Adventures and Travels - The first step of a life long journey

I love books! I love the anticipation of a new story. Where will this book take me? Who will I meet? What will I learn? I am an avid reader. I have been for as long as I can remember, and if I search my memory, I think my fascination with the vast possibilities that can only be found within the pages of books started in the 3rd grade.

I had, what most of us who have been put on a path that affects our lives forever are fortunate to find, an unforgettable teacher. I began my 3rd grade year, however, with much trepidation. (Although, being in the 3rd grade, I had no idea what trepidation meant!) I recall the butterflies in the stomach feeling – the feeling I now can identify with that $5.00 word. I have always had problems with new things and change, and in this I proved to be no different. But regardless of how much I wanted the summer to last so I didn’t have to begin a “new” thing, the year began. The first days of that year have been blurred by the years, but I remember one day fairly clearly.

My teacher stood at the front of the classroom and cleared her throat – a sure sign that complete attention was required. She announced that beginning that day and each to follow, there would be a time set aside during which she would read to the class. I’m sure, at the time of that announcement, I had thoughts like “Great time for a nap!” Or “How boring is this?” I’m sure 99% of the class probably felt the same way. Oh, but that was before – before she began the first book in the “Ramona” series by Beverly Cleary. What a book it was - a story of sisters, the adjustment of an older sister to a new sibling and the crazy actions of the younger (I could completely relate to Beezus in those books!). I loved it. (Although we kind of read the stories out of order if I recall correctly). Each day I would wait with great excitement for the next installment of Ramona’s adventures. And when that story was told my teacher found another and another and another. And so, my love affair with books began.

I have had several teachers in my life who have encouraged my love of reading. My 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Anderson, introduced me to a world of dogs and hunting and friendship in Where the Red Fern Grows. Mr. Tucker, my 6th grade teacher and the bane of my existence that year for several reasons, led my class across the varied and amazing landscape of this country in A Walk Across America. Mrs. Grant, my 7th grade teacher, showed me that humor and whit binds a family together even in the tough times by introducing me to the Gilbreths in Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on Their Toes. Mrs. Brandenburg, my Jr. High English teacher, nurtured in me a respect for poetry as well as prose. And Mr. Lake, my High School English teacher allowed me to enter a world of simplicity in Walden.

There were others along the way – friends, teachers, professors and colleagues have brought a myriad of authors, characters and stories into my life. There have been books like: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and The Lord of the Rings, which challenge the reader to dig below the story to the deeper meaning; political thrillers, such as, The Pelican Brief and Absolute Power. There have been authors who I’ve had the joy of getting to know through their writing – the humor of P.J. O’Rourke and Dave Berry; the love stories of Margaret Mitchell and Jane Austin and the list goes on an on. There are too many books and authors to name. And I have a richer and fuller life because of each and every journey I’ve taken in those stories.

But I would be remiss if I did not pay tribute to the woman who started it all. In that small, private school in San Diego, where a very precocious child entered the world of Mrs. Hohimer’s 3rd & 4th grade class and had worlds opened beyond her physical reach by that first literary adventure. My mother, a teacher for many years, had the great challenge of having her eldest daughter as a student. I’m sure that having me as a student in any class would have been difficult for any teacher (believe it or not, I tend to think I know most of what is important to know), but for a mom trying to balance being a good parent and fair teacher at the same time, it was probably a daunting task.

Thank you Mom! There are so many things that are good in my life because of you, but each time I open a new book for the first time or sit to re-read an old favorite, I have you to thank for inspiring me to search for experiences outside my own. Each person should be lucky enough to have a teacher who inspires them. I was doubly blessed because I got to take her home with me at the end of the day.

In this world of chaos, I hope you all have the pleasure of escaping into a place “long ago, and far away”. Happy Reading!

***NOTE - I am aware that one is supposed to underline the titles of books, however, this blog formate does not support that puncuation, so I used italics to set the books apart from the rest of the text. Thank you for your understanding.

Lessons

It’s back to school time around the country right now, so I thought in the spirit of the return to learning we could engage in a bit of a history lesson. The writers of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights (you remember those guys, right? Funny looking trousers and white wigs.) saw fit to put into the Bill of Rights the Tenth Amendment which states:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

In other words, if it isn’t laid out in law that the federal government is responsible for something it’s up to the states to do it. This is commonly referred to as “States’ Rights”. This right has been the source of much contention and debate throughout American history. It has been the center of fights regarding minority rights, property rights, civil rights, and other rights. We even fought a war about it when certain states thought certain other states were incorrect.

By and large, we believe that government is more effective on a local level. That people in a certain area know better what the population in said area needs and wants. There has long been and continues to be a certain level of distruss of the almighty federal government – especially in the South where laws have been erected to protect local and state governments from federal interference. No where is this more evident than in Louisiana. As recently at 1998, Louisiana amended it’s state’s consitution to ensure further state sovereignty

The amendment declares: “The people of this state have the sole and exclusive right of governing themselves as a free and sovereign state; and do, and forever hereafter shall, exercise and enjoy every power, jurisdiction, and right, pertaining thereto, which is not, or may not hereafter be, by them expressly delegated to the United States in Congress assembled.”

I had forgotten this or probably never really knew it, until last night when a (what I would consider liberal) journalist on PBS was discussing the blame game and where the buck stops when it comes to the conditions in Louisiana. He pointed out that the Louisiana legislature and courts have built a large wall between themselves and the federal government so high, that it had seriously affected the rescue operations before, during and after Katrina. For example, help was offered and a plan was tendered to the governor of Louisiana the day the President flew over in Air Force One (I’ve attached an article if you are interested http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_2726584.shtml ) and Governor Blanco decided she needed 24 hours to decide. Other examples – and there are plenty – include lack of strategic planning on a city and state level, lag time in activation the LA National Guard and many other bureaucratic missteps that made an already horrible situation that much worse. In fact, on Friday, September 2, seeing the horrible ground game that was in effect, the President offered to federalize the entire matter. According to the Washington Post, Federal officials all the way up to President have suggested that state and local governments were overwhelmed by the scope of the disaster and were slow to respond, but that they themselves could not have moved more quickly because, in the words of Homeland Secutity Secretary Michael Chertoff, "our constitutional system really places the primary authority in each state with the governor."

Now, it is no surprise to any of you that I am a supporter of the President, and am loyal as they come when coming to his defense, however, I feel no disloyalty in saying that some of his staff looked like deer caught in headlights at the beginning of this tragedy. Mike Brown, the Director of FEMA does not inspire the confidence that 6 foot plus Joe Albaugh did during the 9/11 horrors. I don’t know enough about the Director of Homeland Security to comment on his demeanor as opposed to former Sec. Ridge, but those are some pretty tough shoes to fill for anyone. I think there were many break downs in the communication process. I think that mistakes were made at every level. I also think that because the government is run by humans and humans are not perfect, that mistakes are going to be made. Lt. Governor Landreau, D, Louisiana, was interviewed last night on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. When asked who was to blame and what should happen to them, said (in one of the great statements I’ve heard yet) that one thing Congress is better at than anything else are hearings and investigations and that those will come he was certain, however at this time they don’t have time for that in Louisiana or Mississippi or Alabama. They need to figure out how to get people food and water and after those basics – they need things as simple as new driver’s licenses and social security cards.

I’ve written all this to say this - I love a good investigation as much as the next guy. And really, you couldn’t write a political drama novel better than what is going on here. The players are so rich and multi-faceted - everyone scrambling to cover their own backside and still look like they are doing what needs to be done. It is classic human behavior under a microscope. So many levels to dig into, those at the top, middle and bottom, those affected directly and indirectly. I am looking forward to the book whenever it is written. I’m looking forward to the hearings on the Hill and the reports and all the political stuff that goes along with that. I like knowing that what has happened over the past couple weeks will be in history books in the future and how things are handled and not handled will be lessons for future generations. The tragedy and loss are horrible and I am in no way making light of it, however I believe that in the cycle of life these things happen for several reasons. Not the least of which is that we need reminders from time to time that there are things out of our control and that when those things come up we get a snapshot of what and who we are as humans.

But until the inevitable hearings and investigations on Capitol Hill, I think it might be best to remember the words of Louisiana’s Lt. Governor. Funny how the American people have done that – the stories of local churches and people who felt the need to give have stepped into the gap caused by local, state and federal authorities. They are moving food and water where there is none; they are donating money for charities at record levels; they are doing what good people do when bad things happen. Thank God that this country is made up of Americans and not “government officials”.