Jessica arrives Thursday night

Jessica completed her finals at Duke Seminary today and needs only to finish writing a 20-page paper to close her second year at Duke. Jessica will fly home Thursday night but will barely have time to take a breath. She and Jen will participate in "Paint Your Heart Out" Saturday morning and leave for Baton Rouge that evening.

While in Baton Rouge Jessica will have separate meetings with three Methodist ministers.

Sort of a defence of Kerry

John  Kerry, secretary of state, is in trouble because of some politically incorrect statements  he made concerning Israel.  Basically, Kerry declared that Israel had a choice-- either agree to two nations or have a country practicing apartheid.

Ordinarily I would enjoy Kerry's problems (I don't like him) but this is a serious matter.   Will we ever have peace in the Mideast?  Does Israel practice apartheid?  Support for Israel in the United States is so strong that I could be in trouble just for listing some of the conditions in that country, but here goes:   

     Arabs make up one-fifth of the population but do not have the right to vote.
     Some roads can be traveled only by Jews.
     No right of free speech or assembly.
     Arrest and imprisonment without trial..      

Israel controls all Palestinian borders and all movement between towns and cities.    

Jimmy Carter was the first to declare some of the conditions as apartheid.   This no complete statement on behalf of either side, but both must give up some things to attain peace.          

Brighten pushes his cozy coupe

                                           Brighton at 13 months

I cause Saipan to be put on alert

The battle for Okinawa  waged fiercely with many casualties daily, including native Okinawans as well as Americans and Japanese.  USS Pickens, no longer able to contribute, returned to Saipan. I think it was during this time that I caused forces on the islands and every ship to be put on alert.

I was not on duty but I walked into the radar shack and turned on the surface search radar.  I picked up a plane heading slowly our way.  I flipped the switch for IFF and saw the plane had no identification. I assumed the plane was returning from a bomb run over Tokyo where it had been damaged.  Still, it was my duty to report it and let some one above me decide what action to take.

Immediately, General Quarters was sounded and everyone, on land and ship, had to man battle stations. The plane continued toward us and was identified as powerful lights were turned on, showing a damaged B-29.

Jessica prepares for finals

The week Duke allows to prepare for final exams ended Friday and finals will begin Monday.  Jessica found time to have breakfast with the visiting Louisiana Methodist bishop  and to practice for a triathlon she will compete in three weeks from now.  Before that she will take part in a 10K race this weekend and will spend some days visiting us at home.

The triathlon consists of biking, running and swimming.  Jessica has beee training hard for the swimming part and swam 36 laps in the pool this week.

Bob Dole -- stuff it

I have admired Bob Dole at times, even appreciated his acerbic wit, but he is out of order in his statement that Rand Paul does not have the experience to be president.  Dole may have a valid point but he is hurting the Republican party and its stand for limited government.

Let me  ask one question -- are we satisfied with the job our so-called experienced administration is doing?
Take the economy for example.  Canada has a tax policy friendly to industry and its middle class is doing well.  We are doing every thing possible to hurt the economy and our middle class is hurting.  We must do the right things, like reduce the corporate income tax, and jobs will be created.

A shared birthday

England's Queen Elizabeth celebrated her 88th birthday Monday, April 21, four months before I will reach 88 on August  21.

Certainly, neither birthday is of world-shaking importance, but it reminded me of something I had long forgotten.  I shared a birthday with the late Princess Margaret, who died at age 71 in 2002.  We were both born on August 21.

This was pointed out to me by a man who studied  the Homer band calendar, which had thousands of birthdays noted, each costing ten cents.  Some people not only gave their family names but  added the names of pets and toys.