Telling It Like It Is

 

TELLING IT LIKE IT IS:

LIKE IT OR NOT!

By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, May 12, 2025

The 1950s were my formative years. When I started school, I barely remembered that the United States was engaged in a "conflict" known as the Korean War. It was called a "conflict" as if that somehow changed what was really happening. A conflict? Really? We didn't have news coverage like we do today; we barely had television. The Korean Conflict wasn't even discussed. Most of what we learned in the early '50s was taught at home (the difference between right and wrong) and in schools (reading, writing, and arithmetic). As for the radio, I don’t recall listening to anything but sports coverage — mostly the Cleveland Indians and Cleveland Browns.

I CAN tell you what we were taught about Russia:

UNITED STATES – GOOD! RUSSIA – BAD!

I don’t remember any teacher, at least through junior high, ever telling us that Russia lost more people during WWII than any other country, including the U.S. It was rarely acknowledged that Russia was even our ally during the war. Ask people today if Russia was an ally or enemy during WWII and see what answers you get in 2025. You may be surprised. I won't be.

In the 1950s, China was barely mentioned. No one to my knowledge ever said USA – Good; China – BAD! Where do you think the phrase "There are starving children in China, eat what’s on your plate!" came from? We thought China was a backward nation in poverty. We never really talked about it. The only time we kids mentioned China was when we wondered how long it would take to dig a hole through Ohio to reach the other side of the world. At the time, I would have struggled to find Korea or Iran on a map.

I was born in 1945. That makes me an 80-year-old man in 2025. Fast forward to 1970 — that’s important because it's the basis for the rest of this Nugget. I hope it's a lesson worth thinking about, one that helps you evaluate where you stand on politics and how the issues of today are being resolved — or not.

In 1970, I had never been to sea. Setting sail aboard the 210-foot USCGC ALERT (WMEC-630) made me nervous. Did the crew know I was a first-timer? Would I get seasick? Would I be able to perform my duties beyond my specialty? Questions swarmed in my head like bees.

As usual, my worries were for nothing. None of the bad things I imagined came to pass, aside from actually going to sea. We spent two weeks at sea, then two weeks in Cape May on Condition Bravo, meaning we had to be ready to get underway within two hours of notification. No one had cell phones. Calls were made via landlines. You could miss deployment just by going to the grocery store.

If we weren’t at sea or on Bravo, we were on Charlie Status — when major maintenance was performed.

This Nugget begins on a dark, stormy day at sea. Electrical storms crackled as we were called to get underway: commercial fishermen were in peril. There was a calling hierarchy: the Commanding Officer first, the newest Seaman Apprentice last. As the Ship’s Yeoman and a First-Class Petty Officer, I was about a quarter down the list. Why is this important? Because if you were called last, you had much less than two hours to report — and you still better be there!

Rescuing people in distress was a primary mission. That day we got underway in typically bad weather. Navigating out of the Cape May Jetties into the Atlantic was challenging, as small vessels were heading into harbor while our much larger cutter was heading out. Once past the Jetties, we pushed through as fast as the weather allowed — up to 17 knots. Aircraft could drop life rafts and supplies, but it still took time to reach the scene.

HERE’S THE POINT!

No one asked the race, religion, nationality, or political party of the merchant seamen in distress. No one cared whether they paid taxes, were citizens, or which party they voted for. There were lives in peril, and it was OUR JOB to save them. No questions asked.

The only questions that mattered:

• Where are you?
• How many people are on board?
• Is anyone injured?
• Can everyone get off the vessel into our small boats?
• What provisions do you have or need?
• What first aid is required?
• Have families been notified?

That was the mindset. It didn’t matter who the people were — only that they were PEOPLE.

In 2025, I am sickened by politics. The 1970 experience aboard the ALERT is the opposite of today’s dysfunction. Politicians take oaths to serve all citizens. Many haven’t even recorded their oaths, as required by law. How is that acceptable?

They’ve forgotten — or ignored — their oath.

They were elected to represent EVERYONE in their district — not just donors or party loyalists. But that’s exactly what most of them do. There is no bipartisanship. On important issues, votes are along strict party lines.

It would be like the USCGC ALERT saying, "We only rescue U.S. citizens."

If this continues, our country will swing wildly every election cycle, becoming increasingly dysfunctional. Citizens can’t plan their lives around political whims.

In the past, people could discuss differences and find solutions. That’s no longer happening. Today, one party proposes something and the other fights it, no matter the merits. Crossing party lines is rare. That’s corruption. That’s not what I voted for.

Gary Keller, co-founder of Keller Williams Realty, wrote The One Thing. His principle: prioritize your biggest challenge, then tackle it so other problems start to resolve. Why doesn’t government think this way? If they do, it’s not visible to people like me — and I pay attention. I doubt most Americans care, and that, to me, is America’s biggest problem.

People double down on bad positions rather than admit they were wrong. Look at men playing in women’s sports or the refusal to deport criminal illegal aliens. These aren’t Republican or Democrat issues. They affect the entire country. No one should be dying on that political hill.

I wish my senators and representatives asked for my opinion before voting. In my lifetime, none ever have. They make assumptions based solely on party affiliation.

I am NOT a political party. I am an individual.

And when you ASSUME, you make an ASS out of U and ME.

The 80/20 Rule says 80% of results come from 20% of efforts. I believe that in 2025, 80% of Americans want secure borders and want criminal illegal aliens deported. Yet party leadership (especially Democrat) has taken the losing side of that 80/20 split.

WHY? I know the answer. Do you?

Supporting losing causes is like being adrift at sea without the ALERT coming to rescue you. There is no lifeline for those who support harmful policies. They will flounder until they're voted out by the 80% who eventually wake up.

This applies to all parties: Republican, Democrat, Independent, Socialist, Conservative, Progressive.

As for me, I don’t want anyone in office who can’t discuss opposing viewpoints. But in today’s politics, it’s all about winning — not solving problems.

It has NEVER been about winning. It has always been, and continues to be:

DO THE RIGHT THING,

ESPECIALLY WHEN NO ONE IS LOOKING!

Sadly, it just doesn’t happen that way anymore.