Bits & Pieces

National Upset: I think it is easy to say that Americans are upset with the Trump regime. It is marked by an all-out war on immigration, the very heart and soul of what built our nation and what continues to provide population growth and vitality. Simply put, immigration defines us. Denigrating any segment of the immigrant population demeans all of us.

Then there is the war against drug trafficking. I say war because the military is told to eliminate small boats plying the Pacific and Caribbean oceans. Small boats with 8 to 15 crew. Boxes of drugs, not enormous shipments. Military missiles targeting small boats. Killing crew members outright and then revisiting them to be certain all are dead. Horrific actions pitting an international military force against a police matter. Do it right or not at all. There are other means to defeat the drug cartels. No shortcuts allowed. Full due process, please.

Then we can speak of a war against public education. All these mentions of war. Why such an overspeak of annihilation? Why not discussion of issues and problems to solve instead of wholistic attacks on complicated matters which deserve deep and heartfelt discussion? Why must the world be run by one person’s opinion? That’s not democracy. It is idiocy considering the person involved.

No wonder Americans are perplexed and upset.

Holiday Spirit: Despite the above, the holiday spirit survives. Of course, it is mostly about the kids and our memory of once being one, but it is much more than that. It is the one time of year we can celebrate our loved ones, our families and close friends, our successes and individual personhoods. Internally, it is a time with no apologies. That’ s a very good thing to have once a year. A time to be pleased with self and close surroundings. It allows us freedom to think of broader goals and purpose. We are capable of much if we allow ourselves to think upon them freely.

Aging: This is not a complaint of declining health and increasing pain. No, it is a statement that aging is the accumulation of wisdom through living life for a long time. Things make more sense with experience. Time allows us the ability to look back and understand earlier happenings. They happened with much more cause and interaction with unseen details than we had previously understood. This is true of most things, really. With time, concentration and thinking logically, we understand life more clearly. That’s a good thing. And yes, it does cause pain to realize all of that, just not health related pain!

December 8, 2025

 

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