Today marks the founding of the Republican Party. (March 20, 1854) Is it the party’s foundational principle of anti-slavery that prompts Papa’s memory today? Of course, BUT. The organizing meeting credited as the party’s start happened in the Badger State. In Ripon to be precise. I am always eager to make a connection. The Republican Party, as it still does today, irritated democrats. So much so that those in the South seceded from the nation by 1860. The horrors of the Civil War followed. A conflict of differing principles. Afterwards, the mostly Republican sponsored 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the US Constitution were adopted.

However, before Papa was aware of history the quiet city of Ripon warmed my heart with a different anticipation. Rippin Good cookies were produced in Ripon. Much is faint to me but a windmill shaped cookie from the company sticks in my mind. It seems the cookie company has ceased production. I checked my other favorite (Johnston) and they also no longer make cookies. But, I do recall my dad driving to West Milwaukee and buying five pound bags of “broken cookies” for $1.00 at the company’s back door.

Papa spent a week in Ripon during 1960. I was selected as a delegate to Badger Boys State which was held at Ripon College. A very good time. Dormitory life. Met new friends. Talks and practical exercises in government. At age 16 it was a first taste of independence from home. Not as significant as men who gathered in Ripon for the purpose of ending slavery.. But, the impact of being near the site of the GOP’s historic founding was stirring for a young man.

With what seems to be mostly depicted as a messy world in the news, it is hard to get to the core of my original intent for this blog. That intent was HOPE. It was not a matter of hope for you but because of you. I do have faith in you and your generation once much of the media/internet quiets or becomes too transparent to stomach. Papa senses that the crazies are getting past their expiration dates and that common sense is set to seep back into our culture. One reason might be viewing a supposedly “educated” leader on television demonstrating on an issue. She was so over the top that it is easy to feel more damage than good was done for whatever cause she espoused. Yikes.

However, television has also presented a few opportunities to see fresh, younger politicians who also foster hope for the future. With U Tube, news outlets and C-SPAN video archives you can watch two men who give hope for their generation when ready to take the reins of leadership. If you get a chance look up Ro Khanna of California and Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin. They are members of the US House of Representatives and each appears familiar with common sense. (Papa’s political hope.) It appears that they are two guys who could get together and hammer out solutions to problems. That may sound like a pipe dream because our political parties each have some crazies in tow but mostly due to their “never give an inch” mentality that serves re-elections well. It may be slow in coming and I may not be alive to see the day but I can see each/both of them in higher office. Keep an eye on them.

February 22nd marks a memorable moment in U S history that you can view. On February 22nd, 1980 the USA hockey team defeated the Soviet Union team in the Winter Olympics. The US team was mostly made up of amateurs; young college players ( two Badgers) and a few players who had low minor league experience. The Soviets were professional, full time players who I think had won 4 of the last 5 Olympics. They dominated the sport and were predicted to be easy winners again by all accounts. The US team was a huge underdog.

However, the US beat/upset the Soviets in Lake Placid NY. The match was televised. Of course a Badger* scored two of the US goals. With ten minutes left in the last period the young USA team led 4-3. Papa watched that game and I can attest that those were ten of the longest minutes ever, which is what the team and all fans said. The big bad Russians/Soviets were all in during those final ten minutes. It was furious. At the finish the game was described as a miracle by the announcer. (Do you believe in miracles?) Inspirational doesn’t fully justify the emotions of that day. Besides the thrill of victory in sport, remember we were still locked in a cold war with the Soviets. For me it was another nail in the coffin of Sputnik. (Sadly, what goes around comes around with today’s new Russian wanna be Poo Bah.) That game was well documented and had a TV movie made. In 2004 the movie “Miracle” was released. Watch it. It’s good and you will get a sense of the drama of that match.

Before the US existed another event happened on a historic February 22nd. George Washington, our first President, was born. More consequential of course but you can actually watch the hockey match/documentary/movies. Papa loves sports but that Olympic win was a WOW moment.

(* Later to coach Badger Women’s team to six National Championships. And, counting.)

The citizens of the US are in the midst of great confusion over the shooting down of balloons/objects in the last ten days or so. It is a potentially very scary/serious situation that has been fumbled into chaos by leaders who miss a passing grade on simple transparency. It is a fiasco that gives Papa regret that I wasted a post on the “Keystone Kops”. To save myself I remembered another movie/term that seems to fit “Balloon Gate.”

My mind went to the memory of a silly Don Knotts westen movie. Jets criss crossing in the air and firing $400,000 missles at stuff that is floating around North America (one miss) led me to think we might be better off with high flying Sopwith Camels pilots who are armed with bows/arrows or shotguns to deflate blimps. The function could best be outsourced to hunters. My silly thoughts reminded me of the old movie cited above. However, my brilliance vanished when the reality of end of life reared its inevitable head. Is Papa lossing it?

“The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight” movie not only didn’t feature Don Knotts; it wasn’t even a western. It was a gangster movie. There is a lesson here. There will be times that you are absolutely positive that certain things happened becasue you remember them happening. Memories can be tricky. I’ve talked to people about events witnessed by both parties and it turns out that our recall is not quite the same. Some parts might be remembered the same but other details differ. Once a pal and I talked about a classmate falling out of a tree. One version ended with a broken arm and the other resulted in a fractured leg. Old memories fade and I suspect get wrapped into similar events/people/circumstances. Portions of events from a long time ago may also have been more important to one person while another was struck by a different portion. If you ever in the situation where your memory/testimony will be needed I suggest writing the facts down close to the time of the event. Short term memory is usually better but it can fade or be blended with time.

Balloongate’s trigger for Papa ended up wide of the mark. But, my memory bank still retained a small dposit. There was a silly western movie with Don Knotts. (“Shakiest Gun In The West”) And, there was a western movie called “Over The Hill Gang.” There’s a ton of blending going on in Papa’s brain.

Papa had a security clearance as a Judge Advocate many years ago. It was primarily used when in Vietnam for work on various investigations/war crime issues. The classified documents that I accessed were secret and below; mostly below. However, the handling of any classified material was treated very seriously. The documents were stored in a safe. A security officer could get a document that I needed for my work. I had to sign a log/receipt each time the document was in my possession. I kept it in my ofice until I returned it to the security officer for safekeeping. I did not leave the document on my desk if I went to lunch etc. It had to be returned to the safe. Any document was traced to and from me whenever it left or was returned to the safe. Security rules were clearly understood.

A good analogy is one I used when explaining the terms of a mortgage to clients at a real estate closing. Notes and mortgages have lots of clauses. Sign these papers if you want the lender’s money. It’s all weighted in the lender’s favor. If you don’t pay back they can come down on you like a ton of bricks. That is how I viewed the consequences if I mishandled classified material. It is simple,and direct. Yet, it is astounding that folks get sideways when dealing with classified documents. Can’t we expect professionals to be careful?

In the last two months the nation finds itself faced with both supposed lead candidate for President in 2024 under a possible crimminal investigation for classified material related issues. Duh! Papa once expressed a hope that the 2024 candidates not be age eligible for medicare. Now, I add hope for a sliver of common sense responsibility. Be judicious. Follow the rules.

Both potential crimminals are working hard to argue that what the other guy did is worse than what they did. The past President has a for me to know and you to find out what documents I might have defense supplemented by I can do whatever I want with my documents. Our current President’s defense may be that the near six years retention of material ( who knows where and seen by whom) doesn’t matter if, behind closed doors, his team in the last two months has been sorting through stuff and turning over what they deem is important to the proper authorities. Or, I’ve already seen a few media hints that in a hurry clericals may have inadvertently scattered classified material here and there. It’s hard to get decent worker bee help nowadays. One does wonder where the keepers of the classified documents have been for 5-6 years. (Is a document missing if the guys with the keys don’t know it’s missing?) I do know that I’d have had all hell to pay if I didn’t return classified material to the safe; that very day.

It’s all enough to make Papa wonder if we have a shortage of a ton of bricks for all.