The Good Plan

The good plan

 

        The Muslim (Believers of Islam) population in the United States is estimated to be from 5 to 8 million. Millions of them are already citizens and have been for decades. Non-Muslim extremists as well as Muslim extremists are doing their level best to piss them off. Thanks to the NRA and 2^nd Amendment folks it’s as easy for them to obtain weapons as everybody else. Anyone else see a problem with this plan?

       The answer that I often see whenever there is a mass killing is that we need more guns. We are a nation awash in guns already. Is the answer to make sure that everyone is armed? Then what? There will still be mass killings. (BTW I have lots of weapons and I carry.) Then will we finally start to deal with the problem?

       We have to get past thinking that this is about Muslims or any other specific group. This is about mass killings.

Lonesome Trump [Politics]

I have in mind two movies that I believe provide great reference points to what is taking place in our culture, especially in regards to the current Presidential election.

Years ago Andy Griffith starred in the movie "A Face in the Crowd". He played a character named "Lonesome Rhodes". Patricia Neal and Walter Matthew were also in the movie directed by Elia Kazan. Andy Griffith did an incredible job of acting. The movie is one of my all time favorites and the years haven't diminished its relevancy. If anything the message resonates even more. Though technology has changed how the delivery of an agenda is accomplished the human character traits remain very much the same. Griffith's character is finally undone by an open microphone where unbeknownst to him he is sharing his true feelings about people.

The other relevant movie to the subject matter of the Presidential election that comes to mind is "Hammersmith is Out" starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Peter Ustinov and Beau Bridges. Richard Burton plays a character that is insane, escapes from a mental institution and takes Beau Bridges' character to fame and fortune by being pathologically ruthless. Insanity not only rules but it works quite efficiently.

There are considerations that should be made of those that seek the office of President. What is their measure as a person? What do they value? What is their history? How does they treat human beings? Are they considerate? Are they rude? Do their actions live up to their words? Are they fair? Are they reasonable? The list of what we look for in a human being can and should be long, keeping in mind that they will fall short of our expectations. We are all fallible.

Character is important. In regards to character it's hard to come up with an appropriate descriptive representation of what Trump as a man embodies. Being an accomplished showman is perhaps one of his better characteristics. He is a legend in his own mind. Ask him. He isn’t shy. Though he is less than the sum of his parts he is much more than a cliché or stereotype. After hearing him speak I feel like I need to take a mental shower. It's like he has soiled himself intellectually and is darned proud of it. Trump manages to be a caricature of himself.  Money simply makes him a more dangerous Archie Bunker but not in any way endearing or funny. He is to politics and the Republican Party what the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is to religion. But unlike the character played by Griffith he isn't being undone by an open mic. His is an open mic. His history of abuse to people (rich, poor, average, wives, workers, women) is not only well documented but Trump revels in it and defends his questionable actions at every opportunity.

As much as I have enjoyed the Trump candidacy for President of the United States I've had enough.  The stuff that spews out of his mouth is both repellent yet fascinatingly entertaining at the same time. The truly sad part is that so many are called to him; that he's telling them what they want to hear because they already believe his message and are willing recipients. Trump speaks to that dark side of humanity that exists in all of us. While many struggle against that darkness others embrace it as their guide. Like the WBC, Trump speaks to the choir or at least a choir. Only Trump's choir is much larger. Therein the problem lies.

He is the quintessential schoolyard bully. No slight, real or imagined, goes unchallenged. Is this a man that should be Commander In Chief of our armed forces? Is this a man that should be in charge of our nuclear arsenal?

That so many in the Republican Party leadership and members would support such a vacuous deadbeat of a man as Trump is truly disheartening. And according to Mr. Trump not supporting him makes me stupid. He may indeed “win” the Republican Party but at what cost? He is not capable of winning the office of President.

We are going to end up with a choice to make and there isn’t always a “best” choice but rather the choice that we have before us. 

A soft closing [Life Story]

A soft closing

By Keith Thomas

        Way back when I was a teenager – and I mean that's waaaay back – my older brother Pat and I were out squirrel hunting in the woods someplace in Missouri. Our footsteps had taken us deep into the forest. I was stuck to Pat like glue. This was due to the fact that I have absolutely no sense of direction. You could drop Pat down anywhere and he automatically knew the points of the compass. If he'd had wings he could easily have migrated to Canada.

        At one point we came into a little clearing. There was a tiny old-fashioned white painted church smack in the middle. No electric lines. (Imagine church without amplifiers.) No parking lot. No roads leading in. Just paths in the woods. We noticed that there wasn't any glass in the windows. No broken glass on the ground either. The panes of glass had been completely removed.

        The door wasn't locked so we went inside. No broken glass inside either. As soon as we stepped in the door we realized that the church was still being used. Everything inside was neat and orderly. Hymnals were in their place in the pews. There was no trash strewn about. It was clean. There were probably 4 or 5 pews to each side. The place just seemed to be and felt sacred. We didn't even want to take a chance of getting dirt on the floor from our shoes. What a beautiful place to worship.

        Out in the middle of the woods like that they should have been safe. Safe from any upgrades. No worries about tearing the church down to build a bigger, better pew-packing church.

        I still think about that church and wonder. I know that the elements must have claimed the structure long ago. It's what the sun, wind, rain, snow and cold do. How long did that little congregation hold on? Was there a last person standing? Was there one last cost/benefit analysis? Did they have to deal with a church hierarchy and bureaucracy as their members died away or did they have a gently peaceful demise like a life well lived that ends during a last restful sleep? I would like to think that's the way they went; the way the door closed for the last time. Perhaps a white-haired couple that turned, said goodbye and walked off through the woods holding hands. A soft closing.

Unfortunate Circumstances [Culture]

Unfortunate Circumstances

by Keith Thomas

        I passed by a homeless person the other day. Just a snapshot out the window of a younger woman. Rail thin. Missing teeth. Dirty grey sweatshirt. Back pack on the ground beside her. Holding a cardboard sign. (It seems that the homeless and/or beggars always have access to magic markers.) The kind of appearance that can mean lazy drug user that doesn't bother taking the time to do their make up or a sign properly. I mean really if she could afford a magic marker did she really need to be on the street begging for money? She was working a lonely corner in the middle of the afternoon with limited marketing skills. There were way too many words on her sign to provide any kind of readability at a distance.

        An opening paragraph doesn't always signal where a story is leading. "Unfortunate Circumstances" seems like the wrong words for a title; but just as appearances can be deceiving there are clues as to the upcoming content.

        I acknowledge that we have freedom of speech with some limitation in this country but does hollering "Get a job!" ever serve any good purpose? I suppose there is the possibility that would be of help with earning a Masters degree in being a better asshole but it begs for retort escalation. "Be a better human!" Annnnnd we're off!

        For a couple of days I had been carrying around a twenty dollar bill meaning to put it towards a project that Shelley and I are working on. Holy Spirit kept telling me to hang onto that twenty. So I did. When I passed that corner, it was instantly made clear to me why. I couldn't stop so I went ahead and quickly tended to my errand. I came back to where she was, parked the truck and walked up to her.

       I offered to take her to a McDonalds that was close to get her a meal. She was wary and declined even though she said that she was hungry. It's dangerous being homeless. It's dangerous being homeless with a family. It can also be dangerous picking up a homeless person. I picked up a guy when I was younger and he tried to rob me. It happens. I had to get home since I'm a caregiver so I didn't have enough time to go get some food and bring it back to her. It was a stand-off.

        When I was in the Army I did a tour in Korea. There were lots of beggars in Korea. Any more it seems that there are lots of beggars everywhere. Beggars and homeless people. (Emphasis on people added.) Several of us were walking on a busy street in Seoul when we were surrounded by a bunch of beggar kids of all ages. I should also mention here that there were lots of talented thieves/pickpockets as well. I carried my wallet in my front pocket with my hand in my pocket wrapped it. Tight. Not much room. A little sweet-faced cherub, maybe eleven, got his hand in there too and somehow those nimble little fingers were able to pull bills out. He would pull out one bill and then go back in for another while his friends were checking out all the other pockets. A Korean businessman in a suit was walking by and took in the situation of GIs being victimized by children. He looked at the boy stealing money out of my pocket and punched him right square in the face--hard. I will never forget that he looked at me and smiled. Then he was gone and the kids were gone. It was like it never happened. Everyone was just swallowed up by the crowd.

       Segue back to my beggar du jour story. Was it a scam she was operating? If she was then the sad-eyed children she mentioned on her cardboard might have been helpful. (Once when I was growing up and we were coming back from visiting my grandparents, dad got caught in a small town speed trap. They actually took us to see the judge. After all it is America and we had the right to a speedy trial. My younger brother was just walking and he toddled over to the judge, crawled up into the judge's lap and called him grandpa. That didn't hurt dad's case.) So, back to begging in general, what kind of story would be worthy enough to be monetized? Does the quality of a life story need to be proportional to the donation being sought? Would references or documentation help in gaining larger amounts? I mean how good does a story have to be really for a dollar donation, a fiver or a ten spot? Time is money. Why spend ten minutes pouring out your heart for a dollar? That isn't really much of an ROI when a novelty sign can get that much. (I was in San Diego at the beach once and a guy had on a sign that said he would bark like a dog for a dollar. He didn't look like he was earning a living wage doing that but I don't know what kind of overhead he was dealing with. He may have been a creative writing drop out. His penmanship left a lot to be desired. How did he decide that there was a demand for the particular service that he was offering? It seems like there would have to be a first time that it worked. Perhaps it was a demand from a donor. Perhaps that should be the title:  "Will Bark Like a Dog for a Dollar.")

        If they ask for too little is there a risk in offending the wage giver as not being able afford more. "Do you think that I can't afford more than spare change?! How dare you?! I don't even carry change!"

        I don't ask for their stories. I don't need them. I'm not the arbiter of determining what constitutes a donation-worthy story. Besides they just make me sadder. When my wife worked at a hotel downtown there were drunk winos hiding out in the bathroom. They had really good stories and afflictions enough for several country western songs that they were than willing to share when being evicted from their new found domicile. If scamming as a self-employed entrepreneur is their job it certainly isn't a job that I would want to have. It isn't a job that's going to send their kids through college, provide health insurance or dental coverage. It isn't a job that's going to provide them quality of life.

        Quality of life. I had to go so I gave the woman the twenty that had been earmarked by Holy Spirit. She took it, looked at me and said, "Seriously." Perhaps that should have been the title. Perhaps my appearance in a T-shirt and ball cap didn't make me look like someone that could afford to give a twenty. I just told her that I was sorry that she had fallen on hard times. Oh yes, she thanked me too. It just poured out of her. Then she said to me, "God bless you." Think of that.