Playing Natives

Post war Maryland was an expansion frontier for Washington’s wartime employees converted to peacetime employees. Little box houses went up everywhere faster than babies were being born.  I was born in a maternity hospital, Columbia, and there were so many babies coming out  I remember my mother saying that I was born in the corridor because all the rooms were full. Actually, the war was still going on when I was born, but Germany surrendered three months later. I was at the leading edge of the baby boom.

Growing up in the baby boom generation meant one thing- you had a lot of friends your own age. You also had a lot of strangers your own age.  In fact, all my life I’ve felt surrounded by many people my own age. We’re growing older now and some of my dear friends and relatives have departed.  Living with so many good friends has a down side too- we have to say goodbye to them someday. But that’s another story.

When I was young I loved to play natives.  Don’t ask me what kind of native. I don’t remember. My native was a rich portrayal of what I saw on the Buster Brown Saturday morning Jungle Book, sprinkled with what I saw on Jungle Jim and Hopalong Cassidy. I knew one thing- natives didn’t wear a lot of cloths and sometimes they painted their faces and bodies. They usually carried spears or bows. They were stealthy and communicated with birdcalls and other animal impersonations. That was so cool.

Our neighbor had a bamboo thicket. I was always intrigued by bamboo. It grew so fast and straight. We’d sneak over and cut several long stalks every summer. We never asked if it was ok, but I’m sure it was. He had a lot of bamboo. They made great spears. I never was able to fasten a good stone point, but I tried. (In my heart I wished a native would come along and show me how it was done. I made do with my own recollections from books and movies.) We used to spend hours in a near by creek bed looking for flint and other stones that could knapped into arrowheads.  We found a lot of quartz crystals and lots of garnets embedded in sandstone, but sadly, no flint. The spear points we did make didn’t really make the spear stick into anything, but in hindsight the weight of the small stone did provide aerodynamic balance to make it fly straight and graceful, like you’d image it should.

I was standing in the front yard one hot sticky summer day with my brother, wearing a bathing suit, and painted lightly with a few stripes on my chest (war paint) holding our spears when an older boy walked by and asked, “What are you?”. I said,  “Natives”. I don’t think he believed me. He shook his head and walked on. For a split second I felt a little foolish for sharing my fantasy with a stranger.  We had convinced ourselves we were natives, but in one passing inquiry our play world was exposed for what it really was- the pleasure of imagination.

Playing natives never had the same thrill for me after that day. I grew older and wiser too. I could see the flaws in the game we played. It wasn’t real anymore, but while it was real, we had fun and we were natives.

Protect Thy Image at Any Cost

Sure, Breitbart is a right wing scum bag who lied, cheated, and deliberately defamed the character of Shirley Sherrod, an amazing, intelligent woman of rich character and humility, simply to embarrass the President and seek revenge against he NAACP for stating the obvious- the Tea Party displays racial bigotry at most of their rallies. 

But the Administration was equally unethical in their actions as they aided and abetted the lynching of Shirley before the truth was known. The President is so fixated on being scandal free, no member of the administration is beyond a risk of the being tossed under the bus when perception is reality, and truth is just too slow and too politically damaging to endure while being sought after.

Van Jones and ACORN are off in the ditch as well. Rather than stand up to the lies and fight these slanderous scum bags, the President appears to see these temporary embarrassments as collateral damage that must be tolerated to keep the ship of state on course for the really important stuff. Well Mr. President, I disagree. Nothing is more important than seeking the truth and debunking slanderous attacks against people, especially friends and colleagues. By repeatedly throwing his team under bus, his core leadership skills are brought into question. Someday, he may turn around and find nobody standing behind him.

While the press hasn’t even hinted at a similarity to the Reverend Wright fiasco, I’d like to bring that sordid affair back to point out that it may have been an early warning indicator of how Barrack Obama manages his image while thumping over the people he tosses under his bus. Rev Wright was summarily denounced by then Senator Obama when a 10 second clip of a video showed the Reverend saying, “… not God Bless America, …God Damn America…” Few, if any people, took the time to watch and listen to the entire sermon.  Sound familiar? The outcry of disgust from all political directions for Wright daring to utter a profanity against America was beyond repair, and the sound bite was just too politically damaging for the young Senator to even attempt to come to the defense of the man who married him.

I watched the full video of Reverend Wright's sermon. It was classic fire and brimstone black rhetoric, aimed at an audience of African Americans who understood the message, and who had lived the words of his message. And what was the message?  Simply this- a country founded in slavery, where slaves were 3/5ths of a human, where white people fought and died for preservation of slavery, a country that wrote “Jim Crowe” laws to institutionalize a post slavery two class system for over a hundred years, a country that denied free blacks even the right to vote, and lynched them for trying- is not righteous behavior. And Reverend Wright asked the congregation- can God bless America for those injustices? Is this behavior and actions of a people that God should bless? No, God damns America for those injustices and so should every American. 

That was the message that earned the Reverend national disgrace with Barack Obama leading he charge. He was the first body thrown under the bus, and Shirley Sherrod won't be the last as long as the ethic of political image trumps the ethic of truth.

GOP Stealing from the Poor and Giving to the Rich

On July 11, 2010, Republican Senator Minority Whip John Kyl went on record stating that he believes the Bush tax cuts for people making more than $200,000 a year should be continued.  This comes after all GOP Senators voted to end an extension of long-term unemployment benefits. There you have it in the simplest terms. The GOP is an anti-Robin Hood- stealing from the poor to pay the rich.  The GOP leadership must think all unemployed workers are Democrats. 

Unfortunately, the voting base of the GOP isn’t rich, they’re average Americans, but they cling to a party that gives them hope- even a dream-  that unbridled regulation and tax friendly free markets will someday be their enabler when they hit the mother load. They believe their party will be kind to them too, and even reward them with more money with a tax friendly philosophy.  They cling to their dream even when they are laid off from an impersonal non-union employer, even when they find themselves unable to pay medical bills, even when they can’t find work, even when their unemployment checks stop coming in the mail. I wonder…

The cry from the GOP is the Democrats are increasing big government and taking over our lives.  I’m sympathetic to a libertarian view that less government is good. All government restricts freedoms. The role of government should be applied with the utmost discretion. The bigger our country gets, the bigger government gets. There is no escaping the inevitable, but we should extend government’s role in our lives only when the greater good is being served- to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare.

The debate rages on as to how much government is needed to uphold the great Preamble of our Constitution.  What is unexplainable is how average American GOP victims “of less government is good” continue to believe they are better off under Republicans as they stand in the unemployment line and file for bankruptcy.

Our Wacky New Central Command Leader (pending a rubber stamp from the Senate)

Geez- I think we were better off with General McChrystal.  Is General Mattis the best the Dept of Defense can do? This guy thinks it's fun to kill people! (see the story below)  No wonder we have been in Afghanistan for 9 years. The leaders don’t want the “fun” to stop! If we leave Iraq and Afghanistan, the poor General won’t have anybody he can go shoot. This reminds me of the Vietnam General that executed a man on the street- (he was last seen operating a restaurant in Virginia.) 

If we can ever get out of these countries, maybe we can get all these Generals a job at McDonalds flipping hamburgers. I can’t see them doing anything else with any credibility. Only in the military could a ranking executive put his foot in his mouth and continue to be promoted.  I feel badly for the troops who must obey and follow a leader of such questionable character.

This video is unbelievable:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkXtWwNDSdA&feature=player_embedded

Here’s a CNN story on the General:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/07/09/marine.commandant/index.html?hpt=Sbin

'Tough talking' general up for Iraq, Afghanistan command

By Mike Mount, CNN Senior Pentagon Producer

July 9, 2010 5:33 p.m. EDT

Gen. James Mattis would replace Gen. David Petraeus, who takes over command of the war in Afghanistan.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Gen. James Mattis recommended as next Central Command leader

He is known for his leadership in the 2004 battle of Falluja

His blunt talk has gotten him in trouble

Defense secretary: Mattis will speak "in an entirely appropriate way"

Washington (CNN) -- A controversial and leading U.S. general is in line to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis -- if he wins presidential and Senate approval -- will move from being the outgoing commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command to leading the U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. The command also monitors Iran.

He would take over the post left open by the departure of Gen. David Petraeus, who was asked to take over command of the war in Afghanistan.

Mattis was an effective leader in the Marine Corps, in the eyes of the Pentagon, while commanding troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Known for his straight talk and hard-core leadership of Marines in the 2004 battle of Falluja, Iraq, Mattis is considered a dark-horse pick by many in the halls of the Pentagon.

His blunt talk has gotten him in trouble: In 2005 he said, "It's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them," referring to Afghan fighters.

Asked if the general would be an effective leader for the Central Command region with the shadow of the comments still lingering, Gates said Thursday, "Appropriate action was taken at the time. I think that the subsequent five years have demonstrated that the lesson was learned."

"Obviously, in the wake of the Rolling Stone interview, we discussed this kind of thing. And I have every confidence that General Mattis will respond to questions and speak publicly about the matters for which he is responsible in an entirely appropriate way," Gates said.

The Rolling Stone interview led to the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, then the commander in Afghanistan, because of negative comments about Obama administration officials made by him and his aides.

Mattis' comment in 2005 was made when the then-three-star general was in a panel discussion before an audience.

"Actually, it's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot," he said, prompting laughter from some military members in the audience. "It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up there with you. I like brawling," he said.

"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil," he said. "You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."

The commandant of the Marine Corps at the time, Gen. Michael Hagee, counseled Mattis about the remarks but defended him publicly, calling him "one of this country's bravest and most experienced military leaders."

Video: New Central Command head announced

RELATED TOPICS

Afghanistan

David Petraeus

Robert Gates

"While I understand that some people may take issue with the comments made by him, I also know he intended to reflect the unfortunate and harsh realities of war," he said in a written statement. "Lt. Gen. Mattis often speaks with a great deal of candor."

Mattis also was the commanding general overseeing the case of the now-infamous slayings of civilians by Marines in Haditha, Iraq.

Some 24 civilians were killed on November 19, 2005, in what a human rights group and military prosecutors said was a house-to-house rampage by Marines after a roadside bomb killed one of their comrades.

Eight Marines were charged, and all but one were cleared, some of them by Mattis.

Mattis also was the overseeing authority in the murder case involving eight Marines found guilty of taking part in a plot to drag an Iraqi man from his home, kill him and then make it look like the man was an insurgent. That incident occurred near the western Iraqi town of Hamdania in April 2006.

Mattis later cut the sentences of at least two of the Marines involved in the plot.

Mattis had been preparing to retire after finishing his latest command, Gates said.

"General Mattis is one of our military's outstanding combat leaders and strategic thinkers, bringing an essential mix of experience, judgment and perspective to this important post," Gates said.

"General Mattis has proven to be one of the military's most innovative and iconoclastic thinkers. His insights into the nature of warfare in the 21st century have influenced my own views about how the armed forces must be shaped and postured for the future."

Taking out the Trash

Post War Maryland was like all of America- new suburbs were everywhere, exploding with new found consumerism- new homes, new roads, new cars, and new families- all living the American dream. Some people had new air conditioning. We didn’t have air conditioning.

The summers were almost unbearable, but we didn’t know that.  I remember the railing in the stairwell being wet with condensation in the morning.  Many nights were so hot and humid, as children we slept in our tent in the backyard. That made the nights bearable and fun. I remember the smell of the oil canvas tent and reading comic books by flashlight. I would also occasionally catch a whiff of our garbage in the backyard  too.

We kept our trash in the backyard- way back, far away from the house where the stench of rotten meat and vegetable garbage could not be detected. (We didn’t have a garbage disposal and composting was unheard of.)  We had town garbage pickup. I always felt bad for the garbage men for what they had to endure. These black men, more old than young, wore bright yellow raincoats to protect themselves from the dripping garbage that oozed out of their canvas tarps. They lived in town, in an all black neighborhood called KenGar. That was short for Kensington Gardens- our trash men all lived there. I remember driving through the neighborhood one afternoon with an older friend who had a car. I couldn’t believe the poverty and the small size of their homes.

Later, when I attended Junior High, I got to know some black kids for the first time. They lived in KenGar. Some guys were nicer than others- like all people. I remember two black friends, Tick and Boojie. Tick was intimidating, a Joe Frazier type, but Boojie was kind hearted- my own fat Albert. Our schools were integrated, but our neighborhoods weren't. One day after gym Boojie pressed me up against the locker. I felt like a beached whale landed on me. Tick stood by and laughed. I was glad Boojie was picking on me and not Tick. Tick had an edge and scared me. He was a trouble maker. Looking back, I admire his edgy personality. I hope he fought like hell to change things.

Getting back to the trash--like all southern communities, it was socially unheard of for white people to carry their garbage cans to the curb. This was clearly not our station in life. These poor black garbage men had to go far into the backyard of every home and dump the trash into their wet, smelly canvas tarps, gather up the corners, and carry it back to the street where they would fling the dripping tarp into the back of the truck. They’d roll the trash off the tarp, give it a shake, and walk to the next house. Plastic trash bags had not been invented. The smell was revolting.

I moved to New Hampshire when I was 14.  My first and most shocking sight was a garbage truck in Manchester with white garbage men riding on the back of the truck. They didn’t have tarps either. They didn’t wear yellow raincoats. They looked like a typical service station attendant, dressed in their clean blue Dickies and wearing baseball caps. I also noticed that white people were required to carry their trash cans to the curb for pick up. Everybody did it- mill workers and doctors. I realized then that carrying trash to the curb wasn’t so bad, even egalitarian really, and I felt sad for the poor black garbage men back in Maryland, and everywhere south of the Mason Dixon Line.

Elena Kagan- You go girl!

Elena Kagan will inevitably be confirmed to the Supreme Court despite the rantings of Senator Sessions - the singular self-appointed GOP hatchet man. Senator Graham tip toed into politically incorrect territory with his innuendo question, “You are a Jew, right?” by asking her what she did on Christmas. She tactfully replied, “Like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant”. Funny thing is, I don’t recall any senator asking Chief Justice Roberts what he did on Passover… A most bazaar question, but I loved her reply!

Congress would be an empty chamber if Congressmen had to undergo a similar grilling before taking their seat. Unlike Congress, getting to the Supreme Court takes a lot more than obscene amounts of money or personal wealth to purchase mindless TV ads,  many years of clawing your way through the party machinery, all the while leaving most of your integrity behind as collateral damage in exchange for political capital.

By contrast, the Supreme Court just takes talent, great education, intelligence and luck- the kind of luck that gets you into Princeton; the kind of luck that gets you into Oxford; the kind of luck that gets you into Harvard Law School; the kind of luck that gets you a clerk position on the Supreme Court; the kind of luck that gets you a position as legal counsel to the President, and oh yes, the kind of luck that gets you approved by the Senate as the first female US Solicitor General.

Elena Kagan has been very lucky, but that much luck is no accident. America is lucky to have her.