Today I joined Anna as she sat in the back yard on her porch swing watching birds, golfers, and the occasional squirrel. Yesterday we discovered our first golf ball on the path right beyond our fence. I had never worried about getting a window knocked out because 1. It is not my house; and 2. No one can be that bad a golfer. I was mostly wrong. There is a fairway that runs down a stretch of ground which separates us from the neighbors across the way. I have learned this is the 7th hole, but in order for a golf ball to get anywhere near us, the ball would have to be sliced with it careening across the rough, across the pond, across the rough on our side and on to the path or into our yard. It must have been a really, really bad shot.
I am a man with great sympathy for bad golfers. I was one once. Struggling to find a sport I could do with Tim and Joseph, a couple of the guys in the church in Shamrock helped me as much as one could to learn to play golf. I wanted to be good enough to take Tim and Joseph out to play. We would pack up some snacks, throw our golf clubs in the car, drive basically across the street to the clubhouse where we would play a round. It took Tim three tee offs to get the hang of the game, and right down the fairway he went. Joseph wasn't too interested in golf but loved snacks and driving the golf cart. I, on other hand was a masterful golfer hitting the mowing machine twice in the same place, and a cow in the next field.
Today, though, sitting on the swing, Anna and I witnessed a commotion next door. We have this neighbor dog—a rather big brown dog who doesn't like men. So if Lucy is outside, and I go outside she starts barking. JD has got her to roll over and let him pet her on her stomach. Today, Lucy and a squirrel were in the middle of a chase. Lucy was barking and running after the squirrel which was on the fence making a commotion the likes of which I have never heard. The squirrel was shrieking, jabbering and running back and forth on the fence top. I thought perhaps they were playing, but finally the squirrel still shrieking and jabbering ran into our yard past us and up to the tree closest to us. It did not stop till it got about two thirds of the way up the tree, and then from a safe place looked down at me and kept talking. I literally could hear it wheezing, and jabbering. So, I did my counselor thing(as Tim calls it) and my St Francis of Assisi thing and talked to the little scared squirrel. I have had so my experience in calming distraught folks down, I just started talking calmly and kindly to God's little creature. Obviously a minor squirrel, I tried to use my happy, kind voice, and for a few minutes we were actually talking at each other. I know that because I am a trained therapist and I recognize when people are talking, not understanding, and not listening. Yep, that was what was happening.
Oh, and our President went to Kenosha this afternoon. Against all requests to stay away, against any real rational reason for his presence in that volatile situation, Trump flew to Kenosha. Now of all the things Trump needs to do, being in Kenosha is not one of them. As one professor said, “Trump going to Kenosha is like filling up Air Force One with gasoline and and bringing fuel to the fire already there.” Trump is a fire starter, and I am not alone believing his incendiary statements, blatant racism, his demonizing immigrants, his disrespect for Hispanic professionals, have all created the perfect storm we are seeing as another round of race riots. His setting himself up as the “Law and Order President” is an oxymoron. DJT and “law and order” do not go in the same sentence. His life of corruption, his undermining of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Separation of Powers, the Department of Justice, our Military—nothing really has escaped his corruption.
On another note this evening, I saw on one of my news feeds that President Trump has been to four “dignified transfers” at Dover Air Force base since he has been President. His first was after he green lighted a special forces attack in Yemen President Obama had refused to authorized. Worse his decision was made over a dinner party not with his National Security Team in the Situation Room. It was at this first attendance at Dover the father of a slain William Ryan Owens, Bill Owens refused to shake the President's hand and told him he was responsible for the death of his son because he refused to consider the risks of that raid. Trump did not return for two years. And has only been three other times since that encounter. The truth is our Presidents should include Dover Air Force Base because the President needs to see the stark costs of the decisions he and Congress make. I think Congress should be there as well. They need to see the sacrifice, the human cost, the broken families that military action entered into too easily brings the families of this nation. Every man and women sent into harms way is a son or daughter of someone who will be immensely proud of their service, but broken by their unnecessary deaths. Trump played the coward and was scared away because he met raw grief(probably which he has never experienced) and was the focus of anger from a wounded father.
No president is perfect. None have been in the history of this nation. Some have been more noble and heroic than others, some have been more mediocre than others, some have been really, really bad. It is amazing in the history of this nation, few have fallen into the really bad category. Some have had great moral failures, and others great moral character. However, I will not be surprised if this current President becomes the #1 most immoral, corrupt, bad, incompetent president of them all.
He believes he belongs in a category of his own—Well Mr President, you succeeded. In this category you are without rivals.
Wash your hands, wear your mask for others, mind the gap, and be kind.
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