Paul Luvera Journal

LOOKING FOR ALASKA & WINSTON CHURCHILL

I don’t read as many hard back books as I used to since I bought an Amazon Kindle. I got tired of packing a bunch of heavy books when I travel and I ended up giving them away on the road after reading them anyway. I am still, however, plugging away on my remaining library of books and have just finished Looking for Alaska by Peter Jenkins. Jenkins spent eighteen months with his wife and eight year old daughter living in Seward, Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula. I enjoyed reading about Alaska because of my many summers of traveling there to work on purse seine boats back when there were no areas to which you were restricted while fishing for salmon. We would head for Alaska in May and we fished everywhere from Bristol Bay in the Bering Sea to Kodiak Island and on down to South East Alaska. We went where we hoped to find fish and then made the long trip back to Puget Sound to fish here as well. I loved Alaska and time we spent there so I enjoyedthe book. One line I laughed at was when Jenkins was talking about the small number of women compared to males living in Alaska. He said the common expression about the good chances for women to find men in Alaska was always with the comment: "The odds are good, but the goods are odd."

I also finished Maxims & Reflections by Colin Coote which was a collection of quotes from Winston Churchill. I have always admired Churchill’s wonderful vocabulary and his quotes, jabs and comments which were often scathing. His verbal training came from the rough and tumble of the British Parliament, but his skill as a wordsmith was best illustrated by my favorite books, his six volume set The Second World War. His skill with word pictures is unsurpassed in these volumes. Even the titles of the books as well as the chapters titles captured the idea of the contents. For example, "The Gathering Storm" described the situation just before the second world war began. The book I just finished has many of his great quotes. Look at some of these from the book

• The Honorable gentleman is trying to win distinction by rudeness (during a debate)

• I remember, when I was a child, going taken to the celebrated Barnum’s circus, which contained an exhibition of freaks, but the exhibit on the program which I most desired to see was the one described as "the boneless wonder." ....I have waited fifty years to see the boneless wonder sitting on the Treasury Bench. (He was critical of the lack of action)

• Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma

• He had all the canine virtues in a remarkable degree - courage, fidelity, vigilance, love of the chase

• It is very much better sometimes to have a panic feeling beforehand, and then to be quite calm when things happen, than to be extremely calm beforehand and to get into a panic when things happen.

• The nose of the bulldog has been slanted backwards so that he can breathe without letting go

• The proud German army by its sudden collapse, sudden crumbling and breaking up, has once again proved the truth of the saying "the Hun is always either at your throat or at your fee."

• In those days Mr Baldwin was wiser then he is now; he used frequently to take my advice

• This truth is incontrovertible. Panic may resent it; ignorance may deride it; malice may distort it; but there it is

• I cannot expect to be impartial between the fire-brigade and the fire

MARK SANFORD AND THE REST OF THE REPUBLICAN HYPOCRITES

Well, another one of those self righteous hypocrites got caught doing what they preached against. South Carolina Republican Governor Mark Sanford has admitted having an affair. This was the poster boy for the Christian right. As state senator John Land said about Sanford's disclosure that he had a mistress even though married with four sons:

"The position (Sanford) has taken the whole time he's been in office is: 'I'm smarter than the rest. I'm more religious than the rest. I'm more godly than the rest.' I just don't see how he can come back and be a sinner like the rest of us and function."

 Sanford is the man who voted to impeach Bill Clinton over his sexual indiscretions. He fumed about supporting Republican Representative Bob Livingston, House Speaker, after he admitted having extra marital affairs. Sanford said at that time "We as a party want to hold ourselves to high standards, period." He also called upon Republican Senator Larry Craig (with the tapping foot) to resign when he was arrested for lewed conduct by an undercover cop in a public restroom. However, Sentator Craig, who was a loud proponent of Christian values, continued to deny he was gay after pleading guilty to a lessor offense.

Sanford' isn't the only politician whose self righteous walls have come crumbling down when their skeltons were no longer in the closet. Recently we had the news about Republican Senator John Ensign who was a member of Pentecostal International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. He opposed gay marriage and gay rights because he said:

“Marriage is the cornerstone on which our society was founded. For those who say that the Constitution is so sacred that we cannot or should not adopt the Federal Marriage Amendment, I would simply point out that marriage, and the sanctity of that institution, predates the American Constitution and the founding of our nation. Marriage, as a social institution, predates every other institution on which ordered society in America has relied.”

Then he was caught and admitted to having had an affair with a member of his staff.

 But, the list of hypocrites is a long one. We can start with Republican Senator John McCain who ran for president insisting he was "a pro-life, pro-family" candidate. However, it turns out his first wife was already married to a naval academy classmate when they became involved and then married. Than she was in a serious auto accident while he was held in prison in Vietnam. After his return and discovered her condition he began,by his own admission, a series of affairs ending with an adulterous affair with his present wife Cindy. He then divorced his disabled wife to marry Cindy, but inspite of all of that  had the backing of the religious right during the election.

What about Republican Senator David Vitter of Louisiana? This was the "family value" politician who preached against abortion, for family values, and against sin, gay marriage, and all the other things good family men believe in. However, it developed he had been spending time with prostitutes. Of course, he didn't own up to it until his phone number showed up in the records of a woman who was alleged to have been a D.C. Madam who ran a Washington D.C. prostitution ring.

We also saw Republican Congressman Mark Foley get caught hitting on teenage page boys after promoting the Republican line about being opposed to gay rights and in favor of family values. It turns out this married man was a closet gay while acting as leader of the Republican Party and promoting morality, family values as well as attacking the evil Democrats who didn't measure up to the Republiccan moral standards. At least the ones they preached even if they didn't follow them.

Of course we always will have the example of good old Republican Newt Gingrich, former Congressman and Speaker of the House, who just this month spoke at the Rock Church in Virginia on his topic "Rediscovering God in America." Yes, the same Newt Gingrich who was committing adultery while attacking Bill Clinton and promoting Republican family values. The same Newt who demanded a divorce from his wife Jackie while she was still in her hospital bed recovering from cancer and the same Newt Gingrich who refused to pay support to her after the divorce. Apparently he has rebounded back to his former self righteous self. I guess that would make him a born again hypocrite.

Some lesser known winners of the big phony award include Republican Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia who preached against abortion, gay rights and sponsored anti gay marriage legislation with:

 "The flames of hedonism, the flames of narcissism, the flames of self-centered morality are licking at the very foundation of our society, the family unit."

Which might be OK if he had not been married three times, paid for his second wife's abortion and was photographed with strippers.

Or what about Republican Congressman Ken Calvert who promoted "family values" to get elected and raise money. He became the hero of the Christian Coalition until he was caught by police with a prostitute and captured only after trying to run away from the scene.

We also saw the Florida Chairman for McCain's presidential campaign arrested for soliciting a male undercover police officer for oral sex. Of course, before getting caught he spoke in favor of famiy values and against gay rights as well as authoring a bill making it a crime to do what he got caught doing when he served in the state legislature. 

Closer to home we had Spokane Republican Mayor Jim West who while in the legislature supported a bill which would have barred gays and lesbians from working in schools and day care center. He proposed that any sexual touching between teens be made a crime. Then the newspaper found out he had a gay relationship with an eighteen year old boy he hired to work for the City.

These are only a few examples of the loud mouth self righteious people who have been exposed as being total hypocrites. I don't pretend that only Republican politicians are guilty of scandalous conduct, but I do say that it's the Republicans who are always preaching morality and family values. They are the ones who are fanatical in their opposition to abortion for any reason and while spewing hate against gays. They do it because they want the support of the Christian coalition in order to get elected, but secretly live another life. That's because the Republicans used the Christian coalition to get elected so they needed to sing their song. These Republicans are the same ones who have been so quick to jump on any one else's errors for violating God's laws while they secretly have been doing the same or worse. That, my friends, is not politics. It is called hypocrisy.

AWOL South Carolina Governor Sanford and Washington’s Lt. Governor Vic Meyers

I’ve been following the bizarre behavior of South Carolina’s governor Mark Sanford who disappeared for five days and then suddenly reappeared. Republican Sanford is chairman of the Republican Governors Association and considered a leading Republican presidential candidate, or at least he was until this fiasco. This is the man who rejected millions in federal stimulus money for education and has been outspoken in trying to demonstrate his conservative Republican values. First, his staff put out the story that he was merely "hiking along the Appalachian Trail" even though no one including his wife and children had a clue where he had disappeared to. And now it turns out he was in Argentina for some yet to be explained reason.

However, curious this strange tale, my interest was more local because it brought back memories of the antics of Washington’s Lieutenant Governor Vic Meyers. In South Carolina the disappearance made Lieutenant Governor, Andre Bauer perplexed. He didn't know what to do. He called the Governor’s office and demanded an immediate conversation with Sanford, who was, of course, gone missing. Bauer complained about the lack of leadership and worried about the affairs of state.

Now if that had happened while Vic Meyers was Lieutenant Governor I know what would have happened. He would have pounced on the absence of the governor and immediately seized control. I know that because that’s exactly what he did back in 1938.

I’ve written about Meyers before (12./15/08 http://www.paulluvera.com/weblog/2008/12/absolutely-nobody-and-othe-political-mavericks-.html). Meyers, a former Seattle jazz band leader ran in 1932 purely as a publicity stunt and to everyone’s surprise, including his own, was elected. He gave Washington’s governor, Clarence Martin fits. The state constitution gave the lieutenant governor power to act in the absence from the state by the governor. When Martin left the state for a meeting in Washington D.C. Meyers immediately assumed control and called for a special session of the legislature. The frantic governor had to rush back to stop him. After that Martin was fearful about ever leaving the state again while Meyers was his Lieutenant Governor.

I don't know about you, but I get a lot of e-mails from people sharing what they regard as funny. I get cartoons, stories and the like, most of them I delete as not my kind of humor. However, this one, someone sent me, did amuse me. I liked the humor in these newspaper ads. Here is what was mailed to me and I particularly liked the last one dealing with the sale of encyclopedias:

These classified were really put in the paper - a smile for your day

FREE YORKSHIRE TERRIER.
8 years old.  Hateful little bastard.  Bites!

FREE PUPPIES
1/2 Cocker Spaniel, 1/2 sneaky neighbor's dog.

FREE PUPPIES.
Mother, A Kennel Club registered German Shepherd.
Father, Super Dog . . Able to leap tall fences in a single bound.

FOUND DIRTY WHITE DOG.
Looks like a rat. Been out a while.
Better be a big reward.

COWS, CALVES: NEVER BRED.
Also 1 gay bull for sale.

JOINING NUDIST COLONY!
Must sell washer and dryer $100.

WEDDING DRESS FOR SALE .
Worn once by mistake.  Call Stephanie.

And the best one:

FOR SALE BY OWNER.
Complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica, 45 volumes.  Excellent condition.  $200 or best offer.  No longer needed, Got married last month.  Wife knows everything. 
 

THE NEWS FROM LAKE WOEBEGONE SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA

We are in Scottsdale closing down our house for the summer. Just like a Prairie Home Companion’s news from Lake Woebegone, here are a few items hot off the Scottsdale press.

About twenty two miles North of us is the town of Cave Creek, population about 5,000 people. A quaint town worth visiting for its many shops, places to eat and general charm. Shortly before we arrived the results of a contested election to the Town Council were announced. Thomas McGuire, age 64 was the two term incumbent on the Council whose opponent was Adam Trenk, age twenty five. Trenk was a law student and newcomer to town running in his first political campaign. McGuire was a retired science teacher. The townspeople differ about things like preserving horse trails and plans for modern stores.

Trenk spent $17,000 on his campaign which was considerably more then the few hundred dollars normally spent on elections for this position. He presented himself as someone who wanted to preserve the character of the town against unchecked development. McGuire felt that some development was necessary to keep the town going economically.

The election resulted in a tie vote. The Arizona constitution provides for a game of chance to break a tie vote. A fitting idea in a state where towns have names like: Show Low and Happy Jack. So the two candidates agreed to cut cards to see who drew the highest card as winner. Past choices have included rolling dice and even gun fights.

With Mayor Francia serving as MC the cards were shuffled by the town judge six times. McGuire stepped forward and pulled a six of hearts. Trenk, however pulled a king of hearts and was the winner. Within a few hours a crowd had gathered to watch the Council vote to change the general zoning plan that permit a Wal-Mart to be built. By a vote of six to one it was approved with Trenk casting the dissenting vote.

Scottsdale is in Maricopa County where one of the nation’s most controversial sheriff, Joe Arpaio, continues to create controversy. This headline grabbing law enforcement officer promotes himself as "America’s Toughest Sheriff." Loved and re-elected by the conservatives for his harsh treatment of jail inmates, Sheriff Joe, as he is known, is embroiled in one more feud. He has dressed his inmates in pink with the old fashioned striped uniforms and housed them in tents even in the hot boiling Arizona summer months. Feeding them only twice a day on expired bologna sandwiches he put them to work on public works "chain gangs." As medical conditions and even death occurred among inmates over two thousand lawsuits were filed against the Sheriff in a three year period of time with over fifty million in claims. The county has paid more then forty million dollars in claims involving it’s sheriff.

His past actions have included culminating a long running feud with the Phoenix New Times by simply arresting the newspaper executives who were promptly released and the special prosecutor fired. The sheriff doesn't hesitate to use the power of his office when it comes to people he is fighting with.

He is currently being investigated by the FBI as a result of his policies regarding the arrest of illegal immigrants. In 2005 Arizona passed a law which authorized local law enforcement to deal with illegal immigrants and the sheriff began making arrests over the objection of federal authorities. The Sheriff said that he was not about to turn the arrested people over to federal authorities "...so they can have a free ride back to Mexico. I’ll give them a free ride to my jail." In the border state of Arizona where illegal immigration is a very hot topic the majority of people rallied to support the sheriff and others saw him as a dangerous loose cannon on deck who loves media attention.

Now the good sheriff is in the middle of it again. The county has a Board of Supervisors responsible for the dispensing of tax dollars. Arpaio has an ongoing feud with the Board over expenditure of funds and in particular with Board members Mary Rose Wilcox and Don Stapley.  He has launched a criminal investigation into misstatements or omissions on financial disclosure forms by these two Board members. His office has sued the board during the last six months over financial issues. The dispute involves the fact the county has a $138 million dollar shortfall so the Board issued layoffs and made cuts. In addition, the Board imposed a freeze on all major purchases. In spite of the freeze, Sheriff Joe went ahead and bought a $450,000 motor coach to transport prisoners from jail to the court house which he added to a fleet of used school buses already in service. However, to register and license the vehicle requires approval from the Board so when the Sheriff’s office arrived to get this done, they were turned down. As a result the shinny new bus sits parked in a jail facility parking while the fighting goes on. So far, it’s a standoff. The Board says the sheriff violated the freeze, paid too much for the bus and doesn’t even need this kind of expensive rig simply to transport prisoners from jail to court. If he really needed a new bus, they say, why didn’t buy one like the ones he already has and which cost a fraction of what this one cost?

So Sheriff Joe continues to do it his way having fought off attempts to defeat him at the polls, lawsuits and even a recall effort. The county treasury, it would seem, has paid a heavy price for his heavy handed methods and controversial actions.

And the last bit of news involves the recall of Zicam, the cold remedy. The corporate office is here in Scottsdale and the paper reports that after the FDA abruptly ordered the recall of its products the company was defending itself in the media. It turns out that the company has settled some three hundred and forty lawsuits since 2006 for twelve million dollars involving claims of injury from its product. In addition, the company insists that its failure to tell the FDA about a collection of about eight hundred complaints it received was due to a misunderstanding. Even though the law requires advising the FDA of such complaints and they failed to do so, nevertheless the company says it was all a misunderstanding. They say they had collected the complaints in a file and were waiting for an onsite inspection by the FDA when they would have disclosed the complaints. They claim they made an honest mistake about the requirement to immediately notify the FDA of such complaints.

So there you have it. All the news from here in Lake Woebegone Scottsdale, Arizona

JAMES LAMAR "DUSTY" RHODES, A BASEBALL LEGEND

When I was a freshman in college in 1954, Dusty Rhodes became the hero of the 1954 World Series playing for the New York Giants.. In the first game, batting left handed, he hit a pinch hit home run in the bottom of the tenth inning off of pitcher Bob Lemon to win the game. It was a tie breaking three-run homer for a 5-2 victory. As he watched the ball go into the stands 290 feet away, Lemon threw his glove in frustration. In an interview Rhodes said with a laugh ‘Lemon’s glove went further then my home run."

Then, in the second game, he hit another pinch hit single in the fifth inning followed by a homer in the seventh that ensured victory. In the third game he had a two run single for a 3-0 lead in a six to three victory. For some reason manager Durocher decided not to use him at all in game four which the Giants won anyway. All told he batted six times and had four hits with two home runs in that series when the Giants swept the Cleveland Indians. The homers were off of pitchers Bob Lemon and Early Wynn who both ended up in the Hall of Fame. That year he hit .341 with fifteen homers in just eighty two games. He was never a regular in the Giant’s lineup for a full season so his career statistics don’t reflect his ability. He had a .253 batting average. Manager Leo Durocher picked his spots to send him in and in that series he earned the nickname "The Colossus of Rhodes."

Otherwise known as Dusty Rhodes he was one of the unique legends of baseball. James Lamar Rhodes was born in Alabama near Montgomery on May 13, 1927 and died June 17, 2009 in Henderson, Nevada at age 82. He grew up picking cotton and working in a grocery after quitting school in the eighth grade. As to the nickname Dusty, Stan Grosshandler has written an article "Where have those grand old nicknames gone" in which he describes the nicknames of yesterday’s baseball players. He says that at the time Rhodes played there were automatic nicknames. If your name was Rhodes, then you became Dusty and a large number of players had that nickname.

In December of 2008, Daily News sportswriter Bill Madden reported the last interview with Rhodes before his death. His article was titled "Dusty Rhodes, hero Giants’ 1954 series win, hits high notes." Sick with oxygen tubes in his nose and in a wheel chair, he told Madden: "It’s funny. I was never sick a day of my life until I quit drinking." Rhodes was a hard-drinking, fun loving country boy. When he was asked about Durocher not playing him in the fourth game of the World Series, he said: "It was just as well. After the third game I was drinking to everybody’s health so much that I about ruined mine."

After serving in the military in World War II Rhodes played minor league baseball for the Giants and played for the Tacoma Giants in the 1960's. He was called up to the majors in 1952. He and Durocher never got along very well. In his book Nice Guys Finish Last Durocher described him as the worst fielder who ever played in a big league game who made training rules forgotten. He wrote:

"Anytime you see a fielder get under a ball and pound his glove - even in Little League - you know he is going to catch it. I’ve seen Dusty Rhodes pound his glove and have the ball fall twenty feet behind him."

However, Durocher also said "A buffoon is a drunk on a hitting spree. Dusty was the kind of buffoon who kept a club confident and happy. And boy could he hit. Between him and Willy Mays there was nothing but laughter in our club house." Others have said he was a typical Durocher player, one who seemed to be unable to run, hit, throw or field but beat you anyway. Rhodes once said in an interview:

"I ain’t much of a fielder and I got a pretty lousy arm, but I sure love to whack that ball."

Team mates and friends said he had a thousand stories and could tell a story better then anyone. He used to insist Herb Score was the best pitcher he faced because he said he never saw the ball. He just heard it go by. Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully said "just mentioning his name, I start to smile...I guess they needed a designated hitter up there and he’s not a bad one to have."

The African American players who were his team mates say that he was totally color blind when it came to race. Monte Irvin, Hall of Famer, said he was like a brother to all the black players. Willie Mays said when he learned of his death: "He was a fabulous hitter and a great hitter. He stayed at my house and I’ve never had a greater friend."

He played for the New York Giants from 1952 to 1957 and then appeared in fifty four games for the San Francisco Giants in 1959. After his career was over he worked for a friend on a tug boat for twenty five years. When he was asked why his career was so short, he said that after Durocher left the Giants baseball wasn’t fun anymore. Baseball wasn't the same after it lost Dusty Rhodes.

PEOPLE WHO HAVE OVERCOME OBSTACLES & REASONS TO BE GRATEFUL

My childhood hero was Glenn Cunningham who died in 1988. When he was seven years old his legs were burned in a schoolhouse fire which killed his brother. His legs were burned so badly that the doctors recommended amputation but his parents wouldn't allow it. The doctors said he would never walk again because he had lost the flesh on his legs and the arch of his left foot was virtually gone. In spite of the doctor's prediction his parents massaged him, worked with him and helped him use his l egs. With a positive attitude and sheer determination, two years later he was running, but with difficulty. He continued running until he was good enough to make the track team in college. He went on to set a world record for the indoor mile and 1500 meter. He made the 1932 and 1936 Olympic teams. He had a strong religious faith. His favorite Bible verse was Isaiah 40:31: "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."  Born in Elkhart, Kansas he was called the  "Kansas Flyer" and was famous for overcoming his physical limitations. 

Tom Dempsey was a kicker for the New Orleans Saints. On November 8, 1970 the Saints were trailing Detroit by one point with only two seconds left on the clock. The Saints had the ball on the forty five yard line. The Saints coach decided to try the impossible, field goal attempt. No one had ever made a field goal from that distance before. Dempsey went in for the attempt and with the ball held actually sixty three yards from the uprights. He made the kick and Dempsey broke the NFL field goal record while winning the game. That was a historical moment in professional football, but what's really amazing is that Dempsey was born with no right hand and only half a right foot.

The famous French flier Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 - 1944) along with his navigator crashed in the Sahara desert in 1935. They had flown for nineteen hours while trying to win a prize in a flying contest. They had no food or water and for three days they suffered the heat. They were on the verge of dying. On the fourth day a Bedouin on a camel found them and they were rescued. He went on to continue flying and the desert experience led him to write a famous small book. He wrote the famous fable The Little Prince which begins with a pilot being marooned in the desert.

On New Year's Day in 1929 the Rose Bowl game was between the University of California, Berkeley and Georgia Tech. Midway through the second quarter Cal's center Roy Riegels scooped up a fumble by Tech about thirty yards from Tech's end zone. Somehow he got turned around and ran the wrong way. He was running full speed back,towards Cal's goal line  some sixty five yards away. Cal's quarterback chased after Riegels screaming at him to stop and finally caught him at the three yard line. Riegels tried to turn and run back, but was swarmed by Tech players who tackled him on the one yard line. Cal decided to punt the ball, but the punt was blocked and Tech scored giving them a two to zero lead. Riegels was totally distraught, but continued to play after Cal's coach Price encouraged him. Tech went on to win the game eight to seven. Riegels was thereafter known as "wrong way Riegels," but was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. He died in 1993 at age eighty four.

All of this reminds me of R.L. Sharpe who wrote:

"Each is given a bag of tools A shapeless mass - A book of rules: And each must make  - ere life is flown - A stumbling block or a stepping stone"

These examples should encourage us to keep struggling and to not let adverse events in our lives stop us in self pity or discouragement. Let's remember the wonderful lesson from The Clown and the Crocodile  where John McLelland writes "One day a group of people will go to a cemetery, hold a brief service, and return home. All except one: that will be you." 

David Steinell-Rast is a monk who has written a number of spiritual books. He advocates "always be surprised." For example, he says, before you open your eyes in the morning you should stop and be surprised that you have eyes to open because there are more then forty million people in the world who cannot see. He says you should go through your day "surprised" at anything and everything since that is the beginning of being grateful for what you have been given. Gratitude for your gifts, he says, overcomes the indifference of an affluent society and leads to love of God and neighbor.

We should be grateful for what we have been given. Most of life's gifts are totally undeserved and there is so much for us to be thankful for all around us.    

ANDREW JACKSON

i've just read Andrew Jackson  by H.W. Brands. Jackson was known for his military and Indian fighting as well as toughness. He was quick to use his cane on someone who defamed him and was in more then one duel. Nicknamed "Old Hickory" he was associated with the American frontier. The seventh president of the United States, Jackson's portrait appears on the twenty dollar bill.

When he became a lawyer and entered practice of law wrote a statement of principles. Two of these were:

• I will practice law because it affords me opportunities of a being a more useful member of society
• I will be faithful to my clients, but never so unfaithful to myself to become a party in his crime

He was a circuit traveling judge. During a criminal case where he was acting as the judge, a drunk outside the court room waved a pistol around and was shouting threats to kill the judge, the jury and everyone involved in the case. Jackson ordered the sheriff to arrest him, but the sheriff was unable or unwilling to face the man with the pistol. As a crowd grew Jackson declared a recess, took off his judicial robes and with his pistol strode outside, parted the crowd and walked up the drunk. Pointing his pistol he told him to surrender "or I’ll blow you through." Everyone in the crowd fell back, certain there would be a shooting, but instead, after a pause, the drunk meekly handed over his weapon and allowed himself to be led away by the sheriff.

Later the drunk was asked why he surrendered after standing off the sheriff and even a posse who tried to arrest him. The prisoner replied: "Why, when he came up, I looked him in the eye and I saw "shoot". There wasn’t shoot in nary another eye in the crowd. So I says to myself, says I: Hoss it’s about time to sing small and so I did."

Jackson survived military battles, Indian wars, duels, fights and even an assassination attempt. In 1835 Jackson was exiting the capital building when a man stepped out of the crowd at less then ten feet away. He pointed a pistol at the President's chest and fired. The percussion cap exploded but failed to ignite the powder. The gun failed to fire the bullet even though the cap explosion was so loud people thought the pistol had fired. The crowd momentarily froze giving the man a chance to pull out a second pistol which he aimed directly at Jackson and pull the trigger. Again the cap exploded but not the powder so the gun again failed to fire the bullet. By then Jackson reacted and charged the man with his cane. At the same time the crowd reacted, pulling the man down and hauling him away. Jackson was unharmed. In the course of the investigation the police tested the pistols. Each time they tested them both pistols fired perfectly.

John Quincy Adams and Jackson were bitter enemies. Jackson blamed Adams for a mud slinging presidential contest which he believed caused his wife's death. In addition, they had totally opposing views of what the role of government was in America. Adams believed that ordinary Americans weren’t fit to govern themselves, that left to their ignorance they would choose military hero's and demagogues who told them what they wanted to hear. He saw the election of Jackson as an early sign of the collapse of the republic. Jackson believed just the opposite. He believed the point of a republic was to make government responsible to the people who lived under its laws. Democracy made mistakes, he acknowledged, but mistakes were honest and correctable mistakes of human misjudgment rather then entrenched mistakes of the selfish elite under Adam's type of government.

Jackson had been afflicted his whole life with health problems including a lead ball lodged inside his shoulder area during a battle which remained there for years. On June 8, 1845 he died of heart failure and chronic tuberculosis.

On February 21, 1848 the House of Representatives was debating honoring US Army officers who had served in the Mexican-American War. Adams was opposed. When the house erupted into "ayes" Adams cried out "No" and at that moment he suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage, falling to the floor. Two days later he died.

EPILOG TO PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES

We are home and here are some final loose ends regarding our travel which I've not reported.

The French Air disaster occurred shortly before we were leaving. I felt badly for the people on board and their survivors. It certainly made me a little apprehensive about flying across the ocean from London to Seattle, but the flight on the 747 was without bad weather or incident. On our arrival in Seattle there was a long line to clear immigration as only two people were on duty checking passengers through. However, our luggage arrived quickly and we were at the curb waiting for the car in a short time.

To start with, we arrived back in Gig Harbor at a decent hour around 6:00 pm. Exhausted, we went to bed at 8:00 PM and slept until 1:30 AM. That is when the fire alarm went off. It is  not one of those small round battery alarms. It is a built in and monitored alarm with a siren and a bell with enough noise to be heard in the next county. We searched the house from attic to basement and found nothing. The alarm company called and we said it was a false alarm. Ten minutes later the alarm company called (someone else) and said they had dispatched the fire truck. We told them to call them off. Needless to say it was difficult to get back to sleep not totally certain there wasn't a problem and unsure if the turned off alarm would stay turned off as well as wondering if perhaps the fire truck would roar down our drive way with sirens going at any time. A next day inspection by the foreman of the roof project we have going felt it was caused by accumulated dust which had seeped from the room into the area of the smoke alarm. It was an exciting first night at home. The alarm company has been notified and the alarm is on a standby mode.

You remember my describing the huge statue of Jesus in Lisbon which is modeled after the one in Brazil? It turns out that there is a large billboard on the opposite side of the base of the statue which advertises products. I suppose it is a little like having pproducts endorsed by a very high power, but it does seem tacky.

Here is some trivia you need to know. While reading the International Herald on our trip, I read that on May 26, 1967 prison authorities at San Quentin Prison in San Francisco discovered a tunnel. It had been dug below the chapel deep in the ground and extended seventy eight feet in length. However, it turns out the prisoners had a bad sense of direction and had been going in a circle. Had they completed it, they would have come around to the start of their tunnel.

On our last night in London we ate a wonderful French Restaurant Le Gavroche at 43 Upper Brook Street. We had a six course dinner and each course had it's own wine selection. The portions were not large and the food was truly outstanding. A great mixture of food with excellent wine. I have felt London lacks great restaurant's, but the food here was a treat. The next day, however, we felt the effect of that much wine, but it was worth it. I won't tell you how many pounds this meal cost.

Do you know how to wear a Scottish Kilt? You need to know these things and putting it on is not an easy task. According to a magazine article I read in Scotland there are essentially ten steps. First you put on your shirt and cuff links. Next your socks, the top of which should come to just above mid calf. The sqian dubh (knife) fits inside your sock. If you are right handed, on the right and left, if left handed. You should leave a couple of inches of the knife showing. Next comes the ghillie brogues (shoes). You take a lace and twist it six times, pass it around the leg to the front and double knot the tie in the front of the sock. Nextcomes the kilt. Place the pleaded part behind you just below the rib cage and pass the leather strap through the cloth and wrap it around. Buckle it. next put the belt on if you are using one. Then comes the sporrah and chain. This "purse" sits just below the belt buckle and makes up for the fact there are no pockets in a Kilt. Then you put on the tie, scrunchie or cravat. Last comes the waistcoat and jacket. You are now correctly dressed in a kilt which can wear at your wedding or instead of a tuxedo on formal nights. Plan on spending somewhere in the area of $950 pounds or $1500 for the complete outfit of quality.

Lita bought seeds in Portugal for the garden she put in her suitcase she checked in. On our arrival at home, when she unpacked they were gone. Inspectors must have spotted them and removed them from the suitcase although there was no notice of inspection.

This morning the sun is out and it is in the seventies. The dogs are thrilled we are home and so are we. Travel is educational, but home is wonderful too.

LONDON

Last night we had an early dinner and attended the musical Oliver. It has been running for some long time now with sold out performances. Our seats were in a good location, but like most, if not all of the theaters in London, the seats are worse the coach seats on a cheap commuter airplane because they are very close together and I cannot sit with my knees straight ahead. They had binoculars for rent that are bolted between the seats so that one knee is pressed up against the holder. It was a hot day in London and the 7:30 pm theater was humid and uncomfortable. The theater itself is very well appointed and large with box seats on the sides.

The staging for this performance was nothing short of amazing. Stages that dropped down  from above with settings. Stage walls that moved  sideways and openings that allowed performer's to emerge from the front area of the orchestra. The changing stage was worth going for alone.

The play is, obviously, based on Dickens's novel Oliver Twist. The cast included  dozens of young boys dressed for the period. The music had a few songs that were memorable, but it was no Phantom of the Opera musical treat. The general chorus songs with the entire cast was outstanding, but the primary songs needed singers with more powerful voices especially when the orchestra continually seemed to cover their voices. The plot was weak and at times downright boring, but the second half  was considerably better. However, the audience loved them and frequently clapped with enthusiasm. At the end the audience gave them long applause and even, with tongue in cheek, booed the villain.

Today, Tuesday, we got up early and took a taxi for the British Museum.The city streets are being torn up everywhere and we soon found ourselves stopped in traffic. Nothing moved for a very long time. We crawled and stopped and repeated it again. It took more then half an hour when we decided to get out and walk the remaining few blocks. The meter read twenty pounds or over thirty two dollars. Later, we decided the driver probably looked for the streets he knew would be clogged up especially since he asked us how long we had been in London ("one day") when we got in.We walked through the museum and particularly liked the Egyptian displays. There are British Columbia totem poles on display there as well.

After that we caught a cab to go to Victoria and Albert  Museum.  We had the same problem again of blocked traffic. This driver actually tried his best to find ways around it, without much success. We drove down the long street by the park towards the Buckingham Palace. There were large British flag banners down the entire street. It was very colorful and Buckingham always looks impressive with the fence and gold. Today at Hyde Park there was a forty one gun salute at noon followed by a sixty two gun salute at 1:00 at the Tower of London to mark the 56th anniversary of the coronation of the Queen. After half an hour of driving we were still a long ways away. Herrod's department store was near so we got out and walked to Harrods instead of going to the museum.

Harrords is Harrods. A complex maze of rows of hallways going horizontally through the huge store with each one featuring different articles. Another set running crosswise from front to back and the result is you can get lost since there are several floors of this as well. It is huge and an experience to see. I wondered through looking the price of  everything which seemed to be a minimum of twice to three times what it cost in Seattle. I sat and had a cup of tea ($7.00) and checked my email on my I-Phone until I met Lita and we worked our way through the store to the exit.

We walked from there to Walton Street (mistaking it for Walton Place which is street with shops and restaurants) We thought it didn't look right, but soon found an Italian restaurant for lunch. Everyone working there was Italian and the food was very good. From there Lita walked to another area for shopping and I walked to Victoria and AlbertMuseum. It was a fifteen minute walk but it was hot and it took me a little longer. I had a good time looking at it again as this is a museum I enjoy. From there I walked another fifteen minutes to the Natural History Museum which is huge. I didn't spend much time there having spent time there in the past. Another fifteen minute walk put me at the Science Museum which is my favorite London museum. I walked all four floors front to back marveling at the ships and planes as well as all the many things on exhibit here. A very good experience.

From there I caught a cab and without any real problem made it back to the hotel where I met Lita. Tonight we are going to dinner and getting to bed early, No stage shows as we leave for home tomorrow.