Presents

For Christmas, my friend gave out little wooden boxes that he made at his farm. He was not as good a carpenter as he was a farmer, but his love showed through when he handed them to me and his family and friends.

417

When I turn to look at the clock, I read "4:17" damned near every day. That's AM. That's also the last address from which we were evicted - 417 15 1/2 Avenue, Rock Island, Illinois.

It was the second time I became homeless, and in each occurrence I was powerless.

I had just turned 17, and had been working. When I came home, Mom was standing outside of our apartment. She told me she was going to live with her sister in California. I was to go see if I could rent something from her brother. I got a cot in a corner of his basement work shop. He pointedly said that he would not be a guardian or responsible for me in any way.

It was such a strange feeling to see all of our stuff sitting on the curb, and the neighbors picking through it without acknowledging us. I guessed that the first thing to go was a new vacuum cleaner that I had bought a couple of weeks earlier.

But, just standing there watching that turned me more numb than I had been in the previous nine years since Mom and Dad divorced.

So, how do we deal with abandonment and rejection? In my case, not very well. I still feel it; I still cry.

Damned Tests

Everybody should have access to all the education that they are capable of handling; vocational, professional, specialized, and for no charge to the student. The benefit is to society.

If you can't believe this would work, look at Finland, Denmark, and damn near any civilized country to see what happens when we teach people how to learn instead of how to take a damned test.

Another Song

It was wonderful today to hear from Dan, leader of our former band, with an update of his, our band mates' and friends' recent lives.

He has written another song - the first in three years, which I consider fantastic - it doesn't matter whether it's important or profound; it's an effort to live and create something of value to himself and others, and by doing so, give himself permission and energy.

As I've said, I collect personalities and remember them in detail and often very intensely, and Dan's is one of those whom I have been privileged to acquire. We spent years entertaining others and ourselves, and hope to continue.

Wow!

Among things I love to do is get people to say, "wow" and look outside themselves for more wonderful things. I can only think of our capability for searching and finding such amazing things around us, and just be so grateful that we are able to see and comprehend.

Minority Rule from DeKalb Daily Chronicle

Letter: Amendment would allow for minority rule in state

Created: Saturday, October 13, 2012 5:30 a.m. CDT

To the Editor:

Any law or constitutional amendment that requires a supermajority to enact a policy is actually a call for minority rule. If we believe in democracy, why do we want to allow a minority to control our policy? Are we that crazy? If we vote “yes” on the proposed Illinois Constitutional amendment (Section 5.1 to Article XIII of the Illinois Constitution) to control pensions or bargaining power for public employees, we are officially stupid.

Why not implement submajority rule for the working class; say a 1 percent majority for anything that benefits the 47 percent of “freeloaders” who pay nearly 50 percent of their earnings in taxes other than federal income taxes? What sense is it to require a 60 percent majority? How about requiring a 99 percent majority to implement any act that would benefit the working class?
We’re just insane if this passes. We would show that we have waved the white flag on education and civic involvement, and admit that a landed gentry owns us, which is the exact opposite of what Washington, Adams, Hamilton, Franklin, Jefferson, Madison, Paine, et al risked their lives to acquire for us.

Eugene Desavouret
Malta

Magic

When I was about four years old, I confused the words "music" and "magic". later, I discovered that they were the same. The liberal arts (poetry, writing, dancing, etc.) are the same, and they are siblings.

Living without such magic is death with a heartbeat.