Thoughts Before The Alarm Sounds

These days probably no one is in the news more often than Edward Snowden. Snowden is either a demon or a hero, depending upon the side of his escapades with which one sympathizes. Some people, including me, are caught on the horns of a dilemma – we see merit in both sides. First let me say that the United States is a nation of laws, and lawbreakers must be punished. Snowden must pay the consequences of his actions. One commits civil disobedience in order to be punished. By so doing, one calls attention to the injustice one is protesting, thus garnering popular support for reform. By fleeing to nations somewhat cool to the U.S. interests, Snowden has given the government backing in the effort to demonize him. Thus the full force of his disclosures is blunted – attention is called to his actions and turned away from the object of his protest: our government is spying on us. Which begs the question: Why are so many people, including many liberals, not upset about the object...

     The recent recession, coupled with the persistently high rate of unemployment, tends to justify my theory of personal economic success for young people: If your living depends upon having a job, you are in trouble; if it depends upon the stock market, you are home free. I am basing that on the observation that those individuals who control the jobs market tend to be the same ones with a substantial investment in the stock market.      Now I do not mean to suggest that one should buy into every stock investment that comes down the pike. The usual investing rules apply: diversify, balance income versus growth, keep your eye on the long-term, etc. And of course, have at least a three month emergency fund available.      But to return to my original theory, as long as the government gives great tax breaks for investing in new equipment, research and development expenses, and other “productivity” investments, the ability to p...

     I don't know why I do it, but I admit it: I read the letters to the editor in the local newspaper. But on any given day, I have a pretty good idea what I am going to find there:       35% will be from Republicans castigating the President and the Democrats' stand on the national debt, immigrants, the troops and gun control. (This is a conservative area.)      25% will be from Democrats praising the President and castigating the Republicans' stand on the national debt, immigrants, the troops and gun control.      20% will be from people who think we have gone morally astray, and the only thing that will prevent God from wreaking Armageddon on the USA is to turn to Jesus and the Bible.      15% are from folks praising or ridiculing the governor's plan to privatize the lottery and the state's monopoly on the sale of liquor.      3% are from folks who wish to thank the...

     . . . now it's official. We beat out 923 other towns in the contest sponsored by Budget Travel. So what is it about Lititz that makes it so cool? Wilbur Chocolate – Wilbur Buds are the very best chocolate candy available. Sturgis Pretzels – Hand-made pretzels. Think it's easy to twist a pretzel? Stop by the factory and give it a try. Unique shops – Within a five block area over 70 shops, with products ranging from antiques to unique foods, display not only their wares, but also a “Miracle On 34th Street” attitude. If one doesn't have what you want, the proprietor will suggest a competitor who just might be able to satisfy your request. Outdoor Farmers' Market – From spring through fall over 20 booths display the finest local produce. You can be sure that everything is fresh. 4th of July Celebration – 2012 marked the 195th consecutive celebration of our nation's birth with a parade, daylong performances in beautiful Lititz Springs Park, and a fireworks displ...

An unusual story has appeared in the local newspaper during the last couple of weeks. While not unprecedented, it is unusual, and although it's not fumy, it is difficult to avoid making some macabre jokes. But I'll try. It all started with a Sunday News story on January 27. The family of a man who died the previous month was having a hard time getting his death certificate and ashes from the mortuary. His obit had not appeared, so his mother had it printed at her own expense. The certificate and ashes finally turned up three weeks later. Other similar stories turned up – loss of ashes, obits not printed, Social Security not notified, etc. In one case a family ordered one large urn and four small ones for their loved one's ashes. Finally the large urn arrived, but the small ones remained on backorder. When the family went to pick up the large urn, the funeral director waved a baggy with the remaining ashes at them, and asked if they wanted him to keep them until the oth...

      It seems that predicting the future is a thriving industry. Forecasters of doomsdays, fiscal cliffs, etc. as well as numerous seers who can predict one's love life, financial success, you name it, are a dime a dozen. I wish I had the ability to write one's horoscope; my financial future would be assured. Oh wait, that requires the gift of BS - not ESP.      But I digress. The industry goes back thousands of years; the magi who sought the Christ child were astrologers. (Traditionally there were three of them, but the Bible doesn't mention the actual number.) And that was the start of the segment of “prophets” that I am getting very tired of hearing from: those who predict the complete disintegration of society because we have “kicked God out of our schools.”      Face it, folks, we did not kick God out of our schools . As I understand it, God is everywhere that we are. According to Psalm 139, “. . . if I descend into hel...

     Almost buried in the coverage of the atrocity committed in Newtown, Connecticut, was another story of an act of “rage”: An attack on three elderly Mennonite ladies in nearby Clay, Pennsylvania.      A young man posing as an insurance salesman gained admission to the residence occupied by three sisters who ranged in age from 84 to 90. Once inside, he donned a mask, and assaulted the ladies with a stun gun; he also punched, slapped and kicked them over a two-hour period.      During his rampage he indicated that he had been a Mennonite, although people who knew him said that he never was a member of that faith. He also read from the Bible, and vandalized the one belonging to the ladies.      Finally he spread a variety of household chemicals – bleach, vinegar, pesticides, etc. - throughout the house, and left the ladies tied up. Had it not been for a relative who stopped in four hours later, they might ...

      A recent newspaper story out of San Antonio tells of a 15-year-old student who is fighting her school district's “locator” chip embedded in her student ID badge. According to her, the chip is a “mark of the beast” as described in the Bible's Book of Revelation. This “mark” is a combination of letters and symbols that will be physically and permanently placed on one's forehead or right hand, indicating that the bearer is a follower of “the beast.” There will be severe penalties for refusing the mark and great rewards for getting it. Among other things “. . . no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."      Within the church itself, the Book of Revelation has had many different interpretations, ranging from a condemnation of the Roman Empire, an allegory of the ongoing fight between good and evil, or a forecast of the “end times.”      Throughout the ages...

There are three dates that stand out in the memories of those of us who were born before 1930: December 7, 1941; November 22, 1963 and September 11, 2001. Most of us can remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when we heard the horrible news of the events that happened on those days. Today is the 71st anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. The following reminiscence of my personal experience may not mean anything to my younger readers, but it is important to me. It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war, into the most terrible and disastrous of all wars, civilization itself seeming to be in the balance. But the right is more precious than peace, and we shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts-for democracy. WOODROW WILSON ****** T he first Sunday in December was warm for the season. Our family had planned for it to be a special day, but little did we know just how specia...

     Thursday's Lancaster Intelligencer Journal headlined a story “Break Bread Together?” about a nearby restaurant, Prudhomme's, which offers a discount to customers who present a “current church bulletin.” A local member of the Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, claiming discrimination against non-Christians. The parties received notification of the Commission's ruling during Thanksgiving week.      The ruling stated that discounts must be given to bulletin holders “from any group oriented around the subject of religious faith.” Note that the word “church” has been eliminated. Because atheists are considered by the Federal Courts to have a religious creed, the ruling covers them.      At first reading it seems like a reasonable ruling, and it appears likely that no problems will be encountered in the Lancaster County geographic area. But if it is extended to ...

     I am beginning to think that high schools and colleges have discontinued the teaching of science, particularly to Congresspersons. Especially in the Republican Party, a complete lack of scientific education appears to be a requirement for membership. And it's a damned shame, because the world economy runs on scientific knowledge, and to make vital economic decisions on the basis of superstition or lack of knowledge is like driving a horse and buggy in the Indianapolis 500. Here are a few cases in point:      A perfect example is the recent comment by Representative Todd Akin, the Republican Senate nominee from Missouri. “It seems to me, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare,” Rep. Akin said of pregnancies from rape. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”      I presume that “legitimate” rape is the situation in which the victim is physically forced to...

There is no question that schools have changed over the years; some changes are positive, some are negative. Here are a few examples: When I was in second grade, I had a teacher who believed it was her duty to indoctrinate students into Christianity. She offered a Bible to any student who could memorize twenty verses. People who know me today will find it hard to believe that I received a Bible with my twenty verses underlined in red. (I myself find it hard to believe.) I am sure there were no non-Christian families in the Sporting Hill School area, so there were no objections. But can you imagine anything like that happening today? Americans United for Separation of Church and State would be all over the school board, the teacher and anyone else connected with the school district. Parents on both sides of the issue would be upset, and rightly so. Religion is not the territory of the schools. Our technology consisted of pencil, paper and a blackboard. Today ...

I n June, 2010, I was having a problem with my right leg, and the doctor's diagnosis indicated that it was caused by a pinched nerve in my back. Consequently, it was determined that I needed a laminectomy, an operation to remove a small piece of bone in order to relieve the pressure on the nerve. A s far as the operation was concerned, everything went well, but for some reason my bladder stopped operating. It was never determined whether it was due to the procedure or the anesthetic, but in any event I had to learn to use a catheter. The function gradually improved over a three week period, which pretty much coincided with the length of time it took for me to become reasonably adept at performing this rather personal procedure. One does not use a catheter without a lubricant, normally a water-based compound such as K-Y Jelly, so off I went to the pharmacy. To my surprise I discovered that lubrication is only one of the characteristics available in this product. (You must rem...

     One of our biggest military heroes, General David Petraeus, has been caught with his literal pants down! Perhaps I am being naive, but I cannot understand how anyone, particularly a high-ranking government official, can get involved in sexual hanky-panky, and think he can get away with it. What would make Petraeus betray us? (OK, so they can't all be great.)      I am reminded of the story of a little dog who was crossing the railroad tracks when a train came along and cut off his tail. When he turned around to look at it, another train came along and cut off his head. But he was not the first dog to lose his head over a piece of tail. Think of John Kennedy, Bill Clinton and John Edwards.      With cell phones as ubiquitous as potato chips, privacy is a thing of the past in today's society.      But when one is in a position of power or fame, thinking with the wrong head poses an even greater danger. ...