Incredible story from Cleveland... three women who've been missing for a decade or more have been discovered, seemingly all healthy. Charles Ramsey is the guy who found them...
You have to wonder if McDonalds will get involved in any way...
The 911 call is pretty amazing. too. God bless Charles Ramsey!
It's been fascinating to watch as the Carla Hale story has gained momentum from central Ohio, to statewide, and now to national conversation. So many people want to complicate the story beyond it's simple basic facts. Apparently 19 years ago, a younger Hale was interested in teaching physical education and applied at Bishop Watterson HS. And apparently after going through a hiring process, she was offered a job. Prior to acceptance of the job, she had to sign some paperwork in which she agreed to uphold a certain moral code. Today, school administrators have deemed she did not live up to that part of her contract and have severed ties.
I understand that this on top of losing her mother recently is quite a blow and that the proceedings being started by information within her mother's obituary is especially tough to take, but the heart of the story is breech of contract isn't it? I guess I don't understand anyone who wants to be involved in a group that publicly states they aren't interested in having them as a member. Some will argue that we should all be included and even point to the movie '42' and the Jackie Robinson story. I can't imagine what it took for him to break the color barrier and to endure all the hazing and hate and ugliness, but he did and today people of color have as many opportunities as anyone else. Is the gay issue the same thing? It is argued that gay people are born that way and they deserve the same opportunities as anyone else. The Catholic Church however takes a dim view of homosexuality, so you might ask why would Ms. Hale want to work for such an organization? Was she tyrying to break that barrier? If yes, she wasn't exactly openly warring over the issue. She worked 19 years and was only outed (at least to the administrators of the school) by her mother's obit. Is it fair, the treatment she received? There's no word that she was treated any differently than any other staff member or instructor at Watterson. But, when it came to light that she was living a life different from Catholic doctrine and one that is not what the church of school supports, she was terminated. I guess we'll find out which entity has more clout... the church and it's beliefs or the state and it's rules. The state says a hiring entity can not discriminate based on a host of criteria, including sexual orientation. The Catholic Church does not view that as a valid active life style choice. It seems increasingly that religion and religious beliefs are losing...
This Saturday evening, there's an event I'd love you to consider. It's called 'Blues for a Cure' and it's in conjunction with my friends at Christmas to Cure Cancer. Woodlands Backyard in Grnadview is the spot and it promises to be a fantastic evening. My blues pal Sean Carney is bringing in quite a few internationally acclaimed blues performers and maybe the most impressive is a 14 year old named Quinn Sullivan. Apparently, dude can wail... Rolling Stone recently wrote an article on the kid and it sounds like he's impressing blues masters wherever he plays. I had the chance to chat with Sean and Mark Puskarich and here's what they have to say about the event...
Click these links for more info!
Bass Brother Joe joined me live this morning with his recipe for perfect pork chops. Dude knows his food, so I'm gonna fire up the grill tonight and check it out. Joe says to start with 1/2 inch chops and no center cuts... go with the ones that have fat down one side and bone on the other. Pat 'em dry, give 'em a little salt rub, and stick 'em in the freezer. Yep, the freezer for about 45 minutes so they get really cold, but not frozen. Before you stick 'em on the grill, hit 'em with a mixture of butter, brown sugar and a little salt and pepper. Once they're on the grill, don't take your eye off 'em. Three to four minutes on each side... slide 'em onto a plate and let 'em rest for about five minutes. Then it's bon appetit! I love this because Joe says it'll keep my chops from drying out and there's nothing worse than a dry chop off the grill. Thanks Joe!
photo courtesy of moomettes via flickr
I heard plenty of chatter over the weekend about the Boston bombers, and of course, most of the talk fluttered around rampant speculation. I don't know why we make things so difficult in this country. The two bombers are from outside our country originally... they were brought up in the Muslim faith... and they both clearly were radicalized. Why does it have to be more than that? We know from past activity, that there is a subset of Islam that wants to inflict pain and suffering and terror on this country and our way of life. Doesn't mean all Muslim's are bad, just like when a tv evangelist has an affair it doesn't mean of all 'em have or when a priest misuses a young man, it doesn't mean they all will or have. I just don't understand why it's so wrong to talk about it.
In the 1800s, folks in small towns all over the country knew who the bad elements were, they knew who was likely to renig on a business deal, and who was unlikely to pay off a debt. If you happened to be associated with or related to one of these people, you were under scrutiny as well. Of course, if you were able to prove yourself otehr than that, you'd be accepted into the community. If the stigma was too heavy, one might move to a new community and make a name for themself. Why do we try so hard to get away from that model? I mean, guilt by association, right? I teach my son to stay away from the bad elements in school, on his ball team, even the kids in Scouts who aren't following the rules. If he doesn't and he gets in trouble or has a problem, I remind him. I usually get a 'But Dad...', but I remind him again that if he wants to hang out with kids that don't follow the rules, he's gonna get burned from tiem to time.
I'm probably most puzzled by the kids who knew the Boston bombers and say they're good guys who just liked to box or whatever. I mean, these young men were in and out of the country with some regularity and I would think if you're willing to go on national television and talk about how good a guys they were, you'd know a little more about them. I think the FBI and other investigators ought to start with those people when conduction interviews... why would you say these two are good guys? How well do you know them? How much time did you spend with them? Did you ever see or hear anything suspicious? Maybe these 'associates' will reconsider spouting off about how good someone is without really knowing what they're talking about...
