The loss of reasonable, rational, civil discussion

It is becoming difficult to read the daily newspaper lately. The rhetoric from the extremist conservative talk show hosts is now being parrotted by some of the general public in a purely politicized effort to counter any and all efforts by President Obama to achieve constructive change, even when those efforts include an offer to adopt or incorporate the ideas previously espoused by those who are now the critics. It would be fine if those people simply wanted to engage in reasonable, rational and civil discussions about what would and wouldn't work for the various policies being discussed, but that is not what they have in mind. They are looking for sensationalized sound bites to use in launching personal attacks against the President. Ironically, this is being done as a response to the president's eloquently stated offer to listen to and utilize any of their constructive ideas to solve an agreed upon problem. Contrary to what those people would like to believe about what they are doing, that is not the democratic process on which this country was built, nor will it help in actually solving any problems. It is merely destructive, and it is always easier to destroy than to build. As stated by current philosopher and author, Lou Marinoff, in his book "The Middle Way":

"When confronted by demonstrable truths that run contrary to dogmatic beliefs, people whose power over others depends on falsehoods seem reluctanct to embrace truth; they more often attempt to throttle truth by silencing the truth tellers."

Back to School

This is a great time of year! It always seems like much more of a new beginning than January.



With Ashley and Callie finishing up their undergraduate degrees at the U, and Spencer also starting at the U, we are really seeing red now days! GO UTES! I am proud of their hard work, determination and commitment to getting their college degrees. I loved my time as an undergaduate at the U, and found my general education there enlightening. It has been great to have discussions with Ashley, Callie and Spencer about some of the topics they are studying in their courses.

Just the other day, Spencer was telling me about his writing class, and his assignment to read Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 1963 "letter from a Birmingham jail" as an example of using logical arguments in peruasive writing. When the book I am currently reading ("The Middle Way") also referred to the letter, I decided I needed to take the time to read it. Wow! What a powerful bit of writing by one of the greatest communicators of our time! To anyone that has not taken the time to read it, I would highly recommend doing so. (found at mlkonlin.net) It has particular relelvance to some of the discrimination issues that have been the topic of public discussions lately.

Anyway . . . getting back to the kids . . .


Tyler will be starting at Olympus Jr. High as a 7th grader and is excited about changing things up with 7 different classes each day. He successfully avoided any humiliating initiation by a 9th grader the first week (unlike his dad when he was a "sevy") Finally, Colton is lucky enough to have Mrs. Ross for 5th grade, and Tyler is having a fun time sharing with him his memories of having also had her as a teacher. She is from North Carolina and brings a healthy perspective to the classroom. Most importantly, she is one of those rare teachers that loves to teach and is completely dedicated to all of it.