On the morning of June 17th 2008, I celebrated the passing of my Dad, Ernie Shifflett by having a glass of milk and ice. When I was in the 11th and 12th grades, Dad and I would watch TV in the evenings, each with our glass of milk filled with ice. Once the milk was gone, ice crunching began. I think I’m the only other Shifflett that still does milk and ice.
During those years, my after school snack was a coffee cup of frozen chocolate milk. I would scrape the frozen chocolate milk with my spoon while watching reruns of Highway Patrol, Sea Hunt or Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
When I think about Dad, I remember the last 16 months, calling him 2-3 times per week just to speak. We both found a way to laugh at our, “glitches, surprises or bumps in the carpet.”
I’ll also remember forever these times:
In 1978 I had just returned from my first Western Pacific deployment and fell asleep at the wheel while driving my car from the storage garage back to base. I waited a few weeks before notifying Mom or Dad of the accident and 46 days of hospitalization. By the time I called them; I could walk and was moving fine. The next day, Dad showed up at the hospital unannounced. He just wanted to be sure I was doing well. We walked around Waikiki Hawaii and went to a new movie that was just released, “Cross of Iron” a great James Colburn movie.
When I graduated Marine Corps Drill Instructor School, I was the honor graduate and received a Marine NCO Sword from the General. Dad flew out to Beaufort, SC to see me graduate.
Dad liked the idea of doing it yourself. He really liked making homemade ice-cream and pizza. He liked building things, working with his hands and he really liked cooking. He liked the idea of being rustic. He had the coolest waffle iron and old fashioned recipe to go with it. It’s a waffle iron was just the mold without an attached heat source. So to turn out perfect waffles, you had to know your heat, iron and recipe. Like my Dad, I love to cook and have my own waffle iron just like his; he helped me purchased in Seattle. I too pride myself on making the best Belgium waffles and even make my own homemade blueberry syrup. I’ll be celebrating Dad this Saturday by making these waffles.
For the last few years he was a big advocate for green cars and humanity taking seriously the responsibility of caring for the environment. My next car will be a green car for sure.
Dad was very generous towards his kids, providing assistance with education, cars, travel and other expenses.
Dad was also very smart and an outstanding bridge player. In his last weeks, they would wheel him to the bridge table and he and his partner would win.
So at night I’ll have my ice and milk; remember the times I had with my Dad and the person he was.
Dad I will miss you very much.
Love,
Karl Shifflett
18 June 2008
Commentary: Our Pretend National Elections
May 15, 2008 by Ernie Shifflett
Many people think it matters who wins our elections, think their vote matters, and believe our votes will influence our representatives to do our bidding. All such people are mistaken. Corporations and big money contributors to campaigns are the only beneficiaries of the election results. They make sure of this by making large contributions to both political parties, not caring much who wins, since they have paid for the support they want on issues they care about. By doing this they are able to have their way on the issues important to them. Voters and citizens be damned.
As long as we allow corporations and big money contributions to control our government, what the majority of voters want on critical problems is irrelevant. These problems include the war in Iraq, universal healthcare, global warming, energy independence, unfair taxation system, guaranteed fair elections, and preservation of our constitutional rights. The corporations will continue to have their way to maximize short term profits as their highest priority.
Given the current system of providing funds for running for office, there is no playing field, much less a level one. The only hope we have and the only issue that matters is to disenfranchise corporations, and only allow small political contributions or publically funded campaigns. We need our representatives to work on our problems, not primarily on raising money for their reelection.
Many may claim we can’t change the system, but we have to if we want to restore democracy. Several organizations have been working this single, overriding problem, including Program on Corporations, Law, and Democracy (www.poclad.org) and Reclaim Democracy (www.reclaimdemocracy.org). Our courts have given corporations absurd powers, and we must see this change to have any hope for government by the people and for the people.
Ernie Shifflett
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