Monday Morning Musings

I hope everyone had a terrific weekend. Mine was spent at the East Texas Book Fest where I connected with some of my author friends, met some new ones, and chatted with visitors about how much fun it is to read. There is a real passion on both sides of the book, and I find it quite energizing to talk to someone who can get so lost in a good story that everything else is blotted out. That's the way it is for us who put the words on the paper. If we did not have that same passion for story, the words would be nothing but dark smudges on white paper.

There was a reception for the authors the evening before, which was a good excuse for wearing something nicer than my jeans and tee-shirt; my normal attire here at Grandma's Ranch.

What I'm Reading: Sarnia, historical fiction set first in London then on the isle of Guernsey. It is set in the Regency era, but has little of the lightheartedness of most Regency novels and is closer to a gothic. The book was written by a man using a feminine pen name, and I think he did a credible job writing from a female POV.

What I'm Dismayed About: Much is being said in the media about Texas Governor Rick Perry's new serious look. He has glasses with black frames that make him look more studious than country hick, and word is the new image is to help with another run at the presidency. Please, Mr. Perry, don't do it. Stay home and tend to Texas business and answer to your two felony indictments for abuse of power.

What I'm Happy About: My wonderful daughter-in-law, Corina, who is celebrating her birthday today. She has been such a wonderful gift to our family, the perfect partner for my son, Michael, and a terrific mom to their two girls. Happy birthday, Corina.

Now for a Joke or Two:  A nursery school teacher was delivering a van full of kids home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian. The children started  discussing the dog's duties.

      "They use him to keep crowds back," said one.
     
      "No," said another, he's just for good luck.
     
      A third child brought the argument to a close.  "They use the dog's,"  she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrant."

A grumpy old gentleman in a crowded restaurant was compelled to sit, much against his will, next to the orchestra. He stared at the orchestra leader as a loud jazz selection came to an end. The annoyed patron snorted, and then asked, "Would you be so kind as to play something by request?"
     
      The leader bowed again and beamed. "Certainly," he replied, "anything you like, sir."
     
      "Then," snapped the patron, "please be good enough to play a game of checkers while I finish my meal."

So how was your weekend? Anything good happen you'd like to share?

Monday Morning Musings

In keeping with my theme of celebrating strong women, I want to acknowledge the birthday of Althea Gibson. An American tennis player and professional golfer, she was born in South Carolina on August 25, 1927 and was the first black athlete of either gender to cross the color line of international tennis. In 1956 she became the first person of color to win a Grand Slam title. Wikipedia 

 

Courtesy of the Womenscouncil.org

WHAT I'M READING: Live Free or Die by Max Gordon for review this next Sunday. It just happens to have a strong female protagonist, and the way she's introduced in the opening scene makes her very real and memorable. 

WHAT I'M LAUGHING AT: Myself. I reached into the bathroom cabinet for the hair spray this morning and grabbed the wrong bottle. 

 

WHAT I'M DISMAYED ABOUT: The ongoing genocide in Iraq. Romeo Dallaire, who was the United Nations Force commander for the U.N. Assistance Mission to Rwanda in 1994, wrote an article that first appeared in The Washington Post and was published yesterday in The Dallas Morning News that expressed his concerns over the parallel between what happened there and what is happening now in Iraq. "Children are being used as fighters and weapons of war. And still, the world does little to stop it."

 

Children are also targets of the violence as the Islamic State forces attack markets, cafes, schools, places of worship and playgrounds. The long-range impact of what is happening to these children on both sides of the battleground is tremendous, not just measured in loss of life, but the emotional and psychological damage as well. For more on the subject, Dallaire's article is well worth the read.

I also have to add that I am dismayed about Governor Good Hair, that's Rick Perry for those of you not familiar with his nickname. My son in Austin says most people call him that. Anyway, he says he is not going to run for president in 2016, yet where was he this past Tuesday? In New Hampshire. Isn't that one of the states potential candidates visit to test the political waters?

During the demonstrations in Ferguson, MO this past Wednesday, protestors were chanting, "Time to kill a cop." How sad. More violence is not going to bring back that young man who was shot.

AND NOW JUST FOR FUN: This is from the comic strip, Shoe. Roz is serving coffee to her friend, Doreen and says, "You know, Doreen. After all these years I still have a photgraphic memory."

 

In the next panel Roz says, "Sigh! I just don't have same-day processing any more." 

And this from Zits: Mom and Dad are carrying picnic items into a clearing in the woods. Jeremy is carrying  several electronic devices under one arm, with the plugs in his other hand. He says, "What kind of stupid place is this for a picnic??"

Monday Morning Musings

So, Governor Good-Hair as we sometimes refer to our esteemed Texas governor, has done it again. Rick Perry recently vetoed two bipartisan ethics bills and rescinded state funding for the prosecutors unit that is investigating his cancer research fund. 

In an article in The Dallas Morning News written by Christy Hoppe and Robert T Garrett of the Austin Bureau, Craig McDonald of Texans for Public Justice was quoted as saying, "Perry's office is an ethical black hole. Ethics reform goes in. Nothing comes out."

That is one black hole that needs to be closed up.
 

Perry also vetoed a bill that dealt with equal pay for women, saying that women have enough recourse in the Federal government for equal pay issues.

Umm, right. Like that is really working.

I think Perry's hair interfered with his brain when he vetored those bills, as well as one that dealt with truancy. A bill to put the responsibility on school districts to find ways to improve attendance among truant students before pursuing criminal charges was passed by the House, but Perry shot it down. Under the current program school districts can refer a student to court after three unexcused absences, and Texas is one of only two states in the country that prosecute truancy cases in adult court.

Really? What about family court? As any teacher and he or she can tell you that the number one problem with truancy starts on the home front. 

On the topic of NSA secret-leaker Edward Snowden, Dallas Morning News columnist, Jacquielynn Floyd, says that we do need to be concerned about what Snowden is possibly doing in China and how that affects our national security. However, she also says we need a serious discussion about "...balancing personal privacy and national security. And in that discussion we should all get to participate."

All in favor, raise your hands.

Yesterday I received one of those messages that authors just love to stumble across in their e-mail inbox. A reader contacted me to say how much she loved Boxes For Beds, my new historical mystery. In fact, she said she readthe book twice, and at first I thought she was the same person who had said that in a recent review on Amazon, but turns out she is not. To get that kind of affirmation for my work is such a thrill, but it is also very humbling because I know there are few books that I like well enough to read more than once. I am always so eager to get on to the next fictional adventure, I don't often go back to previous ones. I imagine that most readers are like that, too, so it means a lot to know that at least two people have liked the story well enough to give it a second read.

That's it for me for today. Leave a comment if you are so inclined and let me know what you are musing about on this Monday.

Monday Morning Musings

Timothy Hallinan, a terrific author whom I discovered when I read and reviewed Breathing Water, has just received some good news about his latest, The Fear Artist. The book was chosen one of the Best Crime Novels of 2012 by Deadly Pleasures Magazine.The Fear Artist continues the Poke Rafferty series that just keeps getting better and better.

Congrats to Tim!

"Governor Goodhair", as some people refer to Texas Governor Rick Perry, is fostering another proposal that doesn't seem to be in the best interests of higher education. He proposes to cut funding for universities that are not graduating their students. That is just as bad as rating teacher's based on the student's test scores. Granted, the teachers and the educational institutions do have a responsibility to make sure that the learning environment is healthy and supportive, the staff committed and qualified. However, to put the full responsibility for outcomes on their shoulders is a huge disservice.

Students make poor choices all the time that affect their success, or lack of success. Parents make choices all the time that either help or hinder the ability of their children to succeed.

To punish the teachers or the schools does not seem like the right thing to do.

I do hope you will come back on Wednesday. I have a special guest, Mary Deal, who shares the pages of 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror with me. She has also written a thriller,  Down to the Needle, about a woman’s search for her abducted child. Could her daughter be that woman on death row?

Wednesday is also the day for the Did I Notice Your Book blogfest hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh and  Ciara Knight. There is still time to sign up to participate in the blogfest and you can do that at either blog. Here are some of the specifics:

Did I Notice Your Book Blogfest, October 17, 2012
Post about a book you’ve noticed.

You can choose a book that you’ve read, something you saw on a blog or social media site, Goodreads, or a sales website. Anything that caught your eye because of a great cover, blurb or reviews, but DON’T tell the author that their book has been noticed. Instead, shout out on social media sites, and encourage others to do the same, until the author finds his/her book.

Leave a blog comment at Ninja Captain Alex or Ciara Knight when the author finds their book.

Only two rules:
1) You can’t post about your own book.
2) The book shouldn’t be on the New York Times or USA Today bestseller list. This is your chance to shout out about a book that might not have been noticed by others.

Friday Odds and Ends

Texas Gov. Rick Perry either had a recent meltdown, or he truly believes that the doctrine of the separation of church and state is a myth devised by Satan to drive Christians from public life. He also said, "American families are under siege and that Christian Warriors must defend the nation against secular attack."

Separation of chrch and state has often been misinterpreted and misused, depending on who was touting it. Athiests have said that it means there should be no mention of a God, or higher power, or religion in schools, governement offices, courts or any other place where it might offend someone. People of faiths other than Christianity have lobbied so no mention of Jesus or any holiday associated with Jesus can take place in a public venue that might be construed as government sanctioned.

What most people forget is that Thomas Jefferson first invoked the separation of church and state to assure a group of Baptists in Connecticut that the state's Congregationalist majority could not use government to impose its religious views on everybody else.

Think about what that means. It is not that we can't practice our religion. It is not that we can't have prayer in school. It simply means that the government cannot tell us what kind of religion we should practice.

On a professional note, I have recently received two wonderful reviews for my next release, Stalking Season, which is the second book in the Seasons Series that began with Open Season. The first review is from Kirkus: "So deftly plotted and paced that, although it’s certainly possible to grow impatient with the protagonists’ unwarranted impatience toward each other, they’re appealing enough to keep the pages turning."

Publishers Weekly  gave the book a starred review: “ . . . gripping second mystery featuring Dallas, Tex., police detectives Sarah Kingsly and Angel Johnson. . . . The relationship between the women is just as absorbing as the search for the killer. Few readers will anticipate the closing twist.”

I must say that I am blown away by these reviews. I remember getting so excited when I saw this type for one of my favorite authors and thinking, "how great." It is so hard to get my head around the fact that the reviews are for my book. So I thank the kind folks at Kirkus and PW for giving me such a wonderful gift. 

The book releases November 14th, but is available for pre-order, and you can request your local library to order a copy, or two, or three. (smile)

Now here's a funny from Non Sequitur:

Two men are sitting at a bar and one asks, "Why can't anyone running for office ever be honest about what they really stand for and what they intend to do?"

On the bar television a politician is saying, "I stand firmly on any divisive issue we can't do anything about to keep you distracted from the fortune I rake in from lobbyists for doing nothing."

To that the first man replies, "Geesh, I'd never vote for that guy..."

The second man says, "Which answers your questuon."

Friday's Odds and Ends

Rick Perry dropped his campaign for the Republican nomination for president. I couldn't help but wonder at the timing of the announcement. It was just before the debate yesterday. Had he forgotten to prepare?

And what did you think of Newt's rant against the press? In last night's debate, CNN moderator John King directed the first question to Gingrich, asking him if it was true — as Gingrich’s former wife alleged in an interview with ABC News — that he asked for an open marriage in the late 1990s.

 “I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that,” Gingrich said. “Every person in here knows personal pain. Every person in here has had someone close to them go through painful things. To take an ex-wife and make it two days before the primary a significant question for a presidential campaign is as close to despicable as anything I can imagine.”

I'm not a fan of Gingrich, but I do agree that the media has crossed so many lines they have virtually been erased. Shame on the reporters and broadcasters who just keep filling the airwaves with junk and sensationalist.  A full story about the debate is online at Poltico.com

Some interesting predictions from Gopher Central:

In a story from the BBC two prominent futurologists take some shots at what the world will be like in 100 years. Following are their 10 most likely predictions.

1. Oceans will be extensively farmed and not just for fish.

We will need to feed 10 billion people and nature can't keep up with demand, so we will need much more ocean farming for fish. But algae farming is also on the way for renewable energy.

2. We will have the ability to communicate through thought transmission.

Transmission will be just as easy as other forms of brain augmentation. Picking up thoughts and relaying them to another brain will not be much harder than storing them on the net.

I found this second one most interesting. When my twins were young, I think they communicated telepathically.  Maybe they still do.

One of the things I decided to do this year is read books that have sat on my bookshelf forever. Well, not really forever since books haven't been around since the beginning of time. But you get my drift. Those of us who love to read have books tumbling out of shelves and falling off of tables or sitting in boxes, just waiting for us to get to them.

Yesterday, I started reading Spartina by John Casey. I don't even know how long I have had this book, but I bought it because it won the National Book Award in 1989. The edition I have was published in 1998. I almost donated the book to a local garage sale, but stopped. I bought the book for a reason, I might as well read it before I give it away.

I'm so glad I did. I am only a few chapters into the story, but I can already see why it won the award. It has wonderful descriptions, characterizations, and lines such as:  ...they waded through the clear water, stirring the bright sand, a little school of nice-looking people in bright clothes and bare legs... smiles and words as quick and simultaneous as a school of minnows."

Casey was describing a group of rich vacationers who had come for a clambake and weren't really connecting as people. They were too busy with the patter and chatter of people intent on being part of the group and making sure they said all the right things.

Friday's Odds and Ends

The Iowa caucuses are behind us and the candidates are off to New Hampshire, the place where Texas Governor Rick Perry said real Republicans live. Huh??? Who did he think all those people were that voted in the Republican caucuses in Iowa? Democrats?

Here's what William River Pitt has to say about Iowa and the people there in his op-ed piece for Truthout.

In the annals of mindless criminal behavior, this one is a doozy. An hour after burglarizing a store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,  three suspects and another teen posted pictures of themselves with the money and items they stole on Facebook. their bounty on Facebook. In the pictures, the teens proudly display what they took, holding up bundles of cash and posing by boxes of candy and cigarettes. Apparently a family member of one of the burglars tipped off police that the images were up on the social media site, and the burglars were caught. 

Another bizzare incident involved a Pennsylvania couple who were charged with having sex on a city bus, while a friend held their infant daughter. This apparently happened last August and the couple was charged with indecent exposure. They have recently pleaded guilty to settle the case.

Maybe these folks should go see the Wizard with Dorothy and ask for a brain.

If that isn't bizzare enough, how about the woman who was paid to overeat? Donna Simpson, a 44-year-old mother of two was a star in the fantasy fetish community that worshiped overweight people and overeating. Simpson had a website where men paid $19 a month to watch her eat. She became a bit of a celebrity in British newspapers and often flew around the world for various events.  According to the news report I read, she has shut down the website and is now trying to lose weight. That's the good news. The bad news is the fact that she did this for so long, thinking it was perfectly normal.  And what is normal about the men who paid to watch her eat?

Ending a little closer to home, and hopefully on a note that is much more normal, I am now the proud owner of four Rhode Island Red chickens. Did you know the best time to move chickens is at night? I didn't until my neighbor, who sold me the chickens, told me to come after dark to get them. The inherent challenge in that was to get them in the coop in the darkness that is so complete out here in the country you can't see a thing until the moon comes up. And if the moon is just a sliver, or there is a bank of clouds overhead, good luck with that. We had to park one of the trucks facing the barn with the lights on so we could find the coop in the corner of the barn.

My neighbor and her nephew came with me to help get the chickens in, along with water and feed. Poor girls were so scared they didn't even go up to the roost. They just huddled in the corner on the ground, which is where they were this morning when I went out. It didn't help that our dog considered them intruders on the territory and commenced barking at them. When introducing Poppy to new kittens or cats, I bring them all in the house and show Poppy that the cat belongs here. I'm not sure that is something I want to try to acclimate her to the chickens.

It was suggested that I leave the chickens in the coop for a few days until they get over the trauma of being moved and get used to the new place, so that is what I plan to do. Maybe those few days will be enough for Poppy to figure out that the chickens belong and will stop barking at them. I doubt they will give me any eggs if they are terrified of this big dog.

Friday's Odds and Ends

Heaven help us, we have twelve more months of campaigning that brings out such wonderful points for voters to consider such as this from the recent GOP debate:

Rick Santorum: Mitt, you're a lying hypocrite and I'm the only one here who cars about family.

Herman Cain: Nine apples, nine oranges, nine lives, whatever.

Mitt Romney: Shut up. I won already.

Rick Perry: I hate your guts, Mr. Vitalis, and I'm gonna take you down.

Newt Gingrich: Yadda-yadda-yadda. You're all stupid.

Michelle Bachman: I will hunt Mexicans with predator drones and Barack Obama's cake is cooked.

Before people start objecting because I took these out of context, of course, you are right. It's not fair to just pull out the gaffes. Every great once in a while the candidates did say something related to an actual issue facing our country, but the fact that these candidates would reduce so much of the debate to snark should make us pause.

Why do we have to be so stridently divided?

And would somebody remind the candidates what the definition of "debate" is.

And would one candidate actually give a direct answer to a question instead of a sound-bite.

Texas Ranger's fans, don't beat up on Nelson Cruz for the mistake he made in not playing deep enough to catch that ball in the bottom of the 11th inning. I'm sure he has plenty of self-inflicted lashes, and he needs to know the team and the fans are okay with him. It was a mistake, let's get over it and go into game seven with a positive attitude.

After being missing for three months a little Jack Russell Terrier was reunited Thursday with owner Jim Arrighi in Erin, TN. The dog had disappeared from the owners yard and was found 500 miles north in a suburb of Detroit. A homeowner in Rochester Hills, about 20 miles north of Detroit, saw Petey last week in his backyard and took him to a Humane Society animal care center. Arrighi was identified as the owner when the dog was scanned for an implanted microchip. Story and photo HERE

Friday's Odds and Ends

In Texas, the Sons of Confederate Veterans want to have a license plate commemorating their part in the Civil War; a request that has raised all kinds of responses, most of them negative, and some downright strident. I will admit that I was agreeing with most of the negative, and even some of the strident reasons why there should not be something with the symbol of the confederate flag. That symbol evokes so many painful reminders for so many people.

However, after reading a column by Texas Land Commissioner, Jerry Patterson, I am rethinking my opinion. Not sure I am going to change my mind, but at least I am open to reconsidering based on the fact that the purpose of the plate is not to glorify the bad things about the Confederacy, but to honor the men who fought, believing in their cause.

Patterson also mentioned that throughout history soldiers have fought and died for causes that were not completely honorable. He used the example of the Buffalo Soldiers who served with great distinction in Texas after the Civil War. Part of their mission was to control the Indian population, eventually moving many to reservations. That is not a part of our history that we are proud of, but we can still honor the men who did their duty.

Patterson states that "In the end, offensive behavior can be found throughout history if you are looking to be offended. There is no statutory protection against being offended. Actually, it's the privilege of every American to be offended."

Texas Governor Rick Perry's wife, Anita, said recently that she can empathize with the unemployed because her son had to resign from his banking job to work on the campaign.

Huh?

The only difference between loan sharks and short-term-lenders is that most people who borrow from the latter, don't have to worry about getting their legs broken if they don't pay the debt. However, they do have to worry about getting sucked into a vicious circle of unending debt. According to a report in The Dallas Morning News, the fees on a loan of $4,000 can be as high as $1,000 a month.

I had to read that twice to make sure it wasn't a misprint. Talk about usury. And the greatest travesty is that the companies that provide these short-term and auto-title lenders have seen record profits in the past few years, while their "victims" lose everything trying to pay off the loans.

Friday's Odds and Ends

I never thought I would find myself defending Rick Perry, but I have to agree with a recent column by Steve Chapman who said Perry's mandate that all teen girls in Texas get the HPV vaccine was the right call. Michelle Bachmann, and others, have taken Perry to task saying that making the vaccine mandatory was wrong.

Chapman, who is often a voice of reason when it comes to heated public debate that is more rant than true debate, points out that this is really no different than other vaccines that are mandated by law. Yes, it has that sexual connection since HPV is transmitted via sexual activity, and that is what Chapman thinks has stirred more of the controversy than necessary. To be effective, the vaccine has to be given before sexual activity begins, and, as we all know, that is starting at younger and younger ages.

As many as 20 million people are thought to have an active HPV infection at any given time, and as many as 5.5 million new cases of genital HPV infection occur in the United States each year. Most men and women — about 80 percent of sexually active people — are infected with HPV at some point in their lives, but most people never know they have the virus. It makes sense to have protection when protection is so readily available.

Just to show that the government does get it right sometimes, in a recent session of Congress members of both parties approved legislation to help states get charter schools up and running. Part of the legislation provides access to federal funding for planning and establishing the schools.

Good for us, and good for the young people who will benefit.

I usually end on a positive and upbeat note, but this will be an exception. It has now been a week since two of our cats disappeared, and we doubt that either will come back. Many of my readers have been introduced to John and Orca through previous blog posts and enjoyed their stories. Out here in the country the life-span of a cat can be very short, but we had managed to have these two longer than most of our other cats. They are missed.

~~~~~~~~~~~
I have recently found a website, Digital Book Today, that features the top e-books for Kindle. It is a great place to find quality books, as they only take books that have ranked high enough among readers that they have been "vetted" so to speak. I am thrilled that they considered One Small Victory one of those books. If you have a Kindle and are looking for some good recommendations, I suggest you bookmark the site and visit when you can. http://digitalbooktoday.com/

Friday's Odds and Ends

My fellow Americans... no, wait that is the beginning of a presidential address, and this is not a presidential address, although it is about some of the presidential candidates.  We are still over a year away from the election, and already the news and sound-bites are getting tiresome. Rick Perry has called President Obama a traitor. Perry has also said that global warming  is not a problem, and even joked that the leading source of "supposedly deadly carbon dioxide" is the mouth of Al Gore.

Other than the fact that she is associated with the Tea Party, which has become just another self-serving entitiy, Michelle Bachmann seems to be holding in the name-calling and focusing on issues. It is not her fault that the media decided to publish that awful picture of her eating a corn dog at the Iowa State Fair and then lead the public down that suggestive path. Shame on the media for that one.

Instead of relying on the nightly news on television or the latest from CNN or Fox News online, the savvy voter would do well to research for themselves what the candidates stand for. To get in-depth information on all the candidates without media bias, here is a Website that has all 2012 candidates listed along with their policies, plans, and qualifications.

Okay, enough about politics. When I wrote Monday's post about young people making a difference, I missed the opportunity to mention a very special 9 year-old girl who lived near Seattle. New York Times Columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote about her recently, and I saved that column. Rachel  Beckwith learned about Locks of Love when she was 5 and grew her hair out so she could then cut it and donate it to be made into a wig for a child going through chemotherapy.  Then when she was 8 she learned about an organization called Charity:water. Instead of having a 9th birthday party, she asked her friends to donate $9 each to Charity:water for water projects in Africa. This was on June 12, 201,1 and she set up a birthday page on the Charity:water website with a goal of raising $300.

On July 20, Rachel was critically injured in a car accident while traveling with her family. Family and friends started donating to her birthday fund and the amount raised passed the goal, and kept on going. Sadly, Rachel did not recover from her injuries, but she continued to give. Her parents donated her hair one last time to Locks of Love and her organs were donated to other children in need.

Donations continued to pour into the Charity:water site, and when Kristof wrote about this on August 12, the total had topped $800,000. Kristof ended his column by writing, "Youth activism has a long history, but this ethos of publis service is on the ascendant today - and today's kids don't just protest against injustices, as my contemporaries did, but many are remarkable problem-solvers.

"Rachel Beckwith, RIP, and may our generation learn from yours."

I chose these two topics today because the contrast is so telling. I used to tell those in the public sector to stop acting like children, but perhaps they ought to consider it.

Separation of Church and State?

I'm a bit confused. Aren't we supposed to have a distinct separation between church and state? So why are evangelical Christians allowed to cross that line at will?

Mind you, I am a Christian, and I espouse all that the religion stands for. I just don't espouse politicians using religion to launch their political campaign. Yes, I do mean you, Rick Perry. And I don't espouse those politicians who flaunt their religion as if that somehow makes them a better president, or senator, or congressman, or political candidate.

If one is truly living a religion, whether it be Christian or one of the other fine religions, there is no need to manufacture sound bites to tell the public how connected he or she is to a God. And a public measuring stick of a candidate's worthiness should not include questions about religion. Those are not allowed in any job interview, so why are they allowed in determining a candidate's qualifications for office?

In a recent column, Ruth Marcus proposes a take-home exam that candidates should respond to before the 2012 elections. It has a single question that deals with the new congressional super-committee overseeing the national budget, asking where candidates would find the savings that are proposed in the recent debt-ceiling deal. The column is worth reading because Marcus tells candidates they cannot put a spin on their answers. They have to come up with specific and concrete plans, not just hyperbole.

It is also most interesting, because no where does it suggest that God is in any way involved in this mess, despite the fact that Rep. Tim Scott, R-SC, said "divine inspiration" was the force behind his opposition to Speaker John Boehner's initial proposal for a debt-ceiling deal.

Too often those in office, and those seeking office, throw out these references to God because it does seem to appeal to some segment of our society, but to me it makes them come across as phonies. Are they just pretending to be holy to gain support? Then I can't help but wonder what else they might be pretending about.

If you have thoughts on this topic, I welcome responses in the comments.

Friday's Odds and Ends

The Dallas ISD spent $57 milllion over a four year period on pricey mieals, costly consulting contracts and hotels. Meanwhile, teachers were paying out of pocket for students to eat during travel to UIL competitions because travel expenses for students was cut.

Do I even have to ask what is wrong with that picture?

Columnist, Lyn Woolley wrote in The Dallas Morning News that the removal of all references to God in schools has "left the schools without a moral compass."

Actually, our whole society has lost its moral compass and that has more to do with what we deem as acceptable in entertainment and general behavior that whether we can say "God" in public.

Speaking of uttering the g-word in public, Texas Governor Rick Perry plans to do that in a big way. He is inviting national leaders to a day of prayer and fasting on August 6, and expecting such a large turnout he is renting Houston's Reliant Stadium.

Hmmm. I thought one of the basic tenets of the separation of church and state meant that no government or government official could impose his or her religious beliefs on others. Since Perry is a Christian, I'm guessing there is going to be a whole lot of Christ-centered praying going on. Where does that leave national leaders who are atheists, or Jewish, or Muslim? And how come Perry can do all that in public and high school graduating classes cannot offer a prayer of any kind?

To end on a more upbeat note, my husband and I are going to Dallas today to attend the wedding of our son, David. We thought he was destined to be a bachelor forever, but several months ago he met a wonderful young woman, Rebecca. She is from Taiwan and has only been in the States for about 18 months.  He popped the question early in May, and they were originally going to have the wedding in September. However, she is going to school and classes start about the time they were thinking, Since neither one of them are teenagers, or even twenty-somethings, they decided there was really no reason to wait.

We are delighted to welcome Rebecca into our family. Now we have one daughter-in-law who can make us authentic Mexican dishes and another who can make authentic Chinese dishes.  We're trying to decide what ethnicity we want our third son to go for.

Friday's Odds and Ends

Okay, who doesn't care about Weiner's wiener? Raise your hand. So glad to see all my friends and family waving madly.

Ack! Tell me it isn't true. The latest news report says Texas Governor Rick Perry is ready to launch a White House campaign. As my husband said, "O goody, now he can screw up the other 49 states."

Police in Kansas City, MO, are treating the death of an 18-month-old boy who drowned in a bathtub as a potential homicide, after a 5-year-old girl told social workers that she held him under water to stop his crying. Police said the girl, who was left with other children in the care of a teenager, was considered a possible suspect in the toddler's death last week, raising complicated legal questions about how a court could proceed with a case against such a young suspect.

I have nothing snarky to say about that. It is just a horrible tragedy, and I am glad I am not the person having to decide how to handle the case. How could a five-year-old even know what she was doing?

A recent column by Leonard Pitts quoted the results of a study of Historical Illiteracy that found that a majority of college seniors could not identify the words of the Gettysburg Address, and they didn't know the significance of Valley Forge. His column was in response to Sarah Palin's gaffe regarding Paul Revere and his infamous ride. The point that Leonard made so well is that, as a nation, Americans are poorly educated when it comes to history. Classes in history are no longer required at a lot of the nation's top schools.

Leonard ends his column by highlighting some of the most important events in history and writing, "And we allow all that to be forgotten at our own peril. How can our children write the next chapter of a story they don't even know?"

I have nothing to say to that, either. Leonard said it all.

Friday's Odds and Ends

High on the Yuck Factor:  According to a report in a French newspaper, Al Qaeda operatives in Iraq attempted to unleash terror in the skies by deploying a pair of kamikaze canines on a U.S.-bound airplane. The plot failed because the bombs were so poorly stitched inside the dogs that they died.  

Is there no depth too low for people to sink to?

Announced this week: U.S. News and World Report will no longer be a regular print publication. It is switching to an Online version, with only periodic special editions in print.

Sad. I remember using that publication as a main source for research when I was in high school and college. I even used it a lot when I was researching my early nonfiction books. What a wonderful resource it has always been, and I hope the Online version is as good as the print one.

Big Brother taking care of us: No more Happy Meals in San Francisco. A new ordinance there requires meals to meet certain nutritional guidelines if restaurants want to include toys with them.

Tell me why: For the second straight year there will be no increase in Social Security payments. The reason cited is that there has been no increase in the cost of living. So why do my grocery bills continue to climb? And the cost of health care? And......?

Picking on Politicians:  Rick Perry was just re-elected governor of Texas - maybe that designation should be changed to Czar of Texas, he's been in the top spot so long. So what is he doing? He's on a tour to promote his book: Fed Up!: Our Fight to Save America from Washington that he wrote with Newt Gingrich.

I know how important book promotion is, but, gosh, don't you think he could have spent a few weeks taking care of business for the state before taking care of personal/political business. 

What did you find of interest in the news this week?