Christmas is a time of joy and worship in the Lucas family. But there’s a certain sadness on Christmas Eve. My mother’s first husband was killed in the battle of St Vith, Belgium, Christmas Eve, 1944. The Nazis had broken through American lines and surrounded troops in Bastogne and St Vith. Our guys were fighting hard, but the Germans had superior fire power and better tanks. Thousands of men died in the Battle of the Bulge.
So I intend, each year, to honor the thousands who were killed, wounded and taken POW on this night 71 years ago through the story of Mathew Whalen, the father of my older half brother. I never met him. But I loved and respected my brother and mother. Through them, I got to know the character and the meaning of this man.
Hoo-boy! I’m not exactly sure how to handle this one except to pass it along.
A former drug company executive who was fired years ago for trying to be a whistle-blower in his own company, is now trying to blow the whistle on his Fort Lauderdale Homeowners Association. The problem is that the HOA recognizes both Christmas and Hanukkah in the HOA clubhouse. Oh, for shame!
Christians and Jews have a long history of respect for each other’s religions. Sure, there have been occasional problems, but Christians revere Jesus who was Jewish. Christians have poured vast amounts of money into supporting Israel. And Jewish scientists have hired many Christian researchers in some of the most important medical discoveries in history. You’ll find many Jews and Christians working side by side at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.
In my mind it would be awful if a Homeowners Association didn’t respect both religions at this time of year, Kwanzaa, too, for that matter. How a neighborhood treats people from other religions has a profound impact on property values.
I wrote about this a few weeks ago: Some ladies in an Arizona HOA were forbidden from using the clubhouse to make Christmas packages for needy kids.
Well, outrage must have been a sight to behold, but the HOA has relented and the ladies are back at their customary spot, making those goodies. It wouldn’t have happened without public pressure.
Just amazing! Just in time for Christmas, counties in Florida are offering rewards for turning in criminals. Just look around your HOA and you can find plenty of board members and property managers who are stealing, bribing, defrauding and embezzling from homeowners. There’s your Christmas money.
Just take this advice from a long-time investigative reporter. Whenever the cops ask you to anonymously call an 800 number, the dirty secret is that you’re not anonymous. The Crimestoppers 800 number is a complete and total scam. Call from a phone booth.
