MY LIFE, MY BOOKS AND MY THOUGHTS

What has happened to this country?  Trump made a mockery of the Presidency, the legislative branch is dysfunctional solely based on political rationale and now the highest court in the land believes they can disavow legal precedent  of fifty years and rule themselves with no ethical standards.  i am saddened by this for I did serve this country in war and also worked for the Treasury Department.  I fly our flag each day and every day.  I gladly pay my taxes and obey the law.  I am afraid with the current leadership our Republic is doomed?

The legendary golfer Gary Player was told by his brother when he was young to exercise each day "until you get out breath."  Since getting sober some 35 years ago, I have held to that mandate.  I have run 17 marathons and competed in over 50 triathlons.  It has kept my healthy.  The recent Covid pandemic, which claimed the lives of 1 million Americans of which 80% were obese should have been a lesson to our society. 

Why does the media constantly try to divide us?  We have a Black History Month, now a Pacific Island month, Latino businesswomen week?  The country is divided enough so why point out our various heritages.  We are all Americans and should all start acting like such rather cloak themselves in an individual identity.  For there will always be someone who does like that ethnic group and rather than unite, it highlights we are different which we are not. 

Perhaps it is because I am a nocturnal human, writing a night, but I think leaf blowers should be banned.  From Wednesday -  Saturday in my tony little town in CT, it sounds like a war zone.  8 States have enacted some form of restriction on the mighty noise makers.  100 cities specifically.  The latest focus is on the emissions they produce but to me, it is noise pollution.  Simple.  And I have no idea why a person would want to buy a 1 million dollar house to hear such?  Especially now that many are working out of their homes since Covid hit.   Several towns in the area have put certain days as to restrict these blowers but my neighbor across the street has a five man crew, all with blowers, and it sounds like an airplane is taking off from JFK airport.  Stop the insanity. 

Abortion.  Hot topic these days as SCOTUS seems ready to overturn it and 13 states already have "trigger" laws which will go into effect immediately.  It is a touchy subject.  NOBODY is pro-abortion but since it does affect the rights of a mother, it seems sophomoric to treat a fetus as having individual rights.  My former wife got pregnant with our first child prior to marriage and we had no thought to abort it.  Of course this was before 1973 so it would have been illegal but certainly available in any part of the country.  The GOP has been pushing this agenda for some time and now with Trump's appointees on the high  court, they have the votes.    To me, it is a fundamental right of a woman to decide and the High Court has become politicized in their decision.  A "fundamental right" granted by Roe v. Wade in 1973 has never been revoked by the Supreme Court before.  

Tomorrow is Armed Forces day.  Not Memorial Day, mind you, which is the next weekend,. I spent 6 years in the Navy, 3 years 9 months, 23 days, 4 hours active which included two tours in Vietnam and Key West, Florida.  One can no appreciate the service of our military if you have not done so.  It doesn't matter what your "billet" was, it is time out of your life of which you have served your country.  No better time spent looking back and IMO, every 18 year old should be mandated to serve their country either via the military or community service for two years.  It would create a greater sense of patriotism and perhaps less division. 

Just finished watching the George Carlin bio on HBO and hit it home.  My frustration with this country began with Trump.  How the fuck could we elect a con artist over one of, perhaps, the most qualified individuals to run for the office?  Sure, she ran a stupid campaign but still . . ..  But what galls me is that whatever Trump and his cronies do, there are never any consequences.  Spew the bullshit that the election was stolen, no problem.  Siege our sacred capitol, certainly behind Trump's orchestration, no problem.  Carlin is right:  there are about 800 individuals in this country who run things.  They don't give a shit about anything unless they can make money out of it and they need the power to do so. 

I love golf.   I started early, when my father ran over my mother's 4 wood and at the age of six, I used to follow my mother and grandfather on rounds of golf.  But returning to the Carlin documentary, it disturbs me that golf courses comprise over 40K acres of land in this country, bigger than three states.  He suggests we use the land for homeless housing. I concur, in part.  The "Tiger Craze" of the 1990-2000's produced too many golf courses,. While Covid helped revive the sport (only thing which was safe to play outdoors), nearly 1/3 of the courses are under water financially.  In Houston, I had ten courses within 5 miles of my house.  Pig gets fat, hogs get slaughtered for you know it is all about money for the fat White men who control this country.

Will Smith on NetFlix with David Letterman.  This was before the famous "slap" but he went to Peru, didn't work for two years, to find his "soul."  He found that he could not control anything in this life and to stop worrying about it.  "99% of everything we worry about does not happen," was his conclusion.  I come from a worrisome DNA and have found the older I get, the more I worry.  My father was the same way.  I guess I should stop?  

Today, some 18 3rd and 4th graders in Texas were murdered by an assault weapon.  I have a granddaughter in grade school in Texas. Thank God, it was not her.  But our President is right, these mass murders, by White men , only happen here in the United States.  I am sick of this killing and our do nothing Congress which could not even mandate background checks following the Sandy Hook massacre.  They are pawns to the gun manufacturers.  Tired of your "thoughts and prayers" as well blaming it on mental illness.  If the murderer today was unable to buy two "assault weapons," then 18 kids would be sleeping sounding tonight.  Instead, their parents are stricken with grief.  

Rules of Life:  Share everything, play fair, Don't hit people, Put these back where you found them, Clean up your own mess, don't take things that aren't yours, say you are sorry, wash your hands before you eat, flush. And my favorite, take a nap every day.  

My father was born on May 30th.  He  bragged that they had a parade for him each year which they did until they instituted the 3 day weekend.  My father was well educated, a successful executive and good provider.  That said, he was born in 1907 so he was a depression child and watched every penny very carefully.  He used to drive out of his way to avoid the 25 cent toll on the local CT turnpike. He was the youngest son of Swedish immigrants who had 8 children but had little interaction with his siblings except for his younger sister.  I found that odd along with many other things he either mandated or commanded of me.  He actually seemed jealous of me going to law school and took an extreme negativity toward any aspect of it including  paying for it?  I remember him today with love along with some disappointment. 

With the recent shootings, the broadcast media has, once again gone bonkers.  They have jumped from the war in Ukraine to the proposed reversal of Roe v. Wade, to now guns.  Except for one station:  Fox.  They have avoided the subject and instead focused on bashing anything Biden has done and/or what they want him to do?  They offer not alternative or agenda.  It is pure propaganda. The opponents of "fake news," need to take a hard look in the mirror.