Monthly Archives: March 2014

* A case for the death penalty

Clippings, Justice, National news, , , , , ,

Death penalty sought for alleged Boston bomber Tsarnaev

A friend of mine, a Lutheran pastor, opposes capital punishment.  But to my mind, her story, which she told me circa 1985, poses the premiere case for the death penalty.

She had a son, a lively pre-teen, who died suddenly under suspicious circumstances.  At first, police found a person of interest in Arthur Goode, a known pedophile who was known to have been in the area at the time.  It was soon enough established that Goode had been nowhere near the time and place of the death, and the death was ruled accidental.

That did not prevent Goode from harassing the family for years with phone calls and letters in which he spewed forth lurid details of what he now alleged he had done with the boy.
Continue reading * A case for the death penalty →

o lwk, help me out, here!

Uncategorized, , , ,

This is an unscheduled post.

As you may know, I’m working on a response to “A Nation of Cowards,” slated for release here July 19. It may appear at Yahoo! Voices sooner.

I am trying to understand this passage. Snyder says:

“Now, judging by campus speech codes, dignity requires that we never encounter a discouraging word and that others be coerced into acting respectfully, evidently on the assumption that we are powerless to prevent our degradation if exposed to the demeaning behavior of others. These are signposts proclaiming the insubstantiality of our character, the hollowness of our souls.”

Is he saying that decency and civility are to be despised? That bullying and hazing should be accepted without sanction?

This morning, I asked Brian Williard about this, and he said Snyder is referring to political correctness and “the self-esteem movement.”

Please advise!

* Job search update, 03/03/14

Dependency, Get on your feet, Job search/Job prospects, Motivations, , , , , , , , ,

Update 02/28/14 here.

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Tuesday 2014-02-11.  My prospect for the City job fell through this morning.

Some may find this story TMI, but I will get it out more quickly if I don’t try to trim it.  To cut to the chase, click here.

The listing came up in my search engine results, probably in August, that the City was accepting applications for the title of Secretary II.  Interested people could first apply, then take the appropriate exams, and if they passed they would be put on an eligibility list for positions with this title throughout City government.  The work site for any position could be anywhere.

In September I took and passed those exams.
Continue reading * Job search update, 03/03/14 →

* Are you a good listener?

Get on your feet, The Way of Peace, The William Tell Show, , , ,

(Reblogged from Brain Sweets.)

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Posted by ⋅ February 3, 2014 ⋅ Leave a Comment
Filed Under  , , , ,

Are you listening? Really listening? When you are in a conversation with a friend or anyone, are you hearing what the other says? Or are you thinking about what you will say next? Are you waiting for your opportunity to tell some story? Do you get so excited or impatient that you interrupt? When the other person stops speaking do you begin immediately or do you wait 3 seconds?

Listening is an integral part of communication. Sometimes real listening means you don’t get to tell the story you had in your mind or say the comment you had 3 sentences ago. Real listening means when the other speaker is done and it is your turn that you are continuing the thought, commenting on what they actually said. Waiting 3 seconds after the other person is done speaking is a way to allow your thoughts to form and shows you were listening.

So are you a good listener?

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Another good post from Tracy:

Opportunity or Argument

(Reblogged 2018-02-15.)