Personal Update

Yesterday Rocky and I visited his surgeon in downtown Chicago. It was a discussion of options to consider treating the tumor in his neck. Removal is fraught with tissue involve with the windpipe and esophagus. If both of those require partial removal, then temporary feeding and breathing tubes will need to be installed. Chemo and radiation therapy will most likely continue after surgery as a precaution. Prior to surgery will be used only if the tumor is believed to be shrinkable. Everyone doubts that. Only surgery will allow the doctor to know with more certainty what is what in this dark corner of the body.

Update: the tumor does involve the windpipe and that will be removed and a breathing port installed in the trachea for permanent breathing. The voice box is also involved and will be removed; electronic voice training and therapy will follow. The esophagus will need a skin graft and reconstruction but will remain in place to continuing its function. The surgeon reminded us that surgery is always exploratory; it will unveil what it will and decisions of the moment will be made then.


Faith is what we rely on at times such as these. A diagnosis and uncertain prognosis need to be digested emotionally. Easy to say, nearly impossible to actually do. And that’s the real problem, isn’t it? Our faith says, trust that all will be well, but our humanness says, ‘yeah, right!’


Trust is not giving up. Trust is not the lazy person’s way out. Trust means everything that can be done is being done, and if all is lost in the end, then that will be in the hands of our creator. If you don’t believe, you don’t even have that.


In the end, though, we have choices. The beginning and the end are the bookends of life. It is the in-between years that define what our life is and was. What we do with the time we have is the marker we need to pay heed to. Why? Because the beginning and the end is out of our control. We don’t make those decisions. The only ones we do make affect our life that is lived each day.


Understanding this helps prepare for the moment we no longer have moments. The death of our being is sobering work to think upon. But it is an inevitable event. Best to think on it when things are good, pleasant doings are still possible. If we are prepared, then each reprieve gives us more time to live a life of purpose and joy. Each reprieve from serious accident, illness, or peril avoided. That’s what we control, not the end, but the continuing.


Rocky’s journey is perilous. But he has lived with reprieve several times before. Perhaps this one, too?


Time will tell that story. We are not in a rush to encounter it.


June 11, 2019

Shouldering the Load

World War 1 was a disaster. How it began, how it was waged, and how it was terminated. The peace was not one that produced lasting peace. It sowed the seeds of World War II.


World War II finally gave witness to the global community waking to stark reality. Isolationism does not build peace. It gives license to those who benefit from war and aggression. The global community came together for common cause. We learned each other’s languages and worked together to defeat a common enemy, then two. Through awful struggle we became one.


A united global village. Millions of lives lost. A horrible price. But one paid for a world at peace.


We knew then that it was temporary. Peace lasts only so long until someone feels omnipotent or horribly wronged. Whatever the motivation, they bully their mood to others and war begins. War as arbiter of failed egos. War as tactic for riches. War as growth of territory.


So much war. So little peace. So much damage, carnage and human misery.


D-Day was a spectacular reality as symbol of the horrors of war. D-Day was waged to gain victory over Hitler. As the world community came together last week to recognize, remember and give thanks to those who perished for our peace, the gathering was truly odd.


Odd. A man who claims the American presidency but shirked war time duty. A man who thinks not of world strategy or world peace. A man who does not understand the word ‘comity.’ This is a man who embodies the bully and the disruptor of status quo. He believes that builds future potential.


Of what? The question begs asking. The answer begs completion. But none is forthcoming.


The emperor stands naked before the world with no plan, no strategy, no mission and no vision. For himself or for his people. This is the very definition of non-leader.


It is also the definition of ‘clear and present danger.’ He mocks treaties, peaceful cooperation, and global village collaboration. To him there must always be a winner. For me as well. But I see the winners as each and every one of us living in a world of peace. It will not come unless we work for it.

And pay the price. The opposite produces no winners; only losers.


And he the biggest of them all.


June 10, 2019

Modern Manufacturing Complexities

The Boeing Max 737 has problems. We know of the issues and causes surrounding the two crashes of this plane model. We are learning there are more issues that need ironing out. The more the plane is studied and tested – as it ought to have been before placing in commercial use – the more we realize systemic issues likely have led us to this place.


The Boeing product was engineered in a new, exciting multi-disciplinary manner. It resourced parts, manufacturing and even materials engineering. It was a global enterprise for Boeing. They designed the new plane from the ground up and did so making full use of expertise and cost-saving techniques from throughout the global village.


Assembling the new plane was a science unto itself. Supply chain management was stretched and re-invented. Parts and materials were pulled from countless nations and assembled in micro parts assembly, unitary systems assembly, and finally into the final assembly in American facilities. The coming together of millions of parts and pieces tested computer systems and management science. But the plan came together, flew, was tested and finally approved for commercial use.


What was not accomplished is an exhaustive trial of the new plane and how all of its foreign manufactured parts came together in one product and performed. How did the new materials, the variant designs and supply chain work in the production of the new plane?


Experience will tell the tale. So far it is not pretty. Even fearful.


For a product that carries hundreds of passengers thousands of miles in rarefied altitudes, we must be certain the product is safe. Until now Boeing’s reputation has been spotless. It’s product worthiness was beyond question. Not now.


The new plane is a marvel. It is pretty good. It performs almost as planned. But pretty good is not good enough. Too many lives are at stake. Too bad Boeing has bet its future on a manufacturing process that simply was flawed. And untested.


How Boeing will or can fix this problem remains grounded. Like its new planes.


June 7, 2019

Investments

Big Oil is reported to be making big investments in projects likely to fizzle regarding ROI (return on investments). They are searching for more oil deposits. Better refining processes to make the most of the declining quality of marginal oil finds. Both of those projects may yield good results, but others may be of little or no practical value.


There is a problem with these investments to my mind. First, Big Oil has the money, the assets and the incredible ability to do whatever they want. Problem: what they want is doing the same as they have been doing from day one: find oil, extract it, refine it, sell and distribute it to whomever for whatever price to make yet more money.


That’s not what the world needs. Not now. Not in an age of pollution of air, soil and water.


What we need are renewable sources of energy. What we need is higher efficiency in the use of existing energy so the energy fuel is used wisely and as pollution free as possible.


Humanity needs energy. Plenty of it. So far, man’s trod on earth has produced incalculable damage through pollution. Illness and death have been the result. So too, a future clouded by the health of our planet. It may not sustain human life at some point in the future caused mainly by man-made damage to our environment.


If we need energy AND we need a livable environment, logic suggests that we learn two things: first, change how we get and produce energy; and second, how we use and conserve energy wisely.


This is a no brainer. And Big Oil is in a unique position to do the following:

1.      Identify their industry as Energy; not oil. Energy.

2.      Commit their wealth to research and development for these gains:

a.      Long term energy creation and resources

                                                    i.     Electric generation from chemical, solar, wind, etc.

                                                   ii.     Replacement of internal combustion engines with alternative modes of locomotion: hydrogen cell power, solar charging of electric motors, etc.

                                                  iii.     Creative science solution from physics, chemistry and yet unknown energy resources

b.      Short term oil and natural gas extraction from the earth with the least pollution

c.      Long term reduction in pollution from use of petroleum products (water, soil, air)

                                                    i.     Petroleum products will still need to be used for lubrication and chemical stock purposes

                                                   ii.     Conserve use of oil-based products so supply is adequate for such uses

d.      High efficiency energy use for all kinds of energy

                                                    i.     Whatever form of energy is available and used, use it sparingly so supplies remain adequate

Related to energy is the issue of transportation. Industries serving transportation needs need to realize they are not in automotive manufacturing, or aerodynamics of air and space vehicles but in transportation. The automobile need not be internal combustion powered. It can and should be powered by electric motors or an as yet undiscovered mode of locomotion. Magnetics, particle physics, as well as high-end technology will likely find answers to this puzzle. Perhaps transportation and energy industries should combine their efforts in solving their common problems.


What we do not need is Big Oil finding and refining more oil to consume and pollute the planet. We also do not need the automotive industry producing yet more gasoline powered cars. We need replacements for both. Transportation, whether personal or public, needs to be engineered to produce safe, convenient and non-polluting movement of people and cargo.


Now there’s an investment that will pay huge returns. Let’s get on with it. Perhaps the two industries should combine their research efforts?  There's an idea!


June 6, 2019

Tariffs Every Which Way

We cannot manage the flow of immigrants wishing to come to America. There are those who have magnified this problem for political reasons. And for political gains. The problem remains: managing the flow of immigrants into our land.


We may wish to manage that flow in an orderly manner. That is not always possible. Circumstances require our value of human life to open our arms to those in need. Asylum seekers have rights both by our own laws and by policies of the United Nations. If we do not manage well, we get what we deserve.


Need more staff in the immigration offices? Hire them. Need more social workers and caregivers for the immigrants who are in process of entering our nation? Hire more social workers and caregivers. We have the money. We have the talented people and institutions to supply the labor.


And we have the human and spiritual values to love and help those in need of entering our land of welcome.


So, analyzing the immigrant flow, researchers are finding what they expected to learn.  Immigrants are coming here for economic opportunity. Educational opportunity. Safety. Health care. A chance to prosper with a people who have always prospered with a strong flow of immigrants to live among us. As in the past, they are our future, and our future is vital to theirs.


Mexico provides many immigrants to our land. They have families already here that newer generations wish to join. Economic and social issues in Mexico continue to make America attractive to these immigrants. They are willing to start over in our land because their own is unable to provide the opportunity or potential.


Still, many others come from far more distant lands to our south. They are escaping nations of despot leaders, failed economies, non-existent support programs for human services, and a horrible history of violence and mayhem. They come to America out of desperation. Mexico has nothing to do with it.

And Mexico has less resources to help those far southern nations solve their problems. America has such resources, and we have been sharing them with Honduras, Guatemala, Ecuador, Venezuela, Columbia, and all the rest. For their own good and the region, the US has offered a helping hand for generations. Still more needs to be done if native populations are to remain in their homelands and prosper.


Blaming Mexico for problems raging in other nations is pure baloney. No tariff will solve that problem.


A tariff, however, will harm Mexico, America and consumers in many lands. The tariff solution is pure stupidity at work. Usually it is a policy that fails. Long term problems require long term solutions. And faithful hearts and open minds working together for the common good.


Now there’s a term! Common good. May we look for it and work towards it. With all of our nations.
And friends.


June 5, 2019

Census Question re: Immigrants

Seemingly innocuous, a census question was proposed for inclusion in the 2020 Census. It asked the respondent if he or she were a citizen. It would help identify how many non-citizens live among us. This datum would help marketers, researchers and demographers with a host of interesting information.


Others felt otherwise. Immigrants, for one, might feel preyed upon. Those immigrants who have come from nations of intrusive governments would feel fear and the threat of deportation. Whether they had a basis for that fear or not – lack of documentation? – they would withdraw from the census taking activity. Our nation’s population would be undercounted. Representation in our legislatures and Congress would be misaligned with the true population counts.


Now documents are available that point to a republican party strategy to deliberately undercount population to hurt democrats. Pure politics. Worse; pure party politics.


Never mind that data is inexact as to the full nature of our immigration problem, or that people need help to make healthy adjustment to a new land. Those adjustments will help them prosper and by their success, our success as a people, nation, community and economy will prosper as well.

This tawdry affair of the census is alarming. It demonstrates how self-interested ideologues continue to misrepresent and misgovern our country. The Constitution is all about a form of government that benefits all and secures all. It is about sharing the bounty of our communities, not about selfish misappropriation.


Peace on Earth and Goodwill Toward All Men.


That’s the age old objective of most societies. Yes, it is embedded in ancient religious texts, but that does not detract from its objective or its language or its purpose. Don’t we all hope for Peace on Earth? Don’t we all yearn for Goodwill Toward All Men (humankind)?


I hope so. America has long been a symbol of that hope. Immigrants come to us for security and opportunity. They have not found it in their native land. They have suffered violence, illness, poverty and humiliation at home. They seek better. They seek us.


Hopefully the tale of the ‘good Samaritan’ of the Bible will guide our nation forward?  Welcome the newcomer. Show them respect and love that will make us all strong together.


To make the immigrant an enemy of America is to denude our sensibility of our own history. We are all immigrant stock. Our forefathers came here from other lands. As long as each family has been in America, it still had its first family member arrive on American soil from somewhere else. They began our family’s history here. Like others that followed for over 300 years.


Our doors are still open. Our need for this remains true to the first day of the ratified Constitution.

Lest we forget, the Constitution requires a census of all souls living within our borders every 10 years. That’s an open count for an open people. It will guarantee our open future of vast potential from all of us living here.


Shame on those who would manipulate the Constitution or the Census. Let the count begin. A true count.


June 4, 2019

New Beginnings

It is the commencement season. Students completing one phase of their education going on to another stage. In this case, high school graduation for my oldest grandbaby – Lindsay. She graduated Sunday, June 2^nd from St Charles East High School in Illinois. She will continue her studies at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois in fall.


Commencement is a new beginning, hence ‘commence.’ Graduates see this as an end of their high school classes. But soon they begin the next phase of their life. Whether that is the world of work and career, or of more education depends on the person. Whether trade school, military boot camp or college campus, these young people are working with what they know about the world and themselves and prepare to gain more life experience.


This commencement is exciting and hopeful. It is also troubling and a bit fearful. What lies ahead can and will be both positive and negative. The yin and yang of life teaches each of us what we are made of, what we are interested in, and what possibilities lie ahead for us to experiment with and explore. The journey of personal discovery is the core of this period of life. (And it never ends!)


Some of us weathered this stage well; others not so well. Some failed dismally. If they survived, though, they still look back on this period of life and know – know – that what they learned about themselves was the payoff.


Recall your own experience. Did I commit my whole being to this enterprise, or did I just get along best I could? Did I dig deep and test my strengths, discover my weaknesses, and still discover joy and potential? None of us are born with defined purpose and futures. Just time ahead to live into.

Into. Stepping into the unknown is education. We learn what we don’t know. We begin to understand that we will never know everything – about the world or about our self. Yes, the world is that large; the self is incalculable as to its reach and capability. All of that is there for us to explore and discover. The possibilities are huge. Our own potential is elastic and expandable within those possibilities.


With all the love and hopes from loved ones, each graduate steps into the future. With our support they will prosper, get bumped at times, yet still succeed. They will be knocked down and spring back to explore more. They will grow. They will learn.


And we will hold our breath at times as they venture into their destiny. We wish them well. We love them. They are the promise of each and every one of us.


Let the future be ready for them! Here they come, ready or not!


June 3, 2019