Too Much Public Access?

 

Like the rest of the civilized world, I am horrified by the murder of James Foley.  Not that kidnapping innocent people and holding them for years is a minor thing, but to just outright murder someone, especially in such a terrifying manner, goes beyond what the mind can imagine.

But in this particular case, the mind doesn’t really have to imagine, because the barbaric act—or at least the result of the act—is preserved on film.  I guess it’s not particularly surprising to me that any group that would be so inhuman as to behead a prisoner would want to continue the terror by showing their gruesome act to as many people as possible.  But it does sort of surprise me that anyone would want to watch such a thing.

Though the video has apparently been removed from most of the internet (though “removed from the internet” is just about impossible), I heard some talking heads today saying that it should be available in the interest of avoiding censorship.  I guess I can almost understand that argument, though mostly I think that at some point, the overall standards of society have to come into play.  And, in this case, I’m pretty sure that societal standards have not yet sunk so low that the majority of people would think it’s perfectly okay to show a man losing his life, or even the aftermath. 

And what about Foley’s family?  With every copy of that video that exists, there is a greater likelihood that his family might be inadvertently exposed to it, and surely no one would wish that.  In school one time, we talked about a case where a police officer responding to a fatality accident (also a decapitation) took a photo of the victim, turned it into a particularly gruesome Halloween card, and forwarded it out to a few of his closest friends. Through the power of the great www, the card quickly circulated far beyond the officer’s initial friends, only to end up in the inbox of the victim’s unsuspecting father, who clicked a link expecting some sort of internet frivolity, not a graphic representation of the worst event of his life.  Protecting the Foley family from that sort of terrible possibility should trump the interests of anyone who just wants to argue the rights of random citizens who have a right to be protected from censorship.

As a rule, I can’t imagine it’s more than a kind of sick curiosity that would drive someone to want to watch the video, anyway.  But I hope in this case, basic decency wins out, and that horrible video is banished from existence everywhere except in the offices of whatever officials might need it to bring the ruthless murderers to justice.

In Search of Why

 

There’s something about death, especially tragic, unexpected death.  People always want to find, if not a reason, then some sort of lesson.  We don’t want to let someone go without feeling that they contributed one last thing to this world.

In the wake of Robin Williams’ death, you can see this played out over and over in social media.  Depression. Anxiety.  Addiction.  And now, I suppose, we will add Parkinson’s.  The cries are out there: Don’t let his death be in vain.  And perhaps an awareness of some of these diseases will come, and that will be a good thing.  Will it prevent his death from being in vain?  I don’t know.  If lives are saved because conversations have begun this week that will slowly illuminate the dark secrets of depression, will that somehow make his death meaningful?  I don’t know how you determine that it was acceptable for one person to die so that others may live. 

What I do know is that depression scares me.  I’ve seen those stories—some are saying that as many as 25% of people in the world could suffer from depression in some form or another.  That’s a lot of people.  Personally, I’ve had a couple of bouts of situational depression, and I can remember how absolutely terrifying those days were. I can’t imagine living with that sort of anguish day in and day out for my entire life.

But the real reason depression scares me is not some concern that I might be dragged back into an abyss at some point, but because one of the most important people in the world to me suffers from it, and refuses to get help.  I think maybe that’s why Williams’ death has hit me so hard, because it’s all too easy to extrapolate the horrific possibilities.  I mean, if this wildly talented, hugely successful man—someone who arguably “had it all”—could not overcome his demons and saw no solution but death, then what does that say about the chances of the average guy fighting this battle?  It seems bleak.

And I’ve seen the arguments back and forth about whether depression should really be blamed as the “cause” of suicide, with one side saying that it’s a dangerous argument to make, because it sends the message to the deeply depressed that they have no say in the matter, that one day they are just doomed to lose the ultimate battle to their disease.  And I can see the logic of that argument, and it just sends another twinge of fear down my spine.  But the truth is, I land in the opposite camp.  I do think depression is to blame.  That while Williams technically had a choice, the state of his mind on that final day was such that he believed the little voice that whispered about hopelessness.  In that moment, I don’t know if he believed there was no other choice, but he obviously believed there was no better choice, and it’s one of those situations where the very action proves that something was wrong in the deepest parts of his mind.  And if your mind is betraying you, are you really making a choice at all?

I don’t know the answers.  Like so many, I’m still reeling from losing this amazing talent in this most tragic of circumstances.  And it might be that it hits harder because we all knew about his long-time fight with his various demons, and as much as we admired him for his talent, we admired him even more for his honesty and resiliency. 

And of all the terrifying parts of depression, maybe that’s the most terrifying part of all: that regardless of your strength, sometimes the demons still win.

An Unexpected Goodbye

 

In honor of the man who made so many laugh, I wish I could say something witty. 

In recognition of the pain the man suffered, I wish I could say something healing.

In tribute to the man’s great talent, I wish I could say something profound.

But I can say none of that, for my heart aches.

 

Feel Good Friday, August 8

 

I am convinced that eventually people will come to recognize that we’re all more alike than different, and that everyone should be judged individually on their actions not on which segment of society they fit in to.  But though I firmly believe this will come to pass, I often despair that it will happen so slowly that I will not get to witness even the earliest waves of enlightenment.

Because of this, I love to read a story about a place called Latta, South Carolina, a tiny little town full of old fashioned conservative values in a state that seems to have little respect for the rights of its gay citizens.  But that’s not what makes it a good story.  No, what makes it a good story is that even with all their “traditional values”, Latta was still able to come together and fight for a member of their community when their police chief was fired for having the audacity to be gay.

Now, we all know that people’s belief systems don’t do a complete 180 overnight, so I think we can safely assume that there are a lot of folks in Latta who still believe that romantic couples ought to be made up of a man and a woman, so their show of solidarity in standing up for the police chief because of who she is rather than any group she belongs to  is outstanding.

It’s those sorts of actions that will ultimately lead to that happy future I was talking about it earlier, and I think that definitely qualifies for Feel Good Friday.  Congratulations, Latta, on finding a way to get your chief back.

If you’d like to read more details about a town doing the right thing, you can find the story here.

Watching the Watchers

 

Let me say right up front that I have not really been following the Eric Garner situation too closely.  I mean, I know the basics:  a man died when the NYPD used an illegal chokehold on him, the entire incident was caught on tape, and the death has subsequently been ruled a homicide.  But I don’t know enough about it to form an opinion on whether the death was caused by a tragic set of circumstances or a blatant abuse of power.  Sadly, I’m becoming cynical enough to think that the latter is probably more likely. 

Honestly, I don’t want to be that cynical.  I’d much rather believe that even if the officer involved used illegal methods of restraint, he did it in a moment of panic for his own safety, or because Mr. Garner was putting up superhuman efforts at resistance, something to make it not really the officer’s fault, though that seems unlikely.

Then, today I hear that the man who filmed the altercation has been arrested  for an unrelated gun charge.  Hmm.  Like I said, I’d much rather be confident that everything is on the up and up, but that kind of certainty seems to be a thing of the past.   It will be interesting to see what comes of all of this. 

Where’s the Good News?

 

I’m hiding from the news today, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.  With crazy fighting in the Middle East (even more than normal), and an airplane apparently shot down from the sky, there’s nothing uplifting to be found there today.  As I scroll through my Facebook feed and see post after post filled with dismay and anger, along with arguments and theories, and even some justifications, I find myself hoping that future generations are not looking back at these days to explain the start of WWIII. 

At home, there’s been an amber alert issued for a five month old child, who’s believed to be with a mentally ill person who has recently reported visions of seeing the little girl die in two days.

So, yeah, I’m hiding from the news today, and praying the world finds some peace.

A Question of Patriotism

 

Do I lose points, especially this time of year, if I admit that I don’t really consider myself overly patriotic?  I mean, of course I love my country, and there’s truly no place that I would rather live.  I think we’ve done a lot of things right over the years, and I’ll light a sparkler or two tomorrow night in celebration.  But I don’t fly a flag outside my house, I’m glad my son never wanted to join the military so I never had to worry I’d lose him to some crazy war, and for all the things we’ve done right, I still think there are an awful lot of things we have done—and continue to do—wrong.  Does that make me unpatriotic?  Maybe.  So while I’m making the confession, let me just pile on one other thing:  the Supreme Court is really pissing me off lately.

As I have mentioned in the past, I’m not only potentially unpatriotic, but I’m definitely mostly non-political.  But still . . . To my very core, I reject the idea that organizations can be granted personhood in any way, so the idea they can be allowed to exercise religious freedom is truly unfathomable to me.  And I say this as an Oklahoma (almost) native, so it’s almost impossible for me to escape the arguments in support of Hobby Lobby being allowed to opt out of the full requirements of “Obamacare” on the basis of sincerely held religious beliefs.  I’ve heard them all.  But you are never going to convince me that an employer’s religious beliefs should trump an employee’s right to health care coverage that’s right for her.  (Or him, though in this particular case, it’s really only the “hers” that are getting the short end of the stick.")

And, listen, when it comes down to the particulars, I get that Hobby Lobby is really only objecting to less than a handful of contraceptive techniques.  And I really don’t even doubt the religious beliefs of the owners are sincerely held.  I just think the owners should confer with their health care providers and discuss available options before continuing forward with any necessary treatment for themselves, and I think that they shouldn’t exclude treatment from others because of their own religious views.  And, don’t kid yourself, it really doesn’t matter that the Court tried to “protect” women by saying that they could pursue other options for getting these particular treatments, even if the government has to pick up the tab.  First of all, maybe my religious beliefs prohibit that sort of thing.  Secondly, people without insurance forgo important medical treatment regularly, even if they might have some sort of “free” treatment option, just because they don’t want to ask for help.   There is no doubt in my mind that this ruling will prevent at least some women from receiving needed medical treatment, and I think that’s a shame. 

As far as I’m concerned, it boils down to this:  companies are not people, and I don’t believe they should have equal rights to people, much less superior rights.  And I can’t believe that our founding fathers ever intended that a business entity should be viewed as a citizen with full rights and privileges.  I could probably go on, but I’m not really here to try and convince anyone, just venting a little bit about a recent mistake by this great nation.  And, now that I think about it, maybe caring enough to be upset when I see us stumble, but still believing that there is nowhere greater to call home, makes me absolutely patriotic.  I’ll be thinking about that tomorrow when I light my sparkler.

 

Money Can’t Buy It All

 

In the random news of the day, apparently Casey Kasem has disappeared—or, at least, his kids don’t seem to know where he is.  Apparently they are estranged from Kasem’s current wife, and believe that she may have moved him somewhere to deliberately keep them apart.   A judge has intervened in the family drama, and ordered an investigator to locate Kasem. 

Besides being sad to the young me that cherished the weekly countdown, it’s also a sad reminder that it doesn’t really matter if you’re famous or rich; none of us are guaranteed our health, nor a family that cares enough to always make the best decisions when we are unable to care for ourselves.  

Kasem has been ill for a while, requiring constant care, and may not even be fully aware of everything that’s going on.  But, I have to believe that he’d be better if all those who love him were able to visit with him, so I’m praying for a positive outcome for him, and his family.

Heartbreaking Message

 

My heart breaks today for the families of flight 370, even more than it has been breaking for the past weeks.  I can’t imagine waiting for so long, hoping for a miracle, only to be told by text message that your hoping had been in vain.   Not that there’s a good way to deliver such news, but there are ways that are more bad than others, and I’m pretty sure text messaging is pretty close to the top of the bad list. 

Still, the worst part has to be that they have essentially been asked to accept on faith that their loved ones are gone.  Is it possible that all aboard have perished?  Of course.  Does that seem even the most likely scenario?  Maybe.  But after seventeen days of waiting, seventeen days when I am sure that they have poured every bit of faith they could muster into believing in some other answer—any other answer—they’ve now been told to quit hoping.  They’ve been told to believe in the magic of untested technology to determine the final passage of those most important to them.  I can understand their grief—and their anger.

Watching the news tonight, Brian commented that he was surprised by the families’ reactions, that by now they should have prepared themselves for this result.  But even he, who clearly has so little understanding of the human capacity for hope and faith, couldn’t believe that such a final announcement would be made without some actual physical evidence. 

I said earlier something that we say all the time: “I can’t imagine . .”, but the truth is, I can imagine.  My imaginings might not be correct, and maybe in their situation I would feel totally different than how it seems I would feel, but I can imagine.  I imagine I would be hurt, and angry, and lost, and a whole host of other emotions.  I imagine that I would not want someone to shatter what faith I had managed to cultivate and preserve until such time as there was no other option.  And, if it reached the point where my faith had to be shattered, I imagine I would not want it shattered by text message.  I imagine I would be inconsolable.

And because I can imagine all of that and more, my heart breaks for them today.

 

Well, This is Idle Chatter, Right?

 

Some random things on my mind today . . .

• Fred Phelps, founder of the Westboro Baptist Church, has passed away.  Generally speaking, I recognize the inherent sadness in the loss of any life, and sympathize for the family and friends left behind.  I’m doing some self-examination that my feelings surrounding this particular passing are drifting toward un-Christian.
• I was reading this story that says not getting enough sleep could cause brain damage.  I wonder a couple of things about that:  First, I’m getting the idea maybe I should re-think my sleep patterns.  Granted, the study seems to focus mostly on people on weird work shifts that really mess with normal sleeping or those who are seriously sleep deprived, but I know I definitely need at least another two hours per night to be truly rested, and probably more.  Yet, it’s almost midnight, and here I am.  Second, I was thinking about the idea that an awful lot of people seem to have altered sleep patterns as they become elderly, and an awful lot of elderly people suffer impaired cognitive functions, so could those things be related?  Could we knock out a whole lot of dementia-type symptoms if we just found a way to help people get a good night’s sleep?  Probably too simplistic, but it crossed my mind.
• It’s now been a full two months since I took my certified paralegal exams, and I still don’t have the results.  According to the schedule, the grades were supposed to be released last week, and yesterday I finally got antsy enough to call and inquire.  Seems there was a snafu of some sort with the grading, though they assure me that it has now been corrected and results will be going out “real soon”.  I mostly pushed it aside for the past couple of months, but this past week I’ve been going a little crazy waiting; they really need to get those grades out soon.  If I haven’t said it yet, I’ll say now that I’m pretty sure I will need to retake at least one section, but I can’t register for retakes until I know what I’m dealing with, so they just need to get a move on
• I’m starting to get excited about the upcoming PTK trip to Orlando.  One nice thing about traveling with a group of nerds is that when I suggested some of our precious free time be spent venturing over to Universal Studios to check out the Harry Potter world, everyone was immediately onboard with the idea.
• It was the International Day of Happiness (and I hope you all enjoyed it!), plus, one lady at my work is totally enthralled by Pharrell Williams’ song, anyway.  It’s a catchy tune, and all that, and I’ve certainly got nothing against it, but I’m still trying to figure out how a room without a roof could possibly be happy.

Okay, I guess that’s all the ramblings for now.  I’ll try to rush to bed before the day rolls over and see if I can maybe reverse some of that brain damage that has already been done.  You should be sure to get a good night’s rest, too.  Oh, and clap along!

A Little Good News?

 

I love television; that’s surely not a surprise to anyone around here at this point.  And I love it not only for its entertainment value, but also for its ability to inform and educate and to do it more quickly than many other mediums.

But as much as I admire and value TV’s unique place in helping me—and millions of others—stay up to date, I have to admit that all that immediacy has one very big drawback:  it’s depressing as hell.

Currently, we’ve got a missing airliner, along with a couple hundred passengers whose fate is unknown; a helicopter that crashed and killed its crew; fighting, fear, and oppression in the Ukraine, and other locations so numerous it hurts to think about them.  And that’s just the major stuff.  Locally, we’ve got wildfires endangering property, a pair of teenage sisters who just recently lost both parents over the course of just a couple of days time, and a missing man’s body which has apparently been located.

Like I sad, depressing, am I right?  It’s perfectly reasonable for all of this sort of stuff to be on the news, I’m not denying the importance of keeping the public informed.  I’m just saying that in an effort to keep folks informed of the “important” stuff, maybe the news folks could remember some of the other stuff, too. 

Sometimes, People Need Help

 

Guns don’t kill people; people kill people.  We’ve all heard it a thousand times.  And to a certain extent, I might even agree.  But that agreement stops long before a guy is shot dead in a theater for texting.  I mean, yeah, I get it; when the whole story comes out, we’ll probably learn that the shooter has some sort of mental or emotional issue that caused him to become so enraged over something so trivial.  I think we’d all agree that no one deserves to die for using his phone, so the killing itself seems to imply that the killer was not rational.  But that’s the actual problem.

Because, you see, even if it really is people who kill people, those people shouldn’t have such ready access to guns to make the killing so easy.  But as long as the gun lobby continues to succeed in whipping America into a 2nd Amendment frenzy, we will never be able to reduce the number of weapons readily available to a whole host of unsuitable gun owners.  Far too many people die as a result of gun violence, and we must find a way to not only keep that number from increasing, but reduce it until no one again buries a loved one just for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.  We have to find a way to protect ourselves from ourselves.

Does that put us on a path to a nanny state, as so many complain?  I don’t know; maybe.  But laws exist to make us insure our automobiles, wear seatbelts, get blood tests before we marry, file flight plans if we pilot an aircraft, etc.  There are already all sorts of things we are instructed to do simply because they help protect us—all of us, society as a whole—from the dangers that might be inflicted as a result of less than rational people; they protect us from ourselves.  Limiting the number of guns available to any Tom, Dick, or Harry, as well as restricting the Toms, Dicks, and Harrys who might be able to purchase them, is just another step that we must take to ensure a safer society. 

Because, yeah, maybe people kill people, but sometimes they have help to make it happen.  And sometimes they need help to stop it.

Facebook Friday, January 3

 

Honestly, I would rather be having a Feel Good Friday post today.  After all, I’ve been having a pretty good week, including a relaxing day spent with Brian today, so it’s definitely a FGF here. 

But, while there have been a few things I’ve stumbled across lately that I might like to share, the thing that’s really on my mind today is a story that’s been making the rounds the last couple of days.  It is the story of Chris Kluwe, a former NFL punter who believes he was fired for speaking out in support of same-sex marriage. 

Now, let me say that I don’t follow the NFL games, much less the personal lives of the players.  So, how outspoken has he been?  I don’t know?  How was his kicking in the final season of his career?  I don’t know that either.  And I certainly don’t know if Kluwe is the kind of person who would make up such allegations, or even exaggerate them for some sort of personal gain.  I will say that I would hope no one is that kind of person, but there’s just really not much telling these days.

But, what seems undisputed is that Kluwe really has become a proponent for same-sex marriage.  And I think that’s a good thing, as well as a sometimes difficult thing.  It’s hard sometimes even for the “average” folks among us to speak up and say something that we know will not be universally well received, but certainly it must be more difficult for the celebrity types.  And maybe, though I certainly don’t know for sure, but just maybe this particular topic is even more difficult for the pro sports types, who are expected to be all he-man and macho, which seems contrary to the idea of believing in marriage equality. 

So, while I hope Mr. Kluwe’s stand on equality and social justice did not cost him his job, I commend him for his willingness to perhaps put that job in jeopardy in an effort to speak up for what he believes.

Facebook Friday, December 20

 

There is absolutely nothing “feel good” about today’s topic, though it has certainly been front and center on my Facebook newsfeed for a couple of days.  I’m a little sick of seeing it, really, and it makes me wish I had a hide button for an entire topic.  (Now that I think about it, that would frequently be a pretty good idea; somebody get Zuckerberg on the phone.)

So what’s so overwhelming and unwelcome these days?  Well, it’s probably no surprise to anyone with a news feed, but it’s Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson and the entire firestorm surrounding his recent interview. 

Obviously, he’s not the first celebrity to say something offensive and get social media buzzing, with people lining up to take sides, and anyone who thinks he’ll be the last is living in a fantasy land.  And it’s not even the first “controversy” to annoy me as I scroll through my friends’ posts, though this one does seem to be bothering me more than most.  I’m not sure why that is.  I don’t watch Duck Dynasty, nor do I particularly care what its stars have to say about most any topic.  I’m not gay, black, or an adulteress or addict of any sort, so most of the offensive comments in his interview weren’t directed at me, so I’ve got no real skin in the game.  You know, except for the idea that I think any decent human would be offended by the careless way he denigrates people and assumes that everyone who doesn’t conform to his particular way of believing is in need of salvation.   There’s no doubt that I’m easily annoyed by narrow-minded people, so I guess that part is no surprise.

And, not to be guilty of as much stereotyping as Phil, but I’ve been exposed to a lot of redneck types in my lifetime, so even though I don’t watch his show, I’ve heard enough about it to have formed a rough idea of the Robertson family values, and I’m not surprised by his viewpoint.  And I’m also not surprised that a television network would take steps to distance themselves from that viewpoint in the wake of public outcry, though I notice A&E has not removed the show from its lineup.  Call me cynical, but I’m guessing they’re not really surprised by Phil’s comments, either, and probably not really that bothered by them (at the corporate level, I mean; I won’t presume to know what the network execs think personally), since these sorts of controversies often lead to increased viewership. 

And I suppose I really shouldn’t be surprised by the number of Robertson defenders flying the banner of FREE SPEECH, though I think it’s possible that’s the root of what’s really irritating me.  Somehow, these people seem to have missed the entire point:  his speech was not hindered, even though it was clearly offensive to any number of people.  Phil hasn’t been arrested, whisked off to some government torture chamber, or put to death for his beliefs.  I’m fairly certain that’s precisely the sort of protection the First Amendment guarantees.  And I’m equally certain that the founding fathers never meant to imply that there would never be any sort of consequences as the result of practicing your free speech, only that you wouldn’t be persecuted by the full force of the government because of it.

It’s really a pretty simple process:  Robertson has the right to say what he thinks, a magazine has the right to give him a platform to share those thoughts, people in general have a right to agree or disagree with what he thinks (and flood Facebook with those opinions), and his employer has a right to reconsider their working relationship as a result of those thoughts.  You might not agree with A&E’s decision to suspend the man, but unless you’re working for yourself, I bet there are things you can’t do if you want to keep your job.  And I bet a lot of those things have to do with offending whatever customer base you serve and potentially driving them away.  Bosses don’t like that sort of thing.  It isn’t a Constitutional issue; it’s business.

But, whatever people want to call it, I’m tired of seeing it debated on Facebook, and while I never thought I’d say this, I will be very relieved when my feed gets back to pictures of food, weather, and cute kittens. 

Merry Happy Everything

So, I’m not sure this time of year is supposed to be the season of frustration venting, but I’m going to take just a second to do it, anyway.

I have to say that I’ve become completely annoyed at all the people getting up in arms over the phrase “happy holidays” or any equivalent thereof.  And, of course, by “all the people”, I mean “all the Christians”.  I don’t know that I’ve ever heard anyone rant over inequality or discrimination because no one said “Happy Ramadan to you”.  But the way I see it is this:  During this time of year, there are a lot of things being celebrated, all deeply personal and none more right than the other.  Christmas is my celebration of choice, but I’ll admit that I often opt for a more generic greeting with those I don’t know, because their choice of celebration could be different.  I don’t feel that saying “happy holidays” to someone in any way lessens my belief or cheapens my own celebration.

On the other hand, I don’t think less of people who say “Merry Christmas” to total strangers, either.  Sure, it might carry with it just the slightest layer of conceit to assume everyone believes the way you do, but I don’t think that’s the way most people intend it when they say it, and I think even most non-Christians would take it in the spirit it was intended.  Just as it wouldn’t offend me if someone were to wish me a happy Chanukah or Kwanzaa or Saturnalia.  Whatever the phrase, I’m pretty sure most folks are just trying to convey wishes for the joy and blessings of the season, and I’m thankful if someone wants to share those wishes with me in any form.

So why do so many Christians these days want to take offense if their particular greeting is not the one being used?  Why do they offer a “Merry CHRISTmas”, like they’re brandishing some sort of weapon?  Is their faith so weak that it’s threatened by a few words?  Honestly, I just don’t get it.

Here in our state, we’ve got lawmakers trying to pass a Merry Christmas bill. (They’re modeling it after a similar one passed recently in Texas, which scares me just a little that our elected officials are taking their lead from the folks down there, but that’s a whole other story.)  Anyway, they’re trying to make it legal for schools to have “traditional” displays and celebrations and teachings of the same.  Of course, traditional means Christian or Jewish, though I’m pretty sure there are seasonal celebrations that pre-date those two mainstays.  Not that Oklahoma is just a hotbed for diversity of any type, of course, religious or otherwise, so, honestly, if the schools were to celebrate only those two holidays, I’d say there’s a pretty good chance the vast majority of districts would be serving 99.8% of their population.  Or more.  But I’m not sure that’s really the point. 

I think it’s ridiculous that the legislature would want to encourage our school system to teach any sort of exclusion.  And let’s be honest; religions tend to be very exclusionary.  Most teach that their way of believing is the only right way of believing, and that to do otherwise will certainly have some sort of negative repercussion on your eternity.  I don’t think public schools are the place to teach that message.  I think educators should be the ones to ensure that kids know there are lots of things being celebrated as the year draws to a close, and that no one is wrong for celebrating the way that they do.

So, please, if I don’t wish you a merry Christmas, don’t be offended.  I’m not trying to diminish your belief in any way; I’m simply hoping that your season is a joyous one and filled with everything that you want it to be.  In other words, happy holidays.

 

From the Newsroom

 

Today’s topic is not about television, but, rather, inspired by a news story on television.  Our local channel here covered the item, but it’s really a story out of Colorado. You can watch the news broadcast here, but let me tell you the headline:  Six Year Old Suspended for Sexual Harassment. 

Yeah, you read that right.  There’s a school in Colorado that seems to think it’s reasonable to suspend a six year old boy for being some sort of sexual predator, or something.  And, I suppose it might be possible that there is a six year old somewhere who might fit the bill, but it seems to me that you probably need to have some sort of understanding of sex before you can commit sexual harassment.  And I’m guessing the very large majority of first graders do not have that sort of understanding.

So, what did this deviant little boy do?  He kissed a girl’s hand.  And not just any girl, but his girlfriend—apparently they are a couple, at least as far as the elementary crowd can actually be a couple.  So, he wasn’t just indiscriminately touching someone, nor forcing himself on someone, he was showing affection to someone he cares about, someone who apparently cares about him, too.  And a kiss on the hand?  How chivalrous.  Hell, I wish someone would kiss me on the hand!

You know, there are a lot of crazy things that go on in schools these days, and I’ll even grant you that a lot of it probably starts in the very earliest years of schooling, so I get where educators would feel like they need to get a tight grip on behavior right from the get-go.  But in their zeal to maintain control, I think some may have lost touch with their common sense.  If you don’t want a little boy to kiss a little girl in class, even on the hand, why not just tell him so?  I mean, there are legitimate reasons why in-class PDAs may not be the most appropriate thing, but you can deal with those issues without making the kid sit at home for a day, and certainly without branding a child as some sort of sex fiend. 

A Great Man Lost

 

I’m sure that I won’t be the only person who feels compelled to write a few words about the passing of Nelson Mandela, and others will likely have much more profound words than mine.  And, really, the main thing I am thinking is that I was truly saddened to learn of his passing, and that I think the world was probably better with him than without. 

Beyond that, I thought rather than try to say something about who the man was, I would let a few of his own words do the talking for me: 

“I hate race discrimination most intensely and in all its manifestations. I have fought it all during my life; I fight it now, and will do so until the end of my days."

"Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies."

"Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again."

"A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of."

"It always seems impossible until it's done."

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

I think the best thing that could be done to honor him is to try and live these words.  Rest in Peace.

Feel Good Friday, Just in the Nick of Time

 

I know I’ve flirted with the idea of a Facebook Friday theme here on the blog, and it will likely surface again, maybe even fairly regularly.  But today’s story to share didn’t come from Facebook, but rather from CBS Evening News.  And it was perfect timing, because I’d been thinking tonight that today’s theme needed to be “Feel Good Friday”.  Why?  Because I needed to feel good.  It’s been a long and tiring week, what with being sick all week long and still trying to drag myself to work and school.

But, more important, I had a spat with Billy tonight that really made me not feel good.  A glaring reminder that the people who mean the most to you can always hurt you the worst.  It will pass, of course, but in the meantime, I was particularly glad to see Steve Hartman’s story tonight and put just a bit of a positive spin back on my Friday.  I hope it will do the same for you.

I’m including the text of the article, but you really should do yourself a favor and watch the video.

Mich. middle school football team conspires for touching touchdown

By

Steve Hartman

(CBS News) OLIVET, Mich. -- Between classes, they schemed and conspired. For weeks, the football players at Olivet Middle School in Olivet, Mich., secretly planned their remarkable play.

"Everyone was in on it," says Nick Jungel.

"But the coaches didn't know anything about it," Parker Smith says. "We were, like, going behind their back."

We've never heard of a team coming up with a plan to not score.

"It's just like to make someone's day, make someone's week, just make them happy," Justice Miller says.

The play -- which was two plays, actually -- happened at a home game earlier this month. The first part of their plan was to try to get as close to the goal line as possible without scoring, even if it meant taking a dive on the one-yard-line, which it did.

The crowd was not happy.

"But us kids knew, hey, we got this, this is our time, this is Keith's time," Parker, the quarterback, says.

Keith Orr is the little kid in the brown jacket. He's learning disabled, struggles with boundaries -- but in the sweetest possible way. Because of his special nature, it's no surprise that Keith embraces his fellow football players. What is surprising is how they have embraced him.

"We thought it would be cool to do something for him," Parker says.

"Because we really wanted to prove that he was part of our team and he meant a lot to us," adds Nick.

"Nothing can really explain getting a touchdown when you've never had one before," says Justice.

Which brings us to part two of their play. If you didn't see Keith, it's because they were so protective of him, but he was in the middle of the rush.

When they crossed the goal line, Keith says it was "awesome."

"It was like, 'Did he just score a touchdown?'" Keith's mom, Carrie, says.

"Get your camera out!" his dad, Jim, remembers saying.

Keith's parents almost missed the moment, but they got the significance.

"Somebody is always going to have his back -- from now until the day he graduates," Carrie says.

She's right. When the football team decides your cool, pretty much everyone follows suit. Today, Keith is a new kid, although by no means was he the only one who was profoundly changed.

"Once I saw him go in, I was smiling to here," says Justice, a wide receiver, pointing to his cheeks. "Nothing could wipe that smile off my face."

Asked why it affected him so much, Justice turns emotional.

"Because he's never been cool or popular, and he went from being, like, pretty much a nobody to making everyone's day," he says.

Justice admits the play wasn't his idea, saying, "I would have not really thought of that."

He says it never crossed his mind to give Keith any glory.

"I kind of went from being somebody who mostly cared about myself and my friends to caring about everyone and trying to make everyone's day and everyone's life," he says.

Which may just make that touchdown the most successful football play of all time.

© 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Facebook Friday, October 18

Well, it's not really just on Facebook; it's been everywhere. But those guys that knocked over a rock formation that had been standing for millions of years really chap my hide. The Boy Scouts are also seemingly disgusted by the actions, but we'll see if they go so far as to kick the men out of scouting.

If you haven't heard about the story, you can read more about it at the link.

Bad Role Models


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I’d Rather Be Watching Television

 

Timely as ever, David Letterman is poking fun at the government shut down, the ACA website crashing, and national parks being closed to tourists.  It would probably be funny if it wasn’t so annoying.  And the furloughs are already becoming a pain here at my household.  Brian would normally be sleeping right now, and I would finally have been able to see last week’s premiere episodes of Big Bang Theory.  Instead, he’s trying to file a claim for unemployment (which no one can tell me if he’s actually eligible for), and raising both our blood pressures fighting with the damn website.  So, I managed to play the whole first BBT episode, though I certainly didn’t get to give it my full attention.  And by the time the second ep had started I finally had to give up and turn it off.  It’s bad enough this whole political debacle is messing with our livelihood; when it starts messing with my TV, that’s really taking things too far.