THE HEROES

REMEMBERING

     My father, Karl, was what they called a Top Kick, a Sergeant Major when he began his tour of duty in the South Pacific during WWII. He's the man in the middle.  On this day when we remember those who are gone and honor those who sacrificed I've been thinking about dad and how he never wanted to talk of his war experiences.

      He was more candid about his time as a Drill Instructor, especially as he meted out "training" and discipline to my brother and me. It wasn't until he was dying that he spoke of some of what he did and saw in the theater of combat.

   He was part of an effort that took heavy losses and

engaged in tough jungle war fare.  This is an article that reached home, dispatched by the Army communications office.

    Toward the end of his duty in New Guinea and the islands of the south Pacific he was made a Chief Warrant Officer.  He always said it was an inducement to stay in the Army and go to Officer's Candidate School, though in those days the designation was ordered by either the Secretary of the Army or the President and went to men with particular skills  and talents.  

    After he returned home, he continued to work for a special branch of the government.  He was coy and tight lipped, but It was a type of investigative agency. I have memories of his colleagues, "uncles", late night visits, meetings in old box cars and odd coming and goings.  

   One of the keep sakes in his Army locker was this autographed copy of a playbill. He always maintained a sense of camaraderie and concern for those with whom he served.

   I remember visiting the Ernie Pyle memorial at the Pyle Post of the VFW in Indianapolis.  Dad, in the middle, was active in the organization in the early days.  It was during this part of my early kid hood that he and my mom encouraged me to read Pyle's work and that of other war correspondents and journalists. From Indiana, Pyle was killed as he covered the war. Pyle's work and the memorial to him had a remarkable impact on me.  

    My dad and I were always friends, even during the teen years. There never was a "generation gap" in our home.

     I respected his political leanings, he was an active participant in election campaigns as a manager or strategist, never as a candidate.  

     During the Viet Nam era, he cared about the well being of the troops and often was critical of politicians willing to commit young men and women to war.

      He had a great sense of justice and was a true patriot. I continue to miss him. He remains my hero. So this evening I will lift a glass to Karl and the men and women like him, who served. And I will toast some of those "uncles," those who also served, though not always in uniform. Indeed we are in debt to many.

WALKING THE BLUFF

A FAMILY AT THE BEACH

  See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER-SKYLINES

PAINTING THE SKY

    Gale winds from the Pacific create an interesting seascape, adding texture to the surf.

   One of my favorite quiet spots is just off a rock.  It offers a place for a meditation on the setting sun.  A relaxation for this Memorial Day weekend.

The Weekender Video offers another take on painting a skyline.

Have a great weekend.

See you down the trail.

SPECIAL AND SCENES OF A WALK

SPECIAL

     Giovanni's northern Italian heritage finesses his work.

A grilled chicken ciabatta with brie, carrot pea soup, sans dairy, egg plant burger and pappardelle with pesto made of savoy cabbage, tomatoes and artichoke, served with a Le Cuvier Rose.  

   The charm is of Mediterranean climate and temperament in an authentic California take.  A village, population 18, hosts the epicure pleasing Harmony Cafe.

     Kristin and Lana enjoy the garden sun and color.

     We're reminded of a place on the way to Sorrento in southern Italy where we dined with accompaniment from a bleating goat, grazing on the property as we ate and drank under the stars. Here a chicken may wander past as song birds build the score. 

     The dishes and sandwiches have always been delicious. Giovanni innovates and the creations are tasty, excellent and fondly appreciated. Everyone should eat his Tiramisu! 

     

SCENES OF A WALK
Harmony Road

   See you down the trail.

BILL GATES AS PRESIDENT-FINDING A BETTER POOL & FANTASY LAND

A BETTER POOL OF POLITICIANS

Image courtesy of Indiana Historical Society

     Esquire's 1967 article on J. Irwin Miller opened a line of thought that perhaps we should give more effort to.

     Miller then Chairman of Cummins Engine and driving force of turning Columbus Indiana into an architect's wonderland, was touted as the man who ought to be the President.

       He was a man of vision, imagination and a keen sense of accomplishment.  Interviewing Miller was a zenith of my early reporting.

     Turning from what has become our political culture and business is intriguing. We are over run with lawyers, political hacks, ego driven men and women, zealots, grafters, ideologues and too few who seek office merely to serve. Politics is at a stalemate and run by money. Why not look elsewhere for leadership?

     Bill Gates is in the pantheon of those with vision, imagination and a sense of accomplishment.  His work through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is extraordinary and may well change history. It is making lives much better and healthier around the globe.  

     Men and women like Gates would not seek office, nor do they require the kind of ego validation that all too many pols are motivated by. That's a shame!  We'd be better served by people who are all about the ideas and sense of making the world better.  

     There are many others, like Gates or Miller.  I'd include Amory Lovins, co founder, Chief Scientist and Chairman Emeritus of the Rocky Mountain Institute.  Or Elon Musk of SpaceX. (Except that he's a South African.) Who would you put on that list?  Who would you like to see in Congressional or Executive leadership roles? 

  

 FANTASY LAND

     Scenes from the Garden Center

      See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER-SHADOWY

THE SHADOWS

     As a kid I heard a story teller who said shadows are where the magic lives.  Later I interviewed a native American medicine man or shaman who said when the shadows fall spirits begin to move.  An old Scot essayist once said the twilight is when dreams walk and is the portal between realities.

      There is a fascination in the gloaming and a magic in shadows.  This weekend, let your imagination be a guide.

THE WEEKENDER VIDEO

shadow fun

     See you down the trail.

OLD WAYS WERE BETTER & OBAMA IN TROUBLE AND SO ARE WE

ON THE ROPES

     The snarks, pundits and even credible analysts say Washington has turned on President Obama. The IRS targeting of political groups and the Justice Department intrusion on journalism has motivated not only the obstructionist Republican conservatives, but what is left of the traditional GOP, Democrats and the press corp. That's most of the players in DC.

      I have noted here previously the Obama administration record on Freedom of Information matters is troubling. Now the move on the AP's phone records puts him in a league with George W. Bush and adds truth to the cartoon characterizations of him being the new Tricky Dick Nixon.

     Frequent readers know I am a staunch supporter of the First Amendment.  The continual intrusions into our freedoms, born by the Patriot Act and the so called war on terror are part of what is truly a criminalizing of dissent. This administration now aids and abets this assault on freedom.

     As an investigative journalist I know how difficult it is to get people to talk, especially about government and most specifically about government wrong doing.  The Obama Justice Department's sweep of AP phone records will add to the chill.  Which is exactly what they want and which is absolutely dangerous for this democratic republic.

THE OLD WAYS MAY HAVE BEEN BETTER

    I was lucky to hear Dr. Kat Anderson, UC Davis and author of Tending the Wild thanks to a presentation sponsored by Green Space The Cambria Land Trust.

      A premise she advocates is that we are hunter/gatherers in our DNA.  She's spent years studying native California tribes and devouring anthropological research, notes and data. Dr. Anderson says that when Europeans entered the west they saw what they thought was wilderness, but was, in fact, land that had been tended and managed. In this area of the Central Coast of California the maintenance was done by Salinan Indians. 

      Dr Anderson suggests we'd be better off if we practiced what she calls ISM-Indiginous Stewardship Methods.
      -natural recycling
      -lowering  plant competition
      -reducing insects
      -reducing diseases
      -eliminating detrius 
      -keeping bush down
      -better water management
 Most of you probably never associate those practices with your image of Indians. But in fact the coastal Salinans practiced those and more to enhance food production. Knocking and pruning trees increased nut production, burning grass lands, beating grasses to gain seeds and tilling wisely were standard practices that improved yield and kept nature in better shape.
      Dr. Anderson would like to see areas set aside to practice the old methods, to mange the wild, to make it healthier.  The natives knew a lot more about caring for their home, than the arriving European based culture. It is never too late to learn.
     

SHORE FLORA

   See you down the trail.

HIDDEN BEACHES & TRUTH IN THE BENGHAZI AND IRS SIDESHOWS

TRUTHS IN SWIRLING TEMPESTS

     Clouds hang over an already failed legislative branch of US government and they threaten further distraction.
     The IRS targeting of political and anti Obama groups should be investigated and responsible parties should be fired or prosecuted. The federal tax man must be a neutral, even if not an always popular, bean counter and collector.   
     While tax law is  the art of lawyers who influence the increasingly stupid members of congress to write legislation that favors those with money to hide, the IRS still should not target people because of politics. That is fascist, totalitarian, Stalinist thuggery and there should be no place for it in a Democratic Republic.
      There should also be an inquiry into the Benghazi fiasco if for no other reasons than to shut up the political opportunists and more importantly figure how and why the vast intelligence and national security apparatus failed Ambassador Chris Stevens and the three other Americans who died in service to the US.
      Mistakes, and miscommunication occurred and all members of the intelligence community, defense and national security apparatus need to be held accountable.
      The problem of further study though is that it will only serve to excite the yapping Republican political operatives who see this as a way to damage Hillary Clinton's political chances in 2016 and cause defending Democrats to drag their feet.  Mrs. Clinton already said she takes responsibility for the disaster, though an investigative panel found the mistakes were made below her level.
      To date there is no evidence of a cover up, as the political wind bags allege, but there is plenty of evidence of confusion.  CIA, NSC, State Department, DOD, the White House and others were horribly inefficient, poorly coordinated, and all probably have to share in the ignominy of the Benghazi incident and the follow-up reporting and communication. Was there any ass covering?  Well if history is any indication, there was probably a significant amount, but covering your butt is different than a cover up.     
       Those who compare this to Watergate should have their tongues locked. Watergate was a political dirty tricks operation, part of a sabotage of the electoral process, that involved a failed burglary, and then blossomed to where pay-offs were shuttled, lies were told, Justice Department people were fired, and it was all run out of the White House. That was a cover up! Benghazi was a screw up.  
      Failed management, failed security, failed reaction, failed mission are all worthy of inquiry, but as noted, going down this road will no doubt create another side show in the embarrassing and deplorable environment that has become the US Congress. Both parties have much to be ashamed of, but don't you get a sense these fools are beyond embarrassment?  
      So now we have another circus or two to further delay
responsible action on fixing our national economic security, improving education, caring for a decaying infrastructure, getting out of idiot wars, strategizing for a clean energy future, truly regulating the untouched criminal class of investment bankers and financiers, and preventing what appears to be the entrenchment of a new gilded age.  Gilded ages never end well.  
      The world, and our enemies have changed, but the fools on the hill continue to play the cheapest and pettiest of games, bought and sold by money politics instead of national interest. Our interests in Benghazi and the IRS flap should simply be the truth, not political gain.
      Excuse me, I think I'll tune out and take a walk.

ALONE AT THE SHORE

Between Cambria and San Simeon

   See you down the trail.