The war and the Run for the Roses

About every channel you watch on TV shows terrible scenes of the damage that Russia is wreaking on the Ukrainian people. Apartment buildings burned out, shopping malls blown up, streets littered with fragments from bomb explosions, automobiles and buses destroyed the list goes on. Citizens by the millions escaping and finding refuge in neighboring countries. All that destruction and displacement makes one wonder what is the aim of the Russians?

Do they think that a new Russian government to replace the somewhat of a democracy that they have built will be welcomed with open arms?

Obviously, the Ukrainians are not looking forward to impending Soviet Russian rule. Most of the adults in the country lived under domination of the USSR until the breakup of that Soviet Hegemony and are not eager to be subject to Soviet rule again by a puppet Russian government. Their President Zelensky, sadly an aspiring dictator, has to be admired for standing up and rallying his citizens to fight against the invading Russian forces even though it looks like a fight that they can’t win. I only wish that the US had better leadership as in my opinion President Biden hasn’t much spine and our Generals in charge were the ones that led our debacle of a departure from Afghanistan. It is hard to be a bystander sitting out here in mid-America, living a comfortable life watching the destruction rained down on what we feel are democratic fellows just wishing to lead a life of liberty and freedom.

A heartwarming story is the relief efforts to care for the millions of Ukrainian refugees. So many of their European neighbors are taking in those poor unfortunate souls and from a distance, people in the dear old USA are pitching in also. Fox News this morning reported that their Ukraine refugee fund has topped $11 million. I know that the Red Cross and a host of other relief agencies are on the scene doing their good work. There may be other local relief efforts but I know that Linda Nielsen and her crew with Adopt-a-Chaplain are regularly sending packages to an Army Chaplain stationed in Poland who oversees seven other Chaplains in the area who are all knee-deep in their efforts to help in the refugee relief projects. For Linda at the Peace Lutheran Church $$$ donations and items to send are always welcome and you can also drop them off in the “Adopt a Chaplain” red tote on our front porch.

Speaking of such problems as the ongoing European war we also are seeing a scourge in this country. Fentanyl and other illicit drugs are too readily available to our young people and are killing them by the thousands. I’ve recently seen reports that drug overdoses are the largest killer of persons under the age of 35 in America even more deadly than car wrecks. Hard to believe but recently we are reading of drug overdoses of college kids on spring break. Sad to say even our community here supposedly has somewhat of a drug problem.

The reports are that our open southern border is the path of most of the drugs that are being imported thanks to Mexican drug cartels. The ingredients are imported from mainly China and are manufactured into fentanyl in labs run by the cartels in Mexico. Evidently, the cartels have become powerful enough to overrule the spineless current Mexican government who probably are profiting from the illicit trade. It may be time to have their neighbor, us, fly some drones over and rain explosives in the Cartel’s manufacturing sites and headquarters where they run their organizations. I don’t think that there will be threats of nuclear retaliation from the Mexican government for those types of humanitarian missions.

Next Sunday morning, yes I know I’ll be skipping church, your old loving-anything-aviation-related scribe will be conducting a tour of the SAC Museum down between Lincoln and Omaha. A forever student of the airframes on display there plus I’ve flown at least four of them being a tour guide will be easy. My group will be a dozen or so friends from the Grant, Nebraska area several of whom I taught to fly. It will be fun to point out little details like the Studebaker manufactured engines on the B-17 that is on display.

Grannie Annie and I had the pleasure of attending the “Gift” Gala put on by those who support our local St. Pat parochial school. It was a fun night with the theme of Kentucky Derby. Oh, the ladies got into the theme wearing bright pretty dresses and the majority of fancy hats. Most of the gentlemen wore appropriate togs to escort their ladies with pride. Food---oh my gosh the Coppermill did themselves proud. Nothing like a perfectly roasted 6-ounce chunk of beef prime rib or half of a juicy baked chicken with southern-style corn and rich mashed potatoes on the side!. Too much to eat and cheesecake for dessert as well.

Obviously, the event is a fundraiser to help support their excellent grade school. A host of donated items on display for a silent auction and then many more for the live auction following the meal. Oh my gosh the items sold high but then it was a fundraiser for a good cause so everybody seemed happy to contribute even the heathen protestants among us.

Now, personally, this long-time real estate taxpayer is happy to contribute to the lifeblood of our excellent public schools. Still, I think that a little better way to approach education would be to issue vouchers to every school-age student whose family could then determine where the young person receives his/her education. The concept is called competition which magically seems to improve all things in our society. Competition tends to keep prices low and improves all sorts of products in a non-government-controlled society. My good friend on our District 17 school board doesn’t agree with my opinion and the whole concept is something to address on another day.

That is how I saw it.

Dick Trail