I have loved the game of chess, and chessboards, for the majority of my life. I currently have two wooden sets, and one crystal set, and one portable set. At one time I had a marble set, that I purchased when we visited Juarez, Mexico, in the 1980s. Somehow the board was broken…and the warriors…dispersed… I used to have two crystal chess sets, but I gave one too Aaron. During our 2020 pandemic…I have ordered, from, Bed Bath & Beyond a, ‘2020 Battle for the White House Chess Set in Red/White/Blue. Yes, inquiring minds want to know, President Trump and Vice President Pence will be represented on the field of play. Yes. I have a piece of art, The Trump Tie, that is made out of hammered steel and painted a bright red. I purchased the unique piece at Fraser Leonard Fine Art Gallery in St. Charles, Missouri…late in November of 2016. I think we visited the gallery just after my enjoying a couple of, fortified, Grand Mariner’s!
On a few occasions during my life I have felt like that I was being treated like a, pawn, which is to say…expendable. During my 32 years and 2 months and 3 weeks…I discovered that although I had many, perceived, friends in university administration…when I ceased to be useful to them…they were no where to be found…they were missing in action…
Politicians, on both sides of the aisle, have the habit of telling we pawns…what they think that we want to hear. To be clear, they lie to us on a regular basis. I witnessed thousands of young men lose their lives in Vietnam…based on the lies that our elected leaders trumpeted as the truth! It is not pleasant to be lied to. As I told a university chancellor, that if he continued to insult my intelligence…I was leaving his office. He assured me that he believed that I was very intelligent…actions speak louder than words…
I think that we are in the global crisis of our generation. It has become expedient and a popular slogan to, ‘follow your gut,’ whatever than means… Thus…if something does not feel safe…it probably is not. If 2+2=10…we are in an arithmetic book that I did not study in school. If we hope that the members of the 1%…and the powerful…and the privileged charter members of the Club of the Elites…really care about the pawns…we are deceived…and it could be deadly… I am reading the, ‘Glass Hotel’ by Emily St. John Mandel. It is an engaging book with an oft used quote by the main character, ‘the land of money.’ I learned of the cast system in India, when I was in school. We have a cast system in the United States…as well.
I saw many bicyclist’s on campus, today. There were smile on their happy faces. They appeared to be relishing the outdoor and away from home time! It is comforting to see my neighbors and fellow Southern Illinoisans not only surviving…but doing well during life under the Coronavirus cloud. As the Gloria Gaynor song says, ‘I will Survive!’ We will survive…if we care about each other and protect each other…and treat each other with love and respect.
The Jazz Man 
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