Are we ourselves?

 

I have spent a lot of time recently looking at videos that show our America in the early 20th century leading into the 1950s.

Flash forward to the here and now and I hear constant whining about how we have lost our way, and how our values have changed. I posit we have changed little if any at all. I look at these homes, these buildings, the manicured yards, the clean city streets, the parks, the storefronts, etc.

Sure, a lot of the landscapes have changed, a lot of businesses have come and gone, but when I look at the homes, I see a people who care about where they reside and about their communities.

The most obvious change, of course, is our technology. Look at the homes, the buildings, the streets. Do they look so different than what we see today? This video could have been as easily shot today aside from the automobiles.

People talk about how crime today is running rampant and I would invite you to study our history during Prohibition. People feared the uptick of violence from organized crime--then as we do now.

We may have evolved in our view of the world around us. In some ways, tolerance has evolved and become an air of acceptance and understanding. I do fear for the two steps forward we take, we inevitably take a step back as people's reactions to fearing change manifest themselves, all too often resulting in ugliness.

I believe, for the most part, man is unchanged and will probably remain so. Am I wrong? Are we a vastly different America?

Anyway, watch this video. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXPYQU78sIc

In the name of love

 

Over the course of the past few days, I have been featuring vintage photos of male couples dating from the 1850s through the 1950s on my Facebook page. They are very romantic but more importantly, they illustrate how the power of love can override other concerns.

 

Many of the photos clearly show love in these men’s eyes. The holding of hands; a head resting on his boyfriend’s shoulder; a hug, an embrace, their bodies intertwined in the grass or in bed, fully clothed, mind you; the photo booth strips; and yes, even a loving kiss. Men in uniform, men in suits, working-class men, farmers, cowboys (yes!), in swimwear--or shockingly--in their underwear!

 

These photos are astounding! In a modern context, perhaps not. But historically, these photos come from a time when these men were of the “unspeakable.” Criminal. Deviants. Perverts.

 

And to dare to photograph themselves together strongly illustrated their commitment to one another. In their times, these photos could lead to their arrest, their deaths, or depending on where they lived, they risked being lobotomized. They risked being ostracized from their friends, their jobs, their families.

For these photos, for their love, they risked everything. It is, according to the authors of the book "Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love," even more amazing so many of these photos still exist as in many cases the families of these men, when discovering the photos, were horrified and destroyed them. 

Photo-developing houses of the day would often refuse to develop these photos and to add to the insult, they might report the men to the police. And still, these men persisted in documenting their love for posterity for all, or none, to see.

All for love.

Happy New Year

 

Remembering Pearl Harbor

Had you been alive 81 years ago, (by the time you would have read this tomorrow morning) the events of the morning at Pearl Harbor already set in motion America's honest * involvement in the war that enveloped this planet (I do not believe they called it WWII during the war). 

* officially, the US was staying out of the war but behind the scenes the US was providing supplies, weaponry, and intel to the Allied Forces. US Policies and certain actions were seen, by Japan, as meddling in their sovereign affairs leading them to justify their attack.

The brutal surprise attack on our Navy and Army Air Corps at Naval Station Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Field was devastating. More than 2,400 men and women (mostly men) died in the attack. Nearly 1,200 people, military and civilians,  were wounded. 19 ships and more than 300 planes were damaged or destroyed.

In 2000 (and later on), I had the honor to interview six USS Arizona survivors and two from Hickam. I have since interviewed a dozen or so (and most of them have since passed on). For any Sailor, to meet these men was like walking into a church and meeting the Pope. I have never met such humble men, who in my eyes, stood higher than Mount Olympus.

When the continental US awoke that morning, by then the die had been cast. Not officially. BUT we were at war. That only became academic--and official--when President Roosevelt spoke before Congress, and when Congress declared war against Japan.

Remember Pearl Harbor.

Vote Woke

I grew up in the Midwest in a pro-union home in rural northern Indiana. My Dad and Mom instilled in me the sense of fairness and equality for all. I grew up in a small community that today might proclaim these ideals but I do not believe walks the walk, and definitely does not talk the talk.

 
I have always been proud of Mom and Dad (Stepmom and Stepdad too) whose enthusiasm for the future made me who I am.

 
As kids, my siblings and I found adventure in our farmhouse environment. We built forts on the second floor of our barn (inside hay and straw bales). I remember the spaceship we built in the 50-foot tall windmill. Our imaginations soared.

 
Giving to our county has always been a large part of my persona. For two years I was a volunteer EMT. After coming out, I was a youth leader for lesbian and gay teens for ten years with the hopes they’d find a kinder world than I grew up in.

I believed--and still do--in leading by example. When I was 36 I found my truest calling as a Navy journalist where I was afforded the opportunity to see the world (or was it sea the world?).

 
For seven years I was a high school teacher. I have to hope my role as a mentor was a positive influence on my young students' lives.

As we near this Tuesday's election, I remember my Grandfather Jim's fears for our nation. During the Vietnam War, as he watched the many anti-war riots, he claimed our country was going to hell. I told him we were not. Today, I fear he may have been right.

I truly believe this upcoming election will determine if our democracy, such as it is, will survive. I love my friends, family, my city, my community and of course, my country. More importantly, I love our world BUT we must become stewards that protect the big blue marble on which we reside.

I believe in equality for all, not just Americans but for all people. You can call me a tree hugger. Go ahead, I won't be offended. I am woke, a badge I wear as a badge of honor. My question to some of you is 'why are you not?' I believe in women's rights, minority rights, gay rights (naturally), trans rights, immigrant rights, combatting climate change. Yep, woke.

I abhor stupidity, prejudice, purposeful ignorance, and people who advance themselves by stepping on lesser advantaged peoples with little regard for the needs of all others.

We are an angry people and this saddens me as we have so much to be thankful for. What disturbs me is how easily some of our leaders foster and gain by promoting hate and distrust, and how so many people fall for it without question. Please, when hearing their words, please listen closely, please investigate their claims, please question their motives. Please ask yourself if their words will help all, or just some.
Do you remember John F. Kennedy's words?

 
"Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." I would, however, substitute the word 'world' for 'country.'

I ask you to do the same.

Here I proudly proclaim I am the radical left.

Since I serve as a voting judge in St. Joseph county, I have already voted. 

If you want to vote for the future, vote D for drive, not R for reverse. I voted blue. I urge you to do the same. 

Be radical in your truth.

#iamtheradicalleft