The dignity of honest work is probably the most effective force in creating a harmonious community. “A hard day’s work won’t kill you” as my father may have said. Hard work that is rewarding and well compensated, of course. The history of labor is not a pretty picture, or at least not a simple one….

There was an assortment of little villages along Jamaica Bay within the limits of New York City. They were built as summer residences for people who were doing reasonably well prior to the “Great Depression.” After the depression destroyed the economy of the US these places became neglected and poor people were now living there….

Celebrating the meaning of the day As we stand by the graveside of a fallen soldier we are moved. That soldier may have been a casualty of a war but more likely he is a survivor that died later, as did my father. In either case that soldier served his country when summoned to do…