Wednesday, November 30, 2022

"A Prehistoric Connecticut Site"

 Essays from Essex, my latest collection of personal essays, is expected to be back from the printer today, or so my publisher tells me. The book can be ordered from her - 

https://bauhanpublishing.com/shop/essay-from-essex/ or from my brother’s bookstore - www.toadbooks.com. The information on Amazon’s website is still wrong, as of this morning. I apologize for misleading you in my last essay of almost two weeks ago.

 

Like many, I have become disgusted with our politicians. They represent, for the most part, an assemblage of self-righteous, pontificating rogues, more interested in lining their own pockets than in advancing the desires of an aspirational people. There has been a lack of substantial debate and respectful discourse – offering choices of extremes and a lack of nuance.

 

The attached essay stemmed from a short hike onto a friends property     about three weeks ago.

 

Sydney M. Williams

 

More Essays from Essex

“A Prehistoric Connecticut Site” 

November 30, 2022

 

“Honor the sacred. Honor the Earth, our Mother. Honor the Elders. Honor all with whom we share

the Earth: four-leggeds, two-leggeds, winged ones, plant, and rock people. Walk in balance and beauty.”

                                                                                                                                                Native American Elder

 

Unlike Stonehenge, the prehistoric artifacts I saw on a friend’s property in the northeast section of Lyme, Connecticut were invisible to the untrained eye. Deceptive in their simplicity, they are, nevertheless, evidence of human life from thousands of years ago. To the untutored, they might be dismissed as remnants of stone walls that marked boundaries in New England’s colonial past. In fact, they represent North American indigenous people’s celestial awareness, and were likely laid down three or four thousand years ago by ancestors of the Pequot Nation. 

 

On the east side of a knoll lay a boulder, with its triangular tip pointed east. Behind it, in serpentine fashion, trailed a wall of smaller stones, about seventy feet in length. On the west side of the knoll lay its counterpart, pointed west. It appeared that the triangular tips of the two large rocks point toward the rising sun during the summer solstice and the setting sun during the winter solstice. 

 

Estimates vary as to how many people lived in the Americas when Europeans first arrived in the late 15th Century, but the consensus is between four and five million in North America, and perhaps fifty million in Central and South America. Their ancestors are assumed to have been nomadic hunters from northeast Asia who crossed the Bering Strait during the last glacial period, approximately 20,000 years ago. The indigenous population became known to European immigrants as Indians, as Christopher Columbus assumed he had reached southeast Asia when, in fact, he was in what we know as the Caribbean Sea. It is estimated that between twenty and eighty percent of the native population died off over the next three and a half centuries, a consequence of wars and diseases brought from Europe, like measles and smallpox. 

 

Connecticut’s serpentine walls are less monumental than England’s Stonehenge or the Great Pyramids of Egypt, which were constructed at about the same time, and they cannot be compared to later edifices like Peru’s Monte Picchu, China’s Great Wall, or the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. Nevertheless, it is fascinating to walk on land trod by humans so many years ago, touching stones they touched.

 

One of the beauties of history is the perspective it provides. We are here but for a brief moment on the endless conveyor of life on Earth – one small part in a continuum. Yet it is natural to take pride in what we have built. We have tools and knowledge undreamed of four thousand years ago. But will anyone a thousand years hence look with wonder upon China’s Three Gorges Dam, Florida’s Disney World, or a New York City $150 million condo? Will today’s monuments still stand, as do the stone structures on my friend’s property? Or will they, like the colossal works of Ozymandias, become nothing more than Shelley’s “lone and level sands?” 

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Thursday, November 17, 2022

"Bluebird in Winter"

 


Sydney M. Williams

 

More Essays from Essex

“Bluebird in Winter”

November 17, 2022

 

“A man’s interest in a single bluebird is worth more than

a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town.”

                                                                                                         Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

                                                                                                         Letter to Daniel Ricketson, November 22, 1858

                                                                                                         The Writings of Henry David Thoreau, 1864

 

On a chilly November morning, my wife and I, walking through a field, spotted a bluebird. I wondered: Why haven’t you gone south? It turns out some bluebirds stay for the winter. While temperatures have risen in Connecticut by about a degree and a half Fahrenheit over the past hundred and fifty years, average January and February lows are still between five and seven degrees below freezing.

 

As a fan of Beatrix Potter, Thornton W. Burgess, and Kenneth Grahame. I anthropomorphize our avian friends. The male bluebird we watched had been sent by his wife on an errand – perhaps to the hardware store, but more likely to purchase sheets of music; for the bluebird is a harbinger of happiness, and singing is important to him.  In The Birds of John Burroughs, the author-naturalist (1837-1921) wrote: “There never was a happier or more devoted husband than the male bluebird. He is the gay champion and escort of the female at all times, and, while she is sitting, he feeds her regularly.”

 

Bluebirds have long been symbols of happiness. In China, during the Shang Dynasty, a green or blue bird was the messenger of the Queen Mother of the West. In North America’s west, Navahos identified the mountain bluebird with the rising sun. In Russian fairy tales, the blue bird is a symbol of hope. The French fairy tale, L’Oiseau Bleu, written in 1697 by Madame d’Aulnoy, tells of a king changing into a blue bird.

 

Once on the endangered list, the eastern bluebird has made a comeback. It is estimated that the species has a breeding population of about twenty-three million. Urbanization and changing land use limited their feeding grounds in late 19th Century and early 20th Century, and the introduction of European starlings and house sparrows created competition for nesting cavities. For about a hundred years the population of eastern bluebirds declined. From the 1980s on, however, as we became more environmentally conscious, their numbers increased. Nevertheless, competition persists. A few years ago, from our bedroom window in Old Lyme, I watched helplessly as a starling chased newly settled bluebirds from the birdhouse we had put up.

 

I worry about wintering bluebirds. While no expert on the fauna that surrounds us, I know birds do not have fur coats or down-filled parkas. They do not have wool hats or lambs-wool-lined leather gloves. There are no galoshes designed for four-taloned feet. All they have is what nature provided – body temperatures of about 107 degrees and feathers that ruffle to hold in their body heat. They do, though, gain fat for the winter ahead, and they are able to slow their metabolism.

 

Nevertheless, I am happy they are here in winter. In her 1984 book I Hear Bluebirds, Dr, Shirl Brunell wrote: “As long as there are bluebirds, there will be miracles and a way to find happiness.” During wintery days, they provide music and color, and they put smiles on our faces, as this one did on ours.

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Thursday, November 10, 2022

"Changing Demographics and Brief Thoughts on the Election"

 Tomorrow is Veteran’s Day. It is celebrated on Armistice Day, the day World War I ended in 1918. Approximately 25 million Americans served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Another two million served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Of those 27 million, about 400,000 gave the ultimate sacrifice. The number of battle-scarred veterans is dwindling. It is for all of those, including the millions more from around the world, both living and dead, who served in those wars, that tomorrow is celebrated as a day of remembrance.

 

Sydney M. Williams

 

Thought of the Day

“Changing Demographics and Brief Thoughts on the Election”

November 10, 2022

 

“Now, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end.

But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

                                                                                                                  Winston Churchill, House of Commons

                                                                                                                  November 10, 1942

                                                                                                                   Following Montgomery’s defeat of Rommel

                                                                                                                   at El Alamein, Egypt

 

No “red wave” appeared on election day. While my immediate response was one of dismay, on reflection I think it may have been a “blessing in disguise.” Our nation has been divided – and still is – but it has not been the division that has been harmful, but the lack of respect for differing opinions. Mr. Trump, repudiated in this election, has been one cause. His ego-centric self-promotion engulfed what good his administration had accomplished. And he has become more disagreeable in his post-presidency. But also responsible for the division are the “goody two-shoes” who hypocritically call for diversity, equity, and inclusion. They see differences only in race and gender. Their calls have never considered diversity of opinions, inclusion of those who do not think as do they, or that both liberals and conservatives should be treated equitably.  

 

As well, the election highlighted changing demographics of our two political parties. On October 20, at a campaign event for John Fetterman, President Biden spoke a truth: “This is not your father’s Republican Party.” He spoke correctly; it is not, but neither is the Democrat Party the same one Mr. Biden joined almost sixty years ago. Mr. Biden’s words were intended as a slap at “MAGA” Republicans, who he claims are a “threat to democracy.” But is that fair? Our democracy is protected by our Constitution: separation of powers, an independent judiciary, states’ rights, due process, personal freedom, and rule of law. When those principles are threatened, democracy is threatened. When government is seen as the answer to all problems, democracy is at risk. When citizens are complacent, democracy is in danger. Agencies in Washington, when manned by men and women who forget they are servants to the people, become threats to democracy.

 

Demographics and time have changed the two parties. I have lived in Connecticut for fifty-seven years. I have witnessed this state – the sixth wealthiest in the nation, but 36th in terms of freedom as measured by the Cato Institute – migrate from red to purple to blue. Fifty years ago, members of my country club were mostly Republican. Today, the majority are Democrats. According to Ballotpedia, in Presidential races between 1900 and 2000, Connecticut voted Democratic 48.4% of the time and Republican 51.6% of the time – a balanced approach. However, since 2000, the state has voted for the Democratic candidate for president 100% of the time. 

 

For seventy years following the Civil War, the Democratic party was composed of two distinct groups: working class union members, small business owners, immigrants – the “have nots” – and wealthy, southern Democrats. Republicans were the party of the “haves” – the landed gentry, college educated, bankers, and industrialists. Because of the long coattails of Abraham Lincoln, they also included African Americans. With Franklin Roosevelt’s election in 1932, northern Blacks began to vote for Democrats. Around 1948, Dixiecrats – white, southern, segregationist Democrats – began to switch to the Republican party, culminating in Richard Nixon’s 1968/72 “southern strategy.”

 

Today, the tables continue to change. Democrats have become the party of the “haves,” while Republicans are more the party of the “have nots.” Republicans were once the party of “big money,” but that mantle is now worn by Democrats. According to OpenSecrets, which follows money in politics, in 2020 Democrats received $514 million in “Dark Money” (political donations from non-profit organizations that do not have to report their donors) compared to $200 million that went to Republicans. Including campaign funds for House and Senate, as well as President, a total of $14.1 billion was spent on political campaigns in 2020, $8.4 billion by Democrats and $5.7 billion by Republicans. If one subtracts the $1.3 billion in personal funds spent by Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg, Democrats still out spent Republicans by almost 20%. 

 

The consequence is a barbell approach. One end consists of the college educated, suburbanites and moneyed elites, from tech company CEOs and union leaders to Wall Street honchos, from college professors and administrators who thrive on government grants, to media company bigshots, and Hollywood and sports stars. On the opposite end are those dependent on government handouts, a group which includes the truly needy, along with those who take advantage of government largesse, whether because of a lack of work ethic or the natural desire to have college debt forgiven. 

 

One can trace Democrats’ losing their traditional base – “blue collar” workers, the middle class, Hispanics, Blacks, and others with traditional family values; those concerned with inflation, crime, education, illegal immigration, and who aspire to the American dream – to their pursuit of radical goals: defunding the police; open borders; injecting fear about man-made climate change; disallowing school choice and promoting transgenderism. Republicans are beginning to gather in these disillusioned voters. 

 

Ironically, with all these tech CEOs in their fold, Democrats have ignored the changing workplace where more and more people have assumed responsibility for their own success. An example of the kind of individual Democrats have abandoned: A few years ago, my wife and I were picked up by an Uber driver at the Buffalo airport. He was a pleasant young African American from Buffalo, with a wife and young children. He was enterprising, anxious to improve his situation. The “gig economy” served him well. He had a job as a flight attendant, which paid his health insurance, flying from JFK to Los Angeles and back. As an Uber driver, he worked hours he could. He also was an Uber driver in Queens when there was too little time between flights to get home to Buffalo. In Los Angeles, he was a free-lance driver for Amazon. If Democrats succeed in getting Uber and like companies to unionize, they will eliminate the need for contract workers and opportunities will disappear for self-starter individuals.

 

Much has been written (and even more will be written) about this election. In my mind, it was clearly a repudiation of Donald Trump – not a rejection of conservativism. A grandson, a rational conservative spending the semester in England, texted me yesterday morning: “Fundamentally, I am delighted at the outcome.” I replied that his words were stronger than I might have used, but that I was not unhappy. Both political parties have been captured by extremists. The right wing of the Republican Party, now under the spotlight, has been called out. Will moderate Democrats call out extremists in their Party? Most Americans are nearer the center, leaning left or right to varying degrees. It is not personalities we should debate but issues. Perhaps election day saw a “purple wave?” Reading election results, Churchill’s words in the rubric came to me – maybe I am Panglossian – when I thought of possible positive effects of the election. An op-ed in yesterday’s The Wall Street Journal by Princeton’s Allen C. Guelzo reminded readers of the importance of the three words near the end of Lincoln’s address at Gettysburg, of our government being “of,” “by,” and “for” the people – words that assure us, no matter our philosophical differences, that as long as we understand them, our nation will remain free. Now, will those elected on November 8 listen?

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Tuesday, November 1, 2022

"Election Thoughts (or Hopes?"

 I don’t know about you, but I will be glad when this election is over. Rancor runs high; ads overflow my mailbox; road signs desecrate the fall scenery, and we shy away from those whose political views differ. Thank God for phone ID, so I don’t have to answer the phone. Early voting, in my opinion, has made things worse, as millions of people do not wait until all the real news has been reported – or as much of it as will be reported. In a week, the wait will be over…or will it?

 

Sydney M. Williams

 

Thought of the Day

“Election Thoughts (or Hopes?)”

November 1, 2022

 

“You call my candidate a horse thief, and I call yours a lunatic, and we both know it’s just

election day. It’s an American custom, like eating corn on the cob. And afterwards, we

settle down quite peaceably and agree we’ve got a pretty good country – until next election.”

                                                                                                           Stephen Vincent Benét (1898-1943)

                                                                                                           We Stand United and Other Radio Scripts, 1944

 

Otto von Bismarck reputedly said: “People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war or before an election.” Never having gone hunting or been in combat, I assume that the “Iron Chancellor” was correct about those events. However, having watched elections for seventy years, I know he is right about politicians who give speeches that exaggerate past accomplishments, denigrate opponents, and fabricate plans for the future. But, as the author-poet Benét is quoted in the rubric above, doing so is “an American custom, like eating corn on the cob.” The difference today, though, is that elections don’t end on election day: witness Hillary Clinton in 2016, Stacy Abrams in 2018, and Donald Trump in 2020.  

 

While there are issues that concern us all, we have politicians today, as one pundit put it, who have even bigger issues – ones of excessive egos and acute sensitivity to criticism. Nevertheless, issues are plentiful: abortion and a woman’s right to choose; inflation, which is hitting the pocket books of everyone; the economy – while third quarter preliminary GDP (+2.6%) was a welcome relief after two quarters of negative growth, rapid inflation and escalating interest rates portend stagflation; a surfeit of jobs and a decline in labor participation rates suggest a dearth of willing workers; education, where the drop in test scores accelerated during Covid, but the decline began earlier; immigration, where a needed increase in legal immigration is being held hostage to a flood of illegal immigrants; crime, which has increased across the country, but disproportionately in inner cities; discrimination against Asians and Jews, reminiscent of the anti-Semitism of the 1920s, scare mongering over climate change by radicals with little understanding of history and climatology; and the teaching of a false narrative regarding the founding of the United States, along with the cancellation of ideas that do not conform to progressive ideology.

 

Typically, midterm elections favor the “out” party, and polls suggest 2022 will be no exception. No matter which party wins, though, differences abound and have become violent: last week’s attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in his San Francisco home; the June 2022 arrest of a “heavily armed” man outside the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and the shooting of six people, including Representative Steve Scalise in June 2017. While there is little doubt in my mind that all three incidents were the work of a mentally deranged individual, politics is, in part, responsible. But the real issues that confront us, as mentioned above, are numerous and include concerns about the cultural and moral direction of the Country, along with technological advances that supersede man’s ability to easily adapt. Pundits deem all elections as “the most important of our generation.” This one is no exception.

 

However, the point I want to make is to urge candidates and voters, alike, to take a deep breath. No matter what happens on November 8th, the Republic will survive. The United States is generally considered the world’s oldest, continuing democracy. Like other democracies, the United States has adapted to changing times and customs; but representative government, rule of law and individual freedom have characterized this Nation through enormous changes, conflicts, and challenges, including the burning of the Capitol and a Civil War. The Nation has stood for almost 250 years. It will continue to stand. 

 

Instead of predicting individual races – which others, more qualified than I, do – I want to make a larger point of hope. Should Republicans win control of the House and the U.S. Senate, which some polls indicate and which I believe will happen, they should celebrate their victory. But they should try to smooth the shards that rend the fabric of our Nation, and they should acknowledge that victory would have been impossible without the votes of Independents and some Democrats. They should not violate their principles, but their tone should be conciliatory. They should take the political high road, which today is barren of traffic. Lizzie Post’s and Daniel Post Senning’s centennial edition of their great-great grandmother Emily Post’s 1922 Etiquette is a reminder that behavior matters. The original – not the new, politically correct centennial edition – would be a proper holiday gift for all politicians.  

 

There should be no attempts to exert revenge. Extremism is okay on the political hustings, but it does not belong in the halls of Congress or in state legislatures. Humility should replace arrogance; respect, contempt; humor, drama; and clarity, obfuscation. And all politicians should heed the advice my father once gave me: You do not listen when your mouth is open. 

 

Stephen Vincent Benét wrote the words in the rubric that heads this essay in 1943, while our nation was united to defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Yet his words are relevant today. The course of this Country’s history is long, and it varies, up and down hills and around corners. My grandchildren, God willing, will see the tricentennial of this Nation’s founding, and some of them may live to see the arrival of the 22nd Century. Regardless, their children and grandchildren will. Our time on Earth is but a small mark on the continuum of history. We live in a remarkable Country – for which we should be forever grateful – the envy of the world. And it was not through our own efforts, but by pure chance, that most of us are here. 

 

But politics has become nasty. As Marcellus says to Horatio in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”  Something seems rotten in Washington. There is no accountability. No one in the Biden Administration assumed responsibility for the decision to hinder fossil fuel production, which has been one factor in higher energy prices. The NEA blamed everyone but themselves for poor student performance. The Federal Reserve ignored the impact of a decade of abnormally low interest rates on increased debt and subsequent inflation? Two questions, as the election nears: Is the leftist culture of self-aggrandizement combined with loathing for those with conservative values a passing fad, or is it a deliberate attempt to change the political calculus? Will this election make a difference?

 

The answers are unknown, but voting is important. A definition of madness is to expect different results by doing the same thing over and over again. Sending the governing party back would not seem wise. Among our responsibilities as citizens is to leave the Country a little better than we found it – advice largely ignored by the current batch in Washington. Winners next week could start with an olive leaf.

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