Abraham's Son, Chapter 20

INT. ABRAHAM'S HOUSE - DAY

SUPERIMPOSE: A FEW YEARS LATER

A few years later, ABRAHAM wakes up in his bedroom.  He walks into his son's bedroom and wakes him up.  ABRAHAM picks IKE up and gives him a hug and a kiss.  IKE hugs and kiss his father.  ABRAHAM dresses his son.

INT. ABRAHAM'S KITCHEN - DAY

ABRAHAM and IKE eat breakfast together.  There is a knock on door.  They are expecting LIZ, IKE's teenage babysitter, who helps ABRAHAM with IKE.  ABRAHAM opens door and LIZ enters.

ABRAHAM: Good morning, LIZ.  

LIZ: Morning.  

LIZ rushes over to see IKE and the two engage in some very friendly interaction.

ABRAHAM: LIZ, I'd like to go to the park in a little while.  Do you want something to eat?

LIZ: No thanks.

EXT. PARK NEAR ABRAHAM'S HOUSE - DAY

ABRAHAM pushes IKE's stroller, accompanied by LIZ.  When they reach park, ABRAHAM takes IKE from stroller and IKE and LIZ go to playground.  ABRAHAM sits on nearby bench and starts to read newspaper.  

First article ABRAHAM reads: "ROBERT SILVER, prominent Washington attorney, has been appointed by the president as his chief adviser.  SILVER, a graduate of Benjamin Cardozo High School in Queens, Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, has had a close relationship with the president for many years.  He has resigned his position as a name partner with his law firm..."

Second article ABRAHAM reads:  "The president has again repeated his intention to reject United States participation in the international climate treaty sponsored by the United Nations. 

The intent of the treaty is to decrease global warming by holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels..."    

ABRAHAM suddenly notices a stranger is sitting on bench next to him.  Strangely, he didn't notice his arrival, he simply just appeared.  The stranger bears a remarkable resemblance to ABRAHAM, but in a weird way.  ABRAHAM keeps reading.

STRANGER: Good morning, ABRAHAM.  How are you?

ABRAHAM: Excuse me, do I know you?

STRANGER: No.  But, I know you.

ABRAHAM: And how do you know me?

STRANGER: I've been following you your whole life.  I know all about you.

ABRAHAM reacts nervously.

ABRAHAM: Ah, please, I'd like to be left alone to read my newspaper.  Will you excuse me?

STRANGER: Pretty interesting about ROBERT SILVER, don't you think?

ABRAHAM: What?  Were you reading over my shoulder?

STRANGER:(laughs) I know everything about you, what you read, what you ate for breakfast today...Honey Nut Cherrios with blueberries and low fat milk...and coffee with low fat milk.

ABRAHAM is shocked.

ABRAHAM: Who are you?

STRANGER: A MESSENGER from God.

ABRAHAM is stunned.  In disbelief.

ABRAHAM: You're crazy.  

MESSENGER: Really?  Who would know your mother called you kleyner when you were little?  

ABRAHAM:Only my mother and me.

MESSENGER: Who would know your brother was dyslectic?

ABRAHAM: Only my brother and me.

MESSENGER: Who would know what SARA wrote in her note, "Don't look for me.  I'd make a terrible mom.  Love, SARA?"

Now, ABRAHAM is incredulous.

ABRAHAM: I've shown that note to nobody.  How do you know?  She must have told you.

MESSENGER: No, she didn't.  I've never talked to her, but I know everything about you.  Who would know your first time masturbating...on that beautiful spring day...you were fourteen...home alone...bored...started touching yourself...felt good, so...

ABRAHAM: Nobody knows that.  I've told nobody.  How?

MESSENGER: I told you.  I've been following you your whole life.  Look, you go to synagogue every shabbos to pray to God.  So, why do you doubt when a MESSENGER from God comes to you?

ABRAHAM: Well, it's the first time in my life and I don't know what to say.  So, you know a lot about me.

MESSENGER: No, I know everything about you.

ABRAHAM: Whatever.  I need more proof you're really from God.

MESSENGER: What proof do you want?

ABRAHAM: You've talked about the past.  What about the future?  Can you make things happen?  Can't God make things happen, like in the Bible?

MESSENGER: What do you want?

ABRAHAM thinks.

ABRAHAM: Tonight, there's a ball game, here in Queens, the Mets.  Have their pitcher throw a perfect game.  Can you do that?

MESSENGER: Would you believe I am a MESSENGER from God if it happens?

ABRAHAM: Yeah, I would.  Can you do that?

MESSENGER: Okay.  I'll meet you here tomorrow morning, same time and we'll talk more.  Bye, ABRAHAM.

MESSENGER walks away and disappears from view leaving ABRAHAM shaking.  After a while he calms down and walks over to where IKE and LIZ are playing.

Title IX

Before the 1970s, women were not encouraged to participate in sports.  Such activities were considered to be not "ladylike."  Women were also thought to be too fragile for such participation.  Based on modern data, females always wanted to participate, but were not given the opportunity or the encouragement.

When I graduated from Oswego High School (OHS) in 1963, boys participated in 8 different sports.  Girls were relegated to being cheerleaders for the boy's teams.

The differences between the sexes in body composition are well known: males typically have proportionately more muscle mass, more bone mass, and a lower percentage of body fat than women.  Thus, in competitive sports, men have a distinct advantage.  In order to encourage females to participate in sports, it is better for them to compete against other women rather than men.

As an example of such a competitive disadvantage, in 2017 the US national women's soccer team held a scrimmage against an under 15 boys team and lost 5-2.  The US women's team was ranked number one in the world in comparison to other women's teams.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights enforces Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. 

Title IX states: No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

As a result of Title IX, today OHS has 15 boys sports and 15 girls sports.  

In today's society, there are two more categories of athletes: the transgenders.  There are men who want to be women and women who want to be men.

Quandaries have arisen as to whether such men (who want to be women) should compete against women in sports.  Lia Thomas, a student-athlete at the University of Pennsylvania, wanted to compete on its women's swim team.  Lia was born male and has the physical advantages of a male over a female.  But Lia is transgender.  What to do?  

Thomas began swimming on the men's team at the University of Pennsylvania in 2017, and during Lia's freshman year, recorded the sixth-fastest national men's time in the 500-yard freestyle.  

In the 2021–2022 season, when competing on the women's team, Lia was recorded as the fastest national women's time in the 500 freestyle.  Lia as a male at birth was thus competing against women at birth who represented, as explained above, inferior competition.

To me, a man competing against women is similar to an athlete taking a performance enhancing drug, which of course is not allowed.  It would not be fair to the athletes not taking the performance enhancing drug.

How many transgender athletes are there?  Thirty-two.  

To me, the solution to this quandary is the greatest good for the greatest number.  It is not fair for people like Lia to compete against women at birth who would be at a competitive disadvantage against such a male athlete.  

The result was Lia, a man at birth, won a national women's swimming championship.   Really?  

Transgenders should compete only against other transgenders.  In a similar way, handicapped athletes compete only against other handicapped athletes.  

Comments?

Ron Guidry

Ron Guidry was born August 28, 1950 in Lafayette, Louisiana.  In 1969-1970, he excelled as a left handed pitcher for the University of Southwestern Louisiana baseball team.

Guidry was selected by the New York Yankees on the third round of the 1971 Major League Baseball draft.  He made his debut with the Yankees on July 25, 1975.

Two years later, Guidry became part of the Yankees starting rotation.  He finished the season with an impressive record of 16 wins and only 7 losses.  Guidry was an important factor in the Yankees winning the 1977 World Series championship.  

On June 17, 1978, Guidry struck out a record 18 California Angels.  His totals that year were an amazing 25 wins and only 3 losses.  Guidry again led the Yankees to a second straight World Series victory.

In his fourteen year baseball career, Guidry won a total of 170 games with 1,778 strikeouts.  He won the Cy Young award as the best pitcher in the American League in 1978.  

Guidry was named to the All-Star game four times.  His number 49 was retired by the New York Yankees.  There is a monument in his honor at Yankee Stadium.  

I think it was the summer of 1993 when my young son Bret and I, along with my friend Joe and his young daughter Regine, took a trip to upstate New York to visit my home town of Oswego plus Cooperstown, the location of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

We were having lunch in a restaurant in Cooperstown when I recognized Ron Guidry at a nearby table.  He was there for a money making autograph signing.  Many patrons were hovering near him. 

As I recall, Regine, who, unlike my son, grew up in a home where professional baseball was not important, asked her father why so many people were interested in this man.  He said she should go ask him.  And she did.

According to my friend Joe, Regine asked Ron, "Are you famous?"  He replied, "I used to be."

Regine returned to our table a few minutes later.  And shortly thereafter, so did Ron Guidry.  Apparently, he was so charmed by Regine (he had two daughters himself) that he wanted to meet the group she came from.

We chatted with Ron Guidry for some minutes.  He mentioned that originally he did not want to be a pitcher, but preferred being an every day ball player.  However, he was told that being a pitcher was his ticket to the major leagues.  It certainly was.  

The Postman Always Rings Twice

The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1946 American film noir starring Lana Turner, John Garfield, and Cecil Kellaway. It is based on the 1934 novel of the same name by James M. Cain.

Frank (Garfield), a young drifter, sees a "man wanted" sign at a gas station/diner along the highway near Los Angeles.  He responds and is offered a job as an assistant by the owner, Nick (Kellaway), a middle-aged man.

Nick starts to make Frank a hamburger in the diner, but needs to leave to attend a motorist looking to fill his car with gas.  Then a remarkable scene takes place.

While sitting at the diner's lunch counter waiting for the hamburger, Frank hears something rolling on the floor towards him.  He looks down and sees lipstick.  

Frank turns in the direction from whence the lipstick came and sees a beautiful young woman dressed all in white.  It is Cora (Turner), Nick's wife.  

Nick picks up the lipstick and asks, "You drop this?"  Cora responds, "Uh-huh."  Without looking at Frank, she hold out her hand and expects Frank to walk over and place the lipstick in it.

Instead, Frank leans against the counter and holds the lipstick in his hand, waiting for Cora to retrieve it.  Obviously annoyed, Cora walks over, takes the lipstick, returns from where she was, applies the lipstick to her lips, looks at Frank one more time before closing the door behind her, all the while maintaining an icy expression.

After this cold beginning, Frank and Cora start a romantic relationship.  Cora, not in love with Nick, suggests to Frank that divorce is not the answer.  They will wind up with nothing.

While Nick, Cora (driving) and Frank are all together in a car, Frank kills Nick with a blow to his head.  Then Cora and Frank stage an auto accident making it seem as if that was how Nick died.  Frank is also injured.  

The district attorney, a witness to the accident, brings criminal  charges against Cora.  She enters into a plea bargain pleading guilty to manslaughter and receives a suspended sentence.  Frank and Cora have seemingly gotten away with murder.  

In an interesting side bar, Frank and Cora then have to get married as California law at the time prohibited an unrelated couple from living together.  

Later, while Frank is driving, they get into a real car accident and Cora is killed.  Frank is unjustly convicted of murder and is sentenced to be executed.  

While on death row, Frank is visited by the District Attorney, who confronts him with evidence of his involvement in Nick's murder.  He reasons that if he resists his legal fate in Cora's death, he'll only wind up back where he is with a conviction for Nick's murder.  

Frank muses that, just as the postman always rings twice to make sure people receive their mail, fate has ensured that he and Cora have finally paid the price for their crime.  Hollywood during this period had to show that crime didn't pay.  That would change.