Thoughts of a Common Man

There was a very worthy speech at one of the conventions after all. Khizr Kahn took the stage at the DNC and thoroughly captured all that is right in America as he also reminded us all that is wrong. His son, was killed in service of the country during the Iraq war. Kahn's family is Muslim-American. Which makes it a "complicated" issue for all who want to sell the story that every Muslim wants to kill Americans. That kid died a hero...trying to defend American principles in a war that was most likely misguided. How can that story be spun into anything other than tragic? A young Muslim gone, defending America. And Dad was understandably angry with the candidate who wants to ban all Muslims from entering a country that is based on the principles that America is for all. Kahn actually waved a copy of the constitution at the podium and offered it to the candidate who stands in opposition to all Muslims based on the actions of a few. How do the people of ha...

Earlier this week I was driving around and listening to the Big Daddy record by Mellencamp. Immediately my mind clicked back to the day that the record came out. I was living in New Haven, Connecticut. I lived alone. I was 23 years old. I worked long hours at my first real construction job, and I was writing. I was actually writing the book, Desperation , which was about poverty. It was an ambitious book. And wouldn't you know it, Mellencamp had written and released a song about the very subject. Jackie Brown is a song that stopped me in my tracks. I distinctly recall the first time it came through the speakers. The lyrics weren't included in the CD sleeve so I had to stop the song and scratch down the lyrics. Just a great song. There are so many people who suffer, all their lives, just trying to keep their head above the water line. They should not be disposable members of our society. Somehow we have to get them out of the cycle. Jackie Brown - By John Mellencamp Is ...

The Democratic convention is going on this week. I have held tight to my policy of not listening to any of them speak. Doesn't matter the party...I don't want to hear what is going to be made great. It's all kind of Dumb . But the conventions have changed now. Now we also get the live tweeting before and after the actual speakers are speaking. From one side we had about what a great speech it is... ...from the other side we hear how awful it is. It's all so DUMB! What I don't get now, and perhaps it was always this way, but there is absolutely no compromise on either side of the aisle. It's either my way, or you're DUMB! (Usually it's sent as 'your dumb ' which makes the person sending it that way... DUMB! ) Here is my take-away: Using the wrong e-mail server for classified info - DUMB! Inviting the Russian Government to dig through American material - DUMB!! Building a wall - DUMB!!! Not following immigration pr...

Burnout is a real thing. We all have jobs where we hustle...at least I hope most of us do...and when the intensity is amped up for long stretches of time...well, something has to give. I was there. So, we talked of getting away. I have a dream, shared with my brothers, to get back to San Francisco some day and look at the work we did out there about 30 years ago. That trip fell through. So we talked about catching the Yankees in Florida and catching some sun... ...but the sun is here! We stayed home. Kind of. "We need to plan some fun activities," I told my beautiful wife. And so far, so good. Breakfast out nearly every day. Buffalo does have nice hotel rooms, that change the environment. Dinner at one of my favorite Italian places. We checked out good wings at Mammosers. I even played golf for the first time in 6 weeks...and despite continued back and leg pain...I hit the ball well...and survived it. And the running joke has been about the ...

Taking a little break... ...so, of course I caught Kelly Ripa on Monday morning before going out for potato pancakes with eggs! Christian Slater was the guest host (although I should be in that chair) and he spoke about going out to a restaurant and trying new foods. He tried tripe.. ...and hated it. Well, Christian, I've been there. Dad and John, for sure, and Uncle Jim and possibly Jim... ...love tripe! I did try it. Once. Now, of course, Dad made it with his sauce...so it smelled great. But it was like chewing on rubber. Awful-tasting rubber! Whenever I think of tripe I go back in my mind a whole bunch of years. Mom and the girls were gone. It was just Dad and the boys. "I'll make tripe," Dad said. They knew I was out. Jim and John were in. Jeff was on the fence, but like me, he wanted to like it. He was only about 5 years old. He took a forkful and promptly spit it across the table. BLEECH!!! We all laughed. Lucky ther...

Depending upon what you believe there is truth to the following items: 1). Ted Cruz's father ate breakfast with Oswald on the morning of the JFK assassination. Is this true or false? Depends on who you ask. Donald Trump believes it. Ted Cruz says it's idiotic. And yet it is out there....so everyone on social media can use it to create their memes and further their arguments. Verdict: This doesn't appear to have any basis in truth. 2). Obama is a Muslim who has always been plotting to overthrow the American Government. This one has been around ever since we were introduced to Obama. Hell! He has a terrorist name! His middle name is always used when someone is trying to prove this one. Obama has no interest in helping Americans. Before he leaves office...his motives will be crystal clear. Verdict: Really? If you believe this...you're a mess. Delete your accounts. Go back to school. Stop talking. 3). Trump raped a 13-year old. There may be charg...

Chris Sale is a really good pitcher for the Chicago White Sox. Evidently he is also something of a hot head. On Saturday he was sent home by the team for cutting up the uniforms that the team was supposed to wear for the game. They were throwback uniforms that Sale didn't like because they caused him to feel differently as he pitched. So he cut them to threads! I also read a story about Ray Rice, the football player who punched his girlfriend in the face, on film. He's been blackballed by the NFL. He says that he'd play for free. Still no takers. Sometimes we are blinded by anger... ...we've all been there. But how we handle it can define the rest of our days. Count to ten! Scream 'Serenity now!' I used to have a temper that I wasn't great at controlling. I control it now...but sometimes...when I get extremely frustrated...I will sound off. "We don't listen to you," Sam said. "You'll be all right." ...