We're never to old to honor our fathers. And as the old adage says: "The older I got, the smarter he got."
When I was a child, he was my friend, my teacher, my coach and my role model. As I grew older he tried to guide me into being the person he thought I should be. But, as a ripe old teenager I knew way more than he did. I had my ideas and they didn't fit with his.
I chose a different path than what he envisioned for me and a few years later volunteered for the Army to his utter dismay although he had volunteered and served with the O.S.S. (Office of Strategic Services a forerunner of he CIA ). I knew he knew politicians who could "pull strings" and keep me out of harm's way. In no uncertain terms I rebelled against that and eventually was slogging through the jungles and highlands of Vietnam.
For nearly 20 years we didn't speak. Neither of us reached out to the other, we were to much alike for that to happen. Then, as if the sun broke through the storm clouds we once again found each other. Although, to this day, I can't recall how.
Over time we became best friends. He was my dad and the best man at my wedding. My respect for him never stopped growing as we both grew older. Now, he has been gone for over 20 years and I miss him. I look in the mirror and see our resemblance. I review my actions and my thoughts and see his influence. And I realize how much like him I've become.
My dad may be gone but he is still my mentor and in some small way I like to think he can see me and is proud that I've become the man he molded.
Friday, June 16, 2017
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Scary Reminders of Times Past
When I first started this blog is was to have fun, be a bit sarcastic, make fun of public figures and maybe, sometimes, raise awareness. Yet, since this year began it has become more political. We live in what is still the greatest country on earth. With that said, it also appears we have some of the worst leadership we've ever had in recent history.
Our country is fractured, divided and at times just plain ignorant of what is happening to us. This nation was built by immigrants. Not all of them had the proper documentation but they laid the railroad tracks that cross our country and worked in factories turning out quality made in America products.
Over time they became United States citizens. When our government recruited men to defend our freedoms the call was answered by both citizens and non-citizens. That is a remarkable part of our proud history. And, it continues today.
Many of us can recall seeing news photos of jackbooted soldiers going door to door seeking out what their government deemed "undesirable." They were Jews, gypsies, and people from other "undesirable" religions, cultures and beliefs.
I live on the Mexican border where people seem to gather in their homes afraid to go outside. The fear of government agents stopping them and demanding papers. This is not a scene from the 1930s or 1940s in Europe. This past Friday morning ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) went door to door in an apartment complex just a few miles from where I live demanding papers and finally leading one handcuffed man to their vehicles.
This was not, as the government assures us, a person with a criminal background or a drug dealer. He is a family man who works a real job and pays taxes. But, because his papers were not in order he'll be torn from his family and deported. This is not an isolated case in my geographic area. Rather than target those truly undesirable people they are going after soft targets. Mothers and other family members who have lived in this country for 20 years without so much as a traffic ticket. While the undocumented gun toting drug dealer and criminals walk with seeming impunity.
I know ICE agents are not trained as bullies. But, as one old, crude saying goes: "Shit rolls downhill" seems to be a credible statement.
For the next 18 months or so we are screwed insofar as true leadership in Washington, D.C. But, with the mid-term elections there is hope. Start thinking now about making a difference and voting to install men and women of integrity. Men and women who will represent us and return our country to the beacon we once were to one another and to the world.
Our country is fractured, divided and at times just plain ignorant of what is happening to us. This nation was built by immigrants. Not all of them had the proper documentation but they laid the railroad tracks that cross our country and worked in factories turning out quality made in America products.
Over time they became United States citizens. When our government recruited men to defend our freedoms the call was answered by both citizens and non-citizens. That is a remarkable part of our proud history. And, it continues today.
Many of us can recall seeing news photos of jackbooted soldiers going door to door seeking out what their government deemed "undesirable." They were Jews, gypsies, and people from other "undesirable" religions, cultures and beliefs.
I live on the Mexican border where people seem to gather in their homes afraid to go outside. The fear of government agents stopping them and demanding papers. This is not a scene from the 1930s or 1940s in Europe. This past Friday morning ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) went door to door in an apartment complex just a few miles from where I live demanding papers and finally leading one handcuffed man to their vehicles.
This was not, as the government assures us, a person with a criminal background or a drug dealer. He is a family man who works a real job and pays taxes. But, because his papers were not in order he'll be torn from his family and deported. This is not an isolated case in my geographic area. Rather than target those truly undesirable people they are going after soft targets. Mothers and other family members who have lived in this country for 20 years without so much as a traffic ticket. While the undocumented gun toting drug dealer and criminals walk with seeming impunity.
I know ICE agents are not trained as bullies. But, as one old, crude saying goes: "Shit rolls downhill" seems to be a credible statement.
For the next 18 months or so we are screwed insofar as true leadership in Washington, D.C. But, with the mid-term elections there is hope. Start thinking now about making a difference and voting to install men and women of integrity. Men and women who will represent us and return our country to the beacon we once were to one another and to the world.
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