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.
No comments:
Post a Comment