Our War Dead

Unfortunately there is an intellectual disconnect between some members of the United States Air Force and the dignity of treating our war dead with honor.

Here’s the story from the Washington Post:

“The Air Force dumped the incinerated partial remains of at least 274 American troops in a Virginia landfill, far more than the military had acknowledged, before halting the secretive practice three years ago, records show.

The landfill dumping was concealed from families who had authorized the military to dispose of the remains in a dignified and respectful manner, Air Force officials said. There are no plans, they said, to alert those families now.”

Shame on these men and woman and officers who allowed this desecration to take place. Shame on the Air Force for fostering a dispassionate climate that tacitly condoned such an action.

All of our war dead must have the honor in death that they carried into battle. It does not matter whether a piece of flesh can be identified to a specific warrior. It only matters that all  remains are honored and buried and marked for further generations to acknowledge in tribute.

Weather Predictions

It is one of those wonderful evenings where the rain continues to announce its presence on the roof and the temperatures fall into the thirties.

The weather folks think we might get several inches of snow by morning. I think not! Two to four is my prediction.

Actually I have experience in weather predictions. Two stories come to mind. Years ago when I was first starting out in my television career I was hired to do the weather in Fort Wayne, Indiana along with some other things.

I did not know a damn thing about the weather so I bought a small paperback book about “How to forecast the weather,” by Eric Sloan.  It worked, for I had that job for a few months before somebody left and I was now the news anchor. My suspicion is that I was better at news reporting that I was as a weather forecaster.

But hey! It worked!

The other story concerns an instantaneous prayerful petition to the Almighty. I was with the late Cardinal Terrance Cooke of New York.

I was covering, in Rome, Italy, the funeral of Pope John Paul the First. I set up an interview with Cardinal Cooke at his official residence in Rome at North American College. It was pouring rain.

I asked his Eminence to join me in prayer. I said, “ Dear God, I need fifteen minutes of no rain to walk and talk with one of your guys in the garden. Amen.

Cardinal Cooke said, with a smile, I hope it works. Fifteen minutes later the clouds parted, the sun shone and we walked and talked in the garden.

When we finished it started to rain again. I looked at the Cardinal and said you see Your Eminence, “The power of prayer.”

He repsonded after a short pause, "No Rolland, it is the power of the press."

December 7th, 1941 Pearl Harbor

There was a time, not too many years ago, that a friend of mine, a retired naval officer, then a successful businessman, wanted to talk to one of my sons about attending Annapolis.

         My friend was a good man, a survivor of Pearl Harbor, but he had one flaw. He hated the Japanese and he took every opportunity in business, in public, and in private to say so.

         I told him he could not talk to my son, unless he  could let go of his hatred, for I didn’t want a seventeen year old, at that time,  influenced by such an old festering hate.

         When you hate you create a bond as powerful as love. The great teachings suggest that what you hate you attract to you.  To love your enemies, does not mean approving of their actions, in means loving the part of them that is inherently good and then forgive. Not forget, but forgive.

         My friend thought about our discussion for several months. One week he called to tell me whe was going to visit Japan. And he was going to stop at Pearl Harbor.

         He asked if he could talk to my son. I said “yes”.

HBTM

This is a special day for many folks around the globe. 

There are now seven billion of us on the planet and since there are only 365 days in the year it is probably fair to say that there are lot of us who are celebrating a birthday today.

And I thought I was special.

See what the ego can do.

Have a great day my friends.

rgs

Trump's Folly

One of the most asinine events to come out of the Republican campaign to choose a party nominee is to have Donald Trump moderate a debate hosted by the conservative magazine Newsmax.

It’s supposed to take place on December 27 in Des Moines, Iowa.

To their credit Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman will skip the debate citing concerns about the seriousness of the event. This kind of faux debate with the Trump ego moderating is a distraction and diminishing to the electoral process.

Gingrich, to his detriment, has accepted the Trump invitation. He says it has entertainment value. Gingrich currently leads in Iowa, with Paul in second and Romney trailing in third place.

It seems that Donald Trump will do and say anything for publicity. His kind of buffoonery demotes the GOP campaign into the absurd, slapstick and vaudevillian category.

No wonder politics and politicians have such low approval ratings. It is a one-act farce with a Harlequin moderator.

A Starry night

A Starry Night

© 2011 Rolland G. Smith

Behold the beauty sown in light

To bright the way of inner mist

Upon the canvas of the night.

Before the darkness goodnight kiss.

The naked trees of winter time

Pay homage in their silent prayer

To All That Is as Source sublime.

Their gowns of green no longer there.

We often ask to see the love

Of something greater than the mind.

A pristine sky and stars above

Are answers when the two combine.

My President

Someone asked a question on my blog post about “Herman Cain Again.”

The question was who would I like to see as President of the United States?

My President has no name as yet, but he or she would have a powerful command of the English language so that explanations, policies, and choices would be explained in clear, understandable words.

(I will now use the world “he” as generic including both genders.)

My President would be honest and truthful to a fault and would look for the greater good in all-political relationships.

My President would not be politically fearful of making the tough decisions. He will have declared that he would serve only one term to be of pure service to the American people.

My President would strive to return the freedoms, guarantees and protections we have given up out of fear.

My President’s platform would be to establish term limits for all members of Congress. He would eliminate the double standard that Congress voted themselves and require all members to rejoin the Social Security and health care systems.

My President would prevent former members of Congress from becoming lobbyists and make it a law that members of Congress must put all their assets into a blind trust when serving the people.

My President will have come from common stock, not from a political dynasty. He will have traits and qualities of Gandhi, Jesus, Mohammed, and Krishna. He will have the humor of Will Rogers and Mark Twain. He will have the political acumen of Jefferson, Lincoln and Reagan and his campaign slogan will be “COMPROMISE FOR THE GREATER GOOD.”