Emigrants in Texas

 

Yes, they are there, thousands and thousands of them.  What can be done?  What should be done?  What would be the best for them and, for that matter, for the United States?

 

The situation reminds me of a movie some of us may remember:  “Titanic.”  And, while the circumstances of those trying to come to America are quite a bit different, the outcomes of some are probably the same—some made it, some didn’t.  And the times certainly are a bit different.  The only thing that has not changed is the implication that America is where one should go to experience a change, and a good change at that.  And in many cases, that is what is needed. 

 

Have you seen pictures of children rummaging through a garbage pile in the hopes of finding something, just a little bit to eat, perhaps, for themselves and their families?  This wasn’t staged for some American photographer, believe me.  This is reality.  How many of those children do you suppose were brought North by others in their family in hopes of gaining the same benefits that many of our ancestors came across the Atlantic to gain so many years ago?  How many are piled up on the Mexican side of that “border wall” just looking for a way, a chance, to come across that Rio Grande and gain the life they dreamed of before they began that thousand mile (plus) journey to get here?  And, having almost made it to that place of their dreams, how many have been languishing just beyond that wall wondering what will become of that dream. 

 

Awakening can be anything but agreeable to most of these unfortunate travelers.  Is this what they deserve?

 

Every trip had two points:  A point of departure, and a point of termination.  Or so the traveler hopes.  These people, Americans all (just not North Americans, you see,) are in search of their dreams—frustrated at virtually the last few steps.  What if my ancestors had experienced a similar fate?  Would I be here today, or would one of my ancestors have carried my genes to the bottom of the North Atlantic ocean having chosen that “Titanic” as their vehicle of choice? 

 

These people deserve more from we Americans. 

 

But what?

Keeping up with the Queen

Well, what do you suppose happened today?  Let’s see: Again, up we were (I was?), around 5ish, and that being the case, that’s when the thinking kicked in. 

 

Initially, though, that “up” is just a supposition.  “Awake” would be more like it, which often is the case (you do remember where we are and what we are doing in Blogger, right?), and awake in bed, in this case, would be entirely accurate.  Never happen to you?  Well, perhaps it may be an age thing.  I wonder about Queen Elizabeth.  The TV is saying she is celebrating her 95^th!  Well, how about that?  In just a very few years (under twenty), I might be able to understand what it feels like to be able to say that myself if, of course, that is in the cards for me.  Which, if I consider my own personal family tree information, I would have to say the odds are definitely against.  As a matter of fact, I’d have to say my present seventy-six in that category is pretty good one for we “Geddi!” 

 

No problem today, though!  I wonder how long I may be able to say that and, I expect if you are anywhere near the same number as am I (and if you might enjoy that trombonish theme song from the movie, “Sound of Music”, from whence it came) or if you are just a bit over that number, I again suspect you may be able to say the same thing.  Age is one thing that is a pretty personal thing.  Follow my lead here if you don’t believe me—after you read that newspaper headline and follow up on a few articles, turn a page or three to get to those “obits.”  In addition to seeing pretty quickly if any friends happen to have left without giving you the required notice, you will see the range varies pretty extensively.  Some older, some younger, some considerably on either side, depending on where your personal profile might be taking you.  

 

Watching that TV again might tell you there are quite a few personalities who are just a bit younger than you.  I know this will be the case if you are anywhere near my personal time frame, and if not, congratulations either on your relative youth or longevity.  In any case, I hope, you may consider yourself to be blessed just a bit regardless of whichever side of this spectrum you may find yourself on. 

 

Age—it is what it is.  We all need to learn to enjoy it, whatever ours may be.  And, as for the Queen, well, at 95, she is doing fine, wouldn’t you say?

76 Trombones

 

“To everything, turn, turn, turn…

There is a season, turn, turn, turn…

And a time for every purpose under Heaven.”

 

Or so goes an old folksong (old to me, in any case,) that sometime seems to apply to me and my life as it is going today.  My everything today, though, is my thinking of another song I learned in my youth and knowing how it applies to me here in my seventy-sixth year.  

 

That other song is a bit applicable since it is the song I’ve picked out for this year, it being appropriately named “seventy six trombones” which works out quite well for me this year.  This will be the last time I use this song as my own, though, since the second line continues with “and a hundred and ten coronets right behind.”  Which, you see, probably is not a line I could ever utilize along with my age, like it or not.

 

Seventy-six is a bit more than I would ever have aspired to as a much younger man.  Men in my family have typically taken leave of such things a bit sooner than their late seventies, something I am fortunate to be able to not have followed them on.  How much longer I might be able to say this is anyone’s guess.  Feel pretty good today, in any case.  Just lucky, I guess.     

 

My seventy-seventh year, should I make it to that time, will require another song.  I guess I will have to work on that a bit.  Let’s see….

 

“Seventy-seven aardvarks sittin’ on a fence, uh huh…,

Seventy-seven…,” well, guess I could go on, plenty of things rhyme with “uh huh,” of course.  Then, again, maybe the best thing at this point would be to just drop the whole thing.

 

Yep—that’s it!  Bye for now.  (Check back in another week?) (J)

Is publicity for the perpetrators of violence a good idea?

Our media is guilty here.  And we need to let them, our media, know just how much we appreciate what they are doing in bringing story after story of this carnage by these degenerates to our attention.  Sure, tell the story but DO NOT give the degenerates what they want.  Do not give them their publicity until what you are reporting on is their execution and then, only publicize them by putting their name in print.  And do this minimally.

 And, to repeat for emphasis:

When what you get is not what you want, what do you do?  

Publicize these guys?  What were we thinking?  The more we give publicity to “perps” who have done these terrible things, these killings of as many as they can, the more we will find who will do the same hoping to get the same publicity for themselves. 

What we need to be doing is publicizing the acts without giving the actual perps the publicity that THEY want. 

 As long as we give these people what they want, the more killings we will have.  Sure, give their names, but only when publicizing their executions.  And, only the names and where they lived.  No photos of these sickos.  Only the names AND only after they are sent to THEIR maker!