The Pete Morin Editorial Review--Issue #46

The Story of Sweet

It's not often that one can become closely associated with nature, but on a summer day in 2004 that's exactly what Sue and I did when we took our usual morning walk to the local convenience store.

The store manager had a rather unusual request; she asked us if we would be willing to rescue a baby starling that had been abandoned by its mother. Two siblings had already died from cold and lack of food the previous evening and the only remaining chick didn't look like it had much life left. As I looked at Sue, trying to let her see my reservations about accepting the bird, she instinctively told the proprietor "sure, we'll take it". Thus started our adventure with the little starling chick that would come to be called 'Sweet'.

As we found our way home,pondering on what to feed the chick, I remembered an old Burt Lancaster movie called "Birdman of Alcatraz". Lancaster portrayed Robert Stroud, a self taught ornithologist (and two time murderer) who was imprisoned in Alcatraz, the infamous Federal prison in San Francisco Bay. A small Sparrow had dropped into his cell one day and he devised a method to feed the bird using cockroaches and bugs that shared his living space. Since we had no available cockroaches and bugs were not a staple diet for a starling (a quick search on the net confirming this), we decided to try a concoction of suet, oatmeal and water. Starlings are unique in that they eat just about anything, perhaps attributing to their legend as being a scavenger bird with an over-population to boot. But what did we care about over-population. This was life in its very newest form and we would not give nature a chance to destroy its own creation without a fight.

Sweet completely took over our daily lives. During the day she (we would assume by the markings that it was a 'she') had to be fed about every half hour and if you were late, she let you know! I would mix the concoction and feed it to her with a wooden match stick. Sweet seemed to love it and would gobble it down as fast as I could provide. As she finished her feeding she would slide back into the rear of her nest to seek the relative safety of its confines until her next feeding. She was also very fastidious in that she would not foul her nest, but would make her way to the edge to do her business.

We kept Sweet in a large cat cage inside our gazebo in the backyard so to be safe from any possible predators and she thrived in this environment. Soon it became apparent that she was more than just a hungry mouth and pot belly and started to grow feathers which gave her the appearance of a real, honest-to-goodness, bird. She even started to venture outside her nest to explore the confines of the cage. Sweet became such a central part of our lives that on the July 4th weekend we took her with us on a trip with Sue's sister and husband to South Hadley and Amherst. We ate lunch at Windows on the Common in South Hadley and had to excuse ourselves every half hour to feed her. We kept the cage in the back of our car and the arrangement worked
out perfectly.

As Sweet got bigger we had to consider how to acclimate her to the wild. It's one thing to raise a bird, or any other animal, for domestication, but yet another thing to raise one with the intention of release into the wild. We had always made it our motive in raising Sweet to do so with eventual release in mind. I would now occasionally bring her outside the safety of the gazebo and teach the fine, non-human, art of flight. Nothing could be more amusing than watching a human attempt to teach a young bird this amazing feat, but teach her I did. I would bring her to a lilac bush and place her on a low hanging branch and then gently nudge her to take flight. The first few attempts were met with total failure as she fluttered helplessly to the ground, but nature has a strong instinct placed within its winged creatures and soon Sweet was successful in gaining a somewhat small measure of lift.

Sweet progressed rapidly in her new found art and it was now time to see if she could navigate beyond the gazebo. I wasn't too concerned about her flying off to parts unknown since she still required feeding every hour or so. Quickly she learned how to maneuver from branch to branch on various trees in the yard and I also taught her how to peck at the ground for insects. Imagine, if you will, a man prone on all fours nibbling at the grass in an attempt to demonstrate to a bird the benefits of ground feeding! And it worked--a credit as she was to her hardy species, she caught on with gusto. Once, when our neighbor was having his garage rebuilt, a worker on the job site proudly proclaimed to us that Sweet had just eaten an ant! Sweet wasn't just our bird, but the entire neighborhood was aware of her presence.

July passed, as summer does, to August and Sweet was now a full grown bird. She would now meet us at our bedroom window every morning at 5 am to let us know that breakfast should be served as soon as possible. I would grudgingly, but willingly, oblige and then she would be on her way flying from tree to tree in the anticipation of enjoying another beautiful summer day. As I saw her fly about the yard I wondered if we had done the right thing in trying to save this stout hearted little creature. That old saying 'it isn't nice to mess with mother nature' is a concern that can't be denied, but Sue and I both felt we had done the right thing.

Soon Sweet no longer came to our window, but would meet us on the railing on our back deck. She was hesitant to accept our offerings of food and friendship and one had the notion that nature and the natural order of things would reclaim its design. It was on an August morning that she jumped across the railing on the deck and let us know that we had done all we could; she was ready for flight and freedom. We knew the day would come and looked forward to it, but yet there was a sadness in our souls in not knowing what lay ahead for her. Would she be able to avoid danger? Would she think that all humans were her friends? Only she could answer and yet there is no answer. We do the best we can in helping to preserve and nurture life and hope for the best.

We never saw Sweet again, but her story fills these lines and our hearts with a fond remembrance. Fly on little bird. Freedom comes to those that love it.

The Pete Morin Editorial Review--Issue #45

Examining time



It's been some time since I wrote last my last article and ruminating about what's most important in life gave impetus to provide the following thoughts.

Perhaps it was Aristotle, or some other brilliant philosopher, who said that everything in life is political. Well, I certainly hope not. We inhabit this earth for but a mere speck of geologic time and must come to understand the value of this speck of time before it evaporates and is long gone. Have we used our time wisely, or have we squandered it for useless purposes? Socrates lamented that an unexamined life isn't worth living. Examination can be a prescription that is past due.

We sometimes get caught up in the minutiae of everyday life, i.e. what movie to watch, what shirt should I wear, etc., but these things are nothing more than the detritus of that life Socrates expounded on as 'unexamined.' Aside from the five hierarchical needs that Abraham Maslow articulated there has to be more to define our character; what constitutes a sense of morality with regard to others , our environment and to all of life in general. This is certainly a heady topic, but I find myself drawn to history, law and astronomy as a means to discover our common humanity. Other sciences can also offer explanations to our earliest roots. These would include archeology, biology and anthropology to name but a few. These pursuits can lead to a satisfying life, one that is more than just livable, but truly worthwhile.

There is a form of expression that can't be overlooked and should be a staple to a well-lived life; that of an understanding and appreciation of artistry. Notice I say 'artistry' rather than art, for there are many forms of art. My early chosen form was music, but any form will lead to creativity and expression that exemplifies a discovery of one's soul; a discovery of our present and past conditions. Consider the sculpture, the painter, the novelist and the emotional gauntlet they must pass through to convey their thoughts in their selected medium. There is nothing greater I can think of than a knowledge of creating words to paper or a brush to canvass. These meager thoughts hardly do justice to the importance of the written word.

One last thought. Several years ago, about a year before my father passed away, I remember sitting with him and he exclaiming to me that he couldn't believe how quickly time passes. His exact words were, "I can't believe it's gone by this quick." I asked him what he meant by 'it's gone' and his reply struck me like a punch to the head. "My life" he said. My father lived a long life, by any standard, but it seemed odd that, to him, it had gone so quickly. Today, older and wiser, I know exactly what he meant. I don't believe he led that 'examined' life that one should aspire to and he regretted not having done so. There were obstacles to that desire, but he felt he had not done all he could to lead a satisfying life.

It is incumbent upon all who have this small slice of geologic time to lead a life worthy of being called 'examined.' Cherish and enjoy it.

The Pete Morin Editorial Review--Issue #44

A first in recorded world history

Well folks, the United States Government has done it. Never before in recorded history has a nation or government been able to achieve what the US Government has done today. Never before has a people strove so confidently into the new era of enlightenment and truth as has our brilliant leadership managed to do on this momentous day. Folks, our government has repealed the basic economic law of 'supply and demand'. Yes, dear readers, our wonderful leaders have discovered a way to add 30 million people to the health insurance roles, cut 500 billion from Medicare, stop insurance companies from not accepting people with pre-existing conditions, enforcing community rating and guaranteed issue and done a whole of other beneficial things to ensure our good health WITHOUT increasing the number of doctors, nurses, hospitals and other care givers. This is truly an amazing accomplishment by our trusted leaders!

Now, you may ask--what does the law of supply and demand have to do with healthcare. Isn't it important that all people have access to affordable care and shouldn't government be charged with making sure this happens? The law of supply and demand is relatively simple in its basic construct. An increase in demand with no increase in supply will make a product more expensive. An increase in supply with no increase in demand makes a product less expensive. Thus--more people seeking healthcare--same(or less, possibly) number of doctors and other care givers--gives us INCREASED costs for healthcare! Understand? But don't worry. Your brilliant leaders have everything figured out. They have Dr. Ezikiel Emanuel on your side and he's going to set up his control board to decide who gets care. The little old lady who needs a hip replacement? sorry granny, it's going to the 50 year old instead. Hey old man with cancer--need chemo treatment? sorry pops, it's going to the 20 year old instead. Think I'm being facetious? Think again folks. The law of supply and demand will still be in force. Healthcare may now be a right, but access will not be greater; supply will still be the same, or perhaps smaller.

Those of you who think I'm simply ranting or yelling at the moon--tell me in another five years if what I say doesn't come true. Tell me your health insurance costs have gone down, or, at least, remained the same. No folks, the law of supply and demand will exact its pound of flesh, or perhaps several pounds of flesh. Call me what you will, but we've just sold our soul to the devil and the devil NEVER keeps his promises. Bart Stupak will learn this the hard way when our esteemed leader reneges on his Executive Order banning federal money for abortions in this monstrosity of a bill.

But lets not quibble. Let's drink to the health of America and our enlightened leaders who've repealed the law of supply and demand. TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH!!

The Pete Morin Editorial Review--Issue #43

Political Theater

The political theater that took place in Washington today concerning the healthcare summit was nothing more that, just political theater. President Obama had no intention of 'listening' to Republican ideas on healthcare legislation. In fact, he let it be known that the time for 'baby steps' was gone. Comprehensive, reform based legislation would now go forword.

What we will see in the coming days/weeks will be a Democratic Congress force passage of healthcare legislation by a simple majority vote. Now, this tactic, called reconciliation, has been used on numerous occasions in the past, but it must be noted that it has NEVER been used on a piece of legislation this massive. Passage of a healthcare bill will encompass controlling 16% of the US economy. Even Senator Robert Byrd, considered by many to be an expert with regard to this tactic, believes that it should be used very carefully lest the process become partisan and unworkable.

In any event, the cameras rolled, the president spoke(a total of 119 minutes), the representatives spoke(a total of 114 minutes for Democrats and 110 minutes for Republicans) and literally nothing was resolved; only that which we already know--Democrats will force a vote in the Senate.

All of this reminds me of the movie 'Little Big man' starring Dustin Hoffman. It recalls the life of Jack Crabb, an 120 year old former Indian fighter, who recounts his life to a student doing a piece on the old west. The most defining moment comes when Crabb tells General Custer to go down into Little Big Horn if he has the guts. "You go down there, General. You go down there if you got the Guts." General Custer thinks about it for just a moment and then tells his aids that Crabb must really want him not to go down there because he told him the opposite. Of course, Crabb knew that if Custer went to the Little Big Horn he and his men would be slaughtered. Custer went down--Custer got slaughtered.

What does this have to do with healthcare legislation? Just this--"You go down there, Mr. President. You pass this bill if you got the guts." The democratic Congress and the President, I believe, will be issuing their own death sentence as to majority rule. They will be destroyed in November by an electorate that will remember the hubris and arrogance possessed by these power hungry fools. "You go down there, Mr President, Mr. Reid, Ms. Pelosi. You go down there. I'll enjoy the spring and summer as I always do, but I'm really going to enjoy the fall; the fall of the Democratic Party." The Democrats would be wise to do the opposite.

Political theater--get your popcorn ready!


Click on this link for ideas on real healthcare reform. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704804204575069133264585068.html

The Pete Morin Editorial Review--Issue #42

Counterfeiting, Inflation & Fraud

Just about everyone I know would like to have more money. Why? Because it makes life a lot easier to handle. We can purchase whatever we need, go on vacation, enjoy life's many luxuries and just plain have a great time.

One of the ways to achieve these ends is to print our own money. Except-it's considered a crime and you can end up in prison for a very long stretch of time. Societies and governments do not treat counterfeiters kindly.

Exactly why is counterfeiting wrong? Think about it carefully. There are probably two reasons that come to mind.1) It's a form of self-enrichment not sanctioned by the state, 2) It debases the money supply; in other words, it causes all the authentic money in circulation to be of lesser value and this the government does not appreciate.

Next, we turn our attention to inflation. Just what is inflation? The official designation is "too much money chasing too few goods." We get too much money because government decides to print, or borrow additional currency. Many times in our past history we've seen government inflate the money supply for one reason or another usually with disastrous results. Some of the more egregious examples have been Brazil and Argentina very recently and Germany in the 1920's. Germany is a particularly striking example because it helped bring about the rise of Adolf Hitler and World War II.

The above examples show a similarity; creating more money makes the currency already in circulation less valuable. So a basic question begs to be answered. Why is it NOT criminal for governments to print excess money? What special consideration should government have for making all our money just a little less valuable. The ostensible reason, or purpose, is that the government is responding to a societal need; usually by people who have little resources, or money and, therefore, must relie on elected officials to procure funds for them. Consequently, we end up with programs that do nothing more than transfer wealth from one segment of society to another; theft by another name.

Wikipedia defines Counterfeit Money as "(c)urrency that is produced without legal sanction of the state or government to resemble some official form of currency closely enough that it may be confused for genuine currency. Producing or using counterfeit currency is a form of fraud." I contend that it makes no difference if there is a 'Sanction", or not, to the production of currency. When government intentionally devalues, or debases, the money supply it is committing a form of fraud. Essentially, it is reducing the value of money people have on hand. It reduces the value of pension funds, retirement funds and any other cash fund consumers, or savers, may have on hand. It considers it beneficial to pay obligations in cheapened dollars. To those owed the debt, however, it is nothing less than a disaster; their wealth reduced from what it was previously.

All this our government has done and is now doing at a frenetic clip. We will soon wake up to an inflation rate greatly increased and our purchasing power greatly reduced. It may already be too late to turn from this disastrous course, but the very least we can do is elect individuals to Congress who understand the implications of unsound money.

Counterfeiting, inflation and fraud are symptoms of a bankrupt nation, but more than this, they're symptoms of a nation in dire need of genuine leadership. Let's hope there are a few conscienscious citizens able to understand our predicament and a true leader emerge to bring sanity to a very precarious time in our history.

The Pete Morin Editorial Review--Issue #41

People & their Government

I don't believe there has been a more influential individual on my attitude towards government and freedom than Mark Levin.

The Mark Levin radio show is chock full of essential information for those concerned about the direction our government has taken with respect to personal freedom and the rule of law. An acute understanding of the founding of the nation and its great Constitution are an absolute must if we are to preserve our freedoms, not only for today, but in the future as well. Every evening Mark drives home the idea of the civil society and how imperative it is that we respect the limits imposed upon our government as expressed in the Constitution. If we would over-ride these limits, then what limits should be placed on government; where should the new line be drawn as to what a government can do to its citizens?

The Constitution is often referred to as "living document" by those who wish to bring its meaning to a more modern interpretation. By doing so, legislative and judicial activists hope to redefine man's relationship with the Constitution. In a sense they hope to redefine the document in a subjective light. In truth, nothing could have been further from the aims of the founders. The document they hoped to forge was intended to be an objective one; its narrow aim being to clarify what a government's enumerated powers were with respect to the citizenry and the relationship of the citizen with his government. All other powers would be retained by the states or the people respectively.

Today, however, we live in a country where respect for limited power has no meaning. The current Congress has attempted to pass legislation that completely disregards, or tramples on, states rights. Their reason for trying to pass any legislation seems to come from the necessary and proper clause of the Constitution. Such a belief, however, is completely unfounded. The Necessary and Proper Clause refers to those powers granted to the Federal Government and enumerated, as such, within the document itself; not to any new found power. The framers intended for any new power to be enacted through the amendment process and not by legislative diktat.

So, if you want a true understanding of the value and greatness of our founding document, I suggest you listen to Mark Levin. He, better than anyone, can give you insight into its timeless attributes. Our Nation's very existence will depend on whether or not we understand its meaning and bear true faith and allegiance to it.

The Pete Morin Editorial Review--Issue #40

Cats, love & goodbye

The date of October 19, 1990 will be one day that I will never forget. Sue and I were hosting a small get together for the people who had helped re-do our basement into a little slice of paradise. We had just finished having a hot tub installed in a small room that also had a stereo and tv for relaxation. There was much more to celebrate and shortly I would present Sue with a present that would endure for years.

It had been three years since our two Siamese cats, Kenny & Cumby had been euthanized and it had been difficult for both of us to conceive of ever having cats enter our lives again. Now seemed like just the perfect time to spring a surprise on Sue that I had been thinking about for some time. That day, after work, I went to a breeder in West Springfield and brought home two of the most beautiful little puff balls of Siamese love that one could imagine and ensconced them in a box in an upstairs spare bedroom.

When the party finally wound down, I mentioned to Sue that wouldn't it be wonderful to have kittens messing up our lives again. She looked at me quizzically as I hinted there may be something she would want to see in the upstairs bedroom. You have never seen a person fly up a set of stairs as did Sue at that moment. As she opened the box and beheld her new found kittens a surge of happiness and pure joy enveloped us both. She would name them Ginger and Nutmeg(forever to be known as 'Meg'). It was a sweet moment to be cherished in pictures and memories.

Ginger & Meg would spend their time romping about the house then collapsing as kittens do to recharge their batteries to set off on new search and destroy missions. This we didn't mind--they were companions and friends as all our pets have been. Their rejuvenation, character and sibling rivalry made little inconveniences seem as nothing.

In time, as we moved from one house to another, they graced our new abodes with a familiarity and skill that made them seem like members of the family. They even accepted Skippy, our bookstore cat, with ease and comfort. Their presence in our home seemed as if to be a constant--never to change, but there as we knew they would always be.

The span of time, however, doesn't stop for people or pets and doesn't much care for the consciousness of the here and now. Meg was Sue's cat spending evenings curled up on her lap and nights snuggled warmly in Sue's bed. Ginger had grown used to my lap and the warmth of my side of the bed. They were a joy to us that money could never buy.

We saw illness and old age in Meg first.This malady for cats that eventually strikes all felines as they progress through the years is kidney failure and this too would take Sue's dear friend in July, 2007. Sue's loss, and mine no less, was devastating to her for Meg was a true companion. She was part of Sue and would be so no matter the passing of ages. Ginger would be the same for me. I could not imagine not having her by my side.

As it is with all things, to comply with the circle of life we must all submit; Whether it be human, or feline. And so it is, on this beautiful sunny day, February 11, 2010 my beloved Ginger, my Pa-Putty Cat, entered her timeless sleep. I shall cherish the time I had with her. I am at peace knowing I helped my little friend overcome her earthly bond. She soars now, a spirit free to keep my memories of her next to my heart, forever.

Goodbye, sweet cat. For I will never forget you.