20th college reunion

Baltimore — Here I am in Charm City once again. It’s been twenty years (already!) since I graduated from Johns Hopkins University. A lot has changed on campus, but Baltimore itself seems the same. The roads are still bumpy. The buildings looks the same. The students on campus don’t look any different than when I was here. Same look. Same clothes. Maybe it’s an east coast thing.

I played in the golf outing on Thursday and got lucky enough on a couple holes to smash the ball and win the longest drive award. Too bad I am not consistent. I played with 3 guys from the class of ‘61. Pat Mahoney, Frank Weiss and Jim Greenwood. There were a couple guys from the classes of ‘50 and ‘51. It’s a great feeling to be part of a tradition that goes back to 1876.

Last night was the Taste of Baltimore at the Rec Center (new since my time) on campus. I connected/reconnected with some ‘86 classmates, including Ward Morrow and his wife, Pam. Also there were Alan Freudenberg who I had one class with and Miriam Tucker, who I vaguely remember. Jimmy Steindecker was also there. Again, great to see people I have a connection with that spans years and miles.

Lacrosse game today, then tomorrow it’s the O’s at Camden Yards with my boyhood (and current) friend, Jim Peck. Coincidentally, I just finished a website for Jim’s law firm who are representing the Levy family, parents of Chandra Levy, who was killed in 2001 in D.C. It’s an important site and luckily I had internet access in my hotel (the impressive, all-suite Tremont Plaza on St. Paul Street) and made the final changes from my room here. You can view the site at www.whokilledchandra.com.

If you’re going to rock, ROCK!

What is the world coming to when a “rock” band like Coldplay is so popular? I was obligated to listen to one of their CDs because my business partner, Alan Anderson, put it in rotation at our workplace. But, COME ON! Calling the likes of them a rock band is like calling Ted Kennedy a conservative.

For the love of all that’s holy, if you’ve got a guitar, bass and drums, ROCK! Rock, damn you! The paradigm was established in 1979 by what must surely be the hardest rocking band God in His wisdom ever created: AC/DC. I return to their album “Highway to Hell” quite often and thank the same deity that created them that there is not one ballad on that album. The slowest tempo belongs to “Night Prowler” but even that rocks.

Angus Young and company know how to do one thing and they do it well. Angus’ brother and fellow bandmate put it succinctly when he said they don’t know how to do anything else. Well said, Malcolm.

Now, can we stop all this whining and wrist-slitting muzak and get back to where we once belonged? For those about to rock, we salute you!

Immigration…

I’m upset over the whole “immigration” thing. I think I was angry, like many, to see all the Mexican flags in the latest protests in Los Angeles. That really doesn’t help the case of these people. What we, as Americans, want to know is that anyone from any country who comes here will embrace the United States and become an American. My family comes from Lithuania and Poland. I always say that the best thing my grandfather ever did was to come here. I’ve been to Lithuania once and while it was great to see where I came from, I am nothing but American. When we talk about “we” as in this country, I am part of that we. My history is that of the 13 colonies, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt. These are my people and I take great pride in the accomplishments of all those Americans who came before me. I am proud to be part of that long, great line.

That’s what I wish for everyone who comes to this country. And it angers me that the “debate” over “immigration” is being constructed in such a way that race has come into it. I am very angry specifically because I believe in what this country teaches; that it does not matter what a person’s race or ethnicity is. It is that which is within a person that counts. To me the problem is very simple. It is against the law to come to this country without going through the necessary legal steps. Period. Those that do so must be sent back to whatever country they came from. Let them go through the proper legal channels. It may be more difficult, but that’s what the law is. Do I look down on someone because they come from another country? Of course not. I have more in common with many of the people in Latin American countries than with many of my countrymen. I share the same faith with the people of Mexico and on the whole I think they have a deeper faith than my agnostic or atheistic fellow Americans. (And believe me, I have thought about an exchange of undesirable Americans for the same number of decent people from other countries.) I don’t care about skin color. It’s not about that. It’s about the law. And we either enforce it or we don’t. I am not “anti immigrant” which is a term thrown out by the other side. That’s disingenuous. America has always been open to immigration. It’s ILLEGAL immigration that we’re talking about.

I don’t understand why congress is wringing its hands trying to hammer out a “fair” immigration policy. We have a fair immigration policy. Either enforce the laws we have or change them. However, it makes me question why I should have to obey any law since those who come here illegally are breaking the law and getting away with it. I’m more angry with our politicians than with any illegal alien. They’re trying to better themselves. The politicians are doing what they do best: nothing. Vacillating. Come on, step up to the plate. I wonder whose vote they think they’re losing.

And all this talk about cheap labor I think demeans the people in question who come across the border. Yes, perhaps some do work in menial jobs, but with one stroke the people who say we’ll lose the ones who do the jobs no one esle wants to do lump all these aliens into one big uneducated pile. I find that kind of insulting.

Can I choose which laws I will obey? If enough of my fellow Americans choose not to obey certain laws, will we get away with it? May I then suggest not paying our taxes. Perhaps then congress will abolish the IRS. Shall we all drive 90 on the freeways? I guess it’s up to us to choose which laws are okay and which we can ignore.