Archive for March 2013
Yesterday, I wrote about how people become citizens today.
My newly found cousin, Robyn, reminded me that our ancestor took a somewhat different route to citizenship.
Phillip Patterson Shull, our Great Great Grandfather, served in the 37th North Carolina Company E, Lane’s Brigade, Wilcox Division, Army of North Virginia, under Generals Robert E Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.
Yes, my Great Great Grandfather – known by his family as “PP” Shull – was a member of the Confederate Army. He enlisted at the age of 19, and served 1861 – 1865 as a private. We don’t know much about his service, but we do know that he was captured in 1865, and became a prisoner of war.
On May 29, 1865, President Andrew Johnson signed an executive order for amnesty for the POWs who would take an oath of allegiance.
This is the script for the Oath required of POWs that desired their freedom. My mother still has the original, nearly 150 years later.
On June 20th, Phillip P Shull took that oath. We have no evidence that our ancestor ever owned slaves, but with this oath, he swore that he would not own slaves in the future.
On August 16, 1865, Phillip again swore his allegiance to the United States of America, and this was confirmed by three signatories in Watauga County, North Carolina.
As a fine upstanding citizen of the United States of America, Phillip left North Carolina and moved to Skidmore, MO. He eventually married Martha Ellen Mast, and they raised 8 children.
Here’s the Shull family reunion, circa 1920. There are 3 generations in this photo. My grandfather, whom I’m named for, is in the front row, 2nd from the right: Lee Shull. My Great Grandfather, Artemus Shull, is seated, 3rd from the right. PP Shull, my Great Great Grandfather and former confederate soldier, is seated, wearing a hat, 5th from the right. His wife, my Great Great Grandmother Martha Ellen Mast Shull, is standing behind him, 4th from the right.
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Becoming A Citizen
Confederate Amnesty
Mary Gavelda immigrated from Austria-Hungary (now Poland) in 1909, and then married Simon Chucalovich in 1911. Mary, who is Velda’s paternal Grandmother, became a naturalized citizen in 1939 … and Velda was named for her.
Given the political surge towards dealing with illegal immigration in some fashion, I thought it worthwhile to review what it takes to become a citizen.
I did it the easy way. As Lady Gaga sang, “I Was Born This Way.”
There are an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country. However, the last time the US created a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, only a fraction of those eligible became naturalized — less than half, in fact.
Naturalization is the process by which U.S. citizenship is granted to a foreign citizen or national after he or she fulfills the requirements established by Congress in the (current) Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Generally, to be eligible for naturalization you must:
- Be age 18 or older;
- Be a (ed. note: legal) permanent resident for a certain amount of time (usually 5 years but less for some individuals);
- Be a person of good moral character;
- Have a basic knowledge of U.S. history and government;
- Have a period of continuous residence and physical presence in the United States; and
- Be able to read, write, and speak basic English.
There is a test! You must pass a test on US history and government, and another test on English. Here’s a recent history and government test summary from the Wall Street Journal:
Here are a few of the more interesting questions from our current N-400, Application for Naturalization.
Have you ever been a habitual drunkard?
Have you ever been a member or in any way associated (either directly or indirectly) with:
a. The Communist Party?
b. Any other totalitarian party?
c. A terrorist organization?
Do you have any title of nobility in any foreign country?
On July 3, 2012 at the Seattle Center, 520 people from 79 nations became U.S. citizens. – Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
How About Your Family?
We are a nation of immigrants.
I hope our political leaders can find their way clear to solving the complex issue that is immigration. We need to control our borders … but we also need to be realistic about the labor needs in our country. California crops would rot in the field if not for the migrant labor that follows the harvest. I’m not a fan of the illegals clustered around Home Depot and equipment rental yards hoping to catch some day labor. I absolutely believe that employers should only employ legal residents.
However, we cannot and must not be a closed society. Immigrants should have a chance to succeed in our country, just as my ancestors did.
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We’ve had some, uh, spirited conversations around the dinner table this week about CPR.
I was shocked by two ideas.
1. Assisted living facilities, such as the one in Bakersfield that is the subject of national news this week, often have corporate policies that preclude employees from offering potentially life-saving aid.
- They don’t want their clients to die, really, but they REALLY don’t want to be sued.
We don’t really know what happened at the facility in full detail … it is certain that a woman called 911 from the facility, and then she refused to render aid when prompted by the emergency dispatcher. She stated this was against policy.
Not a human policy, a corporate policy. Not a law, a corporate policy.
I have read the caller was a certified nurse of some kind, but working in a non-nursing role at this facility. I have read that the patient had a “DNR” (do not resuscitate) on file, and I’ve read that she didn’t have one on file. Don’t know … and ultimately, I don’t care. The facility employee didn’t have her ethics working properly this day, and the corporation that employed her doesn’t have a heart. Clearly.
2. School districts in California often have policies that preclude teachers from offering potentially life-saving aid. Teachers cannot do CPR, even if trained (in fact, they must be trained, and then often are told not to use that skill by District rule). EpiPens cannot be administered by a teacher in a classroom, even if the student is choking from a bee sting or other allergic reaction.
- Schools don’t want their students to die, really, but they REALLY don’t want to be sued.
I find this an offensive situation. School teachers should be trained in first aid. School teachers with special needs kids in their rooms (such as those requiring EpiPens) should have advanced training. And then they should be authorized to use that training when required.
It’s the human thing to do.
I was not shocked by a third idea.
3. CPR does not work all of the time … and it seldom works with old, infirm people.
Read the Alabama ER Doc’s opinion on this one (link is below). Personally, I know that emergency CPR doesn’t work all of the time … but if it’s the best first aid we have available, don’t you think we should use it, assuming it is consistent with the patient’s wishes?
Liability?
From CNN.com:
Dr. Graham Nichol, a professor of medicine at the University of Washington, said he was shocked by what happened (at the Bakersfield assisted living facility).
CPR doubles survival odds, he said.
“If liability was a concern,” Nichol said. “I would suspect there is a greater liability if someone dies.”
Actually, I’m not sure that’s true. But I do know what the human thing to do would be.
Most states have “Good Samaritan Laws” that protect citizens that act in a reasonable way, consistent with their training, to help other people in emergency situations. Because we are such a litigious society, those laws are often tested in court, and good samaritans are still sometimes sued because they attempted to render aid. There was a famous 2009 case in California, where a woman dragged a victim from the victim’s car after an accident … and the victim was then a paraplegic after the accident. The California Supreme Court found that the “aid” given by this samaritan was inappropriate, and resulted in injury to the victim. Clearly, “good” samaritans can do too much, and too much is not “good.”
It’s also true that you can be sued at any time for doing anything, or for doing nothing. Good samaritan laws are intended to protect citizens, and encourage them to help one another. Those laws are intended to be a legal shield for people like soccer coaches or Scout leaders who help the young people in their charge when they are injured.
Doesn’t that sound like a good idea?
What You Should Do
Are you CPR certified? Your local Red Cross probably offers first aid and CPR training. Get certified, and then you’ll know how to properly deal with emergency situations within your family and in the workplace. You should know what to do, shouldn’t you?
Make sure your wishes are known for how you want care administered in situations where you are incapacitated. This is particularly important for people in extended families, having distant relatives, or in unique living situations. If you don’t make your wishes known, then your next of kin WILL make those decisions for you if they are REQUIRED to do so by circumstances out of everyone’s control. Note that health care professionals do NOT make these decisions. Family members do: not life-long companions or really good friends. And, if there are multiple children disagreeing about what to do when their parent is gravely ill … then that parent may not be treated the way they would wish to be treated.
If you want to make sure your wishes are carried out, you need a POLST. Note that different states have different forms, but here’s the link for California:
More
Huffington Post: Do You Have a Duty?
California’s Good Samaritan Law
Alabama ER Doc’s opinion
CNN
USA Today
Let’s Talk Turkey
Forbes: Ethical or Legal Problem?
Shots from the Tonto National Forest north of Apache Junction, AZ.
“They’re ruthless killers and they’ll stop at nothing!”
If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a fan of the BBC’s Doctor Who show. It’s the best Science Fiction television show currently being broadcast. THE BEST. You can catch the show on BBC America, or on DVD. Highly recommended!
Doctor Who is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and bringing back several actors and characters from the show’s past, to the delight of Whovians around the world.
Prior to this return, the Ice Warriors had the distinction of appearing in the most episodes of the classic show (which originally ran 1963 – 1989, before being successfully re-booted in 2005). They appeared in four stories with the 2nd and 3rd Doctors, Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee.
The Ice Warriors spoke with a rather reptilian lisp back in the 60s. They are from Marsssss … and should return to earth in 2013’s 3rd episode, expected in April. They’ll meet Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor – in a submarine!
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Ice Warriors also appeared with a related character, the Ice Lords.
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Patrick Traughton, the 2nd Doctor, with the original version of the Ice Warriors.
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The 2013 version of the Ice Warriors.
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Ice Warriors (and an original Companion!) returning to Who
The Doctor Who Bar
The BBC’s Search for Doctor Who Missing Episodes
Steve Moffat on Ice Warriors
Daleks
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Aileen Conkey, © Harris & Ewing Studio
Harry S Truman (1884 – 1972)
The 33rd President of the United States, 1945 – 1953
AKA: Give ‘Em Hell Harry
From: Missouri
College: Spalding’s Commercial College (withdrew), University of Missouri – Kansas City (withdrew)
Married to: Bess Wallace
Children: Margaret
Party: Democratic
Previous Jobs: Railroad timekeeper, clerk, mailroom clerk, farmer, Captain in the National Guard, haberdasher, judge of the County Court, US Senator, Vice President
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the National Gallery of Art; gift of Mrs. Augustus Vincent Tack, 1952
In His Words: “Have fired 500 rounds at the Germans, at my command, been shelled, didn’t run away thank the Lord and never lost a man. Probably shouldn’t have told you but you’ll not worry any more if you know I’m in it than if you think I am. Have had the most strenuous work of my life, am very tired but otherwise absolutely in good condition physically mentally and morally.” (letter to Bess Wallace, 1918)
“People are very much wrought up about the Communist bugaboo.”
“Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a Republican. But I repeat myself.”
“It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose your own.”
“I am not worried about the Communist Party taking over the Government of the United States, but I am against a person, whose loyalty is not to the Government of the United States, holding a Government job. They are entirely different things. I am not worried about this country ever going Communist. We have too much sense for that.”
In his farewell address to the American people given in January 1953, President Truman referred to this concept very specifically in asserting that, “The President–whoever he is–has to decide. He can’t pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That’s his job.”
“Some of my best friends never agree with me politically.”
“Boys, if you ever pray, pray for me now. I don’t know whether you fellows ever had a load of hay fall on you, but when they told me yesterday what had happened, I felt like the moon, the stars and all the planets had fallen on me. I’ve got the most terribly responsible job a man ever had.” (the day after he became President)
“No government is perfect. One of the chief virtues of a democracy, however, is that its defects are always visible and under democratic processes can be pointed out and corrected.”
“If we see that Germany is winning we ought to help Russia and if Russia is winning we ought to help Germany, and that way let them kill as many as possible, although I don’t want to see Hitler victorious under any circumstances. Neither of them thinks anything of their pledged word.”
“If wars in the future are to be prevented the nations must be united in their determination to keep the peace under law.”
On the atomic bomb: “We have used it in order to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans. We shall continue to use it until we completely destroy Japan’s power to make war. Only a Japanese surrender will stop us.”
“I have read your lousy review of Margaret’s concert. I’ve come to the conclusion that you are an eight ulcer man on a four ulcer job … Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens you’ll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes and perhaps a supporter below.” (Letter to critic Paul Hume, as quoted in TIME magazine, December 18, 1950)
On tight money: “It reflects a reversion to the old idea that the tree can be fertilized at the top instead of at the bottom — the old trickle-down theory.“
Truman was so widely expected to lose the 1948 election that the Chicago Daily Tribune ran this incorrect headline. Historians now believe that pollsters used telephone surveys to predict Dewey’s victory, and thus did not properly estimate the number of Truman voters that did not have telephones.
Not true: In Truman’s book Plain Speaking, he did say this:
“My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, there’s hardly any difference.”
The often-quoted next line, however, never was written by Truman:
“I, for one, believe the piano player job to be much more honorable than current politicians.”
It is not known who applied that sentence to Truman’s actual quote.
True: His middle initial, S, was a tribute to both of his grandfathers’ names, but did not stand for anything.
He met his future wife, Bess, when he was 6 years old … in Sunday School at their Baptist church.
He proposed to Bess in 1905. She turned him down . There were married in 1919 after an extended courtship.
Truman was not accepted for an appointment to West Point, and then rejected by the National Guard because of his poor eyesight. He overcame his 20-50 eyesight and passed the vision test by memorizing the eye chart.
In 1940, Truman used his chairmanship of the Committee on Military Affairs to investigate the fraud and abuses he saw on the military bases as the nation prepared for war. The press dubbed it “The Truman Committee,” and its success launched Truman to the national stage.
President Truman made some of the most crucial decisions in history. As WWII reached its final stage, Japan rejected a proposed surrender. Truman, after consultations with his advisers, ordered atomic bombs dropped on two Japanese cities devoted to war work: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Japanese surrender quickly followed.
In 1948, President Truman ordered desegregation of the armed forces.
In 1951, he was part of the first transcontinental TV broadcast.
The first family lived across the street from the White House in Blair House during the extensive renovations of the White House, 1948 – 1952.
The Official Portrait: Martha Greta Kempton studied at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts before emigrating to the US in 1926. After painting Bess Truman, she painted 5 portraits of Harry Truman, the first of which became the Official White House Portrait.
Eriogonum latifolium (coast buckwheat) thrives near the coastal sand dunes.
As Los Angeles development surged in the early 20th century, a little blue butterfly was slowly being exterminated. The El Segundo Blue Butterfly (Euphilotes battoides allyni) was put on the endangered species list as it began to slip away to extinction.
In 1925, a developer held a contest to name their new beachside community, and Surfridge was born. The community flourished in the 30s, and the new residents tore out the native vegetation and planted the lawns and trees common in any development. Unfortunately, that pushed out the native species. But then a funny thing happened: the jet engine was born, and nearby LAX made Surfridge virtually uninhabitable.
Los Angeles World Airports, AKA LAX, slowly began to buy up Surfridge homes, until the entire community was abandoned in the 70s. LAX took down the houses, street lights and non-native vegetation, and began to re-plant native plants like the coast buckwheat.
El Segundo Blue Butterfly, Euphilotes battoides allyni (Photo credit: stonebird)
And just like that, the El Segundo Blue began to rebound. The butterflies didn’t mind the noise, apparently. LAX continued to expand their butterfly sanctuary in exchange for continued expansion of the airport. That process is ongoing: the California Coastal Commission recently OK’d a $3-million plan to expand the coast buckwheat plantings on portions of 48 acres at the northern end of the old subdivision as part of a settlement of a lawsuit over LAX expansion plans.
This effort to re-install native species around Santa Monica Bay has caught on. Since 2003, native vegetation reintroduction along the coastal bluffs of Redondo Beach and Torrance has been conducted by residents, conservationists, government officials, and representatives from two nonprofit groups, The Urban Wildlands Group and the Los Angeles Conservation Corps Science, Education, and Adventure Lab program.
That has resulted in the El Segundo Blue doing something that the wildlife experts didn’t think it could do: it flew over 1,000′ of non-native backyard plants to get to the new coast buckwheat plantings in Redondo Beach & Torrance.
Don’t you love it when that happens? Butterflies gotta eat, and they flew to get to the good eats.
In fact, the El Segundo Blue depends on the coast buckwheat throughout all 4 stages of its life: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Unfortunately, the plant is still facing competition from several non-native species, including certain acacia, grass, and ice plant species.
For a native species like the El Segundo Blue Butterfly, you must provide coast buckwheat, or we’ll lose this pretty 1″ blue butterfly forever.
This is why I’ve committed to planting more native species in my yard. If you want native animal species to thrive, you must provide them with a native habitat. If you don’t provide the right habitat, then you might as well pave the back yard with concrete. I’m too far from the ocean to help with the El Segundo Blue, but I can help those species that need Southern Oak Woodland plants like Matilija Poppy, the Scarlet Columbine or Saint Catherine’s Lace.
What can you do?
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Female El Segundo Blue Butterfly (which is not blue!) on a coast buckwheat flower.
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Photo Credit: Ann Dalkey/ Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, Director of Science Programs
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Photo: LAWA
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Female butterfly on a coast buckwheat flower.
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El Segundo Blue on Coast Buckwheat. photo credit: Ann Dalkey
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Male El Segundo Blue Butterfly at Ballona Creek. Photo courtesy of Mary Small at the Coastal Conservancy
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LA Times 2009 Photo Gallery
LA Times: Aflutter in a ghost town
US Fish & Wildlife Service: Two Butterflies
Science Centric: Back From The Edge Of Extinction
Shots taken in the Tonto National Forest north of Apache Junction, AZ. The large body of water is the Theodore Roosevelt Lake.
Community.
At its best, a university becomes a community that supports its members. And that’s exactly what UCLA has done with an event put on by the Student Alumni Association called Dinner For 12 Strangers. UCLA alumni – worldwide – are asked to host dinners for fellow Bruins.
Dinners can be hosted for other alumni, or for students. Last year, UCLA alumni, including Velda, hosted nearly 400 dinners over 3 weekends.
This year, Velda partnered with Debi, her fellow UCLA alumna, good friend, co-worker, and former student (!) to co-host a Dinner. I knew we were in trouble when Debi and Martin, her husband, began unloading their car to deliver their culinary creations to our home, and they brought in serving dishes bigger than I’d ever seen.
WHAT? Bigger serving pieces than Velda uses. We were in trouble.
Velda never met a recipe she couldn’t make bigger and better. Debi and her sous chef Martin apparently subscribe to the same philosophy.
I try and keep Velda under control by helping her as little as possible. I mean, she’s only got 2 hands, right? As long as I’m not in the kitchen, she can’t reach things on the top shelves, and can’t open tightly sealed containers. If I was more available to her in the kitchen, heaven only knows how much more food she would be preparing for our clan.
Martin never got that memo, apparently. And doesn’t he know that using larger dishes only encourages Debi to fill them? Martin, I have so much to teach you.
But back to our wonderful Dinner.
8 students braved the LA freeways to find our home, and settled in to meet new friends and enjoy a casual dinner. They should have all brought a bunch of classmates … the buffet was overflowing the kitchen. Those big dishes were everywhere, it seems, and they were never empty. It was a great meal, obviously! The ladies even collaborated on a dessert that was an homage to a Westwood favorite, Diddy Riese. The meal was complete.
It was a largely medical crowd (something Velda requested), so there were post-dinner discussions of brain dissections, body fluids and what wild cats do in the dark. I just may have to publish my rules for family dinner conversation next time around….
Did we do the 8-clap? OF COURSE.
I can’t wait for 2014. Rumor has it the ladies will team up at Debi’s house next time. That’s great … unless Velda demands bigger serving dishes to keep up.
Being a Scout is expensive. I’ve seen the parent walk into the store with camping gear and plunk down the plastic to buy their young man whatever he needs.
But that’s not doing it the right way.
Here’s another approach, which I read courtesy of Ed Darrell over at Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub: a letter from a future President asking for more allowance.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was our first President who was a Scout as a youth. He rose to the rank of Star Scout, and later served on the Executive Board of the Boston Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Here’s a (very poor) picture of him as a Scout.
John F Kennedy as a Scout in 1930.
President Kennedy receiving Boy Scout greeting – December, 1962 (photo courtesy John Loengard, Life Magazine)
President Kennedy described Scouting:
“For more than 50 years, Scouting has played an important part in the lives of the Boy Scouts of this nation. It has helped to mold character, to form friendships, to provide a worthwhile outlet for the natural energies of growing boys, and to train these boys to become good citizens of the future.”
President John F. Kennedy Visits with the Boy Scouts’ “Scouting Family of the Year”, February 8, 1962.
President John F. Kennedy meets with the Fair family, a representative family selected as “Scouting Family of the Year” by the Boy Scouts of America, in conjunction with Boy Scout Week. L-R: Grant, Bill, and Bob Fair (order undetermined); Martha Fair; President Kennedy; Jane Swift Fair; Harry G. Fair. Fish Room, White House, Washington, D.C. Photographer: Robert L Knudsen.
Yesterday, I wrote about how people become citizens today.
