2017: As the year closes out...

Note: It's been over a year since I used this particular blog. I had the best of intentions but never really followed through. I thought now would be a good time to try & get back into practice with it.

2017. Holy cow.

The tumultuous year of 2017 really began in earnest in 2016 with the election of Donald Trump to be the next POTUS. It seemed like all hell broke loose in the media and across the country (the world, even). His Inauguration  on January 20, 2017 marked the end of an era, for sure, and I feel like we're still transitioning as a country eleven months later.

How has Trump done? It's hard to tell, honestly. With all media outlets except Fox News railing against him (and even then, some journalists there are increasingly critical), we never hear anything good about the man. He's obnoxious, boorish, and in my opinion, unqualified to be the leader of the Free World. He's plagued by scandal after scandal yet his ego remains planetary (in public, anyway)... but none of this is news. It began in 2015 when he announced his candidacy. 35% of Republican voters made him their candidate for the 2016 election and had there not been 15 others running, I don't think he'd have gotten the nomination, but that's all history.

I scoff, though, at Americans who say "not my President". He is, like it or not. Many of us didn't vote for Obama but I never used that phrase toward him. Trump likely doesn't represent your values, your vision for the country, or what you stand for, but he's still your President. In fact, given his constant contradictions in speeches, Twitter, and rallies, it's hard to know what he actually stands for other than himself. I don't believe he's going anywhere for the next three years so we as a nation will have to deal with that.

One (perhaps unintended) positive result of his Presidency has been that many people have found their voice both personally and politically. He's encouraged people on both sides of the political spectrum to stand up for their beliefs. Women are speaking up about abuse at the hands of monsters like Harvey Weinstein and Matt Lauer. A so-called Republican who allegedly molested teenage girls when he was in his 30s, and believes Muslims should not hold public office and that women are genetically inferior to men, was beaten in an election in Alabama (though he's still contesting it as of this writing)

Unfortunately it's been a double-edged sword. As an example, for every peaceful protester against the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, there's another terrorist in the Antifa movement. Countering violence and hate with more violence and hate will not get us anywhere. But many people have no idea how to broach the subject properly. I use this simple meme to sum up this point:

   

Now that the obligatory political comments have been made, I have to say this year has had a few downs and some incredible highs in my personal life.

In May, I legally adopted my daughter. This actually began six months before when she asked me if I would... you talk about an honor! We took the entire day to celebrate with family at the courthouse and out for a late breakfast afterward. Most step-parents are good at the job and care deeply for their kids. Few, though, get to have their kids officially declared theirs, and fewer still by the kids' choice. My daughter is amazing, simply put, and the joy I felt was unparalleled.

In June we had the opportunity to stay with some of my wife's family in Petosky, MI, enjoying the wonder of Michigan's northern regions. We shared many laughs, the kids had a great time, and we got to have experiences we hadn't done yet. She got to see her dad and young siblings, which made the trip special.

Christmas was a few days ago and we were blessed to provide great gifts for our kids. It was the first time in several years I looked forward to the Holiday and it lived up to expectations.

Both kids, my son and daughter, are doing fantastic in school. He's at the top of his class in several subjects and she has rebounded from a tough year in Grade 7 and has shown what she's capable of in Grade 8. She's also talented musically, playing violin/fiddle and teaching herself piano. He's creative with writing and making his own mini-comic books. They're both witty, kind, smart, and overall good people. As a parent there's little more you can ask for.

Work at my main job was tough this year. At times humiliating and humbling, I've found a bit more purpose there in the last quarter of the year. I had the opportunity to work for about half the year at the local Home Depot, though, and took a lot of joy in that. I'd never really done customer service before and it was a good lesson in how to deal with the public. Most of the experiences were positive, my coworkers and store leadership were open and welcoming, and part of me wishes I'd stayed. Who knows, maybe in the future?

I'm still married! *lol* Married now six-and-a-half years and together for over eight, I'm still fortunate enough to be married to an exceptional woman who loves me for who I am. I treasure her now and always. Thank you, Darling.

There were a lot of good day-to-day happenings and one-off events that I need not bring up. I try to focus less on the macro and more on the micro nowadays, doing the best I can with my friends and family. I honestly think if more people focused on their family and friends, tried to raise their kids right, and did their best to be decent people, we'd be better off. That's not enough for the world, of course, but it would be a start.

So Happy New Year, everyone. Let's make 2018 the best year yet. Many of the shackles of 2017 don't need to weigh us down in the next twelve months. Despite the craziness out there, there are stories everyday of people helping one another, of people coming together in times of crisis. There's lots to hope for, plenty to be thankful for, and maybe we'll each get the chance to do that ourselves in 2018.

President-Elect Trump

Asked a year ago, I never thought Donald Trump was a serious candidate. In the week leading up to the 2016 Republican National Convention, I thought for sure the RNC would find a more suitable, qualified candidate. I'm not a registered Republican but, as a conservative, I prefer to vote along my values, ethics, and morals. No way, no how did I ever consider Trump would actually be a presidential nominee for one of our main political parties.

But it happened and he won the race, making him American President Number 45.

Rehashing his Tweets and verbal jibes would take more space than this blog post can handle, and it's really unnecessary. Reciting the various negative names and descriptions tossed at him would be a similarly daunting task and equally as pointless. This entire campaign has been one giant mudslinging contest and it's finally come to an end... kind of.

It's only the day after and I've already seen a torrent of celebrities and Average Joes alike using phrases such as #notmypresident and #nevermypresident. I hate to break it to them (well, not really), but yes he is (as opposed to "yes we can", ha ha ha). George Walker Bush was your President, just as Barack Hussein Obama was mine, and Donald John Trump is ours. Of all the celebrity Tweets, it was former N*Sync star and current D-List celebrity Lance Bass who gave what I consider a classy concession statement regarding Trump's impending Presidency:

"I totally understand why this country has voted the way it has. The people are not happy. I respect that. Let's all please come together and influence this new President in a positive way. The country is speaking. Let's respect that and try to work together. I will try to influence this new President as much as I can and support them as much as I can. I pray that they believe in equality. I pray that they make this country a place my future children with gay parents can feel safe and thrive. Let us all try to understand why this country is upset. Let's please come together and love one another. We might not agree with everything a candidate supports, but We The People can still make our voices heard and guide this new President in the right direction. We still live in the greatest country in the world. Don't forget that! We are great and we will continue to get better!! #StrongerTogether"

Bass is completely correct: people are tired of the status-quo in Washington and in our government. For the DNC to nominate Hillary Clinton, who has over four decades of scandal, corruption, dishonesty, ill-gained wealth, hypocrisy, and innocent blood on her hands, was foolish. I contend if they'd nominated anyone else, someone with even the slightest bit of integrity who Middle America could believe in, they would've kicked Trump's ass. Instead they nominated a career politician who embodies everything wrong with Washington, D.C.

Regarding President Obama, his terms have seen record amounts of mass killings on American soil; civil unrest rivaling the most heated periods of protest during the Vietnam War; skyrocketing health care costs (made worse by his own "Affordable Care" act); many Millennials have turned into greedy, selfish brats whose feelings are more important than their accomplishments and who want everything given to them; and a level of partisan politics in Washington which has caused the government to be less effective than it's been in decades.

No wonder so many are craving change!

I'll admit to be astonished on many levels, particularly the fact Trump got more votes from ethnic minorities than Mitt Romney did in 2012. After his repeated tirades against Hispanics, threats to stop Muslim immigration, and a plethora of other offensive, boorish statements aimed at women and minorities, I'm surprised he even made it to the RNC Convention, let alone the election. As a white, middle-class man in his mid-thirties, my life experiences differ radically from those who Trump targeted with his statements. While I cannot empathize with how they may feel, I certainly understand their trepidation toward his Presidency.  

For those who insist on being melodramatic and threatening a move to Canada: Leave. Get out and don't come back. Conservatives (and many moderates) have fought against President Obama for eight years, preferring to stand up for themselves rather than tucking tail and running. Part of what makes America great (sorry, Trump, it already is) is people standing up for their ideals, taking part in a democratic process. Running and hiding? You might as well be French.

The fact is we'll all survive and get through this. We may even be surprised at his successes, who knows? In Michigan, we elected a non-politician, a businessman, to be our Governor. Economically, we're doing better than we had in the years prior, and Detroit has begun mounting a comeback from 40-plus years of downfall. Trump is a businessman - often successful, sometimes a failure - but he sure isn't a politician. While I don't have a high level of confidence in him, I also cannot foresee his Presidency being as apocalyptic as his most vocal detractors are predicting.

I'd suggest he'll only be a one-term President but I've been wrong about his chances from the get-go. All we can do at this point is pray for the best, expect the worst, and end up somewhere in between. It's sure to be a wild ride.

September 11, 2001: A Remembrance (Fifteen Years Later)

The catastrophic events of September 11, 2001 will stay with me forever. It was not necessarily the day the world changed, but for my generation, it was the day our world changed. The United States was fully drawn into the fight against global terrorism and Radical Islam. Of course, even a cursory glance at the prior twenty years' history in the Middle East shows America and other Western powers had been heavily involved already, but most of us remained ignorant to that until 9-11.

The sun is shining and the skies are clear, a warm and mild near-Autumn day as I'm typing this. The weather on that Tuesday was much the same; I remember sitting at the computer at my parents' house when my Mom called me from work and told me to turn the television on... trite as this may sound, the scenes of the first plane striking the World Trade Center was surreal. Could this really be happening? We stayed on the phone for awhile and kept watching, and then a second plane hit. What the hell was going on?  

The rest of my morning at home is a bit blurry now until my twenty minute drive to Grand Valley State University. The local hard rock station, 94.5 WKLQ, had Howard Stern on in the mornings. On that morning, the perverse shock jock turned into an empathetic, serious journalist who many politicians and public figures called to be heard by the masses. His studios were within eye-shot of the Twin Towers and he was on the front lines of what soon was discovered to be a declaration of war against the USA and all of Western Culture.

I didn't know my Shakespeare class was cancelled until I arrived, so I lingered on an unusually subdued campus for awhile. At 19 and in college, the world had seemed so hopeful, with so much promise. Osama Bin Laden's attack shattered a lot of illusions for kids my age and younger. This was the first time we'd really heard of Al Qaeda or the Taliban, though they'd been growing in force for decades on the other side of the world.

I remember receiving e-mails from two friends in the military - one in the Navy and the other studying to become a Naval officer at the Virginia Military Institute. Both were okay but were understandably on high alert, and that communications from them could / would be limited until further notice. I was just glad my friends were unharmed.

I went to Jumpin' Java that evening, driving by Dewey Hill and seeing Grand Haven's beautiful waterfront looking so peaceful, a gorgeous sunset happening, as if nothing had changed. I was the only customer but didn't stay long. I went home to be with my family and we watched President Bush address the nation. I still believe on that evening, he did a magnificent job communicating what was happening and what the immediate plans were. Public speaking was normally not his strong suit but on that night, he shone.  

I'm not going to debate the rights and wrongs of how President Bush and his team handled the war in the ensuing months and years. It would be a disservice to the 2,996 who died that day, and the tens of thousands whose lives were shattered. I wish people remembered the rise in patriotism shown in the months following, how there was a general feeling of unity in my community and across the nation. As of 9-11-16, our nation seems at its most socially and politically divided, more so than any time since the Vietnam era. We forget we have much more in common than we think.

My parents remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when President Kennedy was assassinated and I suspect the events of 9-11-01 will be the same for folks my age. My kids weren't even alive yet, so to them, it's literally history. In my mind's eye, much of it remains fresh and vivid.   On that particular day and in the immediate aftermath, America was at its finest.

America the Exceptional, Part Three

Our last full day in Maryland was my favorite. My morning was spent with Joe Bussard, collector and keeper of the rarest and most valuable 78 rpm records available. One fellow collector remarked of him, "Joe has records even God doesn't know exist." That may be a slight exaggeration but not by much. You can read about that part of my adventure here:

http://brettbilledeau.blogspot.com/2016/04/meeting-joe-bussard-king-of-78rpm.html

It was actually painful to part ways with him because there was sooooo much more to hear. I did, though, and met my family for lunch, followed by a trip to the most aesthetically pleasing scenery of our journey: Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.

My father-in-law is a Civil War buff but hadn't been there. Thomas Jefferson stood on the banks of the Shenandoah River with the Appalachian Mountains towering above and proclaimed its beauty, and after visiting it was easy to understand why. Pictures don't begin to do it justice.





Historically, the most (in)famous moment at Harper's Ferry occurred in 1859 when slave abolitionist John Brown lead a thirty-six hour siege of the town's armory in hopes of a rebellion. It failed miserably, most of his men died, and he was taken into custody by Col. Robert E. Lee. Southerners didn't take kindly to his kind around there back then.

The town is now somewhat recreated to look like it did then, designed to give tourists a sense of history. What got to me was the stunning beauty, breathing in the mountain air, and standing on a pre-Civil War historical location. You'd think D.C. or Gettysburg would've elicited the most powerful emotions, but nature itself overwhelmed me the most.  

Our trip home took us back through the mountains where it was a balmy twenty-three degrees out. A light snow dusted the countryside and although I was happy to be in a warm car, it was still gorgeous.

I am excited at returning to some of the spots we saw and further exploring our great nation. I feel grateful to have been there, for the experiences.

America the Exceptional, Part One

On a recent trip to Maryland, my family and I had the opportunity to go sight seeing (read: do touristy things) on the East Coast, as well as take in the sights of some of America's prettiest country.

For those who've traveled the Ohio Turnpike, you know just what a barren, desolate part of the Midwest it is: nothing but flatlands and truck stops for 90% of the ride. The truck stops are admittedly superior to Michigan's but they're the only relief from an otherwise mind-numbing ride. All that changed when we entered Pennsylvania... my goodness, the scenery was beautiful: Rolling green hills, blue skies, and a longer-yet-aesthetically-pleasing drive lay ahead. I get why the Amish cherish it so!

We took the Metro from Shady Grove, MD to Washington, D.C. A light rain greeted us but soon abated, allowing the sun to shine.  We began our all-too-brief visit at the Washington Monument, the sheer height of which makes you feel the size of an ant. It was awe-inspiring, I admit. The Lincoln Memorial offers a splendid view of the mall, the Reflection Pond, and the Capital building beyond. To see Honest Abe's likeness and words keeping watch over the capital inspires hope.

What I appreciated most, though, were the World War II and Korean War Memorials. My grandfather, four of his brothers, my great-uncle Bill, and other family fought in WWII and I was proud to pay homage with a visit. A dear friend of my family's was in Korea; he's been gone ten years now but I still remember him as if we talked yesterday. I couldn't help but feel gratitude.

Me at the WWII Memorial - Atlantic Side


We hit the National Air & Space Museum, part of the Smithsonian collective, to the thrill of my kids. The Wright Bros.' plane, Amelia Earhart's belongings, the Apollo 11 cone, and so much more fascinated them, and I liked it, too. You could spend all day there and not see it all. To see everything we'd have wanted, we'd easily need a week to cover all the museums and attractions.

What struck me about the tourist area of D.C. was the diversity of visitors. My family is made up of white, Christian Midwesterners, and we stood side-by-side with a variety of folks from Southeast Asia (particularly at the Korean Memorial), Middle Eastern Muslims, and people of all races, creeds, and nationalities. We were all there to take in the history and reverence in the capital of what I truly believe is still the greatest nation on Earth. Even if you (or they) don't agree, one cannot help but respect the effort put in to making America's history living and vibrant to visitors.