"A Conspiracy of Silence"

 Apologies for two of these essays in three days. This one, however, had been started before the extraordinary events of the past ten days – the assassination attempt on Mr. Trump and the decision by Mr. Biden to not seek a second term. With these developments, the future always unclear has become further obscured.

 

Sydney M. Williams

www.swtottd.blogspot.com

 

Thought of the Day

“A Conspiracy of Silence”

July 24, 2024

 

“Secrecy, being an instrument of conspiracy, ought

never to be the system of a regular government.”

                                                                                                                    Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)

                                                                                                                    British Philosopher and Social Reformer

                                                                                                                    The Works of Jeremy Bentham, 1839

 

In many social settings, silence is the better alternative. As my mother would say: “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Or my father: “Better to remain silent and have people think you a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.” And my mother-in-law would quote the ancient proverb: “Speech is silver, silence is golden.” 

 

Yet silence does not always contain the remedies its fans claim. In The Trumpet of Conscience, published posthumously, Martin Luther King wrote: “In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”  Accepting the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 1986, Elie Wiesel spoke: “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever humans endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

 

The silence of which I write does not bear the evil of which King and Wiesel wrote and spoke, nor is it the silence of my late in-laws and parents that leads to worried looks and shaking heads in social gatherings. My concern is the Omeretà, the code of silence of politicians and their accommodating friends in the media – it is the silence that deprives people of the facts necessary to make informed decisions. As the British Parliamentarian Rory Stewart wrote in the prologue of his recent book How Not to be a Politician, “The public see the appearance that someone else chooses to share.” 

 

A conspiracy of silence was responsible for a refusal to publicly debate the origin of COVID-19. It could be seen over the past three and a half years in the refusal of the media to expose the horrific effects of an open southern border; in the dire ramifications of federal debt that exceeds one hundred percent of GDP; and in the potentially disastrous repercussions of allowing Iran to build an Atomic bomb.

 

Silence has kept people ignorant of the consequences of a partisan federal bureaucracy that employs 2.7 million people in two thousand agencies – 95% of whom give money to the Democratic Party. The growth of the administrative state is usually ignored by mainstream media, as it serves their progressive goals. Considered by some the “fourth branch” of government – and unlike the other three branches, which have swung between Republican and Democratic control – it has remained reliably Democratic. 

 

This Omeretà between the media and their favored politicians is not new. The American people were kept in the dark when President Woodrow Wilson, in October 1919, suffered a severe stroke that left him incapacitated. On March 28 1944, shortly after returning from the Tehran Conference, Franklin Roosevelt, at the urging of his daughter Anna, visited his doctor, cardiologist Dr. Harold G. Bruenn at Bethesda Medical Naval Hospital. He was diagnosed with reduced lung capacity, hypertension, acute bronchitis and acute congestive heart failure. Again, his condition was kept secret from the American public.

 

Recently, a conspiracy of silence surrounded the cognitive decline of President Biden, before it was witnessed by 50 million people in his debate with Donald Trump.  Mr. Biden’s behavior exposed what most people already knew, or suspected, or at least those whose reading is not limited to The New York Times and the Washington Post and whose viewing is not bounded by MSNBC and CNN. Barton Swaim wrote in last Monday’s Wall Street Journal: “Elected Democrats, with the eager compliance of their allies in the media, dismissed any expression of concern about the president’s acuity.”  As for the debate, it was telling to read and listen to mainstream media’s analysis of what a cold or sleep-deprivation could do to an individual, otherwise in command of his faculties. Most of us who had watched with alarm Mr. Biden’s decline over the past three-and-a-half years felt like Chico Marx in the 1933 film Duck Soup: “Who ya gonna believe? Me or your own eyes?” In The Spectator on July 22, Freddy Gray wrote that Biden’s health cover-up “may well go down as one of the greatest scandals in modern American politics.”

 

Silence, when it suppresses knowledge, is a dangerous stratagem, especially in a democracy where an informed electorate is critical; for voters hold power. Politicians of all stripes play loose with the truth. It is in their DNA, so it is left for the media to uncover the truth, without bias or prejudice. Their responsibility should always be to the public, to keep people informed. Candor on the part of politicians and accurate reporting by the media might have kept at bay the hatred and distrust that infests today’s politics.

"2024 GOP Platform - Some Thoughts"

 Biden has decided to drop out of the Presidential race. The Washington Post called it a “stunning decision,” but for most observers it was expected. Now, with the attempted assassination last week of former President Trump, the race, as Alice would say, “gets curiouser and curiouser.”

………………………………………..

 

This essay comes at the suggestion of a friend. At almost 1500 words, it is 20% longer than most of my TOTDs. Perhaps, as Mark Twain would have suggested, it just required more time on my part. At any rate, I found it a good exercise – to read the Platform, some of the convention speeches, peruse comments from columnists, and just to reflect on all that has transpired over the past couple of weeks. Attached you will find the 15-page GOP Platform.

 

You may find mistakes or disagreements in my analysis. Please accept that my opinions overlay my analysis.

 

Best regards, Sydney

 

Sydney M. Williams

www.swtotd.blogspot.com

 

Thought of the Day

“2024 GOP Platform – Some Thoughts”

July 22, 2024

 

“The American people have proven time and again that we

can overcome any obstacle and any force pitted against us.”

                                                                                                                2024 GOP Platform

                                                                                                                Adopted by RNC July 15, 2024

 

The Platform, predictably bland and clichéd but positive in tone, carries the title “Make America Great Again.” It is an expression of both traditional conservativism and conservative populism. It is dedicated “To the Forgotten Men and Women of America,” those made famous by Hillary Clinton’s term “deplorables.” The dedication reflects the new base of the Republican Party, not the coastal elites who in places like Connecticut a couple of generations ago dominated the Party. Today’s Republican Party is more representative of America’s middle class – working men and women, of every race, nationality, and religion. The Platform’s preamble is titled “America First: Return to Common Sense,” an expression of nationalism and a reference to judgement based on practical observations and universally accepted facts.

 

A political party’s platform must be generic, as it must appeal a large swath of voters. There are, approximately, 162 million registered voters in The United States. According to an April 2024 study by Pew Research Center, registration is about equally divided between Democrats and those who lean Democratic (49%) and Republicans and those who lean Republican (48%). Keep in mind, America is noted for its individualism, citizens who, historically, have not marched to assigned drummers. Republicans, especially, tend to be free-thinkers, more difficult to lasso and corral.

 

The over-arching tone of the Republican Platform is “America first,” as regards trade and the border, and a return to common sense, as regards manufacturing, the border, energy independence, military strength, and equal treatment of all under the law. This analysis does not pretend to be complete, but among its subjects, the document addresses the economy, defense/national security, education, culture and size of government.

 

• The Platform recommends energy independence, reducing regulation, and making the 2017 tax cuts permanent, while imposing tariffs on some imported goods. Without providing solutions, the document reflects inherent contradictions between free markets of traditional conservatives – Jospeh Schumpeter’s theory of creative destruction – and economic populism, the protection of jobs, industries and communities affected by globalization and changes in technology. Finding the balance between these competing forces will be the job of Congress, through debate and discussion. In his speech following acceptance of the GOP nomination, Donald Trump spoke of the need for improvements in education to help people become more competitive in today’s dynamic economy, i.e. a focus on community colleges. The document encourages innovation in emerging industries, such as Crypto, Artificial Intelligence and Space. It argues for the reduction of interest rates, without explaining whether that will be a function of government or markets. And it promises to do away with taxes on tips.

 

• It calls for ‘Peace through Strength,’ re-building the military to counter China, and to ensure that our military remains “the most modern, lethal and powerful force in the world.” It calls for building an Iron Dome Missile Defense Shield to cover the United States, but at what cost it leaves unsaid. It advocates securing our border against illegal immigration, strengthening alliances (including NATO), and championing “strong, sovereign, and independent nations in the Indo-Pacific…” Echoing President Obama in November 2011, the Platform calls for a pivot to Asia. But little was said of current, explicit threats from China, Russia and Iran.

 

• In terms of education, the Platform call for an environment “free from political meddling” and the restoration of parental rights. It supports school choice, and encourages merit pay for teachers in place of tenure. It advocates overhauling standards on school discipline, including the suspension of violent students. It ensures students are taught fundamentals like reading, math, science, history, civics, and the “restoration of a classical liberal arts education.” The Platform notes that the U.S. spends more per pupil than any other country in the world, yet results have been mediocre. It suggests the Department of Education in Washington be shut down, and return responsibility for education to the states. 

 

• As for culture, the document promotes the “sanctity of marriage, the blessings of childhood and the foundational role of families…” While the document says abortion rights belong with the states, it opposes late term abortions but supports mothers and policies that advance prenatal care, access to birth control and IVF. The Platform would keep biological men from participating in women’s sports, and it would stop taxpayer-funded schools from promoting gender transition and taxpayer funding for sex change surgeries. Parents’ rights include knowledge of their children’s attitudes toward a possible sex change. It calls for the cutting of federal funding for sanctuary jurisdictions that release criminals onto the streets, and it would require that local authorities cooperate with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). It promises to deport illegal aliens who have violated our laws. 

 

• The Platform quotes Mr. Trump in his promise not to “cut one penny” from Medicare or Social Security: “Republicans will restore economic stability to ensure long-term sustainability of Social Security.” “Republicans will protect Medicare’s finances from being financially crushed by the Democrats plan to add tens of millions of new illegal immigrants to the roles of Medicare.” Nothing was said about the enormous deficits both plans generate. However, there is a promise to slash “wasteful” government spending, and to reinstate President Trump’s deregulation policies from his first term, “which,” the Platform claimswithout providing proof, “saved Americans $11,000 per household.” 

 

The Platform reflects a changed Republican Party, something that has been underway for a long time. It has become what Peggy Noonan recently described in The Wall Street Journal: “a populist, working-class, nationalist party.” It is a Party that puts less emphasis on living within our means and on free-market economics and reflects more of what George W. Bush in 2000 called “compassionate conservativism.” Columbia professor of economics Glenn Hubbard described the differences in last Friday’s The Wall Street Journal: “Conservative economic policy traditionally has emphasized the openness of markets and growth. By contrast, the populist conservative ideas under discussion at the Republican National Convention focus on people and places hard hit by the disruption that accompanies openness and growth.” Finding the balance is what democracy is about.

 

The concern of free-market capitalism is understandable, as the United States has out-sourced much of its manufacturing to places where labor costs are less. While that has harmed labor in the U.S. with the disappearance of manufacturing jobs, consumers have benefitted from lower prices. An imposition of tariffs, to limit imports, will cause affected countries to retaliate with their own tariffs, which will limit exports and possibly cause a global recession. But the Platform recognizes innovation, which reflects an understanding that economies are dynamic, that change is constant, that old industries die and new ones are formed. As mentioned above, Mr. Trump, in his speech to delegates, did talk of the need to improve education, saying that individuals should “raise their expectations.” Nevertheless, there is no perfect way to protect all people from changing economic conditions. An open border is distinctly not in our interest, and closing the border is not xenophobic when accompanied by increasing the number of legal immigrants. Unfortunately, while immigration reform was mentioned, increasing legal immigration was not mentioned. 

 

As for the Platform and the Republican nominee, Nikki Haley spoke for many of us in her Convention speech: “We should acknowledge that there are some Americans who don’t agree with Donald Trump 100% of the time. I happen to know some of them. My message to them is simple: You don’t have to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for him. We agree on keeping America strong. We agree on keeping America safe. And we agree that Democrats have moved so far to the left that they’re putting our freedoms in danger. I’m here tonight because we have a country to save and a unified Republican Party is essential for saving her.” I want to close with words Mr. Trump expressed in his acceptance speech, because they echo my beliefs, and they suggest a more sober and reflective man: “None of us know God’s plan, or where life’s adventure will take us. But if the events of last Saturday make anything clear, it is that every single moment we have on earth is a gift from God. We have to make the most of every day for the people and the country we love.”

 

This essay reflects my understanding of the Republican Platform, which may be fallible. I don’t agree with all parts of it, but that is understandable. We are a large and diverse country with millions of individual opinions funneled into two political parties. We never vote for the perfect candidate but for the one that most closely mirrors our beliefs and ideals.

"Husbands & Lovers" - A Review

  

 

Sydney M. Williams

 

Burrowing into Books

Husbands & Lovers, Beatriz Williams

July 18, 2024

 

“It’s important to know where you come from.

It’s a part of you. But it doesn’t have to define you.”

                                                                                                                Husbands & Lovers, 2024

                                                                                                                Beatriz Williams

 

Full disclosure: Beatriz is my daughter-in-law, which, in part, explains my interest in this, her latest novel. Nevertheless, in my opinion (biased though it may be), this is her best. There were times when I laughed and, at other times, teared-up. While there are a few scenes that would have made Grace Metalious blush, her descriptions of War-torn Hungary, of Cairo in late 1951 and early ‘52, and of current-day Winthrop Island (aka Fishers Island) would have impressed James Michener. And her surprise ending would have surprised O. Henry.

 

The book is a page-turner, but I would rather not relate the story – one of tragedy and redemption – other than to say it, principally, involves the lives of two women and the men they loved: The first, Hannah, Hungarian-born in the mid 1920s, experienced unspeakable tragedy during World War 2. When we meet her, she lives in Cairo with her much older British husband, Alistair, who is with the British Foreign Office. There are flashbacks to war-time Hungary. The second, the real heroine of the story, is an early 30s-something single woman, Mallory Dunne, who lives with her thirteen-year-old son Sam in Mystic, Connecticut. A medical emergency necessitates that she trace her son’s DNA. 

 

As in all Beatriz’s books, this novel transports the reader back and forth, in time and in place. In Husbands & Lovers, the reader starts and ends in Mystic. But most of the time is spent on Winthrop Island, the location of two of her earlier books. It is where Mallory had spent a summer fourteen years earlier as a nanny, and a place she still loves: “To go running on Winthrop Island at dawn is about as close to heaven as I can imagine…” But time is also spent in early 1950s Egypt, when Hannah, Mallory’s grandmother, is in her mid-30s, and where the revolution against British imperialism was heating up. 

 

This novel, as is true for all her books, incorporates Beatriz’s knowledge of anthropology and her interest in history. It speaks to many aspects of our lives: the timelessness of love and passion, that we are victims of chance, and that we must live with the consequences of choices we make. Historians provide facts and statistics of people, places and events, but it is the novelist who provides the texture that allows readers to get a better sense of the people who lived in the past. This story takes the reader through a forgotten part of World War II, revolutionary Egypt and current-day Winthrop Island. 

 

I have read all her previous books. There is a lot in this one. It is special.

"The Shooting of Donald Trump - Identity Politics and the Hatred that Ensues"

  

Sydney M. Williams

www.swtottd.blogspot.com

 

Thought of the Day

“The Shooting of Donald Trump – Identity Politics and the Hatred that Ensues”

July 16, 2024

 

“The first reaction to truth is hatred.”

                                                                                                                                Tertullian (160AD-240AD)

                                                                                                                                Early Christian author from Carthage

 

Identity politics have divided us into warring camps. While it is terrible to accept the fact that we live in a time of such hatred, we do. The attempted assassination of Mr. Trump was the most recent and most violent. The intention of those who promoted identity politics may have been well-intentioned, but the consequences have been disastrous. Where division is sown violence is reaped.

 

I write as a conservative. I believe in family, tradition, the rule of law, limited government, free markets, a balanced budget in time of peace, and the freedom to follow one’s dreams, so long as one does no harm to others. I believe that government has a responsibility to keep us safe, our borders secure, to educate youth, and to provide for those unable to care for themselves. As well, we live in a global world; we cannot hide in isolation. Mr. Trump has never been my preference, but he served as a good President – at least in my opinion – for four years, and he did so under circumstances that would have undone most politicians. Elected President in 2016, he was deemed illegitimate by mainstream media and by most Democrats. With the help of a weaponized justice department, he was falsely accused of colluding with the Russians, with investigations interrupting his Administration. Four years later the intelligence community deliberately ignored the fact of Hunter Biden’s laptop, accusing Mr. Trump of being a Putin puppet. While never tarred and feathered, he has been investigated, denigrated, penalized, impeached and indicted. And now some nut has tried to kill him. He has been called a liar, fraudster and a threat to democracy – by those who misuse instruments of democracy to destroy him. Hollywood and social media elites have called for his death. The hypocrisy has been breathtaking, especially by those who inflict division, but then claim it is their desire to unite the country. While most politicians go to Washington and see their wealth increase, Mr. Trump saw his net worth decline by over a billion dollars during his four years as President.

 

Trump derangement syndrome has become pervasive, and hatred for all conservatives has become rampant, including Supreme Court justices. An otherwise respectful reader of my essays wrote recently that they “hope and pray that Thomas and Alito die soon.” What prompts people to write such inflammatory stuff? Why have we come to this place? The individual who pulled the trigger last Saturday was only twenty years old, which means that he would have been twelve when Trump was elected President. He grew up in this stench of Trump hatred. The hypocrisy of the progressive left, as another reader recently wrote, “has been breathtaking.” 

 

I don’t pretend to have answers, but the words and actions of those who despise Mr. Trump have given him a boost toward the November election. Cave quid volunt are words that should guide the far left, rather than the front page of last Sunday’s New York Times opinion page, which is attached. Perhaps Mr. Trump’s display of courage moments after the shot, and the horror most Americans feel at the attempted assassination, will cause a course correction in the identity politics that have come to dominate our lives. I hope so.

"The Ascent of Power," by David L. Roll

There are two lessons that stem from these few years in the immediate post-War period: One, never before, in the almost continuous history of man and warfare, had the vanquished been treated so well by the victor. And two, the division of Europe by the Iron Curtain, imposed by the Soviet Union in 1946, clearly demonstrated the economic, personal and political advantages of capitalism versus communism.

 

For anyone interested in the foundation for the remarkable economic growth in Europe and Japan – as well as the transition in the United States from a war economy to a peace economy – in the decades following the world’s most destructive war, this book, recommended by a friend, should be required reading. 

 

 

Sydney M. Williams

 

Burrowing into Books

Ascent of Power, David L. Roll

July 7, 2024

 

“I always felt that [Truman] understood me, not as a servant to be tolerated…President Roosevelt was

genial and warm but he left one feeling, as most aristocrats do, that they really do not understand one.”

                                                                                                        Alonzo Fields (1900-1994)

White House head butler

                                                                                                        My 21 Years in the White House, 1960         

                                                                                                        As quoted by David R. Roll

 

The devastation caused by World War II is virtually incalculable. During the almost six years between Germany’s invasion of Poland on January 1, 1939 and the Japanese surrender on August 15, 1945 approximately 75 million people died, two thirds of them civilians. Poland lost 19% of its population, the Soviet Union 14% and some islands in the South Pacific lost over 40% of their pre-war populations. Twenty percent of homes in Great Britain were destroyed and 40% of those in Germany. France estimated that the cost of the war was three times their national income. In Europe alone, there were an estimated 21 million refugees or “displaced persons.” With war’s end came the job of aiding survivors, replacing infrastructure, restoring economies and preventing the spread of Communism. It was left to Truman to lead the way.

 

Franklin Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, less than a month before Germany’s surrender; so Vice President Harry Truman inherited the Presidency. David Roll writes in the Prologue: “Framed by the presidential elections of 1944 and 1948, this study captures the illusions of a dying president and the mistakes and triumphs of his successor, an arc of world history that separated those who found freedom from those consigned to live under tyranny for decades to come.” Truman, who had not been advised or prepared by Roosevelt, made the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But his legacy – and the thrust of Roll’s story – is the role he played in Europe’s and Japan’s recovery: The Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the creation of NATO and the United Nations, the recovery of Japan, the birth of Israel, the Berlin airlift, and Civil Rights – prosecution of lynchings in federal courts, voting rights, equal employment opportunities, protection of the nation’s civil service, and the integration of the armed forces.

 

In a report to the nation on April 28, 1947, Secretary of State George Marshall is quoted by Mr. Roll: “A fundamental objective of our foreign policy was the achievement of a coordinated European economy…It was not just a matter of humanitarian relief…it is necessary for our national security.” Truman’s election in 1948 freed him from the yoke of Roosevelt – allowing him to be his own man, to work with Republicans like Senator Vandenberg. At his swearing in on January 20, 1949, Truman invoked his Point Four Program: unfaltering support of the United Nations, the Marshall Plan, NATO, “and the inexhaustible benefits of our scientific advances and industrial progress…to help people realize their aspirations for a better life.”

 

In terms of Europe’s and Japan’s recovery, Truman’s success could be seen in that by 1960, just fifteen years after the end of the War, West Germany had the world’s third largest economy and Japan its seventh.

 

Roll’s story is of a (seemingly) ordinary man who emerged from the shadow of an iconic President to accomplish remarkable things. In doing so, he changed for the better lives of millions. Roll quotes Winston Churchill speaking to Truman in 1952: “You more than any other man saved Western civilization.”

 

This is history well told.     

"Patriotism"

This is being sent on the evening of July 3, as my wife and I plan to drive to Massachusetts tomorrow morning to attend a family softball game, which was originally played in 1889. To the best of my knowledge, every game over those 135 years has ended in a tie.

……………………………………………………………

 

In the midst of celebrating the birth of our country, we should take a few minutes to consider how fortunate we are to be here. According to Freedom in the World 2023, only about 20% of the world’s population live in free countries. And median income in the U.S. is about ten times higher than for the world as a whole. We are far from perfect, but we keep striving; we should be thankful for the United States of America. It is okay to be patriotic.

 

I wish you a joyous 4^th of July!

 

Sydney M. Williams

www.swtotd.blogspot.com

 

Thought of the Day

“Patriotism”

July 4, 2024

 

“Spirit, that made those heroes dare

To die, and leave their children free,

Bid time and Nature gently spare

The shaft we raise to them and thee.”

                                                                                                                                Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

                                                                                                                                Concord Hymn, 1837

 

“The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened

than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.”

                                                                                                                                Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859)

                                                                                                                                Democracy in America, 1835

 

Today we celebrate our nation’s 248th birthday. It is the day when, traditionally, patriotism rises to its highest level of the year. Yet, many Americans are conflicted in their attitudes toward their country. We are divided to a greater extent than at any time since the Civil War. Identity politics has become ubiquitous. Anti-Semitism is experienced on college campuses. We cannot even agree on the definition of a woman. We are told that democracy is under threat: The Left cites January 6 and the behavior of Donald Trump and his claim that he will be a dictator for the first day. The Right speaks to the “weaponization” of the intelligence services – the Russian collusion fabrication by the Clinton campaign in 2016, and the statement by 51 intelligence officers, in 2020, that Hunter Biden’s laptop was Russian disinformation.

 

Patriotism, to those on the political extremes, is dependent upon who holds power. In 1905, addressing this concern, Mark Twain wrote an essay “The Czar’s Soliloquy” for North American Review: “True patriotism, real patriotism: loyalty, not to a Family and a Fiction, but loyalty to the Nation itself.” Twain was commenting on Tsar Nicholas’ habit of ignoring the needs of his people while meditating for an hour every morning after his bath. While Twain wrote 120 years ago about a monarchy that no longer exists, his words are applicable today. Patriotism is not based on family, personal biases or party affiliation, but of love for country – in our case the United States, with its history, complexities and opportunities.

 

Of course excessive patriotism – the wrapping of oneself in the flag – is off-putting and has been condemned by many. On April 7, 1775 James Boswell wrote that Samuel Johnson, taking a swipe at then prevalent jingoism, pronounced patriotism to be the last refuge of the scoundrel. A hundred and forty years later, disillusioned by the horrors of trench warfare on the Western Front, Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) wrote the poem “Dulce et Decorum Est,” which ends with these haunting lines:

 

“My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate glory,

The old lie: Dolce et decorum est

Pro patria mori.”[1]

 

Nevertheless, patriotism is critical for the success of a nation. However, we seem to have lost our way. Divisive politics, with its emphasis on racial and gender identity rather than on a shared identity as Americans, has made us angry and sad. Following the recent debate many concluded that the “Biden-Trump reality show,” as Daniel DePetris put it recently in The Spectator, “is a reflection of our decline and an indictment on waning US global power.” But is it? I am not so sure. We are unique in the annals of nations. We are not British, French, Latvian, Chinese, Japanese, Israeli, Jordanian, Nigerian, Algerian, Angolan, Peruvian or Ecuadorian. We are all of them and many more. And, while we are each unique, with myriad skills and varying abilities, we are “We the people,” as the preamble to the Constitution begins. We live in a country founded under Judeo-Christian principles and governed by laws, not men. We have a Bill of Rights that guarantees freedom of speech, assembly and religion, and a Constitution that provides equality before the law. We are free to peacefully protest what impinges on our beliefs. A secret ballot assures we can vote our conscience without fear of retaliation. We live in an economic system that allows individuals to rise as far as aspiration, talent, effort (and luck) take them. We have survived a British invasion in 1812, a Civil War, two world wars and four assassinations. As for our democracy: “It won’t be dismantled so easily,” wrote Matthew Hennessey in an op-ed in last Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal.

 

We should honor the memory of those who fought, died and won our independence 241 years ago – among them recent immigrants to what would become the United States of America. And we must never forget the men and women who fought and died in subsequent wars to keep this nation’s (and other nations’) people free. We should laud the Founders, imperfect though they were, for their vision embedded in the Declaration of Independence. We should study the history of our country, its perfections and its blemishes, and we should understand the three distinct branches of our government and how it operates. We should support the right of every individual to speak for what they believe. We can disagree, but we should not disparage. We should be respectful, not blasphemous. No matter our heritage, race, gender, religion, political affiliation, or economic class, we pledge allegiance to our “flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” As David Wolpe, emeritus rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, wrote in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, “There are people of good heart and good will, of soulfulness and love, all over this great nation.” Americans, wear your patriotism with pride. 

 

HAPPY 4^th!

 

---

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[1] It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country. Owen was killed in France one week before the Armistice.

"Lola"

  

Sydney M. Williams

 

More Essays from Essex

“Lola: May 3, 2010-June 29, 2024”

July 2, 2024

 

“What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never

lose, for all that we love deeply becomes part of us.”

                                                                                                                                Attributed to Helen Keller, 1880-1968

 

Toward the end of E.B. White’s novel Charlotte’s Web, Charlotte is dying and she speaks to her good friend Wilbur: “All these sights and sounds and smells will be yours to enjoy, Wilbur – this lovely world, these precious days…You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing…After all, what’s a life anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die.” Whether human or animal, in the larger scheme of things, we do only live brief lives; but life is about the love we bring to others during the time we are allotted. Lola, a gentle, but fiercely proud Cockapoo, was liberal in the love she bestowed, and in death she gifted us the sights, sounds and smells she had known.

 

Death is never easy. In his last book before he died, Oh, The Places You’ll Go, Dr, Seuss wrote: “Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.” Growing up on a small farm in New Hampshire, death was, if not common, not rare. I remember my father burying a horse in our rocky barnyard, and I recall one wintery day digging a shallow grave for a goat that had succumbed. But Lola was the sole pet of our daughter, her husband and their three children. She was integral to their lives. For their children, now 19, 21 and 23, Lola was part of their growing up. In the memories of all who knew her, she lives on. 

 

Every death provides a moment to consider the miracle of life. The “miracle” does not refer to the mechanics of the process nor to the intricate biological composition of a living species, but rather to its uniqueness – the right sperm interacting with the right egg. The odds of that happening are measured in the billions or trillions to one. No living creature could ever live at a time other than when it did. Just as it is a miracle that each of us is alive, Lola’s birth was a miracle. Her good fortune at being born was enhanced by the luck she had in abiding with our daughter and her family. 

 

Dogs, Winston Churchill is alleged to have said, look up at us. Cats he claimed look down on us. He favored pigs who he said look us in the eye. Lola was not subservient, and she did not have the arrogance of a cat. She treated people as equals, loving to cuddle, but then protecting us when an animal appeared on the television screen.

 

On June 7, 1945, General George S. Patton, speaking at Boston’s Copley Hotel, said: “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.” Lola’s immediate family especially, but all of us who knew her, including her dog cousins in Darien and Lyme, will miss her. Tears have been, and will be, shed. But we are thankful she lived and was part of our lives for fourteen years.

 

Rest in peace, Lola.