Dear Family & Friends

Here we are on the edge of Lent again..coming to the Anniversary of Carol’s changing her residence to Heaven. Today is President’s Day, a Holiday in America’s Calendar.

IT’S BEEN MY JOY TO TOUCH ALL OF YOU IN THE PAST FEW DAYS

by this computer , my “Beast” that has challenged me more than any other experience in these days of loneliness; or by the marvelous Cell Phone you gave Carol and me. When I am in the Jacuzzi later this afternoon, as I am nearly every day of the past 6 years, I shall visualize and pray for each of you by name...Now including Andy and Gin who, before next Thanksgiving Day, will be part of our

larger Family.

May I share with you my appreciation of one of our President’s; Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He was a Champion of Freedom. In two of the 5 papers I perused this morning ,he was ranked with Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln ,as one of the greatest Americans. I honor him. I learned in my earlier years that Freedom is not Free. Of all the people who ever lived and breathed God’s good air on this Plane;You and I are amazingly blessed by this ‘obstetrical” accident of being born in America. (God is sending another baby boy or girl early in

June through Brooke& Scott to bless Cullen Frederick)

I am a child of the Great Depression in the twenties. Mother & I never went hungry. She did have difficulties in employment. I still “clean my plate” when eating..a habit I have been trying to break here ,where I live like a King in a

Palace. I sold papers and “Liberty” Magazine, and earned money by yard work, garden& poultry care for my relatives. I ,too was paid by my church for Janitor service, while I was in Highschool.

In my last two years at the University of Redlands I was the beneficiary of the Roosevelt Administration. I was Asst Librarian at the College Library, earning 35 cents an hour. When I graduated, the School owed me a small amount of money! Literally, millions of people in America were helped by WPA and scores of Work programs... When you & have hiked the mountain trails, I’ve been thankful for the trails roads etc made by the Youth & Adults . They were paid by scores of Works Progress Administration Programs instituted by President Roosevelt.

I think of this now because President Hoove r, like our present President ,

sold out to the Wealthy conservative business men & economist’s.. I think Roosevelt saved Capitalism by saving it from the Capitalists. The New Deal set in motion, programs that helped the larger population. For me, I see the Democratic Party; the Party with lot’s of faults & weakness,;but still the Party that “put’s the good jellies of life on the lower shelves so more people can taste them before they die..

When Roosevelt died ,I was the Chairman of the Bellingham, Washington School Board...The only President the Highschooler’s had ever known ,was “Roosevelt’. He was the only three term President in America’s History. When Roosevelt died ,our Superintendent, Mr.Shangle ,phoned me ,saying he had scheduled a special Assembly. He asked me to speak as a clergyman and School officer. After many songs of music & sorrow by the Choir and Orchestra...at a crowed Assembly..I spoke on The text that “When King Uzziah died,..I saw the Lord” :...a story of a people uniquely blessed who were challenged to build good values in their country by Isaiah; the Prophet, who was like a Secretary of State in that time..

Today, you are seeing the scuttling of some wonderful caring polices instituted in my lifetime. Your future economically, has already been mortgaged through War... when over 50 percent of every tax dollar goes for War...past ,present and future. Your debt as an American citizen is almost incalculable.

Never forget that still your vote counts as much as ay other citizen. Don’t let the Emotional “Brain-washing” type of Political Propaganda fool you...Get your friends to “ABBA” (Anyone but Bush Again.)

Because of what happened in Florida , I even feel we should vote by Absentee Ballot rather than by machine...

Shalom, & Love. Caleb Elroy Shikles. Feb. 16th 2004