Let’s talk about – Page 2 – Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

That New Car smell

October 18, 2025

On November 23rd, 2014, President Barach Obama stated that voters will want a Presidential candidate in 2016 that has “a new car smell”. This leads many of those in Springfield, Missouri to comment on the current “odor” in the White House. Being a staunch Republican part of the state, Ozarkers usually have little positive to say about any Democrat.

Looking from a Christian perspective, how should this comment be viewed from a non-partisan point of view? When you purchase a brand-new car, you expect not to notice the stench of previous owners. Can this concept be translated into the political arena?

The only way a car has that “new car smell”, is if it has never been owned before. Those who always buy pre-owned vehicles are not familiar with this fragrance. Neither are voters. No presidential candidate in the recent past has not had the contamination of a previous owner.

The “one owner” vehicle still does not have the same aura as the “no owner.” What the voter wants is a candidate for governor, congress, senate or president that has not been “purchased” before. The stench of another who has control of them should not be there.

Used car dealers have many methods to try to fake the “new car smell”. Anyone who believes that people who have been in politics previously can be brought back to a pre-politics state is either gullible or deceiving themselves. An honest politician can be as useful as a pre-owned vehicle. Or it can be a lemon.

They may both have high miles. If well maintained, taken care of properly, and allowed to work the way they are meant to, they can do and be better than they were before. The problem remains that those who are committed to being our representatives must put our country or state above their political jobs.

For the most part, I did anything I was asked to do for every company I worked for. I wanted to move ahead. I needed to earn as much as I could for my family. There were jobs that I left because the promises that were made were not followed through on.

At another job, I stood up for myself, and they fired me and reported that I had tried to get fired. I was able to refute this with the unemployment people. It surprised me that I had trouble finding a new job after this until I followed advice and dropped them from my resume’. The next position I applied for, I was offered and accepted. I had to cut all ties with that organization and refuse to acknowledge I was ever associated with them.

I understand why Republicrats and Demicans do not want to rock the boat. I believe 2026 is the year to replace the stench that is in our government. This smell gets worse every time our President or anyone else tries to violate our Constitution, force his or her opinion upon our laws, take credit for what others have done, or use their positions to attack those that disagree with him.

State legislatures changing congressional lines to strengthen their parties make me decide never to vote for another member of a political party. What about you? From the time I first registered to vote I have been non-partisan. A Republicrat in Greene County Missouri tried to force this eighteen-year-old to declare as one of two parties. That is still against Federal law.

George Washington and others opposed political parties. The Federalists under Thomas Jefferson changed that and now we can’t get our elected officials to do the jobs we pay them for because political bosses threaten them.

In 2026 I am asking everyone who agrees with me to revolt against the party system in our government. We need state assembly and senate personnel who will change our laws to no longer force us to choose on a party basis to vote. In Missouri a non-Partisan ballot in our primary election has no candidates.

You can change this. When your state allows you to register to run for an office you think you are qualified for, declare that you are not a part of any party. There are elected officials in Greene County that were Republicans or Democrats when elected. If they want my vote in 2026 they should be on my non-Partisan ballot in the primary election. This goes for state and national offices as well.

There is only one way to keep America great and that is by dumping all party affiliations. They will not go quietly. Some have jumped from one group to another to use the party power to get what they want. They lie, cheat, steal, and kill to eliminate the competition.

That is why our federal government is shut down today because these infants don’t want to work together. Our republican democracy will not survive if we allow this fighting go on any longer. Join me in this revolt. Run as a non-partisan candidate. Vote for non-Partisan candidates only. Let’s get back that new candidate smell.

Laborers

September 1, 2025

All my life, the first Monday of September has been celebrated as Labor Day. 1894 was the first year that this national holiday was officially celebrated here. Other countries celebrate workers as well. May 1st is recognized by many nations as the day to honor those who make their countries great.

I’m not into the whole Make America Great Again movement. Firstly, America is great. It began great. It has had its share of both good and bad times. When the original Europeans came here, they worked with the natives to settle the land. It was later generations that came into conflict with those who were here first.

We’ve treated some of the emigrants badly. We enslaved individuals of other races. During World War II, we incarcerated many Japanese Americans and discriminated against German Americans because they came from countries with which we were at war. We have discriminated against Jews and Arabs. That is not right.

Many of these hard-working folks came to the United States because they needed a chance. Then, after they had put in time, money, and labor, all that was taken from them, and they no longer thought that this country was great. Some of them still love this nation.

Donald Trump has decided that our constitutional guarantee of citizenship, just because you are born here, is not a good idea. Yes, this was put into place after slaves were set free. Children should not be penalized because they had no choice in being born here. Fortunately for us, what he thinks is not necessarily the law. That is what happens in a monarchy. We have no kings.

Labor can be manual or mental. Most of my career, I worked with my hands. Using a pencil or pen on paper, then typing on a computer keyboard. I went home brain weary and had physical strength to work around the house, provided I did not have to think. Much like politicians.

For years, we attended the Labor Day Parade. Neither of us ever worked for a union shop. Our daughters marched with groups that were performing at the parades. The fascinating thing about this celebration was the picnic in the park. The parade was a lot of vehicles from companies.

Everything from eighteen-wheelers to trash trucks, the Highland Dairy antique milk truck, and just about any type of wheeled device with a logo on it. The labor unions are in force, and during election years, a lot of Democrats are campaigning. I don’t think I ever saw a Republican there.

It doesn’t matter what your job is or whether you are labor or management. If you work for a living, then Labor Day is to honor you. I worked for about fifty years and still consider myself a worker, even though I now do not get paid for what I do. Volunteers also need to be recognized. They accomplish a lot in our country as well. Happy Labor Day.

That Offends Me

August 26, 2025

Those with Jewish heritage are fighting those who hate Jews to keep the history of the holocaust in Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. Some say that the historical fact of the execution of thousands of Jews and others cannot be proven. Holocaust survivors say that they remember these events. In one hundred years, will this be removed from history books?

Black Lives Matter protesters want Confederate flags and statues removed. They do not want to be reminded of the fact that their ancestors were owned by other Americans. This is viewed as a black against white issue. The fact is that some Caucasian Americans are among the activists you see in the news clips.

Another fact that some want to be removed from history is the stories of slave owners like William and Henry Ellison. They are slave owners who were of African American heritage. That’s no big deal. You are talking about only two blacks who owned slaves. Check out the book “Black Slaveowners” by Larry Koger. He uses historical records that still exist to show the number of former slaves and freemen who purchased and used their own slaves to establish businesses that were profitable to them.

This does not make slavery or racial prejudice acceptable. It does separate those of us who have never owned slaves or accepted racial disparities from anyone of any race who currently has racial prejudices. Oh, by the way, crimes are committed inside racially identical groups. That means whites kill whites, blacks kill blacks, and Asians kill Asians. Therefore, I believe all lives matter. That includes blacks. I believe it is an act of racial prejudice to use this BLM slogan. Does that offend you? I am sorry. It is my opinion. In this country, I am allowed to express it.

Let’s step away from race and look at other forms of bigotry. A person who kills or injures someone else because they are in some way like another person who did injury to one who is like them in any way is acting on prejudice. Was that confusing? I’ll give you two examples. A white person who attacks a black person they do not know just because they are black. A person who attacks a police officer because of the uniform they are wearing. I know you have many examples you can share of this type of bigotry.

What is the solution? Treat everyone the way you want to be treated. Do not accept or reject anyone because of pre-conceived ideas that you have been taught or created for yourself. If I want a society free of bigotry and prejudice, I must work every day to dispel it from my own mind.

The death of the RNC

August 22, 2025

NPR release Oct. 27, 2237

Research has shown that November 5, 2024, was the last election where any of those elected were members of the Republican Party. Historians for the last few years have tried to find the reasons for this over one-hundred-year-old organization simply falling away like the Whigs, Torreys, and others.

The electorate seems to have been disillusioned by almost all the federal, state, and local candidates. No Republican could gain any office in the next election. The democratic, libertarian, green, and constitutional parties and non-partisan candidates defeated every incumbent. Two years later, no candidate was declared a member of this party.

That could never happen? Ask those who have researched these other parties that died off in the last two hundred years. Did they think that it could happen to them? I do not think so.

Think about why you do not vote for a particular person. If they are not a Republican, they do not receive your vote. Maybe it is the Democrats that you vote for. Or do you decide against anyone in these groups? My Dad said he would never choose a Catholic in 1960. John F. Kennedy was nominated, and he said he would write in Old Yeller Dog. He refused to vote for a Republican.

Kennedy won. He never admitted he voted for him until after the assassination. I heard him tell my mother that he could not believe anyone would kill the man he had voted for.

I am not like my parents. I refuse to vote for anyone for one reason only. I cannot vote for anyone that supports national candidates that should not even be on the ballot. I did not vote for either major candidate in 2016. I believe the republicans nominated Hillary Clinton and the Democrats chose Donald Trump. In 2024, Missouri republicans chose their candidate by a caucus. They are responsible for Trump being on the ballot.

From the first day he was inaugurated, Trump has been violating his oath of office. He declared he would uphold the Constitution of the United States. He has had executive orders overturned or questioned on constitutional grounds.

He has now taken over the District of Columbia police department, even though statistics show that crime is down this year. These are steps to be prepared for Martial Law being declared in 2029 when he is required to vacate the office. His attempt to ignore the Twenty-Second Amendment had failed.

I have never been a partisan voter. I am hard core non-partisan and believe that the only way to solve most of the problems in our election process is to change our nomination process for every elected position. During a national primary, the top three candidates should be placed on the general election ballot. Parties would not even be listed.

My Republican and Democratic friends said they had to give their backing to their candidate. I hope they do not do this again. My votes for all candidates will be based on who is the best qualified for the position. I will vote for very few on the two major party tickets. I hope you will join me.

It’s in his kiss

August 20, 2025

Kissing in different cultures means varied things. There are also different types of kisses. On the cheek, the hand, the lips, or even the ear or back of the neck. Kissing in our culture is considered romantic. European, Middle Eastern, and other cultures greet friends and acquaintances with a kiss or two on the cheek.

Handshaking is the American method of greeting in most of our communities. As a Christian and a Baptist, I am very familiar with this process. We often modify the standard handshake. You and your friends or family may have a secret or non-secret way to greet each other. Organizations can have variations on the common greeting.

I want to talk about the romantic type of kiss. One of my favorite subjects for situation comedies. You take a prepubescent girl and a boy of a similar age, and a story of the desire for a first kiss and a distaste for the opposite sex. The variations are innumerable. Almost every TV show has had an episode based on this situation.

We all know that movies often feature storylines about kisses. Romantic comedies almost always require kissing between the two leads. Often, there is this kind of action between those who do not believe they are in love. I can think of many films where young people and sometimes older characters find kissing many others a fun thing to do.

Jewelry companies want us to think that their products will get us kissed. That has not been my experience. I can’t talk a lot about the subject of kissing multiple partners. I kissed two or three other girls before I started dating Cindy. When I began kissing her, I enjoyed it very much.

I think she also enjoyed it. She didn’t like it when I tried to kiss her with other people around. When I kissed her goodnight after a date, she never refused or acted like she did not enjoy it. As our relationship continued, so did my desire to hold her and kiss her even more.

As with most couples, we no longer spend time just holding each other and kissing as we did early in our marriage. Hugging and kissing are still part of our life together. It isn’t as large a part as it was in the early years. Three children, twelve grandchildren, and all of life’s time constraints take a toll.

Intimacy is still important. It is necessary for a strong relationship. It is a form of communication for us. We sleep in the same bed. Share a house and many other things. Our fiftieth anniversary is a year away, and I still enjoy being with her as much as I ever have.

I hope that your marriage is going well, also. A kiss is not the best way to tell if you are loved. Paul gives us a list of things that we should use to indicate if someone loves us. Patience and kindness are two of them. Work on kissing, hugging, kindness, and patience, and I think you will go a long way.

Friends and family

August 18, 2025

I’d like to discuss several things with you today. The first is family and friends. I am fortunate that I have had a lot of family all my life. I have two older brothers and a younger sister, thanks to my mom and dad. In addition, there was an abundance of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Many are now gone, but each generation is larger than the last.

The truth is that we are not as close as we once were. We attend family reunions, funerals, and sometimes even weddings. Not like we used to. The youngest generation doesn’t seem to marry as often as we did. Some of my cousins got married two or three times each. We all just tend to die once, and recently we are living longer. I know it isn’t due to healthy living.

What brought on this wave of nostalgia? A commercial about one of these delivery services. A lady is lying in her bed, and there is some unidentifiable noise and movement around her. The camera pans back, and her bed is caught between two automatic doors. The voice over says, “If you can’t take your bed to the store,” then they will bring whatever you need to you.

Guess what, isn’t that what friends and family are for? In the bad old days before smartphone apps, you just picked up the phone, plugged into the wall, and called family or a friend to bring you what you needed.

We are suffering from violence, attacks, and other crimes against more people than ever. There seems to be no way to avoid this. My wife and I seldom leave our home at night. We have a security system at our place, and we know our neighbors. We feel secure in our home.

Do we need to have random strangers coming to our home bringing groceries, medications, and prepared food? There are cases where these random strangers return later, and you are no longer safe. If I do not know you, I don’t invite you into my home.

We go out to pick up carry-out. We do not choose Door Ditch, Pan Handle Pete, or Consta Cart to bring things to us. We occasionally ask our pharmacy to deliver prescriptions. We used to call the pizza place for delivery until the drivers looked like the perps on Blue Bloods or the undercover cops from Chicago PD. We have taken medicines to our kids for their kids or themselves. Especially when they were quarantined during the COVID-19 crisis.

Have you seen the original Crocodile Dundee movie? You know, the one named “Crocodile Dundee.” There is a scene in it where Dundee is told that the reporter he is visiting in New York needs to go to a therapist. Mick doesn’t understand. He asks, “Don’t you have any mates?”

Friends and family or mates used to help each other out. They still do in some communities. Our neighbors, church community, and close family still do. I’ve been called by cousins and friends to officiate at weddings and funerals, as well as get someone to a doctor or take food for them when they are ill. It costs us money not to have people we trust and on whom we can depend.

The next time you need something and can’t go get it for yourself, stop and think of whom you can call to bring it to you. You can’t think of anyone? How about one of those for whom you did the same thing last week? Has it been a while since you helped someone? Maybe that is the problem?

It’s August and hot

August 16, 2025

Let’s face it, this is true. I have known this all my life. The year I was born is the ninth hottest here in Springfield, Missouri. I have watched the high temperatures this month for years. Forty years ago, I told our daughters each time the high for that day was in my birth year.

Checking the statistics, I find that from my birth to last year there are only four Augusts with higher average temperatures. 2007, 1995, 1983, and 1980 are the only years in the last seventy years with temperatures that exceed my year.

Mom reminded me almost every year on my birthday how hot it was when she was pregnant with me. Ladies, I must honor her and apologize to you who are currently new mothers or still expecting the heat. While I have nothing to do with your discomfort, I was instrumental in my own mother’s.

I remember growing up and hearing that we were on the verge of a new ice age in the 1960s. Now there are people that want us to believe that we are all going to burn to death if we do not accept the doomsday prophets that tell us there are holes in the ozone layer.

While researching this column, I find that this does not seem to be true. There are as many scientists who do not share this view as the ones that swear, they are correct. Most scientists know that their estimates are only guesses and may be in error.

Stop and think about it. What other job than meteorologist can you be wrong that often and keep the job? I respect these trained professionals for doing their best and being willing to take the ribbing that sometimes comes when they predict flurries and we have several inches of snow fall, right Dale Noah?

Every woman who is becoming a mother needs respect and patience even when it is not this hot. This is the most difficult job there is. Some are life threatening, but none have the rewards or stress than motherhood does.

Yes, fatherhood has its share of difficulties as well. I know that. But, guys, we must admit that our wives and children’s mothers have it rougher than we do. Even the President of the United States is calling for women to have more babies to keep our economy active.

Remember that this is not an original idea. God told us to be fruitful and multiply to populate the earth. He has also encouraged us through the prophet Malachi that the Jews and we as Christians should produce new generations that will follow Jehovah.

Parenthood is an honored and useful profession that is not a political concept. God created families to raise children in a loving home. Mothers and fathers are instructed to teach them to be good people. This is nothing new.

The unknown holiday

August 11, 2025

That is correct. Most Christians and non-Christians alike in Springfield, Missouri, and all over this country and the world miss the significance of this day every year. It is not a national or religious holiday, but an event that took place on this date years ago that transformed the universe as we know it. Explore some of the lesser events that took place on August 11th.

Calvin Coolidge, John W. Davis, and Robert La Follette, held a presidential debate in 1924 that was filmed for a Newsreel for the first time. In 1929, Babe Ruth was the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs. Not the best he would do, but it was a start. The first prisoner to Alcatraz Island arrived there in 1934.

1942 saw the patent issued to Hedy Lamar and George Antheil for a frequency hopping spread spectrum communication device. What is that, do you ask? That was the first use of technology currently used in wireless devices and the Wi-Fi everyone uses.

Frederick W. Smith founded FedEx in 1944. In 1969, the Apollo 11 crew members were released from quarantine. Hip Hop was born at a teen party, and American Graffiti opened in 1973. The Mall of America opened in 1992.

It is also Flag Day in Pakistan and Independence Day in Chad. Today was the day in 1984 that President Reagan said on national radio, “We begin bombing in five minutes.”

Today is the birthday of Alex Hailey, author of “Roots”, Hulk Hogan, wrestler, Lloyd Nolan, Actor, Jerry Falwell, Evangelist, Frederick W. Smith, the founder of FedEx, and Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computers, me, Colby Rasmus, Michael Cavin, and Mike Douglas.

Mr. Douglas also died on this date. Also dying on this date were: Andrew Carnegie in 1919, Jackson Pollock, Painter in 1956, Phil Harris in 1995, Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 2009, Mell Taylor of the Ventures in 1996, and Robin Williams in 2020.

I am sure that your question is which of these things would be considered a holiday. None is by most people. For me, the one that I consider a holiday is my birthday. Most of us think that we should be celebrated every year. My sixteenth birthday was special, not just for getting to start driving. Recall another birthday I listed for Michael Cavin?

He is the nephew of a friend of mine who was born that day. I call him my twin brother. On his sixteenth birthday, I wished him a happy birthday at a youth event at church. He knew I was friends with his parents, but did not know about us having the same birthday. Now we wish each other happy birthday almost every year.

You should think of the day of your birthday as an unknown holiday. Those who care about you should celebrate with you on that day. And while we are talking about it, don’t forget those you love on their special days. Everyone should have their own holiday.

Insurance

August 6, 2025

I listen to a lot of commercials as I watch television. Life insurance, health insurance, pet insurance, automobile insurance, insurance to cover repairs on vehicles and houses, and anything else that you can think of. Lloyds of London will insure almost anything for their price. It is like gambling. If you want to give them your money on their terms, they will take it.

There are good kinds of insurance and ones that are not worth the payments. These companies use statistical probabilities to determine if they will make a profit. They also advertise that they cover certain problems, but they do not tell you what they do not cover. Did you know your homeowner’s insurance does not cover floods or earthquakes as a standard part of your policy?

Some car insurers tell you that they have a pricing gun to give you the price you want. What they don’t tell you is that to get the price you want, your coverage may decrease, or your deductible may increase. Want new car replacement coverage? There goes your budget.

For people my age, there are life policies with no health questions. The only question they have is how much money do you have? One company says you can get coverage for under ten dollars a month. Another is less than seven. Neither tells what amount of insurance you will have, nor whether you can expect full payment if you die tomorrow.

Then there are the auto service plans. Car dealers offer extended warranties when you buy a new car. Then lenders have their plans if the vehicle is new enough with lower mileage. Now you can buy one from people who advertise on TV. Read the fine print. Your plan may not cover what you want.

In high school, I learned the Latin phrase, “Caveat Emptor,” which means “let the buyer beware.” I’ve worked as a salesman on more than one occasion. I gave out $100 cameras that cost me less than one dollar each. Another company had pricing structures that ranged from 300 percent profit to twenty-five percent.

I’ve mentioned before in columns that if you want to know what profit a retailer makes on their products, wait until they mark them down for clearance. Some stores sell seasonal merchandise as low as 90 % off a few days after the holiday. That tells me that their cost is about ten percent of the suggested retail price.

My Uncle Clyde did not believe in insurance. He seldom bought it. Fortunately, he never lost his house to a fire or other tragedy. He knew God would take care of him. As far as I know, He always did. Don’t take chances, though.

And if there are questions you have about something you see advertised, ask questions. My wife buys and sells items on Facebook Marketplace. She always tells people that we meet at the Springfield Police Department to exchange goods and money. There are times when the other party is no longer interested. Go figure.

NAMES

August 4, 2025

Wouldn’t it be awful if your parents named you something weird, like Rainbow, Teflon, or Young White Child? Or even worse, Sue, as the young man in Johnny Cash’s hit song “The Boy Named Sue” was monicured. Fortunately, my parents named me Charles Eugene.

Growing up, I often asked my mother where my name came from. She told me that Charles was from a soap opera that she watched when I was born. I have searched IMDB to find either an actor or a character from the soaps she watched when I was a kid. I could not find any. If you know of someone from the 1950s, let me know in the comments.

When our children were born, my wife and I chose names that we thought would prevent teasing. All three had first names that became some of the most popular when they reached high school. Our youngest was given a name that my wife thought she had created by combining the names of two friends.

Later, a character in a current soap opera had this name, and it became so popular that her name was no longer unique. I have noticed over the years that this is the way things normally happen. Trend setters want to be unique. I guess we should be happy to be the first. The problem is that you are usually just ranked as another follower.

My oldest brother was named after Dad and Mom’s fathers. My other brother was the second Evan in our family. Dad was the first. I am happy to report that his name is now coming back into use. My name, however, seems to be falling out of style.

With all three of our daughters, I suggested an old family name, Beelzebub. She did not find it funny. She also does not laugh anymore when she says that something is driving her crazy, and I reply, “That’s not a drive. It’s a short putt.”

We currently have a dog named Biscuit and a cat called Essa. Biscuit has the coloring of a biscuit, but nothing like the dog in the picture books by that name. We don’t know why the Humane Society personnel called the feline Essa. I guess someone thought that was what she looked like.

Some of you may wonder about my name being Charles, but my friends call me Chuck. I worked with a young man who answered the phone one day and told the person on the other end that we did not have a Charles. It was my Mother. She informed him that we most certainly had a Charles, but they called him Chuck, which was not my name.

I changed it to Chuck because I was tired of being called Charlie. I waited until I hoped I was old enough not to be called Chuckie, and then a doll by that name starred in a horror movie, and suddenly people were calling me that. My roommate in college called me by a nickname that no one else has ever used. Ron, if you are reading this, keep your mouth shut.

I haven’t published a lot of fiction at this point. What I do write is under the name of Chuck Kensinger. I decided in deference to my Mother that all my non-fiction would be under what she calls my real name, and any fiction under Chuck is just a made-up nickname.

Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Walk With a Servant

Category: Let’s talk about