Suhail.

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My friend Suhail died in Pakistan a few days ago.  He was only 41, consequence of brain cancer.  We only worked together for a couple of months, and there is nothing I can add to what his fellow Pakistani, Ehtasham, wrote as an obituary a short while ago.  My life was immensely enriched knowing these two men, Fulbright scholars at the Human Rights Center of the University of Minnesota Law School.

The results of our labors together in 2014 can be seen here.  Suhail was the photographer.  It was Ehtasham’s project.  I’d specifically recommend the interview with Melvin Giles, if you wish to view only one.

Suhail is at Peace.

Suhail

Here is the link to Ehtasham’s obituary for his friend and colleague Suhail, presented exactly as I received it: Ehtasham Anwar- Suhail Apr 2, 2020.  (Click on the image to enlarge it).

As I write, I remember a long ago funeral I attended, honoring a teacher who had died at a young age, and was a very active contributor to his students and community.  The minister offered his eulogy, in part this memorable tribute.  “He lived before he died, he died before he was finished.”  If we all can be the same.

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If you wish further information please contact Dick Bernard.  e-address in upper left corner.

The Mail Box

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“We all do better when we all do better.”  Paul Wellstone, 1999

Just back from my two miles in the woods.  Today’s “census”: I met seven people and eight dogs (one couple had five dogs on a leash).  These were ‘nod and keep walking encounters’.   Two were couples; two walkers were deep into their ear buds.  (There were also two squirrels).  I think we were all following the rules.

The old Busch mailbox at rest, March 30, 2020

As “apex” becomes a common term with COVID-19, I’ve become more and more aware of interpersonal communication in this new age.  It has changed for all of us, in different ways, and we’re not accustomed to it.  And its unlike anything most of us have ever had to deal with.

A few days ago,  my friend Bernie, a fellow usher, called me on the phone to just check in.  We talked near an hour: an eternity in my typical engagement.

Bernie is one of those folks, as is our friend Don across the street, who hasn’t, doesn’t and won’t do computer and those other new fangled things that we take for granted.  Telephone and occasional greeting card do just fine for him.

A few days earlier my four siblings and I had an unusual flurry of activity, which turned out to be amusing, but could have been serious.  It started with four or five text messages in a row.  I have a flip phone which receives and sends texts, so I heard the phone, but it was downstairs, and besides, it is very tedious to text on a small phone.  But I looked at the brief messages, and the flurry of texts suggested there might be more of a story, which led me to call my brother in Salt Lake City, where there recently had been an earthquake.  He and I connected, but mid-call the phone went dead for some reason or other.  My brother sent me an e-mail, and on we went…excitement soon over.

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The episodes remind me of a long ago observation, long before Facebook, even, that “we have more ways to communicate less” (my phrase).  I have two examples I’d like to share, for thought and discussion.

I thought about my ancestors farm mailbox, which resides now above my car in our garage (photo).  It is a very large, heavy and real metal mail box, and in its day came most everything mailable to the farm, from letters, to “Monkey Ward” catalog to shoes, to newspapers and farm magazines to machine parts – you name it, was delivered to that mail box, and it was a treat to be able to go down to get the mail when we came to visit.

In the farm house, remembering my visits around, say, 1950, they had a radio (mostly I remember livestock prices in West Fargo), and a telephone, which was used only for necessary calls (everybody on the line could listen in!). Television came quite a bit later.

I thought, also, back to a 1991 meeting I attended where a handout reviewed how we communicated then.  The list is below (Source pr reporter Aug. 26, 1991), and is interesting to ponder in context with how we communicate today.

  1.  One-to-one, face-to-face.
    2. Small group discussion/meeting
    3. Speaking before a large group
    4. Phone conversation
    5. Hand-written personal note
    6. Typewritten, personal letter not generated by computer
    7. Computer generated or word-processing-generated “personal” letter
    8. Mass-produced, non-personal letter
    9. Brochure or pamphlet sent out as a “direct mail” piece
    10. Article in organizational newsletter, magazine, tabloid
    11. News carried in popular press
    12. Advertising in newspapers, radio, tv, mags, posters, etc.
    13. Other less effective forms of communications (billboards, skywriters, etc.)

I’m not coming to any conclusions, here, just raising some observations which I hope all of us think about as we try to adapt to a new way of being with each other.

COMMENT:  Beth identifies this website as having very useful webinars, including one on April 6 on COVD-19.  This is a program of the UM Alumni Association, and requires registration, but there is no requirement that registrants be alumni.

 

Portion of Walking route; my normal route is beyond lower right hand corner to the lake beach area and back.  Walking area is marked in white.

Your correspondent Apr 2, 1020

Taxes

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PRENOTE:  Have you filed your 2020 Census Data?  The website is here.  A mailer should have been received at your address earlier in March.  It is very easy to complete, and very important.

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Today was to be my annual tax appointment.  It was cancelled due to the Minnesota lockdown.  I submitted the paperwork on Friday in the event my tax preparer can do the preparation without my attendance.

I would venture that it is the rare person who likes the word ‘taxes’.  “Death and Taxes” are a common pair.

I think I have all but one of the tax returns filed since my first, which would have been about 1964.  One I misplaced.  56 years.  There is no reason to keep the others, but once the tradition started, it took root, and in the garage is a large box full of state and federal tax returns.  It will be something for my descendants to toss on my departure.  “Why did he keep these?” someone will ask….

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I truly don’t mind paying taxes.  I buy Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.’s declaration “Taxes are what we pay for civilized society.”

I don’t know for sure what my tax bill is for this year.  I am pretty sure that it will be similar to previous years: about 15% of our income for State and Federal taxes.  Has this broken us?  Hardly.

Yes, I know, there are those that aggregate any other conceivable tax to make it seem like half their hard-earned wages go to bureaucrats and other presumed loafers in that despised ‘government’, most of whom are expert in what they do, proven by their long experience doing it, regardless of the title of their position; whether in a cubicle or top floor corner office with windows on two sides.  Virtually every one of us are like these folks.  We have value.

What’s wrong with paying gas taxes to improve aging roads and bridges, or buy snow removal equipment for a city through municipal taxes?  Nothing, of course, unless you think you should get it for free, or for less, or later, when its already too late.

My favorite anti-tax guy was the old codger, during the most heated taxpayer revolution days, who slapped his wallet, as he exclaimed, loudly, “I want my money in my pocket, right here!”  It made for good drama, but not for good sense.  I was there, sitting near him at a community conversation the night he said it.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s still saying it, if he’s still alive…I used to see him at the copy machine at the local FedEx, running off his anti-tax flier for distribution somewhere or other.

One does not argue with someone so certain.  How about public schools?  Fire protection, roads, on and on.

Right now we’re dealing with the consequences of lack of foresight in dealing with a national crisis, COVID-19.  We ended up behind the eight-ball because the leadership of the Federal Government dismissed the potential need and all of us are suffering and will continue to suffer from this short-sightedness.

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If we are smart, we’ll use this episode in our history to take a good hard look at our priorities as a nation.  We need a strong central government, with strong United States, working together rather than being forced to compete with each other while the federal level tries to figure out what to do.

We will have plenty of months, this time, to reflect on how, or whether, we choose to work together for the greater good of everyone.

We are all wise in many ways.  We need to use our individual and collective wisdom to begin to right this collective train wreck in which we are living.

We can’t do this by our silence.

TOMORROW OR THE NEXT DAY: Breakdown in Communications.

More if you wish: Modified Happy Talk.

COMMENTS (More in the comments section):

from a good friend: I wouldn’t mind paying taxes if those taxes are spent on useful things, however, if you look at the budget of the Federal Government, one of the largest expenditures has to do with defense spending.  I may have told you that during my last few years at [a defense related industry], I worked with the Air Force and Navy to define defense systems that could improve their military effectiveness and could save each service several hundred billion dollars over the next system life span.  The Air Force showed some interest, but not so in the Navy.  The issue is that as you modernize and streamline, many of the positions that the officers were eyeing for their next promotion would disappear, hence there was strong objections to modernizing.  Just a fact of life, until we get a commander-in-chief that has the intellect to figure it all out.