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My father had talked to an English speaking Ham Radio operator in China. They had a good talk, and (of course) exchanged ‘Cq Cards’. They were like business cards for Ham Radio Operators. Some put pictures of their rigs on the cards (I remember the CQ card my Dad got from Ronald Reagan… boy, I WISH I had kept that one. It showed Mr. Reagan’s Ham Radio rig… it was basically a whole WALL of equipment). When my father got the Cq card from the gentleman from China, included was (what was in America) a BANNED BOOK! It was called, just what it looked like. My father had received ‘The Little Red Book’[1]!
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The Little Red Book[/caption](The Little Red Book – Exactly like the one my father received)
My father was a very patriotic American. He worked, here stateside, during the Second World War. He was conflicted by receiving the book. His education told him ‘books are not harmful, in and of themselves’. Yet, he knew that this book was, in the United States) banned. My father kept the book. He kept it hidden away and rarely showed it to anyone, except he did show it to me. I remember it was made from, like, plastic. The cover was, at least. The same kind of plastic as the deck of plastic cards my father gave to me. I glanced through the book. Nothing came out and bit me… or anything like that. It did not have objectionable images, mostly of this Fat Chinese Man I now know to be Mao Tse-Tung. There were pictures of people farming, people working in the fields. Honestly, as a boy of eight or nine? I simply could not see why this book should be banned. I was stumped. Especially when I looked at it… I was probably 13 or 14, and it occurred to me; If the people in this book were American… it looks like a grade school textbook.
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It wasn’t until later in life, that I understood that it was not the book that was bad. It was the words written in the book that caused people fear. Can I tell you something? When my father left the house, more than once I took this book out and read through it. Now, I know the book was published by The People’s Republic of China Printing Office and was the textbook for the People’s Republic of China. If Americans, today, were to look at this book, read it’s quotations. I really do think that a lot of the hatred towards Chinese we see… well, it would fade. I was amazed, then, it was banned. I am amazed now, it was banned. Don’t the people who make decisions, like banning books, understand? The very nature of banning acts to create demand.
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Anyway, I have never talked of my father’s copy of ‘The Little Red Book’ but this seemed to be an appropriate time. See, my father being a Ham Radio Operator exposed me to a wider world. Oh, I am going to write this down, I mean no disrespect to either of my brothers. I know that someone out there has already noticed. Yes, Danny was the only one, out of three sons, that took the same interest in our father’s garage. I as the only son (of three) to join; Cub Scouts, become a Webelo and later a Boy Scout. My mother was a Cub Scout Den Mother. My father later became the Treasurer of our Boy Scout Troop in Pearland.
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Daniel Webelo's Uniform[/caption].
I have no idea why I was the only son that took interest in these activities. I mean no disrespect to you Darrell. Honestly, I always wondered ‘Why isn’t Darrell here?’ Mom simply loved being a Den Mother. And my father couldn’t have been more proud to be appointed Treasurer for my Boy Scout Troop. Scouts were a good experience, for me. I had no problem getting badges or moving through the ranks. If I am not very much mistaken, I was working on Star Scout when my father left… our family. Without him, at my side, during the meetings and the like… I just didn’t feel right. It was like he had abandoned the troop as well as me.
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Anyway, I just LOVED The Scouts. I loved going out on camping trips (We, the Family had been camping for YEARS and YEARS). I loved learning outside of school! Hell, I just loved learning…. Period. My first year in college… I thought to myself ‘Self, you could be a Lifelong STUDENT… if only we had the money)
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Boy (scout) I didn’t get that far, today. I apologize. However, I am at the limit of my pharmaceuticals. I am in screaming pain right now… and I do not get another pain medication for another hour. I am going to call this issue, done.
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As always, My Dear Readers, it is my honor to have you read my work. I am deeply flattered that anyone would come to read what I write. It is a very special honor to have guests from England. Honest, if/when I get my novel published… if it does well enough. I plan to make a trip to England. I just might stay for awhile.
J
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I hope that everyone everywhere has a great weekend. Time for fun and family and bar-b-que. I just hate to even mention… but to myself I must be responsible. Please, if you haven’t… Please… consider donating? I am busy working to find the new home. That I can afford. I have priced; the truck, the insurance, the dolly and some pads… and the labor for a day. The $1,500.00 is a God Send! And I thank him every day. Hence, me really not liking having to ask. You see the box below… and the words. You know what to do.
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Thank you!
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Please Share & HELP?!
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PLEASE HELP AND DONATE TO Daniel's Relocation and General Assistance Fiunding Canpaign[/caption]
[…] Part Three – Flashback – TSoD: “Welcome back, My Dear Readers, to The Other Shoe. Let’s see where we left of, yesterday. That’s right, learning; electronics, geography, and social history in my father’s garage. I know I was not supposed tp speak of this, way back when it happened. However, now that it is 2013 I think it is safe to tell. I told you about how my father talked to people from all over the world. Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom and… China. I am kind of fuzzy as to when this actually happened. It happened before the landing on the moon. I think it was in the late 60’s” This is more like it! I enjoy writing about my father and the years we spent together. In this edition I talk more about our mutual experience in; Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. I haven’t put this into words (here or anywhere) YET. I, now, realize that scouting was a good segway from being a child working every evening in the garage with his father to, the divorce. I had never really put that together prior to writing these articles. Funny thing? That very thought process was happening as I wrote just now, today. Wow, talk about ‘self-therapy’! Anyway, in this edition I talk about my father having a copy of ‘The Little red Book’ when I was a very young boy, about five or six and our time scouting together. It was shortly after this article was up twelve hours I realized that ‘The Story of Daniel’ was raking in the ‘Likes’ once again. […]
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