WHY I SUPPORT JOHN McCAIN

It is election time. As I promised a few months ago, I have kept away from politics other than saying back in January that I thought the best ticket would be McCain and Lieberman and sort of losing control of myself once last March about Hillary.

But now the election is upon us so I decided to write once again about my view, which I believe is balanced, recognizing that probably every American believes their view of who they will vote for is balanced.

Initially, I was going to write about a very interesting four day trip to Mérida, México I took two weeks ago to visit with some very nice people who run a large company there. They have asked me if I would be willing to help them sort through some of their Board Governance issues.

I was also going to write about my trip last weekend to Washington, DC for the NACD conference since I was able to spend a day and a half before the conference with my two little guys up there. Then I flew back from DC last Tuesday night and flew up to Chicago early the next morning for two days of meetings and it was nice to see many of my friends at Trustmark and also my friends John and Belinda who I had lunch with.

But since I want to share my Senator Obama vs. McCain views, I will just share a few photos from México and DC and then move on to my election musings.

In Mérida, a city many historians believe is the longest continuously occupied city in all of the Americas, I stayed at the Fiesta Americana

I did not know until I checked in and looked out the window that across the street was the Hyatt Hotel. I should have stayed at since they always treat me so well. I had no idea there was a Hyatt in Mérida.



Two of the mornings I was there I got up early and walked the wide Paseo Montejo, lined with beautiful mansions built in the late 19th century by the owners of plantations that harvested the fiber from the Agave plant that was used to make floor coverings before the invention of synthetic fibers. It is said that Mérida at the beginning of the 20th century had the largest concentration of millionaires of any city in the world. Production peaked in the 1960's at around 160,000 tons per day and is now only around 10,000 tons per day.

This fiber is known not by its real name of "Henequén", but rather "Sisal" as that was the name of the port about 30 miles from Mérida where it was shipped out of.











All along Plaza Montejo were sculptures done by local artists:





And of course, the Ubiquitous Wal-Mart (and I also saw a huge Costco).



It was a great trip and I met some wonderful people who have some very interesting challenges that I believe I can help them with. They would like me to and I am going to have to decide whether or not it is something I will have the time to do.

Other than getting confused on the time change between México and Atlanta and therefore almost missing my plane home from México City (I was the last person to run on to the plane as they were closing the door), the flight was fine and I arrived back late Thursday night and left Friday for DC to see the boys before going to my Directors conference.

And in the day and a half I was there, we crammed in a lot of fun. We went to the park and played in the sand





Swung on the swings





Monkeyed around on the Monkey Bars




And Landon played on the Fire Pole




We were so beat after that (it is hard taking photos) we pigged out on pizza




And then we went back to the house and set up cones in the middle of the street to block traffic (it actually worked). Note the McCain Palin sign in the next door neighbors’ yard. Cris is horrified. I'm surprised she didn't take it down in the middle of the night.





And Wes rode his trike up and down the hill




He did better going up than down since he was not sure how to stop. He tried a unique way (note Landon laughing at him)




And then Landon, who of course did not fall down, rode his scooter up the hill and then down it at about 20 miles per hour



And we finished the afternoon filling up pumpkin face bags with leaves so they would have some pumpkins on their steps since the squirrels completely ate the real pumpkins (all of them) they put out on the steps.



It was a great time with the boys.

AND NOW, THE ELECTION

What prompted me to write this is I saw in the New York Times this week (when they sent a Breaking News alert) that they are endorsing Senator Obama. It irritated me because that is not what I call “Breaking News” since their views are always a little left of Hollywood. While I recognize all members of the media in our country are biased to the far left or the far right, it seemed a little over the top to call it “Breaking News”.

So I looked up their daily circulation (a little over a million readers a day) and looked up the number of readers of my Blog (a little over 100 a day) and decided if they could do it, so could I, albeit on a smaller scale.

Unless something out of the clear blue occurs, I think Senator Obama will be our next President. That is not my preference, but I do not think it is the end of the world either. He is a decent human being who I believe has good values and a great education and he is a very good orator. He knows how to inspire people and he knows almost as well as Bill Clinton how to tell people what they want to hear. The rest of the world supports him en masse and having someone in the White House that is supported internationally would be nice for a change.

I think some of the people he has hung around with in the past are pretty unsavory, but that is likely a part of his naïveté and youth. My guess is his involvement with Ayers and the whole Acorn thing are likely overstated by the other side, but clearly his 20 years or so with Reverend Whacko Wright can’t be as easily explained away.

I tend to give him some slack on the Wright issue however. I admit I do not know enough about the African American culture and the church’s role in it to judge it from a knowledge point of view. The bigger issue for me on this topic is what did it tell us about him when he cut and ran from Wright once he saw it was going to hurt his chances.

But in the end, many of us have associated with people who aren’t the most upstanding citizens at one time or another (although not usually for 20 years) and so that is a somewhat minor issue for me. To me, trying to tie him into Reverend Wright with some suggestion of ulterior motive is almost as dumb as trying to tie McCain to Bush. Neither connection passes my smell test.

Many (likely most) of the people that read this Blog are Senator Obama supporters and I respect your views. Some of my best friends are Democrats and some of my best friends are to the right of Bill O'Reilly. I'm proud of that. This is what a Democracy is all about.

But I believe Senator McCain is the better choice. I believe the suggestion that electing him is four more years of George Bush is bullshit. John McCain and Ted Kennedy reached across the aisle to pass immigration legislation that was defeated by racism and I cannot imagine George Bush (even though he supported that legislation) would have ever reached across the aisle to Senator Kennedy the way John McCain did.

George Bush has not done his job well. I admire his values and hate his unwillingness to change his view. He handled 9/11 very well but going into Iraq without the agreement and support of the majority of the international community was a big mistake. His tendency to stick with his deputies at all costs is a flaw in leadership that I have tried desperately not to make in my leadership roles.

I remember when I first took over Trustmark and one of my senior executives told me he was friends with the previous CEO and he didn't feel like I was trying to be his friend. I looked him straight in the eye and said "I will always treat you fairly and with dignity and respect but I don't want to be your friend because I may have to fire you some day" (and I did). That is a leadership trait George Bush should have practiced.

And it has always been instructive to me that President Bush is as shitty a public speaker now as he was eight years ago. That tells me he is unwilling or unable to recognize his weaknesses and work to improve them. Let's face it, if the President can't find a great public speaking coach, no one can.

So although I voted for him, I think he did a bad job. But it takes a huge leap to believe that because they are both Republicans McCain will follow his policies. If that is the way it works and you follow the logic of that argument, it would mean Senator Obama will have an intern under his desk and I don't believe that.

So I think McCain should be judged on who he is and his achievements rather than making the blunt and erroneous assumption that he is a Bush clone. If someone makes a judgment of McCain for who he is and chooses Senator Obama that is fine. If they vote for Senator Obama because they believe the hype about McCain being a clone of Bush it means they may not be thinking for themselves.

I start with McCain’s experience during the Vietnam War and I know many voters were not even born then. I have a particularly unique perspective on his many years as a prisoner of war. Unlike 99 plus percent of all Americans who have no way of really knowing what that prison looked like, I have actually been to Hanoi and stood inside the cell where Senator McCain was tortured.

That day was one of those where just being there made me sick to my stomach. While a different situation entirely, it was much like the feeling I had when I stood in the “showers” at a former concentration camp in Germany. While the Holocaust was clearly the worst thing in modern history (and perhaps all history) that humans have done to their own race, the scars left from the experience of victims (whether in Hanoi or Auschwitz) either ruin people for life or strengthen them in ways most of us cannot fathom.

The experience of being there in that “prison” taught me that this is no ordinary man. This is a real patriot and he is as tough as they come. His refusal to be released without his comrades speaks volumes about his character and his leadership.

I lived in Illinois during Senator Obama's short tenure. I do not believe he accomplished anything worthwhile and often didn't even vote. That was likely because he was young and inexperienced and was being thoughtful in trying to learn the ropes of the political game before sticking his neck out. That is okay-in fact; it is probably a thoughtful way to start a career in politics. Some day he may be a great politician once he gets some real experience.

Senator McCain has been at this game for decades. He has learned by doing things right and by making mistakes, but always by taking a stand. I simply would rather have a seasoned good person with a good track record running the country than an equally good person with no experience. Not many people are born with knowledge. Most of us obtain it over many years.

Of course, the rebuttal is that Palin has no experience and that is valid. While she at least ran something, the truth is that neither she nor Senator Obama has any meaningful experience. When someone says to me "What happens if McCain dies and she takes over?" my reaction is that there is a 2% or so chance of that happening and if did, we would have an inexperienced person running the country. But if Senator Obama wins we have a 100% chance of someone inexperienced running the country. I like the smaller probability.

Long time readers of this Blog know that I am not a far right individual. They know the time and resources my family and I put into causes to try in some small way to make the world a better place and they know I work very hard to help the poorest of the poor in this world.

I clearly have an absolute rock hard belief that the growing gap between the poor and the wealthy is a tragedy and needs to be addressed in the right way and that the gap needs to be narrowed. There are right ways and wrong ways to do that of course. Trying the Cuban or Bolivian method is the wrong way.

Some people are surprised to learn I sometimes vote Republican because they know I support many left leaning social causes. I always say that I lean to the right on economic and defense issues and to the left on almost everything else. Over the years I have voted for the Democratic candidate, for the Independent candidate and for the Republican candidate.

I voted for McGovern, for McCarthy and for Carter. Other times I voted Republican. I am neither a dyed in the wool Republican nor a dyed in the wool Democrat. I believe I make my own judgments based on what I see and know versus the popular political rhetoric.

I really hope we are all thoughtful and that women won't vote for McCain because he has a woman running mate and that minorities won't vote for Senator Obama because he is a minority. I hope all of us will make our own judgment based on thinking about it rather than letting the hype sway us. And I especially hope that our fellow citizens will not vote selfishly by saying "I'm voting for (insert either name) because I think they are going to do more for ME". I think what is important is who will do more for the country as a whole rather than more for you or me as individuals

Then there are the campaign promises. Given my career, I know a fair amount about health care. While living in Illinois, I watched Senator Obama try and pass a form of Universal Health Care there and fail miserably (thank goodness) because it was not well thought out and impossible to pay for.

Of course, I don't think Senator McCain’s health care proposal is much better but in the end, I doubt either of them will be able to deliver on what they are promising for health care. Our health care delivery and financing system is in shambles for a minority of Americans and for the majority it is a good system but costs too much. We have to fix that, but I am skeptical either of the candidates have a plan that is viable.

And that brings me to my last point, which is a big deal in this campaign, and the biggest reason I could never support Senator Obama. It is where the ease of political promises takes advantage of the fact that the majority of Americans have never studied economics. So when they hear Senator Obama say he is going to GIVE all of these nifty things to people and cut their taxes and pay for it by increasing taxes on the wealthiest 5% of Americans, it sounds really wonderful. Of course many people do not understand why this will not work. Nor should they if they have not studied economics.

Although I have studied economics in graduate school, I make no claim to being an expert in this arena. But I will write what I think in this Blog because I know enough to have an informed opinion. I may be wrong, but it is based on some knowledge of economics.

We must ask ourselves a simple question. Where do American businesses, big or small, get the money to start their business and to later expand it and grow it?

If they are successful and they expand and grow it, they provide more jobs which in turn cause their employees to spend their paychecks at the local businesses in their community which in turn causes the community to have the money to build better schools and better roads and on and on. That is a pretty simple concept. Look at cities where business is booming and most people, other than the very poor (a problem that has to be fixed) are doing quite well. Start closing down the businesses and laying off the workers and what happens? Where would most of us rather live-Detroit or Austin? Which has more successful businesses?

The answer to my first question is businesses get their money from individuals like you and me. We put our savings or our 401K accounts into individual stocks or mutual funds or buy their bonds and that money goes to the businesses to allow them to hire more people which create better schools, roads and on and on.

And who does the major part of this? Of course, the people who have the biggest piece of the pie to do it with-the wealthy! No surprise there. So where did they get their riches from?

Some of the wealthiest people got their money thru inheritance. Some got it by being greedy. But a lot got it through creating things or innovations. Others got it through hard work, taking advantage of what we have here in America that is unlike most other countries-the opportunity to work hard and make a lot of money.

And so the wealthy make a lot of money and therefore they pay more in taxes (both in dollars and as a percent of their income) than any other group of Americans. It is only the money left over after they pay their taxes that they can use to invest in mutual funds, individual stocks and bonds just like you and me. Tax them higher (or tax you and me higher) and there is less left to invest in businesses. And less left to give companies to do the research to find a cure for cancer or to build safer toys or a million other things.

Economics is very complex and frankly, quite boring. But it is simple to understand if you think about it at a global level.

In the end, what will happen if the wealthy have less money to invest in businesses because their tax has gone up to extend welfare benefits and to GIVE more to those that have less?

Answer-the exact opposite of what Senator Obama is preaching will happen. Companies will not create more jobs as they don't have the money from the wealthy. So they will have to fire more people and the community will not have the money being spent in their stores from the now fired employees and more businesses will fail and there will be fewer good schools and good roads and less money to spend on the cure for cancer.

There is no other way it can happen. I am all for narrowing the gap between rich and poor and I put my money and my time into doing just that.

But we are not going to narrow the gap (we are going to make it worse) if we do what Senator Obama promises. It won’t work.

The gap will be narrowed only by cutting taxes which gives all Americans more spendable income and which allow the wealthy to continue to create and invest in new businesses that will need more employees who will spend their paychecks in the local community which will create the need for more pizza joints and hair salons and everything else. By creating more jobs through lower tax rates, more people will pay taxes (although at a lower rate) and the total tax revenue will increase giving us more money for schools and health care and everything else.

We cannot narrow the gap between the have’s and the have-not’s by causing more people to lose their jobs and trying to narrow the gap by increasing welfare and other “GIVE” programs. It may help for a short time but it is not sustainable over decades.

I think most people who are struggling would much prefer to have a decent job and enough money left over to send their kids to college than to have the government give them some small amount of subsistence income. That can only be done by lowering taxes so that more investments can be made by businesses so that they can create decent jobs.

This is as simple as knowing how to fill up a glass of water. Yet when Senator Obama, a man I said at the beginning of this was a good man (and I really believe he is), says that he is going to reduce the taxes for most of Americans but take it from the 5% that do the most investing in our future and that he will also GIVE more to the rest of Americans, it is as silly and naïve as suggesting the sun will come up tomorrow in the west. It is not mathematically possible.

And God help us, given the financial mess we are in now, if we stop investing in our future and start laying off thousands and thousands of additional employees because the companies no longer have the wealthy to buy their stocks and bonds. It will make the current slowdown look like a frolic in the tulips.

Anyone who knows anything about Venezuela, a country that is rich in natural resources and oil but is near bankruptcy because President Chavez was elected on the same type of platform (take from the wealthy and give to the poor) will realize we are headed down that same path if Senator Obama is elected and actually carries out what he has promised.

At the start of this posting I wrote :

I do not think it is the end of the world either if Senator Obama is elected. He is a decent human being who I believe has good values and a great education and he is a very good orator.

I meant that. It won't be the end of the world, because I am sure he will fail if he actually tries to deliver on his promise. It would drive our economy into the ground by choking off its lifeline of investors.

If he is elected, I am sure wiser and more experienced men and women in Congress will not vote along party lines but instead will prevent this from happening.

However, if he is elected, and I think he will be, I will do my best to support him. Our leaders need our support. We can all voice our opinion at the ballot box or in our Blogs or newspapers or wherever. But once the election is over, I truly believe we have a duty to support our leaders. I am certain that the job of the President of the United States of America is the world’s most difficult job.

In the end, am I right? Maybe so, maybe no. I just have my opinion like everyone else. There is no likelihood mine is more right or more wrong than others. That is the reason I think we have to support whoever is elected. That is part of being an American.

And now you know why I support Senator McCain.

I feel better and my last request is to encourage all of you to vote, even if it is for Senator Obama. At least here we get to vote and it counts. That is not the case in many countries I have spent time in.

IS IT FLYCLEAR OR IS IT FLY FOGGY?

The word CLEAR to me suggests words such as crisp, efficient, simple, and easy to do.

You read my Posting from last Wednesday when I was flying to California.

So I dutifully kept my fingers all lotioned up since then. Today, on my way to México, I stopped at the FlyClear desk again. I was there for an hour and 45 minutes. You need to have at least four prints that match.

She suggested I had been using too much lotion-I told her that was what they told me to do.

After over an hour, I had four matches and she hit the exit button before saving, had to reboot the computer and start all over.

I finally got one match and both my eyes (Iris) to match. So they told me TSA would do an investigation of me and it would take several weeks but if I passed, they would send me my Clear Card. Someone should investigate the TSA and this worthless process.

But, now I am in México City, sitting in the AeroMexico First Class Lounge that they let me in for free because I am such a good Delta customer. That’s odd; Delta won’t let me in their definitely not First Class Crown Room lodges for free.

When the plane landed, I checked the market as we were taxiing. Finally. A good day. Now we just need six more in a row. I am doubtful that will happen. Here in the lounge the headlines say "Wallstreet era una fiesta". You don't need to be a graduate student in spanish to understand that.

The last time I was in this airport (I’m on a connecting flight to Mérida in an hour) was in the 90’s. I was here several times on a business deal. What a change.

Back then it was the pits-no stores, no restaurants worth taking a chance on, hand written signs with flight info and a bunch of other things I could mention.

Today, when I walked through the Customs, this is the very first thing I saw.

And these are the kind of monitors everywhere:



I’m happy for México, a country full of very warm people and racked with problems, including the now horrific Drug Cartel problems. But you couldn’t tell it in this room with a free bar, a beautiful Riedel wine tasting room with white coated waiters and some of the best wine around served, of course, in Riedel wine glasses. There is a Sap, 39 Flat Screen High Definition TV’s and the best workstations I have seen anywhere in the world other than at the Singapore airport.

I'm happy that all those illegals, who I support, who are working hard doing jobs that American's wouldn't have done in a heartbeat (they may now), sent their money back to their families and the middle class of México is growing. That is the way things are supposed to work. The idea is not that Americans' should have it all. At least that is not my idea.

I’m happy, despite Fly Clears attempts to make me grumpy.

And so I am off to Mérida. Have a good week everyone!

¡Hasta Luego!

THIS COULD ONLY HAPPEN TO ONE PERSON

So, I had to fly to Sacramento tonight for a day and a half meeting of Freedom from Hunger and will fly back late Friday night. Then on Monday I am off to Mexico on business for four days and after returning on Thursday I fly the next morning to DC for a conference over the weekend (and to see my boys and their parents). That finishes on Tuesday evening and on Wednesday I have a 7am flight to Chicago.

You get the picture. I travel. A lot.

So, for a couple of years I have been hoping that FlyClear, the organization that lets you apply for a special card and after doing a background check, assuming you clear, they issue this card that reduces the wait in line.

As I was pondering my travel schedule the next two weeks I decided the time had come. I filled out the form on-line and gave them my $128 for the first year. They gave me a print-out with the 16 digit code and told me to go to any CLEAR location to be fingerprinted and have my iris scanned and if all was okay, in two weeks, I would get my card.

Sounds easy enough. So I left an hour early for the airport and went directly to the CLEAR booth. They took the information and I gave them my passport and drivers license and it was now time to take my fingerprints.

They tired. And tired. And tried. First they made 4 or 5 attempts with the four fingers of my left hand. The machine said it couldn’t read them.

Then they made 4 or 5 attempts with the four fingers of my right hand. Same result.

Then they had me put my two thumbs on the glass so the computer would read it and they told me these were the easiest. We tried six times. It never worked.

They asked me if I was a Doctor and I asked why. They said it is because they wash their hands so often (I thought this was good news) that sometimes theirs are harder to read because of all the microscopic amount of soap residue. I assured them I was not a Doctor. I just spent much of my career paying the doctor bills of a million or so of our insured’s and the Doctor's and I disagree on what is wrong with our health care system.

They said they "had never seen this before". Don’t you just hate it when they say things like that? I asked them if they would believe me and let me pass if I told them I was in the Victim Witness Protection program and the FBI had obliterated my prints. As usual, like almost everyone I know, they didn’t think I was nearly as funny as I thought I was.

They then asked me if I was a writer. I said no, but I was a Wannabe writer. It was as if a light came on and he said “Do you type on a PC a lot?”

I don’t have to share with my readers the answer to that question. Besides the novel length Blog postings I write, I am always whining about the 300 or so emails I am behind on. I’m getting a new laptop in December because the characters are worn off some of my keys. I am not joking.

They said that must be it. I must have rubbed my prints down to the point where the computer can’t recognize them.

I thought once again I was on Candid Camera. How could this happen to me?

They said that the only suggestion, although they were doubtful it would work, was that I should put lots of lotion on my fingertips the next ten days and come back and maybe it would work. They were unable to explain why that might help.

I left convinced they had no idea what they were doing, went into the NON-CLEAR line, got through security and went to the A concourse. I had read there were CLEAR stations in one of the Crown Rooms so I tracked it down.

I went to these very nice women and didn’t bother to mention what had just happened at their other place. We went thru the same rigmarole with account number, passport, drivers’ license, etc.

I knew it would work this time on a different machine.

Guess what? Of course, 4 or 5 attempts on each set of prints and not a one was visible to the computer. They even gave me some of that alcohol soap to clean my hands and sent me to the bathroom to clean some more and I came back and had same result. Then the woman got in her purse and pulled out this small bottle (less than 3.4 ounces don’t you know) of hand cream and had me rub it in real good.

But evidently not good enough because it still couldn’t read it.

She looked at me with true compassion and I know she felt bad as she said “Mr. Thomas, I think you are screwed. I don’t think you are going to be able to use our services and you are only person I have ever heard of that this has happened to.”

I thanked her, hung my head and slowly started my exit when she said in a loud voice: “Oh, and Mr. Thomas, if you are thinking about robbing a bank, don’t do it. The machines they use to lift the prints off the teller’s counter are much stronger than ours.”

There were a number of people in line, all of whom were staring at me after she said that. So I went to a different Crown Room to do email until my flight time arrived and I worked some more of my fingerprints off.

A PERFECT WEEKEND

Last weekend was perfect. I really can't recall the last time I was so impacted by the activities of a weekend.

It started a couple of days before the weekend. I was with my Mom. What a treat as always. I last saw her in mid-June. We laughed, we ate, we went to Wal-Mart, we looked up Lawrence Welk stuff on the internet so she could win an argument with a friend and we went exploring in the mountains. She looked great and is doing well just two months before her 93rd birthday.

Mom and me with our wonderful Hualapai Mountains in the background

It was just great.

Then drove the four hours to Phoenix from Kingman where we had dinner that night with my brother Steve and his wife Judie. I have known Steve all of his life (obviously) and I have never known him to drink more than probably 20 drinks in that entire time. So imagine my surprise when they treated us to a Mexican place and he ordered this Margarita. He held it up to the large glass of iced tea so you could see how big it was.

A WONDERFUL COUPLE

Then off to Phoenix where on Friday we were privileged to attend an intimate private luncheon with a wonderful couple hosted by several of us at Freedom from Hunger. Due to their request to remain anonymous I cannot share who they are, but it was such a powerful experience I want to write about it as an example of wonderful people doing wonderful things without the rest of the world even knowing it.

This is a couple who started out very poor when they were married in 1951. They had a small furniture store in the Midwest and over 35 years or so they built it into a chain with stores in many states. The entire time the husband always felt he wanted to be a missionary and help others.

They sold the entire operation 20 or so years ago and decided to try and help the less fortunate with the money they made. And help they have.

A little anecdote about them-the first time he went to Haiti he was so struck by the poverty he literally gave away every dollar and cent he had while there. He got to the airport to fly home and did not have the $1.50 needed for the departure tax. He did not know what to do. He saw two young American girls and approached them and asked them if they would loan him the $1.50. They did. He asked what they were doing in Haiti and they explained that they were there with a non-profit organization to help the poor.

When he returned he did two things. First, he made a gigantic gift (more than you can imagine) to that organization and has continued to support it for years. Second, he went back to Haiti and built an orphanage and gave it to the Haitians to run.

Both of them are humble, yet sophisticated, warm and caring individuals. They support the efforts of Freedom from Hunger in West Africa with a monthly contribution that exceeds what 95% of all Americans earn in an entire year. Every Month.

The lunch was a surprise for them, arranged through their daughter, so we could honor them and thank them for their efforts. I would guess they are in their late 70's and are no longer (for health reasons) able to travel long distances, so we brought our work in West Africa, funded by their generosity, to them at this luncheon. Cathy and I, along with four of my colleagues from Freedom from Hunger's International Center in Davis, California attended this luncheon for them and presented them with a DVD made in West Africa showing the results of their work.

At the end, we had a champagne toast and I presented them with a plaque designed especially for them showing a photo of one of the women in Burkina Faso whose life had been changed for the better as a result of their contributions. She now has her own little business and is able to feed her family. I received an email a couple of days later from her saying it was one of the few things they were going to take to their retirement home to hang on the wall.

It was so powerful I got all teary when I was doing the toast-I don't think I have ever met a nicer couple. By nature I love people and so I always feel positive about humanity and our future, even with the problems our world faces, but I felt even more positive about it after spending a few hours with them.

In this current time of the legitimate criticism of some Wall Street executives being filled with greed, we must be careful not to group everyone in the same bucket who has been successful in their career. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are two people who made more than any other people and they are doing great things with it to make the world a better place and I will tell you that this couple is doing the same thing. Because of my involvement with Freedom from Hunger, I am able to see the good side of so many people, not just the bad apples the press writes about.

It was just an incredible luncheon. I wish everyone reading this could have been there.

And then the next evening had the same effect and impact on us. Let me tell you about that.

VOLUNTEERISM

Phoenix is now the 5th largest metro area in the nation. As a result, like all cities and towns there are tremendous needs among the disenfranchised. One amazing statistic is that there are over a million volunteers-A MILLION VOLUNTEERS-trying to solve the problems of hunger, of abuse, of poverty, of life threatening illnesses, of the environment and thousands of other causes.

As a result, there is an organization called Hon Kachina that since 1977 has been attempting to find and recognize from among all the volunteers doing good work in the area, a small group that deserves special recognition. This year they selected ten people as recognition of their outstanding volunteer service. It is the most prestigious award for volunteerism a person can receive in Arizona and each of the ten received a beautiful, custom made Kachina doll with a wonderful engraving on its base recognizing their efforts.

It is called the Hon Kachina award because to Native Americans, the "Hon" Kachina symbolizes strength, courage and above all else, healing. The Hon Kachina Awards thus honor volunteers that help heal our world.

One of the ten is a member of our family, and like the wonderful caring couple I wrote about above, she did not want me to mention her name in my Blog as she carries on her volunteer work to help others, not to get publicity for herself. So I will tell you about her and what she does and the honor she received but will just refer to her as "she".

The recipients were honored at a Black Tie banquet at the famous Camelback Inn and Resort. There were 700 or so attendees in the Grand Ballroom and it was emceed by a news anchor from the local ABC station. She did a great job.

Our family member was the first to be honored. They showed a video of her delivering hand made blankets from a child’s wagon to children in a hospital. Since starting her work seven years ago as the state coordinator, she has brought together a group of volunteers who have made, BY HAND, over 19,000 blankets and distributed them to children in crises in hospitals, shelters and many other venues throughout the state.

After the touching video, a member of the Hon Kachina board escorted her to the podium with the lights shining brightly on her. There were two 25 foot high screens on either side of her showing her at the podium live for the folks in the back of the room. And this woman, a member of our family who we love and respect so much, who is a quiet and unassuming woman, who would rather have razor blades stuck in her eyes than stand up in front of a group of ten strangers, let alone 700, delivered an emotional and professional talk as if she was the President of Toastmasters.

At nearly midnight, we were still in the ballroom with her and the waiters were actually taking the tablecloths off of our table but we did not want this wonderful, magical night to end. She reads this Blog so to "she" we say it was one of the proudest moments of our life. Congratulations again. We all love you and are so proud of you for what you do unselfishly for others.

MY CHILDHOOD FRIEND SALTY

As if this was not enough emotionally powerful stuff for a weekend, on Sunday we drove out to Queen Creek, Arizona to see my friend Salty and his lovely wife Mary. Please note in the photo below that his hair has more gray than mine and he is 10 months younger than me. I write that since he reads my Blog and will be happy to see I pointed that out.

Salty and I grew up together in Kingman, going to St. Mary's school together thru the 8th grade and then through high school. We were total bums together after high school, wasting our time away in pool halls and doing other things I won't get into here. He was always leading down the wrong path.

He was in our wedding and a year later both of us were in his. Their oldest son is my Godson. Salty, like me, did not go to college out of high school because that is not the environment we grew up in but to his credit, right after they married he went to college, worked hard, became a teacher and spent the next 40 years as a wonderful teacher and baseball coach.

We had not seen them in 16 years and so on Sunday we went, along with Steve and Judie, to Queen Creek saw their wonderful new home and Salty treated us to a great Mexican meal. Thank you again, Salty.

This was a very special treat for me to see them again. It won't be 16 years until we do it again.

Then on Monday we flew back to Atlanta and in an experience I haven't had often, we landed 45 minutes early. We grabbed our bags, caught the subway and 35 minutes later
met Andrea and Finn who were waiting to pick us up. It was the first time we had seen them since June and a few minutes later at their home we saw Lee.

Since Finn was born 7 months ago I have only seen him 3 times-I suppose that is a lot since he lived in London but now he is living in Atlanta and I can see all three of them a bunch of times every month. And I am happy about that. Now if we could just get the rest of the family to move to Atlanta.

And so I close with this photo taken soon after Finn and I were together.