Author: Sharron Burnett

This is the time of year for meeting with family and friends. The atmosphere is usually joyful and filled with stories of each person’s present state of living. Now and again a sense of nostalgia overcomes the group and tales of the “old days” in our childhood neighborhood dominate the conversations. We recall the times when the innocence of our youth was all that we knew of the world and it felt as though we had all the time we would ever need to just enjoy each day without anxieties or tragedies that would most surely come but did not yet seem probable. 

So it was on this year’s Thanksgiving day when my brothers and I began to reminisce about the joys that were ever present on Belmark Street where our home nestled among a delightful variety of children our ages who would forever impact our very being. Somehow as we chatted excitedly the rest of the room disappeared around us and we found ourselves smiling at each other over and over again. 

Ours was an interesting situation because our father had died and we were initially the only kids on the block without a dad in the house. Luckily most of the men very kindly took on the role of modeling kindness and generosity to our family. They were an interesting group of salesmen, architects, car mechanics, plumbers and entrepreneurs who offered their specialties to us whenever we needed their expertise. Best of all they opened their homes to us where we enjoyed endless fun with their children. 

People did not tend to move around as much then as they do now so our neighbors were a steadying force in our growing up years. We could set our clocks by the sound of Mr. Janot coming down the street in his truck as he returned home from work at exactly five thirty each day. So too did Mr. Limb head for a seat under the grape arbor in his backyard where he sat quietly informing his wife of his days adventures at the service station that he owned. There was a kind of reassurance in knowing that these two men were part of the routine of our own lives. 

Mr. Bush was a salesman and a dashingly handsome man. His stunning smile was enough to sell anyone on whatever he was offering at the time. I remember thinking how much he resembled a movie star. It would be shattering to me when he eventually became ill and died in the hospital and a rather young age. Somehow it did not seem right at all that such a strong and athletic man would succumb to an infection, but he did and his newly widowed wife would become one of my widowed mother’s best friends. 

Mr. Sessums was a man of few words but he is the one who turned on our gas heater when the weather turned cold in that first winter after my father’s death. I can still see him kneeling on the floor to reach the pilot light of the furnace with his long legs barely having room in the cramped area. Just like a miracle we felt the warmth of this efforts and my mother smiled while reassuring us that we were going to be alright. I don’t think that Superman himself was more of a hero to me than Mr. Sessums was in that moment. 

Mr. Cervenka was a kid at heart. He played ball with my brothers and built forts and underground structures where we concocted adventurous stories of life in the jungle or pretended that we were pioneers back in the day. It was always fun when Mr. Cervenka was around. 

Mr. Frey was an architect and an artist. His home was much like ours, a small three bedroom bungalow with little to distinguish it from the others up and down the block, but he had turned his house into a wonder. How he and his five children fit inside is still a mystery to me but he found his way around such challenges. His artwork and his beautiful wife made the home seem almost enchanting. 

Mr. Hulin lived on the street behind us. He was a single man who lived with his two children and his mother. He did his best to teach me how to swim and he was funny and entertaining. I secretly wished that he and my mother would fall in love with each other and get married but it was not to be. I learned many years later that his daughter had also hoped that we would become a family. She adored my mother as much as I did her father. I still wonder why my matchmaking efforts did not work because getting the two adults together seemed so perfect at the time. 

Other fathers who were important to us lived a few blocks away. There was Mr. Morgan who mentored my youngest brother in baseball and other sports. He reminded me of my Uncle Willie in both appearance and personality. Mr. Schmalz was a role model for my middle brother who often spent time with his family. Then there was Mr. Barry, the father of my dearest friend who literally seemed like a walking saint on this earth. I don’t think I have ever met anyone as even tempered and wise as he was. Even his children agreed with me that he was almost the prefect human being. 

I wish that I had thought to thank each of these men for taking the time to be good to me and my brothers. They were steadying forces in what sometimes felt like a frightening situation that we had found ourselves destined to navigate. They were among a host of remarkable people who always set aside a smile or kind word to show us how to grow into caring adults. They were important parts of our little village at 6411 Belmark Street in the long ago. They were good men who gave us their skills and their love.  

I have a reputation for dogging on Donald Trump. Some think my comments are wonderful while others beg me to stop being so hateful toward the man who resides in the White House. I must say that I don’t strive to sound mean but I suppose that I do sound like a broken record to some who beg me to find something nice to say about the president. After all, I am rather well known for finding good in almost everyone. 

I have often answered the challenge by acknowledging that Trump did something wonderful when he expedited the creation of the Covid vaccine during his first term. That was indeed a remarkable thing so I never quite understood why he seemed to change his tune regarding the very innovation that was designed to save lives. Instead of explaining to his believers that they should feel comfortable getting the shot he changed his tune midstream, ruining the one thing that I was happy that he had done. 

I also recall that it was Trump who ordered a shutdown of the country for a couple of weeks to slow down the spread of Covid. I agreed with his order and feel certain that many more Americans might have died without his decision. It confused me when he then attributed that national closure to Joe Biden who was not even president at the time. Trump threw away the wise things he had done in an attempt to appease the voters who had a tendency to align with hoaxes and bad medicine. He even turned on Dr. Fauci who guided us with such professionalism and concern during that horrific time. I will never understand why Trump trashed the very decisions that made him a hero.

Any thinking person understood that those were difficult times during which all of us were dealing with something that we did not totally understand. We might have done better if Trump had not panicked and decided to change his tune in midstream, but he wanted to be loved and popular instead of being a steady leader. This is what was truly a disappointment for me. 

The Biden years were hardly perfect but he did his best to guide us with a kind of calmness that we desperately needed. Humans were struggling all over the world as were economies and yet we came out a bit better than most places when all was said and done. We eventually learned more and more about Covid and how to deal with it. While the whole scenario was incredibly sad and difficult for everyone, we should have muscled through together in a spirit of unity with one another but always there were Trump and his allies stirring the pot of grievance over and over again. Their efforts included an attempt to forcefully change the results of an election that had not gone in their favor. Trump could have been an heroic figure if he had not decided to be vindictive.

Since Trump came back into office every single day has felt chaotic. For a nation that seemed to be longing for a sense of normalcy the result of Trump’s reelection has been a rollercoaster ride that has not been fun at all. In fact, our national anxiety level seems to be at a high that is usually associated with wars of one kind or another. 

In the middle of it all sits Trump, who seems to be either bored or overwhelmed to the point of publicly showing his age. All too often he appears to be tired and out of it. He more and more resembles an elderly person who has lost the mojo that once energetically propelled him. As I watch him now I have to say that he seems as unfit for the high stakes of his office as President Biden seemed to be at the end of his tenure. In that regard I totally understand him. Trump is nearing the age of eighty and it shows, just as my own age is beginning to stifle my ability to work like a teenager from dawn to dusk. Everything that I do these days is tempered by aches and pains and a slowness that is creeping over me. I see these same traits in Trump and I cannot criticize him for being human. It happens to us all. 

I feel for Trump when I see him dozing off in the middle of meetings. I worry about his ability to manage a complex nation when he becomes confused, forgetting words and ideas. He seems even more out of it than Biden did on his worst day and sadly neither he nor anyone around him seems willing to admit that he has probably grown too old for the demands of the job. 

Most of us have the good sense to retire when we sense that we are no longer as “with it” as we once were. We turn over our leadership to younger souls who are able to put in fifteen hour days without missing a beat. We force ourselves to learn how to curb our demands on ourselves because we feel the waning energy that only works on a part time level. We are gracious enough to allow others to help us just as we once helped our parents and our elders. 

I understand Trump’s reticence to let go of the reins. I too have desperately fought the challenges of growing older. I am still able to teach for about nine hours a week on different days but the times of arriving at a school at seven in the morning and completing my work days at ten in the evening are long gone. I can no longer decorate my home for Christmas in one twelve hour swoop. My phenomenal memory all too often fumbles for a name or word or date with uncharacteristic hesitation. I truly understand what is happening to Trump because I am only few years younger that he is. I know all too well how painful it is to admit to my increasing limitations but my mother quite wisely warned me to be ready to step down and allow the younger generations to take the lead. I have done my best to embrace her good sense.

It is quite sad to me that Trump did not have the wise counsel to help him to adjust to his aging like Joe Biden did. People used Trump for their own desires because they saw that he was popular with a certain faction of the populace. Now he looks like a fool as they seem to be filling the holes that he no longer seems able to even notice. They trot him out like an aged show pony and flatter him with lies while all the while they line their own pockets and reshape the government to their own needs. They have abused an old man for their own purposes and made him believe that he is invincible when the entire world can see that his mind and his body are losing their luster. It is a sad sight that did not need be if only power brokers had not seen an opportunity to reshape the world according to their own needs. Trump has become the King Lear of the present generation.  

I am not a heartless soul. I realize that our president is weary. He should be enjoying his life playing golf and having parties at Mar-a-Lago. It’s too bad that nobody loved him enough to do what was best for him. It pains me to watch his undoing on a daily basis and I blame those who still pretend that all is well when it so obviously is not. The next few years will be difficult for Trump and for us all because he was not willing to retire. It’s sad to see an old man being used like a puppet with nobody in his sphere having enough concern for him or for our nation to speak the truth. I hope the damage from that decision is not as bad as I fear it may be. 

Since Trump does not realize that it is time to retire, someone who truly cares about him should help him to face the reality of everyone’s life. Sooner or later we all have to step down. For Trump that time is long past due and for the sake of the entire world someone needs to force him to face the truth that he is destroying our nation with his hubris. Who has the courage and compassion to finally admit that Emperor Trump has no clothes?

Senator Mark Kelly is the kind of person that every mother holds up as a model for her children. He is a truly good man who served for years in the United States Navy, spending time in Operation Desert Storm and almost being shot out of the sky. He became an astronaut who flew on several missions. He only left his Naval career after his wife, Gabby Giffords, was shot in the head in an horrific incident that left her struggling for life in a hospital for six months. As a good husband he was by her side as she worked to relearn how to walk and talk. Then he decided to dedicate his life to representing his fellow citizens of Arizona in the United States Senate. He is an honorable man who stands for all that is good in our nation. He is tough and courageous enough to speak what he believes to be the truth even when he knows that it may create difficulties for him. Now in reiterating the oath that all military personal take upon accepting their role in protecting the Constitution he has become the recipient of vile threats both from the President and the Secretary of Defense. 

We now live in an upside down society in which people standing up for their principles are all too often harassed and threatened with violence. The fact that such incidents have become more and more commonplace is concerning in a country where free speech is supposedly protected. When the man holding the highest office in the land suggests that someone like Mark Kelly should be tried for treason and hanged we have reached a point of danger for us all. Senator Kelly and his five associates were simply reminding the members of our armed forces that their pledge is to uphold the Constitution of the United States, not to become players in illegal actions. They have every right under the law to refuse to take part in illegal maneuvers. In fact, history has shown that those who do not object to illegal actions are eventually held accountable for their transgressions. Every person serving in the military must take his/her pledge seriously. That is all that Senator Kelly was asserting and his admonition is certainly not treason. 

It is also important that the rest of us who love the United States of America speak out whenever we witness transgressions that we know to be wrong. It is rather easy to see that one man should not be making all of the serious decisions without consultation with experts capable of advising him regarding the Constitutionality of each measure. Our system of checks and balances demands that every member of our three branches of government treasure our laws just as Senator Kelly and his colleagues have suggested. It is only when we follow the protocols with great respect that we do not devolve into an authoritarian morass. 

I just finished watching the Ken Burn’s epic documentary of The American Revolution. I learned so much about how difficult it had been for the leaders of that movement to stay the course to the freedom that they so desired. The eight years long war must have been debilitating for everyone as they sacrificed to keep going. There were those who were not so sure that leaving the largesse of the King of the British Empire was a great idea. There were many reasons why the outrageous idea of a government for and by the people would not work. The plan was imperfect and left many groups wanting like women, Native Americans and slaves. Nonetheless, it was an improvement over bowing to the whims of a single person who thought himself endowed with authority by God. The war went on in the hopes of a kind of freedom never before seen on this earth. The victory was an important moment in the history of humankind and spawned one revolution after another as people longed for the ability to speak their minds without punishment from despots. 

The new year will bring us to a celebration of the Declaration of Independence which was written and signed two hundred fifty years ago. Senator Kelly is the poster boy for freedom of speech at this moment along with all of the Americans who have protested in the streets during this year and anyone who wants his/her ideas to be heard. It is our right according the the Constitution to speak our minds, to remind all citizens to use and protect the Constitution that maintains the rule of law. We rid ourselves of a king who made decisions for us and swore to never again be under the thumb of a single person. 

  Senator Kelly did not suggest that soldiers should disobey orders simply because of their personal whims. He simply reminded them to be wary of doing something that feels contrary to the Constitution.. He has done nothing illegal in providing such sage advice but the president is wrong to suggest that Kelly and his accomplices should be charged with treason. It is Trump who is treading on the Constitution, not Senator Kelly. 

It is  the duty of every American to protect our laws and to be certain that our military is not used for foul purposes. We are already in a dangerous situation when our troops are sent to police cities. We will no doubt disagree with each other on many issues and that is simply a demonstration that our freedoms are still in intact. It is a good thing to have lively debates as long as no one voice dominates the final decisions. Not only should our military defend our Constitution but so must we all. 

Since the first moment that Russia invaded Ukraine I have supported the Ukrainian efforts to maintain their freedom. I am but one small voice in a world filled with billions of souls but I did my best to attempt to convince the people that I know that the United States has a responsibility to defend freedom wherever it is threatened in the world. We may not have to physically engage in war, but we should make it clear that we never side with despots whose only design is to grab land and precious resources. 

I have done small things like writing blogs about Ukraine, displaying sunflowers inside my home, sending donations to organizations that bring food and aid to citizens in war torn areas, and even praying daily that Ukraine will one day find peace and that Russia will be punished for its audacity in attempting to blame the conflict on an innocent nation. 

My heart is broken to learn that our nation is attempting to force Ukraine into a peace plan that would ultimately deprive them of much of their land and many of their precious resources. It would be an unfair capitulation and surrender that even includes a promise from Ukraine to never become a part of NATO. There is truly nothing in the deal that makes the years of war and destruction worthwhile for the citizens of Ukraine where many of them would end up under the oppression of Russia. I can’t even imagine the audacity of Trump and Putin and their water carriers who want us to believe that any common folk will benefit from the audacious deal that they are attempting to push onto Ukraine. 

The world is seeing in real time that the United States of America is no longer dependable. The cabal of our present government is in it for enrichment of themselves. They are brokering business deals, not peace plans and using innocent souls in the process. The oligarchs of Russia will grow richer if they have their way and the richest people in the United States will share in the distribution of goodies, including big contracts to rebuild the devastated areas of Ukraine.

I am offended and even a bit frightened by the audacity of it all. This is a con game and we will all be affected by the money grab that is going on in plain sight. While the tech boys and the Trump family grow ever more wealthy, the rest of us all over the world are dealing with their selfish policies. People in third world countries are dying because this same group took down USAID, a fairly inexpensive program that provided food to starving people across the globe. Every American is seeing the rising costs of virtually everything that they purchase due to tariffs and inflation. Even the cost of utilities is rising in places where tech companies are building massive structures that will require more water and electricity than entire towns. In the meantime we seem to be sitting back silently watching an attempted takedown of President Zelensky, the people of Ukraine and our supposed allies in Europe. 

Trump wants us to believe that his policies are filling the coffers of the United States creating a better world for everyone across the globe but he is wrong. We do indeed pay for the tariffs that he created. I have seen examples in my own transactions. I wanted to order a small item from a store in London from which I have often purchased things. The cost of the tariff offset was almost equal to the cost of the item. In other cases I have been unable to order from other nations at all because of the tariffs. My small complaints are by no means the norm but they do represent a truth that Trump is attempting to hide from the American people with his bluster. We pay the tariffs.

I don’t know where all of this will lead. I hope that we do not destroy Ukraine in an effort to rush a peace treaty that amounts to forced capitulation on their part. I pray that the nightmare of the last year will begin to fall apart. This is the United States, an imperfect nation founded on the idea of freedoms that are presently being threatened. I see people waking up to the dangers of this administration and it gives me hope, but we must continue to be vigilant and use our promised freedoms to work to end the destruction of our reputation and our Constitution. It is past time for every American to turn off the propaganda machine and face the truth that our president is not a brilliant businessman but a buffoon who sees an opportunity to join in the profiteering of the snake oil salesmen from across the globe. This is not who we are nor who we should wish to be!

I hope with all of my heart that Ukraine will not be sold down the river as a sacrifice for the enrichment of others. I hope that the American people will rise up just as they did two hundred fifty years ago and have the courage to support a just cause, not the whims of brokers whose goal is to enrich themselves. I want to believe that ultimately good will triumph over evil. 

We humans have a long history of wrongly torturing people simply because their beliefs do not correspond with ours. Religious wars are nothing new. They have been responsible for death and destruction in the name of some god or moral belief since before Jesus walked on the earth. For some reason we humans often think that forcing our beliefs on others is our gateway to heaven. Instead of accepting that there are many ways of being spiritual we insist that only one way should be allowed and so we push our ideas into the political world and create havoc. 

It does not take too much research to find the many ways that humans have used religion to punish or hurt each other. The back and forth battles between Catholics and proponents of the Church of England led to bloodbaths for those on the losing side. Galileo, a devout Catholic, was held prisoner by clerics who believed that he was a heretic for claiming the earth revolves around the sun. Early religious settlers in the American colonies did horrific things to the Native Americans in efforts to convert them to what they believed was the one true religion. 

The list of crimes against humanity committed by religious zealots goes on and on but sometimes the crimes appear to be more benign, a way of saving a lost soul. Much of the trouble in the world today comes from seemingly well meaning people who want to create their version of a truly moral world.

For years gays and lesbians were treated like criminals and punished when they were caught being themselves. The prejudices against them are still present today in many corners of the world. It is not just Christians who believe their behavior to be sinful but many other sects as well. While I would never want to prevent anyone from maintaining their strongly held beliefs, I would ask them to allow others to keep theirs without retribution. It hurts nobody when we live and let live. In fact our religious goals should focus on love and understanding rather than disdain and judgement. Love truly is love.

We began our government of the United States with an agreement to separate church and state matters because our founders were acutely aware of the problems that occur when people mix the two. Our ways of doing so have been imperfect but over time we moved closer and closer to peaceful coexistence. Suddenly we find ourselves once again debating issues that should have been settled on personal levels, not in the public square. 

Our LGBTQ community has been living quietly among us with very few exceptions. They have contributed to our betterment but some only see them as a evil that must be eliminated. Most of us now have friends and family members from the LBGTQ community who are not only allowed to live and express themselves in their own ways, but who are some of the best people that we know. Why would anyone deny them the same comfort and happiness that the rest of us enjoy? What have they taken away from us by marrying and finding the joy that comes from being able to live the way that feels best to them. Why have some been determined to make them afraid again? Why is religion being used as a cudgel rather than a peaceful way of living?

There are certain ideas that seem to be common sense like not hurting each other, not stealing from each other, not lying to each other. Ten of those ideas have been codified in a set of commandments but it was Jesus himself who reminded us that the main rule that we must follow is to love one another. He put no restrictions on who or how we should love. People are the ones who have made the kind of decisions that set us against good people in our midst who do not think exactly like we do. 

Retribution is not a stairway to heaven but kindness is. We do not fully understand the complexities of human minds and feelings. Why should we assume that only certain ways are good and that those that do not conform to our wishes are not just bad, but must be eliminated? Surely we have learned that self-righteousness is not healthy for anyone. 

We are a highly advanced civilization and yet we too often find ourselves engaged in battles over our opinions. Instead we would do well to work on issues that truly matter like feeding and housing the world’s people, working for true peace on earth, learning how to work together. It is absurd that the courts in our nation are being asked to determine how individuals should express their sexuality and their love when allowing them to be themselves hurts nobody. 

Busybodies have always been around. They are the same as the women spreading gossip in the time of Jesus. He made a point of calling them out. They are hypocritical like the Pharisees who put a gentle man to death because his message of love was making waves in their autocratic world. Isn’t it time that we just love like we were asked to do?