Cruise Control

I see that Tom Cruise has another ''Mission: Impossible'' movie coming out. You know, his latest cinematic exercise in saving the world from global destruction and mayhem. That is nice of Tom. I have always appreciated his thoughtfulness in allowing the rest of us to maintain living our lives. It is a selfless act on his part, the sign of someone who generally cares about humanity and the possibilities of a better future that will happen....... He is one strange guy, this Cruise character. Looking at him now, with the endless stories about his personal behavior and his very odd decisions, it is almost hard to find someone, even his most devoted fans, who do not shake their heads in incomprehension. Now, I have never been a fan of his. I look at someone like him in terms of ability and range of talent, not because he is a sex symbol. There are talented good looking guys---- like a Redford or a Clooney---- who are genuine movie star Gods that also show ability in the art form. Actually, Clooney and Redford really shine behind the scenes with their abilities. Tom Cruise has always been somewhat of a mystery to me. He is a good looking guy and that has gotten him through many years of popularity. Women squealed for him in his prime. Men have always kept him at a arms distance, perhaps, because of jealousy of his good looks. Whatever, its all horses for courses, a personal judgment. Some of his movies have been good, though, not all. The overwhelming analysis of his acting style is that he basically plays the same roles. Meaning, the young, cocky guy, who has a Father Complex, and wins the winsome gal at the end by his personal growth as a  human being. He learns not to be so selfish, in a nutshell. Look at most of his movies and you will see a common thread running through them all. The character names change but all of his roles are the same. It is like they all come from the same fictional father with a different fictional mother...... However, this tried and true formula seemed to work for him for many years. His public [mainly, women] did not seem to mind that they were watching the same performance over and over. They were content on see Cruise smile on screen, feign a tough-guy persona, have a love scene with the new hot starlet of the moment, and win the day for his side. Tom always won the big race, be it in the air in the ludicrous ''Top Gun'', or on the ground in a racing car in the even more laughable ''Days Of Thunder''. Along the way he would stop off at parts that shot for Academy Award consideration, like the overpraised and contrived ''Rain Man'' or the deeply affecting ''Born On The Fourth Of July''. This last effort, directed by Oliver Stone, showed a different Tom Cruise. He played a real-life victim of the Vietnam War, Ron Kovic. Cruise did very well in this role. It stands as his finest onscreen performance, so far. But, a role like this has a built-in sympathy already attached. Actors like playing victims, be they emotional or physical. These are juicy roles, the kind that the Oscars notice. It takes nothing away from Cruise. He did a solid job. But, any journeyman actor would have also. To compare an actor and an ACTOR, just look at the remarkable job Daniel Day Lewis did in ''My Left Foot'', a performance that beat Cruise's that year at the Oscars. Lewis, so exceptional in anything he acts in, brought forth the sympathy naturally flowing through a paralyzed person. But, Lewis brought depth and anger and  humor to go along with his versatility. He rose above the limitations of his role to bring forth a quiet dignity and sensitivity. It was an all-around, brilliant job at acting. Tom Cruise, as I've said, very good in his role, still showed that he was a minor league actor playing against someone who was a star major leaguer....... Tom Cruise still coasted from success to success as the years flew by. He still played the same character--- cocky, Father Complex--- in films like ''A Few Good Men'' [ a rip-off of ''The Caine Mutiny''] and ''The Firm''. Then, around 1996, Tom Cruise discovered that the world neeeded saving. ''Mission: Impossible'' came calling, with all of its explosions and pyrotechnics. That was fine, a good action movie, well done, is always most welcome. Bruce Willis did it to great affect in the ''Die Hard'' movies. Tom, true to form, seems stuck in the same story. A pinball machine ride to save all of humanity. Maybe, it jibes with his opinion of himself. An American Hero for our times........ All of this is purely subjective. I don't hate the guy. I am judging the work. And, it does not impress me. So be it, millions embraced Mr. Cruise. Well, they did once. Now, he is no longer in good stead with the public. His fans have abandoned him in droves. No longer do his films bring in the huge dollars. They still turn a profit. But, the public, always fickle and waiting for the Next Big Thing to come along, does not notice him as much. Maybe, they have grown tired of his tried and true formula. Maybe, his audience--- again, mostly female--- has found new beefcake to lust over. Or, maybe, it is Scientology........ As we all know, Tom Cruise is the biggest cheerleader for L. Ron Hubbard's ''Church Of Scientology''. Some see the ''Church'' as a personal self-help group who heals the victims of life and redeems their troubled souls through their simple doctrine. Others see it more soberly. The majority of the public see it as a brainwashing cult to be concerned about. This last observation is the best description of Scientology. It is a cult, a very dangerous, and, possibly, life-threatening cult. Its membership run the gamut from simple hard-working Joes and Joans to the highest rungs in show business. Each member is treated with a certain level of control on them, depending on their economic status. Obviously, if you are a plumber, you get minimum attention. And, if you are a rich movie star, the red carpet is rolled out in front of you and you are treated with utmost care. With the bigger names comes the most control. To be fair, there have been some who have benefited enormously from the ''Church Of Scientology'. These folks, small in the world's view of importance, have found their better selves and have grown as individuals. Marriages have been saved, addictions conquered. Its not all bad........ But, a lot of it is bad and it is disquieting. There are stories of lives being ruined, through intimidation and coercion. And, just play threats to their lives. Scientology does not believe in most medicines, particularly, for a fragile mental state. Considering that most members are injured emotional birds, anti-depressants are not administered. The ''Church'' believes in its own way of doing what must be done, even in medical emergencies. The most infamous is the case of John Travolta's son, Jett, who died in the Bahamas. To this day, the cause of death has remained a mystery, along with whether any proper medical attention was given the child after suffering a seizure. Authorities in the Bahamas strongly believe that young Jett was denied prompt and much needed medical care that would have saved his life. The rumor has it that Travolta, a devout Scientologist, refused any medical help and instead, relied on teachings learned from the ''Church''. No proof has been put forward that this happened. However, it must be said, the Travolta family has dodged what actually happened during the final moments of the child's life. The death certificate is sealed.......... Tom Cruise has embraced Scientology was a gusto usually reserved for his saving the world onscreen. His dating life, pretty much widely known, is dictated by the ''Church''. They tell him whom he can date, and, if multiple former members can be believed, his marriages are the result of their vigorous planning. As it appears, his ''wives'' sign up for a little career advancement. They are by his side, shown in the most positive light, get a child if it so dictates, and in do time, are released from their marriage, soon to be replaced by another women in yet another sequel marriage for Tom Cruise......... This is, by no stretch of the imagination, wrong. But, it is sure interesting. Cruise, like Travolta, has battled for years the rumor that he is gay. When these rumors are most ripe, another love of his life magically is born. Again, this is fine, if all of the parties agree to the charade. But, it is wrong in terms of honesty to his audience. He is not respecting the people who consider themselves his fans. It is true, I believe, that a public person does deserve a private life. However, if you bring the public into your private life, as Cruise has done, then, the public has the right to comment and criticize as they choose. Tom Cruise seems to want his cake and eat it, too. Cruise Control on his own terms. But, they ain't my terms, Maverick......... Ultimately, I find Tom Cruise a pathetic guy. Sure, he has his riches and years of popularity. But, he seems very hollow inside, as if, there is no real Tom Cruise, just the screen image. Something must be eating at him to constantly try to prove himself over and over again. To say that a performer is insecure is like saying that the rain gets things wet. Tom Cruise seems to have his insecurities not only on his sleeve but from head to toe. Psychologically, his ''saving the world'' concept runs very deep, as if the man must always prove himself to be the Hero, the All Saving Grace For Humanity. Certainly, being involved with Scientology does him no good. If anyone around him cares about him personally, they should get him the fuck out of there and get him to a real shrink. But, he doesn't seem to have anyone around him who does care. When you purposely insulate yourself with yes-men, you isolate yourself from reality. No one can reach you. And, when no one can reach you, you stop being you....... So, the new ''Mission: Impossible'' movie will hit and will no doubt make millions. Tom will save the world again and for this we must offer eternal thanks. He will be smiling, I'm sure. He will get the gal and the music will blast their happiness with each other. The audience will be entertained and we will breath a little easier that Our Hero battled the demons for us while we sat comfortably and safely in our chairs. Nice Guy, that Tom Cruise. He saved us all........ But, who will save him from himself??.........

Trump Does Not Tower In My Book

I was hoping to go through my life without ever having to write about Donald Trump. I have failed in this aspiration......... Yes, Donald Trump is in the news again for one of his outrageous---- and, very much orchestrated----- statements to the press. Perhaps, you know the latest babble coming from the mouth of The Donald. While at a campaign appearance in front of the mummies who are interested in voting for him, Trump told of his opinion that Senator John McCain from Arizona----- one of the leaders of Trump's Republican Party and a genuine Vietnam War hero----- is, in fact, no hero. The reason? According to the Gospel According To Trump, McCain is not a war hero because he was a prisoner of war in a Viet Cong prison for several years. Patriot Trump said that McCain should not be admired for just being a prisoner of war, and, that the real heroes to admire are the ones that ''don't get themselves captured.''.......... Now, John McCain was shot down, captured, and spent many years in prison. He even turned down an opportunity to be released early by his captives because of family connections. McCain, tortured and wounded for his entire time there in a POW camp, eventually could not raise his arms above his shoulders because of his wounds---- both from when he was shot down, and by the enemy. To this day, he is among the walking wounded that still live on long after a war is over. John McCain came back battered and weaker but never gave up. Eventually, as we know, he distinguished himself in politics [not an easy goal considering the swill that politics is] and made his mark in the Senate. He even ran in 2008, with class and dignity, against the media chosen Barack Obama for President. We know he lost but he ran a decent and classy campaign. The only reason he lost was because of his skin color........ Donald Trump never knew John McCain's type of life because Trump was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He made his fortune the old fashioned way--- he inherited it. As for the nuisance of fighting in a foreign war in Vietnam, Trump used the rich man's out of going into the service. He was ''deferred''. Why, it is unclear but he got out of the draft a couple of times. Like George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, he used college, and connections, to run away from his duty. Now, I am not pro-war or against someone choosing to not serve because of personal reasons against killing fellow human beings. But, since Trump brought up that McCain is no hero in terms of his military service, then, I feel, it is open season on Donald Trump to question his duty to his country and his patriotism. Where was he, when John McCain was rotting in a Viet Cong prison? Where was he, when McCain and other brave men were being tortured simply because they were Americans fighting for their country? Where was Trump, when these men came home from an unpopular and deeply divisive war to welcome them and tell these brave, wounded souls that we are all Americans and were proud of their service? Donald Trump doesn't have good answers for these questions, I'm guessing, because he was busy making money. There is, of course, nothing wrong in doing this. He was living the American Dream that was giving to him by fate. And, so, were the soldiers that fought the war so he could continue doing his capitalism........ Donald Trump has also raised the ire of many because of his recent comments about illegal aliens crossing the border from Mexico. He stated that many come over just to commit crimes, like drug selling and rapes. Trump put his foot in his mouth, next to his silver spoon from Papa Trump, and had to back peddle from his claims. Knowing that he needs the Hispanic vote in order to become President in 2016, Trump said he was misquoted. It is amazing on how he constantly gets misquoted. He loves Mexicans, you know. Some of his favorite people are Mexicans!!!! Some of his favorite people are Mexicans!!! One of his favorite places on Earth is Taco Bell!!! Why, I bet he even wishes he was born Mexican, too!!!!........ What Trump should have said about illegal immigration---- a legitimate topic in the world today----- is that ''It is a shame that the hard working, honest Mexican people, who want to better their lives coming to our great country, have to be saddled with a small group of those who shamelessly break the laws of decent behavior. It is a classic example of those very few who spoil it for the rest of us. I'm all for anyone coming to our country to help it grow in diversity and culture. I want everyone to realize their dreams of a better life that our country can offer them. I just want all potential future citizens to come here the law-abiding way, through our border channels. This system, which I grant you is flawed and needs some repair, is the best way to start anew. When coming into this country legally, we can also help them assimilate here and help find them a way of life that would make them proud. And, us proud as a great nation.'' ........... The Republican Party winces lately every time Donald Trump opens his mouth. Guilt by association is their fear right now about him. And, they should be fearful. Here is a party, who, long ago, championed the conservative cause of family, education, defense, and basically, the government staying out of their private business, now, is the party of religious loons and separatist actions. They seem to want the government involved primary in your lives and to tell you how you should live it [relax, Republican friends of mine. I think the Democrats are even worse about this]. But, The Republican Party has swung so far to the Right, that its once proud standard holders, like Bob Dole and Newt Gingrich, are publicly appalled by what has happened to the Grand Old Party. It is this alarming shift in political philosophy that has embraced a Trump and his barbaric, 19th Century way of looking at the world. The current crop of candidates running for President on the GOP side is like looking at the Chicago phone book, there are so many of them. They fear that Trump, with his money and his gift for successfully courting public attention, is still selling the same Old World symbols that they are trying to shed. They consider Trump dangerous. Well, most of them do. I'm sure some share his way of thinking but they are too timid to say it. Plus, when Trump finally does self-destruct, these same candidates want to make sure they are on good terms with him when they come, hat in hand, to help fund their campaign war chest....... Unlike his many critics, I do not think Donald Trump is dumb. Far from, I think he is very smart and savvy. But, in a dangerous way. He is the exact opposite of what we need now in a leader. He preaches divisiveness and hate. He is for the Common Man, so he claims, but, you and I know that is not true. He is for himself and knows how to spin a speech so that some gullible people buy it. It is an old and lethal trick in politics to play to your audiences fears. It goes back probably to the beginning of time.  The Presidency Of The United States is not a job for him. It would be his ultimate toy on his Monopoly board. Donald Trump is not an original, but, instead, a sad and dangerous reminder of all that we have to overcome.......

Lady Madonna

Howard Stern, love him or hate him, has a great gift. He is a terrific interviewer. He draws out the information from celebrities that no one else can. Everything from childhood memories to conflicts among peers to marital strife. Naturally, Stern has to appeal to his core audience that swims in the muck of human disobedience and asks the sexual questions, but, he manages to swing his skills back to the normal level. I am constantly astounded by the will of the celebrity to open up completely to his interrogation. And, some thoughtful and poignant moments develop. I guess my favorite interviews he conducts are with people I've never had much interest in. Madonna is one of them....... When she arrived on the scene in the early 80's, Madonna was not on my radar of interest. A couple of her songs were catchy, but that was it. However, I was not the target audience she was shooting for. She aimed her pap at young teenage girls and their constant search for personal identity. Soon, young lasses spoke like Madonna, dressed like her, and emulated the way she lived life. That was fine. Taste aside, she filled a hole for a generation that was finding itself. Along the way, she became more than a pop star. By shrewdly marketing her sex appeal, she became a cultural obsession. The paparazzi, always looking for the Next Big Thing, went haywire over her and her antics. Never mind that most of these antics were calculated to draw attention to herself----therebye, multiplying her popularity a millionfold---- the media lapped up her persona and actively promoted her personal cause. They went chasing after her, most notably, when she was with Sean Penn. And, the fact that Penn was a notorious hot-head and liked to punch people whenever the whim came to him, the atmosphere was perfect for good, old-fashioned sleazy tabloid viewing. She loved it and her public loved it. During this time, she was everywhere. Her videos, capitalizing on her self-creation of a rebel and a champion of the lower classes [again, calculated to stimulate her all important career] were talking points. Most had the topic of rubbing against the blue noses who championed censorship. Now, there is nothing wrong with pushing the envelope----- great strides in art and culture have been created this way---- but, Madonna could never be accused of being an Artist with a capital A. No, she was simply an average talent who felt the pulse of the public and what it presumed it wanted from her. Then, with her remarkable instinct for selling her image, she brought her name to the public's lips. Whether you praise her or condemn her, she knows where to sell the sizzle and not the steak........ As with any media sensation, the public soon shifts its tastes and wants fresh blood. The challenge of Madonna was to go from her sexual tease of the 80's to a still relevant adult in the 90's. And, she did it. She wisely moved into movies, but, unwisely picked wrong projects that did not show any acting skills. Her roles in movies---- most of them bad and forgettable--- just were another retread of her videos. You know, the sex and tease thing. Soon, it became apparent that this girl from Michigan, who captured the stronghold of the public in the 80's, was not an interesting and talented actress. She was passable, at best on the Big Silver. Kinda like her abilities as a musician. Average. She made two positive appearances on film. One was ''Dick Tracy', with her then-current boyfriend, Warren Beatty. And, she made an interesting documentary of her latest tour. Personal documentaries can be deceiving because its subject always is playing to the camera and has final edit before the film is released. But, a couple of cracks in the image were shown and, I think, the real Madonna did show through. In those moments, she appeared to the naked camera a little girl who did not seem to know where the real world, and her image world, separated..... So, Madonna in the 90's found that she had to keep marketing herself to the public, lest they forget her. Her dating life, already a soap opera of the famous, went into overdrive. An endless stream of men---and women--- found their way into her bedroom. Naturally, these personal conquests became public disclosures. With the aid of her publicists [ who, are unsung heroes in her rise to stardom] we knew them all and commented on whom she was banging. With every tidbit, came a new release of music. And, public statements designed to promote herself. As usual, her audience and the media fell for it, the trials and tribulations of Our Madonna. A sex book announced her fantasies to the world. The book, completely forgettable, became a huge best seller, provoking outrage and constant assessment. Just as it's author and subject wanted........... By the late 90's, she seemed to be slowing down. She had a child and got married. She still tried to shake the public with shock, as a notorious and well designed appearance on David Letterman attested to. But, each reincarnation seemed to draw the public in a little less. At times, she seemed like an aging, pathetic media junkie, trying desperately to stay relevant. However, the public had moved on to other bright lights. Her young audience in the 80's had grown up and thought of her less. And, she spawned other female artists, like Brittney Spears and Lady Gaga, who saw what she did, and, like any imitator, avoided the mistakes of their idol, and took the brass ring from her. It must have been with cruel irony to her that she was now old hat in the media world of a pop princess. With the arrival of middle age, she looked out of place talking about her sex life and breaking down of her self-perceived biases and taboos in the world. In the new century, Madonna was a relic from a past time, someone who belonged in a time machine.......... So now, she is back again, promoting  new album. The Stern interview is actually a few months old, just as her new album was about to be released, so, at the time she was on the show, her album could not be judged in terms of critical appraisal or public interest. Now, it can be. It didn't make much of a mark. Perhaps, her audience no longer cares. They may listen to her when she is on TV, but, they will not go out of their way to hear her music anymore. Her concerts still attract attention. It seems like the attention, though, is more for her audience to relive a nostalgic time in their lives, to go back and be sixteen again.......... The Howard Stern interview was quite good with her. It did bring forth a more adult and mature Madonna. To be sure, she still had her moments where she was full of herself and her image. But, as Stern does so very well, the human being, beneath the star facade, with all of its foibles, came through. For a good chunk of the interview, her guard was down and she was all there. And, some surprising, and at times, painful information was revealed. The most shocking and horrifying was her disclosure that she was raped when she first came to New York in the early 80's. She spoke of this with quiet dignity, not ashamed to admit that it happened. She spoke of her insecurities in her life and her mistakes. It was quite a fascinating interview from her......... After it was over, I must admit, I did view her a little differently. I was never a fan of her, be it her music or her media behavior. But, I did glimpse a sensible person coming through the radio. Someone who has come of age and has good qualities. It might be the real her, buried for decades under her designed image of a pop star. Now that she is older and, hopefully, wiser, maybe, we will see the human being more and the image less. I'm hoping...... By the way, the two songs she played on the show, weren't bad...........

We All Walk Towards The Sunset

Jay Kent lay there dying. He knew it. He could feel the warm blood slowing making its way down his body from his chest. Or, was it moving quickly? He couldn't tell. His mind was in that strange twilight period between reality and the ''other world''. He knew that he was going to that world quickly. There were gonna be no last minute, heroic, life-saving techniques applied to him. In fact, no one knew he was still alive. There was still the battle raging around him, men going forward in the haze of smoke and carnage. One by one, it seemed, they were getting plowed down. Even in the mist of his dying eyes and ears, he heard the screams from his fellow soldiers. It was the scream of ultimate pain, of a human body meeting such an unnatural intrusion that the cries came from the bottom of the soul. Or, was it the center? Again, his mind was playing tricks on him as his thoughts came fast and furious at him. And, Jay kept coming back to the central issue: he was dying in his own blood on this beautiful beach in France....... He had a whole different destiny planned for himself, he reflected. It wasn't supposed to end this way, leaving this life at the age of twenty one. He had not lived at all. His big plans in life: a good career, the love of a good woman, and his kids. And, someday, long into the future, he would bounce his grandson on his knee and talk about his great adventures in World War Two. Those anecdotes would be embellished, he grinned to himself in better times, because a good story in a war must be exciting for a small boy. No kid wanted to hear about the drudgery of basic training or the endless boring hours of no action on the battlefield. He couldn't even tell his grandson that there wasn't really a thing called a battlefield. It wasn't like a sports game with an actual boundary and you showed up to fight. No, a war was a constant shifting of ground, no set place. Jay would not tell that to his grandson, mind you. Just the hero worship parts that the kid would always remember........ But, now, there would be no grandchild and the stories of the glorious battles of war. There would be no kids of his own or a wife. Jay Kent would miss out on all of this. He silently asked for forgiveness to them. The kids would never be born. They would forever be in that parallel world of the unborn, never to be alive. And, Jay also said a quiet prayer to his never-to-be wife......... Jay always wanted to be a family man. He grew up around a big family filled with love. His most cherished childhood memory involved dolphins. Jay loved dolphins and always yearned to see them in person and swim with them. One day, the family scrapped up enough money to go to Florida and fulfill Jay's fantasy of swimming with them. And, he did, long and hard, the sweet feeling of them by his side forever seared into his memory. But, the trip home was horrible, for the family car broke down and the family was robbed by some ''do-gooder'' who stopped to ''help'' them. When the family got back to Iowa, everyone but Jay was in a foul mood. Despite the bad luck coming home, Jay felt fine. As he told the fellow residents of Davenport, ''I swam with the dolphins!''...... Jay was that stereotypical boy who fell in love with his high school sweetheart. She even had an All-American name to go along with the All-American girl that she was: Betsy. Betsy was a fine young lass, as the saying goes. All bright eyed and summer dresses. Jay and Betsy first met in the second grade. Well, they met head-on. Neither was looking where the other was going and, SLAM!, right into each other they went. Picking up her books, Jay first noticed the girl that would capture his fancy. You know, they were kids and kids don't understand the complex nature of love [the truth must be said, neither do adults]. But, Jay, in his mind, knew that he liked this girl Betsy. He went out of his way to see and talk to her. It was a small school in Davenport, Iowa, so it wasn't hard to grab a glimpse of her and to converse. Soon, they were pals. The whole school teased them good-naturally that they would grow up and get married. Ole Jay would get red-faced when hearing this, and, Becky would giggle behind her books that she was always carrying. Still, even at this young age, there was an innocent spark between them, one that they did not know would grow into a teenage romance. And, they did all of the things that teenagers did in the Depression years. They went for bike rides, spun each other on the swings attached to the Big Tree in town, went out with their mutual friends, and went for walks holding hands towards the sunset. They loved sunsets together. The warmth of the sun seemed to bathe all over them, enhancing their promise of a good life with each other. Walking towards the sun became their shared image of love........ When Jay Kent was 20 years old, in 1943, he got his marching papers from Uncle Sam. The war was raging on now for two years, and, while some progress was being made against our enemies, the road to the end of was still long and bloody. Jay really didn't want to go. It wasn't that he didn't want to go fight for his country, he did. But, he had that destiny already started. He wanted to be a lawyer. Not just a country lawyer but a big city one. And, he didn't want to just make some money.He genuinely wanted to help people in need. He would help the poor and the forgotten. Even at his tender age, he was somewhat worldly. He read a lot and knew more about the world than anyone else in town, it seemed. Also, Jay wanted to give Betsy a good life. They had already decided that they would be man and wife. Betsy, the same age as him, would work in the big city until Jay would get his foot in the door of a real law firm. Afterwords, after he was established, would come the kids that they both wanted so fiercely. Because both came from big families, they felt comfortable with the idea of a big brood of their own. A house filled with kids to greet him every night filled him with happiness. Life held out great promises for Jay. But, his country was calling him to go fight Hitler. He went. Before he went, Jay and Betsy walked towards the sun one more time. He kissed her like never before, as the sun watched. Whatever the nature of the kiss, it proved to be their best kiss. All of the years they had known each other, all of the fun times and the laughing and joking and sweet moments seemed to meld into that kiss. It was a kiss for their past. And, also, a kiss for the promise of their future....... Lying there on the beach, Jay Kent thought the thoughts of a short lifetime. The pain inside of him was increasing, melding with a coldness. Jay once read that a cold internal feeling when mortally wounded was the final sign that the end was near. His body was shutting down, like the slow dowsing of the lights at the school dances. He was on his Last Dance, never to return. Jay looked around this beach, the vast beach that he had never heard of called Omaha Beach. Other men were dying like he was, a slow march towards the dark. He thought that they, too, must be making some kind of life accounting in their minds. Jay knew that his own life saga was nothing special. He was one of millions who were victims. Everyone had a tale to tell, there would be no special stories to report on him on the movie theater newsreels. Jay would be forgotten, the average soldier dying the average death. But, he still looked at his fellow victims and wondered. What were their lost dreams? Who were they leaving behind? What great futures were being wiped out? And, what generations would be forever unlived? A part of him still heard the screams. The screams for help that would never come. The screams of calling out for a mother. More than any other call, Jay heard the cries of the soldiers for their mothers. He had seen other men die---- one in his arms--- and witnessed the retreat of the dying soldier into instant infancy. Perhaps, Jay had called out for his Mom. He didn't know but he hoped he had. He loved his parents deeply, always, and cried a separate cry from his pain realizing that soon they would receive word that he was gone. He imagined the horror of discovery on their faces, of the permanent wave of sadness that would descend on them with the news. The non-battlefield wounded of a war. Every war had them. Jay realized that his parents would never be the same, that nightmares and depression were to be their lots in life until they passed. Parents burying their children. In Jay's dwindling mind, he recalled a verse in the Bible about how when children died before the parents even God cries. Lying here, Jay Kent knew he was leaving many tears....... Jay suddenly felt light-headed, as if a fog was closely in on him quickly. This is it, The End. Jay shivered suddenly, wishing he wasn't all alone, that someone was holding him. He had the sudden urge to be rocked slowly, like a baby safe in his mother's arms. But, there was no arms to hold him. Just his mortal thoughts. He prayed for a good life for his sisters and brothers. He wanted them to fulfill the dreams of his interrupted life. Please make the world better, he prayed. Let this thing called war, that old men send the young to fight, somehow, cease to ever exist again. Jay was no fool, war was as natural to mankind as breathing and eating. Maybe, one of his family could change that somewhat. To make the world a little less mean. It was a tall order, Jay knew. Jay also said a silent love prayer to Betsy. He wished her a good life, with a good man who would take care of her. He wished that her grief, when she finally did hear about his death, would be manageable. She was a strong girl. Hopefully, she would not be shattered. In time, she would find love again. But, whomever that fella was going to be, his love for her would not be the same. No one would ever love her like he loved her....... Jay Kent felt his body lose its feeling. His eyes felt heavy. He knew when he closed them it would be over. Death was taking him. Before he closed his eyes that final time, Jay looked up towards the Heavens. And, he saw the sun. In his mind's eye----the most potent idea machine for a human being, for all is good in the mind's eye--- he saw a sunset to end all sunsets. It was calling him home to the ultimate warmth........ And, the dolphins........