HAPPY EASTER 2014

"How beautiful it is to stand before the cross, simply to be under the Lord's gaze, so full of love."
  Pope Francis 

We are an Easter people living in a Good Friday world.  Share the joys and hopes of Easter with the world.
                                                       

A.P.R.I.L.

What a glorious month April truly is!  With all due respect to TS Eliot, the month of April is NOT "the cruelest month," I demure, taxes aside, April is indeed the fairest month of the year.

American poet, Ogden Nash, wrote a poem about April which is posted below the last photo. As an opening act to that poem, using acronymic form, this is what A.P.R.I.L. means to me. Nash's brilliant poem below speaks loudly of the L in my life.



A. AUGUSTA in APRIL. The annual rite of spring for all golf lovers.


P. PLAY BALL is the umpire's April siren song to starting the new baseball season.


R. RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ celebrated on Easter Sunday in April serves as the meaning of existence for all faithful Christians.



I. INCOME TAXES due in April just to keep the rest of April's joy real and meaningful.


L. "LUV" my name for my wife who celebrates her birthday in April.

Always Marry an April Girl by Ogden Nash
Praise the spells and bless the charms,
I found April in my arms.
April golden, April cloudy,
Gracious, cruel, tender, rowdy;
April soft in flowered languor,
April cold with sudden anger,
Ever changing, ever true -
I love April, I love you.

Enjoy all the bounty this month provides.

The Real Inconvenient Truth

With all due respect to the world's environmental alarmist, Al Gore, the real inconvenient truth of the modern world is not global warming but the non-stop killing of beating heart babies within the mother's womb.

On this very dark day 40 years ago, America lost it's soul.  It remains lost to this day. Many don't care. However, many do but much work needs to be done to right this evil wrong.

The United States of America's Supreme Court legalized the culture of death called abortion.  Since that time, 55 million fetuses (in our country alone), a conservative estimate, have been pulled like a weed out of the womb of a mother during various stages of human development and formation. And disposed of as trash.

This government sponsored genocide against the powerless and the faceless is what theologian George Weigel states,"is one of the two worst decisions in Supreme Court history."  The other being the dreadful Dred Scott decision in 1857 that upheld slavery.  In the Dred Scott case, the Court's decision then upheld that "an entire class of human beings (black slaves) were beyond the protection of the laws."  In Roe v Wade on January 22, 1973, the Court declared "that another class of human beings (the unborn) were beyond legal protection."

Let us pray and work for our Pro Life movement that we will have the same effect on offering life and protection to those in the womb that our government gave to blacks in the Civil Rights Act in 1964.  Call it the Human Right to Life Act of 2013 for the unborn.

And if appeal fails and the movement sputters, then a pox on all of us. For our country to continually support this culture of death or to use the antiseptic phrase for colorblind abortion, the vernacular "pro-choice", is utterly heinous and repugnant.

Shame on our government and to those who marginalize this societal scourge of the ages while promoting and supporting more trendy social issues of the day. For what is more vital than the gift of life itself?

We are better than this.

St. Louis' Most Favored Son

Lil and Stan Musial married for 72 years, Lil died in 2012

 

Stan "The Man" Musial 1920-2013, age 92, RIP

 

 Two hats of belief for Stan, the church and the Cardinals

This past Saturday, while in St. Louis attending the funeral of the pater familias of the family, Uncle Ed Costigan, 98, we all received the news that our beloved Stan Musial died at his home in Ladue, Missouri. Only the death of Stan Musial could have trumped the glorious send off for Uncle Ed.

Stan had been in poor health for quite some time and death was imminent. But, once death comes in whatever form or station, you're never quite ready for it.  For us, the Cardinal faithful and St. Louis natives, the immortal Stan Musial is and will always be synonymous with St. Louis.

By the time you read this, everybody with a keyboard and/or a microphone has chimed in about Stan's passing and his incredible life both on and off the field of play.  His superb talents.  His humility.  His grace.  His generosity. His marriage to Lil and his surviving family. His loyalty for his adopted hometown St. Louis.  And, his Cardinals. So I won't recycle what you already know.  But I do have a reflection on Stan which is personal and real.

In March 2003, we traveled back to St. Louis to visit family.  Typically, we stay at the Missouri Athletic Club, aka MAC, in downtown St. Louis.  It's a venerable 100 year old city club with a terrific watering hole called the Jack Buck Grille.  The MAC has been the center of St. Louis' love affair with their sports heroes for decades. One such super hero was Stan Musial. Stan loved the MAC. And the MAC loved Stan.

While staying at the MAC on that cold early March evening, my spies at the club told me that Stan was in the house.  Immediately, I told my 13 year old  son, Will, who was traveling with us, that Stan Musial is in our midst.  After some searching, we found Stan on the second floor in the Eads Room attending a sports banquet in Stan's honor as "The Athlete of the Century."  "The Athlete of the Century" was sitting forlornly on an under stuffed chair...alone, watching the dais.

Will and I proceeded with caution.  You know, sports legends, ie Dimaggio, Williams, Mays, are  usually surrounded by surly thugs to keep the riff raff away.  We thought we would surely be re-buffed by somebody and maybe even by Stan when we approached him...cautiously.   Boy, were we wrong.

We introduced ourselves to Stan.  Surprisingly, nobody bothered us. We told him of our St. Louis roots and our enduring love for the Cardinals.  Instantly, a bridge was built to his heart and soul. We talked baseball alot.  We mischievously cajoled Stan with our knowledge of his career:  7 batting titles, .331 lifetime batting average, fourth most hits ever, three MVPS, three World Series championships, sixth most RBIs ever, struck out only 696 times in  11,000 at bats, almost twice as many walks as strikeouts, first ballot Hall of Famer and he was never thrown out of a game in 22 years of baseball.  He smiled awkwardly and seemed nonplussed by all this minutiae brown-nosing.  Then he angled that "Stan look" at Will.  Asked him, "Slugger, you like baseball like your Dad?"  Will nodded.  Well then...he slipped his left hand inside his coat pocket and gave Will an autographed picture of #6.  Waddasay, waddasay, waddasay. Will beamed. (See Will clutching the card in the picture below.)

That's not all.  After the exchange of the picture, Stan dipped into his front coat pocket and brought out his ever ready harmonica and played "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."  Pitch perfect.  He hit that one out of the park too!! Will said later,  "Dad, he didn't even know us and he treated us so nice(ly)."  But that's Stan.  That's St. Louis. We soared up eight stories to our room on memory wings which will last a couple of lifetimes.

I had read how approachable and kind Stan was for years but to experience it firsthand was very validating and powerful. Believe it. It happened to us on one cold winter Midwestern evening when our paths serendipitously crossed with STAN MUSIAL and we were all the better for it. 

So everything you may read and hear about Stan Musial in the days and weeks to come is probably true.  His life lived was better than fiction.  He was the real deal on and off the field. Civility personified in one man.

So, rest in peace,  Stanley Frank Musial, as quoted by then Commissioner Ford Frick and inscribed on the unusual Musial statue outside Busch Stadium:

"Here stands baseball's perfect warrior. Here stands baseball's perfect knight."

Will and Stan at the MAC on Friday evening March 7, 2003

The Holy Innocents

Sandy Hook Elementary School, December 14, 2012, Massacre of the Innocents

Bethlehem, 2012 years ago, Massacre of the Innocents

This Friday, the Catholic Church honors the Feast Day of the Holy Innocents.  On that day, the Church remembers King Herod's diabolical massacre of the small children in Bethlehem who resembled in age and sex the newborn King and infant boy, Jesus Christ.  It has been written that 20 very young boys were murdered by the barbaric Herod. Infanticide carried out on the basis of "mistaken identity."  On that day, innocence was lost and martyrs were made.

In 2012, two weeks ago, another act of immoral barbarism was committed upon the very young by a madman. 20 boys and girls, mostly first graders, of ages 6 and 7, were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut.  Another six adults were also were murdered.  On that day again, innocence was lost and martyrs were made.

As the peace of Bethlehem was shattered that day by the cries of the slaughtered and of their weeping mothers, so too, the peace of Sandy Hook School was shattered by unfathomable madness and evil.

"Jesus Christ was slain and the peace of the world was shattered by the single cry from the cross. Yet through that death and mourning, peace was reborn, indestructible now, in the Resurrection of the slain Christ."

May the grieved families of the taken innocents today receive the many graces of the "Resurrection of the slain Christ."

May God bless those little children, brave adults and their surviving families.

Merry Christmas 2012

Fresco of the Nativity of the Birth of Jesus, by Giotto in 1306, Arena Chapel, Padua, Italy

"Try to imagine what I gave up when I came into your world as a baby.  I set aside My Glory, so that I could identify with mankind.  I accepted the limitations of infancy under the most appalling conditions - a filthy stable. That was a dark night for Me, even though angels lit up the sky proclaiming 'Glory!' to awe-struck shepherds."  Jesus Calling on December 25

Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad to you and your families.

California taxin'

Albert Pujols, St. Louis to Anaheim, $240MILLION, 10 years
California State Income Tax bill  = $32MILLION

Dwight Howard, Orlando to Los Angeles, $20MILLION, 1 year
California State Income Tax Bill  = $2.7MILLION

Zach Greinke, Texas to Los Angeles, $147MILLION, 6 years 

California State Income Tax Bill  = $19.6MILLION

Josh Hamilton, Texas to Anaheim, $125MILLION, 5 years
California State Income Tax Bill  = $16.7MILLION 

Governor of California Jerry Brown, the tax man cometh
State of California Tax Revenue from four people above = $71MILLION

Not so long ago on a planet far different from the one today, the thought of raising taxes was a death sentence for any politician, particularly, one running for president.

The fear of a tax increase was so palpable to the electorate in 1988,  Republican nominee for president, George H.W. Bush #41, uttered these famous words at the Republican National Convention to quell the nation's fears, "Read my lips, no new taxes."  Bush won that election on that promise.  However in two years, he broke his own pledge, raised taxes to combat the deficit and was publicly pilloried coast to coast.

Enter Bill Clinton in 1992, the Democratic nominee for president.  Bush lost his re-election because of what Clinton phrased as Bush's "untrustworthiness" for breaking his own promise of no new taxes and Bush was booted out of office with some help from third party diluter Ross Perot.

Fast forward to today.  Oh, how the planet has changed.

In the last election cycle, President Barack Obama and California Governor Jerry Brown campaigned on what used to be political suicide, raising taxes.  Both Obama and Brown flatly stated that new higher taxes were needed for the governments to function and for the entitlements to continue period.  Against a painful backdrop of an anemic economy, they both won on that blanket tax dictum with no mention of specific spending cuts.

Obama won a second term and Brown won with the passing of his new revenue pet Proposition 30 insuring higher taxes.  So in a span of 20 years, the thought of raising taxes on the populace which was an anathema to a center right American citizenry changed to a righteous hip center left culture of today that paying "our fair share is the right thing to do."

Specifically, on the state level, California's money cash flow woes are very serious due to generational political incompetence and malfeasance in Sacramento. Shockingly,  California's debt is $400BILLION.  California's scale of debt is similar to Greece debt size.  Greece is done.  California is on the ropes. How to keep California breathing? "Raise taxes", says Jerry.  And Jerry implied, 'if you don't raise taxes, California will not have enough money in its coffers to do most anything for the public good.' Terrified voters bought the message.

In California, the new tax increase retroactive to 2012 are stunningly onerous. The newly passed Prop 30 increases state taxes on the wealthy by 30% to 13.3% from 10.3%.  State sales tax and local taxes will rise to 10% plus or minus for all citizens.  California now has the dubious distinction of being the most heavily taxed state in the country surpassing the old standard bearer of statehood fiscal irresponsibility, New York.

Astonishingly, the recent megastar signing events in California have given much needed oxygen to Jerry and his Sacramento spenders and looters.  The four major athletes pictured above have all signed humungous contracts to move from tax friendly states to the most hostile tax grabbing state in the country.  These four men and their agents are either the most clueless businessmen on earth or they like the geography and weather of SoCal so much that paying Jerry a major surcharge is "the right thing to do" to call Cali home.  Or, maybe they just found out about Cali's exorbitant taxes and cost of living and that's why none of them are smiling.  Oops.

Needless to say with this sudden infusion of revenue,  Jerry is in full downward dog repose...with a wide Mr. Burns grin. Christmas came early.

In closing, let me get this right.  Josh Hamilton just left Texas that has zero state income tax for tax crazy California. He will gross $25MILLION his first year of a five year deal with the Angels. His tax bill in 2013 will be 40% Federal, 3.8% Obamacare surcharge and 13.3 % State of California income tax on that $25MIL.  That equates to a total tax bill for his first year in sunny SoCal of $14.275MILLION.  Josh nets $10.725MIL.  Not bad in a lousy economy.

Sacramento and DC thanks Mr Moreno, 'the feeling crummy of oneself' spendthrift owner of the Angels, for helping "level the playing field" (no pun intended).

Now that raising taxes are cool and in, what's next? Eating brussel sprouts enhances one's sex life.  No way!