Or, Breakfast At Epiphany's
Hello Again,
Just before graduating from high school in 1992, one of my teachers told me that in ten years, I would not be the same person that I was then. I'm 30 nowadays, and the teacher was right. Sooo much has happened since then, both personally and in society. So many people have come & gone. Let's not forget all the experiences, good & bad. We all grow & change, and I'm no exception. What I take special note of is the changes of opinion and perspective that I've experienced. For example:
THE DEATH PENALTY: Until about 2 years ago, I was against it. Now, I'm all for it. It's really not a deterrent, but once a murderer goes on trial, he and his lawyers do everything they can and then some to avoid getting it. That's when it works its magic. Just last week on Court TV, a 17 year-old boy and 16 year-old girl were sentenced to life without parole for a murder they committed. Of course, they were too young to be eligible for execution, but I have the feeling that in this particular case, giving them capital punishment would have been doing them a favor. Let them rot for 60 or 70 years, I say. No more parties or beaches for those teens. Timothy McVeigh was done a huge favor by being injected. At the end, he didn't seem to care.
Am I contradicting my opening sentence? Not at all. Those are exceptions. When capital punishment is on the line, defendants sweat. At their original sentencing in 1971, Charles Manson shook uncontrollably and his "girls" cried hysterically when they were sentenced to death. Their executions would have brought closure to the victims' families. Instead, they've had to attend many parole hearings and listen to the murderers' mea culpas. The Tate and LaBianca survivors deserve better than that. When the "In Cold Blood" killers, Richard Hickok and Perry Smith were hung, the entire town of Holcomb, Kansas breathed a sigh of relief.
Victims' families deserve relief & closure. If a lethal injection does that for them, I'm all for it.
GUN CONTROL: Usually a pet cause for liberals, I have to break away here. What are we supposed to do, go to everyone's home and take their guns away? Are we going to implement an honor system for people to turn in their guns? I don't think so. Maybe the Second Amenment has been misinterpretated, but the fact is, that millions of law-abiding citizens own guns. The automatic weapons ban should have been extended, but that is not my point here. A simple 12 gauge or .22 suit most gun owners fine, and many advocates of gun control would want those weapons taken away.
No matter how you twist and turn it, there is no feasable way to implement gun control. If you tried to, the violence we have in society now would look like child's play in comparison.
PETE ROSE: With 4,226 hits, more than anybody else, it would seem Peter Edward Rose would be a natural for the Baseball Hall of Fame. His gambling problem got him in trouble with the baseball powers-that-be, and precluded what should have been his automatic, no-brainer of an induction into Baseball's hallowed shrine. I used to think he belonged in the Hall. Not anymore. I saw a preview of the upcoming ESPN film "Hustle", about Mr. Rose, and all that led to his being banned from Baseball, and I am now convinced that the then-Commissioner, the late Bart Giamatti, made the right call. Rose still denies that he ever bet on baseball, yet betting slips have been produced. End of argument, case closed. The integrety of the game was compromised. I don't care who you are, or what you've accomplished, you just don't do that and then expect the game to make a god out of you.
On Friday, I'll be leaving for awhile, first to Atlanta, then from Tuesday on I'll be in New York for the rest of the week. I'm sure I'll take in a ballgame or two along the line. In the meantime, I've decided to make this the last blog before the trip. Until then, my latest post should be "Gone Fishing". I hope I have something interesting to write about when I get back. Until then, Bless you & yours.
Thanks for reading. As Always, Anne Alogy
PS- Gone Fishing.