#487 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Thursday October 20)
Good morning,
HIGH SCHOOL PUGILISM
In our youth, there was no “zero tolerance” policy. We were forgiven our stupid, juvenile, sometimes ill-conceived trouble-making. There were warnings, there were lessons taught and we were forgiven for being knuckleheads. Here is Tony Canzonneri with one of these stories:
“Remind someday to tell you the story of my arrest at the Whittier Bob’s Big Boy in the summer after my graduation from Whittier HS in 1064 for an argument with a security guard over his decision to ask the WHS group not to congregate in the front patio but to stand in single file line as we waited after the game in our usual fashion for a table. Pushed my girl in to a planter and so the argument started. Arrested for loitering after I said “Officer Bock this is not Gestapo Germany” and he said “If you say another word I’ll arrest you” and I put out my hands and said “well”. Directed verdict to jury to convict overturned in an LA Superior Court Appellate division opinion based on needing a reasonable basis to exclude a patron. Settlement paid by City of Whittier (off duty policeman as security) and Bob’s.”
This is not dissimilar from my story of getting into a fight with the manager of the local Bob’s Big Boy. I may share it some day.
TICKS AND MOSQUITOS
Much of the country has always had to deal with bugs that cause disease. Southern California was spared the annual inundation of pesky bugs. Whether the result of greater travel, demographic shifts, or climate change, mosquitos seemingly have become a regular way of life here in Los Angeles. West Nile Virus is a reality, albeit rare, in Southern California. Its effects range from benign to catastrophic. Meanwhile, those who hike also need to worry about Lyme disease. Steve Mossholder shares this story, a reminder to check one’s body after every visit to wilderness areas:
“Recently I did one of the hikes at Manassas…I happened to look down to see a deep red tick about 2 inches below my knee. I picked it off (having not yet buried its head under my skin for lunch) and flung it away. I suppose they can lurk on the end of the tall grass and hop on as people pass by. From then on my friend and I kept checking each other, finding another couple on our legs as we progressed. I do not believe I had been bitten. The color was just the tick's natural color. But I learned from a ranger to always have a little zip lock bag with you so the tick can be placed in it for analysis if necessary. So the day ended at home, a good shower and dinner. Waking up the next day I felt a little stir on my collar bone. You guessed it, a tick. In my bed!! I picked it off and placed it in a zip lock bag. That gave me the shivers - where could it have hidden? In my hair? I had showered and shampooed…Don't forget the zip lock back for ticks. And maybe long hiking pants...”
HATRED KNOWS NO ETHNICITY
In response to my observations regarding the racist comments spoken by, and shared with, Los Angeles City Council members, several people noted that we ought not be surprised with the open hostility of a Hispanic person toward Black and white people. The repeated observation is that disdain for those of another ethnicity is not restricted to those in the majority. Politics in Los Angeles has raised the stakes of a simmering hostility, as different groups vie for representation and influence. This was simply an example of people being recorded; there no doubt are many more conversations like this one but which have not been publicly shared.
Bob Lameres noted a story of his youth, when he witnessed an argument between his Chinese landlady and a Cambodian store clerk. He learned that many members of these two groups dislike those in the other group. Bob’s observation is that racism exists in every culture and country. It is not exclusive to any single group—regardless of their history or position in society.
A LITTLE INSPIRATION
“Great is the power of steady misrepresentation, but the history of science shows that fortunately this power does not long endure.” –Charles Darwin, The Origin of the Species
“In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts; they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Self-Reliance”
“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.” -- Alexis de Tocqueville
Have a great day,
Glenn
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