SPRING 2016

Spring is a reluctant lover this year

One time warm and sunny, another

Frightened away by March's lingering harshness

Soon to be overcome

by the gentleness of Nature's call.

PUNCH AND JUDY AND DONALD

A long time ago,. when we were children, our parents took my sister, my brother and me to a very special place.  At the time we lived next to a beautiful, sometimes violent Ocean that had piers extending from its shore to its waters.

One such pier was a truly magical place that we entered by a boardwalk. Before we went
inside, we stood outside to watch  live Punch and Judy puppets.

Each time when Judy said something that would upset Punch, he yelled at her, and punched
her in the head until she fell down.

We could not hear what he had said but we were sure it was something awful. We would yell
and scream and jump up and down in consort what was happening on the stage. Our screaming
drowned out the sound of the Ocean, just a few feet away.

When we went inside we walked across old boards and could see the Ocean below as the tide
came in with great swells.  We were sure each swell would gobble us up.

At the end of the pier there were booths with all kinds of dazzling stuff from stuffed animals, toys and games at which we could "win" some of the stuff .

The smells of pop corn, fudge, and french fried potatoes over-powered the smell of  salty sea breezes that drifted our way.
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When we spotted a lopsided dark structure, called the "Fun House", its  loud sound track and
its raucous laughter fascinated us but also made us a little reluctant to proceed. But proceed
we did.

Once inside, there were mirrors that made us look skinny or fat, short or tall and whistles and
scary sounds came from everywhere, the floor, the wall, the ceiling.  There were
many doors, each opening into something more scary giving us the feeling we would soon
come upon one that opened and dumped us into the sea below.

At the end of the pier a very tall ladder and platform held the famous, real live Diving Horse and blond-haired rider.  We never gave a thought to the harm that could befall the rider or horse because
both had "magical" power that could keep them from harm.

There were costumed hawkers in flashy dress and tall, spangled hats, some with canes and megaphones who invited us to "buy a ticket", come inside and be treated to something
SPECTACULAR!

I thought of all of this, the high pitched organ grinder and monkey with a red and gold
pill box hat, the screams and squeals from children and adults alike, the pushing crowds,
the crying children who were "lost"as I watched Donald Trump and his entourage during
his campaign for "office."

I thought of the color and sounds of people as they watched  fetes of "magic"during a balmy
summer night when we knew for sure all these things were "true."

I think now and wonder how can we trade this country's lasting beauty for something or someone as grotesque as Donald Trump's call to "buy" into his brand of "magic."

Are we still looking for a ticket to the fun house or can we step back and distinguish "magical"
thinking from the real work we must do as citizens from the glitter of Donald Trump and the
Punch and Judy show?

WELCOME: PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARYCANDIDATES!

Presidential primary candidates for President of the United States of America welcome
to the great state of Missouri!

We welcome each of you. We want you to know we anxiously await what you have to say.
We want to learn where you stand on issues that will affect the quality of our lives.

For too long this lovely State has been seen as out of the main stream of this Country's
laws and politics, sometimes bringing that reputation on ourselves.

We should tell you that we know the differences between blarney, emmes and the high sales
pitch exerted by traveling salespeople. In our history, we have had many traveling salespeople
come here, stay and establishd many of our fine institutions, yet were less than truthful.

Some even tried, unsuccessfully, to convince us that Federal Laws that helped bring about
equitable justice for all of us did not apply beyond state borders.

With the help of a handful of journalists, county and slender, once great
newspapers exposed the discrepancy in systems which became enamoured
of their own importance and now will be covering each of you as well.

As voters, we know the process of representation is not an easy one.  We know too that
none of government, with all of its foibles, happens overnight. We are prepared to hear you
out but we urge you to be mindful of our intelligence and life experience.

We are voters living in a great State through which one of he world's greatest rivers
runs sometimes respected by us and other times abused by us.

We are all too familiar with voices that tell us there is no such thing as climate change
even as historical floods and winds have destroyed all we hold dear.

We are a State filled with immigrants, racial, religious and  non-believers who know
the benefits that can be accrued from learning and working together.

Above all else, we know that we are living in a time of great change.  We may not
fully comprehend what this means  to each of us.

But we recognize our responsibility as voters to honor calls for equitable fairness
and justice  by using the ballot not by using strong-armed bullies.

So, welcome to Missouri candidates.  We will see you at the polls!