Odds and ends

One of the things that really rubs me the wrong way is to see the number of Americans who are throwing away their heritage on a daily basis. Of all the places on earth to be born, they were born here and yet so many don’t seem to recognize that good fortune. The chances of a person not only surviving but prospering in the United States is higher than any other country in the world and that’s a big reason why immigrants want to move here.

But that fact is obviously lost on millions of Americans every day who throw away their life chances through drugs, alcohol, welfare, an unwillingness to work, a strong desire to live off the government instead of their own hard work and, of course, crime. As a former police officer, I watch several police shows on television that are reality-based and the ignorance and foolhardiness of so many Americans never ceases to amaze me. They will live out their lives and die, never realizing or taking advantage of the great privileges and the built-in benefits of being born in this country.

To choose to remain ignorant combined with a lack of effort to better themselves is our greatest national embarrassment.

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Old Sarge’s Bar was the host yesterday for their annual Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. About forty people took advantage of a meal that literally lacked for nothing and it was all prepared gratis by Sarge’s employees and regular customers. It’s a certainty that no one went home hungry. Sarge’s has had some negative publicity over the years from people who never frequent the place as an unsavory place to go but I can tell you personally that the opposite is true. I go down daily during the week for a couple of hours of socializing with good friends and have never seen a trace of trouble. Sometimes some good-natured debates take place between us of different political persuasions but it’s all forgotten by the next day. Friendships are far too important to hold grudges based on someone else’s opinions so we choose not to do that. The staff is always knowledgeable and helpful and, in addition to providing a Thanksgiving dinner every year, Sarge’s is also known for helping brighten up the lives of children during the Christmas season who otherwise would face a pretty bleak Christmas. They use several sources to determine the children in need in and around McCook and then depend on the generosity of their customers to help fund buying presents for those kids, delivered personally by Santa Claus himself. It’s the little things that people do that get no headlines or accolades that are most meaningful in our society because the lack of publicity is proof that the mission is for the kids and is in no way self-serving.

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One thing that is particularly troubling to this old Democrat living in a land of Republicans are the “safe spaces” now being asked for and often demanded by college students across the country. They are so afraid of being offended they want someplace to go on campus where they can be assured that they WON’T be offended. The problem with this idea is that it doesn’t reflect the real world. There are no “safe spaces” in society where our delicate little egos won’t be challenged and offended so there shouldn’t be any artificial safe spaces on college campuses either. Instead of looking for a safe place, these students should be learning how to stand on their own feet and defend their own values and politics, regardless of the opposition they face. Those are the concepts America was built on and they’re just as important today as they were three hundred years ago. American Democrats need to grow some hair on their chests or they will be taken over by a fringe group of alt-left Democrats who have no chance at the ballot box, much like the alt-right Republicans found out in elections across the country a couple of weeks ago. Most Americans are moderates and if the political parties don’t reflect that, members will look for answers elsewhere.

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Most likely as soon as today’s game between Nebraska and Iowa is over, win or lose, Mike Riley will be fired and Scott Frost will be named as Nebraska’s new head coach. The rumor is he has been offered a 7 year, 35 million dollar contract which would be hard for anybody to turn down, especially a native Nebraskan, a UNL alum and a former star football player for the Huskers.

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Seventeen years ago and only two days after Thanksgiving, my son died while serving in the United States Navy and stationed in San Diego California. His mother, his brothers and his dad miss him and think about him every day.