Maybe Scrooge Had It Right

Many schools are confused about what to do in December.

Since President George W. Bush’s first run for the Presidency, there has been an emphasis on the faith-based point of view and an intense interest in spirituality. This desire to understand religious traditions and to be in touch with a spiritual core appears to have penetrated the schoolhouse. But with this infiltration deep emotions have been triggered because public schools have been a place where we define ourselves as a people.

With Christmas becoming synonymous with the cash register and not the crèche, some parents have expressed the desire that their offspring be allowed to share some of their childhood memories, such as, a big Christmas tree right in the classroom or the belting out of carols with their classmates.

But what are school administrators to do? Perhaps administrators need to call on the Grinch to help solve their dilemma. Then they can "take the path of least resistance" and ban all holiday celebrations.

Out of Bounds

"We have to make the point that there are boundaries in our games," N.B.A. Commissioner David Stern said, "and that one of those boundaries, which has always been immutable, is the boundary that separates the fans from the court. And players cannot lose control and go into the stands. As a corollary, we have to hold fans responsible for their antisocial behavior as well."

When was the boundary breached?

In the Roman Colosseum, when the plebeians turned their thumbs down? At the 1936 Berlin games, when Hitler snubbed Jesse Owens? Or last Friday when the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and the Detroit fans brawled at Detroit's Palace of Auburn Hills?


Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest in the stands.

An athlete must be able to withstand the slings and arrows of a fan's remarks, and even a beer shower. No matter what happens, you just have to suck it up.

Bounded by the team bench, the athlete has no place in the stands.

To Shock Or Not To Shock

On October 20th, a Miami-Dade County police officer used a stun gun on a 6-year-old boy in the Kelsey Pharr Elementary School principal's office.

The boy was shocked with 50,000 volts because he was wielding a piece of glass and threatening to hurt himself.

Is shooting children with Taser stun guns acceptable?

FYI - How Stun Guns Work

Stun guns are a very effective non-lethal self defense tool. They use high voltage and low amperage to temporarily disable an attacker for several minutes. Stun guns do not rely on pain for results. The energy stored in the stun gun is dumped into the attacker muscles causing them to do a great deal of work rapidly. This rapid work cycle instantly depletes the attacker blood sugar by converting it to lactic acid. In short, he is unable to produce energy for his muscles, and his body is unable to function properly. They also interrupt the tiny neurological impulses that control and direct voluntary muscle movement. When the attacker’s neuromuscular system is overwhelmed and controlled by the stun gun he loses his balance. Should the attacker be touching you, the current will not pass to your body!

"Reality-Based" Reportage

During his campaign for reelection, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Kentucky), when asked about a widely circulated story of an Army Reserve unit in Iraq, including one soldier from his own state, responded, "I don't read the paper ... I watch Fox News to get my information."

Wonder if Sen. Bunning is aware of a marine's shooting of a wounded Iraqi prisoner in a Falluja mosque.

ATTITUDE by Charles Swindoll

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past – we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude … I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you – we are in charge of our Attitudes.