1957 hunting vs 2017 hunting
Men returned from WW2 with skills only acquired during wartime. The outlet for some of those in my childhood was hunting, both lawfully and illegally, along with other forms of skirting the law. Running liquor across the Canadian border to avoid taxes and exercise the most powerful motors of the time was another. These type of men came back from war changed and this is what I saw from the back seat. I didn't know them before but as a youngster I could see their collective distain for the police. The words they spoke about the law were in direct conflict with their underlying contempt for police, nothing personal. Something I later attributed to their military service in that war.
     A short example:
As youngsters of the fifties, 7 or 8 of us roamed the small Washington town on our oversized bicycles. While cruising main, on a Saturday afternoon, one of our number became interested in a deer tied to the front fender of a car. We all gathered around as he brushed the hair on the deers head to reveal that the antlers had been wired on. With a shout men burst through the door of the barber shop where they had, presumably, been reliving their derring-do. We of the one-speed bicycle club had stopped and pointed our bikes like Lemans racers knowing that the first stroke of the pedal was the key to escape. The old men, those over thirty, always went for the collar and by doing so telegraphed their intent. All we had to do was get to that second stroke and avoid the big hands, so like boxer we bobbed and weaved using all the dexterity the old men had forgotten. Only the slowest among us would be receiving the horse laugh, along with the pursuers. This day there were no collars in hand. It only took 30 seconds of talk and planning for them to mount their car. As they came on, our plan was always to bluff. Fight or flight was no part of our game, so we swerved onto the sidewalk and came to a sliding stop between the town sheriffs paddywagon and his office. As we turned to look over our shoulders the deer appeared to almost be running as the car wheeled over to make the corner and disappear. We would never have said a word to the authorities for the stigma would endure past the woodshed.
     Fast forward to 2017, our military men and woman have been circulating through multiple war zones for 15 years. On their retirement from the military they are increasing sought out to fill police jobs. Are the American people looking at the longtime motto of " To Serve and Protect" and wondering if it is reserved for those on one side of "the thin blue line". It has always been understood that police run the risk of being targets of the unstable, but the increasing premise is that all people all unstable unless they are allied with those who invented the thin blue line. There is a club that has stacked the deck against common citizens to the advantage of themselves. To navigate our minor offenses in court is an exercise in "whatever load you can bear". Almost no word will be believed, over the word of an "officer", no matter the reputation and history of either.
    I have no idea how to improve this situation for all concerned but know it has to start with a judicial reckoning of the blue line. To Serve and Protect must be for all and not just something written on the Paddywagons.

Dead stick learning

In the late 1990s I was working on a Parker Drilling rig crew in Prudhoe Bay. During the summer months we were joined by a young college student who was working his way through college. One of his courses that he was most thrilled with was "commercial aviation", and his focus was helicopters. All through the summer our 12 man crew got to know a lot about that subject because of the outgoing and downright congenial attitude of Brian. One crew meetings free time took over where the last one left off. I've known people who paid for Las Vegas shows who didn't have that much fun. Making a long story short, one of the last hysterical demonstrates he did was on a chair showing the crew how to "dead stick land" a helicopter. After all these years, I think I could pull it off and I'll bet half that drilling crew could too. That's what I call teaching. Proud to have known and prayed for that young man and that he has gone on to become an AH-64D/E instructor pilot with the US Army. Brian, Thank you and your family for your service. All blessing and honor for you.

The lesser man

     Is the material/capitalist society the best we have to offer each other as citizens of this great nation?
I have changed over the years and most of us who claim humanity, do. If you don't claim it, read no further.
As a young man I was indoctrinated into society in the usual way, school and home. In the working world I hit the ground running and learned its lessons at that pace. It was easy to overlook many of the inconsistencies between what people said and what they did. I came to understand the difference as I matured and tried to put the priorities of life, God, family, work, play, in order. The order I settled on was very different from most of the people around me. As I progressed in life and saw that those that were being advanced in most occupations were those with a different priority than mine. After coming to that decision crossroads repeatedly, I discussed with my wife the order we had established in our family. At that time, many others in my profession were giving up all their priorities but work. That was the company's unwritten rule for advancement. Over the years, as I have grown in my family and friends respect, they have continually said they have watched our rule with admiration. I am now at an age where I can look back at my job history and life in general and be glad of my journey. I have left a trail of men who I admire for their almost unwavering resolve to live a life by the best of rules and ask others to hold them accountable to those rules. I have also mentored others who look to balance the most important things in life.
     That being said, the view from this angle of business is skewed by being called the loser. All of the many workers who have the very traits that have made this country great are those can put up with all the pushy, overbearing, bullies who have given up themselves for their jobs. These are the very workers that are perceived as unpromotable because of their priority order. The truth is that these are the ones that can't be controlled because of that order and consequently are the only ones who can lead. All other leadership styles ultimately come around to mimic the traits of these few. The problem the bullies then have is convincing all those they trampled in their climb to advancement, of their change in personality and heart. Not realizing that it takes a lifetime to become those people, they and their companies delude themselves into thinking that because they hold the purse strings; their employees must kowtow to whatever they say, true or not. In reality, those who rule by cheating their workers out of their due are destined to take themselves and their companies down. The ones who lead must be the ones who promote and advance those who hold others in higher esteem than themselves. This is the example that literally takes a lifetime to achieve. By sharing this," information of a lifetime," I realize that it gives more information to those already inclined to abuse it. There is no other way. At some point a change will have to be made if our system of capitalism to survive. All our lives and souls are at stake.
     In conclusion, those who have self-named themselves," the A-type personalities", have proven that they have overrated themselves, and those who are gentle, mannerly and polite are the real leaders that have been called losers to long. So when you hear that old saying, "The Good guys always finish last", remember that the real men are there willingly. Because any old fool can get ahead through trickery, but those who make a difference make sure everyone gets help to travel the path. Everyone take a close look around at your real friends and see if I'm not right.

Penticton Jack

As a child of ten, at the Omak Stampede, I witnessed an unusual view of the humor of those days among the men of the 1950's.
     As was the tradition at that time, the teepees of the Native Americans had a special place within walking distance of the rodeo grounds. When entering from the parking lot, everyone had to walk the teepee pathway to enter the stadium. As was the custom of Penticton Jack, he wore a large saddle bronc belt buckle won previously by a friend of his, Ellie Lewis. The native Americans all knew Jack and his girth, he was a famous Canadian beer drinker, renowned on both sides of the border. Their standing joke as Jack approached on the path was to bend over and try to read the inscription on his belt buckle. When seen in groups of two or three, it was noteworthy. When seen with groups of twenty or thirty, it was hilarious.

When I’m an Old Lady

                          By Mary Ann Hopkins

When I’m an old lady, I’ll live with my son

And make his life happy and filled with such fun.

I want to pay back all the joy he’s provided,

Returning each deed, Oh he’ll be so excited

When I’m an old lady and live with my son

I’ll write on the wall with red, white and blue

And bounce on the furniture wearing my shoes

I’ll drink from the carton and then leave it out

I’ll stuff all the toilets, and oh, he will shout

When I’m an old lady and live with my son

When he’s on the phone and just out of reach

I’ll get into things like sugar and bleach

Oh, he’ll snap his fingers and then shake his head,

And when he is done I’ll hide under the bed

When I’m an old lady and live with my son

When my son’s wife cooks dinner and calls me to meals,

I’ll not eat my green beans or salads congealed

I’ll gag on my okra, spill milk on the table,

And when she gets angry, run fast as I’m able

When I’m an old lady and live with my son

I’ll sit close to the TV, through the channels I’ll click

I’ll cross both my eyes to see if they stick

I’ll take off my socks and throw one away,

And play in the mud until the end of day

When I’m and old lady and live with my son

And later in bed, I’ll lay back and sigh,

And thank God in prayer and then close my eyes,

And my son will look down with a smile slowly creeping

And say with a groan, “she’s so sweet when she’s sleeping”

When I’m an old lady and live with my son

arms for sanity

The war in Iraq is ongoing even though the government says we won. I hear of servicemen still dying at the hands of those who have supposedly surrendered. The streets are filled with A.K. 47's that are banned in the land of the free. What kind of thinking is this? If we, as a free law-abiding people cannot be trusted to be responsible for automatic weapons, why should they? I believe most of the people in the U.S. should be trained with a variety of arms before they are 21 years old. This would serve a twofold purpose. It would train the young in the proper handling of firearms and acquaint those with a gift for such things. Once in our military it would identify those who aren’t capable of them. Is our government wary of our good judgment? I think the fight against domestic terrorism, by legislating stricter gun control for the law-abiding, is lost. I see the only option is to educate and train the lawful and uphold the existing laws. To do this we must change our focus from, law and government against everyone, to everyone against the felons. The more ignorant a person is about any subject, the more unprepared they are to deal with these new emergencies.

I would rather have my lawful neighbors equipped to protect me in a time of trouble than worry about how many felons are disregarding the current laws on gun control. If I am not trustworthy or competent, please don’t let me have any part in the responsibility that comes with owning a weapon. To tell the truth, I would never touch one again if we could get rid of them all at once, but that’s not going to happen.

So let’s be realistic and work on the good- thinking of the citizenry, we can trust most of them.

Get the most bang for your buck

Get the most bang for your buck. Get the most time for your term. Our bang and time is being wasted on other people’s bucks and terms. From politics to entertainment, where did these people get such fame for doing so little. I'm ashamed of the society that can put so high a regard on the professions of acting or politics when both are based on deception. I’m also ashamed of us for allowing them to use our lives for their purposes. Not only are we dictated to on the programming of our television’s content, we have no input into length of political campaigning leading up to any election day. Just because we put up with holiday advertising two months in advance, those who claim to be the “smartest men in the room”, think the new rule of thumb is “whatever load the ass will bear”.

     Let’s start with this political thinking, limits on all politics, terms, campaigns, size, thoughts. We have to begin our search for a method of living that encompasses most of our legal citizens. Those that say being a politician is difficult have never had a difficult job. All politicians must always remember that being elected is not a mandate, it’s only a job and anyone can do it