0025 - 01SEP2013 - "Are we beyond repair?"

OK, somebody please try to explain to me what just happened in Oklahoma where three teenagers were bored and, to find some amusement, decided to shoot and kill a young man that happen to be passing by… Folks, this is almost the end of the rope for some people for whom this land once was a promise as close to paradise as possible and now has fallen so far down the ladder of inhumanity that is getting hard to describe the degeneration we are experiencing…

It is evident, going by the demographics, this malaise is not race biased and it is an Equal Opportunity Decay. Three teenagers, black/white/brown (yellow and red were not represented), found no way to amuse themselves other than selecting a random jogger and gunning him down, murdering him in cold blood, in broad day light, in the middle a small town in Oklahoma… We’re not talking Chicago, or Detroit, or New York City, or Philadelphia, or Los Angeles, or Miami, or even Atlanta; we are talking Duncan, Oklahoma, Crape myrtle Capital of Oklahoma, path of the Chisholm Trail, population ~23,400; the type of town that is expected to represent all is good about the USA and now it will represent all that is gangrenous about the USA!

Now, there are already opinions out there that say this was caused by the violence portrayed in games, TV and the movies… BS! We manage to export that same violence to the whole rest of the world, and we don’t hear about this type of atrocities happening elsewhere as often as they happen here. There is also a set of opinions that says that it is that violence plus the availability of firearms… BS BS! Some other countries of the world may not have the same ungodly amount of uncontrolled firearms that the USA has on its streets, but they have other types of arms which are also lethal (remember that there were lots of people killed in this world before there were any firearms, and this is not an apology for the firearms issues we have, and boy, issues we have; but that’s the subject of another soap box stand!). Some others are pounding their chests arguing that, since all these three monsters came out of broken homes, single-parent households are the problem… BS BS BS! The current president of the USA came out of a single-parent home and there are many, many highly accomplished and remarkable people in the arts, sciences, politics, academia, military, and all other important walks of life and professions who came out of broken homes; my own father came out of a single parent home and he was one of the most remarkable, though unpublicized, men I ever knew. I’m not saying that a broken home is the same as a ‘whole’ home; what I am saying is that broken homes do not breed monsters.

Now, hang on to your pants because, at times, this may come close to home or may feel uncomfortable, but ‘it is what it is’… I’ll tell you what the problem is: it is the ‘me’ mindset. Why do I mean by that? Well, at one time, we decided we were going to take care of number one first; once we started on that path we started to drift more and more into that mindset and now we find ourselves caring about number one only; period! Look around and you will see examples, in all walks of life and in all instances, of what I am saying. It may reflect itself into simple things like “if it doesn't affect me, it is not my problem” and then one step further “if it is not my problem, there is no problem, is there?” Unfortunately, we have forgotten that it is the sense of community and our duty to care for our fellow men what makes us human; without that, we are just animals (like the three ones mentioned above). We have taken our ‘rogue individualism’ to an extreme that says ‘only I matter’. Just remember that in 1776 only few people paid taxes and, if we had had this attitude then (if it doesn't affect me is not my problem), we would still be flying the Union Jack… 

We've no respect for human life, period.

Some of us claim to be the defenders of human life and proclaim that a life is viable since conception; however, once the child is born, who care is he/she eats? “Cut entitlements”, we cry (even though it may mean some children may starve to death); oh, but we defended them with all our might while they were in the womb… These people are all hypocrites! 

Others say, we can kill them as long as they are not born (at times almost with a ‘who cares’ cavalier attitude), but once they are born, we teach them that regardless of their lot in life, they don’t have to ever worry about where the next meal is coming from because we will feed them for life; there is no merit on hard work and effort because all basic needs will be taken care of for as long as they live, even if they become animals (like the three above) and we choose to cage them for the rest of their lives (instead of killing them for their crime, as they squarely deserve) and we still will be taking total care of them in jail (food, medical, entertainment, education) at no cost to them for as long as they live… Another bunch of hypocrites! 

We pound our chests and proudly salute the American flag and even shed tears when our soldiers return home being only shreds of what they used to be; oh yeah, they are our heroes but, for the life of God, balance the Goddamned budget and cut, cut, cut (who care if the vets don’t have a doctor to see for months or don’t have a leg to stand on, literally!)... The worst type of hypocrites!

I may sound a little cynical, a little bitter and a little dejected… Well, I feel cynical when I realize the wide gap between what we say we value and what we actually do value, the gap between the word and the deed; I am bitter about the horrible waste of human capital in so many ways all over the country that seems to be going on and on and has become the norm; and I am dejected that my choice of being part of once the best nation in the world, may be coming under self scrutiny…

Are we beyond repair? I don’t really know… What do you think?

0024 - 08AUG2013 - "Who do you think you are?"

Powerful words! I've been asked that question, using the same order of words  a couple of times in my life (once, they added a two-word ‘qualifier’ after the word Who) and, even though at first it felt challenging and insulting (and worthy or an ‘appropriate’ response), in both cases when the dust settled it ended up being a source of self examination, a source of ‘search and rescue’ for something I had clearly missed, and eventually a source of learning…

These words could be used (and often are) to either question somebody self-appointment to a position of ‘authority’, or to challenge directly that ‘authority’… This situation usually comes about when there is a radical unbalance between one person’s perception of their own selves and how others perceive that person; or it may be a product of a marked difference between what a person imagines they are and what reality says about that person… It is also commonly found when people try to exercise some judgment or action that is, clearly, beyond their known and/or apparent capabilities.

On these days - and the actual focus of this lines - it refers to a TV Program in which celebrities (or pretenders) are brought in and their genealogy examined by experts. Eventually they have all sorts of reactions, both positive and negative, to the results… I remember vividly one in which Harry Connick Jr. was told his great/great/great grandfather had come from Scotland in the mid 1850, settled in Louisiana, and took arms with the Confederates… He could not hide his shame and disappointment! In the same program, Delfeayo Marsalis was told he had 9% of White blood and he said, with a chuckle, “I always knew something was wrong with me”…

There’s been lots of interest in the last 20 to 25 years (that I am aware of) to look into one’s ancestry. The reasons are varied and all valid. I've never let that bug bite me - I think - due to a pseudo ‘sour grapes’ type of reaction. “I am from South America; my ancestors did not land on Plymouth Rock or came through Ellis Island; researching my ancestry with the current data available (mostly related to US bound immigration  would certainly be an exercise in futility” has been my excuse. But some weeks ago, in a casual conversation, a friend who is actively involved in populating their genealogical tree assured me that the data available in sites such as Ancestry.com is worldwide and encompasses the globe.

So, I am thinking about trying to learn a little more about, not who do I think I am (I been put in my place enough times for me to have that down!), but more about who my ancestors were, where did they come from, and what I can blame them for!

Has anybody in "Blogland' done any research on this and, if so, what results did you come up with?

0023 - 16APR2013 - "Once upon a time..."

The following story is all fictional and any resemblance to current persons, organizations or any other type of entities is merely coincidental…

Once upon a time and in a very far away land, there lived a people who had been considered at times as having an almost perfect society where all and everyone had the opportunity to better themselves, where the government played the supporting role needed to protect both individual and social rights, and where all strata of society shared a very sharp dual foci: one on society and one on the individual. They understood a simple set of concepts:

• No man is an island. The vast majority understood that society, the aggregate of all individuals, was extremely important to create and nurture because there was a critical interdependence between all members; it worked as a well greased and effective machinery; additionally…
• Every individual, every piece in the machinery was important. If one of the pieces failed, the machinery (read Society) would not work as effectively as usual for the detriment of all.
• Everybody understood that rights and duties applied to all in the same manner, that the infringement of one individual’s rights would severely threaten the rights of all; and that dereliction of duties by one, implied larger burden for all.
• Everybody grew up knowing – having internalized since childhood – the concept of fair play, that one’s rewards depended on one’s efforts, that the individual was the only one who could put limits to their own dreams, aspirations and goals.
• The concepts of being a predator, of cutting in line, of cutting corners, of finding shortcuts, of taking advantage of others, of taking unclean advantage of situations were dishonorable and a source of shame.

God blessed this land with thousands of hectares of arable and fertile land in many diverse climates; they could work the tropical crops (fruits, sugar cane, rice, corn, beans, legumes) all year round; they could work seasonal crops such as wheat, rye, sorghum, and all tubers (potato, carrot, etc). Due to the abundance of good land, cattle and all livestock grew fat and with high quality meat everywhere. Minerals were also in abundance; gold, bauxite (to make aluminum with) and finally, iron, lots of iron. Life was good. The country exported almost everything and imported little: automobiles and appliances.

To further the blessings, oil – tremendous amounts of oil – was found in the subsoil and overnight, a prosperous nation became a rich nation, very rich nation. Its standard of living was considered in the 1950s one of the highest in the world; its Health Care system left no one behind; school (primary and secondary) was made mandatory; superior school was optional; it was also considered one of the best in that region of the world, and it was free! Immigration was encouraged but was selective; emigration was nonexistent.

And then one day things started to change… Little changes here and there… Subtle changes – almost imperceptible – but giving way to a different type of thinking… Someone discovered that cheating was OK as long as you did not get caught (what a concept!). Someone discovered that, if some individuals needed help (pieces were not working well) and you ignored those needs, the machine still worked well enough for the majority; that society could forget about some of their individuals and it was still OK for those who were not affected directly by that situation; that if they did favors for politicians, favorable legislation would come their way quickly; they discovered that if they paid enough money out they could circumvent processes and procedures getting results quicker; they discovered that lending money was lucrative but not enough, and that money needed to be manipulated to get richer quicker. They started to get into the world of shortcuts, the world of ‘cutting in line’, the world of ‘the laws apply to the little people’, the world of ‘results is what counts, regardless of how you achieve it’… Those who took advantage of the situations around them, became ‘accomplished’; those who did not, did not. Those who shorted and twisted the system and made it work for them, became ‘successful’; those who did not, did not. Those whose only goal was to make money, made lots of money, and became ‘affluent’; those who did not, did not. Eventually, there appeared a chasm almost imperceptible at first and later more and more obvious between a few who had become accomplished, successful and affluent, and those who had not. The laws, processes, procedures only seem to apply to the one who had not because the others had enough resource to ‘buy their way’ in or out of situations. The rich became fabulously rich and the middle class all but disappeared; after 20 years of this malaise, the acquisition of a house was reserved to only few; after 40 years, the renting of an apartment was reserved for the few fortunate ones… Professionals with two and three degrees (medicine, law, etc.) could not afford a house, and might have been able to afford a condo after 15 to 20 years of sacrifice.

Eventually, the people abandoned the system for lack of trust; those who could, got out; and those who could not afford to get out, did not. Institutions broke down; legal system broke down; economic and financial infrastructures broke down; the supply chain of goods and services, all of them, broke down. That country imports everything now, and only exports oil… The story of not quite over yet; that land still exist, but not for long.

The moral of the story, boys and girls, is that when the system can be rigged with no consequences, when you have billionaires openly trying to buy politicians and elections, when you have a congress that no longer represent the people but only the lobbyists, when the middle class becomes an endangered species, when mom and dad have jobs but cannot afford a house, when the normal Joe Kidd knows that a college degree gets them nowhere, hope is lost, society breaks down, the individual primordial instincts of survival take over, and the system is all but finished.

Food for thought:
“The easiest way to repeat history, is to ignore it or forget it”

- Anonymous

0022 - 23JAN2013 - "Perspectives"

Thirty seven years ago today, my first and only niece was born. Happy Birthday, Ana Gabriela!

Perspectives. Continuing on a theme from a previous edition, this is a statement worthy of further scrutiny: “…I see no issues with our Health Care system: I am insured… I get services; Medicare pays…; my supplemental pays…; and I can afford the rest; the system is not broken”… This type of thinking is very prevalent in our society; it is most common amongst the baby-boomers generation (who are becoming our elderly now), and it has percolated to the generations who have followed… This is the type of thinking who brought us the ‘me’ generation; it is this type of thinking that led to the decision that living as an extended family (where parents, children, grandparents, uncles and aunts were part of that family) was no longer acceptable for the vast majority of us; “I need my own space” was the argument (“It is all about me” was the underlining thinking). Now, does this type of thinking preclude us from understanding concerns that affect many people other than ourselves? Is it healthy (or not?) to practice the recommendation of “You can only worry about what you can control”? I don’t know the answer to those questions… I am rambling again…

Sports. Lance Armstrong managed to fool a lot of people for a long time… Now, it seems that he has lied to so many for so long that he cannot discern fact from fiction and is unable to tell the truth… He seems to continue to exhibit a level of arrogance not belonging to people in his position… I hope one day he finds a way to appreciate himself as he is and not as the false idol he tried to make. Moving to football, the Atlanta Falcons proved to be still just pretenders and not contenders. And so, we will have Harbaugh Bowl: John (Ravens) against Jim (49ers)… Should be interesting!

Politics. And Obama was inaugurated for his 2nd term… According to MSNBC the speech, the ceremonies, the parades were magnificent. According to CNN it all was interesting but there were about ½ million people less in attendance this time. According to FoxNews, it all was disappointing, partisan, and an affront to Reagan. I think some broadcast licenses should be pulled and let some outfits be political opinion outlets and not news channels…

Books read lately… “Killing Lincoln”, by Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard. The subject is presented like a thriller, hour by hour, and with a diverse number of subplots… Although instructional and most appreciated (it was a Christmas present to me from Alex), I think O’Reilly’s efforts are best oriented to being a radio and TV commentator and not a historian…

Food for Thoughts…
“There are only two reasons for that federal list of gun owners: to tax them or take them” said Wayne La Pierre, Executive Director of the NRA referring to proposals for registering guns…

So, stay informed, my friends…

0021 - 14JAN2013 - "The 2nd Amendment"...

Where do we start fixing this mess? “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed”, reads the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (by the way, this is the version that the states approved, and differs slightly from the originally proposed one)… I believe that, to one degree or another, every US Citizen is in favor of, and supports, the 2nd Amendment and its meaning: the right of citizens to keep and bear arms. Now, there is something really twisty here that I am trying to understand: there are folks who interpret that right to bear arms as a mandate for citizens to be armed and vigilant to ensure they can keep the government in check, and to ensure they, given some circumstances, can fight and beat the Armed Forces of the US Government to avoid tyranny; they embrace - fiercely - part of the amendment and consider themselves the self appointed state militia, but – simultaneously - reject vigorously any type or regulation as clearly stated in the amendment. I respect that interpretation, although I struggle to understand it. But here comes the twisty part: these folks are usually the same group that gets very upset when there is any mention or proposal to cut the growth (let alone actual reduction of) the budget for the Department of Defense, also known as the Armed Forces of the US Government; they insist – and I agree with this position - we must have the best, most respected and best equipped armed forces in the world. So, let me get this straight: on one hand you consider the US Government the enemy and stand ready to fight it; and on the other hand you insist that the US Armed Forces, that same enemy you stand ready to fight, must be the best fighting force in the world… Am I the only one who sees the contradiction here? You want to make sure that your enemy is unbeatable? Isn't that suicide? This is one of those things that make you go: hmm..! I suggest this one needs to be re-thought!

Football. The Notre Dame coach needs to be fired too! I think the fans who went to the Orange Bowl should get their money back! It was such a one-sided affair that I turned it off within four minutes and watched Alaska State Trooper instead! Regarding the NFL, in the last two week-ends there were several shows worth mentioning. First, the whole managing team of the Redskins must be fired and banned from ever coaching again: how dare they send a visibly and ostensibly impaired rookie to be immolated and forever diminished just because the chance of winning the game… The kid was destroyed and according to some orthopedic surgeons, he will be able to play again, but will never be the kind of player he was… On the other hand, there were two superb games this past playoff week-end. On the first one, the Ravens edged the Broncos in an overtime thriller. I must mention that last year Tim (inadequate, subpar, not-good-enough, not-NFL-material) Tebow, took the Broncos to a play-off win against the Steelers, one game further than Peyton (8th-wonder-of-the-world) Manning took them this year… Makes you think if the people managing football really know anything about the game…! On the other great game, the raptors (Seahawks and Falcons) went after each other with all they got and delivered a whale of a game… Congrats to both and again to the winning Falcons… Well done!

Hawks Bluff. Not too much to talk about… There have been reports of two more fires along roads that border some Phases of Hawks Bluff. Five weeks after I called the Sheriff office looking for information/update regarding the original fires, the sheriff returned my call this past week; left me a message saying he would call again soon, but that second call hasn't come in yet… I will have to call the sheriff again… Will update if I learn something new… I also heard this past weekend that, as drainage works on the swales was being done in Phase III, as mandated by the Tennessee Department of Natural Resources, resident complained to the working crew about them creating a mess and making the place look bad. The workers stopped works and have not returned… Does anybody know anything else about this?

Quote of the week…
“Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.”

- Peter T. Mcintyre

So, stay fearless, my friends…

0020 - 06JAN2013 - "Survival of the fittest"...

The Fiscal Cliff. There is a pervasively common thought among 53% of us Americans (the other 47% disagree) that is quite disturbing: I believe they are fully convinced that people who are receiving the benefit of welfare aid, or food stamps, or any other social program benefit, are all behaviorally and genetically lazy and have mastered the ways to ‘milk’ the system! (I acknowledge there are many cases of fraud, but I believe them to be the exception and not the rule). But going back to the mainline, these folks truly believe, and without meanness or malice, that those people currently on welfare, when taken that benefit away, would find gainful employment in the blink of an eye; all they have to do is look for a job and they’ll get it; they don’t do it because they have the safety net of the welfare check… In their Christian minds (chuckle!) they are convinced that the easiest and most fair way to deal with the National Debt is to cut social programs; there is no need for social programs. It is their honest belief that societies, like businesses, can and do regulate themselves (another chuckle!). If the situation gets too out of control, then war, famine and/or disease would take out enough subjects (usually the weakest: youngest and oldest) to bring the population back to normal levels (like lemmings do!). They have taken a Darwin postulate “Survival of the most adaptable” (that is part of his yet-to-be-proven Theory of Evolution), have bastardized it as the truism “Survival of the fittest” and made it their creed (but on the other hand, don’t you dare teach Darwinian Theories of Evolution in my schools!) I am rambling… Enough of this!

Football. Well, it is hard to write about it since, I think, the football world is upside down… The Florida Gators decided to take vacations after the last regular season game and only some of them showed up for the game against Louisville… I don’t blame the players (still mere immature adolescents – yes, it is redundant!); I blame the coaching staff starting with the head coach… He should be fired… His only job is to get the team ready to play and he did not do it; he should be fired! On the Pros side, it is almost an out-of-this-world experience watching a playoff game between the Texans and the Bengals, knowing that the Steelers and the Giants are out… Unreal!

Perspectives. Al old and dear friend and his wife, also an old and dear friend, came by to visit this past week; had a great time with them. They retired last year. They own a lot in Hawks Bluff Phase I (bought before we did) and, as part of our conversation, they shared that they will never build here; they are quite disappointed with the way the place looks, how much in a state of disarray it seems to be, how deteriorated the roads are, and so on… I shared that, although I understand their view point, those issues become irrelevant once you are living here; what is important is how is your water well holding up, and how’s your septic tank behaving, and do you have enough fuel for the generator in case of power failure, and so on (more basic and less mundane necessities); the concerns related to appearances and aesthetics, although still present, become a non-issue. He conceded the point (although I could smell high reluctance). The day after, we were visiting again – this time at a cabin they were renting at Fall Creek Falls State Park - and among many things we talked about during the gathering, the issue of health care came up; I expressed my opinion that the system is broken and needs fixing (and proceeded to enumerate reasons and examples of why I said that). Eventually he came around and said: “it is a matter of perspectives. Yesterday, we talked about the HB issues and how they, from where you sit, are irrelevant. Today, I see no issues with our Health Care system: I am insured; if I need services, I get services; Medicare pays what I consider a fair amount; my supplemental pays another fair portion, and I can afford the rest; the system works for me. So, from where I sit, it is not broken”… His argument, as narrow-minded as mine was the day before, was also as valid and so I let him know. I could see he was very satisfied with himself (and relieved) that he had won; he needed that and I was happy to provide the opportunity… But his point confirmed one of my earlier assertions: it continues to be all a matter of perspective and perception; reality is relative, my friends!

2013. I guess I forgot to wish us all a very Happy and Prosperous New year 2013!

Personal. Here are my last baby and her nephew, my first grand-baby...

Quote of the week…
Heard this from, believe or not, a Republican friend:
“If you believe that the government is going to take your guns, you’re an idiot; if you believe that the government is going to take away your God and Bible, you’re an ignorant. if you believe the government is going to take your money and give it to illegal immigrants, you’re a bigot; if you believe that the government is going to take away your guns and your money, give it to the Mexicans so they can come and kill you and your God, you’re Bill O’Reilly!”

So, enjoy the good humor, my friends…

0019 - 02JAN2013 - "No brainer"...

Opinion. I told you I would find something to get a chuckle out of… Here it is. The subject is an artificially complex one, Gun Control, and some clowns are coming out with outrageous stuff… These are some ‘facts’ popping up all over Cyberspace as arguments to oppose even some fashion of gun control; read carefully:

• In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated
• In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
• Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, a total of 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.
• China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated
• Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
• Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
• Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, one million educated people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

The one sorely missing fact from the above (maybe an inconvenient truth?), is that none of those regimes was a democracy, of the people, for the people and by the people. Small detail but makes all the difference. All of them were one-sided dictatorships in regimes which did not have any checks and balances… So, no, gun control does not lead to genocide; that’s a fallacy!

Here is the second part of the argument:

• Switzerland issues every household a gun!
• Switzerland's government trains every adult they issue a rifle.
• Switzerland has the lowest gun related crime rate of any civilized country in the world!!!
• It's a no brainer!

These are true statements (except the ‘no brainer’ one); and here are some additional details (omitted from the above statements) which come with that ‘package’: Switzerland issues gun permits after a wait period of up to 30 days; they perform an extensive background check cross-referencing prison records, medical records, civil records, judicial records, military records; they require gun registration and tracking (like your car) during the life of the gun; and last, but not least, they require a mandatory gun training of several sessions with pass/fail test at the end... By the way, they also have Government Funded Universal Health Care as a constitutional right for every Swiss! It may be, after all, a no brainer!

And one last thing: to the brilliant minds that are saying “you fight fire with fire”, try to see if giving more alcohol to an alcoholic will really help… I wish they just would think twice before opening their traps!

Football. All my teams (Dolphins, Bucs, Lions and Giants) are out of the playoffs! Horror! Now I am left to watch the Bengals against the Texans, woo hoo! And what about bloody Monday, huh? Seven head coaches and five GMs were sent packing! I think that is the way it should be; you are being paid an obscene amount of money to win; you don’t win, then your tail is grass! And one more thing: I think there should be a rule like in the British Premier Football League: if you come in last, you are demoted to the minors (and your salaries are demoted too), and replaced by the team which came in first in the minors… We don’t have - in US Football - a set of major and minor leagues like in baseball, but I’m sure we would come up with something comparable (like 1/3 season suspension for the entire team) if we wanted to…

2013. For some of us, this was a year of extremes… Extreme pain, like the loss of Freddie and for a friend of mine the loss of his son at only 39, the Sandy tragedies (Hurricane Sandy and then the massacre at Sandy Hook, CT); extreme joy, like for me, the birth of my first grandbaby with everybody (including the mother - my first baby) coming out OK. And there are, for all of us, great/good and bad/painful episodes and instances throughout the year… The only things we are left with are the memories of 2012, and the commitment we must make to ourselves of making our lives – and the lives of those around us - better, even if it is just a little, in 2013!

Quote of the week…
“Beware of what you ask for, because you may get it!”

- Anonymous

So, think before speaking, my friends…