The last time I had seen Daniel we were joking about ending up in a Mexican prison. His was a genuine laughter...mine was nervous. There was an outside possibility, it seemed, that some time in the clink might be in the cards if we (he especially) didn't play the hand right...Or, of course, if God almighty had other plans. If He did, I was hoping they didn't include me. At least not in regards to jail-time purification. We joked again the other night, our first reunion since his release a month or so ago. After five long months in the
stir I was expecting to see a hobbled, gaunt figure with sunken eyes and a peaceful aura of benevolent acquiescence...the result of endless days of torture and starvation, scrounging for bugs on a damp cell floor somewhere in the bowels of an old fortress where the moaning souls of tormented men never cease to wail. I had dreamed of Dan as Gandolf the White and was half expecting to see fire fly from his cane. Well, in keeping with the holiday mood and all, he appeared a bit more like a jolly white-bearded, heel-clicking version of the image I had in mind. It seems the only comfort (besides family) he was deprived of was a mirror. And when he finally got a good look at himself, expecting a Tom Hanks look-a-like after Cast Away, he was surprised to see an even healthier Dan - bigger, stronger, faster. Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration but he did look good and our reunion was as sweet as it could be considering the circumstances. In some sort of twisted-universe, twilight zone kind of way, we
could be considered responsible for how things played out. Not that anybody did anything wrong mind you. Remember, we were dealing with a third-world country whose corruption knows no limits and which treats people and justice like so much garbage thrown out the window of a passing car on highway 15 in southern Sonora. Our adoption of Trini precipitated the forcing of hands that were being sat on, as the saying goes, and, well, it stirred up a few hornets nests besides and as a result, produced the most stress filled three years of our lives. Trials and tribulations always come. Life is full of them. Thankfully there is One, whose name is
the Prince of Peace, who gives peace in the midst of turmoil. His words often come to mind
"...In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good courage, I have overcome the world." Thanks again to all friends far and wide who offered up prayers, however feeble. The King eternal hears and none of us are any the worse for wear. The net of all this is that Dan has a great war-story to tell, Trini is growing and happy with her new family and Mexico has apologized, actually calling us the "victims" of
their internal problems. No, no one feels that justice was served but at least we're not rotting away in a steel drum somewhere on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez...or worse.
Two cloud scenes for your listening pleasure. Both paintings depict skies. Both have a low horizon. Both of them display some foliage etc. But, they are distinct in a variety of ways... that much is obvious. I want to see my old friend Leonardo. He lives five hundred miles and two worlds away. My daughter will visit him and his family this week. I will send a letter. I need to write him a good one but, what can I say? The last time we met his middle son and I sat on the porch of their little adobe house with a leaky tin roof, one eyed dog and ducks and chickens in the kitchen. Hugo described how he was going to be a different kind of cop, he wasn't going to let himself get corrupted. He had just graduated from the Sonora Police Academy and was waiting for his first assignment. Leona and Nena were hoping it wouldn't be far from their home. They glowed with pride but you could tell they were afraid for him...and they had reason to be. What kind of country regularly finds bags full of dismembered police officers on the courthouse steps? Do not for a minute think that America or the western world is much like the rest of the world. Yes, human nature is just that. There are plenty of similarities on a micro level. But take in a little overview of recent history and you will see a huge distinction between the evolutions of societies. Those that embraced rule of law...have enjoyed much peace and freedom for their peoples. Those that have been continually conquered and governed by despots and dictators that embrace socialism continue to reel under the weight of oppression to this day. The left leaning politicians, activists and, dare I say artists have no idea what they are playing at. These very same "leanings" are the root for much of the oppression most of the world's population is suffering under. No, we are not the same and the more we follow the lead of the world's "leaders" (United Nations etc.) the more we are going to lose the liberties that make America and countries like ours unique. American exceptionalism is real. There are real and concrete reasons why our police officers don't show up in bags. We cannot afford to continue to promulgate the ideas that cause envy between classes or to believe that the government exists to give us stuff. The gov't. cannot create...jobs or...health care. Someone who is productive has to pay for it...and the last I heard the gov't. is out of money. Where do they plan on getting more? To "make the rich pay their fair share" sounds good if you're poor and are looking for a hand out...or vengeance. But in a country like ours that kind of rhetoric does nothing but result in the punishment of productivity and foment hatred for success. Oppression is a real and present evil...it's horrors are unknown to most westerners. That's why I say that those who embrace the well sounding arguments of the left have no idea what they are playing at. Hugo is dead. Leona is crushed. And mild-mannered men are forced to rant like this...and use their pretty pictures to convey dark feelings and ferocious fears.
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