Other Roads

 

Last week I made a quick trip down to Austin.  From Grayson County the most direct route takes one down 75 and somehow through Dallas; and if you’re lucky it spews the traveler on to I-35 South toward Waco and beyond.  Many years ago, within 15 minutes after clearing the Big D hurdle the traffic thinned out and it became an easy drive in the country.  But over the years it’s changed.  It’s more noticeable to old guys like me.  Now it’s essentially urban freeway traffic all the way only with more trucks.  And about the time you get to Round Rock it becomes an urban traffic jam, more like a “no way” than a freeway.  And during rush hour the highways in and around Austin are more stop than go. 

So, when I headed back north the next day, I took the scenic route, up 183 to Lampasas and 281 all the way to I-20 then to Weatherford and north on 51 up to Cook County and 82 back home.  It takes an hour longer to go that way but it’s time well spent.  Most of all, if you are Texas born and raised, it feels like it used to be or at least the way you thought it was.  You understand that it’s changed, but there are reminders. The land, the animals, the people; the well-kept farms and ranches, productive with tight fences, new metal barns standing beside what’s left of an old wooden one.  Healthy looking cattle and horses, even lambs and goats in some places.  The biggest and best-looking places are mostly owned by wealthy folks from the big cities. They hire locals to do the hard work but can still tell their business associates they’ll be at the ranch this weekend “doing some work around the place”.

It’s not all good though.  One can’t help but see the signs of poverty and decay.  Less so in the Hill Country where city money and the old German influence make a difference.  But elsewhere in rural Texas it’s there. Beat up cars and pick-ups parked on dirt yards in front of old farmhouses or mobile homes.  Maybe a few toys laying around. Always some old tires.  Maybe a lawnmower that no longer works.  A dog or two lying on the porch or under a piece of farm equipment, waiting for something or someone to chew on.  There aren’t many good jobs in these places.  And it’s impossible to make a living these days farming or ranching on a small scale.  But folks get by, legally or otherwise.  It’s not pretty, but it’s also part of Texas.

If you are a recent arrival to the Lone Star state maybe it’s what you thought Texas would be right up until you found yourself stuck in traffic or living in a suburban neighborhood that just looks like every other suburban neighborhood and not much at all like Texas.  But Texas is still out there.  You won’t find it from an Interstate highway.  Take some other roads. Have lunch at the “best” local restaurant wherever you happen to be at lunchtime.  Stop and read some historical markers.  You might come to understand how and why native Texans feel the way they do about this state.  Just don’t cross the yellow line and if a driver in an on-coming vehicle lifts a finger or two from the steering wheel, they are not flipping you off.  It’s just sign language for howdy.

The Sting

 

“It sometimes seems that every living thing can bite or poke or sting or shoot you.”-Lawrence Wright, from his book “God Save Texas”.

The other day I was taking an assortment of stuff from the garage over to the barn, part of the seasonal ritual of putting up some things and pulling out others.  I was in and out of the barn at least half a dozen times.  When I finally closed the side door and locked up, my left hand caught fire or so it seemed.  I looked down and just above the knuckle on my ring finger a huge red wasp was lodging a violent protest against my invasion of his space.  I knocked him off my hand and stepped back to see the nest of red wasps at the top of the door.  After getting stung by yellow jackets a few years ago that were nesting at the top of a garage door, I am usually more diligent in watching for wasps as well as most anything that flies, crawls, hops or has a tail.  

Rather than take them on empty-handed, I retreated over to the garage and armed myself with a can of wasp and hornet spray.  I returned and wiped out most of them.  Those who escaped buzzed me but were clearly unable to hit a fast-moving target.

I got back to the house and rubbed Benadryl cream on the red and swelling skin that ran from the middle of my finger, over the knuckle and the top of my hand.  Later on my wife cut a piece of aloe vera and told me to rub it on my hand and finger.  Eventually the pain went away and by bedtime it just itched. 

The interesting thing is that the next morning my hand not only felt better, it felt better than before the sting.  You see I have some arthritis in my hands as well as a condition called Dupuytren’s Contracture. Dupuytren’s is a genetic disorder that causes the tendons and ligaments in your hands and fingers to thicken and get stiff.  It can lead to locking “trigger” finger and when it’s bad enough it requires surgical release.  It’s also known as Viking’s Disease since it is so prominent in people with Scandinavian DNA (of which I have 20%).  Mine got bad enough in one finger a few years ago that I had to have the surgery.  It was for my left ring finger.  

The surgery fixed the trigger finger but it’s never felt quite right and there is arthritis to boot.  But after the wasp sting it feels great.  There has been considerable research done regarding the efficacy of bee and wasp venom for the treatment of arthritis.  The results have been promising, but so far as I can tell it’s not being prescribed yet.  Put me down as a yes for test trials.  Based on this one random sting, it seems to work.  Now if I could just figure out how to train the bees and wasps to sting me in the right places.

The Celestial City

 

As one whose “journey of faith” had been anything but clean and simple, now with the passing of time I can honestly proclaim there are evil forces at work here on planet earth and beyond.  These forces are powerful, well-organized and committed to their purpose.  They have a hierarchy and there is one at the top.  They exist to create chaos and confusion, to transform what was created as good in the beginning into something they can claim as their own.  Some say they know they will ultimately be defeated but in the time that is left are doing everything they can to make life worse and take as many souls with them as possible.

As a Christian I believe what the Bible says about this.  I have also noticed that many other religions and traditions acknowledge the existence of evil forces; spirits to be more precise.  And they have names.  Some of those named in the Bible are likely the same spiritual beings in other religions but with different names. 

But for now, sticking with the Bible there are over 300 passages of scripture referring to evil spirits, the devil, Satan, Lucifer, etc. If one professes to be a Christian, they would be hard-pressed to deny the reality of evil spirits and their leader.  And if one should consider what the Bible says about these evil spirits and their leader, they would know that these spirits do not come wearing a red jump suit with horns, a tail and a pitchfork. Most often they come as a thought or an idea.  Sometimes they are delivered intentionally or otherwise by someone who looks a lot like us. But most often they simply arrive at the door of our soul like a package we weren’t expecting and dare not to open.  Yet sometimes we do open the package and are seldom ever the same.

We are now in a time when the those who deliver evil are lined up at the door.  Content that would have been banned 50 years ago is now mainstream.  Words, images, music and what has come to represent news, opinion, influence and entertainment conspire to tempt us, teach us and lead us astray. We are told what is good and what is bad, what is permissible and that truth is our own, as long as we are tolerant, inclusive and kind.

In John Bunyan’s classic Pilgrim's Progress, Christian and Faithful are on a treacherous journey to the Celestial City but must first pass through Vanity.  Here there is a Fair that goes on throughout the year.  Satanic personages identified as Beelzebub, Apollyon and Legion control Vanity and the Fair.  All the temptations of the world are in the marketplace.  Few of those who attempt to reach the Celestial City successfully pass through Vanity Fair without being drawn away.  

I’ll say no more lest I spoil the story.  It is enough to say that we are living in a modern day Vanity Fair where the marketplace of temptations has become omnipresent and inescapable.  And the question remains how does one reach the Celestial City?

“For to speak the truth, there are but few that care thus to spend their time, but choose rather to spend their time to be speaking of things to no profit.”- John Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress

Notes and Quotes...Knowing When to Duck

 

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, will make violent revolution inevitable.”- John F. Kennedy

I did the last “Notes and Quotes” back in January.  Much has transpired since then.

_In January I asked the question: “Who would dare stir up the Shiite hornet’s nests which are buzzing throughout the Middle East and around the world?” As it turns out Trump and Netanyahu took that dare.  Perhaps it was necessary.  We’ll never know, but who would dare to wait and find out? 

_I also commented about ICE; the ICE Enforcers vs the ICE Watchers. Turns out that the ICE Watchers may have influenced the ICE Enforcers to tone it down just a notch.  But the conflict continues and will likely go on until the Democrats are back in charge.

Now on to new topics.

_Those darn Supreme Court Justices just keep issuing rulings based on The United States Constitution. Clearly they must have slept through those law school classes on Judicial Activision. They just don’t understand that the laws of the land must be interpreted based on forward-thinking progressive ideas, not some worn out document written by a bunch of privileged old white guys in the 18^th Century.

_Chameleon Trucker Karma (SWIDT) is resulting in the removal of thousands of truck drivers from the nation’s highways.  The lesson here is that when you license unqualified people and then allow them to be hired for jobs that require qualified, well-trained, certification bad things happen.

_While the economy seems to be doing ok for now, I can’t imagine it can go on much longer if we continue to have $100+ a barrel oil prices. With mid-terms on the horizon Republicans are in trouble. At this point, the only thing that will save them is the Democrats’ race further to the radical left.

_Another day, another attempted assassination.  When a person or group has been repeatedly called Nazi, Fascist, (____)-Phobic, An Existential Threat to Democracy, etc. etc., who must be stopped “by any means necessary”; is it any wonder that violence is the ending result?

“The important thing to know about an assassination or attempted assassination is not who fired the shot, but who paid for the bullet.” – Eric Ambler

Alone Time

 

”I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion”

– Henry David Thoreau

 

I have always been a “loner”.  Perhaps it comes from being an only child or maybe it is just something buried deep in my DNA.  My parents and grandparents all grew up in large families where joys and fears were shared along with beds, food and clothing.  There you were whomever the clan said you were.  A loner might be just considered shy or quiet, one who “sorta keeps to he -sef”.  More negatively, a loner might be considered  “stand-offish” or “sull’d-up”.  Then one day, family members might begin to whisper…”well ya-know heez jes diff-urnt”.  And with that, when you were old enough you left and started over someplace else.  Or stayed put, likely unmarried; rusting out and taking care of the old folks.

In my case, I accepted that I had to be at least moderately sociable since I lacked the talent or skill to make a living otherwise.  Being sufficiently bright and reasonably well-spoken, I jumped in the pool and did my best to stay afloat.  And it’s worked out ok.  Had I been less of a loner, it might have been better for my career as well as my personal relationships.  But the stress of too much time around too many people would have put me in an early grave…or prison.   

Now well along and nearing the end of my second career I suppose I have become a bit more sociable. But I think it’s because headhunting allows me to compartmentalize relationships.  My interactions with people whether they are hiring authorities, candidates or references; tend to be brief and for a very specific purpose. In some cases, long-term relationships develop, but that doesn’t mean we are communicating with each other on a regular basis.  Rather contact tends to be on an as needed basis.  And I find those to be the best kind. I’ve never been one to hang over the fence and make small talk. If it’s important or you need my help, I’m there.  If you want to talk about the weather, what you had for breakfast or just gossip…I’m out.

All of this is to say you won’t find me in the crowd shaking hands and rubbing elbows. I will be one of those outside perhaps with another loner having a meaningful conversation or simply standing in silence respecting each other’s alone time. 

Promises, Promises....

 

There is a popular saying in business: “Under Promise, Over Deliver.”  As a bona fide pessimist, I tend to take this approach to most things in life, not just business relationships.  Experience has taught me that Murphy’s Law is real; as real as gravity, death and taxes.  If things can go wrong, they will go wrong.

What is often overlooked, even by pessimists like me, are the corollaries associated with Murphy’s Law. For example, when things go wrong, and they will; they usually go wrong at the worst possible moment. If there is a possibility that multiple things might go wrong, one can expect the one that will cause the most damage will be the one that goes wrong. If one prepares for multiple things to go wrong, there will always be something unexpected that goes wrong.  And when you come up with a way to handle it, the solution ends up creating some other problem. 

Which brings us to our 47^th President, Donald J. Trump.  I have already confessed that I voted for him, but with the disclaimer that the Democrats left me no choice other than to not vote at all.  With the exception of securing our southern border, most everything Trump has done has gone wrong.  And in every case, he said it would be “great” and remains in denial that it isn’t.  Trump not only OVER promises and UNDER delivers, he manages to make things worse than they would have been otherwise. 

Reducing government waste is a great idea.  Over promising how much and how soon and then turning Elon Musk and his Whiz Kids loose with an axe when a scalpel would have been more appropriate, is a classic move from the Trump playbook.

Addressing unfair trade practices needed to happen, especially with respect to China.  And we needed better deals with a number of other trading partners.  But across the board tariffs and threats of even more punitive tariff actions was a stupid move.  Even more so, given that it might well be ruled unconstitutional (and was in fact.)

Directing ICE to round up any and all undocumented persons was a fool’s errand. Did we need to focus on the criminals and welfare scammers?  Of course.  But we’ve allowed generations of people enter this country illegally or enter legally and subsequently fail to maintain legal immigration status.  They’ve worked, obeyed the law (other than immigration), raised families and on balance been a net positive for America.  And, now all at once, we’re going to treat them like criminals.  Technically they may be.  Morally, ethically and for that matter, pragmatically they are not.

And then there is Iran.  Dealing with Iran was long overdue.  But this has been a classic “Over Promise-Under Deliver” adventure.  It was never going to be easy.  There are reasons why the world has put up with Iran and their proxies.  Of course, it’s always about oil and here we are again. Then there is Iran’s radicalized version of Islam.  If only 1% of the world’s 2 Billion Muslims hold the most radical beliefs, that’s 20,000,000 people.  Some of those 20,000,000 will gladly give their life for jihad and a fair number of those jihadists are in the United States and Western Europe.  And there has always been the risk that China and or Russia will align themselves with Iran should it come to all-out war.  The truth of the matter is that most Americans and Europeans don’t want to fight that war.  They don’t think it’s worth it, may not be winnable and in the long run will only create more radicalized Muslims.

Too often our leaders Over-Promise and Under-Deliver.  To make it worse they don’t count the cost of things going wrong, and things always go wrong.  So best not to tell the people anything other than how necessary it is and how great it’s going to be.  Don’t mention what might go wrong or what it might cost.  Trump is not the first and he won’t be the last, but for now he is the poster boy for Over Promise-Under Deliver

Thus, history is littered with “Over Promises”.  Wars, Government Programs, Miracle Drugs, The Dallas Cowboys and The Golden Years….are but only a few.

 

 

Disappointment, Regret & Denial…Meet The American Voter

 

To the surprise and dismay of those who missed out on those Civics classes or slept through them, ours is NOT a “direct democracy”.  When one political party warns that the other party represents the “End of Democracy” they really mean the “End of Our Democracy”.  We may indeed be threatened by the “End of Our Democracy” which would result in “End of Our Republic”.  A “direct democracy” is a system where power ultimately resides with the people (which we tend to equate with American “democracy”).  On the other hand, a republic is a form of government where elected representatives govern under a constitution that protects individual and minority rights (whether you agree with them or not.)  Under a majority rule, direct democracy which is essentially “mob rule”, it is unlikely that individual or minority rights would be given much consideration.

Thus, when we vote, we are voting to elect people to represent us according to a constitution, a constitution which may be and has been amended; but only 27 times.  (Over 11000 amendments have been proposed and in a majority rule democracy it is quite likely that many of those would have been ratified…which should scare the hell out of anyone advocating such a system of governance.)

So, you may say, “Well we still vote to elect those who represent us. So ‘we the people’ have the power”.

“We the People” have the power to vote for those whom others allow us to vote for.  Make no mistake, at the national and state level, political parties and the big money behind those political parties select the candidates.  Even the candidates in certain local elections are bought and paid for to become candidates so we can “elect” them.

This is the system we have.  As designed, it’s the best one we civilized keepers of the planet have come up with thus far.  But even our system is victimized by the human lust for power.  Those with lots of money and power, want two things…more money and more power.  And they have found that “influencing” the political process is a great way to get what they want.  The game is rigged and the players like it that way.  Even the losers tend to come away with more money and power than they would have had they never played the game.

So, where does this leave the voters?  Those who take their “right to vote” sit in the upper deck and pick from who is available.  Whether they pick the winners or the losers, most voters end up disappointed, regretful or in denial.  That’s the primary reason politicians spend so much time and money trying to stay in office.  They know they aren’t getting the job done.  If they were in any other business or profession, they would fail very quickly simply based on their inability to deliver a quality product or service.  But that’s not how it works in our system.  And we wonder why so many Americans just don’t bother to vote.