Seeing the World With Old Eyes - Episode 2

©August 15, 2025, by Dan Strawn

Author's Preface:

Welcome to Episode 2 of "Seeing the World Through Old Eyes."

Some of you may wonder what is so special about looking through old eyes. The answer lies in how old eyes filter today's events in different ways than they would have in their twenties, forties, sixties, or in any of the ages in between. Those who make it to old age will come to understand that. Metaphorically, I refer to it as "seeing the world through old eyes." 

The result for you who hang with me will be a new and perhaps credible way of looking at current events.

I hope you captured the intent of Episode 1 of my Seeing Through Old Eyes poem. If you haven't read it yet, it is still available on the WeBeTheChange Blog on Substack and right here at Songrise.LIVE

I invite you to read Episode 2 to the bitter end because it deals with ways we voters can get the people elected who will perform their congressional duties with the hutzpah to live up to their oaths of office. 

Of course, I have no expectations that you will agree with all of my views. After all, we each have unique experiences in our lives. Nevertheless, I hope these reflections on my life will allow you to improve your own in ways that enhance the chances for peace in this troubled world.

Take Note:

I'm covering a lot of ground in episode 2, and for the first time, the discussion gets into politics. With that in mind, you should know a bit about my political life before you dive into such a long dissertation.

I have voted in seventeen presidential elections over the years. My candidate/party of choice won eight times and lost nine times. I voted for a Republican nine times and a Democrat eight times. When I voted for a Democrat, my candidate won six times. When I voted for a Republican, my candidate won four times.

My philosophy of voting is always about winning for democracy in all cases. That happens when we voters evaluate the candidates on the bases of (1) they possess the character that — when elected—they will defend and protect the Constitution of the United States, which, after all, is required by their oaths of office, and (2) possess the experience to do the work required for the office they are seeking. 

Lacking those attributes, you should pick another candidate. I've done that five times over the years. Consequently, on these bases, I have never lost an election; although when my alternate choice lost in four of those elections, we all paid a price to one degree or another. 

I have never run for a political office of any kind and have no plans to do so.

I am neither a Republican nor Democrat, but by choice in the last twenty-five years a contented independent voter.

My political life revolves around my duties as a voter to know the issues and candidates before I vote. 

On occasion over the years, I have debated with others and written to my state and federal representatives.

Except for two local elections in which I had no interest in the outcomes, I have voted in every election (local, state, and federal) since I became old enough to do so in 1959. 

Author Dan Strawn writes a second episode on Seeing the World With Old Eyes

Episode 2—Yesterday's Americana— Hutzpah: What's it all about?

Words to ponder from the pen of an elder patriot (me)

Random observations about growing up in the forties and fifties:

In 1939, I was a year old when my Uncle Glen's Navy Transport was lend-leased to the British, our way of helping them fight the Nazis before the United States had declared war. My Uncle Glen resigned his commission in the U.S. Navy to volunteer with the Canadian RAF and go with his plane. 

While I was an infant learning how to walk and talk, he, his crew, and his plane transported war goods manufactured in Detroit and Toronto to England. In England, he loaded up his now empty plane and transported soldiers to North Africa at first, and then other places when the battlefields shifted. On his return to England, his plane was loaded with wounded or dead soldiers. He would drop them off in England and return to Canada for more supplies. 

In April of 1945, his plane was sabotaged and went down in flames shortly after takeoff in Quebec. He survived, but I didn't get to meet him for the first time until months after the war was over. It was decades after his death that the Royal Air Force finally caught up to him and presented his widow, my mom's youngest sister, with the medals they had been holding for thirty some years. 

On a school day during November 1944, a Navy officer showed up in my first-grade class at Lowell Elementary School in Boise, Idaho. His purpose: to tell us the Japanese had launched weather balloons designed to come to where we live. 'Under no circumstances," he said, "should we go near one or touch one because they will explode and burn you." 

In August of 1945, I was spending a week on my grandparents' farm outside of Boise when a man came to tell them my dad's younger brother would be coming home from Italy in a casket.

...Hutzpah -- Boldness, Confidence, Self-Assurance, Gall, Cheek, Nerve, Impudence, Fearlessness.

In the early fifties, one brother and then the other served in the Korean War, one in the Army the other in the Air Force. 

Me? I was too young for Korea and too old for Viet Nam.

In the sixties, I was mowing my front yard in Riverside, California, close to March Field Air Force Base. I stopped mowing and watched when a blue Air Force sedan pulled up in front of the house across the street. Two sisters and their preschool children shared the house while their husbands, one a sergeant and the other a fighter pilot, were in Viet Nam. Two officers climbed out of the car. One was carrying a briefcase. This doesn't bode well, I thought. Which one will it be? 

It was the pilot. Like my dad's brother, he would come home in a casket.

A year or two later, I read in the Sunday paper about a Riverside soldier, an Army medic posted in Viet Nam. I knew the name. I was his den father in Cub Scouts when he was ten years old. His country, our country, awarded him two medals for bravery, the second one was awarded posthumously. In the nineties, my wife and I found his name on that long wall in Washington D.C.

...Character -- loyalty + honesty + reliability + doing what's right no matter what the personal risks might be + helping the less fortunate + working to make the world safe for today, and even better tomorrow...

Now, less than a month away from my eighty-seventh birthday, I see how those scattered memories of war in my earlier life launched my lifetime of being an American who enjoys his freedom because of those selfless souls with hutzpah who put their lives in jeopardy by signing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia two-hundred-and-forty-nine-years-ago.

There are lots of synonyms for Hutzpah, but these that follow are the synonyms for Hutzpah that count in this essay: Boldness, Confidence, Self-Assurance, Gall, Cheek, Nerve, Impudence, Fearlessness.

Hutzpah is what rallied farmers and townspeople to unite behind George Washington and persevere until our freedom from a king was won and our Constitution was written and made the law of the land. Hutzpah is what has sustained our leaders and millions of hutzpah-driven American patriots over the last 249 years to sustain our Constitution, therefore our freedom, at the risk of their own lives.    

Hutzpah in tandem with individuals' imbued with character, that is—loyalty + honesty  + reliability + doing what's right no matter what the personal risks might be + helping the less fortunate + working to make the world safe for today and even better tomorrow—these are the driving forces that embolden all the American Patriots who have kept our Constitutional State afloat since 1776.

September 1953

I started the ninth grade at Central Junior High School in Riverside, California. This was a formative year in my growing up. I finally met my match when Misses Smith, my no-nonsense math teacher, almost flunked me before I understood success in Algebra required students  to actually do homework.

Our president in 1953 was Dwight Eisenhower, one of my teenage heroes and one who I rank in the top three of the presidents we've had in my lifetime. 

In that early September, while Misses Smith was laying out the rules of success in my Algebra class, President Eisenhower appointed Earl Warren, California's Republican Governor from 1943 to 1953, to be Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Eisenhower saw Warren as a centralized Republican like himself; however, Warren had shifted his view over time. At the time of his appointment, he saw the Constitution as a living document, therefore subject to change rather than the fixed document that was in Eisenhower's mind. 

Before Warren became Chief Justice in 1953, the Supreme Court Justices issued a split decision on the issue of equal but separate education in public schools. Two years later on May 31, 1955, Justice Warren announced the justices in the Supreme Court delivered a unanimous decision that equal but separate education was unconstitutional. 

(That, readers, is what hutzpah and great leadership are all about. Warren knew what was right and he knew his oath of office. Regardless of any differences he might have had with President Eisenhower and the waffling among his justices, he used well-honed leadership skills to get the job done.)

The Court was of a mind to let desegregation take its time. That went well with Eisenhower who felt like the individual states should be given time to end segregation in schools without interference by the executive branch of the federal government.

In time, the Supreme Court ran out of patience and Justice Warren ordered the states to desegregate with urgency. (Hutzpah—Acting on his oath and doing what is right.)

September of 1957

By September, the country was in racial turmoil over the desegregation of schools.

The decision to let the states integrate schools at their own pace came to a head in Little Rock, Arkansas when nine black students attempted to enroll in Little Rock High School. 

On September 2, 1957, Governor Faubus of Arkansas called out the Arkansas National Guard to surround the school and prevent desegregation. 

On September 3, 1957, Federal Judge Ronald Davies ruled that integrated classes would proceed as the court ordered. (A man who has Hutzpah—Acting on his oath and doing what is right.)

Chaos ensued at Little Rock. What followed were riots and several weeks of verbal conflict between Arkansas Governor Faubus and President Eisenhower.

From the time he was appointed a cadet at West Point to when he became president, Eisenhower's career was punctuated with incidents where he was to  declare his oath to honor the Constitution of the United States. 

Regardless of his personal views, he knew his duty when it came to defending the law of the land as determined by the judicial branch of government. Like Chief Justice Warren, President Eisenhower possessed outstanding leadership skills, knew his duty, and possessed the Hutzpah to act on it.

On September 24, 1957, he issued Executive Order 10730, which sent one thousand soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock and placed the Arkansas National Guard under the command of federal authority.

  The Democrats, particularly the ones from southern states, were incensed by Eisenhower's response while the Republicans, for the most part, approved of it. 

Eisenhower went on television. His address can be summarized with his own words: 

"Our enemies are gloating over this incident and using it everywhere to misrepresent our nation. Mob rule cannot be allowed to override the decisions of the courts."

Earl Warren and Dwight Eisenhower both had the hutzpah and skill to uphold their oaths to protect the Constitution of the United States.

Thanks to these two men, progress has come a long way since they shut the door on segregated public education. More has to done if those wishful words of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness put forth in the Declaration of Independence are to become reality for all Americans.

Where there is smoke there is fire—three telling stories of party loyalty over devotion to facts.

Section 4 of Article II of the United States Constitution states, 

“The President, Vice President, and all Civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

Constitutional oath of office for Senators and members of the House of Representatives: 

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

July 27, 1974, Judicial Committee, House of Representatives:

Seven of seventeen Republicans side with all twenty-one Democrats to proceed with impeachment of President Nixon. As it turned out, it wasn't necessary to proceed because Nixon resigned.

December 19, 1998, President Clinton is impeached on one count of obstruction of justice and one count of perjury. The Senate vote to convict had to be two-thirds majority. The counts were as follows:

Obstruction of Justice

Democrats' vote for conviction was zero

Perjury

Democrats' vote for conviction was five

February 13, 2021, President Trump's impeachment trial after January 6^th

Republican votes for Conviction was seven  

Comments:

In all three of these impeachment situations there was plenty of indisputable evidence of guilt. 

Remember that according to Section 4 of Article II of the Constitution, "The President, Vice President, and all Civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

In the three aforementioned presidential impeachments, the votes of yes by voting members of the impeached party's president was nineteen out of a possible 167 votes (11%).  It follows that those voting members of the impeached party's president who voted no for impeachment were more than enough to preclude getting a total Senate vote of 67% for conviction. 

What these lopsided, fear-born numbers tell us is the majority of both parties' Congressional electees (both House and Senate) won't vote yes for impeachment or, (for many) no or yes on a bill when they fear doing so could put their reelection at risk. 

In other words, if they might not be reelected, regardless of their oaths to defend the Constitution of the United States, they don't give a damn about doing what character demands when the chips are down.

They have neither the hutzpah the framers of the Declaration of Independence had when they signed that hallowed document nor the fearlessness of those ordinary people who answered their country's call— farmers and townspeople at Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Iwo Jima, and…; nor the cheek of my two uncles; nor the confidence of my two brothers; nor the nerve of a pilot whose wife and child waited for him in vain; nor the gall of a cub scout whose name is inscribed on the wall in Washington DC; nor the millions of ordinary citizens who risked more than a job with prestige and good pay for serving their country.

The seventeen Republican heroes who put country above party by voting yes on Trumps impeachment process: 

Voters, the task before us is not easy, but no one else can do it. We must find the candidates with hutzpah and pick them as our candidates of choice. We Must Do It Now In Time To Have An Impact On The 2026 Election!

Here, for the record, are the seventeen Republican heroes (seven senators and ten representatives) who put country above party after January 6 by voting yes on Trumps impeachment process: 

Senator Richard Burr North Carolina; Senator Bill Cassidy, Louisiana; Senator Susan Collins, Maine; Senator Lisa Murkowski, Alaska; Senator Mitt Romney, Utah; Senator Ben Sasse, Nebraska; Senator Pat Toomy, Pennsylvania; Rep. John Katko, New York; Rep. John Kinzinger, Illinois; Rep. Jaimie Herrera Beutler, Washington, (it was my honor to vote for her for the first time in 2020 and again for a State office in 2024. Her Hutzpah trumped her politics, no pun intended); Rep. Dan Newhouse, Washington; Rep. David Valadao, California; Rep. Peter Meijer, Michigan; Rep. Tom Rice, South Carolina; Rep. Fred Upton, Michigan; Rep. Anthony Gonzales, Ohio; and Rep. Liz Cheney, Wyoming.

My thanks to those of you who finished reading my words. This is all for Episode 2. 

I have attached a list of axioms I've put together to keep my own candidate vetting on track.

I wonder what I'll write about in Episode 3.

Stay Tuned.

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How can I embody integrity as a voter?

Voter Axioms

1. First and foremost: Honor and defend the Constitution

   1. Know when an unconstitutional event occurs by knowing what the Constitution says.

   2. Protect the Constitution even if you have to put your life on the line

   3. Do everything you can to protect your neighbors', friends', and families'  enjoyment of their rights as well as yours.

2. Don't ever vote for or reelect candidates for political office who—

   1. Offer simple solutions for complex problems

   2. Promise results on day-one during the election 

   3. Do things on day-one of their election they never promised to do on day-one

   4. Show no respect for all of the checks and balances inscribed in the Constitution—Free Press, Executive, Legislative, Supreme Court

   5. Say what they want you to hear with no regard for the hard truths you need to hear

   6. Promote falsehoods about their political opponents

   7. Lie consistently.

3. Recognize the fallacy of the notion "My country right or wrong." Our country has done a lot that is wrong. That said, it has done a ton of right. Not until we own our wrongs can we deal with overcoming them. 

4. Educate yourself on the issues before voting.

5. Acknowledge that the democratic process only guarantees the majority wins, not that theirs is the best choice, therefore 

6. Respect election outcomes peacefully. Doing otherwise violates honoring and defending the Constitution and the rights laid out in the Declaration of Independence.    

7. Treat your political opponents with respect. Derogatory terms are off limits. Rino, Woke, Redneck, Libtard, and any others that too often replace respectful terms like neighbor, co-worker, friend, teammate, or classmate. 

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EPILOGUE (Colleen's):

Dan has started a worthy conversation here--one that is crucial and timely. I appreciate that it's centered on noble values, granting all sides the same level on which to meet. Looking forward to seeing who will respond with hutzpah and let their voice be heard.