Deja vu and The “Forever War Crowd”

The lies and deceit used for the continuation of the Vietnam war in 1968 failed. Fifty years later those very same distortions are supported. 

Why?  What’s the difference?

In 1968 we were told that our exit from Vietnam would surely spell Armageddon.  Vietnam would be the first domino to fall resulting in a Communist takeover of all of Southeast Asia and from there the rest of the world.  It didn’t happen.  Surprise – Surprise. 

Yet all the 24/7 cable news outlets are dragging out every retired American general on the face of the earth and every politician who owes their allegiance to the billions of dollars made through our war machine.  Their old, tired, deceitful Vietnam Arguments are as erroneous today as they were in 1968. 

This Is What "Minimal Casualties" Look Like

Today we are told our military exit from the Middle East will be – you guessed it – Armageddon, i.e. if we exit the Middle East Isis and al-Qaida will remerge as powerful forces.  Hence the argument for us to never cease fire - for us to fight those wars forever.  Retired General Ramsey Clark recently stated; “We are taking minimal casualties.” These are the same generals and the same politicians who demanded President Kennedy attack – bomb – Cuba as a solution to the 1962 missile crisis.         

Here is what the “Forever War” crowd wants us to ignore: 

·      Most recent pew poll – 69% of Americans want us out of the Middle East.

·      We spend $50 Billion a year in Afghanistan ALONE.

·      In both Syria and Afghanistan delusions, i.e., “democracy building” keeping our shores safe (911 was planned in Hamburg, Germany) fuel continued fighting.

·      Afghanistan resolution – Seek out those responsible for 9-11 attacks.

·      Osama Bin Laden is dead - al-Qaida has lost its Impact

·      Resolution said nothing of “associated Force(s)”, War in Syria, Yemen or Mali

·      Pakistan aids enemy in Afghanistan – Do we declare war against Pakistan?

·      Stated objective - Drive Isis out of Syria.  Isis has lost 99% of its territory.

 Finally, with our exit from our current war theaters we do NOT lose our capability to respond militarily to a legitimate threat.   We have submarines patrolling every body of water on earth.  We have military bases, aircraft carriers and other surface capabilities worldwide.  We could launch an attack anywhere in the world on a moment’s notice. 

 The “Forever War” crowd does NOT want peace.  They pursue their wanton destruction because it benefits them financially.  It also acts as an arrogant source of pride.  It affords them the opportunity to demonstrate to the entire world that they are the most effective at killing people and breaking things.  

 War in American has become no different than our tax policies.  Once a tax is enacted, rest assured, it’s never going away.  Today, once we militarily enter a country, the mindset in government is exactly the same.  We are never going away.  We are not only fighting an 18-year war in Afghanistan, but also fighting in seven different war theaters around the world. 

 This is the end result of American silence over our wars.  The reason this didn’t happen in 1968 is because we had a forced conscription – a draft.  As a result, most American families were invested in the Vietnam war.  We had a news media that reported on our wars which they seldom, if ever, do today.  We also had strong voices in Robert Kennedy, Eugene McCarthy and Martin Luther King Jr. to lead us away from the dark demise.   We have no such voices of influence today. 

White Males Easy Prey For Female Bullies

Recently watched the movie “Crash.”  To be certain it is one of Hollywood’s finer moments of which they have very few these days.  The movie dovetailed with the interview below and created a needed realization. 

In an interview with Jon Stewart when he was hosting The Daily Show, Nancy Pelosi was asked what her number ONE objective was as Speaker of the House.  She replied by saying that she wanted to get more women elected to congress.  Not campaign finance reform, not ending homelessness or poverty, not single payer universal health care, not ending our never-ending wars, not gun control, not a greater minimum wage.  The results of this year’s mid-term elections have placed more women in congressional seats than ever before, while the afore mentioned has grown to plague us like never before. 

In a recent interview on PBS News Hour, Judy woodruff spoke with departing senators Claire McCaskill and Heidi Heitkamp.  It is a marvelous exchange that contains key wisdom and proper perspective for today’s political climate.   

Heidi Heitkamp; “Whoever gets nominated (Democratic Nominee) should have three characteristics. They should have character. They should have charisma. And they should have competence.” 

Claire McCaskill; “..one of the mistakes we make as a party is spending too much time talking about a gender thing.  You know, we are a party of all kinds of people… white men, white working-class men have traditionally been a huge part of our party.  We have lost a lot of them.  And one of those reasons is, we have had a tendency to talk too much about gender.” 

“I want someone who is…inspirational, charismatic…. who is competent and strong and authentic, and I don’t care if they are a man or a woman.” 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5befXLNJkg 

We are bigoted nation because we promote and accept many forms of bigotry.  If someone espoused the point of view that the only way things are going to get better is if we elect more white males to congress, that person, that statement, would be attacked as being bigoted and discriminatory, which, to be certain, it is.  

Yet, if that same someone says the only way things are going to get better is if we elect more blacks, Latinos, Hmongs, or women to congress, we applaud the thinking and statement even though there is no evidence or validation for the contention and even though it is as bigoted and discriminatory as the white man statement.  We are clearly our own worst enemy. 

As McCaskill astutely insinuates; there is no law, mandate or even a perceived suggestion that we are best served by men or women.  To hold that one frame of mind is discriminatory and bigoted, while accepting the other, is an oxymoron.  And yes - lets be frank about it.  It’s just plain stupid.  But then stupidity is the cornerstone for the definition of bigotry. 

Wittingly or unwittingly, the Democratic Party has created a safe haven for female bullies.  For Dems to achieve the level of influence they desire in the political area, they will have to embrace the wisdom of McCaskill and Heitkamp and abandon as their primary focus “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and promoting the electing of ONLY women.

Nationalism Isn’t Patriotism

French President Emmanuel Macron’s warning for an awakening is crucial for world peace and stability.

English Oxford Dictionary:

Patriotism is defined as “devotion to and vigorous support for one’s country.” 

Nationalism is the “identification with one’s own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.” 

A patriot takes pride in his/her country in providing support to other nations and individuals. 

A Nationalist only takes pride in what his/her country does for them with NO regard for the betterment of mankind worldwide.   

President Trump has declared himself to be a Nationalist.  On October 22 in Houston, Texas he stated; “You know what I am? I’m a nationalist, OK? I’m a nationalist. Nationalist! Use that word. Use that word…”    

President Trump has established the principles of nationalism as his political platform.  It is clearly his goal to create an unqualified acceptance and belief in that doctrine.  He is working to implement, solidify and ingrain those ideals into the American fabric as the primary, if not sole, basis for future thought and behavior.  

 France’s President Emmanuel Macron recognizes this as moral decay within a nation and therefore one of greatest threats posed to America and the world at large.  

Excerpt Macron’s Armistice Day Speech – Paris France – November 11, 2018 

 “Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism. By saying our interests first… we erase what a nation holds dearest, what gives it life, what gives it grace, and what is essential: its moral values.” 

“Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism by saying, ‘our interest first, who cares about the others?" 

Macron’s comments where not just directed at President Trump and the spread of nationalism worldwide.  He demonstrated the historic reality that nationalism was directly responsible for both world wars, especially world war I. 

This is a debate that is not ensuing in America and is crucial to prevent the further spread and acceptance of such a callous self-serving philosophy.

Glorifying Mediocrity

Our cultural decline in America can be attributed to whole host of ailments, not the least of which, is the mindset that currently permeates our athletic endeavors.  

A great many Americans have lost interest in professional athletics because of the exorbitant money paid to our athletes.  This annoyance should not blind us to the even greater threat emerging within athletic endeavors today.  It is our willingness to ignore the importance of character and a toughness toward a commitment to “gutting-it-out.”  For it is this aspect that makes athletic enterprises most worthwhile and where the real level of respect and admiration needs to be focused and expressed.  It is the same toughness that most of us must exhibit in raising our children – especially a difficult child – reaching our maximum potential within our chosen careers, developing a lasting marriage or any other worthwhile activity we pursue in life.  It would be dangerous and self-destructive for us to allow such an athletic blindness to perpetuate itself.  

Setting a standard of excellence that demands we strive for levels of success that challenge our human capabilities creates a mindset and a desire to exceed our perceived limitations - we think in terms of succeeding despite the obstacles or challenges.  Diminishing requirements for excellence has the completely opposite effect which we are witnessing in our national pastime. 

For many years’ baseball has curtailed the demands placed on its pitchers.  We have moved from an era where a starting pitcher had a mindset of finishing any game he started.  Today, six innings pitched is touted as a “quality start” or maximum effort and achievement.  Relief pitchers are seldom required to pitch more than two innings.  Using relief pitchers two or three days in a row is seen as exhausting them.  It is universal wisdom that they need time off – they need their rest - after this minimum effort has been exerted.  We have seen the creation of “set-up” pitchers (eighth inning specialists) and of course “the closer” who is required to get just three outs in the ninth inning – And managers must be careful not to overexert these lads by asking them to pitch too many days in a row. 

Character and “gutting-it-out” is still occasionally displayed in baseball, though not very often.  In 2014, after only two days’ rest, Madison Bumgarner preserve a World Series win by throwing five scoreless innings in relief to protect a one run Giants lead.  In the 2018 World Series, Red Sox pitcher Nathan Eovaldi throw 97 pitches in just short of 7 innings of relief.  He took the loss.  If ever a loser earned a trophy it’s Eovaldi. 

Now we come to hockey where character and “gutting-it-out” is a requirement.  As highlighted in the “Docu-movie,” “Miracle On Ice,” there is no room in hockey for an athlete who would take pride in giving up 3 or 4 runs after pitching just six innings – no room for “set-up” or “closing” pitchers. 

While hockey players are arguably the most talented athletes in the world, it is the character demanded by the game that makes them the most exceptional among us.  It was that character that provided us with the most stirring athletic event in history – the Gold Medal win by the USA Olympic Hockey Team in 1980.  It is that character, irrespective of financial gains, that demands our respect and admiration. 

As baseball continues its march in defining mediocrity as excellence, let us pray that the same superlatives and mighty accolades bestowed upon the games predecessors will be absent in describing today’s exploits.  We also, more importantly, need to pray that we, as a people, shall always and forever refuse to embrace these diminished returns on character, effort and excellence. 

Character demonstrated In Toughness and “Gutting-It-Out”  
Where true greatest is exhibited in athletics

Dogs Can Teach Our Kids

Grandson Drew with His Dog Wycliffe

Pizza was ordered for dinner. One of the extended family members asked that some portion of the pies be cheese only. 

 

When the feast arrived an adolescent entered the room.  Seeing an offering that was cheese only, and motivated by today’s environment to callously feel free to speak whatever comes to mind, he vociferously expressed his disdain for cheese pizza, although there were plenty of other offerings for him to consume.

 

The adults in the room where concerned that he may have offended the “cheese only” requester.  They attempted to quell the moment by presenting numerous reasons as to why “cheese only” would be preferred.  They also gently tried to explain that the same anti-cheese pizza proclamation, while terribly trivial and thus unnecessary, could have been expressed by enthusiastic support for his favorite pizza.   

But this “Trumpian” youth – Vote for a face like that, Heroes don’t get captured, mocking a disabled reporter - was unable to grasp the concept of civilized discourse.  But the adults tried.  They planted the seeds that hopefully will flourish in the future.

The wisdom below comes from an essay describing why dogs live shorter lives than humans.  The author would have most certainly been credited if they were known. 

 

”People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The six-year-old continued,

”Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay for as long as we do.”

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

• When your loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
• Take naps.
• Stretch before rising.
• Run, romp, and play daily.
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
• On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
• When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Be faithful.
• Never pretend to be something you’re not.
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

That's the secret of happiness that we can learn from a good dog.

“People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?  Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay for as long as we do.”

 

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

 

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

 

• When your loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
• Take naps.
• Stretch before rising.
• Run, romp, and play daily.
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
• On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
• When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Be faithful.
• Never pretend to be something you’re not.
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

 

Those are some of the secrets of a GOOD life that can be learned from a GOOD dog.”

Remembering Bobby

An elder was recently asked; “If you could change just ONE historic event during your lifetime, what would it be?”   The period of time in question spans the years from 1948 through today. 

This elder had witnessed cures for polio and other diseases and with no one getting rich through those contributions.  He grew up at a time when America had the most prosperous middle class the world had ever known and watched how that growth propelled the most prosperous economy in history.  He waited and prayed and then watched as a potential nuclear confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union was averted.  He cheered the Peace Corps, the passage of Medicare and Medicaid and other initiatives to stem poverty in the richest country in the world.  He cheered America’s landing a man on the moon.  He watched the rise of the single greatest American who ever lived, Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Junior, and again cheered as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became the law of the land.

He next pondered how American values, morality and civilized, respectful behavior toward one another has deteriorated.  How we no longer pass laws or rescind laws for moral reasons.  How we now declare war on the poor rather than on poverty. How brutal, vicious violence now goes unchecked.  How we callously accept spree shootings and mass killings, gang murders and our wars.  How we can ignore the suffering and dying of our sick along with acceptance of rampant unnecessary abortions.  How we have lost our sense of obligation and commonly refuse to accept accountability for our conduct. 

So to properly address the question, reflection on when this deterioration began was necessary.  For it is at that point in history that crucial change was necessary. 

In 1968 America was in the midst of a revolution. As stated in the June 27, 2013 Malat Musing entitled “Moons and Junes and Ferris Wheels;” “The Vietnam war was tearing the nation apart.  Buildings, draft cards and American flags were burned.  Schools were temporarily closed.  Roads and access to buildings were blocked.  Government buildings were burglarized.  Parents and children became estranged as never before.  Children left home and joined communes and embraced a rebellious, radical, sometimes violent lifestyle.  Brothers stopped speaking to one another.  The contemporary depiction of the police was; “the pigs.” Service men were spat on, egged and called baby killers.  Young Americans headed north of the border to avoid imprisonment.  Protestors were beaten, imprisoned and shot to death while 58,282 families buried their loved ones – the casualties of this war.  The country also witnessed the sunshine of hope for a brighter tomorrow eclipsed by the dark moons of assassination, as the country buried their most compassionate and loving leaders of the day.”   The country was badly fractured.  The awful hatreds surrounding Vietnam, civil rights, poverty and injustice were tearing America apart and destroying altruistic objectives – destroying the very best of who we were. 

It is still widely accepted that Senator Robert F. Kennedy was the only candidate who could have unified the country at the height of all this madness.  Senator Eugene McCarthy ran a strictly anti-war campaign.  Richard Nixon ran a get tough campaign comprised of both restoring “Law-And-Order” and a military victory –  “I pledge to you that we shall have an honorable end to the war in Vietnam.”  - “Peace-With-Honor” in Vietnam.  Hubert Humphrey straddled the political fence with great skill, careful not to alienate anyone.  He uttered nothing of importance until the last month of the 1968 presidential campaign.  Humphrey was convinced that the Democratic Party power structure would secure his election.

Bobby made unity his central campaign theme.  He addressed all the ugliness with moral courage, candor and grace.  He was a visionary, knowing exactly what awaited America if we didn’t commit ourselves to a stronger more vibrant country through love, compassion, understanding and national unity.  

“What I think is quite clear is that we can work together in the last analysist.  And that what’s been going on in the United States in the period of the last three years; the divisions, the violence the disenchantment with our society, the divisions whether it’s between the blacks and whites, between the poor and the more affluent, or between age groups or on the war in Vietnam; we can start to work together.  We are a great country. We are a selfless country. We are a compassionate country.  And I intend to make that the basis for my running...”   

His death fifty-years ago, on June 6, 1968, signaled the beginning of the end of an era of decency and compassion in governmental leadership.  Progressive ideology began its descent. The commitment through a strong moral fiber and charter necessary to govern in this nation’s common good and general welfare began losing its once significant influence. 

Those who may suggest this was just political rhetoric are reminded of the very first words Kennedy uttered after being shot and while lying in a pool of his own blood before going into a coma; “Is everybody OK?” 

What one event would that elder change?  Bobby would live and our frustration and heartache with; If Only… and, What If… would instead perish and the bright sunshine that once adorned America and so much of the rest of the world, would be restored in all its majesty, for us to bask in once again.

The Long Good-Bye

Funeral Train From New York to Washington D.C.

Along with some of Bobby’s Most Profound Thoughts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xAzbw23-ds&feature=related

Dialogue from the Long Good-Bye 

What Bobby Represented and is so Desperately needed today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvxH3utA1kg

Catholic School Remembrance

Growing up and then living as a Catholic has most certainly had its challenges. It also had its blessings.  St. Charles Borromeo was one such blessing.

The church and school were built in 1939.  By 1954 the parish had grown to 1200 families and 852 students. It was the largest parish and one of the largest schools in the state.  As such, a separate building to house the church was built and dedicated in 1959.

The convent, housing the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, who educated St. Charles Kids for 32 years, was updated and expanded in 1952.  A rectory was finally built in 1961. 

It was during this period of expansion and construction (1954 – 1962) that I was educated by the good sisters.

The sisters along with Father Doran, Father Flarety and Father Peterson provided guidance and values that have had a lasting positive impact.  As imperfect an era as it was, there is one reality that should NEVER be forgotten - they committed their lives to others.  Their personal desires never made it to the top of the priority list.

    I only experienced love and devotion from these extraordinary individuals.

“The Master”

 It was no picnic if you were a black pop singer and musical performer in the 1940’s or ‘50s.  There was the well documented legendary hatred exuded by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in their quest to promote the continuation of a lily white American society.  

In 1956 he was attacked on stage while performing in Birmingham, Alabama.  The musical performer survived the foiled kidnapping attempt.  And then there was also the hatred of blacks who viewed any black performer who played to and thus garnished support from basically “Jim Crow” white audiences, as a traitor to their race.   

He was one of the first black performers to host a nationally broadcast variety show in 1956.  Although the show was critically acclaimed, it never found a sponsor in lily white America.  NBC refused to give-up on the program and many of the biggest stars and most talented performers appeared on the show for industry scale or for no pay at all.   Finally, in 1957 he voluntarily ended the show to halt NBC’s financial bleeding.  

It was during this era that Nate King Cole became a musical American icon.  He sold 50 million records during a career that spanned four decades.  Cole recorded more than 150 singles for Capitol Records that charted on Billboard Pop, R&B, and Country music popularity pinnacles.   No other Capitol artist has yet to match that achievement. 

After musical tastes changed in the late 1950’s, Cole, like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Tony Bennett, found his records selling like used Edsels.  Yet Cole still managed a string of some nice hits during the 1960’s.   There was "Let There Be Love," "Ramblin’ Rose,” “Dear Lonely Hearts,” “That Sunday That Summer,” and "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer."  This is when we baby boomers learned of his existence.  

Unfortunately, contemporary music audiences may have only a passing knowledge of this superlative artist through one of two - or possibly both - experiences.    "Unforgettable" showed up on Pop Charts in 1991, almost forty years after its original success.  Cole’s daughter, Natalie, sang it as a duet with her father through the magic of modern day technology.  The other is, of course, “The Christmas Song,” played during every Christmas season on radio stations throughout the country.  

Maria Hawkins Ellington (no relationship to Duke), Nat’s wife at the time of his death, said in an interview that in addition to his musical legacy, his class made him irresistible.  Billboard Magazine coined him “The Master.”  In January 1964, Cole made one of his final television appearances on The Jack Benny Program.  He was introduced as "the best friend a song ever had." 

Notable pallbearers at his funeral included Robert F. Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Danny Thomas and Steve Allen along with the governor of California, Pat Brown. 

In his eulogy to the “the Master” Jack Benny said; "Nat Cole was a man who gave so much and still had so much to give. He gave it in song, in friendship to his fellow man, devotion to his family. He was a star, a tremendous success as an entertainer, an institution. But he was an even greater success as a man, as a husband, as a father, as a friend.”   

The only thing more painful than losing a beloved performer of Nat King Cole's  stature is watching him fade into obscurity.  For his greatest gift and thus our greatest loss is not just the superb enjoyment he provided but rather his class and character that is so badly needed in serving as inspiration to all of us today.