Category: Random Thoughts

The Standing of Labor

“Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital.  Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed.  Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much higher consideration.  Capital has its rights, which are as worthy of protection as any other rights.  Nor is denied that there is, and probably always will be, a relation between labor and capital, producing mutual benefits.  The error is in assuming that the whole labor community exists within that relation. …

The prudent, penniless beginner in the world, labors for wages for awhile, saves a surplus with which to buy tools or land for himself; then labors on his own account another while, and at length hires a new beginner to help him.  This is the just, and generous, and prosperous system, which opens the way to all – gives hope to all, and consequent energy, and progress, and improvement of condition to all.  No men living are more worthy to be trusted than those who toil up from poverty — none less inclined to take, or touch, aught which they have not honestly earned.  Let them beware of surrendering a political power which they already possess, and which, if surrendered, will surely be used to close the door of advancement against such as they, and to fix new disabilities and burdens upon them, till all of liberty shall be lost.”

  • Abraham Lincoln; Excerpt from the President’s Annual Message to Congress; December 3, 1861

Although many, including me, decry our seeming current descent toward autocracy, it is too easy to overlook that desperation spawns desperate measures, including the placement of hope in false Messiahs.  I fear we have fallen into the trap that Mr. Lincoln warned about over 150 years ago.  While there are obviously a number of factors that have contributed to our present dysfunctional political state, it is undeniable that almost a half century of policies encouraging greed over community have contributed mightily to where we find ourselves today.  Former President Ronald Reagan started this transition.  I consider Mr. Reagan a good man who truly believed that men, less regulated and less taxed, would do the right thing to ensure the betterment of all.  He was wrong.  I sincerely question whether our current president cares about the struggling millions, somehow blinded by calls of “freedom,” who follow him so ardently.  May we see the adoption – under the next president, if not this one – of policies that will start to remedy the inequities that have so sullied the American experience.  Let each of us take a moment during the coming weekend to remember and celebrate the efforts of those — both Americans and those from other lands — who toil, or yearn to toil, to make America stronger.

Enjoy the Holiday.

On Lady Liberty

We have recently returned from an east coast trip that created a series of cherished memories.  However, one is particularly worthy of note here:  our 8-year-old grandson was on his first adventure to New York, and he specifically asked to see the Statue of Liberty.

Given my New York roots and regular visits with family on the east coast while raising our own kids, before this latest trip we had been to the Statue quite a number of times.  For those who haven’t made the journey, it is a ferry circuit during which visitors stop at both the Statue and Ellis Island – now a museum — through which approximately 12 million immigrants speaking at least 30 different languages were processed between 1892 and 1954.

I recall admiring the Statue in past visits, but being more interested in Ellis Island Museum’s exhibits and artifacts. 

This time was different. 

It wasn’t that Ellis Island had any less meaning – given the assault on our immigration heritage now being wrought by President Donald Trump and his minions, it perhaps had more – but I noticed that as our ferry approached the Statue, a hush fell over the crowd.  Nobody – and there were a lot of people on this boat – said anything.  I expected to be primarily focused on our grandson’s reactions, but was surprised to find that I was just as much taken up by my own.  We all looked up with reverence, with wonder.

We have been to a lot of federal parks and monuments.   While for me a couple stand out — one cannot visit Gettysburg National Military Park without feeling that you tread upon sacred ground, nor visit the Lincoln Memorial without viscerally experiencing the somber and ponderous weight one man bore upon his shoulders to preserve our union – each of these commemorate our past.  The Statue of Liberty is about our future – the promise, the dream of America.

As I gazed upward I realized that Lady Liberty symbolizes the American dream not only for the “tired … poor … huddled masses … wretched refuse” from other shores that Emma Lazarus described in her 1883 poem, but for all of us, no matter how many generations of our forebears may have been here, who are “yearning to breathe free.”

Let us persevere so that she is never reduced to an ironic mockery.  May God Bless America.

Focusing My Antipathy

It might appear from your side of the screen that I have contributed little to these pages in recent months, but not from this side.  My document store is cluttered with any number of posts begun but abandoned. My reticence has arisen from the realization that my antipathy for Mr. Trump’s behavior has so colored my perspective on our political dynamic that figuratively standing back a bit to attempt to maintain a broader perspective has been the appropriate approach for me.  I literally fast forward by his comments and those of his spokespeople whenever they come up on TV.  I don’t believe a word they have to say.

To what do I attribute my deep emotions regarding the President’s actions?  It is not his policy choices.  Make no mistake:  I consider Mr. Trump’s and his MAGA Administration’s approaches on taxes, tariffs, Medicaid, the budget deficit and the federal debt, the environment, science, education, NATO, Ukraine/Russia specifically, immigration — and probably ten other issues we could name if we took a minute — to be substantively idiotic.  But perhaps because of my legal training, I don’t take substantive differences to heart, so Mr. Trump’s substantive positions, as sad and counterproductive to our nation’s long-term wellbeing as they are, warrant vigorous debate but don’t strike a visceral cord within me.

What I find distressing is that Mr. Trump’s abhorrent past actions are seemingly fading from the collective American consciousness – like they never happened.  He’s lied them away.

They haven’t faded for me. 

I trace my visceral feelings about his behaviors to these instances:

His traitorous behavior.  He lied, and continues to deny, his loss in the 2020 presidential election.  With millions of dollars at his disposal, he lost about 60 lawsuits in swing states challenging former President Joe Biden’s victory.  That election was unquestionably close; but to use a trite sports analogy, during the World Series they have about six cameras covering first base from every angle.  If the 2020 election is imagined as Mr. Trump running down the first base line, all six cameras would have shown that the ball hit the first baseman’s glove just before Mr. Trump’s foot hit the bag.  He was out.  It was close, but he was out.  His unwillingness to admit it to this day has groundlessly and execrably undermined the Americans’ confidence in our voting processes, the foundation of our system of government.  The fact that anybody with a lick of sense should have been able to see through his lies – and millions haven’t – doesn’t excuse his behavior.

His incitement of an insurrection.  You saw his speech on January 6, 2021.  You saw the result.  Calling it a lovefest doesn’t make it one.  The attack on the Capitol was an insurrection – an attempted coup – which came within a hair’s breadth of succeeding.  Mr. Trump should be in jail, not in the White House.  Ditto the comment above regarding anybody with a lick of sense.

His dictatorial behavior.  Some of our most renowned presidents have exercised broad presidential power, some skating to or over the limits of presidential power drawn in the Constitution.  That said, as far as I’m aware, of our presidents only Mr. Trump – save perhaps President Abraham Lincoln, who had ample reason to call out southern secessionists – has referred to other Americans as “Enemies of the People” – a phrase used by Nazi Propagandist Joseph Goebbels against the Jews, Russian Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin during his Great Purge, and Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong during his Cultural Revolution.

His demonization of immigrants – at least immigrants of color.  It obviously started with his 2015 trip down the escalator, calling Latin Americans “murders and rapists,” continued throughout his first term, further continued during the 2024 campaign with his reference to them as “vermin” – an epithet Adolf Hitler used about those he considered undesirable – and now with his Administration’s indiscriminate, terrorizing deportation activities.  Undocumented immigrants are indeed criminals – they have entered the country in violation of our immigration laws, no matter how law abiding they’ve been since crossing our border — and what we do about them is a policy issue.  But dehumanizing them for doing what anyone with courage should be willing to do if necessary to ensure a better life for his/her family — in practical terms what the forebears of every American citizen save Native Americans and those brought here in chains did do — is a malign act.

His bullying, self-dealing, and dividing Americans – in some cases, dividing families — for his own political gain.  His actions in these regards are so well settled that, as lawyers sometimes say, they need no citation.

You could add others; I have limited my list to actions for which there is no reasonable doubt. 

All that said, I have come to view Mr. Trump as a personal spiritual as well as temporal challenge.  Throughout this note, I’ve referred to my antipathy for Mr. Trump’s actions.  The very word, “antipathy,” is obviously a softer, ten-cent synonym for more provocative alternatives. In my faith, and I suspect in many faiths, we are taught that one can “hate the sin, not the sinner”; every day, millions of Christians ask the Almighty to “forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” — which one could argue amounts to those of less forgiving nature rotely giving a merciful God license to judge them more harshly than He (excuse the male pronoun for a genderless being) otherwise might.  I don’t believe that I can wish ill upon another.  Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, a fellow Catholic, has said that she prays for Mr. Trump; he has mocked her for it.  (I must sheepishly admit that Ms. Pelosi has greater faith than I do; although all things are possible with God, unless we can get Mr. Trump on a horse on the road to Damascus, I see little prospect that he will change his ways.  😉 )  I can’t claim to have said many prayers for the President, but I am focusing my antipathy on his behaviors. 

For the sake of my soul, as I fast forward by his lies, rants and inanities, I hope I’m succeeding.

We’ll soon get back to regular programming. Stay well. 🙂

NO KINGS on Flag Day

As all are aware, this Saturday, June 14, is Flag Day.  Let’s start with the law. 

Section 8 of Chapter 4 of the United States Code provides, in part, as follows:

“No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America; the flag should not be dipped to any person or thing. …

(b)  The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as … merchandise. …

(d)  The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. …

(g)   The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature. …

(i)  The flag … should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. …

(j)  No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations. The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing. Therefore, the lapel flag pin being a replica, should be worn on the left lapel near the heart. … [Emphasis Added]”

Notwithstanding these statutory admonitions, the now-omnipresent “AI Overview” stated in my Google results:  “… 4 U.S.C. § 8 … outlines the customs and practices regarding the display and use of the American flag. While the law itself doesn’t carry the force of law in terms of criminal penalties for not following the guidelines, it is considered a code of etiquette and good practice.” 

I have sympathy for those who employ the flag in ways that arguably breach the statutory bounds of etiquette when such uses are intended to call attention to an injustice that the wielders sincerely – and rationally — believe needs correcting.  I would offer that these actions, whether or not one agrees with them, are made in the exercise of one of the rights that the flag stands for:  the freedom of expression.  Although I’m a bit aesthetically offended when I see someone wearing a flag shirt vulnerable to an errant mustard drip, such can be dismissed as innocent exuberance, particularly around Memorial and Flag Days and the Fourth of July.  That said, I consider those who flaunt the flag while sowing hatred and discord among our people to be defiling it.  How badly is our flag desecrated when it is prominently displayed in the lapel of a politician engaging in self-aggrandizement, spewing self-serving lies, and/or inciting discord? 

A larger concern:  At this point, when I see our flag flying in front of a house, or see a fellow citizen wearing or using flag-themed apparel or paraphernalia, my visceral reaction is:  that’s a Trump supporter.  This is obviously an over-generalization, but I would suggest that my inclination is more often accurate than not.  Republicans have been increasingly claiming the flag as their own as far back as President Richard Nixon.  President George W. Bush made the flag lapel pin a political de rigueur badge of patriotism as he prosecuted his grotesquely ill-advised Middle East invasions.  (President Ronald Reagan, whom many Americans of a couple of generations might consider to most closely personify American patriotism, somehow managed to lead the country for eight years without wearing a flag lapel pin.)  However, such usurpation has reached its zenith in the era of President Donald Trump.  MAGAs have attempted to make it a trademark of a culturally homogeneous America, insinuating that whoever ostentatiously — I would suggest promiscuously — displays it is a “truer” American.  Now they blend it with other symbols you see at MAGA rallies:  the flags with Mr. Trump’s picture emblazoned upon them; the MAGA hats; the Confederate flag; the Swastika.

The reason for posting this note so far before Flag Day is to make you aware, if you are not already, of the “NO KINGS” protests across the nation being undertaken by Indivisible and like organizations on June 14, as a counterpoint to the military/birthday parade being staged at Mr. Trump’s instance on the same day in Washington, D.C. These activist groups seek to shift the public’s attention from the military/birthday parade to spotlight unlawful Trump Administration actions.

(A Military/Birthday Parade, you ask?  What does that mean?  Well, Mr. Trump turns 79 on June 14.  Monica Crowley, a one-time aide to Mr. Nixon, now apparently the State Department’s chief of protocol, reportedly recently stated:  “June 14 is a special day.  Of course, it’s the president’s birthday, so I’m sure the crowd will break out into a ‘Happy Birthday.’ Providential.  And it’s also Flag Day … Meant to be. Hand of God, for sure.”)

Providential.  Meant to be.  Hand of God.  I know, I know:  all she left out was, “Divine Right.”  A link to a website describing the seemingly-aptly named “NO KINGS” gatherings is immediately below.  For those reading these posts who live outside the Madison, WI, area, the number of marches across the country listed on the website is fairly impressive.  Full disclosure:  although I have taken part in a number of protest gatherings and marches since Mr. Trump took office, I won’t be able to personally engage in this one.  Since I can’t attend, at least I can mark the demonstrations here.  That said, someone very, very close to me 😉 intends to participate in the Madison march along with several associates.

https://www.nokings.org/

I’ve never been inclined to fly the flag in front of our house or wear a flag pin.  As the federal statute suggests, I believe that patriotism resides in your heart, not on your chest.  I fear that many of Mr. Trump’s supporters fail to grasp that that our flag doesn’t just belong to them.  To them I say:  It’s mine, too.  Give it here.

DOGE and the Mark of Cain

“Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let us go out into the field.’  Now when they were in the field, Cain turned against his brother Abel and slew him. … And the Lord said, ‘What have you done? … [N]ow cursed are you in the soil which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. … [A] fugitive and a wanderer shall you be on the earth.’  Cain said to the Lord, ‘My punishment is too great to bear. … I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.’  But the Lord said to him, ‘Not so!  Whoever kills Cain shall be punished sevenfold.’  So the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him at sight.”

  • The Book of Genesis 4:8, 10, 12-15.

The Genesis verses cited above were read worldwide at yesterday’s Catholic Masses.

I expressed a deep regret yesterday in these pages for the federal employees whose careers are being mindlessly destroyed by President Donald Trump “and his acolytes” – i.e., Elon Musk and his minions.  The Scripture passage made me reflect on the potential consequences for another group that I had not previously considered. 

If numerous reports I have seen are accurate, Mr. Musk is doing a large share of his culling of federal workers through a force of elite college graduates in their 20s.  Those of us with a little more seasoning realize that when you’re in your early 20s, it doesn’t matter how academically bright you are or what school you went to; you don’t even know what you don’t know.  These youngsters probably think that these heady times are going to last forever. But if rational democratic forces do stage a return at some point in the future, and the ways of Messrs. Trump, Musk, and their MAGA lot are cast aside, it almost certainly won’t affect Mr. Trump personally; he’ll be insulated by his Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling and grateful benefactors who will ensure that he has a cushy existence to the end of his days.  It likewise won’t affect Mr. Musk personally; he’ll be insulated by his fortune and will be able to live wherever in splendor for the rest of his days. 

It is Mr. Musk’s young vigilantes who have long lives ahead, and who won’t be protected by court rulings, fortunes, or benefactors.  It is these youngsters who will ultimately face the wrath of their republic.

The priest who said yesterday’s Mass chose to characterize the Lord’s action as one of mercy toward Cain – that He could have destroyed Cain, or let others kill Cain, but instead chose to let Cain go forth to walk the earth.  (Let’s put aside the obvious question as to whom Cain feared would kill him – after all, his parents were the first people, and he and Abel were their first children.)  Although I have very high regard for this priest, I was not so sure I agreed with his interpretation of the Lord’s action; I wondered whether the Lord didn’t instead punish Cain by ensuring that he had to wander the earth for his sin – as a “fugitive,” presumably for decades – when death might have been the more merciful sentence.

If the MAGAs aren’t successful in establishing an American Apartheid and these young Musk minions haven’t broken any laws, they, like Cain, will be left to wander the earth.  Given the enmity that Messrs. Trump and Musk have now engendered among so many throughout the democratic world, where will they be able to go to fulfill the potential they had the day that Mr. Musk first laid eyes on them?

While of no consolation to those whose careers they are ravaging, these young vigilantes may find that “DOGE” is ultimately their Mark of Cain.  Some, as they grow older and wiser and no matter the fate of the MAGA crusade, will find that it is indelibly branded on their psyches; on their souls.

CHIEFS, TOO

[DISCLAIMER:  In a rational world, it would be silly to add this, but in our current environment in which conspiracy theories spring from nowhere, I hereby declare that I do NOT think that the NFL is conspiring for the Chiefs or against the Eagles.  90% of the fictional memo set forth below wrote itself while I was on the treadmill yesterday.  Although the Kelce brothers and Ms. Swift will never be aware of this post, I am confident that if they were, they would not be offended by the tongue-in-cheek effort set forth here.]

Memo to:  NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell

From:  League Super Bowl Coordinator

In re:  Exploiting Revenue Opportunities Related to the Kansas City Chiefs

This year’s Super Bowl pits the World Champion Kansas City Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles.  The Eagles are an outstanding team.  The League, of course, has a vested interest in a Chiefs victory.  First, Taylor Swift is romantically involved with one of the Chiefs players, and we want to keep her fans happy so they continue to consume our product; second, and more importantly, the citizens of the states of Missouri and Kansas are both relatively much stauncher supporters of our new President, Donald Trump, than Pennsylvanians, so we want to keep Missourians and Kansans happy so that we can keep him happy.  The Chiefs are only about a 1.5 point favorite – coincidentally, about the margin by which Mr. Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris last November.  These are the steps we plan to put in place to ensure a Chiefs victory:

We’ve dispatched League officials to the Eagles’ offices on the pretext of performing an audit, told all the front office staff to go home, cut off their payment system, and locked them out of the Eagles’ network.

As you’re aware, Eagle Running Back Saquon Barkley has had an extraordinary season this year, running for over 2,000 yards.  Given Mr. Barkley’s obvious strategic value, the Chiefs are offering to buy Mr. Barkley.  Unfortunately, we haven’t yet had the time to set up a structure under which either the Eagles can be forced to sell Mr. Barkley to the Chiefs, or to enable the Chiefs to simply take Mr. Barkley.  Therefore, if Philadelphia ungratefully refuses to sell Mr. Barkley to the Chiefs, we have informed the Eagles that unless they pay at least 2% of their total revenue to the League, they will no longer get the coverage of the League’s TV package.

As you’re also aware, Ms. Swift’s boyfriend’s brother is a retired Eagle player who clearly loves and has provided tremendous support to the Philadelphia community over the years.  We are exploring ways to put pressure on him to say that despite what he has stood for throughout his entire professional football career, he never really liked Philadelphia or the Eagles, that he actually always thought that Kansas City and the Chiefs were the best, and that he wants to come back to play for the Chiefs.  Given the techniques we have seen successfully employed upon some of the President’s formerly most vociferous detractors who have since become among his most slavish supporters — such as Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio – we have high hopes here.

We have made arrangements to remove all security for the Eagles at their hotel and when entering the stadium.  They’re big boys; what could go wrong?  😉

We have fired every official who has ever made a call against the Chiefs.  We have fired every official who has ever made a call favoring Philadelphia.  We’ve fired every official who’s ever been to Philadelphia.

We are going to replace the National Anthem with the theme of God Bless America, but with better lyrics.  While still a work in progress, we envision a first verse along the lines, “God Bless the President, the man that we love; stand beside him, and prize him, through the night with the light from above,” while unfurling a flag at midfield with the President’s picture on it.  (We’re still considering how it might be received if we add a depiction of Jesus with his hand on Mr. Trump’s shoulder.)  It’ll be great.

Any player on either team seen kneeling during the … er … new National Anthem will be found during the coming offseason to have violated some League policy, and banned for life.  (Unless it’s Ms. Swift’s boyfriend; we need him, so we’ll simply reprimand him, with quiet apologies to the President.)

For the coin flip, we will be using a coin with the Chiefs and Eagles’ logos and the Lombardi Trophy all crammed on one side, and a flattering depiction of President Trump on the other side.  Of course, we will have commemorative bitcoins on sale during the game and thereafter, with proceeds split between the League and Trump Foundations.

As you are aware, for Super Bowls we normally display the name and colors of each team in one end zone.  We have decided to change the name of the end zone assigned to the Eagles to, “CHIEFS, TOO,” with the Kansas City colors.

We have added a rule change for the game:  the Official Pardon Power.  Any official that sees a Chiefs player guilty of a vicious unsportsmanlike hit on an Eagle has the power to immediately pardon the Chief.  The game will continue without penalty.

You have asked how we will deal with a distinct risk:  that despite all the safeguards we put in place, the Eagles are so good that they still … win.  We have opted for a simple course:  no matter how much the Eagles might win by, we will simply declare that Kansas City won.  We’ll immediately release the confetti with Kansas City colors.  Although Kansas City Coach Andy Reid, Chief Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and Ms. Swift’s boyfriend will undoubtedly be shocked and wonder what is going on, we’ll simply haul them onto the victor’s podium (maybe he’ll propose to Ms. Swift on the platform — wouldn’t that be a coup?) and give them the Lombardi Trophy.  (You’re concerned that the Eagles might object.  Not to worry:  remember, we aren’t giving them any security.)

Am sure you’re looking forward to the event!  Since you’ll be presenting the trophy, you might want to consult Mr. Trump for his advice as to the best makeup!

[Enjoy the game.  Hopefully, it will provide you a worthy distraction. (FYI:  Travis Kelce hasn’t let me know whether he intends to propose to Ms. Swift if the Chiefs win.  😉 )]

Just Touching Base

I have entered little of substance here regarding the state of our polity for the last couple of months.  I have not resumed regular posts since Donald Trump reassumed the presidency, as I intended last November, partially because family issues have taken up a measure of our time, but also because … I am at a bit of a loss as to what to say.  Nothing that has occurred starting on January 20 could be any surprise to anyone with the sense God gave a goose.  Posts simply making points of which you’re already well aware, or saying, “What’dja think was gonna happen?” or “Toldja so,” will be tiresome.  I am beginning to put together a note that tries to place the Trump Administration’s types of activities into a framework – I do believe that there is a design behind them – but beyond that – and although more declarations regarding Trump malignity and Trump supporters’ states of mind will undoubtedly form the bases of a greater number of future posts than I now intend – I am pondering how to proceed with at least some future entries in a way that is constructive given the vile – albeit completely predictable – political devastation we are now witnessing.

That said:  one can remain confident that whatever is hereafter published in these pages will still be only so much Noise.  😉

Stay well – or at least as well as you can.

The Passing of a Lioness

Please pardon a personal reflection; this past week, my mother-in-law passed away at the age of 101­.

She was a Grand Dame in every sense of the word.  She had a flair – an arresting presence at evening gatherings, fine gown, hair always appointed — but was equally at home canning, cleaning house, and in jeans tending her peony garden.  Throughout their 36 years of marriage, she remained a mistress as well as wife to my father-in-law.  I know that she considered their greatest legacy to be the five outstanding individuals they raised. 

She was tough.  She never complained.  She overcame the shock of my father-in-law’s passing (he left us way too soon), as well as a later bout with a disease that frequently kills.  It is my belief that she lasted as long as she did because in addition to fairly favorable genes, she always looked forward, never back.  She focused on the positive.  Concentrating on the next thing, no matter what challenge might be confronting her, sustained her.  Even as she passed 100, she told TLOML, “I have more to do.”

She was savvy, and could be straightforward in her judgements.  Although ethnically German, she frequently reminded me of her sprinkle of Irish blood.  Since I’m Irish, I found her manner delightful … except when she directed her spleen at me.  😉

In recent years, she could neither see nor hear well, and had become somewhat less steady on her feet, but she eschewed a walker (it wasn’t her).  When she was merely in her mid-90s and TLOML and I had already retired, we came to her apartment so that the ladies could go to one of her medical appointments.  I mentioned that I was a little tired, and might rest on her couch while they were gone.  Her reply:  “Oh, dear — use my bed.  And if you’re hungry, have whatever you want – you know where everything is.”  If only for a moment, I felt the many-decades-past reassurance of having a parent take over.

On a subsequent occasion, a number of family members came by to visit her, and it happened that I was the last through her door.  She looked up, and asked me with a smile, “How long have I known you?”  I knew that at that moment, she wasn’t seeing me as I now appear – Medicare-aged, grayed, seamed — but as I looked when I first appeared at her front door at 18, only months removed from high school graduation, with the temerity to have asked her daughter out on a date.  I did a quick calculation.  “Over 51 years, Ma,” I answered.  “That’s a long time,” she said with a wider smile.

At a particularly raucous out-of-town gathering of her clan about 20 years ago, a hotel employee appeared and indicated that there had been complaints about the noise, and stated that if we didn’t quiet down, we risked being asked to leave the establishment.  When told what the employee had said, she grinned, “We’ve been thrown out of better places than this.”

Never again.  She’s now resting in the best of all places – and that place is all the more charmed by her presence.

The Beer Hall Putsch

The following text appeared in the “AI Generated” response to the Google search of the so-called, “Beer Hall Putsch” that I conducted on the morning of January 6, 2025:

“The Beer Hall Putsch, also known as the Munich Putsch, was a failed coup d’état attempt by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party on November 8–9, 1923:

Goals

The Nazis planned to overthrow the Weimar Republic, seize control of the state government, and march on Berlin. They also wanted to establish a new government based on race and create a unified Greater German Reich. …

Aftermath

Hitler was charged with treason and sentenced to five years in prison, but was released after nine months.”

There is a link to Wikipedia description of the event below.  The piece is fairly long, but those who haven’t studied the history of the Nazi rise to power may find it of interest.  I do note three brief parts of the Wikipedia entry, as it existed on the morning of January 6, 2025:

“The Beer Hall Putsch, also known as the Munich Putsch, was a failed coup d’é·tat by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff and other Kampfbund leaders in Munich, Bavaria, on 8–9 November 1923, during the Weimar Republic.  Approximately two thousand Nazis marched on the Feldherrnhalle, in the city centre, but were confronted by a police cordon, which resulted in the deaths of 15 Nazis, four police officers, and one bystander.”

Second, elsewhere in the entry, Hitler is quoted as declaring to rally his supporters on the night of the putsch, “One last thing I can tell you. Either the German revolution begins tonight or we will all be dead by dawn!”

Finally, the section entitled, “Legacy,” provides in part:

“The 15 fallen insurgents, as well as the bystander Karl Kuhn, were regarded as the first “blood martyrs” of the Nazi Party …”

“Shortly after [Hitler] came to power, a memorial was placed at the south side of the Feldherrnhalle crowned with a swastika.  The back of the memorial read Und ihr habt doch gesiegt! (‘And you triumphed nevertheless!’).”

Beer Hall Putsch – Wikipedia