Lee's Rants

     It seems the powers that be in Nu Yawk City are broohaing over the new season of Survivor. It has elicited comments from Rush Limbaugh and stirred up protests from the Hoi Poloi in New York. Evidently, the civic leaders in that city think this one program would engender racism. I think they themselves are racists.

      Look, if the participants were concerned about sparking racism do you think they would have entered into the deal? No! It seems the problem is not with the show. The problem is with the concept that members of various racial groups can not do anything without the approval of their LEADERS in large cities, not to mention national leaders.

     I have seen more bigoted attitudes from the REV er END Jes se JACK son and the Reverend Al Sharpton. Then anything coming out of the mouths of Archie Bunker, or George Jefferson.

     Generally speaking Liberals tend to go nuts over things like this. Their fight for Untruth, Injustice, and the UnAmerican way often goes over the top. Politically Correctness is an oxymoron as far as what I see most of the time. Well, at least a misnomer.

    I don't normally watch reality television. Unless of course there is nothing else on and it is just ahead of my usual shows, like CSI, or NCIS. I like the crime shows. Reality shows are unreal as far as I care. I wouldn't, despite being a scouter, want to be on one of the darn things if they paid me a million up front. Bad experience as a teen in a too small camper tent is part of that.

     I really don't care who wins Survivor. I know I'm sure the Latinos will kick butt, however I know my Mother-in-law is Spanish and would run rings around a lot of people, at least in her hayday. She is now in her 80's. She still might beat out some people. Her family worked hard after coming here from Spain(and they learned English, imagine that).

     I don't think the segregation thing will last long anyway. I think eventually there will be mixing. I thought we were above this racist thing the Punks in Neu Yawk are afraid of. I thought this was the ideal of Star Trek, being beyond all this. Let's be real. This is a show, nothing more. It's entertainment folks; lighten up.

     We don't need the high and mighty in the big city to tell us what is entertaining.  Let things go. People tend to congrigate by kind anyway. I've seen it happen too often working in a factory for 22 years. I've seen it sense. I also know kind doesn't necessarily mean by race either. Scoundrels come in all colors and classes.

     There will be alliances. You can bet there will be. It's just human nature to seek out those of like mind and I think eventually that will happen here. No help needed from NYC. Enough said. Let the games begin. Semper Fi! Lee Zelhart

     My sister Sue came to visit. We haven't seen each other for a long time. She's been holed up in another state far from home. Our Mother is currently in a health care center recovering from a fall a few weeks ago; ergo, my sister's visit.

     It shouldn't take Mom getting hurt to bring her home. She left because she became involved with a man who is legally challenged. He can't seem to stay out of legal trouble. Okay, that is partly my opinion, but the fact he has been in prison...well, you know. It also doesn't help that he gets others, particularly her, into trouble, too.

     I know I haven't totally minded her being so far away. She made a comment about my late wife which I didn't care for and was also unfounded. I might have had my differences about my wife, but you don't speak ill of the dead and I still love her. Even when she's not around anymore. This being said around Christmas.

     Okay, I'm not very charitable about the clown she had her children by. I'm not happy about their relationship as I saw it as jealousy of my wife and myself having a life together. I saw it as a need to have what we had. When we had our first child she wound up getting pregnant. I do not even really know the situation with her significant other.

     I think my sister thought she had to one up me to get our father's approval. She is the only girl and the middle child. She, I think, had to have his attention. To herself, if possible. I didn't personally feel I had to please Daddy. I was, by that time, a father myself. I was learning how wise Dad was. I was growing up, if not grown up. I was the oldest, tallest, and expected to be mature. Even when I didn't want to be.

     Of course, I always felt my sister resented me, or my position as the oldest. I think she felt she was somehow in my shadow.(Does my hours of Psychology in college show?)I didn't feel I needed to have a seal of approval. I was trying to seize the day when I could be out on my own, to be my own man and have a home of my own. I wanted to make something of myself, not please my parents.

     My sister, in this time, has been mostly incommunicado. We haven't been able to contact her. She has had to contact us, mostly by calling our mother from pay phones. We have had to meet her on neutral ground. Family DMZ, if you will. Well, it is her life. I have had too many calls from financial institutions looking for her because of defaulted loans, or from representitives of law enforcement to care much anymore.

     As my grandmother used to say:"She is free, white, and twenty-one, and has made her bed...". There is much wisedom in grandmothers. Or, for that matter, Grandfathers.(I know whereof I speak.)My sister will have to answer for herself in the end. Life has gone on. Time has a way of leveling things out and putting things in perspective.

     So, now she has come home for a visit. To see Mom. I don't much care for the company she keeps, but after all, she is my sister. I might not like the way she's done things, or what she's done, or said. We had dinner together. She had a chance to meet my new son-in-law, see my twin granddaughters, see Mom, and catch up with what's been going on with me.

      I got to show off my certificate from my publisher that my book was being published. My seasonally short, and chemo induced haircut. I didn't pry too much into her life. I tried to refrain from disparaging remarks. I think we had a pleasant evening with Mom and our brother Steve, who had to bring her home from a neighboring state. I found out what some of her kids had been doing, especially my nephew Dustin. Of all her children he favors our side of the family the most.

     Now that I'm half a century old I find whatever my sister's done, or is doing, no matter what happens the old Beatle song is true:"It ain't nothing to get hung about." In the end she's family and if nothing else I love my family. I don't want anything bad to happen to her and I want her to be happy. I can't make that happen for her, that is her problem, but I can love her and pray for her. I guess that's what big brothers are supposed to do anyway, right? Well, enough said. Semper Fi!Lee Zelhart

     One time, or another, a parent feels out on a limb, out matched, or outfoxed by his child. Okay, or her child, but as a father I can only speak for male experience. Anyway, Job would pale when faced with modern teens which would more then test his patience. I think most of us wish we had the patience of Job, but you have to consider what he went through. True, Job suffered greatly, however nowhere does it mention living with a teenager. I guess we all have to bear those on our own. In light of that I offer the following:

Lord, help me endure.

When my child comes home late from

school, work, a friend's, the library

help me forbear.

When they leave things on the floor

their clothes, food, food wrappers, school things

help me forbear.

When they argue my every logically thought out position

with stubbornness, illogic, and selfishness

help me forbear.

When they spend hours playing video games

loud music, or mind games

help me forbear.

Don't let me be unreasonable

demanding, or pigheaded.

Don't let my only stance

be :"Because I said so.", or

"Do as I say, not as I do."

Let me not go on endlessly about

"When I was your age",

or "What thing were like when I was growing up."

Help me Lord

to listen, to think on my feet, to have faith,

and love beyond endurance.

Help me Lord

to trust my child,

to believe in them,

to not belittle them,

or their dreams.

To encourage them.

To love them when others can't,

or won't.

To remember in their life

what it was like at their age.

And most of all Lord;

help me be more like you.

Loving my children above life itself.

To give to them freely.

To keep my mouth shut

when I don't want to do so.

To keep my hands off

and let them make their mistakes,

to fall, to fail, to get hurt,

and pick themself up.

Let me offer my help when needed,

but remember they are learning.

To be what they need.

In short, Lord, make me a good parent.

One who leads by Your ways,

by Your Book.

With Love.

Amen