Thursday, July 31, 2008

Time’s a Wastin’!

Man! Am I ever ready for vacation! When a male non-custodial parent has children by more than one woman, the case identifier has an alpha suffix; A, B, C, etc. I just finished assessing an H case! There ought to be a law, but come to think of it, there are more laws already than anyone knows what to do with. There is no legislating morality, no matter how hard you try. Many of us delude ourselves by thinking that this is of no consequence unless it directly affects one of our family members, but nothing could be further from the truth. These little bastards (and I use the term with sympathetic affection) are showing up in our schools and communities by the thousands, and I daresay are significantly contributing to the criminal element that is filling our jails and penitentiaries (remember that the United States has more persons incarcerated than any other industrialized country). It has been interesting to watch Bill Cosby and Barack Obama, among others, being criticized for challenging our society to responsible fatherhood. I know what Mary’s solution to the problem is, but you’ve got to get the guys to hold still long enough to pull a Jesse Jackson on them. Right now, the only thing important to me is six o’clock when I’ll embark upon a giant three-state reunion with loved ones. Hopefully the R&R will prepare me for returning to John Doe’s “I”.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

End of an Era?

Perhaps the most memorable rite of passage was getting my driver license when I turned 16. From that point forward I have driven cars, trucks, buses, tractors, and patrol cars. Since 1965 I have literally driven coast to coast and have enjoyed (almost) every minute of it. I’m sure that the trip upon which we are about to embark will probably not be our last by automobile, but all the signs are pointing toward a future of alternatives. The highway system that is being undermined by loss of gasoline taxes due to a dramatic decrease in driving due to higher fuel prices was one of the earliest criticisms aimed at hybrids (I think I remember the State of Washington actually imposing a registration surcharge on hybrids because of the substantially lowered gas consumption). I have to admit to showing off a little by detailing in future posts how economically Mary and I are going to cover several thousand miles. My computer skills are again lacking with regard to being able to embed the South Park episode Smug Alert, but those brave enough can get to it by linking to

http://www.southparkstudios.com/guide/1002/

The days of fossil-fueled automobiles may be numbered, but I hope I live long enough to experience the inevitable alternatives…beam me up, Scotty!

Obama 08

Monday, July 28, 2008

Preface

I suppose that our upcoming cross-country sojourn could legitimately be referred to as our Fifth Commandment Trip in that our primary objective is to visit our parents. As time marches on, Mary and I realize that one of the attendant role reversals is our ability to travel to our parents rather than vice versa. During the course of our thirty-eight years together our parents visited us numerous times because it was just as easy or even easier for them to come to us. Blessing Number One is that my parents and Mary’s mother are still here for us to visit. Mary’s father died much earlier than any of us wanted but our memories of him are filled with the many trips Bill and Jean made to see us. As we grow older Mary and I have a greater appreciation of the fact that without our parents we would not exist and that the ancient admonition to honor them is the very least that we can do. I’m not sure that this would have been our attitude were we not parents ourselves but that we are has strengthened our understanding of how deeply grateful we are for all that our parents have done for us. As we embark on our journey I find myself being deeply grateful to our daughters, as well, for helping us with even such little things as teaching us how to include photographs in our daily posts. We are blessed beyond our ability to fully comprehend, and not least among these blessings is our ability to share the joy with family and friends.

Obama 08

Sunday, July 27, 2008

THIS IS A TEST



Three years ago we toured many of the historic points in the Eastern United States. August 1st marks our departure on The 2008 Parents Tour featuring Prudence the Prius. Prudence began life in 2005 as Priscilla and, yes, we are concerned what affect changing her name at this stage of her development might have. We're hoping against hope that she comes to recognize Across the Universe as the life changing experience her owners had. Yes, Prudence is chattel, and that opens up a whole new conversation. In the meantime, we're looking forward to sharing our adventure with a schizophrenic hybrid.

Obama 08

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Dear Senator McCain:

I really wish you hadn’t approved the political message I saw on television this morning that implies Senator Obama is somehow responsible for the high price of gasoline. The commercial brazenly insults my intelligence while validating the stupidity of anyone (including you) who would believe such nonsense. As someone who has respected your independence and wanted to believe your promise not to stoop to politics as usual, I am sorely disappointed to witness firsthand that you are not a man of your word. It is a shame to watch you prove that some people will say or do anything to reach their goal. I’m not the only one who’s fed up with you and your party’s dishonorable and unethical tactics (see Throw the Bums Out!) and just wanted to let you know that while I was already intending to vote for Senator Obama, you helped me better understand why.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Another Day in Another Life

Baby John has three siblings, none of whom has the same father. Baby John’s mother is not really sure who his father is, just as she was not sure who the fathers of her other children were until she finagled genetic tests from the “justice” system. Baby John’s alleged father has sired a number of children with different women, some of whom have been successful in “proving” paternity and others who have not. Baby John’s condition is unfortunately not uncommon as he joins thousands of other “bastards” for whom the government reluctantly assumes limited financial responsibility. The organization for which I work touts recovery of taxpayers’ dollars spent on assistance from the non-custodial parents as one of our best reasons for being. The reader might want to stop for a moment to examine their mental image of Baby John’s race, because I can assure the bigoted and the prejudiced that all of God’s children are included in this pathetic scenario. The moral fabric of America is not just unraveling, it’s in tatters as we play the hypocritical game of believing that we are not all in some way part of the problem.

Legal? It’s not by accident that I work for the District Attorney.

Ethical? Like I’ve said before, if it’s legal…

Moral? Outrageously not!

Please take the time to read The Pursuit of Teen Girl Purity by Nancy Gibbs to learn about one of the more interesting ways America is choosing to deal with its moral decline. Rachel, Rebecca, should I have?

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

A Day in the Life

Poor Baby Jane was born just months after her parents wed, but although she may have been conceived out of wedlock at least her parents were thoughtful enough to make her legally born of the marriage. Baby Jane wasn’t quite a year old when her father divorced her mother, and Dad—quite out of the norm—gained physical custody. Soon after, Dad decided to move out of state. Mom, wanting the visitation granted in the decree of divorce, followed. According to the affidavit, Dad didn’t comply with the ordered visitation schedule and Mom failed to make the child support payments she had been ordered to make. Dad had to work, of course, and so even though Mom was now in the same vicinity he refused to allow her to have time with Baby Jane electing to leave her with his parents instead. Mom and Dad reportedly argued nonstop about why he wouldn’t let her see her child, but when he introduced her to a friend of his they all started living together. Dad and Friend would go to work each day and let Mom take care of Baby Jane. Mom and Friend started getting it on (God only knows if they’ve conceived a child of their own) and this upset Dad to the point that he moved out taking Baby Jane with him. Dad started coming around Mom’s apartment when Friend wasn’t there, and Mom said she consented to having sex with Dad so that he might be more prone to let her see Baby Jane. When Mom realized that this wasn’t going to happen, she cut Dad off, which angered him to the point that he found solace in Girlfriend. Dad, Girlfriend and Baby Jane moved into an apartment of their own, with Girlfriend caring for Baby Jane while Dad was at work. This left Mom and Friend stewing that she wasn’t getting to care for her own daughter. In the meantime, Dad and Girlfriend have decided to move to another state to be near her family and…you guessed it! Baby Jane is getting ready to move yet again (did I mention that she’s a ripe five years old?), and Mom, who feels she’s been slighted all along because she couldn’t afford legal counsel to counteract Dad’s attorney, sprung for an attorney and has filed a motion to change custody of Baby Jane to her.

Legal? Absolutely!

Ethical? Well, if it’s legal…

Moral? Absolutely not!

The next time someone starts spouting off about what a God-fearing, Christian nation this is, ask them about Baby Jane.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Achilles Had One

A few weeks ago I mulled over my feeling of being safe in Las Vegas. The high price of gas and everything related to it is having its impact on the economy of Sin City, to be sure, but even though gambling revenues are down a bit there isn’t the same threat of financial ruin that is much more real in other parts of the country. I have realized, however, that there is one thing to which Las Vegas is not immune and that if it should ever manifest itself would bring the place down in a heartbeat: morality. Oh, please! I’m not talking Moral Majority gibberish here. I’m talking authentic morality as that which profoundly enhances the Creator-creature relationship. I’m talking the ethic of mutual reciprocity. I’m talking the worship of God rather than manna. One of the things pointed out to me early on after moving here was that there are no clocks in the casinos. Everything is intentionally designed to diffuse any sense of time when you’re inside of one so that you’ll stay and play awhile. Contrast this to Vegas’ urban legend that there are more churches per capita here than any other major city in the United States, and I think you’ll begin to understand why subscribing to the tenets of organized religion isn’t necessarily moral. If, by the grace of God, America ever becomes authentically moral by truly putting God first and the needs of others before one’s own, then it will be hasta la vista, baby…er Vegas!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Did You Miss Me?

I didn’t post yesterday because I spent the entire lunch hour with Mary. Dear, sweet, wonderful Mary. How can I help but believe in miracles when I realize that thirty-eight years, five months, and three days after our first date she still wants to be my best friend? That’s a lot of proverbial water under the bridge! It would be less than honest to say that we’ve never had our moments over the years, but to date none of them have been insurmountable (I like to think of myself as the great compromiser but Mary knows the truth). My need to be popular, influential, famous goes back about as far as I can remember, and what most amazed me about Mary is that she didn’t/doesn’t care that I’m none of those. While I never flat-out lied to her, the early courtship ritual consisted of macho exaggeration (e.g. I was in a “rock band” in high school) which I now know she saw right through but played along anyway. She has faithfully suffered my vocational angst through years of sales, policing, ministering, and now, finally, Camusian bureaucrating (whew! spell check doesn’t like either one of those). Mary has mothered our two beautiful daughters into idyllic adulthood in spite of their father’s bumbling attempts at parenthood, and passed on to Rachel and Rebecca the ability to accept me for who and what I am (which is the luckiest not popular, not influential, not famous guy in the world). I have never taken her precious love for granted, even for a second, because there’s no rationale for it to begin with. All I know is that I love her, she loves me, and I couldn’t ask for anything more even if I was popular, influential, famous…

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

It’s Only Natural

My desire to be famous (i.e. influential, powerful, important) is not all that uncommon. In the first of the synoptic gospels to be written, Mark relates the story of the sons of Zebedee, James and John, coming to Jesus with the request to hold positions of honor when the Master comes into his glory (Mark 10:35-45). This personal quest can easily generalize into whole populations wanting to believe that they are the “chosen” or “favored” ones, a phenomenon which can be found in virtually every society, culture, and civilization since the dawn of humankind. Joseph Sizoo’s challenge: "Let it never be forgotten that glamour is not greatness; applause is not fame; prominence is not eminence. The man of the hour is not apt to be the man of the ages. A stone may sparkle, but that does not make it a diamond. A man may have money, but that does not make him a success;" is difficult to accept when for many of us the goal in life is to be Number One. Humility is apparently quite unnatural to the human scheme of things, and this may serve to initiate a discussion of why Jesus’ teachings border on the incomprehensible.

Monday, July 14, 2008

On Success

I’m reasonably sure that I have mentioned that I have a wife and two daughters. What can never be repeated too often, though, is how they define my very life. Fortunately for me, Mary, Rachel, nor Rebecca seems not to think less of me because I am not famous. It would be perfectly understandable if one or all of them wondered how things might have been different if I were because even I do. Even if it has been inaccurately attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, the Truth of these words defining the nature of success still shines through:

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

For as much as I cherished each moment of their growing up, I am discovering that the best is still to come as I watch Rachel and Rebecca mature in every way into beautiful young women. They have adopted what is best in their mother and then feel free to transform that into their own unique identities. No, I am not famous. I am not a celebrity. But by whatever infinitesimal role I played in bringing these two beautiful lives into being I am successful beyond any measure.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

I Gotta Be Me!

Yes, confession really is good for the soul. Since admitting to my weakness for fame and celebrity I actually feel that the load of life has been lightened a little. There is nothing noble or worthy about wanting to be in the limelight, but as I continue to reflect on the matter it seems at least understandable. It is idolatry to be sure, but my earliest of memories are of people of prominence. Such is a relative thing, starting with the profound impression made by one’s parents but quickly broadening to encompass those whose stature and achievement are for whatever reason promoted by the society and culture. One isn’t in this world for long before s/he realizes that popularity is real, and to realize that one is or isn’t. I doubt that I was alone in thinking early on that to be a “star” was preferable to being nobody. Nobody doesn’t light up the silver screen, author books, sway public opinion, etc, and that’s what reduces them to nobody. Somebody is just that because they are recognized, sometimes respected, sometimes reviled, but never relegated to the ranks of the unknown. I honestly can’t recall a conscious moment of thinking that I would be better off nobody than somebody, and there begins the tale of forever striving to be somebody. Relativity factors significantly in such a quest: is it sufficient to be somebody to your parents, to your extended family, to your community, to the nation, to the world? Is being center on a football team as good as being the quarterback (the answer to whether or not it is better to be on a football team at all is obvious)? I’m rather enjoying this limelight I’ve created for myself and I intend to bask in it for a while whether you care or not.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

I Wish I Could Have Been Tim Russert

It’s a sad confession, but I’ve spent most of my life wishing that I’d been someone else. It all started with Jesus. Forgetting the sacrilege for a moment, who wouldn’t want to be the one responsible for the most profound impact upon humankind? But the Doctrine of the Trinity does make it heretical to want to be God, and so I embarked upon a seemingly endless quest to become someone I am not. It was natural to turn my focus from Jesus to Dad because he was a powerful influence upon his congregation of which I was a part. Who wouldn’t want the status and prestige that comes with being the Shepherd of the Flock? As I aged, however, my worldview expanded to include persons even more influential than Dad. There are district superintendents, bishops and theologians among the Methodist hierarchy, and let’s not forget the Pope of the True Church against which my people protested. There are mayors, commissioners, governors and presidents who command political attention. Spiritual leaders from Schweitzer to Gandhi basked in the glory of their good works, and I have already admitted to my envy that Martin Luther King, Jr. got to be the one with a dream. I am enchanted by the world of celebrity and the widespread recognition that comes with it, I suppose because I seek affirmation of my own worth in the scheme of things. Knocking on the door of my Golden Years makes me aware that I’m probably not going to easily shake off this lifelong desire, and that’s sad in that it means I’ll go to my Maker wishing I’d been made someone else.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Wake up America!

Reverence and awe aren’t democratic virtues. The last thing you need in a free society is people who know their place. –Richard Lacayo

I see that attorney Vincent Bugliosi (Helter Skelter) has published The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder. Panned by critic Gilbert Cruz because the book “suffers from a thundering repetitiveness that exhausts as much as it informs,” there doesn’t seem to be any argument with the book’s premise “that a President can be tried for murder in a U.S. court. [Bugliosi] methodically lays out his case—Bush deliberately lied in bring the nation to war and is thus responsible for the deaths of more than 4,000 American soldiers.”

Wake up America! The Bush Administration is rife with felonious criminals that had no qualms about illegally attacking Iraq, and who will have no qualms—in my humble opinion—about illegally attacking Iran (I’m guessing prior to November so that the election of a new president will be “postponed” in the name of national security). If We the People don’t take immediate action to remove and prosecute these who have for all intents and purposes stolen the Republic, we deserve everything that is going to happen to us in days to come.

Monday, July 07, 2008

Best of Spring 2008

I’m finally beginning to understand that the reason one has children is so that there will be someone to take you by the hand and walk you through a world that has leapfrogged your ability to comprehend. Once again Rachel has come to my rescue by restoring access to Flickr (the Best of Spring 2008 can now be accessed at my photos link) after it was apparently taken over by Yahoo. I have little kind to say about Yahoo since it embedded itself in our PC in such a way that all efforts to extricate have failed. So, maybe if I say something nice about Flickr’s improvements (the most noticeable to me being the ability to upload more than six photos at a time) Yahoo will reciprocate by never showing its ugly Instant Messaging sign-on again…ever! The plot thickens even as I write this, because now I need to explain that in a desperate attempt to make the web cam that the Schmitz’s gave me for Christmas work, I intentionally invited the Yahoo “germ” into our computer—not knowing that it would be there forever. Anyway, my thanks to Rachel, the Schmitz family, Yahoo, and anyone else that contributed to this announcement that there are some homey family pictures to gaze at when you tire of reading this…

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Fugedabowdit

Yesterday, MoveOn invited me to join “McCain Watch”. I guess the idea is to circle vulture-like around the presumptive Republican nominee for President waiting for some sort of gaffe that can be used against him. I have no doubt that conservatives are being invited to similar scavenging of Obama. My personal choice, of course, is Obama, but I respect the sincerity of John McCain when he states that he does not want to stoop to that kind of campaigning. Both Obama and McCain have indicated their intention to take the high road, and I believe them. This does not mean, however, that their supporters have the same noble ideals. Both Obama and McCain have signaled that it is time for significant change in American politics, and I agree. But genuine change is going to require just as much reform among the electorate as it does of the candidates. While I understand the arguments pro and con, I personally encourage Obama and McCain to appear together as often as possible to openly debate their respective points of view. The ideal would be a forum free of moderators and pundits. Both Senators are well acquainted with civil proceedings and will handle themselves just fine, thank you, without the corporate media interjecting its biased spin. C-SPAN would be perfect. So, for me, I could care less about what’s wrong with McCain. Between now and November I am going to focus on what’s right with Obama and place my faith in the presumption that the best man will win.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

With Liberty and Justice For All

The earliest memory I have of the Fourth of July is driving down to historic Fort Vasquez with Mom and Dad to set off some very humble fireworks. We were living in Platteville, Colorado where Dad served the Methodist Church (when you go to the link there’s a nice picture of that church; second row far right). It’s probably just as well that I didn’t judge the holiday by just that one because I seem to remember several duds, but I was also introduced to the ever-trustworthy sparkler. Many thoughts go through my mind as I prepare for my fifty-ninth observance of Independence Day, but prominent among them this year is a deep and genuine gratitude to be a citizen of these United States of America. This may seem hypocritical to some who are familiar with my criticism of the state of the union, but I am keenly aware of how indebted I am to this country for the freedom to criticize. I’m still waiting for my commission check from TIME for all my referrals, but as I do (I’m beginning to think that it’s going to be a very long wait) I have yet another that I regard as a must read for this holiday weekend:
The State of Patriotism by Peter Beinart

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

And the Heat Goes On

Las Vegas’ blistering summer heat has arrived! Nearing the 110 mark during the day and feeling fortunate to get into the 80’s at night we have left behind the springtime ritual of “opening up” before going to bed. The air-conditioner is these days a 24/7 proposition. All this caused me to read Joe Klein’s essay, Kill Your Air Conditioner, with greater than usual interest. He’s absolutely on target as he advocates the spirit of sacrifice that we Americans are going to need to adopt if we hope to make any serious inroads against the growing oil crisis. Klein appropriately points out that President Jimmy Carter never was forgiven by us for making the mistake of calling for sacrifice. In fact, the greed that resides within us has actually rewarded George W. Bush’s failure to call for any sort of sacrifice, instead calling for increased consumerism as the way to react to 9/11 and doling out paltry economic stimulus checks (we got ours yesterday; whee!) as the way to deal with a crumbling economy. Klein points out that both McCain and Obama are far more “green” than W could ever hope to be (although it’s clear that’s not one of his concerns) but pity the fool who would admonish us to sacrifice for the greater good.