THEY STILL CALL MY NAME

                              They Still Call My Name  

                

When my dear mother called and included my middle name

“Glenn Coleman, come here, your folly causes us shame”

When my classmates playfully warned me on our school bus

“Glenn, I’m tellin’ your mom, you sure ain’t supposed to cuss”

When my frantic coach wanted disparately to win this game

“Peck, get in there, stop limping, just play through that pain”

Glenn <><

Just West of Yesterday

SOME OLD FRIENDS

        Some Old Friends                                

                                                                 

As a boy I stalked the elusive Moby Dick

Armed with a safety pin and cane stick

Far away England lived David Copperfield

Thrilling hours of suspense he did yield

Tom Sawyer and his good pal Huck Finn

Came by to see me time and time again

I wonder if sleepy old Rip Van Winkle

Awoke to find his skin had wrinkled

Glenn<><

Just West of Yesterday

KILLING CURSIVE

                                                 
Apology to Bill O’Reilly for borrowing from his best-selling book titles. This letter attempts to answer two questions: (1) Why cursive matters. And (2), why is cursive writing one ballpoint pen away from flat lining? (Pun intended)

1.     Cursive writing matters because students taking longhand notes do better on tests. Teachers and parents, take a deep breath and sit down, and look up studies at Princeton, University of California, Scientific American, Psychological Science, Research Gate, Psychology Today, et. al. Beyond the objective rationale for cursive note taking, there is, in my opinion, cursive writing reveals the distinctive identity of the writer. Furthermore, a cursive writer is not burdened by the starts and stops of keyboard activity. Thoughts, the good, the bad, and the ugly flow unhindered from the moving pencil or pen. A cursive writer never stops to find an emoji or emoticon to express their feeling. Well known authors who do their writing in cursive are Quentin Tarantino, Joyce Carol Oates, Amy Tan, Tom Wolfe, Danielle Steel, George Clooney, and many more. Many musical composers use a special form of cursive to write their songs. (You might call it “note” taking!)

2.     The usual suspects of the computer and cell phone as the major culprits in destroying cursive writing. I prefer to look a bit farther down the digital stream to the ink jet and laser printers. Every well-formed character is antiseptic and displays a dispassionate similarity; when you see one machine-printed “E”, you have seen them all. Venturing even further upon this theme, in my opinion, political correctness and the homogeneous everyone gets a trophy view of society, disdains cursive as too distinctive, too individualized, and too much an indicator of hard work and effort.

Not everyone agrees with my line of reasoning. (Another pun). Josh Giesbrecht, writing in The Atlantic, August, 2015, “How the ballpoint pen killed cursive” describes the history of the ballpoint pen and how it displaced the fountain pen which started the rapid decline of cursive writing. His clinching argument is---hang on for it---cursive died because people could not properly hold a ballpoint pen! (Just think this writer was probably paid by the word.)  The best part of his article is a description of Bic’s “Fight for Your Write” slogan. For the record: I euphemistically refer to myself as a “Hillbilly with a ballpoint pen.”

Glenn<><

Just West of Yesterday

A POEM POSTED FOR A FRIEND

See The Following URL:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43331/i-knew-a-woman

Glenn <><
Just West of Yesterday 

SOMETHING 'BOUT STEAM LOCOMOTIVES

 


Something ‘bout Steam Locomotives

Steam engines, even at rest, always sounded ready to go

Their skeleton was on the outside, and muscle they did show

The smoke, whistle and the steam told all nothing to hide

Huff and puff; start slow at first, then fast with fire inside

With determined focus that old engine never had to look back

Connected train cars followed that engine, all stayed on track

Glenn <><

Just West of Yesterday

"AS SEEN ON TV"

                        “As Seen on TV”  

        

I don’t know about you, I can only speak for me

This Christmas, all gifts come from “As Seen on TV”

What great deals, get one free, pay only an extra fee

No traffic, no lines when you just shop “As Seen on TV”

Knives to cut, glues to mend, and sunglasses to help you see

Widest selections and best prices when you shop “As Seen on TV”

Glenn <><

Just West of Yesterday

REVERSE ENGINEERED POLITICS

                                     REVERSE ENGINEERED POLITICS

Forget Roswell, Area 51 and Hanger 18; instead, think Washington, D.C. For those who may have stayed too long in “Sleepy Hollow”, UFO advocates strongly contend alien spacecraft were recovered in the 1947 Roswell, NM crash, secretly taken to Hanger 18 on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and then transferred to the impenetrable Area 51 where scientists have reversed engineered the out of this world technology and constructed similar craft, maybe, even new and improved versions.

I personally doubt the reversed engineered hypothesis concerning UFOs. I have no such doubts when it comes to politics that constantly, predictably, and inevitably swarm into our print and electronic media from that great ”Twilight Zone” situated in our nation’s capital. Here’s my reasoning:

1.     Pick any political topic and advocates from the Right or the Left will take a stance solely dependent, not on any logic, but simply on party affiliation. In other words, skillfully constructed lines of “reasoning and sure fire evidence” that are determined not by merits or truth, but where the politician stands. Sadly, they prove again and again the old political axiom, ‘Where you stand depends on where you sit.” Reverse engineered politics.

2.     A previously shared true illustration drives home this point. During my military career I took a very long and detailed communication and electronics course at Keesler AFB, MS in 1966. One of my instructors was a college-educated and technologically knowledgeable person from the local area. During a classroom break, I mentioned Ralph Nader’s book--- “Unsafe at Any Speed”--- and I said former Attorney General, Robert Kennedy supported the book which described the many safety hazards in the Chevrolet Corvair.  The time and the location are crucial to understanding his immediate response, “If Bobby Kennedy is for it, and then I guess I’m against safety.” Reverse engineered politics.

3.     The current maelstrom over President Trump’s nomination of Judge Kavanagh for the Supreme Court represents my contention to the maximum degree. If Trump is for it, the Democrats and their supportive media acolytes are not only against the nomination, there is a not so covert attempt to fight a classic military delaying action until the cavalry—make that November elections---arrives. Reverse engineered politics.

Regardless of the Kavanagh outcome, the American public has daily witnessed the bloody “open heart surgery” of reverse engineered politics.

Glenn <><

Sign of the Times

                                             MY OPINION  

If uncorroborated and unproven allegations become the new criterion of guilt, Lady Justice can remove her blindfold, hock the scales of justice, and make a swift trip to the supermarket and purchase the latest tabloid issue and go home with a clear conscience. 

(Submitted to “The Daily Oklahoman”  9-17-18)

Glenn <><

Just West of Yesterday

Another Letter to Editor of Local Newspaper

                                               Maybe it’s the Corn

Maybe it’s the name “Ben.” Well, it could be a combination of both. The fact remains those two Nebraska U.S. Senators named Ben, though a decade apart, has captured the national political spotlight. Oklahomans know all too well Nebraska is called the Cornhusker State. Consider:

1.     The fiercely debated Obama Care legislation was passed in the U.S. Senate in 2009 with several widely publicized “incentives” to secure the votes of some senators that were on the fence. Several Democrat senators received additional motivation to secure the needed 60 votes. Tennessee received federal funding for hospitals in rural areas of the state. The State Bank of North Dakota, yes, there is a state bank in North Dakota, was the only state granted permission to continue to process student loans. One of the most widely publicized holdouts was Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana who earned $300 million dollars in additional Medicaid funding for her 59^th vote. The media dubbed her support as the “Louisiana Purchase.”

2.     Former Democrat Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, the needed 60^th vote, received $100 million additional Medicaid dollars for his state. His vote was widely heralded as the infamous “Cornhusker Kickback.” Subsequent action by the House of Representatives removed the $100 million from the budget. Most readers know Obamacare was passed without a single Republican vote.

3.       Enter Republican U.S. Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, (another Ben), he told a nationwide TV audience Sunday on “Meet the Press” that he often thinks of leaving the Republican Party to become an Independent. He cited his frustration with the gridlock in Congress as his reason. Also, he said he had no plans to run for the presidency in 2020. In my opinion, the timing of his appearance might, repeat, might signal his requirement for some sort of concession from the Trump Administration. President Trump is well aware every Republican senator will be needed to secure the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. Furthermore, a threat, even a veiled threat, to oppose President Trump in 2020 is something the president will surely want to avoid.

4.       I find it interesting, probably coincidental, that two U.S. Senators, one former and one current, both named Ben, and both from the Cornhusker State are such key players in our national political agenda.

Glenn <><

Just West of Yesterday

POETRY IS EMOTIONAL SHORTHAND

What follows are two recent poetical efforts:

           Any Day Now

Come late winter or early spring

I’ll tackle this oft-delayed thing

My intentions are honest; my motives pure

But putting off afflicts even the mature

Any day now I’ll get started; no more debate

Just permit me one more day to procrastinate!        

 

                            Fancy Company Dishes

Unmatched deeply cracked plates and chipped cups were for daily use

Yet porcelain soldiers rested expectantly and never wounded by abuse

These exactly alike dishes were used only when visitors came for a rest

We were forbidden to touch them; Mom cautioned they were her best 

Mom and the dishes are gone; yet we recall her constant dining wishes

At the Banquet, when she arrived, she saw only Fancy Company Dishes  

Glenn <><

REMEMBERING JOHN MCCAIN

 

                       John McCain Remembered

 If you live long enough, many things from your past will greatly help in    understanding the present. Specifically, the late Senator McCain’s POW experience in the “Hanoi Hilton” comes into a sharper focus as I recall the three personal discussions I have had with former American POWs. One of the WWII POWs was imprisoned in Germany and the other survived the Bataan Death March. The Vietnam War POW was a “guest” of the North Vietnamese. I have no words to adequately describe their physical and emotional terrors. Hopefully, what follows honors his wartime experience and attempts to describe his sometimes confusing role in the U.S. Senate:

1.  John McCain was the son of a U.S. Navy Admiral and a grandson of yet another U.S. Navy Admiral. No doubt there were a lot of expectations placed on his young shoulders. Nevertheless, the choice was ultimately his to not run to Canada and to enter the U.S. Naval Academy. His four years at Annapolis, coupled with rigorous flight training, especially, flying an A-4 jet aircraft off of the aircraft carrier Forrestal into hostile skies over North Vietnam surely places him on the doorstep of hero status. (I leave to readers to sort through the supposed reports of an alleged nickname for naval pilot McCain--- “Johnny Wet Start”--- and the tragic fire aboard the Forrestal that claimed 134 lives.)

2.                       Life in the “Hanoi Hilton” is well documented in Admiral Denton’s revealing     account—“When Hell Was In Season.” The five plus years as a POW and torture surely earns the accolade of “Hero” for John McCain. Seldom mentioned, but well documented, is the fact John McCain made recordings while he was a POW expressing an apology to the North Vietnamese.  (AZCentral.com). While this is a clear violation of the U.S. Code of Conduct, there is some consensus this action was coerced.

3.  John McCain. Senior Republican U.S. Senator from Arizona seemed to relish    the “Maverick” description given to him by the print and electronic media. Over the course of his long political career, he had about an 87% record of supporting Republican positions; however, his rating with the American Conservative Union at times dipped to 50% on their rating scale. He will always be remembered for his thumbs down vote on scraping Obama Care. (fivethirtyeight.com).

     Glenn <><   

 

SOMETHINGS NEVER SEEM TO CHANGE

                    

       I have changed, but the thrill remains the same!

                                   Jupiter

A month and one half from now and I will be 77 years old. Several 

of my teenage interests are still part of what made me what I am. I 

have just returned from outside where I observed the First Quarter 

Moon through my 80mm/400 mm focal length/refractor. I have 

never gotten over the thrill I experienced in Indiana as I looked 

through my very, very crude 2 inch objective refractor with about a

 48 inch focal length. The chances are excellent I was the only 

student in Paris Crossing High School, in Southern Indiana who 

a telescope. Several boys, and a few girls, peered through my $12 

monster and were awed by the craters on the Moon, Jupiter’s four 

moons, the rings of Saturn, and the phases of Venus. Sunspots 

could be projected onto a piece of white paper held some distance 

from the eyepiece. 

Over 60 years has passed since those clear skies were both my

entertainment and outdoor classroom. Several telescopes have 

come and gone, yet the joy of seeing God’s spectacular creation in 

the heavens has always remained the same. Nothing puts life into 

the proper physical perspective of seeing nebulae, star clusters,

double stars, and galaxies thousands, millions, of light years away. 

I'll never fully understand how the Creator and Sustainer of the

Universe finds time for me. WOW!

Glenn <><

   

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN--Maybe?

                              Mission Essential?  

                                                  

It galled me to hear comedians say, “Military Intelligence is an oxymoron.” For 20 years, I saw the fruits of such invaluable intelligence. What frustrated me even more was the use of the term “Mission Essential Personnel” in our many contingency operation plans for inclement weather, natural or man-made disaster, or government shutdown.  Without exception, those plans always said, “Only mission essential personnel need report for duty.”  Here is my analysis: 

The position description for every member of every unit was directly connected to the unit mission. Not every member (military and Department of Defense civilian) was designated as “Mission Essential.” In my mind, only two possible conclusions existed---(1) Too many personnel were assigned to the unit to support the mission or (2) The mission of the unit was of limited importance. That was then, this is now.

Threats and fears of a looming government shut down have produced discussions about such a shutdown not affecting “Mission Essential” employees. Further, conversations I have heard on radio/TV imply all affected government employees would be paid when the government restarts normal operation. Here are some of my opinions:

1.     The term “Shutdown” has ominous and, in my view, unwarranted suppositions. The fact is, military members will not abandon their duty stations, law enforcement personnel will not turn in their shields and weapons, aeronautical and maritime control members will not go on vacation and permit aircraft to fall from the sky or watch helplessly as tugs, ocean liners, oil tankers, and other water craft crash into piers or  other ships.

2.     Government shutdowns, as currently envisioned, are not without precedent. Recall: Presidents Ford-- 1 for 13 days; Carter-- 5 for 73 days; Reagan—9 for 56 days; Bush(H)—1 for 5 days; Clinton—2 for 50 days; and Obama—1 for 17 days. (VOX website). Remember, the world as we know it, did not end!  

3.     For all intents and purposes, the government shuts down every weekend. No one marches in the streets. No trolls crawl out on social media. And, no calls are made to talk shows demanding the government not close every Friday at 5pm. Today, the term “Government Shutdown” is now loaded with partisan political and desk pounding implications that border on the absurd. 

IF, the government shuts down, it might be an appropriate opportunity to objectively examine the true meaning of the term “Mission Essential."

Glenn <><
Just West of Yesterday