Monday, June 30, 2008

Should Red Sox Nation be Fed Up with Manny Being Manny?

These days, as a life-long Red Sox fan, when you hear a report about "Manny being Manny" you cringe until you get the details. The now famous phrase "Manny being Manny" refers, of course, to the other-worldly (and, yes I do mean that in both senses of the phrase) All-Star outfielder Manny Ramirez. These Manny Moment episodes from the future Hall of Famer usually end up being something goofy. Occasionally it's something that goes just far enough beyond goofy to make you a little upset. Then he goes and hits a 3-run jack in the 9th inning, and it's hard to hold a grudge. The latest is a story out of the Providence Journal about Manny shoving the Red Sox press secretary when he could not get 16 tickets to a sold out game for Manny. This on the heels of journeyman pitcher Shawn Chacon being released by the Houston Astros for similar behavior against the team General Manager.

Look guys, Manny Ramirez is like the hot girlfriend. As a guy, you're going to put up with a lot more crap from the hottie than you would from say, Star Jones (before and after her procedure).
The Red Sox organization has to look out for the overall well being of the team. Regardless of how zany Manny is, the team is better with him in the lineup. I'd love for Manny to get disciplined by the team. That may have actually happened behind closed doors. However, the team should not get into a "cut off their nose to spite their face" situation in which they hurt the team by benching Manny for any length of time.

The team should ride the Manny-pony for all it's worth. Get every HR and RBI they can from that horse, then put him out to pasture and move on.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Book Review -- Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe


Note: From time to time this site will include thoughts on a recently read book. My intent will not be to write a complete plot summary or background history of the book or the author. You can go to Google or Wikipedia and get that yourself. My goal will be to give you my impression of the book, i.e. the reaction of a "regular guy". What I mean by "regular guy" is that I'm not a professional book reviewer, a literature professor, a writer, or even a journalist. Most of the books I read are intended to be read for pleasure.

Uncle Tom's Cabin is certainly a well known book. Nearly everyone has heard either of the book, the author, or some of the many terms from the book that have become a part of our language. To my surprise, Uncle Tom's Cabin is believed to have been the best selling book of the 19th century. Although well known for its place in history, how many people today have read this important novel? I decided to get a firsthand account of this book.

A quick theme and plot summary (without giving too much away): The book tells the story of a group of black slaves in the pre-Civil War US South. It focuses on the cruelty of slavery with realistic accounts. The sufferings highlighted are not only to the physical body, but to the soul of an individual.

Having been previously familiar with the theme of the novel, the first thing I noticed was the unexpected elegance of the writing. Being from Connecticut, I have certainly been aware of Harriet Beecher Stowe, who was born and lived in Connecticut. She was a next door neighbor to Mark Twain in Hartford. However, I believe the power of her story in Uncle Tom's Cabin may have overshadowed the expressiveness of her writing. While Twain is considered one of the greatest American writers of all time, Stowe is known more for pulling at the heart strings of the country regarding a heinous issue of the time, rather than producing a quality piece of literature. I think Stowe's writing has not been given its due. I found it to be highly eloquent. (Note: Imagine me having the stones to criticize an author like Harriet Beecher Stowe! Yes, I feel strange about it, but hey; that's what we do on the internet.) Stowe was definitely able to produce the intended emotions in the reader, even centuries later. Her strong characters persist even today.

I can see why this novel is considered an all-time American classic. It was one of the most powerful books I have ever read. This novel should be considered as required reading for every high school literature class across the country. Beyond the obvious cruelty of being forced to labor as a slave, the book focuses on the breakup of the slave family. Accounts of babies being torn from the arms of their mothers are included, and husbands sent "down river" while their wife is left behind. The contrast between the kinder slave owners and the oppressive owners is stark. The writer details the frustration of the kinder slave owner that although against the practice of slavery, feels he is up against a system he can not change. The cruel owners intend to own the soul as well as the body of each slave they possess. It struck me that in the mid-19th century a woman author could have such a strong grasp on the concept of freedom at a time when woman still did not have full rights under the law.

The practice of slavery was the biggest black eye upon the history of the United States. It trumps shameful acts such as the continued legal discrimination of blacks right up though the 1960's, the treatment of Native Americans during the westward settlement of the US, and the imprisonment of Japanese-American citizens during WWII. In all these cases, the US government deviated from the tenets of our founding documents, especially the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. In the case of slavery, it took the death of thousands of citizens during the Civil War, as well as all the strength of a great president to clean up the mess. Abraham Lincoln once commented upon meeting Harriet Beecher Stowe that she was "the little woman that started this great war!” For the good of the republic, thank God she did.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Canton, CT -- High School Officials Order Dragnet Search of Student Lockers


With disregard to search and seizure regulations, as well as the basic tenet of innocent until proven guilty, high school officials called in police with dogs to conduct a surprise search of student lockers while students were kept in classrooms. The goal of the search was to find illegal drugs.
While likely well intentioned, I question whether the search was legal. I suspect any charges brought against a student resulting from this type of search could certainly be challenged by an ambitious lawyer.
To avoid legal difficulties (as well as some bad press) school officials should consider re-thinking their drug-prevention strategy.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Letter -- CT Schools Close Due to Excessive Heat


Below is a letter I wrote to the Board of Education, Mayor, and Superintendent of Schools of my local town. Although we have differing opinions, to the credit of the mayor I received a response from him the following day. I received no response from anyone else until after I inquired a second time. An individual that did not identify his role finally responded.


Board of Education and All Relevant Parties:

As a parent of school-aged children, a Bristol tax payer, and a voter, I would like to voice my displeasure at the decision to dismiss schools early during the week of June 9th, 2008. The reason cited for the early dismissal was "extreme heat".
I do not believe the weather of this recent heat wave is a valid reason to dismiss schools. Never before have I heard of schools being dismissed due to heat. On one hand, taxpayers are asked to give the highest priority to our children's education. Each year the school budget increases, along with the tax burden to support this. Even in these economically tough times, tax payers are asked to dig deeper into their pockets year after year to support education. This is all in the name of providing the highest quality education to our children. On the other hand, school is cavalierly dismissed due to a few days of high temperatures that, although high, are certainly not unheard of for Connecticut in June. If the education of our children is so critical to our community and nation (which I believe that it is) then how can one justify eliminating valuable instructional hours? You can't have it both ways.
What do schools in other parts of the world do when dealing with temperatures in the mid-nineties Fahrenheit? One may argue that in areas like Florida and Texas, where temperatures routinely exceed 90 F, that the schools are equipped with air conditioning. Were all the schools dismissed recently in Bristol and throughout Connecticut devoid of air conditioning? What about regions outside the US? What about place like Mexico and India? Do all their schools have air conditioning, and if not, do they send their students home when temperatures exceed 90 F? I seriously doubt it. What about here in Connecticut in years past? What did the schools do 50 years ago when there was definitely no air conditioning in the schools? How did students possibly survive? They did something that seems to be diminishing in this new culture of coddling in the United States: they persevered.
School is not always going to be easy for children. It takes some dedication. It can take some mental toughness. These are lessons that students will take with them throughout their lives. If the job of public education is to prepare kids for life in the "real world", you can be assured that the children of Connecticut did not get a dose of life in the real world this past week.
I don't know what forces caused the mass canceling of classes throughout Connecticut during this recent heat wave. Regardless, we as a community look to the school administrators to stand up to pressure in order to do what's best for the education of our children. For the sake of our children, the community, and the nation, I would hope that the decision makers would take more seriously the time our children have in school. Is canceling classes the only option? I hope in the future decision makers would think twice before denying our children the opportunity to learn.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Surprise, Surprise! US Supreme Court decides that the country should actually follow the US Constitution!

In a 5-4 ruling the US Supreme Court determined that the second amendment of the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution applies to individuals. This is the first time ever that the Supreme Court has ruled on individual gun ownership. This ruling renders a 32 year old handgun ban in Washington DC, and similar ban attempts in Chicago illegal.
Regardless of how you feel about gun ownership, this ruling seemed pretty straightforward. The court basically ruled that, yes, the second amendment DOES apply. It cannot be ignored. They are saying that the country actually does have to follow that document we consider "the law of the land". What frightens me is that 4 people who are supposed to be intelligent, legal experts actually voted against the ruling!
Look folks, we either follow the Constitution or we don't. There can be no in-between. You may personally not like guns, or personally believe they should be banned, but unless you are able to amend the constitution (and a process exists for that), you have to respect the document. Too often our political leaders pursue issues based on the prevailing winds of the day, rather than the true doctrines with which this country was founded.Can you imagine if some municipalities (such as Washington DC) decided that the first amendment did not apply? Can you imagine that Washington DC leadership decided that they did not like some of the articles published in the newspaper, so they were going to ban the press within their boarders??! Of course, this would cause an absolute outrage (as it should). However, similar attacks on the second amendment are accepted. Again, regardless of how you feel about guns, the attack on our Constitution has to make you sick. Thankfully, there were 5 justices that were wise enough to uphold the Constitution. Halleluiah! Comments welcome. Let's hear from you in intelligent debate.