Just Wandering

Florida can be a strange place and sometimes I think long periods of time in the tropics can adversely effect coherent thought . Like it has done mine.

After 19 years in southern Florida I must confess there is one thing I do truly miss . I miss trout. Brook trout, and rainbow trout that live in the cold moving waters that flow through beautiful places . I miss casting my hand tied flies in hope of enticing them .

We’ve just experienced what I would almost call a real winter here in Florida and on saying that I can just hear the eyes roll from all above the Mason / Dixon . It’s all relative I suppose but this “cold” winter did make me realize that I didn’t much miss pulling a trout through a hole cut through four feet of ice on a frozen lake ….. hold that thought.

The economy of Florida has traditionally relied on our ability to entice tourists to abandon their ice fishing habits up north and bring their wallets south for a winter visit . This is where my new business plan steps to the fore and you may well want to jump in on this ….

Picture in your minds eye, thick sheets of plexi glass on pontoons floating out on the Gulf of Mexico . In holes bored through the plexi glass sit ice fishing tip ups baited for Grouper or Snapper . Maybe a bail or two of white cotton around the beach chairs to add appropriate ambiance and a place to rest the umbrella drink .

What self respecting Minnesotan would not pay for the privilege of sending such sun burnt pics of himself back to friends and family huddled in that ice shanty up north ? I personally think this could be a real goer .

I didn’t mean to whine about our winter down here in Florida this year ….. as long as ice fishing sucks, all is good .

I insulted someone today and I’m honestly sorry that it was necessary to do so… but it was. I expressed my thought it a disgrace that we lowered the flag of the United States for Rush Limbaugh .

My Florida Governor, Ron Desantis, ordered the Flag of The United States of America, along with our state flag, to be flown at half mast at certain State Government buildings . This was in honor of Rush Limbaugh who passed this week .

Permit me to quote Mr. Desantis on his decision to order the half mast of our flag ….

“To honor the memory of Rush Limbaugh and his service to our nation and state, I hereby direct the flags of the United States and the State of Florida to be flown at half-staff at the Palm Beach County Courthouse in West Palm Beach, Florida, the City Hall of Palm Beach, Florida, and the State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday, February 24, 2021.”

Note… ” Service to our nation and state”

My insult , it seems , was that I don’t believe Rush offered any service to my nation at all . Nor worthy of the Medal of Freedom bestowed on him by President Trump .

You may well call it sour grapes… I’ve mentioned this on past posts …. but Rush was a guy who accumulated my entire lifes income every three weeks by getting on the radio and whining about how unfair his taxes were . I don’t see this as a “service” to my nation.

I was never a fan of John McCain… but he had my respect , and should have yours. He flew fighter jets off an aircraft carrier and did five plus years as a prisoner of war before spending the rest of his life in government service as a politician . And upon his death my Government waffled over flying the flag half mast in his honor and raised it at the soonest possible moment …. shame on us .

I needed to make some changes to a business related insurance policy last week. With the usual dread of telephone calling a corporation or large business I dialed the number …. only to be stunned by something that hasn’t happened in many many years ….

Someone answered the phone right away and without the prerequisite question of do I need to press 1 For English . For a moment there I thought I must be in a foreign country . Unfortunately the nice lady that answered informed me that she could be of no help.

” You need to speak with your agent on this ” she said before giving me the name of the agent , the agency, and phone number….. I recognized them all .

So I called the agency and bowl me over with a feather but didn’t an English speaker answer the phone right away . Unfortunately, another nice lady informed me that there is no agent working there by the name I provided . Also there are no records of any one by my name , my business name , my Federal employer identification number , phone number or even policy number at that agency. Rightfully thinking that this phone call was going nowhere I bid a fond fare thee well.

Two days later I received an email from that very agency giving me the heads up that my payment is due in three days . Now I’m thinking that’s proof positive that there is in fact, some kind of record of me over there at that insurance agency.

I’m also thinking that the corporate and business world has followed the lead of our past government administration. It’s obvious that they’ve …

replaced anyone who knows what they are doing with those who might be … loyal.

It’s in the bag …..

The origin of the phrase ‘in the bag’ comes from the early 20th century when the New York Giants baseball team would carry a ball bag off the field when the team was in the lead . They superstitiously thought that the game was ‘in the bag’ and couldn’t be lost.

Just a few days ago the internet informed me that when Melania left the White House she did so carrying a Birkin handbag that cost $70,000 U.S. dollars . My poverty struck mind was a bit curious and so I Googled Birkin handbags and discovered that even the most “affordable” handbags made by them would still run most of a years pay.

I’m now thinking the wife might make different choices for next years Christmas list.

Having foolishly Googled Birkin bags it has now become impossible to open my internet browser without an endless array of Birkin advertisements . The first thing that interests me is that if these guys are sharp enough to target me on my internet search, then why aren’t they sharp enough to realize I’ll never be able to purchase a Birkin handbag ?

The second thing that interests me is …..

What could you possibly need to carry that would require a $ 70,000 bag

…. what’s in the bag ?

I think we are all worthy of a refund… all of us.

We’ve just parted with a President who gleefully boasted of spending $450 Billion + dollars per annum on the defense of this nation …. on “our” defense. In fact this boast was one of the reasons that many voted for him a second time .

I can’t help but note that just a couple of weeks prior to that Presidents departure the Capitol Building of The United States of America was overrun during a joint session of Congress. Attacked and overrun by unarmed members of the Duck Dynasty in Carharts and a QA-non shaman in a furry hat with horns .

For $450 Billion + a year I think we should expect more than just Israel feeling safe ….

I think we should ask for our money back

We’ve all ignored the advice offered us from those older and wiser. I’m betting there is not a single reader here who did not ignore the competent advice of their parents on more than one occasion . Lately we’ve ignored advice from others who might have offered advice more informed than even what our parents offered .

Recently more than one of our Military Generals have given us some advice. Those Generals who’ve spent their lives in our defense ended their careers in Government positions under President Trump .

John Kelly, James Mattis, and H.R. McMaster are American Patriot Generals who worked their entire lives through for us all. They each ended their careers under disagreeable terms as they were each denigrated by the present, and thankfully soon to be terminated, presidency of Donald Trump.

Those Generals proclaimed that they would not vote again for the present President and I’m thinking I’m more than willing to stand with them . You may well oppose my viewpoint and so be it . You may stand with the face painted, bare chested man wearing a big furry hat with horns if you like …

but not me … I’m standing with the Generals

What is a Patriot ?
Those men back in the 1770’s were for sure true Patriots. They are a worthy part of our American history. But they were led by true leaders who led them speaking not just incitement rhetoric… but truth.

We’ve recently watched hordes who falsely claim to be Patriots invade our Capitol and denigrate our history with crimes from petty vandalism up to murder. They were not Patriots, they were just easily led by a poor leader who easily conned them into believing his lie’s . They were used as just another a prop for yet another of his “look at me” rally’s. Now many of them will serve well deserved jail time for the simple fact of being stupid and ignorant and easily led. One U.S. Veteran lost her life … but she was no Patriot either.

Tonight’s news just showed hundreds of National Guard soldiers sleeping on the floor of that recently desecrated building exactly where Union troops were once quartered back in the Civil War. Those soldiers have left their day time jobs, families, wives and children to perform a necessary job for all of us.

A weak and poor leader has caused the ugly necessity of this.

Those men and women sleeping tonight on the floor of the Capitol building are the Patriots we should be proud of.

Hand Salute to our Nations National Guard

We’ve acquired a new neighbor and he now resides underneath our bedroom window . He’s not a homeless as we’ve now given him one . He is in fact a rather large recuperating tortoise with a cracked shell .

I walked behind the house yesterday and suddenly there he was, hiding between our shed and the back wall staring back at me with unblinking eyes . I haven’t a clue where something this size has traveled from nor what could have caused the injury to his shell. But I do know he chose the right place to recuperate .

Being sympathetic to any and all that might need help we fed him some carrots and pears and he devoured them. Our research shows he might need something more than that and due to the fact that his injuries will take some time to completely heal and we will be happy to provide them . So we’ve offered him the welcome to stay as long as he likes and have no intentions of restraint… he’ll leave when able and I hope it’s sooner than later .

We’ve named him Donald ….. for no other reason than he’s large and round …. and cracked .

Would the Real Benedict Arnold ….Please Stand Up.

I was a bit surprised when a lady I know admitted she didn’t believe there was voter fraud this past Presidential Election . She, being one who does tend to follow the “conservative” party line with out question caught me off guard with that admission .

This did provoke me to point out that having admitted she doesn’t believe there was voter fraud…. she still believes The Governor of Georgia and The Secretary of State of Georgia are indeed “Enemies of the People” .

“Enemies of The People”

That’s what they were loudly proclaimed to be by our own President for telling the truth and failing to lie and cheat on his behalf . And he loudly proclaimed it to the world using what he has somehow convinced us all to be…. The Fake News .

I’m afraid it was inevitable that my observations would fall upon deaf ears as she defiantly told me that those two RINOS in Georgia were Benedict Arnold’s . I knew at this point that expressing the fact that those two Georgian politicians remaining loyal to the United States itself was far more important than loyalty to a party would be a waste of breath .

This country needs more leaders who would be willing to stand up and not fear telling the truth regardless of consequences, personal or otherwise. To be loyal to the United States and not fear the inevitable reprisal from a petulant child like dictator …. we need more leaders like the Governor of Georgia. And the likes of so many others who were fired from their government positions for telling the truth over these past four years.

Brian Kemp…. it wouldn’t bother me at all to see you sit in the White House in 2024 .

…. and Donald Trump ….. you can stand up now

It’s December 7th .

And on this day in 1941 the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor .

I mentioned this to numerous people today only to discover they had no idea ….

It’s apparent that far more people were aware that it was Larry Birds 64th birthday .

A basketball hero, it would seem, has become more memorable to us all.

But for me…..Dec. 7 is the day I was released from The United States Navy. Perhaps it’s this coincidence that causes me to stop and ponder every year what those men did so long ago on this terrible day in our history.

I must confess some guilt at the incredible delight I felt of my departure from the Navy as on that very same day thirty four years prior, there were many that departed the Navy under far worse conditions .

A “hand salute” to those who served on those ships in Pearl Harbor in 1941 .

In the 1980s an incredible American phenomena occured . I found it eye opening when without advertising, a company convinced a full one third of this nation to embrace it’s product . Within three months suction cup footed Garfield cats could be seen clinging to car windows the entire length and breadth of this nation. Soon to followed by Baby on Board stickers ….. all it took was a short spell of visual repetition.

We let hearing sway our decisions as well. How many times have we all heard that carrots will improve our eyesight ? We know in out hearts that the scientific proof of this being fallacy is indisputable. However, having heard it in repetition we will all munch a bunch of carrots every day for nine months before we just can’t deny not being able to read the street signs.

It’s not that we truly believe carrots will cure our aging eyes… it’s a lot more than that . It’s that …..

…..we so “want” to believe no matter how false the statement… we want it to be true that .89 cents worth of carrots a week will prevent the need for expensive glasses . And so it is of so many things as of late. We are victims of our own senses. … or lack of them .

Similar phenomena seems to occur frequently in the United States though unlike tattoos and damage from incorrect political propagandas, Garfields were easily removed . And Garfields, apart from potentially blocking a drivers view , were relatively harmless .

I think in four years you will see me proudly parading the streets of my little town with my huge flag loudly flapping from the back of my pick up truck …… GARFIELD 2024

I find this excerpt from a book by Hannah Arendt as appropriate today as it was of the time that it was written about . This is quoted from her book ” The Origins of Totalitarianism “

“In an ever-changing, incomprehensible world the masses had reached the point where they would, at the same time, believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true.

… Mass propaganda discovered that its audience was ready at all times to believe the worst, no matter how absurd, and did not particularly object to being deceived because it held every statement to be a lie anyhow.

The totalitarian mass leaders based their propaganda on the correct psychological assumption that, under such conditions, one could make people believe the most fantastic statements one day, and trust that if the next day they were given irrefutable proof of their falsehood, they would take refuge in cynicism; …meaning

…..instead of deserting the leaders who had lied to them, they would protest that they had known all along that the statement was a lie and would admire the leaders for their superior tactical cleverness.”

And so I offer the writing of Hannah Arendt here on my blog as evidence that history does indeed repeat itself …and we are still too foolish to prevent it.

I have experienced fear many times in my life and the other day that familiar and ugly ball in the pit of the stomach returned .

While standing at that prime position of “head of the line” at the checkout it became obvious to myself and all in line behind me that I couldn’t find my debit card. We all know that feeling when after the fourth search through every nook and cranny of the wallet , that debit card just does not miraculously appear.

The missing card was no where to be found at home either causing the dreaded phone call to the banks “Customer Service” which conveniently provides four phone numbers to choose from. This in order to begin your conversation with a machine.

First number offered a busy signal while the second choice rang and refused to ever stop doing so . The third showed promise when a machine answered to ask the purpose of my call. It was actually quite helpful until it refused to cancel my lost card. With the input of my business acct. number it only showed interest in cancelling my personal account debit card which is under a different acct #.

The fourth number made me listen to three very long diatribes in the Spanish language until a very live and sexy sounding woman came to the phone to speak to me… in Spanish . She was very sympathetic to my plight but alas…. she only deals in credit cards… not debit. Her kind help transferred me to someone who does deal in debit cards, though not business debit only personal. Ultimately I was transferred yet again to someone who could figure this out. But she needed info… acct. # … check …. date of birth … check …Federal Employers Identification #…. what ?

” I have one but I’m not sure where to find it at this moment…how about a S.S. number ? “

” Sorry… this is a business account…. we need your FEIN number. “

Forty one minutes to cancel a lost debit card in what was once touted the most efficient nation on earth . I remember once in the past accomplishing this same scenario in six minutes …

The wife just opened the dryer to toss in a load and there it was… my debit card . I guess the Mexican made Maytag dryer is still pretty efficient as it still produces enough heat to turn my card into the same size and shape of a Lays potato chip…. but I’m still afraid .

I think the greatest wall ever built was built by accident…… but I’ll get back to that particular wall in a paragraph or two.

Not so long ago in our history we bragged to the world about how we forced the removal of the famous Berlin Wall in order to once again unite families in defiance of our communist foes. We now boast the construction of a similar wall on our own border .

This wall… our wall …. that we’ve been convinced is so very necessary to protect us all from the invading hordes… is different . It is actually more a monument to someone than a wall of security as after Billions of dollars before completion it is already scaled frequently in both directions. Only thing truly stopped by it is the natural movement of wild life .

Back at its beginning no one complained more than I about the NAFTA . It would be a drain on our manufacturing and our jobs was my lament … and correct I was. But stock holders were pleased until the inevitable ….crash.

We’ve recently heard a great deal of the greatest negotiations “we’ve ever seen” and that would be our latest renegotiation’s of NAFTA. What came from this was that most everything stayed the same except that American companies who took their factories to Mexico would now be forced to raise their wages paid in Mexico. And they did as it was still impossible to lure American workers .

Mexicans are now earning $13.00 an hour instead of $ 4.00 to build my new Air Conditioner and Ford parts in Mexico . At that wage they have no desire to cross my border and such is the greatest wall ever built. If we had thought of this sooner we might have saved a lot of money….. and wild deer could still visit family in Mexico .

Being pickers the wife and I headed a half hour south to a small weekly flea market seeking vintage American made tools as we know where to sell such things at profit. Mostly what we found however was crap that the sellers had got for free.

There were endless Americans wearing MAGA hats and Trump T shirts standing behind tables selling junk Taiwanese tools encrusted with rust and shoe’s pilfered from the Salvation Army drop box. They stood beneath the Trump flags they had spent their hard to come by money on while loudly lamenting that no one was buying any of their offered junk.

There was something there worthy of buying however. We were lured by a hand scrawled sign with the simple words Empenadas e Tamales …. $1.50 ea.

Amidst the Trump flags was a small woman from Guatemala selling home made food items . She stood there collecting the money while her 8 year old son and Mother who’s only language skills were some kind of Mayan dialect handed out the items from two large coolers .

The wife and I know what it takes to make empanadas e tamales and at $1.50 each the profit is rather slim . But they sold completely out and so it would seem through honest effort they were the only profitable sellers there that day …. and the only smiling faces .

The very next day our President proclaimed Nov. 1 as a National Day of Remembrance for those Killed by Illegal Aliens. I can only assume it was done as yet another tactic to instill fear in order to sway our thoughts.

But I’m not going to be afraid ….. I think I shall return to that flea market next week just to witness once more those three people making America great again.

Burning the American Flag ….

What could cause more ire in an American than that? The desecration of our national banner brings forth a feeling we should all respond to… and I’m responding now .

Whatever you feel about my origins of birth or my political beliefs you best take note …. I am an American and I did serve some time in the U.S. Military under that very flag and hold a passport of The United States of America ….

and I take umbrage over what I’ve just seen .

My little town is now inundated with little road side Trump Shops selling all the needs of politically vociferous people . And that is a good thing . There are pickup trucks parading endlessly all over town with large Trump flags expressing their beliefs flapping in the breeze. Again , this is America and that’s a good thing.

Today however I witnessed American flags with the picture of Donald Trump embossed over them. His image taking over a full 40 % of our Red, White and Blue . My thoughts on Trump notwithstanding I find it disrespectful to our flag to have it desecrated so.

For true, I’d be saying the same thing four years ago if it was Obama’s picture on our flag …. and so would you . Of that I have no doubt, so what’s different now ?

p.s. those of you who wear shorts and other clothing made entirely out of my flag … well F U too

Wants and needs … it seems that one day soon they will be one and the same .

I’m a little grumpy right now as most men are when their wants and needs go unfulfilled . And like most men my wants are greater than my needs meaning the only thing as bad as having no money is finding nothing to buy .

Lately many of the products we usually purchase on our weekly foray to the shops are unavailable…. for weeks at a time.

” It’s the pandemic ” explains the employees at the store…. “we can’t get it delivered”

Today my “wants” were to grill a slab of meat I’d thawed . My “need” was some charcoal lighter fluid and so I pulled into the local MalWart store to discover it was now unavailable . The entire garden center where it is normally found was taken over by Christmas decorations and fake Christmas trees .

It’s September 26 and ninety days from Christmas and they haven’t even stocked out all the Halloween candy yet, or even started to sell that horrible Thanksgiving Day Pumpkin Beer . I don’t really need a fake Christmas tree right now. It’s 86 degrees and I just need to grill a frigging steak .

Malwart is starting to irritate me almost as much as the asshole down the street who hasn’t taken his Christmas lights down in two years.

I have two family members that made mention of attending church services recently. And so I feel compelled to attack what is used to attack them. This was posted years ago on the internet .

In her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance.
The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, penned by a US resident, which was posted on the Internet. It’s funny, as well as informative:
Dear Dr. Laura:
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination … End of debate.
I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God’s Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighbouring nations.
   A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians?
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of Menstrual uncleanliness – Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offence.
4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odour for the Lord – Lev.1:9.
   The problem is my neighbours. They claim the odour is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
5. I have a neighbour who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?
6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this? Are there ‘degrees’ of abomination?
7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn’t we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
    I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I’m confident you can help.
    Thank you again for reminding us that God’s word is eternal and unchanging.

Your adoring fan.
James M. Kauffman, Ed.D. Professor Emeritus, Dept. Of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education University of Virginia
(It would be a damn shame if we couldn’t own a Canadian)

One big Happy Family

My wife is in the other room and I can hear her chatting on the phone with some family member in Colombia . It’s more than a familiar experience for me as this has been a daily occurrence all our married lives ….. even way back when… when we couldn’t afford the exorbitant overseas phone charges. You see, there is not one single thing on God’s green earth more important to my wife than those family members .

I spent most of my life in a hardcore construction worker environment surrounded by and using foul language that would mark me indelibly as a ‘blue collar” . Embarrassing is it may be I will ask your forgiveness should I suddenly revert back to that offensive language of my uneducated blue collar roots.

Recently the wife and I worked for a woman who had a visiting sister in the home. Both ladies being of strong political beliefs . I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation between them about the younger sisters son.

” I understand how you feel….. you lost your Son when he became a Democrat “
” Will you be able to forgive him ?”

My own family has never been near as close as my wife’s but even so I feel the need to revert back to my roots to tell you that ….

” I just cant wrap my fucking head around that question”

what the fuck have we become?

Who knew we would have so much to learn from what we consider the Third World ?

The Gypsies lit their fires by the chalk-pit gate anew,

And the hobbled horses supped in the further dusk and dew;

The gnats flocked round the smoke like idlers as they were

And through the goss and bushes the owls began to churr.

An ell above the woods the last of sunset glowed

With a dusky gold that filled the pond beside the road;

The cricketers had done, the leas all silent lay

And the carrier’s clattering wheels went past and died away.

The gypsies lolled and gossiped, and ate their stolen swedes,

Made merry with mouth organs,worked toys with piths of reeds;

The old wives puffed their pipes, nigh as black as their hair,

And not one of them all seemed to know the name of care.

Edmund Blunden , Poems 1914 – 1930

Thankfully it was the end of the day and it found me at that place I’d been thinking of of since the beginning of a long one…. head of the line at the ABC liquor store .

I stood in front of a very well dressed woman caressing a $35 dollar bottle of wine while I awaited my turn to purchase my blue collar six a day multi vitamins. Directly behind the attractive woman with expensive taste were two inexpensive hats …

The “Trump hat” was loudly informing the “NRA hat” next to him that …

” Sure…. Trump lies …. but that is only to stop the truth leaking out .” he said

NRA hat stood nodding agreement while the holder of expensive wine behind me sucked air through her nostrils with more force than any professional grade vacuum my cleaning business owns . But she had class and said nothing .

The guy behind the counter locked eyes on mine and quietly whispered …

” Whats wrong with truth leaking out ?” ….

I don’t know the answer to that question ….

My copy of this book is a first edition 1932 in somewhat rough and well read condition. It was a long ago gift to someone as on the inside cover is the hand written message …

” With all my very best love … John” May 11th 1932

We’ll likely never know to whom John offered this gift with love on May 11th 1932 . But we do know that fifty two years after publication it became a gift to me when I discovered it on the shelf of an obscure back alley second hand book store .

Those fifty one essays compressed into 319 pages were the beginning of my collection of works by Mr. Priestley who passed at the age of 90 back in 1984 . His stories of travels through Britain at the same time my Grandfather traveled Britain captivated me and I couldn’t get enough of what he wrote .

We’ve all experienced, I’m sure , what is known as Deja Vu . Wikipedia would describe it as
{ Déjà vu is the feeling that one has lived through the present situation before. The phrase translates literally as “already seen”. } and the more I read Priestley the more often I experienced this phenomenon .

At the time I discovered this book I knew a book salesman who supplied stock to large chain book stores. He owned a large publication that described the works of authors and that book described J.B. Priestley as an author whose writings held the ability to induce Deja Vu .

I doubt I’ll ever understand how the writings of an author could induce such a thing….

but I do understand it is true that an author is capable ……

When Robert E. Lee got his ass spray painted and then toppled over I must admit I thought it a shame. I was always, at best, a mediocre student though I did step to the fore in History and Social Studies. Having held a B+ average in history through the school years the toppling of poor Robert and other Southern Generals did force me to question why someone felt the need to do so.

Perhaps the answer came today ….

Someone I work for twice a month loudly informs me at each meeting that this destruction of history is shameful …. and I suppose it is. She loudly proclaims how insulted she feels over someone else’s need to destroy American history that happened so long ago. Her statements that there is no one left alive that have been a slave, or owned a slave are quite true .

Today I was caught off guard by her question of how I felt about the British Royal Family .

She asked the question totally unaware of my birth in England and went on to lament about the great Potato Famine and what the Brits and Royal Family did to her “family”.

You see, she lay’s the claim… ” I’m Irish ” as her Mothers Grandmother hailed from that beautiful place all those generations ago. And she inferred her belief that the Royal Family should be given the heave ho. The hatred of five generations for the British Royals still lives here in the United States and that amazed me.

I suddenly felt bad for her. I sympathized with her over the fact that there wasn’t one statue of the Queen in the entire country for her to vandalize . And I’m certain she didn’t quite grasp my meaning when I informed her that I’d never took a spud from an Irishman ….

….and I’m betting that she would never understand that if she’s “Irish” after five generations then perhaps the black lady down the street is still a slave.