We reserve the right...

Somewhere out there in the U.S., you may have seen a sign hanging in a window that reads, “We reserve the right to refuse service.”

The public statement may seem like a simple one—but it is a highly political act that draws a fine line between constitutional rights and unlawful discrimination, leaving many to wonder if this “right” is actually legal or not.

The simple answer is yes, the ‘right to refuse service’ is legal—but it is accompanied by some pretty big exceptions. It’s worth picking this one apart, no matter which side of the service counter you stand.

The legal line on discrimination

In 1964, Congress passed Public Law 88-352, which included the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which focused on discrimination in public service or hiring. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits public accommodations from refusing service to customers because of skin color, race, religion, sex, nationality, or any physical conditions a customer can’t prevent. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a landmark civil rights and US labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations.

The legislation had been proposed by President John F. Kennedy in June 1963, but opposed by filibuster in the Senate. Thereafter, President Lyndon B. Johnson pushed the bill forward, which in its final form was passed in the U.S. Congress by a Senate vote of 73-27 and House vote of 289-126. President Johnson signed the Act into law on July 2, 1964, at the White House.

Arizona SB 1062 was an Arizona bill to amend an existing law to give any individual or legal entity an exemption from any state law if it substantially burdened their exercise of religion, including Arizona law requiring public accommodation.

It was one of several similar bills in U.S. state legislatures allowing individuals to refuse service based on religion, with some bills specifically protecting religious disapproval of same-sex marriage. It was widely reported as targeting LGBT people, although Arizona law provides no protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Critics noted that it would have broadly denied anyone service on religious grounds. Supporters argued that it was simply restoring the legal status of the right to free exercise of religion as intended by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The bill was passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature and vetoed by Republican Governor Jan Brewer on February 26, 2014.

The national controversy surrounding the bill prompted Arizona State Senator Steve Gallardo to publicly come out as gay. He referred to the bill as a “game changer,” and noted the national controversy surrounding its passage, as prompting his decision.

The right to refuse service, then, means that public accommodations, such as restaurants, theaters, banks, gyms, and stores, can lawfully deny service to a customer if they feel that their business might suffer from engaging in such a transaction—as long as they don’t base that decision on the categories above.

How can a business legally refuse service?

A business or a business owner can refuse service if:

·      The customer is too rowdy and causing a scene.

·      The customer threatens an employee or the business owner, making that party feel like they are in danger.

·      The customer does not meet the company’s clothing or health requirement. (i.e. “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service”)

·      The customer breaks the lawful rules of the establishment; for example, if a tenant breaches the “no-pet policy” for the housing they are trying to acquire.

·      The customer would overfill the establishment’s capacity.

·      The customer requests service when the establishment is not open.

Can a restaurant or bar refuse service to someone because the customer’s cargo shorts offended? Sure. In fact, there are restaurants who won’t serve you if you aren’t dressed your best.

However, businesses do not have the right to deny service to a customer because she is a woman or worships a different god—that’s called unlawful discrimination.

What exactly is the difference between unlawful discrimination and lawful discrimination?

Lawful discrimination is when someone is treated differently due to characteristics that do not pertain to civil rights—i.e. being denied a loan from a bank due to poor credit. That’s considered your own fault. 

Both state and federal laws prohibit discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion, and nationality in any capacity. When discrimination involves the denial of a person due to birth or physical appearance, such as refusing to serve a customer a cup of coffee because they are African-American, the business or company may be on the path toward a major lawsuit. 

The fine line between lawful and unlawful discrimination appears when, for example, a business’ refusal targets a customer’s sexual orientation or identification within the LGBTQ community. However, a total of 29 states allow businesses to turn away a customer who is trans-gendered or homosexual under certain circumstances, while 19 states have laws with added protections against discrimination due to sexual orientation.

Are religious beliefs an exception?

Everyone knows that the First Amendment gives Americans the right to speak freely and also exercise their freedom of religion, press, assembly, and petition. Free speech is a pillar of American values—but it is also the reason why some businesses are able to refuse service to certain customers due to the owner’s religious beliefs.

In 2015, Indiana Gov. and Vice President-elect Mike Pence signed one of the harshest bills for pro-discrimination. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) gives any corporation or individual the right to refuse service to customers based on their “sincerely held religious beliefs.” For example, an evangelical Christian business owner can deny a married gay couple because they don’t think it’s right to marry someone of the same sex.

In April, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed a similar bill supporting the same declaration as the RFRA. Mississippi’s law also declares that gender identification is “determined by anatomy and genetics at the time of birth,” letting businesses make their own decision on who is allowed in their restrooms, dressing rooms, and locker rooms. 

Courts have tested the refusal of service due to discrimination against sexual orientation, like the Ingersoll v. Arlene’s Flowers case where a florist refused to make a bouquet celebrating the requesting customer’s anniversary with his partner. The decision was between the right to be treated equally under the U.S. law and the freedom of religion and speech. A trial court found Arlene’s Flowers violated Washington state’s non-discrimination laws. The business filed an appeal.

In short, the right to refuse service is controversial yet protected under the law because the act of refusing someone service—and the consequence of being refused—pit constitutional rights against each other. 

Constitutional Rights

The following are important constitutional rights:

·            Freedom of Speech – One fundamental right guaranteed under the First Amendment is the right to freedom of speech and press. Both the federal and state governments are generally prohibited from limiting an individual’s right to expression, with only a few limited exceptions. Today, government-sponsored censorship is a controversial topic in constitutional law.

·            Freedom of Religion – Another significant right protected by the First Amendment is the right to freedom of religious choice.  The First Amendment explicitly prohibits the establishment of a government religion, such as a state church. Today, school sponsored prayer is one of the most controversial topics invoking the freedom of religion clause.

·            Right To Bear Arms – The Second Amendment grants the people “the right to keep and bear arms.” No other constitutional right is more hotly debated than the right to have and bear a gun. The Supreme Court is still in the process of clarifying what the Second Amendment exactly means. Thus, debates continue as to whether the government can implement gun control laws and how extensive those laws can be.

·            Freedom from Unreasonable Search and Seizure – The Fourth Amendment protects citizens from government trespass without a court-issued warrant. This protection extends to houses and papers. Today, police search of vehicles and computers, as well as government wiretapping, are controversial topics in constitutional law.

·            Protection from Self-Incrimination – The Fifth Amendment protects citizens from the acts of self-incrimination and double jeopardy. To avoid self-incrimination, a citizen can “plead the fifth,” effectively exercising his/her constitutional right to avoid answering a question or avoid testifying. A specific example of police procedures required under this Amendment is the reciting of a person’s Miranda Rights upon an arrest. This amendment also protects against harassment of an individual by prohibiting the act of successive prosecutions for the same accusation of crime.

·            Due Process of the Law and Right to Trial by Jury for Criminal Charges – The Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments guarantee citizens the right to a public and speedy trial by an impartial jury before being deprived of their life, liberty or property. The accused also has the right to legal counsel for a criminal trial if he or she can’t afford an attorney.

·            Equal Protection – The 14th Amendment to the Constitution provides that “no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Consequently, state governments and their agencies are prohibited from discriminating against any individual on the basis of classifications such as race, sex, or religion.

So far this is the land of the free and the home of the brave. Yet in these troubled and divisive times shall one wonder how far back we will go to “Make America Great Again”?

Back in the day, my father managed a private club. Membership was by invitation only. A prospective member must have a sponsoring member initiate the process. After some vetting and approval of the board of directors, you were given a pass (like a library card) to be able to enter.

Not being of the caste but with my father’s position, our family was allowed entrance into the world of the elite and tastes the spoils of privilege. Fortunately we were also shown the behind-the-scenes workings to keep the well to do happy.

He had to face the reality of changing times and the exclusivity was fading. These were times where everyone knew their place and knew which water cooler to drink out of. First the wives were welcomed to destroy the good ole’ boy’s club and then people of color of the wait staff were invited into the front door instead of the back.

All our best liberal philosophies and spouting are challenged when we walk into a dining establishment with our kids and it are full of leather-clad bikers. What would a business establishment do when a group of open-carry camouflage clad folks walk in. Remember the bouncer at the door decides who can enter.

We have locks on our doors. Are our nations starting to put locks on their borders?

Have We Lost Our Way?

Every morning I wake to the news of the world and every morning I’m amazed at what I hear and see. Ideas and thoughts and actions and words that were left behind in the past are coming back out to show the worst of our humanity. It is like those nasty little secrets that were stuffed away under the bed or in the closet are coming back out in full force. Have we not learned anything?

I’m not a politician. I’m not particularly fond of any political association. I am a citizen and a taxpayer who reads and obeys the laws until they are so confusing or nonsensical that I wonder about the elected officials we choose to lead us. Even with a large country with only about 60% paying taxes, our government’s budget has gone through the roof to make us borrow due to the lack of funds.

The bias and bigotry and trash-talk emphasized by every method and means of media (true or false) has created partisanship not seen since the civil way. With all our self-made categorizing and cataloging and identifying and self-describing have we become too polarized?

Political polarization refers to the cases in which an individual’s stance on a given issue, policy, or person is more likely to be strictly defined by their identification with a particular political party (e.g., Democrat or Republican) or ideology (e.g., liberal or conservative).

Some political scientists argue that polarization requires divergence on a broad range of issues based on a consistent set of beliefs. Others argue polarization occurs when there are stark partisan or ideological divides, even if the opinion is polarized only on a few issues.

Unlike a successful marriage, our Reds and our Blues don’t know how to compromise so maybe we should get divorced?

Watching this nonsense everyday and thinking it can’t get any worse; it does.

Scanning the established refutable news providers the headlines tell us what to watch on television and where the latest LBGTQXYZ event will be held.

LGBT, or GLBT, is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the term is an adaptation of the initialism LGB, which was used to replace the term gay in reference to the LGBT community beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s. Activists believed that the term gay community did not accurately represent all those to whom it referred.

The initialism has become mainstream as a self-designation; it has been adopted by the majority of sexuality and gender identity-based community centers and media in the United States, as well as some other English-speaking countries. The initialism LGBT is intended to emphasize a diversity of sexuality and gender identity-based cultures. It may be used to refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual or non-cisgender, instead of exclusively to people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. To recognize this inclusion, a popular variant adds the letter Q for those who identify as queer or are questioning their sexual identity; LGBTQ has been recorded since 1996. Those who add intersex people to LGBT groups or organizing use an extended initialism LGBTI. Some people combine the two acronyms and use the term LGBTIQ or LGBTQI. Others use LGBT+ to encompass spectrums of sexuality and gender.

What was once a slur is not a pride. Are you keeping up?

Now life is tough enough without traffic jams on antiquated roads or mass slaughter of children in schools or rallies that turn into battlegrounds over old statues, there are lots of ways we have invented to ease our pain and suffering.

Binging into fantasy worlds or games that take out our anger against our enemies all the while staying in constant contact. When the pain gets too much a variety of narcotics, potions, pills and natural supplements to escape reality.

The opioid epidemic or opioid crisis is the rapid increase in the use of prescription and non-prescription opioid drugs in the United States and Canada beginning in the late 1990s and continuing throughout the next two decades. Opioids are a diverse class of moderately strong painkillers, including oxycodone (commonly sold under the trade names OxyContin and Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin), and a very strong painkiller, fentanyl, which is synthesized to resemble other opiates such as opium-derived morphine and heroin.

The potency and availability of these substances, despite their high risk of addiction and overdose, have made them popular both as formal medical treatments and as recreational drugs. Due to their sedative effects on the part of the brain, which regulates breathing, the respiratory center of the medulla oblongata, opioids in high doses present the potential for respiratory depression, and may cause respiratory failure and death.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, “overdose deaths, particularly from prescription drugs and heroin, have reached epidemic levels.” Nearly half of all opioid overdose deaths in 2016 involved prescription opioids. From 1999 to 2008, overdose death rates, sales, and substance abuse treatment admissions related to opioid pain relievers all increased substantially. By 2015, there were more than 50,000 annual deaths from drug overdose, causing more deaths than either car accidents or guns.

Drug overdoses have since become the leading cause of death of Americans 50 or younger, with two-thirds of those deaths from opioids. In 2016, the crisis decreased overall life expectancy of Americans for the second consecutive year. Overall life expectancy fell from 78.7 to 78.6 years. Men were disproportionately more affected due to higher overdose death rates, with life expectancy declining from 76.3 to 76.1 years. Women's life expectancy remained stable at 81.1 years.

In 2016, over 64,000 Americans died from overdoses, 21 percent more than the almost 53,000 in 2015. By comparison, the figure was 16,000 in 2010, and 4,000 in 1999. While death rates varied by state, public health experts estimate that nationwide over 500,000 people could die from the epidemic over the next 10 years. In Canada, half of the overdoses were accidental, while a third were intentional. The remainder were unknown. Many of the deaths are from an extremely potent opioid, fentanyl, which is trafficked from Mexico. The epidemic cost the United States an estimated $504 billion in 2015.

CDC former director Thomas Frieden said that “America is awash in opioids; urgent action is critical.” The crisis has changed moral, social, and cultural resistance to street drug alternatives such as heroin. In March 2017, Larry Hogan, the governor of Maryland, declared a state of emergency to combat the opioid epidemic, and in July 2017 opioid addiction was cited as the “FDA's biggest crisis”. On October 26, 2017, President Donald Trump concurred with his Commission’s report and declared the country's opioid crisis a “public health emergency”.

Of course our steady use of sugar drinks, lack of exercise, and pizza is a slow suicide.

Some might seem what is being broadcasted is a sin.

In a religious context, sin is the act of transgression against divine law. Sin can also be viewed as any thought or action that endangers the ideal relationship between an individual and God; or as any diversion from the perceived ideal order for human living.

In Jainism, sin refers to anything that harms the possibility of the jiva (being) to attain moksha (supreme emancipation). In Islamic ethics, Muslims see sin as anything that goes against the commands of Allah (God). Judaism regards the violation of any of the 613 commandments as a sin. 

The serpent who beguiled Eve to eat of the fruit was punished by having it and its kind being made to crawl on the ground and God set an enmity between them and Eve’s descendants (Genesis 3:14-15). The pains of childbirth and the sorrow of bringing about life punished Eve that would eventually age, sicken and die (Genesis 3:16).

The second part of the curse about being subordinate to Adam originates from her creation from one of Adam’s ribs to be his helper (Genesis 2:18-25); the curse now clarifies that she must now obey her husband and desire only him.

Adam was punished by having to work endlessly to feed himself and his family. The land would bring forth both thistles and thorns to be cleared and herbs and grain to be planted, nurtured, and harvested.

The second part of the curse about his mortality is from his origin as red clay - he is from the land and he and his descendants would return to it when buried after death. When Adam’s son Cain slew his brother Abel, he introduced murder into the world (Genesis 4:8-10). For his punishment, God banished him as a fugitive, but first marked him with a sign that would protect him and his descendants from harm (Genesis 4:11-16).

Yet the government is separated from religion (In God We Trust) but it still drapes our beliefs over our secular laws.

Or the easy way out

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one’s own death for no other purpose than to end one’s life (i.e., not sacrificing oneself for others). Many people kill themselves in impulsive acts because of financial difficulties, irrecoverable loss of good name, troubles with relationships (loss of a great love or, among adolescents in recent years, bullying). Others kill themselves because of mental disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, and substance abuse; including alcoholism and the use of benzodiazepines. Those who have previously attempted suicide are quite likely to try again.

Suicide prevention efforts include limiting access to methods of suicide; such as firearms, drugs, and poisons; treating mental disorders and substance misuse; proper media reporting of suicide; and improving economic conditions. Even though crisis hotlines are common, there is little evidence of their effectiveness.

Views on suicide have been influenced by broad existential themes such as religion, honor, and the meaning of life.

The Abrahamic religions traditionally consider suicide as an offense towards God, due to the belief in the sanctity of life. During the samurai era in Japan, a form of suicide known as seppuku (harakiri) was respected as a means of making up for failure or as a form of protest.

Suicide and attempted suicide, while previously illegal, are no longer so in most Western countries. It remains a criminal offense in many countries.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, suicide has been used on rare occasions as a form of protest, and kamikaze and suicide bombings have been used as a military or terrorist tactic.

Suicide rates have increased in nearly every state over the past two decades, and half of the states have seen suicide rates go up more than 30 percent.

But is this not murder?

Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human being with malice aforethought. This state of mind may, depending upon the jurisdiction, distinguish murder from other forms of unlawful homicide, such as manslaughter. Manslaughter is a killing committed in the absence of malice, brought about by reasonable provocation, or diminished capacity. Involuntary manslaughter, where it is recognized, is a killing that lacks all but the most attenuated guilty intent, recklessness.

Most societies consider murder to be an extremely serious crime, and thus believe that the person charged should receive harsh punishments for the purposes of retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, or incapacitation. In most countries, a person convicted of murder generally faces a long-term prison sentence, possibly a life sentence; and in a few, the death penalty may be imposed.

Assisted suicide is suicide committed with the aid of another person, sometimes a physician. The term is often used interchangeably with physician-assisted suicide (PAS), which involves a doctor “knowingly and intentionally providing a person with the knowledge or means or both required to commit suicide, including counseling about lethal doses of drugs, prescribing such lethal doses or supplying the drugs.”

Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Colombia, and Switzerland allow physicians to physically assist in the death of patients. In the United States, seven states allow what proponents refer to as medical aid in dying and opponents as assisted suicide, a practice in which a person who has been diagnosed as terminally ill with six months or less to live can request a lethal dose of a barbiturates to self-administer. This option is designated a legal form of assisted suicide by distinct state laws. Non-medical assisted suicide is unlawful by common law or criminal statute in the vast majority of the United States (with some states having no definitive law or statute).

Physician-assisted suicide is similar to but formally distinct from euthanasia. In cases of euthanasia the physician administers the means of death, usually a lethal drug. In physician-assisted suicide, it is required that a person of sound mind voluntarily expresses his or her wish to die and requests a dose of barbiturates that will end his or her life. The distinguishing aspect is that physician-assisted suicide requires the patient to self-administer the drugs.

But if one takes another’s life inside their own body is it murder or suicide or deliverance?

Abortion is the ending of pregnancy by removing an embryo or fetus before it can survive outside the uterus. An abortion that occurs spontaneously is also known as a miscarriage. An abortion may be caused purposely and is then called an induced abortion, or less frequently, “induced miscarriage”. The word abortion is often used to mean only induced abortions. A similar procedure after the fetus could potentially survive outside the womb is known as a “late termination of pregnancy”.

When allowed by law, abortion in the developed world is one of the safest procedures in medicine. Modern methods use medication or surgery for abortions. The drug mifepristone in combination with prostaglandin appears to be as safe and effective as surgery during the first and second trimester of pregnancy. Birth control, such as the pill or intrauterine devices, can be used immediately following abortion. When performed legally and safely, induced abortions do not increase the risk of long-term mental or physical problems. In contrast, unsafe abortions (those performed by unskilled individuals, with hazardous equipment, or in unsanitary facilities) cause 47,000 deaths and 5 million hospital admissions each year. The World Health Organization recommends safe and legal abortions be available to all women.

Around 56 million abortions are performed each year in the world, with about 45% done unsafely. Abortion rates changed little between 2003 and 2008, before which they decreased for at least two decades as access to family planning and birth control increased. As of 2008, 40% of the world’s women had access to legal abortions without limits as to reason.

Historically, abortions have been attempted using herbal medicines, sharp tools, forceful massage, or through other traditional methods. Abortion laws and cultural or religious views of abortions are different around the world. In some areas abortion is legal only in specific cases such as rape, problems with the fetus, poverty, risk to a woman's health, or incest. In many places there is much debate over the moral, ethical, and legal issues of abortion. Those who oppose abortion often maintain that an embryo or fetus is a human with a right to life, and so they may compare abortion to murder. Those who favor the legality of abortion often hold that a woman has a right to make decisions about her own body. Others favor legal and accessible abortion as a public health measure.

And if this is murder, how do we differentiate between good murder and bad murder?

Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is a government-sanctioned practice whereby a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime. The sentence that someone be punished in such a manner is referred to as a death sentence, whereas the act of carrying out the sentence is known as an execution. Crimes that are punishable by death are known as capital crimes or capital offences, and they commonly include offenses such as murder, treason, espionage, war crimes, and crimes against humanity and genocide.

Fifty-six countries retain capital punishment, 103 countries have completely abolished it de jure for all crimes, six have abolished it for ordinary crimes (while maintaining it for special circumstances such as war crimes), and 30 are abolitionist in practice.

Capital punishment is a matter of active controversy in several countries and states, and positions can vary within a single political ideology or cultural region. In the European Union, Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits the use of capital punishment. The Council of Europe, which has 47 member states, has sought to abolish the use of the death penalty by its members absolutely, through Protocol 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights. However, this only affects those member states, which have signed and ratified it, and they do not include Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan.

So the news today is more rancid civility and inhumanity showing the worst of our species against one another. As the clouds grow darker the rest of us will crawl into our holes throwing prayers and hopes as current culture fragments into what the future will bring.

BAA! BAA! BAA!

Burnt Weenie Sandwich

For a while I agreed with Frank Zappa at an easy and quick meal. The grill marks tell the tale but then it became unpleasant.

A hot dog (also spelled hotdog), also known as a frankfurter (sometimes shortened to frank), dog, or wiener, is a cooked sausage, traditionally grilled or steamed and served in a partially sliced bun. It is a type of sausage sandwich. Typical garnishes include mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish, coleslaw, cheese, chili, olives, and sauerkraut. Hot dog variants include the corn dog and pig in a blanket. The hot dog's cultural traditions include the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.

This type of sausage was culturally imported from Germany and popularized in the United States, where it became a working-class street food sold at hot dog stands and carts. The hot dog became closely associated with baseball and American culture. Hot dog preparation and condiments vary regionally in the US. Although particularly connected with New York City and New York City cuisine, the hot dog eventually became ubiquitous throughout the US during the 20th century, and emerged as an important part of other regional cuisines (notably Chicago street cuisine).

Ingredients

Common hot dog ingredients include:

* Meat trimmings and fat, e.g. mechanically separated meat, pink slime, meat slurry

* Flavorings, such as salt, garlic, and paprika

* Preservatives (cure) – typically sodium erythorbate and sodium nitrite

Pork and beef are the traditional meats used in hot dogs. Less expensive hot dogs are often made from chicken or turkey, using low-cost mechanically separated poultry. Hot dogs often have high sodium, fat and nitrite content, ingredients linked to health problems. Changes in meat technology and dietary preferences have led manufacturers to use turkey, chicken, vegetarian meat substitutes, and to lower the salt content.

Not one to be appetizer by the common bologna sandwich even with cheese and pickles I found the flat slab of pink meat(?) was bland and unappealing. I just figured hot dogs were bologna rolled into a penis.

Bologna sausage, sometimes called baloney and known in South African English as polony, is a sausage derived from mortadella, a similar-looking, finely ground pork sausage containing cubes of pork fat, originally from the Italian city of Bologna. Aside from pork, bologna can alternatively be made out of chicken, turkey, beef, venison, a combination, or soy protein. Typical seasoning for bologna includes black pepper, nutmeg, allspice, celery seed, and coriander, and like mortadella, myrtle berries give it its distinctive flavor. U.S. government regulations require American bologna to be finely ground and without visible pieces of fat.

In my youth, I didn’t have hot dogs at home. There was no grilling but a few dinners were ‘beans and franks’. My memories of ‘hot dogs’ were at the beach when one of my uncles would grill this stuff for the kids who had been running around out in the sun and ocean all day and immediately became projectile vomit.

Having grown up on steak and prime rib, I had to acquire the taste for pork and seafood because it wasn’t on the menu. Still hot dogs are just like chewing on rolled up baloney no matter how much onions, relish, pickles, tomatoes, kraut or other imaginable fixings piled on top.

Even with finer brands of quality meat, I still over think what makes a sausage. One should not think about their food or we would all starve.

The story ends with me going through the Tummy Temple looking for something consume to maintain life and with the heat, nothing catches my taste buds. Pizza? Nah, I had that the other day. Salads? I’ve eaten them for a week. Sandwich? All the deli choices are unimaginable. Soup? Seriously? In this heat?

So the result was to try ‘The Burnt Weenie Sandwich’ again. Burnt some ‘dogs’ in a frying pan then popped into the microwave to melt some fine cheddar cheese on a soft bun split down the middle. Slattuered in yellow squeeze and red splash and sweet cucumbers chips I timidly cut up the mass into bite size pieces and take a bite. Then I wait.

After a swallow of Colorado water I await to see if my tummy will accept this mass of familiar yet none tasty lunch or if I should stand up and move for the regurgitation process.

This time the mass went through the channel and stayed down even through my interpretation.

Tomorrow I’ll finish the process of frying and microwaving and chomping down on undistinguishable foodstuff and then move onto another food group.

The fabulous, inexpensive, comfortable undergarmet called the Tee-Shirt

An undershirt is an article of underwear worn underneath a dress shirt intended to protect it from body sweat and odors.

Alternatively, it may be worn to protect the body from stiff or otherwise uncomfortable fabric that a person may be required to wear (such as a mandatory work uniform).

It can have short sleeves or be sleeveless.

The term most commonly refers to upper-body wear worn by males.

This article of clothing typically has a low, round neckline that can be worn for athletic purposes.

It also makes dress shirts less transparent.

It can also be worn during winter months as an extra layer of warmth.

The under-shirt became fashionable during the 60’s being tie-dyed in multiple colors and silk-screened with images and messages.

Today it has become an accepted form of dress, even to places that require dress shirts be tucked into pants.

Once designated to the children or the beach, the cotton pullovers short sleeved (though long sleeves are available) fill everyone’s closets and dresser drawers. 

The comfort of a modern day t-shirt is a form of walking billboards showing the wearers preference in sport teams, political affiliation, favorite beverage or musical group.

The undershirt has become the over shirt in multiple colors and sizes.

I personally have not worn a button-down collared dress shirt for over 9 years and have no intention of going back.

Besides, I don’t have any more ties.

Caged

In the United Kingdom, the firm of Barnard, Bishop & Barnard was established in Norwich to produce chain-link fencing by machine in 1844 based on cloth weaving machines (up until that time Norwich had a long history of cloth manufacture).

The Anchor Post Fence Co., established in 1891, bought the rights to the wire-weaving machine and was the first company to manufacture chain-link fencing in the United States. Anchor Fence also holds the first United States patent for chain-link.

The manufacturing of chain-link fencing is called weaving. A metal wire, often galvanized to reduce corrosion, is pulled along a rotating long and flat blade, thus creating a somewhat flattened spiral. The spiral continues to rotate past the blade and winds its way through the previous spiral that is already part of the fence. When the spiral reaches the far end of the fence, the spiral is cut near the blade. Next, the spiral is pressed flat and the entire fence is moved up, ready for the next cycle. The end of every second spiral overlaps the end of every first spiral. The machine clamps both ends and gives them a few twists. This makes the links permanent.

An improved version of the weaving machine winds two wires around the blade at once, thus creating a double helix. One of the spirals is woven through the last spiral that is already part of the fence. This improvement allows the process to advance twice as fast.

These easy to install separators were useful as baseball backstops and to keep the kids in the playground from wandering off. Even my next-door neighbor who had a dispute over property lines had an 8’ installed. They are inexpensive and work well for pet enclosures but now seem proper for incarceration. Got to keep the wrong doers behind chicken wire.

Fully understand the need for fencing to keep livestock from wandering off but the other side of fencing is to keep others out.

I like the ‘free-range’ idea and tried to offer that to all my critters within the boundaries of the house. Today the critters range has grown but they don’t sleep with me now.

Yet I wonder with all this discussion of if this is summer camp or gitmo and no discussion to what might be happening to the female gender, who is paying for all this fencing?

The clothing, food, transportation, doctors, cooks, guards, drivers, lawyers, interpreters, and all the others who need to be housed and fed and clothed, are they behind chain-link fencing? Are they encaged too?

Talking heads will blather on the issue and the populous will comment from every possible direction and tomorrow another fence will go up to surround someone else in our new public housing.

Perhaps these are becoming the new zoos? Who makes chain-link fencing anyway? Will there be a tariff on them?

Pappa’s Day

In 1905, Teddy Roosevelt was president, Russia was having a revolution, Albert Einstein was thinking of relativity and my father was born.

When I was presented to the ‘family’ there was this guy sitting at one end of the table and this woman at the other end. “Who are you?” I asked him. “I am your father.” “Who is she?” I questioned. “She is your mother.”

Sounds pretty simple until you get into the details.

“My name is George but they call me Jelly.” “Her name is Marguerite but they call her Kay.” Ok, this is a family where everyone has two names?

Then there is this guy sitting across the table. He is not as old as the other folks but is older than me. “Who are you?” I ask. “My name is George but they call me Chick.”

So this was the lot I was attached by name throughout eternity? I got branded with a different name in the House of George and didn’t get a second name. I was the youngest and I guess you lost privilege that way.

What of this man called ‘George’? From historical records he was the son of another George who was the son of Thomas.

It seems the male line of the family were merchants. Salesmen in produce and wholesale grocer brokers. My father’s father was born in Powhatan County and after his father died, moved to Wilmington, North Carolina at the age of 28.

My dad had a brother, William who was eleven years older.

Records also show his dad was big time in the Baptist Church for which he followed but without conviction, at least from what I observed. We said ‘Grace’ over every meal and had nighttime prayers wishing we didn’t die in our sleep. The gift of the Bible was the culture but it gathered dust on the shelf.

From the look of things my dad’s family may have been strict on religion but both boys were rebels. One went to work for the railroad and dad followed an adventure into pop stardom. Maybe the thrill of selling produce did not appeal to either one.

This is all speculation for my dad never talked about his family experience.

Still this guy had enough musical knowledge to lead the band and made the attempt to become a celebrity. The war or little recognition and financial reward squashed his dreams so he had to make another career decision.

He certainly understood the ‘food’ business and could have started a restaurant or gone into sales. He hung onto the world of the rich and famous and decided the hotel business would keep his image alive and connected with those wealthy enough to traveled.

My dad moved from job to job now carrying a wife and a son and the war was not over. He didn’t attempt to go back home which makes one wonder of his relationship with his family.

When I arrived, probably a Valentine gift not expected, he was still trying to find a place to settle down. When he moved to our town he was in his late forties and lust for fame must have faded.

Dad didn’t teach me to ride a bike or hit a pitch or nail two pieces of wood together but did put up a basketball hoop never used. Dad didn’t teach me how to shoot a rifle but sent me to camp to learn. Dad didn’t teach me to drive or how to drink or how to shave but bought me a cheap electric razor. Dad never took me fishing or showed me how to play music or about girls though I found those magazines under his mattress.

Dad never raised his voice or use corporal punishment as I remember, but his rules were followed without question. He was the head-of-the-household.

He did provide room and board for eighteen years and when I moved back after a year and a half his only comment was, “You’re back?”

I believe he was basically a good man but always knew he had missed the golden ring. He did the best he could and though his boys didn’t follow his path, raised us right. Sorry if we planted you in the family plot if you did not get along with your parents. Mom didn’t make it, so you’ll just have to deal with your folks.

So on this Pappa’s Day, I’ll raise a mug to you. You kept me fed and somehow in school when I flunked out and probably out of the army and maybe even helped with my career behind the scenes but I’ll never know. 

Our Town

Every one has a ‘burg’ or a ‘ville’ or a dot on the map they call home. All these townships or communities or cities have histories and living on this plot of land, we share the experience. It covers us like the seasons and though we didn’t live it, it is in the walls and dirt and the trees will tell you if you listen.

My town was formed when the boats stopped because they couldn’t get over the rocks. If you notice rivers are at the bottom of the hills and the explorers climbed up to the highest hill and planted a cross-claimed a stake to the land in the name of an English town on the Thames.

The occupants all had to deal with the foliage and the weather and the people who already inhabited the area and families grew and built shelter and started lives and expanded. Some would say we invaded and conquered this land but it is a place to call home.

As with any other township, food had to be grown and animals bred and infrastructures of roads followed the falling of trees and gullies and paths widened. The river continued to be the power of the city. The other sources of industry were the folks shipped in from Africa to be bought to work the tobacco fields or to become domestic servants.

I didn’t get here until the early 50’s but experienced Jim Crow, integration, floods, ERA (yet not approved by this commonwealth), women’s movement, Watergate, Bliley’s brothers, highways partitioning the city, white flight, downtown decay, diversity in government, my college grow into a conglomerate, another generation coming back to town for the beer, and watching the Capital of the Confederacy white washed.

This little village, that touts itself as ‘RVA’ (good advertising campaign), worries about what to do with an ancient ballpark for a losing third-rate team? Should or should not the confederate generals be removed? What to do with the decaying entertainment dome? Does anyone remember the city hall skyscraper is still being held together with bungee cords?

After the bubble burst, the bubble is filling back up and construction is abundant for those youngsters who want to move back from their grandparent’s banishment to the suburbs.

Like every other city in the world, our town has a history of growing up and those who grow still exist. Others fail and then there are the rural townships and villages that don’t call themselves ‘cities’ but are community centers with a filling station that doubles as a post office, a local grain and seed, a volunteer firehouse, a spot to hang around nursing a warm tall neck and telling tales of how things used to be. And don’t forget the churches. Every town has churches.

Our town provides for the trash to be removed to somewhere I don’t have to smell it. Our town provided to street lighting and potholes filled. Our town provides education centers and medical centers and fire protection and security without a HOA unless there is a hazard to the neighborhood.

After years in our town one discovers the comfort understanding of how to live and get along in this area and what the requirements are to fit in. Moving to a town is like joining a club. The old players will recall the times before while the newbees will make a new history. Some residents will jump in to try and make a difference while most will just survive.

Whether it is Wilmington, New Cumberland, Yorktown, Orange, Littletown, Cleveland, Roanoke, Gum Springs, Clermont-Ferrand, Кропивницький, Niamey, مكة, 天水市, and every township is a gathering place for families’ growth and safety. Buildings are built and torn down and rebuilt, farms are overtaken by shopping malls, houses pepper the land separating the population by race, creed and monetary wealth. As the mass grows systems to transport bodies from one place to another but most prefer the convenience of the automobile. Wires criss-cross the city with a web of power and communication and underground aging leaking pipes carry the most essential liquid while removing our leftovers. Schools will pop up to train the breeding public, as jails will grow with those who can’t obey.

Every township will celebrate local and regional events and celebrities with festivals and games, which is just an excuse to laugh, drink, dance and sing and promote to invite new inhabitants. Those who offered their services will struggle to maintain order and security while providing the increasing demands so many living in one place.

While others have migrated to distant lands and far off places, I placed down my root here in our town. I got my schooling within walking distance, including university. I worked here. I lived through two marriages here. My parents died here. I’ve bought two homes here. I went to church here. I pay my taxes here. I vote here. I know where the best bars are here. I know where not to go at night here. I play by the rules and play well with others here.

Our town is like your town and every other town. Our town is good enough for me, so I think I’ll stay.