Monday Morning Musings

Happy President's Day. I almost forgot it was a holiday. I liked it better when we celebrated Washington's birthday and Lincoln's birthday on separate days. It gave us an opportunity to remember the contributions each made to our country. Here are some interesting facts about George Washington.

Now that the frigid weather has gone away here in Texas, I took the opportunity to get my plants out for some fresh air and sunshine. My daughter and her husband came to help with that and some other chores, and we had a great time working together. Even my dog, Poppy, wanted to help.

These are only a few of the plants that "wintered" in my sun room.

Two big debates are going on in Texas right now - legalizing marijuana and the fallout from the Missouri football player, Michael Sam, stepping out of the closet. Dale Hansen, a Dallas sports announcer, came out in his own way in support of Michael Sam, defending the young man's right to play ball and not be banned because of his sexuality.

Response to Hansen was immediate and viral, with a mix of positive and negative. What bothers me is the tone of the negatives, spoken or written with strong does of "disgust" and "fear". One letter to the editor in the Dallas Morning News asked how Hansen, a heterosexual, might feel "in the shower with a homosexual man."

I guess that is a fair question if you think every gay man is always looking for the next sexual encounter. But wouldn't the football players have a lot more on their minds than that?

The fear and disgust associated with homosexuality have influenced public thinking for centuries, and it is past time for the focus to stop being on sexual intimacy. I don't care what gay men and gay women do behind their bedroom doors, nor do I care what straight men and women do. Maybe if we stop obsessing about that, we will discover we have nothing to fear from our gay neighbors or coworkers.

Regarding the "Reefer Madness", Mark Davis, a Dallas Morning News columnist came out strong against legalizing marijuana, challenging readers to name one, just one, "societal benefit" that could come from legalization. The readers didn't disappoint and here are just a few:

Legal markets eliminate the violence associated with the illegal sale of drugs.
Legal markets could be controlled for safety.
Legal markets generate tax revenue.
Legal markets greatly reduce prison populations and allow police to focus on more serious crimes.

And I will add one of my own. Legal markets make it easier for people to purchase marijuana for medicinal purposes. People I know who have suffered terribly during cancer treatment were forced to break the law for relief. That should not have to happen.

What do you think about legalizing the sale of marijuana? Did you know it is not as addictive as alcohol? The Committee on Drugs ranked marijuana 8th.  on the list of most dangerous drugs. More facts can be found via the Drug Policy Forum of Texas.

Friday's Odds and Ends

Columnist Mark Davis recently wrote, "Nothing tickles me like complaints that American presidential campaigns are too long. People start running early because we start paying attention early."

He goes on to highlight what he terms "compelling story lines" about the different contenders and their current standings, as well as their chances of capturing the nomination.

Memo to Mark: If journalists would stop writing about all the political maneuvering we could pay attention to something more newsworthy.

It saddened me to read another story in The Dallas Morning News this week about a student who was tied to a chair and then assaulted in a Dallas area middle school. Again, a teacher was in the classroom, but did nothing to stop the assault. The incident is still under investigation, but the Dallas ISD has put that substitute teacher on a do-not-call list.

An eight-year-old girl in San Francisco who competes in beauty pageants lets her mother inject Botox in her lips and cheeks, because she "… like, doesn't like big wrinkles."

Eight, and she thinks she has wrinkles? I should invite her to my house.

But seriously, this mother also waxes the girl's legs to give her an edge in the beauty pageants. Talk about misplaced priorities.

Some people predict that tomorrow the world will end. I sure hope not. I have a vacation planned to visit family in Michigan, with a few appearances at bookstores during the trip.

On Monday, May 23, I will be at The Book Rack in Moline, IL from 12 to 2 in the afternoon.  I've never been to this store before, but the owner, Bob, was very receptive to having me there, and I am looking forward to meeting some of the people who visit his store on a regular basis. The store is located at 3937 41st. Drive. (Just in case you want to enter that into your GPS and find the store. LOL) While I'm in Moline, I will go by the library and donate copies of my books. 

On May 28th I will be at Horizon Books in Cadillac, MI from 1-3pm. My family lives near Cadillac, so I have been to this store several times and always enjoy going back. They have a nice coffee shop and a wide selection of books. They also have a wonderful staff that always makes me feel very welcome. The store is located on 115 S. Mitchell St.  

The nice people at Aunt Agatha's Mystery Bookstore in Ann Arbor, MI, are buying several copies of OPEN SEASON, and I will stop by to sign them while I am there. I didn't find out that I would be stopping in Ann Arbor in time to set up an event, but one of the owners, Jamie, was gracious enough to arrange to have books in the store. 

Next I will be at Howard's Bookstore in Bloomington IN on June 2 from 6-9pm. I have never been to this store, either, so I am looking forward to meeting the owner, Joie Canada. She was most helpful in arranging the time to fit my driving schedule, as well as giving me a contact person at the local newspaper for a press release.  Howard's is located at 101 West Kirkwood Ave.

If you live near any of these stores, I would love it if you came by so we could meet. I have met so many terrific people on the Internet, and it is always fun to meet in person.  If you have friends or family in the areas, I would appreciate it if you let them know.

While I'm gone, there will still be new posts up on the regular schedule - if Blogger cooperates with my pre-scheduling. I will have limited Internet access where I will be staying most of the time, so I won't be able to comment here or visit the blogs I normally do. But I'm sure the Internet will carry on just fine without me.

I just got the cover art for One Small Victory which will be released in Turkey within the next two weeks. Thought I would share it now. My first foreign sale. I think my name will be the only thing in English.

I keep thinking I am done with this blog, then I get another e-mail with a link worth sharing. Jenny Jasik, the central character in One Small Victory has been interviewed on Paula Petty's blog, Petty's Coppers. She features interviews with fictional police officers and other crime-solving characters, and there have been some interesting folks featured there. Stop by and meet Jenny if you get a chance.