Author: Dick

A nice old-fashioned snow in Southeast Texas.

My poor, cold, little Tacoma became blanketed in snow overnight. This happening in Beaumont, Texas, only 45 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico.

It doesn’t snow very often here. I heard on television that this was the first measurable snowfall in about four years. And the snow set an all-time record here for December at a whopping 2-3 inches. Nope, it doesn’t snow here very much but nonetheless, my sentiments can only be summed up on the hood of my Toyota pickemup:

The Weather Channel shows the pink of mixed frozen precipitation on its local radar inching its way into the western edge of Jefferson County, almost at the most southeastern edge of Texas. A little snow is behind it.

Nevertheless, I don’t expect to wake tomorrow to a Winter wonderland. I will be surprised if my pickup’s roof is covered with snow rather than the rain which is falling outside right now with temperatures hovering around 33 degrees.

In reality and, somewhat to my wonderment, it is not unusual for this part of eastern Texas to get a blast of cold and even snow-sleet accompanied air this time of the year even though it isn’t even officially winter on the Texas Gulf Coast.

I am sure there probably is some meteorological reason for it but spending as many years in this portion of Texas as I have — ranging from birth to my early 50s with some time off in Central and North Texas, Southern Mississippi, southern California and the Southern Pacific — I have noticed that this corner of the state quite often gets a super blast of Arctic air a week or two before Christmas.

Several times I can remember pre-Christmas snow and sleet storms where I grew up deep in the Pineywoods. Later I remember colder ‘n hell pre-Christmases in Dallas — specifically the week of Christmas 1983 and the week before or near Christmas in 1989. And there have been other instances. I don’t know why we get these chunks o’ cold at these particular times, yet, I have never seen it snow, sleet or come a talcum powder flurry on Christmas Day in my life. Not that it really matters. I have drawn some confused looks from my black friends when I told them I never saw a white Christmas. They said: “Bro, where the hell did you grow up, in Kenya?”

It is just as I mentioned in the earlier post today, the Texas Gulf Coast is hardly your typical winter wonderland. And it’s still raining outside here in Beaumont. And you know something? I like it.

This morning I wore my coat, a knit cap and bought some gloves at lunch all because it is cold. Today is the first time this fall/approaching winter that I have dressed for winter weather. It really isn’t exaggerating to say that I spend the majority of my non-working hours — at least while awake — wearing shorts. I like shorts. They are comfortable for the most part. But they also represent something within my life. Shorts say that unless I have some important task or gig to do, that I can spend a great deal of my life feeling and wearing something comfortable.

I remember having a conversation either with my former psycho girlfriend or a female friend, I cannot remember who, about shoes. Women have some sort of genetic bond with shoes and seeking shoes, at least most of the women I have known. There are exceptions of course. But women can behold shoes as an object of passion while men look at shoes like … well like an old shoe. Comfort, durability and looks. That is what I look for in shoes. And yes, I’m a flip-flopper. I bought a cool pair of flip flops at Academy sometime right after the hurricane, Ike, now about three months ago and they are beginning to fall apart. They fail the durability test. But they still look cool and are still comfortable.

Not certain where this shoe tangent is going I will just say that I like being comfortable in my own skin, sort of semi-literally. The 35 degrees outside with cold wind, rain and possibly some assorted frozen precip later on makes me uncomfortable whilst I try to gain comfort. What I like least about cold weather is it is always either too cold or too hot. I remember the last time I was in Washington, D.C., it was cold and it seemed like every place one walked in was like entering an oven. Hey, why not have it somewhat temperate so it isn’t such a shock when you either enter or leave an inside space? Novel idea, or what?

Well, it’s about time to jacket up, toboggan up, glove up, get up, truck up, grocery store up, go home up, watch Wolf Blitzer up. Up, up, up.

CHECK OUT THE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT AGAINST BLAGOJEVICH AND HIS CHIEF OF STAFF.

News of the indictment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich proves one maxim in American politics: Never elect someone whose name you can’t pronounce.

Seriously folks, it is hardly shocking to see an arrest and/or indictment of a high official in the state of Illinois. Some politicians are morally and ethically challenged to begin with although such traits seemed to have been fine tuned over the years in Illinois and Louisiana in particular.

Hopefully this won’t have some kind of damaging link with the new president given his Illinois and Democratic connections. That is even though in just a few minutes that I could stand to listen this morning to Rush Limberger without upchucking, the conservative douche bag was already trying to convict Obama of high crimes and misdemeanors.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who did such a bang-up job getting to the bottom of the CIA-Valerie Plame matter, already is rationalizing the excuse for the indictment coming out when it did. But did Fitzgerald get marching orders from the Justice Department, the White House or the RNC? That is the question.

It — that being the alleged corruption and the rush by Rush and others to tie the Democratic president-elect into it — is just politics as usual. It remains to be seen if Blagojevich and his chief of staff will be convicted of corruption in the legalistic sense. But I think the jury has already spoken as to the moral corruption of those pushing the politics of personal destruction such as Rush Limbaugh.

Veterans groups appear to see favorably the designation of former Army Chief of Staff retired Gen. Eric Shinseki as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. If confirmed by the Senate Shinseki would be the first Asian-American to lead the nation’s second largest cabinet department.

Shinseki was twice wounded in Vietnam and had solid leadership experience during his career, one that included commanding the Fort Hood, Texas,-based 1st Cavalry Division as well as Stabilization Forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina. As is the case with the president-elect Shinseki was born in Hawaii. He graduated from West Point in 1965 and later received a master’s degree in English literature from Duke. Shinseki as Chief of Staff pushed for better mobility and technology but also told Congress that several hundred thousand troops would be needed to win in Iraq, something ignored by then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Shinseki recognizes some of the deficits in service facing veterans who use the VA and wants to correct those problems.

“Veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, in particular, are confronting serious, severe wounds – some seen, some unseen – making it difficult for them to get on with their lives in this struggling economy,” he said. “They deserve a smooth, error-free, no-fail, benefits-assured transition into our ranks as veterans, and that is our responsibility, not theirs.

“A word to my fellow veterans: If confirmed, I will work each and every day to ensure that we are serving you as well as you have served us,” Shinseki continued. “We will pursue a 21st-century VA that serves your needs. We will open … new doors of opportunity so you can find a good job, support your families when you return to civilian life. And … we will always honor the sacrifices of those who have worn the uniform, and their loved ones.”

I use the VA for health care. And while care is often good the delivery of care is in too many cases infused with red tape administered sometimes by people who have no greater calling in life than being an obstructive bureaucrat. That is by no means all of the VA but those who are guilty are enough to ruin one’s day.

The VA doesn’t need more red tape and doesn’t need more bureaucrats, especially at the top. Shinseki might just be what the VA needs to get in shape and make the lazy ones who seem to think they deserve their jobs to get off their asses or get off the clock.