This is a column that will feature the the thoughts of Charles Rein. The articles will cover a variety of topics, including book reviews. 

A Run for the Border

Rein on All Fronts

By Charles Rein

How many remember these commercials? There was the Taco Bell's 1990's Chihuahua dog "¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!" ("I want Taco Bell!") and their earlier fast food commercial, "Make a Run for the Border."

While some may ask, "Would either of these fast food commercials be acceptable in 2024?" Some might groan and respond, "Nothing is acceptable in 2024." I might sadly agree with them.

I push the envelope further and ask, "Shouldn't border security be as least as important as sexual security?"

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Dies Irea - Day of Wrath

Rein on All Fronts

By Charles Rein

I violently awoke from a nightmare, nearly dripping with sweat. I had witnessed the "End of the World" and to disagree with the lyrics of the 1987 music group R.E.M.'s song, "I didn't feel fine."

You'll find my night terror below. In addition you’ll find a professor's similar type dream which in my view, ends much more uplifting than mine and shows humanity's goodwill towards one another.

My morning's bad dream began as dreams do, a bit fuzzy as I found myself outdoors and laying besides a garden (looking upwards). In this dream, I become aware of musical chanting (not exactly this) though similar to Dies Irea, "Day of Wrath."

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The Open Road

Rein on All Fronts
By Charles Rein

Tomorrow, September 27, is World Tourism Day, and ironically I'm feeling a bit lethargic -AKA stuck in my easy chair. So here's a lazy writer's technique- two paragraphs, from a past article of mine regarding different communications styles. (Dated June 2021.) In that article, I jokingly borrowed seven sentences from a Florida author- 'Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need.'

"Let's look at the perceived danger through two different lenses, using travel, for existence. For example, are you more comfortable booking a hotel two months early and from the comfort of your bathroom? Or could you arrive late at night in a strange city and feel confident that you could find an inexpensive hotel, not currently occupied by the Hell's Angels biker gang?"

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Camel's Nose Under the Tent Rebuttal 

By Charles Rein

Sept. 11th remembrances event today will occur with patriotic songs, neighbors coming together with candle vigils, powerful vertical searchlights as a tribute in lights, yet we're still in the dark regarding extremism/terrorism.  Sometimes our information on this topic arrives stealthy and electronically.  Beware of what you read or forward to others, especially when it's received anonymously-there's no author given credit, it's possibly false or a misleading email.

In a factcheck.org 2008 article, a writer who debunks rumor and lore shared advice. David Emery, author of About.com Urban Legends page was mentioned in the article titled, 'That Chain Email your friend sent you is (likely) bogus. Seriously.'

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Parisian Riots- On the Eve of Destruction

Rein on All Fronts

By Charles Rein

For my headline, I've borrowed the song title of the same name, 'Eve of Destruction." It originated from a protest style song written by P. F. Sloan. While true, several artists have recorded it, the most popular recording was by Barry McGuire (released in the sweltering summer of 1965.) A month later in South-Central L.A. the Watts riots would explode killing 34 people and property damage estimates approached $40 million.

With those "fun facts" behind us, I ask if you've heard of this past week's police shooting and resulting demonstrations? Some see shadows of police brutality in a teenager's death. The United Nations went so far as to declare (we) must 'seriously address the deep issues of racism and discrimination in law enforcement'. On the other side, a radio host is so fed up, his narrative is "foreigners can't integrate and those protesting the police shooting are immoral."

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The Sunday Scaries?

Rein on All Fronts
By Charles Rein

Now we'll skip the heavy news topics and choose something from the unbelievable Wackadoodle news file. Heard of this?

It now appears millennials are concerned with something called the "Sunday Scaries."

Only in America could this factitious panic attacks make it into our national news!

According to a LinkedIn survey, 80 percent of professionals say they experience the Sunday Scaries, with over 90 percent of Millennials and Gen Z reporting they feel it.

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Shades of Gray

By Charles Rein

Rein on All Fronts

 If you're a fan of the time machine trilogy movies, 'Back to the Future' you may have seen the t-shirt with the words: "Marty whatever happens, don't ever go to 2020."

There are a couple of dates, I'd suggest Marty and Doc Brown avoid as well.

If you have a time machine, avoid today April 19 as it's been exactly 30 years since the Waco Siege (if it was a movie, it could portray a story of David Koresh versus the ATF/F.B.I.) Fire engulfed the compound on April 19, 1993, in which 76 Branch Davidians lost their lives.

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The Old Order Falls Part II. Tintinnabulum

By Charles Rein

[Author's Note: My chapters from my story with help from the Grant County Beat, 'The Old Order Falls' are not real. Instead they are 'What If' historical fiction.  I hope you'll consider checking them out.]

Part II. Tintinnabulum
— Term popularized in Edgar Allen Poe's 1849 poem "The Bells."

All the heavens, seem to twinkle
With a crystalline delight;
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells—
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.

No community it seemed was safe. After Corrales -13 miles north of Albuquerque - had the missing dog incident reported, it resulted in adults barely wanting to talk to each other anymore, let alone to their children. It seemed no one knew what to say, so they preferred to spend time in their own world.

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