It’s Probably Going to Be OK

I became concerned recently about what the future may hold for succeeding generations. I’d encountered a few snippets from the TV shows “Jersey Shore” and “Bad Girls Club” where the goal is to take hedonism to dizzying new heights, to say the least, and I was left dumbfounded. It wasn't so much the content of the shows (which may or may not have been contrived) but rather the wild popularity with which they were received. Then today I ran across the following quote:

"What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?"

Who said that? Socrates. Yep, sometime around 420 B.C. he expressed similar concerns about the youth of his time. And yet here we are still, romancing, dancing, and advancing as never before. So yeah, it’ll probably be OK, now that I think about it.

Technorati Tags: generations,youth,reflection

A Good Morning for a Walk

I have the boys at home the last three days of this week before they begin their summer at Sayre on Monday. Yesterday we went swimming and had a blast. Today we decided to head out early to the Arboretum and try to walk the paved trail encircling the gardens as well as the paths through the woods. Using the “Tracker” app on my Android I created the outline below overlaid onto Google Maps. As you can see we made it all the way around for a total of 3 miles. The weather was perfect as it was warm with clear blue skies and a nice gentle breeze. Best part of course is that we had a great time talking and taking in the scenery. You can click here for a better view of our walk.

View 5/31/2012 10:20 AM in a larger map

Technorati Tags: Kentucky Arboretum,walking,woods

Florida’s Mandatory Minimum Conundrum

Given the AP story of Marissa Alexander who had never been arrested before she fired a bullet at a wall one day in 2010 to scare off her husband when she felt he was threatening her, Florida might as well replace their state judges with computers. The point of having a human being in black robes sitting behind the bench is to ensure that both the aggravating and mitigating circumstances in a case are considered, and then to accordingly apply discretion when delivering sentences.

Technorati Tags: AP,news,manditory-minimum,Florida,judicial

Letting Voices Be Heard

As an outgrowth to the violence that met the anti-war protests at Kent and Jackson State Universities only a few days earlier, a mass demonstration and protest to the Vietnam War and our incursion into Cambodia on April 30th was organized and a march on Washington was held on May 9th.

It was the biggest demonstration of its kind, and the most peaceful. This was the demonstration made somewhat famous by the presence of President Nixon, walking through the crowd unannounced and without Secret Service in the middle of the night, talking with protesters.

News reports remarked Nixon thought the exchange with the demonstrators was "interesting". At a time when the word "interesting" could either mean enthusiasm, revulsion or the Chinese Curse - it was hard to pin down exactly what Nixon meant. But suffice to say, this demonstration brought mass opposition to the Vietnam War very much to the forefront.

This is a special broadcast as presented by NBC News on May 9,1970.

Four Dead in Ohio

Kent State- May 4, 1970

 

Technorati Tags: Kent State,Cambodia,war,protest,Four Dead in Ohio,murder

Epic Action Hero Cat is... epic!!

From Minister to Atheist

Teresa MacBain's story...

"I'm currently an active pastor and I'm also an atheist," she says. "I live a double life. I feel pretty good on Monday, but by Thursday — when Sunday's right around the corner — I start having stomachaches, headaches, just knowing that I got to stand up and say things that I no longer believe in and portray myself in a way that's totally false."

The audio of Teresa's interview.