Thursday, December 21, 2008�

Took me a long time to begin the story. I thought better of it.
But I think it is finally time.

My Dear Brother.

I recall a quote. Not sure whom it should be attributed to, but it is both funny and a bit sad.

�Relatives are those people who, under normal circumstances, we would have nothing to do with.�

--Might have been said by Mark Twain.

I never really remember a time when my brother and I have really gotten along well. There was always some kind of conflict. Even when I put the past out of my mind and actually looked forward to seeing him, he would soon make it perfectly clear to me that his attitude was still defensive and cold. And so it has gone for over 60 years.

The last year has been no different. It was election year, and politics is a big taboo for us as a friendly topic of discussion. He is a staunch, and to my mind reactionary, Republican. I, on the other hand, am what you might refer to as a �yellow dog Democrat.�

Unfortunately for him, I am on the adjunct faculty at a local Community College where I teach History and Humanities. This keeps fresh in my mind why I should cling to my political ideals, and how the current direction of the Republican Party is leading to the destruction of the fabric of our freedom and the principles of our democracy.

So, after he forwarded me more of the Republican political crap that normally circulates on the Internet, I retaliated with the same sort of propaganda from the opposite side of the aisle. It was after one of these exchanges that we decided to stop sending each other any politically tainted E-mail.

Yeah, yeah, I did slip up (intentionally) by sending him a negative piece on Sarah Palin. I subsequently apologized.

Then the election was over. Barack Obama won. I decided that I would not gloat. I would not send my dear brother any post-election message.

But, apparently, he could not let sleeping dogs lie.

This is the E-mail that I received from him a day or so after the election:

�Yes, I'm unhappy with the outcome! But unlike You, I will respect the President of the United States. I will not like You, make statements like, "I Hate Him". I pray for Israel. That will be one of the first test he will face. I hope you like higher taxes, for surely when he distribute your money to those that voted for him, remember you voted for him, not me. Last word! We will see how you feel in 2012! I predict he will be a one termer like Carter.�

And so I replied:

�Sorry you are not happy with the outcome of the Presidential race. I�m also sorry if you disagree with me when I exercise my right of free speech as guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States of America.

Muzzling dissent and demanding obedience, whether by intimidation or by force, is a clear sign of fascist ideology.

Taxes are the price we pay for being able to live in and enjoy the benefits of the USA. Taxes have always been a redistribution system.

Barack Obama was not my first choice for president. I preferred Hillary Clinton. In any case, the choice was clear. Do I vote for failed Republican social, economic, and international policies, or do I vote for a return to the ideals and policies that have made this country great.

I certainly hope that president elect Obama has the opportunity to run for a second term.

--Allan�

Unfortunately, I don�t have his reply to the above E-mail of mine, but it went something like this:

�I don�t reply to the E-mail of Nazis!!!�

To which I replied:

�George W. Bush has led us into an unnecessary war, and has destroyed the economy of this country, and you call me a Nazi? Is Colin Powell a Nazi too?�

The reason I mentioned Colin Powell is that around the time I told him I hated George Bush, he told me that he respected Colin Powell who was Secretary of State at the time. Powell did endorse Obama before the last presidential election.

Then someone forwarded me a joke I thought he�d like. I thought, hey, this might cheer him up. This is the joke I forwarded to him:

The reason the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines bicker amongst themselves is that they don't speak the same language. For instance, take the simple phrase "secure the building". The Army will post guards around the place. The Navy will turn out the lights and lock the doors. The Marines will kill everybody inside and set up a headquarters. The Air Force will take out a 5-year lease with an option to buy.

So my dear brother answered me like this:

�Very Funny For Someone who Never Served in the Armed Forces! Please Refrain From Sending Me Such Garbage! Also I'm Really not Interested in What You Think or Any of Your Leftist Ideas! In Fact, I'm Really Not Interest In What You Think, Feel, Or What You Have To Say To Me. I'll Believe That Until You Apologize To Me For The Inference You Made In Your Last eMail to Me, I Don't Want Any Further Contact With You! I Believe That I Have expressed that Plainly!�

To which I sent this answer:

�As usual you are disagreeable and insulting. I have no idea what I said in my last E-mail that could have made you mad. It certainly doesn�t take much to set you off on a tirade. If I did say something you didn�t like, I�m sure you deserved it.

My �leftist� ideas stem from the fact that I am Jewish. Have you ever heard of that religion? You might try it out sometime. Go to Synagogue. Listen to the Sermons. Study Torah and Talmud. Get involved in charitable and social volunteer activities. Be a Mensch!

Have a very Happy Hanukah, er� If you happen to know what that holiday is.�

And now for his calm careful and studied reply:

As Usual, you have no Idea what You have said. You go off half cocked, accuse people of thing that you think they have said or you think they think. Your SICK! Let me make this Clear! Please Don't Answer this! Reread my last eMail. I know will be Hard for you, Reread it Again! Don't eMail me! Yours has been Blocked!

So, of course, if I feel like E-mailing him I will.

And so it goes�.

If there is any question as to why I didn�t just back down and try to make peace, the reason is that I believe I�ve just about had it with him. He has always been difficult and unpleasant. He�s the type who seems to believe that he was always left out and never got enough of whatever it was that he expected to get. He has always seemed to delight in the discomfort of others. Yes, my big brother is a real charmer. Unfortunately, as he has gotten older there has been no change. Funny, he would always sign his E-mail with your Big Brother�like that was supposed to have some sort of meaning. He seems to think that people get wiser with age. I would say that the older I get the more I realize what I don�t know.

I�ve held off for quite some time because of his medical condition. He has never totally spelled out his health problems, but he did have cardiac bypass surgery twice. The first time he was told to quit smoking�which he never did. The second time, about seven years later, after the operation he broke his stitches. This apparently proved a strong enough motive for him to quit smoking. He had smoked for 50 years. It is evident that he now also has some form of emphysema. So, I let a lot of things ride. The only problem was that it was just the same old unpleasantness that he always liked to dish out.

He�s ten years older than me and he has never forgiven me for the great wrong I did to him�I was born!

Thursday, July 19, 2008�

I think it's story telling time again. I really enjoy jokes and humor, but not everything that happens in a person's life is funny. So, as I gather together my courage, I plan to vent a bit. It's almost 12:30PM. Late for me. Estelle and I just returned about an hour ago after seeing Mama Mia at the local cinema. It's a fun film! Tomorrow will be soon enough for more.

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