THE BOZO BUS HAS ARRIVED

I am watching the Bozo Bus and it is hilarious. There are 17 clowns on the bus and each one has a different make up. But they are all unique and not so unique at the same time. We have the youngster just out of knee pants in Rubio. We have the sinister hit man with that I am gonna kill ya look in Cruz. But to look nice he is having everyone over for tea. Should be a nice party. We got two east coast bullies: one New Jersey style carrying more pizza than a pizza delivery kid but it is all internal and the other has the same amount of wind speed as hurricane Sandy - that was huuuuuge! Can’t wait till he gets to Carly.




The cowboy from Texas who cannot pay his staff because he paid too much for the glasses that are supposed to make him look intelligent - they fail. Then there is the other cowboy's brother who should have listened to his mother. The little guy with the cute curls who has no idea as to where he stands on any issue. The chubby pastor from Arkansas who seems to be getting bigger daily – maybe he is carrying too many bibles in this belt. Or, too many dinners with Christie.


 Then there is Lindsey. He can’t make even the other shoe drop. He wants war but he wants other people’s kids to fight it. He never had any of his own – hmmmm! California cookiness cannot be ignored. We have a tall lady with that telephone operator look and attitude.  She has the distinction of taking a very successful company and ,making it less so. Oh, Carly, you lost so many elections and a major business, being snarky now won’t get you the next one. Trump is looking for you.


It is Howdy Doody time. Mr. Jindal wants to do to the US what he has done to Louisiana. Keep it near the bottom. Then there is the “good”  doctor who is out of his mind. He is a neurosurgeon and no one told him that he is nuts. There are 38 declared candidates for the nomination. The bus holds just 40. That is what it said on the bus that took Piper to Linchfield. (none of these people were on that bus, too bad!)


The last guy is a Koch candidate – from Wisconsin. Real cheese head. He has more holes in his head than swiss cheese. Kasich from Ohio is a good guy with common sense but not enough to get out of that club.


They have no idea as to what they want to do. They have one thing in common – they don’t like the two term president. They can’t stand the successes that their party had so little to do with.  Here’s what they have said:

                Economy – they can do better. But no specifics.

                Foreign policy – let’s have a war (That is the Lindsey hop). But with who?

                Healthcare – destroy it because it works – but no other plan
                Environment – What is that

   Defense – Bigger without reason

  Women’s rights – They have none

  Taxes – Less for us more for them

  Abortion – Their mothers had no choice (too bad) and neither should anyone else.

  Constitution – Replace it with the Bible

I know I left off some of the other candidates. They do not deserve my attention. None of these
deserve yours but they are there. The 24 hour news cycle is in heaven. Never have they had so much to say about so little.


I was in Cuba less than two years ago. What an amazing place with some of the most amazing people. Now our flag flies in Havana and proudly so. The Cuban people are ecstatic about the new relationship that is beginning with the U.S. We , as Americans, have little appreciation of what it takes to survive in Cuba today, yet the Cuban people survive and survive well.

Today Marco Rubio got off the Bozo Bus with enough time to say he would stop the normalization with Cuba and return Cuba to the list of states that sponsor terrorism. With that I believe that Marco, himself, should be added to that list. Rubio also he would dismantle the AHCA. That is also terrorism because he would take way the treatment that so many people are getting as a result of not having to worry about preexisting conditions.  He appears to be in lock step with many of the other candidates. So, it begs the next question, what are they all for?

 
In a few words – nothing good. War yes! Environment – no! Taxes – less for their friends and more from you and me. Infrastructure  - no! Education – no, except if it is from the oligarchy. Healthcare – hell no! Women’s rights – What, a woman wants rights? 


For  me this is the simplest of the election cycles I have experienced. The 38 candidates are in cadence and have no ideas at all. Maybe just one – BOMB IRAN! That would really be good for
business.


On the left we have some ideas. Bernie is looking good because his ideas are resonating with the
under 55 crowd. If he doesn’t make it then Hillary will be in a position to adopt the ideas, some of which have entered into added to her rhetoric. Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi. OK, that has been covered, let’s move on.


The election is more than a year away. We have to go through the primaries, the talking heads trying to create possible outcomes but are at a loss to do so, as always. Then there is the election and CNN’s big board. That at 8pm PST on election night will declare a winner, I just hope that we, the American people are not the losers.


That is my take , you decide!

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Here we are critiquing the president of the United States because he doesn’t want to kill any more kids. He got us out of Afghanistan and Iraq and he is about to negotiate a treaty with a rogue nation that can prevent nuclear war.

Some just said I am naive and stupid for saying this. OK, we sent more than 250,000 men and women into combat in Iraq and what did we get for that? A couple of inept governments and a very cowardly military. We bought a pot full of military equipment which made some Americans very wealthy and some bad people quite powerful  - namely ISIS.

We went to Iraq to get rid of the WMDs so what did we do we equipped an army that is a WMD. Now we are being urged to fight them with American assets. I say “NO.”

ISIS is their fight not ours. ISIS is their problem not ours. If you listen to Lindsey Graham, John McCain and the other right wing morons, they want to send troops, send American treasure, American equipment to save the yellow government of Iraq, the cruel government of Syria, the ambivalent government of Turkey, the fledgling governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

This is their fight. Why won’t they fight it? Why should they when Halliburton and other military contractor will get the United States to do it for them. Are we crazy?

My biggest concern is that this president will cave to appear “strong.” His strength comes from holding steady in his assessment of the situations and the lessons of the past 12 years.  Give Graham and AK47 and give McCain an AK47 and let them stand their ground.

ISIS has not attacked the US in any form. Could they? Yes, will they, I don’t know but until I see planes from the ISIS Air force, or battle ships from the ISIS Navy crossing our shores I am not willing to send Americans to fight other people’s wars.

Here is why this is a loser for the United States. Iran is an enemy but they are fighting ISIS so are they really an ally? We are trying to oust the Syrian regime but they are fighting ISIS. So are they also an enemy as well as an ally?

This is a puzzle that cannot be completed on the dining room table. We would be better served if we let that puzzle stay in the box. Let’s play scrabble and see if the Middle East can figure this out for themselves.

What about all that oil? Since the US has become the largest oil producing country in the world, it appears we need their oil only to export it to other nations. Before we invaded Iraq we were told that the oil we get from Iraq would pay for the war. More than several trillion dollars and counting and not one dime from oil to offset that cost. We are about to replay this song if the right wing has anything to say about the play list.

What about Israel? I don’t see ISIS banging on Jerusalem’s door. We have been hearing abo0uit the one year till atomic bomb in Iran - for the past twelve years. If they create one who are they going to drop It on? Israel? Before you could count to three Iran would be reduced to rubble. Understand that nuclear weapons are defensive not offensive.

What if ISIS gets a bomb? They would have to form a diplomatic government to negotiate with other atomic powers.

Yes, the Islamic extremist movement is ferocious and cunning and deadly without regard for anyone but themselves. The ISIS fighters are taught that they must only love Mohammed. They must shed any love for family and especially mothers.

It would take their air force to send bombers to the U.S. and other European countries. Here is the rub, they don’t have an air force. Their enemies are our enemies and also some of our friends. I say let them duke it out among themselves. That could eliminate Hamas, Hezbollah, the Taliban, and all the other terrorist groups. Let them spend their treasure on their fight – we just watch and give our support where it makes sense. I am not sure where that would be because none of this makes sense.

Here is my solution – a simplistic one – the US supplies no weaponry to the warring countries and factions unless they pay retail for every bullet, rifle, etc. Same for medical supplies, whoever has the money or an ILC to back up a PO, we ship to them.  We do the same for food. The U.S. takes no sides in this regional war. Those who want to put boots on the ground put middle eastern feet in those boots and sell them to the fighters on- line at retail. (No return policy). Whoever is left standing is our ally. Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer – this policy will do that. The American war profiteers will profit without one American kid getting killed.

I know the next question is “what about Israel?” Israel will survive because they have used this policy for years. We just don’t hear about their business dealings. The Israelis know more about the psyche of the Middle East than anyone else in the western world. The Israelis also have the best technology and weaponry in the Middle East. After all the RPGs and IED have been used Israel may be the last guy standing.

That is my take – you decide.

The (not so very) Merry Month of May

One month can change your life in so many ways that it is mind boggling? That month was my “merry month of May!” The first day of the month of May is known as “May Day.” That is also a universal distress call and had I known what was to come I would have shouted “May day, "may day" at the top of my lungs, but you never know what is coming. Maybe that is a good thing. Have you seen the commercial that shows a postcard that says  "your heart attack will happen on  . . . ?" My card got lost in the mail as I had a series of them, but I called them GERD.

First up in May my son-in-law was due to have brain surgery on the fifth. The fact that he was having that kind of surgery freaked me out and made me and everyone in the family and friends quite nervous and somewhat scared. He has been part of my life for more than 35 years. We have been through much together and in that time we have created a bond that is strong and a love that is very much of my emotional make up.

He and my daughter did their homework and spent a great deal of time with the doctors to insure the best possible outcome. Still, it is brain surgery!

May fourth I have an appointment for a test that is like an endoscopy but there are another 16 letters in the name of the procedure. We are going to get to the bottom of my stomach and mystery of the intense GERD that I have been suffering from and  to see what is causing this malady.

While the attacks of my GERD could be intense they did not stop me from my Vietnam tour. It included much walking through different areas including many villages. Also the sights of Hanoi (including the infamous “Hilton). Visited battle sights such as the Citadel in Hue, the area of the Cou Chi tunnels outside of Saigon along with military cemeteries and memorials. I climbed the caves at Ha Long Bay, floated in the boat baskets near Da Nang and climbed through the Champa Ruins.

On the second of May I participated in a day long tennis event at the club. About four hours on the courts and another four hours at the party later that evening. And  yes, the GERD was with me and Tums took care of it, so I thought. In Vietnam I found Carboblast, Tums with charcoal. They worked, too, or so I thought.

Meanwhile, back to my May odyssey. The doctor that did the procedure on the 4^th of May gave me good news and a suggestion.  The good news was that my esophagus was clear and that was a good thing, however, he did ask me if it was OK to refer me to a cardiologist. That kind of threw me for a loop but I said OK, if you think so. Can’t be too sure of anything these days.

May 5^th I am in the hospital supporting my daughter and her family as my son-in-law is undergoing his brain surgery which seems to be taking longer than advertised. In our family no one goes through this kind of stuff alone. So, in addition to my son-in-law’s father and his significant other, his two sisters, one of his sons, two of his brothers-in-law and me. There was a crowd of loving and concerned family.

Cinqo de Maio is also the anniversary of the first of two heart transplants that my wife underwent in 1992. (That is another story for another time). So with that fact popping into my mind I was more nervous but kept this to myself. While waiting for the surgeon to report on my son-in-law’s surgery, I got a call from the cardiologist’s office offering two appointment times the next day.

I took the 3pm appointment as I figured I could leave there and then go to grandson’s baseball game right after that. WRONG!!!

The good news is that after a very long and tortuous wait, we got good news regarding the brain surgery. All went well. The surgeons accomplished what they set out to do and now prescribed a course to enhance the recovery process. We all let out a collective sigh of relief and shed a tear or two for joy. My job was then to get my eldest grandson from his high school baseball game. His younger brother came with me. When we finally found the field we took another sigh of relief.

Many of you may know that you DO NOT communicate with players during the game. Screw that. I yelled out my grandson’s name, got his attention gave him the thumbs up – the smile I got was priceless.

May 6^th. I go to meet the cardiologist. He checks me out, does an EKG and then tells me I have an appointment in the morning, May 7th at 11 am for an Echo Cardiogram at the Hollywood Medical Center. However, my situation is such that I have been admitted to the hospital now, while I was sitting there. I cannot leave. I will be transported by ambulance the medical center downtown. SHIIIIITTTT!

May 7^th (also my daughter’s birthday) I get to ride in the ambulance – no lights or sirens, very boring drive. I am whisked into the prep area to prepare for an angiogram. At 1pm they take me into the room where I am put out and the procedure to wind a wire with cameras through my body to my heart commenced. I was woken up and the cardiologists gave me the news. NO STINT – SHIIITTT, again.

I was taken back to the prep area while they find a room for me. Remember this is the day after the brain surgery. Recall all the people that were there yesterday, they all congregated at the foot of my gurney today. Needless to say, I was in a funk mood thinking about facing open heart surgery. Not a happy camper. Then my son-in-law rolled up in his wheel chair. He had big cover on his head reminiscent of what ugly Russian ladies wear. He had a large smile on his face. That was all the medicine that I needed.

May 8^th  then May 9^th and now we come to, May 10^th: Mother’s Day and my late wife’s birthday. We had a planned celebration of both her birthday and Mother’s Day. Our family was to open the treasure chest we created in her memory some 22 years before. Having both Mother’s Day and her birthday coincide, it seemed like a fortuna moment to remember her and  the best she represented. However, we were celebrating my son-in-law’s good outcome from his surgery and waiting for my day in the OR instead. Can't go home to have this little party. This was a confusing time for us all.

May 11^th – waiting for the surgeon to tell me when it will be my turn. I just want to put this behind me. In the interim I changed rooms three times. The first was a double room with a gentleman who had his wife there as his advocate. The second that a single room that was a “pressure room.” That was like trying to sleep under a 747 about to take off.  The third room was a charm. Quiet, private and near the nurse’s station.

May 13^th. Yes, the 13^th! They told me that is date for my surgery and the time will be 11 am. I tell my kids. Then they tell me that the time will be 7 am. If they want to see me before they need to be in Hollywood by 5 am. I am not getting up at that hour to see me, but they were there. Taking my cues from my late wife, I smiled to them and said “see you later.” I did.

Five days after the surgery I made it home and here we are in June. We all survived May. In June we all celebrated the graduation of my eldest grandchild. She is off to college but first a trip to Maui for her. My son-in-law has a unique look with his caps and special sweat pants and sporting a full beard.   The beard is now a medical necessity.


We are all on good track with much to look forward to. Friends have called, some brought food because they think I am losing too much weight, I even made it to the movies.  My grandkids want to see the scar – why, I don’t know! I don’t even want to see the scar.

That was the MERRY MONTH OF MAY. We are all looking forward to the coming months where the celebrations are all positive – Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, new schools, new adventures.

That is my experience - nothing to decide -- done!

 

TORN BETWEEN TWO LOYALTIES

Every so often I log onto my own blog to see what I wrote and when I wrote it. I also check, for purposes of ego, the number of hits that the blog has gotten. If my blog was a book it definitely would not be a best seller, but seeing 6666 hits to date – that is an ego builder. Then I recalled that I am just three months shy of doing this for five years. Still, I am flattered by the attention.

The bug to write something comes the night before I sit down to write as a result of the bug in my ear. I have passed up on the opportunities to write about specific subjects of the day because I felt that I could not so them any justice – I didn’t know enough to write about them. Some subjects, even though I was lacking, I still wrote about the as I was emotionally charged with the matter.

ISIL comes to mind. They are horrifying beings. They are not human. Not since the Holocaust has any group been so terrifying, so cold, so uncaring so, inhuman, so off the track of compassion as these miserable creatures and the people they inspire to do like acts in different places. They seem to be winning a war but losing the sympathy for their program, whatever that is. Maybe the Middle Eastern countries will get mad enough to take this cancer out of existence. So far they only react when it becomes local to them. For example, Egypt just got angry over the beheading of their people in Libya. Jordan reacted when a Jordanian pilot was executed by fire. When will the Saudis step up? When will Lebanon step up – this is their fight. But most of these governments support the terrorism. They claim it is private money that supports them.

Now we have the problem of Iran. I watched Jon Stewart react to the speech given by the Israeli Prime Minister. He illustrated, through archived videos, that the PM is always crying wolf. Every year for the past nine years or more, Iran “is just one year away from getting the bomb.” Yes, Iran has threatened the State of Israel and the United States. Is it true intention or bloviating? The Israeli Prime Minister also called for us to invade Iraq. When Saddam is gone the Middle East will change. AND DID IT CHANGE!

We had no good reason to go to Iraq and get more than 5000 young Americans killed and even more maimed or psychologically injured. Even in retrospect there is still no good reason for our Iraqi invasion. In a few days I am leaving for Vietnam. Vietnam, where 56,000 plus young Americans lost their lives and even more maimed or psychologically injured. What does the Israeli PM want? Another 50,000 or more young Americans to lose their lives over something that has not been proven. Remember the WMDs?

History told us he and ‘W” were wrong on Iraq. I believe that Bibi believes what he is saying. Israel is in the middle of a very hostile area. They live with the possibility of death and annihilation every day.  I love Israel and have visited the county many times. The Israeli people are unique in the way they handle the day to day threat. They are strong and the PM wants to preserve the state and protect his people. I get that. How many times can you cry they are a year away from the bomb?

In his speech he gave no new ideas as to work with this problem. He slapped my president in the face, poked him in the eye and doing so tried to diminish the strength of our Commander in Chief. He belittled the effort to work with Iran. As I said when George Bush stood on the rubble of the World Trade Center on 9-12-91, “he is not my guy, but he is my president.”  Bibi has no political standing in MY country.  He is scared but he has been consistently wrong.

I am an American Jew – in that order. Were I a citizen of another country I am not sure that I could express my self regarding Israel the way I do. I love Israel and want to preserve it, nurture the country, support the country, protect the country, but I cannot put the jeopardy of the U.S. in harms way to do that.

Having my grandchildren become Bah or Bat Mitzvah in Israel would be a blessing beyond words. But to have them face being in a war just a few short years later because of the fear of Iran by Bibi, that would break my heart.

I have a blue pushke in my house as I have had since I can recall – even before the State of Israel was born. But I live here. To have a foreign leader come to my country, insult my president is too much. And he did it knowing that the invitation was a political maneuver by a weak Speaker of the House. The weakest I have ever seen. He is no leader, a good haircut and strange tan does not a leader make.

What is the answer? I have no idea. I do now that I have seen enough body bags as a result of bad decisions of our leadership. Iraq and Vietnam come to mind. Do we need another bad decision because Bibi says so? Or because McCain wants to go to war? Or because the ultra right wing wants to go to war? Thank powers to be that we have a civilian as our Commander In Chief. The right is always talking about what the Founding Fathers wanted. Why can’t they wrap their head around that the CIC is not a general?

I just read a rhetorical question in the Jewish Journal “are you still happy with Obama?” Yes, the body bag count is way down, the market is way up and the U.S.is the economic leader of the world. 

That is my take, you decide.

I AM (WAS) A SKEPTIC

So, after many years and reading the transcripts of the sessions my son and daughters had with their medium, I decided to go with my younger daughter. Not a special trip, but if she was going I would go with her. I am curious. My daughter has reported to me many events that have to be paranormal. Not only her experiences but also my grandson’s experiences.

Here is how it started:  A cousin of ours through marriage passed away at an very young age but not as young as my late wife. Her daughter went to the psychic and got a lot of information that made her feel more comfortable with the loss of her mother. The psychic bug hit the family big time. Both of my daughters went and my son with them. They even did a TV show with a psychic. They have reported paranormal events in their homes. They are convinced that their mother and other departed family members are with them from time to time. The people that are with them all had very strong personalities in life especially my late wife. She had some kind of psychic talent that she was frankly, in fear of. She predicted that the Dodgers would win ten games and go into first place one summer. The Dodgers did win ten games. No, we did not bet on her prediction.

On the day she died I suspect she saw her imminent death as she said to me, “ I don’t want to die today.” Knowing that she had some psychic ability, that comment shook me up. There was nothing I could do to change the events of that day. As the day progressed she looked and felt better so the event of several hours later did come as a shock. If in fact, if that is what she saw, I wish she had told me more.

Of all the children and grandchildren just two have displayed their psychic ability, to my knowledge. Most, including me have some paranormal experience. Mine came when my oldest daughter was going into labor and I tried to get up out of the seat. As I was about leave the room a hand on my shoulder held me down, twice. I asked if I could stay in the room and they said yes.

Then there was the photos from my younger daughter’s wedding. We put out disposable cameras (before digital) and had the guests take photos of their table mates and other activities going on. There  were light streaks on many of the photos. Those streaks could not come from light leaks in the cameras as part of the image would be blackened or whited out. Not these, they were curvy streaks as the light source was recorded on the film. The photo of me making a toast was not a good photo as there was a great deal of light from behind me. As a photographer, I know never to shoot into a mirror with a flash. There was no mirror behind me and I asked the photographer what happened. He was at loss for words as he never experienced that kind of light in a photo.

OK, so we all had more than one event that is spooky. Even during the wedding ceremony that was held outdoors, there were recorded sound s “from the wind” that almost sounded like words.

The cousin I had talked about earlier, gave birth to a little boy. At the circumcision ceremony the baby’s uncle and I were standing near the front door to get some needed fresh air. While observing the ceremony, the doorbell rang. All we had to do to see who rang the bell was to turn our head slightly. We did. There was no one there – that we could see. The rear door of the house had no doorbell. The doorbell  rang twice. I am sort of a skeptic.  So, later today I will experience the psychic and all that it entails. The next paragraph you will read will be a report of that experience. I am a skeptic, a nervous  skeptic.

THE SESSION

It was an interesting  70 minutes. When I walked in the door the medium said to me you have longevity. That was great to hear and I am hoping that she is right. She even said that I will be a great-grandfather, but she didn’t say when and I didn’t ask. That would be wonderful in the proper time element. The first thing she said was that there were many people that wanted to get through to me that the room was filled of those that passed and wanted to connect with me. I was flattered, but still skeptical.

My mother was the first to get to “communicate.”  That would be typical of her. Other people important in my life were there and passing their messages through. As I mentioned earlier, my late wife had psychic ability but was fearful of it. In death she is using it to get through to me. She had appeared in some dreams – very real dreams. According to the psychic, my late wife is with my mother, father and my aunt. My mother and my wife also shared two skills – one had it and the other needed it – baking. So, I said I said to my daughter, bake some of grandma’s great brownies while she “visits” you in the kitchen.

The medium knew that my father’s parents came to the US through Canada – Montreal to be exact.

My grandmother, Rose was there and I have hardly ever mentioned her in my lifetime. But the medium knew about Rose.

I am not going to talk about the entire session - my daughter typed up three pages of notes. She revealed some very interesting and accurate information about me and my life, about my children and grandchildren.

Am I still skeptical?  Yes, to a degree but not as much as before. I don’t recall my past lives, fighting at the battle of Shiloh, being a politician and other things over the years and centuries. It appears that I have a connection to China. We did have an ancestor that was Mongolian.

There were an abundance of facts that she could not know and many escaped the memory cells in my mind. My late wife was there with her (our) dog, Marshmallow (she didn’t have the dog’s name but did have the description right on).

Then I asked what is it like in “heaven.” It appears to be a parallel world with people taking on the appearance that they liked during their life time on earth. What year would you choose? My late wife chose about 27 and she was really beautiful then as she was her whole life.

In heaven they have communities, hair dressers, home with gardens, health centers – a working world. It sounds wonderful as these are the things we would want for our families and family members that passed on. My late wife would not think of dying without having a hairdresser and manicurist waiting for her there!

Is it an infinite afterlife? Her are my thoughts on this if it does exist and I believe that it may. All these facts are buried in our minds and revealed in such way to create an afterlife. That afterlife lives in us as long as we live. When we are no longer living we no longer have the memories and they die with us. The key here is that the connection is between a living person and one who has passed.

I did feel better after having that session. I learned that what I would want for my deceased family members I what I want for them in life: health, tranquility and happiness. It appears they have it in their “heaven.”

Would I go again? Probably not because I got want I wanted this time. To know that my loved ones are still with me – somehow.

That is my take – you decide.

WHY I LIKE TRAVEL

Because I can. That is the simple answer. I go places as a traveler not so much as a tourist because I want to experience the culture and the place. I am not a foodie so the food is the least of it but I like that I get to go the restaurants that the locals go to. As I get further and further away from home I still find Burger King, MacDonalds and Pizza Hut. When I am in Bangkok I am closer to Dunkin Donuts there than any that are in California. That is part of their daily culture. A very young and pretty Thai girl jumps off the back of a motor scooter taxi to get coffee at the Starbucks.

Unless you walk the streets you will never experience the people. For example I walked into a MacDonalds for an ice cream cone. It was hot and I walked about 1.5 miles so far that day and it was just 10:30am. I sat inside because it was cooler and then a very attractive lady came over and started a back massage. It was nice and she paid me some compliments. After about five minutes she said I do “boom-boom!”

Where else could that happen – not here in the San Fernando Valley? No boom-boom but a great experience that I can write about.

That is the culture at least in that area. That is only part of it. I find that people are welcoming where ever I go. Thailand is a happy place as is Cuba as is Chile and other areas of South America. Many are very curious about living in the U.S. The people I encounter ask questions about the U.S. While in Phuket I met two young ladies travelling with their parents. They were university students from China and asked about the U.S. Where I lived and what I do for fun and for work. They were curious about my family. So, answered their questions and they thanked me and I then asked them some questions about their studies and their ambitions. I also asked what they thought of the U.S.

That is what got me thinking. What do people who visit the United States actually think?  What do they see in the U.S. that is contrary to what they heard or what do they see or experience that contradicts what they though they know.

Back in the 70’s when we lived in Connecticut we hosted two Japanese girls from Hiroshima. Their English was lacking as was my Japanese, but they were really frightened. The group was planning to go to New York City the next day and they said they were afraid to go because they had no gun to defend themselves. That was an eye opener and since that time I am always cognizant of how others may see us, Americans.

Whenever I meet someone from another country I ask what that they think of America and Americans. Their answers are quite interesting. Many misconceptions travel with them and that takes time to overcome.

A number of years ago there was a book “The Ugly American.” It describes how our sense of superiority dictated our behavior overseas. “What, you don’t speak English?” I experienced some teenagers from the Midwest actually get loud, boisterous and nasty in a little café in Jericho, Israel. The obnoxious kid was bigger than me but I asked him outside any way and read him the riot act. He took it and then apologized, but he had no idea of what being considerate and a guest in some else’s country meant.

As I travel, I try not to be the ugly American.  Not being the ugly American gets you so many perks. In Tokyo a young man though I was lost so he volunteered to take me to the place I was looking for. In Bangkok recently, a young Thai man that spoke English helped me buy a mobile phone – and two SIM cards.

In Budapest a young lady helped me get to the right subway train. In Prague a young student allowed me to sit at her table at Starbucks because there was other place to sit. I bought her a muffin. A small gesture of appreciation that goes along way.

I like people who are new to the U.S. and get their take on living here or just observing our culture. Their insight is always based, as our own is, on what it is like back home, wherever that is. Since we are a very large country, the visitor my get different ideas of our culture based on where they are that time. But their view is valuable because it is a fresh look at us. Let’s face it, a visitor from the farmlands of Thailand that visits Las Vegas will definitely have a major culture shock.  (Even Americans just off the farm experience that).

It is also interesting that visitors also express how they see the difference between the country and the government of that country.  When in China I really liked the Chinese people (one cab driver excepted) but I have reservations about the governing of that country. Many years ago, in London, at a ticket kiosk, the ticket seller told us how much he loved Americans. He also expressed his displeasure with the “cowboy president.” He was very frank and did not beat about the bush.

That is the beauty of travel. You get to see their idea of what the U.S. is and they get to see what Americans are like. Most of the people of the world are not Americans – that is the fact. Most of us have one thing in common, we are curious – about each other.

That is my take, you decide.

WHERE HAVE MY HEROES GONE?

When I grew up in Boston we worshipped the players of our favorite teams. Not just the hometown teams but teams that we followed because of the players. Baseball, basketball and football. For example, we had no pro football in Boston until 1960. I moved to  Los Angeles in 1958, so I never had a hometown team until I came west. Strangely, my favorite team was the Los Angeles Rams while growing up in bean town. Now I am in Los Angeles with my favorite team.

Bob Waterfield no longer played for the Rams, but he was my hero quarterback. He became my hero coach of the Rams. Ollie Matson, Dick Bass, Merlin Olson and so many other larger than life real heroes.

I know that this was way before the 24 hour news cycle, but bad behavior is bad behavior regardless of the new cycle. We are seeing a lot of bad behavior now that is coming to light. Did it start with Aaron Hernandez who allegedly murdered some people? Nah, there were bad guys way before him.

But a lack of social dicipline, too much money and too much adoration gave these over paid idiots the license to do bad things and give them the idea that they have that priveledge. Just ask Kobe Bryant how much it cost him. It is time to change the names of the professional leagues:                           

                National Felony League (NFL)

                                                          National Bad Asses (NBA)

Major league Baseball deals with drugs and doping by their unique dopes. There  are no stories or maybe  I haven’t heard the stories about players beating their wives, kids or girlfriends. Maybe they are too "high" to perform such tasks. They beat themselves with bad behavior. That behavior should not be tolerated either. They are their own victims.

I am not a hockey fan but if these guys who are known for fisticuffs were beating their wives girlfriends or kids, we would know about it. Maybe they leave all that aggression on the ice. In any case, with 32 teams and about 1800 players there has to be some bad apples in Football. I am painting all the players with a broad brush. It is easy to do that because just a few idiots who think they can deck a woman. Then the publicity kicks in and they are all apologetic. Boo Hoo! Then there are others coming forward or being outed and that leads to the generalization that all these guys are bad news. They are not bad news what some create is bad news.

My heroes are the older guys that played. Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman. Bill Russell,  Carl Braun, Tommy Heinson, K.C. Jones and more. I recall these guys in spite of not having sensational headlines of bad behavior. Going back to baseball, Lew Burdett, Gene Conley (also a Celtic player), Warren Spahn, Johnny Sain  (pray for  rain) and then there were the Red Sox players: Wiliams, Piersall, Jensen, Goodman and Lepcio. Ted Williams was a hero on and off the field as were many major leaguers in that generation. They beat their enemies , not their wives.

The Boston Patriots didn‘t play until 1960 after I moved away from Boston. So, it took the Rams moving from Los Angeles to St. Louis for me to focus on the New England Patriots. They had a losing season in 1960 but no one went home and beat their families. The one guy I can recall was Gino Cappalletti, No. 20. No one on the Patriots wears No. 20 – it was retired.

The point of all this is that the positive heroes I recall from many years ago. These bad news guys that beat their kids, their wives, murder people will one day be forgotten but their stain on professional sports won’t be.

But who is to blame. I think some of it goes to us. Look how many Rice uniform shirts were worn in his support by women. He committed a crime, a felony, yet women support him – why? So, how does Rice decide that kicking the crap out of his wife is OK? Ladies, you said it is OK. You have told that it is OK to any other player that wants to deliver mayhem to a member of his family. Maybe he should have kicked the crap out of a dog then he would go to jail, ask Michael Vick.

By the way. The team’s owners and management need to have their heads cracked (symbolically) so they can react with some dignity and anger to the problems. And it is up to us fans to show disgust with that behavior by the players and by the teams. Where have all my heroes gone?

 

That is my take – you decide.

 

WHO HAS THE BIGGER STICK?

Arabs, Muslims and Jews always get along. That is until the hate speech takes over. As they should get along as we all come from the same father – Abraham. Yes, we can have sibling spats but that is normal. What is not normal is the fighting that ends in maiming or death. The Jewish faith protects life and values it at all costs. The Islamic faith appears to be opposite but the individuals I have met of the years appear to embrace the thinking  that life is precious. Life is precious. Life must be protected.

Here’s the rub. Especially in the Gaza area, the Israelis pulled out of the area. They left Gazans with the responsibility of electing a government that would protect them, would create jobs, would educate the people, and provide for healthcare. The Gazans elected a group that does not protect them, that does not educate them, that does not create jobs, that does not provide for health care. Is that the fault of the Israelis? No, the responsibility lies within the borders of Gaza.

There is an old expression;  you made your bed now you have to lie in it. That I what is happening now. Why are the Gazans and the world blaming Israel for fighting back? Makes no sense. I hear proportionality. Proportionality, my ass! My dad told me when I was a child if a kid picks up a stick to hit you, get a bigger stick. He was not teaching me violence. Unfortunately violence exists. The best way to repel violence is to create a scenario where the instigator sees a no win situation and backs off. That is why a bigger stick that my father talked about often works. Sometimes without having to swing it.

Hamas does not care. The get their glory from Allah, their god. To die is to martyr yourself. Then there is the politics of it. Start a fight you can’t win then ask for a truce. Hamas wants the blockade lifted – so they can acquire more weapons. Even with the blockade, the missiles that they constantly lob into Israel had to get to Gaza from somewhere. Lift the blockade they can get more and in a short time later they will start it all over again; lobbing missiles, killing Israelis. At this time it is foolhardy to allow the free flow of arms to Gaza. Get another ruling party that is not a terrorist organization and watch the Gazan economy flourish. That is the mission of the population of Gaza. That is the hope of the world.

The current argument against fighting back is not making any sense. If San Diego were being attacked by missiles from Tijuana, or Buffalo from Toronto no American would say hit just hard enough to make a point. Tijuana and Toronto would be rubble in just a few days. That will never happen because Mexicans and Canadians are Americans, North Americans. They value their citizens. They will never place a missile battery on the roof of a hospital as Hamas does. They will never store weapons in schools as Hamas does.

Billions have been poured into the Gaza. No schools, no more hospitals just more weapons. I do not understand the Gazans, their hate for Israel appears to larger than their love for themselves or their families. That hate will destroy them. No one wants that. Hamas is constantly making us look for a bigger stick.

Yes, Hamas is winning the PR war but that will only encourage them to kill and get more Gazans killed. They can proudly point to some of the world’s press and say, see the Israelis are the bad guys. When it comes to self-defense the Israeli’s don’t give a shit. PR won’t stop a grenade or a bullet. Common sense will because common sense says PR does not protect.

What makes this even more stupid is the history since 1948. The Israelis always win! They are a small country by any measurement. Yet, they stood their ground in 1948, the 1967 war, the Yom Kippur War, the intifada, the Lebanese war. There have been at least seven major conflicts in the past 65 years and Israel is still the best functioning country in the Middle East.

Now I read where their detractors are saying that this is a war of choice for Israel. I have been watching Al Jazeera as I had found that news source, till today, to be fair and factual. Now I am lost for actual, factual news. Le Monde also chastises Israel for fighting back. They should be ashamed of themselves. They let the Nazis walk into Paris – not a shot fired.

I hate seeing anyone killed from either side. But the Gazans have to make a choice: Get rid of Hamas, elect a better government and have a better life. Stop screaming for the cameras and start talking to one another so as a society you can talk to your “enemies.”  Make peace, make love. As I have seen on Facebook, there are so many intercultural marriages; Jews and Arabs, Palestinians and Israelis, Islamics and Jews. That is not the problem – the problem is who some of the people chose to be their leaders. Create the conflict and then cry because the other guy, Israel, has a bigger stick. That is not going to give your people security, healthcare, education, just PR. If, as a Gazan you do not have healthcare, or education, or food to eat and no personal security, when it comes to PR you, too, should not give a shit about the PR!

That is my take – you decide.