Funny is Forever

"'Gregor Sampsa awoke one morning to discover that he had been transformed into a giant cockroach.'"
"Nah, it's too good..."
Bialystock & Bloom reviewing bad scripts - The Producers

Almost anyone who likes to laugh enjoyed at least some of comedic actor Gene Wilder's work. From The Producers, to Blazing Saddles, to Young Frankenstein and far beyond, Wilder's sometimes smart, sometimes silly humor was hard to resist.

The Producers is my favorite Wilder movie, but many of his films have become comedy classics over the decades. Gene Wilder died today at age 83; he had been suffering from Alzheimer's for several years. It's always sad when talented stars leave us, even if it is their time. Fortunately, we get to keep watching his movies.

Politics and Pain

This election season reminds me of nothing so much as a root canal--it's agonizingly uncomfortable, I can't wait for it to be done, and I know new pains await me when it's over.

If Hillary Clinton wins, the Supreme Court is lost to progressivism for at least a generation, probably forever. The nation, as originally founded, will be finished. Big Government will rule and grow stronger and more centralized, with basic rights such as freedom of speech and religion imperiled. That's not even mentioning what a President Hillary would do to the Second Amendment. In short, the Constitution would fade into history as we march on towards a totalitarian state. And never mind the Clinton Foundation and email scandals, which are shaping up to be post-election catastrophes that will make Watergate look minor league.

On the other hand, if Donald Trump wins--what will happen? Nobody can predict with any certainty what a Trump presidency would represent. Some people find his unpredictability refreshing, while others are terrified by it. Some like his brash outspokenness; others are disgusted by it. Many Americans will forgive his wild misstatements and blunt insults; many will change their vote because of them. Which swaths of voters will turn out in greater numbers? No one knows. How many people are not admittng that they'll vote for him? No one knows that answer, either.

I just know that in November, when the USA gets out of the dentist's chair that is the 2016 presidential campaign, we will have a large bill to settle and a lot more painful work ahead of us.

A Precious Gift

Trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!
 ~ Wm Wordsworth

My fourth grandchild arrived soon after dawn today. I was blessed to be holding her when she was less than ninety minutes new.

There is something mystical, magical, and very spiritual about holding a newborn infant. You watch her open those brand new eyes and gaze inquiringly, with startling wisdom, up into your face. She is life renewed looking out at the world, a unique beginning, a gift from God to encourage us weary mortals onward in our journeys. A newborn infant is always a fresh start.

Welcome, little one. Your grandmother is so grateful to be here with you.

The Unraveling

Every nation has the government it deserves. 

~ Joseph de Maistre

One of my college professors was fond of noting that "there is nothing new under the sun." In this disturbing election cycle, I suppose we can take some comfort in that. However dysfunctional, corrupt, and inadequate the system may be, it seems humanity has suffered through similar circumstances in the past.

This knowledge of the great turning wheel of history helps to give me some philosophical perspective on the upcoming presidential election, which I privately term the "Lucrezia Borgia vs. Caligula" match-up. I think our country is in very serious trouble when we have a lying felon and a bombastic businessman as our two major candidates for the presidency. Regardless of who wins, I wonder if we as a nation can recover or if, as other great nations before us, we are unraveling into a long and painful sunset. I suppose that time alone will tell.

San Diego's Terrible Loss

Thousands of police officers honored Officer DeGuzman

San Diego Firefighters pay tribute from freeway overpasses.

San Diego honored Police Officer Jonathan "JD" DeGuzman on Friday, August 5, as he was laid to rest, one week after he was shot to death behind the wheel of his patrol car. His partner was critically wounded and is recovering in a local hospital.

More than 2,000 police officers from across the country, some from as far away as Chicage and New York City, were in attendance to pay their respects to Officer DeGuzman, aged 43, who leaves behind his wife, a son, a daughter, and parents--all of whose lives will never be the same.

For the city of San Diego, this is a terrible and irreplaceable loss. For Officer DeGuzman's family, it is a devastating wound that can never truly heal.

600 police vehicles escorted the funeral procession.

In the white shirt: Officer DeGuzman's 17-year old son.

Officer Jonathan "JD" DeGuzman ~ Rest in peace