http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress Idaho Common Sense® Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:02:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Welcome to - The truth as I see it™. Dr. Bosley writes sociopolitical columns with a conservative view that is well articulated and defended, provoking thought and discussion without telling people what to think. He poses questions, while offering his personal views and reasoning for them, allowing readers to better understand his opinions as they develop their own. His advice to himself - "Writing the truth as I see it; trying not to offend those who will disagree." Craig L. Bosley, MD no Craig L. Bosley, MD webmaster@craigbosley.com webmaster@craigbosley.com (Craig L. Bosley, MD) 2010 Craig Bosley The truth as I see it™ http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/category/holidays/ http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2011/12/what-happened-to-our-hallmark-values/ http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2011/12/what-happened-to-our-hallmark-values/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:15:02 +0000 Craig Bosley http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/?p=1728 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2011/12/what-happened-to-our-hallmark-values/feed/ 2 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2009/12/christmases-past/ http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2009/12/christmases-past/#comments Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:53:55 +0000 Craig Bosley http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/?p=124 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2009/12/christmases-past/feed/ 0 Alarm clock,Christmas,Christmas Eve,Christmas lights,Christmas tree,holiday,Holidays,Holidays and Special Days,Kids and Teens,Marriage,People and Society,Santa Claus December 26th my wife and I celebrate our 28th anniversary.  The year we married I was a single father with a three-year-old son, whom my wife later adopted.  And, this year is the first Christmas it will be just the two of us. December 26th my wife and I celebrate our 28th anniversary.  The year we married I was a single father with a three-year-old son, whom my wife later adopted.  And, this year is the first Christmas it will be just the two of us.  After cutting down our 28th Christmas tree, we reminisced about some special Christmases past. Our son's eighth Christmas was difficult.  He was having doubts about Santa Claus.  He was too young to lose that belief and he desperately wanted his friends to be wrong. So, we called Santa Claus, aka Bob Simons.  Bob spent every Christmas as the "real" Santa.  His was not the Santa suit we dads buy; his was the expensive, perfect suit, with the perfect beard.  I told Santa our problem and asked for help.  Our alarm clock awakened us at 5am Christmas morning.  We opened the front door and there was Santa, in his best suit with a red velvet bag slung over his shoulder.  We filled the bag with presents and  then woke up our son and daughter, telling them we heard something.  Jeff crawled down the hall on his stomach, Kim following; and with bugged-out eyes, they watched Santa carefully putting out their presents.  We finally convinced Jeff he could talk with Santa without risking Santa taking his presents away.  Twenty-three years ago at 5am Christmas morning our children spent time with Santa Claus, sitting on his lap, talking with him and even pulling his beard.  They met Santa Claus.  Last year, Bob's wife Carol sent us a Christmas card with a professional photo of Bob in his best Santa's suit.  This year my wife framed one of these for each of our children.  With it, she wrote the story of the Christmas they caught Santa Claus.  Well, that Christmas was all Jeff needed; he saw the "real" Santa and that was that.  His unwavering belief continued all the way into Junior High School.  But, the teasing of other kids was again leaving doubts, until one day when he and my wife were driving home, he asked the dreaded question.  We had agreed when he asked again, we would tell the truth about Santa and what it meant.  Jeff was betrayed.  His parents were liars.  Santa was a liar.  It was so painful for both of them, my wife pulled the car over and they cried together, only interrupted with Jeff's accusations.  Christmas left him that day and he wanted nothing to do with it.  It was a fraud and his world was destroyed.  We did not know what to do for him or how to help him. That year I worked in the emergency room the day before Christmas; a beautiful day snowing into the late evening.  I came home after dark and parked in the garage.  During those years, our street was on the Christmas light tour and buses were already driving by. As I entered the house, all the lights were off and all I could hear was my wife crying.  I went upstairs, finding her sitting at the kitchen table crying.  She had no words; she just pointed to the window. I looked out the window only to sit down and hug her, tears running down my cheeks too.  The past week Jeff had hibernated in his bedroom, not talking to anyone, barely eating; but thinking. Earlier that evening, without talking to either of us, he went through the boxes of Christmas decorations, remembering a Santa suit I wore when he was very young.  He donned the suit, found a bunch of candy canes and was standing on the corner, covered with snow and handing them out to the children on the tour buses. He was Santa.  He understood.  For years to come, each Christmas eve we lost our son to the street corner, handing out candy canes.  He figured it out.  It was about people.  It was about children.  It was about giving.  It was about caring.  It was about family.  It was about believing and it was about faith.  He showed us "do unto others."  He gave us the gift of Christmas.  He helped his parents put the "Christ" back in Christmas.  Merry Christmas. Print Page (http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20091221-Christmases-past.pdf)  Craig L. Bosley, MD no 4:16 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2009/06/what-do-we-see-in-our-flag-fourth-of-july-2009/ http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2009/06/what-do-we-see-in-our-flag-fourth-of-july-2009/#comments Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:40:10 +0000 Craig Bosley http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/?p=99 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2009/06/what-do-we-see-in-our-flag-fourth-of-july-2009/feed/ 0 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2009/06/the-best-man-i-ever-new-fathers-day-2009/ http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2009/06/the-best-man-i-ever-new-fathers-day-2009/#comments Sun, 21 Jun 2009 07:35:08 +0000 Craig Bosley http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/?p=96 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2009/06/the-best-man-i-ever-new-fathers-day-2009/feed/ 0 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/12/sand-and-stone-new-years/ http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/12/sand-and-stone-new-years/#comments Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:22:41 +0000 Craig Bosley http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/?p=17 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/12/sand-and-stone-new-years/feed/ 0 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/12/finding-your-way-home-christmas/ http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/12/finding-your-way-home-christmas/#comments Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:07:41 +0000 Craig Bosley http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/?p=18 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/12/finding-your-way-home-christmas/feed/ 0 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/11/we-ask-them-to-kill-veterans-day/ http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/11/we-ask-them-to-kill-veterans-day/#comments Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:52:32 +0000 Craig Bosley http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/?p=86 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/11/we-ask-them-to-kill-veterans-day/feed/ 0 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/06/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-july-4th/ http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/06/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-july-4th/#comments Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:09:36 +0000 Craig Bosley http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/?p=68 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/06/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-july-4th/feed/ 0 Benjamin Franklin,British Empire,Continental Congress,Declaration of Independence,John Adams,South Carolina,Thomas Jefferson,United States,United States Declaration of Independence The birth of a nation, the realization of a dream, an eloquently simple statement:  "We hold these truths to be self-evident."  During June and July 1776, the Continental Congress was debating the future of the Colonies. The birth of a nation, the realization of a dream, an eloquently simple statement:  "We hold these truths to be self-evident."  During June and July 1776, the Continental Congress was debating the future of the Colonies.  King George III continued his abuse of the Colonies with over a year of armed conflicts between the British army and the Colonists' militias.  The King seemed deaf to the Colonies' concerns. For the first time in history a people were considering creating a new nation with the people designing their own form of government.  This new government would get its power from the people, not vice versa. The risks were frightening.  The stakes could not be higher.  No one defies the English Monarchy.  No colony declares itself independent of the King of England, independent of the Empire. A unique plan.  A grand experiment.  A possible disaster.  Even so, was there a chance they could survive their defiance of the King?  Could an infant of the English Empire go to war with the King of England?  Could they successfully engage the British army and navy? Could they create a new nation?  A free nation?  A democratic nation?  Or, were they foolish dreamers, doomed to failure?  Surely, England would listen to their grievances.  Surely, England would understand the Colonies' concerns.  Surely, none of this talk of independence would be necessary.  They could only await the King's response.  But what to do while waiting?  Do they dare consider forcefully leaving the rule of the British Empire?  That would be treason.  They would be traitors.  They would be executed just for their consideration of such treachery.  Pennsylvania, New York, and South Carolina, the middle colonies, were not convinced of independence.  John Dickenson of Pennsylvania was adamant their differences with the King could be resolved amicably; independence and war were unnecessary.  Some others felt the same; reconciliation with the British was possible.  The debates raged.  Dickenson pleaded, "You are pushing for independence from England prematurely.  There is still hope we can find reconciliation with the mother country.  Should we take the course you are suggesting, the full fury of the British wrath will be unleashed."  Agreeing, Griffith Rutherford of North Carolina hollered, "We will not vote for independence.  Not now.  Not ever!" Benjamin Franklin calmly responded, "The question is not whether, by a declaration of independence, we should make ourselves what we are not; but whether we should declare a fact which already exists."  The British would accept nothing less than carte-blanche.  The debate was severe.  The debate was emotional.  The debate was debilitating.  Everything was at stake.  The world was watching.  What would these fledgling leaders do? Could they be prepared, if forced, to declare independence?  But they did not have a unanimous vote for independence and without unanimity they would be doomed to failure.  What to do?  How to proceed?  Somehow they had to get those last few votes.  They had to have a Declaration of Independence drafted, should it come to that.    Who to write such a document?  The most eloquent with pen, Thomas Jefferson, was asked to draft the Declaration of Independence.  In just seventeen days during the summer of 1776 he created the single most eloquent and important document in the history of the world.  The vote was coming with the next gathering of the Continental Congress, when they would hear the King's response.  The delegates would return from their "states" with instructions.  What would they do?  How could so many disagreements among them be resolved?  All were fervent.  All cared more than we can fathom, all were more terrified than we can imagine.  They were debating declaring war with one of the mightiest empires in the world.  Moreover, should they lose, these "rebels", these "traitors," would be executed. The King's response was harsh.  The King's response was unyielding. Craig L. Bosley, MD no 5:25 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/06/of-elephants-prisons-and-fathers-fathers-day/ http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/06/of-elephants-prisons-and-fathers-fathers-day/#comments Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:51:41 +0000 Craig Bosley http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/?p=65 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/06/of-elephants-prisons-and-fathers-fathers-day/feed/ 0 africa,elephant,elephants,families,family,father's day,morals,Murder,murdering,Prison,prisons,rhinoceroses Several years ago, our pastor told a story about a men's prison that provided free Mother's Day cards to inmates who wanted to send cards to their moms. Nearly all the inmates asked for a card and sent to someone they identified as "mom. Several years ago, our pastor told a story about a men's prison that provided free Mother's Day cards to inmates who wanted to send cards to their moms. Nearly all the inmates asked for a card and sent to someone they identified as "mom." It may have been their mom, someone else's mom, their grandmother, etc. Even so, they sent it to a woman they saw as the woman who cared for them, raised them, stayed with them, and was there for them. Mother's Day was so successful, the prison administration decided to build on that success, offering free Father's Day cards. They were shocked when hardly any inmates showed up to get a free card to send to their father. Sadly, this confirmed what statistics had shown – 90 percent of incarcerated men lacked a loving relationship with their father or someone they could identify as their father figure. As our pastor pointed out, you need look no further than this story to understand the cause of many, if not most, of the ills in our society. This story suggests how critically important fathers are in the family, how critically important they are to the health and growth of their children. Are we dads doing our job? No, we run away, we disappear, we leave single moms scattered all over the country. The reality – mom odes the best she can, alone. Moms are paying our dues as well as their own. Isn't it time we pay our own dues and do our job? Now, how do elephants fit into a column about Father's Day? It starts with the murdering of rhinoceroses in Africa. Interestingly, whoever was killing the rhinos was not killing them for their horns because the horns were still present when the carcasses were discovered. Equally confusing, there were no bullet holes in the rhinos. Instead, the rangers found several large wounds they could not identify. If poachers were not killing the rhinos, then who was? The loss of rhinos was becoming critical, with an average of one white rhino murdered each month in the Pilanesberg national Park in northern South Africa. The rangers learned the exact same thing was occurring in another African park, Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park. The rangers at both parks were baffled, unable to determine who was killing the rhinos and how they were killing them. In all, nearly 10 percent of their prized rhinoceros population was dead, a population they had brought back from near extinction. It took some time to solve the murders. To everyone's astonishment, the rangers discovered it was a gang of local juvenile delinquents murdering the rhinos. Moreover, they were doing it for sport, killing just for the fun of killing. These juvenile delinquents hunted the rhinos and indiscriminately murdered them. But these juvenile delinquents were not humans. They were teenage bull elephants. This problem had its origins in another South African park, Kruger National Park, which was dealing with the overpopulation of its elephant herd. Rather than culling the herd, killing the excess elephants, they decided to relocate young, orphaned elephants to other parks wanting to establish elephant herds. This seemed like a reasonable, even progressive idea. Moreover, it was rather uncomplicated to do because young elephants were reasonably easy to transport and relocate because of their smaller size. These orphaned elephants suffered two major traumas, the first from the loss of their parents and the second with relocation to unfamiliar territory. These young bulls and cows grew up without "adult" supervision and, as they grew into their "teenage" years, the murdering of rhinos started. What do you do? You have out of control teenagers with out of control hormones, murdering for sport. How do you rehabilitate an elephant? How do you place a teenage bull elephant in a juvenile detention center? How do we teach an animal values when we cannot even teach values to fellow human beings? Following lengthy debates and deliberation, an older ranger proposed a unique, unproven, never tried idea. Craig L. Bosley, MD no 5:10 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/05/taps-for-the-fallen-brave-memorial-day/ http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/05/taps-for-the-fallen-brave-memorial-day/#comments Mon, 26 May 2008 06:34:19 +0000 Craig Bosley http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/?p=62 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/05/taps-for-the-fallen-brave-memorial-day/feed/ 0 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/05/a-thank-you-to-mom-for-all-she-did-mothers-day/ http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/05/a-thank-you-to-mom-for-all-she-did-mothers-day/#comments Mon, 05 May 2008 06:11:21 +0000 Craig Bosley http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/?p=59 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2008/05/a-thank-you-to-mom-for-all-she-did-mothers-day/feed/ 0 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2007/12/perspective-new-years/ http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2007/12/perspective-new-years/#comments Mon, 31 Dec 2007 14:04:22 +0000 Craig Bosley http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/?p=40 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2007/12/perspective-new-years/feed/ 0 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2007/11/thoughts-of-a-soldiers-father-veterans-day/ http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2007/11/thoughts-of-a-soldiers-father-veterans-day/#comments Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:15:51 +0000 Craig Bosley http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/?p=32 http://www.craigbosley.com/wordpress/2007/11/thoughts-of-a-soldiers-father-veterans-day/feed/ 0