Lexington and Concord

(The Battle Heard Round the World) By; George Daughan What I learned by reading this book was that most Americans at the time were satisfied to be a part of the English Empire. This changed when England started exacting income from the Colonies. The Stamp Tax had been repealed in 1765 but King George insisted that at least one tax should be in effect. This was the Tea Tax. The famous Tea Party incident occurred December 16, 1773 in Boston Harbor when a hundred well organized townsmen, thinly disguised as Mohawks, boarded the British cargo vessels Dartmouth, Beaver and Eleanor and dumped 92,000 pounds of Tea into the water to protest being taxed without consent. Thousands gathered at the wharf to watch. When news of this reached London, King George III was furious and resolved to punish the offenders. The Parliament agreed and an edict was approved to close down Boston Harbor until reparations had been paid. Not content with this, another Act was approved referred to as the Regulating Bill. It removed political power from the people, nullified the Massachusetts Charter of 1691 and gave the power to the King and Parliament. The thought was this would regain control by cowing the Americans. It did just the opposite feelings were stirred not only in New England but throughout the colonies creating a togetherness that had not existed before. A continental Congress was established meeting in Philadelphia of all of the colonies except Georgia to decide on a course of action. They wrote a letter to the King swearing allegiance but insisting on local government and no tax without consent. This was summarily rejected by the King. He resolved to force his will. The colonists responded by forming militias in every town and started training. The General in charge of Boston was General Gage. The King insisted he be aggressive but he controlled his troops until finally he was forced to take offensive action. He sent a force to destroy military stores known to exist in Concord. Knowing of this, militias gathered from all over New England. There were about 50 in Lexington as the British troops came near. The British troops opened fire killing and wounding a number of Americans. As they headed towards Concord the militias started firing at them. There were thousands. The British retreated towards Boston taking heavy casualties. From here there was no turning back, the American Revolution started shortly thereafter. Jack B. Walters August 25, 2018

Capital

In the Twenty-First century By; Thomas Piketty This is an incredible book of research and discovery. It is 753 pages of data and information that he has gathered from the i8th, 19th and 20 centuries and ends in 2010. It was published in 2013. For a layman like me it was difficult to comprehend as it went from place to place. It took me three weeks to finish. I had to stop to try to retain what I thought I had learned. He has reams of info from France, England, Germany, America and other countries. It includes a chapter on the European Union and their decision to create a common currency (the Euro). The main issue for me was the fact that thru out recorded history there has always been a few people at the top owning 60% or more of Capital assets while the lowest 50% own virtually nothing. During World War I and II, drastic measures were taken thru taxation and because of the destruction of buildings, factories, etc. which had the effect of equalizing incomes. During WWII, F.D.R. imposed 90% income tax on income over $25,000. He reasoned that no one should profit from a war when 12 million of our men were in uniform risking their lives for our country. I only intend to emphasize the years from WWII to today and beyond. What has gone on before is of interest but my concern is the future. I will be adding my thoughts as it relates to 2018. The tax cuts approved last year had a favorable effect on most everyday working and retired people. Take home pay has increased and the loss of American jobs has lessened. That was good as far as it went but much more needs to be done to correct the obvious distortion with the top one percent and ten percent owning so much. He points out that the very rich have the means to add 6 to 7% to their wealth on an annual basis while the next level down adds 4to 5% all of which is far and above what even those of us with means can earn while the bottom does not benefit at all. The only way to correct is by increasing the taxes and limiting inheritance for this select group. This is extremely hard to do as actions taken by one country can have capital sent from there to other countries with lessor taxes. Coordinating on a world wide scale could solve this problem. He is not optimistic that this will ever occur. In the meantime he suggests small increases sufficient to stop the ever spiraling increase in wealth at the top. This would leave the very rich with their fortunes but at least it would stop them from growing. If this is not brought under control chaos could result. He is also a believer in global warming and the negative consequence if not corrected. The ultra-rich princes in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the other oil rich countries, continues to distort worldwide wealth. A massive effort towards attaining renewable energy sources to replace oil would have the secondary effect of decreasing this distortion. I don’t recommend reading except for those in a position to understand and initiate corrective action. This book has five pages by respected persons and organizations applauding Mr. Piketty’s outstanding achievement. It seems so simple to me. All it takes is the courage to take the recommended steps. Jack B. Walters August 18, 2018

Sports letter to the editor

Arizona Daily Star Headline-September17, 2017 “Arrest of UA Assistant Rocks Hoops Program” Eleven months later in today’s Star we find that the NCAA has cleared investigators to move ahead with cases involving Arizona and other schools. This is a travesty for Arizona. A school we take great pride in, with Miller continuing the legacy of Olson to run a clean program. As the cloud continues to cast doubt, we know already that our program has lost great recruits. No doubt those we are pursuing even now may decide not to take the risk. Those responsible for dragging this on so long should be themselves penalized. Their behavior is unconscionable. Jack B. Walters August 10, 2018

American Wolf by; Nate Blakeslee

(A true story of survival and obsession in the West) This book was a birthday gift from my son and his wife. They had listened to it over their radio as they drove to Buffalo for my 90th Birthday Party. There were and still are interested people who have devoted their lives studying the lives of wolves in Yellowstone Park. Rick McIntyre a renowned naturalist is featured in the book. As we read we get to know individual wolves by their numbered names. One in particular was O-Six. She was a strong leader of her pack and nursed a number of pups to majority. We learn that in addition to being superb killing machines, they have personalities and emotions, showing caring attitudes and anger. They protect their pact as best they can. I always wondered how they fed their cubs. They gorge on a kill and return to the den and regurgitate the meat. Millions of tourists visited with Rick watching the wolves. They created a lobbying group when open hunting was proposed for Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. When the massive Stimulus Bill was approved under President Obama there was wording hidden in the bill taking away judges authority to stop hunting and the killing spree began. This resulted in the death of 0-Six, other collared wolves and hundreds of others. To his credit in the fall of 2011 when Congress once again tried to attach a wolf related rider to a must pass bill, President Obama insisted on a clean bill and it was removed. The really interesting thing about wolves is that their presence improved the eco-system. The balance created by them worked miracles. Without the threat of wolves, they congregated in the lower valleys living like cattle which resulted in erosion and silt clogging the streams. After wolves, they spent more time in the woods. There were other benefits as well. You will have to read to understand or go to the Internet but it appears true. You may find this book interesting to read, I did. Jack B. Walters August 4, 2018

Death of a Nation By; Dinesh D'Souza

(A Documentary) Once again D’Souza has entered the political arena demonizing the Democratic Party. His two previous films were about Obama and Hillary. In this one he reviews this party from the 1860’s and their pro-slavery agenda. Lincoln and the Republican Party opposed them. Slavery was the issue at that time even though preserving the Union was the justification. He reminds us how difficult it was to pass the 13th and 14th Amendments when nearly all Northern Democrats were opposed. After the Federal Troops were removed from the South the Democrats, synonymous with the K.K.K. kept the colored people in virtual bondage preventing them from voting, owning valuable property and guns. This continued until the 1960’s when Civil Rights legislation was enacted. President Lyndon Johnson was powerful enough to persuade the Southerners to go along. He claimed they would have the black vote for the next 200 years. There was a segment about white immigrants being controlled and forced to work for low wages while being urged to vote Democrat. He points out correctly in my opinion that President Wilson was racist. After taking office he eliminated people of the black race from government. He had the film “Birth of a Nation” shown in the White House. This film glorified the K.K.K. He recounts the rise of Hitler and Mussolini and the tragedies that resulted from them including the wholesale murder of millions of Jews, gypsies, communists, invalids and even Christian ministers and priests. The one part I disagreed violently was his condemnation of President F.D.R. To me and most Americans alive during his years in office we considered him our savior. He did what he could while trying to keep the South as part of his party. When President Truman desegregated the military the Southerners broke away and created the Dixiecrat Party. He ends by exhorting Americans to support the Republican Party under the leadership of President Trump, and further chastens Republican officials to get behind his programs. There was applause when the movie ended. Guess most were of a like mind. I feel so alone sometimes it encouraged me. Go to see it for yourself and you decide. Jack B. Walters August 4, 2018

90th Birthday Hike

We picked a warm, humid, overcast day to do this hike. The gnats annoyed us, going after our sweaty heads. Nonetheless it was a great day, especially for me, as thirty-one club members and five guests came to hike with us. We took frequent breaks since this was considered as a social hike with great conversations by all. I took them to the back side of the water tower where a stone cross had been made years ago. I also made the point of how much my hiking stick means to me. It was made by Bob Cardell. Then I led everyone down two trails back to the parking lot. Roxanna and many willing helpers arranged the refreshments in the picnic grove for the party following the hike. Thank you to all who assisted with the party set-up. We were joined by ten Blacketts Ridge hikers for the celebration. Sincere thanks to everyone who shared this special day with me to hike or celebrate at the party afterwards. I am grateful for the kind words and memories expressed, the special cards with thoughtful sentiments, and especially for the many friends in this club who made this birthday so memorable. • • • • ________________________________________

A Full Life by Jimmy Carter

(Reflections at 90) I really enjoyed reading this book. Jimmy Carter has not received the credit he deserves. From his earliest days he was a caring individual. At 95 he still tries to be helpful in any way he can. What an example for all of us to aspire too. I learned a lot about him that I hadn’t known. He grew up in a small town in Georgia. Most of his neighbors were black. He had many black friends. He tried to understand why his father and most others considered themselves superior just because their skin color was white. He did his work on the farm increasing effort as he grew older. He was admitted to the Naval Academy graduated just as WWII was ending. Submarines were his ship of choice and he was on subs during the Korean War. He served with Admiral Rickover on the USS Seawolf, the first nuclear submarine. President Truman desegregated the military in 1948. It was accepted with equanimity by his crew. They formed a softball team. Their star pitcher was black. They lost few games because of his skill. One time while in Nassau the crew was invited to a ball with the edict that colored sailors were not invited. As a result they declined the invitation. That meant a lot to me. He decided to leave the Navy and return to farming. He became active in many organizations and later ran for public office as State Senator. He faced ballot stuffing and seemed to lose but after the smoke cleared he did win the seat. He followed this by being elected as Governor of Georgia. I was impressed to read that he was able to condense more than 300 state agencies to 22 and to consolidate twenty issuers of bonds to just one. The State enjoyed a triple-A bond rating. I among the majority voted for him as President. He lists the many issues that he faced. The one I was most critical of was giving away the Panama Canal. The huge loss of American lives creating it and the extreme value it continues to be for America screamed to not do it. I leave it to you to read for yourself. Overall his tenure was very successful. It is after leaving office that the goodness of this great man was realized. Among them was Habitat for Humanity, solving the Haiti problem resulting in Clinton recalling the paratroopers in midair, going to N. Korea to attempt to reason with the Dictator and many others. Jack B. Walters August 2, 2018