bubbah's Blog

 I remember when I was a kid, there was a man who beat his wife regularly in front of his kids for many years. His kids were my friends. They ran to our house many times needing emergency help, ambulances, police. Their dad broke their mom's bones, legs, arms, knocked all her teeth out with a shoe, ran over her once, shot at her regularly. It was awful.

 When their dad was sober he was great.  He took us fishing, went to the jail and bonded out felons, went on hunts to the middle of nowhere for bail jumpers, fun fun fun. Through him, I've met bank robbers and murderers, corrupt police officers who worked for him, corrupt politicians he bought off (some were my relatives), some were presidents (that's right), corrupt judges and governors, and I learned a few things about politicians. I learned that when politicians say they are for something, they are actively working against it covertly, like Al Gore. You can complain about global sky falling all you want, but, is it also OK to  aprove the worst polluters in America to continue unabated with no pollution control? They OK'd hundreds of thousands of untreated tons per hour to come out of 3M's smokestacks. They tried to hide the evidence. That point was brought home. That is just one tiny example. 

 How about the law and order judges and prosecutors allowing certain criminals to get out of jail free? More of the same. 

 It all had a familiar "family face" on it all. It was family, we all knew each other, we were all friends, it was going to continue as the next generation was being prepped to asume control.

 AS A CHILD, I COULD SEE THIS WAS NOT GOING TO WORK OUT INTO THE FUTURE FOR A LOT OF THE VICTIMS OF THE EFFECTS OF THIS SYSTEM AND EVENTUALLY, SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.

  DISEASE SPREADS, UNOPPOSED AND UNABATED.

 Since I was present and listening astutely, as instructed, I understood early on that this was how the big wheels really turned in politics. It's an inside game for those who know how to work the wheels. It's a very dirty busines. The people involved are very affable, no one would hate them instantly. They can get in with a smile, do you a favor or two, ask for some help and then you are hooked in and hooked up. 

 The price.

 No one thinks of the price, just the benefits, as if they outweigh the future. THAT really is the mantra of the group. 

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

 They never think about who owns all the bushes the birds live in who made the birds.

 Get to know the gardner, the servant, the one you think is not listening or hearing you. 

Do you think the servant is not astute? You will soon discover who is in control.

 For mankind to have a future, mankind must do what works for all, and what works for all time.

 There is no possible other way.

You would think that as a father, my friend's dad would have known that.

 He died, lost the use of his legs, his wife, the love of his children, his ill-gotten amassed fortune, most of his "friends", and all his influence before he died. He died living in an apartment, in a wheelchair, after owning slums, living with a woman who once worked for him, who constantly plotted how to strip him of his fortune. His last days were hell.

 No one profited from his entire life.

 His son, once an extremely intelligent honors student, member of the president's physical fitness team, straight A's, multilingual, is now an alcoholic diabetic who beats his wife and works a very demeaning job.

 Society is better for how it worked out for that father and all the promise his children had, and they all had promise.

 They all have children. 

What will they pass on to them?

I wonder if they've ever thought about that question themselves.

 Happy Father's Day.