The New World USA is special in human history

Why do I think so? Mostly it is because I have lived elsewhere, and have seen the differences with my own eyes. And I like what we have here today.

Now this is not some kind of post that suggests trust me because I think I have a good point of view. Rather it is a post about using your own eyes where you live, and your judgments, about what is best for you, and your Family.

Now I think we all know there are alternatives to how we want to be governed, to include our present Constitution, dictatorship, royalty, tribal, or whatever.

What seems to be special to me, is that the basic citizenry matters, like we (including me) rule, vice some other way to rule. In that scheme, most of us don't trust we fellow humans that much, like many of them are thinking short term or selfish, or even worse ill educated mob rule. But the beauty of our present Constitution is the " checks and balances" method of ruling, and our trust and confidence in the results, including the idea of "the rule of law". Now that is a big deal to most Americans, I think, and they will even pay taxes to support such ideas and governments. Now even most people "hate" lawyers, but at least they provide a way to adjudicate our human frictions, especially compared to other ways, like buying influence, or even revolt.

So now I perceive many fellow Americans think otherwise, like we can make it even better than what we already have, or even more simple things like it will go on forever, like public electricity. I personally agree with many of these ideas, but disagree with how fast, or even more simple things like just debate the ideas and methods, and then vote on those who represent these ideas and methods. This whole way to rule is what makes we new world USA different. A lot of places and people don't do it "that way". And I don't assume the present way is a given, like will go on forever.

So I am proud and satisfied of what we new world USA citizens have today and our ancestors built, and will do about anything to support that way of ruling. The new world USA is special in human history.

Last, what is frustrating to me, is that we common citizens (many at least) may have to "regress" in order to appreciate what we have. Now I don't choose to go that way, but maybe it is going to happen, even in our new world USA.

Marriage and middle America

When our elected leaders vote laws that break up marriages for welfare reasons, then we get what is happening now. This idea and history is over 40 years old, and even now dead Senator Moynihan expressed it in his forecasts before he died.

This whole terrible situation has take a long time to brew, so to speak. Just look at our laws, rules, and welfare benefits these days to see what I mean.

What I think we have in America today is like around 2/3 of children born are out of wedlock, like they have a mom, but dad may not be around for the hard stuff, like raising a kid. Now even I have read this applies mostly to the Negros in our America, but when I run the numbers, even this applies more and more to our "other" part of America.

So in my mind, I think that private charity to help our poor and needy is different from the government, be it federal, state, county, city, or otherwise getting involved, constrained by all the laws and rules that abrogate common sense when it applies to the governments.

For whatever it is worth, I live in rural east Tennessee, and most of the poor people here are not Negros. To add, having been a USA Marine, I also know the same thing, that is being smart and hard working deserves promotions, but being lazy doesn't deserve the same. Even I can be hard, like let them (the filchers) die off or be institutionalized if that is what they want.

What bothers me is that those deposed that way to be lazy and live can make a lifelong way of living off of the government dole. Now that grates me knowing they have good skills, but do have other government provided options these days that I think private charity would take care of, like work for food, as an example. Even food banks are involved in my frustration.

Let me say it one more way, there are white people I know who filch off of the poor (both male and female), and they still breed, too.

So back to the subject.

Why don't we elect fellow Americans who devise laws to promote marriage, like having two adults at home to raise their children? After all, raising kids is a pain in the tail, and we all know it.

The quick answer is that we can.

Good on TVA

Now there is much to be said about our poorly performing governments. I would agree with most criticisms these days.

But in the same vein, an awful lot of Americans are doing a good job providing we common citizens with electricity. One of them is TVA (Tennessee Valley Association), an area I live in. Now exactly where I live gets its electricity from TVA, and "delivers" it to me, at a good price I think, though getting more expensive.

Now having been in the Marines operating in "all climes and places", I really do appreciate those that go out to do repair and maintenance type things when things are cold and miserable. I would do it in the Marines because I had to, but I still did not like doing it. Nobody wants to be wet and cold, especially given bad weather problems, which most know do happen, like it or not. Sometimes it is even pretty dangerous. But many Americans do just that to help get us electricity, and I thank them very much.

Now in these times it even seems that we have elected leaders who want to change things more quickly to their point of view that may be messing with how TVA, and others, have operated in the past. Even decisions about sources of energy that I would probably have made then are being denigrated by this political group's "todays" standards they abide by today.

I have always suspected when they lose electricity, then things will change, but we are not there just yet. What bothers me is do I have to suffer too for "them" to get to that point.

So back to TVA. These may be difficult times for those involved in making electricity for the common good where I live. But I still applaud those that both put up with today's circumstances, and muddle through enough to do a good job.

Even I have lived in day on day off water, and periods of no electricity, so, again, I say "good on TVA". Things here are better than that in late March, 2012.

And these days I make some of my own electricity from hydro power, and given all the maintenance upkeep efforts I do, I truly do appreciate all that TVA, and its fellow Americans do about every day.

Changing the system

The beauty of what the system is in the new world USA is that we can still vote, and have it count. Now that is a big deal, since this simple idea is not universal, like many others in our world can't vote, or have it count if they even can vote. The obvious example is of "elected" Presidents for Life.

Now if one buys his idea of being special, which I think we are, then other ideas follow.

For example, many USA candidate people at all levels, be they federal, state, local, or school board should be voted on, and some need to be reinforced for doing a good job, and some need to be voted out for doing a poor job. Said another way, in an old time expression, let's not throw out the baby with the dirty bath water.

Now one can look at this dilemma in many ways, but mostly it is opportunity for change if the voters want change. Add to this the classical lying and misinformation that is promulgated (often called propaganda) during elections by politicians running for office, and one just has to wonder what we will end up with.

Now that is a typical voters dilemma.

And lord knows it doesn't take really hard times to make this apparent to so many voters who will be affected, one way or the other.

Enough already

Forget politics...how about my quality of life and expectations.

Having lived around the world, I know we have a good deal in our new world USA. The thought of some group messing up all this is, if they do it, is shameful. How naive, though maybe well intentioned and inexperienced.

Even I am making my own electricity, not for any green reasons, but more as a matter of survival. I choose not to have to live like Abraham Lincoln did, but more because I am a spoiled American. And I am paying for it, literally and figuratively. Now our ancestors did OK without electricity, and so can we, though I prefer having it still at even a basic level.

Most Americans expect public electricity on demand, forced air heat, and public clean water and waste water stuff, and food. As a Marine, I don't count on any of this...we have to work together to make it happen. And we have been doing it even in the last half century. Good on those who have and are doing it, today.

So when some group messes up all this, I think "enough already".

Now I don't focus on the past, for my own reasons. Rather I think about our future.

And I fear what the present lightweights in charge might do to my quality of life, way of being, call it what you want. In that vein, I sure hope we in the new world USA can still vote for those who represent us, and have it count. Otherwise things will get really hard, like taking to the streets, or revolution, or whatever it takes to assert ourselves.

In the meantime, I still worry about what the present lightweight federal leaders, and their hired minions, will do, if something bad like a war breaks out in the Middle East, for example, or the Yellowstone caldera breaks loose. Who knows, but mostly they seem to react, vice act. Now that idea suggests both a crummy leader, and his hired minions acting like him.

Now I have both grown up inside the Beltway in DC, and worked there too. To cut to the quick, a lot of hired minions have a lot to do with our future, and that is just not right, like we had nothing to do with them. Our elected politicians hired them...we didn't.

So what do "I" think. It's time in the new world USA for we citizens to take charge of our future.

Double standard

Does it seem to you that the idea of a double standard seems to be getting worse recently, like in the last 20 years or less? The options, to me; are about the same, better, or worse.

Now by double standard, I even suggest other ways to define the term in your own part of the world. It could be lying as a way to rule, political correctness, going along to get along, demonstrating you are savvy to others you want to impress, lack of ethics, laziness, cultural bias, simple greed, poor or no education*, secondary school clique mentality, poor reporting, and the list goes on.

And it probably applies in many areas, like religions, politics, business, and even whole cultures.

And this idea and question applies to all types of leaders; be they elected, dictators, kings, tribal chiefs, behind the scenes people, or otherwise. And this idea applies to all humans wherever they live, whether they are already affected or may be affected in the future.

Now even I know not to believe every thing I read, like I discount it at about 90%. Even the foreign reporting about what is happening in Syria is different from USA domestic reporting says,depending on whom do your trust for honesty and accuracely, and the two reports are too often quite different. And all most want to do is be informed.

And one obvious solution, if you even buy the idea that there is double standard problem that is worse than normal, which is teaching and upholding standards, and ethics, to boot. As an old Marine I would say, it is leadership by example, and steadfastness during times of turmoil. These ideas are universal, and timeless. Said another way, we can't tell people what to think, though many try, but we sure can impose standards and behaviors in both our citizens and our children.

After all, there are good times and bad times in our human evolution, and it usually takes "the regular people" to change things, over time of course, and in little bitty pieces. Such is my 'sense" today.

And right now we the people will guide our cultures as best we can, usually at the Family level, which is pretty good, to me. And lots of people already are doing this kind of thing, so good on 'em, and keep it up. Slowly but surely, the big ship will change course!

* To me there is: intelligence, and most of us are average, which is good; education, which varies all over the place and often depends on the individual being educated and the culture that is educating their young; and experience, which usually increases with working or being a parent over time, like getting older.

One path to our future

We the people are gonna decide.

Now the path may be convoluted. This obviously includes the idea of our culture evolving, too.

And the best part is that we humans will decide, one way or the other. After all, it is our future, and hope for ourselves and our Families.

So what is gonna happen in the interim. I don't think anybody knows right now, but I still venture a guess.

We humans are still in charge, throughout the world, to include the new world USA. And our Families will probably go forward, like propagate in their own way, and survive in their own way, depending on where they live.

Even being cold (during the winter) and hot (during the summer) and hungry may change few things, to include how we live, and our expectations, especially when the urban human relatives move to more rural settings where they can eat, drink, and use the bathroom in order to survive. I suspect much friction will evolve during this evolution. Being in a rural area is probably a good deal, these days, even though I have to put up with it, too.

Our human growth will probably slow down, for human and Family reasons, not for some elected politician's reasons in 2012.

So how is it going to sort out? Nobody really knows!

But I suspect we humans will do OK, in spite of our present leaders, some elected, some kings, some tribal, etc. After all, some are better than others.

This is a food story

It is kinda neat, to me, when we humans from different cultures meet each other. Often there is friction, which is kind of normal, to me, to include our bellys.

What still amazes me, is the food stories between the different cultures, but even more the stories that come from when urban meets rural in about any culture and time, like what we eat, and thrive on, to include feeding our kids.

Obviously, to me, the world is becoming more urban, whether that is good or bad, I do not know. And during that process, just what we eat is also changing, like what we eat and serve our Families.

This is a fun story.

I had an Afghani friend decades ago at Ft. Sill, and we agreed that even most foreigners were considered "dirty" by the local mothers protecting their kids, like that was a "universal" truth. For example, one can drink from any glass, but then most mothers clean it before their kids can use it, of course in a suttle way that most guys know. The same fellow would also offer me Afghani food home cooked in his BOQ room, and I would nibble and politely decline going for more. Mostly, it was a chicken meal, by the way, and usually I left hungry, but also thinking I had done my best to accommodate my friend. I also suspect, he thought otherwise.

So let me devolve into other food stories, mostly about wherever ever we live.

It has to do with eating possum, which a lot of people still eat in the rural USA.

It must be a rural recipe, which includes Monterey (Tennessee). Even my Groton (South Carolina) time had many having 2 or 3 possums for super bowl parties. Even the local Piggly Wiggly in Estill there offered chicken legs, like the real thing.

The key thing is to feed possums food you trust, like dog food, for a few days
or more. This lets this carrion eater "clean out". Usually, one keeps them
in something like a chicken coop.

Paul Hargis (my caretaker at the time) once told me that once he saw a possum crawling out of a dead cow carcass, and that was when he lost interest in eating possum.

Back not long ago when I trapped actively, mostly I caught raccoons, but
did catch some possums, too.

In one location it got to be like Red Fox 14, Williams 0. Bummer. I guess
it enjoyed all the sardines and soy oil I could provide.

And I remember when my mother's mother wrung a chickens neck as part of
preparing it for a meal in Franklin, Tn. USA. After seeing all that, I and Max (ny brother) would not eat it, though when you think about it, it was probably cleaner
than store bought.

I've never tried possum; in fact tonight I am eating some stuffed (with
scallops and crabmeat) sole.

PS Back in my USMC time we had some severe racial problems, and one solution was to have soul food day in the mess hall once a week. Well this idea backfired because most black Marines were from cities, and abhorred foods like "Chitlins". Of course, being from rural Tennessee, I was very familiar with it, too, since it was often made at home, including by JoJo (my mother) if you can believe that. I myself would not eat it, though I have eaten other strange things (to me) in my time around the world.

PPS One more USMC story. One of my ruff tuff Marine friends went to a wedding in Istanbul, Turkey, and at the reception they had a local delicacy; cold
soup with chopped lambs intestine. Well, he ate it, and then proceeded to
blow chow in front of everybody. Give him credit, at least he reported it on himself.

Story time

We New World USA Americans are not too shabby!

And we still like stories to be told to us at all ages I think.

And I know we like ourselves (some more than others), and love our Families.

Hence any story time is probably pretty nifty.

Now if things are even chilly in your home during the cold season, or otherwise not perfect, I think stories do help a lot for our kids, being one who has had stories told to him. So anyone who wants to be a "story teller" better start thinking about the stories they want to talk about. The stories will usually have ulterior motives, but so what. Again, as one who listened to these stories I have heard, I always enjoyed the time, and the expectations of future story time.

Let your stories be Family, local, political, or even religious. That's the story tellers call. One can even read Bible stories, for example.

To me story time can be magical, and even we can be magicians in our own way.

None of this stops the also obvious, like boys and girls frictions, even as siblings, young people, and old people.

Last, some of these stories can be short or long in time. I suspect they will vary according to the story tellers. So be it. This is not like going to school, and going through periods.

This is just story telling time.

Time for a change in the USA

I am age 63 and I perceive change I do not like.

Right now I think I can still vote, and have it count, like put into place political leaders that will represent me, federally, state, and locally, to include school boards. If that does not happen, then I have other alternatives, to include taking up arms. Lord knows, I hope it doesn't come to that in the new world USA. I am an OK shot, but still wish for the ballot box to decide things. Now even I understand I might get out-voted, but at least I got my chance in this hope.

One thing as an old Marine I like is that so many fellow humans (racially and culturally) are attracted to our USA way of life, which is pretty good. Many immigrate to come here, and even serve their new country for their own reasons, often personal, to include their Family. Good on them, and a pox on their enemies. Believe me, they (our enemies) don't want to mess with these people.

Yet I also perceive that many Americans think otherwise.

This includes, in my thoughts, that present federal leaders and their hired minions want to take over, like dictate, like be a dictator or a king. This idea includes both the President of the USA, and many of those in our Congress, and of course their hired minions. Hopefully I am wrong in my worries, but I still worry, and have myself and my Family to think about. And in the same vein, I assume the intent is be benevolent, in the best old world USA style. But what if they are wrong, like there are alternatives in our new world USA's political and human future that are probably better. That appeals to me, but that is also just me.

The obvious political debate in our new world USA is how do we go forward?

The also obvious answer is we new world USA people are in charge of our fate.

What a privilege in life

The subject is on demand public electricity. The obvious example is that when I turn the switch to get light in my house, it actually comes on, even in the middle of the night. Plus my satellite TV still works, too, like all day and night long. This is still amazing, to me, and I appreciate it. I have lived in places with less public electricity, too. Usually it is like allocations, like the capitol city of North Korea gets 3 hours a day, while the rest of the country gets zero.

Build that into your Family planning work schedule, too. Most of us like even having our public electric refrigerator and freezer working, too.

It has taken a lot of work, and planning, and other such things to allow this to happen for we common citizens in the USA. I like the benefit! For all the fellow Americans who still work to make this happen, thank you. Even I like being warm, for example, and public electricity sure helps in this matter, like the basic heat, or even the public electric controllers for things like natural gas and fuel oil.

And even I use a wood stove heater, too. The first year it was kind of romantic, now it is just work. So my supplement is public electricity (and long johns), and the prices to pay are rising, which I kinda accept, but still wonder why. I suspect our present elected political leaders are warm and also fed, but don't really know from where I live in east Tennessee.

The point of the preceding lament, is that I expect our political leaders to share in the effort, but from where I sit, it doesn't seem to be happening. Even the Putnam County Courthouse is often too hot for many employees, and I think my taxes help pay their energy bill.

So back to the title of this post. I truly appreciate all the efforts our fellow Americans go through to provide us common citizens public electricity, on demand, to boot.

A change we can believe in

Things may be more simple than we thought. While the details can drive about any one crazy, the principles are pretty simple.

Things need to change. Mostly right now it is at the USA federal level, but change will also come to state, local, and even school board levels, too, probably later than the federal level, like by 2020.

The century of American idealism, to include terms like liberal, progressive, democrat, and republican, is coming to an end. Change is definitely do, and what a Country for it to happen in.

Now I expect we in the USA will have to suffer, along the way. If this happens, what a shame, since it did not have to happen, but it apparently is happening, as I write.

Now suffering may be as simple as going back to the European dark ages, or more complicated, like dealing with totalitarianism, and its consequences in the future USA. These consequences could take centuries to change course.

In the meantime, while I am alive, I'm planning for the worse.

I never thought all this could happen in my lifetime in the USA.

What goes up must come down

And vice versa, too.

Many things seem inevitable, in a good sort of way. We humans do vote with our feet, and our pocketbooks. Often it does take decades to become apparent. And usually our families and hope for their future has a lot to do with it.

Obvious trends to me include the great migrations in the USA. Once it was from the South to the Midwest and the Rustbelt areas. Now it is going the other way. Another is the trend towards progressive and tradional liberalism and its wonderful benefits is being brought back to reality by financial reality. Add in all the world interconnectivity that has been building for decades, and it remains a topsy turvy world to me.

Now it is the "down" side of things that worries me these days. Mostly that means, to me, that the pace of change is accelerating, and common order and interests may also break down, like return to older times I have read about. Having lived around the world, I have seen many of the alternatives, and I prefer what we have in the USA, warts and all.

It almost seems biblical to me, that is how we humans do in mass, both in good times and bad. And to me that means having a vote, like influencing things, or at least having a chance to influence things. Having enjoyed the "going up" phase of life, now I guess I get to tolerate the "going down" phase before I die, too. I am age 63, by the way.

Even I accept the nature of the cycle of life and cultures and civilizations, and even how they accommodate mother nature's effects, and even human effects. What worries me is how well do our leaders know this, and deal with this?

Or do I, and others in their own way, have to rise up to deal with it as a matter of necessity?

On this idea, rests our human fate on this earth, I think.

The light bulb finally goes on

This is just a report from where I live in east Tennessee and on the Cumberland Plateau.

I know a fellow (age 41) who will not work, and lives off of the government benefits, to include food bank support. Now he does denigrate himself a lot, too, but accepts that, as well as do his female friends.

And I also know a similarly aged fellow who reports he draws a government check, all the while his wife works at a local factory, a hard working high school graduate in my mind.

Both males are obviously not starving. And they are breeding, too, like having kids.

What astounds me is that all these government benefits, and those government workers who administer all this, live off of our taxes and our work to pay them our taxes.

Now many other voters are recognizing all this. Yep, the light bulb has finally has gone on.

I warned my 41 year old friend that all this system he was used to in his life was probably coming to an end, but he simply did not believe me, and pretty much blew me off.

After all, what's wrong with my 41 year old male friend working for a minimum wage job at Burger King? It was his choice, after all. And I do like eating at Burger King, too.

The value of the sports experience

There are things we learn in school, and also out of school. Sports is such an example of out of school learning that parents can do.

And there are many different kinds of sports, which I think we all know about. I summarize them as team sports, and individual sports. Most involve competitions, too. And there are many levels, too, like local, high school, college, and professional.

The part I like, and want to report to parents, is that a lot of our kids in sports have time to think about competition, and how they will do in their sport, while they are going through the competition. They learn a lot about themselves, I think. I did.

That is a good learning process, in my mind. Mostly it helps prepare them for later in their life.

Why do humans keep loaning us money?

Us is the USA.

Obviously, to me, it is because they can make money, and have trust and faith in the US federal government to pay its bills,to include repaying borrowed principal and the interest on the borrowing.

This also assumes we citizens will work to pay our federal taxes, and agree to these payments authorized by our elected federal politicians, and their appointed minions. And we Americans seem to keep electing people that do this to us. Is this simple enough?

The catch is also obvious to me.

If we can't or won't pay our bills, which will affect our children, then others, not politicians, will be in charge. Maybe it will just be that the loaners can't make money on a loan?

In this is the dilemma about what to do.

Hopefully we can vote, otherwise things like revolt come up.

In the end, we the people are in charge, one way or the other.

Great change is underway

I always wondered what it was like to live and think during the time of the American Revolution. Now I think I get my chance, again, like during my lifetime which began in my birth year, 1948.

Now this time is different, like all times, since the people and circumstances are different today than in our past. But the similarity strikes me as normal, like humans and how they live and think in their times. It is the common humanity that crosses great divides of time and circumstances and history.

Great problems abound, like normal, I think. What is coincidental, is that many of these problems affect me as well as my descendents. Hence this post.

And much of the turmoil, fear, and worse casing of things, exceeds well beyond the new world USA, or so I believe. Said another way, great change is coming to the whole World, not just the new world USA.

But in the same vein, is the solution, all prompted by the new world migration that brings so many sharp people here. In this great change will come, or so I believe. There is something magical about the new world and hope for our descendents.

Let me be practical, like not just talk the talk, but walk the walk.

Totalitarianism will fail, in the end. Many humans will be attracted to this idea to solve their problems in the short term, but reject it in the long term. Along the way, many extra people will die, often in wars, both domestic and foreign.

The human birth rate will decline. Now women are in charge in this area, I believe.

The great practicality of humans will predominate over time. How people live in Mongolia will still be different from how people live in Nebraska (USA) for example.

The urban/rural divide will tilt towards the rural, like living on rural land has cultural and family advantages that will be reinforced. This idea sounds so typically human, though not popular in 2012.

We humans may evolve towards some kind of one world government, but that is probably 500 years away. Much personal and cultural migration and cross-breeding needs to go on first, and that is on autopilot, I believe.

On the nature of change

I think most Americans want change, mostly in those elected, vice a change in the system of government we use. This idea applies locally (like city, county, and school boards), state, and federally, I also think. And I think most want to use the vote to make this happen, vice a civil war, which even I detest, though it does happen in human history.

If you buy this line of thought, let me go forward. A lot of Americans voted for change in the federal elections of 2008, and they still want change.

Unfortunately, Obama at the federal level is not the one. We do have other choices.

Now a lot of people may disagree with me. So be it. And hopefully at my age going on 64, I don't even have to live with the consequences, assuming I die in my time. Others can live with their consequences.

But the nature of change continues, as always.

That we are still the new world USA really appeals to me.

She's a slut and he's a dumb ass

It has always bothered me that if a guy has an affair while he is married, then he is guilty of something. But in the same vein, the girl is never accused of the same standards...that is what bothers me.

Now we all know this kind of thing goes on, for a myriad of reasons.

But my question to myself is why do such people want to be President of the new world USA, and why should we vote for him, and her, I guess.

In this question is also the answer in our new world USA. Things are gonna change, probably beginning in the federal elections in 2014 and 2016.

Of course, others may take charge, in the meantime.

I'm just glad I live in rural America on the Cumberland Plateau in East Tennessee if my guesses are correct.

Have you ever been cold and hungry?

Well, I have.
Here's a post from a local newspaper a couple of months ago.

Op Walker Talks Oatmeal Medicine

By Dr. Opless Walker

Oats for breakfast…nothing at lunch…and oats for supper! Oats were cheap and they came with a dish inside the box.

For many families residing in Monterey in the 1940s, life was a day-to-day struggle. Being the youngest of twelve children reared in poverty, I remember days when the opening sentence above was a fact. Families ate what they could obtain and had very little money, if any, for the supplementation of their diets by purchasing from the grocery store. Many households had gardens supplying fresh vegetables in season, and preserving by canning was widely practiced.

Although I didn’t realize the advantages of being poor in my childhood, I have since learned that it was a blessing to have had little on which to dine. Thankfully, we couldn’t afford the processed foods available from the local grocery.
While viewed as ‘food,’ garden produce had hidden within “nature’s medicine” – powerful cures with little or no side effects!

Our understanding of the medicinal power of the vegetable garden began (scientifically speaking) in 1978 in Germany. Not until the year 1998 did the United States get serious about medicine from sources other than a chemistry laboratory. The first edition of the Physician Desk Reference for Herbal Medicine was published that year, and mainstream medicine could no longer ignore the value of nature’s cures.

Institutions highly respected, such as the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic and Harvard are publishing verifiable data on the value of the medicinal chemicals taken from the plant and herb kingdoms.

It is now possible to ascertain the advantages of growing up poor in Monterey in the 1940s:

Exercise: with no vehicle, we walked everywhere we went. With no television, we “played” outside all four seasons. Only lightning rain us indoors.

House with cracks and no insulation: with plenty of ventilation, indoor air pollution did not exists with the possible exception of the coal oil lamps, the coal stove in the “front’ room, and the woodstove in the kitchen. I have often said that the ‘only difference in the outside temperature and the indoor temperature was the wind chill factor.

Well water: water for drinking was safe with little or no ground pollution.

Garden Vegetables:

Cabbage: known as the poor man’s medicine, cabbage is one of the most powerful cancer fighters and preventatives known to man. Canned kraut was common in early Monterey, and is the most powerful anti-cancer form of cabbage. In addition, cabbage is beneficial for preventing and treating stomach ailments, rheumatism, arthritis, and cardiovascular disease.

Onions: Nature’s antibiotic. Controls asthma and blood sugar. Onions strengthen capillary walls, break up mucous in the lungs allowing for easier breathing. They are anti-cancer with yellow onions being the most medicinal of the common garden variety.

Cucumbers – Alkalizes the human body, thus preventing many diseases, especially diseases of the small and large colon. Excellent for healthy skin.

Tomatoes – Red tomatoes are the most medicinal. Lycopene is the ingredient that makes a tomato ‘red,’ and is the medicine component of the tomato. Lycopene prevents cancer, boosts the immune system, and helps maintain health hair and nails.

Remember the nuts gathered in the fall of the year and the cracking of the shells on an old iron shoe last? Walnuts are the healthiest of nuts, and provide high protein levels for muscle strength and endurance as well as providing for brain power and cardiovascular health.

And then there are the oats. Oats are known as a complete body overhaul, inside and out. They prevent and/or treat depression, provide for skin health, decrease wound healing time and establish a healthy gastrointestinal tract. Oats are anti-stress and low in calories.

The two major causes of disease and death are:

1) too many calories and

2) too much stress in one’s life

Now we have scientific proof that growing up poor was a blessing. What wonderful memories! We had our medicine with each meal, be it ever lacking in other ways.

PS Opless is a doctor of pharmacology at the local hospital. He is also an amateur historian, and the brother of the late Oscar Walker