My Kingdom for a Horse

So many horses, so little time!

It's been a great racing summer at Saratoga, judging by all I've read. Great horses, exciting races and budding rivalries...just what it ought to be.

I'd intended to get up to The Spa earlier in the season, but I'm thrilled to say I'll be there on Saturday for the day and I couldn't be more excited. I'll try to post pics here, but I'll surely be posting them to my Twitter feed--ThePaperTyger--so follow my day there, too, for all the sights and sounds. (And no doubt crowds, too. It's going to be a gorgeous late summer day in upstate NY and I expect everyone will be out!)

Will Rachel prevail? Who can say. I think I'm right in saying this will be the toughest test--by a long shot, actually--that she's faced yet. Cool Coal Man, another Bird horse, Macho Again, and the big and bullish Bullsbay all want to keep the filly at heel, so it should be exciting. If she wins, all issues about HOY should be put to rest, I think. These are big boys and they have more experience than Rachel does and I'm sure they'd like to give her a little schooling :) Steve Haskins from Bloodhorse.com has a very subjective analysis of Rachel's chances HERE, and his look at what might be next for Rachel & Co is HERE. There is talk of Rachel and Zenyatta both running in the Beldame at Belmont on October 3, 2009. So much to look forward to as we ramp up to the Breeders Cup races in November.

One other note, you may have noticed that the Boston Mounted Unit was utterly missing from Senator Kennedy's funeral procession. Their disbanding earlier this year for what were termed "budgetary reasons" left a real gap in the procession for we horse people. Chris Matthews even commented on the lack of horses then basically saying that motorcades these days are all cars and motorcycles. I did yell at the TV, but I'm pretty sure that neither Chris Matthews or Keith Olbermann heard me. The missing horse presence had nothing to do with the march of progress or "the times," it was about a ridiculous budget cut that's not saving the City of Boston very much money. Caparisoned horses and riderless horses are traditional to honor the fallen--whether it is a President, a Senator or any hero--and history is rich with these memorable horses. (In the US Military the caparisoned horse is formally part of the military honors given to an Army or Marine Corps officer who was a colonel or above; this includes the President, by virtue of having been the nation's military commander in chief and the Secretary of Defense, having overseen the armed forces.) From Black Jack who was so graceful in President John F. Kennedy's funeral procession to Sergeant York who was kitted out with Ronald Reagan's own riding boots--facing backward in the stirrups to denote the fallen leader--these beautiful animals have imprinted on our collective memory. I fully appreciate that protocol may not have allowed for the full equestrian treatment in Washington, but even a small presence of the Historic Boston Mounted Unit would have been most memorable, I'm certain.

Photo at the top is of Sergeant York --the Standardbred "Allaboard Jules" in his previous life!

Mother Mayo or Follow the Leader(s)

I promise to return to our regularly scheduled programming--that of horses and hounds--in the next day or so. (Especially with Rachel running against all the big boys this weekend and the great race by Summer Bird last weekend! I know I've been remiss. *ashamed*)

Before I do, though, I have to spend a few minutes on something close to my heart, and Senator Ted Kennedy's as well--heath care reform. I'm very thankful to have had COBRA (a piece of legislation that Kennedy fought for) when I was downsized, however, it quickly became absolutely unaffordable. The Freelancers Union is a great option if you've been able to put together enough "billable hours," but it's not a perfect solution for insurance either.

I'd guess it's safe to say that there are a lot of other people out there in my same position, and it stinks. For those of you out there who believe that everyone who wants insurance has it, trust me, WE don't. And yet Senator Jim DeMint, wackadoodle Representative Michele Bachmann and many others have announced that they are pretty sure that access to affordable to health care is a privilege (like living on the seashore, getting the best table at a 4 star restaurant, or flying first class) and not a basic human right. And they are entitled to their opinions. The irony of this of course is that both have garnered thousands of votes on a platform of being devout and dutiful Christians...yet is it not part of said devotion to 'Christian values' to help others in their hour of need and to treat people with dignity? As a cradle Catholic--which I know means I'm not 'Christian enough' to those members of other 'more Christian' faiths (something I find as laughable as I do offensive, for the record), I feel it is very much part of any and all faiths to be part of the solution to making everyone's lives better. I would never want to have my own health care at the expense of another person's benefits. Everyone needs to have accessible and affordable health care at every point in their life.

There are many arguments against "socialized medicine" from various camps, but the fact that the Canadians, French, and British (as well as several other countries--the US ranks 35th in life expectancy and is bested by most of the EU countries) all have longer average life expectancies than Americans do suggests that they might have it right. Not perfect, but something to use as a jumping off point, perhaps. Certainly Canada, the UK, and France, are all properly faith-filled nations who care about their fellow citizenry enough to want everyone to have quality care throughout life.

All this brings me to the Mayo Clinic. I grew up in the shadow of "Mother Mayo" as we locals called it. It was, and is, in my not unbiased opinion, the best health care system anywhere. (Okay, I'll give a shout out to Cleveland Clinic, too, and Johns Hopkins!!) When the Mayo Clinic was founded after the "Great Rochester Tornado" of 1888, the Mayo triumvirate (father Dr. William Worrall Mayo, sons Dr. Charles H. and William J. Mayo) made sure that patients would be treated, regardless of how or if they could pay. Both Dr. William Worrall Mayo and his wife, Louise Abigail Wright, shared a broad view of charity and an awareness of social obligation. She believed that "life is not a question of what others owe to us, but of what we owe to others." In those early horse and buggy days there was no doubt a lot of payment made in chickens, eggs or the like. Whatever the patient could pay was taken for their services. Later, when Mayo was beginning to grow into the private group practice that we recognize today, it was still about patient care, not how much you could pay. There are myriad stories of people coming back to Mayo years later to settle up bills they owed. Yes, this was nearly one hundred years ago and before medicine had been tainted with the stain of greedy insurance companies and big pharma. Yes, it was in a small town in the midwest. But here's the kicker...Mayo hasn't changed ALL that much. It is still about patient care and the ideals of the founding Mayo brothers and their father are still the standard by which care is judged.

And now President Obama is citing the Mayo Clinic model as one of the systems for producing better care for lower costs. People in Rochester have long known that the 'Mayo Way' worked, and it worked awfully well. Mayo must have it at least a little bit right and they are stepping up to help shape policy in meaningful ways, for which I am thankful. As a teenager they removed my appendix and tonsils, and treated my allergies. In more recent years, Mayo doctors have fitted my parents with new hips and knees and for all of it, I'm most appreciative.

While understand that there are a number of layers to this issue that most lay people (like me) cannot even begin to fathom, I also know that at the simplest level we are all connected. We are all connected and we are all impacted. These things cannot be factored out of the debate. A high tide raises ALL boats and life is indeed not a question of what others owe us, but of what we owe others. If a nation is judged--even slightly--on how it treats the most vulnerable of it's citizens, then we need to get this right. Right for everyone of every race, creed, color, sexual orientation; right for both Yankees and Red Sox fans; right for those who like Brett Favre and those who don't. You get my point...this is about ALL of us.

Alma Redemptoris Mater

The passing of Senator Edward Moore Kennedy has made me think about redemption. And while an Alma Redemptoris Mater (loosely, loving mother of our savior) is not part of the Catholic funeral mass or any requiem masses, it struck me as expressing the appropriate sentiment. Senator Kennedy is being buried from the Cathedral of our Lady of Perpetual Help and the Alma Redemptoris is a Marian anthem, but it also asks for forgiveness and makes reference to the sea and nature--things which figured largely in the Senator's life.

It became quite apparent as I watched the coverage on Wednesday that the Senator had, in my opinion, made great strides to try and build a legacy based on redemption, and part of redemption is finding a purpose and steadfastly pursuing it. Pursue it as if Beelzebub himself is at your heels. As those of us who have been "downsized" (surely not all, but many of us) will attest, finding a purpose and a way to reconnoiter and move forward is not easy. It is, however, easy to feel as though everyone is against you and that you have no safe harbor.

After Chappaquiddick and Senator Kennedy's well-publicized "wine, women, and song years" he must have shared those feelings. Granted, his was a hell of his own making, but that doesn't make it any easier to escape, it only gives you fewer people to blame. After all that, though, he seemed to actually find a special assignment within that purpose. For my money, no family, save perhaps the Roosevelts, has done more to better the lives of average American citizens than the Kennedys. Their dedication to public service has been steadfast. Even if you don't agree with their politics, it is hard to disagree with the positive impact that they have made on this country. Within this devotion to public service, though, it occurs to me that Senator Kennedy found his real niche with health care. He has literally been working on health care reform--or some variation of it--for most of his tenure in the Senate.

Here, a part of a 2002 speech: "Every American should have the opportunity to receive a quality education, a job that respects their dignity and protects their safety, and health care that does not condemn those whose health is impaired to a lifetime of poverty and lost opportunity."

To my mind, it was Kennedy's finding that purpose that allowed him to become the man we remember and mourn today. The stalwart "Lion of the Senate" who utilized all his charm and Irishness to broker deals and bring people on board. With a renewed sense of purpose and a spouse who fought by his side, redemption--something that must have seemed unlikely if not impossible, after the horrible death of Mary Jo Kopechne--could begin to take hold. All his passion, fervor and intention had an outlet and one that could help millions of people to have better lives.

People in many parts of the country forget that one of the planes that hit the World Trade Center on September 11th had taken off from Logan Airport in Boston. Senator Kennedy was devoted to those families and he and his staff worked tirelessly to ease their burdens in the days and years since 2001.

I'm certainly not suggesting that Senator Kennedy was a saint, but we sinners can make a difference, too. And maybe it means more when the sinner makes strides to redeem themselves, tries to right the craft, as it were.

We will all choose to remember the Senator in different ways. I will remember him for his love of the sea, one I share, and his beloved dogs, Sunny and Splash. I will pray that Joe Jr., Jack and Bobby (and all his sisters as well, of course!) are there to greet him on the other side.

In his own words from the DNC in 1980 after his failed Presidential bid: "There were hard hours on our journey, and often we sailed against the wind. But always we kept our rudder true, and there were so many of you who stayed the course and shared our hope. You gave your help; but even more, you gave your hearts."

The full text of the 1980 speech is HERE and includes a call for National Health Care and better minimum wage and for the most part is as apropos today as it was then. This is passion in pursuit of a cause.

Alma Redemptoris Mater

Sweet Mother of the Redeemer,

that passage to heaven,

gate of the morning,

and star of the sea:

Assist the fallen,

lift up, you who cure, the people:

you who bore to the wonderment of nature,

your holy Creator.

Virgin before and after,

who received from Gabriel

that joyful greeting,

have mercy on us sinners.

As my beloved Grandma A. would say in toasts (and only half in jest...) "May you be in heaven an hour before the devil knows you're gone." I hope there are many toasts across the country and in heaven in honor of redemption, passion, the sea, and Edward Moore Kennedy. Requeiscat in pacem, Teddy.

Being Brave in the Attempt

I don't intend for this sort of comment, i.e. political in nature, to show up here often, so I'm just going to beg everyone's indulgence for this one time.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver has to be one of the best examples of what one person can accomplish. Yes she had a famous last name, but her work was tireless and inspiring. Her last name may have opened doors for her, but she herself did all the work. The legacy of Eunice and Sargent Shriver is one we can all aspire to. In an age when Michael Jackson is memorialized as a hero, Eunice Kennedy Shriver was a real hero. As her son Bobby said, "she never ran for or held office, but she changed the world." And she did. The Special Olympics have given self-esteem, confidence, and a sense of belonging to millions of athletes the world over. Anyone who has ever attended any of these events cannot help but be moved by the spirit and courage of all the competitors. From youngsters to young adults and beyond, Special Olympians exemplify what is best about sport, the effort.

Thanks to Eunice and all the thousands of volunteers worldwide, The Special Olympics endures as a beacon of light. Requeiscat in pacem, EKS. The world you've left behind is so much the better for your efforts and legacy.

And here's where it gets a little political. I'm promising not to rant here (my friends and family know how I feel about the former Governor of Alaska) and in fact I'm not even going to mention this person's name on the same page where I've written about Eunice Shriver, because they are nowhere in the same league, in any respect. Suffice it to say that if the aforementioned ex-Governor of Alaska really wants to do some good (as she professes she does) she would be well served to stop using her handsome young son, who has Downs Syndrome, as some sort of prop. Perhaps she could take a page from Eunice Shriver's book and actually make a difference by helping other people rather than just being a negative force who has found the spotlight and likes it rather too much to give it up. If Caribou Barbie wishes to be seen as a positive participant in the discussions of government and health care and beyond, she'd be wise to study up on Eunice and Sargent Shriver and see the impact they've made. Not just by showing the broad and amazing capabilities of those with intellectual difficulties, but of how much these individuals have to offer us all.

I'd also suggest that Caribou Barbie take a long hard look at the motto of the Special Olympics: Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt. That means take pride in the effort, try harder the next time, and acknowledge when your opponent has performed better than you have.

Thus endeth the sermon. And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...