Will Rogers and the State of the Union

Consideration on the State of the United States:

Before any comment is made on the issue declared for this section of today’s column, I need to emphasize that the statement about to be used was made before the current president was elected to office and even before our last president served. Still, the statement by a great American serves as a timely appraisal of the condition we allow our country to drift (or maybe I should say slide).

The statement was a wakeup call for the leadership of our country when it was made and the sentiments represent those of this writer fairly well. Listen as the American said:

“We better start doing something about our defense. Build all we can, and then take care of nothing but our own business, and we will never have to use it. If something happened to us right now, and it comes to a showdown, the shape we are in with our Army, Navy and Aviation, there would be a howl, [the President] would have a tough time not being impeached.

“All I have got to go by is history, and history doesn’t record that “Economy” ever won a war. So I believe I would save money somewhere else, even if I had to work a little shorter handed around the Capitol there.”

As a disclaimer let me affirm I don’t know what shape our military is in right now. There have been disturbing sounds coming from high up over the past few years. It is believed here that the United States does need a strong (even intimidating) readiness for war. Then again, it is like the familiar saying about insurance: “It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.”

Now, who made the statement of those two paragraphs above? It was none other than the great American humorist Will Rogers, and he made the statement in January of 1927, during Calvin Coolidge’s time as President.

Another Experience at Gordon to Crystal today because of how long the young lady has impressed me for so many years.

It has been said once, but let me say again, I am the wrong person for some disgruntled person to level complaints against Gordon Hospital. Acquaintance with conditions in other parts of the world, and even parts of our state and country, instills within me thankfulness for the medical facilities provided by Gordon Hospital. We are blessed and one doesn’t appreciate that fact is poorer in mind and heart. “The Last Day of His Life:” Whoever we are, there will come a day that will be the last day of our life. The position is not entertained in this writer’s mind that a time has been determined for me or any one of us to die. Persons taking that position are quick to affirm their feelings on the matter. It is believed here that God has established the fact of our dying and I cite Hebrews 9:27 as a basis of that faith.

If I believe when any person dies that God had determined that time there would be little sorrow in my heart. In fact, there would probably be great rejoicing.

In the movie, “The St. Valentine Day Massacre,” the story is told of the culmination of a gang war between arch rivals Al Capone and George “Bugs” Moran. On Feb. 14, 1929, Al Capone’s gang executed seven of Moran’s gang in a garage in Chicago.

The detail of the plan and action is not the thought I want to convey. Each of the seven men were shown leaving their homes or business early on that morning as the narrator named each of them and said “John Doe on the last day of his life,” showed them set off to tend their affairs. The point is, none even dreamed it was going to be the last day of their life.

So it is with each of us. Our parting from our loved ones or friends needs to be done with care and consideration. There will never be an opportunity to redo that last time.