Labor Day is a holiday honoring those who work for a living. Laborious Day is a lesser known holiday honoring those who cannot stop talking about their work.
~Lemony Snicket
This particular Labor Day is a good opportunity to remember fourteen million Americans who, in 2007 worked for a living and no longer do so because there are no jobs for them. Why are there no jobs? They have been outsourced abroad, assigned to robots, or abolished by the Scrooges and Uriah Heeps of our day.
This is not good for America.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Interruptions In The Natural Order
We just returned from laying my sister Sharon to rest in McAdams, Mississippi. Hers was a good life, well lived. But it ended too soon.
I can only feel that Sharon's death interrupted the natural order of things. I remember when she was born during a snow storm in Oklahoma City. Her life was interesting, but anything but stormy. Still, in the natural order of things, she should have eventually joined our other two siblings at my funeral. I'm the eldest, so that would be the fair and orderly way.
A little over a week before her passing, our other sister visited her in the hospital and mentioned how much Sharon looks like our grandmother, especially her blue eyes. Sharon replied with a weak smile, "no, I don't look like Grandma. I look like death peeking out from behind a headstone."
She might have been weak and frail, but still able to share a bit of humor.
We will miss her.
I can only feel that Sharon's death interrupted the natural order of things. I remember when she was born during a snow storm in Oklahoma City. Her life was interesting, but anything but stormy. Still, in the natural order of things, she should have eventually joined our other two siblings at my funeral. I'm the eldest, so that would be the fair and orderly way.
A little over a week before her passing, our other sister visited her in the hospital and mentioned how much Sharon looks like our grandmother, especially her blue eyes. Sharon replied with a weak smile, "no, I don't look like Grandma. I look like death peeking out from behind a headstone."
She might have been weak and frail, but still able to share a bit of humor.
We will miss her.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Sharon Jeanene (Cox) Sechler: Jan 3, 1947- Sep 2, 2011
The last of our siblings, and the first Baby Boomer in the family, Sharon Sechler was a kind and gentle soul with an inquisitive mind. Born in Oklahoma City in 1947, spent her childhood in Anchorage, Alaska and Greenville, MS. After college degree from Mississippi State, including Master's in Education. Missionary work in Czech Republic, Mexico and New York City. Traveled around Europe and Mediterranean.
Leaves three sons, three grandchildren and a grieving husband.
She will be missed.
Leaves three sons, three grandchildren and a grieving husband.
She will be missed.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Connected Again!
The DSL link is working again. What a pleasure to be hooked up to the outside world.
Good Bye Irene, Don't Darken Our Door Again
Things slowly getting back toward normal in Oriental. Only thing lacking is DSL Internet connectivity from Century Link.
Everything else: Water, Electricity, Phone, working normally.
Kudos to Progress Energy. We had power back in the heart of Oriental Monday evening, a little less than 72 hours after the lights went out Friday night. Power poles were down all over the county. Don't know how they did it, but one thing is clear - teamwork and cooperation were impressive.
And kudos for the gang at Town Hall, especially the public works department. We did lose water for a few hours, but had it back even before the power came back on.
It was beautiful to see how everyone in the town pulled together. Neighbor helped neighbor. If anyone had something they shared it with others. Bama Deal's pot lucks under the tents were a great way to get together and cook up people's food before it had to be discarded. People shared generators, cookers, propane and labor.
That's what community and cooperation are all about.
It's great to live in a community like Oriental.
Everything else: Water, Electricity, Phone, working normally.
Kudos to Progress Energy. We had power back in the heart of Oriental Monday evening, a little less than 72 hours after the lights went out Friday night. Power poles were down all over the county. Don't know how they did it, but one thing is clear - teamwork and cooperation were impressive.
And kudos for the gang at Town Hall, especially the public works department. We did lose water for a few hours, but had it back even before the power came back on.
It was beautiful to see how everyone in the town pulled together. Neighbor helped neighbor. If anyone had something they shared it with others. Bama Deal's pot lucks under the tents were a great way to get together and cook up people's food before it had to be discarded. People shared generators, cookers, propane and labor.
That's what community and cooperation are all about.
It's great to live in a community like Oriental.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Irene
Hurried back to Oriental because of the threatened hurricane - Irene.
Would like to sing "Irene, goodnight" but it looks like it may be "Irene, hello."
Would like to sing "Irene, goodnight" but it looks like it may be "Irene, hello."
Retreads
I've been on the road the last few days. Quick trip to Mississippi and back.
I always learn something on a road trip. This time, I learned that trucks (eighteen wheelers) leave shredded tires all along our interstates. Frequently the tire debris is surrounded by skid marks. Near accidents and possible real accidents.
I have also driven a lot in Europe on Autobahns, Autoroutes and Autostradas. Don't remember seeing shredded truck tires there. Maybe they don't allow retreads in Europe. Maybe we shouldn't do so here.
I always learn something on a road trip. This time, I learned that trucks (eighteen wheelers) leave shredded tires all along our interstates. Frequently the tire debris is surrounded by skid marks. Near accidents and possible real accidents.
I have also driven a lot in Europe on Autobahns, Autoroutes and Autostradas. Don't remember seeing shredded truck tires there. Maybe they don't allow retreads in Europe. Maybe we shouldn't do so here.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
We Don't Need a Praetorian Guard
The Wall Street Journal quotes presidential candidate Rick Perry as explaining that his run for the presidency is motivated by the desire to make sure service members have a commander in chief they can respect. When queried, Perry explained:
"If you polled the military, the active duty and veterans, and said ‘would you rather have a president of the United States that never served a day in the military or someone who is a veteran?’ They’ve going to say, I would venture, that they would like to have a veteran.”
"The president had the opportunity to serve his country. I’m sure at some time he made the decision that isn’t what he wanted to do."
Perry's remark is not unlike a remark made by the late Senator Jesse Helms that if President Clinton visited the troops in North Carolina, he'd better bring a body guard with him.
Both of these remarks are at odds with the strong tradition in this country that members of the military have no special role in partisan politics. That's why military officers, like civilian officials, take an oath not to the particular president who occupies 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but rather an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. No one should understand this more clearly than a person who has served both in the military and in high public office.
Regrettably, charges that a particular candidate or incumbent is disloyal are as old as the Republic. During the Adams administration, Federalists accused Thomas Jefferson and his followers of disloyalty. Those charges led to the infamous "Alien and Sedition" laws. One result of these laws was the imprisonment of certain journalists who supported Jefferson.
The charge of disloyalty against democrats reached a low point in the 1884 campaign of republican James G. Blaine against Grover Cleveland. A few days before the election, a minister at a religious gathering with Blaine present charged democrats with being "the party of rum, Romanism and rebellion." This alliterative remark probably cost Blaine the New York vote and the election.
That didn't keep republican supporters of Hoover from resurrecting the remark in the 1928 campaign against Al Smith. It didn't hurt Hoover in 1928, but didn't help him in 1932.
Charges of disloyalty, however expressed, have become a regular staple of republican campaigns.
It's worth pointing out that the supposed preference of veterans for veterans didn't help George McGovern, Jimmy Carter (1980), Michael Dukakis, Al Gore or John Kerry. Nor did lack of military experience seem to hurt Bill Clinton or Barack Obama.
Most importantly, our Constitution doesn't award any special role for veterans in selecting our presidents. They don't need a special role. They are Americans.
"If you polled the military, the active duty and veterans, and said ‘would you rather have a president of the United States that never served a day in the military or someone who is a veteran?’ They’ve going to say, I would venture, that they would like to have a veteran.”
"The president had the opportunity to serve his country. I’m sure at some time he made the decision that isn’t what he wanted to do."
Perry's remark is not unlike a remark made by the late Senator Jesse Helms that if President Clinton visited the troops in North Carolina, he'd better bring a body guard with him.
Both of these remarks are at odds with the strong tradition in this country that members of the military have no special role in partisan politics. That's why military officers, like civilian officials, take an oath not to the particular president who occupies 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but rather an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. No one should understand this more clearly than a person who has served both in the military and in high public office.
Regrettably, charges that a particular candidate or incumbent is disloyal are as old as the Republic. During the Adams administration, Federalists accused Thomas Jefferson and his followers of disloyalty. Those charges led to the infamous "Alien and Sedition" laws. One result of these laws was the imprisonment of certain journalists who supported Jefferson.
The charge of disloyalty against democrats reached a low point in the 1884 campaign of republican James G. Blaine against Grover Cleveland. A few days before the election, a minister at a religious gathering with Blaine present charged democrats with being "the party of rum, Romanism and rebellion." This alliterative remark probably cost Blaine the New York vote and the election.
That didn't keep republican supporters of Hoover from resurrecting the remark in the 1928 campaign against Al Smith. It didn't hurt Hoover in 1928, but didn't help him in 1932.
Charges of disloyalty, however expressed, have become a regular staple of republican campaigns.
It's worth pointing out that the supposed preference of veterans for veterans didn't help George McGovern, Jimmy Carter (1980), Michael Dukakis, Al Gore or John Kerry. Nor did lack of military experience seem to hurt Bill Clinton or Barack Obama.
Most importantly, our Constitution doesn't award any special role for veterans in selecting our presidents. They don't need a special role. They are Americans.
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