life in america

I must credit Claire Hope Cummings whose book Uncertain Peril, just out, inspires me to pen this (I think timely) piece. Yours as usual, Chuck

and I 'spect they might take offense at the label. After all, goats are lots smarter than "sheepies." This is my wife's candid shot at three old goats on a park bench. It's anybody's guess as to which of 'em's me. Thanx, as usual, for noticin'. I allus do 'preciate your comments. Chuck

It occurs to me (from reading your comment) that the big guys oughta take note of what they do to their own future health and long-term welfare. Doctors are so quick to blame genetics for the diabetes epidemic, for one example---diabetes, of course, being but one effect of a world gone amok---when it's the national environment (air, water, food supply, lack of sense of community) that ignores what makes us human that is most of all responsible for the harvest we reap. It's weird how we so willingly deny our evolutionary heritage and traipse off into far left field to experiment on people in our brave (cowardly?) new world. I've now informed myself enough on the subject to be really, really frightened by it all. A stress not altogether good for my health, frankly. Thanx for the look-see and comment, Chuck

To be frank, though, I suspect more than a little skulduggery's involved in getting some of the best pieces removed from the Spotlight prematurely. Something smells. Haven't got to the bottom of it yet, but maybe I'll start digging. Soon. Don't know whether it's jealousy that so motivates ... or perhaps pure and simple self-interest on the part of one or ones who throw a low vote at a piece that's thus prominented. (Or both.) By "self-interest," I mean it might be that some who are on the verge of getting in are raising their chances by downgrading another's work. Unfairly. It all doesn't smell right, and I think, really, the system needs changing so as to prevent such power to negate and manipulate falling into the hands of but one or two voters who go against the more prevailing grain that supports a particular piece gaining the Spotlight designation. Thanx again, Chuck PS: An unfortunate side effect of such behavior is to make the Spotlight designation something less than credible. In so many words, it can become rather meaningless: An unfortunate happenstance, in my view, and not conducive to encouraging better writing. Cheating has a way of accomplishing that sort of thing. I've learned to disregard the Spotlight. I may like the piece that's so marked, but the mere fact that it's spotlighted holds little to no value for me.