I was thinking about President Trump the other day and looking back at some of our past Presidents. I will say that we've done pretty will in picking out our country's leaders compared to 98% of the world. Mainly because our elections are handled quite honestly and by civilian volunteers. I sure hope we never lose that.
I read an old intelligence report, recently declassified on President Roosevelt. I was stunned, yes, stunned, to find out he had some anti-Semitism leanings during his three term reign as our President. According to this report, and it was official, but who knows it was written up after the man had died after fighting a long life with polio, but he allegedly knew about the Jewish concentration camps in Germany and Poland back in 1942. He also put a board together to figure out how to relocate all the rescued Jews at the end of the war in North Africa. Now is that a great place to move European residents to the deserts of North Africa? Yet history records how shocked the military was when they stumbled upon their first camps in 1945. Maybe such reports should remain classified, they can sort of pop the bubble on what or how highly you think about a past President. But, I grew up with Nixon and Johnson., who had their own faults, Maybe the office is just too tough for some, or its partially the fault of the advisers they pick. President Kennedy was all set to pull our advisers out of Vietnam, when he was assassinated, and Johnson lied about the Tonkin Incident to put us in there with the might of the U.S. Army. The word back then was how the big defense people promised him the next presidency if he got them into Vietnam, where they made a fortune in war products and they filled Johnson's campaign fun chest up to the brim with donations. We lost that war. I remember, I was there on Jan 28th, 1973, boarding the last plane of military troops to leave Danang Air Force Base, under the observation of the North Vietnamese Army. That was a low period, but Thailand awaited us and that was a whole new world.
I seem to cover far too many bases this morning. I woke up with plans to go back to sleep, but then found myself at my desk, thinking ll these heavy thoughts. I had also planned to take a week off from writing, having completed my last edit for "The Final Challenge", my conclusion to "A Coming Storm", that was published in 2012. Took me awhile to get this project completed. But, this morning I felt like starting work on my new writing project, "The Badge and the Cross- Book II- Stronghold". This book is set in Skagway and once again I use about 90% of my own cases in the story, but with fictional characters. This will be my last editing of it and then I hope to begin a whole new book- "The Search".
Today is a real special day, our youngest daughter- Micah Sue Williams, she's married to Brady Williams and they have two children, is having a birthday. Being polite, I will not say her age. She was born on a very special day, providing me with a fantastic memory on a very non-special day for me. So, I want all of you to sing Happy Birthday with me to Micah Sue, okay? For you who have poor singing abilities, you can hum the tune. My voice cracked a long time ago and I used to be soloist on the boy's glee club. Cracked right in the middle of a shower if I remember right. Not only lost my solo spot, but got kicked off the glee club, too.
I got an e-mail from a relative yesterday, something of a mini-rant about how our country was not a democracy, but a republic. Hey, he's right because in our Pledge of Allegiance, which is rarely done anymore, says were a republic. But I said to him how in high school they tended to confuse us, with History Class telling us we were a republic and the teacher in Civic's Class shoving the "Democracy" angle at us. I told my relative of how I recalled my favorite actor, John Wayne, saying in the movie "The Alamo", of how beautiful the word "Republic" sounded. Of course with all the literature I've read, including a book on the Alamo, John Wayne version of David Crockett, or "Davy"- Walt Disney did that for the Fess Parker series, had little to do with the actual man. Oh, he was certainly a hero, and was given a hero's death, but he lived his life differently then what Disney displayed him as and most kids remember him. Sort of sad when we come to realize a lot of our heroes were just plain people, with day to day problems like the rest of us. Still, we need our heroes and right now we have quite a few of them in Afghanistan and Iraq, and most likely quite a few secret locations. Going on 19 years in Afghanistan, 9 years longer than Vietnam, and that's sad. Now we're- the government that is, is thinking about putting troops in Venezuela. Oddly enough, China and Russia are considering this too. Could be a real mess or a boy scout meeting.
On Jerusalem Online, I noticed that Israel is showing a serious need for doctors, dentists and pharmacologists. If you're one of those you might find a decent practice over there, but take your helmet and flak vest along with you as those kite bombs can really ruin one's day.
I've never had a desire to go to Israel, even though I have German-Jew in my family history. Four years stationed at Edward AFB on the Upper Mojave Desert of California and my summers in Phoenix for 10-years was enough desert for me. But, I have the most respect for the people of Israel and the stand they make there. Its not just the Jewish people, but there are a lot of Christians there too, working side by side, while surrounded by the Muslim world. That's sort of having a cabin out in our woods surrounded by hungry grizzly bears.
Well, I've voiced my thoughts once again and thank you, if you stuck with me for the ride. Oh, I know there is always that delete button handy and I've used it often enough myself for all the junk I've been sent. Oh, I started sending on some of the Gatestone News Agency reports for you to review if you want. Their reporters say it so much better then I could and they usually have something important to report on. I've found them to be a pretty honest news service, rare in our current world-right?
So, good morning and I wish you all a glorious day.