Archive for the ‘Morality/Values’ Category
Abortion – call it what it is
Killing a fellow human being is not new to us. We already accept killing in war, capital punishment and self-defense. Society has made a distinction between murder and killing. So, if we already accept killing a fellow human being, why do we soothe our conscience trying to prove abortion is not murder or killing? […]
The best man I ever new – Father’s Day 2009
When the call came that August day, I was working at Safeway, stocking grocery shelves to earn money for college. My dad was dead; a heart attack. The family anchor was gone. Dad was 60, I was 19, and too young to lose my dad. I was at the age when you know the least, […]
“Give me the youth…”
What do a group of like-minded people do when they cannot convince society to agree with them? How do they persuade society to not only acknowledge their values, but in the end to agree with those values? Look at the process of legalizing abortion. Proponents first appealed to society, exaggerating the number of women dying […]
Dr. Tiller – the murderer is murdered
Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed last week while serving as an usher in his church. Is this a fitting end for the man who performed over 60,000 abortions and arrogantly performed “late term” abortions? Even those who support abortion early in pregnancy by arguing that the fetus is not yet a human being […]
Remembering good days
I watched a movie about a young couple trying to figure out how to get along with one another. As they talked, the man asked the woman to describe a day she remembered as a good day. She did not describe what I expected. I wonder. If we really think back on the good days in our lives, […]
The intolerant demand tolerance
During the Miss Universe pageant, judge Perez Hilton asked Miss California, Carrie Prejean, if all states should legalize same sex marriage. She responded that people should have the right to live as they choose but she personally believes marriage should be between a man and a woman. She lost the crown, followed by a degrading, childish personal […]
Who decides right and wrong?
Recently, my wife and I went to Mexico with some friends who have a timeshare in Los Cabos, arriving the day the community started celebrating its annual Fiesta. It was much like our state fair, with carnival rides, food areas, and booths with items for sale. But, one “attraction” was decidedly different. Each evening they […]
Responsibility and self-respect
George Bernard Shaw said, “Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.” Are we willing to abandon self-respect for a handout? Are we willing to surrender risk and reward for indentured servitude to the government? Are we willing to exchange freedom and opportunity for a welfare state? We condemn the woman who recently […]
You’re Beulah’s son, aren’t you?
Several years ago my wife and I were in Arrick’s Fly Shop in West Yellowstone, Montana. She was wearing a sweatshirt from the Bolder Boulder 10k Memorial Day Road Race, which my brother founded in Boulder, Colorado, in 1978. An older man working in the shop came over to my wife and asked about her sweatshirt saying […]
Sand and stone – NEW YEAR’S
There is a story about two merchants in ancient Persia, Mussah and Nagib. They were traveling together in a caravan and one evening set up camp near a river’s edge. Nagib accidentally fell into the river and Mussah, without hesitation, jumped in and saved his friend. Nagib immediately had his servant carve on the face […]
Finding your way home – CHRISTMAS
Several years ago, I wanted to find more trails for mountain biking near our cabin because they are scarce in Targhee National Forest. I remembered seeing game trails while riding the few available trails and decided to ride game trails and also cross-country to connect trails, creating longer bike trails. But doing this would require […]
Has marriage outlived its usefulness?
A few weeks ago, I discussed cohabitation and the problems associated with it. Is marriage necessarily better? What if the problems associated with marriages are as bad as, or worse than, the problems associated with cohabitation? Maybe cohabitation is the lesser of two evils. Is marriage just an archaic carryover from a time gone by, […]
Cohabitation – still just shacking up
It’s called cohabitation, the progressive, enlightened, and politically correct term for old-fashioned shacking up. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development reports that “cohabitation, once rare, is now the norm.” Roughly 10% of couples living together are not married. It used to be wrong, discussed in whispers. Our mothers would point to those […]
Of elephants, prisons, and fathers – FATHER’S DAY
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, […]
A thank-you to mom for all she did – MOTHER’S DAY
The Sunday is Mother’s Day. I would like to remember my mom, the woman dad often referred to as ‘Mother,’ rather than by her name, Alice. He used the term ‘Mother’ when he was referring to her with admiration and respect. Recalling my childhood, I can now appreciate how difficult those years were for us, […]
“A brother’s a brother”
I recently made each of my three brothers a gift, an irregularly shaped piece of three-quarter inch thick walnut about seven inches square, with a two-inch by six-inch brass plaque. In front of the plaque sits a metal scale model 1996 John Deere riding lawn mower and four small sticks tied in a bundle. I […]
Perspective – NEW YEAR’S
We are facing another new year, the time to reflect on the past while anticipating the future. This is the time of promises of changes we wish for the next year. This is the time to remember the good and the bad of yesterday. This is the time to remember the successes and failures of […]
Birth control for eleven-year-olds?
The Portland, Maine school board is allowing school personnel to dispense birth control to girls as young as eleven without the knowledge or consent of their parents. Is this reasonable or unacceptable? Would you want your eleven year old daughter using birth control without your knowledge? Does availability of birth control promote sexual activity in […]
Is the Hippocratic Oath no longer relevant?
The Hippocratic Oath has endured for more than 2,400 years, penned 400 years before the birth of Christ. G.E.R. Lloyd described the Hippocratic Oath as “an ideal gold ethics standard representing a clear dividing line separating healers and killers, a commitment that physicians make to protect life, and never to deliberately take life.” Few documents […]