Deep Thoughts

By JAY MILLER

Syndicated Columnist

      SANTA FE -- While traveling across the pond to trace Columbus' route back to the New World, I had time to contemplate many deep questions.

   Not only have I never heard answers to these questions, I've never heard the questions asked. Maybe there is good reason such queries haven't been made. Maybe I'm not smart enough or discreet enough not to ask. But here goes.

   How come California fires burn all the way to our border with Mexico but seem to stop there? In past years I figured it was insensitive U.S. reporters who didn't care about our neighbors to the south.

   But this year, I was in Europe watching television reports from all over the world. The California fires were reported, but never a mention of the tragedy extending into Mexico.

   The only conclusion I can draw is that the fence protecting our southern border against immigrants is also fireproof. So shouldn't Mexico be helping us build that fence?

   While we're on the subject of immigrants, aren't they the answer to keeping Social Security afloat? Baby boomers fret that when they all retire, there won't be enough workers to support them.

   Also, if an illegal immigrant uses a fake Social Security number, doesn't he pay into the system but never receive benefits?

   We need some new high wage earners paying into the Social Security system too. That means we need to ease immigration restrictions on skilled workers from all countries who want to come to the United States. And giving the children of immigrants would seem like a good idea too.

   Hasn't anyone figured out that wildfires are wildfires because we don't know where they will go? Every time one occurs the news media seems mystified that flames can completely consume one property while leaving its neighbors untouched.

   Is it possible that those blasted prairie dogs may be a savior for New Mexico taxpayers? It is hard to imagine how the RailRunner commuter train can be worth the $400 million or so that the state is going to pay for it.

   Taxpayers from throughout the state already have shelled out plenty for people in Albuquerque's northern and southern suburbs to get to work. But we may be spared the cost of extending it to Santa Fe because lovers of the cute little rodents vow to keep their furry friends from being displaced. Go, dogs.

   Every time the weather in Florida causes a problem for the space shuttle, I wonder if NASA is aware that the weather in southern New Mexico would not have caused that problem.

   Why is Bill Clinton raising money for Emily's list? The group, which supports female political candidates, usually doesn't use men to promote it. And Bill should have his hands full helping Hillary.

   A Halloween survey found that 34 percent of Americans believe in ghosts and the same number believe in UFOs. The survey also noted that 31 percent of Americans believe President George Bush is doing a good job with Iraq. But why didn't they tell us whether those are the same people?

   Speaking of Iraq, why do public officials and reporters pronounce it e-ROCK and the military pronounces it I-RAK?

   A news release announced recently that the military is experiencing the highest suicide rate in 26 years. What happened in 1981 to make the rate even higher that year?

   The last two times President Bush came to Albuquerque a motorcycle policeman lost his life escorting the motorcade. Has anyone investigated the cause of those tragedies and recommended how they might be avoided in the next time the president visits?

   Recent figures show that Texas barely edged New Mexico for the title of biggest pecan producer in 2006. It was noted that when the pecans are shelled, New Mexico is the biggest producer because our pecans have more meat.

   Could someone please do a study of whether the basic personalities of Texans and New Mexicans bear the same relationship?

FRI, 11-02-07

 

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505

(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

10-31 Capital City Goblins

WED, 10-31-07


SANTA FE - In case you happen to wonder about some of the laws and regulations coming out of state government, remember, New Mexico has the ghostliest capital city in the nation.
And many of those ghosts haunt buildings where state business is transacted or where lawmakers stay while in the Capital City.
Santa Fe has so many ghosts hanging around that tours of haunted spots are regularly conducted on summer evenings.
One of the most popular stops for ghost tours is La Posada, where the spirit of Julia Staab has roamed the hallways for some 115 years. Tour groups are taken to Room 256, at the head of the stairs, just off the lobby, where a knock on the door sometimes is said to bring an answer from Julia.
The former Mrs. Staab does not like her room to be disturbed. Guests are warned that she might appear. During renovations, workers say they find their tools and materials unexplainably strewn about or missing. Some even claim to have seen her.
A popular television mystery show once featured La Posada. Ghost stories also are told about La Fonda, the St. Francis Hotel and the Loretto Inn, three other popular lawmaker hangouts.
Another stop on ghost tours is the former ballroom in Sena Plaza on Palace Street, where the Territorial Legislature met for several years after the state's second Capitol building was torched, reportedly by Albuquerqueans, in the late 1880s.
But the most famous ghost stories involve the states' most recent capitol buildings. The most popular story involves the notorious La Llorona, a figure who appears in fables throughout the Southwest and Mexico.
According to the Santa Fe version, in the early days of the city, a beautiful woman grew tired of her children and threw them to their death in the Santa Fe River. After an immediate c change of heart, she \chased along the riverbank trying to save them but tripped, hit her head on a rock and died also.
Because of her evil deed, the priest would not allow her to be buried in the church cemetery, but ordered that she be buried near the river where she died.
The state of New Mexico later built a new Capitol on that spot. For many years custodians in the building have reported sightings of La Llorona - the crying woman - as she leaves her resting place on the nightly search for her children.
One custodian is said to have reported the apparition passed through him as it hurried down a hallway. He resigned the following morning.
That capitol is now the Bataan Building, which houses several agencies of state government. A new Capitol was constructed in 1967, but somehow, when the story is retold, La Llorona is still buried "under the state Capitol."
As a result, some workers in the new Capitol are said to wonder whether La Llorona might have moved, along with the seat of state government.
When the present Capitol was renovated 20 years ago, the legislative appropriation included "one percent for the arts." Local sculptor Glenna Goodacre, creator of the Vietnam Women's Memorial in Washington, D, C, was asked to place several of her life-size bronzes throughout the Capitol so lawmakers could decide which of them they might like to purchase.
One of the figures was that of a woman, taking a long stride, with her dress flowing behind her. State employees quickly named it La Llorona and convinced the decision makers to veto that purchase.
During the Capitol renovation, the governor and Legislature moved across the street to the Public Employees Retirement Association building. The massive structure, with two floors below ground, sits atop Santa Fe's first cemetery - the one denied to La Llorona.
When ground was broken for the building, workers were told to save the caskets for burial in another cemetery. But since most of the caskets were pine boxes, there was considerable disturbance to the old cemetery
Ever since the state office building opened in the early 1960s, employees have reported elevators going up and down with no one in them, lights flicking on and off, doors opening and shutting mysteriously, and drafts coming from nowhere in the windowless bottom floors.
Don't be too surprised if someday a state employee asks for hazardous duty pay.
This will be it for a week or so.

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10-29 Billy the Kid a Movie Star Again

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Presidents As Teachers?

FRI, 10-26-07

SANTA FE - what U.S. presidents would have made the best high school teachers? And what would they have taught?
Those questions recently were asked by USA Weekend, a newspaper supplement, to Richard Norton Smith, a history professor at Virginia's George Mason University. Smith is co-hosting a C-SPAN series this fall on presidential libraries, subtitled "History Uncovered," which will showcase newly unearthed historical treasures at our nation's 12 federally operated presidential libraries.
This column has spoken often about our nation's presidential libraries. My wife and I have seen most of them and feel they are a tremendous way to excite Americans about their country's history.
Granted, there are better ways to teach more and better facts more quickly than the presidential library system. But I challenge anyone to come up with a more interesting and entertaining method of presenting history.
Presidential libraries are much more than libraries where scholars come to pour through presidents' papers. They are that, but also museums for the public to enjoy and learn more about the president and the events that occurred during his presidency.
Oh sure, they present the president in a little better light than you might have seen him. But the museums are operated by the National Archives, which requires accuracy. The last presidential library to add a museum was the Nixon Library, following a lengthy disagreement between his two daughters on whether to let the National Archives in on interpreting their father's presidency.
Twelve museums currently are in the federal system, which dates back to President Herbert Hoover. Prior to that, presidents' papers relating to the public's business were considered private.
The National Archives did all it could to convince presidents to donate their papers to the Library of Congress, but many ended up in the hands of family, other libraries, collectors or they were intentionally destroyed.
Taxpayers don't foot the bill for all this. The last 12 presidents have raised money for the buildings and contribute to the maintenance. Those 12 presidents are equally divided between Republicans and Democrats. Their museums often are in their home towns or nearby. Some are in their adopted states, where they spent their final years.
The question often is asked whether the Clinton Center, as he calls it, promotes Hillary's presidential bid. We haven't been there yet, but from what I understand, the answer is yes.
We did visit the George H.W. Bush presidential Museum during George W. Bush's first presidential campaign and noticed the prominent display of the father-son presidencies of the Adams family. So it is possible to find a way to promote family dynasties.
But let's get back to who would make the best high school teachers. Smith chose mainly based on a president's career outside politics or their special interests. Nuclear engineer Jimmy Carter was chosen to teach science. Surveyor George Washington would be the geography teacher. Fitness advocate Teddy Roosevelt was the physical education teacher. Journalist Warren Harding was the school newspaper adviser.
Abraham Lincoln, whom I would have loved to have as a teacher, wasn't mentioned. Neither was Lyndon Johnson, the only president, to my knowledge, who actually was a high school teacher. The article did mention he once was a debate coach.
The truth is that none of our U.S. presidents may have made particularly good teachers. Sure, some of the same qualities are required of both. They all likely would have made good political science lecturers in college but there is another facet to being a good teacher.
Teach requires patience to bring along those who don't grasp a concept quickly. Especially in math and science, but also in other subjects, some people can intuitively grasp an idea without going through the steps we mere mortals have to employ. Those people have difficulty understanding how our minds work.
That may be true of many of our presidents. Let's let them snap their fingers and go about running our country while the teachers teach.

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Another Member f Congress?

WED, 10-24-07

SANTA FE - Will New Mexico get a fourth member of the U.S. House as a result of the 2010 census? When we received our third member of the House from the 1980 census, demographers projected another would be added in 2010.
The West was growing fast and the Eastern and Midwestern Rust Belt was sinking like a rock. That trend has continued, but New Mexico hasn't kept up with Arizona and Colorado, which have increased their number of U.S. House members with each census. Nevada may soon join that category.
New Mexico has been growing, but a rate of about two percent a year isn't fast enough to get an extra member of Congress every decade. Maybe in 2020. We will climb over two million inhabitants in the 2010 census. There's no prize for that but businesses thinking about relocating here might look at the new number and be more likely to consider us.
Our state's biggest growth is occurring in areas that already are considered metropolitan, such as Albuquerque and Las Cruces. It also is growing in the category of "quality of life" counties. Can you guess which those might be? They are Taos, Santa Fe and Lincoln.
So federal reapportionment isn't going to be a big deal in New Mexico following the 2010 census. But state redistricting may be a very big deal. That's the process of dividing up the congressional seats New Mexico receives through reapportionment each decade.
It might not be a big deal in New Mexico if we still have the same number of U.S. representatives. But, then again, it might. The present three districts could be redrawn. During the last two redistricting opportunities, many Democrat leaders have wanted to make Albuquerque's 1st Congressional District more Democratic.
Both houses had Democratic majorities at the time but Republican Gary Johnson was governor in 2001 and vowed to veto any change. In 1991, Democrat Bruce King was governor, but even though it would help his party, he said he didn't want any messing around.
Actually, Democrats had another opportunity to fiddle with congressional redistricting in 1993, when Democrat Bill Richardson took over from Gov. Gary Johnson. But opponents of the proposal said it was unfair and not in accordance with reapportionment law.
A few months later, Colorado, where Republicans had taken over a second house of the legislature and already had a Republican governor, redistricted to create an additional safe GOP seat.
And shortly after, Texas Republicans who had just gained control of the legislature, converted over a dozen Democratic districts into Republican ones. That's when Texas House Democrats fled to Oklahoma for about a week, followed by Texas Democratic senators fleeing to Albuquerque for over a month in order to forestall losing so many congressional seats.
During the Texas visitation, some of the New Mexico politicians who had said it would be unjust and unlawful for New Mexico to redistrict, told the Texans they should take their medicine like men. Gov. Richardson still decided not to stir the water here, possibly in hopes of winning reelection in additional Republican counties.
All of this lends additional importance to upcoming legislative elections and the big 2010 gubernatorial race for which candidates already are lining up. And the excitement is heightened by the recent retirement of Sen. Pete Domenici and the uncertainty of where Gov. Bill Richardson eventually will land.
Meanwhile New Mexico eagerly awaits the outcome of the 2010 census. No state receives as much federal assistance per dollar from its taxpayers. That means it is more important to us than any other state to get every person counted. This time, the government's newest effort is the use of handheld computers with GPS capability.
That could help, but Congress always is bent on cutting the cost of the census despite the fact that political careers are ended when census results eliminate a congressional seat from a state that isn't growing fast enough.

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Following Columbus

MON, 10-22-07


AT SEA - We're following the trail of Christopher Columbus to the New
World - approximately. This cruise, beginning in Barcelona, Spain, and ending in the Caribbean, was billed as retracing Columbus' footsteps.
And it has done that, to some extent, stopping at four beautiful ports along the way to the vast Atlantic where we are now. But the islands didn't quite fit my memory of Columbus' stops.
None of the ship's staff or reference library could give me any help and surfing the Internet at 75 cents a minute is too high-priced for this low-budget column, especially at the speed of the ship's Internet connection.
Further research awaits when I get home to my comfortable desktop. Meanwhile I decided to go to the top and ask the captain. Since this is a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, I had my first clue already. The second clue was that we didn't have a Columbus Day cerebration aboard ship. And my third clue came when Captain Lars Bengtsson asked why I would even be interested in a Johnny-come-lately like Columbus.
I mentioned his ship's pre-cruise claims and he mumbled something about the company's marketing department. Captains mumble a lot. After I mentioned that I understood about the Vikings, he explained that Columbus was blown off course often and ended up at a number of different islands on his three trips.
The stops we did make, however, were spectacular. Palma de Mallorca was possibly the most beautiful port I had ever seen, until we landed in Funchal, Madeira, a Portuguese island off the coast of Morocco.
We also stopped in Ceuta, Spain, on the coast of Morocco, directly across the strait from Gibraltar. It's a bit ironic that the British control Gibraltar, on the coast of Spain and the Spanish control Ceuta on the coast of Morocco. For the moment, at least, it is a stable situation.
So many ports in the Mediterranean are absolutely beautiful, with their steep hills covered by white houses with red tile roofs. Inland, also, many towns are distinguished by hillsides with houses flowing down them.
How different that is from Santa Fe, where there are laws against building houses on hillsides. Reasons for those laws range from the aesthetic to environmental. But letters in local papers reveal that much of the motivation seems to be envy.
Back to Columbus a moment. Although his day was not observed on the ship, it was celebrated in a big way in Ceuta, Spain, where the town closed down despite a cruise ship being in port.
As my wife gazed through shop windows advertising great bargains, she said it was just her luck to be in a great shopping port in the only country that gets enthusiastic about Columbus Day.
One of our surprises in the part of Spain we visited was the influence of the Catalonians who, like the Basques, would like to have their separate country. Outside our Barcelona hotel on the Sunday before Columbus Day, a parade of Catalonians formed. Participants were colorfully dressed, the music was cheerful and many children were present.
We followed the parade to the Catalonian Plaza and sat at a sidewalk café for an hour or two enjoying the music and dancing. That evening, as the sun set, another parade formed outside our hotel window. This one was angry, mostly men beating drums and carrying signs. We didn't follow that one. Barcelona TV was filled the next morning with stories of demonstrations and arrests.
When it comes to holidays, American cruise lines do celebrate Halloween in a big way, with decorations, costumes and little children going door to door trick-or-treating.
It appears to me that New Mexico does not celebrate Halloween quite to the extent that much of the rest of the nation does. Elsewhere, costumes and candy come out in the stores in early September and whole neighborhoods are decorated by early October.

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Pete

Pete


SANTA FE - Pete Domenici has always been special. There has been something about him ever since we became acquainted a half century ago that makes him stand out.
Pete was six years ahead of me at the University of New Mexico but we were both members of the same fraternity and Pete often dropped by the house to visit old friends, and maybe to make some new ones.
I Had a room just above the entrance to our fraternity house so quickly became aware when Pete would walk up to the house in late afternoons.
I don't remember him ever coming inside to chat. Someone always noticed him approaching and would yell "Hey, Bocce's here."
The story back then was that when Pete was born, his father observed that his head was as round as a bocce ball. Now I read that it was an aunt who said the 10-pounder was as round as a bocce ball. The name stuck with him through college and with old friends much longer.
Pete commanded an adoring crowd. To him I was just another face in that crowd at the time, but our career paths were to bring us closer.
He had a charisma that inspired confidence He lost only one political race in his life That was to powerhouse Bruce King who chalked up a defeat on many candidates' political records.
Pete has always been quick-witted and fun to talk with. In the Senate, he has been hailed as a genius for his grasp of the federal budget. Although I never heard him claim the title, college friends joked that he was the only student in history to major in everything but nursing.
I'm not sure what that means, but it doesn't mean he isn't smart. If true, it could mean he took his time making a career choice. He didn't choose politics until he was in law practice and decided to run for the Albuquerque City Commission.
Even then, he continued his law practice despite serving as commission chairman, the equivalent of being mayor. After Domenici's loss to Bruce King in the 1970 gubernatorial election, he saw another opportunity in the 1972 U.S. Senate race.
Longtime Sen. Clinton Anderson had announced his retirement. He also said he would like to cap his political career by serving as state Democratic chairman. But a number of young Democrats thought it was time for some changes. Rudy Ortiz beat Anderson for state chairman.
So instead of Anderson presiding over a fifth decade of Democratic domination of New Mexico's two U.S. Senate seats, Anderson sat back, refusing to get involved.
Democrat leaders were scared. They knew what this could mean. A story floats in Democratic circles that Domenici was extended an offer to become the Democratic senatorial candidate, but it fell through because Pete didn't seem interested and because of strong resistance from New Mexico's other U.S. Sen. Joe Montoya.
Democratic bosses had thought they might have a chance of enticing Domenici to their side. He was moderate and had been popular with Democrats when he headed the non-partisan Albuquerque City Commission.
But Pete stuck with the Republican Party and has continued to have strong support among Democratic voters, becoming the longest-serving senator in state history.
Domenici calls himself a conservative when he runs for office because that is a good way to win elections. But now that he has stepped away from political life, it won't hurt him for me finally to reveal the truth.
Pete is not a conservative - at least in Washington terms. If he were, he would have moved up his party's hierarchy. His Republican colleagues admired him and knew he was smart as a whip, or even a floor leader, pardon the pun.
But every time he started his path toward party leadership, he was knocked back by those who considered him a moderate. He might even have become President George H.W. Bush's vice president in 1988 had he possessed credentials sufficiently acceptable to the nominating convention.
But Pete Domenici remained true to the values held by a majority of New Mexicans, including not getting rich in office.
Glad to be back to civilization. Hope everything works from now on.

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10-10 Columbus - 3rd try

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE - We're headed to Barcelona, Spain, for some sightseeing and then will cruise along Christopher Columbus' route to the New World. Although the cruise occurs at about the same time as Columbus Day, this cruise doesn't necessarily celebrate the occasion.
We'll be on the Norwegian Cruise Line, which long has done a Viking Cruise to the New World. These are what are called repositioning cruises, in which cruise lines move their ships from summer itineraries to winter in the Caribbean.
So the Columbus thing really is just a marketing tool. I doubt there will be much celebrating, but we'll see.
No national holiday is more controversial than Columbus Day, which manages to spark animosity from two different groups, both of which were here before Columbus.
One of those groups is the descendents of the Vikings, whom it appears fairly certain were here about 500 years earlier. Minnesota, the home of many Viking descendents, no longer recognizes Columbus Day.
The strongest feelings, however, come from those who were here long before the Vikings. They detest the historical inaccuracy but their big complaint is the treatment of native people that followed.
South Dakota observes Native American Day instead of Columbus Day. Nevada observes nothing on that day. The U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico celebrate Friendship Day instead of Columbus Day due to the controversy surrounding atrocities committed against peoples of the Caribbean.
For a New Mexico perspective, watch Surviving Columbus, a TV documentary by New Mexican Diane Reyna. It presents the Pueblo Indians' 450-year struggle to preserve their culture.
Closer to home, Minnesota refuses to celebrate Columbus Day because that state's many descendents of the Vikings contend there now is ample proof that their ancestors were here 500 years earlier.
Many historians argue that Columbus' achievements are not worthy of a national holiday. Although he was the first to bring European culture to the Americas, he wasn't the first one here.
In truth, the legend of Columbus has been greatly embellished to the point of becoming myth. Early-American author Washington Irving penned an overly dramatic "biography" of Columbus that was so popular it became accepted as fact.
Who were the first people to arrive in the New World? The Bering Land Bridge theory has prevailed for the past half-century. It establishes the first Americans at about 13,000 years old. Digs near Clovis and Folsom, New Mexico were key to developing that theory.
But scientists are now beginning to wonder if there might have been more than one migration. Evidence is slowly emerging of artifacts dating back as many as 55,000 years. Some of that evidence also is here in New Mexico.
In 1940, University of New Mexico professor Frank Hibben claimed to have found evidence of a 20,000 year-old Sandia Man. But technical problems and sloppy record keeping resulted in that find never being accepted by scholars.
Now, a recent excavation at Pendejo Cave, near Orogrande in southern New Mexico, has revealed radiocarbon datings over 55,000 years old. For the time being, archaeologists can't get at it because not only is it on Otero Mesa, it also is on the MacGregor Range of Fort Bliss. So far, I haven't found out how the cave got that crazy name.
For now, that leaves Columbus in the catbird seat. Even though he sailed for Spain and is responsible for most countries of the Western Hemisphere being of Spanish culture, Columbus was Italian and Italians have captured the holiday as a celebration of their heritage in America.
And Italians had much to do with starting Columbus Day observances, first in cities with large Italian populations, such as New York and San Francisco in the 1860s. Then, in 1905, the first state celebration was in Colorado.
In 1937, the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal and service organization, prevailed on President Franklin Roosevelt to declare October 12 a national holiday.
Could changes be in the offing?

WED, 10-10-07

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

Sorry. Obviously I'm distracted.

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10-10 w/ correct attachment

Will Columbus Survive?

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10-10 Will Columbus Survive?

SANTA FE -- Eighty-two years ago, 8 Oct 1918, Alvin York, an American
draftee corporal from the hills of East Tennessee
(and a religious pacifist who had been denied
conscientious-objector status), almost single-handedly took
out three German machine gun nests, killed at least 25 enemy
soldiers, and captured 138.
Then with a half-dozen men
surviving from his own squad, led them back through American
lines.
This remarkable feat made him the outstanding American
hero of World War I, winning him the Distinguished Service
Cross for the captures and his country's highest honor, the
Medal of Honor, for the assault on the machine gun nests.
A
few months earlier, an unknown German lieutenant named Erwin
Rommel exceeded even York's tally, on the Italian front during
the Caporetto battles.
Almost alone and at night, he killed a
large number of enemy and with just a handful of privates
captured and led through German lines over 3,000 Italian
prisoners, opening a wide gap in the enemy lines that
permitted a significant German advance. For his heroism he
received his country's highest
Heroes do not commonly fare well in peacetime, although York
and Rommel may be exceptions.
York went home to a farm
provided him by a grateful state, and lived out his life
peacefully until Gary Cooper won an Oscar playing him in a
1941 movie.
Under renewed attention, he served as head of his
local draft board after volunteering for service in WWII and
being turned down.
Rommel continued as a rather bookish
officer in the German army until receiving not-fully-merited
acclaim as the "Desert Fox" leader of the Afrikacorps during
the next war.
He lent his blessing to the failed 1944 plot to
kill Hitler, and killed himself in its aftermath to save his
family from extermination. York and Rommel alike were credits
to their countries.
More commonly, whatever it is that makes a man disregard his
own life for the sake of his fellows can affect him in ways he
is unable to overcome, and in our own country the rates of
drunkenness, depression, and suicide are higher among
surviving Medal of Honor winners than almost any other
identifiable group of the population.
America's most
decorated soldier, Audie Murphy of World War II, like York a
simple farm boy who performed valorous deeds that not even his
fellow soldiers could comprehend, the Medal of Honor being one
among scores of honors.
His country tried earnestly to treat
him as it thought a hero should be treated, but in his case it
might have been better if he had been forgotten.
He became a
movie star on account of his fame and good looks, but his
acting ability was limited and he evidently was tormented by
the fear that he could do nothing wholly on his own talents
except kill enemy soldiers.
So how should we think about our heroes on the next patriotic
holidays? Perhaps it is enough that we remember them, and
also remember those who just did their duty, because each one
is as individual in peacetime as the citation that awarded his
medal.
Remember the 300 Spartans, and in doing so remember the
heroes of all nations. With their king Leonides they defied
their country's own laws to make a hopeless effort to stop the
Persian invasion of Greece.
They died to a man, but set in
motion a chain of events that ultimately preserved Greek
civilization and therefore ours.
Simonides recorded this
epitaph for their mass grave: "Go tell the Spartans, thou who
passest by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie."
Perhaps that defines heroes: They are different from the rest
of us, and for whatever reason do not their duty, but
something else.

MON, 10-08-07

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FW: SgtYork

Churning out columns has been easier than I figured on this trip, so far. Now we leave the country and it may get more iffy. I'll keep my fingers crossed. We head to Barcelona and then cruise back along Columbus' route to the Caribbean. That ought to make for a good 10/10 column. I'll try working on something along that line today. And maybe get it out before I leave.

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SANTA FE -- On Oct. 8, 1918, Alvin York, an American draftee corporal from the hills of East Tennessee

(and a religious pacifist who had been denied conscientious-objector status), almost single-handedly took out three German machine gun nests, killed at least 25 enemy soldiers, and captured 138, then with a half-dozen men surviving from his own squad, led them back through American lines.

This remarkable feat made him the outstanding American hero of World War I, winning him the Distinguished Service Cross for the captures and his country's highest honor, the Medal of Honor, for the assault on the machine gun nests. 

A few months earlier, an unknown German lieutenant named Erwin Rommel exceeded even York's tally, on the Italian front during the Caporetto battles. Almost alone and at night, he killed a large number of enemy and with just a handful of privates captured and led through German lines over 3,000 Italian prisoners, opening a wide gap in the enemy lines that permitted a significant German advance. For his heroism he received his country's highest

Heroes do not commonly fare well in peacetime, although York and Rommel may be exceptions. York went home to a farm provided him by a grateful state, and lived out his life peacefully until Gary Cooper won an Oscar playing him in a 1941 movie. Under renewed attention, he served as head of his local draft board after volunteering for service in WWII and being turned down.

Rommel continued as a rather bookish officer in the German army until receiving not-fully-merited acclaim as the "Desert Fox" leader of the Afrikacorps during the next war. He lent his blessing to the failed 1944 plot to kill Hitler, and killed himself in its aftermath to save his family from extermination. York and Rommel alike were credits to their countries.

More commonly, whatever it is that makes a man disregard his own life for the sake of his fellows can affect him in ways he is unable to overcome, and in our own country the rates of drunkenness, depression, and suicide are higher among surviving Medal of Honor winners than almost any other identifiable group of the population.

Witness America's most decorated soldier, Audie Murphy of World War II, like York a simple farm boy who performed valorous deeds that not even his fellow soldiers could comprehend, the Medal of Honor being one among scores of honors. His country tried earnestly to treat him as it thought a hero should be treated, but in his case it might have been better if he had been forgotten. He became a movie star on account of his fame and good looks, but his acting ability was limited and he evidently was tormented by the fear that he could do nothing wholly on his own talents except kill enemy soldiers.

So how should we think about our heroes on the next patriotic holidays?  Perhaps it is enough that we remember them, and also remember those who just did their duty, because each one is as individual in peacetime as the citation that awarded his medal.

Remember the 300 Spartans, and in doing so remember the heroes of all nations. With their king Leonides they defied their country's own laws to make a hopeless effort to stop the Persian invasion of Greece. They died to a man, but set in motion a chain of events that ultimately preserved Greek civilization and therefore ours. 

Simonides recorded this epitaph for their mass grave: "Go tell the Spartans, thou who passest by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie." Perhaps that defines heroes: They are different from the rest of us, and for whatever reason do not their duty, but something else.

 

MON, 10-8-07

 

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FW: SgtYork

Churning out columns has been easier than I figured on this trip, so far. Now we leave the country and it may get more iffy. I'll keep my fingers crossed. We head to Barcelona and then cruise back along Columbus' route to the Caribbean. That ought to make for a good 10/10 column. I'll try working on something along that line today. And maybe get it out before I leave.

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SANTA FE -- On Oct. 8, 1918, Alvin York, an American draftee corporal from the hills of East Tennessee

(and a religious pacifist who had been denied conscientious-objector status), almost single-handedly took out three German machine gun nests, killed at least 25 enemy soldiers, and captured 138, then with a half-dozen men surviving from his own squad, led them back through American lines.

This remarkable feat made him the outstanding American hero of World War I, winning him the Distinguished Service Cross for the captures and his country's highest honor, the Medal of Honor, for the assault on the machine gun nests. 

A few months earlier, an unknown German lieutenant named Erwin Rommel exceeded even York's tally, on the Italian front during the Caporetto battles. Almost alone and at night, he killed a large number of enemy and with just a handful of privates captured and led through German lines over 3,000 Italian prisoners, opening a wide gap in the enemy lines that permitted a significant German advance. For his heroism he received his country's highest

Heroes do not commonly fare well in peacetime, although York and Rommel may be exceptions. York went home to a farm provided him by a grateful state, and lived out his life peacefully until Gary Cooper won an Oscar playing him in a 1941 movie. Under renewed attention, he served as head of his local draft board after volunteering for service in WWII and being turned down.

Rommel continued as a rather bookish officer in the German army until receiving not-fully-merited acclaim as the "Desert Fox" leader of the Afrikacorps during the next war. He lent his blessing to the failed 1944 plot to kill Hitler, and killed himself in its aftermath to save his family from extermination. York and Rommel alike were credits to their countries.

More commonly, whatever it is that makes a man disregard his own life for the sake of his fellows can affect him in ways he is unable to overcome, and in our own country the rates of drunkenness, depression, and suicide are higher among surviving Medal of Honor winners than almost any other identifiable group of the population.

Witness America's most decorated soldier, Audie Murphy of World War II, like York a simple farm boy who performed valorous deeds that not even his fellow soldiers could comprehend, the Medal of Honor being one among scores of honors. His country tried earnestly to treat him as it thought a hero should be treated, but in his case it might have been better if he had been forgotten. He became a movie star on account of his fame and good looks, but his acting ability was limited and he evidently was tormented by the fear that he could do nothing wholly on his own talents except kill enemy soldiers.

So how should we think about our heroes on the next patriotic holidays?  Perhaps it is enough that we remember them, and also remember those who just did their duty, because each one is as individual in peacetime as the citation that awarded his medal.

Remember the 300 Spartans, and in doing so remember the heroes of all nations. With their king Leonides they defied their country's own laws to make a hopeless effort to stop the Persian invasion of Greece. They died to a man, but set in motion a chain of events that ultimately preserved Greek civilization and therefore ours. 

Simonides recorded this epitaph for their mass grave: "Go tell the Spartans, thou who passest by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie." Perhaps that defines heroes: They are different from the rest of us, and for whatever reason do not their duty, but something else.

 

MON, 10-8-07

 

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10-5 Wright Brothers Similar to NM Inventors

FRI, 10-05-07


KITTY HAWK, NC - This cradle of aviation evokes comparisons between the Wright Brothers and New Mexico's world-class inventors - especially in their troubles with our government.
Orville and Wilber Wright are somewhat similar to Bill Gates and Paul Allen, college dropouts who revolutionized the computer world, left New Mexico in search of funds and attained such fabulous success that governments throughout the world have moved to limit their power.
The Wrights lacked high school diplomas but solved engineering problems years ahead of the world's leading aeronautical scientists. They were able to finance their own experiments through their bicycle repair business in Dayton, Ohio, but ran into a stone wall when they tried to sell their plans to the Army.
Roswell rocket pioneer Robert Goddard could tell us about the Army's lack of interest in embracing anything new. Throughout the 1930s, he tried to convince the government that rockets have military value. After Adolph Hitler emphatically made Goddard's point a few years later, the United States spent billions on rocket science, infringing on dozens of Goddard's patents.
And now, in a new age of commercial rocket science, it appears that a blunder by New Mexico state government could spell an end to Spaceport America. A suggestion that a statewide tax might be necessary to keep the RailRunner train project afloat is causing fears that planned tax votes in Otero and Sierra counties may fail.
One can hardly blame southern New Mexico voters for a negative reaction to the notion that taxpayers statewide should pay for a railroad serving Albuquerque and Santa Fe while taxpayers near a planned southern New Mexico spaceport are expected to help pay for it.
New Mexico has made a big investment in attracting commercial space pioneers to the state. That effort is well on its way to success with X-Prize competitions, the Rocket Racing League and several small aerospace companies deciding to locate here.
With Sir Richard Branson's decision to bring Virgin Galactic to New Mexico, it would be foolish to lose it all to Dubai, Ireland, Oklahoma or several other suitors for the businesses. But it could happen.
The centennial of the Wright's first flight in 2003 brought much coverage of their efforts, along with recreations and reenactments of their maiden flights. But little or nothing was said about the years that followed.
In 1904, the Wrights moved their operation back home to a field near Dayton, making 105 flights that year. By 1905, circling flights of up to 38 minutes became routine. The brothers had a practical airplane, which they decided to offer to the U.S. Army.
But the Army wasn't interested. So the brothers quit flying. They put away their airplane and designs and concentrated full time on their bicycle repair business for three years. During that time, Europeans tried to catch up.
By 1907, a European pilot managed to stay aloft for close to a minute, equaling the Wrights' 1903 achievement. In 1908, a French pilot stayed up for 20 minutes. But the French attempts were still shaky, compared with the Wrights' smooth control system.
So the French decided to pay for the Wrights' secrets. And suddenly, the U.S. government got in the ballgame, much as it did 50 years later when the Russians put up Sputnik. The brothers again showed the world what they could do - Wilber in France, Orville in America.
By 1910, the French caught up and soon other countries joined in. The Wright's next model, produced in 1911, became the prototype for every airplane in the air today. By 1916, the U.S. Army got serious with reconnaissance planes used in the attempt to track Pancho Villa back into Mexico after his raid on Columbus.
Gen. Pershing couldn't find Villa, but the experience led to the development of an improved airplane model that also could be used as a fighter the following year when America got involved in World War I.

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