Hugh Heffner -- American Hero

True American Hero
Pretty soon, one will need a “Username” and “Password” just to breath! Honestly, seems every which way you move but loose there is “protection”. But is it really protection? No, as all this digital technology makes it easy for outside interference espionage. In the past when “analog” was king, it took know how to break into a system. Anyway, I was trying to signup for un-employment benefits as I was retaliated against by my former employer for telling the truth. Why is it that telling the truth can get you in trouble? Where in my youth did I learn to be so honest? Maybe that is why politicians have such a chore at telling the truth as they were missing something in their youth and upbringing. I am writing a book about it called, “Truth & Consequences”. Really, I was terminated not by some little runt company but Siemens, an international conglomerate! Because I witnessed an employee try to sabotage a customer’s equipment, due animosity towards another employee. It was sickening, to see such childish and destructive ways and means by another supposedly responsible adult. I am glad my father taught me righteousness, through example. Anyway, this is the first time in a long, long time that I had to rely on that pittance from un-employment insurance. Is it really lower then minimum wage? Now with my background and experiences, I can usually muster up a job pretty quick. But this “in the un-employment line” bout came pretty unexpectedly, so I am broke and have no medical insurance. Anyway, when signing up for the benefits - that won’t even pay for the cell phone’s monthly charges - and prompted to enter that “I forgot my password” question, there existed a new one over the usual, “Your mother’s maiden name”, or “The name of your first dog”. This time around it was “An American hero”. Wow, that is a good one. See, I always forget my mother’s maiden name spelling, as it is French. And sometimes that first dog is questionable. Is it the first dog with my original family or the kid’s first dog, with my now family? So it is confusing at times. But an American hero? That is my choice, as it is an easy one to remember. No it is not somebody of past notoriety, like John F. Kennedy or Huey Long or Martin Luther King. No it is not a present day political scene maker like Obama. In my book an American hero not to be forgotten and still a hero today is Hugh Heffner! What?, you may ponder with confuse. In an American hero we look for someone who has been instrumental in making America a better place and has relentlessly advertised that virtue through the good times and the bad times, through the rough times and the smooth times, that is Hugh. We look for someone who cherishes youth and wherein the generation gap shows no bounds. Acceptance regardless of age is a virtue that doesn’t entertain age discrimination, again that is Hugh. And for myself along with many of my buddies in youth, Hugh was an American Hero from that youth all the way up to this time and day in history. Now we didn’t learn about Hugh when studying history in the classroom, when the nuns walked the isles and commanded our undivided attention – assisted by that metal skirted yardstick as a determinator. No we studied Hugh when we were free, when testing out that life, liberty and pursuit of happiness stuff we learned about when studying the Constitution in school. Practice makes perfect. Most of the time this occurred when down at the swamps, wherein secret forts were built to hide things we couldn’t hide at home. It was kind of like a modern day romance with Mark Twain and Hugh. We wanted to play out our Tom Sawyer fantasies, but at the same time play out more important roles, like plotting our future. That is where Hugh played an all important role as a mentor. It was down in such secrecy wherein we would spend more time reading through the Playboy magazines that were retrieved from various locals, like the dump just up river – at the Red Devil Mine. Of course these were the magazines that had been discarded, the old news stuff. For the fresh off the press editions, it meant raiding our fathers’ stash. I lived in Pawtucket, a little town in Rhode Island. It was your typical Irish Catholic neighborhood. It meant diner was ready when dad returned home from work so we best be home from our swamp duties or, no diner! And when all together at 5:00pm daily, it was always interesting when a subject matter of interest would come up at dinner time and for some reason or another the subject matter would be understood, by the boys! Not something that was from the daily newspaper, but from another source. Mom was lost. See, we knew that our dads cherished the Playboy. And like father like son, we followed suit. Hey if it were good enough for our war hero dads, it was good enough for us, as we wanted to be like dad. Sure there were kids - and maybe dads - that wanted to be like Hugh when they grew up, but for the most part Hugh was just a hero many looked up too, as he was indeed a hero to our fathers. He was no doubt a guys’ guy extraordinaire. So when a conversation would touch on something that was most likely a topic in a past Playboy, and the boys responded, dad knew what was going on. It was almost like a test. Now the dads knew that we did not pick up an understanding of such subject matter in the schools. But that which was covered in the Playboy magazine was indeed issues of national and global interest. Now there was always the joke that, the “stories were good” when trying to fake the fact that the magazines were more then just a “picture show” of centerfolds. But indeed we did enjoy not only the naked pictures of beautiful women, but the articles were something of importance in efforts to promote democracy and understanding, even though for the most part we didn’t have yet the intuition to understand fully the subject matter content - but it was just becoming aware wherein the importance gained our attention. Hugh was not only a man of great art, but a genius philosopher to mix beauty with important issues of our times, then and now. At times I thought that the girly pictures were indeed just a smoke-screen, in efforts to get America’s attention upon things of national interest. Can you imagine the voter turnout if Playmates showed up at the voting places? And the fact that the dads cherished this publication, it meant a true test of our Constitutional rights, that 1st Amendment Right “shall not be abridged”. So with age upon me, and forgetfulness, no longer will I have to worry about loosing my password, as it would be very difficult to forget this American Hero. Hugh Heffner, the American Hero of all times - then and now. Thanks Hugh, for being part of my youth, part of our youth. America thanks you. Thanks for entertaining us during that youth and at the same time provide a forum wherein we could relate to our fathers. Wow, I just received a job offer, as a producer. Must be a mistake, as I know nothing about producing a film. But that would be a mistake, if somebody doesn’t produce a movie about Hugh, as he touched so many in youth through manhood and thereafter. He found within us that seed, nourished that seed that has allowed us to enjoy and understand our rights. He taught us independence at a very young age, as staying home alone those first few times would not have been possible without dad’s stash. Honestly, dad wasn’t home to protect us but Hugh was with us! An the moms, well they were the ones that kept dads stash so neat and in order, so when we messed up and didn’t get it back in order, mom was there to correct - so the moms knew what we were up too. But they so much wanted their kids to be like the dads, so it was probably a lesson of adolescence achieved when the moms realized that we found and enjoyed dad’s stash. And the stashes were never really hidden, just allowed an inviting place to be discovered. So Hugh touched everybody, as the Playboy was a sign of that American dream, an extra benefit of reaching that dream, wherein it was something that could be shared. Hugh Heffner, the greatest American Hero of my time! And maybe that is where I learned about telling the truth and being honest! Thank you, Mr. Heffner.

CopyRight 2008 – Dixie Productions/MSK Media/Eagle Rock Press
Contact: Storylineonline@gci.net or www.Storylineonline.com or www.chinookjournal.blogspot.com