Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Wed, Mar 24 2004
Land Up For Grabs!
They're giving away land in Marquette, Kansas. It's a great idea, but you won't be seeing much of that in California any time soon. Marquette's whole city budget is $350,000. You'll need at least one dollar more than that to match the median price of one single-family home in Southern California (as of February). Our own Santa Cruz County median price would fill Marquette's budget for even longer than a year. Let's face it. Just paying "trailer trash" prices in the San Francisco Bay area would be enough to keep Marquette on the map for awhile. The trick would be getting Californians to trade our earthquake-prone dumps for a mansion in tornado alley. Any takers?
posted at: 08:45 | category: /Miscellaneous | link to this entry
They're giving away land in Marquette, Kansas. It's a great idea, but you won't be seeing much of that in California any time soon. Marquette's whole city budget is $350,000. You'll need at least one dollar more than that to match the median price of one single-family home in Southern California (as of February). Our own Santa Cruz County median price would fill Marquette's budget for even longer than a year. Let's face it. Just paying "trailer trash" prices in the San Francisco Bay area would be enough to keep Marquette on the map for awhile. The trick would be getting Californians to trade our earthquake-prone dumps for a mansion in tornado alley. Any takers?
posted at: 08:45 | category: /Miscellaneous | link to this entry
Addition to March 24 Posting
Forgive me. My previous post was not clear in the last paragraph. I intended to say that I hope Michael Newdow has placed the picture of his daughter in his mind and heart.
posted at: 07:48 | category: /Religious and Spiritual | link to this entry
Forgive me. My previous post was not clear in the last paragraph. I intended to say that I hope Michael Newdow has placed the picture of his daughter in his mind and heart.
posted at: 07:48 | category: /Religious and Spiritual | link to this entry
Will It Be Worth It?
A local local attorney will be with Michael Newdow present his case before the U.S. Supreme Court today. Newdow is the atheist man who raised such a ruckus in California when he decided that his little girl should not have to recite the pledge of allegiance in its current form, because the pledge includes the words "under God". Newdow has been preparing himself for this day for some time now.
I don't know anyone in the situation personally, but I can't help but feel empathy for the little girl. She never asked to be conceived, much less placed in this kind of fishbowl. If winning his case means he loses his daughter's love, I wonder if Newdow would still do what he's doing. The rest of us can give an opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court can give a ruling, amd the whole nation can debate for years about whether or not the phrase is an issue worthy of contention. Newdow may or may not be responsible for the ultimate outcome in schools across America. But he is at least half responsible for this child's presence in the world. He owes her his devotion and protection as a father. He could win his battle in the courts, but if his child never trusts him again, he's lost something much more precious. Newdow has worked in emergency rooms as a physician. I'm sure he's seen children come in with injuries and illness that were so severe that he couldn't save their lives. He must have felt completely powerless when young patients slipped away in spite of his best efforts. His own child is worth at least that much fervor. Is this case in her best interests as his daughter? We may not know until she grows up and makes heavy decisions of her own, including the decision of whether or not to have a relationship with this man.
One of the above-mentioned articles said that Michael Newdow had been lining up photos of the U.S. Supreme Court Justices and really looking at them in preparation for this battle. I hope he also placed that one important picture there--the one of the beautiful child he had the privilege of helping to create.
posted at: 07:31 | category: /Religious and Spiritual | link to this entry
A local local attorney will be with Michael Newdow present his case before the U.S. Supreme Court today. Newdow is the atheist man who raised such a ruckus in California when he decided that his little girl should not have to recite the pledge of allegiance in its current form, because the pledge includes the words "under God". Newdow has been preparing himself for this day for some time now.
I don't know anyone in the situation personally, but I can't help but feel empathy for the little girl. She never asked to be conceived, much less placed in this kind of fishbowl. If winning his case means he loses his daughter's love, I wonder if Newdow would still do what he's doing. The rest of us can give an opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court can give a ruling, amd the whole nation can debate for years about whether or not the phrase is an issue worthy of contention. Newdow may or may not be responsible for the ultimate outcome in schools across America. But he is at least half responsible for this child's presence in the world. He owes her his devotion and protection as a father. He could win his battle in the courts, but if his child never trusts him again, he's lost something much more precious. Newdow has worked in emergency rooms as a physician. I'm sure he's seen children come in with injuries and illness that were so severe that he couldn't save their lives. He must have felt completely powerless when young patients slipped away in spite of his best efforts. His own child is worth at least that much fervor. Is this case in her best interests as his daughter? We may not know until she grows up and makes heavy decisions of her own, including the decision of whether or not to have a relationship with this man.
One of the above-mentioned articles said that Michael Newdow had been lining up photos of the U.S. Supreme Court Justices and really looking at them in preparation for this battle. I hope he also placed that one important picture there--the one of the beautiful child he had the privilege of helping to create.
posted at: 07:31 | category: /Religious and Spiritual | link to this entry
