Conrad Memories from the Future

Conrad is not a common name in my culture, although quite common in my ancestral land.  Indeed, it has been handed down through many generations in my family since 1737 in Hameln, Germany.  My great-great grandfather went by Conrad even though it, like me, was not his first name, and he was the Hake to emigrate to America in 1854.  Most recently, before me, the name was given to my father's brother killed in a bombing raid over Germany in World War II.  Giving it to me, as the first born of my generation, actually caused jealous anger to some in my family, for it was the name most valued to hand down.  Oh, well, first come, first served, I guess. Interestingly, none of us appeared to have Conrad (or Konrad as it was spelled in Germany) as our first name, yet the is what each of us have been called.  My first name is Joseph, named after my father whose legal name was not Joseph but actually Joe, and specifically named Joseph so I would not be a junior. ...

Joe: What's on the schedule today? Ben: Why, today you have some brain surgery.  We laid out the instruments. Joe: Isn't that hammer a bit big? Ben: When you've been at this as long as I have, you'll realize that some of these people have thick skulls.  Believe me, this is the only thing that will work. Now, I'm a believer in brain surgery when it is necessary, but I don't want it done with a two-pound sledge and a rusty chisel.  I can kind of predict what the outcome is going to be and something tells me it will be a bit painful getting there!  And, thus it is with law enforcement.  I believe in law enforcement.  I know some people have thick skulls.  But, I also know that there are more advanced, better tools and understandings than what I've shown above. A hammer is a great tool.  Smaller ones than what you see above are excellent for nailing pieces of wood together.  As big or bigger than what you see above can reshape metal or dislodge s...

The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty: not knowing what comes next. Ursula Le Guin The Left Hand of Darkness Gotta tell you, my story is almost certain not to be a template for anyone else, because the lockdown due to Coronavirus has been couched in WAAAAAY too much special circumstance!  But, let me take that back to the beginning of this tale ... October 3, 2019 was my 70th birthday.  We had family reservations at Yosemite to celebrate the day on the following week.  It was not JUST my 70th birthday, it was the first day of retirement for me!  Life was going to enter its twilight stage before the eventual fall of night and we were going to use that as an excuse to celebrate.  Yosemite is beautiful in the autumn months ... just like it is in all the other months.  If you haven't been there, it is one of the places worth retiring for. So, on the afternoon of that day, we went to our financial advisor's house in San Fr...

Xenophobia : dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.    So, your government decides they can sell a dislike of certain people, people they characterize as rapists and drug dealers bringing disease.  In other words, savages.   How do they solve that?  Why, build a wall of course to secure their fortress country from ... Mexicans! Of course, the way we are behaving, the Mexicans may be the people demanding and building the wall pretty soon to keep us out!  Then, Trump will be right, they really will pay for it.  They might think it's a bargain. But, first, they will probably have to remove the wall that has been built between our countries, because this one is falling over. And, they might want to rework the design.  When a Mexican congressman can climb it as a demonstration, well ... I mean, when an 8-year old girl can climb it! When it comes to making America great again, maybe our administration is remembering the one wa...