I was cutting up seed potatoes this evening, and I was thinking (never a good idea)... About a hundred years ago, my Grandfather on my American side, on a rural farm in South Carolina, decided that he didn't want to spend the rest of his life "at the North end of a South-bound mule" and he worked his way thru college in chemistry and wound up in some difficult economic times in the Great Depression, taught at some High Schools, met my Grandmother at one of them, and wound up a chemistry professor at East Carolina Teachers College, currently ECU. During the War, he did research into how to keep some potatoes fresher, longer for the Troops. His son was graduating high school during some difficult Vietnam years, and he reckoned he was gonna wind up in uniform one way or another, so he took an Army ROTC scholarship and wound up on a blind date in Germany with a lady who's my Mother. About 45 or so years later, this seems to have worked out. This evening, a Federal award-winning senior attorney posted at headquarters for his area of service in the DC area, who graduated in the worst economic times for his profession since the Great Depression, was cutting up seed potatoes to go into a church garden for folks who are hungry... was thinking about all this, and I just thought that was kinda special.... If one of those kids I'm growing kale or potatoes or chilies or whatever for decides they're interested in chemistry... darned, but won't that be a nice, full circle or something.... Prof. Jasper Otto Derrick, here's to you! Love, John

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2015/04/22/the-zombie-claim-about-navy-ship-numbers-returns-to-the-2016-campaign-trail/ Do we need a strong Navy? YES! Do we need to be able to make the rubble bounce? ABSOLUTELY! How high? REALLY HIGH! That's great, but at some point are we over-achieving on this issue, and could stand to evaluate how we invest our resources? This Navy site (http://www.navsea.navy.mil/nswc/carderock/docs/handbook/GeneralNavyInformation.pdf) says that "The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world as its tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined" -- that sounds big (and presumably, at least a few of those other Navies would be on our side? I do kinda think that some other countries could do a better job of stepping up to the plate....). While maintaining such strength and addressing emerging challenges and opportunities (Did China just claim its territorial waters extend up the Potomac into the Tidal basin? No, but this is how rumors get started :) -- http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-13748349), do we also need to keep in mind balance, context, and Eisenhower's "Cross of Iron" speech (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chance_for_Peace_speech)? I haven't spent the last decade and change sending off care packages to Iraq and Afghanistan (and periodically trying to get into the military) because I'm anti-Troops.... I'm just saying, lets keep some perspective, and be straight-up in our political discussions....