Some Things are so Simple They're Difficult
Some things are so simple that they become difficult.
Since the 1967 Arab/Israeli War, U.S. Presidents of both parties have been pursuing the "peace process" in the Middle East. It has become so obligatory that the actual pursuit of PEACE has become secondary. As long as the "process" is engaged, that's all that really seems to matter.
School Board Elections
I have been blogging for over a year now, and with one exception, I have not ostensibly addressed specific issues before the School Board; a policy I plan to continue for many reasons. But I do want to use this page for what I consider to be a public service announcement related to the political process in general and the School Board in particular.
In April of next year this community will elect three people to the position of School Board member. The Seat currently held by Patrick Murphy is up for election, and Patrick has announced his intention to seek another term. His seat is an At-Large position, which means anyone who is eighteen years of age and living within the confines of the School DIstrict of Elmbrook can seek this office.
Maximus Meridius, Jerry Springer, and Mick Jagger
Over the Thanksgiving break I used some of my extra time to watch a few movies and work out. One of the movies was Gladiator, Ridley Scott's classic tale of Imperial Rome, and of one man's journey of duty, honor and love.
During one of my workouts a TV at our health club aired the Jerry Springer Show. I was listening to music, and so was mercifully spared the audio portion. But there was no escaping the visual heartbreak of what Springer parades before America every week.
How Kids Play Today
In October I wrote a blog on the conection between childhood obesity and technology - see https://bloggers.mycommunitynow.com/controlpanel/blogs/posteditor.aspx?SelectedNavItem=Posts§ionid=49&postid=38340
Tiny Tim
We live in an age where the classics of literature are disappearing from academia, our libraries, and our collective consciousness. But that's the subject of some other blog.
Thankfully A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens' timeless tale of renewal, still enjoys a strong place on our cultural radar screen, particularly of course at this time of year. After more than one hundred and sixty years it speaks with a simple clarity that we can see and hear TODAY. The characters of Scrooge, Cratchit, Marley, Fezziweg, and others come to life as they tell us the stories and sing us the songs of Dickens' 19th Century England.
The Abolition of Consequence
What history knows as the Abolitionist Movement began with the life of a courageous 18th Century Parliamentarian named William Wilberforce, who dedicated his life and health to abolishing England's traffic in the slave trade. In the 1850's a group of Americans continued his work and were known as the Abolitionists.
Abolitionists still exist in America today. They reside in Washington DC and are found in both political parties. Today of course their enemy is not slavery. Instead the Beltway leadership is dedicated to the abolition of a new enemy.
PERSON OF THE YEAR?
Time magazine recently named Vladimir Putin its Person of the Year for 2007. The self-described "inventor of the Internet" was their choice as Runner-Up.
A former KGB apparatchik who "made his bones" in the heyday of the Cold War, Putin is personally responsible for the torture and murder of countless innocents. Propped up and maintained by the rocketing price of Russian oil, he is sadly and inexorably leading his country back to its autocratic past.
