Forever on a caravan trail

Prolific author James Michener once wrote a novel entitled, "Caravans." The book deals with traveling through Afghanistan immediately after World War II, and reveals the complexities and nuances of life in that country in view of the cultural and social differences between America and that distant nation. It would have been wise for President George Bush and U.S. military commanders to have read that novel before embarking on warfare there, however, it should not have been necessary for the drivers of these vehicles to have done so before embarking with their caravan from southern Minnesota to the Twin Cities. Should it? After all, how many cultural and social differences can there be between rural Minnesota and metropolitan Minnesota? a reader might ask. More than one would suspect, replies the wolf.

No doubt, someone knows

During the past eighteen months, I will have lived in eight locations. How many is too many? When is enough enough?

During this interval, I never have changed my mail address -- nor my primary email address, nor my banks, nor my driver's license, nor my concealed carry permit. I have owned one house (sold it) and four vehicles, one of them twice (sold it, bought it back, sold it again). They have been licensed in three different states.

Do not ask me how or why these things are the way they are. They are -- if you want them to be -- part of living in modern times, in the electronic world, in the age of anonymity. But, this also is living in a world that is unchanged since Day One: It is living as part of a caravan that sometimes pauses, but never stops.

During this time, I have been active at exploring the sea of blogs, yet only one person actually knows my name, my age, my real family history and my background thoroughly. Much of my past regarding education, military experience and marital history is right out front, but how much about the "real me" such data actually reveals is questionable.

My hair color and its length change when the mood strikes; my facial hair comes and goes; sometimes I wear glasses, other times I do not; my lifestyle changes and I blend in with whatever social or ethnic group interests me at the moment.

I suppose I was a bit paranoid about revealing my actual identity the first year or so of drifting upon the sea of blogs, which explains some of this, but mostly it reflects the "chameleon characteristic" born from being a reporter. I have written about it in the past on occasion. Most simply, it means this: Be who you want to be and be who you need to be, but always be in motion so the world never catches up to you.

All this amounts to another nonsensical piece of wandering words and leaves us with the question: What is next; where will the caravan lead? No doubt, someone knows. But, whom?

Freedom, baby .... freedom

For anyone who has not looked at a calendar recently, here is a not-too-subtle reminder that the anniversary of American Independence Day is soon to arrive.

Guitar "legend" and outspoken supporter of the right of any and all Americans to personally own and bear firearms, Ted Nugent, celebrated the Fourth of July with a concert in Deeee-Troit (= Detroit) on Independence Day in 2008. Here is one of the songs performed at that concert.

For anyone not familiar with Nugent, he is main man on the guitar. The singer is Derek St. Holmes.

I sincerely hope any and all Americans will take a few moments on July 4, 2011, to reflect on the magnitude of the act and the courage of the participants on that day in 1776 when 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence to break away from England and to proclaim the then-existing thirteen colonies as independent states.

In this manner, birth was given through forceful words and force of arms to a concept which evolved into a nation with freedom and equality for all -- so far, anyway.