The Candidate emerges and proves their worth. He calms the seas and rides her waves to power; crashing on the shores of a distant land, the Beast makes war.
“When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.” Benjamin Franklin
"It's not the voting that's democracy; it's the counting." - Tom Stoppard
“Dear Jack: Don’t buy a single vote more than necessary. I’ll be damned if I’m going to pay for a landslide.” — then-Sen. John F. Kennedy at the Gridiron Club dinner in 1958, reading a “telegram” from his father.
“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.” — President John Quincy Adams.
“I never voted for anybody. I always voted against” — comedian W.C. Fields.
“A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user” — Commonly attributed to President Theodore Roosevelt
”It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” — Winston Churchill, on the floor of Parliament in November 1947.
The Real Battle Is Within You
As I sit down to write, battles and fires are raging across America's cities and in me.
Jesus said that the hearts of many would grow cold in the last days because evil would become rampant and people would say "Yes" when they really mean "No", and a Lie would be considered a Truth. We appear to be in such a time and place as he described, and I, like many of you, find myself growing weary and cold, having weathered this evil generation, watching the deterioration since my birth. Coldness seems like a place of refuge in such a case, and Hate is following her lead; both are deterrents to fighting well and surviving. I want to fight well and to do more than survive; I want to thrive! So it follows that I don't want to grow Cold or fall into the dark well of Hate. It appears the first battle is spiritual, as the battleground is invisible in the Heart and Mind.
We are instructed by Christ's Apostles to ready ourselves for battle; to put on the full armor of the spirit of God; that we might stand and fight the Good Fight in the evil day. Let that day and hour not be like a thief in the night; it appears night has come, this is not the day or hour to hide among the cliffs. Ready yourself if you haven't, begin in your heart and mind; humble yourself before the Lord, seek His face, turn from wickedness, pray for you, and then for our land.
Your prayers are needed and can turn this madness around; hate will only fan the flames. I plan to love, not hate; think, not react.
May peace and safety be restored in our land.
When I first did this piece, I had my mind on the narcotics problem we face in America, especially the drug this piece is named after.
Now, as we face a pandemic requiring people all over the world to wear a breathing mask, it takes on new meaning for me. Those who are addicted to OxyContin and the like are suffering right now as their suppliers are facing the same unseen killer the world wrestles against.
While lack of availability is a unique opportunity to come clean, it comes at a very high risk to the addicted, physically and psychologically. Having been legally addicted to OxyContin and a number of other pain meds over the years, managing my chronic pain condition, I have become personally familiar with withdrawal; the crawling of my skin and the climbing of the walls in my bathroom scared my family and me more than one night. John Lennon's song "Cold Turkey" best represents the struggle of those who go cold turkey; whatever the reason, the experience is real and frightening.
Please remember them kindly as they face their demons and cold turkey wreaks their brain and twists their bodies from the inside; they are not the enemy, they are the weak among us. Let us love and extend a hand, rather than sucking the remaining oxygen from their room.
I took this picture on a cold winter day in 2016 at Flushing Meadows Park in Corona, New York. Corona is a small town in Queens, best known for the Lemon Ice King featured at the end of the sitcom The King of Queens trailer. I grew up within walking distance of both the park and my favorite year-round snack. Having just finished the flavor of the week, I came upon a flock of seagulls by the lake. I named the main subject of this picture Jonathan because it was the first thing that came out of my mouth as I quickly knelt down, focused, and took the shot. I first read about Jonathan in the '70s while attending Halsey Junior High School P.S. 157 in Rego Park, N.Y., while in 7th grade. I remember him soaring above the clouds, ever seeking greater heights. In my mind's eye, I flew next to him, dreaming of what would come to me in life if I were as bold as Jonathan. Now, over 45 years later, I still seek greater heights in my understanding of life, God, and creation; Though I have soared higher than I had ever imagined, I have yet to find the ceiling. For our creator, our Heavenly Father is truly infinite.
“Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is so short, and with these gone from his thought, he lived a long, fine life indeed.”
"His sorrow was not solitude, it was that other gulls refused to believe the glory of flight that awaited them; they refused to open their eyes and see.”
(Richard Bach, 2006, 25)
One day the perfect man will appear and will be embraced as he brings peace to the earth, but in his imperfection he will perceive himself to be god, and so his followers. Beware of the one-eyed man, he sees only evil but serves it up as good.
His number is 666; "Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.
Also, it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666."
The Book of Revelation Chapter 20
The Candidate emerges and proves their worth. He calms the seas and rides her waves to power; crashing on the shores of a distant land, the Beast makes war.
