Reaction Is Not Response

  You know those commercials where if you need something you can just push the Easy Button?  I wish they were real!

  Newtown CT. School shooting is tragic and horrifying to all of us.  It is important after the normal process of grieving  outrage, and reaction, to take a step back and talk about tragedies like this with a calm rational perspective.   Not the usual talking that takes place during the event, which is talking at each other.

  Shouting over one and other to be heard and not listening is a normal part of dealing with such incomprehensible actions.  But we often forget an important part of the healing process, which is to listen.  This is probably the most important part of the healing process, arguably anyway.

  For example, Sussex County Delaware has to decided to put Guards in all it's schools to combat any future such events.  What they failed to do is take a step back and discuss the problem in an intellectual manner.  Which is ironic because all School systems in America are supposed to be based in intellectual thought.

  The words Guard and Combat should never be used as a solution for Schools.  Delaware has a created it's own reputation of putting metal detectors, guards, and police officers in it's High Schools, and as a result they have grown increasingly more violent.

  Yes, as a result!  A Schools intent is to develop and shape young minds.  And that's just what Delaware has done.  By treating Students as inferiors through searches, threats and constant scrutiny, we have developed in them a prisoner mentality.

  Walking through metal detectors and being searched does not make anyone feel safe.  We know it makes us safer because we are rational adults with the ability to discern the proper coarse needed to be safe.  But we don't feel it, we discern it.  Yet we expect children to be able to do the same.  They can't. Not yet anyway.  Not without experience.  And experience is what separates the men from the boys so to speak.

  I don't know what the correct answer is for making our Schools safer and no one person does either.  That will take rational adult conversations with as many people as possible, and the most important ingredient of all "listening".

  What I do know is, a child does not see the world as adults do.  Daily exposure to guards, gates and detectors will never inspire creativity.  Which is something else Schools are meant to do.  You can't open minds by locking doors.

  We don't currently have an answer for tragedies like Newtown, and we are not likely to have one any time soon, until we stop Reacting and start Responding.

A Commentary by Ben Stein

Gone, are the day's of rational behavior!

Where does the voice of reason reside?

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

 My confession:

 I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat...

 Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

 In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

 In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school... The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK

 Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about.. And we said okay..

 Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

 Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

 Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

 Are you laughing yet?

 Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

 Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

 Pass it on if you think it has merit.

 If not, then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.



 My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

 Ben Stein

HYPOCRISY

The Tea Party has publicly announced they wish to return America back to the 1950's where it was strong and prosperous. An era in which every American citizen lived in fear of total annihilation  from tyrannical zealots and minorities were considered to be a burden on society and had no right to share in the American dream. Job well done Tea Party.

The Tea Party

When the Tea Party was first founded it was a grass roots organization with high ideals, and principals. I think that if you looked into it you'd see for yourself that it was admirable. That being said, it seems to have lost its way. Many of the day to day supporters and volunteers are good hard working people who still believe in the ideals of the organization, but the organization no longer believes in them. Tea Party leaders, and their donors have a new agenda. Money and Power...and lots of it. Secretly backed by billionaires, bankers, monopolies, and other Big Money. These powers behind the scene like it that way. The less you know the better. These Big Money backers are throwing millions at the political scene hoping to buy seats in Congress, the Senate, and even the Presidency. If they get their way all business in the U.S. will be deregulated, and they'll get to do what ever they want with no consumer protection. They will throw open the borders and have an endless supply of disposable labor, eliminate minimum wage, overtime pay, maximum hours worked in day, paid holidays, earned vacation, simply put Federal Labor Laws put in place to protect you. Not to mention the advancements in Women's rights. They have already threatened enough honest Republicans to vote their way or face being voted out. Subsequently they have managed to block almost every proposal our President has made to end the Recession and bring the American economy back on track. The stage for Big Money getting Bigger has been set. The Tea Party with their Puppet Masters pulling the strings have created the biggest division between Americans this Country has ever seen. Bigger even then the Civil War. I know this sounds like a conspiracy theory but you have to realize, I grew up in an America that was Free and United and nothing like the one we live in now.

Governor Christie

Well Governor Christie did it again. another speech all about himself. It's amazing how great he is. If you listen to him, he is always right and never wrong. It never ceases to amaze me how he's never to blame, it's always someone else' fault, no matter what it is. He was chosen to be the key note speaker at the Republican National Convention to tout the virtues of Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. But instead spent that time touting himself...as usual. What's it called when you compliment and insult at the same time? anyway he has a talent for it. Governor Christie repeatedly told the convention goers how he accomplished deeds that couldn't  be done with willing bi-partisanship, followed by a statement like, because we (Republicans) are better than Democrats. I don't think he gets what bi-partisan means. And the lies he spouted were just appalling. He said he cut Taxes. Truth is if you made a million dollars, you got $40,000 more back and if you made minimum wage you had to pay an extra $300. Christie bragged about how his Grandmother had to take three buses to get to work, just to put food on the table. Is that why he cut NJ Transit to the bare minimum? His father went to a publicly funded school on the GI Bill. So that explains why he cut public funding to schools. Christie proudly proclaimed how he took on the Teachers Union, and made the education system better. What he really did was promote teachers that promote children whether they learn anything or not, and punish educators who believe a student should learn to do the work required or face failure. I'm curious if this is the lesson the Governor's mother taught him when he said "my mother taught me hard work leads to success." Well Mr. Christie this may come as a surprise to you, but it won't to most, you are a Bully. You call people names, you shout at them instead of talk to them, and intimidate your way through everything you do. Society has put endless effort into eliminating Bullies, and people like you make that task almost impossible. Almost but not entirely, if a child can stand up to a bully, so can we.

The New Face of Evil

Irans President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says of Isreal "The existence of the Zionist regime is an insult to humanity" I disagree ignorance is an insult to humanity #delaware

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