Whatzup

Reading at Home

2012-02-07T09:58:00.000-08:00

Living on the hill, I don't recall my Father owning a book. Nor my Mother. Of the two, I lean toward Dad as the most likely to own one, but I have nothing other than a gut feeling to back that up. It wasn't a house without print--just without books. Just some random comment guides me on this. I remember asking Dad about his schooling in England--just nothing more than a simple, "So, how far did you get?" He said, "It would have been the same as 7th Grade over here." Over here. "So, Mom, how about you?" She said, "I had to go to work. I dropped out after the 5th Grade." I think I was in 8th Grade when I got these nuggets, because I remember thinking that I was in new territory for them. I think I was in the 5th Grade when I owned my first book, something that didn't come from school. My sister gave me my first book, TOWER TREASURE, by Franklin W. Dixon. It was a Hardy Boys book. I loved it and really started living the books--identifying with Frank and Joe. I identified more with Joe--he was blond, good looking, resourceful, and the one person that everyone else in the story seemed to confide in. In short, he was nothing like me, but everything I wanted to be. I had to read the next book, because I was now part of the Hardy's lives. I wanted to be part of their adventures. I, too, wanted to be one of the "chums" who helped them solve mysteries. I wanted to be part of that detective family. The books were hard covered and cost one dollar. Dad would give me a dollar when I found another one to buy. I treasured those books and vowed to read them more than once. As far as the folks, it wasn't that they never read. They mostly read the newspaper, and Dad would occasionally buy a detective magazine. It's just a little ironic that I became an English teacher with a house full of books.

Work in Progress

2012-02-07T09:15:00.000-08:00

A writing project I've been grinding away at for years will have to be completed by the end of this year. I'm putting myself on notice. My memoir project has been a disaster to conceive and generate. I'm not a *changer of history* or some significant innovator but just an Ordinary Joe trying to do the best he can. I celebrate the ordinary because that's where most of us land. Don't we all just want to be remembered? And, who better to tell our story but each one of us. My Dad came from a long line of Cornish miners who immigrated to the United States--men who worked long hours for small pay. My Mom was just a survivor of everyday disasters that happen to us all. She always said, "Dad was always a good provider." Her unspoken next line was that she was determined not to waste any of it. She was the mid-twentieth century homemaker who shopped, cooked, cleaned, and kept the fires burning at home--and was damn proud of it. Bars and taverns were the social environments that I became accustomed to in a mining town. It's where my parents' friends gathered. They were places to connect with others who worked in the mines and in the homes. So, what can rise out of those ashes? That's what I've struggled with for years. Is it worth telling? In some ways, I've felt like a sand-lot player in the big-leagues, someone who's a bit in over his head with nearly everything but still willing to swing at the next pitch. It's never stopped me from trying something new. I guess I've been a bit of an actor all my life, hoping no one would ever find out how incompetent I feel to excel. And in the process, I think I've excelled at least part of the time. It's time to get it down, even if its down and dirty.

ISU: Game 2/Pocatello

2011-09-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

Everything is new about Bengal Football, and I love it. It was great to see the Dome starting to fill up for the first time in years. 8000+ can't be wrong! We brought our 5-year-old grandson to the game and he absolutely was thrilled with the experience. He got a stadium horn and medium-sized t-shirt and he announced it to everyone he saw. He's wearing this shirt hanging down to his ankles and he proudly announces, "And this is a medium shirt!" By the end of the game, he was blowing his horn with the best of them. I tried to teach him about when to blow it but all he understood was making noise. I'm thinking that a lot of other youngsters were blowing them at the wrong time too, but it's hard to find fault with enthusiasm. At ISU's Dome, we need all the noise we can handle--even if it's out of control.
My thanks to all those responsible for "Fan Appreciation Day"! I liked the shirts and the designs. I saw the "Kramer's Krazies" and wanted one. A student said they had gotten them in the dorms. Hey, that tells me someone is working overtime to get students involved. Somebody paid for all those shirts and passed them out to people free. Thanks for that.
The new field looks absolutely awesome! The new ISU team playing on it is providing something for people to be excited about! I sincerely appreciate all the planning and work by the coaches and every single team member. This is game two, and I've seen them both. If you haven't seen one, it's time to reach for a schedule and your wallet. You won't be disappointed.

College Football

2011-09-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

I could easily be
the Patron Saint
of Lost Causes.

I am the underdog.

My Bengals will play
WSU Cougars Saturday.

My heart will be wearing
Orange & Black at 2 PM.

My personal colors
could be black & blue.

The Un-Quotables

2011-08-31T08:19:00.000-07:00

In our national conversation, those who talk about the Founding Fathers the most seem to know the least about them. Sadly, we are sucked into their twisted, manipulative logic. This is just a quick sample; much more is available for an opposing view.

"Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice, without constraint."
--Alexander Hamilton (The Federalist Papers, 1787)

"Religion is very improperly made a political machine."
--Thomas Paine (Rights of Man, II, 1792)

"Time makes more converts than reason."
--Thomas Paine (Common Sense, 1776)

"In general, the great can protect themselves, but the poor and humble require the arm and shield of the law."
--Andrew Jackson (Letter to John Quincy Adams, August 26, 1821)

“When public virtue is gone, when the national spirit is fled…the republic is lost in essence, though it may exist in form.”
--(John Adams, 1808)

New National Vision

2011-08-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

United Corporations of America

“When public virtue is gone, when the national
spirit is fled…the republic is lost in essence,
though it may exist in form.” (John Adams, 1808)

Outsource jobs?
How about insource
income for Americans?

National emergency
from hurricanes,
floods, tornadoes,
drought, earthquakes?

Just call an private
business for help.

Your child is near
death, broken and
bleeding on I-15?

Just call a business
for a bid and go
with the lowest.

Our country has been
invaded by another country?

Just call the NRA
phone tree for help
in your local area.

Your house is burning
and your family is
trapped at 1:00 AM?

Just call a corporation
for help during
business hours.

Kellogg Fire Report

2011-08-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

Just discovered a news story about a fire in Kellogg, Idaho <http://t.co/CGLcH8B>. Emergency responders were quick to save lives and property. I think that too often we do not appreciate that community emergencies depend upon effective community solutions. Thank you to all first responders who put their lives at risk to save others. You are the glue that holds our communities and our Nation together.

Are We Fundamentally Lazy?

2011-08-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

Found a quote today that drew me in:

"To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the need for thought."
--Henri Poincare
Science and Hypothesis

French Mathematician (1854-1912) who laid groundwork for
modern fields of topography and chaos theory

Debt Ceiling Debacle

2011-07-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

This reminds me of a Pogo Cartoon that I saw some time in the 1960's. Pogo said: "We has seen the enemy and he are us." Apparently, we can save a lot of money by dismissing the Armed Forces of the United States. We don't need them to defend our country, because we are doing very nicely in dismantleing our society and destroying ourselves. No one is disputing the Taxes-Are-Evil Crowd who seem to be saying, "Nothing in a civil society is worth paying for--even our sanity."

Sad.

I was taught by my Father, an immigrant to this Country and a Hard Rock Miner from North Idaho, that paying taxes was a patriot thing to do. It was something that everyone, big or small, could do for the benefit of our entire country. Paying taxes and serving our country through civic duties made us all equals under the law. I still believe my Father was right. But who will believe him when I am gone?

To Big or Not To Big

2011-06-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

more or less

i am
sure some
cultures
have no
word for
orphan

having
less is
more than

we need
some times

Small Point

2011-06-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

I've been working evenings on Wednesdays for the past month. Driving around this morning downtown, getting some Starbucks, made me realize how much I enjoyed doing that during the day. Usually, I've been working during that time through the last eight years at B&N. A small thing results in big enjoyment. What have you been missing in your life?

Memorial Day Thoughts

2011-05-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day, 2011

I'm grateful for what I've received through the generosity of others before me. When I went to school at ISU in the 1960's, the people of the state of Idaho supported education at all levels. I had no financial support from my parents, mostly because my Dad was a hardrock miner and he was unable to help. I had no scholarships but I had the support of the people who paid taxes in the state of Idaho. My financial help came from the Bunker Hill Company in Kellogg through a summer job. By working for ten weeks, I was able to pay for in-state tuition ($180), room & board at a residence hall ($350), and books ($200) for each semester. I was able to pay for two semesters without borrowing money. Fees remained the same for the four years that I was at ISU. Today, it would be impossible for a hardrock miner's kid to get a college education with no more help than I received.

What do we have today? What are we willing to support? Are we nation-builders who believe in equal opportunities for all? What have we bought for the price we have paid?

For all those who have built this nation with military or civil service, or who have helped build this nation through their taxes, I say: "You have my profound gratitude and respect. Thank you."

Jacob Marley's Ghost in America

2010-11-16T17:06:00.000-08:00

I got the part of Marley's ghost in Dickens' *Christmas Carol*. Memorizing is not an easy exercise for me. I'm constantly going over my lines--even during the evening of performances. I'm constantly vigilant to not forget lines in front of a crowd.

As for the *Christmas Carol*, I think many in our society love the story but hate the message. I'm glad I have the following lines on stage when replying to Scrooge saying I was always of good man of business:

"Business! Mankind was my business! The common welfare was my business! The dealings of my trade were but a single drop of water in the comprehensible ocean of my business!"

Fall Progression

2010-10-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

Maple leaves don't have
problems making decisions.

They go from green
to gold to ground
in six days and
never agonize
about doing
the right thing.

They just lay there
waiting for you to
get to work or
they become

flying kites to
the neighbor's lawn.

Walden Pond

2010-10-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

I find pleasure in small things that may put others to sleep. On our visit to Concord, Massachusetts, I wanted to visit Walden Pond and the site of Thoreau's one-room cabin. He lived there alone for two years, a personal exercise in self reliance and a period of deep reflection. He wrote his journal during that time and his resulting book, Walden, is his best known work. His essay, Civil Disobedience, was the seminal work that inspired Gandi's push for India's independence from England and Martin Luther King's belief in non-violent protest during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's in the United States. Thoreau's thoughts and words of 1848 inspired India's independence and civil justice and liberty in the U.S. more than a century later.

On that October 7th afternoon in Concord, I visited Sleepy Hollow Cemetery after being at Walden Pond. I went to *Author's Hill* where Thoreau is buried and I found a simple stone with one word on it: Henry. Nothing more. He died at the age of 44 in May of 1862. What better monument for a simple and humble life lived?

When I came upon his cabin site on Walden Pond, the first thing I noticed was a large mound of stones. I discovered that people through the years have been adding stones to the pile in memory of Henry's Spirit. One stone was even engraved with a man's name and the years of his birth and death. Before leaving, I looked around for a stone, and finding a small one, I dropped it on top of the pile with all the others. That stone is me and I want to come back.

As I walked back along the path, surrounded by enormous oak trees and stepping on their acorns along the way, I remembered the words of Thoreau in one of his writings: "Simplify, simplify, simplify!"

Looking for a Part

2010-10-17T17:11:00.000-07:00

Saturday, I went to Shelley to try-out for a part in Dickins' Christmas Carol. I read two parts--Scrooge and Marley. I've been in two plays at the Virginia Theater, so I'm likely to get a part in Dickens' play. I'm sure it'll be the *bit part* of Marley, Scrooge's deceased business partner. I've always liked the character of Marley, especially when Scrooge takes refuge in the concept of *business* during their late-night conversation. Marley's response is a *punch to the gut*: "Business! Mankind was my business!"

Indian Pudding ala Concord

2010-10-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

I like to cook. When traveling, I like to search out local flavors and favorites. While in Concord, Massachusetts, I hit the culinary jackpot--I found a local baked dessert and got the recipe and an e-mail address for the chef. The waitress told me that the chef entered the dessert in a contest and came away with the top prize.

At the Colonial Inn, I ordered a dessert called Indian Pudding. It had a slight pumpkin taste and was served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle of it. My taste buds exploded! The waitress went back to the kitchen and came back with a printed recipe of the Pudding and included the chef's e-mail address. It starts out on the stove top and ends up being baked in the oven and turned every 20 minutes until done. The recipe called for milk but the waitress said she knows that it's made with cream. Only one way to find out and that's to *build one* at home. If it turns out, it may become my new favorite addition to a Thanksgiving meal. I'll follow up with a *results entry* here after I've tried the first one. Stay tuned.

Emerson Today

2010-10-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

Found a good copy of Emerson's essays and poems today. He wrote enough to fill 40 volumes of books during his life, so a single volume contains only selected items. However, it's the best I've found thus far. He was a man who believed that the best was in everyone, and he dedicated his life to helping people believe in themselves. He wanted to fill his home with books and people, hosting discussions groups on a regular basis. Now, I'm rediscovering him after touring his home in Concord, Massachusetts. I'm excited about his idealism all over again. We need more uplifting influences in our lives. How exciting could that be if we were a source of inspiration to others?

Touro Synagogue, Newport R.I.

2010-10-11T23:23:00.000-07:00

Some of life’s best experiences are never planned. On Friday, October 1, we flew into T.F. Green Airport in Providence, R.I. at 5:30 PM. We took the last Public Transportation Bus for the evening to Newport. As we neared the end of the line, we were the only ones left on the bus and we fell into a conversation about the area with the bus driver. He said, “Newport has the oldest Jewish synagogue in America. Don’t miss it.”

I had no idea that the synagogue existed, and my understanding of Colonial America didn’t extend much beyond 5th Grade. At that age, State history didn’t hold that much interest for me. However, on this October visit, I was excited about what I learned because of its relevance in today’s America.

We visited the Touro Synagogue, a National Historic Site, on Sunday. The synagogue’s colonial architect was Peter Harrison and it was dedicated in 1763. Roger Williams, founder of the state of Rhode Island, insisted on religious tolerance being lived in the colony, and the Jews found a welcome home in Newport. The synagogue has since become a symbol of religious freedom for all Americans.

I learned that Rhode Island was the first state to sign the Declaration of Independence but the last one to ratify the Constitution. They were still holding out for a guarantee of religious freedom under the new government and with the inclusion of the Bill of Rights as Amendments that was accomplished. President Washington decided to come to Rhode Island to thank the state for their support. And, he wrote a letter “To the Hebrew Congregation in Newport” in 1790. In that letter, Washington wrote that “…happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.”

What more can be said today when many claim to respect our Founding Fathers and our First President? It seems this part of our history regarding tolerance and understanding is somehow not remembered--or if remembered, not understood. Too many people are targets of bigotry and persecution in America. We have been handed a veritable smorgasbord of people to hate. Take your pick—Muslims, Mexicans, Gays or Lesbians. Any one of them can be the *Hate Du Jour*. I don’t want to live my life fearing others and buying guns and stocking up on ammunition. It’s time to say, “Enough”.

It’s time we give “bigotry no sanction and persecution no assistance”. This ideal should be applied to all peoples and all religions within our country. Washington did not say “this is for some and not for others”. His only qualifier was that everyone, whoever they may be, should be good citizens. It’s time we lived up to that ideal. There should be no second guessing or questioning of what is the right thing to do. We can stop today’s madness by standing up and saying, “Enough!” We can turn off the noise.

Journaling

2010-10-10T14:41:00.000-07:00

Just returned from a trip to Concord, Massachusetts. Visited Emerson's home, Walden Pond and the original site of Henry Thoreau's cabin where he lived for two years two months and two days. It was a world of discovery compacted into one day--and, I want more than those few hours there. Concord has put a new spirit into me. It has inspired me.

The next day in downtown Providence, R.I., I found a used copy of Thoreau's Journal, 1837-1861. Before Concord, I would have left it on the table. But, I am new. I've been reading it since that last day in Providence and I want to begin my blog anew.

Thoreau's first journal entry: Oct. 23, 1837. "What are you doing now?" he asked. "Do you keep a journal?" So I make my first entry to-day.

WJP's first journal entry: Oct. 10, 2010. "What are you doing now?" Thoreau asked me. "Do you keep a journal?" So, I, too, make my first entry today.

Tuning Manual

2010-04-30T21:52:00.000-07:00

Tuning Manual

"Most toilets flush in the key of E flat."
--BBC Knowledge Magazine
June, 2010

There is such harmony
in the world and at last
we have the final word.

Jimi Hendrix tuned
his guitar in E flat

and now we learn he
could have sung to
a flushing toilet.

I feel better now,
knowing I'm in good
historical company

as I sing in the shower
in a comfortable key.

Something About Hate

2010-04-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

"Haters are confused admirers who don't understand why everyone loves you."
--Paulo Coelho

I don't know what it is since Obama was elected President. The dogs have been loosed and they're snapping and snarling. Worse yet, they are getting all the ink in the Press across the Nation. We have opened Pandora's Box and let every evil escape to reproduce themselves across our country. Remembering the myth, we should not forget that one thing remained in the box for us. It did not escape. It is with us always--HOPE. Let us not turn our backs on the one thing that will not leave us. Above all, let's not laugh at it, trying to diminish its power in today's world. Why sink the only raft that can save our lives?

Sharing In The Bad Times

2010-04-20T21:25:00.000-07:00

As reported in the New York Times today, the coming school year could begin an "education catastrophe" according to Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education. The nation could see anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 teachers losing their jobs, schools being closed across the nation, and programs cut. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36674830/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/

Today, School District #91 in Idaho Falls, declared a financial emergency. Is this a forerunner of what's ahead for next year? We will not escape an economic dismantling of public education.
http://www.kidk.com/news/91667329.html

I know that there are many who say that teachers should share in the bad times like everyone else. Who could argue with such logic? However, as a former public school teacher, I'd like to remind people that teachers haven't always shared in the "good times", so why should they share in the "bad times"? I began a new school year several times without a contract because contract negotiations were not completed. The central issue of contention? Teacher salaries. I remember one year we didn't have a contract until after Thanksgiving. That's nearly three months without a contract. Teachers were being "squeezed" in the good times--"squeezed" to accept less. What other profession has ever been asked to work without a contract?

Servicing Friendships

2010-04-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

For years, I've remembered a quote about friendship long after I've forgotten who penned it. "One should always keep their friendships in a constant state of repair." All personal relationships probably fall into that category of needing *constant repair*. It's easy to get lost in the shuffle, ignoring people and sometimes intentionally overlooking them. We must realize they won't always be there.

If I had one wish, it would be to spend one more day with my Dad, so I could ask him all sorts of questions that I couldn't even formulate when he was alive. Sometimes we shy away from senstive issues, believing ourselves to be thoughtful of others--but, those are the very questions to ask. They go to the core of our being. That's where the soul lives--sometimes in isolation. It takes a one-to-one personal touch to stay connected.

Poetry Month

2010-04-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

April is Poetry Month. Pick up a volume and read some. They won't take long, but the memories will last far longer than the words on the page. I stopped at the library and picked up an old favorite--Bukowski, a coarse, vulgar, inspiring poet. You don't have to dig long to discover some real gems. I admire the quantity of his writings on a daily basis--he even wrote about throwing away all the bad lines. The volume I got is the last of his posthumous publications--or, as Billy Collins says on the cover, "But don't count on it." Collins is also a favorite. What's yours?

ISU Bengals Host Summer Camp

2010-04-11T22:32:00.000-07:00

ISU Basketball will host another Summer Camp for Grades K-9 in Idaho Falls. The event will be at Idaho Falls High School, June 28-30. For more information about the event, go to http://www.isubengals.com/camps/idsu-camps.html

Camp Brochure is available for download at that site. Find a way to pass the word to others if you are interested. Last year, lots of students in the area participated in the first Summer Camp. We're glad to have the Bengals back in town!

Go Bengals !

What Would the Neighbors Say?

2010-04-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

What Would the Neighbors Say?

If I took my Christmas tree
down on Easter Sunday.

If I seldom ate but
seemed more plump.

If a professed atheist
wished me Happy Easter.

If I were born in guns
but didn’t like Idaho.

If I closed my eyes and
answered with questions.

If I treated you with dignity
in the name of no god.

If I liked dimes and pennies
as change for a hundred.

If wind in the leaves told
our most guarded secrets.

Meeting a Major Leaguer

2010-04-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

At a Cubs Spring Training game yesterday, I had a chance to meet Tommy Davis, a former player for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was there to sign autographs for charity, but not too many people were around when I talked with him. I asked if he had ever played for the Spokane Indians. He said that he had in 1959. I told him that my Dad used to take me to the Spokane games at least once or twice during the Summer, and that we lived in the mining town of Kellogg. We talked about players on that team--Maury Wills who was the first player in the Majors to steal 100 bases in one year, Ron Fairley, and Frank Howard. I told him that I remembered seeing him play in 1959 when I was 13. I asked him if I could take his picture, and while he was talking with someone else, I framed him in my camera and he flashed the biggest smile that I just knew was meant for me even though he was talking with someone else. What a great memory in time! That was a memorable experience 51 years later because my Dad took the time to take me to a baseball game in the Summer! Never underestimate the power of a decision to give someone else a gift.

Game #2

2010-03-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

Just saw the Cubs play the San Diego Padres. The game ended in a tie--2 to 2. Two cubed. They only go 10 innings in Spring Ball, so at the end of 10 it was a tie. Sun was out--hotter than yesterday with little breeze. We had a breeze for yesterday's game. Tomorrow, no game. We'll be going to Glendale to visit with Betty's nephew Chad and his family. He's in the Air Force. We'll be driving there in the morning, after visiting a swap meet near our hotel. Life is good in the slow lane. Stay tuned for tomorrow's update.

Spring Training Baseball

2010-03-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

I'm doing something that I only thought about doing for a number of years. This is the final week of Spring Training baseball in Mesa, AZ, for the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs--the Pro Team equivalent of Idaho State University sports. But this Cubs team is fun to watch. We saw the Cubs play the Oakland A's yesterday--losing 5 to 2, but tied going into the 9th inning. Today, it's the Cubs and the San Diego Padres.

The games start at 1:00 PM, and there's just something relaxing about watching a good game of baseball in the sun. I noticed everything slowing down, which forced me to slow down. I found myself saying, "What's the rush?" Bringing that thought back to Idaho Falls and my life at work, it's a good question to ask. Why bring a sense of boundless pressure to everything we do? It can't be good for relationships, work experience, our our health.

It's a time to readjust and renew. It's a time to give thanks for good friends, family--and having a job in tough times. It's a time for me to ask, "What do you really want to do?" It's a time for me to commit myself to doing it. Thanks, Cubs, for slowing me down and renewing my energy.

Story Plot: Memoir Project

2010-03-14T17:44:00.000-07:00

Story Plot

Memoir

This will be my story of growing up in a mining family in Kellogg, Idaho--1955 to 1964. I will tell how my Cornish ancestors came to the North Idaho mines, following a job they were familiar with--tin mines of Cornwall to the galena mines of Kellogg. Sons followed fathers. My story is the influence of the mining culture in my life--its alcohol drinking and looking no further ahead than tomorrow. With that background, I was not well prepared to excel in college. Summer jobs from the Bunker Hill financed my education, but I struggled to graduate. My story begins with the campaign of RFK in Pocatello, Idaho and ends with his death in L.A. on June, 1968.

Setting: The story occurs during the 1950's and 1960's in Kellogg, Idaho--a mining community in the Coeur d' Alene National Forest area of North Idaho.
_______________________

1. EVENT: RFK presidential campaign comes to Pocatello, Idaho--3-26-68—college graduation year.
SCENE:
A. 8 days before MLK is killed
B. My remembrance of the evening
C. After: Coming up behind RFK on the platform. No challenge from security as I walked-up alone to him

2. EVENT: My Dad leaves England for America--late June, 1922
SCENE:
A. The last remembrance of his father on the day that he left
B. His father had taken money that Dad had given to his sister for candy
C. Dad went looking for him to confront him about taking the money
D. Found him at an outhouse and waited for him to come out
E. "I layed the boots to him."

3. EVENT: Immigrants came to the mines in Kellogg, Idaho.
SCENE:
A. Tin miners in Camborne, England went looking for similar work
B. My Dad's grandfather & uncle came to Kellogg in 1907 & 1909. Grandfather had come for 10 months in 1881--possibly Michigan or gold fields north of Kellogg in Murray, ID
C. Dad's Aunt & husband own a home in Kellogg. He will stay with them & rustle a job at the Bunker Hill

4. EVENT: Bunker Hill discovered in 1885—Milo Gulch in present-day Wardner.
SCENE:
A. Noah Kellogg leaves Murray to prospect south along west-fork of CDA River.
B. Near present-day Kellogg/Wardner, jackass wanders up the gulch and Noah finds him standing on a rich outcroping of galena ore.
C. Source: lawyer's memoir who worked in Murray

5. EVENT: Paydays at the mine on Fridays: 1950’s
SCENE:
A. At mine pay-window, present ID card and get weekly check.
B. My Dad would cash check at the bank and head to Joe & Henry's Bar
C. Drinking beer & meeting friends--co-workers and retired workers
D. I can't remember any of my friends' parents drinking in bars--not mine laborers but office workers in plant facilities & laboratories
E. Aunt didn't approve of drinking. My sister spent weekends with her & ate lunch with her during school week. I never had that relationship with her

6. EVENT: Dad buys new 1955 Ford, 8-cylinders
SCENE:
A. Aunt wants to visit nephew's family in Kitchener, Ontario. Dad offers to drive in 1940 Chevie.
B. Aunt will loan money to Dad for a new car. He must pay her back.
C. Only long-distance trip I took with her & Mom & Dad

7. EVENT: My parents marry in Butte, Montana on 5-5-34
SCENE:
A. Met through Lonely Hearts Club--letter correspondance
B. Dad in Butte & Mom in Cleveland. He sends her money to meet him. "I want you to know I'm a beer drinker & I'm not quitting. If you don't like the looks of me, I'll send you back."
C. She arrives at night, impressed with the "big city lights". She was depressed in the morning light.
D. After one day, they are married.

8. EVENT: Dad & Mom "hop freight train" from Butte, MT to Cleveland, 1934
SCENE:
A. Mom's youngest brother was dying of TB.
B. They were given $5 & a sack lunch from Granny at the boarding-house.
C. Milked cows when train stopped
D. Arrived in Cleveland with $5

9. EVENT: Auntie's Memorial Day tradition of flowers on husband's grave--1955
SCENE:
A. Dad drives Auntie & me to florist to buy a red geranium plant.
B. We drive to the Masonic section of Greenwood Cemetery.
C. Dad digs out old pot and places the new potted plant on Uncle Bob's grave.
D. Dad says to me: "Let's see Uncle Alex." Auntie doesn't go. We walk down the hill. Auntie stays at the car.
E. No flower for Alex. This is Auntie's brother. Two white headstones.

10. EVENT: I discover who is buried in the grave next to Alex--2006
SCENE:
A. Two white headstones unreadable. At City Hall, a map of gravesites verifies that
another Rowe is buried next to Alex.
B. I have the funeral card of Auntie's mother--died in Wardner, May of 1913.
C. I search newspaper files for the Wallace Miner--local paper of the day
D. I find her obituary on the front page, listing cause of death and burial in Greenwood Cemetery. I am convinced that the two graves are Mother & Son.
E. My Dad didn't know that. I am haunted by why Auntie never put a flower on her mother's grave or her brother's.

11. EVENT: Trumpet lessons and band experience with Glenn Exum--Grand Teton climbing pioneer who founded the Exum Ridge in 1934, most popular route to the top of The Grand.
SCENE:
A. Summer school for beginning band students. I start lessons with Exum, every day for three weeks In June of 1957.
B. We end with a band concert for parents & friends. Everyone must play a solo of his choice. Mine was "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".
C. Doy McKinley's junior high band ini 7th & 8th grade. Great trumper player, Elks Band, and great story teller of early day Wardner. (Story of dumping bodies and re-selling caskets.)
D. I am chosen to play in Exum's high school band in 9th grade.
E. Our band is chosen to represent the state of Idaho at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair.

12. EVENT: Dad tells story of finding his Mother dead--about 1916.

SCENE:
A. We are eating dinner at the Sunshine Cafe--about 1963, and after a few beers, he tells bout coming home from school to find her dead.
B. She had committed suicide.
C. He found the spoon where she had licked the poison.

13. EVENT: Making Cornish Pasties--individual hand pies of meat & potatoes baked in a half-moon pastry—1950’s

SCENE:
A. Dad taught Mom
B. Recipe & family tradition

14. EVENT: Nearly 7-month miners' strike at Bunker Hill in 1961

SCENE:
A. Dad can't find other work
B. Workers losing faith in Mine, Mill, & Labor Union.. New Union is formed--Northwest Metal Workers.
C. We get a box of food each week from new Union--in exchange for Dad making deliveries to picketing miners

15. EVENT: My Senior year at KHS.

SCENE:
A. Long weekend of 11-22-1963: JFK is assassinated in Dallas. Jack Ruby kills Lee Harvey Oswald.
B. High school b-ball team wins the Idaho State championship. I am the manager of the team.
C. 18th birthday: Selective Service physical in Spokane
D. I begin summer work at Bunker Hill Zinc Plant to finance first year of college

16. EVENT: RFK assassinated in L.A.

SCENE:
A. I hear about the assassination at my parents’ house in Kellogg.
B. I reflect on my evening in March, 1968.
C. Complete lack of security at Reed Gym in Pocatello.
D. I graduate from college at Idaho State University. Summer jobs at Bunker Hll made it financially possible.

Getting the News

2010-03-07T10:33:00.000-08:00

A poll in January, 2010 asked: "Which of the following ways do you most prefer to get the news: Print newspaper? Online? Television? Radio? Don't know." Two percent of everyone polled between the ages of 18 and 49 answered "Don't know". One percent of those polled over 50 answered the same.

They don't know? What's your twist on who those people are? 3 % of everyone too low?

Influenced by Actions Not Words

2010-03-02T16:46:00.000-08:00

Working through the planning stage of my memoir, I came to a surprising realization today. My mother was much more approachable when it came to conversation. Although my father didn't talk much, his impact on me was even stronger than my mother. He was fair-minded, looked for ways to bring people together in agreement, and valued his commitment to work in the mine. He loved to work and I always thought that he looked younger when he was on the job. He was more animated and had more zip in his step. A co-worker once remarked: "If you cut his arms off, he wouldn't be able to talk!" He never wanted to miss a shift at the mine. I remember when a wrench he was using to close an ore car slipped out of his hand. The weight of the doors caused the wrench to twirl around, hitting the back of his hand and breaking several bones. He worked a couple more days before going to the doctor. After the hand was put in a cast, he still went to work and never missed a shift. I don't know if I could have ever done that, but I rarely used sick-leave when I was teaching. I now recognize where I got that *you-ought-to-be-at-work* attitude.

A Strange Valentine Thought

2010-02-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

9th Amendment
and Hearts

I need a t-shirt
saying that I
support the 9th
amendment.

Simply stated:
people retain
other rights
not identified
in the Constitution.

Written rights
should not
override them.

I have the right
not to be surrounded
by heavily armed
nut balls who
hunt people.

Tired of It All

2010-02-13T09:38:00.000-08:00

Tired

of lost causes
losing seasons
too many cheats
our politics--

no money to

support schools or
fire departments
ambulance crews
law enforcement

of never wrong
and never right
never making
sense of it all

of can't do this
and can't do that
and if we don't
have a plan now
it will work out--

being counted
on and counted
out of answers
even when asked--

of those who lead
by getting lost
and telling us
it is our fault--

just plain tired.

Memoir's Focus

2010-01-26T22:23:00.000-08:00

I want to write a personal memoir, covering about 16 years of my life from 1952 to 1968. I am motivated by the life of my Father, who immigrated to this country from Cornwall, England when he was 17 years old. He was the third generation of his family to come to the North Idaho mining community of Kellogg, Idaho. His Grandfather and an Uncle preceded him, and they all worked in the Bunker Hill Mine. I, too, worked at the Bunker after high school, and that job financed my college education in the 1960’s.

I will add historical perspective by including family stories told by my father, with my personal encounters with my father and his aunt. I’d like to use some of my poems in this book. I will include a family recipe for Cornish pasties. They became my mother’s specialty. I want to include immigration records from Ellis Island, my father’s naturalization papers from Butte, Montana, family birth certificates, and a 1910 Census document from Wardner, Idaho. I’d like to include family photos and a family tree. Perhaps some of those additions could be included in an appendix. I’d like to include some social history from my perspective—the assassination of President Kennedy when I was in high school, and Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy when I was in college. I had an encounter with RFK in Pocatello a few weeks before he died and that personalized his death for me.

I will tell the story using the first person singular. I want the style to be conversational, much like listening to a story in person.

The audience for my book will be my immediate family and descendents to tell them the early influences in my life. I am proud to come from a mining family, and I want them to know my story growing up in a small mining community of Kellogg, Idaho. The influence of beer parlors was part of that growing up. Many of my high school classmates stayed in the community to work the mines and other businesses. I left to attend college and eventually became a teacher. Even though I left, I’m still a Kellogg boy.

The message of the book will be how those early influences helped me form a social conscience. Even though I have retired from teaching, that social consciousness is still a huge part of who I am. If there is a message beyond my family, it would be that we should continue to be a people-caring nation.

I recently took the challenge of the SMITH Magazine to write my memoir in six words. This is my offering: “Mining kid digs his way out.” That could be my focus for the book.

I would like my completed book to be a gift to family members. Some people outside my family have expressed an interest in reading it. Perhaps my book may have possibilities for wider circulation.

This Is the Year

2010-01-17T09:24:00.000-08:00

Big decision this week. I signed-up for an on-line workshop to put form and substance to my Memoir. It's tougher to put together than I had envisioned but it needs to be completed in 2010. I'm excited. In the next 16 weeks, I'll have completed the entire outline and much of the writing. Why am I doing this? It's a tribute to my Dad who left home in Cornwall at 17 and came to America by himself. What's a pioneer or a hero? Just someone who acts alone and presses on. No excuses and no whining. He was a miner--and damn proud of it. A mainline motorman who dragged galena to the surface. No one special, but the biggest man I've known in a 5' 5" frame. This Dad's for you.

Reduction

2010-01-13T06:59:00.000-08:00

Reduction

angels or demons
can help you decide
to lock and load or

count yourself among
all de-fanged rats
being juggled for
national glory

shouldn't learning
prepare you for

choosing two wheat
for today's meals
from piles of chaff

just take your pick
and be happy

what could be
simpler than
flipping this
weighted coin

Six-Word Memoir

2010-01-12T19:06:00.000-08:00

I just visited the website of Smith Magazine. They have an on-going challenge to write a six-word memoir. From submitted entries, they will choose what they view as the best to be published in a book.

What the hell? Here's my six-word memoir:

"Mining kid digs his way out."

First Time I Saw Him Cry

2010-01-11T22:22:00.000-08:00

First Time I Saw Him Cry

Dad rarely talked about his Mother. One evening at the Sunshine Inn in Kellogg, he did. He bought Mom and me a plate at the Friday night smorgasboard dinner and opened up to us in a rare revelation of self. His stories were not long but this one I will never forget.

"I came home from school and found my Mother dead. She had taken rat poison. I found the spoon where she had licked it." His voice cracked and he forced himself to hold back the tears. I knew they were there. "Auntie (her sister Annie Maddrell) would never admit it but I knew better."

I was shocked at such a revelation about my Grandmother. I couldn't imagine such a thing happening to a young boy. He would say no more, except that she was 30 years old and had ten children. He said that he had problems accepting religion, because his Father would stand on a box and preach the word of God but come home and beat his Mother. He never went to church with me and Mom but he never discouraged it. Of all the people I've known, I'd call him a Christian. I saw how he treated others.

That was the first time I saw him cry. In a strange way, I felt luckier after that evening.

Twitter This

2010-01-10T09:53:00.000-08:00

I never thought I'd be here, but yesterday, I signed-up for a Twitter account. I thought it was mostly a phone to phone link, but you can also Tweet on a Web Browser or a Blog or Website. I signed-up to follow the football coaches' recruiting at ISU, and now I'm curious about other uses of Twitter. It's another social network like Facebook, but with none of the bells, whistles, and extraneous gadgets and bull shit--at least as far as I can tell. It's just straight-out connecting with: What's Happening. I don't like wading through all the game-players on Facebook just to get to some essential notes from people I care about. You're limited to 140 characters or less, so communication can be quick and creative. This has great potential for a few friends or family members or a group that you are interested in. I think it's unwritten Twitter etiquette that when you follow someone they respond in kind. The key, of course, is to start the ball rolling by following someone, much like I did with ISU Football Coaches. Sign-up for an account at https://twitter.com/ and give me a Tweet.

My Twitter Username is: wjpeters64

Sounded Good at the Time

2010-01-02T09:11:00.000-08:00

FIREPLACE volunteered
for two old FLAMES.

Not enough heat--
too much SMOKE.

A Prescription

2009-12-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

A college
basketball
game is a
January
gift for the
shovel mad
days of snow.

Bring it on!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-13T09:44:00.000-08:00

Like all the others
we have carols, cards
trees, gifts, and lights.

But today, we want
yesterday’s promise
of peace and joy.

Just as Cornish miners
called luncheon pasties
a letter from home,

these lines will be
your meat and potatoes
wrapped in the wheat of life.

In this season
of promise, we
must become that
letter from home

to those hungering
for a calm center

of hope.

Ain't Gonna Be No More No More

2009-12-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

In today's paper, the Idaho State Senate Majority Leader, a Republican from Idaho Falls, stated that further cuts were coming for higher education in Idaho. That's news? In the past year, funding for public education K-12 received lower funding for the first time in the history of our State--that would be since 1890. No one has said a word--not one word of opposition to such malfeasance of leadership. We're in a tough economic time today--but so what? Weren't we in tough economic times during the Great Depression of 1929-1936? Funding for education in Idaho was never cut then. Why is it being cut now with no public opposition?

I believe we've been set-up for today's blind acceptance by nearly 30 years of political attacks on public education. Ever since 1981 when Reagan came out with his "Nation at Risk" position paper, public education has been under attack for not delivering quality education. Public education has been the target and teachers have been wearing bulls-eye's on their backs for nearly 30 years. If you've been told for 30 years that something is bad, would you be upset if you were told that funding for something bad is being decreased?

What a great plan to eliminate public education and make the majority of people dumber in the process--don't publicly oppose education, just starve it to death. Here's a quote from the Idaho State Majority Leader in today's *Post Register*: "While (he) lamented the lack of consistent support for higher education from the Legislature, he did say cuts will have to happen." No shit. Can anything be a more perfect example of George Orwell's concept of *Double Speak* from the novel *1984*? Double Speak is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in your mind at the same time and yet believe in both of them. (I don't like cutting funding for education but I will vote to cut funding for education.) With this *cutting taxes* frenzy we've been living through since Bush's presidency in 2000, the constant decrease in revenue has finally started to hit home. Education in Idaho is the first casuality of a steady starvation diet. And no one seems to care. What else will die before people will notice--and finally care?

Nagging Thought

2009-12-11T22:32:00.000-08:00

Idaho State Basketball

Final buzzer
at Southern Cal

Bengals go down
fifty-nine
fifty-three

Idaho State
fans wonder when
we will get off
this merry old
carnival ride.

Losing has
no luster.

The Last Time I Saw Him….

2009-12-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

The Last Time I Saw Him….

I remember the second time that I saw my Dad cry. It surprised us both. Usually, he wasn’t so open. He told me about the last time that he had seen his Father. Dad was leaving his home in Cambourne, Cornwall, England that day. It was the last week of June, 1922, and he was headed to Southampton where he would board the Mauretania. He was headed to Kellogg, Idaho—the home of his Mother’s sister, Annie Maddrell and her husband Bob. Somewhere in the Atlantic on that ship, he celebrated his 18th birthday on July 1.

When Dad told a story, it was short but memorable. He said that he had given his sister Bessie some money to buy some candy before he left. He found out that his Father had taken the money away from his sister, so Dad went looking for him. He tracked him down to an outhouse. Dad waited for him to come out. When the door opened, Dad said that he “laid the boots to him”. I never knew Dad to be a violent man, but I believed his story because he cried when he told it. He ended, “That was the last time that I saw him”.

I only have two memories of my Grandfather. The other story was the first time I saw my Dad cry.

Craziness

2009-11-30T20:39:00.000-08:00

According to Gore Vidal, our government has chosen to keep us in a state of war since 1948. We've either been trying to avoid one through a strong defense posture or we've been actively engaged in one. The Cold War kept us busy for decades as we poured money into the military industrial complex. President Eisenhower, in his farewell to the nation, warned against surrendering our souls to the war machine. We didn't listen. Nearly 65% of our nation's resources are spent annually on feeding the war machine in our country. Now, we can't stop it. We've been controlled by fear for longer than many people in our country have been alive.

So what? Well, if Vidal is correct, then it seems to me that our national obsession with guns makes more sense. After all, if someone is out to get us, we need a weapon to stay safe and protect our loved ones and our possessions. Our national right to "bear arms" is an enshrined freedom in the Bill of Rights--and the NRA won't let us forget it. George Orwell's 1984 becomes more visionary with each passing day with some memorable mottos: "War is Peace" and "Freedom is Slavery".

It has become impossible to out-maneuver the gun lobby in our society. What was once thought to be indispensable for hunting to provide meat on the table has now become indispensable for personal safety and protection of our national freedoms. How does one oppose nationalism without becoming an enemy of the nation?

I do not understand violence. I'm afraid that our national paranoia about someone wanting to "get us" has fostured a craziness that's getting more out of control. Yesterday, four uniformed policemen sat in a Tacoma coffee shop before 8 AM. They were sipping coffee and catching up on paperwork on their laptops before beginning their shifts. A man entered the shop and shot and killed all four officers. Those officers had weapons, and yet, they still died. We have heard the gun-lobby argument: "If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns." At this point, who knows how to solve the violence in our nation? We should at least try. Gun control is not the answer, but neither is gun possession. No matter how heavily armed we are, we are not any more safe. Crazy people are not deterred by guns; they just want to get off the first shot.

Health Bill Re-Form

2009-11-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

Health Bill Re-Form

yes

most Americans will have insurance
federal subsidies to those who can't afford it
insurance industry cannot deny coverage for medical conditions
insurers can't charge higher premiums due to gender or med history
insurance industry can no longer be exempted from price fixing
consumers have another place to shop for insurance
government will sell insurance for a premium paid

Republicans do not support the Bill

it's too expensive

monthly cost of war in Afghanistan & Iraq = $12 Billion
no money to pay for it

Republicans support the war

no questions asked

Who is This?

2009-10-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

The clang from clashing swords
comes from off stage to my right.
I'm no where near a theater.

It's the damn phone again,
asking me to please hold in
some synthetic female tone

assuring me this conversation
might be recorded for quality
assurance. Like hell it will.

A key slides under the door.
Funny, this is not my house.
Even I know better than that.

I've been given
the key to the city
someone's heart

solving a puzzle
a brand new car
good health

my jail cell
prosperity
and a long life.

Someone knocks.
No one answers.

It's me.

Maybe

2009-09-30T23:32:00.000-07:00

Why women don't compromise
is not that complicated to
figure out. They either don't
want to or don't have to or
maybe I'm wrong about that.

After all we're much the same.

Who wants to bargain away
what's left of our dignity and
the loose change we found in
the sofa or the kitchen junk
drawer next to the fillet knife?

Celebrate People or Things?

2009-09-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

The metaphorical woods are full of experts on the U.S. Constitution. Too many quote it; too few understand it. I believe the Declaration of Independence is far more important because it emphasizes *The People*, whereas the Constitution emphasizes a thing--a system of Government for the people. I'll take people over things any day.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men...."

We've got a long way to go to live out that vision of equality. Women couldn't vote until the 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920. Slavery was abolished by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution on December 6, 1865. Blacks could finally vote after the 15th Amendment was ratified on February 3, 1870. Poll tax as a pre-requisite for voting was abolished with the 24th Amendment on January 23, 1964. Eighteen year olds could finally vote in 1971, even though they could have been Drafted into military service for the Vietnam War in the 1960's. As a Nation, we have yet to fully live the freedom-vision stated in the Declaration of Independence. Our latest *have nots* are gays and lesbians.

Why all the hoopla about the Constitution? I believe formost in the People. I believe any system of government will work as long as you have Good People working the system. Socialism will work with good people, as will Communism and Democracy. The best system, worked by bad people, will become unworkable. Let's not deify the Constitution and its system of government. Let's ask ourselves, "What creates Good People?" Not enough attention has been paid to that. Let's work to create Good People and the System will take care of itself.

Leaving Southampton

2009-08-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

My Dad, William Peters, was born in Cambourne, Cornwall, England, July 1, 1904. He traveled alone and celebrated his 18th birthday somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean aboard HMS Mauretania. That was a sister-ship to the HMS Luisitania which was sunk by a German submarine during WW I. He arrived at Ellis Island, New York, in July of 1922. His end destination was 315 W. Park Avenue in Kellogg, Idaho--the home of his Aunt Annie (mother's sister) and his Uncle Bob Maddrell.

He left Southampton, England--the same port that the Titanic sailed from ten years earlier. I wonder if the thought ever crossed his mind about whether he would even complete the trip safely. I don't know if he was even aware of the Titanic. He never talked about it.

I saw the Titanic Exhibit at the Idaho Museum in Idaho Falls. The last item listed the survivors and the lost passengers on the ship. William Peters, a crew member, was listed as one of the survivors. I wonder how that happened in an era that followed the dictum of "women and children first". Just one more *Peters Puzzle*. Not many men made it out alive, since there were too few lifeboats for the number of passengers aboard the ship.

Dad remained in the United States for the next fifty years. The last day he saw his Father alive was the day he left home. That story will be a separate entry because it ended in a physical fight--a story that still brought tears to his eyes forty years later as he told me about it.

He returned to his home town, Cambourne, in the summer of 1972. He visited a sister, Elizabeth, and a brother, John during that trip. It was the last time they were all together.

Joan Baez in Idaho Falls

2009-08-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

At one point during the concert, Baez stopped and said she wanted to dedicate a song to some Vietnam veterans she met that afternoon outside the theater. The men were protesting her concert and encouraging others not to attend the event. She said that she went down to talk with them and to listen to what they had to say. They were upset about how they were treated when they returned home from their tour of combat duty, and they associated her with how they were abused by some at home. She said to the audience, "All they wanted was someone to listen to them." Apparently after the men experienced being treated with dignity and respect, they were able to listen to her as she told them what her life was about. She offered them copies of her memoir which they accepted, and then they asked her if she would autograph their protest signs. She said, "I won't sign the front, but I'll be happy to sign the back." She added before singing, "I feel like I have four new friends." The emotion in her voice was genuine.

I like the way Baez interacted with the protesters. A meaningful exchange of ideas was possible because there was that mutual respect for one another. Isn't that what we all want? Not just to be heard, but listened to with dignity and respect. It frees us to see the possible. If we only want to shout people down, the only ones left will be those who agree with us.

Bee Laughter

2009-08-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

Under the dryer vent outside, bees have been walking into the walls of my house. Nest building is inevitable. We've found bee carcasses in our clothes after drying. I bought a can of Raid for bees/wasps. Instead of dying, they seem to be getting high. After reading the label on the can and using the product, I can only conclude that Raid can do serious damage to people and pets but only piss-off the bees.

What's More Important to Your Life?

2009-08-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

A proposal from a friend concerning those who lean heavily on the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution when saying no one has the right to take their gun away from them:

"So, you'd have no problem with anyone taking away your driver's license? After all, it is a right that's not protected by anything in the Constitution or by any of the Amendments.

Today, which would impact your life more? No gun or no driver's license?"

Which would impact your life more in 1791?

Responsible Behavior

2009-08-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

Every thoughtful discussion about guns in this society always degenerates into a discussion of right-of-ownership and the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution in the Bill of Rights. End of discussion. Beginning of name-calling, merciless fuming, and a labyrinthine diversion.

What would happen if a discussion was only about responsible usage? I shared this idea with a colleague at work after two children were injured by a .45 caliber pistol during the 4th of July parade in Idaho Falls. I asked that we talk about the craziness and zero-in on responsible behaviour. I asked: "How did we get to where we are in our society?" My colleague responded: "Just because some crazy person fired a pistol during the parade doesn't give anyone the right to take my gun away!" End of a potentially thoughtful discussion. I told him that I didn't want to talk about *ownership*. I wanted to talk about *actions* and how we got to fosturing an increasing number of people who exhibit irresponsible actions. The conversation went no-where. Unwittingly, he made my point for me.

I was surprised at how easy it was to shut me up about guns by insisting that only *ownership* be discussed. What would happen if we refused to take the *bait*? We could say: "Let's not talk about *ownership*. Ownership was decided on December 15, 1791 when the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified by a majority of the States with the final support of the Virginia Legislature."

Let's talk about ACTIONS not OWNERSHIP. Is that an "Impossible Dream"?

Re-union Progression

2009-07-27T23:04:00.000-07:00

Class reunions get a bad rap from some people. I've heard some say they would never go to one, or they've been to one and they'll never attend another. I've been fortunate in wanting to go. I missed the 10th but I've made all the rest. Every ten years, a new theme emerges. The 10th: Me & You. The 20th: Our Children. The 30th: Our Grandchildren. The 40th: Our Mortality. The 45th: Ourselves & Friendship. Perhaps the 50th will be: Let's Kick Some Ass.

If you hang around long enough, you become a part of growth, maturity, and renewal of spirit. The key to learning is participation--not hanging back.

4th of July Parade Craziness

2009-07-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

While the parade was in progress, a young boy selling cotton-candy was shot in the foot by a bullet fired from an undisclosed location. A second boy was injured in the leg by the same bullet after it injured the first boy.

Does anyone see anything wrong with this? How did our society arrive at such a place?

I can only report what I've experienced in my life. Growing up in Kellogg, Idaho in the 1950's, I don't recall a society so obsessed with gun possession, coupled with such fear, suspicion, and paranoia about some government entity *coming to get your guns*. We had people who hunted and people who liked target-shooting. The right to gun ownership was not questioned; it was used and appreciated. The only weapon I owned was a *Red Ryder B-B Gun*. On the box, I was challenged to take the *Red Ryder Gun Safety Pledge*--never to point the gun at another person.

The government is not the enemy. The enemy is anyone who controls your emotions to short-circuit your reasoning ability. The enemy gets you to act emotionally rather than rationally. The enemy gets you to short circuit your brain. The enemy gets you to shoot at shadows and fear for your life.

What does this have to do with the *Parade Shooting*? Bringing a loaded weapon anywhere near a venue crowded with men, women, and children is pure insanity. How did we get to this point in our society? Who will stand-up and say: "Enough!"

I think that somewhere Red Ryder is crying.

Camp Report

2009-07-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

The ISU basketball camp in Idaho Falls had forty-eight young people sign-up. A good turn-out for the first year. We now have a number to aim at for next year. Thanks to all of the parents in the area who helped their child participate!

The next ISU activity in town will be the Black/Orange intra-squad scrimmage at Idaho Falls High School this Fall. Details need to be worked out, but the Bengals will be coming to town!

ISU Basketball Camp in Idaho Falls

2009-05-30T16:26:00.000-07:00

With the suggestion of ISU Head Men's Basketball Coach, Joe O'Brien, I helped to find a home for a boys' basketball camp in the Idaho Falls area. The Camp will take place at Idaho Falls High School on June 29, 30, and July 1. Campers will include boys entering Kindergarten through 9th Grade. A morning session will be for Campers Grades K-4, and an afternoon session will be for Campers Grades 5-9. A camp brochure and contact information is available on-line at:

http://isubengals.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/idsu-m-baskbl-body.html

Go to the site and click on the *Summer Camps* link.

I'd like to see the gym filled with young people from the Idaho Falls area. The fee for the camp is $75. Applications, with payment, are requested to be received at Idaho State University by June 26.