Unsolicited Advice

In the past few weeks, I've had some very sudden reminders of the fragility of life.  Everyone in my family is fine, so no worries on that front, but in the larger community of my school some folks I know are hurting because of the loss of loved ones.

That these events have happened at a time when I couldn't be happier is not lost on me.  These reminders that we must love and cherish one another while we can seems worthy of note.  And really, that's all I've got to say.  Get off the computer and go tell your family that you love them.  Do it now, while you can.  You'll be glad that you said it.

Genetic Condition

In the past three years, JT has become a veritable encyclopedia of baseball facts.  He watches ESPN's Baseball Tonight and reads baseball news with a hunger tinged by obsession.  He's told me more than once that his dream job is to be a team General Manager some day.

He's got a complicated system of fan loyalties that reads like a genetic inheritance.  His favorite team is the Cardinals, because that's Grandpa's team.  He likes the Giants and the A's because those are also his Grandpa's teams, and we're a Nor Cal family.  He hates the Dodgers (see above: Nor Cal family).  Locally, he prefers the Phillies, and sniffs with disdain at the big money Yanks and Red Sox (thanks, Grandpa).

Last night's games, which likely shortened the lives of baseball fans all over America, found my boy simply thrilled.  The Cards clinched the National League Wildcard spot after the Phillies beat the Braves in the 13th inning.  The Red Sox were eliminated in a heart break of a game for Sox fans.  As ESPN showed film of the Cards celebrating their Wildcard win, JT called Grandpa for a final consult.  Their Cardinals start the playoffs with the Phillies on Saturday but they re-assured themselves that there's no cause for concern here ---- the Cards beat the Phillies six times in nine meet-ups this season.  As JT settled into his bed (the one with National League-themed sheets) my tired, happy boy smiled up at me and announced, "I love baseball."

Indeed.

Outsourcing

I've been of a mind to write up a post about the GOP field of presidential contenders and what seems to be the split personality tone of GOP supporters.  Then Kevin Drum summed it all up quite nicely.  Read this and then you don't have to put up with my nonsense.

Ironic

JT refuses to drink milk.  Though Baby JT  once loved a glass of "nuk" he's been on the wagon for years. He won't even try it, which drives me stone cold crazy.  When I get the most frustrated with his unwillingness to even try milk, I entertain myself by serving his supper glass of ice water in one of a handful of replica label milk glasses that live in my cabinet.

Hah.

Dogwood Monday

Though the thick humidity and warm days don't quite reflect it, fall has arrived in my corner of the world.  It shows in the trees and leaves around the Garden State, which have started the process of turning the colors of autumn.  The days are getting shorter and Pesky the backyard squirrel is busy getting things together for winter.  The dogwood has begun to turn.

As I did last year, I plan to make a picture of the changing tree each week.

Happy Fall, y'all!

Real Life Conversations with JT: Hierarchy edition

The backstory:  When he feeds the cats their daily allotment of kibble, JT hauls the kibble bucket over and announces that "King JT is here to feed you."  Tiger and Lucy come running, of course.  Who doesn't love a full kibble bowl?

Mama:  If you are feeding them, are you really the King?

JT:  I hadn't thought of that.

Mama:  Maybe Tiger and Lucy are the royalty.  You feed them; I clean their litter box.

JT:  We're their servants, aren't we?

Mama:  Indeed we are.

At least we know where we stand.

Home Improvement Weekend

The charming T, who seems to be a glutton for Sassafras-style nonsense, was a home improvement machine last weekend.  She installed a new front porch light fixture.

The old one was well beyond repair, not to mention modern electrical safety standards.

The new fixture features clean glass, less bugs, and both light sockets work!  Fancy.  Also: not a fire hazard. Ahem.

She replaced some window screens torn by certain feline attackers.

Let the record reflect that I wasn't completely useless.  Home improvement efforts always earns a Sunday supper.

And a tasty one, at that.  We plan to take it easy this weekend.  T has earned a rest.

And Justice for All?

I've been a long-standing opponent of the death penalty and for most of my  life that's been an uphill battle.   Though American support for the death penalty has declined in the last ten years, something like 70% of the American public still supports its use.  We're a nation who likes our executions.

By happenstance, application of the death penalty has been in the news for the last few weeks, just as I've begun teaching American Government to a new crop of Seniors.  I don't seek to convert students to my point of view - that would be unethical - but I do introduce them to politics from a political scientist's point of view.  Right now, we are studying the Constitution.  The death penalty is a question of constitutionality on a number of fronts.  The Constitution prevents cruel and unusual punishment.  The Supreme Court has found that execution is neither cruel nor unusual.  The Constitution also requires due process and justice under the law.  In my mind, those were the fundamental issues on the table in the state of Georgia's bid to execute Troy Davis.

Twenty-two years ago, Troy Davis was accused of the shooting off an off-duty police officer, Mark MacPhail.  The crime happened in Savannah, Georgia, and there's no question that Davis was in the parking lot where MacPhail's murder occurred.  The police never recovered the gun; there was never any physical evidence connecting Davis to the crime.  In the original police investigation a number of eyewitnesses identified Davis as the shooter.  A jury found Davis guilty of the crime and the judge sentenced him to death.  In subsequent years, nearly all of the eyewitnesses recanted their testimony against Davis, telling the courts that police investigators at the time had pressured them to identify Davis as the shooter.  Davis steadfastly maintained his innocence at trial and while in prison.  The police never found any physical evidence to connect Davis to the crime. 

For years, I've followed Troy Davis's case.  He'd dodged execution dates before, though rarely with any hope that another execution date would be avoided.  Yesterday, as another execution hour loomed, Davis's supporters and lawyers tried in vain to stop his execution.  My students and I listened to a news story about the situation and we talked about the issues of justice and Constitutionality at play.  When they left class yesterday, I encouraged them to pay attention to events in Georgia.  My classes have both death penalty supporters and opponents.  Both were sobered by the case.

I don't know if Troy Davis was guilty in the shooting of Mark MacPhail.  I know that there was no physical evidence to connect him to the crime.  I know that eyewitness testimony is notoriously suspect.  I know that our criminal justice system makes mistakes and that people serve time for crimes they didn't commit.  I know that the police are not always trust-worthy, especially when the rights of poor black men are at stake.  And I know that the state should not be executing people - taking their lives - unless we are damned sure that they are guilty. 

I know that Davis's execution won't be the last injustice in this nation.  I know that The Innocence Project and others are hard at work trying to correct those injustices.  I know that change can only happen when citizens like me stand up for the principles they believe in.  I know my nation is imperfect, but I believe in the promises of the Constitution.  I believe in the power of liberty and justice for all.  I will teach my students that this is true.  But they will also know about injustice; about Troy Davis and the state of Georgia.  In my darker moments, I wonder which message will resound most loudly.

Real Life Conversations at School: Reality Check edition

The backstory: I teach high school and there is almost no moment in high school as important as that day when a 17 year old secures a driver's license.  Its power is validated when the newly minted driver has access to a car.  Such realities were revealed when I overheard this conversation in the hall.

Student Y:  Whose white mini van is parked in the student parking lot?

Student X:  I don't know.  Why?

Student Y:  Because mini vans are pathetic.  They are loser-mobiles.

Student X:  Wait….do you have a car?

Student Y:  (pause) No.

Student X:  Who's the loser now?

Touche, Student X.  Touche.

In high school, I spent some time behind the wheel of a white El Camino known as the Elk.  So I'm not judging.  I just report the facts.

Correction

I headed out into the garden this weekend, to pick some of the rosemary I grew.  I used it to season some yeast rolls.

Turns out the Possum did leave me something (other than rosemary…..he's not a fan of herbs): I found one Roma tomato.

Thanks for sharing your garden bounty, Possum.

P.S.: You're still doomed.