BLUE GOLD

North Texas and the southeastern United States have been inundated with water from above for the last month and a half. September and October have seen storm after storm (some severe) hit the Dallas/Fort Worth and Atlanta areas. Most lakes and reservoirs are now at or above full pool. Lake Lavon which supplies water to northeast Texas and Dallas bedroom communities like Plano, Richardson, Allen, McKinney, Garland and many other cities is today at 493.65 feet, 1.65 feet above full pool – and its only just stopped raining over Lavon. Lake Texoma, from which north Texas gets roughly 30 percent of its water, is now also well above full pool.

Water level at Lake Sidney Lanier which is the primary water supply for Atlanta, Georgia is at 1,071.38 feet, 0.38 feet above full pool of 1,071.00 due to what meteorological sources call significant hydrological events. OK, lots of rain - some 600 percent above normal in north Georgia. Lest we forget, at this time last year Lake Lanier was almost down to the bare bones bed of its primary supplier, the Chattahoochee River and residents of Atlanta and all downstream communities even those in Alabama and Florida were in a virtual panic. I know of folks who moved from the area because of the drought. If you ever want a very impressive and comprehensive analysis of Georgia, overall southeastern and national weather pattern updates don’t hesitate to go to http://lanier.uslakes.info/Level.asp. Very well done.

Residents of north Texas and Georgia have seemingly forgotten the previously cracked, sun-baked beds of Lakes Lavon and Lanier and the scare and inconvenience of a drought that continues in central and south Texas. We have developed a two birds in the bush and ant and grasshopper (OK, cicada) rationale and have once again gotten sloppy and seemingly placid or indifferent to our plight and the conservation of our most important natural resource.

Happily, we appear to be in an ever strengthening El Nino pattern that will dictate the potential for more precipitation through the rest of the fall and winter seasons for Texas and the southeast. That’s the good news for all you carbon based units that want for H2O. The bad news is that the pendulum will inevitably swing back the other way and we will once again be in drought conditions.

I drive north and south – back and forth to work - on Preston Road (289) from far north Dallas to Collin County and Plano each day. I traverse through some residential (mostly apartments and condos) though mostly business developments that are pretty representative of that area. Many of those businesses and apartment complexes have been noted to have their sprinklers (the big commercial ones) on full bore daily, even during torrential downpours.

Now I know that with the lakes at full pool the municipalities are happy to generate much needed revenues with what they now consider a never ending resource. The waste is absolutely huge and so unnecessary. All it takes is one yahoo to either turn off their sprinkler systems or the very easy and inexpensive installation of an automatic rain turn off. There was probably no need to have engaged the sprinklers for at least the last one month. Where are the water police when you need them?

While our water resources have stayed fairly consistent through the eons, it is not ultimately, under the current circumstances, a renewable resource - ad infinitum. Water once abundant on some parts of the earth is now gone, redistributed in our flora and fauna and across the world by changes in our populations and weather patterns.

Texan and ultra successful business man T Boone Pickens has seen another ultimate profit making opportunity and has been buying up water rights in the panhandle of North Texas via his Mesa Water, Inc. Pickens is treating water like a commodity with the proof in the pudding being the success of the bottled water industry and the most recent lack of that indispensible resource in major US population centers. He believes that if you don’t charge for that service we will ultimately exhaust even that resource. Pickens may be right and all you have to do is look at the recent oil crisis. If we don’t ultimately value something we will use it up or further devalue it. Pickens is planning to make water available (for a price) from the huge though not inexhaustible Oglalla Aquifer to downstate communities like Amarillo, Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin and even San Antonio should the need arise. The heavy rains in Texas have prompted a jocular Pickens to note that the region has been flooded “with cheap, offshore water."

The realization that the global population is expected to rise substantially greater than the production of and accessibility to fresh water should prompt all of us to rethink our approach to water conservation. If we don’t retool our attitudes then Mother Nature will take care of the problem by eliminating the drain on that resource – humans and other flora and fauna that once depended on that water. Problem solved. So what happens if the remaining water is so polluted that it cannot be recovered for a lifetime? Same song, different verse.

So don't crank up your sprinklers just yet. Better yet, don’t turn them on until you have to. We have enough water falling out of the sky to water our lawns, flowers, bushes, trees, foundations, etc. I believe strongly that municipalities of all “civilized nations” should continue and aggressively enforce permanent, mandatory water restrictions for all their residents. The difference is that we will go from a current voluntary rationale to one that is mandatory. Perhaps we should also consider charging more for water consumption per Pickens. While current water restriction schedules are admirable they generally lag behind what the prevailing circumstances dictate.

The bottom line is that we as a species do not seem to be responsible enough to control the one resource that is indispensible to life. Our individual and collective memories are incredibly short term. We are once again drifting back into complacency and can’t be trusted. Mother Nature is sitting back and taking a wait and see attitude. Do it for the good of the many…

Aye,

Ned Buxton

THE GUY IN THE GLASS

When my Dad hit sixty I noticed that he seemed to “thicken up”. He was always a big man in his maturity around six feet tall and around 250, probably from drinking too many Dad’s Root Beers (great product!). I initially thought this odd as his head seemed to grow larger and broader, his ears and nose got bigger, hair grew voraciously from every visible orifice and he had to fight the good fight with his waistline with even more fervor. All this appeared contradictory as he was a great athlete in his youth and in college played on the Babson soccer team. Seems that so many good athletes have to fight being overweight – always used to stoking the fires to find the energy to perform. We seemingly don’t know when to stop and reeducate/recalibrate ourselves. Thank God for Weight Watchers.

I noticed some of those same changes in the photographs I have of his Father and of my Mother’s Father. Dad spent a lot of time in the sun and by the pool so his skin while well tanned was a bit more wrinkled but still in pretty good shape. I really didn’t notice much of a change in his hair (salt and pepper) though he always wore it short…

I saw some photographs of myself recently and heretofore thinking I was closer to the above and now long dead famous actor, had my gerontological epiphany and realized that I am going down that same path. It prompted me to reflect on who I really am as opposed to who I think I am – at least physically.

You have to address that mind’s eye scenario where your consciousness perceives you at one state or another and not necessarily the space you really occupy. Now, I’m not dealing with some societal/organizational labels or perceptions, rather where you are from your own perspective. One invariably settles in and occupies a niche that he finds most comfortable. That season for self scenario finds me probably in my late forties, early fifties. The image that I have apparently subconsciously chosen for myself is just flat wrong... I am not going to climb Mount Rainier again, strap on my hockey pads, paddle my canoe or kayak down section IV of the Chattooga River or score another touchdown. Acceptance of my real persona and state doesn’t mean defeat or decline, rather time to occupy the present and look to the future. Dale Wimbrow’s well known 1934 poem, The Guy in the Glass should be required reading for all males over the age of sixty.

Brother John who turns 65 this November has been calling lately with questions about Social Security and Medicare – issues that I had addressed the year before. Gees, whoda thunk it?

The lessons that my wonderful significant other has been trying to pound into me (I’ve been kicking and screaming all the while) have finally sunk in. She won’t let me color my stache or otherwise alter my appearance to look younger, except to lose weight and get in shape. She has not unexpectedly proved to be far wiser than me and I thank God for her love.

The paradox of achieving a substantial maturity (old age) is that while we may have less time to live, we are freed from most of the earthly constraints that bound us in our earlier mediocrity. Though many of us continue working because of failed trusts or 401(k)s, we can bring the wisdom of our experiences to the work place, our personal lives and our communities. This can be the most rewarding and productive phase of our lives. I’m counting on that…

I’m not a philosopher though I do admire the works of many to include the 2nd century BCE Hindu philosopher Patanjali (Yoga Sutras) who stated,

"When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be." I perceive myself to be on the verge of that “new, great and wonderful world.”

Moving ahead requires some inner reflection, personal assessment and estimation how you can make a difference in the lives of your Friends and Family and your community ultimately giving your life greater meaning. I am not into the philosophy of the “growing old gracefully” crap. The bottom line is that you have to get out there and “Do it!”

No J Alfred Prufrock, I’m going to work at this issue and as one blogger put it recently, “Stand proud, throw back my shoulders, hold my head high, suck in both my stomachs and gracefully glide into growing old.” Well, maybe not glide. Attack or assault are probably far better verbs per the Buxton Family mantra, Do It With Thy Might.

Maybe my best Friend will let me grow some Everett Dirksen or Andy Rooney eyebrows to accentuate my maturity and eccentricities. I suspect that I might like English poet and journalist Jenny Joseph be encouraged by her famous 1961 poem Warning, to engage the male equivalent of “wearing purple with a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me... go out in my slippers in the rain… and wear terrible shirts and grow more fat.” Though I find myself doing most of that now perhaps I can symbolically break the shackles that bind me and continue to be a (more) productive member of society. I do not intend to, “go gentle into that good night” rather, “Rage, rage against the dying of the light”, no “tattered coat on a stick.”

Aye,

Ned Buxton

BACK JUDGE SPOILS 2009 LSU VICTORY

I have always liked Louisiana State University (LSU), heck, even just to the thought of it (Geaux Tigers!). The rich history of that august institution features the infamous (but right) William Tecumseh Sherman who in 1859 accepted the position as Superintendent of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy in Pineville, Louisiana. That institution would later become LSU. I remember my pledge trip to LSU and the Louisiana Beta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon like it was yesterday. Well, it wasn’t – it was in 1963 and those Brothers and their hospitality were great. I was required to hitchhike from Oxford to Baton Rouge and it felt a little like an Arthurian Quest.

I lived in Georgia for thirty plus years and developed a strong affection for the University of Georgia, their famous Yale cultivated hedges and the integrity of folks like Vince Dooley and the iconic gravelly voiced Larry Munson, not to mention their ever evolving academics. Don’t you just love the Hope Scholarships?

When the Georgia Bulldogs and LSU Tigers football teams, both highly ranked, played last Saturday it was anticipated by all as one of the best matchups of the year 2009. This would be a closely contested football game with the winner having a good shot at or at least affecting the national championship race. I really didn’t care who won, rather wanted to see a well played, hard fought game where the outcome was unblemished.

The game was all that though the outcome was unfortunately tarnished because of an official’s error. Now there will always be an asterisk on the game notes. The game was a defensive contest until the last five minutes when most of the points were scored. The Bulldogs were losing the game until Georgia quarterback Joe Cox with only 1:09 left in the game threw a sixteen yard touchdown pass to AJ Green who made it so only because of his brilliant, heroic catch. With Georgia’s defense intact all they had to do was kick LSU deep into their territory and hold on. That didn’t happen because AJ Green was absurdly and wrongly flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct following the score. All Green did was stand there while his teammates mobbed him. It was an innocent, youthful celebration and nothing more… and all within NCAA rules.

The penalty put LSU in field goal range immediately and a deflated Georgia defense could not stop LSU running back Charles Scott who scored on a 33-yard run with 46 seconds remaining to give LSU the victory.

Now let me be clear. To their credit, LSU dominated the statistics and were clearly the better team for most of the game. They sucked it in and scored when they had to. That said, you don’t like to see the outcome of a game determined or even remotely influenced by an official’s call – right or wrong.

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) football referee (we’re not naming names) - OK Back Judge MICHAEL WATSON – who threw the flag for so called excessive celebration following the go ahead touchdown with one minute of play left in last Saturday’s Georgia-LSU tilt has apologized for the call after the Southeastern Conference (SEC) indicated that the call was “improper.” The bottom line was that the call gave LSU the opportunity to drive a relatively short distance down the field and score the ultimate go ahead touchdown.

Watson’s supervisor intoned that Watson was unnecessarily beating himself up for the call. Well, I certainly hope so and note that his reflection on his performance is necessary and critical. Look in the mirror, Michael. You are the main reason why LSU won. Knowing LSU, their coaching staff and players, I suspect they feel cheated as well.

Emotion, passion and enthusiasm are an integral part of the game of football and sometimes the difference between victory and defeat. Take that away and all you have is a bunch of lock step professionals going through the motions. Just look at the Dallas/Arlington Cowboys to date…

Aye,

Ned Buxton

ADDENDUM

Well, this same crew of officials led by SEC referee Marc Curles has done it again. The SEC has ruled the referees working the University of Florida-Arkansas football game last weekend were incorrect when they made a crucial personal foul call against Arkansas – one that ultimately allowed the Gators' game-tying drive in the fourth quarter. There were also two other questionable calls including one for pass interference made on that same drive against Arkansas that gave Florida a crucial first down.

This is the same crew that blew the call in the Georgia-LSU game we highlighted earlier that essentially gave LSU the impetus and the ultimate win.

The SEC suspended the crew for two weeks to ostensibly think about it. This decision has come under some scrutiny with some critical of the SEC Commissioner Mike Slive’s decision to punish the crew. Many others including many SEC fans I have consulted feel that he didn’t go far enough.

The human element aside, we all need to be held accountable for our performance – good and bad. The atrociously bad calls in these two games affected the strategy and possibly the outcome of the game and perhaps the seasons of these two losing football teams.

Then there are those folks who will assure you that a “W is a W” no matter if it’s earned, gifted or stolen. So which was it? Well, they sure weren’t earned and I would have given those officials more time to think about it…

NB

MARRIAGE AMONG FRIENDS

Given the recent and very impressive, festive nuptials of Stephanie and Austin I was once again reminded how other cultures celebrate this most important rite of passage. There was and is no doubt that Steph and Austin were motivated to make their bond permanent because of a mutual deep and enduring love and respect that encompasses many different planes and aspects. I have never seen a happier couple and was very moved by the whole experience. I thank them for allowing me to be part of their lives…

Notwithstanding the current controversy over who can legally and otherwise be married (or divorced), it would appear that most folks in our domain agree (and as defined bypurposeofmarriage.org) that, “the purpose of marriage is to spiritually, emotionally and physically unite a man and a women together, as husband and wife, in a covenantal relationship between themselves and their Creator.”

In Anthropology we seemingly can’t ever be satisfied with something as complex/simple as that and we look at marriage more pragmatically and in an more astringent light - as the vehicle that controls sexual activity and/or reproduction, and as a primary means of forging and building socioeconomic alliances between social groups. Supply and demand even enters the picture with the bride many times nothing more than a commodity with many anthropologists stating that marriage was literally the purchase of a bride for breeding purposes. So much for love…

The modern word “wedding” comes from the Anglo Saxon word wedd and/or auld Scots word wad. Both appropriately meant "to pledge” and signified that the groom would pledge to marry the bride for the prearranged and agreed price that invariably included money or goods usually paid to the bride’s parents. This was all tied up with other transfers of wealth (dowry and dower), but we’re not going there today.

Much to my faux disappointment we certainly can’t give the Anglo Saxons, Scots or the Vikings credit for this concept. It started well before these cultures started to evolve. It certainly appears that what anthropologists refer to as "bride or progeny price" has been a common practice for thousands of years emerging in many different cultures and societies around the world as concepts of kinship and Family likewise evolved. Indeed some contemporary cultures that include Asian countries like China, and Thailand still engage this practice. Islamic marriage laws require the mandatory mahr to be paid (or promised) by the groom to the bride. The dowry system is still alive and well in India.

When I was studying Anthropology at Ole Miss most African cultures were noted to have practiced bride price – some even to this day though some recent resistance has been noted. To these so called primitive societies the socio economic implications were critical and demanded compensation for the loss of a daughter. While there was little uniformity the ultimate goal in some of these tribal cultures was alliance or to ultimately keep Family wealth and resources in that Family hence the reason why the preferred relationship in so many cultures was first cousins (cross or parallel).

In the earliest time of civilization there was no well defined system of kinship though perhaps just the realization of blood relationships which then evolved into that higher plane. It was a slow and laborious process which was affected by ultimate socio economic and security considerations.

The wedding was always a rite of passage that all societies held in high regard. Our Scandinavian Brothers and Sisters (OK, the Vikings) always set the marriage day on a Friday, or Frigg's Day, as a tribute to Frigga - wife to Odin and goddess of marriage and married women (See Frigga in inset above). Yes, Friday was named in her honor.

From the early days of Christianity in the Celtic world, rituals tended to blend the pagan with the Christian. Many of those celebrations continue to this day. An example of this was the handfasting ceremony, a commitment ceremony held when a priest or a proper civil authority wasn’t available. Two great Friends of mine ceremonially handfasted at the Glasgow, Kentucky Scottish Festival and Highland Games last year and then tied the knot this year. These ceremonies were often accompanied by such rites as broom jumping (harbinger of fertility). Many of those practices were adopted by African slaves as we have seen in Harriette Cole's Jumping the Broom: The African-American Wedding Planner. Interestingly, there is evidence offered by Professor Willie Ruff, an African-American ethno-musicologist at Yale University who has concluded that the first foreign tongue spoken by slaves in America wasn’t English but Scottish Gaelic taught to them by Gaelic speakers who left Scotland’s Western Isles because of religious persecution. Another example of a celebration borrowed from another culture. In our western society we have borrowed many, OK most.

I have also heard of the unkempt Scots practice where the brides Mother meets the Bride at the door following the wedding ceremony and then breaks a currant bun over her daughter's head for good fortune. Now, we are assured that while Stephanie did follow the tradition of wearing something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, she did not have a current bun broken over her head.

Like our society and some of the backward conventions (even laws) that used to accompany this most noble institution, we have evolved to a more enlightened plane that recognizes the value and worth of both participants allowing them to achieve their full potential. This partnership allows both individuals to maintain their own identity while bringing to the marriage commitment that otherwise elusive ethereal spark.

As sermonized today by The Very Reverend Kevin Martin, Dean of St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Dallas, Texas that however primitive our ancient past or limits imposed by politically inspired controlling perspectives and laws in our more modern societies, today’s successful marriage is based on mutual respect and love without a “controlling” partner who would skew that relationship. That harmony has to be achieved by voluntary mutual consent. Yea, it certainly appears that Stephanie and Austin have it right and represent the best of our evolution and the modern ideal. A new dawn breaks.

Aye,

Ned Buxton

PS - Jackie Spratt’s Wedding and Groom’s cakes were the best I have ever tasted. They were a big hit, well appreciated and one of the highlights of this celebration. NB

OSS GADGET BOFFIN LOVELL

We last pondered the delicate balancing act between liberty and security and allowed that our military, law enforcement and intelligence communities need to work smarter, more efficiently and avail themselves of all our available assets. Those assets include all the high tech gadgets that we have marveled at in our science fiction movies and TV shows to include unmanned drones, laser range-finders, handheld global positioning systems that display the precise coordinates of any target, rifles and pistols that shoot around corners, video cameras the size of a pin head, robotic explosive sensors and even a James Bond type of high-energy tactical laser and many, many more. Well, we know that this once science fiction is now our reality. The big question is who invents this stuff?

The United States government spends billions (with a capital B) of dollars annually in research and design and that number is likely equaled by our British Friends and certainly the Russians, Japanese and the Chinese. Relatively speaking the rest of the world muddles toward their own technological epiphanies rather slowly and by mostly borrowing (stealing) or buying from those rarified, enlightened R&D sectors.

When I ponder spy tech, its attendant gadgetry and all it entails I often think of Ian Flemings’ iconic James Bond Quartermaster, Major Boothroyd (Q), of Her Majesty’s Secret Service (HMSS MI6). Q was the equally iconic Welsh actor Desmond Llewelyn who first played that role in the 1965 movie, Thunderball. It always appeared that Q was exclusively inventing and perfecting sinister gadgets for Ian Fleming’s James Bond character who invariably used these gadgets for his seemingly routine, miraculous escapes… I have recognized at least two as OSS inventions.

In World War II the United States’ Office of Strategic Services (OSS) under the leadership of General William Donovan and Colonel G. Edward Buxton collected and analyzed strategic information and conducted special intelligence operations not assigned to other US agencies. Bottom line: the OSS reported directly to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and was charged with the primary wartime intelligence and espionage effort though other agencies like the FBI had equally important responsibilities notwithstanding Hoover’s paranoid adversarial perspective of the OSS). The OSS sphere of influence, however, was in the major and critical theatres to include Europe and Asia. They were our intelligence and espionage nuts and bolts folks and almost sixty five years after the end of WWII we are just learning the true extent of their efforts.

Donovan correctly realized from his exploits during and following WWI that critical to any victory in WWII would be the earnest application of science & technology and a dynamic organization – areas where the United States excelled. Turns out that we had our own Q and his name was Dr. Stanley Platt Lovell a New Englander who worked his way through Cornell University and by his tenacity and genius built the Lovell Chemical Company of Watertown, Massachusetts. While Lovell held over seventy patents he was a humble man who often characterized himself as a “sauce pan chemist”. He proved to be well beyond that personal estimation. In modern terminology he always thought outside the box, saw that other elusive dimension and most importantly was able to build a consensus for his ideas.

A consummate judge of character, ability and an ultimate delegator - OSS Director Donovan approached Lovell and asked him to head the OSS Research and Development branch and be the OSS liaison with the scientific community in both government and private industry. Lovell was initially skeptical about any role he might be able to play but Donovan was able to cajole and inspire him to accept.

Author, former bureau chief of U.S. News & World Report in Berlin and 60 Minutes producer John Marks relates in his Search for the Manchurian Candidate: CIA and Mind Control about that moment.

“General Donovan minced no words in laying out what he expected of Lovell: "I need every subtle device and every underhanded trick to use against the Germans and Japanese—by our own people—but especially by the underground resistance programs in all the occupied countries. You'll have to invent them all, Lovell,because you're going to be my man."

“Like most of his generation, he (Lovell) was an outspoken patriot. He wrote in his diary shortly after Pearl Harbor: "As James Hilton said, 'Once at war, to reason is treason.' My job is clear—to do all that is in me to help America." Because of the opportunities afforded him in life Lovell perceived the OSS assignment as an ultimate expression of patriotism and a further chance to “pay back” his country.

“Lovell quickly turned to some of the leading lights in the academic and private sectors. A special group—called Division 19—within James Conant's National Defense Research Committee was set up to produce "miscellaneous weapons" for OSS and British intelligence. Lovell's strategy, he later wrote, was "to stimulate the Peck's Bad Boy beneath the surface of every American scientist and to say to him, 'Throw all your normal law-abiding concepts out the window. Here's a chance to raise merry hell.”

For all you literary neophytes Peck’s Bad Boy (Henry Peck) was the fictional star of books and newspaper stories authored by George W. Peck in the late 1800’s. Seems that this mischievous lad loved to play mean and devious pranks on others and for no other reason than the sheer pleasure of creating mayhem. Good metaphor – that’s what the OSS did. Lovell was so good at his job of inventing so much lethal weaponry and diabolical gadgets that he earned the nickname “Professor Moriarty”. Donovan had made that initial observation much to Lovell’s chagrin.

So much for a gentlemanly approach to warfare. This was a no holds barred conflict where victory by any means was the rule of law and where all sides used whatever resources at their disposal. Historian and Rutgers professor John Whiteclay Chambers II in the preface to his historical study for the National Park Service, Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Training in World War II noted that,

"The OSS developed scores of gadgets, secret devices, weapons, and munitions. They ranged from flexible swim fins and self-contained underwater breathing devices to buttons, shoes, and pipes with secret compartments, and a variety of lethal inventions including single-shot, cigarettes and fountain pens as well as flashless pistols and machine guns. Among the special munitions, one innovation was a batter nicknamed “Aunt Jemima” that came packed in Chinese flour sacks to deceive the Japanese. It could be harmlessly baked in an oven, but with a fuse attached, it became a powerful explosive that OSS saboteurs could blow up a radio tower, railroad line, or even a bridge with it.”

And so it went and by the end of the war in 1945 the OSS had produced — in less than three years after its creation, “more than twenty-five special weapons and dozens of sabotage devices, along with scores of other gadgets, including concealments, radios, and escape and evasion tools.” Those items included the ludicrous (cat guided bombs) to the myriad practical devices that helped the Allies win the war.

I am proud to say that our Family in the person of Colonel G. Edward Buxton, Jr. of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and my grandfather was involved in that effort. Buxton was Director Bill Donovan’s second in command and acting OSS Director in Donovan’s absence (a regular happening). One of Buxton’s good Friends was that same Stanley Lovell who commented on one of their early meetings and their relationship in his revealing 1963 OSS memoir, Of Spies and Stratagems. The full text of Lovell’s book can be found at Archive.org (won’t hyperlink).

“Colonel Buxton was "Wild Bill's" Deputy Director and strong right arm. Their commands in World War I had been side by side. Together they had helped found the American Legion. Ned Buxton was never Bill Donovan's alter ego; rather he was his indispensable balance wheel. Because he recognized this to be so, Colonel Buxton was the first man Colonel Donovan recruited. He was the only man in O.S.S. who could make the Director reverse a decision when it was poorly thought out or woefully premature, reverse it and have the Director thank him for asking that it be done.

None of us stood in awe of Ned Buxton, as many did of the legendary Wild Bill, but all of us loved him. His orders to me were similar to David Bruce's advice. "You decide what needs to be done. See me if you want to check on it, but don't bother Colonel Donovan until it's accomplished. You're experienced enough to know how to operate."

With the victory won and the nation in recovery Stanley Lovell, General Wild Bill Donovan and many more OSS alumni attended Colonel Buxton’s funeral that cold March day in 1949 in Providence, Rhode Island. We thank Lovell for his Friendship and contributions to freedom and liberty.

Donovan was right. We had our own Professor Moriarty all along in Stan Lovell.

Sic transit gloria secretorum.

Aye,

Ned Buxton

BALANCING ACT BETWEEN FREEDOM AND SECURITY

When an unrelenting and totally dedicated opposing force threatens the very existence of your country and way of life, all the concepts of right and liberty including some personal freedoms and civil liberties may be temporarily suspended - for the good of the many and the ultimate preservation of our society. Amid the angst and controversy of 911 the United States has seen fit to do just that in the national interests though these interruptions appear to be minuscule and reasonable considering the circumstances. To the conspiracy theorists, it is the beginning of the end and harbinger of totalitarian government. Others fear that we have gone too far in our prosecution (or lack thereof) of alleged terrorists. All sides raise credible issues.

The pendulum swings back and forth. No doubt that this is an incredibly complex issue that’s rolled up into American Constitutional law and the United States Bill of Rights, United States foreign policy and the continuing evolution of the values and perspectives of all our citizenry.

The eighth anniversary of 911 has reminded us once again that the price of liberty is substantial and has renewed the debate about the balancing act between national security interests and civil liberties. The potential of our survival as a nation rests somewhere between those who would embrace a unilateral civil liberties preservation perspective no matter the cost (ACLU) and those that espouse an ultra draconian suspension of any and all rights in order to head off terrorism and prevent future attacks. Not since World War II has there been such a dedicated effort to defeat an enemy that threatens our borders and very way of life.

It is imperative that the debate, analysis and the never ending dance between these two perspectives continue as we need to get it right. The pendulum has already started its return to center as the perception of the threat to our national security has diminished, though some question that conclusion. The very real threats and the great potential for more terrorist attacks, both domestic and foreign, require our continued extraordinary vigilance and an attitude that will allow us to fight fire with fire. The experts are warning us that it will happen again, sooner than later.

We need only note that the rules of war have changed. Our very patient and committed enemies are fighting a war of attrition and seem willing to continue that battle ad infinitum.

Yes, we need to guard against the dangers of a totalitarian society though some in our midst may not want to admit that we are literally at war against a foe that has been described as the "enemy of civilization." To them we are the Great Evil and for you Star Wars fans, we are literally the Dark Side. They are diametrically opposed to us and will take our concepts of morality, freedoms and laws and treat them as weak points to be exploited for their benefit. They are dedicated to one proposition – to bring us down and eliminate us from the face of the earth, period. It’s as simple as that… I would offer that telling our enemies what we are going to do and how we are going to do it isn’t in our best interests (duh).

The purpose of war is the defeat of an enemy - victory and ultimately the achievement of peace. We are not engaged in some chivalrous, knightly or even 17th century warfare contested by gentleman (were that Saladin lived in our time). General William Tecumseh Sherman said, "War is simply power unrestrained by constitution or compact. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it."

Let’s make sure that our military, law enforcement and intelligence folks have the tools to get the job done. They need to be able to work smarter and more efficiently and use all of our available assets. Let’s give them all the credit for keeping us out of harms way to date…

Aye,

Ned Buxton

MY FRIEND CARL

Since we have recently engaged the topic of civility it seems appropriate that we ratchet that down to a more personal level. We really aren’t doing enough individually to create a better world, let alone better neighborhoods.

I remember the now legendary Cragged Mountain Farm (CMF) in Freedom, NH (photo above) where in the early 1950’s I spent several summers under the careful watch and tutelage of close Family Friend and camp owner/founder/operator/counselor/mentor Dr. Henry Utter, a renowned pediatrician from Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Utter was the first practicing pediatrician in Rhode Island and founder of CMF in 1927. The Utter Family still operates CMF, eighty-two years later. Methinks they're doing something right.

Little brother David Seabury also attended along with another fellow camper (I’ll call him Carl) who had thick glasses and was sickly and geeky looking. Carl had leg braces and a faltering gait and suffered from an obvious infirmity that I can only guess was either polio, cerebral palsy or a combination of the two. Carl had a big heart, though, and was always in the thick of things and for his persistence and innocence was the brunt of some cruel jokes, pranks and inquisitive, insensitive stares from just a few folks that didn’t know him. He didn’t mind, rather persevered and endeared himself to all who cared enough to get to know him.

We need note that the staff and most of the campers at CMF were that sensitive, rarified breed that appreciated and embraced Carl. The idyllic communal camp environment provided a perfect example of how to live a fun, healthy and responsible life. As I have commented in previous posts it was those early years at Cragged Mountain Farm that set the stage for my adult life and my pursuit of the great outdoors.

Carl was part of that experience and perhaps one of the most unforgettable characters I’ve ever met. It’s safe to say that even after fifty plus years I will never forget Carl and the lessons I learned from him.

I certainly had issues growing up (lots), but was gifted athletically and capable of engaging all sorts of games and activities without encumbrance. Carl was forever relegated to the sidelines, a professional though frustrated spectator banished from the field of play. That surely didn’t mean that he didn’t want to be out there. His inner spirit was indomitable… He was always working that tetherball.

Mind you, we weren’t best Friends and that certainly is my loss. I do remember talking and communicating with Carl mostly showing him how to play ball and encouraging what was always his herculean effort to do so. He enjoyed his stay at Cragged Mountain Farm and I suspect that his spirit this day is not far from that mountain. I learned a real lesson by Carl’s innocent example that resounds with me even in my maturity. That lesson is always defend those less gifted, fortunate and/or unable to defend themselves. The least that I intend is to never forget him and up his memory whenever I can.

Though Carl has always been on my mind – when I saw the 1980 movie, My Bodyguard I was reminded again of Carl and the treatment he got from a few of his fellow campers. In My Bodyguard a school bully - Melvin Moody played by a young Matt Dillon - in one of his first film roles – heaps mental and physical abuse on the wealthy new kid on the block - Clifford Peache (Chris Makepeace) - who ultimately seeks protection from older student Ricky Linderman (Adam Baldwin), a burly loner who's rumored by his fellow high schoolers to have killed -- and possibly eaten -- his own brother (yikes!). Seems that he actually shot and killed his nine year old brother in a tragic shooting accident a year earlier. That was his demon…

Martin Mull, Ruth Gordon and Joan Cusack also starred in this wonderful coming-of-age story about an improbable friendship between two outcasts. All during the flick I just hoped that I could have just one minute alone with Melvin Moody. There wouldn’t have been anything left. Dillon did a brilliant job bringing the insane cruelty of his character to the big screen. Ultimately justice and decency triumphed and prevailed with his character and his adult muscle bound champion being put in their place. Who says that violence isn’t sometimes the answer?

That movie begged the question to what degree are we are our Brother’s keeper? My surmise is that if he/she is weaker and unable to fend for themselves like the Carls of this world, then we have the responsibility to step up and be their champions. The bullies of the world without compliant fodder would think twice about victimizing the weak. There too will then come that time like in My Bodyguard when the weak, emboldened and empowered, fight and win their own battles.

As one US President once stated, “The essence of (our modern) civilization is that the strong have a duty to protect the weak.” That certainly means changing attitudes and championing the cause of those less fortunate. We need to start being more aggressive by looking for opportunities to become part of the ultimate solution. If you want to be pragmatic; it’s really a pay me now or pay me later scenario. That includes getting involved in your community and volunteering to help with the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, your local Food Bank, the Salvation Army or Goodwill Industries – just to name a few. Your church or temple probably offers lots of opportunities as well like the Food Bank at St. Matthews Cathedral in Dallas…

Then there’s Jerry’s Kids and the annual MDA Labor Day Telethon. We can all contribute to that very worthy cause.

Thanks Carl. Thanks Dr. Utter - non ministrari, sed ministrare.

Aye,

Ned Buxton