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I wrote the following blog last April. I put it aside to read and edit later but never did. One of the sad truths about getting old is that I am getting more forgetful with each passing day.   Anyway, I was going to write a blog about why I think of November as Veterans Month. I still plan to, but I thought that I would finally publish this one. The way things are going in this country, it's just as relevant now. It’s been a while since I wrote a blog. I have not written because everything I write these days turns into an angry rant. There is so much corruption in Washington that I cannot help myself.  There are people in high office, both elected and appointed, who are destroying every protection on our environment, and every program designed to help lower and middle-income citizens. They are using their office for their own gain. The swamp creatures are in control. However, when I see what is happening to the Veterans Administration, and the plans of the far right to tu...

December 31, 2017. Kent Lakes, New York   What a tumultuous year this has been, for our country, our world, and for me, personally.  We have seen the destruction of the caliphate. We have watched as the protections put in place to protect our environment have been diminished by executive order and by the appointment of a man who wants to destroy the EPA as head of the EPA. We have seen Neo Nazis march past a synagogue in Charlottesville, chanting “Jew will not replace us!” And we have heard the President saying that some of them were ‘Good People.’   As for me, personally, I have had to overcome some ver serious health issues which brought me close to either death or paralysis. I had to learn to walk and use my hands all over again. I continue to recover, and so far, I am doing quite well.   This is why, despite this hate, the optimist in me thinks that the pendulum will once again swing the other way.   Yes, I know that there will be some who will wan...

November is Veteran's Month... at least to this fading old Marine. It's a month in which we celebrate the Marine Corps Birthday. It's a month in which we set aside one day, November 11, to honor our veterans. This day, when I was a boy, was called Armistice Day. The day was to remember the end of the War to End All Wars, World War I. Unfortunately, this was not to be. We continue to fight wars all over the world. Our Veterans, and those brave souls in other countries, continue to put themselves in harms way in order to preserve freedom and independence from those who would enslave or force their beliefs on us.   A few years ago, I started to reflect on those who stepped up and stepped out to defend the defenseless. These men and women never asked the religion of those whom they were fighting for. They never asked political bent, nor ethnicity, or if they were rich or poor. They did what they did because they belonged to a society that believes in ce...

Happy Birthday, United States of America!   Despite the nightmare of the past political season, despite the differences that continue to try to divide us, we are still the best place to be. It's up to us to work out our differences, to continue to work towards compromise..... yes, I said compromise....that we all can live with. This continued Red State - Blue State division has got to stop. They only ones who benefit from the constant back and fort are the politicians who feed off of our fears and prejudices, and the enemies of freedom and self determination that surround us, like a pack of merciless predators who would tear our great nation asunder and feed on the corpse.   The hateful rhetoric of the extremes on both sides just fuel the anger that would lead to the end of the 'Great Experiment' that is the United States of America, and that would lead us into anarchy, and herald the end of democracy as we know it. Some would applaud this ...

Those who would be left behind by the Republicans. They are not glamorous, they are not what one would call 'Important to our society,' they do not contribute as much as this of us who have worked hard all of our lives did. No... but, in their own way, they have worked hard as well. They have done the best that they could with the limited tools that they were given. It's not their fault... it's the hand that nature has dealt to them. This does not make them any less worthy of our respect, of our love, or of our compassion.    I have had a few so-called 'Christian' friends tell me that they would pray for them. I have had them tell me that they would pray for my sister.    Let me introduce you to my sister, Alma Jean Zaffino. She was born into a challenged existence. Early on, she was diagnosed with Perthes Disease, a degenerative disease of the hip joint. She spent months in a cast from the waist to the ankle. When the...

This is my first blog since last October. Up until now, I have not had the ability to type quickly enough, nor the drive to do so. This subject is very important to me, and very personal, so I ask you to bear with me.  This past year has been a series of ups and downs, health wise. Late last November, I started to decline physically, for no apparent reason. It started with a stiff neck that became a numbness in my hands and toes by days end.   I contacted my back surgeon, and he ordered some tests which, he said, showed no reason for my problems. He sent me to a neurologist, who ordered more tests and promptly went on vacation. I continued to get worse.... falling several times, unable to get up without help. I became progressively weaker. When the doctor returned after two weeks on vacation, she said that the MRI and CAT SCAN showed nothing. She sent me for a spinal tap.   I fell again and hurt myself, and my w...

My Back Pages: The Politics of Hate :    I remember when President Barack Obama was elected. Suddenly, I had my email inbox filled with so many emails calling him an illegitimate...

   I remember when President Barack Obama was elected. Suddenly, I had my email inbox filled with so many emails calling him an illegitimate president. So much hatred was directed at this man, from so many people that I counted as friends. Now... let me just tell you, I did not vote for the President in his first election. I didn't vote for him because I thought, at the time, that he did not have enough experience to be President. First of all, he had only been a Senator for a short time. Secondly,  and I say this with some distress today... I admired John McCain for his honor, and his service to this country.   When President Obama ran for reelection, he had won us over. His talk of hope, and the example that he set, along with his beautiful wife, won me over. Race was never an issue. Religion, I could care less about. Yet, so many Americans called all of this into play. I had friends inundate my email with hateful anti-Obama emails. They called in...

My Back Pages: My Take, 2016 : The election is coming up fast, and I have taken a lot of flack because of my adamant stance against the Republican candidate. That's a ...

The election is coming up fast, and I have taken a lot of flack because of my adamant stance against the Republican candidate. That's a shame. My opinion is my opinion, and it is the product of hours of research, years of following these candidates, and my own personal feelings.   Now, I have been admonished by some that I should not state my opinions. Really? This is what elections and this whole idea of Democracy (capital 'D'!) is about! We are a free and open society. What we are not free to do is force our opinions on anyone else. We can write about them, talk about them, but it is not legal or 'free' to force your opinions on others. Now, we can, as I do, write about them. However, I cannot go to a friends house, without his or her permission, and post a sign on their lawn! It's just not the right thing to do, and it is not legal. I have been criticized because I objected to this, but I do not care. I respect others... I do not write or post my opinions on...

My Back Pages: Who Decides What Makes Up A 'Real American' :  The other day, my wife called attention to a post by someone she had known since she was a child. The person in question had been a friend ...

 The other day, my wife called attention to a post by someone she had known since she was a child. The person in question had been a friend of her mother's. The post went something like this: 'You Liberal garbage who make remarks about the Bush family better watch out. Don't do it around real Americans!'    First of all, with all due respect to this woman, who are you to judge who a 'Real American' is? Secondly, who are you to call any citizen who has a different political viewpoint than you 'Garbage?'    In an effort to become a better human, even at my advanced age, I have been making a concerted effort not to let anger overcome me. Anger hurts the angry person much more than it does the focus of the anger. That person, or thing, is usually either oblivious or immune to your anger. However, this post by this woman really makes my blood boil. This seems to be the attitude of many people, on both sides of the political discussion, and this hurts me to ...

de·plor·a·ble /dəˈplôrəb(ə)l/ adjective 1. deserving strong condemnation:  "the deplorable conditions in which most prisoners are held" synonyms: disgraceful ,  shameful ,  dishonorable ,  unworthy ,  inexcusable ,  unpardonable ,  unforgivable ,  reprehensible ,  despicable ,  abominable ,  contemptible ,  execrable ,  heinous ,  beyond the pale What Is deplorable to me? A person running for president bullying everyone that I also in contention for the office. Calling someone low energy. Making fun of another as he eats. Giving negative names to everyone else who is running. Making fun of a female candidate's looks.Calling one candidate 'Little Marco'... calling another 'Lyin' Ted'.   Making remarks about the looks wife of another candidate. Using every bullying tactic that he can find, while offering no substance to his own reason for running.   It's deplorable...

de·plor·a·ble /dəˈplôrəb(ə)l/ adjective 1. deserving strong condemnation:  "the deplorable conditions in which most prisoners are held" synonyms: disgraceful ,  shameful ,  dishonorable ,  unworthy ,  inexcusable ,  unpardonable ,  unforgivable ,  reprehensible ,  despicable ,  abominable ,  contemptible ,  execrable ,  heinous ,  beyond the pale What Is deplorable to me? A person running for president bullying everyone that I also in contention for the office. Calling someone low energy. Making fun of another as he eats. Giving negative names to everyone else who is running. Making fun of a female candidate's looks.Calling one candidate 'Little Marco'... calling another 'Lyin' Ted'.   Making remarks about the looks wife of another candidate. Using every bullying tactic that he can find, while offering no substance to his own reason for running.   It's deplorable...

My Back Pages: Did You Ever Have The Feeling You Were Being ........ :        If any of you are old enough to remember it, there was an old Warner Brothers cartoon that opened with Bugs Bunny looking out of his ...

       If any of you are old enough to remember it, there was an old Warner Brothers cartoon that opened with Bugs Bunny looking out of his rabbit hole and saying "Ah.. Did ya ever have the feeling you was being ...watched?"       Well, back when that old cartoon was produced, old Bugs may have been a bit paranoid. These days, he is probably right!  Cell phones broadcast our every move. Apps on those phones and tablets tell corporations what our likes and dislikes are. Our home computers  keep track of every purchase, every site visited. If we are not extremely careful, malware from some of these sites can be downloaded without our knowledge and make our computers spies in our own homes. Surveillance cameras record us everywhere we go. Facial recognition software linked to these cameras scan us. Privacy has become nonexistent. Worrying about government surveillance is pointless because we are surveilled everywhere we go. Big Brother? There i...

My Back Pages: Memories- Part 2 : Memories -Part II Prelude I finished Part I with my thoughts on my Grandfather, Angelo Zaffino, and my loving relationship with him. It e...

Memories -Part II Prelude I finished Part I with my thoughts on my Grandfather, Angelo Zaffino, and my loving relationship with him. It ended with his death and wake. Part I left me emotionally drained. I never expected that delving into my memories and writing them down would have such an effect on me, but it did. This, I think, is not a bad thing. It has enabled me to face things that had such a profound impact on my life, the good and the bad.    I will pick this up with my Grandmother, Theresa Zaffino. My Grandfather will also come into play here again, simply because they were inseparable for so many years. They had a love and understanding of each other that every couple that has ever been together, strived so hard to have. Not all are so successful, they were. It was a special relationship. They were an exceptional couple, at least in my opinion; and I admit that my opinion is one sided  because I loved them both.  The years before I came to be ...