I have an aversion to cold showers. I expect most of us do. To make sure the water temperature is closer to 98.6° before I expose my skin to the spray, I run the shower or a bathroom fixture for about 45 seconds (yes, I measured it) to bring up hot water from the water … Continue reading Saving Water 1.6 Gallons at a Time
Category: American Life
Why Veterans Should Abhor Him
As many of you already know, I was in the Army. I enlisted (to avoid being drafted) in 1969. I served until 1972 not long after I was taken off flight status due to yet-to-be correctly diagnosed issues with my back and legs that prevented me from sitting in a cockpit. My life began again … Continue reading Why Veterans Should Abhor Him
Angel’s Adventure
On Tuesday, my wife Marilyn announced that she wanted to get out of the house. I checked her temperature and pulse--she seemed to be okay, but this was a radical change. She has not gone down the hill for anything but doctor's appointments since early March. She had had enough. "What about driving the North … Continue reading Angel’s Adventure
On Blackface Politicians
My mother's family is from the Shenandoah Valley. My grandfather was a Judge and my uncle a prominent attorney. Many live there to this day. I understand they or their ancestors owned slaves in the early years, but others participated in the underground railroad. That was the past. We also have to consider that the … Continue reading On Blackface Politicians
On Overpopulation and Global Warming
I saw a post which blamed the world's problems including (and especially) global warming on over-population. I won't repeat the horribly racist comments, but given the number of people who piled on to this theory, I can see there are a host of others who ascribe to its tenets. I cannot.However, I agree, more people … Continue reading On Overpopulation and Global Warming
Of Walls and Love
After having seen the number of replies on a local TV station's Facebook page advocating for the wall, I thought I would bring my point of view to bear on the controversy.Given the amount and polarity of the rhetoric, it's clear that the Reds want a wall. What most have not grasped is that the … Continue reading Of Walls and Love
The Wall
I wrote a letter to the editor of the Seattle Times and it was published on Dec 26, 2018. I have included the original text--their version gets to the meat of the subject, but is somewhat abbreviated. There should be no walls in the wilderness... The poor cannot eat a wall. While bridges fail, forests … Continue reading The Wall
A Christmas Story
I wrote a short story for my Facebook friends that I thought you would enjoy. Christmas 1969: I arrived in Vietnam in April (IIRC) of 1969 and flew helicopter combat and resupply missions until one day in late December, the Captain came up to me. "Mr. Vaughn?" "Yes, sir," I said, thinking "Now what?" "Do … Continue reading A Christmas Story
Veterans Day, 2018
It's Veterans Day. It's a day when some of us recognize those who sacrificed part or their entire lives to service. Some were drafted (or in my case, nearly so), some enlisted gleefully, some reluctantly, some were raised to serve by military families. Too many were forced into service by harsh economic circumstances--too poor or … Continue reading Veterans Day, 2018
The Republican’s Federalist Agenda
Consider that the Republican agenda from before the Regan years has been to stack the court with arch-conservatives. They realized that even a balanced or right-leaning Supreme Court overturned law after law passed to promote their corporatist, Federalist, misogynist, homophobic, and racist views. Their sponsors, the giant fossil fuel companies, the pharma lobby, the mining … Continue reading The Republican’s Federalist Agenda
Beta V—Creating, Mentoring, Storytelling 
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