President Adams' and his pet Gator

     By Florida Bill                                     

                                    One thing about living in Florida, you can never predict when an alligator might turn up as an uninvited guest on your property.  A few days ago, a Boca Raton Florida home owner stepped from his door into the sunshine of his backyard and prepared for a swim.  

                                          As he looked at the swirling, inviting blue water, he was taken aback to see an eight-foot long gator cruising about the bottom of the pool.  Gathering his aplomb, homeowner and father, Matt Fino, notified his family of the unwelcome fellow, and his wife, kids and a small dog all came to take a look.  Police and wildlife trappers were called and hustled to the home, where they removed the interloper and sent him (or her) to a place where gators can live and  not cause problems. 
                                         Gators have actually been around Florida and the southern states for a very long time--and they don't seem to have evolved much. They have a decidedly prehistoric look about them. Some 1.8 million of them are said to be residing in the magnificent Everglades which covers one and one-half millions acres in the central portion of the state.  They wander off from time to time, moving about via the canals which weave in and out of many communities. 

                                          And believe it or not, some persons might even look upon a big toothy gator as a pet---just keep him well fed and away from some one's foot or the family dog and he can be part of the family.  And his digs could be anything from a fenced in muddy pen behind a barn, a tub, or even special quarters provided by the rich and famous.  

                                           Way back in 1826, America's sixth president, John Quincy Adams, received an alligator as a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette, a general in the American Revolutionary war and a leader of the Garde Nationale during the French Revolution.  Apparently he was both a friend of Adams and an admirer of dangerous reptiles.  He presented the big-toothed fellow to President Adams who resided in the White House on Pennsylvania avenue. 

                                           Historians tell us that Adams developed affection and a healthy respect for the critter which he then kept in a bathtub in the East Room.  The President enjoyed introducing guests and dignitaries to his pet and was tickled when they first came upon it and reacted  nervously, unaccustomed to seeing such a critter sitting in a bathtub in the nation's most famous house. 
                                            That was President Quincy Adams, son of John Adams, America's second President and the successor to George Washington. 
                                             About 100 years later, in 1931, President Herbert Hoover had the company of two alligators in the White House.  It wasn't  exactly Hoover who gave them a home there--it was his son Allan Henry Hoover who enjoyed and promoted his pets.  Allan had charge of two gators, which he kept in a bathtub.  From time to time, so the story goes, the gators would find their way onto the White House grounds where they would slither about sunning themselves.  Occasionally, when surprised White House visitors stumbled upon the alligators, they would stare a bit and then report their presence to the Secret Service.  Allan would be notified and his wards would be returned to their tub. 
                                            Actually,  it isn't too unusual for alligators to show up in a pool in sunny Florida, like the recent incident in Boca Raton, as these intimidating animals do get around. Florida with its everglades is a maze of intersecting canals and waterways and stories abound of their turning up in unusual places.  It is the rare Florida golfer who has not bumped into one on the links, sometimes even on the greens. 
                                            Just a few days ago, a four foot  alligator crawled under a car in a Sarasota shopping center while the patron was in the mall. A couple of sheriff's deputies corralled him and had him moved to an "appropriate wetlands."   
                                       Last July, a ten-foot alligator made its way to the dugout of a baseball field in Port Charlotte.  It unnerved players as they arrived for a game, but after the animal was rousted, the game was played. In 2016 there was a report of a Florida congressman who attended a funeral on Merritt Island and when he prepared to leave found a big guy under his automobile. An animal squad relocated the gator, and the congressman left safely with just a story to tell.  
                                       In April of 2016, in Sherlington, Louisiana, a homeowner was greeted by a sizable intruder behind an easy chair in his living room.  As you might guess, he was a bit unnerved, and called police. A wandering gator from the bayous, or maybe a neighbor's pet who wanted out? 
                                        Spring--mating season-- is undoubtedly the most likely time to see male alligators on the move, looking for females to make baby gators with. They are often seen stopping traffic, cutting across backyards to get from pond to pond, and just generally making themselves obnoxious in residential neighborhoods.
                                       At one time alligators were approaching extinction and were an endangered species. As a result, hunting was prohibited and their habitats protected.  No more. The alligator has made a dramatic recovery and the "endangered" designation was removed in 1987.  About the only predator an adult gator has is an especially large python, and there has been evidence of a few epic battles between the two  in the Everglades. Usually there is no winner.
                                       So of course, the presence of gators today is  way up and licensed hunting is now a sport and the sale of alligator meat and skin has become a respectable industry in the South. 
                                       
                                               xxx

The Generous USA.

  By Florida Bill       

                                        It is an understatement to say that the United States is the most magnanimous nation on planet earth. Its great arms and largess extend to 142 countries, touching 76 per cent of the world.
                                        Annually, it writes checks totaling $35 billion in foreign aid and it does all this despite being saddled with a national debt of $19 trillion dollars.  That generosity goes out, compliments of America's taxpayers.  Eighty six per cent of the money goes to nations in the Middle East and Africa.  
                                         It is difficult to get your mind around the enormity of the $35 billion being doled out by the United States.  In raw numbers, a billion dollars is 1,000 millions.  So the aid which is distributed to other nations, big and small, amounts to thirty-five thousand million dollars each year.  
                                         If you consider that there are 306 million Americans living in some 30,000 cities, towns and villages inside 50 states, you might wonder how come some of those billions are not used to improve homegrown infrastructure; to pave roads and to repair tottering bridges as federal projects. Use a few billions to make life a little easier for the poverty-stricken--imagine the jobs that could be created. 
                                        With Donald Trump as the President, he should be able to find a measly $15 billion for the wall he talks about, assuming, of course, that the tab for the wall is not picked up by the Mexican government. Any spill over can be applied to the debt. 
                                          Lots of Americans are meat and potatoes people who are careful not to let their personal spending go haywire, driving them into a black hole of debt.  In view of the country's huge debt, its largess is remarkable--kind of crazy you could say. Yes, let's help those who need it, but does it make sense to allow our own house to get in disarray while printing and handing out money.  America's debt increases by $32,000 each second and by two billion dollars each day.  Some financial experts tell us that the USA, with its wild spending, is headed for bankruptcy. 
                                          Nineteen trillion dollars, the national red paper,  makes the $35 billion in foreign aid look like peanuts. A trillion equates to one thousand (1,000) billions; so 19 trillion equates to nineteen thousand (19,000) billions.  The amount is staggering, incomprehensible.   One fascinating descriptive analogy of the national debt is that if you live to be 80 years old, your heart will beat about 3 billion times;  And it would take 602,000 years for 19 trillion heartbeats to tick away. 
                                         The debt is what it is. But then, what is foreign aid all about, and where and to whom does the money go?  It helps out a lot of needy countries and people and maybe the countries will like us in return.  Kind of a quid-quo pro, you might say.  The United States has an annual budget of about $4 trillion dollars.  Relative to this bottom line, foreign aid constitutes less than one per cent of annual spending-- not enough to make any real difference.
                                          The top recipients of aid in 2014 were five nations in the Middle East:  Israel, $3.5 billion;  Egypt, $1.5 billion; Iraq, $300 million; Jordan, $300 million; and Pakistan, $280 million.  Israel is a cherished friend and America's only genuine ally in the Middle East. Over the years, Israel has received well over $100 billion dollars in aid from America and has developed the military strength to counter any attack.    Egypt which has been in and out of favor,  has received more than $70 billion dollars between 1948 and the present. 
                                           American foreign aid is designed to assist individual countries in two general areas: economic assistance and military assistance.  The billions for Israel currently and in the past have been used primarily for military build up and protection against nations like Iran and the Palestinians who refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist and are dedicated to its destruction. For sure, America has its back. 
                                          Conservative members of Congress and Libertarians question the extent of America's foreign aid.  Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has said that "in our hours of need, why send billions of tax dollars to countries which hate us.  I support aid to allies when it promotes American interests, like  Israel; but I oppose foreign aid for countries that hate us and burn our flag.  It is the wrong thing to do." 
                                         Phyllis Pomerant, a professor of public policy at Duke University observes that America is generous and there are nations with poor people that need help. Alongside other nations which give aid to other countries, she points out, the United States "has one of the lowest percentages of gross national income donated to foreign aid," indicating that the USA is in a position to do more to help  those that need assistance.  It is also true, analysts tell us, that only 30 per cent of USA assistance goes to the least developed countries in the world. 
                                          Yes, America is--and should be-- generous, no question about that.  Yet Sen. Paul has an excellent point--no aid for countries that hate us.  Remember the films of jubilation in Pakistan,  men, women and children dancing in the streets, after hearing news of he 9-11 attack in New York where  2,500 Americans were killed.  
                                        But something needs to be done about the national debt which soared by $10 trillion under President Obama. 
                                   America needs to put its own house in order and be sensible in its foreign aid programs, and it should quit doling out money it doesn't have to countries which stomp Old Glory and hate us. 

                                                      XXX

Cairn Message: We'll meet again

  By Florida Bill 

                           "To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious
                                         afternoon is to be back in Eden where doing
                                         nothing was not boring --it was peace."

                                     Recently I saw a sad piece about a 15-year-old special little Cairn terrier who would be leaving his home soon for places unknown and beyond.  Left behind with indescribable sadness and grief will be the human family who raised and loved him.  But is it over for certain?  Is there a chance that somehow, somewhere, there could be a reunion? Is the thought too far-fetched?
                                     There is some very good authority telling us that there will be a happy reunion with that faithful little fur head at that glorious meeting ground known as the Rainbow Bridge, gateway to Heaven.  The authority has come our way from Pope Francis who made a visit to the United States in 2015.  We heard his voice  calling for peace in the world and for love and respect for all men.  But in another  message, the Pontiff observed that our four-footed friends are not lost forever and that "Paradise is open to all of God's creatures."   Really good news for us dog people.
                                    Actually,  Francis is not the only Pope who has said that beloved pets do not make a permanent departure.   Some years ago, Pope Paul VI, while consoling a broken-hearted little boy whose pet had died, told the youngster that he would again see his dog in the "eternity of Christ."  His words were very comforting to the boy;  and yes, those words resonate in the same way with us old timers whose time on this earth is coming to an end. We are like our dogs, "short timers."  And it is good to know that religious experts confirm our long-held belief that we will be reunited with every dog we've ever had when that time comes. 
                                  The great American icon and humorist Will Rogers was a man who had a special affinity for four-footed family members.   And who knows, Will may this day tossing the ball to his canine friend up there beyond the clouds. Before he left, he was quoted as saying that "if there are no dogs in heaven, then, when I die,  I want to go where they went."    And of course, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of "The Secret Life of Dogs," was asked in an interview if she believed that all dogs go to heaven. Her answer was logic at its best: "If there are no dogs there, it is not heaven."
                                   Just what is this story and legend of the Rainbow Bridge?  Neither Pope Francis or Pope Paul mentioned the legend of the bridge, but I am betting that they are subscribers to it. 
                                   Accordingly, when a pet dies, he (or she)  goes to a meadow and is restored to perfect health, and spends their days running and playing with other dogs, with plenty of fresh food and water. The only thing that is not perfect is that he misses his owner left behind on earth.  When the owner dies, he approaches the meadow and it is at that moment that his pet sees him and their eyes meet.  Excited, the pet, with his little legs churning at top speed,  runs to the owner's outstretched arms  licking his face in joy, and side by side they cross the Rainbow Bridge together into heaven, never again to be separated.  I love that  story;  just picture the moment. 
                                   My wife and I have two Cairns, Sammi Smith, 8, and Wendy 6.  We don't travel too much because we are a bit resistant to leaving "the kids" behind at a kennel.  Suffice it to say, they occupy an important spot in our household. Often I will look into those faces and wonder who is running things; we or them; and then I realize, it is "them."
                                    Years ago I was a soldier in Korea for more than a year.  Soldiers were permitted to have a dog, and I had a small four footed pal  I named 'Maggie."  She ate the leftovers from meals and hung out in my barracks, finding security in the sleeping bag on my bed.  When I walked guard duty, she was there helping to keep watch during the black of night. When my tour in Far East Asia came to a close, I left in the back of an Army truck and my final vision of the post was "Maggie" sitting by the side of the road.  Unable to take Maggie with me, I often wonder about her final days, and, as a believer in the hereafter and the legend of the bridge, am confidant that I will  see that little lady again.
                                     As to that little guy who provided 15 years of unconditional affection and good times for his family, he may not be checking out permanently.  Til then, my friend.   
                                   
                                          XXX
                                     


.  

Lt. Lorance Seeks Justice

  By Florida Bill       

                                        Inside the dingy, barred cells at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, are two American soldiers taken down and stripped of all honor. One embodies the evil persona of an Islamic terrorist who has earned his death sentence.  The other is a patriot deserving of loyalty, understanding and respect, not punishment.   
                                        In one cell at the military prison is Major Nidal Hasan who shot and killed 13 fellow soldiers and wounded 32 others in an explosion of Islamic violence at Fort Hood, Texas in November of 2009.  He awaits execution, fitting justice for his ineffable crimes. 
                                           The other soldier is Lt. Clint Lorance, now 32,  who is serving a 20-year sentence for murder, and it is here that justice has gone haywire.  His alleged crime came during the height of dangerous combat in the mountains of Afghanistan as he ordered solders in his platoon to "engage" a trio of three men on a motor bike who he had reason to believe were Taliban soldiers on a suicide mission to kill Americans under his command.     
                                            For the young officer, it was  only his third day commanding the platoon on patrol in the Kandahar province, near Panzai in July of 2012.  He had replaced an officer who had been injured in an attack by the Taliban.  He made a split- second decision when he told his soldiers to fire on a trio of suspected miscreants on a motor bike heading toward his platoon. Two of the three Afghans were fatally shot and the third ran into the mountains. Subsequently, it was determined that the men killed were unarmed, though his attorneys have argued that the Afghans had terrorist connections.              
                                         The Taliban enemy cannot be identified by uniform and often are indistinguishable from Afghans who reside peacefully in villages.   To the lieutenant, danger to his platoon, even death, appeared all too imminent. Pondering the situation was for him not an option.
                                          Within 13 months, Lt. Lorance was charged with second degree murder, tried by a military court, found guilty, sentenced to prison, and stripped of all honor and dishonorably discharged.  It was "fast and sweet" and it pleased armchair critics and military pacifists who endorse political correctness on the battlefield.  But it was not justice, and it denigrated the patriotism and traditions of this great nation. 
                                            Lt. Lorance had reacted under difficult conditions as a soldier leading and protecting his platoon with nine men, and in accord with his training as an officer.  Did he act too quickly?   Maybe, but it was the hell of combat, and he had been warned by superior officers to be on guard for "make-believe" villagers whose one and only mindset is to kill Americans.  Lt Lorance understood the enemy and he did what he believed was right.  
                                          The sad truth is that there has been no justice for Lt. Lorance, who now ponders his life in a military prison and wonders how it all came to be. The idea that he is a "murderer" strains the logic of clear thinking persons. 
                                             Contrast the plight of First Lt. Lorance, a young man who loved his country and was proud to be a soldier and answer the nation's call during a time of war, with the conduct of Major Hasan, a medical doctor and a psychiatrist trained at army expense, who murdered companion soldiers in the "name of Allah."
                                              It took four long years after Hasan acted on November 9, 2009, to bring him to trial for the slaughtering of fellow soldiers.  With his gun blazing in that premeditated attack, he yelled "Allahu Akbar, (God is Great) and then mowed down innocent victims standing alongside him in an assembly hall at the large army base.  It was the worst mass killing in a military installation in United States history. 
                                               Immediately after his rampage, Hasan acknowledged his actions and offered no defense other than he was a "Soldier of Allah."  President Obama and his administration downplayed the incident and called it "workplace violence."  Hasan was shot and captured on the scene.  His wounds were severe and have left him in a wheel chair and for the years following his arrest and until his conviction, he has received daily medical care as well as his officer's pay which had amounted to $300,000.  His pay was terminated following conviction, but his daily sustenance and medical attention continues.  
                                            Hasan declined legal representation at trial, and delayed the court marshal for unreasonable periods, demanding permission to wear his Islamic beard and to represent himself in the proceedings. He was found guilty of the premeditated murders in August, 2013 and sentenced to death several weeks later. He now awaits his execution pending mandatory appeals. 
                                              Four years have now passed and the wheels of justice inch along slowly.  Hasan requests that there be no appeals and that the order of the court be carried out immediately so as to assure his martyrdom for his acts which have received praise from Muslim extremists and others who endorse him as a hero. 
                                               Army prosecutors were too quick to find fault with Lt. Lorance.  The actual soldiers who shot the Afghans (it wasn't Lorance) could have declined an improper order from their lieutenant, but they did not, and more than one fired their weapons. They were granted immunity from prosecution so long as they laid the blame entirely on Lt. Lorance for acting recklessly and with malice for middle easterners. 
                                                Clint Lorance was 28 years old and had been a soldier for 10 years.  He had enlisted after high school and was making the military his career.  He loved the army, and his country and he sought to make his family proud.  His mother and his friends who knew him praise his character and devotion to duty.  As a soldier, he studied and eventually obtained a commission as a second lieutenant and later was promoted to first lieutenant.  No matter how you wish to examine this case, Clint Lorance is no murderer and does not belong in a military prison. 
                                                To date his appeals have been denied by higher courts.  His petition for clemency and pardon containing the signatures of tens of thousands of persons was submitted to President Obama who ignored it, and choose instead, before leaving office in January, 2017, to pardon some 1,700 drug dealers and users, and Pvt. Bradley Manning who had been convicted of stealing classified documents and having them distributed world wide. Manning was freed even though his betrayal had placed the interests of the United States and its undercover agents in danger.  
                                                  A new petition signed by hundreds of thousands have now been forwarded to the desk of President Trump for consideration for a pardon. The Republican President,  unlike Obama, is respectful of the military and of the men and women who wear the country's uniform.  
                                                   The bottom line is that Lt. Lorance was a dedicated army officer serving during combat in the mountains of Afghanistan, and he did what he believed was right and in the interests of the nine soldiers serving under his command. His attorneys have said that there is evidence that the Afghans who were shot had connections to terrorists, but that that evidence has been overlooked.  President Trump is being asked to examine the whole picture and to provide the justice that Lorance deserves.  Mr. President, Major Hasan is a murderer.  Clint Lorance is no murderer.  
                                                  XXX                                                  

sea turtles

  By Florida Bill     

                          If you are strolling along one of the many Florida beaches, you might catch sight of a path leading away from the water, resembling one made by a truck tire.  It won't remain there long as the tide will soon wipe it away.  But it was there for a special reason. It marked the arduous, sand-flipping journey of a sea turtle who crossed the beach to dig a nest in the sand, deposit her eggs, and return to the water. 

                         In some 45 to 70 days, those eggs will break open and hatchlings will emerge en masse and with their tiny flippers, wend their way to the water.

                         For about one out of every one thousand of these tiny creatures, it will be the beginning of a long life in the water.  For the rest, Mother Nature has laid out a perilous road, strewn with pollution, chemicals, discarded fishing gear, disorienting beach lighting, boaters, coastal development, and of course, natural predators.

                        Among the sea turtle species are the Leatherbacks, Greens, Loggerheads and Hawkbills.  Each nest in the sand, shaped like a light bulb, will contain from 80 to 120 eggs the size of ping pong balls. Each mother can lay multiple nests.

                        Sea turtles are endangered species pursuant to Florida law and in accord with the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973.  Nova Southeastern University manages the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program in partnership with Broward County. An important part of this effort is the Marine Environmental Education Center (MEEC), based in the Carpenter House, which is situated along the shores of the Atlantic in Hollywood, Florida. 

                        The facility is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturdays, and the friendly staff will deliver a full plate of "turtle talk," and answer questions concerning the fascinating life of these animals. (Visit nova.edu/meec for more information.)                                              

                         The life of sea turtles can last for 50 to 75 years   Starting their life as a one inch long hatchling, some species like the loggerheads and leatherbacks will grow mightily and attain a weight of 1,500 to 2,000 pounds, explained the facility director, Dr. Derek A. Burkholder, a turtle and shark marine scientist. Their life is then spent gliding about the ocean floors like Jules Vernes' Nautilus, surfacing from time to time for air and for depositing eggs into their nests in the sands.  

                         About 30 student and alumni volunteers assist the NSU researchers and staff who mark and monitor some 22-24 miles of shoreline for nesting mothers.  Nesting season begins in about mid-March, and continues through June, hatching continues into September.  So far this years, some 32,000 nests have been observed.  As the hatchlings  burst from their eggs and from the nests, staffers monitor them with red lights to make sure they make it to the water.

                        The nests are then inventoried, and any hatchlings who did not make it out by 7 a.m., along with those who were disoriented during their own march to the sea, are gathered up and kept in a dark, dry container at room temperature and released under supervision after 9 p.m. Hatchlings deemed unfit can be kept for two or three days. If they still aren't ready, they are sent to rescue facilities. Every step is part of the effort to improve those grim survival odds.
                        As part of a small group observing the baby turtles' race to the sea late one evening, we watched by dim red light--even the moon can disorient the hatchlings and send them flippering off in the wrong direction--as the turtles who had been collected earlier because they were in need of release, scattered and ran along the sand until they were swept up by the waves. Laggards were scooped up to try another night. 

                        Carpenter House also is home to a 52-pound (and gaining) Green turtle whose life for the last couple of years has been inside a pool fitted with a special filtration system next to the house.  With plenty of staff affection, that lady has been named "Captain" and she swims with abandon, with all meals and necessary medical care provided, explained Dr. Burkholder.

                        Captain was injured several years ago when she was struck  by a  boat which cracked her carapace, rendering her unable to dive and surface, and causing a condition known as "bubble butt."   To correct this, said Burkholder, staff scientists have affixed weights to Captain's carapace giving her the ability to function normally.  As she grows, the weights have to be adjusted. Captain eats about a head of lettuce and a good amount of vegetables daily, all provided in a special dip net device.  Green turtles live a long life and their weight may hit 250-400 pounds.  So,  Captain has some growing to do," Director Burkholder told a group of patrons visiting the facility.

                         Does the Captain get lonesome?  No, said Dr. Burkholder, I don't think so.  However there has been talk of introducing a second female Green by the name of Morgan into the pool, but there has been no decision on that. Captain seems quite content, said the director. Periodically, he said, she is lifted from the pool and examined by the scientists to assure that her vitals are in order, and that the carapace with its crack, is okay for swimming, diving for food and surfacing for air.  Turtles have lungs, as do other animals, and needs to surface to breathe from time to time, although they can remain under water for an extended period of time. 

                         The conservation facility also will intercept sea turtle mothers on their way to nest and will equip them with a flipper tag and an electronic satellite tag which enables the scientists to follow and record movements.  In some cases, the turtles will swim for thousands of miles, but generally will return to the same nesting vicinity every other year. 
                          There is also a sea turtle emergency response hotline. If you come across a dead, sick or injured sea turtle or hatchling, call 954-328-0580.
                                     
                       

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In the USA, Speak English

        By Florida Bill       

                                             The United States is truly an exceptional nation.  But in its 200 plus years of existence--and I would bet that a lot of people do not know this--no one ever succeeded in making "English" the official language of the country.

                                              Routinely, proposals for "Official English" are introduced in Congress.  There is often a good deal of talk and predictions that it will become law, but ultimately the bill dies until its resurrection in a future session.  It seems like it ought to be a slam-dunk, but it isn't.
                                               In recent days and months, we have heard  President Donald Trump point to the importance of speaking English. In one debate, he criticized a former governor for electing to speak in Spanish rather than in English.  
                                             "We will stop apologizing for America, and we will start celebrating America," Trump has asserted. "We will be united by our common culture, values and principles, becoming one American nation, and one country, under one constitution,  saluting one American flag," 
                                             Currently a bill seeking designation of English as the official language has been introduced by Iowa Congressman Steve King.  A long-time proponent of English as the official language of the USA, King has importuned the new president to get behind the legislation. The bill is called the English Language Unity Act.   
                                              Europe, it might be noted, has some 50 nations and each has its own official language, and I suspect that residents have pride in their homeland, as America does.  Many Europeans actually speak more than one language which often includes English, but in their home territory there is an official tongue.  In Spain it is Spanish;  in France it is French; in Germany, it is German,  and in Italy, it is Italian.  The United Kingdom has declared English as its official language as have some surprising spots like Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.  Official English in many, many places---but not in the United States.  
                                              There are roughly 6,500 spoken languages in the world today.  The most popular tongue is Mandarin Chinese with 1.2 billion persons speaking that language.  If you go to China and insist on speaking a language other than Chinese, and then try to demand government services in your foreign tongue, you won't get too far.  What you will get is the China boot.                         
                                              America is the world's most generous and exceptional nation, where everything is laid out in the Constitution and Bill of Rights--but no language is official.  Thirty-two of the 50 sovereign states have enacted a law declaring English as its official and primary language inside its state lines, and five states currently have legislation pending toward that end. 
                                               So why isn't English the official language of the USA?  American English is the language used for legislation, regulations, executive orders, treaties, federal court rulings, and all other official pronouncements so why not clear the table and have "English" receive its rightful and legitimate blessing. Then there would be something to back us up when we say to our legal (and illegal) visitors, "Learn English!" 
                                            Researchers tell us that around 90 per cent of Americans, both Republicans and Democrats, favor the declaration, yet the years pass and legislation is considered, but nothing ever happens.  Somehow, with "political correctness" going full tilt, the idea of requiring immigrants to learn English is seen in liberal corners as a "tool of oppression," bordering on racism.  
                                           Former President Obama believed that immigrants ought to learn English, but he saw a declaration by the nation that English is its official language as sort of unsportsman-like to immigrants. As a senator from Illinois, Obama voted four times against bills calling for English as the national language.  It's unfair to immigrants to face this language burden, argued Obama, who has suggested that instead, Americans just learn to speak Spanish and then everyone would be bilingual. 
                                            The late, Phyllis Schafley of Illinois, a prominent and conservative lawyer, was a critic of Senator and President Obama and a passionate proponent of the philosophy that when in America, you speak English. She often criticized President Obama for his negative voice against having English as the official language of the United States, and for his other liberal and anti-patriotic positions. 
                                            President Obama stood in real contrast to other presidents, including Pres. Clinton, who favored English as the language of America.  One, in particular, Theodore Roosevelt, had plenty to say on the subject, as he extended a warm and friendly hand to immigrants, but there were caveats. 
                                          "In the first place," he said, "we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith and becomes an American and assimilates himself to us--  he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else... There can be no divided allegiance here.  Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, is not an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language ... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
                                            Rep. King has been congress' fiercest advocate of official English in America and particularly when applied to immigrants.  King has argued that establishing an official language like other countries would bring consistency and unity. With President Trump, whose patriotism and love of country is worn on his sleeve, and who has said that under his administration, "America will come first,"  there is optimism that "English" will at long last become the official language of the United States.  

                                       

The Rainbow Bridge

        By Florida Bill

                              When you come to that sad and distressing moment when you must bid goodbye to your dog, remember that the farewell may not be forever.  There is some very good authority telling us that there will be a happy reunion with that faithful little fur head at the glorious Rainbow Bridge, gateway to Heaven.                                          The grief at losing that special pet is profound, almost indescribable.  In some ways it is similar to the sadness suffered at the loss of a human friend or relative; but different since we have always believed that we will be reunited with them in the afterlife. 
                               So what is the deal with our four-footed friends.  Is it true that all dogs go to heaven?  Mark Twain has noted that "Heaven goes by favor; If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in."   But that only begs the question. 
                                              Along that same line, a prominent European writer has noted that dogs are our link to paradise.  "They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent.  To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden where doing nothing was not boring --it was peace."                

                               Not too long ago, America was blessed with a visit from Pope Francis.  We heard his voice calling for peace in the world and for love and respect for all men.  But in another earlier message, the Pontiff observed that our four-footed friends are not lost forever and that "Paradise is open to all of God's creatures."   Really good news for us dog people.

                              Actually,  Francis is not the only Pontiff who has said that beloved pets do not make a permanent departure.   Some years ago, Pope Paul VI, while consoling a broken-hearted little boy whose pet had died, told the youngster that he would again see his dog in the "eternity of Christ."  His words were very comforting to the boy;  and yes, those words resonate in the same way with us old timers whose time on this earth is coming to an end. We are like our dogs, "short timers."  And it is good to know that religious experts confirm our long-held belief that we will be reunited with every dog we've ever had when that time comes.   

                            Will Rogers, a man who loved his furry companions, would be pleased too.   This great humorist once said that "if there are no dogs in heaven, then, when I die,  I want to go where they went."  Well with the popes and others passing on the question, it is looking pretty good.  They will be there and we'll see them so long as we make it there too.   

                             There are hundreds of millions of dog owners in the world and more frequently than not, a special steely bond develops between the canine and his owner.  There are those who do not or have never owned a dog, and perhaps regard the relationship as mythical rather than mystical.  But I know I am right; the relationship is special--ask any pet owner. 

                              I remember when I was a soldier in Korea, I owned a small terrier-type pooch named Maggie and she was with me most hours of virtually every day of  my 16-months in that far-away country.  When I walked guard duty with a rifle, Maggie was there and when I was in the mess hall she waited outside by the door; and at bedtime, my cot and sleeping bag were her bed too.  On our small compound in Ouijongbu, soldiers with their dogs were quite common and unrestricted on many posts in this land where America had gone to defend. 

                             Sadly, when I said goodbye to Korea, I had to say farewell also to Maggie. I can still see her to this day,  sitting by the side of a road, ears up, watching and alert as our truck pulled away.  I loved that little lady, and I am hoping that Maggie will be around to greet me at that famous bridge beyond the stars.  
                            Occasionally, I think back about our four-footed friends and their special place in life and I am reminded of the words of an old Missouri lawyer who, reflecting on our furry companions, observed that "the one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous . . . is his dog."  

                           To dog aficionados, and maybe to Pope Francis himself, there is the story of the  "Rainbow Bridge."  Accordingly, when a pet dies, it goes to a meadow and is restored to perfect health, and spends its days running and playing with other dogs, with plenty of fresh food and water. The only thing that is not perfect is that he misses his owner left behind on earth.  When the owner dies, he approaches the meadow and it is at that moment that his pet sees him and their eyes meet.  Excited, the pet runs to the owner's arms licking his face in joy, and side by side they cross the Rainbow Bridge together into heaven, never again to be separated.

                          Today, living in sunny Florida, my wife, Chrissy and I have two dogs,  Cairn Terriers by breed, each weighing about 15 pounds.  They look like the dog, Toto, in the movie The Wizard of Oz.  Sammi is wheaten-colored and Wendy is Black. They are non-stop yappers and never saw a bird or leaf that did not require their comment; the arrival of the pool man or the dry cleaner is enough to provoke a deafening frenzy.  Yet, we have bonded with them in a big way, and it is impossible to imagine life without them.  But a dog's life is short, and we have had other dogs before them, all of whom became special and unforgettable. We are happy about Pope Francis's views on the matter.        

                         One final word on dogs and the hereafter: Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of "The Secret Life of Dogs," was asked in an interview if she believed that all dogs go to heaven. Her answer was logic at its best: "If there are no dogs there, it is not heaven."

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