A Good Man
Gerald Ford, the 38th President, passed away yesterday at the age of 93.
President Ford was a good man. Not a great man, but a good one. At a time when this country desperately needed one. He may have been “the accidental President,” but thank God for accidents.
Rest in peace, Mr. President.
-ghp
The “Nanny State” sucks
Like none of us saw this coming? Yeah, right… 
The most appropriate quote? “The intrusions of the “Nanny State” are never-ending.”
The sub-title of the article (“Many Politicians Would Rather Restrict Our Freedoms Than Improve Our Lives” ) puts a political spin on it, but that’s certainly not the only way in which this problem is manifested.
Living under the law is what it is, and it seems that we have an unending thirst to subject no only ourselves to it, but also everyone else. Our Old Adam delights in the sinful delusion that we can effect our own salvation. Ironically, a byproduct of this delusion is the idea that we must put the lash of the law to our fellow citizens, so that they will toe the line & be saved from themselves, even as we hypocritically would exempt ourselves from the harshest letters of the law.
It’s offensive to the ideals of liberty upon which this country was founded. I don’t smoke, but I am fully against the types of smoking bans that have been wrongly inflicted upon the citizens of Ohio, not to mention my own town of Valparaiso. I have the right to patronize — or not to patronize — an establishment, based on my feelings about their rules/ways of doing business. If I don’t like smoking, and they allow it, then I can express my displeasure by taking my business elsewhere. I do not have the right to expect that every establishment must bend to my will & whim.
Smokers are not criminals. Drinkers are not criminals. People who abuse those activities may or may not be criminals (or, at the very least, fools), but the mere act of smoking or drinking, or eating a bacon double cheeseburger is neither inherently sinful, nor illegal.
Let the free market work. Let folks have their personal liberty. Dismantle this culture of victimization & reintroduce the culture of personal responsibility.
-ghp
Many are called but few are chosen
Well, I didn’t get chosen to sit on a jury.
It wasn’t a total waste, as the State of Indiana will soon be sending me a $15 check for the trouble of my several hours of service.
In all, it was an interesting process, as the jury of 6 (plus 1 alternate) got selected from the available panel of 26 folks. It was a civil case that was estimated to last about 3 days. At contention was the amount of damages owed in the aftermath of an automobile accident back in December 2002 — medical bills, and compensation for ‘pain & suffering’ due to ‘diminished quality of life’ & whatnot.
I didn’t really get within sniffing distance of sitting on the jury, as the panel was initially divided into two groups, 14 folks “in the box” & the rest of us not. What that means is that 14 folks sat in the jury box, and were asked specific questions by the attorneys, while the rest of us sat in the gallery & watched/listened. After a good long while, the attorneys then gave their notes & preferences (i.e., out-of-hand disqualifications) to the judge. And then they had their jury, and the rest of us got to go home & not worry about getting another summons from the county for at least a year or two.
It was about as painless as it could’ve been, I get to do my civic duty, and I got a day away from work to boot! 
Not too shabby!
-ghp
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