Friendship

 Each day I resolve not to be abrasive. Then I see utterances from people I once knew to be kind, generous, educated, and thoughtful. Somewhere, something or someone flipped a switch and a horrible transmogrification took place. I Don’t know how to respond. Let me just say this.

If your cult has convinced you to hate Dr. Anthony Fauci and love Kyle Rittenhouse, your soul needs a greater level of forgiveness than I can provide.

If your cult teaches you that slavery was okay but committed love between two people of the same sex is not, your sense of morality needs a greater level of support than I can provide.

If your cult makes you believe that only white Americans deserve the right to vote, your sense of America needs a greater level of education that I can provide.

If your cult convinces you that women only have the rights conferred upon them by men, your understanding of democracy requires a new meaning of community than I can provide.

In the words of the immortal Woody Guthrie, “So long, it’s been good to know you.”

Daylight Savings Time

 The Old Curmudgeon: I’m a progressive liberal. I believe in the ability of a well-managed government to benefit our lives. I believe in the efficacy of carefully regulated restraints on capitalism. I believe that the U.S. Constitution is wise when it separates church and state. I believe the females of the species are genetically wiser than the male and should be left to decide decisions relative to their bodies. But to allow something as universally despised, palpably ineffective, physically debilitating, and easily scorned as changing the time by an hour twice a year stretches my support structure to the limits. Tell me who is to blame and I’ll know who to castigate.

I've only heard one group in support and that consists of  highway departments. That begs the question: When is the last time you saw your highway department make a decision that benefited the planet as a whole? Why, let them rule and you'd have 12-lane freeways running through residential neighborhoods.

Uh.

Let me get back to you on that one. In the meantime, if half the population of a political party can refuse to wear masks that might save lives, couldn't we refuse to abide by the time change?

Just asking.

Feelings

 Today I awoke with the news pundits expressing the total annihilation of the political party that my family supported for, oh, two generations. The third one back was from Illinois, and the local wisdom back then was to support the political party in office, or likely to be in office, due to job patronage considerations. Politische Partei nicht Mann. Oh, and not all of my family. Some now embrace nihilism for odd reasons. Anyhow …

 I’m in a strained position. I still earn some money on small jobs for organizations I love and for work I enjoy. My continued success is important. It keeps me doing paying work in urban planning which I love and for which I get paid instead of doing farm work which I abhor and for which I don’t get paid. I need to understand all viewpoints.

 My first reaction on reading this morning’s news was to begin imagining how I would feel when I heard the boxcar’s scraping metal doors opening. and a voice yelling, “Raus raus und anstellen.” Oops, sorry, “Out, out and line up.”

 Then I started thinking. While the dreadful direction in which our country is headed primarily rests upon the shoulders of one political party, I’ve landed in “a plague on both your houses” paradigm. If our country doesn’t get back nearer the center, we are doomed.

 For the left, it prevailed somewhat in the last election. Despite the usage of the worst choice of a political slogan in my lifetime, i.e. “defund the police,” it managed victories. How many millions voted for the other party because of that one statement is beyond imagining. Sadly, they are keeping it up.

 Now, for a political minefield. Whether we “progressives” wish to admit it or not, such an issue as that involving transgender persons frightens some people. Wait wait. Educated people such as you and I understand that it is a biological phenomenon and should be treated as such. We reason that as taxpayers, do we prefer acceptance and understanding, or are we willing to face the costs of mental care? That was the choice upon which the U.S. Military based its decision. That decision finally came out well, by the way.

 On the other hand, we must try to understand that for some of our brothers and sisters, the prospect of having a young daughter enter a restroom where the sex of others within it is flexible is not a prospect easily accommodated from an emotional viewpoint for many. Cursing and reviling them for their feelings is not productive.

Now that I’ve read all the hate mail, one recurring theme is, “You think you are so [insert adjective of choice] smart, and you think you are never wrong.”

Allow me to disabuse you of that notion. Back when the long-time minority political party of our state became the majority party, they first elected some of what I considered the worst miscreants imaginable to office. My soothing thought was, “Once they are in power and realize the complexity and potential good of government, they will elect better people.”

There. I was dead-assed wrong. Enjoy your gloat.

Permanency

 From what I’ve chanced to read recently, archaeologists have moved the migration of Native Americans into North America back to 16,000 years ago, maybe longer. Given the assumption that it may have taken a thousand years to establish permanent settlements or territories, it still leaves them over 15,000 years of settled and successful existence. Caucasians started showing up some 600 years ago or so and have referred to those who were here as “savages” and “non-Christians not worthy of concern” since. Now it looks like we will be gone, perhaps along with homo sapiens as a whole, within the next 50 to 100 years, total successful habitation a little more than half a century.

Hmmm. Is there a faint possibility that we might have learned something from those who were already here about living with the planet?

Complexity

 Sometimes I post things here that I fear might rankle some. I do it anyway for I believe that thinking is preferable to clinging to, as Plato observed, false or erroneous perceptions and belief.

I saw a post about Vietnam Veterans that sparked a long simmering thought of mine. Followng us just a finding of facts, that’s all, not a condemnation.

Back in the 1960s, John McCain was doing the wrong thing, but doing it honorable on orders from, and in service to, his country. He did not order the bombing of innocent people. Self-serving and misguided people did. After being shot down, he acted in the most honorable way imaginable. He was a hero then, despite what Donald Trump may think.

On the other hand, Jane Fonda’s beliefs were honorable, but she carried them out stupidly at best, dishonorably at worst.

My take on all this? Life and the pursuit of righteousness is a complicated affair and not achievable through sound bites and Facebook posts. I’m going to work on new perceptions today. That should be the basis for action.

Regrets

When I was young, I came to the conclusion that America was not a perfect country. While it held a great future for me, that future wasn't available to others that I knew who worked and strived as much as anyone. Sometimes I felt that we operated on shifting sands.

As I grew older and more aware, that thought grew. It peaked when I was sent to an immoral war, from which service I received no thanks but some benefits. Even those benefits eluded a large segment of the brothers and sisters with whom I served. Through it all, though, I strongly believed that, though not perfect, the country I served had the potential to be a good and righteous place. It was showing a movement thereto,  a movement led by its better angels. Then one day, selfish and greedy people, seemingly from out of nowhere, began taking over.

Now they, and their counterparts on the opposite end of the political spectrum, seem hell-bent on combining forces to destroy this needy country that I love so much. I weep not for myself. I’ve had a good run and have learned to survive. I weep for the young, and for friends who cherish their young. We are faced with such a waste of unwanted promise.

I only wish I'd had more courage.

Fatigue

 Last night I dreamed I was chatting with the Galilean

Me: It’s these neighbors.

Him; What about them?

Me: They won’t take care of their property.

Him: So?

Me: I’ve been doing it for them for 15 years.

Him: Bless you, my son.

Me: But I want to quit.

Him: And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

Me: I don't seem to be making any progress.

Him: Are they healthy?

Me: Yes: They just don’t want to take care of things.

Him: Hmmm. If you are doing it for them, you are doing it for me.

Me: You never asked me to clean your yard.

Him: But I might come like a thief in the night.

Me: How long should I continue?

Him: You haven’t forgotten seventy times seven have you? Wasn’t I pretty clear?

Me: There is danger, venomous vipers all over the property.

Him: Fear not. I am with you. I’m on this side of the fence but still with you.

Me; But I have lost a dozen workers over the years, children of my friends.

Him: Shall I send you Saint Patrick? He rids houses of serpents in the name of God.

Me: But the serpents are their gods.

There was silence. I looked.

The Galilean was gone.