Now and Then

I’ll begin this article by explaining the meaning of the title. This is necessary as some folks might use these words when asked, “Do you have salad for lunch?” Possible reply, “Now and Then.” And while I do occasionally have salad for lunch, this article is not about salad. It will be my attempt to contrast how some things are perceived or acted upon now with how they used to be. Examples abound to support this vein; however, I’ve selected only a couple for your consideration. One subject that has long been controversial is the death penalty. That is, many folks believe in it while many others adamantly oppose it. So let’s look at some now-and-then examples.

Two stark examples of now and then

On Wednesday, Sep 29th, 2021, Rick Rhoades, 57, was put to death by lethal injection at the Texas state penitentiary in Huntsville 30 years after he confessed to the brutal double murders of Charles Allen, 31, and Bradley Allen, 33. Marley Allen Holt, Bradley Allen's daughter, attended the execution of Rick Rhoades, however, she had never met her father as she was born during Rhoades' trial. At the time of his execution, Rhoades had spent over half of his life in prison. But there’s another disgusting aspect worthy of mention and consideration. Rhoades committed the murders of Charles and Bradley Allen during a botched burglary just hours after being released from prison for another robbery. Rhoades was no one’s role model. He’d led a disgusting life and his subsequent execution was fully warranted. Additionally, IMO, there’s another disgusting aspect to this case: why in the world would it take 30 years for justice to be served? It didn’t used to be this way. On February 15, 1933, thousands of people were in Miami’s Bayfront Park for a speech from president elect Franklin Roosevelt. Appearing on stage with Roosevelt was Mayor Anton Cermak of Chicago; however, one individual in the otherwise festive crowd was Giuseppe Zangara, an Italian immigrant with an intense hatred for politicians. Zangara, with a pistol in hand, stood on a metal folding chair just ten yards from Roosevelt. As he aimed to fire, a bystander, Lillian Cross, grabbed his arm and others in the crowd wrestled him down. The shot missed Roosevelt and struck Mayor Cermak. Despite many life-saving efforts, Mayor Cermak passed away on March 6, 1933. Two weeks later, on March 20, 1933, after spending 10 days on Death Row, Zangara was executed in the electric chair at Florida State Prison in Raiford, Florida. These are two stark examples of now and then.

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With the crimes of Rick Rhoades, justice was delayed for over 30 years

With the crimes of Rick Rhoades, justice was delayed for over 30 years. In contrast, it took but two weeks following the death of Mayor Cermak for the trial of Zangara and the carrying out of the death sentence he received. From Wikipedia:

"Justice delayed is justice denied" is a legal maxim. It means that if legal redress or equitable relief to an injured party is available, but is not forthcoming in a timely fashion, it is effectively the same as having no remedy at all."

For the next contrast example, let’s go to war, and I’ll begin with the way we used to do it back then. On December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, I was just five years old.

On December 8, 1941, the United States Congress declared war on the Empire of Japan in response to that country's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and declaration of war the prior day. It was formulated an hour after the Infamy Speech of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Enacted by the 77th United States Congress Effective: December 8, 1941 --(Wikipedia)

Three days later, on December 11, 1941, Germany declared war on the United States. The decision to declare war was made by Adolf Hitler, apparently offhand, almost without consultation. This action by Germany led to the United States declaration of war on Germany the same day. Responding to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s solemn affirmation that “the forces endeavoring to enslave the entire world now are moving toward this hemisphere,” the House adopted the war resolution on Germany 393–0, while the Senate voted 88–0. This marked only the seventh time in its history Congress had declared war. -- (General Records of the U.S. Government, National Archives and Records Administration.)

Suddenly, life as I’d known it was upended. In the following years I learned the real meaning of the word ‘United' when speaking of The United States of America. My dad was drafted and spent the war years as a member of the U.S. Navy. I didn’t understand finances at my young age, but I remember Mom sayings, “Things were tight.” To make ends meet, Mom worked two jobs. During the day she was a waitress at a small diner and at night she sewed parachutes for the Army Air Corp. And while it would no doubt be called child neglect today, my little brother and I also worked. Our contribution was in pulling our little red wagon through the alleys of our neighborhood collecting tin cans and newspapers and taking them to a collection center in the parking lot of a nearby grocery store.

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Our country was mired in a world war, but we were united, and we had the resolve to win. Victory in Europe came first on Tuesday, May 8, 1945, when America and our Allies of World War II accepted the unconditional surrender of Germany’s armed forces. Victory over Japan came next on August 15, 1945, when Japan signed the surrender document officially ending World War II. American involvement in the war lasted four years from December 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, to 1945, when both Japan and Germany were defeated. That was how America handled war back then. That is, decisively. Sadly, that’s no longer the case. Example: Afghanistan

The War in Afghanistan was a conflict that took place from 2001 to 2021. It began when the United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate. The war ended with the Taliban regaining power after a 19-years-and-8-months-long insurgency against allied NATO and Afghan Armed Forces.--(Wikipedia)

Looks like “Full circle or back to square one,” in my book. It was worse when you consider the following: The Times of London reported that the US simply abandoned a truly astounding arsenal of military equipment and weapons. This reportedly included up to 22,174 Humvee vehicles, nearly 1,000 armored vehicles, 64,363 machine guns, and 42,000 pick-up trucks and SUVs. So, too, the list of allegedly abandoned weaponry included up to 358,530 assault rifles, 126,295 pistols, and nearly 200 artillery units. Oh, and the Taliban will likely inherit state-of-the-art military helicopters, warplanes, and other aircraft from the US, too. So which is best? The way we do things now or the way we did them back then. Truth is, there’s no fits-all answer, as everyone has an opinion. This was still troubling me when I decided to prepare some cornbread to go with supper. I’d developed a love for cornbread as a child while staying with Granny during the war years. She’d pulled all the ingredients from her pantry. Tonight all the needed stuff came in a box. And while what I’d prepared was fine, especially with a slathering of butter and a dollop of honey, it was still Not Quite Like Granny Used to Make.