Franksummers3ba's Blog

In my last post I predicted that my next post would mostly involve me sharing my statistical analysis for this blog which is provided by Word Press. That turns out to be wrong because for whatever reason they have not provided me with the little review by the first of the year. If it appears I will still share it. So there will be more to say about the end of the year and the new year if that happens.

This year that just ended brought the death of Rachel Therese Gremillion Broussard. She was my aunt and nearest my age among my aunts and uncles. I did not cover her death in this blog as closely as I could have. But here is a relevant post. Another link is here. It was typical of my year that I did not do a blog obituary for one of the people who had been closest to me in my life. I will say a few words about her here.

I am really  and somewhat tired and ready to realize that life as Rachel and I had discussed it for countless hours when we were very and not so very young (but much younger than I am now) is very remote from any reality today. 2016 saw Rachel succumb to cancer. She had been through so much already. But that finally ended her earthly journey. The house called Kissinoaks also became rubble. At best it became flood scattered piles of disassembled building materials. Rachel loved that house and we all spent time together there over many years. There is a lot to remember about her life and the reasons that I have not done a blog obituary are complex ones.

In the larger world, Nancy Reagan, Leonard Cohen and Eli Wiesel all left this land of the living. Debbie Reynolds followed her daughter Carrie Fisher. Fidel Castro moved on. On the last day of 2016 George Putnam died. He was a prominent figure in my community. He was not someone as close to me as Rachel. My aunt Rachel was born with spina bifida and Rachel fought her whole life with myriad health problems. She bore and reared two children, and in the old biblical blessing was privileged to see here children’s children. She and I both married Broussard’s from Abbeville  and her marriage endured till her death while mine ended after a bit less than a decade. Over a lifetime we talked about all manner of things.

In 1796, as George Washington set the precedent for a peaceful, democratic transfer of power, he also set a precedent by penning a farewell address to the American people. And over the 220 years since, many American presidents have followed his lead. On Tuesday, January 10, I’ll go home to Chicago to say my grateful farewell to you, even if you can’t be there in person. I’m just beginning to write my remarks. But I’m thinking about them as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you’ve changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here. Since 2009, we’ve faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger. That’s because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding — our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better. So I hope you’ll join me one last time. Because, for me, it’s always been about you. President Barack Obama

This last year I have had some huge disappointments in a position where I had little left to bring to disappointment. I have renewed acquaintance and spent some time with an old friend also going through hard times whose name starts with J. and we have perhaps confided too much and commiserated about old girlfriends,  jobs and states of mind which seem very remote. But he has been a help in getting through this year. For several months my aunt and I have been living in the same place with no other permanent residents and that has been an evolving situation but the evolution has not included me finding a financially secure footing — such as a decent job, research grant or whatever. In my last post I mentioned my Gofundme campaigns but they have not produced income really.

I have also been blessed to serve as a Eucharistic minister at Sunday morning mass at my home parish. That has also been mentioned in this blog. But it is only a part of a life and not the occupation which supports a life in a practical way.. But it is a humbling honor for me to serve in that way. But the things I am doing and blogging about and the dozens of countries in which this blog has been read are only a part of the story — this is a small an not widely read blog. It will probably continue to be. I have a site here from a more famous person at the Washington Post who shares   his own humorous take on the year. Happy New Year — again… and not for the last time.

I cannot promise that the next post will be a typical year in review post like this one and this one. But I guess that it probably will be.    This post is a little different. I am not very forcefully launching three gofundme campaigns. I am delighted if any readers will take an interest in the Acadiana Military Heritage Sites, Summers Progress Publishing or the Crater Cap Colony Concept campaigns.     But there are many other things going on in this voluminous blog and this year and I do want to just brush past them before the statistical  analysis of the year which I always try to publish.

This has been a different few weeks than most of the rest of the year. But it is also the end of the year. The holidays have been a different and worthwhile time of year. There are some fine things celebrated and said in relation to Christmas. There is not a lot that I can cover related to just the holidays at the end of the year that is in any way sufficient.

The picture below is something that represents a preoccupation besides the holidays which has filled my time of late. The World Heritage Site project. It has begun to get some notice in the media. There will be much more to say about it over time. The picture below has standing left to right; R. Martin Guidry, Raymond Berthelot, Alan Broussard, myself and Warren Perrin.  Seated before us are Bill Roberts and Christie Disher. This was the meeting mentioned here before at the Capitol Annex.

There is a great deal to be aware of in these days. But the totality of the year is complicated enough. I have been busy enough but not excessively successful or productive in my endeavors so far. It would be great to get some kind of breakthrough in my life that would put  2017 in a brighter perspective. But I know that i am more fortunate than many with things just as they are….

I am this year aware of the deaths of Muhamed Ali, Fidel Castro, George Michael, Nancy Reagan, Antonin Scalia, Patty Duke, Carrie Fisher, Prince, John Glenn, David Bowie and so many others. But the truth is that the deaths of years long past have also been on my mind. Not only personal losses but also the lives and deaths of ancestors long gone who worked to make some of the good parts of my life possible. Although they did not know me at all, they labored and fought on my behalf.  The tombs of ancestors I knew well and old friends rest among the tombs of people whose lives and times I am researching for various projects.

The political news has of course been important. There have been lots of political blog posts this year, although perhaps not enough. As I type this post my sister in law awaits the delivery of a new baby and labors in that precious cause. But I do not post regular birth announcements much.   However I may mention this again.

My guess is that perhaps my next post will be mostly the WordPress Year in Review with a few added comments and insights from me. Best wishes to you all for New Years Day and the New Year….

I am writing on the third Day of Christmas. In the song Twelve Days of Christmas this is the day that the true love gives  the singer a partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves,  and three French hens — the beloved at this point has three pear trees, four turtle doves and three French hens which is a pretty nice set of Christmas gifts — even if it is not much compared to what is coming along. This is also the day after the Feast of Stephen. The first Christian Martyr and leader of the first set of Christian deacons, Stephen is an inspirational character. The Feast of Stephen is also mentioned in the Christmas Carol Good King Wenceslaus. I went to one very nice Christmas concert with lots of great music and played three good Christmas DVDs but neither of these carols were on either of those formats as I recall.

But the Christmas season is also in full swing in other aspects and I may have to recall it from a bit further into the future to do it justice. This is just a little blog post rushed in among other things. I took few pictures this Christmas Day. But I was present to the day from ministering at Mass at seven a.m. to  preparing a turkey  and to joining in the feast and family gift exchange. Yesterday I made turkey  soup and distributed it as I often do — i had a friend over for a simple meal. He knows who he is.

On Christmas Eve I heard from a woman who knows I think highly of her and it brightened my day but left me a bit lonely. She knows who she is as well. I was also aware that people were celebrating Chanukah this year at the same time. But I sent our few greetings of any kind this holiday season. I do say here Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

I will be back soon with a Year in Review Post if I do not have something more. I hope that all you who read this have a blessed and pleasant time in the best ways … till then at least.

Tomorrow is another deadline in certifying our election results. The States are to have sent in the certified results of each state’s Electoral College Votes to D.C. and the proper offices by close of business tomorrow.. One more step.

I rejoice that it is Christmas. I thank God that we have a Christmas holiday. There is in fact no substitute for Christmas that I am aware of and it has often been a major focus in my life. Not everyone is wired the same way and there is no single set of Christmas experiences that rings true as the essence of the season for everyone but there is a chance for joy and celebration in Christmas. Much of the world celebrates Christmas now to some degree even where Christianity itself is not much practiced. And in the United States as when I was in China I was happy to celebrate Christmas with those who chose to try to partake in the spirit of the season more than I was willing to Criticize their falling short of capturing the whole spirit. But it is also important for those of use who are Christians to preserve the religious sense of the holiday and I certainly attempt to do that. So in this post I want to bring up the very central focus of the passages which most define The events Christians celebrate in these days.

Here are some of the Sacred Texts most related to the celebrarion of Christmas. I hope those who are very familiar with them are reminded and those who are not are enlightened about the nature of the celebration. I will make a few points. The passages below have a few editorial amendments made by me — but very few. This is basically a selection of three Bible texts:

My Point Here: Jesus’s birth is not a purely human. Something cosmic has happened with his birth and  the Universe and the Creator of the Universe are tied to humanity forever by his being conceived in the Womb of Mary and born among us:

The Word Became Flesh According to John’s Gospel  (NIV):

1 In the beginning was the Word (λόγος: Logos –reason, speech, ratio, word, cause, consideration suggesting activity like “Verb”), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. . . . 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

My Point Here for the text below: Jesus had no ordinary human father and this added to all the other troubles into which he was born. The couple had to adjust and both cosmic and psychological adjustments marking his birth abounded. The long out of power Royal House of David was the extended family of both Mary and Joseph. Each had a royal genealogy in Earthly terms. But they were very far from a palace. The ruling family was the House of Herod which in turn was largely subject to Rome. The humiliation of a mysterious pregnancy was yet another sorrow and trouble to work out with limited resources. But they were practical people with some resources of their own and their poverty and troubles can be misunderstood.

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son according to Matthew’s Gospel (NIV):
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about : His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage before she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

My Point Here in the Text Below: Merry Christmas! Joy to the World! Jesus was born in the ancestral home of the House of David and amid crowds and chaos suffered in his family and as an infant the humiliation of birth in a manger. But God was faithful to make his birth and event and a cause for celebration.

The Birth of Jesus according to the New International Version translation of the second chapter of Luke’s Gospel:

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. 21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

All of us would like to do some shopping, feasting and celebrating. It is appropriate to do so. But it is also stressful. I have done lots of odd jobs and have benefited from some acts of generosity and also have achieved success on some projects. But this has been a very tough and depressing year over all with mostly bad situations on all sides. I have empathy for those who cannot do what they wish they could. I also have three gofundme campaigns related to projects that have long been part of my life and are in different stages. Each is available for gifts from those who have an abundance to share. There is a history and heritage project.  There is a writing and publishing project. there is a space related project.

If you wish to donate to any of those things they will fund real work and you can access them by clicking the embedded links above. Of course there are many other worthy causes and I am not a devoted fundraiser at heart. But I will acknowledge all donations. Whatever, you do remember that while the season is special and all our friends are special — Christmas is very special as well .

As the time approaches for me to post this on my blog the Electors  in the easternmost state will be and are voting for the President of the United States of America. The  results of this exercise will determine who is the next President of the United States of America. It is a very important occasion and could be worth a few posts but it just barely squeaks in with one of its own shared with other topics on my blog The voting will take place in all fifty State capitols as each arrives at noon on its own official clock. I assume President-Elect Trump will  become truly official President-Elect Trump. But it will be interesting to see if there are a few protest, rogue or faithless  electors. If anyone votes for me I will not denounce them but otherwise I cannot say that I really support deviating from the standard.

The fact that the State Capitols come into play is significant and so is the fact that voting is by state in the same way that Congress votes — but without division by houses. Each State has two electors to apportion based on it Senate delegation and as many more electors as it has Representatives assigned in the House based on its population. So there are a hundred votes divided equally among the states and more than four hundred divided by population. I think is is a good system although I have proposed radical change and have not renounced those proposals.

I have posted recently about my involvement in the World Heritage Site process which is in its infancy here in  relation to the proposed Cajun Nation or Acadiana  World Heritage Site. You can see those posts here and here. In my opinion, this process is very interesting and at the current time there are a number of us working on various aspects of the project. I feel that at this early stage it should be the intent of this committee to seek sites which represent each of the key part of the formation of a cultural landscape as well as possible. The larger committee has divided into the formation of sectional committees or subcommittees. I am currently liaison to the Martial Heritage Sites Committee. The people on our general committee are well informed and also very rooted here and connected to the community. From my earliest correspondence with the others, I found  myself suggesting that as regards points to consider for ideal locations we should consider; battlefield related references on site and on key battlefields, places of first contact, burial sites, levee and drainage sites, key village and town sites  and prominent homes all as having a specific part of a larger and comprehensive vision. Things have evolved in part due to my suggestions and these kinds  sites and others within the vision of the World Heritage Site are at least being investigated to show how, why and where the transformative project occurred which created the region we call Acadiana. the bones of our ancestors, our heritage and our patrimony deserve our respect and attention. This is starting after the year and during when Confederate monuments are being displaced and downgraded in a whole new way. I have discussed that topic here and here. But it has not been the focus of my blog in a large and major way.

My long involvement in the struggle to preserve and enhance Acadian and Cajun heritage is one that others have interacted with long before our little exploratory committee. That is a subject that i will return to over time.

There is no shortage of contacts for those of us seeking to connect the places which together map out our heritage in Acadiana. That of course does not mean that all the sites online together will form a sufficient picture of the region for World Heritage Site purposes. But ehere are online resources worth knowing. The include state parks including the  earliest  and very Acadian example. there is a center for learned research at UL which supports this sort of activity to a remarkable degree. Nicholls State is supporting a center to recover some of maritime and nautical culture. there are places which have long preserved the heritage of prominent Acadians to some degree such as this one and this one.  There are artists who have left a legacy of viewing the landscape very well and vividly, such as Floyd Sonnier. There are those who are charged with preserving records of various kinds that are less obvious to all such as here, here and here.  There the living communities who have shared this region as indigenous nations and been part of the the journey of the Acadian people — including the Chitimacha and the Houma. There are perspectives in Spanish history that are relevant such as here and here. of course there are many  very important resources in French from a French perspective. Then, well represented on the committee that I have been working with is the Acadian Memorial and the Acadian Museum. 

But all of this is in contrast to other realities of this time. Today 29 years ago was the only day that I was ever married. I still remember it vividly — of course. But my ex-wife and have been aprt more than twice as long as we were together.

Michelle and I kiss on our wedding day.

Michelle and I say our vows.

Michelle and I on our wedding day.

Michelle and I dining with family at the Cloisters in Sea Island

Michelle and I conversing with two of my paternal uncles

Former wife Michelle Broussard Summers and I — Sea Island Georgia

However, my own energy and time are not mostly devoted to the ever more distant past. It is Christmastime and I am tired, busy and a little festive as well as a little depressed. the holidays are challenging for me and many of those around me for a variety of reasons. But they are still the holidays. I have had my moments of joy and hope to post more about Christmas.  But I have also had moments of sorrow and will post more of those as well. It is in this context that for me the new POTUS is being elected.

Donald J. Trump is the billionaire elected in no small part by the change in allegiance of the white working class from the Democrats to the Republicans. I discussed some of these cultural and social issues and their incongruities on my first post about Trump’s campaign –early in the primaries. there is a great deal more to say. But somehow I think that those who want to see Trump completely segregated from his fortune, connection and family really do not get it at all. There is a certain sense in which this particular set of voters really wants him as he is and entirely as he is– especially in economic terms. It is not only that they hope he can get them work, although that is the reason. I am going to cite a song made famous in some circles by a Shelton who may not be related to the  now famous Blake Shelton. Ricky Van Shelton made this song a hit before Blake was on the scene:

 I don’t know why you wanna start with me
I ain’t done nothin’ far as I can see
And I’m worn out from working too hard
Why don’t you give me a break

I know that lately things ain’t been so good
I’ll make it up just like I told you I would
But I’m tired and I wanna sit down
To ease a sore backache.

The American working class of all races is tired, stressed and depressed. They want to give Trump a chance to bring them more decent jobs that support a life they can value — they are willing to let him get rich doing it. They would rather live in a country with strong men of business than a country without visible financial strength. Even those who might prefer another kind of strength want strength and weakening Trump will not be to their liking, all in all. I am writing this post not in the position which one would ideally choose for opining on a new Presidency. There are many ways to live a life and each has its own risks and rewards. I have made fairly varied comments about my own life on this blog here, here and here. In fact most pages and posts on this blog have an element of the personal in them. But Trump is subject to a much greater flurry of attention and a much denser beam of focused attention from cameras and commentators than I have ever been. He is after all the President-Elect of the United States. I am not happy to be so severely under-capitalized for each and every challenge that I meet in life. I am also tired and feel pressed and put upon by life and this society. I also see no real advantage in a fiscally castrated Trump. The song goes on:

You say you’re having trouble figuring me
I don’t believe I’m such a mystery
Baby what you get is what you see
I am a simple man
I wanna a job and a piece of land
Three squares in my frying pan
Don’t seem so hard to me to understand
I am a simple man

You say you got some things to talk about
A lot of problems that we need to work out
But we just end up fighting
Why don’t you give it a rest
I don’t know what else I can say to you
I’m doing everything I know to do
And I can’t give you anything more
When I’m giving my best

The Gulf of Mexico’s oil reserves remain vital to our country’s future.

We have a responsibility to understand the words we use to shape our live and society. This is a picture of the Declarators committee.

Gettysburg settled upon our country many parts of a new consensus . . .

The link of living Veterans, active troops and the fallen in battle is a chain of duty we must all remember.

US Marines guard many embassies where our diplomats seek peace with security around the world.

The voting booth remains a powerful part of our society.

Military expressions are often part of Louisiana funerals.

The Trump transition draws hard upon it most crucial day, December 19,2016 That would be my 29th wedding anniversary if I were still married to the only woman I ever married. It is the day the Electoral College of the United States of America votes.There is a lot going on in the world of politics and finance that has not occurred in other recent transitions.  Not all of the things that are happening are resulting from recent pressures coming from after the election.  Trump had already divested himself a great deal in June.  In addition besides the Carrier deal and the pressure on the Air Force One contract with Boeing — Trump is involved in other deals. One is the unexpected deal with SoftBank which is determined to invest and employ people in the United States of America. He is not elected because he disrespects women or minorities but in part he is elected because he sees the concern over how he is perceived to relate to women an minorities as outside of his central area of concern.He is going to make some deals, rattle some cages and scare some people and the American working class wants the Trump they voted for to do that. This particular anthem of the working class goes on from here:

You say you’re having trouble figuring me
I don’t believe I’m such a mystery
Baby what you get is what you see
I am a simple man
I wanna place I can lay my head
Soft woman and a warm bed
A little time off before I’m dead
I’m just a simple man

You say you’re having trouble figuring me
I don’t believe I’m such a mystery
Baby what you get is what you see
I am a simple man

The question of how Trump should comport himself is a real and important one. But it is also important to ask how one ought to feel about whether a rich and prominent man can simply be himself and also be president. Trump has been picked as Time‘s Person of the Year and there have been varied comments about the choice but the report by Time is without doubt the most authoritative. Trump is a major figure reshaping our American synthesis. The people want to see him do this as well as he can. They want the billionaire, the complicated businessman that has done what it took. and the kid who went to a military academy.

There are many ways some one like me might read the Trump election. I could see the fact that David Duke was on the ballot for Senate in Louisiana’s open primary and the fact that Steve Bannon is named the chief White House Strategist as signs that there will be more room for people whose view tend to be on the far right and who blog to be part of the political process. But honestly I am simply too deeply pessimistic to take anything with much optimism as regards my political future in the United States — or elsewhere for that matter. In some ways I feel that as the spectrum shifts those of us who have been on the fringe and are not really connected will experience as many new vulnerabilities and risks as any that are removed by the indiscriminate attacks on the far right which have existed over recent past decades. I am no WASP. We shall see how the winds of intolerance which some people see blowing will affect me. But I am accustomed to the weather.

there has been a lot of news in America these last so many hours and few days about Donald Trump’s call to the President of Taiwan. I usually call Mr. Trump President-Elect but really the title is not entirely his until the Electoral College casts its official votes on December 19.  One of the mostly important and interesting things about Taiwan is its relationship with the United Nations and China.  I have an abiding interest in China and right now am working in the nebulous beginnings of a long process related to a United Nations World Heritage Site for the Cajun cultural landscape in Acadiana.  Taiwan is a complicated place which CURRENTLY sees itself as an independent nation while the People’s Republic of China sees it as the Province of Chinese Taipei. America withdrew its embassy from Taiwan in 1979 to improve Chinese American relations. Improvement in those relations has had many enormously positive effects on the world economy and on China as well as many good effects on the United States. However, there have been bad effects as well. But the United Nations issue is more complicated than Taiwan simply not having a UN seat as a sovereign nation. The government in Taiwan once held the permanent UN  Security Council Seat reserved for China and which China shares as its spoils of war with the other big winners of World War II (the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and France). The Soviet Union no longer exists and the Russian Federation holds the seat earned by Stalin’s hosts in the bloodiest conflict in recorded history. France, the good old USA and the UK of Great Britain’s realms and Norther Ireland remain more or less the same. But China experienced the  Second World War in the context of ongoing wars with Japan which sort of blend into each other as well as in a Civil War between the Communist Party of China and its followers and the Nationalists (KuoMinTang or KMT) and its followers. For a long time the KMT had the upper hand and were recognized as China. But in the end they retreated to the island of Formosa (or Taipei), fortified it and declared it and their own blend of the local Taiwanese and there exile government to be the legitimate government of China. The United States supported the claims of this government in exile for quite a while   and today still has a strong military support for Taiwan. Taiwan and China or in fact still in a Civil War. So are North and South Korea but these are Cold Wars — not the hot kind where people die every day in battle. In China back in 2004 and 2005 when I lived there there were bureaucracies devoted to Cross-Strait Relations which is what the relationship between China and Taiwan is called there (or was in English at that time anyway). Taiwan,South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan are among the biggest investors in the PRC and were when I was there and each have complicated legal relationships with China proper that our media does little to explain. It is into this world that Trump’s call must be placed for context. I believe the relationship of the United States with Taiwan is an important one. Although I have never visited Taiwan I did take as active an interest as I could in that relationship when I was in China. For me they and Hong Kong and South Korea and the Philippines had the best promise of helping friends of mine in China achieve some social and political goals for the rest of the Chinese people and themselves. But there is nothing simple about all of this. What Trump’s presidency will achieve is truly unknown to me.

This post is intended to be mostly about China. About Sino-American Relations and about President-Elect Trump’s phone call with the President of Taiwan. That is a suitable supply of material for many posts but it is not the only subject of this post. This post like many (but by no means all) the posts on this blog is tied up with my personal life and the material already contained in this blog as well. Of course in par that is because China has already featured in this blog in many post such as here, here and here.  but really it is more remarkable how little I have discussed China here rather than how much I have. Asian American relations have also been discussed a good bit as here and here. But again, probably less than is representative of how much I think about this subject.  Asia has bee enormously significant in my life and is enormously significant in my thoughts. My time in China, though relatively brief in itself, was followed up by years of sustained interest and communications and preceded by years of effort in getting there. My years in the Philippines and my family’s years there with and without me were very formative. My only close relative killed in combat was killed in Afghanistan which is Asia. My family members have spent a lot of time in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and India. I however have not. But my blog here deals with the years I have been blogging most of all and those (now many) years have been years when I seldom have left the United States. That in itself is a remarkable turn of events in my life.

US Marines guard many embassies where our diplomats seek peace with security around the world.

My mother gives her memoirs to a Catholic Bishop in China.

my curriculum vitae shows work with radio, film, journal, newspapers and lots of public speaking.

My mother toured the Great Wall of China/ I did a good bit of touring but I did not get to really tour the Great Wall in my longer stay in China

My cousin Severin was killed in battle in Afghanistan.

Our family loved our rare vacations to Camiguin Island while we were in the Philippines.

Leading my sisters on a carabao in the Philippines.

Students & in English Corner meeting on Campus SDIBT Yantai.

One of the members of my Student-Advisee Classes graduating from SDIBT

Me in front of a foutain at the seaside Yantai Targeted Economic Development Zone

Living out in the public eye here in my own country in the way that only a personal blog does is not an experience to which earlier generations were vulnerable nor to which they were privileged nor was it really available during the years when I was in the newspapers much more than I have been lately. So I have blogged mostly about the United States of America. Donald Trump also offers me many things to comment on within discussion of the United States of America — not only his cabinet posts and possible domestic policy but in unique aspects of his transition as well. On the seventh I hope to attend a meeting very far from United Nations headquarters that relates to the UN World Heritage Site process which will allow recognition for the American homeland of a people with whom the following people have been to some degree associated (no declaration of the degree of that claim or its legitimacy is asserted here:
Barry Jean Ancelet, Scott Angelle,Robert H. Barrow, Lee Benoit, Al Berard, Calvin Borel,Bubby Brister,  Firmin Breaux, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco,Reid Brignac, John Breaux, Crystal,Carl A. Brasseaux, James Lee Burke,Mary Katherine Campbell,James Carville, Paul N. Cyr, Trishelle Cannatella, Lacey Chabert,Claire Lee Chennault, Amie Comeaux,Roy Corcoran, Lance Cormier, Eddie Delahoussaye, Jake Delhomme, Kent Desormeaux, Jefferson J. DeBlanc, Ellen DeGeneres, Joe Doucet,Reggie Dupre, Val Dufour, Edwin Duhon, Jesse Duplantis ,Edwin Edwards,   Joe Falcon, Cléoma Falcon,Brett Favre, John Folse, James Fontenot, Mary Alice Fontenot,Mike Fontenot, Eric Guerin,Ron Guidry,Mary Gauthier,Bob Hamm, Hunter Hayes,Bobby Hebert, F. Edward Hebert, Leigh Hennessy, Lash LaRue, Doug Kershaw, Sammy Kershaw, Angela Kinsey, Ali Landry, Lisa Landry, Dudley Leblanc, Robert Leblanc, Severin Leblanc, Shia LaBeouf, John A. Lejeune,Tom Landry, Stefan LeFors, John LeRoux, Jared Leto, Shannon Leto, Camille Martin, Huey P. Meaux,Gil Meche, Charlie Melancon, Elemore Morgan, Alexander Mouton, Alfred Mouton, Oliver Naquin, Jr.,Xavier Paul,Andy Pettitte, Bob Pettit,  Paul Prudhomme, Matthew Randazzo V, Tyran Richard, Zachary Richard, George Rodrigue,Eugene Roe, ‘Tit Jo’ Savoie, Amanda Shaw, Ian Somerhalder, Floyd Sonnier,Stephanie Swift,Billy Tauzin, Ryan Theriot, Fabian Thibodeaux, Henry Schuyler Thibodeaux, Clifford Trahan, Wayne Toups, Shane West, and Justin Wilson.

Only a few of these names will be known to the majority of readers and all have made their mark. Each has a legacy already whether they are living or dead. In addition there are complex issues of leadership which matter quite a bit and issues of identity associated with leadership. The Cajuns must interact with the United Nations even as they sort out their own (or we sort out our own) relationships with one another. I have too few resources in countless ways even to hold own my small part in the relatively small puzzle here. The United Nations puzzle in East Asia has been vastly more complex. The challenges into which President-Elect Trump has inserted himself are indeed challenges which stand large upon the world stage.  The UN proposal meeting is not the only thing on my agenda. this week –surviving the weather in my low car is one priority. And also a religious holiday in the Church in my Cajun hometown — founded on land sold to a French Missionary priest by my Leblanc ancestors.

On the eighth is the Roman Catholic Feast of the Immaculate Conception. That has to do with the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception which refers not to  semen as soiling — most people think it refers to the Virgin Birth of Jesus without a human father. That is called the Virgin Birth. Rather it refers to the miracle by which Mary was conceived without the universal heritage of Original Sin so that through her parents natural act of sexual intercourse she became a unique example of the human species suitable for bearing the Only Begotten Son of God. It is under Mary’s title as Mary of The Immaculate Conception that she is venerated by Roman Catholics as the Patroness of the United States. I have volunteered to serve as a Eucharistic minister on that day and on the seventh I have a meeting with the possible central Committee for the Cajun Nation World Heritage Site. These very American events are also very much on my mind. So Asia and politics go together as major parts of my day and week and so forth but not exclusively. Politics for me goes for beyond simply following elections and voting. I am very politically engaged — but not at all a major player.

So what is there to say at this junction of political change and the prospects of our evolving relationships in East Asia. After returning from teaching in China I hoped to return there and when that did not happen long hoped to return overseas to teaching. I posted this note to my international group of friends on Facebook some years ago.

I am hoping to go abroad and teach English at a University, college, business or travel acedemy. I expect hard work and low pay but also some allowances for travel and learning local culture. I will not be an excited young newcomer, but a do appreciate other people’ s lives and work as well as other countries. I will go on any visa but with a view to permanent relocation. I hope to stay in touch with the USA online, send gifts and cards and a place safe enough to visit would be ideal but I am planning to live as an ex-pat for the rest of my life. I find my own native cultural experience as one living in and part of Ameica as it and I know are to be unendurable and am willing to take in social comfort and acceptance tems the position a fugitive or refugee must often take and which throughout history such have sometimes persons taken. As did many that built this country in the past and do today. Despite saying that I have usually made many good friends or acquaintances abroad and  believe that might happen again. My skills are considerable although perhaps my personal charms are limited.  Thanks for any help you can give in locating such a position. My desire to leave as soon as possible is occasioned by my Grandmother’s recent death and not by any legal or financial misdeeds on my part. She was simply the last adult American who had at some extended time a history of supporting  any complete vision of myself which I could tolerate on a long term basis.  I will carefully consider any offers but cannot guarantee their acceptance. I know that at forty-eight I may not receive any offers and that is also a possiblity I will deal with when it happens if necessary.  Because of that I will also accept private well made suggestions which do not come from those with power to hire. All help will be answered with gratitude.  My mailing address is:

PO Box 22

Perry, Louisiana 70575

USA

Please confirm all mailings with e-mail and do not assume I have received anything without e-mail confirmation from me.

 

Here is a link to my Linked-In Profile which is not accesssible without a membership but I will welcome any Facebook friend who wishes to join: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=57268633&trk=tab_pro

The truth is that I have not blogged as much about the playing the game at hand in regards to China as it much as I could have. I am going to be a proponent for larger change for as long as I can. There is a lot that must be done besides responding to the most urgent needs of the day. If I ever get popular enough on this blog to be noticed by a President Trump he may zing what I have to say. But for now I am merely setting a context for what he is doing — I am not yet criticizing it. I am deeply critical of many aspects of our national situation. he and I are bound to disagree often. But for now I am setting out the feeling landscape in which I dwell as well as the most important facts about the context of a single phone call for a single American — myself.