Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

No original material in this blog entry. Besides, I can't describe the meaning and magic of Christmas any better than this exchange between Virgnia O'Hanlon and The New York Sun, from 1897:

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor:
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O'Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Happy holidays to all.

Effective plan needed to pay for jail

When it comes to the Mississippi County Jail and the current controversy over municipal jail fees, there are a couple of things that seem certain.

One, the jail will be paid for. There's never been any question about that.

Two, it is taxpayers living within Mississippi County who will foot the bill. And that's the way it ought to be,

The only question — and the main issue that has sparked controversy over the past few years — is which taxpayers will pay which portion of the jail's expenses. And that's a question with no easy answer.

A big portion of the jail's expense is covered by a county-wide jail tax. That tax was sold to voters some years ago as a fee that would support the maintenance and operation of the county facility. But as time has gone by, the cost of running the jail — like everything else in life — has gone up. And though county sales tax revenues have been on the upswing, the jail tax has apparently not generated enough revenue to cover expenses.

So in recent years, the county has made up for the shortfall by charging municipalities who house misdemeanor prisoners at the county jail a daily fee, per prisoner. The county has also diverted money from the county's general fund to help pay for the jail.

There's nothing wrong with any of this. It's legal; it's more or less fair. It's what other counties and cities in Arkansas do.

But what has generated controversy in the past, and again the last couple of weeks, is the county's decision to hike the fees it is charging municipalities to a level that is creating a budget crunch for cities. Blytheville Mayor Barrett Harrison, for instance, has complained loudly about the jail fees, and the Blytheville City Council has already raised millage rates to pay the fees. Other communities are no doubt feeling the pinch as well.

It's worth pointing out here, that at present, the county has been able to pass a budget for 2009 that is balanced, and apparently was able to do so without any cuts in county services. The budget for the jail is in the black, and this was accomplished without factoring in the latest increase in jail fees. In other words, it looks like the county is covering growing jail expenses out of its general fund, but hopes in the future to have the growing expenses covered via municipal fees. At least that's what it looks like from this perspective.

But what I don't understand is why there's anything wrong with the county covering jail expenses out of the general fund. Why force the cities to shoulder such an increasing chunk of the burden? After all, when a bad guy is locked up in the county jail, it's not like the cities are the only ones who benefit. In today's world, criminals migrate from one area to another, and any one area's high crime rate is a problem for everybody.

The truth is, keeping criminals in jail is something that benefits each and every citizen of our county. It doesn't matter whether the crime occurred in Blytheville, or Osceola, or Luxora, or Manila. County residents have a mutual interest in seeing those guys behind bars.

It's also worth a look at the consequences of jacking up the fees charged to municipalities. In short, if a city has to spend $55 a day to house an inmate, that's $55 a day less to spend on any other public service or quality of life enhancement in the city. It's less money to spend on police officers' salaries; less money to spend on fire departments; less money to spend on roads; less money to spend on parks.

With cities facing the budget crunch, the two most likely consequences of higher jail fees are reduced public services or higher taxes. And in a time when cities and the county alike are constantly trying to recruit new industry and new residents, neither option is particularly attractive.

It seems as though the citizens of Mississippi County would be more well-served to pay for the increasing costs of the county jail through the county's general fund. At least based on the 2009 budget, the county looks like it is reasonably well-positioned to be able to do so. When you think about it, since a majority of the county's population resides in cities, the majority of the money being used to pay for the jail will be coming from the cities anyway.

The thing to remember is that we're all in this together. Mississippi County and the communities within it are not autonomous entities, that just happen to be geographical neighbors. The truth is, they are intrinsically connected and linked and intertwined. Residents of cities contribute the largest portion of the county's revenue; county residents rely on cities for shopping, recreation and other public services. The relationship is symbiotic.

So when it comes to paying for a jail, a solution is needed that looks out for the best interests all residents of Mississippi County. And speaking as a county resident who does not reside within any city, I'm not sure tapping into the strained budgets of municipalities is the way to do it.

Technology helps rebuild bonds with past

Up until nine months or so ago, I had more or less lost contact with everyone I went to high school with.

That's one of the casualties of moving two states away from your hometown. I grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. And there just aren't a whole lot of common denominators between Cedar Rapids and Blytheville, Ark.

The sole exception was Scott Drzycimski, with whom I still exchanged a Christmas card once year. And to be honest, I'm not sure the cards have been flowing too freely the past few years.

It was never something I lamented. The truth is, I really wasn't that close to many of my high school classmates. Indeed, most of the people I would count as "old friends" were people I met in college or through other pursuits.

But sometime last spring, it all changed. That's when my sister invited me to join the online social networking site known as "Facebook." I mainly joined on a whim — mostly out of pure curiosity over what in the heck a "social networking site" was.

And now, months later, I find myself checking Facebook at least once a day, having forged connections with an ever-growing list of friends and relatives. There are old friends, and new friends … people from high school, college and old jobs. There are even a few folks from right here in Blytheville.

You might hear some people talk about Facebook as a great time-waster. There's some truth to that. With games ranging from "Scramble" to "Word Twist" to "YoVille" to "Mob Wars," there's plenty to do on Facebook if you've got some excess time on your hands.

But I've also learned that there really is something gratifying to this whole "social networking" concept. Facebook has allowed me to fuse together bonds that I had long thought were permanently broken. And though a Facebook connection isn't the same as a face-to-face meeting, it's still a human connection, with an assist from the technology of the computer age.

I've exchanged correspondence with my old friend Adrienne Hallett, who now works at the Capitol in Washington. Adrienne sent me a bumper sticker for a Senate candidate she worked for, who shares a name with my son.

I've had contact with Laurel Erbe Slater, who has my dream job — working as a cast member at Walt Disney World. She's gave me tips for our next vacation to central Florida — after we reminisced about our trip there years ago with our high school band.

I've had a cyber-snowball fight with Robert Armstrong, hearkening back to days of flinging the real things across the parking lot outside Godfather's Pizza.

I've even had a nice dialogue with Noelle Hawk Jaddaoui, who actually graduated a half-dozen years before I even began high school. Our connection is that she played volleyball for my dad, who was the high school volleyball coach for a time.

I've gotten to hear about career updates. I've witnessed political debates. I’ve seen images of adorable children. And I've laughed at embarrassing old photos.

Belittle it if you will, but none of this would have been possible without Facebook. In a world where people don't stay in one place anymore — where old friends end up scattered across the country — Facebook is something brings it all back together. It reminds us that we all have connections that will forever bind us to certain places and people. And though time and space may stretch and strain them, those bonds will always be there.

My high school graduating class has had several reunions through the years, but I've never gone. In fact, I've never even given serious thought to attending. The way I looked at it, that part of my life was over. I'd moved on.

But now, having reconnected with several of my classmates, I see more value in a reunion. Given the distance, there will always be logistical problems. But for the first time, a reunion is something has some appeal for me. Yes, that life is behind me. But I've learned — much to my surprise — that the bonds connecting me to my past haven’t been severed completely.

Learning what it means to really be thankful

This is the time of year when, back in grade school, teachers always used to give us the “write about what you’re thankful for” assignment.

I always dutifully completed the assignment, naming things like family, friends and teachers. I was thankful for all those things of course — and still am — yet when I was in elementary school, I don’t think I was old enough to truly understand what it meant to really be thankful for something.

That’s a wisdom that I have only begun to achieve in the past few years. Being thankful is about more than simply acknowledging the folks who have helped you out from time to time. It’s about a feeling of deep appreciation in your heart, the knowledge that your own little corner of the world is a better place because of someone or something else.

So I thought I’d take a few minutes to today to mention some of the things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for my clothes dryer. Just a few days ago, thanks to a faulty heating element, I learned what it was like to go several days without being able to dry clothes. I promise to never take it for granted again.

I am thankful for my DVR, for reruns on the Bravo cable channel, and for the creative genius behind for “The West Wing.” There’s nothing on TV today that matches that show.

I am thankful for the crowds at shopping centers this time a year. OK, so maybe I’m not a huge fan of the holiday mobs, but it sure is reassuring to see that even in the face of the “greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression,” life still seems to go on in some parts of the country.

I am thankful for Zaxby’s. I’m usually a little reluctant to give too many plugs to individual businesses in this space, but Zaxby’s is too good to not mention. I’m thankful they’re in Blytheville, and I hope they never leave.

I am thankful that I could buy gasoline for only $1.49 a gallon, about 30 miles from Blytheville Sunday afternoon. That’s a savings of roughly 37 cents a gallon compared to what the local fuel cartel was charging at the same time.

I am thankful for my Christmas tree, which we put up Saturday afternoon. A little early, for sure; but seeing as how we begin our Christmas celebrations at Thanksgiving, we have to do something to get ourselves into the spirit. I’m thankful that so many loved ones who have left us are represented on our tree. I like to think their spirits are with us during these festive times.

I am thankful for my readers, especially those who make a point from time to time to let me know they appreciated something I wrote. Writers have a need to know they're being read.

I am thankful for my parents, who I can always count on for guidance and companionship, whether it’s a trip to a historic site or a decision on what kind of life insurance to buy.

I am thankful for my in-laws, who welcomed me into their family nearly 12 years ago, and have been a crucial part of our family’s support structure ever since, providing services from lawn-mower repair to baking the world’s best cinnamon rolls.

I am thankful for my son, who at 6 years of age has a zeal for life that I will forever be envious of.

I am thankful for my daughter, who at age 9, manages to carry herself with a grace and dignity that I can only hope to emulate in my wildest dreams.

I am thankful for my wife, who is the most supportive and caring spouse a guy could hope for. I’m am thankful that I was lucky enough to have married my best friend.

These are the thoughts that I am filled with as we approach this Thanksgiving holiday. Like anyone else, there are challenges in my life; but at the end of the day, ultimately, I consider myself a very lucky person.

May each of us have a safe and happy Thanksgiving, filled with life's blessings.

Just how historic was the election?

The running count on the number of times this month’s presidential election has been referred to as “historic” now stands at 1,658,825,127.

All the well, though. It was historic.

But how historic was it, really? It will be years before we can really tell for sure. I’m of the mind set that at least 30 years or so have to pass before we can really get a sense of how an event will play out in the annals of history. For instance, though some people are ready to add his visage to Mount Rushmore, I think it’s still too early to begin to evaluate what the history books will say about Ronald Reagan. The same goes for George Bush (the elder), as well as Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. And we're just beginning to get a real sense of how people like Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon figure in the tale of America.

So obviously, we have a long way to go before we can even start to guess about what the history books will say about Barack Obama.

That said, we do know that he will forever be the first African-American elected president of the United States, and there’s no doubt that’s noteworthy. In fact, the night of Nov. 4, I let my kids stay up late to watch some of the election results come it, for the sole purpose of giving them a memory of that historic night. I want them to be able to tell their grandchildren about how they remember the first time a black person was elected president of the United States.

My older sister has a similar memory. Though she was only about 3 1/2 at the time, she remembers being forced to watch television the night Richard Nixon became the first — and only — president to resign from office. Our father — a U.S. history teacher — was keenly aware of the historic significance of the event, and he wanted her to be able to remember the night it happened.

That’s what happens when you grow up in the household of a U.S. history teacher … you learn to appreciate history as it happens.

That’s probably why I’ve often contemplated the events of my own lifetime and wondered which will be the ones that end up in prominent places in the history books. I was technically alive at the time of Nixon’s resignation, and at the end of the Vietnam War, though I was too young to remember either. For a long time, I counted the fall of communism — perhaps best encapsulated by the dismantling of the Berlin Wall — to be the most significant historic event that I had witnessed.

Other events which stand out are things like the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and the Columbine massacre.

Of course, then Sept. 11 happened, and there was no longer much debate about the single-most historic day of my lifetime. I think we all remember how we spent that morning, and we’re all preparing stories of that one for our grandchildren.

And now, we have the election of Barack Obama, to add to the mix. In evaluating the historic events of the last 36 years or so, the 2008 presidential election will surely have a place. After all, in a nation that has been largely defined by race relations since its inception, the rise of our first black president is without a doubt something that will be long remembered.

But I’ll hold back from saying just how historic it has been for a few years. I’d say somewhere around 2038 or so, we’ll be able to accurately begin to weigh Obama’s place in American history.

Until then, I can only say I’m proud to be able to say I’ve witnessed it.

Many questions; not too many answers

I'm stealing an all-question column format from BHS Arrow editor Xavier Billingsley this week.

Do you think he will mind?

Is imitation really the sincerest form of flattery?

How long will it be before all the political yard signs are finally taken down?

Does anyone else find it interesting that the signs for those who lost elections — both locally and nationally — seem to be the ones being left up the longest?

Has anyone heard a rational explanation for why Blytheville's gas prices are at least 30 cents higher than anywhere else?

Do gas station owners realize how much money our community is losing as motorists travel elsewhere, not only to buy gas, but to eat supper, buy groceries, and do shopping?

When it comes to gas prices, is Blytheville earning the moniker, "Rip-Off City"?

Have you heard Pink's new hit, "So What"?

Is it possible for the area pop radio stations to go longer than 20 minutes without playing "So What"?

For that matter, can they go 15 minutes without playing “Time of My Life” by David Cook?

Now that the elections are over, will people finally stop acting crazy?

Can I expect to finally stop getting phone calls and e-mails that randomly accuse me of being unabashedly liberal, or unabashedly conservative, or a racist, or a (offensive term for the opposite of a racist which I won't repeat here)?

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?

If I put up my Christmas tree soon, will you laugh at me?

Does anyone know where I can find some black-and-gold tinsel for my Iowa Hawkeye-themed Christmas tree?

Have we heard the last of Sarah Palin?

Will Palin fare better than other losing VP picks, like John Edwards, Joe Lieberman, Jack Kemp, Dan Quayle, Lloyd Benton and Geraldine Ferraro?

Isn't it nice to see how classy President Bush — and other administration officials — have been in regard to President-elect Obama?

Do you feel sorry for those who were so bitterly opposed to an Obama presidency that they were unable to appreciate the historic milestone that last week's election represented?

Did the community do enough to celebrate Veterans Day this year?

Does the existence of so many holidays throughout the year, all honoring those who have served our country — including Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day (not to mention other frequently celebrated days, like D-Day, Pearl Harbor Day and Sept. 11) dilute the tributes paid to those who have served our country?

Can you imagine a world without the Internet? Or e-mail? Or YouTube? Or Facebook? Or Wikipedia? Or Google?

Have you bookmarked Snopes.com?

Do Internet message boards, which allow users to say whatever they want to, under the cloak of complete anonymity, really promote the cause of free speech?

Does it further the cause of free speech to give a megaphone to a moron?

Is anybody else just about ready for basketball season to begin in earnest?

Will the Memphis Grizzlies ever capture the devotion of area basketball fans, especially as long as the Memphis Tigers are around?

Am I making any sense at all?

Gearing up for the Christmas countdown

I walked into the local Wal-Mart Supercenter over the weekend, and it really came as no surprise that Christmas music was blaring over the loudspeakers.

Yes, it had only been a few hours since the last of the trick-or-treaters had wandered off into the night; and yes, it seems odd to be humming "Silent Night" when it's in the mid-70s outside. But if you think this is going to be one of those "Christmas comes too early" rants, you're in for a disappointment.

The fact is, this is simply the way it is. The day the pumpkins and witches come down, the Christmas trees and Santa Clauses go up. (Or, in the case of Lowe's, the Christmas trees were up a month ago.)

The nice thing about it is you really don't need a calendar anymore — you can always tell what time of year it is by looking at the seasonal aisle at Wal-Mart. Christmas gives way to Valentine's, which segues to Easter, then to "summer picnic" season, followed by back-to-school items, then Halloween, and finally back to Christmas.

So the appearance of stockings and mistletoe and reindeer and ornamental snowflakes really doesn't bother me. But what does alarm me is that it's a reminder of how far behind I am in my preparations for the holidays.

For those keeping score at home, we are currently 50 days out from Christmas, which isn't too bad. But the problem for me is that with various relatives in different places (and on different schedules), we end up celebrating early with several different factions of the family. In fact, we traditionally do one of our Christmas celebrations during Thanksgiving weekend, which is (gulp) only 22 days away.

And we've done zero preparations. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

We do have one thing going for us, which is that we've more or less agreed to scale things back a bit this year. For the last several years, it's seemed the holidays have been getting a little out of control. A few too many gifts. A few too many toys. A bit too much energy directed toward stuff that, in the grand scheme of things, just isn't that important, especially once December fades away.

Then the whole financial meltdown thing came along, and it just seemed like a good time to tone down the whole Christmas thing. We'll buy fewer gifts; and we'll receive fewer gifts. And in the process, we think our enjoyment of the holiday will increase.

Nonetheless, it's time to get going on getting ready. We need to make our lists, and check them twice. We need to figure out when we're going to pull out the tree and hang up the stockings. We need to schedule our trips to the various families we'll celebrate with, here in Arkansas, as well as in Missouri and Iowa.

I think the election has been the big stumbling block for anyone thinking about getting a head start on the holidays. For the last several months, the campaign has dominated our nation's consciousness. Luckily, it's over now. And it's time to put the debates and arguments behind us, come together as a country and return to some normalcy.

And really, the holidays are the perfect way to do it. After all, Christmas time is about people coming together, and sharing the things which unite us. It's a season of hope, of joy and of peace.

So I don't care if Wal-Mart is playing "White Christmas" and peddling tinsel and wrapping paper. It's not too early. If you ask me, Christmas can't get here soon enough.

Obama reads this blog

Check out this excerpt from last week's edition of The Talker:

We’re not the "Red States of America" or the "Blue States of America;" we are the "United States of America."

Now check out this excerpt from Barak Obama's acceptance speech Tuesday night:

We have never been a collection of red states and blue states: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

I guess we know where Obama's getting his material.

Election only a few days away

An election prediction: If Barack Obama wins on Tuesday, a week later, U.S. banks will be closed and soldiers will be marching in the streets.

Of course, the main reason for this is that exactly one week after Election Day — Nov. 11 — it will be Veterans Day, an annual banking holiday and a day of parades in cities across the country. So my prediction really has very little to do with the election. In fact, if John McCain wins, the same thing will undoubtedly happen.

I’ll stick with the prediction, though.

———

I keep hearing that the upcoming presidential election is “the most important election in our time,” or any of several variants on the expression.

Personally, I’m not buying it. Sure, the election is important. And I plan to vote. But is 2008 really that much more critical than any other election? I don’t see how.

The truth is, every election is important. 2004 was important. 2000 was important. So was 1992, and 1980, and 1972, and 1964, etc. In fact, I’m hard-pressed to come up with a time when the presidential election wasn’t important. If anyone can come up when that happened, please let me know.

———

One thing that is probably true, however, is that the election is historic. This is for the simple fact that we are either going to end up with our nation’s first African-American president, or our first female vice president.

But beyond that, the 2008 elections will also have historic significance because for only the third time in American history, a sitting senator will advance directly to the Oval Office. (For you history geeks out there, the other two were Warren Harding and John F. Kennedy.)

Typically, U.S. senators are considered likely White House hopefuls; but in actuality, few make successful presidential candidates. The problem for senators is that through the years, they inevitably end up voting for any of a number of measures that end up seeming a little unflattering, especially when taken out of context. Indeed, I have no doubt McCain and Obama could spend hours simply hurling accusations of unpopular votes at each other.

But since both candidates are senators, that whole thing kind of gets canceled out this year.

———

Governors often make better presidential candidates than senators. For one thing, they don’t have as many controversial votes in their past. For another, they can claim “executive experience,” a quality generally deemed important for presidents.

In this year’s campaign, the only governor in the mix, of course, is McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska.

Interestingly enough, very few governors end up as vice presidential candidates. In fact, other than Palin, the only other governor to take the No. 2 spot on a presidential ticket in recent memory is Spiro Agnew, the Maryland governor who ran as Richard Nixon’s running mate in 1968.

The knock on governors is that they often lack foreign policy credentials, as well as a vigorous knowledge of national issues. Perhaps that’s why senators or Cabinet officials more commonly end up as running mates. Even though they may struggle at the top of the ticket, such individuals often seem more well-suited to assume the presidency in the event of the president’s death.

———

I’ll make one serious prediction in closing: No matter who wins the election next Tuesday, the sun will still come up Wednesday morning.

Whether it’s Obama or McCain, I can guarantee there will be good times, and there will be bad times. The stock market will go up; the stock market will go down. There will always be taxes. Health care will always be expensive. There will always be individuals across the sea that want to do harm to our country; not to mention some within our own borders who wish to do the same.

The good news is our national greatness extends beyond any one man, even the president. The country is not going to go to hell, regardless of who wins.

By all means, of course, go out and vote. Let you voice be heard. But when it’s all said and done, remember that we’re all on the same team. We’re not the “Red States of America” or the “Blue States of America;” we are the “United States of America.” Let’s live up to that.

Ballot offers alternatives to McCain, Obama

I think we’ve now reached the point in this presidential election when we’re all just pretty much ready for the whole thing to be over. Maybe you know who you’re going to vote for; maybe you don’t. Either way, campaign fatigue has set in, big-time.

It’s usually about this time that a lot of folks become more or less fed up with both major candidates. When it comes down to it, for many people, neither one really embodies the ideas we have for what we want our president to stand for.

But one of the great secrets of the presidential campaign is that John McCain and Barack Obama are not the only people running for president. Across the country, dozens of people will appear on various state ballots. They are what are referred to as “third party” candidates. None of them really have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning on Nov. 4, but for those looking for a candidate they can vote for without having to hold their nose, these longshots offer a potential alternative.

In Arkansas, there will be seven presidential candidates on the ballot Nov. 4. Excepting Obama and McCain, whom we’ve all heard enough about, here are the other presidential candidates Arkansans have to choose from, along with their party, and what their party stands for:

— Chuck Baldwin, Constitution Party. The Constitution Party advocates a platform which aims to reflect the principles of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights. Baldwin, founder-pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla., strongly opposes the "New World Order," the United Nations, U.S. income taxes, the Patriot Act, and assaults on individual liberties in general. He would withdraw troops from Iraq and end illegal immigration. Emphasizing America's Christian heritage, he strongly supports the gold standard, the right to keep and bear arms, homeschooling, and pro-life legislation such as the Sanctity of Life Act. Baldwin also hosts a daily one-hour radio program, "Chuck Baldwin Live," and writes a daily editorial column. For more, see www.baldwin08.com/

— Gloria La Riva, Party for Socialism and Liberation. The Party for Socialism and Liberation is a Marxist party in the United States founded to promote revolutionary change. The PSL is very active in the antiwar movement and has taken a lead organizing role in mass antiwar demonstrations since 2001. It supports the government of Cuba, but is critical of the government of China. La Riva has been the director of the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five, and has been president of the typographical sector of the Northern California Media Workers Union. She also translated Fidel Castro's book “Cuba at the Crossroads” and produced the documentary videos “NATO Targets,” “Workers' Democracy in Cuba,” “Genocide by Sanctions: The Case of Iraq” and “Let Iraq Live!” For more, see www.votepsl.org

— Ralph Nader, Independent. This is Nader’s fifth campaign for the presidency, having also run in each of the previous four elections. Though an independent in Arkansas and other states, Nader is running on the Independent-Ecology and the Peace and Freedom tickets elsewhere. Nader is known for his commitment to issues such consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism and democratic government. For more, see www.votenader.org

— Bob Barr, Libertarian Party. Libertarians stand for laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration across borders, and non-interventionism in foreign policy that respects freedom of trade and travel to all foreign countries. The party stands for freedom of speech, freedom of association and sexual freedom. The party seeks to abolish laws against "victimless crimes" (such as prostitution, driving without a seat belt and use of some controlled substances.) A former Republican, Barr portrays himself as an alternate for conservatives to Republican nominee John McCain. He emphasizes his opposition to the Republican Party for its positions on the war in Iraq and the Patriot Act, but stands as an advocate for border security and fiscal constraint. For more, see www.bobbarr2008.com

— Cynthia McKinney, Green Party. The Green Party of the United States emphasizes environmentalism, non-hierarchical participatory democracy, social justice, respect for diversity, peace and nonviolence. McKinney supports statehood for the District of Columbia, slavery reparations, electoral reforms including instant runoff voting, and calls for abolishing the death penalty and the War on Drugs. For more, see votetruth08.com

If nothing else, these candidates demonstrate that the marketplace of ideas remains robust in America. And you may not see anyone listed here that you like, but you at least ought to know that these candidates are out there.

Some folks have a hard time voting for a third party candidate. The cynics like to say voting third-party amounts to “throwing your vote away.” And there might be some truth to that.

But for some voters, casting a vote on Election Day is about more than picking a good-looking horse. It’s about partaking in a sacred civic duty and wanting to still be able to look at yourself in the mirror the next day. It’s about voting for something you really believe in.

Is there anyone on this list worth believing in? Maybe, maybe not. But surely there’s at least one or two candidates worth a closer look.

Blytheville gas prices falling ... like a feather

The good news is, gas prices are going down.

The bad news is, in Blytheville … not so much.

You’ve probably read the news stories. Around the country, gas prices are falling fast, as a combination of economic woes, declining demand and falling crude oil prices kick in at the same time.

And — as reported last week in the Courier News — gas prices are coming down in Blytheville, too. Barely. If gas prices elsewhere are falling like a boulder; in Blytheville, they’re falling like a feather.

I like to frequent a Web site called GasBuddy.com. It uses volunteers to keep track of the gas prices across Arkansas and the rest of the country, keeping a running list of the 15 most-expensive and 15 least-expensive places to buy gas in the state. For weeks, Blytheville has been a fixture on the most-expensive list, consistently holding five or more of the top 15 spots. It’s been a dubious distinction.

For the record, there was a brief time last week when our community at last did not hold any of the top 15 spots. And that’s worth noting.

But it was short-lived. Tuesday afternoon, Blytheville was well-represented on the most-expensive list once more, holding six of the top 15 spots.

It could be worse, of course. Blytheville — at least at present — does not have the most expensive gas in Arkansas. That distinction, according to GasBuddy, belongs to places like Mountain View, with several gas stations charging in the $3.30s for regular unleaded.

The opposite side of the spectrum can be found in the Springdale-Rogers area, which holds nearly every spot in the ranking of the least-expensive gas stations, with gas selling for as little as $2.45 at some stations. In Jonesboro, gas is selling for $2.69. In West Memphis, it's $2.85.

It’s a frustrating situation. It would be one thing if gas prices were the same — high or low — everywhere you went. But when you can drive an hour or less up the road and see gas for 30 or 40 cents a gallon less than you pay back home, it’s hard to not feel like there’s something screwy going on.

The calls I get at my desk range from allegations of “gas-gouging” to “price-fixing.” Is that what’s going on in Blytheville? I really don’t know. Only the folks who set the prices know for sure. But I agree that it seems awfully fishy. I have yet to hear a logical explanation for why gas stations less than an hour north, west and south of us are able to drop their prices more quickly, raise their prices more slowly, and otherwise charge dramatically less for the exact same product that is being sold here.

I’ve heard some folks talking about organizing a boycott. I’m hesitant to go that far. As an advocate of shopping locally, I’m unable to bring myself to call for an out-and-out boycott of a local business. That said, there are a few things consumers might be wise to do.

For starters, for those that do happen to travel out of town — for work or for pleasure — it only makes sense to buy your gas where it’s cheapest. It used to be that it was convenient to fill up before you left town. Nowadays, it seems smarter to top off your tank before you get home. That’s not a boycott; it’s simply a matter of acknowledging that in these tough economic times, it’s common sense to buy your product where it’s the least expensive.

Second, if you do have to buy gas locally — and we all do — make sure gas is the only thing you buy. If you want a soda, or a bag of chips, or a gallon of milk, or a candy bar, shop elsewhere in town. After all, there’s plenty of local grocery stores in our community that are working hard to keep their prices low. They deserve that business.

I don't claim to have all the answers on this stuff. When it comes to the business of running gas stations, I'm far from an expert. All I can do is make my own observations and — in the absence of any rational explanations — draw my own conclusions. And right now, those conclusions aren't making me very happy.

Time to load the crop-dusters with Xanax

I think it's time for everybody to just take a deep breath. Relax.

In with the good air ... out with the bad air.

Or perhaps, better yet, we ought to just get one of these crop-dusters flying around to dump a giant dose of Xanax on the whole town ... or maybe the whole country.

Is it just me, or is pretty much the whole world just a wee bit edgy these days?

It seems like every time I turn around, someone's upset about something. Non-issues are suddenly issues; minor issues are suddenly a huge deal. It's as though folks are going out of their way to find something to be mad about.

My wife thinks it's because of the weather change. Something about a “seasonal affective disorder.” She might be on to something. Certainly, these dark mornings are making it all that much harder to get out of bed.

Personally, I’m blaming the ongoing presidential campaign. American democracy being what it is, it's not enough to simply like a candidate — you've got to hate the other side. And when you walk around in a state of constant disharmony, it's only a matter of time before that contention seeps into everything else you do.

And even if you manage to ignore the campaign and forget the weather, there's the whole financial meltdown thing to worry about. The fun folks over on the round-the-clock cable news networks tell us it's the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. And they’re kind enough to remind us of this over and over and over again. No wonder we're a little tense.

I know some people who seem to thrive on contention. It's like they can't be happy — or can't be productive — unless they have someone or something to be mad at. Anger is their motivation, and they always have a scapegoat ready at hand. I guess these folks are pretty cheery these days.

It's not that I don't mind a good debate every now and then. After all, an intelligent argument is good for the brain. But when the argument is over, I want to be able to walk away from it. I have no desire to live life in a permanent state of discord. It's not good for the soul. I don't think it's good for anybody.

And that's why I'm calling for a community-wide deep breath. We need to relax, mellow out ... remember that ultimately, we’re all on the same team.

A good, positive distraction from it all might be just the thing. Lucky for us, there’s a couple of community happenings this weekend that might fit the bill.

On Saturday morning, the Blytheville Area Soccer Association will be playing its fourth week of games. I've beat the drum for the soccer league before; and I'll do it again. Believe me, it's hard to be ticked off about much of anything when you're surrounded by so many kids in bright colors running around having fun.

And if soccer isn't your thing, there's the Gosnell Cotton Festival Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Featuring barbecue, a car show, a kids area, live music and more, the Cotton Festival is one of our community's great annual events, a pleasant respite from our hectic lives.

Whether you attend either of these events or not, the key is to relax. Chill out. Take a deep breath. Get away from it all. We need to find reasons to not be mad at each other. We need to find reasons to not complain about each and every little thing that doesn’t go our way.

We are all on this earth but for a short time. Who wants to go through life being angry?

Anyone worth rooting for in baseball playoffs?

The Major League Baseball playoffs begin today, and there’s no St. Louis Cardinals to be found anywhere.

That pretty much sounds to me like a recipe to forget about baseball altogether, and turn my sights toward the much more worthwhile college and professional football seasons.

But before we write off the baseball season completely, perhaps it’s worth taking a look at the teams competing in the playoffs to see if there’s anyone worth rooting for.

We probably ought to start off by talking about the champions of the NL Central, the Chicago Cubs. Personally, I don’t care how deserving they may be, nor do I give a lick about their compelling story, what with it being a century since the club won a World Series and all. I just can’t bring myself to cheer for the Chicago Cubs. Sure, part of it is the whole Cardinals arch-nemesis thing. But more than that, it’s the fact that back home in Iowa, there is a pathetically large concentration of Cubs fans. And if the Cubs win the World Series, it’s just not going to be bearable to go home for the holidays.

On the American League side, I see there’s a team from Tampa Bay in the playoffs. Is it just me, or there something that just doesn’t seem right about a Major League baseball team in Tampa Bay? Tampa Bay used to be the "Devil Rays," but apparently sometime when I wasn't paying attention, they exorcised their demons, and became just the "Rays." And honestly, “Tampa Bay Rays” sounds more like something you’d expect to see in the Class A Florida State League than in the American League East.

Then there’s the Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox. The Phillies provide close competition for the Rays in the “stupidest team nickname” contest; while the Red Sox are just plain annoying. Besides that, both teams are from East Coast metropolises, and people from cities like that are always pretty much full of themselves. It’s the same story whether it’s Boston or Philadelphia, or New York or Washington. The East Coast elitists make it out to be a HUGE deal, while the rest of the country is just bored.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are an intriguing option. For much of my youth, I was a mild Dodgers fan. You see, my dad was never much of a baseball fan, so I wasn’t indoctrinated into the fandom of any professional baseball team. One of my best friends in elementary school was Chris Ransom, and he was a Dodgers fan, so I pretty much became one too, cheering for the likes of Steve Garvey, Ron Cey and Fernando Valenzuela. Luckily, when I got to college, I fell in with right crowd, and they introduced me to the clear righteousness of the Cardinal Nation. I haven’t cheered for the Dodgers since, and I see no reason to have a relapse now.

For that matter, I can’t cheer for the Dodgers’ cross-town rivals, the Angels, either. I don’t see how any person could be a fan of a team that doesn’t know who they are. Growing up, it was always the “California Angels.” But then it became the “Anaheim Angels,” and now it’s something like the “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California.” If that wasn’t enough, the Angels were also featured in that cheesy Disney movie “Angels in the Outfield” a few years back. How could anyone cheer for a team after that?

With the Chicago White Sox knocking off the Minnesota Twins Tuesday night to earn the last playoff spot, the Windy City is no doubt all aquiver at the thought of a "Lake Michigan Series." At that’s enough reason for me to root against the White Sox. Furthermore, I have a natural fear of any sports team whose nickname doesn’t end with an “s.”

That leaves the Milwaukee Brewers. And if I have to pick a team to cheer for in these baseball playoffs, I guess the Brewers would be it. Milwaukee’s got several points in its favor: One, it’s a Midwest team from the NL Central. Two, the Brewers are not a traditional power, and I always like the underdogs. And three, I like any team named after the blue-collar workers from the town the team comes from, whether it’s the Steelers, the Packers or the Brewers.

So I guess I’ll be cheering for the Brewers over the next couple of weeks. And by “cheering,” I mean maybe glancing at the box scores once in a while. Perhaps a better word for my participation in the baseball playoffs will be “ignoring.”

It’s October, folks. The Cardinals are done. Let’s go watch some football.

Soccer season offers escape from daily grind

This is one of my favorite times of year.

Sure, part of it is the weather, with the (generally) cooler temperatures, that will soon give way to the clear crisp days of autumn. And part of it is the various rituals associated with this time of year, things like the return to school, the start of college football and the holidays of the season, beginning with Halloween, with Thanksgiving and Christmas not too far down the road.

But for me, the best thing about this part of the year is that it’s soccer season.

This is the third year our kids have played soccer in Blytheville. The season got off to its official start Sunday afternoon — a day late thanks to Saturday morning’s rain showers — but it was a rousing start nonetheless.

It took only one afternoon for me to remember what it is about the soccer season I like so much. Part of it is the game — the sight of kids in their brightly colored jerseys running up and down the field, scoring goals, battling for possession, making defensive stops.

But it’s more than that. Between helping the U6 games get started, to coaching my daughter’s U10 team, to cheering for my son’s U8 team, I spent the better part of five hours on the soccer fields Sunday afternoon. And for the entire time, all I had to think about was soccer. The various trials and tribulations of the “real world” were swept away, and all that was left was the pure joy of a simple game.

For example, here are some of the things you DON’T think about while watching a youth soccer game:

— The financial meltdown on Wall Street.

— Barack Obama’s foreign policy credentials.

— The impending closure of the Blytheville Starbucks.

— The drug problem.

— Electric bills.

— That pile of dishes in the kitchen sink.

— Sarah Palin’s experience.

— The need for tighter code enforcement in Blytheville.

— Plans for an Arkansas state lottery.

— That customer who called you last week with an irrational complaint.

— The price of gasoline.

— All those spam e-mails that are so hard to get rid of.

— Where Osama bin Laden is.

— The controversy over Mississippi County jail fees.

— John's McCain's grasp of economic issues.

— The grass that needs mowing and the weeds that need killing.

— Property taxes.

— The latest wave of school violence.

— The St. Louis Cardinals and their late-season fade.

— Iran's quest to obtain nuclear weapons.

— That weird sound your car is making.

— The proper role of the federal government in the fight against skyrocketing health care costs.

In other words, soccer pretty much strips you down to the basics. When watching a youth soccer game, your thoughts are pretty much confined to "Get the ball!" “Kick it!” and “No! Kick it THAT way!” Indeed, it’s a great escape.

For those who might be wondering, youth soccer games are played every Saturday morning on a set of soccer fields located on the north side of the Blytheville Youth Sportsplex. The league is operated by the Blytheville Area Soccer Association, which, in the name of full disclosure, I should note I am a part of. Games begin at 9 a.m. and last through noon.

If you’re looking for something to do Saturday morning, I urge you come out and watch. There’s a stocked concession stand on premises, and with hundreds of kids ages 4-14 running around after a little white ball, there is plenty to see, and you won’t be disappointed. It’s one of those things that will make you feel good about where you live.

Besides, we all need a little escape every now and then.

No need for hatred to creep into campaign

Is it November yet?

Usually, I’m not one to want to hurry along the end of warm weather. But the way I’ve been feeling lately, Nov. 4 can’t get here soon enough.

Nov. 4 is, of course, the date of the presidential election. That’s the day we’ll finally know who our next president and vice president will be. And barring another 2000, the petty bickering that has become synonymous with American presidential elections will finally be over.

I’ll admit that until recently, I was getting a fair amount of enjoyment out of the election. There are interesting, dynamic candidates on both sides, and it has been a competitive race, one which anyone could win. From a pure spectator standpoint, it’s been a fun race to watch unfold.

I’ll go on record in saying that I think both John McCain and Barack Obama are honorable, intelligent men. Both might make fine presidents. And I’ll go further in saying that I personally like both Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, the two running mates. If I had to cast a ballot today, I think I know who I’d vote for, but I’ve leaned in both directions at one time or another over the past several months, and it’s possible that I’ll swing back the other direction before it’s all said and done.

But the bottom line to me is that we’ve got two decent options. I agree with columnist and commentator Andy Rooney, who said, "I don't think our country will go to hell whichever one of them wins the election."

And that’s why it is completely baffling and frustrating to me to hear otherwise intelligent and reasonable people speak with such vile hatred when describing the candidate they are opposed to. There’s no doubt there are an abundance of perfectly good reasons to favor one candidate over another, ranging from policy positions to political experience. And that’s why there’s no reason resort to hatred for other side, especially when such sentiment is almost always based on ignorance and bigotry of one form or another.

One of the most common slams is that if “so-and-so” is elected, it will be “scary” … that horrors such as “socialism” or “fascism” will be the inevitable result of some particular candidate’s victory in November. I just don’t buy it. A presidential administration is about more than one person. There are dozens of advisers who surround the president, and by and large, determine the success of failure of the administration. Besides that, there’s the whole checks and balances thing with the Congress and Supreme Court. So while I concede that some presidents unavoidably turn out to be better than others, the notion that the end of days are upon us if the “wrong” ticket wins in November is simply ludicrous.

Complaints about the negativity that surrounds our elections are nothing new. Usually, it's the candidates or the media that get the blame for the mud-slinging. But in truth, much of the blame lies right with the voters. Every person who has uttered a single hateful word toward Obama or Palin, or McCain or Biden, shares in the blame for turning this campaign toward the ugly.

It’s all pretty simple, really. Vote for the ticket you think will do a better job. There’s no reason to hate the other side. If we want our elections to be about something other than ignorance and the various forms of bigotry that come with it, it’s up to the voters to make sure that happens.

If nothing else, election is historic

As I sit here at home Tuesday night, debating whether to watch the Republican National Convention or reruns of “The Office,” I am struck by several thoughts.

The first is how wonderful it is to be alive right now. Sure, the political pundits have been beating it into our heads for months, but that fact is, we are witnessing a historic presidential election.

When John McCain selected Sarah Palin to be his running mate, it guaranteed one of two things will happen come January: If the Democrats win the election, we will have our very first African-American president; if the Republicans are triumphant, we will have our very first female vice president.

Whatever your politics, I think you’ve got to admit that this marks a watershed moment. America is supposed to be a place where little kids can grow up to be whatever they dream of — even president — no matter if they’re black, white, boy or girl. Even a couple of years ago, I doubted whether or not I would ever see such a circumstance in my own lifetime. Yet here we are … eyewitness to history.

Most of all, I am thankful that my children will grow up thinking that such things are normal. They won’t have to wonder when the white-male monopoly on the highest offices in the land will break. It will have already happened for them. And when I tell them that they can grow up to be anything they want, I have just a little bit more credibility.

———

I’ve got to take a moment to brag on the Sarah Palin pick.

Months ago, when McCain and Obama had pretty much wrapped up their primary victories, but the convention were still weeks away, the national political punditry kicked off its quadrennial veepstakes. Columnists and bloggers everywhere threw together lists of possible VP picks for both candidates, explaining the various pros and cons of each.

Having read a handful of articles, I decided that McCain’s best choice would be none other than the little-known governor of Alaska, one Sarah Palin. She was pro-life, pro-gun, and sure to be a darling of the conservative right, a key faction with whom McCain needed to make inroads. I figured she would bring a youthful vibrancy to the ticket, and as a woman, she might even help McCain pick off a few disgruntled Hillary Clinton backers.

Late last week, it looked like McCain was set to tap Mitt Romney or Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and I was poised to join the rest of the electorate with a collective yawn.

So it was amazingly refreshing when McCain seemingly called a sudden audible, and threw the long ball, tabbing Palin for the job.

The only problem with the pick is that having placed someone with so little experience a heartbeat from the presidency, it kind of hurts McCain’s ability to wage the “dangerously inexperienced” argument against Obama. And of course McCain is learning all about the intense public vetting that is inevitable when you make a surprise pick for VP.

Nonetheless, it was a pick that breathed a whole lot of excitement into the campaign. All I have to say is that if McCain is going to keep taking my advice, he’s going to have to put me on the payroll.

———

For the record, my pick for Obama's VP was retired Gen. Wesley Clark. My argument was that Clark would bring unparalleled military and foreign policy heft to the Democratic ticket. As an Arkansan, he could help Obama in the South. And since Clark had been a Hillary booster, it would have been a way to heal a major party rift.

But then Clark went on national TV and, while speaking of John McCain, said “I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.” He was probably right, but it was a slow news day, the national punditry beat the “Clark insults McCain” story into the ground, and that was the end of Clark’s VP hopes.

Maybe I was just a homer for the Arkansas boy, but I still think he would have been a good pick.

How much of the convention are you watching?

The Democratic Convention is on this week, and I really ought to be watching more of it.

After all, I’m mildly interested in the upcoming presidential election, and the conventions are when the parties put together the complete package of who their candidate is and what he stands for. Besides that, there’s the whole obligation-as-a-newspaper-editor thing. For some reason, people seem to think newspaper editors ought to know what’s going on in the world. Go figure.

I have watched some of the convention, mind you. Monday night, for instance, I watched former Rep. Jim Leach, a Republican, explain why he was supporting Barrack Obama. Of course, the main reason I watched Leach is that the Iowan was once my own congressman. In fact, he was the very first congressman I ever voted for. As speeches go, Leach made some nice points, but he was about as interesting as watching cotton grow. So I think I deserve some credit for sitting through it.

But the upshot is that by the time the headliner of the night, Michelle Obama, spoke, I was ready to not be watching the convention anymore. Mrs. Obama is a good speaker, and would no doubt make a classy first lady; but I couldn’t bring myself to watch her entire speech. Promising myself to read all about it in Tuesday’s newspaper, I headed off instead to check my Facebook page.

Tuesday night wasn’t much better. I spent the early hours of the evening helping the local soccer association sign up players for the upcoming season and, by the time I got home, I was civic-dutied out. Part of me would have liked to have watched the Hillary drama unfold, but it just wasn’t in the cards. And you know what? When it really comes down to it, helping see to it that local kids have something fun to do on Saturdays this fall is a lot more important to me than watching a political pep rally.

And really, that’s all the party conventions are anyway. The real business of the convention could be completed in a day, but the event is spread out, for no other purpose than to springboard the frenzy of the fall campaign. When you read about how meticulously scripted the actual nomination process is, right down to the details of who will call for the "nomination by acclamation," it becomes pretty obvious that there's little "real" about the convention. It's all theatrics.

Not that they're the worst thing in the world, mind you. At the end of the day, it's probably good to at least have a vague realization that the conventions are happening. After all, they're no worse than the charades we'll see in the weeks to come known as "debates."

But as must-see TV, the conventions just don't make the grade.

Oh, sure, I’ll probably still tune in to a bit of the conventions. It’s always fun to watch the candidates give their acceptance speeches, see the balloons drop and watch the crowds go crazy. If nothing else, you’ve got to appreciate the conventions as a unique slice of the American-style democracy.

But if you’re looking for someone who will watch as much of the conventions as humanly possible, recording every minute to the DVR for future playback and evaluation, you’ll have to look someplace else. Because, quite frankly, I’ve got better things to do with my time. And I think you do, too.  

Putting new gadget to good use

When it comes to having the latest gadget on the marketplace, I’m usually a few years behind.

For instance, cell phones have been around for a good 15 or so years now, though it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I finally got mine.

And it wasn’t until last year that my wife and I finally got a DVR in our home, though the technology has been available since 1999.

My latest foray into the world of technical gadgetry has been the acquisition of an iPod. My friends and others around me have been downloading and uploading music to MP3 players of all sorts for years, but I was always the guy standing to the side, looking slightly confused by it all. But no more. Now I’m part of the club.

I like my iPod because it’s a virtually bottomless pit where I can store all the music I like. This way, when I listen to my music — whether it’s while I’m working out, folding laundry or just sitting on the patio — every song I hear is one of my favorites.

At present, I have 112 songs on my iPod, a number that has been rapidly growing. It’s an eclectic collection of my diverse tastes in music. In many ways, it’s almost a soundtrack of my life, as many songs represent different phases of my life.

For instance, there a couple of songs by Green Day: “Basket Case” and “When I Come Around.” These songs remind me of days hanging out in the college dorm.

There’s music from Phil Collins. “Do You Remember” always evokes memories of the final days of my junior year of high school, as I prepared to bid farewell to some of my closest friends who were about to begin a new phase of life.

There’s various Disney songs, such as “The Bare Necessities” and “The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room” — songs that take me back to our family’s trip to Disney World last year.

There’s songs that were icons of my youth, like “Come on Eileen,” “Every Rose has its Thorn” and “Sweet Child of Mine.” I wasn’t even that big of a fan of bands like Poison or Guns N’ Roses back in the day, but now their music always takes me back to a different place in time.

Other songs are simply samplings of my favorite artists. There’s a whole slew of Billy Joel songs, ranging from big hits like “Piano Man” and “Allentown,” to lesser known tracks like “Summer, Highland Falls” and “Captain Jack.”

The same goes for REM, another all-time favorite for me. There’s mainstream hits like “Man on the Moon,” and more-obscure selections, like “Nightswimming.”

Of course, there’s also a handful of Hootie and the Blowfish selections. After all, Hootie’s hit album “Cracked Rear View” was pretty much standard issue for anyone who went to college in the early '90s.

My iPod collection also pays homage to the classics. I have songs from The Beach Boys, Elton John, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Johnny Cash. And I also have songs from artists with niche followings, like John Denver, Willie Nelson, James Taylor and Jimmy Buffet. I have songs from mainstream artists like John Mellencamp and The Dixie Chicks, and songs from obscure performers like Israel Kamakawiwo’ole and the Shaffer Brothers.

And just to be completely off the wall, my iPod also has music from Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond and The Jackson 5, not to mention the college fight songs from several Big 10 universities.

So I guess you could say I’m putting my new gadget to good use. I’ve got to say — it’s pretty cool to be able to carry around what would otherwise be several dozen CDs on something just slightly thicker than a credit card.

And if nothing else, I figure anything that can bring Frank Sinatra and Guns N’ Roses together is something that ought to be treasured.

Olympics are great, but who do we root for?

I’ve been watching a lot of the Olympics this week. I don’t think there’s any other sporting event in the world that matches the pageantry and grandeur of the Games.

The only problem I’m having this year is trying to figure out who to root for. Sure, I cheer for the Americans. That's obvious. There's nothing like seeing Old Glory rise to the top during the medal ceremony. But other than the Americans, I don’t have many loyalties.

This used to be a lot easier. Back during the Cold War, it was pretty much a given that as Americans, we would root for our NATO allies, and cheer against all the countries of the Eastern Bloc. We cheered for countries like Great Britain, France, Canada and West Germany; and rooted like mad against the Soviets, the Bulgarians, the Hungarians and the East Germans.

But those days are long gone. The Cold War is over, the Iron Curtain has come down and Germany has reunited.

So, for better or for worse, and for lack of a better option, I’ve devised a new formula for deciding which countries I’ll cheer for. Basically, I decided I’ll favor those countries that speak English. It’s shallow, I know. After all, I’m not one of these English-only jingoists who looks down their nose at anyone who speaks a foreign tongue. But then again, it's all I've got.

So, along with the United States, I’ll cheer for Canada and Great Britain. I’ll cheer for Australia. I’ll cheer for places like Jamaica, Antigua and the Bahamas. I’ll cheer for certain countries in Africa, like Liberia and Kenya. I'll even cheer for India, just not very well.

Likewise, I’ll cheer against Germany and Italy and Russia and China. And I'll root like mad against the French.

———

The opening ceremonies last week were fun to watch.

My favorite part was the thousands of boxes — they called them “Chinese printing blocks,” I think — that moved in harmony, making waves, raindrops, Chinese characters and various other designs. I was sure such a feat could only be accomplished via complex computer programming, so I was shocked when the performers inside the boxes revealed themselves at the end. It was quite the stunner.

Of course, I’m also a big fan of the Parade of Nations. While I always swell with pride when the American delegation comes in, I also found it to be a powerful moment when the host Chinese arrived, to the deafening roar of the crowd. I think it’s sometimes hard for us Americans to comprehend that people in other countries love their country as much as we love ours.

And as much as it’s neat to see the world powers march in — countries that send hundreds of athletes to the Games — I also get a kick out of seeing the countries that send just a handful of athletes, like Botswana, with its two competitors, or Nauru and Togo, with their single-member delegations.

For these athletes, Olympic glory is not defined by gold medals, fame and endorsement deals. No, for them, the glory is just being there. And therein lies the real majesty of the Olympics. That's what slogans like "One World, One Dream," are all about.

———

Think what you will of George W. Bush, but the president has been in his element this week while attending the Games.

Bush became the first U.S. president to attend an Olympics held on foreign soil, and he seemed to be having a ball. He posed for photos with members of the U.S. and Chinese baseball teams. He got sandy, playing beach volleyball with American stars Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. He even huddled with members of the U.S. men's basketball team prior to their Olympic opener.

But my favorite moment was when Bush arrived at the opening ceremonies. He was seated in the VIP section, but as he made his way to his seat, there was no grand ceremony. There was no "all rise for the president of the United States" moment. Instead, George and Laura simply made their way to their seats like a couple of normal people walking into the stadium.

At the Olympics, I guess, egalitarianism rules the day.

It's raining!!

It's 10:45 a.m. Thursday, and it's actually raining in Blytheville. Quite hard, actually.

Take a good look, folks. This may not happen again until October.

Dreams of Olympic glory quickly fading

My first introduction to the Olympic Games was a good one.

The year was 1980, and the event was the infamous “Miracle on Ice,” when Team USA upset the mighty Soviets en route to a gold medal in hockey. It was one of the greatest moments in the history of sports, so it’s not surprising I was hooked. I’ve been a fan of the Olympics ever since.

But the politics of the day meant there was no Summer Games for the United States that year, so my first experience with the Summer Olympics wasn’t until four years later when the Games came to Los Angeles. This time around, it was the Soviets and their Eastern Block opting to stay home, which resulted in a complete and total butt-kicking by the Americans. Of course, for a 12-year-old, there's nothing better than a complete and total butt-kicking, and my fandom of the Olympics became even more solidified.

It was around about that time that I decided I wanted to compete in the Olympics myself one day. After all, who wouldn’t dream of standing atop the medal podium, getting all teary-eyed, watching Old Glory rise above the flags of other nations as "The Star-Spangled Banner" played?

I was pretty sports-crazy in my younger days; but even then, I had a pretty strong suspicion that my best talents might not be in the athletic arena. So as I pondered my quest for Olympic gold, many of the traditional sports — competitions that involved such things as running or jumping — were immediately laid aside.

But lucky for me, the Summer Games were full of obscure and unusual events, and I reasoned that surely there must be a niche where I could excel. While the other kids were jockeying to show off their sprinting, swimming or long-distance running skills, I figured I would make my mark in a sport with a little less competition. But the problem was finding the right sport.

I thought about Archery. I’d tried it at Cub Scout camp, and I figured it couldn’t be too hard to pull back a string and let it rip. But it turned out my mom didn’t think too much of the idea of arrows flying around the backyard.

I thought about Rowing. But the only access to water I had was in a friend’s backyard pool. And I soon learned there was a big difference between paddling around on an inflatable raft and Olympic-level rowing.

I thought about Fencing. After all, I’d watched the “Star Wars” films, and acted out the lightsaber duels a couple hundred times with my friends. Fencing couldn’t be too different, could it? But Mom nixed this one, too.

I thought about the Modern Pentathlon. There probably weren’t more than three or four kids in the country my age who even knew what it was. Surely I could make the team in this one. But seeing as how the event includes disciplines such as pistol shooting and the aforementioned fencing, it never had a chance.

Everywhere I looked, no matter what sport I tried, I hit a brick wall. I lacked the horse to try Equestrian. I lacked the net to try Badminton. I lacked the interested friends to try Field Hockey. And the thought of weightlifting was simply laughable.

There was only one event in which I had the skill, equipment and parental permission to make it all the way; and that was Croquet. But unfortunately for me, Croquet was discontinued as an Olympic competition in 1900.

And that's why, at the dawn of the 29th Olympiad, it's become pretty obvious that my dreams of Olympic glory are never going to be fulfilled. My role in the Games is but to sit on my couch and watch and cheer. And even though I’m not the one on the medal stand, I still reserve the right to get a little teary-eyed when they raise Old Glory and play "The Star-Spangled Banner."

But then again, the Winter Olympics are just two years away. Do you think I could learn Curling by then?

Starbucks not the only thing worth saving

I got a phone call from a nice woman a few days ago about Starbucks. Echoing a recent letter to the editor on the same topic, she suggested that the citizens of our community ought to make a show of support for the coffeehouse over the coming weeks, in hopes that corporate muckety-mucks might have a change of heart when it comes to plans to shut the restaurant down, along with about 600 others across the country.

I suggested she write a letter to the editor, but she didn’t want her name in the paper, suggesting that the save-Starbucks call to arms should come from me.

So if you think it will help, by all means, rush out to Starbucks and by your grande skinny cinnamon dolce lattes by the dozens.

But my gut tells me it’s a lost cause. The closure of 600 Starbucks restaurants looks, smells and walks like a “corporate strategy” decision, and those things don’t often change just because sales of grande skinny cinnamon dolce lattes increase 30 percent during the month of August in some little town in the Arkansas Delta.

Besides that, I have an inherent problem with a “save-Starbucks” campaign. It’s not that I’m happy the store in closing; on the contrary — I see it as a huge disappointment. My issue is that I don’t think Starbucks is the only thing around here worth saving.

It seems, sometimes, that as eager as Blytheville citizens are about getting new shopping options in the community, we aren't always as eager to do the kind of shopping those local businesses need to survive. And that goes for the chain establishments that have been the subject of high interest lately, as well as the family-owned, small-town businesses that are scattered all over the community.

The bottom line is, if you don’t use it, you’re going to lose it.

For instance, if you like the idea of living in a community with an independent bookstore, make sure you visit That Bookstore in Blytheville once in a while.

If you want to live in a town with its own hospital, you better make sure you take advantage of Great River Medical Center when you can.

If you like having a daily newspaper in your community, be sure to buy the Courier News. Better yet, buy an ad or two while you’re at it.

If you want to be able to shop at a large home improvement superstore, be sure to do some business at the one we have. If you want to be able to shop at locally-owned hardware stores, be sure to do some business at those.

If you like the idea of a vibrant Main Street district, make an effort to visit the various shops and stores along Main Street Blytheville every now and then.

If you want there to be neighborhood grocery stores where you can buy your family’s food, do some of your shopping at Blytheville’s neighborhood grocery stores.

If you think it’s cool that our community has a comic book store, don’t miss a chance to walk into Arkham Comics and Used Books, and maybe grab some new reading material.

The point is, retailers in our community need business in order to survive. It’s not enough to be happy that a retailer is here. We’ve got to give them business.

That’s why I’m less than enthusiastic about any “save-Starbucks” campaign. Sure, I'd like to see Starbucks stick around for a while, too. But I’m thinking bigger than that. After all, there are scores of businesses that are worthy of our patronage.

If we're going to come together as a community to save something, I say, let’s save everything.

Y's timing leaves much to be desired

On March 18, the Blytheville City Council agreed to give $20,000 to the Blytheville YMCA. Soon after, the city of Gosnell followed suit, kicking in $3,000 to the cause.

And now, just over four months later, the YMCA of Memphis has announced plans to shut the facility down, closing its doors for good on Aug. 29, having been in operation for less than 11 months.

The silver lining — if you can call it that — is that some of that money may be coming back. YMCA CEO Keith Johnson said the YMCA will return about a third of the money it got from the two cities. But there's no word what is to become of rest of the thousands of dollars given by local citizens, businesses and organizations. Best guess is that money's gone for good.

Defenders of the YMCA will point out that the Memphis organization pumped thousands of dollars into the local facility, and sustained six-figure losses in the effort. And that's a valid point. Though it must be noted that much of that investment came by way of new exercise equipment and other items, which will surely be shipped backed to Memphis; not to mention staff payroll, which will have little lasting local impact.

It's interesting that the decision to pull out of Blytheville came just weeks after the Memphis Y received its $20,000 from the city of Blytheville. Blytheville Mayor Barrett Harrison said the check was cut June 13.

Johnson said the timing was based on disappointing enrollment figures for the Y's summer camp and upcoming fall after-school program. Yet that's a dubious claim. For one thing, it's only July, and many parents are still in "summer mode," and not yet thinking about after-school care. For another, programs like summer camps and after-school programs need time to develop. You can't realistically expect to evaluate their success or failure before they've even begun.

At the end of the day, this looks like a business decision, pure and simple. With fuel costs skyrocketing, the YMCA is no doubt facing the same budget constraints as everyone else. And it's easy to imagine a scenario in which board members were looking for ways to cut costs, and cutting Blytheville loose seemed like the easiest thing to do.

From a business standpoint, it may be a decision that makes sense. But from a timing standpoint, it's a decision that stinks.

If the Y was going to close, this was a decision that could have been made in March and April. For all practical purposes, there is no more information available today than was available months ago. Then, just as now, memberships were low, but showing signs of growth. Then, just as now, youth programs were in their infancy, but showing signs of promise. If the YMCA was serious about pulling out of Blytheville, that was the time to do it.

But instead, they waited. They waited until they could collect more "save the YMCA donations" from local citizens and businesses. They waited until the local soccer association agreed to stake its future with the YMCA. They waited until they got a $23,000 boost from the taxpayers of Blytheville and Gosnell. They assured us that if the community bought into the YMCA, the YMCA would be here for us. But as soon as the community became vested in the facility, they pulled the plug.

According to Johnson, the mission of the YMCA is "to put Christian principles into practice" and "to build strong kids, strong families and strong communities."

If the YMCA truly believed in those ideals, they should have given the sizable investments made in the facility at least another year to yield results. Falling short of that, at the very least, they should refund Blytheville and Gosnell the entirety of their donations. And if they really want to do the right thing, they should consider a hefty donation back to the community at large to make up for some of what they have taken.

Maybe we didn't really want an automotive plant

The big story Tuesday was about General Motors' plan to lay off workers and cut production as part of cost-saving measures necessary to weather the recent downturn in the U.S. automotive market.

This comes on the heels of similar moves by other automakers, perhaps most notably Toyota, which recently announced plans to suspend production at its Tundra plant in San Antonio.

This news ought to make northeast Arkansas economic development officials feel a little better about the region's failure to attract a major automotive assembly plant to the region during the past few years.

As some folks might remember, that San Antonio Tundra plant is the very one that nearly ended up just a few miles down Interstate 55 in Marion. The Marion site was widely regarded as a leader for that project, before Toyota opted instead to build in Texas.

No layoffs are expected in connection with the Tundra production suspension; but still, it's not the kind of thing that builds confidence in the industry.

Missing on that project might have a silver lining, after all.

Time to accept pre-pay pumps

It's getting pretty hard these days to find a gas station that doesn't require customers to pay before pumping.

A couple of years ago, such policies really annoyed me. In fact, I was even known, from time to time, to refuse to buy gas at a station that had such a requirement. I'd get myself in a proper huff, and drive down the road to the next gas station, if I had to.

But such policies anger me no more. In a world of $4 gas, where drive-offs are costing gas stations millions (costs that are passed on to consumers) it only makes sense.

Besides, with those pay-at-the-pump card readers, it's become the more convenient way to buy gas anyway.

Obama-bashing baffling

My e-mail in-box continues to receive a steady stream of loathing directed at presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama.

Frankly, I'm finding it all quite baffling.

I mean, I have no problem with anyone who might not prefer Obama as our next president. He's not the most experienced candidate in the world, and some folks might simply disagree with him on the issues. No harm in that.

But I don't understand the vile hatred that Obama has rapidly cultivated. Sure, it's common for presidents, or presidential candidates, to be widely reviled. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush immediately come to mine. But at least in those cases, you had one guy who was a lying adulterer, and another who kind of comes across as a dolt.

But all Obama has done to inspire such hatred is commit the unconscionable sins of being black, and having a funny name. And for that, he is widely regarded as anything from a secret Muslim to the anti-Christ. Comedy Central's Jon Stewart gave the phenomenon a proper name: "Baracknophobia."

Call me a idealist if you will, but I had so hoped that we might have a presidential election this year framed around a reasoned debate on the issues facing our country. But the rise of Baracknophobia is a discouraging sign that the politics of personal destruction will continue to rule the day.

Flood-ravaged community a disturbing sight

Three weeks ago, I wrote in a column about the horrific flood that had ravaged by hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Last weekend, I got a chance to see the devastation first-hand.

It was a disturbing sight.

My parents had told me ahead of time about the blocks and blocks of destruction. I had read accounts from civic leaders who had referred to the disaster as "our Katrina." I had foraged the Internet for photos and videos of the flood damage. Yet my parents told me the pictures don't tell the whole story — that you had to see it in person to understand.

And they were right.

The trip to Iowa was supposed to be about celebration — celebrating the Fourth of July with my sister and her family, celebrating my parents' upcoming 40th anniversary. But driving through the flood-ravaged streets of Cedar Rapids, there was nothing to celebrate.

We saw Ellis Park, where the floodwaters ripped dozens of boat houses from their moorings. Many ended up smashed against a railroad bridge downstream. Others could still be seen strewn about the park, on what is once again dry land, hundreds of yards from the river.

We drove through neighborhoods that bear names like "Time-Check" and "Czech Village," where hundreds and hundreds of refrigerators and washing machines and clothes dryers line the roadway, along with large piles of other debris, all caked with the muddy silt of the Cedar River.

It was a disturbing, revolting sight. But amazingly enough, I was told that the scene I witnessed was markedly better than what had existed days earlier. They say mountains of debris of all sorts once lined the roadway — a solid wall of discarded items, ranging from furniture to clothing to childhood toys.


Red, yellow and green tags were attached to the homes, most all with water lines still clearly visible. The green tags — there weren't many — indicated the homes that were safe to return to. The yellow tags marked residences that could be entered, but not occupied. The most-damaged buildings got red tags, a message to simply stay away.

The downtown area looked like a war zone. Around every corner was a disaster relief vehicle of some kind. Huge generators, supplying electricity to the area — which had still not regained power — made travel through the streets difficult. Many buildings had giant tubes coming out of them, as crews worked diligently to remove lingering moisture.

We drove past the railroad bridge that collapsed into the river. Several railroad cars were still visible, awaiting a difficult recovery from the murky water. We drove past the public library — the Cedar Rapids Gazette said it won't reopen for at least a year. We drove past the home of Theatre Cedar Rapids, where the curb in front was filled with discarded debris, but the marquee above contained the optimistic message, "We're all in this together."

To say it was a somber tour is to say the least. Nobody wants to see their hometown like this. I think of all the families, who have lost everything in this flood. Like Katrina, some of the hardest-hit areas were home to families who could afford it the least.

I hope those who saw my minivan creeping through the flooded areas with its out-of-state plates were not offended. Indeed, I can understand the last thing those who suffered such devastation need is tourists gawking at their plight.

Yet it was something I needed to see. It was something my kids needed to see. The Flood of 2008 will forever be a defining moment in the history of my hometown, and it was important for me to try to understand the devastation that has occurred there. For that matter, it's important for people around the country to understand as well. Cedar Rapids still needs help, and I urge anyone who is interested in doing so to visit www.floodlist.com to find out what they can do.

In the wake of this epic disaster, a couple other points need to be mentioned. First, it's worth noting that throughout this ordeal, which has impacted tens of thousands of people and more than 1,000 city blocks, not a single fatality has been reported. That miracle is a tribute to the careful planning and diligent work of the emergency management workers of the community.

Second, though the city is suffering perhaps the worst ordeal in its history, there has been almost no civil unrest. There have been no riots. There have been no waves of finger-pointing and blame-casting. There have been no angry mobs. Instead, the people of this community have handled the crisis with a grace and dignity that makes me intensely proud to call Cedar Rapids my hometown.

Like the marquee says, the residents of Cedar Rapids are "all in this together."

And together, the city will rise again.

———

I'm a sucker for a good music montage, and the video below is well done. It's from an outfit calling itself "iowafloodaid."

Trees must not like to grow in cotton fields

Six years ago, with the help from my father, I planted 15 evergreen trees across the western edge of my backyard.

The idea was to create a windbreak, as well as a little shade and privacy. In the neighborhoods of the Greater Armorel Metropolitan Area, where the houses have sprung out of the cotton fields, there isn't a lot of any of that. Some folks get the privacy via a fence, but unless you're short enough to climb under a cotton plant, there just isn't a whole lot of shade to go around.

The miracle about these trees is they've survived — that they're actually growing, providing the long-sought windbreak. And with my neighbors on either side both erecting privacy fences, I actually have something of an enclosed backyard.

Still, it's a wonder that the evergreens have lived. Because, frankly, nothing else has.

Either my wife and I are severely tree-challenged, or there's something wrong with our soil, because we just can't get trees to grow. We've tried on several occasions. We've planted at least three different oak trees. Most times, they'll last a season or two, then croak. We had one tree that would sprout leaves like normal in April, only to have them turn brown and fall off by late June. Two years ago, we planted a pair of willows. They both made it through the first year, but only one was still alive this spring. And the one that's alive looks green and healthy, but it's shown scant signs of growth. It looks like we stuck it in the ground yesterday.

It's all such a change from the street I grew up on. The street was called Maple Drive — an appropriate name, for the street was lined with tall maple trees that provided ample shade to the collection of old white houses throughout the warm months. Perhaps the biggest tree on the block was located in our side yard — its trunk must have been 10 feet across in diameter. There were two newer, smaller maples located in front of our house, near the street. One had the misfortune of having grown crooked at the trunk, something for which one neighbor blamed me. (The old busybody called my mom, tattling that I was "hanging" on the tree, making it lean over ... I was about 5 at the time and all of about 30 pounds.)

Actually, though, I always wanted more trees. I used to beg my dad to build me a treehouse, but he believed such things belonged in the backyard, and unfortunately, our backyard was pretty much a wide-open space. I had high hopes when my parents planted a tree back there when I was about 8; but alas, even when I left for college 10 years later, the tree was still not big enough to support a treehouse.

I guess my own kids are in the same lot when it comes to treehouses. Even if the evergreens continue their development, I doubt 8-year-old Katie or 6-year-old Drew are going to want to be climbing them anytime soon. And if they tried to climb our pitiful willow, well, we might have a case where a young person truly is to blame to a crooked trunk.

We might have to try our tree-luck again soon. These hot days of summer are a constant reminder of our need for shade. Maybe we just need to dig a bigger hole. Or maybe we need to water it more. Or maybe we just need to fertilize the heck out of it.

Or maybe we just need to accept that fact that when you live in a home built in a cotton field, it's just never going to easy to create a mini-forest in your yard.

Summertime officially here: Let's cherish it

With the first full day of summer passing over the weekend, what many of us had suspected for some time became official: Summertime has arrived.

I spend most of the winter pining for summer's arrival, yet when it's actually here, it always seems to go by in a flash. Summer is one of those many things in life that we all too often fail to appreciate while we are actually experiencing it.

So I thought it would be a good time to take a few minute to consider all the things I like so much about summer. Here's a few of my favorites:

— Swimming pools. I wouldn't call myself a huge swimmer, but there's not many feelings in the world better than diving into a cool swimming pool on a hot afternoon.

— Shorts. I'm not a fan of pants. Sure, I may have skinny, scrawny, lily-white legs, but I don't care. When I can get by with it, I wear shorts. It's so much more comfortable.

— The Fourth of July. There are some other pretty good holidays throughout the year, but none comes close to the warm feeling of national pride you get on the Fourth of July. There's nothing like an entire community gathering together to sit under a summer sky and watch fireworks.

— Lightning bugs. Used to fill jars with 'em as a kid. Now I help my kids do the same.

— Freshly-cut grass. If "warm and sunny" had a smell, this would be it.

— Barbecue. I have to admit, I wasn't a fan of barbecue until I moved to the South. The problem is, Northerners just don't know what the heck they're doing. I've come to understand that good, Memphis-style barbecue — ideally with a cold beverage — is one of the most satisfying meals you can eat.

— Cook-outs. Though often used synonymously with "barbecue," true fans of both know there's a difference. A cookout is simply the act preparing food and eating it outdoors. It's usually hot dogs or hamburgers (though I also occasionally enjoy a good brat — a relic of my days living up North), and it's something you just can't do in January.

— Baseball games. An essential part of summer, though the actual game is of little consequence. For me, it's simply about being there — the sights, the sounds, the smells. Put a cold beverage at my side, and I'm set.

— Mosquitoes. OK, so I'm not really that big of a fan of mosquitoes. But if I had to choose between scraping ice off my windshield or swatting a mosquito, I'll take the mosquito every day of the week. Besides that, I've always kind of liked the smell of bug spray.

— Stars. Sitting on my patio the other night, I noticed the thousands and thousands of stars in the sky. You rarely seem to notice stars in the winter.

— Vacations. Summer trips are a tradition in my family. As a kid, we went to places like Minnesota, South Dakota and Chicago. As an adult, I've taken the family to places like Disney World, St. Louis and Hot Springs. Even with gas prices in the stratosphere, there's always someplace you can go. Part of summer is about hitting the open road.

A little over a week from now, summer will reach it's zenith, with the Fourth of July celebration. And then, it will all begin to end.

It won't be long after the Fourth that retailers — in their constant zeal to turn a profit by hurrying along the next season — will start the dreaded rollout of their "back to school" lines. Shorts, swimsuits, flip-flops and sunscreen will make their way to the bargain racks, as jeans and long-sleeved shirts are given the prime retail space. The days will start getting shorter, and we will again realize how fleeting this glorious thing known as summer is.

So let's treasure the season while we still have it. Let's eat barbecue, and go swimming, and look at the stars and catch lightning bugs. Who cares if it's a little hot? Who cares if there's a few mosquitoes out?

Summer will be over before we know it. Let's embrace it while we can.