My marriage and "Loving Day"

           Today (June 12 2020) is "Loving Day", the 53rd anniversary of the day that the U.S. Supreme Court banned laws against interracial marriage. I myself was directly affected by the Supreme Court decision that resulted in Loving Day. 
           I entered into marriage in 1971 with a woman of oriental Japanese ancestry. I was in the U.S. Air Force at the time and was due shortly afterwards to move on to a new place of assignment. The Air Force allowed me to express my preferences for where I would like to be assigned, and if I wasn't needed elsewhere, and if there was an opening, they would grant me my choice. To my surprise, I was informed, in writing, that I was not allowed to express a preference for several locations in the southern United States because I had entered into an interracial marriage.  This was due to the fact that many of the southern states still did not recognize or allow interracial marriages, and my marriage to an oriental woman was considered to be interracial.  The Air Force said that even though the Supreme Court had declared interracial marriages to be legal, there was still a lot of other racist laws that, while not directly banning interracial marriage, still created legal penalties for interracial couples. There was also a history of hostile racist feelings and actions by the populations of such states against servicemen who happened to be in an interracial marriage.  The Air Force told me that as a matter of policy they did not assign any of their personnel who happened to be married to a person of another race to such locations because the racist climates there caused all kinds of public relations troubles and racist reactions from the local citizens.  Needless to say, my next assignment was not located in the southern part of the United States.
          Even though the "Loving vs Virginia" Supreme Court decision had eliminated bans on interracial marriage in 1967, several years passed before it was fully implemented, ... as my experience shows.   In looking back, I was lucky to have come from Ohio, where I returned after my enlistment in the Air Force expired.  Even though my wife and I still experienced a few other racist attacks there too, we were at least allowed to have a legal marriage and were accepted by most.

My 2018 Canada/ New England vacation.

I just got back this week from a road trip with my friend Susie Stout to Canada and New England.  We crossed over into Canada at Niagara Falls and took some time to view the falls from the Canadian side.  The last time previous to this trip that I crossed over into Canada, their customs agents gave me a hard time, but this time they were as friendly and reasonable as anyone could expect.  The view of Horseshoe Falls was spectacular.  From Niagara, we proceeded to the small village of St. Hippolyte just north of Montreal in Quebec province.  We stayed there at a small resort for four days.  Sight seeing and fishing occupied our time.  I caught a 3 pound, 30 inch muskie fish.  Susie and I took an all day tour to the city of Quebec one day and saw a couple of the original Catholic churches, took a boat ride up the St. Lawrence Seaway, walked around the old city, ate dinner at a French restaurant, and saw some other sights.
When Susie and I left Canada, we drove through Montreal, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine before reaching the city of Portland, Maine.  The tree leaves in the mountains were just starting to turn into their fall colors, so the drive was very scenic.  From Portland, we drove up the ocean coastline over scenic Casco Bay to Freeport, Maine, where we went through all of the L.L.Bean stores and some outlet stores.  Susie bought a small fishing rod and reel.  We ate lunch at a lobster roll and seafood restaurant.  When we were finished shopping and eating, turned our car southward and retraced our steps to Portland.  We stopped on the way at the Loring Memorial Park to look out over Casco Bay from a hilltop.
Susie and I left Portland in late afternoon on a Saturday on Columbus Day weekend and expected to find a motel room later in the evening after driving toward home for a while.  We were badly mistaken.  Every single room was already taken wherever we stopped.  We also called several prominent motel chain booking centers to no avail.  Finally, after we had traveled several hundred miles and most of the night, we finally found a high priced room at 4 o'clock in the morning.  We fell into bed that morning, rather than laid down.
We finally reached home the evening of the next day.  Our pets were just as happy to see us as we were them.

Niagara and Horseshoe Falls at Niagara, Canada

Auberge du Lac Morency resort at St. Hippolyte, Canada

Me, with guide Fred and the muskie I caught.

Me and Susie Stout in Quebec, Canada

Quebec & the St. Lawrence seaway from Quebec's Citadel 

 

Does Supporting Trump Make You A Racist?

            I have been listening to the chatter on TV for the last couple of days about whether Trump voters and supporters are "racists".  The conversation has picked up considerably since the "Roseanne" show was canceled due to a racist social media post from the show's star Roseanne Barr.  Opinions on the subject are predictably varied.  Some Trump supporters claim they are not racists because they support Trump based on other issues instead of race.  They claim that detaching themselves from the racist comments and behavior of Trump means that they are not racists.  Some passionately deny they are racists, but say they support Trump no matter what he may be.  Others deny that both they and Trump are racists even though I have personally heard some of them engaging in racist tirades using strong racist language.  One of my own distant relatives even tried to convince me on social media yesterday that she is not a racist even though she voted for Trump and was supporting a racist comment made by another relative.  So I have been mulling over the question myself, does voting for and supporting a racist like Trump make one a racist too?

            There was not long ago in modern history a leader who was elected and supported by the people of his nation when he murdered six million people that he claimed were of another inferior race.  History not only holds Hitler responsible for that act of racism and genocide, but also all the German people who supported him too.  The German people could not claim in the end that they were not like Hitler, because they did nothing to stop him.  They were responsible too.  They supported him.  They didn't stop him.  They were his accomplices and complicit in his crimes.  And so it is now with the supporters of Donald Trump.  They not only voted for him while knowing what he is, but they also continue to support him while he continues his racist and divisive ways. 

                        When one knowingly supports the words of a liar and does nothing to bring out the truth, is not one a liar too?  When one enables and supports a murderer in the commission of his crime, is he not a murderer too?  Both common morality and the law say that you are.  And when one knowingly enables and supports a racist, doing nothing to stop the racist,, is not he or she a racist too?

                        There is no doubt in my mind that Trump is a racist.  His past actions as a landlord, public statements and tweets, silent support for white supremacists, appointment of known racists to government positions, racist executive orders, and support of racist political candidates make that clear.  The question is, does voting for and continuing to support such a person make one a racist too.  I think the answer to that question has to be "yes".  When you choose a leader, you choose someone whom you think best represents you and what you are.  If you vote to make a racist your leader and then you support him in his racist leadership, then you are a racist too.    Everything he does with your vote and your support is something you are complicit in.  You are his accomplice, and you are as he is.  

                  Trump is a racist and if you support and encourage him, you are too.

Guns & the "March For Our Lives"

            The "March For Our Lives" takes place today.  I am glad to see the next generation of voters standing up for themselves and their own safety, and for putting the politicians and special interests on notice that they won't be the impotent, brainwashed  sheep that today's voters seem to be.  Let's hope that they mature into better thinking, less gullible, and better voters than what we have now.

            The misuse of guns and the failure of our politicians to provide for the safety of our children and other citizens with reasonable gun access measures are at the heart of the march.

            I have to say that I fully support the second amendment and its purpose, but I also fully support reasonable measures to keep guns away from those who would wrongly use them. 

            The purpose of the second amendment is to maintain a well armed populace to protect the people and the nation against tyrants, both domestic and foreign.  Under the second amendment people have an irrevocable right, and maybe even a duty, to own and maintain arms.  The revolution that founded our nation, and the current tilt of our nation's President and Congress toward an increasingly authoritarian and Fascist government, makes that need clear. 

            Owning and maintaining firearms for the purpose of hunting is not addressed by the second amendment.  It neither supports or prohibits hunting.   

            Those things having been said, one must understand that with every right granted to us by the constitution, there comes with it a corresponding responsibility to use that right in a safe and constructive manner that contributes to the general welfare of the people, rather than detracting from it.  Common sense tells me that the founding fathers did not intend that the second amendment be used to boost gun sales to make arms dealers richer, or to make guns more easily and readily available to criminals, violent psychopaths, the mentally ill, bullied and abused children, or anxiety riddled, paranoid concealed gun toters.  I think I can say with full confidence that they definitely didn't intend for the second amendment to be used to enable massacres in our schools, churches, and crowds.  There has to be, and I believe there is, room between the second amendment and common sense gun restrictions to provide reasonable safety for all citizens. 

            There will never be perfect and complete safety for all, no matter what we do, but there is plenty more that we can do to improve and work toward that goal.  Getting our politicians to actually do something for their constituents instead of the gun lobbies, and getting people to listen to their common sense and think of themselves and their loved one's safety instead of succumbing to the brain washing propaganda they hear and see on social media would be a start.  Politicians won't do anything unless the people demand that they do so, and the people won't force them to do something until they have to.  Today's march is a welcome step toward making that happen.  Good luck marchers!

Harry Hester / Morter house 2009

        The house in this April 2009 photo is the Morter House in South Salem,
Ohio.  The woman who originally lived in the house was the half sister of Queen
Victoria of England, and could have been queen herself, had she not renounced
her right to the throne to marry a commoner and move to America. 

      The Morter house was built around 1850 by Blythe Jagward Morter. 
Blythe Morter, a commoner and a stone mason, had somehow managed to meet and
marry a member of the royal house of England - Mary, daughter of the Duke of
Kent, and granddaughter of King George III.  As a consequence, Mary was forced
to give up all rights to the throne of England. The results of her act became
painfully clear a few years later when the then King, William IV, died.  Mary
would have been next in line to the throne, but since she had married a
commoner, her younger sister Victoria ascended to the throne instead. 
        Soon after Victoria became Queen, Blythe Morter decided to move to
America.  He left his wife and children temporarily in England while he went
ahead to America make a home for them before they too arrived.  He picked South
Salem, Ohio, for some reason, and in 1850 bought a small lot on Main Street in
the middle of town.  He then contracted with local carpenters to build a small
frame home on the lot and wrote to his wife to meet him with the children in
New York. He then left South Salem while the house was being built, to travel
to New York to meet her. 
        Unfortunately, the mail was not too reliable in those days, and Mary
did not get to New York in the time expected.  Blythe became worried and set
sail for England to go get his family.  In the meantime, his wife Mary finally
got his letter and set sail for America.  It is very likely that the two passed
each other on separate ships going separate directions in the middle of the
Atlantic!  Once in New York, Mary had to take several odd jobs to feed and
shelter her children and herself while she waited for Blythe to come to her,
but eventually she and Blythe finally got back together and set off for their
new home in South Salem, Ohio. 
        Upon arrival in South Salem, to their deep chagrin, Mary and Blythe
found that their house was still not finished.  The plaster was still wet and
many windows had not yet been installed.  Having no where else to stay, the
family moved into the house just as it was.  Unfortunately, Mary was exhausted
from her long trip over the sea, her long weeks of hard work in New York, and
the long trip through the wilderness to South Salem.  The unfinished drafty and
damp house proved to be too much for her.  She soon contracted a bad cold, and
in her weakened condition, fell prey to tuberculosis.  She died the following
Spring, and was buried in the South Salem Cemetery.  A grieving Blythe Morter
farmed his children out to friends and relatives, and then left South Salem. 
He eventually remarried and resettled in Licking County, Ohio, but never
returned to the house that he had built for Mary. 
        The Morter house went through many owners as the years passed.  Like
other houses, it was modified, improved, and added onto.  I don't know any
further history about the house and its other owners until my mother's uncle,
Harry Hester, purchased the house sometime in the 20th century.  He and his
wife, my great-aunt Viola Beechler Hester, lived in the Morter house as far
back as I can remember.  Harry and Viola raised two sons in the Morter house,
and Harry operated a produce business across the street from the house for many
years.  Harry took his own life in the house in 1997.  
        A few years after this picture was taken, the Morter house burned to
the ground.  It has not been replaced.  The Morter house was located at North
Latitude 39.3365 and West Longitude 83.30832, or in old measurements N
39 degrees 20 minutes 11.4 seconds and W 83 degrees 18 minutes 30 seconds.

 

Viola Francis Beechler Hester.

Trump Buyers Remorse

            I have been seeing an ever increasing number of stories on-line recently about disappointed Trump voters who didn't get what they expected in return for their votes.  Latinos who voted Trump are being deported.  Coal miners and factory workers who voted Trump are being laid off while their jobs still go overseas.   Women who voted Trump are seeing their gender being defamed, criticized, and held back more than ever.  Sick and elderly people who voted Trump are seeing Trump and Republicans try every trick in the book to take away their health care insurance and kill them off because they cost too much to keep alive.  The number of disappointed and betrayed Trump voters grows each day.

            Maybe I should feel sorry for such people, but I don't.  They failed to use common sense , they willingly bought into what were obvious lies, they voted with bigotry in their hearts, and they willingly cut off their noses to spite their faces just to destroy the system they had instead of voting for those who wanted to improve it.  Now they must reap what they have sown.  Unfortunately, a lot of innocents will suffer with them.

            The ever increasing number of disappointed and betrayed Trump voters reminds me of the old story of the man, the river, and the snake.  In the story a man walks up to a river that he must wade across to get to the other side.  He hears a voice and looks down. He sees a poisonous snake on the ground.  The snake says, "Please help me get to the higher ground on the other side of the river.  Help me and I will reward you with great riches.  I cannot get there by myself.  I need your help." 

            The man answers, "I can't help you.  You are a poisonous snake and you will bite me and I will die."

            The snake replies, "No, I won't.  I am a good snake.  I am the best!  I promise I won't hurt you.  Help me and I will give you everything you could want.  I'll even help you destroy all those bad people on the other side of the river.  It will be great!  It will be huge!"

            The man says, "Well, OK then.  I believe you.  I'll help you get to the other side."

            The man then picked up the poisonous snake and placed him in a position of trust upon his shoulder.  The two them started wading across the river.

            When the man and the snake reached the middle of the river, the snake suddenly bit the man in the neck.  As the poisonous venom entered the man's blood stream, he grew weaker, and he and the snake both slowly began to sink to their doom beneath the water.  The dying man cried out, "I trusted you.  You seemed so sincere.  Why did you bite me?  Now we'll both die!"

            The snake was already under water so he couldn't reply.  He did however pull out his smart phone and tweeted out, "I couldn't help myself, that's my nature.  I'm a snake."

            There you go.  Help a poisonous snake … expect to get bit.  Vote for a rich con man who never helped or cared for anybody except himself and his own in his entire life, and expect to get betrayed.  Like the con men say, "There's a sucker born every minute!"  Or, as the Christian Bible says, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap!"                                                                                                                          Those who voted for and elected Trump in the last election shouldn't be surprised that they are now being bit.  No sir, I don't feel sorry for them at all.

Ralph Hoffman- A Forgotten Veteran,

         Veteran's Day is tomorrow, and even though the United States died this past Tuesday and was replaced by a Fascist country of bigots and racists called Trumpland, it is appropriate that we remember a forgotten and unrecognized U.S.A. veteran of World War I.             Ralph Hoffman served in World War I.  He is buried in the South Salem Cemetery at South Salem, Ohio.  His grave had no flag and no veteran's memorial plaque.  I thought it a disgrace to our formerly free country that his grave has been unmarked for all these years after his death.  I had an extra flag so I put one on his grave myself.  I  hope that whoever decorates the graves next year will remember Ralph.           I have attached pictures of Ralph Hoffman's grave, after I placed a flag upon it, and a 1915 picture of him when he was in the U.S. Army.