To me there is always  an "elephant in the room" when I watch interviews, read news magazines, blog, even after watching the debates. When asked, why are you voting for Hillary/Trump? Supporting their candidate is a very personal one and on the surface, one of mainly self interest. How good is this? Democracy in action. I think so which often doesn't make me proud. 

Recently, my wife and I watched an old Richard Gere movie. Terribly unrealistic but it is the movies. He was a lawyer who gets in trouble in China. His Chinese lawyer is arguing with him. He is trying to talk about the American justice system. She is talking about statistically the problems of America. At one point he says something like, "America has its problems. Democracy is messy and we are sometimes violent but in modern times, we are always trying to be better." Whether he said it or not, good statement, especially in light of the fact that the  movie is 20 years old. 

We are in that very messy period now and frankly many of us have s hard time defending our democracy. 

Forgiveness and Reconciliation.

After 9-11, some crazed ignoramous finds a Sikh at his auto service station--he thinks he's a Muslim (wears a turban). Shoots the guy. Goes to jail for like 15 years. The Sikh's brother dedicated himself to peace and reconciliation. At some point he meets up with a female lawyer also dedicated to reconciliation. They call the killer of his brother and present the idea of forgiveness and reconciliation. The guy in jail I am thinking is not the brightest Bub in the room. He stumbled  around for words. Then he said something like. God has forgiven me and I am sorry for what I did. I think that based on the perpetrator's comments and seemingly lack of insight (judgement on my part) This is it and then he says, "here's something I am going to do: when I get to heaven, I am going to find your brother and hug him and asked his forgiveness. I was blown away. 

It fits in that realm of I don't care what people say: atheist, agnostic. Whatever. Heaven is comforting to people. There is something about being able to see their love ones again, to think that something outside of ourselves is a reality; something mysterious and beyond us. For me personally, the power and insight of the unexpected spoken word that might show up from the most unlikely source moved me to tears. 

Shoot and Ask Questions Later

Charlotte. Crazy-these police shootings I think what happens is the cops simple "don't think." They show up at minor stuff with something akin to the "Magnificent Seven." Their authority gets challenged and the next thing you know, somebody is shot. In the Charlotte case, the cop is black. In Tulsa, it is a female. Damn crazy. 

DIVORCE THE F..Ker

Bill Clinton took home 17.6 million as a consultant and honorary Prez of some profiteering ed School, Laureate International. A sham. 

The Washington Post reported. (He has no shame and is an abbatross around Hillary's neck.) 

Don't try to teach a pig to sing. It waste your time and worries the pig. 

Don't try to change the mind of a Trump supporter. They have their minds made up and don't want to be confused with facts.  

EXPLAINING HILLARY

Nobody has appointed me to explain Hillary but am fascinated with the "DEPLORABLES comment.  I get it. By way of example, when I was starting out, I got involved with the "National Speakers Association." I went to classes and listened to hundreds of speeches to hone my skills. The very first thing taught is that when you are speaking, "play to your audience." In her "deplorable" speech, she was doing just that. It is what she thinks but would have been better to use another word. What she did not want to do is give Trump anything which she did. She was, "playing to her audience" and got blinded by the applause. Her audience was warm and accepting. A gay and lesbian crowd--she was playing to them. 

It would have been better to have merely used simple words, i.e., some of Trump's supporters are toxic, David Duke of the Klu Klux Klan, for instance. 

Trump lumps his supporters as the common man. Give me a break! Trump's audience; those who feel victimised, minimum wage jobs, uneducated, no factory path to a better life. These Trump disciples aren't going to admit bad choices. They want to blame their state in life on minority's, women, immigrants,  as these have gone to the head of the line. This is his audience.The difference: he appears to be able to say anything and get away with it. Hillary can't. All of this being said, if it were me, I way say to Trump: F..K YOU VERY MUCH

THE DEPLORABLES

To just be grossly generalistic, you can put half of Trump supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables, Right? Racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic, you name it.

What I have hoped for in Hillary is to be above the "fray." She can't "best" Trump because the truth can't be found hanging out with him. He wouldn't know it if it ran over him. What Hillary doesn't "get" is that the DEPLORABLES don't give a "flying fig" as my dad would say. They will support and vote for Trump, regardless. Remember that statement the MFer made about shooting someone in Manhattan and his supporters would still love him. He gets it. The Deplorables. Any other candidate who lies, cheats, insults could never get away with what Trump does/has. It is a shame in a sense that Hillary can't say to Trump once and for all, "F..K you very much" and be done with it (where the heck is Bill. He knows how to do this stuff) and get on telling us how she is going to fix the country. 

9-11

Who doesn't remember when JFK was assassinated. I was literally "up a tree," a young pastor and was helping one of my older parishioners shake the pecans out of a tree. Another parishioner, who was inside, ran out and shouted, "the President has been shot." I immediately went home. 

Early on the morning of September 11, I was lounging  around our place in Mill Valley, California when my younger daughter called from Tulsa and said, "Dad, turn on the TV?" The odyssey began. Our lives would never be the same again. 

Watching the three memorials recently, I thought: "With these memorials, what really are we really doing?" First of all, I think we are trying to add meaning to a senseless act that through no fault of their own, these brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers--relatives of all sorts, ended up as part of this tragic story. None ever dreamed that this is the way their lives would end. Keeping their memories alive is our task. The job of every American. 

MY LAST WORD ON TRUMP

I I am truly shocked at the educated people I know, some long time friends, that are planning to vote for Trump.  Others in protest say they aren't voting at all. Great, to one I said consider that a vote for Trump. Its so blatant to me he is so full of himself and his arrogant tone, only bashing, and never saying anything to hint that he understands how our Federal Govt works.

A friend here said his tactic is to use gutter language, sounding brash, and engaging language around a 3rd grade level which most of the lower socio economic people can grab onto, anti everything.

I wish I weren't so concerned but I really am because again its so obvious he is a rich aristocrat type bully, plain and simple. Last night's military forum was a joke. Trump continued to reflect on Obama and Clinton, never giving concrete evidence what his powers as commander and chief can directly do. And then, pointing out General Flynn in the audience, I knew him at Ft Carson, and, from his breast coat pocket takes out a list which he says  are the names of 85 Generals and Admirals supporting him; who are they? Nursing home residents suffering from brain altering conditions.?

I so wish you and I could talk about this shit. You are about the only one with real world war experience not afraid to speak his mind and talk about this shit with me. I am so disgusted with a couple of friends like, childhood friends in Fla, another from here that's moved to Fla and now Dave, I can't bring myself to even want to write them or call and listen to the recording of I DONT TRUST CLINTON line started by the liar speeches from Trump. Yes, at times I feel overwhelmed by all of this. Exaggerating? I don't think so. Has even begun to affect my sleep. Great!

I try and stay busy focusing on things I need to do or even go to plays and movies, but find in an empty space of time, my mind drifts back to this shit. Hate it!

Well, got to stop before I end up writing a novel. Just keep writing me and texting, reinforcing there's at least someone I know with their head NOT up their ass.  

LC, also known as "Wonder Woman"

COL, USA, Ret

COLONEL, Take a deep breath

I have written and talked about the asshole Trump so much that I really am tired of it. All along, I could care less about Trump but have been fascinated with who will vote for him. For one thing, they are mostly the racists, homophobic and recalcitrant types that have hated Obama from the very beginning. What I am really amazed at are those like fellow pastors who have suspended their Christian values in areas like compassion to support Trump. WTF. 

I have read three books that without a doubt have told me who the supporters are, at least those who got him to this place. "White Trash, Hillbilly Elegy," and my favorite which is seven years old, out before Trump, "Deer Hunting With Jesus." 

What I am going to do is tell some friends, "let's suspend conversation till after the election." They are willing to accept a liar, a fraud, someone who won't even release his tax returns, insulted every ethnic group around, knows nothing about running the country and is an egomaniac. This is kind of my statement to them and then done with it. 

To be honest, I don't know why we get so into presidential politics. Any of us who "think," have to know that all this BS that Trump claims he would dcouldn't anyway. I don't particularly like Hillary and think she and Bill have had their chance and there are ethical challenges but as I am sure I have said before, there is no doubt she can run the country. She's competent and has had the experience. I admire her; for one of several reasons, the Repubs have been after her constantly--she has survived and essentially given them the "finger." The Clintons are where they are and I am amazed. 

Frankly I don't know how to deal with or treat my friends who support Trump. I love them all but am hard pressed to know how to stomach such an unthinkable possibility that Trump could be president. F..k. I am personally ashamed that a MFer like this imposter would even be a major candidate for President. 

Truth Is Definitely Stranger Than Fiction

This 70 year old robs a bank. 

 He then sits in the lobby till the police come and arrest him. He says,  "I had rather go to jail than go home to my wife." See what I mean. I heard it on, KCBS, San Francisco

 

Deer Hunting With Jesus

Deer Hunting With Jesus

One of the few books I've read on "class" in America. If we want some changes (which the author says we don't) keeping abreast of the reality of class is paramount. We don't attack the  issue because we don't see it. This book is a "shout out" about "class." If we are not careful, we become part of the problem.  

Although the book is several years old,  even more relevant today. It speaks to the "Trump" phenom--easy to discern that the working class would support Trump who plays to their ignorance. The book isn't about politics, rather where we are in America as relates to class and an entire group of citizens who have been left behind. 

The military is a good example of what the book is trying to get at, at least I think so. We do in fact have a "de facto" draft: they are the children of the working poor who have run out of options. For these youngsters who get in the military and excel, inconceivable possibilities happen that they never would have known are reachable. 

Even the military could not rescue Lynddie England, remember her? The book touches on her decent into an existence that merely extends what she has known: bad choices. Because of her "class," she never had a chance--ignorant, uneducated, left behind. She was destined to be one of the Abu Ghraib screw-ups. 

The military provides the opportunity to excel, to rise above what they've known. But, let's not for a moment think the military is representative of our culture, cause it ain't. It is the defacto draft; and, the defacto draft, now called, All Volunteer Force, is a far cry from what Mort Friedman and the Secretary of Defense, at the time, Mel Laird,  envisioned. Major F..k up. 

The great cry and hue, "support the troops" at sports events especially, sounds pretty hollow when we realize that it is in fact the kids of the working poor who are fighting and dying in America's ill conceived wars. 

We Will Never Get Over It

Thank you for your comments about PTSD. My deceased spouse, 2 tours in Vietnam in your same unit in101st Airborne. He had what they called Velcro stripes. Only vets know what that is. So sorry about your friend and your friend that passed from cancer. They are never really far away from us are they? Col.C

Thanks for your comments on the website. Our webmaster keeps it up and post my meanderings, of course. 

THANKS

PTSD is strange and I do think that my hero, Al Pachino, in some movie where he played a detective and was a Korean War veteran said something like, "what the hell is this, all these veterans claiming "shell shock" when all vets have to pay the price for going to war." So true. 

For Vietnam vets, it is even harder because of the rejection. I don't think we'll ever get over it really. Not just Vietnam vets but all vets of that era. I just ran into a guy who was a GI in Germany during Vietnam. He said it was great but when he got home, people treated him like s..t. 

BEN HUR

My granddaughter, Lilly, went with me to see "Ben Hur." Way down from the "Charton Heston" version. In the old one, my favorite scene--Jesus is captive and Ben Hur gives him water and Jesus' shadow falls across Ben Hur which is symbolic of the Christian conversion. Ben Hur, for instance, is never the same again. 

There were so many things that the old Ben Hur did better. Anyway, even though Lilly got it and she is only 11; that whole period of history, amazing. The Romans, of course, ruled the land and in the present movie, I couldn't  figure out if the Roman character was either  Pilate or Caesar. Regardless, they, whichever one it was, had a good philosophy about what was happening in Roman/Jewish life. The chariot race was good. 

Disheartening politics

These comments were going to be for a previous blog post but just hit me. F..King politicians like the Clintons in Arkansas, still poorest state or one of them in the country. Haley Barbour in Mississippi. Same thing, scandalous as my mom would say. These politciians don't do s..t for the state. Damn discouraging. You would think they would reach out to the poor, the disenfranchised. They don't. 

Sharon

Today is my good friend, Sharon's birth day. I love to honor those who have meant lots to me and have departed this life for the next. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHARON. Thinking of Sharon reminds me of my best bud in Vietnam, John Kerr. A West Pointer, good looking, slim, had that natural look about him. Could have easily posed for a "reup" poster. One of those guys who had it all. When I got to the Unit, (1/501 Infantry Battalion) he had been in country six months, commanding B Company. I met him, seemed like really a nice guy, kind of soft spoken. In those days the Chaplain resided back at the FSB (fire support base), the "Aide Station" or the Brigade area, way away from the fighting. 

I had been at the battalion a couple of weeks and really didn't know what I was suppose to be doing. One day, I am standing around and some soldier walks up and says, "Sir, Captain Kerr wants to speak to you and he hands me what I guess was the hand set for the radio (PRC25). I say, "this is the Chaplain."  Captain Kerr says, "Chaplain, where the fuck are you. My soldiers need to see you. You are not doing shit back at the rear. I will expect to see you before close of business today." Thus began this terrific relationship with the Company B Commander. He commanded respect and absolutely was leadership personified. He said to me one day, "Chaplain you don't know anything about what it means to be in combat but I am going to teach you." So, for the next couple of months I was his shadow. It was unbelievable. We would be in firefights, calling in artillery. Things that you did in Vietnam. We talked. He was like a master tactician, my mentor: "if this happens, we do this." It was a great continual "classroom in combat." One day he tells me, "you need to start carrying a weapon." Why? "Well, my soldiers will try to protect you and they need to be taking of themselves. If you have a weapon, my bet is they won't worry about you." 

Captain Kerr ran a tight ship. He seemed to be on top of everything. I got to know the other commanders and troops but nobody like John. He was always after me to come to his Company. I had to tell him a couple of times, there are other companies. It was like he didn't hear me. "Where are you? When are you coming out?" I loved the guy. A typical example of how he was is that he despised the S3, Operations guy. He calls him up and says something like, "since you never leave your bunker, I want you to give the Chaplain that little Car15 you have." An argument ensued. I really don't know what happened but the next thing I know, the S3 finds me and hands over the weapon. In those days there were at best a few of these--they were a little cut down version of an M16. I loved that weapon and only fired it at the range in the "rear" a few times. But, John was right, it seemed that the attitude of soldiers changed when they didn't feel they had to protect me. I had my own weapon. 

I was going on Rand R, meeting my wife in Hawaii. John came to the FSB to see me off. He said,  "Chaplain, your mission is to bring me a fifth of "Chives Regal." (SCOTCH) You bring me one back or I am going to kick your ass." He laughed big. It was the last time I would see John. He got killed in a kind of freaky way. The headquarters element was walking through a ville when a VC popped up out of a spider hole and killed John and three others. I was devastated. I was so angry at God, the war. My grief overwhelmed me. It was like I had lost a part of myself. I sat in my tent literally for two days. Finally somehow I moved on but  think of my good buddy John, often. I am always sad when I do. I kept the bottle of "Chives" for a long time. 

Sharon and her good friend, Flora, at the Infusion Center. Sharon loved Elvis. 

AIRBORNE ALL THE WAY

Paratroopers 'relevant as ever,' leaders say at National Airborne Day celebration. 

National Airborne Day should be celebrating its "founder." General William C.  Lee was in his last military assignment and wanted nothing more than to return to his tobacco farm when he was plucked out of obscurity by American military leaders to develop a paratroop unit that could parachute behind enrmy lines. In somewhat of either a myth or fact, President FDR saw Germans training in airborne operations. He asked his military liaison about any such unit in the American forces. The only person who knew anything about airborne was a Lieutenant Colonel Lee. The rest is history as Lee led the airborne from nothing into fhe very formidable forces of WW||. Lee became the first commander of the Screaming Eagles, the 101st Airborne Division. 

If I had my way, I'd give the President another four years. His first term he had to learn  how to to do it. He did. I haven't always agreed with him especially on foreign policy. I think he has been way to quick to embrace the generals military strategy. But, he is holding his own. The generals always want more troops and have these grand strategies. Our biggest challenges are the Mideast. We don't even know who the players are.  

PROJECTION

Psychological projection is a theory in which a person defends themselves against their own unconscious impulses or qualities by denying their existence in themselves while attributing them to others.

One of my all time favorite movies (Looking for Mr. Goodbar) has as one of several themes, projection. Without spoiling the movie, by day the protagonist is a school teacher but at night, something altogether different. My experience has been that when you see someone like this preacher who makes such an outlandish  statement, "Christians who don't vote for Trump will have gay children." I simply want to say, "SO?" But, I have a point to make. And, remember the Sacramento preacher who wanted to blame the  shooting in Orlando as God's punishment for being gay. Using the idea of projection, these TWO BIGOTS ARE PROBABLY GAY. 

PHARISEE

All along, I've had about as much interest in Trump as in "Duck Dynasty". To be honest, I don't think talking Trump or politics is very useful but talking about his following fascinates me. My wife recently  interrupted my contemplation to say, "just when you think you've heard it all, along comes this preacher, Kenneth Copeland, only worth something like $760 mil, who says,  "Christians Who Vote Against Trump Will Be Cursed With Poverty and Gay Children." LOL. THIS f..ker is obviously, crazy like a fox. Google the Pharisee. 

Got to love it. God bless "Merica."

BENEFITTING FROM A TOUR IN THE MARINES

Yesterday, I had lunch with this millennial kid, 28. His dad is an old Army buddy who wanted me to talk to him about the military. I actually think that he would be a good fit. The military appears to be regressing back to the "Cold War" scenario which is not good from my perspective. Worse is what we are now doing, with more troops to Iraq and already a too big contingency in Afghanistan. The Prez is listening to the generals again. 

This kid is really like the movie, "Failure to Launch." He just thinks differently. "Well, what do you and friends do?" We play alot of video games. I actually think this youngster might "work" for the Marines. He is in great shape and the Marines don't want you to think. "Drop down and give me twenty." He could do a hundred. 

Evangelicals

TRUMP DECLARED THE MESSIAH BY EVANGELICALS 

Recently, a friend sent me this long harangue where evangelical leaders met with Trump and anointed him as "The Messiah." My answer to my buddy: You don't have to be religious to be a bigot but it helps. These bigots are a minority of Christians and they are not getting any, let's face it. 

I personally am ashamed. The religious bigots have hi-jacked the term, "evangelical" which merely means propagating the faith. Those who met with Trump are sorry MFs and will have little to no impact in the election. My belief. 

Pluralism

When I was in the Army as a chaplain, one of the first things I learned was the Army's peculiar definition of pluralism. Simply that the majority had an obligation to look after the minority. 

MILITARY WAR STORIES or The Taxpayer Finally Gets Something Useful For His Money

When I was in the Army in Germany in the early seventies, they were still putting soldiers on KP (kitchen police), washing dishes, bussing tables, etc.  When I would go into the Mess Hall in one of our Missile Batteries, this one GI was always washing dishes. Looking at him was painful. He was absolutely and I'm being kind, hideous looking. I felt so sorry for him. He looked like that youngster in the movie "Mask," but worst. In the movie, the character suffers from a facial deformity called "lionitis." Cher was the movie mother.  

The GI had this hydrocephalus look like in the movie. He was a McNamara 100,000, guys who had low IQs but the Army needed bodies and so they were drafted. How he made it in was beyond me. He told me he tried to disguise himself. A doc declared him fit and here he was. 

He was almost impossible to describe. No exaggeration, really. Eyes wide apart, simply weird. People just stayed away. I would intentionally go in and shoot the breeze with him. I was a young captain, been in the Army less than two years, just back from Vietnam, 27. Didn't know my arsh from a hole in the ground. 

The GI had a little bunk in the back of the mess hall. I felt so sorry for him, honestly. One day I'm playing tennis with this doc buddy and he's bitching about not having enough to do. What does an Oral Surgeon do anyway? He tells me and I immediately thought of the GI; what about taking a look? I round up the soldier and get him to my buddy, the Oral Surgeon. About two hours later I'm still waiting. My Doc friend finally comes out from behind closed doors with three other doctors. They are taking this soldier on as a project. Long story short, they repositioned his teeth, did a little plastic surgery, there is no way to exaggerate this. When they were through, this GI looked like a different person, unbelievably handsome even. He could hardly believe it. I could hardly believe it-- one happy soldier. HELL OF A LOT BETTER THAN MAKING WAR. 

Trump IS A DRAFT DODGER

Surprise. Surprise. The "NY Times" had two opinion articles written by 2 guys who called themselves “draft dodgers." They detailed their thinking then and our present NEMESIS, "the Donald," who has no remorse for dodging. F..K him. There seems to be a genuine sense that now those who didn’t serve, missed something. It was the event of their generation and they missed it. In my view, Vietnam was a “sorry war “ and we should have learned something from it for future wars but we didn’t. Not a thing in my view. Those

 guys who didn’t go to Nam, might be dead now. 

Get your arsh over to the Bayside so we can dialogue. We had so much fun Monday, plus they are training a little Neapolise(sp) youngster that we need to be there to support. Get out of the bed. Airborne. 

ANYBODY BUT TRUMP

No, not quite that bad. But, this election is different. Consequently, I would hope that the people come out in droves to vote. If this election doesn't capture them, I don't know what will. 

Mainly, because we can't afford a Trump Presidency. It is not a matter of "getting on board" with Hillary. It is a matter of escaping the clutches of a demigod, egomaniac. I keep thinking that he will bury himself with his bias and utter disdain for decent convention. Forget it. If you think for a moment that anything will bring down Trump's devotees, I say again, forget it. What we have is our vote. Remember that scene in "Sound of Music." Christopher Plummer and Max and Elenor Parker who played the Countess, are waiting for Plummer's children. A telegram comes to Plummer, a retired Navy Captain. Plummer shows his anger toward the youngster delivering the telegram who doesn help himself by giving the "Heil Hitle" salute. (Austria is in the throes of Nazism). Max says to Plummer, "you know I am not political." Plummer screams at him, "Max, you better get political." This is the way I often feel about where we are. We better get political.  

Welfare Cheats Are Ruining Us.

Want to know how an egomaniac who has got the entire establishment up in arms, has done it. He has garnished this group: uneducated hard working poor who honestly believe, "the goverment is paying people not to work. They are on welfare and laughing at us." If you could ask the person where they came up with that idea, they couldn't tell you but just know it is true. (Don't confuse me with facts, I have my mind made up).

Trump comes along and says,  "I am rescuing  you from this hoard of welfare cheats." They believe him. 

Here's who these people are: The bottom third of Americans constituting the working class poor: conservative, politically misinformed and supporting a political position working to their own detriment.

STAND UP GUYS

We die twice. First when the breath leaves our body and the second time when a person says our name for the last time. 

Al Pachino
The movie, "Stand Up Guys."

SHAMEFUL

Every single time I see a black person, I want to run over to them and say, "I want to apologise for all Americans that we have treated you so badly." Here's an example. Recently I was listening to "Short Stories, " this great program on 
NPR (National Public Radio). One of the stories is about a group of black female musicians on a bus, in the fifties, traveling South on 95, trying to find places to play their music. They stop in Dunn, North Carolina, my home town, to eat. They could find no place that would serve them. They finally located a grocery store who sold them food to fix on the bus. This is the 50s and I am in High School. I am instantly ashamed.  GdA

SITREP

Good morning with the GFs. We had the usual banner. Immo showed and we got a chance to hear his views on Trump. Pretty acid to say the least but we agree mostly and had actually thought, in his speech, Trump sounded like Hitler. "All these things he could do," says a narcissistic Trump: 

Immo is a good voice. Wish we saw him more. For a group saying away from politics, politics seem to dominate. 

We talked terrorism. The Munich thing was just starting when we, in a great act of charity, gave our booth to a handsome older couple. 

Outside,  we carried on. Immo told us about something he had read in German paper. At the "Nice" tragedy, a guy who was on his moped, witnessed what was going on. The "mad man" terrorist in a truck was mowing down people. The guy jumps on his moped, chases the terrorist down and like in the movies, jumps on the "running board" of the truck. He starts slugging the driver. The driver takes out a weapon and tries to shoot the guy. The gun jams. The moped guy keeps hitting him. The terrorist finally dislodged the guy by hitting him with the gun.  However, the distraction is enough for the police to surround the truck and kill the terrorist perpetrator.  

Now, this guy is truly a hero.  hero. 

The wheels have come off.

My wife said to me this morning. I don't know what is happening to our country. Looks like the wheels have come off. I nodded: police shootings, black lives matter, Trump, the Republicans. 

Here's what my favorite magazine, "The Economist" said: America in 2016 is peaceful, prosperous and despite recent news, more racially harmonious than at any point in history. 

THINKERS AND NON-THINKERS

Is anybody who supports Trump a non-thinker. I think so.  An example--Last night on "60 Minutes," Leslie Stall interviewed Trump and Pense. She didn't pull any punches. Trump was masterful.  An example, (Trump or his children are smart "mothers)." His new theme is "make America safe again and make America great." Who can disagree with that? All kinds of non-thinkers are out there saying, HooAhhhh. 

 This is getting scary. Really what about the hair on these guys. Trump and then Pense, the running mate, plastered down.  It sounds like I am looking for something but honestly the hair is a phenomena. 

I am thinking there has to be a plan--ban talking about politics. Doesn't solve anything. Kind of like that saying. "You can't teach a pig to fly. It waste your time and annoys the pig."

DEFENDING THE "F" WORD

As I am sitting around bemoaning who the f..k are these people who support Trump, I think of the F..K word and the fact that my mom would not be happy with me using it. I mostly got in touch with the word in Vietnam. In Nam, if you took out the word F..k or MF (use your imagination), the G.I. vocabulary would be reduced by 75%. 

Why do we love to use f..k so much? It is really used more as a commanding NOUN than a sexual adjective. I don't expect the non thinking Trump crowd to get this. It conveys domething, a word, an emotion, a sense of frustration that no other word can work. Recently I streamed a movie, "Neighbors," It was German with subtitles. Very suspensefu. Apparently, there is no German equivalent of F..K or maybe there is but wasn't used in the movie. Nothing conveyed their sense of frustration like the word, f..k. I love the word and nothing subs for it in the right context. 

A person's perception is his/her reality

Listening to the Predident's speech in Dallas, I was moved by the tribute and memorial to the five policeman. I was equally touched by George W.,  Dallas Police Chief, Mayor. The absolute highlight was the Police Choir that sang "Battle  Hymn of the Republic."  

The President said many things that were memorable. One was that America is not as divided as we think and especially as some try to tell us. He professed a love of country which was very moving to me. He used a concept that is  important. Perception. A person's perception is his reality. What he belies to be true is true to him. The facts may be something else entirely. 

To me, this is what makes the "racial" situation relatively insoluble. Sad but true.  

BLACK LIVES MATTER

Of course they do. All lives matter but that fact does not take away from African Americans great sense of separation from much of our culture and especially the Police. 

My real belief is that race and the homeless issues are insoluble. We have to keep trying. Much of the problem is "perception." If you perceive something to be true, to you it is true. The facts be damned. 

You are doing a good job by raising this. For those of us who suspicioned you were a Trump supporter, "black lives matter" from you might mean there is hope. God bless you. Airborne and HooAhhhh. GdA

GEORGE.

I have been wracking my brain to come up with some remembrance of George. I thought of this one. George could not  read or write. Yet he would sit for hours pretending to read the newspaper. We all knew he couldn't read but don't remember anyone ever saying something to him. To me this is absolutely remarkable. It was as though we wanted to give George this moment. If he wanted to pretend he was reading, OK with us. Pretty amazing if you think about it. 

BILL AND JANE

Every single time I pass Divisadero Street in San Francisco, I think of Bill and Jane. Yesterday, one of their nieces called to say Jane had joined Bill in the great beyond. Such wonderful memories. We always went to the July 4th celebration on the Presidio. Bill was a lawyer and could have easily become the Army's top lawyer and picked up a couple of stars; but, Bill wouldn't leave Frisco. He loved this town. 

Our very last July 4th was memorable. I was still in the Army. We made our way to Crissy Field on the San Francisco Bay.  It was still daylight. The Army Band from 6th Army played. They were great. Fireworks to follow. The Army was proud of how the military celebrated the 4th of July and had invited all of the City. 

A wonderful night in the making. Suddenly, the fog rolled in so thick that you absolutely could not see your hand in front of your face. The band played, they did the "fireworks." You could hear them but couldn't see a thing. It never let up. We left when we thought it was over. It was not at all foggy anywhere else. 

Bill jokingly always said it was my fault. "Afterall," he said, "You are suppose to have a direct line in such matters." 

Jane, bless her heart, never moved on after Bill departed to the next life. The last time I talked to Jane she said, "My suitcase is packed and I'm waiting for the bus." God bless you Jane on your journey. Hi to Bill. 

TRANSGENDER

Overall I support transgender in the military. 150,000 have served. Where and how? It ain't going to be easy. I don't know how it is suppose to work. 

There is an innate problem with the military: they have one mission: to fight and win wars. They are a war machine, plain and simple. What they are not is a social organization. The SecDec, the generals and bureaucrats are pretty much the the same ilk who got us into Iraq and Afghanistan. The military is hurting, hurting in terms of numbers, asked to do more with less. It isn't a matter of race, trans, gay, democrats/republicans, gender, issues, causes, whatever. There is only one question: CAN OUR MILITARY FIGHT AND WIN WARS?

BASEBALL IS AMERICA'S GAME

Recently I saw the SF Giants play. Some of my buds had the tickets. If we had to buy our own, close to a hundred; eats maybe, $50. So, $150 per person. Too expensive. Always sad to me. (Baseball is "Merica's game. according to Walt Whitman via Susan Sarandon in the best baseball movie ever, 'Bull Durham')." 

We don't want to see people priced out of baseball. Well, for our littlre group, we did the Saint Augustinian thing. We can't help everybody but if we run across need, we do what you can". We bought a round of beers for those sitting around us. 2 people. 

My favorite poet is a guy called Jim Woessner. He makes observations about life mainly from coffee shops. Very insightful. Little tongue in cheek. We are thinking this through. 

America of the 50s is gone.

Today, I am headed out to the "Gay Pride" Parade, mainly to show support. I am thinking about the difficulties of how divided we are as a country. What I am hoping is that as Americans, we are just in a time of "messiness" and we'll get out of it. 

By accident last night as I was flipping through the channels, I ran into advertising by Time/Life where they want you to buy music, programs, etc.; they had one big collection of Bob Hope and then another of Dean Martin. It was very sad,  all those old movie stars: singers, etc., you can imagine. Most dead. Great pic of Ali (meaningful since we just celebrated his life). Wonderfully nostalgic, the simple way America use to be: Bob Hope entertaining the troops in Nam, celebrity roasts. Funny. THAT AMERICA IS GONE. Mainly, the country is so much larger and diverse. We can't go back even if we could. What we have is what America is now. We have to deal with with it and at some point get past the messiness. I am confident we will. GOD BLESS AMERICA. 

WARRIORS BITE THE DUST

Lot of "down in the dumps" types in the Bay Area still. The Warriors bit the dust. Saying things like, it is only a game, get over it,  won't hack it. 

The Warriors had a great run. Let's look at it like this. Cleveland, the town, needed a win; haven't had a Champion in 52 years. I don't like LeBron (nothing personal) but he is probably the best basketball player on the planet. He's a bully. Just so happens he is on the basketball court, not the school playground. Let's give him his dues and Cleveland especially. I don't know who said it, think Tennessee Williams--pretty subtle but we get his meaning. "There are only three or four great cities in America: New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and everything else is Cleveland. See what I mean, let them have their day. 🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀😀😀😀😀😀

HooAh

HooAhhhh was made famous by Al Pachino in the movie, "Scent of a Woman." Pachino is a blind, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel who has lost his way. His plan is to go to NY City, do the things he loves to do and then "do himself in." But, he needs help and enlists Charlie, a prep school scholarship student who has his own set of problems. Pachino is emotionally salvaged when he defends Charlie who is accused of lying. Pachino's speech is one of the classic movie ones ever. HooAhhhh is rendered by Pachino several times in the movie. 

The Army's expression "hoo-ah" is a guttural response barked when troops voice approval. It may be derived from an old acronym, HUA, "Heard, Understood, and Acknowledged." A former commander always greeted you with, HooAhhhhhh!!!!!!! A GREAT SOLDIER

The Verdict

In the movie, "The Verdict, Paul Newman, is a drunk lawyer who can barely keep it together. Pretty much at the end of the movie, he addresses the jury and basically says, "now it is your turn. Forget the high price lawyers, the judge, whatever. Now you are the ones that count. Justice is up to you. 

This is just a small portion of the movie and not verbatim for sure but an example to me of where we are in our country. At some point it will be the people's turn. On NPR's Fresh Air, Davd Davies interviewed this guy who has written this book on how the Repunlivas are almost assured of majorities based on how they babe gerrymander congressional districts. However, and it almost sounds like a conspiracy theory but they have done it by and in secrecy. They get a team, some guy is an expert on how to do it. Thru dry it up, in secret, pass it along to congress, they lit like they came up with it. Now, here is the kicker. It is now time forvthebpeople. They might think they have stolen our democracy and they have unless now that itbisbupbtonthevprople. We have a choice. 

Who Needs an AR 15 Assault Rifle

I've been watching a lot of the sadness in Orlando.  F..King nut. I know the Car (AR) 15 (the weapon the shooter used) really well from Vietnam. It is a little cut down version of the M16. In Vietnam, what made it appealing to me was it was shorter and less cumbersome. I could fling it over my back and it was pretty concealed. It would fire on full automatic--the American version doesn. WHO IN AMERICA NEEDS AN AR 15 assault rifle. Answer, NO ONE. 

ORLANDO

Nothing to say really. The only thing I can relate it to is Vietnam. We had 22 GIs killed at one time. Then, a dubious record: the most Americans killed at one time in the war. "A" Company, as I remember, had swept through a ville and cleared it and moved on. Later on they came back to the same ville and the VC had come back in and booby trapped everything. 

They were careless. It was unbelievable carnage. I wasn't there till later but sad beyond belief. My chaplain assistant, George Page, and I helped load them on the choppers. 

KAY WALKINGSTICK

Take some risks. I don't mean speeding or doing drugs but take some risks to find a challenging and maybe difficult profession. Don't let money be the driving goal but rather interesting, lively activity. Learn to take a hit now and then and brush it off. 

Don't Confuse Me With Facts, I Have My Mind Made Up

The "NY Times" today has a long article on Trump and his gambling empire which has faded like the deset sun. He is obviously a silver tongue devil as he can talk really supposedly smart business people out of their money. Weird to me. The fact that Trump lies and takes people's money, leaving chaos in his wake doesn't mean "dooley squat" to the people who'll vote for him. What the F..K are they thinking? They don't. 

TALK ABOUT SCARY

An Older, Whiter, Less-Educated Electorate are more than we've thought. And, these are Trump supporters. HELP. 

Mohamed Ali

In the South, maybe other regions, we have a tendency to make national figures into “Saints” when they die. I liked Mohammed Ali. He never took himself too seriously and was entertaining and in later life wore the mantle of an illness that seemed unfair. 

Ali reminds me of a Lieutenant we had in Vietnam. The Army, for all its faults, is pretty colorblind. The Lieutenant I am thinking about was black, assigned to lead a platoon (30 or so soldiers) of rednecks and hillbillies: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, NC, etc. At the time nobody thought anything about it. We were trying to stay alive in a sorry war and there was no time for anybody to contemplate their navel about an African American Lieutenant in charge of a bunch of Southern white boys. (In Nam, white southern boys were the majority of combat soldiers, mainly because they were poor). The poor always fight America’s wars. The other youngsters their age had deferments and were in college protesting the war or getting laid while these redneck kids were dying, supposedly fighting for their country.

I once asked the Platoon Sergeant: “How did this work out with the  Lieutenant?”

He said, “Everybody just likes the LT,” as they called him. My suspicion was that the LT was simply a good leader and leadership is truly colorblind. Ali was like that. People just liked him. I did. Want to make him a Saint. Fine with me. 

HONORING GEORGE

Today is the anniversary of my brother George’s death. He really wasn't my brother but he was. You would have to know and understand how I grew up for me to really explain. I was raised on a tobacco farm in NC. Tobacco was the cash crop, just like the pot in Humbolt CO, CA. (Just wanted to say this as a joke). 

As one of five boys, we worked. But, none of us worked like George. George really belonged to the Orphanage. Belonged is the true concept, he was viewed as property. 

As was the custom when tobacco harvesting took place, farmers would go to the orphanage and hire kids as laborers. The orphanage kids worked and the meager wages would go to the Orphanage. My details are sketchy because I didn’t pay it a lot of attention when George showed up for the first time. (Not totally sure about how it all came about but how I think it might have happened). 

Priming/cropping tobacco was back breaking work. More than likely a miserable sickness went along with the work. The tobacco had been sprayed with chemicals to kill worms which were maxed out deadly to tobacco. The poison (toxins) would get on the workers and a type of sickness would descend where you would have to get better to die. Once the workers went to the fields, they never stopped until dark. Therefore, they brought their meager lunch with them. George never had anything. Then one day my Dad showed up with a lunch for George. Then began an unusual bond between my Dad and George. 

One day George came to work with bruises and not one but both eyes black. My dad was incensed. I don’t know what happened but soon my Uncle Craven showed up. He and Dad did some heated talking. Uncle Craven was heavily involved with the Klan. He had been in WWll and wounded badly. My Dad and Uncle were two of five brothers. All five had come to America from Ireland as indentured servants to work in the tobacco fields. 

They worked,  according to my brothers, for years and would never have gained their freedom had not one of the brothers killed the wealthy land owner in a saloon brawl. Three of the brothers fled west. This is about all I know. My Uncle was a violent man and according to my brothers, nobody messed with him. Mainly they were scared of the Klan. George never went back to the Orphanage but lived with us the rest of his life. 

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

 Recently I read where in WW1, at the battle of Somme, the Brits lost 58000 in one day. We had 58000 plus killed in Nam, don't know how many in Korea, WW 11; in Iraq or Afghanistan 6/7 thou, at least. Americans still being killed--even one soldier's loss of life is too many. For soldiers in particular--a soldier killed at war--all the lives that the death affects. I think dying in war is different. So f..King unnessary. 

BERNIE

Think about it. Here's an old guy, white hair that is either a combover or gone wild.  Kids are all over him? Just when we thought youngsters in America have gone to hell. Tatoos, smoking dope. Here's Bernie, they are flocking to him. Brutallyy  honest, no scandals. Has new ideas. Kids eat it up. What am I missing here? 

THE PREZ GOES TO NAM

The Prez goes to Nam. I've thought lots about his trip as opposed to mine. Vietnam, as a war, continues to hang over us, the enigma of our times. Lots of baggage still hovers around Nam, like the President's visit and Morley Safer dies, two significant happenstance.  

Modern Vietnam is probably the epitome of a capitalist nation although calling itself communist. The Vietnamese as an ethnic group are probably the most successful in America. As entrepreneurs, they know no bounds. 

There's a big "take away" from the President's visit, especially as we look to Memorial Day. For one thing, Vietnam reminds us why presidential elections matter. In our system of government, we often think the president can do more than they can--what the president can do is "send us to war." 

Nothing was more evident of that than Vietnam. The Gulf of Tonkin was a sham. LBJ says something like, "we are not going to let some pipsqueak country like Vietnam muscle us." Vietnam brought him down. 

On a 60 Minutes tribute to Morley Safer, he first went to Nam as a reporter and was told, "this thing will be over in 3 or four months." TEN years later we escaped Nam with our tails between our legs and thankful to get out. 

The war and its unending nature drove LBJ from office. Enter Nixon, elected on the idea that he would get us out of Vietnam. At that time, about six thousand GIs killed in Vietnam. By the time the sorry MFer left office, 58,000 plus dead. 

Vietnam Vets have often felt maligned about Nam. We didn't send ourselves. The country sent us and when we returned, we were blamed for the war. 

We've had to get over it. I can only speak for myself but as we have come out of the shadows, we find that our sacrifices mattered little. We continue to make the same mistakes that took us to Nam in the first place. Our world was simpler during Vietnam but the principles remain the same. 

The Vietnamese that I know, value freedom above all else. War is a terrible thing and no country realizes that more than the Vietnamese.  

Morley Safer

I always liked him on "60 Minutes." His rugged, wrinkled, scraggly absent minded professor looks, not withstanding. I once saw him in Vietnam, at Bien Hoa Air Base. He was wearing jungle fatigues and looking pretty inocuous. I wish I had spent time with him. Morley is the sort of guy that I would like to sit around and shoot the "s..t" with. "Morley, what do you think of this war? Americans dying without knowing what they are doing here.  

I messed up. The next best thing was  his memoir--a good read. 

 

BISHOP CURREY of the EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Ask by Judy Woodruff of the PBS Newshour. "How we ought to live?"

"Getting in the Spirit like an Episcspalian at a Baptist Church." 

IGNORE

My nephew says that when he messes up, "he is not telling on himself."  

Willy Brown, former mayor and long time legislator, "shady" by most anybody's standard, said Trump was an egomaniac. He should know as he said? "I am one myself." 

ALWAYS SAY GOODBYE

Saying goodbye is very important. When I was in the military, I left Korea (86-87) the last time and didn’t say goodbye. I left in the middle of the night. I still have friends who, although forgiving me, still will remind me of my failure. I don’t blame them. I learned a lesson: ALWAYS SAY GOODBYE. 

Recently, my all time favorite restaurant closed. I loved the place. The service was awful but the food was to die for. I knew the Owner, the Wait Staff (1 or two persons). Their lives. I flirted with them. I brought all the people I loved for veggie lasagna. They left without saying goodbye. I am bummed. GdA

The Hijab And The Citadel

I have always been amazed somewhat at the Citadel. In Vietnam, this Lieutenant would regale us with Citadel stories. Thinking about those, I doubt seriously that they will bend on the Muslim Hijab denial. 

Another LT had quite a different experience. He said he was on his knees, with a toothbrush, (part of hazing for new cadets) cleaning urinals and thought to himself, "My parents are paying good money for me to do this. (A public school but not cheap).  According to him, he quit the school. His parents never forgave him. To them,  being a cadet at "The Cidadel" was a sacred experience and to have a son who quit was akin to treason. I still remember the pathos in the LT's voice. I felt really sorry for him. I doubt the Cidadel will bend to what they consider, tradition. No "head covering" for God, him/herself even. 

Cidadel 

PATIENTS RUNNING THE ASYLUM

San Francisco is a sports Mecca. Presently, there’s the Golden State Warriors (basketball) who have made history this year: won the most games ever and just won first playoff series. (2) The Oakland Athletics; and, the (3) San Francisco Giants, of course, who regularly in even years, win the “World Series.” Simply, the Bay Area is "sports rich" for the fans. 

My bias which is questionable to say the least--have always associated rabid sports fans with the middle class, blue collar which is stupid on my part. Amazing. Who could afford a ticket anyway. But, somebody does, the Giants are the most successful franchise I'm told in existence, sell out every game 43,000 plus, every single home game. 

However, I am fascinated with other stuff: for instance, the "Frisco Five" (love the moniker) who have been on a hunger strike. Now, another group protesting. Want to get rid of SF Police Chief and don't want the City (San Francisco) to cooperate with Feds on immigration.  Now, this already from probably the most “liberal” (hate labels) City in America--this particular group wants to make it more so. The patients running the asylum. LOL. Think Warriors and Go Giants. 

AN ASIDE. I remember coming back from Vietnam the first time and landing in San Francisco. I was in uniform and it was almost like I had leprosy. At first I couldn't figure it. At the airport, I went to get my ticket and suddenly I was the only one there. It was like a bunch of "quail," scattering. Even the Delta Airlines people. I was so naive. I said to the ticket agent, "what's going on?" She whispered. "You should change your clothes, our customers are afraid you will attract protesters." 

I finally got it and went into the bathroom and changed my uniform for some civvies. (had to buy a tee and some Bermuda shorts as we called them then). To this day you will never see me in shorts, not the the sharpest dresser anyway. I love San Francisco and wish that I hadn’t taken it so personally then. Could have said, “f..k you very much. “

THE NAZIS

Things can go wrong in a hurry in countries and when they do, it is shocking how willing people are to go along with it. 

Amhearst historian talking about the Holocost 

MOTHER'S DAY

My brother Chuck was wounded badly during the Korean War. While he was still overseas, he sent my mom this little silk pillow that she enthroned on a sofa in the front of our house. It had stitched on it this: MOTHER- 

M-is for the millions of things she gave me. 

O-means only that she is growing old.

T-is for her tears she shed to save me. 

H- is for her heart of purest gold 

E-is for her eyes with love light shining. 

R is for right and right she will always be. 

Put them all together,  they spell mother, a word that means the world to me. 

Kind of corny but I've never forgotten the little silk pillow. 

FLOSSIE LEWIS

On GROWING OLDER

"AGE is not a time of life but a state of mind." 

I don't know who said this. Maybe Flossie. She is 91. Here is what she said about herself, "Just because my body is starting to go, doesn’t mean my personality or character should." 

Taking walks, watching politics and writing a little bit of light verse help keep Lewis as optimistic now as she was at 15. 

Who Are These People

It takes an enormous effort on my part to have anything good to say about "the Donald." My wonderment all along has been, "who is voting for this man?" Well, an article from CNN, I think, found the Trump voters: Uneducated white men have come to the Republican voting rolls for Trump in droves. After reading the article, yes, they have been lieft behind. What we know. Manufacturing jobs have left the country or factories have closed for these "left behind." Along comes a blustering Trump and is going to right all that has been left behind. These white men come from all sectors. Racists, hard workers, Klu Klux Klan, anybody but they are white man with minimum education and minimum skills. Instead of bad mouthing Trump all the time, let's figure out a way to bring these men along. Here is where we have to have a robust government to create training programs and ways for these angry white men to get picked up. I have some ideas. Infrastructure alone can do lots. Trump is not going to win the presidency and there is a certain sadness that I have about these left behind white me. Most are hard  workers who want to provide for their family but they are not perceptive enough to know that even if elected, Trump could not make the difference in their lives. Two things should have swayed these workers away from Trump. His hair aside and the flying around in his private jets with Trump emblazoned on them, think he can give jobs. Take them is more likely. 

Vietnam Vets and Trump

From day one of the Trump saga, I have constantly sought to know: "who are these people" supporting Trump. I have discovered at least a possibility and this pains me. VIETNAM VETS. 

Most of us have accepted the idea or at least I thought we had, we fought a war in Vietnam, returned home and fought another one. Americans who cared,  hated the war and extended it to hating the soldier. The good news is that because the country officially treated the soldier so badly, now everybody loves the soldier. Look at all the big sports events, always honoring the troops even if the military foots much of the bill. 

Vietnam vets are not immune from being bigoted like the draft dodging Trump. But, we ought to be. Is it lack of hindsight? (I have to wonder what they have been smoking). From where I stand, Vietnam was a sorry war. Stopping communism was a ruse. (1) "Ho" was dedicated to uniting his country. He fought the French, and we stupidly replaced them. (2) We underestimated the tenacity of the Vietnamese to engage in guerrilla warfare in their own country. We did some stupid things in Vietnam but the smartest one was getting out, even if it took us ten years.  

One vet in this article I read quoted Richard Nixon. This is laughable. Nixon ran and won by saying he will get us out of Nam.  At the time of the election, we had about 6000 American soldiers who had lost their lives in Vietnam. By the time he left office, it was 58,000 plus. (This reminds me of Trump, like something he would say and do).

What is very discouraging to me is I honestly thought that Vietnam would have taught us a lesson. It didn't do a thing. We have been as stupid as ever with Afghanistan and Iraq--Involving ourselves in impossible situations and continuing to do it. (A soldier was just killed in Iraq. We are suppose to be out of there). 

This is all perspective, of course. I will have to admit that I thought these old tired views of Nam were gone and here they showed up. LOL. Things like the "Domino theory." Why the f..k are we still talking about this discredited political bullshit. Damn crazy. Wè don't need to justify ourselves. It was a sorry ass war. We did our duty. Next case. 

Great saying

I simply keep the serenity prayer (God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Courage to change the things I can and, wisdom to know the difference. RN) at the forefront and move on. I just remember that God has the "plan" and I just have to stay tuned for my part in His play. LC