Long hours at the hospital

 Twenty-eight hours on call.  No, not as a young doctor but as a chaplain trainee.  That is what Jessica has  experienced over the weekend at the North Carolina hospital she is serving all summer.

Most people want the consolation a chaplain can offer when there is a death of a family member or a dear friend.  This was the  second time Jessica has been on call without assistance. Most of the time

 she works a shift.  During her first time on call, she met with families who lost a family member, including a baby and a 15-year-old girl.

Jessica was able to find time to supervise a youth camp for Apex United Methodist Church, where she will be  employed when school begins.

Congratulations to the Guardian-Journal

Congratulations to the Homer newspaper, the Guardian-Journal, and to editor Michele Bates and publisher Kathy Hightower, on winning two first place  awards for investigative reporting.   Awards were awarded by the Louisiana Press Association, meeting jointly  with the Mississippi Press Association.

One award was for a story questioning travel expenditures of the mayor,  Another story receiving a first place award concerned the town's failure to comply with a notice from the Louisiana Auditor's Office.

As a former editor of the Guardian-Journal, I can appreciate what an accomplishment  this was for the paper and its staff.

Supremes are unanimousi telling Obama it takes more than a pen and a phone.

The Supreme Court has ruled 9-0 that Obama violated the constitution when he appointed members to the National Labor Relations Board without the approval of Congress.

Obama had packed the board with union members, giving the unions unchecked power, with employers deprived of a voice.

Thirteen times the court has voted unanimously  that Obama acted in violation of the constitution.  Now if we had  a way to block the EPA from destroying our already ailing economy with its regulations.

Grand kids return to North Carolina

Except for the TV  at times, all one can hear is silence; the grandkids from North Carolina have returned home. Lily and Oliver accompanied their dad back home where they will see their mother Julie who returned from a conference in Stockholm.  Julie and Mark also enjoyed several days touring Sweden and Norway.

While visiting with us, Lily and Oliver joined their cousins in many recreational activities but sometimes I felt that feeding Sarah, the cat, and Luke, the dog, was their favorite thing.

They expect to be back at Christmas, but that seems a long time away.

We need a firing squad for the VA

We thought long waiting lists and and lies from the Veterans Administration were bad, and they are, but they are nothing compared to what we have recently learned -- a thousand  veterans, at least, died unnecessarily  at the VA because of poor care.  And  get this -- VA employees got bonuses for giving our veterans bad treatment.

But they can't be fired, the Obama administration declares.  I don't want these guys fired; I want them to face  a firing squad. Yeah, I'm mad as hell.

Battle for Okinawa ends

The bloody battle for Okinawa ended June 22, 1945.  The Allies began landing troops on April 1, Easter Sunday.  The Japanese fought fiercely, recognizing that losing Okinawa meant Japan's last chance to gain victory in the war would end, although the nation would fight on.

Okinawa became the last battle in the Pacific. Dropping of the atom bomb convinced Japanese leaders to surrender.  Many American seamen, including me, were delighted a planned invasion of Japan was not necessary.  Veterans have been heard to proclaim that "President Truman saved my  life when he dropped the atom bomb."

Today is first day of summer

Summer came in today, June 21, as it is supposed to -- hot. Actually, the summer solstice  began the longest day of the year at 6;51, Eastern Daylight Time.In case you wanted to know, here are the first day of all seasons in 2014:

          Spring Equinox  --March 20, 12:57  EDT

          Summer Solstice --June 21, 6:51 EDT

           Fall Equinox -- September 22, 10:29 EDT

           Winter Solstice -- December 21, 6:03 EST