Do you ever wonder who was the first person to try to eat another animal? What would make a person look at a rabbit, for instance, and think, “wow, is that animal fast. I wonder if I could catch it and eat it?” Going a step further, did they immediately decide to cook it? Were they eating rabbits before fire became a tool? Once humans started cooking meat, how long did it take to decide, or share, what temperature and cooking time came out best? Was the “original cooking temperature – Approximately ten inches above three medium logs?” Who invented smoking? What was the original material smoked? Is there a history of that somewhere I’m not aware of? Who invented the bow and arrow? When? What strange things have you witnessed? If you’re curious, one of the strangest things I’ve seen was at Disneyworld. I was there with two of my daughters’, one son-in-law, three grandkids and my ex-wife. After typing this I realized that what I just typed has nothing to do with the story. Sorry, but I think I’ll leave it in anyway. Meanwhile, back at my interesting tale: I was walking down Mainstreet Disney World behind a couple who looked, to me, like they were in their mid 30’s. I was trying to work my way back to my group, but I could see them slightly ahead of me and decided to take it slow and people watch for a while. Of course there were kids all around, under various levels of control ranging from walking with their parents to running wild. I clearly heard the lady in front of me say- loud enough for everyone to hear- “I wish they would have an adult only month here!” Her tone was loud and angry, so angry that there was no chance she was joking. Being a retired peacemaker, I was waiting for the man to say something calming or maybe change the subject. Instead, he replied in a louder voice, “I can’t believe they were able to collect so many misbehaved brats in one place! This is even worse than last year!” Their loud conversation continued and made it clear that they have been coming to Disneyworld at least once a year since they married six years ago. They hate kids and have vowed never to have one. However, they love Disneyworld! I slowed my pace a bit, just to make sure these two weren’t attacked by an angry parent.   Express checkout lanes are a Godsend and I appreciate them. I was in a 15 item or less line, not too long ago. I had 13 items and, probably foolishly, I was a bit self-conscious. I was concerned that a member of the secret express lane police would not be aware that the sign said 15 because, often, only 12 items are allowed. As my anxiety mounted one of the two young men at the cash-register very politely suggested I go to the checkout three isles down. I, very defensively, blurted out, I only have 13 items. (I was sure I had been falsely accused) The young man held back a laugh and said, “But you’re the third cart in line and they have nobody waiting.” He added, “You can stay in this line if you like.” One of the things I dislike about our Main Stream Media is their obvious collusion with the Democrats.

I am a conservative. I have never hidden that. They disguise themselves as “impartial reporters of current events” while, in actuality, they are assisting the liberals. How many of you remember the Rodney King incident? The “Incident” was: On March 3rd of 1991 a subject known to the Los Angeles Police as a felon, eluded the police who were attempting to stop him for suspected driving while intoxicated. He had been previously convicted of an armed robbery and sentenced to 2 years in prison; he served one before his release December 27th of 1990. Related to the armed robbery conviction was the fact -that became known to the pursuing officers- that the weapon displayed in the armed robbery was a metal pipe and that pipe was used to strike the Korean store owner after he complied with King’s commands to hand over the money from his cash register. The pursuit endangered the lives of the police officers, people on the route King chose and King himself. When King was finally forced to stop, he continued to refuse to comply with lawful orders to lie on his stomach and put his hands out for responding officers to hand cuff him. Instead, he continued to kneel and ignore numerous lawful commands. At that time LA Police were taught to strike resisting offenders one time with their issued PR24 night stick to force compliance. After the single strike the officer was to return to his original position and wait for the offender to comply. If the offender remained non-compliant the protocol called for another command to be issued. These actions were repeated several times and recorded by a private citizen. An edited version of the recording, that did not include the lawful orders, was repeated in a cycle by all of the major news stations. Mr. King’s criminal history was not widely reported. He was referred to as, “The motorist Rodney King.” Mr. King’s known violence was not widely reported. The fact of the pursuit was not widely reported. What was widely reported were the police baton strikes. I call this lying by omission! What do you think? There are numerous examples- The Russia Hoax (Proven to be a fabrication). The “Unarmed teenager in Ferguson Missouri (Turned out to be fleeing a strong-armed robbery and he attacked the officer; the officer killed him in self-defense. The listed “Victim” in the press stories, Michael Brown, was 6-4″ and weighed 292 pounds) The claims that were proven to be false in court still come up in many reports. Thanks for reading to the end. I hope you enjoyed it Phil

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I could be wrong, I have been wrong many times before. I could be overreacting or just too sensitive about how my fellow officers are, and have been, treated. In the mid 1970’s and early 1980s, I believe, the Mainstream Media (MSM) started shifting its’ allegiance from the police to the criminals. You might agree, you might not. Here’s my reasoning and please let me know where you stand! I remember in the mid 1970’s some Chicago area politicians suggested the press stop using skin color to describe suspects because it was “prejudicial.” I was a high school student, working at a gas station at the time and thought it was the stupidest thing I had ever heard. After I heard that blurb a rape in a nearby suburb was reported. The offender was described as a “Well-dressed, dark-skinned male, approximately 5’09” with long black hair, in his late teens or early twenties.” I pictured my best friend, who the description fit exactly. A few weeks later the rapist was captured. He was a male black with long corn rolls! I have no idea how they caught him; the police must have been given a better description because- if I had been a cop at the time- I would have stopped my friend before the offender! That was my first experience with the craziness of the woke culture! They could have just said, “It was some guy” because I’m sure, the description they put out did not result in any real tips. I noticed, almost like there was a template, the media started describing police statements as allegations and comments associated with the suspect more like, “The arrestee’s mother said her son was an honor roll student and the police picked on him.” “Alleged,” to me, sounds less than trustworthy while “said” gives the reader an expectation of hearing the truth. I still, at this point, had not considered a career in policing but, I was wondering to myself, why the media had turned. Several years after I joined the police force, I earned my master’s degree. This allowed me to work as a teacher, and I took a position at a local junior college. The new job included teaching 1 to 3 classes a quarter and did not interfere with my full-time police work. I was thrilled to have the opportunity and truly enjoyed my years teaching in the mostly minority school that hired me. The school was in the shadows of Chicago. Most of the students were Hispanic, the next largest group was Black and I had a few Asian and White students over the nine years I taught. One thing I did, before accepting that job, was vow to myself that I would try to be a teacher and a learner. An idea I had to accomplish that was to ask the students how they felt about certain current events. Early in my “second career”, I asked about a gang related gun battle on the West side of Chicago in which several people had been injured with one killed and one in critical condition. A girl in the class, much to my surprise, volunteered that her grandmother lived on the block that the incident took place and this student was visiting the day of the shooting. This girl said she was bothered because during the coverage she observed the news people kept saying that the police “alleged” this had happened, and “alleged” that had happened. My heart jumped out of my chest! This was something that had been bothering me since I was her age (And I was no longer her age). She continued, “If they had asked anybody, which they didn’t, they could have had a lot of eyewitness testimony and sounded more convinced that the police version was true and accurate!” I kept my poker face and asked the rest of the class if they had any thoughts on that observation. The whole class erupted! One kid I never heard from in discussions said, “Yeah! and they played the 8th grade picture card!” I asked for clarification. Before he could respond a few students interjected. One said, “You know; the last picture of him without gang tattoos and piercings!” (This was before tattoos and piercings were as widely accepted as they are now). Another student threw in, “They also included the crying mother’s comment that the police have targeted her son, and he is a good boy without including any comments from people in the neighborhood who are tired of the shootings and violence and could have pointed her son out!” The original girl confirmed that nobody from the press bothered to ask any of her grandmother’s neighbors about the incident. She said her family had lived there for a few years and she knew many of the residents. I asked if they would be willing to speak against the gangs and she said, “Everyone is scared! But now they’re more afraid of getting hit by a stray bullet now than they are of making someone mad!” As the years went by this was a common theme. Because of the area I taught in, many of the students were close to the incidents that made the news. That girl wasn’t the only one, over the years, that surprised me with firsthand information. I had students who were related to participants and victims, knew some of the people from school and sometimes just recognized them from the streets. I offered extra credit to students who would bring in press clippings and offer their own summary of the incident and how they would handle the initial call if they were the responding officer. This saved a few from failing and also gave me a better insight into their lives. Sorry, I’m drifting off the subject. Dealing up close with so many students who lived in the areas that were regularly in the headlines I was reassured that I wasn’t the only one who saw the MSM abandoning common sense- and wasn’t happy about it. Who doesn’t remember the CNN reporter with the burning police station in the background while he reported that the “demonstrations were mostly peaceful…”   My undergraduate degree is in journalism. I know a little about how reporting goes. Or, at least, how it used to go! I studied at, what was then, the #9 school of journalism in the nation. My professors included editorial veterans with newspaper, media, advertising, and marketing experience. I was taught to present the truth in an unbiased and entertaining way. One professor constantly reminded us, “If a reader can tell what your political belief is by reading your article- you should switch to the editorial department and abandon news writing!” I agree with him! What do you think? Please comment, and tell a friend to check out “aboomersthoughts.com” Thanks, Phil  

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I have only been aware of Charlie Kirk for about 5 years. His syndicated radio show premiered in early October of 2020, and I started listening a short time later. During that time, I grew to admire him and believe that he was one of the smartest people on the radio. I heard of his photographic memory and long hours of preparation for the debates he participated in, then I listened to him and believed that the sky was the limit for this hardworking crusader. I often learned from Charlie but, even better, I heard him school “experts” with facts that proved their assertions were not correct. He did it with such class, calm and compassion that it was beyond impressive! I have only heard him raise his voice a few times and those were in response to loud hecklers who would not let him respond to their lies. Even with those rude people, Charlie was just loud enough to be heard. He did not demean them. He did not disparage them. He schooled them, and while he schooled them, he schooled the audiences that started very small and grew into the thousands like the crowd that saw him assassinated. He was a religious man who put God first in all things, as I believe, we all should. Even as Charlie was lying lifeless, the left was attacking him with claims he was a racist, a hater and a false Christian. I am so tired of attacks like this, particularly when they are so blatantly false as is usually the case. At some point in my life, I started censoring my comments in fear that I would offend someone with an opposing view. For years I had expressed myself, as all Americans should. Then, after constant bombardment from the Main Stream Media (MSM), I began to hold back. I remember a day I was looking through my closet to choose a shirt to wear to a family function. Most of my extended family are Chicago Democrats and, while they wear whatever they want, they are offended by conservative attire. I was very tempted to wear one of my “Pro-Police” shirts. I was looking at a short sleeve shirt that had, “Breathe easy don’t break the law” stamped on it. The other shirt was a long-sleeved T-Shirt that had the “Police flag” stamped on it. Both shirts, in my opinion should not be objectionable to anyone but criminals. I thought it would be nice to let them know that police officers keep the peace and should not be targeted for doing so. I realized that the “breathe easy” shirt was a bit provocative, but believed that a police flag, worn by a police officer, should not offend anyone. As I was telling myself that I remembered how offended they had been when I challenged their liberal assertions in the past. I chose to wear the plain black t-shirt instead. I used to fly my American flag every day, until a “well-meaning” neighbor pointed out that my flag is offensive to illegal immigrants. I had a long discussion with the neighbor. I brought up the fact that nobody is obligated to live in our country, and it is easier to get out of than it is to get into (Not counting the Biden years)! The neighbor remained intentionally ignorant and I, eventually, took the flag down and only fly it on special occasions. Charlie’s assassination woke me up. I knew that I was wrong to compromise my beliefs to appease those who disagree with me, but I succumbed to the media. I knew better but still failed to be who I was meant to be. I recently heard a recording of Charlie answering a conservative student on a college campus. The student told Charlie he loves America and planned to enlist in the Navy to serve his country. He asked Charlie if he had any ideas as to how he should reconcile the sad fact that the country he loves officially embraces and endorses abortion and the LGBTQI community. Charlie responded that the love of country comes from tradition, laws, and established practices of that country. He added that the governance of the country may drift away from its’ ideals when inept public servants get into office. Charlie added that the beauty of America is that these poor officials can be voted out and the damage they do can be corrected. Then he reminded the student that it’s the country he loves and is signing up to fight for. I like, I fear, so many others. Stopped fighting for my country with my words. I hid my love for America under a bucket so I wouldn’t offend the haters. Those who are offended by our flag, our traditions, our police! I let the MSM convince me to shut up. America has to be fought for on the streets and on the battle fields. I we don’t keep the flame of liberty and The American Way burning we will lose it!  

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I have mentioned in earlier blogs that I enjoy driving through the farmlands near my home to clear my head and meditate/pray. One day I was doing just that when I came across a pygmy goat in the middle of the country road I was “flying down.” I safely slowed down, and the goat stared at me then slowly walked to the side of the road. When that goat left my field of vision I saw at least seven more wandering around on each side of the narrow road. Worried that a fast-moving truck would take them all out. I turned around and drove up the driveway leading to a large farmhouse attached to the field they had escaped from. On that short journey, my active imagination reminded me of the stories of farmers who protected their isolated lands with a shotgun and a shovel. I carefully approached the farmhouse; there was a glass storm door that was closed and locked with the front door wide open. I knocked, rang the bell and yelled inside but was not able to make contact with anyone. I drove further down the drive to two large barns and, again, exited my car and knocked on doors and looked in windows with no success.    I walked around and didn’t see anyone in the fields or on the property. I returned to the house and tried the same things, oddly enough, I got the same results! The goats were getting bolder, and I was sure they wouldn’t last long outside of the fencing. I drove a short distance to the next farmhouse and knocked on that door- still worried about the many stories I’d heard of farmers and their shotguns. As I was starting to walk away, a middle-aged woman answered the door. I apologized, “I’m sorry to bother you but, your neighbor’s….” She cheerfully interrupted, “Oh! Did the goats get out again, it’s been a few days since that’s happened. I’ll text them. Thanks!” Well! It seems my act of “Probably false” bravery to save these goners was not as gallant as I had pictured in my head! I might have imagined it, but it seemed to me that the goats were laughing at me as I passed them the second time! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Please comment and share with friends, Phil

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When I served as a police officer I was concerned about co-workers who would/could make a strong decision based on limited evidence. Watching TV cop shows I see the same thing; only more. I was watching a police show called, “Body of Proof” (Per Wikipedia- Body of Proof is an American medical/crime comedy-drama television series that ran on ABC from March 29, 2011, to May 28, 2013 and starred Dana Delany as a medical examiner…) in one episode the lead character, Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany) says, “She was dating a married man!” in a very definitive way after finding sperm, without spermatozoa, in the unmarried murder victim’s diaphragm. My, inquisitive, mind jumped to the possibilities of divorced guys, impotent guys, widowers? But, somehow, all of those possibilities were quickly eliminated- as is the case in most crime dramas! My apologies! When I wrote that down I meant to include the season and episode but neglected to. Unfortunately, in this “information age,” in my opinion, our access is limited to what “They” want us to know. Who are they? The major outlets and many politicians! We can circumvent this problem by searching the internet and other sources for “The other side of the story.” I am convinced this is necessary. Our duty; as citizens who are entitled to vote on the direction of our country, is to find the truth and then vote our consciences!  It doesn’t take a great mind to see that we are being lied to by both sides! We, as the voting public, have been subjected to smear campaigns, outright lies and other deceptions. I don’t believe that Biden suddenly fell into a demented state towards the end of his term! If you do, God Bless you- please tell me why! I don’t believe because he was messing up simple sentences, then didn’t appear for a normal campaign and, at the few appearances he did make, he was entertaining- to say the least. I don’t believe that our planet is close to destruction. As a child, I was very concerned when this “imminent catastrophe” was first announced in the late 60’s. But now; after several predicted calamities, some with ten-year deadlines connected, have failed to wreak the havoc promised, I feel Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth” was actually a false manipulation of a pliable and trusting mass. I remember that we (The People) went through a series of “Climate Threats.” Do you recall hearing that we must cut back on the size of families or the Earth will not survive! As a result of this there are many countries that are now facing “underpopulation” concerns! The argument since the 60’s has been that our planet can not sustain the growing population and placed the original “date of doom.” as I recall, was in the early 1980’s (There have been many revisions giving us about 10 years to change or die). I recently found an article (9/18/22 Townhall) by Marion L. Tupy that stated, among other things, that the availability of products, overall, has increased 6 to 1 over the last 100 years with no sign of the flow of resources and minerals decreasing. Believe it or not, but it is food for thought. More food for thought: Is there really a danger that our supply of fossil fuels will run out? No, new sources and procedures of obtaining gasoline have been found.  Are fossil fuels really harming the environment? No, at least not in a major way. Are EV’s a viable alternative? No. Questions to ask are where does the electricity to fuel them come from? And the following questions. Are EV’s an effective alternative? No. But they are being pushed harder and harder by our press and many politicians! Have you heard any negatives about fossil fuels in the press or from politicians? I haven’t! Is this the only thing, other than the Covid Vaccine, that nobody is allowed to find fault with? Can our power grids endure a switch to EV’s?  No. On the same day that California announced its’ plan to allow only EV’s to be sold, as new vehicles, by 2035 they also requested their citizens refrain from using their electric appliances during peak hours to avoid brown outs! Talk about craziness! Does anyone recall that “Climate Change” was once called “Global warming” and when the temperatures got cooler in the 70’s it was temporarily changed, in many articles to global cooling and then Climate change. Yes, it was hard to follow all the changes back in the day. The only constant was that it was our (Humanity’s) fault! A by-product of these lies concerns me; and leads me to believe that a large portion of our population is not doing the due diligence required for a democracy to survive! How do you feel? Thanks for reading to the end, please comment. Phil    

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It is a sad truth that I, and many others, have come to an age where my obituary will not read, “Gone too soon” or “His untimely death.” If your idea of “evidence” in an argument is to produce an article the contains words like, “Could be…” or “Possibly as much as…” you are probably not going to convince anyone to come to your side that was not there already. Unfortunately, in this age of “Opinion journalism” it is our duty as citizens to research any claims made. To do this you must leave your “comfort zone” but if you don’t do this you will be worse than uninformed, you will be misinformed! According to the IRS website the top 1% of wage earners in the United States paid 40.4% of the taxes in 2022- The most recent year they reported on. According to “Tax Foundation” the top 1% of US wage earners pay taxes at a rate of 25.9% of their income which is nearly 8 times the lower rate of 3.3% that the lowest wage earners pay Have you ever gotten trapped in the “Rule of: If this, why not that?” As a cop, I gave the mother with a car full of kids a break when I stopped her for going 16mph over the speed limit. Then I would question myself- If I gave her a break, shouldn’t I also give the guy speeding in a sports car the same break? Is anyone aware that the millionaire governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker (D), at one time had 64 NGO’s? I wonder if those were investigated as intensely as Trump’s business ventures? You might not be aware that, before running for governor, he removed the toilets from one of his mansions so he could claim it was not a residence. I am human, as I assume most of you are. On some days, in some moods, I judge myself very harshly. Failures, “Shoulda, coulda & woulda’s cloud my vision. Other days I thank God for all of my blessings. If I could regain the hours I’ve wasted watching “health videos” on the internet, I would be a happy man! Have you seen them? The ones that pull me in start with- “Give me just a minute of your time and I will show you how to eliminate (Name the affliction)!” These videos claim to have the “Free” cure of any number of ailments. The minute of my time, generally, takes over 15 minutes and the “Free” cure ends up being $40+ dollars a bottle. BUT! Rest assured, you can get the cure for less if you order 3,6,12 or more bottles! That’s not the worst part. Once you click, you know what’s coming, you are buried with more, and more “Miracle cures.” Ahhh, I love it! (That was sarcasm). As an aging American I am experiencing some of the maladies bodies experience after years of abuse. I used to jump up and run without a thought. Now I plan how I’m going to get out of my chair without pain. I lived through an auto accident that should have killed me back in 1996. A reminder of that accident is that my knees tell me when bad weather is coming before the weather forecaster has any idea. My body has gone from “Party all night” to In bed by ten and still tired when the morning comes. The “Well toned body” I used to be proud of now lifts half the weight with twice the effort and holds on to belly fat and flabby muscles despite my best efforts. Thanks for reading, please comment in the space provided. Phil        

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I believe that mental health is very important. I was raised by depression era parents and, occasionally, serious physical injuries were not even treated until one- or both- parents were convinced the wound was serious enough to require a trip to the hospital or doctor. Mental heal issues were only recognized in severe cases such as those that stunted learning or caused the patient to run naked through the neighborhood. I don’t recall any talk of anxiety, or depression in our house. I admit that I watch shows that mostly older people enjoy maybe that’s why most of the commercials I see are for medications that will, “Bring back your youthful glow- energy- stamina, whatever. Basically: take our pill and all your problems will go away. Everything from quick weight loss to depression (per the commercials) can be cured with a pill! In my opinion, the millions of dollars spent on advertising to encourage us to buy a pill whenever we have a physical or psychological need rather than “sucking it up” like my parents’ generation encouraged us to do, has been successful. Maybe too successful! I say this because, it seems to me that, modern doctors are taught to prescribe pills rather than cure the cause. About a year ago I realized that my medicine cabinet was overflowing with medications for prostate, sinus, arthritis, skin cancer and other problems. My morning and afternoon rituals were to, first, take several pills- then go on to normal preparations to start the day and work through it. I took the pills but was never sure if they were working or not. I got no worse, but no better, in many of the situations. As a police officer I met suicidal subjects on many occasions. Sometimes I got there on time and stopped them, at least temporarily. Sometimes I was called, “After the fact” and was required to photograph the victim, notify family, if necessary, investigate the scene to eliminate the possibility of foul play and wait for the coroner. After several years of truly believing that suicide was a problem, but it was what “other people do”- “Nobody I know would do that!” My immediate family was struck by that terrible problem twice in a few years and my extended family many more times than that (I do have a very large extended family- but way too many suicides)! For my own self-help I read books on the subject and talked to as many professionals as I could about it. I wanted to be able to answer any questions that might arise on the subject to make me a better police officer, a better father and a better human! One answer that came up, from several sources, was that it is beneficial to help yourself, so you can help others. At first, this solution didn’t sink in. Why would I want to spend time on me prior to offering others help?  With the stress that comes from raising a family; and the additional concerns that come from policing and surviving in modern America I started to accept that idea. A few of the “remedies” I decided on were bowling, golf, motorcycle riding and drives in the country. It sounds crazy but I really enjoyed bowling when I was younger and realized that I, at the time, did not have anything I did for me. I worked, slept, helped with the kids and around the house then repeated. I joined a Fall bowling league my brother was on- first as a substitute and then as a regular. I enjoyed it, and it helped, somewhat. Wednesday night bowling gave me something to look forward to from late August to early March. It helped, but it wasn’t enough.  Later a high school friend asked if I golfed. I hadn’t since I got married, but I loved the idea of starting again. We started to go out with 2 other guys every Monday in the summer- Tuesday if the weather was bad on Monday. I started with a low average in bowling and a high average in golf- the opposite is desired. It’s been a few years and, as I like to say, I worked my way up to mediocre in both sports, I am a work in progress in both but look forward to each outing. Now that I was taking care of me- a desired action that is good for everyone- I decided to go one step further. I bought a motorcycle. There is no feeling quite like cruising on an open highway with the sun shining down on you and the wind blowing in your face (My hair has been gone for a long time). I rode for several years when I was single and, for me, the bike is an excellent stress reducer! The last thing I’ll mention is taking either the bike or my pickup truck and driving in the country. I get such a feeling of peace looking along the sides of the road and seeing nothing but rolling rows of corn, beans or hay with occasional cows, horses or sheep; I understand this is not possible for everyone, but something similar- or equally effective- might be! As I enjoy the relaxing scenery, I either turn my radio off, pray, or listen to old time rock and roll. It just can’t be beat.   Somehow seeing farms, animals, corn, beans and more has a way of calming me. I enjoy all of the beauty these sights provide but, I like the barns that are in the process of falling down the best.   When I was in college, years ago, a professor in one of my history classes told me that he was once an insurance salesman and the farmers have to let the barns deteriorate until they collapse or they are not paid the total amount of their claim. I had no reason to doubt him at the time. Back then, I had a lot more faith in “The system” than I do now.  At any rate, I wonder, if that was true then- is it still true? I enjoy the times I see activity on the farms like plowing or harvesting. I’m always disappointed to see for sale signs up or, worse yet, excavating to make room for the new houses, condos or whatever will soon replace the crops. I can not, in good conscience, be upset with the farmers for selling though. I know and have known many farmers. I am aware that their lot is not an easy one. They get up before the sun, do hard manual labor during the day, and into the night. I compare that to the current price of land and the temptation to sell hundreds, or thousands of acres and not have to work another day in your life and I can easily see why so many farms in my area are up for sale. I also feel compelled to admit that the last two houses I have bought were newly constructed on farmland! Seriously even most of the more established homes, were most probably, built on farmland! If you think about it, and I believe you should, all health comes from mental health and, in many cases, mental health is the most neglected. Please, for your own good, call for help if there is a need and ask your relatives and friends what you can do for them if they appear to be depressed or suicidal. I hope this story has, maybe. altered your mood for the better. Thank y0u for reading and please comment on your opinion of the topic and the blog. Phil

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None of us felt we could pass for 21 years old, as we had just graduated from 8th grade. With this small problem we started polling older siblings to find a reliable purchasing agent. This position would require the candidate be a person of questionable character, be 21 years of age or older- or be able to acquire alcoholic beverages in some way, be willing to do the job for free, or near free and most importantly; the candidate would need to be able to keep this secret from the parents of any and all of the participants.

We found our agent. I will keep his name to myself even though the statute of limitations has long expired on his illegal deed.

The four of us approached the venue, a local park that had a (What we considered) gigantic sledding hill. We came in from a prairie lot across the street, holding our paper bags that held the bottles. Our drink of choice was BOONES FARM WINE, I chose strawberry. As I recall the other choices were cherry and apple. The scariest part, for me, was when we first came up to adults with our paper bags. I, in my adolescent mind, was sure the first adult we saw you call the Po-Po and we’d be busted.

We walked past a few families and the moms and dads paid some attention to us, but they did not present a threat to our freedom, or our wine!

My confidence grew as the night went on. When the fireworks were over, we got word that a friend that lived nearby was having a party.

We went there and added tap beer to our wine high. I was having a great time until I noticed one of our four members had gone outside a few times and was overdue to return from his last trip. I went outside and found him throwing up on my friend’s patio furniture. I went back in and warned my friend then, with his blessing, got the remaining two in our group to help carry Danny home.

Danny was loudly explaining how he wasn’t drunk and required another beer. He quieted down when he passed out.

We played a form of ding-dong ditch with his mother when we laid him on the front porch, rang the bell and ran- as best we could. I tripped and fell over our friend Gary and was lying in the front yard when Danny’s large, sometimes mean, Italian mother answered the call. It sounded like she let out a muffled laugh, looked up in my direction, then let out a knowing laugh and carried Danny into the house.

We all ran home. I didn’t sleep at all. I couldn’t. I was just lying in bed waiting for the phone to ring so Danny’s mother could explain how they were at the hospital having Danny’s stomach pumped, or he had thrown up all over her new carpeting, or something worse!

Danny called me later in the morning on July 5th. He said his mother didn’t say anything specifically about the previous night, but did make several vague references to drunken teens and the danger of underage drinking in front of his father.

I considered that as my first “grown up” 4th of July celebration. Later, I started remembering it as a lucky escape after a really stupid field trip to drunkenness!!

Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment, perhaps a similar experience?

Phil

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So, there you have it. A simple answer to an age-old problem. The song was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for The Temptations but didn’t become a big hit until Starr’s version in 1970. In that song Starr sings of how “War can’t give life, it can only take it away…”

It seems our country has been at war since I was born. The Korean War had just ended in 1953. The US started supplying aid to the French to assist them in Vietnam in 1950 and the first US troops were killed in Vietnam in Saigon in 1959. The major US involvement did not start until President Johnson took office after Kennedy was assassinated. Vietnam started winding down under Nixon from 1969-1973 when the Paris Peace Accords were signed but, while the US troops were departing the North Vietnamese were still plotting to overtake South Vietnam.

After Vietnam the US was involved in The Persian Gulf War (1990-1991), The War in Afghanistan (2001-2021), The Iraq War (2003-2011) with other conflicts in Grenada (1983), Panama (1989) and interventions in Somalia, Libya, and ongoing counter-terrorism operations in various locations (Per Google AI).

A strong argument can be made that many, or at least some, of the wars the US has become involved in were not necessary. I can’t say that I am convinced that every military action taken by the United States was necessary.

I felt the pain of war in many ways. As a child, I was told that my mother’s cousin served in the Navy and was lost at sea. His ship was never located. I knew my dad served in India and various aunts and uncles served in WWII. Naively, I did not expect war to interfere with my life for, surely, we had learned our lesson as a country.

I was told that two of my three older brothers planned to enlist to serve in Vietnam when I was in 8th grade. They chose the week of my birthday to sign their papers. One signed the day after my happy occasion and the other went in the next day. My parents drove them both in on their fateful days and, as I recall, there was no birthday party for me that year- the whole family had something much more important to think about.

After they shipped out, I spent a lot of time climbing as close to the top of a tree in our front yard as I could and just watching the house as I thought of my brothers and prayed for them. Pete was in Vietnam and Pat was stationed in Thailand. Pete seldom speaks of his time in Nam. He was assigned as an IT repairman and, in that assignment, drove alone in a Jeep from one town I heard about on the daily national news to another.

I was writing a book, and I begged him to give me some story about his time in Nam. He then, hesitantly told me that he experienced enemy mortar attacks and, on one occasion, lost the only other member of his unit. They were assigned as AM & PM workers. On one gruesome day his PM partner was late returning the Jeep they shared, which was not an unusual occurrence. Pete took another vehicle from the motor pool and started on his assignment. A short distance away from the base he observed what was left of their Jeep lying on its side after being hit by an enemy mortar round with his partner lying close by. After determining his partner was beyond help, he called his supervisor and was ordered to complete his assignment.

The draft ended after my 17th birthday. I told my brothers I would still enlist, and they explained to me that there would be thousands of troops returning to muster out and, basically, more hands on deck than were required. Pat warned me, “You’ll be cleaning sidewalks with a toothbrush” just to keep you busy.

I am not in favor of war.

As much as I hate war, I believe, that it is foolish to be unprepared for that eventuality.

If we look at the history of the world as we know it there has always been violence; from the very first siblings on! If you think about it, Cane and Able could be considered the first World War- because half the known residents of the world, at that point, were involved in combat.

I feared for my brothers’ lives for the 4 and 5 years they were gone. I don’t want anyone going through that. I don’t want anyone to lose a child, sibling, relative or friend of any kind to war!

I understand that there is evil in the world. I understand that we can’t be Switzerland. I fear for our safety and have for years. Iranian leaders call the US and Isreal “The Great Satans” I don’t want to see them with a nuclear arsenal, do you?

Trump bombed Iran’s nuclear facility recently to prevent them from building a nuclear arsenal and I’m glad he did. There are mixed reactions about that decision largely along party lines- Who’d a thought?

Will that action bring us closer to yet another war? Were we already at war with Iran? Listening to their rhetoric, it seems we were! Is it possible to stay out of war?

I think since Iran first started calling the United States the Great Satan they have been at war with us. For that reason, I don’t think its possible for any action we take to bring us closer to a war we are already in!

I believe staying out of war is an impossible goal.

I will readily admit that the US has gotten in more conflicts than it needed to. Every fight is not our fight, and I voted for Trump because that was his stand. With that being said, I’m glad he helped Isreal out with this.

I quoted Edwyn Starr’s lyrics on war above and, I feel I must disagree with those lyrics. War can’t give life, but it certainly can preserve it. What if Iran were to declare war on us and we refused to participate?

I’m pretty sure that, believing we are the great Satan and all, they would have their war anyway. Have you seen how they treat people they don’t like? Did you miss the coverage of the unprovoked attack on Israel in which Hamas took hostages, raped & murdered citizens? It was reported that they even raped corpses and tortured and killed old people and children! I ask again, how do you think we’d fare if they came after us and we refused to participate? Have you seen any of their public beheadings?

China and Russia both got aggressive during Biden’s administration by threatening to attack lands they had their eyes on Tawain and The Ukraine. China held off, but Russia did not. I believe that both of those countries are prepared for war and, unfortunately, we are not!

America was once the greatest military power on Earth. I do not believe that is currently true. Per recent reports our nuclear weapons have not been upgraded since the 1940’s. Our navy is in a similar situation. In the last four years our armed forces have put more emphasis on becoming culturally diverse than preparing for the possibility of war. To make it worse. When it was necessary to “gear up quickly” during WWII we were an industrial giant and had no problem taking care of that business.

Currently we are not that prepared. Most of our steel mills are closed. The bulk of our manufacturing is now done overseas, and our workforce is not what it once was- I hope I’m wrong, I’ll bet I’m right!

I’m hoping President Trump can Make America Great Again real soon because I’m not sure we have as much time as we need.

Thank you for reading, please comment

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