If Its Bernie, Please Run.

                      

  By Florida Bill 

                  Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has garnered much attention with his call for a "political revolution" to make the United States more like Scandinavia.  At one debate, he even urged America to take a close look at the sweet operations by the Danes.
                 Never mind that Denmark is a country of only 16,000 square miles and fewer than 6 million people. He feels its brand of socialism would suit the US, with its population of about 323 million people occupying more than 3.8 million square miles, just fine. One size fits all when it comes to government giveaways.                       Waving his arms like an out-of-control symphony maestro, Sanders screams that under his leadership, Americans will receive free schooling from kindergarten through college and those who are today carrying a college loan debt will see their debt vanish into thin air. 
                    Bernie's message has resonated with millions of Americans who feel they have been treated unfairly.  He has been the recipient of millions of dollars in contributions to his candidacy for President, and the lion's share has come from young men and women giving an average donation of about $27. 
                   Over 10 years, it is estimated his programs will cost more than 10 trillion dollars, and the largess of course will be provided by taxpayers, with Sanders acknowledging that the rate levied against very wealthy Americans could hit 90 per cent of income. He has not offered any solution to America's existing 19 trillion dollar obligations, but then debt is just numbers on paper.  There will be free health care and medical leave for everyone (no exclusion for illegal aliens) and the minimum wage will rise immediately  to $15 per hour, and it will climb as conditions dictate. It will be Shangri La, to say the least.  Hey Scandinavia, get a load of what the United States is doing. 
                   His plans and programs are wild, bizarre and unrealistic, but millions are applauding his promises of "free stuff" with top wage earners and corporations picking up the tab.
                   Corporations and big banks have been getting away with murder, he charges, pushing everything onto the backs of the middle class which has become the goat in an unfair capitalistic society. Sanders has been demanding these changes ever since he entered Congress some 29 years ago, and he has harbored these dreams since his college days at the University of Chicago in the 1960s, and maybe even before that. 
                  These goals are simply fantasies of a dreamer, totally impracticable.  Could any Congress ever bring about such a transformation?  Reportedly, when Sanders was asked by a New York newspaper editorial board how he could bring this socialist agenda about, he had no answer except to say that there had to be a "political revolution" with overwhelming pressure mounted against lawmakers. Even liberal editors considered his proposals over-the-top, even absurd, it has been reported.
                    Sanders' grandiose promises are troubling even to such notorious liberals as President Obama and his alter ego Hillary Clinton, who is Sanders opponent to become the democratic nominee for President in the election scheduled for next November.  Clinton, despite all her baggage, is on track to become the nominee, sending Sanders back to the Senate where he can continue to foment over the evils of Wall Street and the big banks. 
                   But while his bizarre schemes to transform America into a socialist country are such as not to be taken seriously, they are just the tip of the iceberg with a Sanders' presidency.
                    I find it amazing and disturbing that the 74-year-old Sanders, who dodged the draft during the Viet Nam crisis, would ask citizens to make him the Commander-in-Chief of the military, and at the same time, in today's hostile world, he is calling for the United States to phase out all of its nuclear arsenal.  It seems that his millions of young fans never factor those credentials into their judgment of him.                     
                    When sent a draft notice in the 1960s, Sanders declared that he was a pacifist and declined to wear the uniform of his country. While millions answered the call of Uncle Sam during the difficult Viet Nam era, Sanders claimed status as a conscientious objector.  He opposed the war, not for religious reasons as Muhammad Ali did, but because he was against all wars for any and all reasons.  He could never fight for his country.  War was anathema under any conditions, and he found satisfaction instead as an anti-war activist, and was arrested once or more times during demonstrations.  
                           He was an organizer of the Congress of Racial Equality  and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Student Peace Union. According to some critics, this was his all-consuming activity.   Apparently, he shared the anti-war values of  Aldous Huxley, author of "Brave New World,"  and he admired the intellect and pacifist leanings of the renowned physicist, Albert Einstein.  For pacifist Sanders, war cannot be justified, and it is likely that this attitude would guide his hand as America's Commander-in-Chief.  
                           Potentially, as Commander in Chief, he would make decisions as to America's defense against hostile nations and if his own history is any indicator, he would reject war even in the case of attack on the USA. 
                           Sanders has said in debates and in interviews that the greatest threat to America is "climate change."  He seems to agree with President Obama and Hillary Clinton in that regard; and that ISIS and other terrorists are merely a junior varsity which are given undeserved relevance and concern.  
                           Many Democrats say they are frightened by the idea of a Donald Trump presidency. With Sanders at the helm, it is a terrifying thought to every sensible and patriotic American, regardless of party preference.  

                                             xxx
       




 

Has Trump wounded himself?

  By Florida Bill 

                   The Donald Trump phenomenon is unlike any other in American history.  Starched white shirt and tie, and wild unruly hair, (he has allowed fans to tug at it to prove its genuineness),  the 69-year-old billionaire has won the hearts and minds of millions who want him to become the nominee of the Republican party in next November's Presidential  election.  For a while it has looked like the iconic outsider had it sewed up.  But what had appeared to be rock certain, has now become somewhat questionable. 
                    He can win of course, by collecting 1,237 delegates allocated in the state primaries.  Right now, he has 845 and needs to take in some 54 per cent of those 733 still on the tables in the remaining primaries which extend through June 7. 
                    In recent weeks, Trump has been shooting himself in the foot with his gaffes and foolish twitter talk on the social media. Some say that his loose cannon mouth and non-stop tweeting has promoted a disconnect between his mouth and his brain, causing many voters to reject him.  Nevertheless, in his home state of New York, he recently scored a resounding victory collecting 92 of the 95 delegates.  But reaching the prescribed number of delegates may be problematic for Trump and if the convention is brokered, it may be goodbye to "The Donald" 
                 There are compelling reasons to support Trump and his vision for a better and stronger America.  He said the military would be rebuilt so that "no other country would ever mess with us."  Obamacare, which he calls a disaster, will be repealed and ISIS will be totally destroyed.  Muslim radicals will be identified and removed, and he excoriated bureaucrats who approved the agreement which handed $150 billion in previously frozen funds to Iran to use as it sees fit in exchange for a promise not to build a nuclear weapon for 10 years.  That deal, which really highlights the ignorance of Obama and his secretary of state, will be renegotiated, he declared. 
                  He promises to "Make America Great Again."  His message taps into the frustrations of Americans disappointed with the policies and appeasement overtures of President Obama.  
He has condemned America's open borders which have allowed illegal aliens, many of them thieves and rapists, to enter and to reside here with impunity, protected by Obama style courtesies in sanctuary cities.  "There will be a great wall sealing the borders," said Trump, and illegal aliens will be deported in the same fashion as which occurred under former President Eisenhower in the 1950s. And he emphasized that, henceforth, whomever comes across the border into the USA, "will come in legally."
                    But is the big billionaire with all the answers turning off his supporters?  It isn't only that he has slapped insulting names on virtually every Republican opponent in a fashion rich in high school pettiness, but he has flipped frequently on his policies and beliefs. He has made disturbing gaffes, and has failed to offer genuine explanations on how he will achieve the grandiose promises which he has made.  
                   Is Trump's publicized feud with Fox News reporter Megyn Kelly becoming a negative thorn that could penetrate his armor? He has labeled Kelly a "Bimbo, incompetent and out to get him." Recently, Kelly and Trump have had a private meeting and there are indications hat they want to put the feud behind them.  But then, who knows what's what with the irascible Trump.     
                   Kelly had incurred the Trump wrath in the opening Republican debate last August when she asked Trump to explain why he had called some women, "fat pigs, slobs  and disgusting animals." He refused to answer the question, but then dug deep and accused Kelly of having blood pouring from her eyes and from "everywhere." Refusing to back off, he continued his assault using the social airwaves ridiculing Kelly for her incompetence and for being out to get him.  Is that the way a possible President should act?  He attacks a reporter who has asked him tough questions.  Former President Nixon hated the press with a passion, but he was always courteous when cornered by questioning reporters. 
                    Fox News chief Roger Ailes has demanded that Trump apologize to Kelly for the way he has acted, noting that "your extreme, sick obsession with her (Megyn Kelly) is beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate who wants to occupy the highest office in the land." 
                     There are about a dozen primaries still to be held.  The final one with 172 delegates at stake will be on June 7 in California. It is no secret that Republican party heavyweights Mitt Romney, Carl Rove and Bill Kristol, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard,  prefer almost anyone to Trump as nominee, believing that he would be easily defeated by the Democratic choice, Hillary Clinton. The outside chance that he might win is not a chance Republicans want to take. How can they forget the licking party candidate Barry Goldwater took in 1964? Trump is easily as divisive as Goldwater was.            
                     .  With no candidate with the prescribed 1,237 delegates the convention will be "brokered."  As such, delegates will cast their votes as committed on the first ballot, and Trump will be short of the "magic number," which will then necessitate more ballots.  After the first ballot, some delegates will have the option of switching their support to other candidates.  At a brokered convention, even a candidate who has not run in the primaries, or who has run and then withdrawn, could be considered by delegates.  Basically, if there is a brokered convention, anything goes, and the likelihood of a Trump selection as the nominee of the Republican party is against the odds.                
             Neither Sen.Ted Cruz with 559 committed delegates or Ohio Gov. John Kasich with 148 delegates have a mathematical chance of reaching the 1,237 number. Their only hope is a contested convention in which delegates on second and subsequent ballots endorse one of them.    Only Trump could obtain the 1,237 which would assure his nomination on the first ballot. Cruz and Kasich have declared that Trump "will never be the Republican nominee."    
             In my opinion, Trump has behaved badly in the campaign, calling his opponents by insulting names and by avoiding explanations as to how he will put into effect the grandiose plans he is promising.  His use of twitter as a vehicle to insult a media reporter is way beneath the demeanor expected of a man who wants to be President of the United States.  If the convention is "brokered," I think that Trump will be the loser;  and if he wants an explanation for the meltdown, he should  look into a mirror.  





          

                                           xxx


  
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Trump and Muslim Hate

  By Florida Bill 

                     We are living in a world of political correctness in which the left-leaning media is eager to portray Republicans as bigots and racists. And the accusation is given special emphasis when Muslim behavior is mentioned. When there is talk of the insanity of radical Muslims, it is always countered with a description of a body of calm and composed worshipers who only want peace.   

                  Recently, Donald Trump was asked if America is at war with Islam. The Republican candidate is not one to skip over Muslims  slaughtering innocent persons by being politically polite and thoughtful.  To this inquiry from a very left wing CNN journalist, Trump replied:

                  "I think that Islam hates us.  There is tremendous hatred. We have to get to the bottom of it.  There is an unbelievable hatred of us."

                   His head-on reply touched a nerve with the Council on Islamic American Relations (CAIR)  and their leader lashed out at the iconic billionaire seeking to be his party's nominee, accusing him of bigotry and demanding that he issue an apology. This Washington-based organization has been a supporter of Muslims, but has a rocky relationship with the FBI which has questioned its motives and values, and its relationships with terrorist organizations in the Middle East.  

                   During a debate a few days later, Trump was asked if he was referring to "all" Muslims. He extended  his long arms outward, and said he meant to refer to a "lot of them."  I will tell you," he emphasized, "there is something going on that maybe you don't know about....but there is tremendous hatred, and I will stick with what I said to Anderson Cooper." 
                 "The Donald" was right on target, and perhaps it is his consistent shoot from-the-hip refusal to bow to political correctness which has sent him to the top of virtually all voter preference polls, and made him a winner in most of the primary balloting.                  

                      When Trump said that there were a "lot of them" who hate America and Americans, he was being modest in his estimate.  There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, and the radical corner of the religion is said by researchers to constitute a percentage of around 2 per cent overall.  In some countries, however,  the percentage of radicals is said to exceed 50 per cent. Analysts and experts on Islam and Muslim culture have said that main stream Islam, particularly in the Middle East, is virulently anti-western and anti-American.  Many Americans remember films of Muslims in the Middle East, dancing with their children in the streets in jubilation at news of the 9-11 attacks and the death of nearly 3,000 Americans.  President Obama has said that this unwholesome element of hostile Muslims is "tiny."

                        When it comes down to raw numbers, Trump has done the math, and maybe CNN's left-wing reporter Cooper should do the same, rather than gasping with his eyebrows raised in alarm.  If just 2 per cent of Muslims in the world are radicals seeking death for non-believers, that means that there are about 40 million (40,000,000) terrorists seeking to kill and possibly behead anyone who does not bow down and convert to Islam. Leading these contingents of killers are Al Qaeda and ISIS and a host of other terrorist organizations which over the past decades have brutally killed hundreds of thousands of innocent men women and children. Hey , President Obama,  don't call these guys the "junior varsity," they hit the big-time many vicious murders ago.   

                        After the San Bernardino slayings by a radicalized Muslim couple, Trump announced that America should temporarily bar Muslims from entering the United States until we can "determine just what is going on" and what can be done to prevent any more of the same homeland terrorism. At that time,  he noted that there are an estimated 2.7 million Muslims residing in the USA, and that in a poll conducted by PEW researchers, it was reported that 25 per cent of them agree that violence against America is justifiable in carrying out a global jihad; and that 29 per cent believe that execution of anyone who has insulted the Prophet Mohammad is appropriate.      

                    Personally, when I am trying to assess the Muslim threat,  I recall the reaction from Muslim fanatics to Pope Benedict's comment that historically Islam has been a "religion of the sword."  As retaliation, two catholic churches were burned down and at least two nuns were murdered.  Is Trump the only public figure who will confront radical Islam for the enemy to Americans that it is. All of the Democratic candidates have said that using the term "radical Islam" paints all Muslims with the same broad brush. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate who appears certain to capture her party's nomination, stands hand in glove with Obama in dodging and poo pooing anyone who labels Muslim radicals as terrorists.

                        Will President Obama ever wake up and call out "radical Islam" for its murderous ways and outright savagery?  As a boy in Indonesia, Obama attended a Muslim school (Madrassa). His father and step-father were Muslims and the family followed the teachings of the Koran.  Apparently, the depth of his association with Islam runs so deep that he cannot bring himself to denounce the radicals inside the religion who kill and are pure evil.  It is more and more evident that recognition of the threat will fall into the hands of this country's 45th President to be elected next November.

   

The Awful Tailgater

             By Florida Bill  

                                       There is one driver who I believe stands out in infamy among others.  Most of the time, but not always, it is the young guns at the wheel. Males usually, but not always. Anyone can qualify.  I am speaking of the tailgater, the one who insists on following too closely.  When one is hanging on my bumper,  I look for a way to disappear; or as the late Chicago columnist Mike Royko wrote in reference to the inherent danger of nasty 
motorists---"I flee." 
                            Yes, tailgating is a major safety issue, but it is much more.  It is a social problem which can transform otherwise congenial motorists into raging lions.  In my mind, it is Florida and Chicago which are tailgating capitals. 
                       In Florida, my wife and I live in a residential neighborhood.  A few blocks away is a two-lane through street named Holmberg.  Sometimes  Holmberg can be busy with school buses and landscaping service trucks.  At other times, traffic can be fairly light.   The speed limit on Holmberg is 30 miles per hour, and for a stretch, 35 miles per hour.  Of course, on intersecting residential streets, it is less. 
                          It seems like there is always a tailgater who is displeased with the 30 mile an hour limit, or more likely, is not aware of the speed limit.  Thirty, for a wheel man, is too pokey.   And when he is in your rear and there is light traffic, the tailgater is annoyed that he is being forced to drive so slowly.  He hangs only feet behind your rear bumper and when you look into your mirror, you can often see him, or her, shaking their head in obvious exasperation at having to crawl along. He or she wants to move. 
                         On occasion, the tailgater will honk when he is right on your bumper, and when you refuse to speed up and risk one of the many speeding tickets we see handed out on this street, his annoyance becomes uncontrollable, and he puts pedal to the metal and zooms around.  In passing, speeds may hit 50 or 60 mph, so eager is the tailgater to get by the infuriating snail.  
                           There are those times when the tailgater has hung behind because of traffic in the other direction but the slow pace is eating away at him. Swinging around to pass, he rolls down the passenger side window and flashes the middle finger and screams, "you a--hole." To some that is an invitation for further combat, but not for your scrivener.  I do not challenge the mad motorist, I drop way back, maybe even turn onto an intersecting side street, giving the angry tailgater time to be on his way and not think about getting even with the source of his irritation. 
                           We have all read about "road rage."  People have been shot or otherwise injured in fights which have emanated from angry drivers whose rage overwhelms them and causes them to seek further confrontation with his imagined adversary. It can end with one of the drivers, or maybe both,  wanting a piece of the other.  In cases which we have read about in newspapers and heard about on the tube,  the confrontation has ended with a shooting or a beating, maybe even with a death.  I want no part of angry motorists.            
                           Pine Tree estates is a  section in the South Florida community of Parkland.  It is abutted pretty much by Coral Springs, Coconut Creek and west Boca Raton.  Police from the Broward county sheriff's office patrol Holmberg which runs east and west for about four miles with two roundabouts and one stoplight.  The slow pace is absolutely anathema to the tailgater who insists on motoring at higher speeds, but still sees Holmberg as a shortcut between State Road 7 and University on the west. 
                            In the motor vehicle codes for most states, including Florida, tailgating is a violation punishable by a fine. Where there is an accident, the violation becomes one of following too closely, also punishable by a fine.   Basically, the law provides that a driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of such vehicle and the traffic and condition of the roadway. Unfortunately, it is probably rare for an officer to  ticket a driver for the infraction where there is no accident.
                            Every several years our insurance carrier invites its senior customers to attend a traffic school for a half-day, and earn a lower rate.  Naturally, the offer is accepted.  I remember that at our class, the instructor, a man in his 60s or 70s named Clyde,  reviewed the rules of traffic, and stressed the problems of tailgating which can lead to accidents with injuries, even death. Always maintain your interval, he said firmly.  One of his rules of thumb which I remember was that for every 10 mph of speed, the following distance should be one car length.  At 20 mph, it would be two car lengths and at 60 mph, six car lengths. 
                          Clearly, this is not going to happen, with agitated drivers darting in to fill up the empty "intervals" between cars as they hopscotch their way to the front of the traffic line. 
                          It is sometimes satisfying to pull up to a stoplight and discover that the lane-changing tailgaters who left you in the dust have not really gained anything, and are only a car or two ahead of you, pulled up short by the same traffic signal.  You must, however, resist the urge to mock them, as they are probably already seething at the delay.
               

Trump v. Kelly, the Scrap Continues

  By Florida Bill

                             So you thought you'd heard the last of the media war between Donald Trump and his arch foe, Megyn Kelly?   Think again.  The feud continues to heat up, and now media heavyweight Fox News, Kelly's employer, has stepped in to defend her professionalism. All of this is not only making Kelly's star burn brighter, it is also making Trump look like a bully, a character trait he should be trying to downplay as he gets closer to the nomination. It's time for the Donald to show a little class and act more Presidential. Obsessively nasty tweets about a newscaster don't fill the bill. 
                                 In a recent interview with CNN, Trump said that Kelly, the host of Fox's "Kelly File," continues saying negative untrue things about him and his candidacy and he will continue to hit back on Twitter.  But for me, he said, her popularity and her prime time show, "The Kelly File" would be in the ground.  Trump is certainly right that he is probably the best thing that has ever happened to to Kelly's career.  Is that what he really wants?
                                Trump continues to lead in polls and in primaries and appears to be on the path to becoming the Republican nominee for President in November's election.  Nevertheless, he continues to fire off  tweets to millions of his followers on the social air waves castigating Kelly as an incompetent, biased reporter who does not do a good job.  In fact, he says, she is a bit "crazy" and her show should be boycotted. But here is the unintended consequence of his persistent aggression:  Kelly is becoming a celebrity and Trump is looking less like a man who should be president, and more like an ill-tempered hot-head who can't take the heat.   It is not a winning formula. 
                           In the face of the cantankerous needling by Trump, Kelly has remained poised and somewhat distant, handling questions from other reporters and pundits with wit and good judgment.  Perhaps Trump thinks he is playing to the general distrust of the media, especially among conservatives, but he seems to be overdoing it, and Kelly may be having the last laugh. 
                               The enmity between billionaire Trump and the news reporter who has credentials as an attorney and former prosecutor began when they locked horns in the first Republican debate last August in which 17 candidates participated.  Trump got angry when Kelly asked him to explain why he had called women  "slobs, dogs, fat pigs and disgusting animals."  He never answered the question at the forum, but later said that the malicious Megyn had blood coming out of her eyes and from "everywhere" as she endeavored to humiliate him. 
                                In the following weeks and months, Trump derided her repeatedly on the social media outlets and in interviews as a "bimbo" who was out to get him; and was "not very good at her job." For a while it appeared that Kelly got hurt in the exchange, but as time passed, her reputation gained status. She was a guest on the Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon late night shows.  When Colbert asked her about her tough questioning of Trump, Kelly explained that the question was tough but all of the candidates get tough questions.  "They all want to be George Washington, she said.   "I am a member of the press, and so it is my job as a reporter to press them to see if they are worthy.".
                                 In a debate in January,  Trump declined to participate because Kelly was slated to be one of the reporters asking questions. This came across as pouting--and maybe more. Was the big tough Donald, who was ready to stand down Putin and the entire government of Mexico, afraid of a few hardball questions from a woman reporter?  Gradually,  many women and organizations began to support Kelly publicly and to criticize Trump for his "blood" remarks and sexist persona. 
                               At a debate on March 3 in Detroit, they faced off again in the Republican 11th debate. During an exchange, Kelly noted that Trump had flip flopped on several positions, and Trump acknowledged that he was "flexible" on some issues because times have changed. She also noted that Trump University which he had created has been accused of fleecing thousands of students of their money, and that the Better Business Bureau had rated the billionaire's university venture as  D-minus.  An angry Trump contradicted Kelly arguing that the school had earned an A-minus, but Kelly pointed to official  records which showed the poor rating.                              All in all, Trump did poorly in the debate, and Kelly's behavior and professional demeanor and ability as a reporter was praised by TV analysts and newspapers.
                                 In the days following, Trump directed further vitriol at Kelly.  Kelly again declined to exchange insults, but then her employer, Fox News stepped in and issued the following statement condemning the blustering Trump:
                                 "Donald Trump's vitriolic attacks against Megyn Kelly and his extreme, sick obsession with her is beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate who wants to occupy the highest office in the land.  Megyn is an exemplary journalist and one of the leading news anchors in America.  We are extremely proud of her phenomenal work and continue to fully support her throughout every day of Trump's endless barrage of crude and sexist verbal assaults.  As the mother of three young children, with a successful law career and the second highest rated show in cable news, it's especially deplorable for her to be repeatedly abused just for doing her job"  Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes added that Trump's comments about Kelly are "disturbing" and he should apologize.
                                   Of course, there was no apology from Trump who issued a statement that he "disagreed" with Fox.  "I do not think that Megyn Kelly is a quality journalist," he said.  "I think her questioning of me....was very unfair."
                                     In many ways,  Trump has captured the minds and hearts of millions of Americans as he taps into their  frustrations over the country's downward spiral under the leadership of President Obama.  He speaks of making America great again.  He promises to stop illegal immigration; rebuild an eviscerated military and to destroy the radical Islamic force known as ISIS.  Americans like it and his polling numbers remain high, and he has won most of the early primaries. 
                                   However, his  peevishness and apparent desire for revenge are stripping him of presidential demeanor, and he would be wise to "cool it" a bit in his route to the oval office.                            

                                                               xxx

Dogs and the Rainbow Bridge

    BY FLORIDA BILL 

 
                                             When you come to that distressing moment when you must bid goodbye to your dog, remember that the goodbye may not be forever.  There is some very good authority telling us that there will be a happy reunion with that faithful little fur head at the glorious Rainbow Bridge, gateway to Heaven. 
                              The grief at losing that special pet is profound, almost indescribable.  In some ways it is similar to the sadness suffered at the loss of a human friend or relative; but different since we have always believed that we will be reunited with them in the afterlife. 
                               So what is the deal with our four-footed friends.  Is it true that all dogs go to heaven?  Mark Twain has noted that "Heaven goes by favor; If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in."   But that only begs the question. 
                                              Along that same line, a prominent European writer has noted that dogs are our link to paradise.  "They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent.  To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden where doing nothing was not boring --it was peace."                

                               Recently, America was blessed with a visit from Pope Francis.  We heard his voice  calling for peace in the world and for love and respect for all men.  But in another earlier message, the Pontiff observed that our four-footed friends are not lost forever and that "Paradise is open to all of God's creatures."   Really good news for us dog people.

                              Actually,  Francis is not the only Pope who has said that beloved pets do not make a permanent departure.   Some years ago, Pope Paul VI, while consoling a broken-hearted little boy whose pet had died, told the youngster that he would again see his dog in the "eternity of Christ."  His words were very comforting to the boy;  and yes, those words resonate in the same way with us old timers whose time on this earth is coming to an end. We are like our dogs, "short timers."  And it is good to know that religious experts confirm our long-held belief that we will be reunited with every dog we've ever had when that time comes.   

                            Will Rogers, a man who loved his furry companions, would be pleased too.   This great humorist once said that "if there are no dogs in heaven, then, when I die,  I want to go where they went."  Well with the popes and other passing on the question, it is looking pretty good.  They will be there and we'll see them so long as we make it too.   

                             There are hundreds of millions of dog owners in the world and more frequently than not, a special steely bond develops between the canine and his owner.  There are those who do not or have never owned a dog, and perhaps regard the relationship as mythical rather than mystical.  But I know I am right; the relationship is special--ask any pet owner. 

                              I remember when I was a soldier in Korea, I owned a small terrier-type pooch named Maggie and she was with me most hours of virtually every day of  my 16-month hitch in Korea.  When I walked guard duty with a rifle, Maggie was there and when I was in the mess hall she waited outside by the door; and at bedtime, my cot and sleeping bag were her bed too.  On our small compound in Uijeongbu, soldiers with their dogs were quite common and unrestricted on many posts in this far off part of Asia.

                             Sadly, when I said good-bye to Korea, I had to say farewell also to Maggie. I can still see her to this day,  sitting by the side of a road, ears up, watching and alert as our truck pulled away.  I loved that little lady, and I am hoping that Maggie will be around to greet me at that famous bridge beyond the stars.  
                            Occasionally, I think back about our four-footed friends and their special place in life and I am reminded of the words of an old Missouri lawyer who, reflecting on our furry companions, observed that "the one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous . . . is his dog."  

                           To dog aficionados, and maybe to Pope Francis himself, there is the story of the  "Rainbow Bridge."  Accordingly, when a pet dies, it goes to a meadow and is restored to perfect health, and spends its days running and playing with other dogs, with plenty of fresh food and water. The only thing that is not perfect is that he misses his owner left behind on earth.  When the owner dies, he approaches the meadow and it is at that moment that his pet sees him and their eyes meet.  Excited, the pet runs to the owner's arms licking his face in joy, and side by side they cross the Rainbow Bridge together into heaven, never again to be separated.

                          Today, living in sunny Florida, my wife, Chrissy and I have two dogs,  Cairn Terriers by breed, each weighing about 15 pounds.  They look like the dog, Toto, in the movie The Wizard of Oz.  Sammi is wheaten-colored and Wendy is Black. They are non-stop yappers and never saw a bird or leaf that did not require their comment; the arrival of the pool man or the dry cleaner is enough to provoke a deafening frenzy.  Yet, we have bonded with them in a big way, and it is impossible to imagine life without them.  But a dog's life is short, and we have had other dogs before them, all of whom became special and unforgettable. We are happy about Pope Francis's views on the matter.        

                         One final word on dogs and the hereafter: Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of "The Secret Life of Dogs," was asked in an interview if she believed that all dogs go to heaven. Her answer was logic at its best: "If there are no dogs there, it is not heaven."

                                                                    xxx