My Fourth Of July Message

The 250th Anniversary of the U.S. is upon us! Yesterday afternoon, Elena and I waited with great expectation for the beginning of the World Cup match between Argentina and Cabo Verde. We were brimming with confidence. It was going to be an easy victory for Argentina. Elena got a surprise delivery from UPS. It was a gift from me. It was the same shirt that each Argentina player wears on the field. We had a huge and unpleasant surprise. The game lasted 120 minutes instead of the normal 90 minutes. It was a ferocious and hard-fought battle. The humble people of that little island became David taking on Goliath. They almost pulled it off. Argentina won 3-2. I always warn people: never underestimate an opponent! Now we come to this special day. Many people claim that the founding fathers were all elite white males who owned slaves. In reality, some were, and some were not. Each man knew that if he failed, his life would end on the gallows. I hear all sorts of talk about slavery, racism, putting native Americans on reservations, internment of Japanese in World War II, forever wars, etc. After hours of agonizing thought, I focus on the great movie actor Kirk Douglas. He was born to a Jewish family in Ukraine. Had he not gotten out of there, he would have died in one of Stalin's famines or been killed by the Nazis. Think of all the wonderful performances on the screen we never would have seen. In Christmas of 1988, my second job was at a center that helped homeless people get back on their feet. A surprise speaker came to talk to the people with little hope. It was the famous movie actor Kirk Douglas. He was just as handsome and charming in person as he was on the screen. He told the people something surprising when he said the following: "Many decades ago, I was in the same position that you are in. I got mad and decided to do something about it." In September 1996, I found myself in the same position that Kirk found himself in long ago. Super Grok told me many years later that I had a 1/3 of 1% probability of emerging from homelessness to a life of prosperity. (Heck, I had a better chance of becoming an astronaut.) I remembered Kirk's words from long ago. I got mad. I decided to do something about it. I also thought of the words of former President Barack Obama: "Yes we can!" It was a long battle; I emerged from homelessness on July 17, 1999. In 27 years, I have never come back. Elena began life "one click away from the slum" in a very poor Buenos Aires suburb. Her family could not afford a car or a television. Their drinking water came from a well. She ended her career as a successful and respected doctor in Northern California. My former domestic partner Antonieta was born in a Guatemala slum of an unwed mother. She came to this country. She had a good career. She married a wonderful man. She has two beautiful daughters. She lives in a nicer house than our house. Everybody, me and many other people like me, are what this country is all about! We came from poverty, beat the odds, and have had a great life. Elena thinks that we are a little tiny minority. I beg to differ. There are millions of us! Please eat some healthy and unprocessed food. Get some life-renewing exercise. Get some rest after a week of hard work. Most importantly, tell someone close to you that you love them. (I have already done that!) -JackW