforce.

We are the richest nation in the world, and it is not even close. Supporting Ukraine in its battle and supporting disadvantaged countries is something we owe the world.

President Biden has suggested increasing the tax rate for anyone who makes over $100,000 a year and yet Republicans are complaining! They can afford it! Republicans need to remember that the darling of their party, Ronald Reagan put a 20% minimum tax on such people and his threshold for such a tax was much lower.

Taxes are not the boogeyman Republicans make them out to be. Nowhere in the industrial world are its citizens taxed less. I suggest that raising the individual tax deduction to $25,000 will insure that lower income families are not affected by rising taxes. Even more, I recommend that this deduction be raised each year according to the rate of inflation.

A tax a rate that ensures those families making over $1,000,000 individually be mandated to pay the 20% minimum tax as Pres. Reagan suggested. This would be a start to reducing the national deficit. It should be, and is, that those people who make over $100 million a year pay nothing! This shows the absolute need for Congress to fix the tax code and close loopholes that favor only the very wealthy to super wealthy. That should be their focus and not cutting those things they are suggesting.

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I Plan to Live to be 105 . . . . and Maybe Longer!


As I approach my 74th birthday, March 12, I remember back about 23 years ago when I told someone that I plan to live to be 100. I said that as a sort of self-encouragement because prior to that day, I was all gloom and doom. I had had my first heart attack two years prior, and it seemed that I was going down the same path as my father who died at the age of 57 after his 3rd heart attack. But what I had failed to realize was that modern medicine had changed to such a degree that I actually had no heart damage because a stent had been placed in the occluded artery and fully opened it up.

Shortly after declaring that I was going to live to be 100, I changed my mind and set that to 101. I stuck with that amount of time for many years. It is, for any American male, a lofty desire but one which I believed to be fully possible. More recently, I changed my longevity to 105, at least! Is this wishful thinking or a possible reality?

In 2021 I had my second heart surgery during which two more stents were placed and then in 2022 another stent was placed. During all that my heart muscle remains uninjured, and this is entirely due to early detection and modern medicine. It is my belief that medicine is progressing quickly enough that it will continue to progress in a manner that it will affect my life as well and help keep me healthy.

I enjoy being active. I still mow my lawn, have a good-sized garden, and am forever looking for ways to make my yard better. Part of this year’s work has been constructing yet another above ground flower bed. And there are a few other projects which must be undertaken. This will keep me active around my house. Additionally, I love bicycle riding and two days ago I went on a 20-mile ride. Here in North Carolina that is no small feat in a state that seems to have disdain for road shoulders. Still, I am fairly innocuous to any dangers surrounding me by being aware of my surroundings. And that is in spite of almost being run over by a woman who decided she should cut me off so she could turn right into a parking lot. Thank God I have good reflexes. While this situation might dissuade others from this form of exercise, I have long viewed it as part of what happens on the roads and have accepted it, though I am still disgusted by some peoples’ disregard for the safety of the bicyclist. Remember, we lose every time when up against any motor vehicle. I will continue to bicycle as long as my body allows which could easily take me into my 90s.

I do have one exception to the above. Should I contract dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, all bets are off. Even so, as long as I have my wits about me, I will continue to soldier on hoping that medicine will assist in my situation before being forced to give in to what becomes the inevitable.

As a sort of an aside, but also a hope to all Americans, regardless of age, there are four things which I consider absolutely necessary on longevity. The first is a positive outlook on life. Next, you must not only go to your primary care doctor annually but listen to your doctor’s recommendations and act upon them in a timely fashion plus do not withhold anything and lie to your doctor. Third, stay active! Figure out what you can do to keep your body moving and do it regularly. And finally, keep your mind active, via reading for example, and do not allow negative feelings to take over your thought process. I read constantly, although that has taken a back seat to my taking a course in “Intensive Italian,” two semesters of the language compressed into one, through Harvard’s School of Continuing Education. This course taxes my mind greatly but it is certainly akin to running a marathon. You probably will not win the marathon but finishing needs to always be the ultimate goal.

Do these things and maybe you too will live to be 105, or longer!

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Governor Ron DeSantis: Officially a Fascist


I am appalled by Florida’s new law regarding books in public (K-12) schools. Such a law harkens back to pre-1930 U.S. education when religious oranizations decided what children and adults should read. But even worse, it sounds like 1938 Germany when there were massive book burnings when the government decided what the public could or could not read. That was fascism in action. Please understand that my understanding of such methods and doctrines comes from the fact that I studied U.S. history at Harvard University where I got my master’s degree in that subject. But such history studies depend upon the student’s ability to have an understanding of the world around the United States during its history.

This also reminds me of George Orwell’s 1984 where the government of the United States had become intrusive to the extreme in every person’s daily life.

DeSantis has ordered that “media specialists,” who were once known in public schools as “librarians,” review every book in the school to determine whether there is any objectionable material contained. Objectionable material such as a book a 6th grader was reading in which two boys loved each other. His reaction was one of acceptance which is exactly what we should want of our children in today’s society. So much of the hatred that exists in our country today comes from one group of people deciding that another group are something beneath them.

Florida has also outlawed all A.P. black history classes. This too is what the Nazi’s did when their crusade against Jews, Gypsies, gays, and all groups defined as “undesirables” was put into action. Is this what we are seeing in Florida? It certainly seems so. The Nazis decided that all things connected with these groups must be deleted from the public’s view and they made that happen. This sounds too much like what is happening in Florida!

And while it would be, most likely, a bad decision to put Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence on a K-8 reading list, would it be improper to allow high schoolers to read the books? Shall we then include Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beacher Stowe on such a list because its central characters are black? Or how about the high school senior who decides to do a book report on the biography of Margaret Sanger because she dealt with birth control in the early 20th Century? I can go on and on but I think I have made my point.

I did notice that the books of Raold Dahl were removed from the school library’s shelves that they may be checked for inappropriate material! Are you kidding me! You would have to be extremely ignorant to think that anything said in those books could be offensive for even the youngest grade schooler. And yet, a media specialist my review them.

And who is behind these moves, DeSantis himself? I doubt it. It is my guess, and my opinion, that if you look hard enough you will find that conservative evangelicals are the tail which is wagging the dog here. DeSantis needs this very conservative base to stay in office because Florida is not a deep red state but one which has a large strong liberal party as well.

It may seem odd to compare what is happening to Florida to the Supreme Court’s decision of what pornography is and who can watch it but the parallels are hard to ignore. In each case, a decision on the First Amendment comes into view. I do hope that there is some group in Florida that has taken the torch to fight this law in the Supreme Court on the basis of the First Amendment.

Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it. That is a paraphrase but a most appropriate one. In 1925, the Scopes Trial in Tennesse brough a high school teacher to task for daring to teach evolution to his students. This did not sit well with conservative church leaders and their followers. At that time too, Tennessee had passed a law known as the “Butler Act” which barred the teaching of evolution. Behind the trail were fundamentalist Christians. Clarence Darrow, who was the attorney for the defense, eventually lost the case but it brought into the public’s mind what was acceptable to be taught in public schools and the controversy quickly spread across the country.

Must we have another “Scopes'” style trial to deal with this? Are Floridians’ so numb to the political machinations of the Florida State government that they oppose nothing it brings into law? Where is the outrage? Where is good judgement? Certainly not in Florida! Florida has already barred the teaching of black history so what is next? Seminole history?

It is difficult for Americans who have been allowed only a narrow view of history to make good and well-informed decisions. Yes, Ron DeSantis calls himself a Republican but in truth, he is actually a Fascist.!

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If President Biden Runs Again


This will be my shortest thought ever.

Even though I am a self-described independent, I voted for both Democrats and Republicans here in North Carolina last November, I have never voted for a Republican candidate for President. But in the next election, should Biden decide to run again, I may well vote Republican, I consider that a strong possibility. Pres. Biden has proven himself to not be up to the job.

On Face the Nation this morning, on CBS, I got to hear from Republican Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire speak. He is considering a run for President. And for me, Gov. Sununu is an interesting prospect. He is pro-choice, something I consider sacrosanct, but he is decidedly a moderate where he comes for a state, New Hampshire, which has changed for a red state to a blue state due to the influx of former Massachusetts residents. The irony of my wanting a pro-choice candidate is that I am very anti-abortion. However, I do not believe that government at any level should have a say over a woman’s reproductive rights.

I do not consider Pres. Biden, who I voted for, to be fit to lead our country. We desperately need young, or at least much younger, blood in our national politics. Chris Sununu is 48-years-old. I truly like that. It harkens back to JFK who took office when he was 45.

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Time For Pres. Biden to Resign? Yes!


Let me be clear, I voted for Biden in the general election, although in the primaries he was not my choice,

I have been underwhelmed by his performance as president and have been hoping he would not run for a 2nd term.

But now, with the revelation of his improper handling of classified documents, I think it is in the best interest of our government, if not the Democrat Party, for him to resign. Most recently, he cavalier attitude about the documents found next to his Corvette, saying afterall, they were in a locked location, leaves me wondering if anyone in Washington has the slightest knowledge of the proper care and storage of classified documents. As someone who has had very high security clearances, the seriousness of the proper handling of such documents was drilled into us and upon leaving the area security clearances, we were debriefed.

Left-wingers have been quick to point out that there are differences between this and Trump’s mishandling of classified documents. While that is true, the bottom line is that each mishandled these documents. Title 18 of the Code of Federal Regulations defines the proper care and handling of classified documents. It states that such documents can only be stored in government approved facilities and containers. President Biden’s garage in Wilmington DE as well as Trumps Mar a Lago home does not meet that requirement.

Furthermore, all security clearances hare granted on a need-to-know basis which calls into question either Biden or Trump’s continued need to know. It is extremely doubtful that either had a continuing need to know upon leaving office. I am not a lawyer, but I believe that in both cases laws have been broken and actions must be taken. From confidential to compartmentalized top secret, the amount of damage to the United States is spelled out with each higher level of greater damage to the United States were they to fall into the wrong hands.

In the case of Pres. Biden, I think it is clear that he must resign from office rather than bring more discredit to the office of the President and to the United States.

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What to do With the Thousands of Potential Immigrants at Our Southern Borders


President Biden has failed, at least in part, in dealing with the influx of immigrants at our boders, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Florida. His first action should have been activating FEMA, declaring a national emergency regarding these immigrants. Notwithstanding Title 42, President Biden can issue orders that might actually assuage Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas. The answer lies in multiple parts.

First, FEMA must be inserted into this dilemma to set up temporary housing and sanitation facilities at the affected areas. Next, he needs to create a robust plan for vetting those desiring asylum. To be certain, there are a lot of undesirables among the refugees. Once vetted the refugees would occupy the facilities of FEMA; a sort Ellis Island of today. For those who can provide an address of a relative living legally in the U.S., a green card would be issued and the refugees allowed to legally enter the U.S. and move to their relative’s address, this would have to be verified of course.

The next part, probably the most difficult of any, would be to confer with the governors of all states. Each governor would be asked to take in a number of refugees in that coincides with their population. The top ten states in population, Texas, New York, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, and Michigan would take to most while the bottom 10, Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota, South Dakota, Rhode Island, Delaware, Alaska, Montana, Maine, and Hawaii would take the fewest.

Such a move is not without precedent. Until 1923, almost anyone who showed up at our doors were admitted. The only ones turned away were the sickly and those with known criminal records. But one thing that is seldom mentioned about those immigrants is that about 1/3 of them returned to their country of origin.

The countries of origin for the current refugees is mostly from countries in Central America plus Venezuela. What is happening to the people in those nations in unconscionable. Death squads, constant hunger, political repression, among other things make these people flee the country they love. In the late 19th and early 20th century such immigrants came from Poland (occupied by Russia and Germany/Austria), Syria, Persia, Armenia, Croatia, Serbia and others from that region, all fleeing the Ottoman Empire. The parallels are extremely closely related.

My plan, while flawed, is at least a starting point for dealing with this human crisis.