In my younger years, when I was new to Christianity, I was often startled by inconsistencies in my newly embraced faith. Conservative ministers would decry the sin of abortion, yet point a crooked finger at the pregnant "pouches" of young, unmarried women in their congregation. Many of these women would then compound the mistakes that led to their current condition with the greater mistake of abortion, feeling that if they hid their actions, they could escape judgment. I resolved early on that I...
Another place, another time
OK, it's been quite awhile since the whole flap about the New York Time's "outing" of the NSA's oversight of banking transactions in America. While I don't think the Times acted responsibly, I am still puzzled as to why there's a story there. See, I know (as does every red blooded American who uses banks) that banking oversight has increased greatly since 9/11. In fact, there's a sign on the wall of our credit union stating the government's need to have information such as our social security...
It is that blessed time of the year for the MacLeish family. Time when I head off to WalMart and buy school supplies for the upcoming year. Umm, did I mention I'm buying them for the upcoming YEAR? Yup, there's something about 10 cent notebooks that has an irresistable draw to me. They won't be this cheap for another year, so I better make sure I don't run out. Six cases hit the shopping cart, one each for my wife, me, and the three oldest (the two youngest can split a case...they don't use t...
On July 6, Sylvester Stallone became eligible for AARP membership. On December 22, he will release his sixth "Rocky" movie in as many decades of life as he has accumulated on this rock. Yup, in the upcoming "Rocky Balboa", he will play the monosyllabic wonder we've all come to know and love once again in his return to the ring at an age that would make even George Foreman wince. Suspension of disbelief has hit an all time high as this aging actor, too old for most action movie roles and too y...
A little backstory is in order here. Most people who know me well (which is, admittedly, not a lot of people) know that I am always open to ideas for self improvement. I'd take an underwater Cyrillian basketweaving course if I thought it could somehow work out in the formula of making a better Gideon. So when our local college advertised that it was offering a web page design course for its second summer session, I was BEYOND excited. My excitement turned to dismay as I noted the time, which wou...
I have to vent here for a second. For some time, in working as an activist, I have been working with a family trying to get their children back. But, you see, I have to say in all honesty, they're not TRYING that hard. And I am stuck here trying to be patient, trying to be understanding, but trying to help this family realize that they should be working in a clear and concise manner to have their children returned as quickly as possible. I know more about the case than most people, as I've...
I had to hold my breath earlier in the week because of what I was reading in my email inbox. First, I'll have to set it up for you, though: A poster came onto an anti-cps message board that I frequent and purported to be a CPS social worker. She then proceeded to give her "advice" about how to respond to a CPS investigation, most of it (8 points out of 9) being absolutely wrong and dangerous, and the 9th point, while true, being a point that CPS NEVER acts on. I responded to her piece ...
(to you-know-who-you-are): You've had your moment. I've had mine. I have taken you off my blacklist. Whether you do the same or not is your business, but I did want to let you know you're lifted off of mine.
As my regular readers know, we homeschool our children. Some of you may also know that in our tiny community, while most have come to accept it, others either grudgingly accept it and look for every fault to bring up in gossip at the local Taylor Mart, or, worse, aggressively work to get us to conform and to enroll our children in public schools. While it's annoying, it's small town life, and it's part of it we must deal with (no biggie, but still, something to vent about). I was having a dis...
I don't believe in coincidences. I firmly believe that everything that happens happens for a purpose, and that the sooner we discover that purpose, the sooner we can go about doing what it is we were meant to do in that given situation. When we moved to the Texas Panhandle, it was no exception. I was excited about the prospect of being back in the area where I grew up, even if I was 200 or so miles down the road. The first year here was tough, sometimes painfully so, as we settled in with...
I've had the topic of this article on the shelf for awhile. What I couldn't get my hands around, though, was how to make it clear who I was and wasn't talking about in the context of the article. So, for the purposes of this article, I am going to differentiate between "classes" of the poor in America (this article is about American poverty, not world poverty, by the way): The first class of poor are the "down and out". These are people who, due to some misfortune are suffering a personal d...
As many of you know, I blog from the library. It's an interesting study in human behaviour, as I watch others in the library as well. Quite often, parents will bring their children to the library with them. They will sit the children next to them as they get on the computer, and surf for hours, expecting total silence from their child who is sitting in front of a computer they are entirely incapable of using. While it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect such silence for a 15 minute email sessi...
Anyone who knows me well will know I am a huge fan of Woody Guthrie. Though there is much about his political and religious persuasion that is not in accordance with my beliefs (contrary to popular belief, you CAN be a fan of someone and not be a follower), I feel that his lyrical ability and visual imagery helped bring some hard facts about American life home for so many of us. And so, as I've settled in to the local community, I have wanted to work with the Woody Guthrie center in the town ...
Dateline 1692: Salem, Massachussetts. 19 men and women are hung for the crime of witchcraft, one man is pressed to death. Hundreds are accused, and dozens are incarcerated without trial. In a chapter of colonial history that most Americans would rather forget, hysteria rules the day and the innocent suffer along with the guilty. Dateline 1950: Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin begins looking into the activities of certain Americans alleged to be Communists. Again, hysteria rules the d...