I spent a bit of time at the beach this morning having coffee and listening to the waves. Very nice.

On the way across the country we crossed through Missoula, Montana where we were extras in a Live! episode of COPS.

And in Wall, South Dakota perfected my Kanye West impersination

And was mobbed by a herd of Jackalopes

The return trip should prove to be all the more interesting. It’s nice to hit the open road.

[flickr]3447561287[/flickr]

See the full set on Flickr – HERE

Scenario 1:
Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck’s gun rack.
1957 – Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack’s shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2007 – School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario 2:
Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.
1957 – Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2007 – Police called and SWAT team arrives — they arrest both Johnny and Mark. They are both charged them with assault and both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario 3:
Jeffrey will not be still in class, he disrupts other students.
1957 – Jeffrey sent to the Principal’s office and given a good paddling by the Principal. He then returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007 – Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. He becomes a zombie. He is then tested for ADD. The school gets extra money from the state because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario 4:
Billy breaks a window in his neighbor’s car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1957 – Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college and becomes a successful businessman.
2007 – Billy’s dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. The state psychologist is told by Billy’s sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy’s mom has an affair with the psychologist.

Scenario 5:
Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957 – Mark shares his aspirin with the Principal out on the smoking dock.
2007 – The police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations. His car is then searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario 6:
Pedro fails high school English.
1957 – Pedro goes to summer school, passes English and goes to college.
2007 – Pedro’s cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against the state school system and Pedro’s English teacher.  English is then banned from core curriculum. Pedro is given his diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario 7:
Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the Fourth of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up a red ant bed.
1957 – Ants die.
2007 – ATF, Homeland Security and the FBI are all called. Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. The FBI investigates his parents — and all siblings are removed from their home and all computers are confiscated. Johnny’s dad is placed on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario 8:
Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 – In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2007 – Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison.  Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

See all of the photos on Flickr – http://flickr.com/photos/e53/sets/72157613958925940/

Everyone has my permission to use these photos. Please be kind enough to attribute the photos to me and the event organization to Liberty Belle

The series which is situated in the fictional Texas town of Dillon holds many lessons that I think would be valuable for young people and adults alike. As the series title makes clear the underlying focus of the show is the Dillon High School football program, however, the real story lies in the trials and tribulations of an entire community. On and off the field players, coaches, students, and community members alike are portrayed in a very personal way as they make their way through the most joyous occasions and the most depressing moments of life. I think the primary lessons to be taken from this show are those about believing in yourself and doing what is right and what is good. There are low times where characters are abandoned by everyone they love and there are high times like winning a state football championship after overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds.

It’s certainly something that I would recommend watching or at least trying to watch. To some it will seem like a Friday night soap opera for high schoolers and some may just simply not find it all that interesting but it definitly caught my attention and think I picked up a few pointers along the way. There’s a saying that the Dillon High School Panther football team has: Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Cant Loose. It’s a lot like a fortune cookie or a horoscope, you make of it what you want, but its something to think about.

The United States is an amazingly stable democracy. For most Americans, the peaceful transition of power seems like a normal, common, and expected thing. Yet, over the course of human history, such peaceful transitions of power are the exception rather than the rule. Revolutions, wars, coups, and bitter transitions are the rule in most areas of the world, and the strong-armed changes that other people face undermine the stability of day-to-day lives. Currencies become worthless. People are driven from their homes and lives. Personal property is “nationalized.” In the United States, we are quite lucky that we don’t have to face such situations – and our safety from those situations is part of what gives us such prosperity.

Today, as Obama simply and quietly takes the reins of leadership, recognize that this transition isn’t taking place at the barrel of a gun – and it’s that stability and safety that plays a major role in the stability and safety in our own lives. [via - The Simple Dollar]

That is exactly why living in this country continues to be better than living in any other place in this world.

I thought the analogy put out there the last day or so about this campaign being like the guy who can’t figure out why girls aren’t going for him, when he is everything that girls say they want. The reality is that girls don’t really want what they say they want. Same thing here. All the talk among the American electorate about wanting a focus on issues and wanting a leader, not a politician, etc is just talk. When it comes down to it, the American electorate is fickle and superficial.

Fred[Thompson] ran a campaign based on believing that the American electorate was sincere. He has found out that the American electorate is as insincere and superficial as most of the politicians they complain about.

Oh well. We will all get what we deserve come November.

We have a lot to learn. Lets hope we learn fast.