Trayvon Martin

This post is barely coherent, and if I took more time, I could probably make it make sense. One of the things that has struck me about the Trayvon Martin story is that it seems too many (mostly white) people are refusing to see one of the real issues in this case. A black boy who was doing nothing wrong was basically chased by a man who thought he was doing wrong based on an irrational fear. Although I understand that there may have been some illegal activity in the area in the past, this man chased this boy down instead of allowing law enforcement to check the boy out. The boy was guilty only of walking to the corner store to buy a snack in the rain, and wearing a hoodie to do it.

This police department failed both the victim and Zimmerman by failing to treat the investigation as a homicide until the defense of self-defense was proven. Self-defense is just that - a defense to a killing. The investigation should have been conducted as if there was a homicide, and leave it to the DA or a jury of Zimmerman's peers to determine if there is a sufficient self-defense argument to determine if the case should be thrown out. This police department acted as a jury and accepted the credibility of Zimmerman on the scene instead of collecting evidence. Now Zimmerman is being tried in the court of public opinion, which is never a good court to be tried in. Martin was failed by the police department because he was treated differently than another victim would have been treated.

One thing that I think that most white people do not understand is how they react when they see a black man or teen walking around them. Do you pull your purse closer to yourself when you see a black man but not when you see a white man? Do you automatically assume that a black person walking through your neighborhood is up to no good but do not think twice about the white person? Those actions are based on irrational fears of a person who is different from you. If you are a white woman living in the South, a black man is very rarely going to do anything to you because they understand that it would be a max sentence if they did. You do not need to fear "them." They may speak to hit on you, so just politely respond declining the advances. Do not fear someone just because of their race! It is ok to watch someone you do not know in your neighborhood to make sure they are not up to something, but it is not ok to track them down with a gun so that an altercation ensues and someone ends up dead. It is ok to be vigilant, but not ok to have irrational fears that someone is up to no good because they are dressed in a hoodie or any other way.

I realize that I come from an entirely different perspective than most people I know because of my life experiences. I cannot help but think though that one of my innocent boys (and I have a few of those) could easily be Trayvon. My boys look like him. My boys walk to the corner store for snacks like him. My boys even wear hoodies in the rain like him. My boys would probably fight if they were followed like him. The police department probably would not do as thorough of an investigation if they were shot like him. If the tables were flipped and one of them followed Zimmerman and acted as Zimmerman did, there is not a doubt in my mind that a proper investigation and arrest would have occurred at that time. Our society values certain lives above others, and you can see it the most when those who are valued least are victims instead of perpetrators. It is time to do a reality check as a whole and start addressing the irrational fears. I think some are learning from Trayvon, and at least his death will not be in vain if some change their irrational fears. Justice will not be served because we are humans living in a fallen world. However, maybe change will come in the way that certain victims are treated and how some laws are applied. And maybe we can overcome some of our irrational fears and not take matters into our own hands.

Excuses, Excuses

Whenever someone finds out that the part of my job that I enjoy the most is representing children in CPS cases, I am usually met with excuse after excuse after excuse. I think I am going to do a global response to the excuses, although I usually am much more politically correct when I actually respond to the person. Here is what I really wish I could say.

(1) Excuse #1: I could never do that, it would just be too hard.

I usually say, yes, it is hard. I still feel like I should do it anyway. What I really want to say is, if you think it is hard for you, think about the child that has no one to speak for them. Think about the child that has lived it. Might it be nice for that child to know that someone felt what happened to them was wrong? Might it be nice for the child to know that it is not their fault, and might you be able to tell them that? Might it be nice for the child to see that you cared enough to get involved when their parent does not even care enough to go to a few parenting classes and drug rehab? The child is going through things that adults want to close their eyes and ears to and that the child is not able to comprehend.

The right perspective to have is that it is a hard job that we are called to do. The Bible makes it very clear that Christians are to be the voice for the fatherless, the orphan, the oppressed. There are not outs. It is what God requires. It is not my command, but God's. This does not mean that the only way to help the fatherless, orphans, oppressed is by getting involved in some capacity in CPS cases. What this does mean is that if you look at your life and cannot see a way that you are helping the orphan and fatherless, you might be sinning. Although I have great respect for Compassion (and support some children myself), I think that this means more than just sending a check to an agency to do the work for you. I think it means getting involved and speaking out on behalf of the oppressed. For me, it means being an attorney for the children (and parents). For you, it might look like getting involved in CASA, volunteering to be checked into for a respite possibility for a person who is housing a child, or looking into fostering. It might even look like stepping in to help a family BEFORE the state comes in and befriending that family. Take some time to teach someone how to parent. Is it tough? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes, if for no other reason than knowing that you are in God's will because His scripture commands it.

(2) Excuse #2: I would just worry about the children all the time and be unable to sleep at night

I have had very few sleepless nights as a result of my CPS work. Part of the reason is that by the time that the case gets to me, the children are out of danger. Yes, I have feared for the children when the judge put them back with a parent. I also have called a caseworker to move the kids because I feared for their safety. When you are in the case, if you really fear for the child, you are able to do something about it. I guarantee you that I would lose more sleep from the realization that I am not in God's will than I lose knowing I am at least trying to fulfill His will. My response is usually that I sleep just fine, you learn to shut your brain off. What I wish I could say is how are you able to sleep when you are doing nothing and this is going on all around you? You should be the one losing sleep!

(3) Excuse #3: I do not have the time

I am usually pretty blunt with this one and suggest that the person find a way to make time, whether it be by volunteering one hour a month at a local pregnancy center, a little more to be a CASA volunteer, or donating some time to a local group home. I always emphasize the giving of time more than money in that situation. See I usually know that the person who says it religiously watches American Idol or Biggest Loser or some other TV show that takes at least an hour of their time each and every week. I do not usually get this excuse from the young mother who really does not have spare time and is raising her children in the way that God lays out in Scripture and truly may be in a season where sending the Compassion money and donation checks is how she is able to contribute.

(4) Excuse #4: If I helped out other kids, it would take something away from my own

My usual response is a faked, obviously lying, "I understand." I compound sin by sinning myself. Really, I do not understand. This is the excuse that gets under my skin the most. The reason it does is because those who say it are usually the people that are idolizing their children. They do not see themselves as idolizing their children. However, they are the ones that are posting tons of pictures of their own children in the best of clothes with the best of stuff taking the best vacations and bragging about the accomplishments of the children. The children become the center of the parents' universe. The children become even more important than God, often made clear by the parent choosing the child's activities over religious upbringing. I am not saying that if a parent has a hard time feeding their own child, that they should take a foster child in. I am saying that when a parent spends all of their time and energy and money on their child instead of teaching the child to do without in service to others, there is a problem. The children often grow up selfish and conceited and do not have a concept of sacrificing for the benefit of others.

I propose that families should evaluate whether fostering and adopting might be a way to put the gospel on display for natural born children. Instead of saying that it might take something away from the natural born children, families should look at how children might learn about the gospel through the family's actions. Christians are God's children by adoption. Think about how great it might be to show children about how God adopts us through an earthly adoption. If adoption is not the route that can be pursued for various valid reasons, consider at least teaching your children about the needs of the fatherless and orphans and oppressed and let them see what you are doing to help. It does not help your children for you to shelter them or even try to, especially when you send that child to public school. Guess what. There is a pretty good chance that your child is going to school with another child who is being abused, neglected, talking about drugs, using curse words all before the child is a teenager. Your children are exposed to it day in and day out. Teach them to be part of the solution.

If your sixteen year old son is on drugs, yes, you probably need to focus on that child. If your children are babies and toddlers, you probably are right that it may not be best to foster/adopt at that time.

(5) Excuse #5: There might be something wrong with the child and I do not know if I can handle it

I usually say, you are right but there are ways provided for you to handle it. If you are a CASA volunteer who finds yourself in over your head, there are others who are more experienced that can step in. If you are a foster parent who finds yourself in over your head, there are opportunities to change the child's level of care so that they can get the help they need. If you are a prospective adoptive parent, you will have the child in your home for six months (at a minimum) before the adoption will go through. I also hate to burst your bubble, but your natural born child can reject the morals and values he/she was raised under, and break your heart too. It is part of the sacrifice you make when you start to actually love by thinking of the other person's well being before your own. You may have to make some tough decisions that may include the child being outside of your home, but in some situations you can continue a relationship with the child even when you are unable to provide the forever home.

(6) Excuse #6: That is easy for you to say, you do not have children

I usually get this one when I have accidentally lost control of my tongue and said any of the what I really want to say in #1-5. I usually respond to this one with all honesty by saying, "You are right. I realize that if God blesses me with children, I am going to have the temptations to make any of these excuses about why I should not get involved. I can only thank God now that He has made it clear to me that it is a command, not an option, and it is His will. I also have to pray that if I do have children, God will guard me from the temptation to use any of the excuses for not getting involved. I also pray that if I ever stray from God's will in this matter, someone will have the courage to point out to me my sin. I may not take it well, I may be offended, but I still hope someone will point it out to me."

(7) Excuse #7: I am not called to do that kind of work

Yes, you are ... by God ... in the Bible. You are called to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. You are called to help the widow, orphan, fatherless, poor and oppressed. There are no exceptions given that I have found. You want to know God's will for your life? It says it in the scriptures by the type of things we are commanded to do. Stop waiting for a direct call, and start following commandments. It is as simple as that ... and often the direct call comes from the obedience.

I fully recognize that there are other places in scripture that I am not fully following the commands that God has laid out. However, I hope that I will not use the excuse, "That is not my calling." There are exceptions in Scripture for titles, but not lifestyles of obedience. I know there are areas I need to work on. I pray that I can stop making excuses in those areas. I also pray that I can continue to follow God's will in the areas I do recognize are part of His commandments, not suggestions.

The Problem with the Media

Something else I have been pondering about the scheduled Koran burning is that the media might be just as much at fault for putting the lives of Americans around the world in danger because of their treatment of the story. The burning is scheduled by a small church in Florida. If the media had not jumped on this story and made it much bigger than it probably would ever have been, I bet that very few, if any, lives would be in danger. Therefore, should this pastor decide to go through with his plan, and should someone around the world lose their life because of the decision, the media is at fault too for putting that person's life in danger. The persons committing the violence because of an idiotic display halfway around the world are also at fault, and should receive the blame as well. When idiots in Florida burn a book and idiots in the media cover the event, a person is not excused from responsibility for being an idiot that acts out in violence.

One final set of thoughts. I think that Christians need to be very wise before invoking certain American rights. This pastor has every right under the Constitution to do what he is planning to do. The Muslim community has every right to build a mosque at Ground Zero as well. However, just because we as Americans have the right to do something does not mean that we should do it. Christianity is supposed to be a peace loving religion just as some proponents of Islam state that it is a peace loving religion. However, Christians often take actions that do not promote peace. I am not suggesting peace at the expense of the gospel. There are going to be people who think that you are not promoting peace just because they do not recognize the gospel of Jesus Christ as true peace.

The church in Florida has an opportunity to promote true peace. By burning the Koran in such a public way, the church is Florida is being an example of hatred instead of love. I believe that this is just as unwise as certain Islamic leaders planning a mosque and Islamic cultural center so near to Ground Zero. Do both groups have every right to do what they are planning to do? Yes. Are both groups unwise for planning what they are planning? Definitely. One of the problems in the American church today is we want to talk about our individual rights too much. Just because we have the right to do something does not mean that it is wise to do it.

Two Completely Unrelated Things

(1) I have a new reason to watch The Biggest Loser this season. One of the contestants is a woman who was one of my really good friends in middle school and part of high school. You can read more about Sandy here. She lived within walking distance of my house, so I remember hanging out quite a bit. I hate the color pink, but I will be rooting for pink this season on The Biggest Loser! Sandy's brother, Mike, died this past spring just a few days after trying out for The Biggest Loser. His death was due to complications because of his weight. I hope that Sandy and Mike's story will encourage people to get up and get moving. So if you see any Facebook/Twitter posts pulling for pink, I have not lost my mind, but I am cheering Sandy on!

(2) It is probably unfair to include this in the same post since it is so completely unrelated. I do not usually write about things that are too written about on blogs, but I am making an exception for the Florida church. There are some things that strike me about the burning of the Koran in the Florida church. One of the things that struck me was covered here with some of the same thoughts I had about how it might not be smart to burn other people's religious books. Something else that I have been pondering is that this Florida church seems to be willing to risk other people's lives for what they think is the gospel instead of their own lives. It is no secret that certain Muslim zealots are willing to kill, riot, terrorize when someone does something offensive to a belief that they hold dear. There were murders, riots, and calls for death due to a cartoonist drawing a picture of Mohammed. This Florida church knows this. Yet this church is willing to risk the lives of others around the world because it wants to prove a point? What point it is exactly that they are trying to make anyway? We are called to risk our lives for the gospel, not the lives of others. Sometimes our actions for the sake of the gospel may put others at risk. New converts are often subject to persecution and therefore, conversion can result in a risk. However, this church is putting lives at risk without conversion, without risking their own lives, without actually taking the gospel where it needs to go.

Finally, if you have a heart for reaching the Islamic world for Christ, you are not going to do what is quite possibly the most offensive display towards the Muslim community in an effort to reach the community for Christ. We are called to love our enemies, not hate them. Burning the Koran is a sign of hate. I do not like to see millions/billions of people around the world deceived by the Koran, but that makes me pray for those who are sharing the gospel to Muslims around the world, or send money to missionaries in that part of the world, or research ways to share teh gospel with a Muslim, or show acts of love and mercy towards Muslims. Love would not lead you to burn the books just to be completely shut off from all opportunities to share the gospel because of your act of hatred.

I am slightly encouraged to see that the pastor is now "praying" about his decision due to the government attention that he has received and due to the counsel he is receiving from others in the Christian community. I sincerely hope and pray that he considers whether his church's actions are going to bring glory to God and further the spread of the gospel or hinder the spread of the gospel. I cannot think of how this act will spread the gospel. Instead I can only see how it can potentially endanger mission efforts around the world. I do trust that God can use this event to open conversations in mission efforts around the world and hopefully lead God's people to prayer and a commitment to spreading the gospel to those who are of the Muslim faith.

Where have all the ladies gone?

I am in the midst of a really difficult period at work, so I enjoy coming home to Netflix movies to escape. However, I am often disappointed at what I am seeing. Last night, the selection was The Break-Up. I knew that I probably would not like the movie, but I guess part of me hoped it would be funny. Plus, it was just PG-13, so how bad could it be? It was REALLY bad. The profanity was unbearable. What I noticed most as I watched it though was how unladylike Jennifer Aniston's character was as she cursed in almost every sentence. When did it become ok for women to use that type of language? Society used to believe that cursing was an indication of lower class or lack of class. Now it is accepted no matter the class. I find it completely unattractive. There are plenty of words to use in the English language without having to use vulgar words. Women (and men) have lost their creativity in speaking. Society becomes more and more disrespectful. People begin to lose respect for themselves and others.

On the flip side of this, I am learning that society begins to respect you more just because of your difference in speech when you choose not to curse. Women want equality in the workplace, but yet they put themselves on the same level as men by using foul language. Why not gain more respect by being more careful with words? It definitely gives the appearance of being more professional, and it is an easy thing to do. I have not even gotten into all of the religious reasons that words need to be spoken carefully. I will save that for another post on another day. For now, I will turn to faithful friends in books instead of vulgar movies. Maybe it is time to invest in a language filter for my TV too.

Randomness

Well, it has been a while since I posted, and there is so much good stuff to blog about the last few days. This might be a long one!

1. I am tired of hearing about Michael Jackson, but I cannot help but read/watch/listen to all the reports about him. I think that shows a problem with us Americans. We cannot help but be entertained by things going bad for someone, even if we are complaining about the focus on this part or that part of someone's life. I blame this on TV and soap operas and 24-hour news and America's obsession with celebrity. I am sure there are other things to blame it on as well.

2. News is morbid. You could tell that there were prearranged obituaries, tributes, news stories, etc. on the death of everyone that died in the past few days. It seems morbid that journalism departments teach to have obituaries ready for the famous. It makes sense, but it is morbid.

3. I love going out to the farm. It is only 40 minutes from Texarkana, and is really a game ranch where, in the winter, you can pay to hunt, but in the summer, it is a nice retreat from the city. I do not love the inevitable sunburn (even though I use sunscreen ... just apparently not quick enough on Saturday) from spending time there. Baby buffaloes and wading in the Red River were highlights of the trip. Getting stuck in the sand was not a highlight, although it is cool to watch boys try to fix the situation (and be successful at getting one truck out without a tractor). It is just nice to relax and get out of town instead of laying around on a Saturday.

4. Plexiglass is a good fix for a broken window on a Sunday. Sometime Saturday or Sunday, some punk(s) decided it would be nice to throw a concrete chunk through one of my windows. I did not realize this until Sunday after church. Fortunately, two guys were coming over for the afternoon, and were kind enough to tell me what needed to be bought to fix the window and to fix it for me. I watched and made no suggestions (or maybe only one or two ... not many because I knew nothing about what was going on or should go on!). I held the wood while they did there thing once or twice without offering commentary or complaints. The end result is a plexiglass pane in the old frame for a total cost of $41 to repair (because we bought two tubes of sealant and a whole pack of finishing and siding nails even though very few were needed ... really was around $30 for the window and one tube of sealant). I am very grateful to have people around that can fix things like that for me!

5. My Pitchmen post seems kind of ironic now that Billy Mays has died. I do not think his death would have been as big a story as it was if Ed McMahon, Farrah Faucett and Michael Jackson had not died before him.

6. The sunburn from Saturday and spending all day Sunday in the heat watching my window get repaired left me dehydrated and sick. Instead of being able to take a sick day and rehydrate myself, I had to go to court yesterday. It was the sickest I have been in court to date. I was feeling horrible, but still had to put on a good front to be professional. Despite all of that, I won the hearing. Not because of any good lawyering on my part but because I was smart enough to point out enough law in my questioning for the judge to hang his hat on to keep from being overturned on appeal. It was not about the presentation yesterday as much as about knowing and demonstrating the law to the court. The worst part ... I did not get out of court until around 5:30.

7. If I do not slow down over the next two days, I am really going to be sick. I have succeeded in rehydrating (it seems), but now I just need to get over the nausea that goes along with sunburns + heat exposure.

8. I received my new custom stationery today. I am so excited about it that I wrote a random note to someone just so that I could send out one of the cards. If you receive a random card from me in the next few weeks, it is probably because I am excited about my stationery.

9. I had a random visit from a cousin I have not seen in over 10 years last week. It was nice to see her, but it added to the randomness of the week. Now that she has my phone number, maybe I will get to see her more. Anytime she comes to Texas, she has to pass through Texarkana, so why not stop in to see me!

10. Yesterday before I was rehydrated, I was boiling because of the sunburn. Today, after rehydrating, I am cold despite the heat radiating off the sunburn. I do not like my internal temperature to be out of whack!

Well there are my random thoughts/events from the past week. I even had to blog about Michael Jackson, adding to the oversaturated coverage of his death. I guess I am showing I am a true American in time for celebration of the 4th!

Random Thought #34

I figured out that I get really, really, really cranky if I do not eat lunch by 2:00 p.m. A deposition today prevented me from eating until 3:00 p.m. Fortunately, Merfeld's Bread Co. near our office now stays open until 5:00 p.m. so I could have a lunch that was not greasy or fried to help out with the crankiness.

Irony?

Here is one of the headlines on the New Orleans Times Picayune blog today:

"C-Murder joins with ministers to announce anti-violence initiatives"

There is a whole lot more to the story (including C-Murder's own pending trial for ... wait for it ... murder), but wouldn't you think that you would start with something like changing your name? I mean who is really going to take someone who is currently under house arrest pending trial on murder charges and goes by the nickname C-Murder seriously on anti-crime initiatives? I am sure it was a little "do as I say, not as I do" or just an attempt to show the potential jurors that he really is against crime instead of engaged in it. He sure did clean up for the part looking a little Malcolm X-esk in the picture (although I am not sure I would want to portray someone who supported a violent approach instead of peaceful approach, but that is just me) instead of his typical rapper appearance. I, for one, do not buy the act.

The Pet Bee

Last night I was sitting on my couch watching American Idol calmly with the dog running about when two friends came over. One friend had some sort of bug tied on a string that was flying around, and needless to say, I also started flying around the house. Turns out he had a "pet bumblebee." The dog went crazy, I went crazy, he thought it was funny to chase me around, and the bee was thankfully injured. The bee was tied to a string so that it could still fly around but the string also acted as a leash. I kicked the bee out of the house, and later the bee succumbed to its injuries. I think that I will be investing in a fly swatter to deal with any future pet bees. This is what I get for hanging out with college aged boys too much.

Random Thought #24

Why do boys (including grown men) think it is ok to go to the bathroom without washing their hands? It is not ok for anyone to go to the bathroom without washing their hands. Ever. Period. It grosses me out to think that others do not share my same opinions.

Inauguration Thoughts

Although these probably qualify as random thoughts, I am having them because of the inauguration, so they are labeled accordingly.

1. How fortunate we are as a nation that the transition of power is peaceful! Even though I did not vote for the incoming president, I am not planning any revolts or riots. Most people like me are not either. For that, we as a nation should be thankful!
   
2. The CNN/Facebook live coverage thing is very cool since I do not have a TV in my office … yet.
   
3. I am thinking it might be nearing the time when I should consider investing in a TV for my office. I have the cable hook-up, so all that is lacking is the TV. It would come in handy during football season and March Madness … and history making moments such as today.
   
4. I am re-thinking some of my wishes to be in politics … mainly because it looks really cold to go stand/sit to watch the inauguration.
   
5. President Clinton looks really old and has a bald spot on the back of his head … and I am sure he is going to enjoy the next few years given that Hillary accepted an appointment that is going to keep her away on business for extended periods. On the other hand, Hillary looks so young that she must have had some work done … unnaturally young.
   
6. I probably should be working away, but I cannot help but watch the coverage. Looks like I will be working through lunch instead.
   
7. I am so glad that my kids in New Orleans will never have to think ever again that they cannot be president just because of the color of their skin.
   
8. First President Bush has a House cane – pretty cool.
   
9. When the presidents started coming in, I completely gave up on work for a while … then I resized my other windows so that I can pretend to do work while watching.
   
10. Does a former president get to hear "Hail to the Chief" once he is no longer the chief? I guess not since that would not make sense when he is no longer chief.
    
11. Obama's girls are precious!
    
12. I like the introduction to the whole ceremonies better than the inaugural address.
    
13. I felt a sense of pride when I listened to the oath of office. It is amazing to watch history happen.
    
14. I did not like the inaugural address. It sounded too socialist (subtly of course) at times, and it did not give a nod to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I think that a slight little nod in King's direction was necessary to make a good speech great. Thank you coordinator of ceremonies for doing what the president did not have the courage to do.
    
15. Sometimes I wonder about all of the mentions of God that occur and whether we are taking God's name in vain. I am glad that Rick Warran was courageous enough to pray in Jesus' name.
    
16. I do not want "our common humanity" to "reveal itself" – humans are corrupt by nature, and a common humanity would accentuate that corruptness even more than it already is. I want God's common grace to reveal itself as a restraint upon our common humanity.
    
17. Last criticism of Obama's speech – misuse of Scripture. I cannot stand it when anyone misuses Scripture. Another thing that makes the speech not great.
    
18. I don't think I like poetry.
    
19. Although the CNN feed started out good, it ended up bad. At least there is something for them to work on in the next few years.
    
20. At least today is a reminder of how much and how often we should be praying for our leaders, and not just on inauguration day.

Update: I had one last thought that I forgot to post. I want Scalia's hat. That is the most awesome fashion accessory of the whole day. I am probably in a small minority on that one.

Computers - Necessary Evil

I hate my work computer. It does not matter that they bought a brand new one a few months ago, my computer at work seems to have the same problems as the old one. My computer never likes to log on to the server, which is unfortunate since everything is on our server. Yesterday, my computer decided it was a good idea to let some malicious software attach to it, and conveniently it is software that does not want to be removed. Therefore, my computer had to be taken today to the tech people's office (small firms are too small to hire tech guys full time), and it is unknown when I will see my machine again. Fortunately I purchased a laptop not long ago that is able to connect wirelessly to our server. Unfortunately, my server address does not like any computer, and I have been able to write an entire blog while waiting for it to long on ... and it is still going with no indication of connecting anytime soon. Now there is just more work for me to make up!!!

It’s Nice to be Nice

Brother Martin, long time director of the Carver Center in New Orleans, would walk around saying, "It's nice to be nice" over and over again to the kids. I have taken this same phrase and each year teach it to a new group of little league basketball players lucky enough to be chosen for my team J. I think that I need to start doing the same thing with lawyers from two of the three largest cities that are within three hours of Texarkana. Niceness and professional courtesy go a long way in the legal field, but lawyers from the two large cities (and not the closest one to Texarkana out of the three) seem to have forgotten that it is nice to be nice. Fortunately they also forget to take their big city attitude out of letters in small town cases, and although judges might be impressed with the attorney's knowledge of the rules and rudeness in the big city, judges outside of the big city fortunately do not share the same view. That is another reason that these lawyers should learn that it is nice to be nice – I am more worried about my letters being read by a judge than an attorney, and I write my letters accordingly. Over the past few days our office has received a few that we cannot wait to show a judge!

Random Thought #13

I had the desire to send this link to someone in our office who shall remain nameless, but is not an attorney and who yelled at me this morning. The person really needs to read it though so that maybe the handwriting on the wall can be seen.

The BCS

I am not a fan of the BCS system, but like so many other things in life, it almost seems like the best of the evil systems. Even worse than the evil of the BCS system is the unending chatter by sports commentators about the evils of the BCS system. I do not like a system that encourages teams to run up the score to get "style" points that raise their rankings in the other polls just to result in a higher BCS standing. The system is also prejudiced against those teams with late season losses as opposed to early losses. Both Texas and OU will be looking to run up the score on A & M and OSU because of the much needed BCS points. Even though I am a Texas fan, and I realize that it is when Texas is high and A & M is low that A & M tends to pose the biggest threat, I am hoping that Texas does not run up the score. However, I will be cheering for them to because I want to see them in the national championship game. I do not like cheering on unsportsmanlike conduct, but I do not want to see Bob Stoops in another national championship game. The commentators talking about all of the BCS scenarios are annoying. I want the system to end not just because of its own evils, but because it will give the commentators one less thing to talk about.

Random Thought #8

I wasted my 200^th post on a random thought. And now I have wasted 201.

National News?

Is this really national news worthy? I really cannot believe that it is the headline story (the one with the main photo) right now on Fox News. Evidently the nation does not know how seriously we take our football, and sometimes our pep rallies, in Texas!

Really Random Thought # 3

Most weddings cost thousands of dollars. Most divorces cost at least a thousand dollars. A marriage can be dissolved in a matter of minutes. A divorce proceeding usually lasts less than ten minutes from start to finish. During that ten minutes, a judge decides what is in the best interest of a couple he has not met and a child that he barely knows the name of. Contested custody is worse. The parents leave it up to a judge that has never met the child to decide what is in the best interest of the child because the parents aren't capable. Sad.

Pictures from my storm damage

Here you go mom (and anyone else who wants to see). This is what is left of my carport. I still do not have electricity and I still have a downed line in my backyard and on my carport that is live/hot. And I have tried to call the electric company the past two days to report the downed line since it is a huge safety hazard (and therefore not able to be reported online), and have gotten nothing but a busy signal. So, if you are in the area, stay out of my backyard and do not touch the carport because I don't want to find any fried bodies when I get home!

The Holy Land Experience

Are you kidding me? I wonder how much that cost to build. TBN never ceases to surprise me. I also wonder how many missionaries could have been sent to the world so that people can experience the new Jerusalem instead of a recreated old Jerusalem.