THE WAR OF THE WORLDS

My all time favorite book is H.G.Wells novel War of the Worlds. I've been fascinated with the story since I first read it over half a century ago. I found a copy in a 5&10 in our neighborhood and read it straight through. Several times. I have read it many times since over the decades. It almost like comfort food for my mind. If I'm being honest, it's the closest thing to an obsession (at least a lasting one) I have.

The book that captured my imagination

Although I can't remember the exact sequence of events, whether I read it first or not another equally inspirational book was the Classic Illustrated version of the same story. The Martian fighting machines in the hardback novel appeared kind of clunky to me, though nowadays they would probably qualify as "steampunk". The Classic Illustrated versions were very much more to my liking. Unlike the books illustration, which didn't seem that far removed from Victorian technology, the machines in the comic reflected a far more advanced science. They were sleek, shiny and imposing; a sharp contrast from the comparatively primitive British weapons. The cover of the pulp publication captures this contrast in one startling image. It shows a British gun crew facing off against three of these metallic monsters. The lead colossus is firing its heat ray at the gun emplacement. Its pretty easy to predict what happens next.

Super science against Victorian might

While the story captured my young imagination, the comic illustrations, done by Lou Cameron (in 1955, I think) completely enthralled me, The image has stuck with me all these year. It is my favorite depiction of these machinations. As a young boy I redrew them many times, trying to duplicate the majesty and mystery of these terrible behemoths. Even today I still create versions of them, albeit in 3D modeling software rather than pencil and paper. While learning the graphics software Blender I have created several images, which unfortunately disappeared in a hard drive crash. My backup software subscription had lapsed so it was just one of hundreds of things I lost. Such is life in the computer age. No worries, I have since recreated them, perhaps better than the originals.

Blender rendition of the Martian fighting machines

I did not however, start this article to discuss artwork. Rather I wanted to relate some things I found interesting about the author related to this particular novel. The bulk of the story occurs in Surrey, a county in southeastern Britain. At the time Britain was the worlds mightiest empire. Wells wrote the story as a kind of commentary on British attitudes of the time. The mindset of the populace was imperialistic. The British controlled a great portion of the earth's surface. Victorian technology, philosophy and science was considered incomparable to all else, even that upstart ex-colony America. Wells attacked that attitude of self adsorbed superiority by having his aliens invade England.

H.G.Wells house in Woking as it appears today.

The idea came to him when his brother and he were out walking together. They began to wonder what would happen if Britain had to face a superior foe, perhaps some alien enemy whose science was incredibly advanced. Wells ran with it. He created a serial for Pearsons, a magazine of the time. As Wells put it in a letter to a former fellow student...

 "I'm doing the dearest little serial for Pearson's new magazine, in which I completely wreck and sack Woking–killing my neighbours in painful and eccentric ways – then proceed via Kingston and Richmond to London,which I sack, selecting South Kensington for feats of peculiar atrocity."

Much of the action in War of Worlds occurs in places Wells was very familiar with. He lived in the town of Woking, near an area called Mayberry, His descriptions of the area are quite vivid. No wonder. He could see most of the settings by walking or riding through them. Many of the activities the protagonist describes are also Wells', such as learning to ride a bicycle.

“I learnt to ride my bicycle upon sandy tracks with none but God to help me; he chastened me considerably in the process, and after a fall one day I wrote down a description of the state of my legs which became the opening chapter of the Wheels of Chance … The bicycle in those days was still very primitive. The diamond frame had appeared but there was no free-wheel. You could only stop and jump off when the treadle was at its lowest point, and the brake was an uncertain plunger upon the front wheel. Consequently you were often carried on beyond your intentions. The bicycle was the swiftest thing upon the roads in those days, there were as yet no automobiles and the cyclist had a lordliness, a sense of masterful adventure, that has gone from him altogether now.”

H.G.Wells and his 2nd wife, Amy Catherine

The site of the original impact of a Martian cylinder is Horsell Common, an open area within walking distance of his home. The first locations to feel the fury of the aliens are all within spitting range of the Wells' residence, if not visible from his own yard. The Mosque, the Oriental College, the church and railway station and every other detail were within his gaze every time he walked out his door.

Map of Surrey, Principle setting of the novel

The Martians path to London most likely follows Wells frequent jaunts on his bicycle. At the time, trains were a major form of transportation. Wells takes delight in smashing the British railroad system, probably the most advanced at that time in history. While horse drawn vehicles were ubiquitous, bikes were in vogue at the time. On several occasions he describes damaged bicycles. This may not, however, be some satirical comment on the two wheeled transport. He seems to simply be acknowledging they were primitive, requiring a high level of maintenance.


Why Martians, one might ask. At the time of Wells writing there was a fascination with Mars. Percival Lowell was convinced he had found evidence of canals on the planet. An entire network in fact. He made detailed drawings of his observations and speculated on the inhabitants and their technology. Because they had created a global canal system to channel the melting polar ice to more arid regions of the planet, their technology must be superior in some, if not all, areas of endeavor. People in general came to think along the lines of Lowell's descriptions. This is not to say that other scientists believed or observed what Lowell described. His claims were widely disputed. While they eventually proved to be completely false in almost every way, nobody knew for sure at the time.

Lowell's Mars

Perhaps the most striking feature of the story is Wells' description of the impact of the Martian invasion on the population. His protagonist witnesses the collapse of British society in microcosm. The Martians travel a beeline to London, the heart of the empire. He reduces Great Britain to a hovel, inevitably dependent on her allies to rebuild her destroyed infrastructure and console her broken spirit. The idea that Britain's empire would collapse after the Martian overrun a few counties is ludicrous, of course. The same counties were pummeled by the Germans in World War I. Britain survived in glorious fashion, her empire intact, even expanded. The Second World War saw this same area targeted by the same foe, although the eventual result was not anywhere near as positive. Like the Germans after them, the Martians didn't seem to notice that the balance of Great Britain was beyond their reach. Leveling London was not enough to destroy British society.

Germany's attempt to subjugate Britain, 1940

Be that as it may, the Britain Wells describes comes unraveled under the Martian onslaught. The population completely loses their collective "stiff upper lip" and chaos ensues. The idea of every man for himself grips the nation (at least the southeastern part). Railways are overtaxed. Authority loses its grip. Wells describes the constables beating citizens in frustration. Locomotive drivers plow their iron steeds through crowds of frightened citizens. Neighbors claw each other in their effort to escape the murderous horde threatening everyone. While some keep their heads many take to thievery, even murder to survive.

Polish Refugees, 1944

Wells also describes millions of refuges fleeing the southern counties, a sight that would be all too common in the 20th century. He shows us endless confused lines of desperate people with their own survival uppermost in their minds. The main character relates, through his brothers eyes, how he escaped to the coast of Essex. They reach safety, but only after paying exorbitant passage to opportunistic seamen. Wells uses this opportunity to show us that even the great and powerful Royal Navy is all but helpless against the aliens power. While one valiant ship and crew manages to sacrifice themselves to destroy two of the great machines, the balance of the fleet remains out of range of the Martians terrible weaponry.

The last stand of HMS Thunderchild

The story also includes description of the invaders use of poisonous gas, something that would become a very real threat within the next twenty years. Mustard and other gases were used as anti personnel weapons during the first world war. This type of warfare was eventually outlawed. Its affects were terrifying, but the fact that it was indiscriminate probably carried more weight in the decision. It was totally uncontrollable in any breeze, so much so that even Adolf Hitler refused to use it. Fortunately for the Martians, their gas, labelled "black smoke" by its intended victims was better behaved. It flowed close to the ground in ominous coils. The height of the fighting machines kept the aliens well out of harms way. The gas was also easily neutralized with jets of steam, after which it fell to a perfectly harmless.powder.

Aftermath of gas attack, WWI

Wells also predicts in a small way, the use of aircraft as a weapon. Though it is only mentioned almost in passing, the Martians develop a flying machine. In the scene were the brother escapes seaward to France, he witnesses a mysterious shape cross the twilight sky, apparently dispersing the black smoke as it flies The machine returns later when the primary character views his slain enemy from Primrose Hill. It sits, useless, in the great bivouac the Martians carve out in London surrounded by Martian corpses and idle machines. Had the aliens survived their demise they would have conquered all of humanity. The ability to ply the skies of Earth would have made them unstoppable. Fortunately for Britain and the rest of the world, this never happens.

Martian flying machine, War of the Worlds: Goliath

The way Wells defeats his Martians is often criticized. Rather than have the nations of the world find a way to overthrow the enemy, the author uses microorganisms. The idea is that the Martians have no immunity whatsoever to any sort of infection, even the ones earthlings find harmless. The aliens essentially destroy themselves by exposing their bodies to the surrounding environment.  In a broad sense, the invasion was over even before it started. Wells supposed the advanced race of Mars had eliminated disease and its agents centuries before. They had doomed themselves long before the attack on our world. This form of ending, called "ex machina" is considered by many a sort of cheat. The author calls on some superior force, natural or supernatural, to overcome his character's difficulty. While not as heavy handed as Stephen Kings climax in "The Stand", where the hand of God himself saves the day, the microbes of War of the Worlds are just as effective.

Randall Flaggs defeat at the hand of God

Wells does leave his story open, however. The people of Earth now know they are not alone in the universe. Perhaps its only a matter of time before the same or other threats appear from the vastness of space. Like the end of the 1951 movie "The Thing" his readers are warned to "keep watching the skies".

A warning to all mankind

THE EXPERIMENT

After watching the Disney streaming of the play "Hamilton" I was inspired to finally get around to reading "The Federalist Papers". They were written cooperatively by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison in 1787. I'm about four pages in when I read this...

 "Among the most formidable of the obstacles which the new Constitution will have to encounter may readily be distinguished the obvious interest of a certain class of men in every State to resist all changes which may hazard a diminution of the power, emolument, and consequence of the offices they hold under the State establishments; and the perverted ambition of another class of men, who will either hope to aggrandize themselves by the confusions of their country, or will flatter themselves with fairer prospects of elevation from the subdivision of the empire into several partial confederacies than from its union under one government."

At first glance it may seem to describe the situation in our country before the Civil War, some 60 odd years after these words were penned. Read it twice and you may see it also applies to the current day. Our nation is fragmenting, a process exacerbated by the confusion caused by the current pandemic. We are witnessing political, social and racial division fueled by self interest on the part of ourselves and our leaders. We are being distracted from the true course of the "experiment" that started in 1776. A new nation unlike any other founded on the premise that all men are created equal. In the America hoped for all those years ago we are all citizens with equal standing. Your color, religion, ethnicity, and according to the Supreme Court, your sexual identity does not make any difference in your standing as a free citizen of these United States. Your wealth affords you no more rights than your fellow citizens, nor should your poverty any less. Every American must guarantee all other Americans the freedoms defined in the Constitution. This is not a pick and choose proposition. It is applies to all of us.

This American experiment is not finished. It is a dynamic and living system of ideals, our heritage and birthright. We are to foster those ideals amongst each other and bequeath them to our descendents, as they were to us. It is our responsibility to correct the mistakes of the past and strive for the goals hoped for  so many decades ago. The founders tried their best to do so, continuing despite their own faults and failures. As their descendents, we can do no less.

It is absolutely necessary that we do so. To quote Lincoln's address at Gettysburg..."that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

DING HAO!

Flying Tigers movie poster

I found a movie on YouTube today. Yes, they do have actual entertaiment. It's not all alien conspiracies or flat earthers. It was "The Flying Tigers" a romanticized WWII film starting John Wayne. The version on YouTube has Chinese sub-titles. Not sure which "China" it was meant for. I can see Taiwan doing this, not sure Beijing would allow it. I was hoping it was dubbed. That would have been kinda fun. I guess you can't have The Duke speak anything but English. That accent of his probably won't translate well to Chinese. I would think there's not many Chinese comedians doing John Wayne impressions.

General Claire Chennault

The Chinese (at least the Taiwanese) would consider members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) heros. General Claire Chennault formed the unit for Chiang Kai-shek's Chinese Republican Air Force in April of 1941, but they didn't officially see combat until later on that year. I had the mis-conception they were flying against the Japanese Empire before Pearl Harbor. As I understand it there were delays getting the group off the ground, so to speak. Their baptism by fire occurred on 20 December, 1941, after the US had declared war. The Chinese, however, had been fighting Japan since July, 1937. Some historians put the date as early as 1931, when some "rogue" Japanese military units invaded Manchuria.

Letter of "Resignation"

Chennaults pilots were all service personnel from various arms of the US military who entered China using civilian passports. The US wasn't at war yet, so there was no official approval of a fighting force comprised of American military. They "resigned" from the service so they could become  trainers and instructors under contract with Chennaults "Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company". Many of them fudged their flight experience to qualify for the AVG. They had flown bombers or light single engine aircraft and had no experience whatsoever with a fighter. Chennault had to train them in tactics and piloting for pursuit planes. This was fortunate for Chennault. His tactics, learned by observing Japanese pilots, were quite different from conventional training. His major precept was Never dog fight the more maneuverable Jap planes. Instead he taught his pilots to dive at the enemy firing as they passed and using the energy of the dive to climb back up above the enemy for another pass. It worked quite well. The AVG averaged 25 victories for every P-40 lost.

Blood Chit 

AVG pilots had readily visible "chits" that resembled the flag of China on the back of their flight jackets. They were lettered with a notification in Chinese. For the AVG the characters spelled out these words;

"This foreign person has come to China to help in the war effort. Soldiers and civilians, one and all, should rescue, protect, and provide him with medical care."

A similar chit was worn by the B-25 pilots and crews of the Doolittle raid. In both cases the Chinese were more than happy to help Americans and hide them from the Japanese, they took care of them and got them back to Allied lines.

You may have seen them somewhere (the jackets, not the pilots). You can sometimes find them (or replicas) on EBay and other online sites. If they're genuine WWII issue, they are priced accordingly.

Blood chits are still in use today. The CIA has one posted on their site that was used in Afghanistan

AVG P-40 Tomahawk IIb fighters

The P-40 fighters they flew had a sharks face painted on the nose with Chinese markings and roundels on their wings. They originally called themselves "Tiger Sharks" other pilots, however, referred to them as "Flying Tigers" and it stuck. A cartoon of the beast (a decal provided by Disney) on the side of the fuselage behind the cockpit.

Disney "Flying Tiger" decal applied to a P-40

Over half of the AVG pilots made ace with at least 5 victory's to their credit. Two of them received the Congressional Medal of Honor, though not while members of the group. "Pappy" Boyington being one of them, Jim Howard the other. Oddly enough neither one of them attained ace flying with the Tigers. Boyington went on to command the famous Marine squadron"The Black Sheep". 

Bob Prescott, another ace, along with nine other ex-AVG pilots, founded Flying Tiger Lines in 1945. The air freight company was in business long enough to be purchased and merged with FedEx in 1988-'89. Chuck Older, with 10 victories to his credit, became a judge and presided in Charles Manson's murder trial. Tex Hill went on to become commander of the 23rd Fighter Group, The "Flying Tigers" of the 14th Army Air Force.

23rd Flight Group, 1943

The Tigers were absorbed into the US Army Air Force in July 1942, and five of the original AVG pilots joined the new unit, the 23rd Fighter Group of the 14th US Army Air Force. The P-40's flown by the 23rd also bore the sharks teeth but without the cartoon and bearing American insignia. The moniker "Flying Tigers" was still used to refer to the 23rd, mostly because of the press. The 14th adopted the name in general though it still referred to the 23rd in particular. The 23rd continues today, still displaying the sharks teeth on their aircraft.

23rd Fighter Group, 2006

I've read that members of the original AVG don't consider pilots of the 14th "real" Tigers. The veterans of the AVG, especially Tex Hill, got pretty upset when a book titled "God is My Co-Pilot" was published in 1943. In the book Robert Scott claimed he had flown with the Tigers. In fact he had actually transferred into the 23rd Fighter Group after the AVG was disbanded on July of 1942, Scott's record shows he joined the 23rd in July. His name does not appear in the list of AVG pilots. I personally was disappointed to learn this. I had read the book as a kid. Scott is one of my heroes. Although he still flew against the enemy, it kinda dims my image of him.

Robert Scotts book, published 1943

Some people today would consider the men of the AVG mercenaries. Considering the financial aspects of the story that opinion seems to make sense. The AVG personnel were paid 3 times as much as an equivalent American unit. In addition, the Chinese government gave an AVG pilot $500 per target destroyed as a "combat bonus". Whether this was a leading factor in their 296 kills (AVG lost only 12 of 60) is up for discussion. Back in December of 1941 anybody who was shooting at the Japanese was considered heroic, merc or not. Like so many men of that time, they felt they had a job to do. Eddie Rickenbacher wrote that, unlike he and other pilots who served in the first world war, these men weren't interested in the "glory" of fighting the enemy. They just wanted to win so they could get it over with and go home. They were all just regular Joe's, caught up in a mess the Axis had started. Many of them were mad as hell that their lives had been interrupted. They wanted to put an end to it all and live in peace.

Fortunately for us, they did just that.

DOOMED TO REPEAT

Well so far this blog has gone in many directions. I suppose it should. A I recall that was the original idea.

So, anyway...I guess I've been avoiding an issue. The human race is currently dealing with a situation we haven't dealt with since 1945. Thousands of people around the world are suffering from a virus. It has affected everyone's lives just as war did eighty years ago.

Back then, the country was caught off guard by an act of war. An event that dragged us into the morass the rest of the world was already caught in. It would be many many years before humanity was clear of it. Even today, almost a century after that global disaster began, we are still affected in ways we can't even recognize. We still uncover artifacts from that time, mostly weapons and machines that are found in remote locations or buried beneath our feet. These things we find can be readily seen and measured. For the most part they end up in museums, some of them even restored to function. They provide a glimpse into a past world few remember. These, however, are only reminders. There are other, far more subtle, remnants.

Our modern world was formed in that fire. Many of our greatest hopes and most terrible fears grew from that time. Our technological achievements, global political structure and societal behaviors are almost direct results of that mad inferno. A Pandora's box, if you will, that was opened and will never be closed.

When this cataclysm occurred, certain persons in various places on the globe became key characters in a drama that no playwright, even in their wildest imagination, could conceive. The forces of good and evil, which are sometimes blurred into a gray background seemed to be clearly revealed in stark black or white. At least that is, on a major scale. On one side you had men who appeared to be the very image of Satan incarnate. On the other, heroic faulted men, leaders who worked against unimaginable odds to stop them. Many of these men were thrown into the cauldron by happenstance. The wolves came to their door and they rose to the challenge. Not necessarily because they wanted to. They had to. I think they felt they really had no other choice. "Greatness", as they say, "was thrust upon them". They could have just said, "Forget this. Hey, how about another round of golf?"

Therein lies an issue.

While some world leaders have accepted their fate, so to speak, some chose golf..Most importantly, for the US at least, ours has not. Rather then face it head-on as Washington, Lincoln. FDR, Truman, Kennedy and both Bush's, the denizen that now lurks in the White House is not up to the task. He never was. Never will be. He's not cut from the same cloth as his predecessors. He doesn't have the "stuff" that great men are made of. Many of us took him at face value, except that he has no real values. All of us are now paying the price for others shortsightedness. Some saw their own agenda in him. He has an agenda, to be sure, but not the one they thought he had. Everything is about him.

He doesn't care about your job, or your family or even America. He said anything you wanted to hear so you would support him. He did it then, he's doing it now. He does not care about abortion either way, he only wants you to believe he does. You say, "He put those conservatives in the Supreme Court". Yes he did, but not because of their personal beliefs. He put them there because they have, as the saying goes, "drank the koolaid". They are devoted to him. If they weren't he would have gotten rid of them, just as he has gotten rid of everyone who has proved disloyal. Speak before the public in some way that doesn't glorify him and you will lose your job. Fortunately at this stage, at least, you get to keep your life.

Today, a century after the second world war, the world faces another disaster of global proportions. Unlike the earlier threat, where dictators and despots tried to conquer their fellow humans with force, we are faced with an enemy we cannot identify. There are no obvious signs that allow immediate identification of the afflicted in our midst. Covid 19, the label we've given to this stealthy horror, moves rapidly through the human population. It appears in unexpected places. It follows us wherever we travel, using its unwitting human prey to further its progress across the globe. It kills indiscriminately. passing over some to take others. It has caused us to separate, isolating ourselves from each other and bringing whole societies to a standstill. Reaching far beyond its grasp, it threatens to destroy the economic backbone of our civilization. So much so that we will feel its repercussions long after we defeat it.

So we sit here on the couch, or on our lawnmowers, or in our yards and we wait. We wait for the dark cloud to pass and the sun to shine upon us once again. We wait for someone with the skills to lead us and respond to this issue in a way that counts. There are some out there, but they are currently shackled by other responsibilities they have taken on. They are often members of the wrong party who do not worship the narcissist who pretends to lead our country.

We should remember Lincolns words at Gettysburg."government of the people, by the people, for the people" when he talked about America and American freedom. Men have died for these ideas, then and many times over.. It is OUR country.  It does not belong to Republicans, or Democrats or any other particular entity or institution. The people Lincoln mentions, the "the men" referred to in the Declaration includes ALL OF US. Most of us are doing our part to continue that legacy. Many of us are fighting it directly while a great many more support them, just as in that war long ago. These heroic men and women are just plain folks, your neighbors, your loved ones, your acquaintances. Some of them are complete strangers. Just like the boys at Gettysburg, the soldiers on Omaha Beach, the Marines at Guadalcanal, the sailors at Pearl Harbor. There are countless other places where Americans. believing in those words of Lincoln's, died beside other Americans who felt the same way.

Please don't let these self centered despots leave those heroic deaths in vain. Vote to take OUR country back in November.

Look Alikes?

More stuff to waste some of that time we all have on our hands. Not very interesting to most, but it sure keeps me busy. Unfortunately for y'all I love history and have access to social media.

Brewster Buffalo

Brewster Buffalo

The Brewster Buffalo was considered one of the worst aircraft ever built. By the time WWII came around they were obsolete, yet still in service. I have read that Chiang Kai-chek used them fighting the Japanese in Manchuria. The US Marines lost a ton of them at Midway where they were out performed by the Zero. The British and Dutch had the same results. From the Allies point of view it became yet another aircraft dubbed "flying coffin" 

Finnish pilots had great success using them against the Soviet's. The Finns kill rates were as high as 32 to 1. There were even guys who made Ace in these crates, 40 of them in fact, 36 were Finns. There were more Buffalo aces then any other type during the war. Kind of hard to accept from an aircraft most thought was a funeral with wings.

Fokker DXXI

Fokker DXXI

 A plane that appears to resemble the Buffalo, one of many for the time the Fokker D21 (more properly DXXI) served in many air forces in the late '30s, early '40s. Though Fokker had built aircraft for Germany during the first world war, he was working for the Allies during the second. Unfortunately, the Fokker factory was in Holland, which was invaded by the Germans in May, 1940.

The Dutch used the D21 against Germany's BF-109, considered one of the best fighters in the war, attempting to fight off German invasion of Holland in 1940. Before they surrendered, the plane and it's pilots did a fair amount of damage to the overwhelming Luftwaffe. Germany then used DXXIs captured in Holland on their Eastern Front.  

The Fokker D21 was another aircraft used by Finland to great success, who even mounted skis on them. Out of 41 Finnish aircraft only 12 were lost, 6 in accidents. It continued in service until 1949, when it was deployed to a surplus reserve role. The Finns fought hard, using aircraft like the Bullalo and D21 to ultimately push back the Soviets, thus maintaining their Independence from the Soviet Union.

It was also used in the Spanish Civil War, where it flew along side BF-109's in the Spanish Republican Air Force. Many of these aircraft (as well as the Buffalo) were equipped with British engines, which just shows to go you how confusing war can get. Politics is not the only thing that makes strange bedfellows.

Seversky P-35

Seversky P-35

Like the Buffalo (and many other planes at the start of WWII) the P-35 was obsolete by the time it saw service. Like many modern aircraft the fuel was carried in the wings. Unlike modern planes, it suffered from chronic fuel leaks. While the plane was rugged, performance was poor, even amongst it's contemporaries.

In 1940, because of an American embargo, part of a Swedish order for the Seversky was redirected to the UK. As a result the British received planes with metric instruments and manuals in the Swedish language. While this may have presented an obstacle for the Brits who had to train or fly the aircraft, they were still used by the Royal Air Force.

The plane was also purchased by Ecuador and used by that countries first air squadron. They were also deployed in the Philippines where they were absolutely no match for the Japanese aircraft in 1941. Most of the P-35s were destroyed early in the invasion. The surviving Seversky flew against the Japanese in May of 1942 as the islands fell to the enemy.

The Swedes received 60 Severskys in 1940 and used them to defend Stockholm during the war. They flew for the Swedish Air Force until 1952.

There were probably several other aircraft in this category. The corollary of form follows function usually leads to similar appearance from completely different manufacturers.

Thank you for your time. By now you have probably found better things to absorb your time. Watching paint dry, for instance.

I hope you all stay healthy.

God?

My wife recently had her knee replacement replaced. It all went great surgery wise, but a few days later she fell while hobbling around with her walker. This tore the tendon that straightens out the knee. She literally had to physically lift the lower leg with her arms. She had to go back into the hospital for another surgery to repair the tendon.

Going to a hospital during this Covid 19 outbreak terrified her. She knew she might be exposed to someone who had the virus. In typical fashion for her, however, she was more afraid I would contract it and afraid for our children and grandchildren.

She is a religious women, a Christian. Not the wacko off the wall kind that are always in your face preaching about the end of world and a flat earth, but a genuine believer in the existence of God and the good news of the Bible kind of Christian. She is loving and selfless to a fault, especially for her family. She lives her faith instead of telling everyone they should join it.

This morning I found myself asking friends and relations for their prayers or whatever they do on behalf of my wife. This was odd, because I don't really believe such things have any bearing one way or another. I know my wife does, so I asked for her sake. While I used to share her beliefs, I can't say I do now. Lots of water has flowed under the bridge since then. I learned I had mental health issues and had to be put on medication. It took a lot of trial and error, but doctors figured out what combination worked with my particular illness. That changed everything.

One thing that not many people seem to talk about is how these various meds can, and will, affect your worldview. In my own experience it seems to allow you to perceive the world around you through a different set of lenses. You are not looking through the rose colored ones we are told we all wear somehow. Depending on the drug, it seems as if you are seeing everything with crystal clarity. You are more focused in some ways, more in the moment. It gets harder to cast aside reality, which I imagine is why really creative people don't like taking them. They leave your imagination somewhat dulled. Not that you can't imagine things. Its more like you can no longer immerse yourself in fantasies or daydreams. You see them for what they are.  It's like you lose your ability to pretend.

What I'm driving at, is that for me at least, spiritual things no longer seem "real". Christianity's Jesus, Wicca's God and Goddess, any and all divinities no longer make an impression on me. This may be because you learn very quickly that the chemicals in you brain can affect your perception. You begin to understand that a lot of internal and external influences can change how any given situation appears. That means that what you are experiencing may be all in your head, so to speak, and not actually the way things are. As Charles Dickens suggests in Scrooge, bad food can make you see things that are not there. Chemical influences can affect your powers to perceive reality. This is the reason certain drugs and other stimuli can make you experience things that aren't real.

There have been peer reviewed and duplicated experiments where researchers have stimulated various parts of the brain using pulses of electricity. By doing this they have been able to induce near death experiences, UFO abductions and a plethora of other phenomena folks normally attribute as paranormal. If such is the case, that suggests that people who see and talk with aliens, or angels, a god or a devil may not have actually done so. As far as they're concerned, it actually happened whereas somebody who is present at the time will see absolutely nothing out of the normal.

The short version is this. I am now painfully aware that perception is not always accurate. For me that means a conversation with God could be a delusion caused by something totally different, including my own imagination. You or I can accept an idea so strongly that it changes the way our mind works. I guess it sounds far fetched and makes us all seem delusional to some extent but that's what I think can actually happen. It's harsh, I suppose, to suggest that a persons faith could be some type of self induced delusion, but it does suggest that is a possibility.

The bottom line? I am no longer sure that God exists. I would like him or it or she to be real, but that does not make it so. I have no proof God exists, I have none that he doesn't. I know, it's that age old quandary non-believers always fall back on. I am not, however, trying to convince a fellow human one way or the other. I am debating with myself. I know all the arguments because I was taught them. I can use them on me. I suppose all of this makes me agnostic. Does God exist? I don't know. It's as simple as that.

At this point I know there may be readers who stumble upon these ramblings and say "Good for you!'
I know there are others that will try to change my mind and convince me that God is real and that he is here and I can have a personal relationship with him through Jesus. Eh../Sorry, but no. I know the four spiritual laws, yada, yada, yada. Remember, I once was on the other side of the debate. I don't accept that all of them are real any more than I accept Wicca's "As above, so below" or alien visitors or ghosts or any of the other whateverness people come up with on a daily, if not hourly, basis.

No, I am not miserable. I live a very joyful life despite that I've been told I can't without Jesus. I am also not afraid of dying, only of having to leave my loved ones to go on to who knows where, if at all. I am perfectly content to cross that bridge when I get to it. I no longer believe in the concepts of heaven or hell. There is death and nobody really knows if there's anything beyond that. You can tell me your sure that there is. I don't believe you are correct.

By the way, the operation went well and aside from not liking that cast they put on her leg, the wife is doing just fine. So far as I know at this point neither of us has been infected with the virus. I'm trusting in that God I'm not sure of to carry her through this. I hope I'm lucky enough to tag along.

STAR TREK?

James T KIrk and Mr. "You couldn't pronounce it" Spock

As an adult I am not a devoted fan of any Star Trek variant. I have, however, watched it enough to wonder about some things. Everybody knows about the red shirt (jumper if your in the UK) and the affect one has on your life expectancy. You would think that the Federation would put a moratorium on red clothing of any kind and investigate the underlying causes of casualties amongst those who wear them. Apparently they don't, and people continue donning them and dying in droves.

Captain Kirk, feeling really relieved he's wearing gold

In Gene Roddenberry's view of the future everybody is happy and content with what they have. I suppose the premise is that once you have free access to everything you won't want for anything. While this appears to work in theory, one must remember that for extremely wealthy people this is SOP.  That doesn't prevent them from accumulating more. Apparently a Bugatti Veyron does not fill that car shaped void in your soul. Hell, a whole building full of automobiles doesn't seem enough. Same with any other material object. I'm pretty sure that far into future there will still be wealthy people with fleets of luxury star ships, perhaps one for each day of the month.

Jay Leno's Garage, part of it at least.

Roddenberry also envisions wars or mass killing among the citizens of the Federation will be a thing of the past. That's reserved for humanoids with bumpy foreheads and pointy ears. You will be able to shoot them all day long. Except, of course, those Vulcans. Not sure why. Maybe because there are no bumps or their ears are less pointy.

Klingons, perhaps hoping they can cling on to their careers

Out of all the peoples in the known galaxy only humans will think to come up with a federation. This may be because we are the only folks with a United Nations. Every other planet only has one race each. They've always been united as a nation. They really have no choice. I guess this is because natural selection doesn't work the same on every world and they all have just one of each kind of creature. On Vulcan, for instance, there is only one kind of intelligent being and they're all the same color, race and religion. Same for birds, reptiles, insects, etc. Genetics on that planet appears less robust, perhaps stagnant. This is a good thing, less competition over resources. Each creature has full dominance in its particular niche.

Planet Vulcan, tourist mecca extrodinaire

Since humans were the first ones to come up with the idea, everyone in the galaxy will sit down someday and say "Hey, let's start this Federation those Earth people were clever enough to think up. We will probably need a place for a headquarters somewhere. Hmmm, let's find an obscure planet way out on a remote arm of the Milky Way" The Earth delegate is standing in the crowd jumping up with their hand raised repeatedly shouting "Pick me!" as if it was a Catholic grade school. The alien races select him, perfectly willing to travel to a totally inconvenient location far from the center of the galaxy where most of them live in relatively close proximity.

Earth is in there somewhere

They also decide that this headquarters should be in sunny San Francisco, which by miracle survived the nuclear war that nearly exterminated mankind. The war also leaves the Golden Gate bridge intact, still standing after four centuries. Being metal it is also highly radioactive, like the amusement rides near Chernobyl. Thousands of years in the future that bridge will be safe to use, but 400 years hence it will be utterly useless for anything more than a walkway for lead suited pedestrians. In all likelihood most people will choose to fly over the bay rather than risk their lives crossing an ancient and rusting, radioactive suspension bridge.

Having a wonderful time, wish you were here

Zephram Cochrane, who's parents had a penchant for odd biblical sounding names, survives the war that ended all wars, at least on earth. Rather than rebuilding civilization, or even a decent shelter for he and his companions, he convinces them all that constructing a new type of space craft with hand tools will be a lot more necessary and interesting than scavenging for food or anything else fundamental to survival. He then mounts the fruit of their hard labor on a ballistic missile. One that, fortunately, never got launched towards the enemy. Not sure how he gets it up there. Perhaps it was built in place, forty feet or so above the base of the launch vehicle. He and his companions obviously overcome that challenge.

For Sale, Previously owned missile, call for price

Cochran then takes it upon himself to board the untested vehicle with two people who haven't even been born yet and launch it into space. Surprise! It works on the first try. Fortune continues to smile upon him. As he cranks up his newly invented hand built untested drive that warps space time, a passing ship full of slightly green people with pointy ears detects the feeble pulses of his warp drive. Since they are joyriding through space in some forsaken backwater of the galaxy with nothing in particular to do they head toward it. Perhaps they hope to find a convenience store full of snacks and soft drinks.

Damn!!! It actually works!!!

I'd be willing to bet that all the while they are whispering prayers that their craft doesn't crash somewhere in New Mexico, which is probably known throughout civilized space as a kind of galactic Bermuda Triangle. Spaceships fly over it and suddenly their systems fail. They must tumble into some sort of vortex because they are never heard from again. Unbeknownst to the alien folks back home, the wreckage and corpses of the crew are swept up and stored in hangars near Groom Lake in Nevada, aka Area 51. Any survivors end up in IDE detention camps with all the other illegal aliens.

Zephram's Folly

Anyway, back to the Vulcans. Much to their surprise and probable disappointment, instead of a convenience store they locate a ragtag group of humans living in tents. As it happens, it also works out for Cochran, who hadn't quite thought things thru and has no way to get down to earth. I suppose the Vulcans scoop up his fragile little spacecraft as they approach our planet. Cochran, his fellow humans, Vulcans and apparently a few crew members from Star Trek: Next Generation (who are there of course to stop the Borg from stopping Cochrane) all have a good ol' time and the entire galaxy is better for it.

Oh Christ! Is this New Mexico?

To make a very long blog post short, beyond this point everybody has "The adventure of a lifetime". The human race scatters out across known space, bringing peace and prosperity to all corners. There are a succession of starships named Enterprise almost as long as the list of ships christened with the same name for hundreds of years in the past. The earth folks do this on a quite a regular basis, perhaps to ease the production budget on the props, as well as the decals used on the model kits sold in hobby shops. Many ships are named for vessels in the past, although I don't think I've heard the name "Bonhomme Richard" bandied about much. Given that it sailed with the United States Navy in 1765 and is almost completely unknown as a Navy carrier built in 1944 and a amphibious assault ship in 1998 she's been long forgotten. Of course that's a lot of letters to splay across that saucer part of a Federation starship. Might take one huge semi-circular stencil to apply.

USS BONHOMME RICHARD, 1944

Names like "Constitution" are still used, and even though space craft are made from metal there is no mention of "Old Ironsides". Probably because her hull is fabricated from some exotic alloy, such as transparent aluminum. Wouldn't make a very inspiring nick name. Like "Enterprise" there are various other famous WWII aircraft carriers invoked such as "Lexington", "Hornet" and "Essex". No "Franklin D. Roosevelt" though. The Republicans probably shot that idea down before any Democrats could even say "Aye". No "Ronald Reagan" or "Gerald Ford" either...Maybe the future will be non-partisan. Probably not.

Whole bunch O' Enterprise

All is well, of course, aside from a few minor skirmishes with the Romulans, Klingons, those guys that Scott Bakula fought, and the Borg,until we come to the new movie series. The entire universe gets rebooted through some bizarre circumstance which triggers all our heroes to travel down a parallel timeline, the Kelvin or some such.  Now, all the aging actors can be replaced with fresh young faces that appeal to entirely new audience. Its a miracle, breathing new life into a very long and jaded story and a few movies that were a total waste of screen time. There are new adventures, new plot lines, new special effects and undoubtedly larger profit shares for all involved.

Despite all that's happened, some people insist on wearing red

To tell the truth, I personally feel the new movies far superior to anything before. They are more lighthearted, not as serious as their predecessors. Fun to watch. No overacting for one. Shatner's Shakespearean training works in Othello, but on planet Whatchamicallit, not so much. The new Spock is actually someone I might like to know. All of them are. You want to have a beer with these guys, regardless of what planet they're from or your on.

As I understand it the rebooted or re-imagined or refinanced Star Trek is in a bit of a pickle right now. The old directors don't seem to want the job and new directors cannot be chosen from a list of several. To top it all off, nobody can agree on a clear vision of where the Star Trek universe is going. They have no vision of its future or words to that effect. Could it be that we've come to the end. Perhaps Star Trek will cease to "Live long and prosper"

I guess I'll just have to keep on watching scifi from the '50s.