To be honest, I wasn’t certain I’d show up here again or not. Thinking that if I have nothing worthwhile to say, I should say nothing seemed pertinent, but, on the other hand, that has never stopped me before. So, I go on with my fingers on the keyboard.

There are a multitude of political and social issues dominating the news and discussions right now, but what sticks in my mind is my doctor at my wellness appointment Monday remarking, “You have a significant birthday coming up.” In  fact, I have spent this year so far not being 69, but constantly thinking, YOU ARE GOING TO BE 70.

70 is not the new anything.

Quite frankly, a lot of people tell me that I don’t look anywhere near my age, and that perks me up . . . for a while, and then I think, but that doesn’t make me not my age.

Then there will be the problem of protesting: No, I am not senile; I have always been odd, eccentric and snarky. And they will probably nod their heads sympathetically and smile pityingly. 

So, that’s my mood today; not an uplifting one. Well, at least I am not a golfer because we have had cold rain, wind, more cold rain and, today, bless the Weather God’s heart, snow.

But, returning to political issues, let me remain steadfast in my declaration about Joe Biden:

AmeliaJake can’t stand that man.

I have been watching a lot of documentaries about WWII, now that they are readily available on subscription network services. As a student of history, I have read countless books about the same subject. Just this week, I watched a documentary on The Battle of Okinawa and the Japanese intention to fight until the last man. I have read the Rape of Nanking and about the Bataan Death March, and, of course, let us not forget The Bridge Over the River Kwai. Then, again, as they say, that is now history.

Today I clicked on a story about a man who had survived the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan. I heard the narrator state: And America caused two of the greatest disasters in human history.

I felt like throwing the remote at the television. America did not cause the disasters. And this is not just history; this is the truth.

After all, there had been the Potsdam Proclamation calling upon Japan to surrender;

The final section demanded that the government of Japan “proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces.” The alternative for Japan was “prompt and utter destruction.

Then there were the LeMay Leaflets:

LeMay leaflets

Read this carefully as it may save your life or the life of a relative or friend. In the next few days, some or all of the cities named on the reverse side will be destroyed by American bombs. These cities contain military installations and workshops or factories which produce military goods. We are determined to destroy all of the tools of the military clique which they are using to prolong this useless war. But, unfortunately, bombs have no eyes. So, in accordance with America’s humanitarian policies, the American Air Force, which does not wish to injure innocent people, now gives you warning to evacuate the cities named and save your lives. America is not fighting the Japanese people but is fighting the military clique which has enslaved the Japanese people. The peace which America will bring will free the people from the oppression of the military clique and mean the emergence of a new and better Japan. You can restore peace by demanding new and good leaders who will end the war. We cannot promise that only these cities will be among those attacked but some or all of them will be, so heed this warning and evacuate these cities immediately.

With the rejection of the Potsdam Proclamation, Hiroshima was bombed on August 6, 1945. In light of no Japanese surrender, the Army Air Corps dropped more leaflets:

Hiroshima leaflets (main text)

TO THE JAPANESE PEOPLE:

America asks that you take immediate heed of what we say on this leaflet.

We are in possession of the most destructive explosive ever devised by man. A single one of our newly developed atomic bombs is actually the equivalent in explosive power to what 2000 of our giant B-29s can carry on a single mission. This awful fact is one for you to ponder and we solemnly assure you it is grimly accurate.

We have just begun to use this weapon against your homeland. If you still have any doubt, make inquiry as to what happened to Hiroshima when just one atomic bomb fell on that city.

Before using this bomb to destroy every resource of the military by which they are prolonging this useless war, we ask that you now petition the Emperor to end the war. Our president has outlined for you the thirteen consequences of an honorable surrender. We urge that you accept these consequences and begin the work of building a new, better and peace-loving Japan.

You should take steps now to cease military resistance. Otherwise, we shall resolutely employ this bomb and all our other superior weapons to promptly and forcefully end the war.

In Japan;

August 7:

A message to Vice Chief of the Imperial Army General Staff Torashiro Kawabe reports: “The whole city of Hiroshima was destroyed instantly by a single bomb.” Kawabe writes in his diary that he was “shocked tremendously,” but that the Imperial Army must continue to resist.

Because one was not enough to convince the Japanese to surrender, another was dropped on Nagasaki.

To be honest, I wasn’t certain I’d show up here again or not. Thinking that if I have nothing worthwhile to say, I should say nothing seemed pertinent, but, on the other hand, that has never stopped me before. So, I go on with my fingers on the keyboard.

There are a multitude of political and social issues dominating the news and discussions right now, but what sticks in my mind is my doctor at my wellness appointment Monday remarking, “You have a significant birthday coming up.” In  fact, I have spent this year so far not being 69, but constantly thinking, YOU ARE GOING TO BE 70.

70 is not the new anything.

Quite frankly, a lot of people tell me that I don’t look anywhere near my age, and that perks me up . . . for a while, and then I think, but that doesn’t make me not my age.

Then there will be the problem of protesting: No, I am not senile; I have always been odd, eccentric and snarky. And they will probably nod their heads sympathetically and smile pityingly. 

So, that’s my mood today; not an uplifting one. Well, at least I am not a golfer because we have had cold rain, wind, more cold rain and, today, bless the Weather God’s heart, snow.

But, returning to political issues, let me remain steadfast in my declaration about Joe Biden:

AmeliaJake can’t stand that man.

I suppose it has happened before and bound to happen again, but it just seems so wrong. I cringe at any comics who might not be able to resist. There is nothing I can do about it, other than to acknowledge that if Easter is this Sunday, then today is Good Friday, which when I got old enough to think about, seemed to be a misnomer.

It just occurred to me that Easter might be a better day to make resolutions, as opposed to New Year’s, but since people seldom keep them, it is probably a moot point.

Christianity is as simple or complicated as I guess philosophers (theologians – whatever) want to make it. After all these years of my life, I think it comes down to if not doing the right thing, then at least acknowledging to your conscience that you are not.

Some months ago, we watched a lot of news coverage about the devastation Puerto Rico encountered from a hurricane, and, along with the reports of damage were also reports that the infrastructure of the island was very unstable. You got the idea it was cobbled together and extremely vulnerable to adverse conditions. Whether it be corruption at work (or non-work) was not really addressed. The headlines just emphasized it was an island in a hurricane area that would be devastated by high winds and sea surges, etc.

That was, of course, bad for the residents when it happened. All sorts of news shows highlighted the disaster and the length of time for help to reach the residents. Apparently, some supplies set in delivery areas with no way of reaching those needing them.

What I have been wondering about lately is how recovery is being handled in Puerto Rico; I don’t find  internet news headlines linking to follow-up information. Is Puerto Rico being rebuilt in a responsible manner? Is there corruption siphoning off money or not? Is the power structure being rebuilt stronger . . . or are really long extension cords crisscrossing the island, sort of the way I manage to get my electric lawnmower to reach the far corners of my yard?

And, then, who holds the responsibility for rebuilding? The Army Corps of Engineers probably is trying to get power to people, but does that entail the building a secure infrastructure or it is just their job to provide access to power? I believe, in such situations, they work under FEMA and are not tasked with construction of a brand-new, really good infrastructure.

In short, I know nothing about what is going on in Puerto Rico now, although I was inundated with videos and pictures of the destruction and, before that, with predictions that a bad hurricane would deal with Puerto Rico the way the big bad wolf did with the pigs’ houses that were not built of brick.

So . . . is there money for brick? Is it getting to responsible people? This would be a slower news story, of course, and it appears that more than not, the public eye is drawn to the WHOOOSH and then when that is over, the newscasters intone, “Well, moving on . . .

For several years I didn’t watch TV at all, except for when I was at the Ohio Redoubt apartment and Der Bingle and I marathon-ed Midsomer Murders. That series can be a little confusing at times, and there were times, I’m certain, when he and I would be sitting there, not really wanting to admit we had no idea who killed whom at what English festival. But we soldiered on, with some   to provide cringing laughter.

However, I got it in my head that the TV screen here was too little and so I took advantage of holiday sales and then realized I had to justify this big thing with high resolution. So, Cameron and I watched some rental movies and then he tuned into some Netflix documentaries and I found myself binge watching my way through empires, dynasties, revolutions and Indie movies.

Then somewhere along the line, he put The Travel Channel on and, after having traveled to many exotic areas, I find myself watching Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods. This afternoon, although I have been telling myself I will quit after the current episode, I have kept watching and actually learning quite a bit about South American cuisine and German beer gardens (which I learned got their name from the groves of Chestnut trees that grew above the cellars that were dug when a law was passed that Munich could not brew in the hot, dry months of summer because of fires.)

I finally picked up the remote and just as I was going to hit the OFF button, the promo said Houston would be the next table visited. So, I watched, thinking about asking Quentin if he had been eating any of the featured foods. I was surprised to learn that Houston has the biggest Czech population in the US. Who knew? Not me – until now. So tonight I will probably be researching that and a bunch of other factoids I learned about various countries on the Internet. I guess that would be my homework.

I have written about my cousin Lana who is nine months younger than I am, and so, for a few months, we are the same age. She is the one who sat on Roy.

Anyway, her eldest son is head coach of the basketball team at Hanover College and the season has ended – but not before they won their conference for the second year in a row and not before they played in the NCAA. YEA!

Hanover College basketball page.