This
story starts in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, where I grew
up. The year is 1955, an important year because the Dodgers beat the
Yankees in the World Series that year and I watched every game.
It
all made sense. There were eight teams in the National League and eight
teams in the American League. They played 154 games each season, and
the two best teams went to the World Series and everybody watched the
game.
Things began to change. In 1958 the Dodgers and the
Giants moved to California, and I could deal with that. Then they added
expansion teams in unusual places like Houston and started tinkering
with the schedule -- it was the 60s and all hell broke loose.
Players
started growing funky mustaches and wearing gold chains. Even worse --
they became free agents. I couldn't understand it.
Ted Williams belonged in Boston and Stan Musial belonged in St. Louis. How could anybody just change teams?
But it was still the National League and the American League.
Recently
I watched a game on TV -- the Angels against the Astros. I began to
feel completely un-moored -- because the Astros had switched from
National League to American League. They can do that? They can't do
that.... no. That's Transgender Baseball. You're born in the National
League and you live your life in the National League. But not anymore.
Everybody
is switching willy-nilly, changing teams every week. And you think --
experiments are good and traditions are boring. Let's change the game!
Sure!
But how far does that go? Is safe still safe? Is out
still out? And is that a matter of opinion? It seems like safe to me,
but if you think it's out, then I guess you're entitled. And who am I to
judge? -- said the Pope, but not the umpire. Not yet the umpire.
What if crying was allowed, and even encouraged? What if nice guys finished in first place?
This explains why Donald Trump is so popular. People are confused and frightened.
Mike Huckabee Talks Like a Baptist. Last week former Arkansas Governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said we should not make a nuclear arms deal with Iran because if the Iranians get the bomb they will put the Jews in the oven. Not an exact quote, but the key phrase is "in the oven" referencing the Holocaust. Huckabee was not being offensive as some charged, he was simply talking like a Baptist. Millions of Baptists live in this country and most of them talk like Mike Huckabee.
It's annoying. That's why I have only one Baptist friend. I have a lot of Jewish friends but only one Baptist friends and he is on probation. Deep in his heart, my Baptist friend wants me to join his church. He can hide it, but sooner or later it slips out and I have to slap him around. "In your wildest dreams, what makes you think I have any intention of ever setting foot in your church?" That will shut him up for a while and we can enjoy talking about other things.
This explains why Donald Trump is so popular. People are confused and frightened.
Mike Huckabee Talks Like a Baptist. Last week former Arkansas Governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said we should not make a nuclear arms deal with Iran because if the Iranians get the bomb they will put the Jews in the oven. Not an exact quote, but the key phrase is "in the oven" referencing the Holocaust. Huckabee was not being offensive as some charged, he was simply talking like a Baptist. Millions of Baptists live in this country and most of them talk like Mike Huckabee.
It's annoying. That's why I have only one Baptist friend. I have a lot of Jewish friends but only one Baptist friends and he is on probation. Deep in his heart, my Baptist friend wants me to join his church. He can hide it, but sooner or later it slips out and I have to slap him around. "In your wildest dreams, what makes you think I have any intention of ever setting foot in your church?" That will shut him up for a while and we can enjoy talking about other things.
Jimmy Carter is a Baptist, but he doesn't talk like one. That's why he got elected.
Cecil the Lion. You
need to live in Africa for three years in order to really know the
place. I lived in Africa for one year and learned just enough to be
wrong most of the time. So keep that in mind when I say this -- I never
met an African who expressed the smallest interest in the welfare of
animals. Maybe they should care, but they don't care, and it's their
country. This was disturbing to me when I realized that big parks like
Hwange in Zimbabwe were managed for tourist income, but not for any
innate love of the lion or the elephant.
I began to
see the African point of view. And it's what you have to work with if
you care about the wildlife. Americans and Europeans love these
magnificent animals and pay to keep them alive. There's nothing wrong
with that. It's not neo-colonial or arrogant. That's where you start if
you want to make it better.
You take a small farmer
near the border of Hwange Park and his patch of corn. Supposing one or
several elephants come cruising across his farm and trample his corn?
That happens all the time. Elephants are not cute and lions are
predators. These large animals can be difficult to live with.
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Send a check for $25 to
Fred Owens
1105 Veronica Springs RD
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
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