My Irish Eyes

 

My Irish Eyes are Smiling

A'Smiling Up at You

Except my eyes aren't Irish.  If green means Irish, that's a pretty rare eye color. It's less than 2% of the population, and although the Irish may have a slightly higher concentration, it's nowhere near a dominant trait.

My father carefully laid out his ancestry, dating back to the Welshman who first came here in the mid-seventeenth century.  He carefully traces the subsequent 13 generations, but he doesn't often identify the original nationality of those they're marrying. I know they're references to English and  German, but nothing else specific. I'd like to think we played the field.  The only other reference is a vague late 19th-century warning not to marry the "damn Dutch". That type of warning makes me think somebody had already done did that.

My mother's side has no equivalent history.  There is a notion that many were Scotch-Irish.  That doesn't mean Irish. They were Scots who were enticed to go to Ireland (particularly Northern Ireland) to tame the native Irish and keep them in Great Britain. The plan kinda worked and kinda didn't.  The island is now divided between Northern Ireland (part of Great Britain) and the independent Irish Republic.

I've never taken a DNA test.  It may be interesting, but ultimately, I see myself as me, not as a personality driven by the "cultures" of arbitrary nation-states.

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. I don't drink beer, green, or any other color.  I've never been to a St. Patrick's Day party. Sometimes I wear green - if I think about it and am going to be around people who care. This year, probably not.  I don't expect to see many people.  But who knows? Because of this blog story, it's more on my mind than it otherwise would be.

This is me.  Yes, I'm lousy at taking selfies.  It was everything I could do just to keep my eyes open.  It's not enhanced like the model's up above.  Hard to tell on the interwebs whether that one is a natural eye color.

Hazel brown?  Hazel green?  Just brown?

I have no idea.  I'm glad there is no place I have to identify my eye color.

I'm not sure how relevant it is that I am or am not Irish.  I do know that Alison and I visited there a few years back, and we fell in love with the place. We have, on occasion, looked at what it would take to move there.  

In this age of the Orange Conman, there are a lot of places we've looked to move to.

The Strait New Year's Eve Rundown

 Huzzah!

I have been busy with my comic book project, but please - I have not abandoned my blog, and I hope to be back to at least two to three posts a week!

The year was not without its down notes, but it had many positives as well.

The best political news?

The victories of Rafael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in their Georgia runoffs were a real highlight. They enabled the passage of some legislation and helped the selection of new judges and cabinet members not to be logjammed. Senator Warnock is an eloquent and persuasive speaker, and he is working his heart out to help pass much-needed Voter's Rights legislation.

The passage of the physical infrastructure may not seem that romantic right now, but it will help this country move forward into the 21st Century.  

2021 was also the year that we saw the end of the Trump administration. He was the worst President in American history and definitely the least suited for it, intellectually and emotionally. He only cared about himself. Whatever problems Biden has, it does not come from a lack of effort or caring.

The worst political news?

Even though Trump is out of office, his poisoning of American democracy continues. What most depresses me is those I know who still cling to this awful man and believe his lies about the 2020 election. I have never seen such spoiled brat squallering in all my life.

Like the Build Back Better Act, efforts at meaningful and transformative legislation continue to be stymied by two Democratic Senators, Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema. In addition, we are again dealing with the fact that individual parts of the Bill are VERY popular. Yet, the way our politics are constructed is skewed so that Republicans and lobbyists have outsize influence.

One of the most essential parts of Build Back Better is the climate components. Our weather is getting weirder and more dangerous, but that has not convinced enough people to make it our top priority.

The best TV program?

Ted Lasso, hands down. Seriously, hands down,  You don't use them in soccer.

Right now, Yellowjackets from Showtime has been a really wild ride, centered on a young women's soccer team whose plane crashes in Northern Ontario. It shifts between them trying to survive the 90s crash and on a few survivors in the present day. In some ways, it reminds me of my novel, History of the Trap.*

Ghosts from CBS is one of the funniest broadcast network shows I've seen in a while. It's based on a BBC show, and we hope to see that soon.

The worst TV program?

Anything on Fox News.

The best movie?

Look, I'm a superhero fan. So chill your artsy-fartsy heart. The best movie I've seen this year is Spider-Man: Far From Home. It's one of the best superhero movies I've ever seen.

But I've only seen about three movies from the theatre this year.

We've seen a number from our streaming services. The best include Judas and the Black Messiah, A Quiet Place 2, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. 

The worst movie?

The Woman in the Window, based on a novel by A.J. Finn. It is customary to be disappointed by a movie based on a book, but this was extra-special in missing the feel of the book by a country mile.

The best sports moment of the year?

MICHIGAN BEAT OHIO STATE!!!

MICHIGAN BEAT OHIO STATE!!!

MICHIGAN BEAT OHIO STATE!!!

Did I say of the year? How about of the CENTURY!!!

Well, at least until next year.

The worst sports moment?

Aaron Rodgers lying about being vaccinated.

For me, the year has been pretty darn good. I retired from accounting, and I think 2022 will be the year I become a grandfather. Benjamin is doing well in school and is a delicate, sensitive, and caring young man. Alison doesn't mind me being home more and is taking up crocheting.

COVID-19 continues to be a challenge, but my family is vaccinated and boosted. Omicron will be almost universal, but at least we are prepared for it. It hurts to see so many around here not take special care to protect themself and others.

I will celebrate New Year's Eve with family, serving homemade pizzas.  

And yes, this year there will be a football game. What can I say? If Georgia was playing anybody else...

But they're not.

So...

GO BLUE!!!

31 Minutes of Thankfulness 2021 Edition

 

31 Minutes of Thankfulness 2021 Edison

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

I hope everyone gets to celebrate with family and friends!

I have about 31 minutes before I start on other Thanksgiving prep.  I'll take advantage of this brief gap to update my new edition of thankfulness.

Today we will have our Thanksgiving brunch with Alison's father, his wife, Alison's stepsister, and young son, Graham. Later today, we will have a Thanksgiving meal with Alison's mom and Anita Lynn. How in the world I will eat that much food in one day is a mystery only solved by plenty of antiacid and heartburn tablets. 

So that's how much time I have to do my version of the 31 days of Thankfulness I see so many of my friends doing on the Facebook machine.

So here goes!

1)  I am thankful for Alison and Benjamin.  We have a beautiful family, and it is so comforting to be loved and supported.  Benjamin has started his third year at college!  He attends Georga College & State University in Milledgeville, Georgia.  He is going gangbusters in college, even better than I anticipated. Like all of our college students, he is doing the best he can to cope with the Pandemic and has faithfully followed all protocols to keep himself and others safe.  He has switched from Psychology to Computer Science as a major and is taking it to it amazingly well. Alison is beautiful and patient, practical, and loving.  She has been outstanding at her workplace, focused on helping to provide nutritional meals to students, whether they are attending school or are homebound during the Pandemic.  She has helped Benjamin immensely in dealing with university bureaucracy and keeping Benjamin on track in school work and college admissions.  She has taken up the hobby of crocheting and has completed several projects.  She is getting better and better and learning at an incredible pace.

2) I am thankful for my two older boys, Douglas and Gregory.  Douglas is an environmental scientist in Atlanta.  Gregory is living the family dream, working in Hollywood in the movie industry.  He has recently been the editorial colorist on the TV show For All Mankind and has done some amazing work on Kevin Can F**k Himself.  I couldn't be prouder of both of them.  I am grateful that Doug has a beautiful wife, Paige, and both have moved to the Catskills of New York.  Doug has a great job with the state Environmental agency, and there is more news that I am very excited about, but I'm not fully ready to share yet.  Stay tuned! I am grateful that my older boys have taken so much to Benjamin and have been great mentors and friends to him.

3) I am thankful for my loving parents.  My mother, who passed in October 2008, taught me the power of unconditional love.  My father, who passed in September 2013, taught me more about responsibility and hard work, and about the true meaning of Christianity, than anyone else I've ever known.  I think of them often and miss them terribly.  I am grateful for the love and memories they have given me.

4) I am thankful I have a loving, caring sister.  Carol and her family have always been supportive and kind to me.  She did so much for my father; I am so grateful.  I am excited that she is now a Grandmother with four (count 'em - four!) grandchildren.   Carol and Mike live in the Grand Rapids area and live closer to her daughter and granddaughters, Bailey and Morgan.  And now her son and daughter-in-law, and two grandsons, Elijah and Evan, also live in the Grand Rapids area! 

5) l am thankful for my church family.  Grace Episcopal has been essential in our family's spiritual and social life, and I appreciate the connections we have made and all the support and Christian fellowship they have given us.  No church in the area has done more to stay safe and start services up in a protective and caring manner as Grace has.  I am thankful for everything that Rev. Kit Brinson has brought to our church, and it has been a joy to watch it grow, diversify, and become the hands and feet of Christ in our local community.  

6) I am thankful that I now retired from accounting!  I am thankful to those I worked with, and I wish them the best. But my employers and co-workers have made it to be as pleasant an experience as it can be.  I am not sure of all I will do, but I am happy to have the time to figure it out and pursue those things of most interest to me. . I will continue to add to my blog, The Strait Line.   I have finished but not marketed The Extra Credit Club and am working on the second of the History of the Trap series.  Currently, I am preparing my comic books for a bulk sale.  

7) I am thankful that I can act, at least well enough to participate in community theatre.  Getting on stage and feeling the audience's response has been one of the great pleasures of my life. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, my re-introduction to the stage has been slow, but I was able to play Thurston Howell in Gilligan's Island: The Musical.  I acted! I sang! I danced (sort of)!

8) I am thankful for the theatre groups in our area and everything they do to contribute to the area's arts.

9) I am thankful for the Okefenokee Heritage Center. I appreciate their support of artists in our area, particularly writers.

10) I am thankful that I have taken the time to develop this blog, The Strait Line.  It is named after a school newsletter my father had as a school principal, and whether it is good or bad, it has been a tremendous joy to me to get back in the habit of writing.  I have made over eighteen hundred blog entries, and my blog traffic has now achieved total page views exceeding 404,000. 

11)  I am thankful that Joe Biden is now President of the United States, and Kamala Harris is the Vice-President.  The fact that the Presidency had been taken over by such a racist misogynist con man buffoon saddened me to no end and made it difficult to sleep at night. It is exceptionally disturbing to know I have friends who voted for Trump twice.  It is incredibly terrifying to know that many of them are still refusing to accept that Biden won. Nevertheless, I am grateful to soon have such an intelligent and caring President assuming office on January 20th, 2021.   I am simply grateful every morning I wake up and that the foul creature who previously occupied the  White House has not put an end to life on Earth.  It makes you realize how precious every day is.

12) I am thankful that Obamacare has survived its challenges, and even though I fear for its future, I still believe it can provide the stepping stone to greater things. It is a vital step toward universal health care and towards a more equitable, fiscally sound, and morally decent system.  If the Supreme Court is foolish enough to repeal Obamacare, then all it will do is galvanize the public to bring about Medicare For All that much quicker.  All the efforts against it have only made Obamacare more popular.  I pray that people will see through this charade and move us back on the path towards the only morally and fiscally responsible healthcare system, single-payer, best implemented in the USA as Medicare For All. I am grateful for the efforts the Biden Administration has pt in to expand healthcare affordability and access.

13) I am thankful that virtually all countries and many corporations, states, and local governments recognize the gravest threat facing our planet; climate change/global warming will finally start to be addressed. And that the incoming administration will make it an American priority once again.  We have little time left to mitigate, and I pray we do not waste it.

14) I am thankful that even though the progressive agenda may not be moving as fast as I want, at least the promise of a better future holds.  I am incredibly grateful that in the last election, the Progressive Wing of the Democratic Party grew.   Many of the new representatives are Progressive Democrats, not Corporate or Blue Dog. The Progressives are articulating many of the positions vital to me and forcing the media and the Corporate Democrats to give these issues at least a passing thought.  They are laying the groundwork for what I believe and pray will be the Progressive majority takeover in 2022.  The House has passed a record amount of legislation, but the SENATE, with Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema,  blocks a good deal of it.  I am thankful that the President was twice impeached, even though the Republican Senate failed to do its job.  At least we have that on the record.

15) I am thankful that I still can seek out and find liberal friends to talk to in this conservative area. Yes, Biden got only 13% of the vote in my home county, the same percentage as Hillary Clinton. Nevertheless, thanks to social media and other contacts, I can find like-minded people and not feel so alone. I am grateful to have supported Elizabeth Waren in the primary and Joe Biden in the general. I am grateful that for the first time in American history, we have a female Vice-President. 

16) I am thankful that I can read and enjoy the pleasures of the printed page.  I know that some people laugh at my elaborate method of randomly picking new books to read, but it gives me great pleasure, which is the most essential part.  I am currently reading The Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie, the third book in a great but bloody fantasy series, the best I have read since The Game of Thrones.

17) I am thankful for the television streaming services we have and the features that let me watch the programs I want when I want to watch them.   I am also grateful for the high-speed internet that makes streaming so practical.  We just finished the third season of the amazing Ted Lasso. We are in the middle of Mr. Mercedes, and hope to soon start Only Murders in the Building with Steve Martin and Martin Short. 

18) I am thankful for pets.  We have four beautiful dogs, Dachshund mixes, who are loving and have long, waggy tails.  Well, our newest, Boss-A-Man, maybe more chihuahua and Pomeranian, but he is marvelously sweet, and I'm glad I get to spend more time with him in my retirement. We also have a cat who is, on rare occasions, sweet, Skitty.   

19) I am thankful for the movies.  I love storytelling of all kinds, and there is still nothing like going to the movie theater.  With COVID-19, we have seen more movies from home. However, we did see two movies at the theatres - Black Widow and The Green Knight.

20) I am thankful for continuing medical advances that help extend and improve the quality of life.  I am at the edge of being diabetic, but I will fight it off with everything I have.  Well, after Thanksgiving dinner, of course.

21) I am thankful that communities still come together sometimes to support neighbors in crisis, like with sick children or suffering a fire or other tragedy.  This has been tempered by the immature and self-centered reaction many have had to COVID-19, but many understand the gravity of what we are facing, and I pray for the best.

22) I am thankful for those friends I have discovered or reconnected with through Facebook.  I am most grateful to Benita Vierke Collins for her friendship and her efforts and at reconnecting with the Bridgeport High School Class of 73 (and adjacent years), including such friends as Coleen Hitsman Anegon, Dona Bow Kilbourne, Lisa Whitehead, Karen Iffil, Pete Pasterz, and Linda Arnst Spayeth (who has been so supportive of my writing efforts).

23) I am thankful for the great joy comic books have brought to my life.  I have been a fan and collector since I have been 5 years old.  Recently, Superman has been rebooted again, but the results have been AMAZING, with Lois and Clark married with a son.  Action Comics and Detective Comics have been restored to their original numbering, and I couldn't be happier.  Many Marvel Comics have a secret Legacy number on their front page, and I am grateful for that.  I have also discovered app services that allow me to read thousands of comics online.  Although I'm not fond of reading books on a Kindle, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading comic books, where the print is larger, and I can read a panel at a time.

24) I am thankful for Christmas and the opportunity to express such joy and love to others.

25) I am thankful for the peacemakers, all the diplomats, and others who spend so much time and effort to make the world a better place to live.  I pray that we give them the space to do their best in all the hot spots worldwide.  I am thankful that the Biden administration has put grown-ups back in charge of diplomacy.

26) I am thankful for the first responders, who often put their lives on the line for us.  This year includes firemen, police, medical providers, and retail workers, including grocery store clerks and food service workers.

27)  I am thankful for ketchup, the condiment of the gods. I am grateful there is a low sugar version that I can use, at least some, as I fight off diabetes.

28)  I am thankful for Cherry Coke, the nectar of the gods.  I am grateful there is a Stevia (Zevia) version.

29)  I am thankful for colder weather, so I can go out sometimes without having to worry about the gnats.   I love our porch and am grateful to enjoy it without buzzing around my ears. That's not every Fall/Winter day here in Southeast Georgia, but it does happen often enough to celebrate it when it does. 

30) I am thankful for God and for love. 

31) I am thankful for Jesus Christ, who resides in my heart and urges me to love God, love my neighbors, and do everything I can to make this a better world.

Time's up!  On to Thanksgiving festivities!

The Event of the Season!

Don't miss the greatest event of the season!

Valentine's Dinner in a setting that will be et up with atmosphere, including romantic music played by Mike Taylor, candlelight and superb service, and delicious Italian food prepared by the finest chefs of Grace Episcopal!

Can't wait to see what salad breadsticks are!

Excuse me.  Sorry.  I've been told that's salad AND breadsticks.

Sounds awesome!

See you there!

I'm Tom Strait. And This is 2020

Happy 2020!

Thanx and a hat's tip to Barbara Walters for a meme that starts the new year out right!

So, is this a new decade or not?  I guess the new decade technically doesn't start until 2021, but technicalities don't always rule the day.

It feels like a new decade.  If I say the twenties, thinking to last century, I instinctively put 1920 into it.  So, yeah, maybe 2020 isn't the start of this century's twenties, but...nah, it feels like it, true or not.


No personal goals here.  I just want to enjoy life and my family to the fullest.  I'll just do the things I love; stay active, be caring, inevitably stress about things I can't control, consume and participate in my great passion - storytelling.

There are things that I pray will emerge in this new decade - true universal health care, a Green New Deal, a higher minimum wage, greater unionization, and, of course, we all know what the super biggie is -  the end of the Trump Presidency.  Whether by conviction, resignation, or voted out, somehow, our national nightmare has to come to a conclusion.

Of course, there are many pitfalls to the decade as well.  Many negative trends need to be reversed, first and foremost, global warming. I know there are many reasons to be pessimistic, but as this decade begins, I would like to concentrate on hope.

Best wishes to you and your family as we embark on the journey through a new decade!

For Which It Stands: Saturday Political Soap Box 213

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands; one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all."

There are several versions of the pledge, but this is my favorite, used from 1924 to 1954.  Most of the revisions to the original are relatively minor, revolving around changing my flag to the flag, and clarifying that it was the flag of the United States of America.

A more significant change occurred in 1954 when "under God" was inserted after"one nation".  There was a religious revival going on at the time, and a great desire to distinguish themselves from the state atheism of communist countries, like Russia and China.

I reject the notion that a civic pledge should be mixed with a religious statement. I don't think it has any place in the pledge.  Civic allegiance and religious allegiance are different things.  You don't have to believe in God to support the civic principles of this country.

Given all our other problems, I recognize its inclusion as relatively de minimis, and I simply don't vocalize those two words when I say the pledge.

To me, the context of the whole phrase is essential.  My allegiance to the flag is not based on a piece of cloth, but to the ideals that it stands for.  My loyalty to it is not unconditional.  We must live up to the ideals and dreams of an aspiring nation and people.

Without continually striving for liberty and justice for all, the flag is relatively meaningless.  When I see it, I don't swell with pride for a patch of dirt, for a manifest-destinied land from sea to sea.

I see a people that have strived to make these words meaningful - that all men are created equal, that all should have equal opportunities to succeed and thrive and pursue happiness.

What swells me with pride is the brilliant system of checks and balances that our forefathers put into the constitution.  Those checks and balances are now under siege by the type of tyrannical demagogue our founding fathers feared, but the flag and the positive direction of this country give me hope that we will right ourselves and survive.

What swells me with pride is the abolition of slavery, women's suffrage, the civil rights movements of the 60s, the rights that have been gained by the LGBTQ community.  What we have achieved is far from over, and we do have resistance and setbacks.  But I trust in the American character as symbolized by the flag.  We will overcome.

What swells me with pride is the achievements of unionists and progressives in making life better for the average working person.  A nation is only as strong as it's middle class.  Recently, unions are under siege, and the income gap has been accelerated.  The middle class is disappearing again.  But the flag gives me hope that this increasing division will not last forever.

Most of the time, when I see the flag burned, it is not because of deep-seated hatred of this country.  It is often because those who desecrate it feel like the ideals of this country, the very foundation of what the flag is supposed to stand for, have already been desecrated.  They feel like what the flag stands for has been hijacked in favor of hatred and exploitation and racism and militarism and jingoism and blind nationalism.

I would never burn the flag, or desecrate it.  Furthermore, I wouldn't make clothing out of it, or any other kitschy creation. I try to see through to what the flag ideally stands for.  It is not the flag that falls short.  It is the country, or at least those who would take the country in a less democratic direction, one where justice and opportunity are not shared equally.

But I would not criminalize those who do.  In fact, it is not criminal to do so, although many believe otherwise.

To do so would be to turn traitor to the very principles of which the flag stands for.

And that is what I will turn my back on.  No matter how dark it gets.

I pledge allegiance to what the flag stands for.

Our dream- no matter how imperfectly achieved - one nation indivisible with liberty and JUSTICE for ALL.

Patriotic Monday Musings

Huzzah!

It's the Fourth of July .... week!  This one is going to stagger a bit.  Not everyone is celebrating on Thursday.

On our way home from our vacation, we passed a town that looked like it was gearing up for fireworks last Friday night!

When I took the dogs out last night, I heard them stressed and barking.  Sure enough, somebody in the neighborhood was launching amateur fireworks.  Fortunately for us, our four dogs don't get too intense about fireworks, but I feel sorry for those who have pets that do.

And it's especially bad for those with bad reactions, as it looks like there may be sporadic fireworks ALL WEEK LONG!

I am not a big fan of fireworks.  I don't hate them.  I just don't find them that interesting.  Not much of a plotline.

When we were in Niagra Falls at the beginning of our vacation, they were going to have fireworks by the Falls that night.  we tried to stay awhile for them, but when it got to 9, we decided to go back to the motel room.  From our room, at around 10 PM, we could see some of the fireworks, but I quickly lost interest.  Sorry.

--------------------------------

Canada has its own national celebration, Canada Day, today.  When we were returning to the states, we had to wait longer at the border, because apparently, a good number of Canadians like to celebrate their long national weekend by coming into the United States.

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To me, the Fourth is a celebration of the beginning s of the formation of the USA, and the journey towards greater civil rights and democracy that is its goal.  The military is an important part of that, but not to upset some, it is only part.  Many individual citizens, including unionists, suffragists, and abolitionists, are all a part of the struggle to push this nation towards achieving its ideal.

----------------------------

There are vacation blog posts coming!  I have to consolidate our pictures, from myself, Alison and Benjamin, and then I have to organize and theme the stories.

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Alsion and Benjamin have the week off.  I have to work at least some in the early part of this week.  In fact, I should be wrapping up to get to work for a little while.  Sigh.  How did I, a semi-retired person, get a shorter vacation than my spouse who works full-time?  Oh, well. 

------------------------

Being in Canada, land of universal health care, Trump made me want to stay there.  Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris inspired me to come back home.

-------------------------------------------------


Anyhoo, better wrap this up and get those work hours started and done!

A Day to Treasure those who Lost Their Lives Battling for the American Cause

Memorial Day.

Very often, the purpose of our three day holidays is lost, overwhelmed by the simple fact that WE GET MONDAY OFF!  This naturally creates opportunities to go places and see family, to enjoy the luxury of a day off, especially those of us whose jobs are steady year-round and offer little time off.

Memorial Day's purpose should not be lost.  Although there are other holidays with a military tinge, this is the one where we remember the ultimate sacrifice - those American soldiers that gave their lives in the service of our country.

It is important to remember the sacrifice of the lives of anyone in the many brutal wars humans seem to continually fall into.  But the specifics of this holiday is not for that - this is for the loss of lives of American soldiers, and their giving of all to preserve the American experiment.

It's for the those who gave their lives in trying to liberate this country during the Revolutionary War.  It is not for the Tories and Loyalists who chose to align with the British and actively fought against  American independence.

It is not for those who fought to divide the union, but for the Union soldiers who fought to preserve it.

It is not for the America Firsters who fought to align us to stay neutral or to even actively support the fascists of Germany and Japan.

Some conflicts were less honorable than others.  They weren't so much as to preserve democracy and defend the country, as they were to protect corporate interests or fight to restrict or hamper the free choices of other nations. That does not matter for this holiday.  They answered the call of their country, right or wrong, and fought valiantly.

We'll let the historians and scholars argue about the validity of some of our conflicts.  But we will honor and treasure all who gave their lives in any of America's many wars.

Remember the many (the far too many) who lost their lives fighting for the United States of America.  Remember those among your own family and friends.  Remember those from your own community and state.  Rember the now faceless many who have been lost to history - do your best to find out about them and preserve them.

We appreciate, honor, and treasure their sacrifice.


And we pray for smart leaders who believe in the power of diplomacy and improving the world through economic progress for all so that the times we require the ultimate sacrifice are rare and only occur when absolutely necessary.

To Everything A Season: Saturday Political Soap Box 193

October 1st hits, and immediately they went up.  All the decorations put up at home and in the office made it clear - October is Halloween.  Halloween commercials on TV, spooky movies at the cinema, scary movie marathons on TV (31 days of scary movies is a theme on multiple channels), selecting and refining costumes, large merchandise displays at retailers, buying candy way too early (thus leading to replacement runs), haunted houses and other scary amusements operating every weekend of the month.  Even trick or treating may or may not be on the 31st - every community and church seems to pick a different night.  So some clever children may be double-dipping or even triple-dipping.

When did Halloween become a full month?  It's no longer a day.  It's a whole season.  Part of that is over-commercialization, but I think part of it comes from people's natural instinct to think seasonally.  We are not far from our agrarian roots, with the sharp rhythms of the agricultural calendar.  We take comfort in the patterns of the year.  I go to a church where the liturgical seasons are significant, including advent, lent, Christmas and Easter.

Christmas has grown too and has almost devoured Thanksgiving as a holiday.  The day after Halloween, supposedly All Saint's Day, is now the opening bell to the Christmas season.  Yes, some retailers set out Christmas displays before Halloween, but I don't think it really clicks into people's mind until November 1st.

Valentines's and Easter have also grown.  The first half of February is dominated by events related to the holiday.  And, of course, the candy is set out as early as the day after Christmas, so it's another one that I buy early and then have to resupply.

Another event that has grown into a season is voting.  Thanks to early voting and absentee ballots, voting has already begun in some Georgia counties, and all other counties will be quickly following.  What this means is that ads and canvassing and phone banking is sometimes directed at people who already voted.  You can be trying to persuade or inform your neighbor, only to be told it's too late.

I usually wait for election day to vote.  It's a tradition that I'm used to, and it helps make that day special.  I sometimes worry that some breaking news event will affect the way I vote.  Not this year, however.  At least for me, there is no big mystery as to how I'll vote.  The stakes are too high to do otherwise.

When I turned 18, I knew exactly what I wanted to do to celebrate.  And it had nothing to do with drinking and carousing.  I registered to vote.  I believe in democracy.  I believe in voting, and I was proud to begin exercising that right.

Not everyone feels that way, however.  In spite of the lengthening of voting season, turnout really hasn't improved that much.  It's incredible to me how many people throw that right away.  All is not lost, though.  I have been proud of the efforts of the Student Ambassadors, a high school group that centers on registering young people to vote and encouraging civic participation.  The Student Ambassadors is a project of the Georgia Secretary of State, led by Secretary Brian Kemp, and I applaud him for leading those efforts,

Less applause-worthy are the voter suppression efforts Mr. Kemp and others have led.  Reducing polling places in poorer areas, throwing hundreds of thousands off the rolls, blocking the voter registration of tens of thousands, the lion's share who are African-American voters.    It's a cold-hearted effort to protect a fragile Republican majority, one that is threatened by changing demographics and an increasingly unpopular President.

I don't know if we could compel people to vote like they do in some countries.  We may never be the leader in voter participation.  We cherish independent decisions too much here to make voting mandatory.  But we could make it a lot easier to register.  There's no reason every citizen, upon turning 18 isn't automatically registered.  We can do that if we had the will. 

Voting season is a cool thing.  Making election day a national holiday would be even cooler.  Anything to encourage turnout would be a plus in my book.

My son, Benjamin, turns 18 in December.  That's too late for the important election coming up. But I know this -  whatever the obstacles, whatever the hoops are, come his birthday he will register to vote.  Turning our young people into voters starts with parents who care,  And with a society ready to welcome them to the voting season.

July 4th Floats

July 4th floats.

It's one of those holidays that, like Christmas and New Year's, are celebrated on a fixed day rather than adjusted to a Monday.  It does not always offer an extended weekend.

What time workers get off for it may float too.  Some workers get the full week.  Alison, at the Pierce County Board of Education, receives the entire week off.  If you worked for the Ware County School Board, you get Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off.  I'm not working full time anymore, but if I were, my employer would grant Wednesday only.  And, of course, there may be some workers, first responders and such, who get absolutely nothing, 

America!  Land of the free and home of the shrinking vacation opportunities!

When our manufacturing base was stronger, some factories would shutter for the week, and our beaches would be crowded to the max.  But the days of the commonality are over.  In many of our great sightseeing spots, there are now more foreign tourists than American tourists.  We just don't travel like we used to.

For those who work most of the week, Wednesday has to be a particularly obnoxious time to take a break.  Work two days, break, then two more days again.  Hardly seems worth it.

Municipalities are all over the map as to when they do fireworks.  Unfortunately, so are my neighbors.  We'll probably have some fireworks off every day this week.  Luckily, my dogs don't seem very irritated by it, but many dogs are, and it's going to be a tough week for them and their owners.  Not to mention anyone who's trying to get some sleep.

Even the Declaration of Independence itself is kind of a floater.  The vote for Independence was on July 2nd.  The text was ratified on July 4th.  Even John Adams thought the date that would go down in history was July 2nd.  It took awhile for John Adams and the early signer to adjust to the day of recognition being the 4th.

Years later, two of the most prominent writers of the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, died on the same day  - July 4th, 1826.

It's a great time to celebrate, with family and friends and fellow Americans, whichever days we get to do it.  And these days, with so many of our democratic and civic norms under siege, it's a good time to remember the goals and spirit of the Declaration, and what it was meant to inspire.

From the Declaration of Independence:


We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. 

It took us more than two centuries to extend these rights to everyone.

It has taken us less than two years to start to rescind them and move backward.

July 4th floats.

Do not let your patriotism float.  Speak out now.

Do not let Trumpism deliver the final blow to everything we've struggled to achieve.

31 Minutes of Thankfulness 2017 Editon

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

I hope everyone gets to celebrate with family and friends!

I have about 31 minutes before I start to prepare for our first Thanksgiving meal, this year to be done on both Wednesday AND Thanksgiving.  I figure if people can post Christmas stuff before Halloween, I can be a day early with my Thanksgiving tradition!

This year, just yesterday, the baking element of our stove shorted out, going out like a fourth of July sparkler.  So no Thanksgiving baking - at least at home - the part won't be in until after Thanksgiving. .  I am grateful to nearby family that have stepped up and will let us use their ovens!

So that's how much time I have to do my version of the 31 days of Thankfulness I see so many of my friends doing on the Facebook machine.

So here goes!

1)  I am thankful for Alison and Benjamin.  We have a wonderful family, and it so comforting to be loved and supported.  Benjamin is very smart, polite, and a great young thespian, a member of the Art Club. participant in local gaming groups, and he is now a junior in high school  Alison is beautiful and patient, practical and loving.  She won the award for the State's best Nutrition Staff Person.

2) I am thankful for my two older boys, Douglas and Gregory.  Douglas is an environmental scientist in Atlanta.  Gregory is living the family dream, working in Hollywood in the movie industry.  I couldn't be prouder of both of them.  I am grateful that Doug has found a wonderful girlfriend, Paige, and will both be visiting us starting Thanksgiving Day!  I am grateful that both my older boys have taken so much to Benjamin, and have been great mentors and friends to him.

3) I am thankful for my loving parents.  My mother, who passed in October 2008, taught me the power of unconditional love.  My father, who passed in September 2013, taught me more about responsibility and hard work, and about the true meaning of Christianity, than anyone else I've ever known.  I think of them often and miss them terribly.  I am grateful for the love and memories they have given me.

4) I am thankful I have a loving, caring sister.  Carol and her family have always been supportive and kind to me.  She did so much for my father, I am so grateful. I am excited that she is now a Grandmother, with three (count 'em - three!) grandchildren.   Carol and Mike now live in the Grand Rapids area, and live closer to her daughter and grand-daughters, Bailey and Morgan.  And now her son and daughter-in-law in Chicago, also have a son! I see lots of visits to Chicago in their future!

5) I am thankful for my church family.  Grace Episcopal has been very important in the spiritual and social life of our family, and I am appreciative of the connections we have made and all the support and Christian fellowship they have given us.  I am thankful for everything that Rev. Kit Brinson has brought to our church, and it has been a joy to watch it grow, diversify, and become the hands and feet of Christ in our local community.  We have had a number of painful losses in the last year, but I am grateful the church has been there to help one another.  I am grateful for the church's Griefshare program that has helped so many.

6) I am thankful for my work.  I'm not going to pretend that accounting is something I love to do.  But my employers and co-workers have made it to be as pleasant an experience as it can be.  And I love that I am now "60% retired"!  working only about 15 to 18 hours a week.  It has helped give me the space to write more, and help me where I have finished two novels, History of the Trap and Crowley Stories: Swamp's Edge, and the short novella, My Europa.  I have over a half million words on my blog, The Strait Line, and a newspaper column running in four papers.  History of the Trap is now in Kindle and paperback form.  Sales have not been sensational, but those who read it seem to love it, and want to now where the next book in the series is, and that's the highest compliment I can get.  I have started the second book, and hope to have it ready by Summer.

7) I am thankful that I have the ability to act, at least well enough to participate in community theatre.  Getting onstage and feeling the response of the audience has been one of the great pleasures of my life. I am delighted that I have been able to participate in The Odd Couple, acting with my son, Benjamin, where we played ...brothers!!!  He is a great actor, and it was pure joy being onstage with him.  I also got to do a play, The Model Apartment, with two of my very favorites, the very talented Emily Beck, my favorite stage daughter, and alongside my very good friend and frequent stage wife, Julianna Lacefield.  

8) I am thankful to the Jeffords for all that have done to make the Flying Dragons Art Center such an important part of our area. It has given so many of our young people a fine and confident start.

9) I am thankful for the Writers Guild and the Okefenokee Heritage Center. It has been a great joy to help form and support a group dedicated to the arts, and help local writers connect.  The fourth Okefenokee Writing Contest was a great success, and I am thankful to all who helped make it so. I am thankful for the support of Elizabeth Welch, who has done so much to manage, promote and grow the Guild, and is also the high-powered and energetic Executive Director of the Okefenokee Heritage Center. I am particularly grateful to Steve Bean, my friend and former Director of the OHC, and whose spirit I see so alive in Elizabeth.  I mourn his passing, but I am grateful that he touched my and my family's lives. and that he was an integral part of Grace Episcopal.  Everyone who knew him are so much better for having known him, and his spirit will live on with everyone he touched.

10) I am thankful that I have taken the time to develop this blog, The Strait Line.  It is named after a school newsletter my father had as school principal, and whether it is good or bad, it has been a tremendous joy to me to get back in the habit of writing.  I have made over a sixteen hundred blog entries, and my blog traffic has now achieved total page views exceeding a quarter million. 

11)  I am thankful that Barack Obama was a successful President of the United States for eight wonderful years. .  The fact that the Presidency has been taken over by such a racist misogynist con man buffoon saddens me to no end, and makes it difficult to sleep at night.  Nevertheless, I am grateful to have had such an intelligent and caring President for the eight years, and I miss more than you can imagine.  Now I am simply grateful every morning I wake up, and that foul creature occupying the White House, has not put an end to life on Earth.  It makes you realize how precious every day is.

12) I am thankful that Obamacare has survived it's challenges and even though I fear for it's future, I still believe it can provide the stepping stone to greater things. It is a vital step forward to universal health care and towards a more equitable, fiscally sound, and morally decent system.  If the Republicans are foolish enough to repeal Obamacare, then all it will do is galvanize the public to bring about Medicare For All that much quicker.  Right now, after failing repeatedly to repeal it even though they are in the majority, they continue their efforts to sabotage and undermine it.  I pray that people will see through this charade, and move us back on the path towards the only morally and fiscally responsible healthcare system, single payer, best implemented in the USA as Medicare For All.

13) I am thankful that virtually all countries, and many corporations, states, and local governments recognize the gravest threat facing our planet, climate change/global warming , will finally start to be addressed. Not by America anymore, however. This is one of the darkest things we face, this continued climate change denial that grips so many, but I pray that we wake up soon and change.  

14) I am thankful that even though the progressive agenda may not be moving as fast as I want, at least the promise of a better future holds.  I am extremely grateful for the run Bernie Sanders made for the Presidency.  He is articulating many of the positions important to me, and forcing the media and the Corporate Democrats to give these issues at least a passing thought.  He is laying the groundwork for what I believe and pray will be the Progressive majority takeover in 2020.  What happened in Virginia and New Jersey in early November, I pray, is just the beginning.

15) I am thankful that even in this radically conservative area, I still can seek out and find liberal friends to talk to.  Clinton received only 12% of the vote in my home county, but I know many of those who voted for her, and those who earlier voted for Bernie Sanders, and I am grateful that I found them.  Some ask who I support in 2020.  I don't know yet, but I know that a prefer the Democratic Party run a woman for President,,,,AND Vice-President.  It's time.  It's way past time.

16) I am thankful that I can read, and enjoy the pleasures of the printed page.  I know that some people laugh at my elaborate method of randomly picking new books to read, but it gives me great pleasure, and that is the most important part.  I am currently reading The Map of Time by Felix de Palma.

17) I am thankful for the DVR, that lets me watch the programs I want when I want to watch them.  And that I get to fast forward through most of the commercials.  I am also grateful for streaming, and the high speed internet that makes it so practical.  We just finished Stranger Things 2 and have started Mindhunters.  The Man in the High Castle and The Handmaid's Tale was among some of the best television I've ever seen. 

18) I am thankful for pets.  We have four wonderful dogs, Dachshund mixes who are loving and have long, waggy tails.  Well, our newest, Boss-A-Man, may be more chihuahua and Pomerian, but he is marvelously sweet, and I'm glad I get to spend more time with him, in my semi-retirement. We also have a cat who is on rare occasion sweet, and we foster dogs for the Okefenokee Humane Society.  

19) I am thankful for movies.  I love storytelling of all kinds, and there is still nothing like going to the movie theater.  The best we have seen recently is Thor: Ragnarok.  Wonder Woman still stnds out in my mind, too.

20) I am thankful for continuing medical advances that help extend and improve the quality of life.

21) I am thankful that communities still come together sometimes to support neighbors in crisis, like with sick children, or suffering a fire, or other tragedy.  The assistance given to others during the recent hurricanes was heartwarming, but Trump's cold and disturbing reaaction to Puerto Rico's recovery was heart-breaking,

22) I am thankful for those friends I have discovered or reconnected with through Facebook.  I am most grateful to Benita Vierke Collins, for her friendship and her efforts, and at reconnecting the Bridgeport High School Class of 73, including such friends as Coleen Hitsman Anegon, Dona Bow Kilbourne, Paul Buckner, Lisa Whitehead, Karen Iffil, and Linda Arnst Spayeth (who has been so supportive of my writing efforts).

23) I am thankful for the great joy comic books have brought to my life.  I have been a fan and collector since I have been 5 years old.  Recently, Superman has been rebooted yet again, but the results have been AMAZING, with Lois and Clark married with a son.  Action Comics and Detective Comics have been restored to their original numbering, and I couldn't be happier.  And now many of the Marvel titles are restoring their original numbering, and I am over-joyed.  I went through many years where fellow fans and professionals belittled my desire to restore legacy numbering, and now tat it here, I can't help but doing a bit of a victory dance.

24) I am thankful for Christmas, and the opportunity to express such joy and love to others.

25) I am thankful for the peacemakers, all the diplomats and others who spend so much time and efforts to make the world a better place to live.  I pray that we give them the space to do what they can in Syria and other hot spots around the world.  I am thankful for the many Americans who have been willing to welcome the Syrian refugees and others in crisis.  You may not know from listening to the darkest politician of my age, Donald Trump, or others echoing his bigoted and hateful sentiments, but there are still many Americans, of diverse faith and politics, who still care about people and remember that this is a NATION of immigrants and refugees.  I am grateful for the courts for slowing down his blatant MUSLIM ban. Unfortunately for the world, we have put the hateful bigot in charge.  I can only pray that goodness and diplomacy still prevail.  

26) I am thankful for first responders, who often put their lives on the line for us.

27)  I am thankful for ketchup, the condiment of the gods.

28)  I am thankful for Cherry Coke, the nectar of the gods.

29)  I am thankful for colder weather, so I can go out sometimes without having to worry about the gnats.   That's not every Fall/Winter day here in Southeast Georgia, but it does happen often to celebrate it when it does.

30) I am thankful for God, and for love.

31) I am thankful for Jesus Christ, who resides in my heart, and  urges me to love God, love my neighbors, and do everything I can to make this a better world.

Time's up!  On to Thanksgiving festivities!

The New Lost Holiday

Halloween is through!

The stores are alive with the sound of........Christmas!

Get your picture taken with Santa!  Set out your Christmas decorations!  Light up you house!  Start shopping for the out-of-towners!  Attend the Christmas tree  lighting ceremonies!  Set up your own tree!  Watch the Christmas parade!

And do it all....

Before Thanksgiving.

Commercially, not all the chatter is about Christmas.  Well, not directly, at any rate.  There are plenty of rumblings and advertisings and promotions about the new, dominant November Holiday...Black Friday!

I  don't know. Who can blame retailers?  How do you make a lot of money off of people being thankful?  Oh, sure, some groceries are sold, some plates and table decorations.  But nobody rushes out and buys a new computer or TV just for Thanksgiving.  Kids don't open dozens of toys.  So where is the cash incentive?

Many individual families still cherish Thanksgiving get togethers.  Travel seems to be more limited than before, as more and more jobs offer less and less vacation.  And many don't have the money for extensive travel, especially when you have to devote so many resources to Christmas.

I have not had Thanksgiving with my Michigan family in a very long time.  Both my mother and father have passed, leaving my sister and her family, who, because of the infrequency of our visits, have developed their own family and traditions.  She has a daughter and son, and now three grandchildren (compared to my zero). 

In past years, we have invited friends, particularly from church. who may not be able to have Thanksgiving with their own family.  This year, I am very fortunate to have my son, Doug, and his wonderful girlfriend, the charming Paige, coming to visit us over Thanksgiving.  I miss being able to have my oldest son, Greg, with us, but he lives in California, and his ability to visit is rare.

As someone raised in Michigan, I am a devout Detroit Lions fan.  The Lions always have a game on Thanksgiving.  The Lions have never really shined in oh, about 60 plus years, so most often, I get two turkeys on Thanksgiving.  But this year will be different! (I hope)


Thanksgiving still exists.  Gratitude and the open table are still celebrated by many.  But in the general culture?  In the shared media world we have immersed our self in?  It has all but disappeared, lost in the great rush towards more commercially promising holidays.


But don't let it get you down.  Reach out to your family.  Reach out to the lonely.  Reach out to those in need.  Make it a celebration of love, thankfulness and brotherhood.

The media?  We don't need no stinking media!