LETTERS |
My name is Jim Hamm, and even at 82, I am encouraged. Broaden your scope and never give up. Please take the time to forward this letter to anyone who will listen to this message. |
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My Response to Mary, April 9,2019 Yes, Martha Cothren is a teacher. Reading the story got to me. I welled up. (I know you won't believe it coming from a guy who annually gives up sarcasm for Lent and his best score is 9:12 pm on Ash Wednesday.) For my children and grandkids, this has become require reading, when they get back from Disneyland, of course. This kind of "ignorance" goes far beyond the classroom and students. I often hear business owners and billionaires, whether from Green Point Brooklyn or Gross Point, Michigan, claim that they built their companies with their hard work, sacrifice, and intellect. Are they really "ignorant" of the 240 years of our history - toil, blood, sacrifice, perseverance, and genius that cleared the land, dug the foundation, erected the protective walls and roof, and provided the conveniences for their successes. Do they ever think about the unrecognized millions whose bones reside at the bottom of oceans, in forest and jungles, in marked and unmarked graves who drove the nail, laid the cobblestone, fired the rifle, flew the bomber, stood tall in the face of adversity, or cast a deciding vote at their political peril. Is there ever a thought of the employees who perform daily -- sweeping the floors, oiling the wheels, building the spreadsheets, etc. We all take too much for granted giving little credit to the individuals influences in our lives and the broad freedoms, protections, and opportunities that our country provides. Does Mitch McConnell realize that without the TVA, he would be inching toward the outhouse with a whale oil lantern. Without the interstate highway system, a small business might be a mom-and-pop food wagon with a musical horn parked outside a construction site. We are so lucky. Oh, yeah, there was WWII, the rebuilding of Europe, Japan, and the world economy, the G. I. Bill, the space program, the internet, etc. Do we realize that without the strength of individuals and the conscience of our democracy we could be sharing a border with a Confederation of slave states. Enuff. Say Nothing came today. I'm eager to get at it. Thanks |
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MEMORIAL DAY MESSAGE 2019 For parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, all relatives, and friends who have lost someone in one of our wars, the day they remember is the day they received the devastating news. They remember the time, the place, and the emotional impact. For those of us who fortunately have not suffered such a loss, we have Memorial Day. Before our thoughts meander toward bar-b-cues and beaches and an early start on Summer, we just might google American Battle Monuments Commission or John Basilone (Whenever I think of this American hero, I can't help thinking of all the other John Basilones who are interred or are among the MIAs and whose deeds were and are unrecognized.) Or, you might just visit Preston Sharp on Sixty Minutes. For a ten or fifteen minute investment, your life will be enriched a hundred fold. And, Memorial Day may never slip passed you again. |
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MEMORIAL DAY MESSAGE 2018 All too frequently the last Monday in May with its barbecues, baseball games and mini-vacations masks the meaning of the Day. And, all too frequently the remembrances are gender based. The sacrifices made in the last 240+ years for our great nation and freedom everywhere can never be understated and the individuals can never be under-revered. This year let us take a look at our heroines . Google – Ruby Bradley or Aleda Lutz or Nancy Wake or Krystyna Skarbek or Lyudmila Pavlichenko or Princess Noor Inayat Kahn. Or, you could go back to my favorite, Sophie Scholl. |