Do your job, don't do your job-who cares?

Apparently not the taxpayers of Los Angeles County. I don't know about you but if I didn't do my job for three months,being in jail charged a serious felony would not give my boss any pause in replacing me with someone who was not in jail. The gap between the way government functions and the reality the rest of us deal with on a day to day basis continues to widen.

Why?

In all the responses to the horrific events in Newtown, Ct this past Friday this three letter word is the one question that will be asked the most-and the one that will remain unanswered. That doesn't mean that there will be any shortage of opinions. We are already hearing the typical and predictable arguments from both sides of the gun control debate and the usual speculation about the shooters mental health issues and possible developmental disorders. Soon the recriminations will begin, "Why didn't anyone see the warning signs? What can we do to head off something like this from happening again?"
All of these things are natural reactions, of course, and the reasons given may well have been contributing factors. but they really do not answer that crucial question: Why? We certainly will not get the answers from our politicians who, while I do not question the sincerity of their emotions, have couched their public statements in a way that is carefully crafted to push-or at least protect-their own political agendas. It began with the President's statement on the day of the tragedy but it sadly did not end there.
We have been forced this week to gaze into the face of the absolute evil it takes to deprive another of life. No matter what our political, ethnic or religious affiliation we are united in horror and grief over these senseless and needless deaths. For a brief time we have all become acutely of just how precious the gift if life is and how inconceivable it is that anyone should take it upon them selves to end it.

Moral relativism and religious freedom

In an article over at LifeStiteNews.com we have a classic example of what happens when we allow our religous liberty to be chipped away at as it has been for quite a few years now. Much of what has been reported here and elsewhere has concerned public displays of a religious nature or religious expression in public schools. The anti religious bigots are no longer satisfied with suppressing protected speech in the public square, they have now set their sites on free open expression of the Catholic Faith in a Catholic school!

This from the article: "'“The program offered by Loyola seems to target the teaching content similar to that of the Ministry, but the perspective adopted is unquestionably religious,' wrote judge Jacques Fournier, whose decision was supported by judges Allan Hilton and Richard Wagner."

Yeah well I guess that is shocking. After all the last thing one should expect to find in a Catholic school would be a religious perspective, right? Can anyone please tell me what planet these judges are from because they are clearly operating on a different plane of existence than that of rational human beings. 

When Bureaucratic Agencies Rule

The idea of having agencies to protect children from abuse is a valid one because we do have a responsibility  to protect children from the unacceptable reality that parents and guardians would actually cause physical harm to their own children. However after a number of very public and glaring failures on the part of these agencies to fulfill their responsibility has resulted in a culture where parental rights are routinely trampled and the right to privacy has all but been dismissed. Understandably their is a balance to be struck that has eluded those whose main concern is to protect children from dangerous and abusive situations in their own home. However, when the over reaching of these agencies results in the premature death of a child as in this story from Florida, it would seem logical that some of these powers should be dialed back a bit.

Even Charlie Brown Isn't Safe

I am always struck by the benign sounding names the opponents of of free speech and freedom of religion assign themselves. In this case it's the "Arkansas Society of Freethinkers." It should be called the American Society of Me Thinkers. I could even suggest a slogan for them: "Think like me if you wish to be free." My first inclination was to be disappointed that the pastor caved in to pressure from anti free speech advocates but then I read his explanation that he did not wish "to put hard-working, sacrificial teachers and cast members in harm’s way,” In harm's way? Really? Getting stupid rulings from moronic judges isn't enough now, they need to make people who do not see things their way feel physically threatened enough to cancel a children's show. Welcome to 1933. All we need now are the brown shirts and spats. And piles of religious books for the bonfire. 

Scrooge strikes again

 In a story out of Hawaii we have yet another example of someone taking the self important role of defending the Constitution against anything that offends his own religious views. The problem is that he- and those who take his incoherent babbling seriously-have either never read the US Constitution or it is simply written on a grade level beyond their level of comprehension. Even so, the wording of the First Amendment is pretty straightforward and unambiguous.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The leader of the group behind the lawsuit, a group of which he appears to be the only visible member, claims that they are opposed to “violations of the Constitution.”  Well it appears that the only ones seeking “prohibit the free exercise” of religion is his group while demanding the government establish the quasi religion of secularism as the law of the land. 

"We Didn't Start the Fire"

While driving into work last night I decided to take a break from the Christmas music on Lite FM and switched stations just in time to hear Billy Joel’s version of “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” As he ticks off so many instantly recognizable events for a child of the sixties, I couldn’t help but wonder how many of today’s college students. The lyrics can be found here. While some names have retained their recognizable attributes I wonder how many could explain the reasons for their fame. Do you know a college student? Better yet, do you know a history major? It might be fascinating to see how many events or people from any one trope such as the one below without using Google.

Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseball, 

 Starkweather Homicide, Children of Thalidomide 

Given how so many people events recounted in recounted in this song have influenced the society in which we live today, their responses might be a good indicator of just how likely we are to repeat the mistakes and tragedies of the past.