Free Speech

It's interesting to read how people in the US react when there is a negative reaction to "speech" they agree with--the standard, uninformed reaction is to say the First Amendment to the Constitution protects us from being criticized for what we say.  Too many have a basic misunderstanding of what the First Amendment guarantees. 

The text reads:  "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ... "

It's actually not that cut and dried--you can't threaten people (especially important people).  But the government can't arrest you for disagreeing with a law, policy or regulation; saying what you think of any or all religions; or sharing your views on patriotism, abortion, races, countries or whatever. 

But it does NOT mean:

• people won't mock you, ostracize you
• you can't be fired for things you say
• people won't boycott your business

You're (almost) free to say what you want without interference from the government.  But the First Amendment does not shield us from the reactions of other people--including employers, customers, friends and neighbors. 

A Hollywood celebrity learned this lesson recently.  He participated in an anti-police rally and is quoted as saying, “When I see murders, I do not stand by . . . I have to call the murderers the murderers.”  (He was referring to the police.)  In response, several police unions called for a boycott of the celeb's new movie.  In a subsequent interview, he said, "I was under the impression that I was an American and I had First Amendment Rights." 

He is and he does.  But being free to say what you want does not mean there will be no consequences for you. 

Belated Halloween Post

I forgot to share a Halloween/ghost story this year!!!  But it's never to late to post whatever we want, so here's story about a ghostly encounter in my parent's dark, spooky basement. 

Basement? Cellar might be a more appropriate word. It was unfinished, with a concrete floor and cinder block walls. It flooded on occasion, so the washer and dryer were up off the floor on pallets. The cellar was lit by four single, bare light bulb fixtures--one in each quadrant. Only one of the lights could be turned on from upstairs.  The other 3 had pull chains. At night it was a creepy place.

I made frequent trips to the cellar to move clothes from the washer to the dryer and to bring clothes up from the dryer. That was a regular chore. During one night time trip to the cellar, it felt more creepy than usual. Dread would be too strong a word, but I wasn't happy to be down there.

I hurried a little and tried to show no fear. Did I mention I was 8? Anyway, I filled the clothes basket--which was as big as I was--turned off the light over the washer and headed for the stairs. In my haste, I slipped when I was halfway up the stairs. I started to fall backwards with the laundry basket on my chest. I gasped, holding my breath in anticipation of the impact (with the concrete floor). But instead of hitting the floor, I felt something touch both of my shoulder blades...like two hands catching me. Suddenly I was standing straight up again, just a few steps down from where I had slipped. It happened so quickly I wasn't sure what HAD happened.

Did my grandmother save my life that night? (According to family lore, my dad's mom haunted the house.)  Or at age 8 did I have the reflexes of a cat and catch myself? Since my hands were clutching the laundry basket and the basket itself was laying across my chest, I don't see how I possibly could have caught myself. Someone...something saved me that night. I like to think it was my grandmother.

This was the only odd experience in my parent's cellar...but as I reached my teen years, odd things started happening in my attic bedroom.  (Spooky things.) 

Renewable Resources

It's becoming more and more important to recognize and utilize renewable resources.  So I want to share a few tips on paper products.

The brown napkins in my desk drawer at work are a renewable resource.

The white tissues on my desk are not.

Why?  Is it related to the production process that made one brown and the other white?  No.  Is it related to which company manufactured them?  No--they're both generic products, I have no idea who made them. 

The napkins are renewable because I get them for free from the take-out place on the first floor of my building.  I have to BUY the tissues!!!

So, I hope this has been helpful and that you'll all do what you can to save money the planet.  :D

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!!!

Sorry for being late.

Canadians easily make up a quarter of my list of favorite people.  (Side note:  Peru, it's like you're not even trying.  Get it together!!!  :)

I hope all of my friends (in the northern hemisphere) are having a great autumn! Happy spring to the "southerners"!

Pope Mania

The Pope's recent visit to the US prompted lots of discussion about him and the Church, including some odd criticisms.

People on the political right were referring to him as "that communist Pope" because of his stance on immigration and helping the less fortunate.  Pretty ridiculous criticism.  Anyone surprised that the leader of the Catholic Church believes in people helping each other has led a very sheltered life.

Of course, people from the political left had equally odd criticisms--revealing the shocking news that this supposedly progressive Pope doesn't support abortion or gay marriage.  Weird!  It's like he's a dyed-in-the-wool Catholic or something! 

Pope Francis is a good man.  Hopefully he will help people realize that you can disagree with people and still respect them (unless they behave disrespectfully). 

College Acquaintances

During my first year of college I interacted with a small group of guys who (like me) were studying accounting.  Sometimes we talked before class started.  Some days we had lunch together at a greasy spoon--a tiny burger joint down an alley (so good!).  They were classmates (not friends).  After class the group headed for the subway.  I did too.  That's when they really started to annoy me. 

The apparent leader of their group was not very evolved and the others were easily lead.  He thought it was fun to make women traveling alone feel uncomfortable.  He'd stare at them, make creepy comments.  I swear sometimes I thought I heard him grunt.  His buddies joined in and they tried to isolate that day's target from the rest of the passengers.  My grandmother would have been ashamed of me if I let that happen.  So I didn't.

At their worst, I'd stand between them and the girl until she got off the train.  Other times I tried to explain why what they were doing was wrong.  I tried to get them to see they were being disrespectful, creepy and scary.  I even tried the old "what if it was your sister or GF?."  But their leader had an ignorant answer for everything.  I think I suggested they ask their mothers about it.  But it's been a long time, I'm not sure.

But I am sure I made no progress with those boys.  They laughed at what I said.  Hopefully most of them grew up and changed their behavior.  But I doubt it.  For me the experience was a bit of a revelation.  That's when I first realized you can have truth, justice and logic on your side, but that doesn't mean anyone is going to listen.  After summer classes I started working full time and going to school at night.  I lost touch with the boys after that.  Then I started having trouble with the girls, but that's a different story.  :D

I'm sure I wrote this story before, but I couldn't find it!  A great post about ignorant signs posted by college boys welcoming female freshmen to campus reminded me of it.  Will things ever change???

Prohibition

We don't do prohibtion very well in the US.  I think it's a people problem. 

THE "Prohibition" in the US, during which the sale of alcohol was banned, was a failure.  It did reduce alcohol consumption for a time, but mostly it succeeded in making criminals rich and costing the government tax revenue.  But I'm not referring to just THE Prohibition.  I'm talking about most things that are banned or illegal:

• Illegal drugs?  Failure.  There are so many heroin overdoses in the DC area that most local police departments stock the antidote in patrol cars.  And now China is sending us "synthetic drugs".  It's as bad as PCP and has been blamed for the recent spike in homicides.  Oh, and PCP is back.
• Gun control?  Where bans exist, failure.  Jurisdictions with the most strict gun laws routinely have the worst gun violence (Chicago).  We actually under-report the problem by counting only murders instead of all the shootings.
• Commercial sex?  Where bans exist, failure. 
• Once upon a time, abortion would have been on the list.  Its ban was a back-alley nightmare. 

Maybe the US is a country of criminals. My daughter tells me that when the US was still under British rule, our forefathers routinely headed west without permission. At the same time our Canadian brothers patiently waited for the Crown to authorize who, when and where--great examples of loyal, law-abiding citizens. 

Because of our history and "spirit", I don't think banning handguns in the US would be any more successful than the bans mentioned above.  Criminals would still have them (and profit greatly by selling them) and there would be more criminals than ever because the US version of law-abiding citizens are going to hide as many as they surrender. 

Our gun problem won't be solved until we solve our people problem. Maybe it's not too late to become the "Nation of laws" we often claim to be.   Maybe we could start with little things, like obeying existing laws. Don't drive 30 MPH over the speed limit in school zones (or call the policeman names for giving you the ticket you earned).  Try stopping at a stop sign once in a while.  The government needs to pitch in too.  Stop looking the other way when government officials break the law.  Let's take a few baby steps to show our laws matter and apply to everyone.