Who are Our Federal Regulators?

Recently a call for those who want the end of the nuclear generator in our area met in town where authorities and concerned citizens lectured. For me it was such a hopeless venture because the Federal Regulators involved come from the Government in Washington where corporations corrupt appointed regulators as part of the normal scene. The gathering did have a hidden positive side that I must refer to for the good of all. It is what I call The Brattleboro Initiative in a previous Blog. The gathering should be the people who must gather to further the aim of cleaning out the rat's nest of corruption that Washington has become. There is a strange situation that seems so unlikely that it is a small wonder that the principal I have suggested has not been attempted before. Strange also becaule I have written about it to over 150 contacts and not one can think of a single reason for my plan not to work. Moreover most say it's worth a try but no one has suggested a reason for it to fail. In my 92 years with so many issues to consider on tvery subject immaginable I do not recall an issue that everybody agrees with. It's a no lose situation other than not spreading the existance of the Brattleboro Initive.SUABC. Stand up and be counted and the corporation corruption will be a thing af the past.

A Continuence of Mike Lofgren's 9/3/11 Essay on the two Political Parties

You and I are continually drenched with statements of the problems of the day but one statement of 9/3/11 is so scholarly and significant that it virtually screams for help for the survival of our Republic. The public recognizes the corruption, worse than sleezyness but dishonesty among our elected legislators with the evidence all but being crammed down the throats of those of us who still appreciate our democracy. The cries of HELP ring out from the excellent dissertation by an ex GOP 30 year operative, Mike Lofgren. I am here to tell all there is an answer to the call for help if you as a concerned if not disgusted voter care to join the action of the Brattleboro Initiative. Oh yes, I can note more than a bit of skepticism gathering between your ears but it's American to hear all sides out in our society so listen on. You must accept that the voters are concerned that the corruption in Washington must be stopped and that is impossible isn't it? Try this on. Have a Senator such as Bernie Sanders of Vermont present a bill making a conflict of interest of for profit corporations and their representatives and any Government employee punishable by a mandated 10 year jail sentence and a million dollar fine if found guilty. Of course that bill will be soundly defeated BUT with all the millions of members of groups agreeing with the bill's idea any candidate running for office will have to support the Initiative to stay in office. There will be a veritable tsunami of voters challenging legislators who will have to choose between the corporations and our government. Submitted a second time the bill will pass. This does present an interesting situation as after asking numerous individuals the negatives with my reasoning there are none. Everybody is against the Washington Government dishonesty problems and everybody I talk with agrees with me that even if my suggestion can not work It is a worthy plan of action. I ask only that all voters who agree to STAND UP AND BE COUNTED. After your name place the letters, SUABC and you are automatically part of the action. The group has no President, no membership list, no Board of Directors, no dues or other costs. Imagine being able to tell you're family members and coming generations that YOU were part of the movement that cleaned up Washington and perhaps even saved the Republic. Remember it was President Lincoln who said that with the advent of corporations would be the end of the republic.

Don't Let a 55 Year Old White Guy Beat You

While running recently an event in a race long ago came to mind. I think it was a race from the Yale tennis courts around a 5k route and back. A shapely female runner was having trouble with the heat and her jacket that she was in the process of removing as I passed her. At that moment I blurted out what was on my mind. It was one of those thoughts you would never mention but under the strain of having half the race behind us I said, "Don't let an 85 year old white guy beat you." Toward the end of that race as most runners do I attempted to expend the last little energy in my last minute sprint. For a few moments it seemed as if I was really flying when the women I had made my remark to went sprinting by me as if I were standing still. I saw her disappear in the crowd where friends were complementing me when out of that group stepped the fleet passer. She placed a hand on my shoulder and with a laugh in her throat she said, "Thank you for your remark back there. It was exactly what I needed."
I still, 6 or so years later smile when I think about that incident.

Cub Scout Olympic Games an Animal Annecdote

Three community active men asked to meet with me about a community affair. It was to replace the Town Cub scout Master who was leaving Town. There were six dens set up each with a den mother and my job would be to work up a schedule of themes for each of nine meetings in the year. Scout headquarters would give me the suggestions for the themes.All I had to do was to attend the meetings and enjoy the results of how the boys interpreted the monthly theme. My wife had been a booster and active in the Girl scout movement. I innocently accepted the challenge. I studied the themes for the upcoming year and decided I did not like the subjects of the store-bought list.In place of King Arthur's Court that I could imagine the swards and shields and jousts etc I listed the Yale Brown opening game of football for both teams that Yale offered free for Scout groups. On my Theme List group was a hike in the woods, just the word "birds" and other nature subjects and a trip to NYC to visit the famous Bronx Zoo. Apparently the list was parent friendly as more and more boys showed an interest. We increased from the six dens to eleven that pretty well covered our Town and the original twelve to eighteen Cubs increased by the second year to almost fifty Cubs. I planned the International Amature Orange Olympic Games for residents only that was a smashing culmination of the nine months activity. Realizing the athletically developed boys would shine during the events I included a turtle race and such as the standing broad grin as events. The discus throw was using a flimsy paper plate that a small cub could, with a little training throw with a flick of his wrist where as the strong Cubs with a mighty heave found the plate dropping at their feet. On hearing about the contests for the games one father claimed his son never won anything. Could I suggest a way the boy might have a chance. I suggested he and his Cub son try to find a local mud turtle often called a stink pot and that turtle would be a good addition to the turtle race event of the Olympics. I hadn't limited the number of turtles each den could enter so there were about 25 brought to the event. I made a circle about four feet across for the starting point and fifteen feet or so outside the inner one the larger circle for the finish line. As the Cubs were removing turtles from boxes the father I had advises winked at me. I had the count down and when my cap pistol gun went off each turtle was released. Most of the turtles were the painted pond variety but there were many box and a few wood turtles but only stink pot. That stink pot turtle was across the finish line before all the others had passed the starting line. Of course the There was an agreement that all contestants would be released after the event in the area where they were found. The father of the cub winner of that race told me later he had a terrible time convincing his son to release his stink pot. At the annual meeting six years later I announced my resignation at which time there were almost a hundred registered Cub Scouts and not sufficient parents to maintain order.

Animal Anecdote 29

Animal Anecdote 29.

Poor oldest daughter, Carolyn had more than her share of encounters with skunks and hear is one of them. It was at a time when I had descenting of skunks as one of my surgical procedures. The patient was an adult that I was not usually asked to deodorize but this one was for a zoo where the director wanted to display it.
For that procedure I had my help set up an operating table with all the instruments and anesthetics etc. necessary outside my Clinic. The surgery was well underway with a few curious visitors watching. Among them was 7 year old Carolyn who was no stranger to viewing any of my surgery looking over my shoulder. I should mention that the scent glands, two of them are located on either side of the animal’s anus and are almost the size of the yolk of a chicken egg
in a large polecat.
The surgery involves the careful dissection of the glands to be removed and as I proceeded I ruptured the sack of one and the yellow contents were projected right over my shoulder and into poor Carolyn’s eyes. She screamed and clutched her face. I quickly grabbed a handful of cotton, wet with water but could not pry her hands away from her face and ran into the building and phoned a close friend Dr. Bill Lattanzi who was head of pediatrics of a human hospital. He told me to get Carolyn down to the hospital immediately. “She could be blinded by it.”
I rushed back and there was Carolyn playing by a pile of sand with a toy shovel. “How are your eyes, Carolyn?” I asked to which she said, “They’re OK Daddy, they stung for only a little.”As a reader I am sure you know why I recall that incident and I am glad to recount it for no other reason than to dispel any fear of blindness from such an encounter. I should have recalled the numbers of dogs that had challenged a skunk including many of my own and never was the thought of blindness considered.

Next time: Chiropractics for a nominal fee. 362 words

Animal Anecdotes 30

Animal Anecdote 30

It was on that beautiful first real spring day of the year and I would work on my day off to get my garden in shape by spreading manure from a pit into my trailer to put on it before digging it in when I felt something happen to my back. Ouch! The real pain didn’t amount to much until the following day when I began to look for help. I knew I could count on a friend at the Yale University School of Medicine, Dr. Ned Shutkin, a Professor of orthopedics for advice. “Go to bed for 6 weeks and it should be alright.” He explained that backs can be like a shoelace that with little movement like a shoelace that can break can cause great pain or like a piece of paper folded that is OK while intact but when it finally brakes is a problem.
I had a month’s appointment. No way could I go to bed for 6 weeks but I did take it easy and did suffer with virtually any movement at any time. There were stabbing pains from trying to get up from lying or sitting. Two weeks of suffering when one morning after feeding my flock of sheep I strolled away to look at the garden area that would not be tilled that spring. I didn’t have any idea my ram would follow me and so was surprised when he charged and butted my back side at the base of my spine. It was a well placed butt that tossed me into the air and down in a heap.
There was terrible pain again and I was convinced in my own mind that my back had been half broken and now that ram finished it off. After hobbling home I lay down for a while when my wife called me to lunch. Strangely there was no pain on rising and walking up a staircase to lunch but I had been convinced that my back had to be worse from the butt.
I suddenly realized my back was better. Not perfect but without pain. After mulling that situation over I did not want my friend, Dr. Shutkin to think his theory of the shoelace breaking was valid so I wrote him a letter. After telling him what had happened in the last paragraph I said,” For a nominal fee I will permit you to send some of your better patients through my sheep pasture.”
I had my usual garden.

Next: More ramming.

Animal anecdote 31

Animal Anecdote 31

My ram was a stout Cheviot in case you know sheep and seemed to be proud of the many lambs he sired. Off and on he lost favor and this is one of those times. It was shortly after World War II when new cars were just starting to roll off assembly lines and my father had ordered a Plymouth all metal station wagon a year before. It was the first all metal station wagon made and after Yale U. he would get the first one in our area.
He looked forward to the delivery and when it came he had to display it to our Veterinary Clinic help one of whom was outside in the sheep pasture. I was also witness to the proceedings. Dad got out of the vehicle and as he admired the new car so did our ram. That ram put his head down, seeing his reflection on the shiny side of the car charged right in front of Dad. Dad was furious and chased the ram who, on the other side rammed that side, too. Talking about adding insult to injury.
He said, returning to the dealership where he had picked up the wagon only an hour before the crushed vehicle drew a crowd all with gales of laughter.

Next: A cat that overstepped a windowsill. 223 words