Give me a break!

In a letter to the editor, Drama Queen Frances Fass of Plano takes our state legislature to task for cutting costs in the area of education. I haven't seen such exaggeration and syrupy sentiment since Luke married Laura on General Hospital. And I haven't seen such outright lies since the last time Obama gave a speech. I'll give you a few excerpts and see if you agree.

" . . .we watched our growing bellies and made a promise to our unborn children that they will be nurtured and educated to be assets of this world."

"We have a governor who does not care about this generation of children."

"They all forgot about our children. . . They [the children] will remember saying tearful goodbyes to their favorite teachers who got laid off. . .They will remember a group of grown-ups in Austin telling them that education is not important. . ."

"Please stop this madness!" Right back at ya', Frances!

"They forgot the children." The Dallas Morning News; May 13, 2011; p. 18A.

They're illegal!

Ana Hernandez Luna is a Texas State Representative. She made an emotional speech to the Texas House this month after the House approved a bill outlawing sanctuary cities.

Poor little Ana came to the U.S. from Mexico with her parents when she was a small child. They had visas, but they forgot to go home or reapply when their visas ran out. She said her family "came out of the shadows" when she was 9 when a law was passed that made it possible for illegals to step forward without prosecution.

She went to high school in Pasadena (courtesy of legal U.S. taxpayers). She graduated from the University of Houston and earned her law degree from the University of Texas (I wonder who paid for all that).

She choked up during her speech. She later told a news columnist that she was aware that her family was illegal because they could not go freely back and forth across the border to see their families. Are we supposed to feel sorry for her because she was hiding from the law?

The columnist, William McKenzie, praises Luna. She has "risen up to help decide laws for the state of Texas" he exults. I'm not so sure that's a good thing. Hernandez Luna says that she gave the speech because some of her colleagues have a "certain perception of illegal immigrants." Well Yeah! They're illegal, aren't they?

McKenzie says that Hernandez Luna's story raises this question: "What do we do with people like Ana Hernandez Luna, ambitious and eager to assimilate into American life?" I don't think he really wants an answer, but how's this: We have them abide by the laws governing entrance into the United States and take their chances along with all the others who desperately want to come here. We tell those who are here illegally that they have forever forfeited their chances of a legal residence in the United States and give those spots to those who are legally waiting in line. We should not reward lawbreakers at the expense of those who are law-abiding. And we certainly should be ashamed of ourselves for electing flagrant law-breakers to public office.

"The Ana Hernandez Luna Dilemma." The Dallas Morning News; May 17, 2011; p. 11A.

Attention: 2nd Amendment Defenders

U.S. District Judge Morrison England Jr. in Sacramento, California, recently ruled that there is no constitutional right to carry a hidden gun in public. His ruling was in support of a policy by Yolo County Sheriff Ed Prieto that says concealed carry applicants must have a reason, such as a safety threat, to legally carry a concealed weapon.

I wonder what part of "the right of the people to keep and BEAR ARMS shall not be infringed" he's having trouble understanding.

"Concealed gun isn't a right, judge rules." The Dallas Morning News; May 17, 2011; p. 6A.

How sad.

The ACLU is at it again. Some schools hold their graduation ceremonies in church facilities because they can accommodate more people than the school facilities. The ACLU says this discriminates against those who are not religious. But that's not really the reason for this post.

In argument against the ACLU, Irving School District official Lane Ladewig said, "We're not promoting religion or anything. When you get inside that facility you would think it's a theater, not a church." How sad . . . that a church no longer looks like a church, but looks just like the world. I'm afraid that to a great extent, that's true spiritually as well.

"District to end graduations at church next year." The Dallas Morning News; May 16, 2011; p. 1B.

Today's funny from eparistexas.com: Charles Richards reports on a trial "proceeded over" by Judge Webb Biard. I'll just bet Judge Biard thought he was presiding.

Is this for real?

Atheists in the army are demanding that they be given atheist chaplains. I'm not sure why they want them, but isn't "atheist chaplain" an oxymoron?

"What would an atheist chaplain do?" The Dallas Morning News; May 8, 2011; p. 4P.

All they want is tolerance.

Gays in the military didn't want to have to hide, so Obama is doing away with "don't ask, don't tell." But that's not enough for them. Now we are faced with navy chaplains performing same-sex marriages. It's not just about tolerance; it's about sanctioning perversion.

The chaplains will be trained under new guidelines that go along with the abolition of "don't ask, don't tell." My first thought was that the Defense of Marriage Act, which Obama has said we're just going to ignore from now on, would prohibit performing same-sex marriages. But Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said that the Act does not restrict the types of ceremonies a chaplain may perform in a chapel on a military base. Isn't it a bit illogical for the federal government to be establishing a marriage it doesn't legally recognize?

Even if a marriage is performed, the spokesperson says, same-sex partners would not get any health, housing or other benefits that are provided to married couples involving a man and woman. Yeah, right, -- for now. Remember when this thing started, gays just wanted to serve in the military -- that's all. Then they just wanted to be able to come out of the closet -- that's all. Now they want military personnel to marry them -- that's all. Sure, I believe it.

"Navy chaplains to get training on civil unions." The Dallas Morning News; May 10, 2011; p. 7A.

How many chances?

George James Bradley served five years in prison for deadly conduct and drug offenses and was released in 2005. Three months later, he was charged with aggravated assault on a public servant. He wasn't sentenced on that case until last fall. He got 5 years but was given credit for time served.

May 9, Bradley set his mother on fire. Then he went to a nearby school, trapped a school employee in an office, and tried to sexually assault her at knifepoint. The principal of the school heard her screams and broke down the door to rescue her. Bradley was arrested.

How many more chances should he get?

"Man sets mom on fire, tries to assault teacher." The Dallas Morning News; May 10, 2011; p. 3A.

Faith and begorrah if it's not Jack Kennedy!

I know a lady who does so much texting, that if you tell her a joke in person she will actually say, "LOL!" I have to admit I was doing the same thing when I read about Obama's trip to Ireland.

Of course, both Presidents Kennedy and Reagan were extremely proud of their Irish roots, and they made well-publicized trips to Ireland during their terms in office. With Obama's ship sinking fast, I guess he's trying to align himself with two of the most popular Presidents of the 20th Century.

He claims his forebears came from Moneygall, a town he will visit. In preparation for his coming, the locals have written a song for him . . . "There's no one more Irish than Barack O'Bama." That's about where my loudest "LOL" came in. I suspect we may be seeing that apostrophe stuck in his name a lot from now on -- in fact, we may even get a revised birth certificate. I can see it now -- Barack Hussein Kamehameha Soetoro O'Bama. LOL!

"Obama gets back to roots in Irish visit." The Dallas Morning News; May 23, 2011; p. 10A.

Where's that diversity?

In 2009, the media was going gaga over the diversity in the Obama Administration. To use one of the Administration's favorite words, it was "unprecedented." "There's diversity in this crowd that nobody else has approached before," said Democratic lobbyist Marcia Hale, a veteran of Bill Clinton's White House. "Four and eight years from now, there will be an amazing array of people from different backgrounds," she predicted.

I had to wonder about that, however, when I saw the photo of the group assembled in the White House situation room the night Osama was killed. Of the 13 people in the photo, aside from Obama, Hillary, and one other woman, they all look like white men to me.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20090620_3869.php

Redistribution Run Amok

Developer Philip Williams wants to conserve some farmland he owns. And he wants his neighbors to pay for it. A bill in the Texas House would require homeowners in the Montgomery Farm development in Allen to pay 1% of the sale price of their homes toward the maintenance of the conservation area.

Williams says it's local money going to take care of local areas. I say it's private money going into his pocket. He says, "These people pay in order to have this behind their houses." If they want it, they can pay without being taxed for it. Maybe some of them really don't care what's behind their homes.

And what would this tax pay for? Well, part of it would go to a tree farm business Williams plans to run. Rep. Ken Paxton of McKinney is for the tax. He says that Williams doesn't have a way to fund the area. Tough luck! I'd like to do a lot of landscaping around my house, and I'm sure my neighbors would appreciate the nice view, but I've not asked them to pay for it.

Jo Long lives in the area. She says she'd rather see Williams solicit donations than be taxed. "I hate for anything to be compulsory. At least it's a good cause." Yes, Jo, but what if the next tax they want to impose is not for a good cause? They've set the precedent with this one, and I can assure you that other developers will take note.

"Developer: Green isn't free." The Dallas Morning News; April 4, 2011; p. 1B.

Give me a big ol' break!!

Len Ellis writes for the Peace and Justice Center of Arlington. I looked up the Peace and Justice Center on the internet, and its mission statement is "to facilitate Peace, Love and Justice through education, networking and nonviolent action." Yeah, right.

Len says that by killing Bin Laden, we killed "the possibility that he could ever come to trial, and most important, the possibility that bin Laden could stand before the world and recognize that what he did was wrong, that his philosophy of terrorism and violence is wrong." Is this guy for real? Does he really think that Bin Laden would ever see the error of his ways this side of Hell? He says that if we suffer retaliation for Bin Laden's death, it's appropriate. Uh, Len, you do remember that we didn't start this thing?

Len says we will never create a culture of peace as long as we "continue to label and demonstrate killing as 'justice.'" I guess Len doesn't realize that the only way to bring peace to a world infiltrated by terrorists is to get rid of the terrorists. We'll see if Len changes his definition of justice if one of his loved ones is killed by a Bin Laden clone.

Bottom line . . . Len is either incredibly naive, or he's a blooming idiot.

"Ending the cycle of violence." The Dallas Morning News; May 4, 2011; p. 18A.

Priorities!

Remember when the schools were all bent out of shape over having to make up weather days? I have to wonder what all the fuss was about. In the last few weeks, I've seen news reports of schools having field days; doing ropes courses; having run, skip, and jump fundraisers; going on field trips; having spring fairs; having diversity type seminars; planting gardens; having Michelle Obama recognition ceremonies because they can dance around and burn calories; and assorted other events requiring them to forego time in the classroom.

One picture showed two fifth graders on a team-building ropes course at Baylor. They may not be able to spell, do long division, be able to find the United States on a map, or read beyond a second grade level, but at least they'll be able to do it as a team!

"Learning the ropes." The Dallas Morning News; May 4, 2011; p. 4A.

We sure don't want to be archaic!

The North Texas Fair Housing Center recently did some testing of various apartment complexes and rental properties in Dallas. They sent white couples and black couples to the same places. They said that several of the places discriminated against the black couples.

Gerry Henigsman is executive vice president of the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas. He said the findings surprised him. "I would hope that you don't have people out there saying,'OK, I'm still going to make my own decisions as to who I want to live here and who I don't.' That's archaic," he said.

Well, we certainly don't want to be archaic, do we? I'd much rather have the government telling me what I can and cannot do with my own property than to be able to "make my own decisions as to who I want to live here and who I don't."

"Report says miniorities get higher rent quotes." The Dallas Morning News; April 22, 2011; p. 1B.

Why do we tread on eggshells around muslims?

It perturbs me that Osama Bin Laden was afforded a 40 minute memorial service in Arabic with a burial in accordance with islamic law. Have we lost our minds? Why would we wax eloquent over a madman we justifiably executed?

It's because we didn't want to "offend" the muslims. But what about the families of the 3,000 people Osama killed? Do you think they, along with millions of other Americans, weren't offended by this action?

Just last month, General David Petraeus and the NATO representative in Afghanistan, Mark Sedwill, issued a joint statement condemning the nutcase in Florida who likes to burn the Koran. I agree wholeheartedly that he's just stirring up trouble, but their statement offends me. ". . . we . . . reiterate our condemnation of any disrespect to the Holy Quran and the Muslim faith. We condemn, in particular, the action of an individual in the United States who recently burned the Holy Quran." I am offended first by the reference to the "holy" Quran. It is not holy. It is full of lies. I am offended that their condemnation did not extend to the muslims who flew those planes on 9/11. I am offended that their condemnation did not extend to the muslim who tried to blow up a plane with a bomb in his shoe. I am offended that their condemnation did not extend to the muslim who tried to blow up a plane with a bomb in his underwear. I am offended that their condemnation did not extend to the muslim who tried to blow up a building in downtown Dallas with a car bomb. I am offended that their condemnation did not extend to the muslim who parked a car bomb in Times Square. I am offended that their condemnation did not extend to the muslim who shot dozens of service and civilian personnel at Ft. Hood. All these muslims based their actions upon the so-called "holy" Quran. I am offended that are our leaders are afraid to acknowledge that fact.

"Quran protests go on." The Dallas Morning News; April 4, 2011; p. 8A.

I have a nice resort property in Death Valley . . .

U. S. District Judge Vaughn Walker struck down California's ban on gay marriage. He retired in February and announced he is gay. He said his sexuality was irrelevant in deciding the case. And if you believe that, I have a nice ocean-view resort property in Death Valley I'll let you have for a steal . . .

"Judge who ruled on Prop 8 is gay." The Dallas Morning News; April 8, 2011; p. 8A.

How does gay marriage hurt you?

For those three or four of you who may not be aware of it, Social Security is in trouble. We are fast approaching the point where more people will be drawing benefits than paying in. It doesn't take an economist to tell you that that situation can't go on for long.

So what does this have to do with gay marriage? Obama has decided that his administration will no longer uphold the Defense of Marriage Act. This is the act that prohibits federal payments to partners in same sex marriages. The bottom line here is that if this act is reversed, then hundreds and maybe thousands more will be added to the Social Security payout roster. It will make it even more difficult for those of us who have a legitimate claim on benefits.

And that's how gay marriage hurts heterosexuals.

"Couples frustrated by '96 federal law." The Dallas Morning News; April 10, 2011; p. 12A.

Discrimination?

I begin this post with a disclaimer: Terry Jones, the Florida pastor (and I use the term very loosely) who insists on unnecessarily stirring up the muslims, is a nutcase. He is NOT interested in advancing the cause of Christ, but he IS interested in getting his name in the newspapers. Our response to him and his deluded followers should be to completely ignore him.

That being said, I found an interesting juxtaposition in the newspaper article concerning his planned protest at a Michigan mosque. He was jailed for refusing to pay a peace bond in order to have the demonstration, because the prosecutor felt he would "pose a threat to peace." There are all sorts of 1st Amendment arguments to be made here, but that's not really the point of my post.

Pictured above the article was a crowd of muslims at the site where Jones planned his protest. They were protesting Jones being allowed to hold his demonstration. My question is, were the muslims required to put up a peace bond? If they weren't, why weren't they? Is it OK for muslims to protest, but not OK for Jones to protest? I'm just looking for some consistency here. If Jones needs a peace bond, then so do the muslims.

"Pastor's jailing halts mosque protest plan." The Dallas Morning News; April 23, 2011; p. 2A.

I'll have one of those $300 onions.

Everette Robertson of Dallas thinks a progressive income tax is fair . . . the kind of tax where if you sit on your tail and do nothing, you get a great big tax refund check; if you make below a certain amount, you pay 0%: if you make w to x you pay 15%; if you make x to y, you pay 25%; and if you make y to z, you pay 35% or more. In fact, Everette says, this doctrine should be applied to everything. If you make $24,000, $24 for a drivers license is fair. But that's not fair if you make a billion dollars. If you make a billion, you should have to pay a million for a drivers license.

Can't you just see the chaos at Wal-Mart? If I make $25,000, that onion will cost me 50 cents. If I make $50,000, it will cost me $2. If I make $100,000, it will cost me $7. If I make $500,000, if will cost me $40. On the other hand, if I get food stamps, they'll pay me $45 to take one. Yep, don't see what could be more fair than that.

Obviously, somebody somewhere is getting short-changed on education.

"Figure fairness into everything." The Dallas Morning News; April 24, 2011; p. 3P.

Why Baylor?

Adam R. Short is a freshman engineering student at Baylor University. He is gay, and he's fighting to get the University to recognize a club to discuss sexuality and fight homophobia.

I have to ask, Adam, why did you choose Baylor? Did you not know it was a Baptist University that's supposed to uphold biblical principles? Did you not know there are other universities that offer engineering degrees that think homosexuality is just A-OK? And what is your definition of homophobia? I daresay it's that anyone who agrees with the Biblical view of homosexuality is a homophobe. And why is it necessary to have a school club to discuss your sexuality? Heterosexuals don't have university-recognized clubs to discuss their sexuality. If you want to talk about sex, perhaps you should see a counselor.

"Talking points." The Dallas Morning News; April 24, 2011; p. 1P.

Anybody seen any morals and decency lately?

Women in Dallas are upset that a policeman in Toronto made the observation that women could help avoid sexual assault by not dressing like sluts. Though he could have articulated his point better, I'm sure that the policeman understood that not all sexual assaults are caused by the way women dress, and that even if a woman is walking down the street bare-naked, she is not giving permission to be sexually assaulted.

But his point is a valid one. I remember several years ago reading a book about a serial rapist who was attracted to women who were dressed provocatively. He assaulted his young neighbor after watching her all afternoon as she washed her car clad in her bikini. She had no idea she was being watched.

So a bunch of clueless women (and at least one man) in Dallas decided to make a statement. They headed downtown in their exhibitionist outfits for a "slut walk." I wonder how many rapists lurked in the shadows to take in the show?

"Clothes don't make the victim." The Dallas Morning News; April 24, 2011; p. 9B.

No, Berenice, they didn't.

Berenice Medina of Watauga says she's going to be a teacher. But, wait, she says. Why would she want to be a teacher when she will probably be laid off? "I would probably be one of these teachers who gets laid off, because the school districts will probably want teachers with experience. This is unfair, because all teachers did the same work in order to have a successful career in teaching."

I really don't think that Berenice is qualified to teach. Look at that convoluted sentence. Then look at that convoluted logic. It is unfair for districts to want experienced teachers? And, finally, look at that convoluted assessment. No, Berenice, not all teachers did the same work in order to have a successful career in teaching. Some have Bachelor's degrees and some went for the Master's. Some even dedicated themselves and went for the doctorate. As in all professions, some gave it their all, and some got through by the skin of their teeth. Some chose the profession because of a calling to teach kids, and some chose the profession because they get the summers off. And, Berenice, I have a feeling I know which category you fall into.

"Would-be teacher discouraged." The Dallas Morning News; April 16, 2011; p. 22A.

Ewwwwwww!

Where is the tolerance of gays toward those who don't approve of their lifestyle? They holler about everybody else being tolerant, but they apply a different standard to themselves.

Jonathan Williams and James Bull were asked by the proprietor of a London pub to leave his establishment after they started making out. They tweeted (isn't that "tweet" -- gay people "tweeting"?) the incident. So about 300 tolerant but raucous gays showed up outside the pub and had a kiss-in type demonstration. The owners closed the pub, but had no comment for the media.

So again I ask, where is the tolerance for a private property owner to regulate behavior on his own property? If these two perverts want to make a public display of themselves, why don't they go to a gay bar where they'll fit right in?

"Gay men's ouster from pub is Twitter fodder." The Dallas Morning News; April 16, 2011; p. 20A.

Skip Day!

About 400 students in the Katy school district walked out of class on April 14 and 15 to protest teacher layoffs. My guess is that 395 of them really don't care whether teachers get laid off or not. It was a skip day!

"Katy students walk out to protest layoffs." The Dallas Morning News; April 16, 2011; p. 4A.

It's not nice to be rich!

Former President Bill Clinton recently said, "We've gotten away from being a people-centered society and become a money-centered society." As a consequence, he said, the have-nots have even less because the rich continue to hold a disproportionate amount of the nation's wealth. Bill Clinton's net worth is $38 million - about the same as George W. Bush ($10 million) and George H.W. Bush ($28 million) combined.

I wonder why, if Clinton really believes what he's saying, he doesn't go down to the homeless shelter, pick out 10 have-nots, and give them a million each. That way, 10 have-nots would become 10 haves, and Billy Boy would still have $28 million. Sounds like a win-win to me.

"Clinton dedicates his home." The Dallas Morning News; April 17, 2011; p. 3A.

Feelin' lucky?

Jan Neher has fallen for the class-envy line that the rich really don't deserve what they have -- they just lucked into it (if they didn't steal it). "Can the rich recognize that being rich has just as much to do with luck as it does for (sic) working hard?"

Well, Jan, it has been my experience that most "lucky" people made their luck. For example, Mr. Essie May and I realized early on that some of the keys to a good living were education, patience, and perseverance. So we put on hold a lot of things we wanted . . . a new car, a down payment on a house, nice clothes, eating out. We got Mr. Essie May through school first. I went to school part-time, worked full-time, sometimes two jobs, while Mr. Essie May worked full-time in the summers and part-time during school. Most of our money went for tuition and books while we lived in a little one-room apartment, drove a 10-year old car, and decided whether to have beans or potatoes for supper.

When Mr. Essie May finished school, he hit the pavement looking for a job. He "lucked" into one of the first ones he applied for. It didn't pay much, but it looked good on his resume. We were able to "luck" into buying a small, older house in a lower-middle class neighborhood and trading up to a little nicer car. But we still ate lots of beans and potatoes. We were on a pretty tight budget. However, Mr. Essie May decided to further his education, and he "lucked" into a Masters degree. Then he "lucked" into passing the exams for his professional license.

After a few years, Mr. Essie May heard about a job opening for a position that paid considerably more than he was making. It was "lucky" for him that he had "lucked" into that Masters degree and that professional designation, because it helped him edge out the competition and "luck" into getting that job. And, "lucky" for him, he found a second part-time job to stash back some money for us to take occasional vacations. We are "lucky" to be able to travel to some pretty nice destinations.

We don't exactly live the life of Riley now, but we do have a very comfortable life and no major financial concerns. And, according to Jan, we have all this not because we worked hard and planned for it, but because we were "just lucky."

The truth, Jan, is that those who truly believe what you say will probably be "unlucky" all their lives and will continue to sit back and envy those who are "lucky." And those who realize how silly your premise is will most likely find themselves with more "luck" than they can handle.

"If I were a rich man . . ." The Dallas Morning News; April 11, 2011; p. 14A.

Pigs?

From the pictures I've seen of Osama's compound in Pakistan I draw this conclusion: Muslims may not be allowed to eat pigs, but they are obviously not prohibited from living like them.

It's called the 2nd Amendment, Laura.

Laura Beard of Denton thinks gun owners should be required to buy liability insurance for their guns or have them confiscated. She says we have to be insured to drive, and we have to insure our homes. She sees no difference.

Aside from the fact that Laura is just plain wrong -- one does not have to be insured to drive (one may drive another's insured vehicle without buying insurance himself) and one does not have to insure one's home (there is no law requiring that) -- there is a huge difference. Owning a vehicle or a house is not a guaranteed constitutional right. Owning a gun is. It's called the 2nd Amendment.

"Why not gun insurance?" The Dallas Morning News; April 25, 2011; p. 12A.

Priorities?

In the middle part of last month, a tornado hit Tushka, Oklahoma, destroying 149 structures. A Red Cross spokesman said that so far, the organization has spent $221,000 on relief efforts and the cost could climb to $400,000.

Roughly half those who lost their homes had no insurance. I have to wonder . . . did they have cellphones? Computers? Internet service? HD TV? Cable or satellite? X-Box, Playstation, Wii, or other electronic game devices? I daresay the vast majority of them did. I wonder if they think now that all those things were more important than insuring their homes against disaster. Probably so . . . because they'll probably get hundreds of kindhearted people who have their priorities straight donating money to build them new homes.

"Many tornado victims had no insurance." The Dallas Morning News; April 25, 2011; p. 3A.

Essie's Heroes

The Humane Society of North Texas had its first Extreme Mutt Makeover in 2009. This year, fifteen dogs will be selected from North Texas shelters to participate in the training and obedience competition. Each dog is chosen based on health, temperament, and general adoptability and assigned to a trainer who has less than two months to take the pooch from orphan status to obedient, lovable pet.

Patti Colbert is the founder of Extreme Mutt Makeover. In addition to the 15 contestants last year, more than 60 other dogs were adopted. Many of these would have faced euthanasia if not for Patti's vision. The competition this year will be held in September. Trainers with winning dogs receive a small monetary award, but Karen Deeds who won with her black lab Tess in 2009, said, "Winning was wonderful, but it was not about us. It was about those dogs and the people whose lives they changed afterwards."

A big Essie May salute to Patti, Karen, and all the other participants in Extreme Mutt Makeover!

"Trainers jump at chance to give at-risk dogs a fresh start." The Dallas Morning News; May 1, 2011; p. 7B.

I say again, "Hypocrites!"

Texas State Representative Carol Alvarado wants to cut down on childhood obesity by allowing only 1% or soy milk, unsweetened water, zero-calorie drinks and 100% vegetable or fruit juices to be sold in public middle and high school lunchrooms. "We are spending millions in combating childhood obesity," she said. Rep. Susan King agrees with her. "We should stop the doublespeak with the health of our children," she said.

So where is the legislation to limit food stamps to healthy, low calorie foods? Until that is introduced, I call Hypocrites!

"House bill takes aim at sugary drinks in schools." The Dallas Morning News; April 27, 2011; p. 3A.

I don't think Jesus had fun.

There is a neighborhood in Dallas that puts on a parade each Easter. When I think of an Easter parade, I think of Easter bonnets, pretty spring colors, flowers, and a celebration of the Resurrection. That's not what this sacrilegious travesty is.

The demented people who put on this parade dress up like cockroaches, sit on toilets on their floats, and do all sorts of other demeaning things. I'm not sure what message they're trying to get across, but it's certainly not a message of rebirth.

As might be expected, some people have protested the trivialization of the most holy day in the Christian calendar. Kay L. Caughron says we should lighten up and have some fun -- that this event is a bonding experience for the neighbors, and we should join them. "It'll be fun for you!" she says. When I read that, I couldn't help but think of the Roman soldiers who gambled for Jesus' robe at the foot of the cross. I guess that was a bonding experience for them, too. And I bet they had some fun doing it. Whether or not what they did was right is another matter entirely.

"Lighten up." The Dallas Morning News; April 28, 2011; p. 14A.