Thanks at Thanksgiving

Friends, we Americans have lots to be thankful for, especially

at Thanksgiving this year. Of  course, many of us have the

personal things we are thankful for: good health, good friends,

loving families (pets and all), comfortable homes, creature 

comforts, plenty of food, nice clothes, and many more such

things which we have but which so many of us take for granted.

Happily, many of the many who make up this great country 

of ours have not taken their freedom and their rights for granted

on Election Day earlier this month.  

The biggest benefit that we, as citizens of these United States

cherish and enjoy is indeed our freedom and the many ways in

which it manifests in our daily lives. We have the freedom to 

speak our minds, be it by talking, writing, publishing a blog

like this one which you are reading at this moment. We have 

the freedom to live how we want and do as we like, provided 

that we do not infringe upon the rights of others to do the same.

We have the freedom to defend ourselves, our families, our homes,

our businesses, and all our property from those with criminal 

intent. We have the freedom to raise our children as we see fit,

instilling in them our values and our faith, be it religious or secular.

We have the freedom to choose what kind of education we want

to give to them as well. 

And we can choose our representatives in government; local,

state, and federal. We can do so by voting in regularly held 

elections, and we have the right to cast our votes in the privacy

of the voting booth, and do not have to tell anyone how we 

voted -- especially some prying government official trying

to unduly influence the outcome of an election and to set up

a government not of the people, by the people, and for the 

people but of, by, and for an unwanted elite. We chose a 

government which best matches our desires for the kind 

of governance we want, replacing a government which 

governed against said desires, thereby breaking our trust

and confidence in it. 

Not every country in our world is this fortunate. We have so

many blessings by being citizens of our great and exceptional 

country we cannot possibly count them all. Let us keep this 

truth in mind as we enjoy our Thanksgiving dinners, our 

football games on TV, and the company of our families and 

friends on this and every Thanksgiving Day. God bless you, 

my wonderful and loyal readers! God bless us all!

MEM

Ronald Mulvaney, R.I.P.

Ronald Mulvaney was quintessentially God and Country.

Born in Brooklyn, New York ninety years ago, Ron was 

a United States Marine, rising to the rank of sergeant.

Moving later to Brookfield, Wisconsin, Ron got involved

in politics and ran as a Democrat for Congress; sadly he 

didn't win. He was a rarity, being a center-right Democrat;

unapologetically pro-life, supportive of a pro-U.S. defensive

posture coupled with a like-minded diplomatic posture,

favoring an estate tax but not ever-escalating income taxes,

and always, always a loyal and country-loving patriot. 

We met through a career building and job hunting workshop

group which met monthly. I had just moved back home from

Saint Paul, Minnesota, and wanted to get some helpful 

information on conducting a successful job search. Ron

was one of the mentors. We hit it off right away and got to 

be quite close friends. Ron also got me a job; he was at the 

time a sales associate at the Boston Store at Brookfield 

Square when that retail organization was around. Ron was 

in Menswear, I went to Housewares. 

Ron was a devout Catholic, one of the most such Catholics  

I have ever known. Ron put me to shame as far as devotion 

to the faith was concerned. and your faithful Peasant goes 

to mass each week and regularly partakes of the sacraments. 

Ron invited me to join him on a retreat at the Jesuit Retreat

House in Oshkosh, just up north a ways from the Milwaukee

metropolitan area and just barely before the COVID pandemic

hit. He said it would be the last time we would be able to get

together for a visit; Ron was then living in Georgia at a retirement 

home near some of his relatives, and he wanted to make our

visit a very special one. It was a silent retreat for Catholic men; 

no one could speak a word throughout the weekend retreat.

I never experienced such a thing, a gathering where no one 

says a word! I didn't think I could go the entire retreat without 

accidentally blurting out anything aloud, but I managed to do

just that. Ron and I were on the same wavelength throughout

the retreat, and we basked in the warmth of our friendship and 

each others' company at our prayer times, our meals, and 

the guest lectures by visiting clergy. I have never had such 

an experience with any other friend in my life, and it was 

heavenly and grand.

We also got together for lunch many times leading up to the 

retreat, meeting at a wonderful restaurant at the Mayfair Mall

in Wauwatosa. We talked of many things, Catholicism (Ron 

was Irish Catholic, much like me), Irish Fest (we were there

together with his charming wife, who went up before Ron), 

politics, sports, family --- our relatives and such, pets,

and travel. Ron was most erudite and worldly yet very 

connected to his faith, never taking it for granted. He treated 

for every meal; he never let me pay so as to treat him, although

I did get to leave a tip now and then. Generosity was another 

trait of Ron's which made him so endearing.

Ron was also an avid reader of this blog, too. He looked forward

to reading my latest offerings every week.

We stayed in touch by telephone and online, as we were both on 

Facebook. It was through Facebook that I learned of his passing,

having left us just two days ago. Relatives entered the news on his

FB page. Although I knew that his health was fading, the sorrowful

news still hurt greatly. Our last visit on the phone, or at all, was

two weeks before his end, and although sounding weak Ron

was in high spirits; he told me many times that our chats on the 

phone gave him a lift. They certainly did that for me!

Although our visits have all come to an end I am comforted knowing

that Ron is just a prayer away, and we shall be together in

spirit in this way. Your grateful Peasant is most grateful for 

having known and enjoyed a twenty-two year friendship with 

this remarkable gentleman! Our world could use some more 

folks like Ron Mulvaney!

Requiescat in pace, old friend.

MEM

Veterans Day Greetings and Gratitude

Today is Veterans day, the day when we give thanks to our brave

veterans and show our appreciation for their service and sacrifice,

although it is certainly rightful to do so on any day during the year.

As your grateful Peasant always maintains: Freedom isn't free; 

freedom costs. But it isn't a luxury, but rather a necessity!

Thanks to all U.S. veterans! Folks, if you love your freedom, 

thank a vet!

MEM

VICTORY!

WE WON! WE WON!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!!! WE WON! WE WON!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!!! WE WON! WE WON!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!!! WE WON! WE WON!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!!! WE WON! WE WON!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!!! WE WON! WE WON!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!!! WE WON! WE WON!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!!! WE WON! WE WON!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!!! WE WON! WE WON!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!!! WE WON! WE WON!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!!! WE WON! WE WON!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!!! WE WON! WE WON!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!!! WE WON! WE WON!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!!! WE WON! WE WON!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!!! WE WON! WE WON!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!!!

Did I mention that WE WON?  

MEM

 

Red State Blue

While it's true that our country will have a national election

to, among other things, determine who will be our president,

held this day November 5, we have an election happening

every day. While on the first Tuesday in the coming month

we will be voting with our ballots, many Americans are voting 

with their feet to show their preference for life in the red states

(Republican run) over life in the blue states (Democrat run),

leaving the latter for the former every day. The results thus far 

show a landslide for the red states.

Since 2004, American families have made this choice in ever-

increasing numbers. The red states offer lower taxes along with 

either lower or no state income taxes, more robust job growth

making for lower unemployment numbers, and laws which 

protect children from the crackpot left-wing social and 

educational ideas du jour. The blue states offer the exact 

opposite of each of the benefits of red state living. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic the red state schools were 

open and the children were maskless; the blue state schools 

were either closed or required the students to mask up.

In the former, churches and other houses of worship were

open; not so in the latter. In the red states businesses were

open for business; in the blue states they were either 

shuttered or operating with their staff working from home.

State economies were strong in red territory; weak as 

water in blue. 

What the American people and their families desire so fervently

is for government to foster freedom, not bind them up in 

condescending paternalism. They are certainly making their desire 

known by moving from states like California, Illinois, New York,

Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington (the state and D.C.), and

Maryland to states like Florida, Texas, South Carolina, South 

Dakota, Idaho, and Tennessee. On this day, November 5, they'll

also make their preference known by marking their ballots. 

MEM