Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

I have read many novels over the years and the majority of them have had some sort of influence on me in one way or another.  Without question, the one book that influenced me the most is James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

I remember when I read the book for a literature class years ago that is was unlike anything I have ever read before.  The way the story is told changes with changes the main character experiences.  I don't know if I can even describe why I even enjoyed it.  It wasn't so much about what the novel was about; it was more about the incredible way Joyce told the story.  It was how reading the book made me feel about myself.

The book describes the life of Stephen Dedalus a fictional alter-ego of Joyce himself.  The book takes place in Ireland during the turn of the twentieth century.  The novel tells how Dedalus starts to question the conventions of his Irish Catholic background and how those conventions put restrictions on his life.

To me, the book is about what it takes to become your own person.  Joyce is saying that the only way for a person to be truly free is that they must remove ties to family, church and state.  When I first realized that was what the book was about it initially seemed overly harsh.  The more I though about it; the more I realized that may be the most honest thing I have ever read.  To me the book is about you can choose how much influence you let others have over you.  Be that your family, church or your country.  You choose how much or how little.   In my opinion that is a very powerful message.

My Father-in-Law

This post is going to be about my father-in-law Lorenzo.  The reason I'm writing about my father-in-law is because I think his story is unique and very interesting.

Lorenzo was born in the Philippines in 1925.  He is currently eighty six years old.  He is from Dagupan City which is located north of Manila in the Pangasinan province.  He currently lives in Lakewood California.

Since he was born in 1925 that means he lived in the Philippines during World War II.  Japanese soldiers occupied the Philippines from 1942 to 1945.  That means Lorenzo was seventeen to twenty years old during the Japanese occupation.  I can't help to wonder what that must have been like.  When I have asked him about it he said you had to be very careful.  You had to make sure you were never in the wrong place and wrong time.  That just going to the market could be a very dangerous affair.  For a period of time he had a strong hatred for the Japanese people.  That has changed over the years as he has gotten older after the realization that the soldiers occupying his home did not represent the civilian population of Japan.

After World War II he joined the U.S. Navy, young men from the Philippines were allowed to enlist in the U.S. military after the war.  That was how he was able to become a U.S. citizen.  He served for over twenty years.

After retiring from the Navy in the early 60's he started a different career, actually two different careers.  He worked at McDonald Douglas, which was bought out by Boeing, and at California State University of Long Beach.  He worked those two full time jobs for over twenty years.  That's right, twenty years with an eighty hour work week.  Several years before he retired from those careers is when I met his daughter.

I don't think it would be fair to say that initially I was his favorite person in the world.  As I remember it, I don't think he liked me at all.  That is a whole other story in itself.  I have been married to his daughter for twenty six years and have known her for over thirty six.  I have known Lorenzo for the bulk of those years.  It wasn't easy for me in the early years.  Man was he strict.  We get along very well now.  Let's just say I've put in my time.

I have never met anyone who worked so hard without complaint for the benefit of his family.  I have only deep respect for him and can't wait to visit him again and listen to another story.

"Stand Your Ground" is a License to KIll

I find the recent news from Florida concerning the death of Trayvon Martin very disturbing.  The "Stand Your Ground" law in Florida in simple terms expands the parameters of what is considered self-defense.  The law states that a citizen has the right to use deadly force if they "reasonably believe" they are in danger.  The law also states that a citizen does not have a duty to retreat from any possible dangerous situation and has the right to stand his or her ground.

In my opinion that law made George Zimmerman feel confident to use deadly force without constraint against Trayvon Martin.    Zimmeran has made forty six 911 calls over the last six years reporting different situations many which included "suspicious" black men.  He aspires to be a police officer.  The law itself creates an environment that encourages people, like Zimmerman, to use deadly force, and be a fantasy police officer without the restrictions and rules that law enforcement professionals are required to operate under.  Policemen have to answer for every bullet they fire while on duty.

Let's look at the facts.  The Florida law took effect in 2005.  Since 2005 over twenty states have adopted similar laws.  In Florida, homicides categorized as justifiable have nearly tripled since the law has been enacted.    In Florida there are eighteen cases resulting in the death of an "aggressor" were no arrests were made because there were no witnesses.  The Florida law has been used by drug dealers and other criminals to eliminate rivals.  Representative Baxley, who authored the bill, claims that there have been a decrease in violent crimes in Florida since the law went into effect.  That is true, but it is also true that those rates were dropping before 2005 as well and apparently are not a result of the "Stand Your Ground" law.

Let's look at recent developments in the Trayvon Martin case.  Geraldo Rivera on Fox News stated that wearing a hoodie resulted in the incident taking Trayon's life.  Really, Geraldo; that is one of most ridiculous things I have ever heard.  I guess, the parents of Trayvon are at fault because they dressed him in a hoodie.  Rivera's comments triggered an overwhelming angry response and he has since apologized for his language but not the substance of his advice.  Information about Trayon being suspended three times from school has been released.  I still don't see the point in the stories about Trayvon's suspensions.  Is the argument that bad behavior in high school is a capital offense in Florida?  How does that justify the killing?  It doesn't matter if he was suspended in this case.  If he is running for class president, then we'll talk.

Joe Oliver, a friend of George Zimmerman, has been making the rounds on news talk shows defending his friend.  He states that Zimmeran was attacked by Trayon after losing track of him while he returned to his SUV.  He also claims Zimmerman had a broken nose and lacerations on the back of his head as a result of that alleged attack.  I personally don't believe that version of the story and here is why:  George Zimmeran weighs 200 pounds, Trayvon weighs 140; do you believe a 17 year old boy would attack a 200 pound man or would he just run away?  There is one major part of this story that is being missed; doesn't that very same "Stand Your Ground" law also apply to Trayvon Martin?  Did he not also have the right under the law to defend himself?

The Sanford Police after arriving at the scene of Trayvon Martin's death took Zimmeran's statement.  Zimmerman claimed that Martin punched him the nose which knocked him down.  Then, according to Zimmerman, Martin got on top him and start banging his head against the sidewalk.  As a result of Zimmerman's statement the police stated there was no probable cause for an arrest.  So he was released.  Trayvon Martin is dead so there is no one to dispute Zimmerman's claims.  We may never really learn what the actual truth is in regard to this unfortunate exchange between Martin and Zimmerman.  Regardless of what the details of the confrontation between Martin and Zimmerman really are, one fact remains:  The Florida law itself created the environment that made all of these tragic consequences possible.

I feel that these "Stand Your Ground" laws in Florida and other states are a recipe for disaster.  They create more violence then they prevent.  Bottom line; they are not necessary.  When Baxley, the author of the Florida law, was asked to name one case where a person defending themselves was charged with a crime, he could not.  I believe these laws create an environment that encourages violence.  As it is now, if you want to legally commit murder in Florida all you  have do is ensure there are no witnesses.  Dead men tell no tales.  The only person who can dispute your claim of self-defense is your victim.

Trayon Martin was suspended from high school 3 times and George Zimmeran was previously arrested for domestic violence, resisting an officer with violence which was lowered to resisting an officer without violence.  All of Zimmerman's cases were closed with no charges.  How can a person with a violent past get a concealed weapons permit to carry a 9mm handgun?  Maybe Robert Zimmerman can answer that question.  Who is Robert Zimmerman?  He's George's father, a retired Orange County magistrate judge.

Time to Move On

I am going to close my series of posts about stories of me living on military bases.  I just want to explore other subjects before the end of the semester.  What those subjects are going to be, I haven't quite figured out yet.

My life as a military brat has definitely had an impact on what kind of person I turned out to be.  When I attended my daughters' high school graduations it made me think what it would have been like to be in school at the same place and with the same group of people.  How would I be different?  There is no way to really know for sure. To be clear, I don't say that with regret.  I just say that with a sense of curiosity.

I learned a lot about people living in different parts of the world and the United States.  Most of what I learned is good, but not all of it.  One of the most amazing learning experiences I had was how very different people are within the United States itself.  Living in St. Louis is completely unlike living in Los Angeles.  Americans living in the North compared to the South, for example.  The United States has such varied cultural and regional diversity.  There are places in the U.S. that I have lived that I would have sworn I was in another country.

I also learned that Americans are too isolated from the rest of the world.  When I lived in Spain the people that lived there were not afraid to embrace and share their lives with you.  Most American would not be comfortable sharing their lives with people from other countries.  I don't think we are mean and unfriendly; I think we tend to fear what we don't know.  That fear influences how we treat others and it isn't one of our best qualities.  My comments are not meant to unfairly judge Americans.  I just wish we played a larger role in the world community.  Please just think about it.

Thanks for your indulgence.  Good bye for now.

San Onofre Beach

One of my favorite memories of living on Camp Pendelton was my time spent at San Onofre beach.  It was my last two years of high school and I loved hanging out at the beach.

San Onofre beach was within walking distance of my house and I would go pretty much everyday.  The nice thing about San Onofre beach was that it was on the base.  The civilian public did not have access, so we had the whole beach to ourselves.  My family lived in a trailer on the beach for two weeks while we waited for housing to become available.  If it was up to me; I would still be living in that trailer.

After we got housing, I would walk down to the beach whenever I wanted.  I would hang out with my friends and go boogy boarding or body surfing.  Boogy boarding is a poor man's version of surfing.  You use a wide board about three feet long that you lay down on instead of standing up like you would on a surfboard.  A lot easier to master than a surfboard and a lot cheaper.

It was like having a rollercoaster ride whenever you wanted for free.  You would occasionally wipe out, which could hurt.  The ocean is very powerful and isn't afraid to remind you of that.

Frequently, I think about the times I spent on that beach and I miss the ocean.  I enjoy living where I do now, but sometimes the ocean calls to me and it is difficult not to answer.

Bye for now.

Blog Assignment: Quote Garden

"Fear makes strangers of people who would be friends"  ~Shirley Maclaine


I like this quote because I feel it gets to the core of the problems of the world.  We fear what is unknown, so in turn instead of acknowledging that fear we feel, we hate instead.  Why, it is easier to admit to hate than it is to fear.  Recognizing your fear implies weakness.  We fear that we may be wrong.  We just need to learn to trust that we all face the same challenges.  That there are not really any differences when you get down to what we all consider is important.  I am going to finish with a quotation from my hero that supports the above quotation:  "All You Need is Love" ~ John Lennon.

The One That Dropped Away: Fish Tale III

This fishing story takes place at Lake O'Neil on Camp Pendleton.  It is the largest lake on base, right next to the military hospital.  This day my brother, Bryan, and I drove out to Lake O'Neil to go fishing, which we did on a regular basis.  We would often rent a canoe for the whole day and use that to fish from.

We paddled out to the far side of the lake where all the cattails and reeds were located.  This was one of our favorite spots.  I was the first to cast.  As soon as my plastic worm touched the water I had a big bite.  When I set the hook I could tell it was a large fish.  I fought the fish for a few minutes before pulling it into the canoe.  It was a big largemouth bass, about six pounds.  The biggest fish I had ever caught up to that point.

I began to put the monster on the stringer when I heard Bryan say "let me put him on the stringer."  I replied with "no way are you even touching this fish".  He kept pestering me until I finally agreed.  I carefully handed him my trophy.  Let me take a moment to explain about the stringer.  It was one of those with metal hoops that kind of works like large safety pins without the sharp point on the end.  As I turned to grabbed my paddle I heard a metallic "ping" and a loud sickening "SPLASH".  So I asked "was that my fish"?  No reply.  I turned toward him and could tell by his demeanor that he had indeed dropped my prize fish into the lake.  I considered the possibility of throwing him in the lake so he could chase down my fish.  After careful thought, realizing I couldn't justify my actions to my mother, I decided not to throw him in after all.  I instead told him it was alright we would just get another one.  We just enjoyed the rest of the day.  The truth of the matter is simply this; I can always catch another fish but I really don't know how to catch another brother.

Bye for now.