Banner In The Wind

      Unless you live in a fog, or are living in utter denial, we all know that Trump has "allegedly" taken home boxes of super sensitive classified materials.  He claimed that he took the materials home as "home work".      The problem with this claim is he no longer "works" at the White House (as if he ever actually did any work there!) To make matters worse, these materials have not only been mishandled, but probably compromised as well. Many folders were also found to be empty! The classified documents have either been lost, compromised, or even possibly sold.      The question on the minds of many Americans is "Why is Trump not in custody?" He has clearly broken the law, or as Trump's supporters might say, "He's being persecuted!" To help you understand why I'm upset by this, let me tell this in my perspective:      Back in 1980, I was a crewman onboard the USS GURNARD (SSN-662), a nuclear powered fast attack submarin...

It was an interesting week, philosophically speaking. I finally decided on a retirement target date. It's been a question that has caused me some concern, but not for reasons that you might think. What causes me to have apprehension is the finality of retirement.  While a few people retire from the service and show up occasionally to reconnect with old friends, many have just vanished. They remain only as memories to some. I've been at my station since the summer of 1999. I have seen  many people retire. As people move on, they are replaced by fresh faces.  In 1999, I was still very junior on the seniority list. Today, I am No. 4. I may move up to No. 3 because No. 2 is set to retire before the year is out. While most people look forward to retirement, it's caused me anxiety. It means that I'm moving towards the last stage of life. I don't fear death, but like any living creature, I avoid it at all costs. Frankly, considering the stupidity of my youth, I'm luc...

     The light was so bright, all he could see was white. The pain in his eyes faded as the light subsided. Slowly, colors came into view. The blue of the floor stood out. A table with items in various colors sat to his left. The wall had no color. It was a light grey.      Slowly things came in to focus. The grey wall was now a cinder block wall which was painted in a smooth, glossy, light grey paint. The table also came into focus. A stack of neatly folded towels were on the table as were a number of metal boxes. He could now see that there were several notices hung on the wall in front of him. To his left was another wall with a row of hooks. Upon each hook were satin robes of various colors.      Juan noticed that he was sitting on the long edge of a long, narrow table. The table had a thin cushion of the same dimensions and was covered in a white sheet. He also noticed that his feet were dangling about a foot from the floor. ...

Rediscovering the classics: "The Mighty Quinn". For some reason, the song, "The Mughty Quinn" was on my mind for the last couple of weeks. I don’t mean the versions by Bob Dylan of Manfred Mann. I mean the version that appears in the 1989 movie if the same name. I had watched it on HBO a lifetime ago. I know I enjoyed it, but over 4 decades later, I have little recollection of the story or soundtrack, except for the Reggae version of the song "The Mighty Quinn". I was unable to find the song on Spotify, but I dud find the movie on Fandango (formerly Vudu). The film is a crime thriller set in Jamaice, starring Denzell Washington as newly promoted Chief of Police Xavier Quinn and Robert Townsend as his Rastafarian buddy Maubee. Interestingly, the title song was originally "Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn). and is about a laid back Eskimo living the easy life. The title is believed to have been taken from Anthony Quinn (who was Mexican) who played an ...

I was at the VA today. It was my first time being there since the 90s. I got there early for my appointment. It didn't matter. There was already a line. Two lines, actually. Men and women veterans of various ages, just casually leaning against either wall waiting for the doors of the lab to open. Through the windows of the double doors, you could see people inside going towards the doors. The doors were unlocked and opened with a clatter. Almost everyone popped tall to attention and faced the doors. Old habits are hard to break, I guess.