One of the favorite convention cities in this country was Seattle (this was about 25 years ago). In those days, invariably, one of the cautions in the prework packet for attendees went like this (not an exact quote): “Be especially careful and avoid jaywalking or walking across the street against the light here in Seattle. There is a no-tolerance policy, and you will likely get a ticket from your friendly police officer.” I liked this.

You are going to have to hang with me on this one – we’ll be figuratively flying around the country. While the country is focused on the presidential election, a replacement judge for the Supreme Court, Covid-19 and social justice, coastal state legislatures this week decided more important matters were at hand.

China needs to come before the world and give us an explanation of what happened. It needs to be with credible evidence and witnesses. Right now, it looks like the world was deliberately hit with a weapon of mass destruction, designed to inflict as much damage as possible on the entire world. I don’t know how else you can categorize what has happened this year.

Nineteen years ago, today, another enemy violated our sovereignty and killed 3,000 Americans in a despicable, cowardly act. Coming out of September 11, 2001, Americans, after a very brief period of unification (the last one we have witnessed), split into two camps – appeasers and warriors. Or, if you prefer, into Chamberlains and Churchills.

These are the kinds of people taking to the national stage. They have a definite agenda to change the culture for good, permanently, and everyone better get out of their way if they don’t want to get hurt.

The world is so full of political issues on which I wish to comment that I have decided to take a break. I can’t decide which one is most important. Hence, I thought I would discuss my dietary regimen this week. This starts with a statement that I have told the family for decades, “The best meal I have ever had is not that much better than the worst meal I ever had.”

I want a country with stable rules, regulations and tax policies so that we have a place to grow more businesses like the one I have just described. These can provide a good future for us all. The very best social program is a job, a job where one makes things people want and need.

Morals, ethics and honesty are constantly changing or at least they have been constantly changing in the seven decades I have been around. This column is a selection of scattered remembrances and current observations, some appalling, some not, that flash across my memory. I hasten to say I am cursed with a very good memory, at least of the older scenes, but perhaps you should not ask me what I did last week.

It seems as though I remember when lung cancer deaths were around a half million a year, so education on smoking is obviously working. Funny, we don’t talk about these deaths anymore. Tuberculosis and death by automobile are other statistics that occasionally come into the national narrative, but not now. At the moment, it is not COVID-19, it is COVID-24/7.

The Hon. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio's 4th District) had a great week with outstanding performances on July 28-29.

I think we will have really gotten over our discrimination practices in general when we present employees, academics, award recipients and others without any mention of those attributes which are not pertinent to the recognition being bestowed.

Only when we can remove ourselves from these despicable conditions will statespersons emerge as presidential candidates. As I have said before, the ideal situation would be two (or more) outstanding candidates, making it difficult to choose, but leaving us with either outcome being good for the country. I don’t think that has happened since Jefferson faced off against Adams in 1796.

Starting in Russia, this is the way these sorts of coups have taken place for the last 103 years. The average citizens continue to go about their business, rationalizing that the latest loss of freedom is insignificant and adaptable. Then one day, all awaken in a terrifying world of which they never dreamed. It not only can happen here; it is happening here while we attempt to go about our “normal” lives.

Let’s focus all of our energy in a direction that will really advance even the least advantaged among us. We are a team. Teams don’t fight among themselves; they focus on external goals that allow all members to work together for the common good. This has been the strength of America in the past and can be our strength going forward.

On the whole, we are deteriorating, folks. These are not problems to be blamed on big box stores, these are often problems of poor, corrupt or incompetent management. In the voting booth this fall, look askance at anyone claiming to have the solutions to our deteriorating cities. Nearly all politicians’ performance over the last 70 years has been dismal.