Thoughts Before The Alarm Sounds

Whenever I wanted to do what the crowd was doing, I would say to my mother, “But everybody’s doing it,” to which she would reply, “If everybody was jumping into a fire, would you jump in too?” But in this case, I figure my opinion is as good as that of most people, so I might as well put it out there. In fact, it may be a bit better, because I am calling it an opinion; most people consider their opinion to be a fact. So I am going to write about three news stories from 2013 that, in my opinion, have the potential to make profound changes in the way Americans look at the world.  1. Pope Francis – As usual, the new pope’s tenure is severely constrained by his age, therefore the amount of real change he can bring to the church is also limited. His proposal to change the emphasis of the church from personal morality to compassion and service is a good one, but already there is grumbling among the bishops and other hardliners. However, among the rank and file members, as well as n...

This will be my 84 th Christmas, so I feel that I am entitled to expound a few words of wisdom(?) on the subject. When I compare the celebrations of today with those we had when I lived on the farm, it does not appear to be the same holiday, at least on the surface. Of course I was rather young; I was not quite four years old when I moved there, so Santa Claus was still a pretty big deal for me. This was before the days of Xboxes, iPhones and Tablets – even television was 15 years in the future – and even if today’s gadgets had been available, it would have been impossible to show them on the radio. As a result, the variety of “goods” available was limited. Generally I got to choose one major toy, such as a Hoot Nanny , or a cowboy outfit complete with six-shooters, and the rest of my presents consisted of socks, pants and other articles of clothing. (In those days one could buy a pair of jeans for two or three dollars, not $50+.) After I learned to write I sent letters to Sa...

During the Great Depression my father lost his job, and consequently our home. I went to live with my grandparents, my mother managed to support herself through a series of jobs – factory worker, seamstress, waitress, etc. – and my father lived with his parents on their farm. Along with a continuing search of the job market, he struggled to find part time work as a day laborer – helping with the harvesting, planting, stripping tobacco and anything else he could find. One day he was driving with my grandfather along the river when he said, “Pop, if I don’t soon find a job I’m going to have to go on relief.” My grandfather replied, “Francis, I will drive this car into the river and drown both of us before I’ll allow a member of my family to go on relief.” This story illustrates valuable lessons which the present-day political parties need to learn from each other. My grandfather is an example of what the Republicans already know: There are responsible people out there. The...