May 3, 2026- My granddaughter showed a bit of sass, this evening, telling me in babble and gesture, that she had done her business, with no difficulty, so there! This was because her mother and I had been checking her constantly for bms, all day, and she was getting tired of it.

I have no doubt that when Hana puts her mind to something, it’ll get done, to the best of her developmental ability. I will advise her to make sure her sassiness doesn’t create more problems than it solves, as time goes on. That understanding will increase, as she grows and learns what works with people and what doesn’t. She already listens to me and to her parents, about staying within the boundaries we have set for her crawling practice, and lulling herself to sleep when it’s nap time. She also has very tender heart, and already shows concern for us, if we cough or sneeze too loudly. Sass, however, is to girls what swagger is to boys, so they and I will work to help her channel it into a useful tool of self-defense.

I am not one of those who believes in extinguishing the fire within a human being. People have, to some extent or another, been encouraged, or expected to show subservience to those in positions of power. I believe in a system, as the best way to insure continuity and progress. That system however, to borrow the cliche, is one “of laws and not of men”. Human beings are never going to be perfect, and need the guardrails of codified law. The law, when growing out of the Golden Rule, will serve to channel the impulses and behaviour of human beings in a positive direction.

This brings me to the implications, in some circles, that a pecking order should be restored to our society. The problem I have with that is: Most people I have observed, over the past fifty years or so, seem to know what they’re doing, have the best interests of self and others at heart and don’t need to take a subservient role. No group is replaceable, nor is anyone erasable.

People who say otherwise are invariably looking for one of three things, in their worldview: Power, purity or convenience. Not all such people are Fascists. The naturalist John Muir looked for serenity in nature. Towards that end, he convinced himself, and others, that no one of consequence was living in the areas of Yosemite and Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks, when in fact, the Ahwahneechee Nation was quite established in those areas and was physically removed by the National Park Service, in the early 20th Century. There are, a sit happens, members of that Nation who still live in the area, and who have even taken employment with NPS, in order to maintain stewardship of their homeland. People cannot be erased.