Opinion

Shortly after America became a nation, North American pirates began capturing our merchant ships and holding our crews for ransom. This posed a problem since the colonies had never built a fleet of ocean-going war ships. We had nothing with which to fight back. The president, therefore, called on Congress to raise money and build a naval fleet. You may have heard about the results in the Marine Hymn. It goes something like: “From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli...” The ships were built, and the Marines came into existence to unload a can of whoop-@$$ on the Barbary Pirates. Somewhere about that time the slogan became a part of our lore; “Millions for defense, but not one cent in tribute.”

When our son was a baby, I would dig in, do the parenting thing, and help my wife with the diaper-changing routine. Now, I find myself doing the same thing with our grandson when I babysit. Nothing has changed. It’s still a dirty, smelly job, no matter how many wipes I use. I’d don a K95 facemask, but that might scare the little guy.

I’m thinking that I’ve run out of flying columns to write. Can’t think of anything else to say after a six-year ride, mas o menos.