Tracker's Last Hurrah!

TRACKER’S LAST HURRAH!     October 31,2012

                                                       

This has been a very sad week.  We had to put Tracker, my very old mixed Blue Healer hound, to sleep.  I said “we” but actually it was my wife who turned Tracker over to a very kind veterinarian who sent him to Doggie Heaven to join Peaches, Tinkerbell, Katy, Zorro, Drummond, Sarge, Heidi, Ditto, Toughie, and about 20 other pets that we have had during our 70 years of married life.  I just stayed in our car and cried.

         Fortunately, we still have Duke, a 100-pound Gordon Setter, and Goldie, an Australian Healer.

 Tracker’s puppy days were spent on the grounds of the Hidden Pines Country Club where he had been unceremoniously dumped.   I met him on a cold and rainy day in the Fall of 1996.   Shirley and Loy Richards, who were operating the Clubhouse at that time, were feeding him table scraps, but I wanted to know where he slept.  “Over in that pile of leaves,” said Loy.  “Be careful.  He has a broken leg.”

          As I was leaving the Club, I checked on Tracker who was staring at me with his two big brown eyes. 

“Hey, little fella, I already have two dogs, but if you follow me to my car, I’ll take you home.”  I walked through the parking lot to my car, and when I got there, Tracker was waiting for me.   We then made a short stop to have him checked by a veterinarian who said that the leg should heal without splints.  The vet also cleaned out his ears, gave him his shots, and neutered him.

          Soon after settling into his new home, Tracker got his name.  Every morning -- after eating his breakfast --  he would, with nose to the ground, walk the fence line of our back yard.  His job?  To determine what varmints had dared enter his domain.  That’s why we named him “Tracker.”

        He was the smartest dog we had ever adopted.  He knew how to roll over and play dead, he could go out and get the paper, he could sit and stay and come on command.   However, he flatly refused to do any of those things.  Usually when I called him, his first reaction was to simply turn around and walk away.  On the plus side, he was a great communicator.  When he laid his head in your lap and stared at you with those big brown eyes, you knew exactly what he wanted.  Food.

          When Tracker rode with me in the car, he took his position in the passenger seat, staring straight ahead.  He loved to go with me because I would often visit the bank or the pharmacy.   Not that he had any banking to do or needed to pick  up any prescriptions but to feast on the doggie treats provided by the young ladies manning the drive-thru windows.

          One of Tracker’s more exciting experiences came in a car wash.  Big mistake to take him.  Once that rotating spray started around the car, he went wild.  He stayed right with it, barking and snarling, and climbing all over me in the process.  For weeks afterwards he would bark if I drove anywhere near that car wash,

          I really miss Tracker.  In time we will revisit our well-run Warrensburg Animal Shelter and select another doggie who would like a good home.  But, there will never, ever be another Tracker.

 

                                                  

                                                            

                                                                

 

 

 

 

 

 

LET'S HONOR FAMOUS MISSOURI WOMEN

          Isn’t it great to have a Missouri Hall of Fame where we can honor those individuals who have contributed so much wisdom and leadership and have even greatly influenced the culture of our State?  Such men as Harry Truman, Mark Twain, and Walt Disney.  And, now, the latest, Rush Limbaugh.

          But wait.  These are all men who are being honored.  How about selecting a few women?  There must be a number of women who have made both cultural and economic contributions to our State.  Of course, we would be hard put to come up with a nominee the stature and magnanomosity(sic) of a Rush Limbaugh.  But, surely there must be some women who have served our State well who would warrant such an honor.

          One lady in particular comes to mind.  Helen Gould Beck.  According to Missouri Life magazine, this lady was born in Elkton in Hickory County in 1904.  She became famous at the Chicago World’s Fair as a featured dancer.  Seems she invented a titilating dance using two large ostrich plumes to cover her naked body.  Her stage name was Sally Rand.

          We could erect a life-size statue of Sally and display it alongside the enormous bust of Limbaugh (he has a BIG head, remember) in the Rotunda.  People from all over the world could gaze on the tremendous range of honorees who grace the halls of our Capitol.  And, it would recognize the tremendous contribution that women have made in our State.

          I can see Sally and Rush, side by side.  What a message that would bring.  Think about it.

                                                                     

SOMETHING OF VALUE

     These last few days have been terrible.  I have had nightmares almost every night.

     Two nights ago I dreamt that I was the Director of Public Relations for Penn State University.  I was drafting a speech to defend an indefensible position.

     Then last night I dreamt that Mitt Romney had repealed the Affordable Care Act.  It’s no wonder I am stressed out.   I am at the age where health is a major concern.

      If Romney is elected and if he is successful in his plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, would this mean:

·       We would no longer be able to keep our young adult kids on the family health policy,

·       Insurance companies could cap the amount of care we receive and cancel our policy if we get sick,

·       The requirement for insurance companies to cover preventive services like mammograms would be eliminated,

·       Insurance companies could refuse coverage for pre-existing conditions,

·       The plan to build and improve hundreds of community health centers would be scrapped, and

·       Tax credits to small business owners to help them afford to offer quality health care for employees would also be cancelled?

     What worries me most is that if the Republicans are successful in torpedoing this constitutionally approved health care plan, we don’t have a clue as to what they would do to replace it.   As far as I can tell, their “plan” is doing whatever it takes to beat President Obama and take over both houses of Congress.

     Many years ago I read Robert Ruark’s novel  “Something of Value.”  The social philosophy of this novel was the warning, “If you do away with the traditions of the past, then you must first replace them with ‘Something of Value.’”

      It is time that Romney and his Republican cohorts provide us with “Something of Value” if they persist in destroying our nation’s first major health plan.

                                                           

                                                                                                                                        

                                                                     

     

WARRENSBURG CENSUS OFF BY TWO 3/10/10

     When the census numbers are finally announced, I am alerting everyone that the population reported for Warrensburg will be two people less than it should.  Unless something really exciting happens, neither my wife nor I will be counted.

     Here is why.  After discovering that all of my coffee buddies, neighbors and lots of people I don’t even know have already received their census forms I wondered why we had not received ours.  So I called the local post office and got a toll free number to call – 1-866-872-6868.

          So, I called that number.  I got what I think was a “census office” recording which gave me a number of options.   After finally selecting “English” as my preferred language, I was asked what I wanted – the standard English form, the different language form, the special form that explains how to fill out the form -- in the language of your choice, or how many census takers did it take to turn on a light bulb.

          Obviously, I selected “Standard English form.”

          Next question.  “Please give me the number right above the bar code and address on the form sent to you.  We must have this number before we can send you a new form.”

          Since I did not receive the census form (in an envelope with a number on it) to begin with, I couldn’t come up with the number.  I seriously considered making up a number but realized that I would probably upset the entire census operation if I did.

          So, I’ll just continue my role as a senior citizen without a care in the world.  But when the population of Warrensburg is reported please add two more long-time residents to the reported number.

          Sure hope this doesn’t ruin Warrensburg’s chances for a new restaurant.

                                                                     

AK47 ASSAULT RIFLE IS UNPATRIOTIC

            The other morning I went on the internet to find a source for live hand grenades.  What I found out was that they were not only illegal to buy or sell, but it was against the law to even possess one.  How about that!  Our government telling me what I can do and what I can’t do.

            When I tried to buy a tank, I found the same response.  Apparently weapons that are specifically designed – and used – to kill people are off limits for us average citizens.  Grenades and tanks are classified as “weapons of mass destruction.”   Incidentally, the cost of a tank was slightly out of my price range anyway, so that query was simply an academic exercise.

            I then tried to buy dynamite but the paperwork clearance was so daunting that I gave up trying.

            Guess what.  I then searched and found a multitude of sources for the AK47 assault rifle --  all available well within my price range.   The AK47, as you know, combines the firepower of a sub-machine gun with the accuracy and range of a rifle.  This type of rifle was first developed by the Germans in World War II and later copied by the Russians.  In fact, it was designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov and is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova – or AK47 for short.

            I personally was especially appalled to discover that the National Rifle Association was defending our rights to own and shoot a RUSSION DESIGNED weapon.  Golly, how unpatriotic is that?

            When I found the many sources for purchasing assault rifles, I also discovered that there apparently are no limits on the number of rounds of ammunition I can purchase.  The man who murdered and wounded so many people in Colorado recently used a slight variation of the AK47.  It had a clip that could hold up to 100 rounds of ammo and it could fire 50-60 rounds a minute!  It was a true weapon of mass destruction.  

            But isn’t that why grenades and tanks in the hands of citizens are illegal?  Weapons with the sole intent of doing bodily harm to large numbers have in the past been effectively outlawed.  This has absolutely nothing to do with the fear that the government will take away our hunting rifles or shotguns.  As I recall the one time I went pheasant hunting, my shotgun had a block that prevented me from loading more than three shells at a time.  That’s the law.  And in my opinion, why would anyone need a clip of ammunition exceeding 10 rounds?  Why do we need guns that can fire 100 rounds before reloading?

            There is no big clamor to ban guns.  It is a part of the culture of our nation to own guns -- shotguns, hunting rifles, and even hand guns.  But there should be some restrictions on the kind of gun and, especially, its specific purpose or function.

            The federal ban on assault rifles should be reinstated.  

                                                                                     

DON’T BURY VETERANS WITH SEX ABUSERS

    U.S. Representative Vicky Hartzler’s June newsletter arrived this morning, and I was pleased to learn that she is concentrating on the really big issues of the day. 

          Congresswoman Hartzler provided us with updates on three important issues.  The first update covered her support for the shoreline residents of the Lake of the Ozarks.  Another paragraph blasted President Obama for whatever. The remaining major section of her newsletter was devoted to a progress report on her co-sponsored H.R. 2355 – The Hallowed Ground Act which, if passed by Congress, would prohibit sex abusers from being buried in graveyards allocated for U.S. veterans.  One of Hartzler’s constituents had complained to her that her husband, a veteran, was going to be buried in a cemetery reserved for veterans.  She claimed that her husband did not deserve to be buried with military honors in that cemetery because he had sexually abused her.  Thus, the birth of the Hallowed Ground Act.  

          Through the years this has been a major concern of mine.  When I die, I would be horrified to be buried in the same ground as some sex abuser.  While I have a great deal of confidence in Vicky Hartzler’s bill, I have decided not to take any chances.  I am, therefore, directing that when I die, my body is to be cremated and my ashes are to be tossed into the sky.

          Unless Hartzler’s bill provides for a judge and jury to determine the validity of a sexual abuse case, it would seem to me that an honorable discharge from the military would be the only requirement for burial in a national/veteran’s cemetery.

          I hope Hartzler’s bill gets rapid passage.  Perhaps then she can begin concentrating on other important issues of the day.

                                                                   Carl B. Foster

                                                                   Warrensburg, MO 64093

                                                                   660-747-3569

     

MANY OF US NEED A HEAD START

            I was in the fifth grade in LaPorte, IN, when I got my first taste of being left behind.  My teacher announced that our school was going to have a basketball team and any boy wanting to try out for the team should report to the gym right after school.  The school bell rang, and I dashed to the gym where I was first in line.

          The coach was standing there with a basketball in his hands. I had just moved to LaPorte from Chicago and had never even seen a basketball, let alone feel one.    He threw the ball at me and said, “Dribble to the end of the gym, pivot, and dribble back.”   Although I had a vague idea of what “dribble” meant, I didn’t have a clue what he meant by “pivot.”

          When the list of  boys who made the team was posted, I wasn’t on it.  At first I was devastated.  But I figured that next year would be different.  But it never was.  The boys who made the team became the stars in high school, and some went on to play at the college level.  I never got beyond being a sub on the Presbyterian Church team.

          In looking back on that experience, I now realize that as a short, chubby kid with no visable athletic skills, I needed some extra help 

          My boyhood experience of  not making the team came flashing back to me when I learned that the U.S. House of Representatives, under the power of its Republican members, is proposing some drastic cuts in education.  The Head Start program was specifically included.  It is estimated that nearly one-quarter million poor children would be affected.

          What the members of Congress don’t realize, or worse yet, don’t care about, is that once you fall behind, it is extremely hard to ever catch up.  What we accomplish by cutting Head Start is to eventually increase the number of citizens who are members of a lower economic class.  The gap between the “haves” and the “have nots” just gets wider.

          So please, members of Congress, don’t cut education programs that bring long term benefits to our nation.

          Incidentally, although I never made it as a basketball player at any level, I did play a lot of golf.  I wasn’t much good at that either, but at least I had a lot of fun.  And I continue to be an avid Mules and Jennies basketball fan.

                                               

                                                                   Carl B. Foster

                                                                   660-747-3569