Second Day Of Road Trip (Two Days LATE!)

After the adventures had on Day One of our road trip to Las Vegas, I could safely say Day Two (July 2) was anticlimactic - except that it was not!  More about that in a minute.

We woke up to no alarm clock, of which I was very grateful.  We all got dressed, ate breakfast, then hit the road...I mean, the Strip.  There were so many sights to see, so many sites to see, and so many things to do.  We started walking from the Riviera and headed south on Las Vegas Blvd. So many beautiful things to see.  Also so many very interesting people to see as well.  The contrast between the opulence and the poverty is almost unreal.  But even the homeless people we saw seemed to be upbeat.  Most of them. 

We also went into the many hotels and casinos on the Strip.  The beautiful gardens, waterfalls, fountains, paintings, photo galleries, and so much more, kept us busy all day.  I have to say that I did not realize how far we had walked from our hotel, until we started back that afternoon, and it was around 115 degrees outside.  My ever-growing scalp told me that I needed a hat and I bought one, from Margaritaville.  And we also bought and consumed several gallons of water before the day was over. 

One of my favorite stops along the way was the Classic Automobile collection inside the Quad Hotel.  There were many antique cars, by that I mean pre-1930.  But there were also classic vehicles that I had either driven or ridden in as a child and teen.  The really great thing about the collection was that many of the vehicles were for sale - not that I could afford any of them, but one can dream!

So we trudged back to the Riviera sometime around 4 PM.  I found out on this day that I am really over fifty years old.  I was actually tired to the point of near exhaustion.  My lovely bride made me feel a little better by telling me that the altitude and lack of hydration drained me more than usual.  That worked.  I am sure my physical condition had nothing to do with it.  Thank you, Sweetie.

Like I said, the day was anticlimactic compared to the first day of the road trip.  Well, here is where the Second Day went sour.  Child B's wedding rehearsal dinner was to start at 8:30 PM.  So...we left the hotel plenty early so that we could arrive at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company early enough that we could get seated fairly quickly.  Sweetie, Child A, Child B, and the Groom To Be all loaded into the pickup and headed for the restaurant.  My lovely bride had secured directions from a person who worked at the restaurant, so we were able to drive directly to Bubba Gump's.  Well, not exactly...

Yes, we DID drive to the Planet Hollywood Hotel, BUT...it was the WRONG Planet Hollywood!  Only we did not learn that it was at the time we arrived.  Child A and Child B, along with future Groom walked ahead of Sweetie and I as, like I said, both of us were definitely feeling our age.  Somehow, in walking into the WRONG Planet Hollywood, we got separated from the three "children" who were running and playing.  So, having no idea where they were, we continued walking...and walking...and walking.  We were out on the Strip but nowhere near Bubba Gump's, as far we could tell.  And between all the people, all the casino noises, all the traffic, we were not able to hear the pinging of the phones as "texts" were flying into both our phones in droves!

In the mean time, unbeknownst to us, the children had learned that we were at the wrong Planet Hollywood.  Child B was desperately texting us but due to the din mentioned above, we were not able to hear the tones of each text's arrival.  Finally Child B called my lovely bride and mentioned that she had been trying to reach us for over half an hour.  It turned out that Child A, B, and Groom, upon learning of their mistake, hailed a cab and let the taxi driver take them straightaway to Bubba Gump's.  Meanwhile....

My lovely bride informed me that we were at the wrong location, and that the children were in a cab.  They would arrive at Gump's shortly.  So...Sweetie said "Well, we need to go back to the truck."  No problem, right?  Not so much...We were so disoriented at this point that we had no idea WHERE the parking garage was in which we had parked.  I was so disoriented that I did not know which way to turn.  On top of that, Child B was calling or texting every couple of minutes wanting to know where we were "now."  But, in fact, I had NO IDEA where we were NOW, other than in Las Vegas!  So I was tired, hungry, and lost.  I have to admit at this point I was beginning to lose some of my charming personality.  Not ONLY because I was tired, hungry, and lost, BUT I also had no idea how to get BACK TO WHERE THE TRUCK WAS PARKED!!!

I would like to say at this point that the stress I was feeling was WAY MORE STRESS than I felt while I was trying to rip open the door on that wrecked Tahoe that threatened to roll over on me with every touch.  That was NOTHING compared to the way I was feeling at THIS moment!  And it was at this point that my lovely bride mentioned to me that we would look back on this moment as time goes by and laugh about it.  That was really not the thing I wanted to hear at the moment.  And the texts from Child B were coming in now very thickly.  It seems the people over at Bubba Gump's would not "seat" the guests until "all your parties" have arrived.  So they really wanted us their NOW!

With my lovely bride both doing her best to calm me down and to get us oriented so that we could find our vehicle,  I trudged along with her, but I was certainly not to the point of believing that we would some day look back on this little problem and laugh about it.  At least not before the turn of THIS century!  After some great effort we located once again the parking building.  By this time it was well after 9:30 PM.  I was still not looking back and laughing about the situation, I can assure you.  One reason I was not yet laughing was that neither one of us could remember on which level we had parked!!  I truly think old age or something like it has set in, never to leave me again.  Luckily, a call back to Child B, and we were able to find the car.  Child B remembered where we had parked! Armed with this new and vital information, Sweetie and I retrieved the truck immediately.  By the way, did I mention that this little turn of fortune had stressed me a little?  Apparently my lovely bride thought I was way more stressed than I really was (well, maybe she KNEW how much I was stressed) because she refused to let me drive and took over that duty herself.

So, thus having FINALLY retrieved our vehicle, we drove straight to Bubba Gump's...not!  It took my lovely bride another HALF HOUR just to get out of the PARKING GARAGE and back onto Las Vegas Blvd.  During this half hour, Child B continued to send texts, wanting to know our whereabouts.  We finally we were actually able to drive onto Las Vegas, but traffic was so heavy that it still took nearly another half hour to get to Bubba Gump's.  Really, the only ones stressed were my lovely bride and I, as all the other members of the "party" had been partying while we were lost for over two hours.  So none of them, except Child B, were even upset.  Libations had been flowing liberally!

Ultimately the Bubba Gump dinners were great, the drinks were apparently quite effective, and everyone had a good time.  Several people looked back on what my lovely bride and I had just gone through, and laughed.  Though I had rested, been fed, and was no longer lost, I did not join in the laughter about this little incident.  Maybe I will someday...maybe...

With all the partying and fun over, we headed back to the hotel.  Child A, it turns out, had imbibed so much that he was in a happy mood but not necessarily at his mental best.  So I walked with him up to his room to make sure he got in all right.  Once I was convinced that he was getting ready for bed, I left him there and returned to our room.  Child B spent the night with us...she and Sweetie spent some quality mother and daughter time together while I read and listened to some music. 

So, Day Two of the Road Trip had drawn to a close.  Was it anticlimactic after all the excitement of Day One?  I should say NOT!  And, like my lovely bride said, someday I will look back on all that happened today and laugh.  Someday...maybe...I figure in about fifty years or so...maybe I will laugh...and maybe not!



 

First Day Of Road Trip (Second Day Of Vacation)

Today was the first day of our sudden, unexpected road trip to Las Vegas.  The reason for our visit to Sin City is not open to the public yet, just let me say it is a happy occasion and leave it at that.  And, this was the SECOND day of my vacation. 

The First day of my vacation was...well, not much of a vacation.  But it was a good day, nonetheless.  I spent the better part of the (LATE) morning mowing my mother-in-law's yard.  I was attacked by numerous mosquitoes during my yard work, and "gave blood" to the extent that I will not attend the community blood drive a few days from now.  Anyway, I worked and fed hungry insects for about three hours.  Then, after a quick shower and several applications of various anti-itch remedies, I was ready to run a few errands.  By the way, did I mention that this was the first day of my vacation?  So far it was very busy, not vacant at all.

My lovely bride was at home by this time, so I jumped in the truck with her and we raced off to do our errands.  I forgot one very important errand, which I will describe later, but we got our other last minute things out of the way as we prepared for the unexpected road trip to Vegas. One way my bride persuaded me to agree to run errands with her was by promising food while we were out.  You know what they say, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.  Well, it goes something like that.  So, after we did all we needed to day (except for ONE IMPORTANT THING) we dined at our new latest hang-out, Chito's in Midland.

Back home after errands and dinner, there was last minute house cleaning, then packing, then it was time to "retire."  So everyone "retired," except me.  I was not sleepy - NOT IN THE LEAST!!  And we planned to arise at 4:00 AM.  Midnight...not sleepy.  One-thirty, tired, NOT SLEEPY.  I was so excited about the upcoming road trip.  Too excited, it seemed.  Two o'clock...FINALLY my eyes were getting heavy.  I hit the sack, and at some point I went to sleep, because I was in the middle of an exciting police dream where I had caught the bad guy and was about to book him, when the alarm went off!  

I jumped out of the bed, felt so refreshed and ready for the road trip.  I took about three steps toward the shower, at which point my body abruptly quit working and I nearly hit the floor.  My BODY was now ready to rest.  And I suddenly could hardly keep my eyes open.  I thought the shower would wake me up.  Wrong!  I nearly went to sleep while letting the conditioner remain in my hair for the required three minutes.  I almost fell through the shower curtain but caught myself just in time.  I got dressed, then my bride and I, plus Child A loaded all the luggage into the back of my lovely bride's pickup. 

Here I have to point out that I had a stroke of genius, which may have been also a stroke of psychic premonition.  I wrapped all the luggage in a large tarp, like a huge travelling taco.  This information will become important later on.  Well, not really, but I thought this sounded good.

Did I mention that I MIGHT have slept about two hours?  My lovely bride volunteered to take the first "shift" at driving.  I was so happy!  So I took "shotgun" while Child A had to settle for the back seat, and we were off! 

ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!

But here I would like to say that the trip did not exactly start out auspiciously.  We had not driven the first mile when lightning flashed across the sky.  There was no rain (yet), but I could only see two or three stars.  The lightning was much worse by the time we drove through Midland...AND I forgot ONCE MORE to run that last pesky little errand.  By the time I remembered that I had forgotten to do that pesky errand, we were just outside Roswell, New Mexico.  And I had not slept a wink -  I was watching the storm and watching the dark scenery.  So we stopped at a little store in Roswell and got breakfast.  When we returned to the pickup, I traded places with Child A so that he could stretch out in the front seat and I could lie down in the back seat.  A little fuel in the stomach and I was out.  Next thing I know we were nearly to Cline's Corner, AND it was lunch time.   Lunch at Cline's Corner, then it was MY turn to drive.  But I was up for it.  We were headed for Vegas!

The scenery was we travelled through New Mexico along Interstate 40, then into Arizona, was truly spectacular, but I was driving so I had to NOT sight see as much as possible.  Soon (not all THAT soon!) we had passed the Grand Canyon and were headed for Winslow.  I was going to stop there, but that is another story.  We had headed on towards Flagstaff and here we first ran into the rain that we had seen off and on for the entire trip.  Outside of Flagstaff, on the huge downhill runs, the roadway was soon so deep in water that the truck was in danger of hydroplaning.  I had just slowed from 85 mph to a reasonable speed for the conditions when a blue Tahoe raced past.  My lovely bride commented that the vehicle was driving way too fast for conditions when the Tahoe swerved to the side then went airborne!  It flipped nearly end over end came to rest on its side, luckily in the median. 

We stopped immediately as did a couple of other cars.  I was the first to the overturned Tahoe, and I shouted to the people inside.  I heard a lady say in a surprisingly calm voice that she and her husband were both okay but were trapped.  The vehicle was resting very precariously, and when the people inside moved, it nearly turned over again.  By this time several people were there, so while one person went in through the rear door, the rest of us held the Tahoe steady.  I have to say, if you are going to wreck, do so in a later model Tahoe.  It had airbags in places I had never thought of.  The couple were assisted out, and both only had minor injuries. 

It was flooding at this time by the way, and we were all soaking wet, when lightning struck VERY NEAR to us.  This huge flash of light, followed by the VERY LOUD thunder report very quickly weeded out the "fair weather rescuers."  Several people actually ran away!  Anyway, with the couple out of the car uninjured and covered with a tarp and umbrella, and the police on the way, we returned to the pickup and GOT OUT OF THERE.  It was still flooding, and given all the rubber-necking, it was many wonders that there was not a huge pile up on the highway.  So we were back on the road to Las Vegas, with an exciting story to tell.  But the excitement was not over yet...

Just east of Kingman, Arizona I noticed a small cloud of what appeared to be sand blowing under the cloud cover.  I told my lovely bride that I thought I could see a dust storm in the distance.  My lovely bride, who was driving once again, said "Oh, no! Sand Storm!"  I was not worried because it was very far away and appeared to be blowing south, while we were heading west by northwest.  My lovely bride was worried; however, and began driving as fast as she safely could.  At Kingman we turned north and head for Vegas on Highway 215.  It was at this point that I noticed the sand storm was boiling over the mountains and headed straight for us.  By the time we were within sight of the Hoover Dam, the sand storm had broken over the mountains and threatened to swallow us into its gritty wrath.  But, alas, we outran the storm and made it to Las Vegas in one piece, AND not involved in any other tragedies, either our own or that of others.

Now, here we are in our hotel room, and my lovely bride has long been asleep.  Guess what?  After all the excitement, all the sights around the strip we have seen this evening....I AM NOT SLEEPY!!

Tomorrow...Road Trip: Day Two
 

President Putin of Russia has once again raised his voice and rattled his sabre towards the Ukraine, that oh, so defiant neighbor to the west.  Yesterday the Ukraine signed a pact with the European Union, joining in the economic and political community of that organization.  President Putin is really upset about this, and through one of his ministers, warned the Ukraine that their joining with the European Union would have "grave consequences." 

Russia and the Ukraine have been entangled with each other for well over a thousand years.  Both were fairly important villages in the 9th Century AD when the Vikings (yes, the VIKINGS!) invaded the area.  While Moscow was relatively unscathed, the Vikings sacked Kiev, one of the most important cities in the Ukraine at the time.  The Vikings maintained control over the area for the next four hundred years.  During this time Moscow thrived and become the capitol of what would become the Russian Empire. 

Kiev and the surrounding countryside was again invaded and laid waste, this time by the Mongols, in the 13th Century.  With the city and the nation in ruins, Polish and Lithuanian forces occupied the Ukraine.  Ultimately the Ukraine was absorbed by the Russian Empire.  It was not until the Russian Revolution that the Ukraine was able to free itself from Czarist Russia and become an independent nation in 1917.  Independence was short-lived, however, as the Bolsheviks consolidated several nations, including Russia and the Ukraine, into what would become the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).  Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin considered the Ukraine, along with Russia, to be the "motherland" of the Soviet Union.  The Ukraine was also crucial to the Soviet Union because it was the gateway to Crimea, and most importantly, to the Black Sea.

In the 1930's, the Ukraine became the focus of Stalin's rage when Ukrainians refused to join the rest of the Soviet Union in creating farming "cooperatives." preferring to allow individuals to keep farms which they had owned for generations.  This "private ownership" of course did not fit in with the communist ideal of "collectivism" and the "five year plans" of agricultural production.  Stalin demonstrated his rage by "purging" around ten million Ukrainians.  It is little wonder that the Nazi invasion of the Ukraine during World War II was seen by many Ukrainians, at least at first, as liberation from the evils of Stalin.  Unfortunately the evils of the Nazi regime itself were soon revealed, as several million Ukrainian civilians were slaughtered by the German army.  Ultimately some Ukrainians fought alongside the Germans while others joined forces with the Soviets. 

After World War II, Stalin once again "purged" the Ukraine of any suspected of fighting with or collaborating with the Germans.  Many thousands were killed, while thousands of others were sent to Siberia. At the same time, thousands of Russians were sent to the Ukraine to take the place of Ukrainians who had been displaced in one way or another.  Thus, the Ukraine languished behind the "Iron Curtain" until nearly the turn of the century.  During all this time, through all the hardship, the Ukrainians never lost their desire to be free.  As soon as the Soviet Union began to collapse in early nineties, the Ukraine declared its independence.  The population voted 92 percent in favor of leaving the former Soviet Union.  Not surprisingly, the citizens of Russia who had been transplanted to the Ukraine, and their descendants, mostly voted against independence.  The President of the Soviet Union, Boris Yeltsin, recognized Ukrainian independence on December 3, 1991.  Many other nations, including the United States, followed suit during the next few days.  The Ukraine was finally free of Russian domination, or so it may have seemed to some.

Enter President Vladimir Putin of Russia.  He was a life-long KGB agent before being brought into the highest levels of government by President Yeltsin.  Leaving a trail of dead opponents that reads almost like Clinton's Whitewater scandal, President Putin was elected to that office by a vote of 70 percent of the people.  Right....well, anyway, Putin was President and his eye turned immediately to the Ukraine.  Unfortunately for the Ukraine, Premier Khrushchev may have inadvertently set up the 2014 Russian invasion by ceding to that nation the Crimean Peninsula way back in 1954, for reasons unknown.  This was not a popular move, but still, no one at that time could have imagined that the Soviet Union would collapse less than forty years later, or that Soviet forces could ever lose access to the Black Sea via the Crimea.  Many Russians, including President Putin, believed that the Crimean Peninsula rightly belonged Russia, particularly since this was the major access route to the Black Sea Fleet which anchored there.

Putin acted quickly, and in what I am sure he perceives, in the best interest of Russia.  Maybe he will be satisfied with the re-acquisition of the Crimea.  Perhaps he will stop his apparent lustful desire for the re-annexation of the Ukraine, this freedom-loving nation that, of course, poses no possible danger to the Russian Republic.  I admire the people of the Ukraine for hanging on for so many generations to their desire for freedom.  I realize that the Ukraine is not trying to be a "mini" United States, but the people there DO want the choice to have their own form of government, and most of all to be free from Russian occupation.  One way to discourage Russian occupation is by joining the European Union, which the Ukraine has done.  Militarily the Ukraine poses no threat to Russia, and Putin knows this; however, if the Ukraine allows NATO or American forces into its territory, Putin would no doubt see this as an act of aggression.  In a sense it is easy to understand why.  Remember how upset John F Kennedy was when he learned of the missiles being sent from the Soviet Union to Cuba.  Our young president stood face to face (figuratively) with Premier Khrushchev during the "Cuban Missile Crisis," and it was ultimately the Premier who backed down.

The people of the Ukraine want to be free, whatever form that freedom takes for them.  Putin wants the Ukraine to be securely in the Russian circle of allies because Moscow is only hours away from Kiev.  More to the point, Putin wants a safety zone between Russia and the NATO aligned nations to his west.  The Ukraine has been that safety zone since Stalin first came to power those many years ago, but now the Ukraine is a member of the European Union.  This has to be a hard pill for President Putin to swallow.  I have strong admiration for the people of the Ukraine as they face such troubled times, and I pray for them, that they may have a long taste of freedom.  For President Putin, I pray that he can find a way to feel that his nation is secure without having to resort to forcibly placing the Ukraine back under Soviet rule. 

May God Bless the Ukraine, and yes, may God bless the Russians as well.

Frogs, Toads, And The Great Inland Hurricane of 2014

Last Wednesday evening (June 18th) we experienced a fairly powerful storm, even for this area.  In fact some have labelled this type of storm an "inland hurricane." I have to admit I had never heard of an "inland hurricane" in this sense.  I knew that hurricanes could travel many hundreds of miles inland before either puttering out or turning back to sea.  But the inland hurricane in question has nothing to due with an Atlantic hurricane; rather, these are thunderstorms that, for reasons known only to meteorologists, take a shape that resembles a hurricane, particularly on radar.  In other words, the storm is nearly circular in shape with an area of calm that almost acts like the "eye" of a hurricane.  In addition, these storms have sustained winds of at least fifty miles per hour with periods of wind even faster, and gusts of wind at speeds of seventy-five miles per hour or more. 

So the "inland hurricane" blew into the area with all the subtleness of a karate master breaking a board in half.  In seconds, rain was "falling" parallel to the ground and the wind was blasting at 68 miles per hour.  I was watching an anemometer on Wunderground (an online weather service) as storm raged, and I can vouch for over forty-five minutes of this weather.  At times, the wind speed reached well over seventy miles per hour for seconds at a time. After just a few minutes of this windy bombardment, parts of the hospital building were ripped off and sent flying to some other zip code.  As the wind hit 78 miles per hour, the ambulance door was ripped out of its frame, and but for the electric wiring would have sailed off to Dorothy's house in Kansas!  After nearly an hour this inland hurricane passed over, and there was a brief calm, as if the storm's "eye" were passing over.  Then the storm struck again, although with much less fury than that of the first half of the storm.  A short time later there was a calm, as if the storm had never happened.  By the time I left work, stars dotted the night-time sky. 

When I arrived at my residence, I was in for another surprise.  Instead of the usual sounds of the desert night (mostly trucks passing on the nearby interstate highway, unfortunately) I was greeted by what I thought was the sound of...well, of FROGS!  I suspected I needed a fresh dose of medication at first, but, as I stopped and listened, I realized I was hearing multitudes of frogs croaking and chirping.  The night was clear, stars were shining, and I could easily imagine that I was on that old creek where I spent much of my childhood, listening to the summer sounds I loved so much; but this was Midland, I kept telling myself, and I was listening to frogs!

It turns out that frogs and toads inhabit the semi-desert regions of the Permian Basin as they do in all other parts of the great state of Texas.  Toads are found fairly frequently in the area, especially where homeowners water their yards regularly.  But the toads proliferate when there are heavy rains.  But what about the frogs?  I cannot say for sure how frogs first got transported into this area.  Birds of course carry frog eggs and even salamander eggs on their feet, and inadvertently transfer these eggs all over the place.  Amphibian eggs apparently have the ability to survive in mud or semi-damp earth for months, until a sudden rain.  Within a few hours after the rare rain shower, frogs and toads, and even salamanders hatch and grow in the temporary playas and wetlands.  As days go by and the waters begin to evaporate, these little critters burrow into the mud or clay.  They are able to survive for months at a time as they wait for the infrequent showers that bless the desert with life-giving rain.

Tonight once again I sit out in the darkness and listen to the croaking, chirping, moaning sounds of the various temporary denizens of the desert water holes, and I, like these animals, drink in the cool damp of the night.  If I close my eyes, or better yet, stare up into the night sky and look at the beautiful stars while I listen to the chaotic course of the newly awakened desert amphibians, I can easily forget that I am one of the driest regions in Texas.  Instead, I am transported halfway across the state for a little while, maybe camped on my beloved Fiefdom, or in a tent at Lake Waco.  Nature is truly amazing, and our world is full of wonders, like the frogs and toads that seem to come out of nowhere, brought to life by another wonder, the great Inland Hurricane of 2014.

James, The Faithful Brother Of Jesus, Once Thought Jesus Was "Out Of His Mind"

James, one of the half-brothers of Jesus, wrote what was probably the first book (in this case a letter) of the New Testament when he penned the "Book Of James" in about 45 AD.  The book of James is only five chapters long, but in those chapters, James teaches us very concisely about what true faith means.  He tells us to count it a joy (or consider it a joy) when we face troubles.  Further, James taught us that when we pray, we should pray in faith and full of belief that we will receive whatever it is we are praying for.  James tells us that those who pray with doubt or lack of belief will receive nothing because they are "double-minded," waves of the sea blown by the wind in times of storm.   

James was a faithful man who believed with all his heart in the words his Brother, the Good Shepherd had to say, and witnessed many miracles that Jesus performed.  One of the biggest reasons James had faith in his Brother was that the Good Shepherd appeared to him after the Resurrection.  Obviously if a person who was dead, but was now alive, appeared to you or me, we would believe.  But James knew that there would be many people who would never see Jesus in person, who would never hear Jesus preaching, never witness healings on the spot, including raising people from the dead.  So James began his mission to witness to the people that Jesus was crucified, was raised from the dead, and most importantly, was the Son of God.

But there was a time when James, and not only him, but his brothers and sisters too, believed that Jesus "had lost his mind" (Mark 3:20-21).  Jesus was preaching and proclaiming himself the Son of God.  But everybody knew Jesus was the son of Joseph, the carpenter.  James, along the other brothers and sisters, tried to convince Jesus to come home with them...you, know, come rest a little...you'll be okay.  The siblings even tried to convince Jesus to leave town, to go to a nearby city and do his miracles there.  Jesus' own family did not believe him to be God's Only Begotten Son at just that moment.  Curiously, we are not told whether or not Mary, the Lord's mother, believed him to be crazy, or if she just believed.  But Jesus continued his mission until he was crucified.

The evening after Jesus arose, he appeared to James, and from that time forward, James was  a changed man.  He had no doubt that. just as Jesus received eternal life, so would all who believed.  James knew that Christians would have troubles, and not just the kind of problems you and I have these days.  We all face setbacks at home or at work, financial problems, severe illnesses, and even the death of our loved ones.  But James knew that the Christians of his time would have some very different kind of troubles.  The Romans killed many Christians around 30 AD, then literally destroyed the city and the Temple in 69 AD, again torturing and killing many Christians and Jews.  Yet James told the Christians of that time to "consider it a joy" when they faced trials, including the ultimate trial, their torture and murder just because they were Christians.
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The Book of James is still meant to instruct Christians today, to encourage Christians to turn to our faith in times of trouble, and to have no doubt in our hearts when we pray, even when the things we pray for seem hopeless in Ior impossible.  James tells us to pray in faith and in belief, pray without doubt.  There we have it, straight from the brother of Jesus, who once thought Jesus had gone mad.    

Waste Control Specialists Ask For More Nuke Waste AND Ask To Post LESS Clean Up Money - No Surprise Here, Really

Just a couple of days ago Waste Control Specialists (WCS), through its legal mouthpiece Chuck McDonald, announced that WCS was petitioning the Nuclear Energy Agency and the Texas counter part to that agency to allow WCS to store depleted uranium at its West Texas facility.  Now you may recall that when WCS began its Waste...I mean, West Texas campaign back in 2008 or so, the spiel was that only "low-level radioactive waste such as medical waste" would be stored the WCS facility in Andrews County.  That was ALL they wanted, said WCS.  But after the hard fought campaign to get the WCS facility into Andrews County, after all the scare tactics used, such as spreading the fear that Andrews would "die" if the facility was not built, after the facility began operation, we all learned that at least thirty-seven states would be sending their "low-level nuclear waste" to WCS.  The state hearings for licensing were pretty much rubber stamped, and the scientists employed by the state walked off their job in protest after their negative report was ignored.  But, WCS assured us, only low-level waste would come to West Texas, even though it would be from over thirty states.

Now we fast forward to 2014, and here is WCS asking 1) to allow more (AND MORE DANGEROUS) nuclear waste - depleted uranium, into Texas; and 2) to REDUCE the company's liability fund for cleanups, should an accident occur.  Does this smell a little FOUL to anyone?  WCS wants to bring in more dangerous waste (MORE PROFIT!) and wants to reduce its liability for the inevitable clean up!  Here is WCS's actual request in dollars: Currently the company must have a fund available of $187 million dollars for any clean ups.  WCS wants to reduce that amount to $86 million.  Sounds reasonable, no?  Well, here is a little perspective.  Remember the nuclear accident in Japan, the Fukushima nuclear meltdown of 2011?  The clean up (which is still ongoing, by the way) has thus far cost upwards of $500 million PER YEAR!  Some scientists are predicting that $58 Billion will have been spent by 2030.  Clearly WCS is trying to save some more money while making a BIG LOAD of profit.

Does this deal sound reasonable?  I don't think so, and neither does State Representative Lon Burnam:

“The public should be paying attention, but they’re not,” said state Rep. Lon Burnam, a Fort Worth Democrat who has taken an active role in monitoring how the state handles radioactive waste. “We have less and less financial assurances and greater threat for more harm.”  (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, June 15, 2014)

According to the Avalanche-Journal "Three-Peat Rick" Perry is one of the main allies to WCS in this deal.  It was Governor Perry who brought this proposition to the attention of Texas lawmakers.  Representative Burnam, a Democrat in the Dallas area, raises a good point.  Why is the public not paying attention to this?  Why are we allowing WCS to both rip us off AND pollute our state by poisoning the Ogallala Aquifer?  In fairness to all of us, WCS pretty much financed its way through the Texas Legislature, but...we (you and I) left most of the state representatives who rubber stamped the original WCS deal in their respective offices.  Same with our federal congressmen and senators.

It turns out that WCS also has plans to expand one of its dump sites by over 6 million square feet.  This expansion is obviously so MORE waste can be dumped there.  Yet WCS is telling us that they do not "believe" they will implement this plan.  But more waste is on the way to Texas...do you really believe they will not EXPAND their facility?  Then they will tell the "State of Texas" that it would be such a waste NOT to bring in MORE waste to fill the new and deeper hole they dug.  I hope you will join me in petitioning our lawmakers NOT TO ALLOW WCS to bring in depleted uranium to their "low level" nuclear waste facility, and NOT ALLOW WCS to reduce its liability fund.  The folks at WCS have assured us over and over how safe the facility in Andrews County is.  But if that location is so safe, why are they trying to limit their liability?  I am pretty sure that someone must have assured the folks in Fukushima about how safe that facility was, and about all the safeguards built in.  Yet, three years after the accident, well over ten thousand people cannot return to their homes.  Could something like that happen in Andrews?  Not "could," but "when?"

 

An Officer's Last Watch: Chief Lee Dixon, Little River/Academy, TX - June 20, 2014

Lee Dixon, the newly-hired Police Chief of Little River/Academy answered his last call yesterday evening, and it was one of the most dangerous an officer can respond to: a domestic disturbance involving a person in a house with a gun and who knew that police were probably on the way.  Yet the shooter apparently talked civilly with the Chief when he arrived.  A short time later the shooter produced a shot gun.  Chief Dixon called for another officer but then his radio fell silent.  Within seconds the 9-1-1 system in Bell County lit up with people reporting that Chief Dixon had been shot and was down, assistance desperately needed.  The officer was dead by the time help arrived.

This murder was tragic enough, but making it even worse was the fact that the killer was a former police officer.  This man himself coolly called the police operator and stated he had shot a police officer.  As more information surfaced on the shooter, it was determined that he had served in several police departments in east Texas.  He was still a police officer as late as 2005.  The shooter had been arrested previously in Bell County for Deadly Conduct, that is pointing a gun at someone or shooting at someone.  And like many a cop-killer, he meekly surrendered rather than face the risk of getting shot himself.

I am proud to honor Chief Dixon, a long-time Milam County Deputy, on this page, though saddened to do so.  I pray for comfort of all his loved one and his colleagues as only the Good Shepherd can do.  Heaven's Thin Blue Line has one more member tonight.