My two-cents worth and then some. An online journal by LP Brown.
September 29, 1995 was the deathday of atheist, Madalyn O’Hair. O’Hair became famous – some would say infamous – in 1960 when, after declaring that it was unconstitutional for her son, William, to be required to participate in religious activities at school, she filed a lawsuit against the Baltimore school system. That suit eventually led to the Supreme Court decision that banned prayer in all public schools.
Twice married, O’Hair had two sons, Jon and William Murray. Prior to becoming estranged from William, Madalyn adopted his daughter, her granddaughter, Robin. William incurred the wrath of his mother in 1980, when
My cousin, who I love dearly, and who is also the author of a previous post on this blog (Viewpoint on the Death Penalty) has been trying for years to convince me of the injustice of the death penalty. To say that he is an adamant opponent of the death penalty would be an understatement. His reasons for opposing capital punishment are numerous, but topping his list are these: the possibility of a wrongful execution of innocent people, racial bias, and taking the life of another person under any circumstance is morally wrong. The pending execution of Troy Davis has renewed our debate.
I was neutral on the death penalty issue until sometime during the 1980’s when six year old Adam Walsh was murdered and decapitated. Until then, the most horrific crime I had ever heard of, I learned about as a child. The story – told and retold by my parents and numerous adults in my extended family – detailed the torture and murder of Emmett Till in 1955. Till, a 14 year old black boy, while visiting Money, Mississippi from Chicago, allegedly “disrespected” a white woman. For his action during that pre-civil rights era, Till was severely beaten, had an eye gouged out, was shot, and then
Have you ever ordered something on line, and paid the shipper for United Parcel Service (UPS) delivery only to have your package delivered by the United States Postal Service (USPS)? Well, you are not alone. It’s sort of a bait and switch tactic. You pay the on-line seller to have your merchandize delivered via UPS and later learn that while the item was initially sent via UPS – UPS Basic to be precise – near the final leg of the trip your package was turned over to the USPS for delivery. UPS Basic is a less costly UPS service that delivers small packages, weighing less than 70 pounds within the U.S. at a lower cost than regular UPS.
This is not a story about the 1983 John Travolta movie or the Bee Gees soundtrack. But, in a way it is a sad song about Jacque, my friend since childhood. He is now a Baby Boomer who has been unemployed since losing his white collar, mid-management position nearly three years ago. Subsequently, when he was let go, Jacque lost his health and life insurance. Any conscientious Boomer knows that losing either or both of those benefits make you as vulnerable as a cat trying to cross a four lane highway. No wonder some Boomers commit suicide.
Jacque, a 61 year old divorcee, with two grown children says he does not have suicidal tendencies, although he has become a loner during the past year. We recently met for lunch one day after he called me and said that he needed to vent. He is unlike thousands of Boomers who quietly seethe in anger after losing their job. “They can call it what they want, being laid off, downsized or fired,” he said while resting his elbow on the table beside his plate and his chin on his fist. “The bottom line is that they are still kicking you out. Forget loyalty. Forget working hard and going to the office, promptly every day. You are damned if you do and damned it you don’t.” Jacque had enjoyed his job of the past 25 years, and planned to work until he decided it was time to leave.
As I sipped my green tea, he continued to let off steam, “You know I never lived an extravagant lifestyle. All I ever wanted in recent years was to live the rest of my life comfortably; keep my old Ford running and my dog, Duke, happy. I had a little bit of savings before I got axed. Then some age related medical problems started and …” He hesitates in mid-sentence and dejectedly shakes his head. I lower mine. I feel his pain.