Editorial

EDITORIAL - I respected Senator John McCain. I loved him as a war hero and a fellow American who served his country in an astounding way. Few people our country will ever accomplish all that McCain accomplished in his life. He served his country in the military, suffered as a prisoner of war and became one of the most respected United States Senators in our nation's history.

He also came to my hometown of Inez, Kentucky when he was campaigning for President in 2008. I am told the one sight he wanted to see up the road in our town of Martin county was the house that President Lyndon B. Johnson visited in 1964. Johnson put our county on the map and one of our families as the "poster child" of American poverty. He and his entourage visited a family with the promise of lifting them and all poor American families out of poverty. The man he visited died about as poor as or poorer than he was the day Johnson visited him.

EDITORIAL - The buzz of a possible visit by Russian President, Vladimir Putin has died down. Different reasons have been cited from safety to timing to other things going on right now for President Trump and Putin. I said on more than one occasion when Obama was President that he should invite Putin to the White House for dinner. I also said that about Kim Jong-un. 

Putin nor Jong-un are not beloved by the American people. Americans, or our President are not beloved by the North Koreans or the people of Russia. I don't necessarily know this as gospel fact but I watch the media and read other articles and columns. I suspect it's true. 

EDITORIAL - I've thought about taking a Duck boat ride and I'm glad I passed. Thirty-one people including 29 passengers had boarded the Duck boat ride vehicle for a joy ride on Table Rock Lake outside Branson Missouri last week.  It became the last ride that 17 of the passengers would ever make. 

Torrential weather turned the lake into a rollercoaster ride that became more than the Duck boat could handle. Media clips have shown the stress the World War II type amphibious vehicle and people were under. The raging lake overtook them sending many of them to their watery graves.

EDITORIAL - A couple of million Americans will be watching closely as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors compete for the 2018 NBA championship. LeBron James, a 6'8, 250 pound man who plays for the Cavaliers is the King James Version of basketball. I was recently in Cleveland, Ohio while the Indiana Pacers were in town. Interestingly the Pacers were staying in my hotel and I saw them often on the elevator or the hotel lobby.

The evening I was there I went down to the lobby in search for a snack and then headed back to the elevator when two men walked across the lobby area briskly and entered into the elevator first. I followed them on and was a bit awestruck that one guy with a baseball cap was large. He was maybe 6'8 or 6'9 and very stocky. I never mean to stare but this man looked familiar. He never looked at me to engage but kept his eyes on the elevator. By the time they got off the elevator I knew I was riding with the king of basketball - LeBron James.

EDITORIAL - Has America simply gone crazy? We never want to think that we are a bit crazy or that people we love are experiencing craziness but it is reality. America has an overwhelming problem with craziness or I should say mental health issues. Over a 12-month period, 27% of adults in the U.S. will experience some sort of mental health disorder, making the U.S. the country with the highest prevalence. Mental health disorders include mood disorders, anxiety disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and substance abuse.

Over one's entire lifetime, the average American has a 47.4% chance of having some kind of mental health disorder. Yes, that's almost one in two. The projected lifetime prevalence is even higher: for people who reach age 75 it is 55%. World Health Organization data does not take into account eating disorders, personality disorders, and schizophrenia; the incidence of these disorders together is about 15% in the U.S., according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

EDITORIAL - I've always admired Barbara Bush. Like millions of others I was saddened to hear about her declining health and then recent death. Many television tributes and well deserved accolades have been verbalized in recent days. Her beautiful funeral service and all that was said from their Houston Episcopal Church was a tribute to one of America's finest ladies.

I had the opportunity to have my picture taken with the First Lady many years ago. She was speaking at a banquet and my assignment was to do an opening prayer for the occasion. Being on the program afforded me the opportunity to sit close to her while she would later speak. We were meeting under a large tent and it was a breezy day. The flag was occasionally blowing into her face and so I took hold of the end of it and held it during her speech.