"Many parents are willing to die to protect their children, many fewer to protect their third cousins" It is true parents (and grandparents) are willing to die to save and protect their children and grandchildren. As my grandfather saved my life from almost certain death when I was young I know this to be true. But my grandfather ,who served in the military August 1914-May 1919, risked his life for his greater community his country. From 1937-1945 he worked dangerous jobs building US Navy and Liberty ships often working six days a week. Thousands of his comrades gave their lives for their country. People who are grateful for their motherland and their culture and faith tradition will fight for the flag and other abstract principals. My grandfather had a favorite saying, "A soldier will die for the Colours but not an extra two bob a day." Good soldiers don't fight for money. They fight for a cause and for their comrades.
"Hybrid vigor," a concept from evolutionary biology is true. Small clans (I am descended from a small clan) tend to be exogamous. On my paternal side none of the females belonged to the clan (that is to say were cousins or close relatives). As a cosmpolitan people (orphans of Empire) we have "roamed the warld o'er" and settled in many a land so my grandchildren have blood relatives in the USA but also Chile, Mexico, Spain, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Australia, Canada and the Aland Islands.
One common denominator between all of these people is religion another would be a sense of belonging to Christendom or Western Civilization. For this reason, I think, my family was always at home in Latin countries. Rome was a big part of our heritage not merely London (in fact none of my ancestors were English and they rarely worked in England. Usually, as my father would say, they were passing through to fight the Germans or other enemies. All of our grandchildren are of a mixed racial heritage descended from the races at least two continents and in some cases four. I am indifferent to this fact.
To me the important thing is #1 that my grandchildren exist and are healthy #2 that they have a chance for an education and happy lives. It is a cognate fact that every person in my immediate family who is married and with children identifies with being a Christian. I have relatives who DO NOT IDENTIFY strongly with any religion but ALL OF THEM are unmarried and or childless. Therefore, it is most likely the future generations will most likely identify with one or more of the Christian denominations.
"Trade and immigration policies continue to arouse strong emotions. Given the deep roots of these emotions, it would be naive to expect them to go away. As from the earliest days of our existence as a species, we humans harbor fears of outsiders even as we know we can't do without them. " This is also true. Everyone prefers his or her own language(s), religion, sports and culture. The best we can do is educate our children in a certain cosmoplitanism and to choose to value and pass on their ancient heritage while peacefully coexisting with others and even intermarrying with others over time. In my view, the "melting pot" bubbles on and that plus LA CONVIENCIA (living and working together with others) will be our greatest hope for racial and ethnic understanding and integration. We are all "amphibious" in that we can live and work in the English-speaking world as well as the Spanish-speaking world and other places. Being multilingual is commonplace in my family. My father could read, write and speak over eight languages (including Spanish and Tagalog) and my mother could read, write and speak three languages. My paternal grandfather had little formal education but could read or write English well and he had considerable oral proficiency in his native langauges (Gaelic and Scots) as well as French, Hindi and Punjabi. His Indian Army comrades called him "Changa dhost" (the Good Comrade). He sailed around the world twice by the age of 16. He fought on three continents and worked in heavy industry in Scotland, Canada and the USA. Some of my first cousins are monolingual today but that is unusual in our immediate family. One of the reasons that monolingualism is unusual in our family is because neither I, nor my father, nor my grandfather nor my son married native English speaking persons. Perhaps we are always happiest on the fringe of the English speaking world and in exotic places.
Trade and industrial policies are important because they affect the nation as well as communities and families. Just ask the 1800 or so workers at the California Smithfield food plant that is closing. Just ask the Keystone XL Pipeline workers who were laid off high paying jobs because on his first day in office President Biden signed an executive order revoking the permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline which was pleasing to "Green" Climate activists but anathema to alienated and demoralized blue collar workers. Some of these workers may move to another state and find similar employment but many will never have an equivalent job and salary and thus be forced to move to another state or even emigrate to another country.
One life lesson I have learned from my parents and immediate relatives is that one must follow the economic magnet and seek work and careers where they are available. One must be prepared to move and change horizons. One must have some money (more than land) , education and a certain expertise and experience to provide a stable home.
Leaving home at age eight was one of the most difficult experiences my grandfather experienced (he never returned). Leaving home at age twelve was one of the most difficult experiences my father experienced. Leaving home at age seven and only returning once in fifty years was one of the most difficult experiences my mother experienced. I left my home at age 17 and essentially never lived there again living and earning my daily bread in far off lands and in the Far West thousands of miles from my birthplace.
The only cultural artifact that remains from 1927-1957 (our soujourn in Brooklyn, NY) is the fact that my father, my son and I remain Dodger fans (and in another sport remain Glasgow Celtic fans or Real Madrid fans). I did not know for certain I would ultimately work and travel through 47 states and over 30 foreign lands but from an early age I knew I had to be prepared to seek a job and a career wherever chance led me.
No one ever offered me a job or asked for my resume. I always had to hustle for work and never quit a job without getting another job first. I applied for dozens of jobs in many states and countries. More than 90% of my job applications were rejected. Only rarely did I even get the chance for an interview. I think that was the most difficult thing of my early manhood. I wanted to work and begin my adult life but was unable to find work. So I doubled down and moved to any place I might be able to get a new start. I remember having no phone, no apartment, and only a PO Box. I had PO Boxes in Charlottesville, Virginia, Madrid, Spain, San Antonio, Texas, Seattle , Washington, Hollywood, California and Bakersfield, California. Phone booths were the connection to my family. I remember short calls from Barcelona, Spain, Naples, Italy, Athens, Greece, Rapid City, South Dakota and other lonely places. Usually I called to give signs of life and to verify my PO address and the fact I was getting mail.
Everytime I changed jobs I had
1) a free and clear car
2) some modest cash savings
3) some lines of credit to tide us over.
My father used to call me long distance and always asked before anything "HOW'S YOUR WEE JO-B?" In his mind if one was still working and getting ahead in life then the basic questions of life and happiness were being answered.
All of his life he feared homelessness, not having a job, not having savings and he feared the same for his children. He struggled to avoid the worst elements of economic hardship and to rise to a secure middle-class American existence. I myself struggled in my 20s to get and keep a job and pay the rent and in the back of my mind I knew I could fall out of the middle class entirely. So I put all my energies to work and support my family sacrificing many things. And I can say with some satifaction that "I survived the 20th century."
Define “free trade” please. Generally any commodity that’s “free” gets abused badly until the provider wises up and takes steps to attempt to level the playing field. This is especially true when dealing with autocratic regimes such as China and Russia to name just two. When trade is treated as a weapon to subdue a “trading partner” then that partner has little choice but to protect himself lest he be overrun. When a society becomes dependent on another society for critical goods to their own welfare they are ripe for picking off. But, it’s usually way to late take necessary action, especially if your food and energy resources are in someone else’s hands. As is also usually the case anyone raising an early warning is ignored or worse, demonized. You make the connections.
"Many parents are willing to die to protect their children, many fewer to protect their third cousins" It is true parents (and grandparents) are willing to die to save and protect their children and grandchildren. As my grandfather saved my life from almost certain death when I was young I know this to be true. But my grandfather ,who served in the military August 1914-May 1919, risked his life for his greater community his country. From 1937-1945 he worked dangerous jobs building US Navy and Liberty ships often working six days a week. Thousands of his comrades gave their lives for their country. People who are grateful for their motherland and their culture and faith tradition will fight for the flag and other abstract principals. My grandfather had a favorite saying, "A soldier will die for the Colours but not an extra two bob a day." Good soldiers don't fight for money. They fight for a cause and for their comrades.
"Hybrid vigor," a concept from evolutionary biology is true. Small clans (I am descended from a small clan) tend to be exogamous. On my paternal side none of the females belonged to the clan (that is to say were cousins or close relatives). As a cosmpolitan people (orphans of Empire) we have "roamed the warld o'er" and settled in many a land so my grandchildren have blood relatives in the USA but also Chile, Mexico, Spain, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Australia, Canada and the Aland Islands.
One common denominator between all of these people is religion another would be a sense of belonging to Christendom or Western Civilization. For this reason, I think, my family was always at home in Latin countries. Rome was a big part of our heritage not merely London (in fact none of my ancestors were English and they rarely worked in England. Usually, as my father would say, they were passing through to fight the Germans or other enemies. All of our grandchildren are of a mixed racial heritage descended from the races at least two continents and in some cases four. I am indifferent to this fact.
To me the important thing is #1 that my grandchildren exist and are healthy #2 that they have a chance for an education and happy lives. It is a cognate fact that every person in my immediate family who is married and with children identifies with being a Christian. I have relatives who DO NOT IDENTIFY strongly with any religion but ALL OF THEM are unmarried and or childless. Therefore, it is most likely the future generations will most likely identify with one or more of the Christian denominations.
"Trade and immigration policies continue to arouse strong emotions. Given the deep roots of these emotions, it would be naive to expect them to go away. As from the earliest days of our existence as a species, we humans harbor fears of outsiders even as we know we can't do without them. " This is also true. Everyone prefers his or her own language(s), religion, sports and culture. The best we can do is educate our children in a certain cosmoplitanism and to choose to value and pass on their ancient heritage while peacefully coexisting with others and even intermarrying with others over time. In my view, the "melting pot" bubbles on and that plus LA CONVIENCIA (living and working together with others) will be our greatest hope for racial and ethnic understanding and integration. We are all "amphibious" in that we can live and work in the English-speaking world as well as the Spanish-speaking world and other places. Being multilingual is commonplace in my family. My father could read, write and speak over eight languages (including Spanish and Tagalog) and my mother could read, write and speak three languages. My paternal grandfather had little formal education but could read or write English well and he had considerable oral proficiency in his native langauges (Gaelic and Scots) as well as French, Hindi and Punjabi. His Indian Army comrades called him "Changa dhost" (the Good Comrade). He sailed around the world twice by the age of 16. He fought on three continents and worked in heavy industry in Scotland, Canada and the USA. Some of my first cousins are monolingual today but that is unusual in our immediate family. One of the reasons that monolingualism is unusual in our family is because neither I, nor my father, nor my grandfather nor my son married native English speaking persons. Perhaps we are always happiest on the fringe of the English speaking world and in exotic places.
Trade and industrial policies are important because they affect the nation as well as communities and families. Just ask the 1800 or so workers at the California Smithfield food plant that is closing. Just ask the Keystone XL Pipeline workers who were laid off high paying jobs because on his first day in office President Biden signed an executive order revoking the permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline which was pleasing to "Green" Climate activists but anathema to alienated and demoralized blue collar workers. Some of these workers may move to another state and find similar employment but many will never have an equivalent job and salary and thus be forced to move to another state or even emigrate to another country.
One life lesson I have learned from my parents and immediate relatives is that one must follow the economic magnet and seek work and careers where they are available. One must be prepared to move and change horizons. One must have some money (more than land) , education and a certain expertise and experience to provide a stable home.
Leaving home at age eight was one of the most difficult experiences my grandfather experienced (he never returned). Leaving home at age twelve was one of the most difficult experiences my father experienced. Leaving home at age seven and only returning once in fifty years was one of the most difficult experiences my mother experienced. I left my home at age 17 and essentially never lived there again living and earning my daily bread in far off lands and in the Far West thousands of miles from my birthplace.
The only cultural artifact that remains from 1927-1957 (our soujourn in Brooklyn, NY) is the fact that my father, my son and I remain Dodger fans (and in another sport remain Glasgow Celtic fans or Real Madrid fans). I did not know for certain I would ultimately work and travel through 47 states and over 30 foreign lands but from an early age I knew I had to be prepared to seek a job and a career wherever chance led me.
No one ever offered me a job or asked for my resume. I always had to hustle for work and never quit a job without getting another job first. I applied for dozens of jobs in many states and countries. More than 90% of my job applications were rejected. Only rarely did I even get the chance for an interview. I think that was the most difficult thing of my early manhood. I wanted to work and begin my adult life but was unable to find work. So I doubled down and moved to any place I might be able to get a new start. I remember having no phone, no apartment, and only a PO Box. I had PO Boxes in Charlottesville, Virginia, Madrid, Spain, San Antonio, Texas, Seattle , Washington, Hollywood, California and Bakersfield, California. Phone booths were the connection to my family. I remember short calls from Barcelona, Spain, Naples, Italy, Athens, Greece, Rapid City, South Dakota and other lonely places. Usually I called to give signs of life and to verify my PO address and the fact I was getting mail.
Everytime I changed jobs I had
1) a free and clear car
2) some modest cash savings
3) some lines of credit to tide us over.
My father used to call me long distance and always asked before anything "HOW'S YOUR WEE JO-B?" In his mind if one was still working and getting ahead in life then the basic questions of life and happiness were being answered.
All of his life he feared homelessness, not having a job, not having savings and he feared the same for his children. He struggled to avoid the worst elements of economic hardship and to rise to a secure middle-class American existence. I myself struggled in my 20s to get and keep a job and pay the rent and in the back of my mind I knew I could fall out of the middle class entirely. So I put all my energies to work and support my family sacrificing many things. And I can say with some satifaction that "I survived the 20th century."
Define “free trade” please. Generally any commodity that’s “free” gets abused badly until the provider wises up and takes steps to attempt to level the playing field. This is especially true when dealing with autocratic regimes such as China and Russia to name just two. When trade is treated as a weapon to subdue a “trading partner” then that partner has little choice but to protect himself lest he be overrun. When a society becomes dependent on another society for critical goods to their own welfare they are ripe for picking off. But, it’s usually way to late take necessary action, especially if your food and energy resources are in someone else’s hands. As is also usually the case anyone raising an early warning is ignored or worse, demonized. You make the connections.