Now and Later (A Tail of Two Battery--Problems)

There is a candy called “Now and Later.” It is a concept that you get a little treat now and wait for the rest. Well, I just had an episode of “Now and Later” with the battery in our Honda. (Shameless product placement.) But this is a good example. We had trouble “now” but avoided the later  part.  (Ed question: Does anyone really only consume half of the candy? Most of the time, in my experience, the portions are about half of what is “required” to satisfy the craving. But I digress.)

I was going to the meeting of the College and Career group with which I volunteer, sat down in the car, and pushed the starter. (Funny, I recall an old pickup that we had on the farm that had a “starter switch” on the floor. Dad would step down on it to start the truck. Now the fancy cars have a starter button on the dash and you push it to start the car. Progress! Until you have to replace the ignition “switch.”)

Anyway, the response was as old fashioned as you can get. Ever since electric starters first appeared on cars, the bug-a-boo of a dead battery or a defective connection has haunted and taunted drivers. (Or in this case, would be drivers. Without cooperation, you gonna drive nothin' nowhere.)

So I hopped out and connected my battery charger. Fortunately, the other car was not home, or we would have jumped it and probably led to a different “later” problem. After connecting the leads, I tried the starter. It still did not work. That generally means a “really” dead battery and not one that has just gotten slightly discharged. NOTE: I missed the meeting. A jumper may have energized the starter and then it would have not responded the next time I tried to start it--when I was coming home.

Next morning, I disconnected the charger and happened to notice a “little” corrosion on the positive terminal. (For the mathematically or automotively challenged, that is the red cable or red cover to the terminal. It usually has a “+” on it somewhere.

Being a good steward, and understanding the role of corrosion in electrical circuits I looked deeper. (The “role of corrosion” is to act as an insulator. In other words, it keeps the spark from getting through. It is the same result as a dead battery. No electricity gets to the starter and without that other implement in our old pickup, a crank, you are waiting for whatever or whoever to fix your problem. Either a mechanic–or tinkerer, like me, or a tow truck.)

I discovered that the cable connecting the red (positive) terminal to the battery and the rest of the ignition system was filled with corrosion. We bought this car, used, about 9 months ago and I did not think to check the battery terminals. It had to be there when the owner sold it. I know this, because he had turned a screw into the connecter and terminal. I am shocked that it worked as long as it did.

This is the first praise. This is a “then, now, and later” situation. This car has recently taken trips to Chattanooga, Memphis, Alabama, and Knoxville, besides being driven around town. It did not fail on one of those times when it was “out.” A failure here would have caused a varying amount of distress, contingent on the distance from home that it occurred. In the garage was nice.

We were also anticipating further “trips” around town and even one to Indianapolis. So the “later treat” could have been quite distressing and even disastrous. Thankfully, it occurred here, and, after cutting the cable, I discovered that the corrosion has crept (does corrosion creep? It is caused by battery acid leaking and moving up the cable, reacting with the copper, forming copper sulfate–for the chemically curious.) ...crept up the cable about an inch or so. Fortunately, I was able to chemically remove it from the cable, obviating an expensive replacement of the entire cable. (For the chemically curious, use baking soda and water. It reacts and completely removes the corrosion and neutralizes any residual acid.)

“All” I had to do was to replace the connector end of the cable to mate it with the battery. Of course, Honda has a special connection and the AutoZone (shameless product placement) replacement required some modification. But the principle is the same. Make a good connection to a complete circuit and everyone goes home happy. (Literally, and leaves home too.)

So the “tail” was literally the source of the problem. By correcting this, we avoided additional battery troubles and became aware that earlier ones were avoided. Not sure how: That sucker was literally suffused with corrosion.

Maybe I should have started this with, “It happened at the best of times. It happened at the worst of times.” Only it wasn’t really the worst. Just inconvenient for the current plans.

We were protected from “then and later” incidents by a smaller event at home. Thank You Lord.

What Is This For?

One mantra that I drummed into my children, and anyone else who would listen, was, “What is this for?” Or after the fact, “Is that what this is for?” I continually challenged them to ask themselves that question before they did something.

It could be as simple as using a knife blade to turn a screw, or using a toy as a hammer to drive a nail back into the wood. We had a few broken knives and damaged toys, but thankfully, nothing big to explain.

This training played in my head as I read about five Michigan teens who were tossing tires and rocks off an overpass on I-75 at cars passing underneath. Several cars were damaged, and the passenger in one van was fatally injured by the missile.

Evidently, none of these boys, now adults in the eyes of the law, ever asked, “Is that what this is for?” “Rock, overpass, throw rock at car.” Nope, that is not in the handbook of sensible uses for rocks.

As a result, a young father is dead, a young family is fatherless, and five families are coping with criminal charges for their children. And that is not to mention the civil damages that will almost surely be awarded to the owners of the damaged vehicles and the gigantic award awaiting the murdered man’s family.

Yes, you read that right. It was murder. Second degree murder is committing an act that is capable of taking a life without a specific target in mind. Premeditated murder differs in the fact that a specific individual was targeted. The charges may be pled down to first degree manslaughter, but that is still a felony and usually involves significant jail time.

A youth director who led the group my children attended confessed to the kids and parents that he had been convicted, as a teen, of manslaughter. Years later, he was still affected by the consequences, both legal and moral. He warned them to consider the long term ramifications of actions before “doing something dumb.”

“Is that what this is for?” sometimes still causes me to delay an action until I can get the proper tool or whatever, but that delay is minuscule to the one resulting from misuse. (Do I ever get away with “cheating?” Occasionally, but more often I am stuck with repairing or replacing the damaged item and then completing the action with the proper equipment. The instances are coming farther and farther apart.)

Is that what this is for? It may save a life–even your own.

All That Is Not News

Here is an open letter to the news media in the Nashville area. “Everything that happens is not news.” An infamous group of societal misfits is planning a “protest” in Shelbyville and Murfreesboro. Another misguided group is staging a “counter protest” to the protest.

The ironic thing is that I am not sure that I, or anyone else, the groups included, is completely cognizant of what specifically is being protested. But if XYZ group is protesting, ZYX is going to respond. (Mirror image designation is deliberate.)

Anyone is free to protest under the free speech and expression accorded by our Constitution, but every protest is not news worthy. The news outlets do not park their trucks outside the live theaters to report on murders, muggings, and other malevolencies (is that a word? Spell checker underlined it.) malevolent acts that occur in the plays, operas, and other presentations.

They “happen” but they ain’t news. Everything that happens is not news. Shev’ul and the Boro will present competing theater, but no news. Stay away.

If something untoward does occur, treat it like any other news event. Dispatch a truck or reporter to let us know what happened. We do not need an on-scene, play-by-play account of the foolishness. All that, is not news.

The media do not station resources on I-40 junctions to catch the latest semi trailer as it overturns. It is sufficient to cover it after the fact. Our protesting protesters may turn out to be like the thousands of semis that navigate the tricky turns without incident. And there will be no provocation provided by free publicity.

Let’s not make the headline of our media a play on the New York Times: “All that is not news.”

Affairs or Harassment?

The media is inundated with tales of one or another celebrity sexually harassing, abusing, or even assaulting different people. Most of the offenders have been married. Along with the angst at such behavior, we have a litany of queries or proposals as to “what can we do to solve this problem?” Incidentally the same question arises with each mass shooting that we endure.

Rachel Freeman, executive vice president of the Sexual Assault Center in Nashville outlines seven positive steps to combat the epidemic. (Nashville Tennessean 10/17) Like any chaotic event, the solution will take about as long to begin to have an effect as the lead-in to the problem took. Her ideas are admirable, but lack a firm foundation from which to launch. Hollywood, especially, has made a fortune from treating women and people in general as commodities to be exploited and not as individuals to be celebrated. Now we bemoan the inevitable results of such philosophies.

Affairs are often celebrated and even incidents of harassment are either ignored or minimized. In some instances, the harassment began as a mutual affair that became “one sided.” They can be innocuous until the acts become so egregious that they cannot be passed off as mischief or simple immaturity. They are then paraded all over the media, accompanied by proposed (probably futile)  solutions.

Without embarking on an extended theological treatise, I would posit a single statement. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” (This insight did not originate with me. Do not want to be charged with plagiarism.) This fundamental recognition of the worth of the individual can be expanded to all forms of sexual adventurism and perversion, including another shunned word, fornication.

The Ten Commandments were not given to “take away our fun.” They were given to reflect the holiness of God and to guide all of us in how to not violate the innate glory with which every person is imbued. Just ask any of the victims how much “fun” they had while being assaulted and even violated in the most cruel and degrading manner. Even now, ask Mr. Weinstein how much “fun” he is having. A little abstention, or better, attention to his wife, would have generated for him a much superior standing than he currently enjoys.

For comparison look at Billy Graham. His “celebrity” status exceeds that which many of our offenders sought or attained. Yet he remained true to one woman. What a strange idea. He would not trade places.

Our cultural obsession with self gratification leads to horrific consequences for those in contact with us, our families, and even our own being. Until we restore a foundational understanding of how people are to interact, we will continue to suffer the consequences of self imposed debauchery. The problem is accentuated by the current,”Me too,” campaign being waged on social media.

Incidentally, “Thou shalt not kill,” falls right in there with reflecting God’s glory in other human beings. Violating that, is not “fun” for anyone. This is almost universally testified to by the self imposed fatal shots that terminate most massacres.

We have sown the wind by banishing the Ten Commandments from our society. We are reaping the whirlwind. (Disclaimer: I did not originate that evaluation either.)

More on Protests

I am embarrassed. No, it is not those who disrespect the flag and the anthem, but we will address that a little later. I am embarrassed by the fans in England. After a rather emasculated version of the “Star Spangled Banner,” a lady sang the national anthem of Great Britain. (“God Save the Queen,” I believe.”) Her rendition was masterful and musically magnificent. (As for our anthem singer, my philosophy is, “If you can’t sing the song, don’t.” But I digress.)

What embarrassed me was that during the British anthem you could hear the full throated participation of the crowd. It was nearly possible to decipher the words, a challenge for any choir. And for an impromptu, “volunteer” choir to do such a job was amazing.

But even more amazing was the participation. It was not the wimpy mouthing of the words that mark American fans at nearly every venue during the national anthem. A lot of the Brits were singing and they were singing loudly.

If we, as Americans, are put off by those protesting during the anthem, let’s let them know by an overwhelming participation in singing that song. Let your patriotism show or rather be heard. Can’t sing? Most of those around you can’t either, but when you all let ‘er rip, no one can tell.

Sing, America! Show your pride and respect.

And for those who deny that the protest should be considered an offense to the flag, consider this. A lot of the same crowd that praises the protests are the same ones who are offended by people flying the Confederate battle flag and revering Civil War monuments. The battle stems from the “perception” of what the objects mean. What offends one is a respected symbol to another.

If you can tolerate disrespecting the flag to make a point, then you better not be offended when someone else disrespects something you hold dear to make a point. “Freedom of speech and expression” cuts both ways. You cannot repress one expression while exercising another.

We have some “real” problems in our country. They include the health care crisis, the devastating budget and national debt debacle, North Korea’s insanity, Iran’s development of ICBM missiles coupled with their nuclear capacity, the immigrant crisis all over the world, etc. And our most pressing issue of the day is whether we stand or kneel and whether we respect and revere an old flag or statues of a defeated army? Surely we can expend a little of our energy on addressing real problems.

Stand, kneel, or sing. But then turn attention to the problems that threaten our country and indeed the entire world.

Protests

When I was a kid I always wanted to read. Mom told me that we would learn that in school. So when the first day of kindergarten came, I was ecstatic. But when I got home, Mom noticed that I was disappointed.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“We didn’t learn how to read,” I replied. “I think that the teacher does not know how.”

That was my first introduction to unrealistic expectations, and sadly it was not the last. A second expression of frustration is produced when our affirmations are made in an inappropriate venue. If we are unhappy with our service at a restaurant, we will not vent our feelings in a movie theater. The place to complain is where it will do some good, and not necessarily disturb other patrons of an unrelated venue.

Are our NFL protesters doing any good by expressing their frustration with racism and mistreatment in an NFL stadium? Incidentally, the initial wave of protesters were very well paid and fairly treated, it would seem. I guess I missed the racism and exploitation. Is their “protest” highly public and noticed? Indubitably. But is it 1) effective, and 2) focused on the proper audience?

The biggest impression that most people hold of the protests is that they are denigrating and demeaning the flag and the national anthem. Their protestations not withstanding, the focus is clearly on those two topics. The initiator had to “explain” the meaning of his initial protest. That is not a communication coup when the subject of the protest is not clearly defined and pinpointed.

And are the denials of intent to damage the flag and anthem credible? Imagine that someone took to the media and spued vituperations laced with the “n-word” and other racial and ethnic slurs. “I didn’t mean it like that,” would probably not be an acceptable disclaimer. The same would be true if someone went into a church and cursed the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

“I was just sharing some language that I heard on the street. It does not really mean that I am anti-God. I am protesting swearing.”

Turn the story around. Suppose that someone wanted to protest the CTE damage that football players and boxers suffer. So to protest, he protests in front of the medical facility that is studying and attempting to identify and cure the problem. Does “inappropriate venue” come to mind? Dishonoring the very people who have shared and even spent their lives to bring freedom and equality to America is the height of, well, let’s be candid, stupidity. Protesting the very people and institutions that have made us the greatest nation in the world is nonsense.

And, like my kindergarten self, to expect something to happen in one day because I “protest” seems to be another instance of unrealistic expectations. Combine an inappropriate venue with unrealistic expectations and we have a recipe for failure. And we also face the frustration of alienating or dividing our society. We do not need any more divisive issues, thank you.

One game seemed to have an acceptable combination. The players knelt for a minute to draw attention to the players’ concerns, then, arm in arm, stood for the anthem. It made a point without isolating anyone or alienating anyone. That was some mature thinking. Too bad our “kindergarten” friends have not caught up.

A Parable

We got a new(er) car this year and as a dutiful owner, I was perusing the owner’s manual. I got to the section on lubrication and it said that the owner should use synthetic oil. I immediately hurled that hateful book into the garbage. I can put what ever I want into my car and I am not going to have some engineer who thinks he knows it all tell me what to do. If my personal preference is for natural oil, I will use it.

Logical, right? (Notwithstanding the fact that it will limit the lifetime of my vehicle.) Well, you might chuckle or cluck cluck at that, but I dare say that has happened recently with the Nashville Statement. (https://cbmw.org/nashville-statement) A multitude of critics have assailed and assaulted the statement as a hate-filled, bigoted declaration. I have read it and did not find “hate,” or intolerance, or any other derogatory reference. There were 14 affirmations accompanied by 14 denials of misinterpretation of the affirmations.

There are quite a few rebuttals to global warming and none, that I have seen, has been characterized as hate speech. And the opposition to abortion is profound and increasing. I do not recall any “hate” labels applied to that. And there is a group who opposes capital punishment. Defenders of the ultimate penalty do not charge these opponents with being hateful. Even the civil rights movement was not characterized by hateful name calling. Even the dispute over slavery did not devolve into such tactics.

The attack tactics of the homosexual lobby are unprecedented in American history and have descended to a new low in both civility and rationality. For those who have not read the Statement, there is a link included. You will find frank language, but not even as specific as we find in the Bible.

If you miss the love and compassion, read it again. It does not pander to society’s aberrations, and that is conceivably the motivation for the strong negative reaction. It is a strong statement of Biblical world understanding.

The Bible, like my auto manual, it directs us to optimal operational principles for maximum enjoyment of my experience and the longevity of the equipment. Maybe we need to return to the trash can to retrieve our discarded “manuals.”