Does anyone teach Civics any more?

 

 

   The year was 1963. The date November 22 and the time shortly after 2:00 PM EST. Civics class had just begun when the announcement came over the loud speaker that President John F Kennedy had just be assassinated. It was one of those moments and events that may happen once in a lifetime, you hope only once... if it has to happen at all. You remember the day, the time and what you were doing. For my generation it was a terrible civics lesson.

   Unfortunately during my lifetime we have had too many such events;  September 11^th 2003,  the shooting at the elementary school in Newtown and other schools, mall shootings, Boston Marathon.  Events like this are unexplainable but can often shape the quality and character of a nation and its people. Is it all part of being a democracy, a free country?

   When I was in school back in the dark ages, we were required to take  classes  in 'Civics'.One  class was in the freshman year and another government class before graduation. Most of  us thought it was a waste of time. We would much rather be in physical education or lunch. But it was one of those required classes and if we did not pass, we did not graduate.

    Civics is the study of citizenship, its rights, duties, respect  and responsibilities. It is the study of the roles citizens have to each other  as members of a political body and to the its government. It is he study of laws and civil code. Most important, it is the study of government and the roles and responsibilities to its citizens.

   The study of civics dates back to Confucius and Plato and  over time, while civilizations changed and grew,  new elements were introduced into its study as public demands on its governments changed and societies became more complicated. 'Justice for all' and 'ethics in governing' soon became the foundation for most in the study of civics and are still a critical part of today's classes, if the courses are  still taught at all in schools today.

   But not everyone agrees the study of civics is as important today as it was in the past. There are those who believe that justice, values and democracy should be learned, not through a text book, but through life experiences and one only needs to look around to find  growing  support for this belief.

   The 'founding fathers' were very careful as they crafted this nation's  constitution. After the struggles with England , their concern was to ensure  three important freedoms:  choice, action and the right to live by the  results of those actions. To put it more simply, it is the belief in personal responsibility for your own actions and its outcomes. But that was then and ...this is now.

   Times have changed. Society has changed and as a result we have come to rely on government to solve many of societies problems and ills and we freely and willingly take when the help and assistance is offered but become critical, angry  and frustrated when we are asked to give something back in return. 

Do these 'jeans' make my butt look big?

 

     I have decided that if, for some strange reason, every pair of jeans in the country and the world, for that matter were to disappear, there would be 'a lot' of  people walking around “butt naked.” I came to this conclusion as I sat in the parking lot of the local grocery store waiting for my wife to pick up a couple of items.  

   It was late afternoon, bitterly cold and the store was very busy as people rushed home from work.  As I watched the people raced in and out of the store ( it was cold!) I realized that almost all of them were wearing some form or manner of 'jeans.” Many pair were old and tattered. Some were new, Christmas gifts I might  assume. Even gentlemen with shirts and ties were wearing 'jeans'. No black or gray slacks here. The clothing and dress trends have changed.

     The story goes that the term 'jean' comes from the word 'Genoa' and refers to a clothe that came from Italy. Originality it was used to make pants for sailors, being a thick blend of linen and wool. The problem with linen was that it needed to be pressed in order to look neat.

     Years later jeans were being produced in England and were made primarily of wool. And the year? It was the 1700's. Later a new fabric was introduced, denim and the rest is history.

     By the late 19th century America got into the 'jeans' business and the most well-know maker was a gentleman by the name of Levi Strauss. And along with Jacob Davis they would change the industry forever. (It was Davis' invention of the metal rivets to keep the pockets from coming off.)

     'Jeans' hit the beginning of their everlasting popularity by the 1950's . New companies emerged on the scene and as usual, the media played a major role in their success as the rebels on the movie screen all wore jeans as a statement of rebellion. 

     I can remember my fist pair of 'jeans', dark denim blue and stiff as a board. But I could only wear them around the house, never in public. 

     'Jeans' were made for the 60's and 70's and the hippy movement They were to become the symbol of individuality and an independent character as they took on new shapes and designs. And by now, the dark blue had given way to the new look of “washed-out” and well worn.

     From the early 1980's to the present day, 'jeans have continued to expand their roll into high fashion and design. There are very few who do not have at least one pair of jeans as a major part of the wardrobe whether they be designer or regular, distressed or destroyed, ultra low  pencil thin.

     I have several pairs of 'jeans', now that I am retired. I have a “dress pair” to wear with a nice shirt and sport coat, several pair that I wear when working around the house, one pair with the mandatory tears and worn out knee and one pair spotted  with paint. ( I personally like the shirt, sport coat and 'jean' look with boat mocs. 

     The future of “jeans” looks sound and secure, regardless of 'how big your butt looks.' And besides, if 'jeans' were to all of a sudden disappear, what would people have to look at? 

It's not always 500 words...

   Panic. Disappointment. There has got to be something out there to write about, but I just couldn't come up with anything. For many weeks I have always had something to say. And there were the  2 ½ years  of writing for the newspaper before that and there were many weeks when  I  managed to write about something. 
   Admittedly, some has been good and others, well, not so good. But I always had something to say. But  for many weeks now  I had really disappointed myself. Nothing!
   Some of the time I get my ideas and 'inspiration' from the news, whether it be world, state of local. But it has been  a terrible week in the news. I am so tired with this election stuff.
   No question about it. The news has been terrible and maybe really affected the way I saw the world last week. I'll admit it. Perhaps I need to turn off the television or turn down the radio for a few days, weeks, even months. Even the Red Sox are having a terrible year. 2020. Uck!!!
   But then, while riding in the car, there was a very heart warming story on MPR about a small town coming together to help a family struggling with the serious illness of their young son and the financial toll it was taking on the family.
    I don't always get my ideas from the news reporting. I could have written about the scene in the parking lot at the local food store, where a teenage boy, and I assume his mother, were engaged in a loud,  verbal and quickly moving toward a physical confrontation, loud enough that it attracted a great deal of attention from those walking to and from the store to their cars. Someone must have called the police, for at that moment a police car came around the corner. Just as the officer got out of his car, the mother got into her vehicle and drove away, leaving the boy standing in the parking lot. (My suspicion is that the police may already know the family.)
   One of my favorite spots for inspiration came from the local auction. Each Sunday from March until December several hundred people from near and far gather to talk, spend money, brag about their latest finds and to share in the joy of one of Robin's egg, cheese and ham breakfast sandwiches. But now....with the virus.
   I don't remember where it came from or who gave it to me, but on the corner of my desk sits a wooden block, the size  a child might use to build a fort or castle. But this block has pictures and author's names and partial titles of many of the classic, squeezed onto the 6 sides of the two inch  block. Yes...it's a writer's block! And despite how  firmly  I held it in my hand, there was no inspiration or Steinbeck or the others.
   I really feel as though I have let myself down. and my readers too. I had set some goals, but.....something has changed.
   I have two choices. I could sit around all day and fret, frustrating myself even more or...I could get outside in the fresh air, under a bright late summer blue sky, and work in the garden, pulling a few remaining weeds. I opted for choice number two. And besides, the Red Sox games just don't have the excitement and enthusiasm without fans in the stadium.
 

Thing you don't hear any more.

Life has certainly changed over the decades and things that were said reflected the times and often the attitudes. It was very different back in the day... 

•        Be sure and refill the ice trays, we are going to have company later this afternoon

•        Watch for the mailman, I want to get this letter in the mail today.

•        Quit slamming that screen door! ( I missed this one so much I recently installed an old wooden screen door on the back door of the house,)

•        Be sure to pull the windows down when you leave, it looks like it might rain -- and  bring in the clothes off the line, too.

•        Don't forget to wind the clock before you go to bed. (Don't you mean change the battery?)

•        Wash your feet before you go to bed, (you've been playing barefooted outside all day). Now who still plays outside in their bare feet?

•        Why can't you remember to roll up your pants legs? Getting them caught in the bicycle chain is tearing them up and I ain't made outta money.

•        You have torn the knees out of that pair of pants so many times there ain't nothing left to put a patch on. No patch, no patch!!

•        Don't you go outside with your school clothes on!

•        Hang up your Sunday School clothes, you know you need to pass them down to your brother in good condition.
 

•        Be sure and pour the cream off the top of the milk when you open the new bottle. I need it for baking and Pa's coffee.( I would bet there are many kids who have never seen cream at the top of a milk bottle, let alone a milk bottle made of glass.)

•       Take that empty bottle to the store with you so you won't have to pay a deposit on another one. See, returnables is not a new concept.

•       Put a dish towel over the cake so the flies won't get on it. (Someone still bakes?)

•       Let me know when the Fuller Brush man comes by, I need to get a few things from him. ( No he is not your father...)

•       You boys stay close by, the car may not start and I will need you to help push it to get it started.

•       There is a dollar in my purse, go by the service station and get five gallons of gas for the lawn mower. ( $.25 a gallon wasn't that long ago.)

•       You can walk to the store; it won't hurt you to get some exercise. Maybe you will learn to be more careful with your bicycle.

•       Don't sit so close to the TV it will ruin your eyes.

•       Be sure and fill the lamps this morning with lamp oil so we don't have to do that tonight in the dark.

•       Here, take this old magazine to the outhouse when you go, we are almost out of paper out there. (OMG! I found a magazine in one of those ports-potties. You don't suppose it......??

•       No! I don't have nine cents for you to go to the show, do you think money grows on trees?

•       Oh! He's an honest politician. (?)

•       Hush your mouth! I don't want to hear anymore words like that. I will wash your mouth out with soap!

•       Stop crossing your eyes! They will get stuck that way!

•       When you take your driving test don't forget your hand signals each turn. Left arm straight out the window for a left turn, and left arm bent up to the sky at the elbow for a right turn and straight down to the side of the door when you are going to slow down or stop. ( and put the cell phone down!)

•       It is "Yes, sir!" and "No, sir" to me and your elders young man, and don't you forget it.

•       I'm sorry!

•       And maybe my all time favorite..   if I hear you repeat one word of this to anyone I will ground you for the rest of your life. Do you understand me?!!

•       Life was so much simpler  then........;)

Just for the record......

   This is not an old post. I just wanted this to go on record today.
In the midst of a pandemic effecting the lives of millions of people around the world, and in the midst of a time when the government we elected to provide leadership and guidance, which currently is so deadlocked in political partisanship, and arguing about who should be allowed to live or die....
   Today is Saturday, May 9, 2020 and it is snowing. How fitting.😎
( OK, OK. I know its Maine and we expect snow in Maine. But this late in May. Can't wait to see what other records we set this year.)

Perfect…. Just Perfect

   


   Ten years ago I started writing a column for a small local newspaper. Eventually I became an owner of the paper until a few years ago.
   As I was reviewing the file of previous articles I had written, I came across this one. It caught my attention. Why? Because of the title and the word "perfect". Little did I know ten years ago this word would become one of the most popular words in the current President's limited vocabulary. The perfect this, the perfect that......
   I have tended to stay far away from writing political comments these days. There are enough other people doing that today. But I thought I might just dust this one off and laugh a bit.
   But in keeping with a tradition or two..."have a 'perfect' weekend", even while we are still 6 feet apart.


  

         As I sat down to prepare to write this week, I thought this might be a good time to say ‘thank you’ to those who have been reading my work by writing the perfect column. But before I began, I needed to do a bit of homework, because the word ‘perfect’ is used very frequently and has several different meanings.

          According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, the word perfect means ‘a state of excellence’ or ‘faultlessness’. Completely correct! One only needs to listen to hear the word used with common regularity today. Does that mean that everything is perfect, like the weather?

           We have all hoped at one time or another for the perfect date. Every bride and groom dreams of the perfect wedding. We search endlessly for a restaurant that will serve the perfect meal.

          The coach who wants his team to win the championship encourages his players to play the perfect game or the conductor of the orchestra directs the musician with the wave of the baton to play the perfect concerto.

          Sales people must be taught to use the word ‘perfect’ as many times as possible. “That suit is perfect for you. It matches your eyes.” I don’t want a suit to match my eyes. I want it to fit properly! “Oh. This tie is a perfect match too.” Is it a perfect match to the suit or my eyes?

          Car sales people have the perfect car for you. How do they know? “This new minivan would be perfect for you,” sizing up a soccer mom. Actually, she had her eye on the little red convertible.

         We all want are children to grow up to be perfect. Do perfect parents insure perfect children or is it the other way around? Maybe you have heard someone say, “She is the perfect candidate to run in the election.” What makes her perfect? Maybe she knows the right people!

          We have all heard of the perfect fool or the perfect stranger. How about the perfect novel or movie. We search for the perfect gift for that special (perfect) friend. Chocolate is nice!

          Recently I overheard two friends talking. One was planning a party for her sister and her new boy friend. She wanted to make sure that everything was……you guessed it,  perfect! With that kind of pressure there are bound to be problems.

          I think I have figured out this word ‘perfect’, however. For something to be perfect, it must be measured against a standard of some kind. That standard can be real or it can be imaginary, like the picture in your mind.

          I knew a coach who taught his player to swing a baseball bat with their eyes closed. Picture in your mind the baseball racing toward home plate and just as it crosses the plate, swing the bat, sending the ball over the outfield fence. Basketball coaches often do the same for practicing foul shots.

          So for my friends, I bring this ‘perfect column’ to a conclusion and hope you each have the perfect weekend.

Take the left by the big oak tree and...

   For those of you not familiar with Maine, you can crisscross the state on numerous country back roads, roads that seem to go no where. Sure we have the major highways, at least running north and south. But to experience the true character of Maine one only needs to spend a bit of time touring places like T 16 R14 or Square Lake (T16 R5) to get the real flavor of Maine. I'm not talking about the sweet taste of a freshly cook lobster or clams direct from the ocean. I am talking about what you do when you are lost and have no idea where in the world where you are or how to get home.

   Now before you all suggest that I type my location into my cell phone, I need to remind you that there are still many areas in the back woods of Maine void of cell service and besides, it only works if I remembered to take it off the dining room table and bring it along. And what is that new expression.....'out of cell out of mind!'

   It started out as a beautiful ride on a cool Fall morning. The colorful foliage provided a fantastic contrast to the blue sky and puffy white clouds. A few left turns here and then a couple to the right and I was deep into the Maine woods. As it got closer to lunch time, I decided it was time to head back, but which way was back.

   Here are a couple of facts to remember. There are very few street or road signs in most of the Maine woods. Keeps the state budget down. There are very few houses and not much other traffic. And most important, regardless of which way you turn, everything looks the same...trees, trees and more trees.

   After driving for a few more miles in what seemed like circles, I was surprised to come upon a very small general store. The sign in the window said 'Wilson's General Store' for all you local shopping needs.

   Several men stood by the counter, drinking coffee and discussing the local politics and of course, the weather. The lady behind the counter was rearranging the boxes of shotgun shell and neatly folded blaze orange hunting vests. The vests appeared to be the 'one size fits all' model.

   I wanted to act 'cool' and not seem like someone from away so after pouring myself a cup of coffee and grabbing a Ring Ding off the shelf I casually said....”I spent a bit too much time taking in the beautiful scenery and I am running a bit late. Can you guys give me directions for the quickest way back to the interstate?” I think the word that gave it away was ' interstate.' They knew I was not a local.

   The first to reply simply responded by saying...”turn around and go back the way you came.” That was easier said than done and I confessed I had not really been paying attention.

   The second offered more detail. “Take a left out of the parking lot. Go about three miles to the big oak tree on the corner of the 'ole Warren place. Take the next right. If you pass the dead deah (that's deer for those of you from away) carcass on the side of the road, you've go too far. Turn around and take the next left. Follow that road to the next 'fillin' station.

   At this point the lady behind the counter asked...”Which way ya headin' on the interstate, north or south? There is an easier way to get there 'pending on which way you're going.

   “South'” was my response.

   “Figures,” was her's. “Could tell just by the brand new boots on your feet. L.L.Bean ?”

   For the next few minutes the three argued as to the best route to send me so I could get to where I was heading.

   The final directions included a turn at the local sand shed, keeping to the right at the twin forks, staying to the left of the old log cabin and keeping an eye out for the horse barn surrounded by the white fence. “When you get there, you're getting close.

   “Need a box of shells?” she asked.

   “Nope. Not this trip.” Like I could find my way back there!

   I “thanked” them for their help, paid for another Ring Ding and started out on the journey. Much to my surprise, within the hour or so I was back on the interstate and heading for home.

   With the advent of the 'garmins' and the cell phones, provided you are within reach of a signal, the need to be able to ask and be given directions is quickly becoming a dying art, especially if the directions include a bit of the local flavor, whether it be a bit of “down-east' or southern Aroostook county humor.

   And as I climbed into my car, I could hear the three of them laughing. “He probably has never held a shotgun and doesn't even know what a box of shells is used for!!”