People kill, not guns (03/11/05)
On Thursday, Feb. 24, a tragedy occurred in Tyler, Texas. At about 1:25 p.m., a lone man, David Hernandez Arroyo Sr., armed with a semi-automatic rifle approached the courthouse in the historic town square and opened fire on his ex-wife and 24-year-old son as they were leaving the building. When the shooting stopped two people, besides the gunman, were dead and several were wounded including several police officers...

The trials of renting DVDs (12/07/04)
I like movies. No ... I love movies. There are few things I enjoy more than snuggling with my wife, munching a bowl of popcorn, watching a good movie. But one thing I hate is having to fight the DVD to watch it. I'm sure many of you have had the same experience. You're in the middle of the flick, the plot's just getting good and ... bam! The image freezes on screen, maybe jumps a little bit, perhaps you can hear the player spinning trying to pick up the data again...

The more things change, the more they stay the same (11/17/04)
Since taking the responsibility of compiling the "Way it Was" section that truism has come to have new meaning. Societal problems that I believed to be fairly recent innovations have been around for quite a while...

Religion and government (11/02/04)
In September, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to remove two symbols from the county seal. A cross, and an image of the pagan goddess Pomona. Following the vote, Ernesto Vasquez, filed suit against the board claiming that his First Amendment rights were violated...

Pets or lawn ornaments? (10/13/04)
I am an animal lover. I have had pets of one form or another for just about as long as I can remember. And I think that folks owning pets is generally a good thing on a number of levels. But I've noticed something lately that disturbs me to no end. Dogs on chains in yards. There are several houses around town where you'll see a dog chained up at all times and in all weather. It seems to me that some folks would rather have a lawn ornament than a pet...

Quiet (10/08/04)
Quiet What exactly does our society have against quiet? From the moment we wake, till the instant we fall asleep we are deluged with noise. Be it the television, the radio or the traffic outside. It seems that people today need a sonic pacifier. A few years ago I learned what quiet was. My wife and I were living in McKinney, Texas. We had an apartment only a scant couple hundred yards from I-75. Our lives were full of sound...

Simply Speaking (02/20/04)
According to a news story released by the Associated Press and published in the Wednesday, Jan. 28 edition of the Nevada Daily Mail, Missouri State Rep. Brian Baker apparently places same-sex marriage on the same level as murder. " 'We legislate morality here all the time,' Baker responded. 'We define morality all the time.'...