Click THE SANDBOX number to go to that issue. Use your browser's back button to return here. THE SANDBOX Archive ~ 2000 (Part 5 of 5) NOV, 2000 ~ #102, #103, #104, #105, #106, #107, #108, #109, #110, #111, #112, #113, #114, #115, #116 DEC, 2000 ~ #117, #118 ******************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue #102 ~ November 1, 2000 "Every noble work is at first impossible." - Carlyle Contents: Growing Up In The Fifties Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 Looking At Issue 100 and Dare Anna Durbin '69 Our Sex Lives Jenny (Smart) Page `87 Myth: Homosexuals Are born That Way Jimmie A. Shipman Class of "51" Will Al Gore Ruin our energy supplies? Marc Franco (66) ------------------------------------------------------- Subj: Growing Up In The Fifties From: Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 bobsown1@hotmail.com Tedd Cadd (66), writing in Sandbox Issue #99, wondered if it is OK to write about the bad things encountered while growing up in the fifties. This is as opposed to all the "feel good" memories one finds in the Alumni Sandstorm. I don't know, Tedd. Yes, I'm sure there were things going on in your life that are not pleasant memories. You graduated in 1966, which meant you were born in 1948 or '49, and by the time you got to school "THE BOMB" was the big bogey man of the day, not to mention "The Red Menace." And would we go to war with the Russians? To be confronted which such horrendous thoughts at an impressionable age no doubt had some effect. To say nothing of what television did to one's mind. When I started to school, Pearl Harbor had been bombed, and things looked very bleak throughout the world. Would we have to learn Japanese or German? (Depended on which coast you lived near.) We couldn't get all the toys we wanted because the materials to make them were going to the "War Effort." And the Great Depression still lingered in the minds of many. This was during my grade school years. By the time I got to high school, we wondered how long the mess in Korea was going to last, and would we have to go there. My class didn't, but preceding ones did. Your class got in on the beginning of Vietnam, and all that that entailed. My class missed out on the "Sexual Revolution"; yours was in the midst of it. This certainly affected our separate life choices, both immediately and future. To be honest with you, I don't know how many of my class served in or during the Vietnam War. We would have been senior noncommissioned officers or middle grade officers. Your class would have been "grunts" and "shavetails' or "Hershey bar lieutenants." An entirely different perspective. At least neither of us were among the mindless s.o.b.'s who "fought" that war from the Pentagon basement or the "West Wing." Did I feel safe growing up in Richland? Yes. Did I feel deprived? Not necessarily. Did I have any idea what the rest of the world was like? No way. The first African-American to graduate started high school in 1956, two years after I graduated. And is Richland still "lily-white"? Yeah, pretty much so. Are these pages a forum for discussing such things? Certainly. But, Tedd, I would draw the line at personal things about your life or even mine. There are still things best left unsaid. That's my opinion and I'm entitled to it. - Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 ~~~ Subj: Looking At Issue 100 and Dare From: Anna Durbin '69 golddurb@libertynet.org Dear Editor Al: I think you made a good choice about allowing the long quotations. I am glad to see where in the Bible people come up with this, and I thought the Vermont piece said a lot that needed to be said. And me too, Mike Franco. I am trying to get hold of any studies about the efficacy of the DARE programs in schools. My kids have found it a colossal waste of time, and some of the teaching methods of the police with their guns on them leave a lot to be desired. Anybody want to talk about DARE? Keep up the good work. - Anna Durbin '69 ~~~ Subj: Our Sex Lives From: Jenny Smart Page `87 West Richland, WA jpage@3-cities.com I think the problem that many people have with the topic of a homosexual lifestyle comes from the minority portion of that population who find it necessary to flaunt their sexuality and "throw" it in the public face. The homosexuals that I have known were all living a very "normal" life; meaning they didn't dance around in the street during parades wearing flamboyant outfits, carrying "bedroom toys" and acting out sex acts. Its this small percentage of the alternative lifestyle crowd that is giving them all a bad name. I think the vast majority of the remainder of the population would be more tolerant of a person's chosen lifestyle if it wasn't associated with these few outlandish people. Perhaps if everyone just kept their personal behavior personal, then it wouldn't be a problem. I won't tell you what I do in my bedroom....you don't tell me what you do. And if you're a kind, honest, trustworthy, friendly person, I'll accept and like and respect you just like anyone else. Jenny Smart Page (87) ~ West Richland, WA ~~~ Subj: Myth: Homosexuals Are born That Way From: Jimmie A. Shipman Class of "51" Richland, WA JAS_RDAS@email.msn.com Where to start? Lets try this: As a Christian I take a stand against the sin of homosexuality as stated in the Bible period. Not the person. I don't believe in the bashing of the people practicing homosexual acts, but I do believe heterosexual people have the right to voice their opinions about the homosexual acts they indulge in. God will deal with the homosexual in his way. I have very deep feelings for the parents of homosexuals that have spoken out here and elsewhere, regarding their children's sexual preference. It will be worth your time to ponder these words. ARE HOMOSEXUALS BORN THAT WAY? A popular MYTH believed by many in society and the church today is that HOMOSEXUALS ARE BORN THAT WAY. Gay advocates have done a remarkably effective job of promoting this myth in an age where any assertion backed by an appeal to science is received uncritically as truth. The truth is that there is NO scientific evidence that there is a "gay gene" or that anyone is born gay. The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality in a recent fact sheet states, "there is no evidence that shows that homosexuality is genetic. And none of the research claims there is. Only the press and certain researchers do when speaking in sound bites to the public." At the same time, a number of interesting studies in the past decade have attempted to demonstrate that, while there is no evidence of a gay gene, there might be some type of genetic influence toward homosexuality in some people. This would not mean they are born homosexual, but that it would be easier for them to become homosexual in orientation IF certain environmental factors are present. However, none of these studies with the more modest claims has survived the scrutiny of other researchers or been replicated by another group of scientists, as is necessary if a study is to be credible. It is important that research continue. Since we live in a fallen world, genetic brokenness is part of our lot, as has been demonstrated in certain physical disorders. If there were a direct genetic component in the homosexual inclination, it would be interesting to know it. However, even if there were a genetic element in some people that tilted them toward homosexuality, 1) it would not result in a homosexual orientation without certain environmental factors being present, 2) it would not change God's mind about the sinfulness of acting on that disorientation, and 3) it would not change the fact that CHANGE IS POSSIBLE! In Conclusion We feel a river analogy best illustrates what really happens. We believe God designed human sexuality to flow between two well-defined banks called heterosexuality. However, by dropping many rocks into the river, a dam can form which will divert the flow in another direction. Homosexuality is one direction the water may flow. The rocks can be named family dysfunction, sexual abuse, rejection, sibling rivalry, peer pressure, personal traits, poor modeling of masculinity and femininity, etc. It would not be correct to try to extract only one rock and make it solely responsible. In fact, in our opinion, that would be another grave oversimplification. http://www.ewm.org/essay_bible.htm God Bless Now go have a good day. Regards: Jimmie A. Shipman ~~~ Subj: Will Al Gore Ruin our energy supplies? From: Marc Franco (66) mfranco@uswest.net Mary Ray Henslee had quite a diatribe about the possibility of Al Gore possibly causing our cars to no longer drive, because we have used up our rations, our economy will crash and we will have no jobs (seemingly Mary Ray is ignoring that the Democrats have just presided over 8 years of brilliant economy- no matter, apparently, Gore will apparently ruin what Clinton could not- or maybe I am misunderstanding), our trucks will be unable to roll to get food to grocery stores, our fighter planes will have no fuel, and we will no longer be a world power because we have not developed our energy sources. WOW! This is frightening stuff. Actually, I think somebody is a little hysterical. For one thing, I am unaware of what the administrations of Reagan and Bush did to advance our development of new energy sources. Perhaps Mary Ray Henslee could enlighten us. Second, it is indeed ironic that she is criticizing Gore so heavily, and meanwhile her own candidate- Bush- and indeed his father as well did the same- is still refusing to believe that human economic activity is magnifying the greenhouse effect. Nine years of the past decade were successively the warmest on record, the Arctic ice pack is 40 % thinner than it was in the 1950's, the ozone layer is showing holes all over the place, estimates are that worldwide temperatures will rise 6- 10 degrees over the next century- a PHENOMENAL occurrence. I wonder what that will do the coastlines around the world as the ice pack melts further. We are already seeing vicious storms and floods occurring with increasing regularity. The heating has already begun. What does Bush say about this- well, it needs more study- the same thing his father said ten years ago when there was a chance to sign an environmental treaty to limit some of the pollutants that lead to the greenhouse effect. Bush Sr. did not want to limit economic activity, and therefore said it needs more study. Bush the Younger is saying exactly the same thing. I suggest that Mary Ray Henslee try to limit her hysteria about Gore (fighter planes running out of fuel- indeed)! and start worrying about problems that are already here and which her candidate is seemingly unaware of. Also, she made a little dig at environmentalists and called them extremists. No doubt that some of them are- the ones who put spikes in trees to sabotage loggers, etc.- yes, those are extremists. The fact is that Republicans are not very good at environmental affairs. Even everybody's favorite Conservative on this board has admitted to me in a private conversation that the Republicans do not do well with environmental affairs. For Mary Ray Henslee do dismiss environmentalists as extremists is once again an example of hysteria. Yes, there are some extremists is the group, but that is true in almost all groups. Most environmentalists are pretty normal people. Perhaps Mary Ray could make a list of environmental bills that Republicans have sponsored that she finds adequate. - Marc Franco (66) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 102 - *************************************** *************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue #103 ~ November 3, 2000 "Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous" --Confucius Contents: Speaking of Diatribes Andee (Creighton) Mansfield (67) Gore "misstatements" Tedd Cadd (66) Defending The Energy Issue Mary Ray Henslee (61) Homosexuality can be Corrected Vern Blanchette (64) __________________________________________ Subj: Speaking of Diatribes From: Andee (Creighton) Mansfield (67) andeelm@yahoo.com RE: Mike Franco's Missive Oh, brother! Speaking of diatribes! It seems that, once again, liberals must use name-calling when faced with an opposing view. Obviously we who are conservative are naive, lacking in intelligence, misguided, and/or hysterical. It makes me tired. Andee (Creighton) Mansfield (67) ~~~ Subj: Gore "mis-statements" From: Tedd Cadd (66) tedd.cadd@pnl.gov One very well documented source for various statements Gore has termed "mis-statements" or "Got the details wrong" is with the widely respected National Review page. For example, the true quote behind the misquote that Gore claimed to have discovered the Love Canal thing was that he claimed to have held the first hearings on it. He did hold hearings on it, but only after the president had declared it a disaster area. - Tedd Cadd (66) The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life. Proverbs 15:4 ~~~ Subj: Defending The Energy Issue From: Mary Ray Henslee (61) Mah@satx.net To: Marc Franco (66), Issue 102 I think that you read a lot into what I wrote that wasn't really there. Maybe I just didn't express myself clearly. Obviously party affiliation is important to you. I personally do not lean toward one party or the other. I vote for the person and current issues. I voted for Clinton in the last two elections. Would I do it again knowing what I do today? Probably not. The covering up continues to this day. If Gore gets elected we will have to live through the investigation of his secret pact with Russia allowing them to sell arms to Iran because that will not be completed until after the election due to cover-ups. We will have to live through the investigation of his campaign funding, which is going on right now. We will possibly have to live through the mole issue, which is still under investigation. It is time for a change in my opinion. I don't really know what Reagan or Bush Sr.'s policies were and I don't feel like that is an issue since they are in the distant past and not a part of this election. The difference between Gore and Bush is what is at stake in this election. Bush wants to develop an energy plan of our own so that we are not dependent on foreign sources. If we had our own adequate supply of oil and natural gas we would have control over supply and demand. We would also have control over the threat to our environment, which we don't have when the exploring and refining is done in foreign countries. Like I pointed out in my last entry, the pollutants are all going into the same atmosphere whether we are operating in our own backyard or someone else's. As turbulent as things are in the Middle East it is not far-fetched to think that we could be short-circuited by adversaries, which would be detrimental to our national security and economy. The fact that Clinton just went into our strategic reserve and then had to send the oil off to a foreign country to be refined should be a wake up call. Do you wait until it rains to fix your roof? Exploring for oil and building refineries is not something that can be done overnight. If you will take note, Gore has not stressed the environment in this campaign very much except to criticize Texas cities. I am sure that he does not want to be questioned on his lack of an energy policy. It might be noted that the weather plays a big role in determining the pollution level on any given day in any given place. At times weather conditions cause pollutants to build up over an area instead of clearing it away. For this reason it is ludicrous for Gore to compare cities pollution levels. Take readings on ozone days in any city and they can be deemed the worst polluted city. Houston has a climate that is conducive to pollution. Developing our own energy resources is an issue that must be handled delicately by the candidates because of environmentalist's outcries. It is a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation. The scenarios that I mentioned are not hysteria, but real possibilities if we should be faced with a catastrophic shortage. Bush has not been afraid to take a stand and say that he plans to begin exploration in Alaska. I really don't think that exploring for oil and gas in Alaska is going to be a problem except to those who want to make it a problem. You can't please all of the people all of the time. Sometimes environmentalists with good intentions have tunnel vision, which can be counter-productive. There must be a line drawn in the sand somewhere if we are to remain a strong country. A very good example is the water shortage in San Antonio that I mentioned in my last entry. When the water level in our aquifer got low enough to endanger the salamanders, the city dictated that there would be no more watering of lawns and warned that there would be armed water patrols looking for water wasters. The people of San Antonio decided that maybe it was better to sacrifice a few salamanders than their lawns and their foundations. Sometimes there is no equitable compromise when it comes to our needs and the environment. Gore is not blasting Bush for wanting to drill for oil in Alaska because of the pollution, but rather because of upsetting nature. You sound as hysterical about global warming, as you are accusing me of being over the prospect of a major oil shortage. It is evident that both problems have serious future consequences if not addressed immediately. Your concern about one and not the other doesn't make sense to me. The fact that Gore is concerned about one and not the other doesn't make sense to me either. Bush will address both problems, while we already know that Gore will only address one problem even though we have energy resources that can easily be tapped. Exactly what do you think should be done about global warming that Bush will not do? Do you want the government to mandate how many children we should have, how many cars we are allowed per family, a halt to new businesses that poise any threat to the environment, no more gas lawn mowers, no more outside barbecues, no more airlines in the sky, etc. The EPA is already implementing so many restrictions that it won't be long before we cannot afford to buy anything that requires the EPA's stamp of approval. Just how much more can be done? Do scientists really know what is causing global warming? Why aren't they more vocal on the issue? How long has there been a hole in the ozone layer? What types of pollutants contribute to global warming? Weather patterns have been changing all throughout history so this is nothing new. Just maybe we don't know all that there is to know. If Gore and Clinton have done such a good job of cleaning up our environment then why is the problem with the ozone layer and global warming getting worse instead of better as you say? Have Gore and Clinton limited human economic activity for the sake of the environment as you say Reagan and Bush Sr. refused to do and now George W. Bush following in their footsteps will refuse to do (I am really not sure exactly what you mean by human economic activity, but maybe others do)? Did Clinton and Gore sign an environmental treaty to limit some of the pollutants that you say Bush Sr. would not sign and if so what countries are involved? Just asking because I really think that something this critical should be bipartisan. My plea is just that we have our own energy sources. Obviously our strategic reserve was put into place for a reason, but it will only serve as a temporary fix if needed and maybe not even that if it can't be refined. Let's not become our own worst enemy by not having the foresight to do what is necessary to maintain our economy and national security. We can make sacrifices in other areas that are less crucial to our lives. We are all environmentalists in that we all want clean air and we all want to preserve our countryside and the animals that inhabit it for future generations. The problem comes when some people want to stand in the way of our basic needs in the name of the environment. Some are just blindsided by their own good intentions and some are extremists who will always be looking for a cause whether it is the environment or some other popular cause. I don't think Gore is responsible for our economy over the last 8 years. To the contrary he is threatening our economy by refusing to address the energy issue and by waging attacks on the fortune 500. He is a leader who wants to engulf the people, not stand with the people. If you are opposed to drilling for oil in this country, then Gore is your man because I don't think that he will take the initiative to do so until forced to do so when it may be too late. - Mary Ray Henslee (61) ~~~ Subj: Homosexuality can be Corrected From: Vern Blanchette (68) vernon@digital.net I have followed the Sandbox exchanges about homosexuals and would like to add what I know. Like Patricia Keeney we have a son who has declared himself "gay." Because of our love for our son we have made a study of this issue, doing much reading and attending both "Love Won Out" conferences and PFLAG meetings. So here are my comments, especially for Patricia Keeney, and each of you can decide if what I say sounds like truth. One of the things that happens when a person undergoes a tragedy in their life is a tendency to get locked into one of the phases of recovery from the hurt and pain. For some it is anger, for some depression, for some it is denial. I have found that for many parents of children who practice homosexual acts denial is Novocain for the heart. It is used to numb one's mind to the gut wrenching horror of the idea that our loved one could deviate so far from normal, healthy behavior. Key to this denial is the choice by the parent to believe that the acts their kids are now doing are "normal" and that they have "no control" over who they are. I have seen this often in parents of kids gone astray. They "find" reasons to explain away the behavior, to justify it. In the case of kids who practice homosexuality, this has evolved into an entire subculture of deception and politically correct myth. After a myth is repeated often enough it is believed as reality. And after a myth is accepted as being "truth" then other problems arise. They always do arise when one has not gotten to the root of the pain (in this case the fact that our kid's behavior really is horribly dysfunctional). One of the most common of these "other problems" is a tendency for the parent-in- denial to rail against people with moral standards. You see, if I can convince myself that my kid's mind and behavior are okay, and that the real problem is people who read and believe the Bible, not only does my pain go away but now I feel righteous! "I must fight these evil bigots that say my child is screwed up!" That is why we find parents of kids who do homosexual acts living out a fierce anger against practicing Christians. That is why Patricia can write "My firstborn son started suffering at the hands of the moral little thugs from your moral, upright families from the time he was in the first grade." That is hurt and anger coming out, but it is misdirected. Sure those kids were wrong, but the energy of anger should be directed at finding and correcting the dysfunction in one's own offspring. Helping a child out of homosexuality is real love, tough and difficult yes, but real love. Amazingly, there actually is a psychological explanation of and a reparative therapy for the dysfunction "homosexuality." The cure is difficult and few work at it precisely because it is a painful, sometimes long process to go through (but then, so is AIDS a long, painful process). It is painful for the homosexual because they must first admit that the acts they are doing really are dysfunctional and do not lead to the lasting, loving relationships they seek. They must see that the "gay" lifestyle really is unhealthy. Like a recovering alcoholic, or a recovering substance abuser, the homosexual desiring to exit this sexual addiction lifestyle will have to be willing to battle the dysfunctional urges every day. My wife and I know this to be true because we have talked to several people who are working through exactly this process. And they are succeeding! In fact, the literature I have read says that the percentage of homosexuals who undergo reparative therapy and stay out of the "gay" lifestyle is higher than that for recovering alcoholics. And please understand, a homosexual coming out of that lifestyle does not just stop doing homosexual acts. The reparative therapy allows them to develop fulfilling, heterosexual, long term relationships, including building a family. Those who get there never want to go back. In fact, it is those individuals who can most clearly articulate the evils of the lifestyle. They no longer have any reason to hide the dark side and pretend that their acts are "normal." Homosexuality is basically a sexual addiction born out of what the psychologists call "Gender Identity Crisis." This "Gender Identity Crisis" usually results from the child-parent relationship (or lack of it). The environment the child is raised in also plays a part. Incipient homosexuality can be corrected easily if caught at an early age. There is not enough Sandbox to explain the psychology and pathologies of it all. However, if you are open to learning something new which you can then decide is or is not truth, then I recommend you expand your reading beyond the books you will find at a PFLAG meeting (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). (My wife and I found those meetings to be lead and run by gays who limit the information flow to their own beliefs.) Read books written by ex-gays, such as "A Strong Delusion" by Joe Dallas, or "Coming Out of Homosexuality" by Bob Davies and Lori Rentzel. Read books about the dark side of the lifestyle such as "The Unhappy Gays" by Tim LaHaye. Or more scientific works such as "My Genes Made Me Do it!" by Neil and Briar Whitehead. (All these available through Amazon.com). Find and attend a "Love Won Out" conference sponsored by "Focus on the Family." Only then will you be able to form an intelligent, educated decision about this subject. As for my wife and I and our family, we are Christians who do our best to follow the teachings of Jesus. We have not, do not, will not mistreat, or allow our children to mistreat, persons who choose to do homosexual acts. Our Lord would not allow that. However, Jesus would speak the truth as He did to the woman at the well. (Remember He said to her, "Go, and sin no more.") If we love our son can we do any less? We would not be loving parents if we did not continue to love him, welcome him in our home, and yet continue to try to help him see what has really happened and bring him out of his dysfunction. This can be done in a loving, gentle manner. Our loving hope is, with God's help, to someday bounce our son's kids, our grandchildren, on our knees, and to see the love of his children in our son's eyes! The alternative, the lifestyle he has so far chosen, will only lead to a lonely, empty, unfulfilled man with a history of hundreds of failed, lust driven relationships, rejected by his peers because he is no longer desirable. Why would any loving parent abandon their child to that living hell? - Vern Blanchette (68) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 103- *************************************** *************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue #104 ~ November 4, 2000 "I know a wise man who had for a byword, when he saw men hasten to a conclusion, "stay a little that we may come to the end sooner." --Bacon Contents: No Disrespect Intended Gene Trosper (84 wb) On The Lighter Side Mary Ray Henslee (61) Putting Beliefs Aside, A Town Called Hades, and the Salmon Are Spawning Again. Bob Mattson 64 Public Schools, Morality, and School Vouchers Robert W. Epler (80WB) You Go, Girl! Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76) ------------------------------------------------------- No Disrespect Intended From: Gene Trosper (84 wb) gtrosper@ez2.net No disrespect intended, but this whole argument over homosexuality is really ridiculous. On one side, you have the upright citizens denigrating gay men and women, arguing their lifestyle can be changed and on the other, you have homosexuals and their supporters making some (at times) flimsy scientific statements which "legitimizes" their lifestyle. Both sides are wrong and ought to knock it off. To those who oppose homosexuality: If you don't want homosexuals trying to "convert" you, then quit trying to "convert" them to heterosexuality. Have some respect for your fellow human beings. Not only that, it's a losing battle. G-d created man, who is essentially a sinful creature. Sin is inherent in all mankind since Adam and Eve were banished from the garden. You must let humans be as they are. You may pray for them and attempt to witness, but do not force your chosen lifestyle upon other who do not want to accept it. The Bible states that the road to heaven is narrow while the road to hell is wide. Don't obsess over trying to mold people into your own likeness. G-d already did that with mankind. I happen to believe that the majority of homosexuality is a chosen lifestyle, but so what? There are many other sins in this world, some which G-d has deemed much more serious in nature. What would Jesus do? He would tell the homosexuals to "go and sin no more," just as he had instructed Mary Magdaline, the prostitute. Oh yes, he also espoused the following: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." To homosexuals and their supporters: So what if homosexuality is a chosen lifestyle or not? So long as you lead your life peacefully, you should demand others simply leave you alone. If someone thinks you are living a sinful life, accept that and move on. Remember, some of the loudest yelling Christians have some pretty sinful skeletons in their closet! Jenny Smart Page, who appears to be a very devout and sincere Christian, wrote a fantastic reply to the homosexual topic which more Christians ought to adopt: Respect. It would be nice if the fringes of homosexuality would do the same thing and respect others also. My two and a half cents. --Gene Trosper (84 wb) ~~~ Subj: On The Lighter Side From: Mary Ray Henslee (61) Mah@satx.net Virtually anyone can be a Democrat. Just simply quit thinking and vote that way. But if you want to be a GOOD Democrat, there are some prerequisites you must have first. Compare the list below and see how to rate well. 1. You have to believe that the same teacher who can't teach fourth graders how to read is somehow qualified to teach those same kids about sex. 2. You have to believe that guns, in the hands of law- abiding Americans, are more of a threat than U.S. nuclear weapons technology, in the hands of Chinese Communists. 3. You have to believe that global temperatures are less affected by cyclical, documented changes in the earth's climate, and more affected by yuppies driving SUV's. 4. You have to be against capital punishment, but support abortion on demand. 5. You have to believe that businesses create oppression and governments create prosperity. 6. You have to believe that hunters don't care about nature, but loony activists from Seattle do. 7. You have to believe that self-esteem is more important than actually doing something to earn it. 8. You have to believe that the military, not corrupt politicians, start wars. 9. You have to believe that the NRA is bad, because it supports certain parts of the Constitution, while the ACLU is good, because it supports certain parts of the Constitution. 10. You have to believe that taxes are too low, but ATM fees are too high. 11. You have to believe that Margaret Sanger and Gloria Steinmen are more important to American history than Thomas Jefferson, Gen. Robert E. Lee or Thomas Edison. 12. You have to believe that standardized tests are racist, but racial quotas and set-asides aren't. 13. You have to believe that Hillary Clinton is really a lady. 14. You have to believe that the only reason socialism hasn't worked anywhere that it has been tried, is because the right people haven't been in charge. 15. You have to believe that Republicans telling the truth belong in jail, but a liar and sex offender belongs in the White House. 16. You have to believe that illegal Democratic Party funding by the Chinese is somehow in the best interest of the United States. Mary Ray Henslee (61) ~~~ Subj: Putting Beliefs Aside, A Town Calle Hades, and the Salmon Are Spawning Again. From: Bob Mattson 64 Rmat683939@aol.com Well, I'm not a Christian, thank God, although I was raised a Catholic during my life in Richland. But there's something in that it was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, if you believe that story. Anyway, a police chief in Portland is on the hot seat because of his Christian beliefs about homosexuality. But he says he can put that aside and not let it influence him while with the force. He stated that Aids is a result of decaying moral standards and that millions of HIV people will die because we are becoming a lawless, valueless society, so much that we move toward that day alternative lifestyles used for certain forms of perversion will become the norm. With his head on the block, he stated that he has learned that respect for all people and their views and is essential to public life. He asks for tolerance for his faith and beliefs. Just like the others ask for, hummmmmm. As for me, I find it comfortable treating each person as one in hopes they will respect me as well, too simple? I don't know any other way to break it down. Not real sure about Heaven, but being able to take an afternoon nap is right up there. I found out that Hades was a small town outside Rome where the garbage was hauled and burned. And when the kids of that day would misbehave their parents would threaten them with a ride to the Hades dump and burn. Another urban myth down in flames. Dozens of native salmon have arrived and are spawning in the creek beds out front of the cabin, just as nature has intended, it's all so simple. It's all about love and respect, - Bob Mattson 64 ~~~ Subj: Public Schools, Morality, and School Vouchers From: Robert W. Epler (80WB) ~ Bend, Oregon ERosebud5@aol.com Should public schools be involved with teaching morality? In the SANDBOX issue 100, Mike Franco wrote, "Let's not burden our teachers with any more of the policing, feeding, child raising, morals promoting that we currently bury them under. Many of my closest pals are teachers and the last thing they desire is to get into the morals business." Regardless of how one feels about this question, teaching morality is absolutely unavoidable if one is to effectively teach any subject. "Morality" is defined in Webster's Dictionary as "of, pertaining to, or concerned with right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong." So in essence, the last thing teachers desire is to have to teach their students the distinction between right and wrong. I'm sure this is true. After all, we can't even totally agree on what IS right and wrong any-more. How can a teacher teach any morals without alienating or enraging those with a different set of morals? The answer: teach no morals at all. Of course, that is ludicrous at best. To teach effectively, one must have order and discipline in the classroom. Therefore, teaching the distinction between right and wrong becomes imperative. But how can we do this when so few seem to agree on what those morals should be? For those of us who believe traditional, time-tested values should be taught, school vouchers might be the answer. Clearly, public schools are not. In the "Good-Old-Days," most Americans agreed on what was right and wrong; the schools reinforced this too. But as Mr. Franco put it, "The good old days are just that...old and in the past." The culture has changed and the schools have changed with it. Those of us who stick by traditional values find we now have to protect our children FROM the culture. Do not doubt there is a culture war in America. The battle is no more apparent than in the public schools. Instead of discouraging immoral behavior in our young, they now reward it. I know. Many of you are probably asking, "When do schools ever reward immoral behavior?" One example is our local high school which now has a daycare center within its halls. Within the last 4 years at this high school, over one hundred teen girls have had babies out of wedlock. When I went to high school in the late 70's, I can't think of even one girl getting pregnant. I'm not suggesting that it never happened, but I am suggesting that it was a rare occurrence. Though, I'm sure there are some who feel a daycare in our schools is a great thing; I think quite the opposite. While we, as a society, have tried to lessen the consequences of the immorality of our children, it encourages more of it to take place. We seem to be shortsighted in this regard. The long term consequences of tolerating sexual immorality is seen in unwanted pregnancies, sexual diseases, AIDS, abortion, stressed-out lives, and destroyed dreams. Pam Jewett-Bullock asked a very good question in SANDBOX issue 95. She asked, "If we HAD BEEN more effective in our teaching tolerance and acceptance, would we still face the realities of such tragedies as the one at Columbine High School in Colorado last year?" I contend that we have been far too tolerant in our public schools. And it is the toleration of bad behavior that has led to the increase of amoral youths. Case in point, the Columbine murderers were strolling the school hallways calling, "Hiel Hitler" (complete with a nazi salute), long before their twisted philosophy saw its destructive and horrifying fruition. Those kids exhibited all kinds of antisocial behavior before they murdered. And it was all tolerated. People didn't like it much, but they tolerated it. If we tolerate the little things, you can bet the big things will be right around the corner. Where do we set the limits in tolerating antisocial behavior? Our modern, diverse culture can no longer agree. Once again, I think the best solution out there concerning our schools, is the voucher program. Many believe that it would hurt our public schools. I think competition can only improve them. We should be concerned with giving our kids the best education. If a school teaches, "Jesus is Lord" and is far surpassing the public schools in test scores and SAT's, why is that a problem? It will only make the public schools want to fight to improve their students scores so they can compete for federal tax money. And parents would be able to send their kids to a school that would reinforce the morals taught at home. If a parent wanted to send their kids to a school that promoted humanism, relative morals, and so on, they can send their kids to that school. But I don't think such a school could compete for long. Children thrive on order. Order is necessary for teaching effectively. Morals create order. School vouchers would give parents the freedom to use tax dollars to send their kids where traditional morals are taught. There is only one of the presidential candidates who is in favor of school choice. We have an opportunity to make a difference on Nov. 7th for our culture. George W. is the ticket for change. Robert W. Epler (80WB) ~~~ Subj: You Go, Girl! From: Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76) ~ Richland, WA KATHLUC@aol.com To Mary Ray Henslee (61) Re: your Sandbox #103 entry I sure don't know why I felt the need to add my two cents in response to Marc Franco's (66) entry reacting to yours. You did an eloquent job yourself and didn't call anyone any names. You go, girl! Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 104 - *************************************** *************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue #105 ~ November 5, 2000 "I don't like to talk much with people who always agree with me. It is amusing to coquette with an echo for a little while, but one soon tires of it. --Carlyle Contents: Environmental Scare Tactics Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76) DARE & What Teachers Face Every Day Peggy (Roesch) Wallan '71 Larry Flynt Offers Judge Starr a Job With Hustler Magazine. Heartfelt But Flawed Anna Durbin '69 ------------------------------------------------------- Subj: Environmental Scare Tactics From: Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76) Richland, WA KATHLUC@aol.com In response to Marc Franco's (66) diatribe against Mary Ray Henslee's opinions of Gore and the extremist environmentalists. First, we do face the very real possibility of losing our fuel supply, gasoline, jet fuel, heating oil, and a host of other petroleum products due to our over- dependency on the volatile, unstable and anti-American Middle East. We are at their whim, as evidenced by the present price increases and the effects they are having on our supplies, on our way of life. The extremist environmentalists would have you believe that this dependency and any subsequent crises would in no way mitigate possible environmental effects of tapping our own geological reserves. Despite what Gore and his cronies spout, our military is lacking in crucial training exercises today, due to the cost of fuel, so your label of hysterical in regard to this concern is unwarranted and offensive. Talk to the military enlistees themselves, not Clinton/Gore's "politically correct" spokespeople. Second, the so-called greenhouse effect has not been proven to be man-made. Period. The extremist environmentalists have been playing Chicken Little for over twenty years now and we still do not have a consensus of credible science that indicates that the warming trend we see is not a natural phenomenon caused by colossal cosmic forces beyond human control. Evidence exists of carbon dioxide increases occurring in the geological past, without the help of human industry. By taking measures of Carbon-14 in trees up to 5000 years old, twelve prolonged periods of either unusually cold or unusually mild winters have been identified. According to this theory, the mid-twentieth century was an unusually warm period and the earth may be soon entering a slow return to cooler temperatures. The so- called "hole" in the ozone is another confusion ridden subject as the hole itself undergoes 15% natural fluctuations both seasonally and latitudinally and sometimes only persists for a few weeks. World production of CFC peaked at 1.1 million tons per year, equivalent to 750,000 tons of chlorine, and 300 million tons reach the atmosphere each year through evaporation of sea water alone. Mount Erebus has been erupting constantly for the last 100 years ejecting more than 1000 tons of chlorine per day. In other words, how much of today's environmental concerns are natural or man- made? Perhaps further study is better than acting on insufficient evidence. Nine years of the last decade of being warmest on record is hardly sufficient evidence. As far as hysteria is concerned, look to the environmental extremists who give all environmentalists a bad name. Actually, all of us are environmentalists of a sort. All of us want clean air and water and a safe future for the earth. But some of us aren't moved to premature knee-jerk reactions in the name of political correctness. If Gore wasn't such a bad joke, I'd feel the need to defend Bush and Bush Sr, but Gore's record of abandoning principle, misrepresenting facts, exaggerating his opposition, in fact, downright lying his head off, speaks for itself. Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76) ~~~ Subj: DARE & What Teachers Face Every Day From: Peggy (Roesch) Wallan '71 plroesch@earthlink.net In my little podunk school district of Eatonville (2/3 of which is Mt Rainier National Park), we have Ranger Nina do our DARE lessons. (She is a ranger at MRNP; it is not required that an armed cop teach DARE.) Ranger Nina is a very nice young woman, who does not wear a gun, but she does wear hiking boots. She establishes a rapport with our fifth graders, which is great ... but I can't help thinking: the efficacy or lack thereof of programs like DARE aside, I sure wish some of the parents of those kids worked as hard as Ranger Nina does at establishing a good role model for their kids. Too many of these kids just run wild - on their own while both parents working to make ends meet or because it's their way to personal fulfillment or it's a one parent home or whatever, or -- too often -- the parents are doing drugs themselves and really don't give a !#$%^&* about their children showing up at school in clean, appropriate clothes, respectful of authority and elders, shored up with nutritious meals and minimal TV time and solid family time etc etc etc *sigh* I wish for the day when the families take back their rights and duties to RAISE THEIR KIDS, and let us teachers get back to teaching. And for all you parents who jump in here and say, "Oh, but we do...": My dears, for every one of you that does, there is at least one who doesn't. That's the kind of classroom your children are in, that's what we teachers face every day. And as long as people keep jumping ship into private schools or home school, the ratio gets more grim. Which is why I think about retirement EVERY day. Or just quitting. Peggy (Roesch) Wallan '71 ~~~ Subj: Larry Flynt Offers Judge Starr a Job With Hustler Magazine. From: Andrew Eckert (54) ECKERT1108@aol.com [Moderator's Note: We are unable to quote the entire letter from Flynt to Starr in the space available here, but Eckert sites the following website as the source for the letter in it's entirety.] http://www.hustler.com/preview/starrjob.html [First Excerpt: September 22, l998 The Honorable Judge Kenneth Starr Office of Independent Counsel 1001 Pennsylvania Ave N.W. Washington, D.C. 20004 Dear Judge Starr: Let me take this opportunity to thank you on behalf of all the employees at Hustler magazine and LFP, Inc. for your tireless work in producing the Starr Report. I have been impressed by the salacious and voyeuristic materials in your work. The quality and quantity of material you have assembled in your report contains more pornographic references than those provided by Hustler Online services this month. I have included a chart in this letter that confirms this fact. 2d excerpt: Please let me know when you or any of your representatives can sit down with me and discuss if you are interested in making a valuable contribution to promoting the First Amendment through Hustler magazine. As far as compensation and relocation issues are concerned, please do not be concerned. You are a valuable asset who needs to be well compensated. Respectfully yours, Larry Flynt End of excerpts] I was very disgusted with Starr's forcing every man, woman, and child to hear and see this material, nobody was given a choice. The right wing tried to destroy the man whom we elected, Twice. These people have not and will never get the point ... If you want the White House then find and put up a credible candidate. Don't just attempt to destroy the other candidate to get his job. I'm appalled that the polls show these two men so close when there are worlds between there abilities and experience, God help us if we elect Bush. What about his drug use, what about his brother Neil and the S&Ls, I guess we will be hearing all of those stories after Nov. 7th. Do vote your conscience. Andrew Eckert (54) ~~~ Subj: Heartfelt But Flawed From: Anna Durbin '69 golddurb@libertynet.org Vern Blanchette: I am sorry that what sounds to me like propaganda has taken you in. I know many gays and lesbians with lifelong monogamous relationships who have beautiful families. And many have given their parents grandchildren, either by adoption or artificial insemination. Others are the treasured childless aunts and uncles who provide loving havens and family care to nieces and nephews. And I know that you know many heterosexuals who have gone through endless divorces and messed up their lives, even though they are the majority (what you seem to designate as "normal" because it is majority) culture. I do not recall Jesus ever condemning homosexuals. If he did, I would appreciate it if you could point out where to me. I saw a lot of references to Paul condemning homosexuals, but Paul had a lot of problems with women, too. I have to say, I don't give Paul a lot of credit as speaking directly for God. I think he was a flawed vessel in many ways, despite his energy. The primary messages in both the old and new testament are about love of God and love of your fellow human. This is obscured by a lot of struggles and hatred that Jesus tried to move people away from. But I suppose we will not change each other's theology or prejudices. I just remember a time when fundamentalist religions said it was ordained by God that whites and blacks should be kept separate and that blacks were inferior. God did not ordain that and it was wrong. I think the religions that teach that homosexuals are an abomination are wrong about what God ordains on that subject. God ordains the two great commandments. Men have added a lot of their prejudices to that over time. Anyway, I believe you presented your viewpoint in a heartfelt and thoughtful way. However, I think the people who pass out this kind of therapy are frauds who cause a lot of harm and pain. They remind me of the people who did "cult deprogramming" that went way over the line, albeit beginning with good intentions. But any therapy that has a belief in "normal" that does not recognize individual differences is seriously flawed. Do I want my children to be lesbian or gay? Well, it would not be my first choice, mostly because of all the hatred they would have to face. But if they are, I will love them for who they are. They have been a special gift, entrusted to me for a short time to help them spread their wings and fly and offer their gifts to the world. I cannot make them be me, because they are separate human beings. Just my viewpoint based on my experiences and reading. Anna Durbin '69 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 105 - *************************************** *************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue #106 ~ November 5, 2000 "Conversation opens our views, and gives our faculties a more vigorous play. It puts us upon turning our notions on every side, and holds them up to a light that discovers those latent flaws which would probably have lain concealed in the gloom of unagitated abstraction." --Melmouth Contents: Public Schools, Morality, & School Vouchers Peggy (Roesch) Wallan '71 Re: DARE & What Teachers Face Every Day Gary Behymer (64) Alternatives To The Internal Combustion Engine: Closer Than You Think Ron Richards '63 It Just Got Worse Mary Ray Henslee (61) --------------------------------------- Subj: Public Schools, Morality, & School Vouchers From: Peggy (Roesch) Wallan '71 Spanaway, WA I don't know of one teacher with whom I work who wouldn't be absolutely DELIGHTED to teach morality in the context of our lessons. However, it is not up to us!! The PARENTS and SCHOOL BOARD and ADMINISTRATORS and LAWYERS have determined what we are allowed to teach, and how to teach. TEACHERS simply have to obey (a moral principle! obey those in authority over you! oooh!) or risk our livelihoods. You people who want morality, moral standards, whatever, taught to your children at school had best SPEAK UP. The P, SB, A and L certainly aren't listening to the teachers. Are you concerned about the lack of morality in the textbooks your kids are using? Well, write to the California or Texas state school boards. Those groups drive the textbook publishers. The rest of us little districts have to buy textbooks those states have approved ... The publishers "can't afford" to print shorter runs of textbooks tailored to smaller state and district curriculums. While I'm griping about it ... I am so tired of being told by administrators that we can't discipline this child or that (things like time out, no recess time, demerits, etc.) because of special ed laws (is morality suspended just because a child has a learning disability? THE ANSWER IS YES) or parents who have, in writing, demanded that their children not be held accountable for poor behavior -- and this included on the special behavior plans for these kids (I've seen a few of those). Now, don't get me wrong -- there are some children for whom the usual disciplinary tactics just don't make sense (I'm thinking of an autistic student I have); but there are too many kids and parents manipulating the system, and making the classrooms a tough place for everyone. I recall a bright student I had who had to be watched constantly because of her "sticky fingers" ... many little items would up in her possession without the permission of their owners (students and teachers). Were we, the teachers, allowed to discipline her for her thievery? No, because she has an "attachment disorder" and therefore the "education laws" protect her. I run musical rehearsals with 150 kids at a time (and I'm the only adult in the room with them) ... but am I allowed to kick out a disruptive kid who is ruining rehearsal time for the rest of us? Want to guess the answer? I tried once, and the mother showed up at the next rehearsal and reamed me out in front of the 150 kids and 3 teachers who happened to be there to pick up their students. The principal, in private, tried to console me, but reminded me THAT WE TEACHERS HAVE NO RIGHTS when it comes to discipline. It's probably obvious that I really get toasted when people complain about teachers not teaching morality. I get toasted whenever I see good teachers being lumped together with a few bad ones and blamed for the "failure" of our schools. People, when will you understand: TEACHERS DON'T RUN THE SCHOOLS! Maybe you think the teachers' unions are so big and powerful ... hah! Sure, they can snarl things up with negotiations for this and that (NB: I do NOT belong to the union!), but the unions don't choose curriculum! They don't make the special ed laws! They don't set the hiring practices! They don't design the schoolwide "classroom management" programs! (Ahem, the word "discipline" even seems to be outlawed by the administration!). Arrgh. I'm getting a stomach ache from this and I know I'm just spouting off in a rambling sort of way. But as I said a couple days ago ... I think every day about retiring or quitting. I would love to be in a job where I was trusted and respected and supported by my clientele and by my employers? I wonder what it would be like?????? Peggy Roesch Wallan '71 ~ Spanaway, WA ~~~ Subj: Re: DARE & What Teachers Face Every Day From: Gary Behymer (64) ~ Colfax, Washington bjangary@colfax.com [See article by Peggy Roesch Wallan '71, in Sandbox Issue 105] Read *The Sandstorm and find this to be oh so true in downtown Colfax, Washington....If so in small-town 'Merica...how about in the large cities? Gary Behymer (64) *The Alumni Sandstorm, is, as is THE SANDBOX, an online publication and newsletter written by the Alumni of RHS. ~~~ Subj: Alternatives To The Internal Combustion Engine: Closer Than You Think From: Ron Richards '63 ~ Centennial, Colorado G1A1S1@aol.com To: Mary Ray Henslee Al Gore is not daydreaming 25 years down the road when he advocates alternatives to the internal combustion engine. Ballard Power Systems, Inc., and its partners, Ford Motor Company and DaimlerChrysler, have operated fuel cell powered transit buses in rate paying service in Chicago, Illinois, and Vancouver, British Columbia, for several years. They, together with Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Volkswagen, GM, and Toyota, have now begun putting 50 fuel cell test cars and 20 fuel cell test buses to use in California. Commercial introduction of the buses is scheduled for 2002 and commercial introduction of cars is scheduled for 2003. Two to three years, Mary, not 25 years. That's a lot sooner than Bush could start shipping oil out of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Furthermore, Mary, contrary to some of your other claims, Gore's emphasis on alternative energy sources will help alleviate global warming and energy shortages. Fuel cells are much more efficient than the internal combustion engine. They run on hydrogen produced in a reforming process from natural gas, propane, or methanol, or on hydrogen produced by electrolysis. This increased efficiency, and the use of these alternative fuels to provide the power for the fuel cells, will both result in less carbon dioxide being produced per unit of power. Less carbon dioxide means less global warming. The more natural gas, propane, and methanol used in the place of oil, the less an energy shortage there will be. The CEO of Shell Oil Company recently said high energy prices were harming the oil industry because alternative energy was becoming competitive. You can bet your bottom dollar that the Bush/Cheney ticket, if elected, and their oil industry allies, would do everything they can to prolong the day that alternative energy does become competitive. An administration can have an impact on how fast these technologies are integrated into our society. By making more lenient the emission standards for automobiles, an administration could lengthen the time we are reliant on the internal combustion engine. By not offering tax breaks for alternative energy vehicles, the time until the efficiencies of mass production make the vehicles more affordable would be increased. By only emphasizing more oil production, and ignoring conservation efforts and increased efficiencies, as a means to solve our energy problems, an administration can further delay the day when we achieve energy independence. If you want delay, George Bush is the man. If you don't want delay, Al Gore is the man. You are dreaming, Mary, when you talk of meeting our oil needs with domestic production under a Bush administration. Without alternative energy sources, the oil isn't here. Your man, George Bush, and his oil industry allies, would not want us to meet our oil needs with domestic production. Harken Energy, George Bush's old oil company, and the Haliburton Company, Dick Cheney's old oil company, are very much international players. Those companies, and the other major oil companies, to whose beat Bush and Cheney would dance, have trillions of dollars at stake in foreign oil producing properties. It is not in their interest to have America self sufficient in oil production. If you want energy independence, Mary, your best chances lie with Al Gore. As the CEO of Shell Oil Company fears, the day alternative energy sources are competitive is close at hand. But just how close depends in large part upon who is elected President this Tuesday. Ron Richards '63 ~ Centennial, Colorado) ~~~ Subj: It Just Got Worse From: Mary Ray Henslee (61) Mah@satx.net I am extremely mad and upset as I write this, so all of you staunch Democrats may want to scroll down to the next entry. Some of you may not know about the following and really should before you pull that lever. For those of you who know what Gore is capable of and really don't care, I suggest you go to the next entry because you will probably find the following ho hum. Rap-A-Lot records was founded by Houston Rap singer James A. Prince who is not just a recording entrepreneur. He is part of a Mafia style drug ring that spans over many states. The record label has released songs that taunt the Drug Enforcement Administration and talk of killing agency informants. One of the Rap associates, Brad "Scarface" Jordan, bragged of the "Rap-A-Lot Mafia's ability to derail an investigation and drug agents' careers after he was arrested. "Can't be stopped, not even by a badge," one song declares, going on to curse two DEA agents by name. "There ain't enough (expletive) in the states to come stop this Rap-A-Lot Mafia. This is a group that uses Mafia tactics to scare jurors and murder to get revenge. This is a group that none of us would want living next door to us. This is a group that we certainly wouldn't want influencing our children. Yet we are about to possibly elect a man to be our President, who in 1999 visited a black church in Houston that is funded with millions of dollars by Rapper Prince. He denies any contact with Prince, but Prince was there the day he went to the church. I wonder what they discussed that day. A few days after Gore's visit to the church, the Houston police department and DEA agency that had been investigating the drug ring extensively for years with over 20 convictions on charges ranging from drug trafficking to police corruption was sidetracked. In September 1999, the Houston DEA was forced to suspend what had been a highly successful criminal investigation. "What a slap in the face to dedicated, professional officers who know this case, who know the bad guys and the informants and have devoted years of work, only to see politicians ruin it," said Michael J. Hinton, a Houston lawyer representing the DEA agent who led the case, Jack Schumacher. Jack Schumacher who had been an investigator for 27 years was transferred to a desk job. "It looks like the DEA and the Justice Department in Washington turned their backs on a good agent and a good investigation," said Joe Harris, a retired Harris County narcotics investigator who worked on the case. "It appears the object was to get them to stop their investigation, and it appears that worked." "It will take forever for a new team to catch up; meanwhile, anyone committing crimes will know they have a free pass, courtesy of politicians in Washington," said Mr. Hinton, former chief of the Harris County district attorney's organized crime division. "This stinks of cover-up." I had read an article about the Rapper group and possible donations to Gore some weeks ago and wondered why it had not gotten more coverage. I guess it was because the administration was covering up and denying an investigation. It came to light today, November 3, in the Dallas Morning News and I'm sure other selected newspapers that caving into pressure by the Houston DEA, the Justice Department has asked its Inspector General to investigate "disturbing" allegations that the DEA's case against James A Prince and Rap-A-Lot records was "politicized." Still not a lot of coverage. It did not appear in my newspaper and maybe not some of yours. I would recommend reading today's article in the Dallas Morning News site on the web plus click on "other related articles" from prior months. You will probably have to find it archived by the time that you read this or access a Dallas newspaper somewhere. It might be noted that U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D- Calif., was instrumental in getting Janet Reno to order the investigation of Prince stopped a few days after Gore's visit. Her husband is from Prince's old neighborhood in Houston and there are obviously ties to the group at work here both politically and personally. She claimed that Prince was in fear of his life from DEA agents and that he was being picked on because he was rich and black. Voila now they are allowed to operate, so that they can sell drugs to our children. Now we know why our Drug Enforcement Program is not working. If I was a part of this administration, I think the first thing that I would want to do upon getting home each night is take a shower. I tried to do as brief a synopsis of the situation as possible from all of the articles on the subject, but would recommend reading them for more details. On another front. Soon after Clinton took office in 1993, he turned over virtual control of U.S/Russian relations to Al Gore. Out of that arrangement, Gore developed a personal relationship with Chernomyrdin, who later fell from power in disgrace, accused of dealings with various corrupt Russian business entities. On January 30, 1995 Gore signed a secret agreement with the Russian leader allowing him to sell arms to Iran until December 31, 1999 without any sanctions being imposed. This is in violation of the Nuclear-Non-proliferation Act, which requires the Clinton-Gore administration to keep congressional oversight committees fully informed of all issues related to nuclear weapons proliferation. A bipartisan group of 11 leading national security officials and former secretaries of defense and state have issued a scathing report denouncing the agreement Gore made in secret with Chernomyrdin to keep Russia's arming of Iran from being revealed to Congress and the American public. This investigation is being stonewalled by the administration as well. It is curious that Gore would do this without a motive. One can only speculate. Maybe some of our funding to Russia came back to Gore. Neither of these situations will be fully investigated until after the election so one has to draw their own conclusions. They may be just the tip of the iceberg. Of course we all know about Gore's illegal fund raising that is being investigated right now, which is not easy because of conveniently missing e-mails. Gore claims that he only smoked dope a few times. If you believe that, you, probably believe in Santa Claus. A number of his friends, including friends who admit to supplying him, say he was a heavy smoker for years. He was heavily into pot when he got 5 F's out of 8 classes and dropped out of Divinity School. Two friends say that they supplied him up until 1992 when he entered the White House. These friends have not gained anything financially from the Enquirer or other sources and have maintained a low profile except for a few interviews. I tend to believe them. If you go to Newsmax.com you will find a number of articles on the subject archived over a period of time. When Gore's tells us that we have not seen anything yet, he is not kidding. If he gets elected, I think that we will be in for quite a ride. As I observed the feeding frenzy today on every TV station, radio station, and in every newspaper regarding Bush's .10 DUI 24 years ago, I became physically sick. It is all about sensationalism and keeping a story going until all of the life is taken out of it. If Gore gets into office, all of these really serious situations involving him will then become sensational and then they will be removed from the backburner to the forefront. What a very very sad society we have become. How pathetic we must seem to foreign countries. How can we expect our children to grow up to be mature and healthy with the example that adults are setting today? Does the media think that somehow they will be immune from the consequences of getting someone really corrupt into office? How do they sleep nights? By the end of the day, I just wanted to grab and hold my grandchildren for dear life. You won't be hearing from me anymore before the election, which some of you may be glad to hear. I am not planning to watch TV or read the newspaper until after the election. It has become too disgusting. On Election Day, I plan to vote and than go pray a lot. Mary Ray Henslee (61) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 106 - *************************************** *************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue #107 ~ November 6, 2000 "Time will discover everything to posterity; it is a babbler, and speaks even when no question is put." --Euripedies Issue 107 Contents: Election Date Changes Announced (;-) From Gary Behymer (64) Perceptions Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 What Are George Bush's Other Mistakes? Ron Richards '63 America Be informed when you vote. Patty Stordahl (72) Floating Around Dave Doran (72) Just One More Point Mary Ray Henslee (61) ---------------------------------------------- ~~~ Election: Polling Date Changes Announced! (;-) From: From Gary Behymer (64) bjangary@colfax.com Living in downtown Colfax, Washington Due to an anticipated voter turnout much larger than originally expected, the polling facilities may not be able to handle the load all at once. Therefore, Republicans are requested to vote on Tuesday, November 7, with Democrats voting on Wednesday, November 8. Please pass this message along and help us make sure nobody gets left out. Gary Behymer (64) ~~~ Subj: Perceptions From: Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 Albany, Oregon bobsown1@hotmail.com I find it interesting, that after serious debate over the "good and evil" of Henry Potter and/or Barbie, that Jenny Smart Page would come down on the side of tolerance for all. Seems as though your "Bomber" education did take after all, Jenny. I also find it interesting that those in opposition to anything homosexual usually revert to the Bible as the source for condemnation. But, by the same token, those in favor tend to ridicule Biblical quotations, especially those in Leviticus, and often cite other verses condemning wearing clothes made of two different cloths, etc. And leave us not forget the "scientific" evidence that homosexuality is either genetic or not, depending on which study you read. Seems to me the last one I read didn't say it was genetic, but perhaps a synapse in the brain gone a different way. Let's look at some real ancient history for a change as to find out why homosexuality is a "sin." Seems back before man learned to write, he figured out how babies were conceived. He also figured out that two people of the same sex, having intimate relations, were contraproductive to the "tribe's" increase. The solution is elegantly simple: If we, as a tribe, want more members, then it is not permitted to have lasting sexual relations with persons of the same gender. No pair bonding between boys, and no pair bonding between girls. I will refrain from any mention of experimentation, as that is not to the point. I'm not certain if the anit-gays would accept this nor not, but there have been observed cases of same sex bonding in other animal species than man. That is in those species that have more than one sex. But then, I doubt if the anti's would accept the fact that man is also a member of the animal kingdom. I do agree with you, Jenny, we need a whole lot more tolerance than has been exhibited to date. And, perhaps, it is time to let go of the Old Testament, and remember about "first stones." On another subject, whilst watching "Politically Incorrect" on Wednesday, the 31st, inst.; I see that our esteemed colleagues of the Republican persuasion don't want to let go of the incident that took place in the White House. A representative of that group loudly and persistently decried the fact that William Jefferson Clinton posed for a picture with his legs spread, and that He allowed (or was it ordered) this picture to grace the cover of Esquire magazine. As if, as it was pointed out several times, that the choice of the picture was more in the perview of the editor and publisher of the magazine. To this lady, the "scandal was revisited" again by the pose. And no amount of logic or reason would sway her from this opinion. I, personally, saw the pose as perhaps foolish on Mr. Clinton's part; or perhaps more of an "up yours" attitude. But, I don't think it brought back any memories of what transpired. I still think there is a vendetta amongst the more conservative Republicans over what happened to "Saint" Richard. To my way of thinking it's too bad he chickened out and resigned. At least the issue would have had a better resolution. Certainly a pardon from an appointed President didn't really fill the bill. In a way, justice was served to a certain degree in Clinton's impeachment. But the Senate, as happened with Andrew Johnson, thought better of it and declined to find either of them guilty. Perhaps the quaint Scottish verdict of "not proven" should be in our legal system. It sends a message to both parties. To the defendant: "We know you are guilty as sin, but the other side did not prove their case." And to the prosecution: "You blew it." Oh well, that's my opinion and I'm welcome to it. Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 - Albany, OR ~~~ Subj: What Are George Bush's Other Mistakes? From: Ron Richards '63 Centennial, Colorado G1A1S1@aol.com Two nights ago a reporter asked George Bush why he had not previously made his DUI arrest known. George Bush responded by saying "I have told the American people I have made mistakes in the past, and this [DUI incident] was ONE OF THEM." Doesn't that make some of you ardent Bush supporters a little bit interested in knowing what his other mistakes were? Doesn't that make some of you ardent Bush supporters wonder what else your man is concealing? How can any of you so frantically attack Al Gore's character, when George Bush is hiding his past from the American people? Ron Richards '63 ~~~~ Subj: America Be informed when you vote. From: Patty Stordahl (72) DZIGNRITE@aol.com I have a reality check for everyone out there If fair media was a reality in America we would hear an equal amount of information regarding the other presidential candidates. Get away from the standard media of fear and offer Americans the real truth. I challenge you to email every friend and every person of voting age in this still great country a web site of proven information that can not be disputed. www.votenader.org If you truly are an American and for America and not afraid of the big lobbyist machine that is selling the American families and our environment so incredibly short, you will extend this opportunity to each and every American you know to look into Gore's and Bush's true pasts for themselves, see how they really voted against families environmental issues, and small business, how they are trying desperately to keep down minority education and college programs because these issues do not satisfy the interests of lobbyists. Gore is in bed with the Tobacco companies, Nafta, WTO, you name it, he is there. He stands against America and for GORE. Please do this one fair honest thing today. Let us hear the truth and read the candidates true voting record and get rid of fear in this country. It is time for all Americans to take their country and communities back and get the big government / business out of our families. The two party system is not a true reality. If it's just between those two puppets, it won't matter who gets in the highest office of our great country. Both are already indebted to the Whoremonger of destruction. Both are bent on selling us down the proverbial road for the almighty $$$. We are controlled by a very real evil money making machine that takes from the people of this great country and keeps the country gripped in fear of voting their heart. Let us not vote for the lesser of two evils. Lets not vote for any evil's. Let us vote from our heart. Vote for our children and grand children's prosperities. I challenge Every one who reads this to just get your head out of the sand and go to this web site.www.votenader.org Just do it read for your self. Take the time, Do your grand children the service of a truly informed vote this Nov 7th and may God have mercy on us all if we do not. America: For the people and by the people with justice for all. Not just the 2% wealthy- no, filthy rich off of our hard working sweat. We need small farmers, We need small businesses to thrive. We need affordable college for all races. Help me vote for America and for ourselves. I cannot tell your heart who to vote for I can just say read this web site and then vote in good conscience for your future families to come. May your God bless you for not heaping to yourself men who just tickle the ears and do not fulfill any promises. Respectfully, Patty (72) - a true American and loyalist to the American Dream ~~~ Subj: Floating Around From: Dave Doran (72) Salt4385@aol.com The Piece 'by' Mary Ray Henslee (61) from the Sandbox #104 has been floating around for a long time and has been widely distributed on the Internet for at least two years. As you might imagine there is a Response to it also floating about. Now I think it is fine to make up your own generalities and foist them on others even in a humorous way, and that piece is funny if only for it's extreme ignorance. But, with all due respect, if you submit something that you didn't make up and are only parroting then I think that 'Author Unknown' or 'Anonymous' or some such tag should probably be applied. Huh? I too think that Biblical quoting should be discouraged because a person can always find a conveniently numbered passage to support any of their arguments and we might all agree now to say it's a draw Biblically and require some original thoughts. But I do love that 'God Created Homosexuals and They Are Sinners but So All Are Of Us' attitude expressed also in Issue #104. I think it is time to make a private judgment to yourself and move on to something else. Hey it works better than the 'God Hates Fags' approach of some Baptist congregations. But the only problem I see to an Official stance such as this is when a group like the Boy Scouts (one that accepts tax- exempt public donations) decides to bar homosexual men from the ranks of their troop leaders based upon the unclean-before-God principal, or worse, that they are every one a potential raging pedophile bent upon the Indoctrination of Innocent heterosexual boys. How is a person supposed to defend against that accusation? And why is it that a virile 30 year-old heterosexual man can be entrusted with coaching a team of budding adolescent girls as in swimming or gymnastics or track? Where is the fear of this man's sexuality overcoming his manners, intellect, respect and morality and turning him into a sexual predator? Well, maybe for one thing this coach is not a Sinner Despised by God and, unlike the homosexual who is not like us, we can relate to the coaches sense of discipline because we exercise it too. A delightful double standard if you're on the right end. I'm also amazed at some of the deep concern and careful thought given to refute the latest science studying being homosexual. Full of lovely metaphors and symbolic similes, it is nonetheless conjecture. My grandpa used to say that prevarications need hundreds of words to prop them up but truth will stand on it's own. Wasted, I fear, are all the words crafted by us to explain away millions of fellow humans and their 'problems' while science will and has found some simple organic connections to explain human sexual differences. Let's just agree to accept that the fear of the unknown and misunderstood has and will drive humankind for ever and leave the religious posturing out of social policy. Dave Doran (72) ~~~ Subj: Just One More Point Mary Ray Henslee (61) Mah@satx.net I know that I said that you would not be hearing from me anymore, but I just wanted to make one more point before I go take an Excedrin and crash. There has been a lot of spin on Bush's DUI by self-righteous people coming out with that notorious line.....Well, if he had only told us then it would be okay. But he was thirty years old and should have known better some will say. Wouldn't it be great if we all stopped making mistakes at thirty years old. I find that self-righteous people usually have the darkest secrets in their closet. I would like to point out that his DUI has been public record for 24 years for anyone to find. He was not stonewalling any investigation into this matter. It was there for the taking. A laundry list was not necessary if the information was out there for the taking by those who thought that it was important to his Presidency. Obviously many did not. According to reports in the NY Post and elsewhere because others have told me that MADD knew about his DUI five years ago. If MADD does not feel like it is an issue, then nobody should because we all know how aggressive they are on this issue. One of the Portland newspapers has reported that they were sent the information in July, but chose not to report it because they didn't think that it was relevant since it was so long ago. I suspect this was not a recent revelation to those who chose to make it news in the last few days. Timing was their motivating factor. Right before the election so people would have it on their minds. You know how quickly we forget. Right before the election so reporters would find it more newsworthy since this is a close election. The Media has the opportunity to sensationalize how it will affect the race and make us watch them and the polls they disseminate even more. Great for ratings. If we want a total Saint for President, then we should go to the Vatican to recruit our candidates. Even there we might not find a total Saint. Bush not disclosing his DUI in no way compares with what Gore and the Justice Department are hiding. Vote your conscience! Mary Ray Henslee (61) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 107 - *************************************** *************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue #108 ~ November 6, 2000 "He serves his party best who serves the country best." - Rutherford B. Hayes Sandbox Trivia: Our Next President and Vice President Could be from different Political Parties Did you know that Election 2000 could lead to the President and Vice President being selected from two different political parties? Remember, this is considered to be a very close election. Should there be a tie in electoral votes, here's how it goes: The House, where each state will have one vote, will select the President. The Senate will select the Vice President. Three times in our nation's history, the election has been lost by candidates who had the most popular votes because the opposition had more electoral votes. The last time was in 1888 Source: (The Associated Press) ~~~ Issue 108 Contents: Alternative Fuel Sources: Still A Long Way To Go Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76) Fuel Cells Jenny Smart Page '87 Complimentary Reply Marc Franco (66) Global Warming: Nature Plus Us Marc Franco (66) Attribution, Please! Jerry Lewis '73 ----------------------------------------------------- Subj: Alternative Fuel Sources: Still A Long Way To Go From: Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76) ~ Richland, WA KATHLUC@aol.com Re: Ron Richards (63), Alternative fuel sources. I notice that the companies you mention foremost in researching alternative fuel sources, cells, are private companies. Which political party heralds and encourages private companies, and which restricts and vilifies them? Which party thinks that the private sector is much more efficient and has accomplished than the federal government at research, development and production? Then what is your basis for accusing Bush and Cheney of prolonging our dependence on the internal combustion engine? Because they both have experience in the oil industry you assume they still have such strong ties to it that that will be their overriding concern when fuel cells should become more available. Then certainly Al Gore's ties to the tobacco industry that he took such active part in (cough) must color his judgment. Get real. First of all, it may be 2003 when commercial introduction of fuel cell cars is scheduled, but it will be many more years before the general populace accepts them and is willing the pay the cost. And many more years more before that translates into a significant reduction of internal combustion engines. In the meantime, we still have a 62% dependency on foreign oil from potentially hostile and extremely anti-American countries. At a consumption rate of 20 million barrels a day, it wouldn't take much of an interruption in flow to cause a major crisis here, and the glorious economy we are experiencing that Clinton/Gore like to take undue credit for, will be toast. If that happens, do you want Gore the Environmentalist or Bush the Executive at the helm? As you say, it may take a few years to be able to tap our own resources. However, having access to our own fields sooner rather than later in order to decrease foreign dependency, or at least as insurance against it, does not preclude alternative source research. What evidence do you have that Bush or Cheney have shown any disinclination toward alternative fuels and that they would dance to any oil company's beat? They have severed ties with their old companies, which is more than you can say for Gore and Occidental Petroleum. It is beyond me how you (liberals, Democrats, Gore-ites, whatever) assume you know what Gore will do in office when Gore himself doesn't. He doesn't even know who in the world he is, let alone what he stands for. But you all know. No, all you know is the fear-mongering hate- filled rhetoric that the liberal mainstream media spouts with absolutely no facts to back it up. Did you know that Haliburton has received awards from the EPA, including one from Gore's own National Partnership for Re-inventing Government, and an Environmental Champion Award for outstanding performance, was named an EPA Green Lights Corporate Partner, and Gore himself awarded Cheney and Haliburton for service well done in the area of the environment? You won't hear that from Dan Rather. Did you know that we are currently importing 400,000 more barrels of oil than we were in June, 1999? Exactly where is Clinton/Gore's energy policy? Failed. Did you know we presently import oil from Iraq? Opening only 8% of the Arctic Natural Wildlife Refuge to exploration will eliminate that. Some of Bush's energy proposals: -Propose legislation requiring electric utilities to reduce harmful emissions; in contrast, Vice President Gore has advocated only a voluntary program. -Create the "Royalties Conservation Fund" by earmarking potentially billions in royalties from new oil and gas exploration in ANWR to fund conservation efforts. -Earmark an estimated $1.2 billion of bid bonuses from opening up ANWR for funding research into alternative energy resources. (Does that include fuel cells?) -Support tax credits for electricity produced from renewable and alternative fuels at a cost of $1.4 billion over ten years. (I'll bet that includes fuel cells!) Now tell us again how Gore is our only choice for energy independence. Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76) ~~~ Subj: Fuel Cells From: Jenny Smart Page '87 ~ West Richland, WA jpage@3-cities.com Hmmmm....fuel cells...fuel cells...ah, yes...a fancy name for "batteries." Let me think here, if I remember my physics class correctly with Mr. Thrasher a few years back, I recall that batteries aren't "naturally" filled with power. Meaning, the energy (power) that a battery/"fuel cell" is charged with has to come from somewhere else! A battery is just the "storage unit." Now, let me think here....where are we gonna be getting the energy to "fill" these fuel cells? I know, we'll get it from the coal burning power plants in the Midwest. Oops. Can't do that. Burning coal pollutes the air; plus ya gotta dig up those shiny black nuggets somewhere and we all know that Gore won't let us do any more digging -- we might disrupt a "special weed" or scare a cricket. Okay, how 'bout one of those nifty natural gas burning power plants? Oops. Forgot again...Al doesn't want to do any more exploration for natural gas, either. Might step on a beetle or something. Okay, I know...nuclear power plants, that'll do it!! OH MY!! did I really suggest the "N" word??? How could I suggest something like that?? Okay, here's the winner: Hydroelectric power!! Oh rats! We can't do that either - - remember the poor salmon? Al's already 95% committed to ripping out our dams to save our fishy friends. Let's see, we're running out of environmentally friendly options here...how 'bout wind powered turbine do-hickeys? Oops, can't do that either...a bird may fly into those big ol' props; plus, you know, they're kinda ugly, and we certainly wouldn't want to mar the view of any mountainside. Let see...that about leaves us with solar power...That might work. Too bad I remember reading somewhere that it would take just about FOREVER to charge a "fuel cell" with enough power for a very brief amount of operating time. So, gosh...just how are we supposed to charge up those nifty new fuel cells that our friend Al wants us so desperately to be using? Better shine up those bicycles, folks....oh, and don't worry if you're too out of shape to be riding a bike --- Al will have socialized medicine ready to take care of you when you have your heart attack. How's that for a comforting thought?? Jenny (Smart) Page, West Richland, WA '87 ~~~ Subj: Complimentary Reply From: Marc Franco (66) mfranco@uswest.net I would like to compliment Mary Ray Henslee on her letter in Sandbox 103, in reply to a criticism on my part in an earlier Sandbox. I had basically felt she was accusing Gore of bringing on the Apocalypse if he were to be elected and exhibiting some hysteria. Her latest letter- in #103, was far different, lots of facts and well- reasoned opinions. I didn't agree with all of it, but, of course, that's not really necessary. I'd been publicly critical before, so I felt that I had to publicly be complimentary now. It was a good letter. Incidentally, Mary Ray had said that I seemed to be as hysterical about global warming as I was accusing her of being about oil. Actually, that's not far wrong. Information continues to pile up about the effects of global warming, and the Republican party as a whole, and Bush in particular, continue to say that it needs more study. I did not mean to imply that one is more serious than the other, however- oil vs. global warming. Mary Ray had only spoken of energy problems, so I spoke only of a problem that was being ignored. In fact, both need to be dealt with at the same time. Also, I must defend myself in one respect. Mary Ray had said that party affiliation seems to be important to me. Actually not- I'm pretty much a centrist who is aware of problems on both sides of the aisle, so who sees no need to vote ONLY Republican or ONLY Democrat. Both sides have good people, and both sides have jerks. The criticisms that Mary Ray wrote about Gore-campaign financing problems, etc., are well-founded and are not to be ignored. My only concern, in replying to her earlier letter, is that I just plain felt it came on too strong- "too hysterical," to quote my earlier word. Again, I compliment her on her later reply to my letter and thank her for it. Marc Franco (66) ~~~ Subj: Global Warming: Nature Plus Us From: Marc Franco (66) mfranco@sttl.uswest.net Kathy Lucas had a couple of comments in issue 105 that I would like to reply to. First, she said there is a real danger of energy disruptions, etc. because of our dependency on Mideast oil. Absolutely correct! Nobody disputes that. We need to develop new sources of energy, which so far is not being done. The oil companies have not encouraged that, either. I think I did not express myself clearly in my earlier letter, because two people have now reacted in a similar fashion to that letter. Oil problems are real, and need to be dealt with, now and in the future. I never intended to imply otherwise. And yes- there are certainly environmental extremists who would not mind if we all gave up cars and TV's and went back to the stone age. That certainly does not mean that all environmentalists are so extreme, and I'm sure that nobody really thinks so. That's all that I was trying to say in my earlier letter. Second, Kathy says there really DOES need to be more study about the greenhouse effect.. Well, you can always find scientists who will dispute anything- there are still scientists out there who do not believe in evolution, either- but there is overwhelming evidence that the greenhouse effect is real. Yes, I have read some of the contradicting evidence. There's a lot more of the supporting evidence- LOTS more. And yes- I am certainly aware that there are natural cycles in the life of the earth that will cause warming periods without any input from humans. This is all understood. But is anybody really trying to claim that a rise in the earth's temperature from 6- 10 degrees in one century (the current estimate) is normal in any respect at all? Things simply don't change that fast by themselves. IT is now documented that the polar ice pack is 40 % thinner than it was 50 years ago- only half a century ago. Again, things simply do not change that fast when left to their own devices. Everybody is aware of the natural ebb and flow of the earthly cycle. What we are seeing now is not the natural ebb and flow. The proper term (my opinion only, of course), for the constant call for more study of a phenomenon that is pretty well documented already- is fiddling while Rome burns. Throwing out a "what- if" question- let's just say that the Greenhouse effect is real. When DO we start reacting to it? The earlier Republican administrations under Reagan, and particularly Bush, did nothing about it, always saying that more study was needed. In fairness, Clinton did not exactly distinguish himself in this area either. If the Greenhouse effect is real, and all we do is study, study, study- it's going to be too late down the road, isn't it? Actually, I think it is already too late. We've wasted too much time. Extreme weather will continue- more droughts, severe hurricanes, etc. Geez- now _I_ sound hysterical, don't I? I don't mean to. The severe weather conditions that I have just mentioned have already begun, so I am not predicting anything that is not already here. My only point here is that- yes, the earth has its natural cycles of warming and cooling- and yes, we have made the natural cycle a lot worse, and are now refusing to do anything about it. Marc Franco (66) ~~~ Subj: Attribution, Please! From: Jerry Lewis '73 jlewis@owt.com How about some attribution for Mary Henslee's extended charges about the DEA investigation in Houston? [Issue 106 - Subj: It Just Got Worse] Anyone can spew whatever they want to 'support' their cause, but without verification, don't ask me to believe it. I did find a mention of it here Regarding Bush's DUI: I think it's irrelevant to this campaign (as apparently do the majority of the public). That said, his rationale that he didn't reveal it 'to protect his (children)" strikes me as about as truthful as many of Gore's statements (ha, ha) --- Jerry Lewis '73 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 108 - *************************************** *************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue #109 ~ November 7, 2000 "There is no more independence in politics than there is in jail." --Will Rogers Contents: Bush's Sins Robert W. Epler (80WB) The Classroom: A Tough Place To Teach Lynn-Marie Hatcher (68) Just My Opinions Bill Didway (66) Not a Lone Voice Any More Jerry Lewis (73) Don't Slip Off The Edge Vince Bartram (62) Fuel Cells Are Not Batteries From: Chuck Monasmith (65) Tolerance and Respect Jenny Smart (87) New Name For Late Year Gift Giving Verla Farrens (61) --------------------------------------------------------- Subj: Bush's Sins From: Robert W. Epler (80WB) ERosebud5@aol.com In SANDBOX issue 107, Ron Richards asked a question of immanent importance. After referring to Bush's comment about making mistakes in the past, Richards asked, "Doesn't that make some of you ardent Bush supporters wonder what else your man is concealing?" To that, I say, "Right on, Man!" We, the American People must demand that George W. Bush give us a detailed and itemized list of every sin he has committed since he was conceived in his mother's womb. We have the right to know! What dirty little secrets has he been hiding from us? Has he ever hit someone in a fist fight? Did he ever go to bed angry? Has he ever looked at a girl with lust in his heart? Why has the media been so easy on this guy? I'll bet he even lied to his mother once or twice. If he ever cheated on a school exam, we have the right to know! Not only do we have the right to know, his children have the right to know! He wanted to "protect" his children in deceiving them about the DUI incident? Reeeeeeally? The vast Right Wing and their evil conspirators are tying to throw a blanket over the gullible American Public. If George W. had even an ounce of integrity, he would submit a full confession of all wrongdoing to the media AND his children before election day. God help us if this man gets elected! George W. Bush is a SINNER! We don't need sinners in the highest office of the land. Vote for Saint Al Gore. For he is the true picture of honesty and perfection. Robert W. Epler (80WB) ~~~ Subj: The Classroom: A Tough Place To Teach From: Lynn-Marie Hatcher ('68) footay@3-cities.com (Lynn-Marie Foote, RN) Re: Peggy Roesch Wallan '71 -- Sandbox 105 & 106 Peggy, you have my absolute empathy. My sister (with whom I am very close) teaches first grade. She has taught everything from K-12 since 1964. She loves to teach, & is a great, great teacher. She is 9 years older than I, and did most of the my "raising." I have always looked up to her as a fearless leader. She is sparkly and spunky. But for the past 5 years or so, practically every conversation we have about her kids, her classroom, etc. contains at least one statement from her approximately as follows: "Oh, I can't do that. I could be sued." Now we are not talking about beating children here, folks. We are talking about simple measures to keep the classroom in control and moving forward toward learning. (Gee, what a concept -- learning being the #1 issue with which a teacher should concern herself or himself.) I am a psych nurse. I know what happens to physically and emotionally abused kids. I am not in favor of going back to "hacks" like the principal used to deliver in the boys' patrol room when I went to Lewis and Clark. I am not in favor of public humiliation such as some teachers practiced when I was in grade school. But, geez-Louise, it would be nice if good teachers didn't have to be looking over their shoulders constantly for fear of a lawsuit because they sent a kid to sit in the corner or something! Lynn-Marie Hatcher ('68) ~~~ Subj: Just My Opinions Bill Didway (66) ~ Sedro Woolley, WA From: didwaybj@fidalgo.net I have been reading the Sandbox for a while trying to catch up on the background of all the issues. It has been most interesting reading. Having gone K thru 12 and graduating in 1966, four years in the Navy, and working one union job for 26 years before taking an early retirement in April of 1999, I have had my share of experiences that have shaped my life and opinions. From graduation till now most of my ideas have changed as I have aged. It interesting to see people accused of being ignorant of an issue. Others accused of being in favor of censorship. Others basically accused of being homophobic. The "tolerant" being intolerant of the "intolerant." Very interesting this Sandbox Forum. Bill Didway (66) ~~~ Subj: Not a Lone Voice Any More From: Jerry Lewis '73 jlewis@owt.com I was beginning to feel like a lone voice in the wilderness, hoarsely crying 'substantiate, attribute, verify.' So I was happy to see Dave Doran (72) suggest that attribution of quotes or 'facts' would be appropriate. (I extrapolate a bit from what he said.) It would probably be too much to ask to actually try to verify the veracity of the info, but that would be nice, too. At least with attribution, the readers can go evaluate the source and make their own decisions. Jerry Lewis http://www.owt.com/users/jlewis/ ~~~ Subj: Don't Slip Off The Edge Re: It Just Got Worse From: Vince Bartram (62) vlewisb@email.msn.com (Vince Bartram) Getta Grip Mary Ray, don't want y'all to slip off the back edge. You are the only one I know of who has the inside scoop on these stories about Gore. Just out of curiosity, I haven't seen anything about this in papers, TV or Internet, could you provide your sources so inquiring minds can check it out? I mean secret deals with commies and all, and dope smoking too. Great stuff. And to think I was almost fooled. Thanks now, Vince Bartram ~~~ Subj: Fuel Cells Are Not Batteries From: Chuck Monasmith '65 Richland WA msmith@owt.com Jenny Smart Page, I encourage you to visit www.e-sources.com/fuelcell/fcexpln.html The site explains how fuel cells and batteries are different. I hope you'll let your kids read about them. After all there's no magic in fuel cells! Chuck Monasmith [Ref: Issue 108] ~~~ Subj: Tolerance and Respect From: Jenny (Smart) Page, '87 ~ West Richland, WA Reply-to: jpage@gocougs.wsu.edu To: Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 Its not that "interesting" that I would "come down on the side of tolerance" on the homosexual issue after such a debate as the Harry Potter thing (and now Barbie). And here's why: From the very beginning, my stance of Harry Potter had been drastically over-interpreted by others in this forum. I have always been very tolerant of others reading the book -- its just not appropriate for MY kids. So, why wouldn't I be tolerant of others living an alternate lifestyle? There are many things in this world of ours that I do not like, but tolerate. Do I like what others are doing in the world? No. But I'm not going out and buying every copy of the book (or doll) and burning them in some sort of weird demonstration in the middle of the cul-de-sac either. Just like I'm not out publicly ridiculing homosexuals. People may do as they wish, as long as they are ready to pay the consequences when the time comes (whatever those consequences may be). To: Dave Doran (72) As for the Boy Scout issue, I believe many have misunderstood the basis of the problem. I don't think it really has anything to do with the fact that the Boy Scouts are scared of letting a homosexual be the chaperone at the Troop Meetings. A homosexual is no more apt to be a child molester than a heterosexual. The basis of the problem is that it is in direct violation of one of their founding ideals -- that being homosexual is not "morally straight." Perhaps others have a different definition of what "morally straight" is, but those definitions are not the ones that count in this situation. The only one that counts is the one of the Boy Scouts. As for expressing concern over having a male coach (or whatever) with a girls swim team (or whatever): I would express the same level of "parenting" in that situation, as I would with a homosexual Scout Master. Simply put, I wouldn't trust the fellow any farther than I could throw him, until he proved himself trustworthy. Perhaps the answer to both of these situations is this: Parents just need to be more involved in what their kids are doing, instead of dropping the kid off outside the door and letting them run in to whatever the group it is. If there were more parent volunteers at things like soccer practice, Boy Scout meetings & camping trips, etc., etc., then the weirdos (both hetero- & homosexual) of our society wouldn't have the opportunity to prey on our kids. (And please don't misinterpret this as me saying that I don't trust anyone in society. Trust is something that is earned -- its not a baseline standard. And those who have earned my trust, also have my respect) Jenny Smart Page ~~~ Subj: New Name For Late Year Gift Giving From: Verla Farrens Gardner '61 Oregon City, OR verlag@bctonline.com Thanks to Jenny Smart for the: "You read it here first folks..."Winter Gift Exchange Opportunity Day"... that is just great!!! Verla Farrens Gardner (61) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 109 - *************************************** *************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue #110 ~ November 9, 2000 "Do not look back in anger, or forward in fear, but around in awareness." -- James Thurber Contents: Schools: Promoting A Safe Environment For Learning Phil Jones '69 Slant Drilling Called For From: Bill Didway (66) What Can We Do About Telephone Solicitors? Chuck Monasmith '65 Real Discourse Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76) Many Mea Culpi Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 Thank God for Tree Huggers Linda McKnight (65) ---------------------------------------------- Subj: Schools: Promoting A Safe Environment For Learning From: Phil Jones '69 This is my first contribution to the Sandbox. I just recently discovered the site and have sort of jumped in the middle of some heated e-mail conversations. The debate on homosexuality vs heterosexuality is great reading. And I'm not going there!! I do want, however, to thank my old friend, Mike Franco, for his support of schools in his contribution to Sandbox #100, "Give Our Schools a Break." As a high school counselor, I can report with confidence that public schools are not promoting homosexuality. There has been a push in recent years to promote the elimination of sexual harassment in school. But don't make the mistake of confusing the effort to discourage harassment (and the use of terms like fag or queer) with promoting homosexuality. The effort to eliminate sexual harassment has not only included staff training to eliminate the obvious kinds of harassment between employees, but has included messages to the kids that it's not okay to harass other students This includes behavior and name-calling that was routine in my school years. We certainly didn't shy away from expressing our contempt for anything that didn't conform to our nicely packaged views incubated in sheltered small-town America in the 50's and 60's. You bet we were homophobic, and commie-phobic, and nuke-bomb-phobic to boot. Our treatment of other students would be grounds for expulsion today. Today we are attempting to insure, perhaps naively, the right of each student to be educated in a safe environment free of harassment and name calling. Is it working? Who knows. I don't assume we can change the minds of all kids with a few posters, an assembly and a stern reprimand but we can try to make a point whenever we hear or witness an incident. Being aware that it is not okay and encouraging the staff to be active and not ignore this behavior, is a start. Schools today face the impossible challenge of meeting the needs of every student, from the most dysfunctional to the future Rhodes Scholar and everybody in between. In Washington State, we are in the middle of some revolutionary (and controversial) education reform. When the two presidential candidates talk about accountability and higher standards for schools they could use Washington Sate as a model. We are way ahead of the norm in this effort with alignment of curriculum with essential student learning, WASL testing, Initial Certificates of Mastery, Advanced Mastery and Culminating Experiences (Senior Projects) are all law designed to increase student learning and to make schools accountable for your kid getting an education. (That even includes the kids who don't seem to not want to exercise their rights to an education.) There is conversation about schools providing "character building" as part of school reform which is a very sensitive area to get into. If that means respecting the rights and freedom of others and assistance in understanding what you are all about, than I'm for that. If that means encouraging kids to be honest hard working members of society, than I'm for that too. But I'm like Mike Franco in my reluctance for schools to get into the business of teaching morals. We have enough to do already. Phil Jones 69 ~~~ From: Bill Didway (66) didwaybj@fidalgo.net Slant Drilling Called For My solution to the oil shortage and the Arab control over it was suggested many years ago by a very smart comedian. Near Florida we drill down and then over to and under Saudi Arabia an all dem other oil producing countries. After all they just happen to be sitting on top of the oil..... Bill Didway (66) Sedro Woolley, WA ~~~ Subj: What Can We Do About Telephone Solicitors? From: Chuck Monasmith '65 msmith@owt.com A new topic: Let's talk about telephone solicitors... I don't want to hear any sassy comebacks like "Can I call you at home at dinner time?" "I work for the company you are selling and I don't like what you said." What I am talking about is a grass roots effort to ban the damn people who bother us at dinnertime and other inopportune moments. Should we just force them to have caller ID? Should we ban them completely? Should we just remove the soft fleshy parts of their bodies? What should we do with those damnable telephone solicitors? Chuck Monasmith '65 Still in the great backwater of Richland WA ~~~ Subj: Real Discourse From: Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76) ~ KATHLUC@aol.com To Marc Franco (66) Thank you for your reply and clarification of intent. Your tone was much calmer and more conducive to informational discourse than your previous entry that I responded to in which you called Mary Ray Henslee's fuel shortage concerns hysterical. I felt you were the hysterical party. I still disagree with your foregone conclusion that the changes we have recorded in the ice pack thickness, or in global temperatures cannot be naturally caused, even in such seemingly drastic increments. We do not have that long a history of records, and especially accurately calibrated records to assume that such changes are beyond the scope of nature. A very recent news story had two atolls in the Solomon Islands, previously told they were going to be flooded soon, due to melting ice pack, actually experiencing lower tides than ever. But let's assume some action should be taken. Shall we take a suggestion from the extremist environmentalist crowd as in removing billions of dollars worth of dams, irrigation, electricity production, barge transportation, and private industry on the chance that salmon population will return up river despite ocean fishing, gill net fishing, terns, sea lions, etc.? We have replaced CFC's, despite some dispute over the efficacy of it. We are developing revolutionary fuel cells. Bush is proposing stricter emission controls on electric power plants and tax credits for alternative fuel sources. Before we go any further, how do we address the global part of the problem? The three worst offending countries wouldn't sign the Kyoto Treaty, and most of the rest wouldn't ratify it. A friend just returned from Beijing, China, appalled at the horrendous air pollution belched continuously from countless coal plants. I'll have a hard time justifying trading my Ford van for an electric car while conditions in the rest of the world contribute so much more intensely to any possible global warming theory. Given facts instead of unfounded fears, most problems, even global in scope, can be eased or resolved if we don't go off message with emotion and alarm. We aren't refusing to act, we are just acting in prudent steps while we search for more definitive information. Perhaps you're right, it may be too late. Or perhaps you're wrong, and we overestimate our global impact. Or perhaps we're both a little right. At least we're having civil discourse without name calling or hysteria. That's the only way to resolve world problems. Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76) ~~~~ Subj: Many Mea Culpi From: Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 bobsown1@hotmail.com By way of apology- For Jenny Smart Page; Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Perhaps I have an unfair and biased opinion of you. And that is so very wrong. You are, without doubt, doing an excellent job of raising your children and teaching them good values. Too bad other parents don't do this, but leave the job instead to the schools; and then blame the system for the children's failure. And to think you are doing all this in the culturally deprived area of West Richland (just kidding). Now, the donnybrook over gay Boy Scout leaders is becoming tiresome and tedious. In some ways the Scouts are correct in their stance. These "people" are not "morally straight" and therefore do not deserve to lead our youth. But, are caring and nurturing persons of the "gay persuasion" any worse than thirty-year old teachers who become pregnant via their twelve and thirteen year old charges? Or pedophilc priest "preying" on altar boys? Maybe we should let gay men become coaches of girls swim or gymnastic teams and gay women become priests and teachers of young boys. Would that help the Boy Scouts? Probably not, but it certainly might change someone's thinking. And, finally, who cares if Gush got a DUI or Bore didn't really give Tipper "full tongue" on national television. I've said it more than once in these pages. Don't worry about either of them lying, they are both "Politicians" and we all know that politicians lie. By the by, Al. In the beginning the vice president was the guy who came in second. But that made for some interesting legislation. Anyway, that's my opinion and I'm welcome to it. Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 Albany, Oregon ~~~ Subj: Thank God for the Tree Huggers From: Linda McKnight (65) - Portland, Oregon Lmckn211422aol.com Okay, I am proud to be a Bomber, and to have grown up in a wonderful, safe spot of the world, even with the threat of nuclear war upon our heads. We survived. But, my allegiance to Richland, Washington ends after the reunions are over, after the Thanksgiving decorations are put away and all the other family things that bring me home to Richland. I am and will probably always be to the end of my days, an Oregonian and proud of it. I really am dismayed with Jenny Smart and her comments regarding the environment. Jenny, you sit there in your house in West Richland and dare to find fault with people who want to save the rivers and streams from pollution. My God, girl, what about Hanford and the biggest nuclear waste dump in the world. Are you truly proud of the fact that the core of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant was brought up river to you? Most Portland people are leery of swimming in the Willamette River these days. When Gov. Tom McCall cleaned up the river back in the 70s it was because businesses were throwing chicken parts in the river because all chicken factories and processing plants were next to the river. Now, we have horrible chemicals being dumped in river which have caused the fish and frogs to grow extra parts. Somebody has to take care of the environment for your children, Jenny. You have protected them from all sorts of mythical evils. When are you going to start protecting them so they can continue to breath clean air? On Election night, I thank God for all the tree huggers and environmentalists who wish to save the salmon and our trees. Clean water should be available to everyone, not those who can afford filters for their Brittas. Linda McKnight (65) Milwaukie, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, Oregon ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 110 - *************************************** *************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue #111 ~ November 11, 2000 "The man who promises everything is sure to fulfill nothing, and everyone who promises too much is in danger of using evil means in order to carry out his promises, and is already on the road to perdition." ~ Carl Jung ~ Contents: "My comment should have read..." Linda McKnight (65) My trip to San Diego to Hear Fun Stuff About Hybrid Cars, Fuel Cells, etc. Bob Rector `62 The Election and Alternative fuels Peggy Hartnett (72) Republican Enviros; & Morality John Browne Jr. '61) Telephone Solicitation, Tree Hugging and Possible Election Results Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 ------------------------------------------------ Subj: "My comment should have read..." From: Linda McKnight (65) ~ Milwaukie, Oregon Lmckn21142 Regarding my comments in the last issue. My comment should have read that clean and safe water should be available to everyone, not just those who can afford filters for their Brittas. ~~~ Subj: My trip to San Diego to Hear Fun Stuff About Hybrid Cars, Fuel Cells, etc. From: Bob Rector '62 ~ Richland, WA b_rector@owt.com Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2000 8:04 PM [Includes comments on an address given by Dr. William F. Jandeska Jr., GM Powertrain Group. Presented to 107 Parts Manufacturers, From the MPIF (Metal Powders Industries Federation) which was attended by Rector,] I often skip long submissions...so will condense. Call this "Prattle and Rumors from Detroit," submission number 1 of ? (introduction and overview). The Report by Jandeska given on Oct. l6, 2000, was entitled "GM's Progress in Hybrid, Elec. and Fuel Cell Vehicles" Some know that we make over 10,000 automobile parts per week, right here in Bomberland. Western Sintering is across from old Hanford Bus Lots. You may visit any week day, 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. I am a "card carrying" member of the Society of Automobile Engineers....doesn't mean much except I get the poop sheet for every Friday's luncheon mtg. in Portland. Fun information came from Bill Jandeska (a 16 patents, etc., genius) who, when confronted with the menu at the Richland Dairy Queen, could not decide what to have. His wife, Jean, rolled her eyes and said, "He is always like this." He finally ordered a dilly bar....Jean and I ordered peanut buster parfaits. When we got our parfaits, Bill pointed at them and said, "What is that?" "Peanut Buster Parfait," replied his wife. "I'll have one of those" he said, and handed the dilly bar back. *oh gees, I thought, and this guy is designing cars I have to drive! Note: Bill is currently driving GM's full size V8 Hybrid Pickup Truck, (Hybrid being both gas and electric) and no, I did not know that one of these even existed until two weeks ago. Bill came to Richland to see our automated sintering system and to check out Yakima Valley wine. We spent 4 hours in the Barrels, vats, and bottles of Kiona Vineyards (yea, we drank too much) He and his wife are "sold" on our wine. I will send him a case of Kiona, Late Harvest White Riesling for Christmas. (his favorite) [Now, back to Jandeska's report:] First fun stuff in his report was that, "Yes, automobile emissions are very very political." GM must respond to the EPA and the EPA is being driven by Democrats. 80 mpg is the EPA mandate. So, GM did it, reported Bill. He put a picture of the car on the screen and explained all the things they had to do because some guy, (nice word for well-intended idiot) told the EPA that there was indeed enough energy in a gallon of gas to theoretically get a car 80 miles down the road. The car has no exterior rear view mirrors.....the last thing they had to remove to make the 80 mpg! Overview: Electric Cars will increase in usage, but will be commuter cars, with low payload, low speed, and low distances between charges. There is just not enough energy in a battery....any kind of battery we know of. *and yes...the electricity must still be generated with fossil fuel. Result will be cleaner air in cities, but not much net reduction in fossil consumption. Several designs of Hybrid Cars will become "common." There are 4 basic types. Fuel Cells still have several hurdles, even when proponents announce great forward strides....and are "probably about 10 years out." (certainly can change) *not sure how the EPA proposes to label fuel cell cars for consumer protection...."Warning, this car contains one hydrogen tank"? **EPA does not list Hydrogen as an explosive... only a flammable. But hydrogen flame is colorless ....so firemen approach hydrogen fires holding a broom in front of them to detect flame. **GM will get Hydrogen for their fuel cells by decomposing gasoline. You will still go to a gas pump to "fill up." Maybe more details later. Think I'll get a horse...but then there's the methane. Got Gas? Bob Rector '62 ~~~ Subj: The election and Alternative fuels From: Peggy Hartnett (72) highdesert@theriver.com (A modern hotel in a timeless town) Well, I just got back from voting and sort of envy you who live in "swing" states. Arizona is a state that is traditionally Republican and nobody expects it to be otherwise in the foreseeable future, which actually allows some folks who are traditionally Democrats to vote for 3rd parties if they choose without fear that they may be inadvertently voting for George W. Bush. In this case it is just about getting enough votes for some of the other parties to get recognized. I for one was not at all impressed with either candidate or campaign and I think it is great that other parties are forming if these are the best choices the two parties had to offer (don't you Republicans think Jeb is a whole lot smarter than George)? and if the Democrats are going to take the heat for being the party of Hollywood, they should have gotten Al some stage training! For me this was an election made interesting for local issues and offices and there I voted across the board in terms of party affiliation but I was very clear in my initiative voting--I voted for the environment and education. Those two topics bring me to my reaction to the pieces in SANDBOX Extra #108 by Jenny Smart Page (87) and Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76)--Wow you two are sarcastic! I always wonder why people feel they have to speak in extremes and ridicule to make a point. From what you have said I can bet we won't agree on many things concerning energy conservation and consumption but the facts are before us and have been for many years. We, the citizens of the US are energy gluttons, we equate essential personal freedom with having it be alright to have one person per SUV rather than carpool or use public transportation. I felt very fortunate to live in a part of this country where there was public transportation, I did not own a car for almost 10 years. When I needed one, I rented one. Of course when I did buy one I was penalized by the insurance companies for not having been insured for that time-but no, there are no corporate conspiracies here. Yes, batteries have to be recharged, part of my life is solar and certainly you all in the Tri-Cities could be too. There will have to be sources developed and resources used, you bet- and some hard choices will have to be made. However, having the attitude that this is what we like because it works and something other might make us change our lifestyle is not a view that will help us meet those challenges. I believe that it is also okay to admit that some of the technologies we have created could be better, safer, less damaging to other aspects of life. I for one am not pointing any fingers and placing blame, I believe people try to build the best mousetrap but they don't always work as planned. I think self- satisfied attitudes as well as sarcasm and smugness lead people to dig their heals in deeper and drive us away from useful conversations and solutions. I realize that my views are the minority view, that we are a nation that has the only military and economic clout to insure that we can maintain this orgy for a while. So I don't expect you to jump on your bikes real soon (though it may save your life), by all means crank up the volume, the AC, get everyone their own TV, computer and phone if you think that is the best thing you can do but lose the sarcasm, it is soooooooo unbecoming. Peggy Hartnett (72) ~~~ Subj: Republican Enviros; & Morality From: John Browne Jr. (61) ~ b4juddcreek@webtv.net Vashon Island, WA Seems like everyone has heard that old saying, "Democrats eat their young." It's true, too, I guess... but they're not the only ones to do so. Republicans will also eat their young- but not until they've eaten everyone else's. That's what you call 'conservative.' You conserve what you've got for as long as possible; and try to be as creative as you can to maintain the status quo- in this case, a full stomach. (2Kings, 6:24) There's Dan Evans, who was the Gov here, awhile back, a man very fond of wild places; & old John Sawhill, the Republican who wanted to slap a 50ç tax on every gallon of gas, to make some $$$ off people who didn't worry how much they burned. He also started the Nature Conservancy, which is kind of a multicultural, multisocioeconomic capitalist scheme to buy up lots of uniquely beautiful Natural places & leave 'em alone, basically... assuming that, as nicer parts of the world that g-d created, maybe it would be instructive to future people to see it the way it was without anyone making a buck off of it first- g-d loves Her fools... Morality, though, isn't one of Them. Morality is actually "revenue-neutral" in the economics of community sociobiology; it's the Rule that prevents the Community from being the Victim of its biggest, baddest bad-boys. That way, the Community thrives, and everybody has Nice Things to say about the well-behaved baddest boys, who learn the Rewards of Self- discipline (after it has been explained to Them by some crumbly old fart who has gone to the trouble of Living a Long Time, & so must be endowed with Magick of some kind or other). Morality IS relative- or 'relatives,' which is how big the circle is that Morality describes. Usually, it starts with basic Social Units- a family, a tribe, a parish, etc. but can also be extended around some artificial gatherings, too- like 'all the redheads,' or 'all the left-handed Arabic-speaking white guys on this side of the River,' or 'all the humans within a line drawn on the surface of the earth that corresponds to a mathematical representation of an arbitrary division of an oblate spheroid that's used to stand in for the Actual Earth and is called the 49th Latitude as it crosses a wide, dry spot in the artificially designated representation known as the Western Part of the Northern Hemisphere of the Actual Earth, south to, say, roughly, the wettest, lowest part of this valley that starts up in the Rocky Mountains somewhere & goes South, but not until it starts going Southeast; & then, if you drew a line West from That spot over to the big ocean, kind of more- or-less straight," etc. So, more & more, Morality seems like a kind of social counterbalance to the "Might makes Right" approach to Better Living; which probably means that, based upon the Community invoked, Morality can "Be Whatever the Community Wants." So, if the Community circle is drawn rather narrowly, then Morality may justify shooting doctors who defy the production of future cannon-fodder by performing abortions, while also justifying the nuclear vaporization of infants 11 time zones away because of the economic proclivities of their greedy parents, who may be intending to keep all of the oil within Their Moral Circle from those antiabortionists who have come to depend upon it in order to bring home milk & butter from the local dairy in crinkly plastic bags, while safely ensconced in 3000 lbs of iron, rubber & glass, as is their wont. If the Circle of Morality were to include, say, All the Hominids, or (more broadly) All the Mammals, or even (gasp!) All of the Planetary Life-forms, then the judgment of 'What's Right?' will likely be radically altered from the Present Considerations-not because Morality is Good or Bad, but because Morality is simply a Protective Device. And Any Device may be Used Unwisely... although, sometimes it requires exceedingly creative manipulations to do so. ^..^ -JHBrowne, Jr. ~ Vashon Island, `61 ~~~ Subj: Telephone Solicitation, Tree Hugging and Possible Election Results From: Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 ~ Albany, Oregon bobsown1@hotmail.com To Chuck Monasmith '65: Even the little dots in the telephone directory that are supposed to indicated you do not take solicitations don't seem to work. What does seem to work is to inform the caller that you do not accept such calls, you have indicated this choice to the telephone company, and if called again by the same person and/or firm it will be reported to the proper authorities and this party will then be persecuted (or is it prosecuted?) to the full extent of the law. At least that's how it is supposed to work. And it sometimes does. Also giving the caller a good, loud "raspberry" seems to work too. To Linda McKnight '65: Yes, Tom McCall did try to clean up the Willamette, and for the most part it is. Unfortunately, you live in the cesspool of the state, and we all know it flows downhill. And before you even think of it, yes, Albany is sometimes considered the armpit of Oregon, but the river's fairly clean as it flows past the town. But it will get even worse, as the grass seed farmers start using more and more chemicals because of the ban on field burning. For which we must give praise to the transplanted Californians in Eugene. It is becoming somewhat apparent the citizens what the state to become industry free; sort of like Salem. I can remember when the major business of Salem as in the canneries, but no more as most of them have moved out or shut down. The only industry left is the paper mill, so it becomes obvious that soon the "government drones" will force out all the worker bees. I can't and won't claim to be a native Oregonian, so I can look at the mess the state is in and snicker up my sleeve. Here sits this nice piece of property situated between California and Washington, and for some strange reason getting the worst of both in all respects, from gay bashing Chiefs of Police to incompetent and out of touch legislators (even with term limits). One of the best ideas "Uncle" Tom had was to ask people to visit the state, but don't stay. After he uttered that remark, a group known as the "James Blaine Society" proposed setting up toll booths, particularly on the California border. Visitors from that state would be required to put up a $500.00 bond, which was refundable only if they left Oregon within the next thirty seconds. Sounded like a great revenue producer, especially when the booths were more than thirty seconds from the border, and police were standing by. Too bad it didn't happen. Now, this just in: Sometime back I reported on some of the ballot measures we Oregonians faced during the recent election. They were a bit more exciting that Bore or Gush. At any rate most of Bill Sizemore's tax scam measures were failing miserably. The idea that the legislature must fund their mandated programs for schools is passing. Utility companies cannot raise their rates to compensate for closed facilities (they tried it once before). Prison term limits will stay in effect, at least until the next election. And the OCA's antigay measure is going down in defeat. From the armpit of Oregon, that's my opinion and I'm welcome to it. Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 ~~~ Stay tuned - ap ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 111 - *************************************** *************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue #112 ~ November 12, 2000 "A person usually has two reasons for doing something: a good reason and the real reason." ~ Thomas Carlyle ~ Contents: Life On Planet Earth, and Having to Share It With 6 Billion Others Jenny (Smart) Page `87 Don't Use Florida Court Rooms to Amend The Constitution Dennis Robertson Beatty (Class of 60) Sandbox Reform Mary Ray Henslee (61) Telephone Solicitation Remedies Peggy (Roesch) Wallan '71 The Presidential Election: Was There One? Robert Shipp (64) ------------------------------------------------------ Subj: Life On Planet Earth, and Having to Share It With 6 Billion Others From: Jenny (Smart) Page `87 West Richland, WA jpage@3-cities.com In response to Linda McKnight (65), issue #110 The environment is something that is of concern, I think, to just about everyone, including me. We all want clean air to breath, clean water to drink, unpolluted soils, etc., etc. The problem is that as with so many hot topics today, the opposing viewpoints have become so polarized that it is an "all or nothing" type situation now. "ALL electric cars -- no internal combustion engines!" "No dams in the river AT ALL!" "Concrete over ALL those nuclear plants" "No drilling for ANY oil ANYWHERE" yada yada yada..... For things to be resolved, people need to learn to compromise. That means maybe banning all commercial and recreational fishing of salmon (as an example) by both Native Americans and un-native Americans alike for, say, a period of 20 years. Maybe it means responsibly exploring for domestic oil sources in this region but not that area over there. Maybe it means increasing the number of nuclear power plants so that there aren't so many coal or gas burning plants. I'm not saying I have the answers, but I'm willing to think about other alternatives. Decisions need to be made based on more than emotion, and shouldn't be knee-jerk reactions to the problem-du-jour. Am I thrilled with the fact that Hanford is so "messed" up? No, not really. But, just like your river in Oregon, things are being done to help it out. And just like cleaning up rivers and streams, air, and soil, it's not going to happen overnight. And it can't be handed down as a mandate by the government. So...(if you believe the earth and all life on it came from God, read this next sentence; if you believe you evolved from swamp water, read the line after...) --God gave us brains, we need to use them. --We're advanced biological organisms with a complex central nervous system, let's respond intelligently to the stimuli. (And for those who are humor-impaired, you're supposed to read those in a light-hearted manner) Jenny (Smart) Page ~87 --from the thriving metropolis, and yet still traffic light-less, West Richland, WA ~~~ Subj: Don't Use Florida Court Rooms to Amend The Constitution From: Dennis Robertson Beatty (Class of 60) Salt Lake City, UT knd_beatty@email.msn.com I have just returned from a driving trip of Western Washington while looking for a place to retire. On returning, by election day, I have just caught up on reading the last month's worth of Sandbox articles and was quite amazed by the discourse provided on a group of topics. I would like to briefly add my three pennies worth. On the homosexual issue. In Utah there is a very large underground of Gays and Lesbians. The reason it is underground is because of all the discrimination practiced by the state with the support of the governing church authorities. Utah is a Theocracy. Mary Henslee said it best. We must all learn to get along with each other and provide them the same respect we request they provide us. We should quit trying to change people. You cannot change someone by force, only by intimidation. The program mentioned in a later edition talked about a program to get these people to change. They haven't, they only act that way to get everyone off their backs and to get out of the "spotlight." On what it takes to be a Democrat: You left out one big one that has become increasing obvious over the last couple of days. You must not be able to read a simple ballot and live in West Palm Beach at the same time. There is no mention of the 95+% of the people who filled it out right, only the less than 5% who screwed it up. Al Gore caters to people who need and want help from the government and this is just an example of what he was hoping for. Followers. Never mind they can't follow simple directions or ask for help when they are confused. Of course a lot of this could be because he has William Daley as his chairman. Anyone remember Richard Daley of Chicago? Dirty Politics? Dead People voting? Think back to 1960. On the election.......Thought there would be more writing on this, so was amazed it has been quiet, but then, maybe I am too early. There is a simple solution. Finish the recount and fix the system for the next session. Anyone thinking a re-vote is a solution has just denied 100 million people the right to participate unless we have a totally new election with only the two front-runners going for the office. Kind of a run-off like they do in Europe and other countries with multiple candidates. On Albert Gore......It appears you have the majority vote but then once again you are trying to change the rules after the game is over. When you entered this fracas you knew, or should have, that it was the electoral college that counted (right or wrong) and that is the law. Quit your whining and go by the vote. If you don't like it move to New York, run for congress, and try to change the constitution from inside the system not from inside some courtroom in Florida. This only proves that with all the blustering that the real Albert Gore came out. It is amazing that Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon had more class than Mr. Clean, the Clinton-Clone. Well, this should get the juices flowing for a while. Bomber Cheers to All and Best Wishes for the Coming Holidays. Dennis Robertson Beatty (Class of 60) Salt Lake City, UT ~~~ Subj: Sandbox Reform From: Mary Ray Henslee (61) Mah@satx.net I would like to share my thoughts about some of the entries that I have read and this forum in general. To: Peggy Lewis Johnson (62) I thought your entry in Issue 97 was very heartwarming and full of wise parental advice. It is a must read for all parents because it applies to all situations with children of any age. Your daughter is very lucky and I have a feeling she knows it. To: Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76) Thank you for sharing some great information on global warming in Issues 105, 107, and 110. You obviously did your homework and shared a lot of worthwhile information that most of us would never have known. It pays to be informed. To: Marc Franco (66) Thank you for your two entries in Issue 107. I appreciated your kind reference to my entry in Issue 103 that was in response to your entry in Issue 102 that was in response to my entry in Issue 101. It is nice that you accept my point of view even though you don't totally agree. At least there was some healthy exchange of views and I am sure that we can both take something away from each others views. I also think that you shared a lot of worthwhile information on global warming. Hopefully, we will all have the foresight to become part of the solution and not part of the problem. Hopefully, our elected officials will have the foresight to deal with our energy needs and the environment before they become a crisis. There have been many other great entries since the inception of this forum too numerous to mention. To: Dave Doran (72) Your entry in Issue 107 really took me aback. I know that my entry in Issue 104 making light of Democrat views has been floating around, which is how I got it three times. I just decided to share it with those that may not have seen it, as I always enjoy jokes, parodies, etc., that others send in from time to time. They lighten our day a tad and are fun to pass on. It never occurred to me to identify its source because I thought that it was pretty obvious that it wasn't something that I authored. I am flattered that you think that I possess such wit and talent as a writer that someone might be fooled if it were not for your input. To: Vance Bartram (62) This is in response to your entry in Issue 107. I think if you go back and read my entry in Issue 106 a little more carefully, you will find that I did mention sources to reference. In my haste to get the entry out before the election, I did fail to give a reference for the Russian-Iran articles. Right now you can go into http://www.newsmax.com and read a number of articles The easiest way to get to the information is to type Gore Kept Russia-Iran Deal Secret in the Search Block. When I first found the articles they were accessible by just typing in a few key words, but the site has changed things around since then. This happens sometimes when we make reference to information because sites are constantly changing things around and updating their sites. Before jumping to negative conclusions, this fact of life should be considered. I am sure a simple polite request for guidance in finding information if there is confusion would get a response by the Sandbox contributor in a timely manner. There have been a few other extremely negative entries that I could address, but I don't think it would serve any purpose. We are all so fortunate to have our lives enriched by this healthy exchange of ideas and experiences. Thanks, Al, and to all of you who take the time to share. I am for not getting too picky and critical of each others entries because we don't want to discourage anyone from sharing. We might end up missing out on something good. It would get pretty dull in here if we all agreed, but I think that we should agree to disagree with consideration and respect for the other person's views. I know we all try our best to convey our thoughts in a cogent way, but sometimes in our haste we may not always be as concise as we need to be to get our point across. Sometimes in our haste we may misread or misinterpret each other's entries. These things should be taken into consideration before becoming angry and making hasty responses that will be regretted. In my opinion http://www.newsmax.com is one of the best sites on the web. If you want to keep up with the present election situation, you will get the most in- depth coverage and get it first in Newsmax.com My thoughts for today for what they are worth. ~ Mary Ray Henslee (61) ~ ~~~ Subj: Telephone Solicitation Remedies From: Peggy (Roesch) Wallan '71 Spanaway, WA plroesch@earthlink.net After years of answering the phone, only to find a telemarketer at the other end of the line -- and it getting to the point that I had a minimum of 3 such calls an evening (I kept track) -- I finally bought in to the telephone company's No Solicitation service. Yeah, I had answered every telemarketer with "Take my name and number off your list and never call this number again, that's the law." It didn't work because every caller represented a different company, so big deal. And, yeah, the NS service costs a bundle (about $7/month), but ya know what? MY PHONE STOPPED RINGING. My husband and I can enjoy a peaceful evening without interruption, knowing that if the phone rings it is someone we want to talk to! (For you who don't know what the service is, any caller to our line is greeted with a message that this number does not accept calls from solicitors, so they should just hang up NOW, but real callers can press 1 or stay on the line, then the phone rings. We also can program numbers into the system that can bypass the message.) This also blocks calls from stupid people who don't really LISTEN to the message and think our line is blocked somehow, so they hang up ... like delivery people, the builder, the post office ... and then they tell us they couldn't get through. But *stupid people* is another topic, and I'm too tired to address that topic today. Peggy (Roesch) Wallan '71 ~~~ Subj: The Presidential Election: Was There One? From: Robert Shipp (64) rshipp@gateway.net Do I have this right? There was a Presidential election. The candidate generally viewed as the incumbent, a man who had spent most of his adult life doing whatever was necessary to obtain and hold onto political power, appeared to lose. Unwilling to accept defeat, he claimed that he had really won, then insisted on holding a new vote. Whatever happened to that Milosevic fellow anyway? Robert Shipp (64) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 112 - *************************************** *************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue #113 ~ November 13, 2000 "Even if you are on the right track, you'll still get run over if you just sit there." --Will Rogers Contents: From France: U.S. Election 2000: What Do You Think About What Happened? Monique Mangold Beaucour (80 - Foreign Exchange Student) Raising Kids on "Luck?" Glynn Gregg (RHS spouse) Like a Light In the Fog Mike Pearson (74) Election 2000: The Eye-Hand-Brain Coordination Factor. Vernon BRUCE Brunelle (62) There Oughta be a Law Chuck Monasmith (65) Comments on Comments Patty de la Bretonne '65 Election 2000: Response and Overview Jerry Lewis `73 ----------------------------------------------- Subj: From France: U.S. Election 2000: What Do You Think About What Happened? Monique Mangold Beaucour (80) beaucour@infonie.fr About the presidential elections, I asked some people here in August for who they would vote... now I would like to know what you think about what happened. Don't worry, it's just an American modern history subject for me. Monique Mangold Beaucour (80) [Monique was an exchange student at RHS] ~~~ Subj: Raising Kids on "Luck?" From: Glynn Gregg (RHS spouse) - Pasco, WA mmgregg@3-cities.com Glynn Gregg here, (husband of Millie Finch Gregg (54). Just a note to the person who said the mother raised her kids on luck, I thought it was hard work. I consider "luck" an insult. thanks for letting me sound off. ~ Glynn Gregg, Pasco (misplaced Texan.) ~ ~~~ Subj: Like a Light In the Fog From: Mike Pearson (74) Ellensburg, WA mikewpearson@mail.com Like a light in a fog, our minds vaguely comprehend the secrets of the universe. Do we care about pathways and habits whereby our minds process information, both chemical and conceptual? These would require actual thought to plumb, but how can we not? Food and ideas will both greatly affect the year's passage through life. Each religion has a different way of explaining how to do your best with those. But why do we not think much more about this? And not only think, but intuit much more too. ~ Mike Pearson ~ ~~~ Subj: Election 2000: The Eye-Hand-Brain Coordination Factor. Vernon B. Brunelle (62) Las Vegas, NV. vbrunelle@juno.com I am so sorry to see that 19,000 people in one county in Florida have lost eye-hand-brain coordination and were unable to vote using a ballot of the type that have been used in that same county for over a decade. It may be a good idea to disregard the votes of the people that were not able to figure out the ballot. Whoops, seems that is what happened. Gee now I have nothing to complain about or any solution to propose. I liked the statement from a third grader in Appalachia, "This is so simple that my little brother could do it." I to have little brothers. I hope that all of them could still "...do it." ~ Vernon B. Brunelle ~ [No wonder some people don't want their water "Floridated."] ~~~ Subj: There Oughta be a Law From: Chuck Monasmith RHS (65) msmith@owt.com Peggy Wallen, I appreciated your frustration that led to blocking your telephone from solicitors. Anyone remember those cartoons in the Sunday TCH "There Oughta Be A Law"? I did not like that cartoon because so many of the cartoons were of people wanting laws that were unnecessary if the offenders would only show consideration or intelligence or self control or some other character trait that makes good citizens. However, in the case of telephone solicitors... Why should I pay for a service that inconveniences my friends and business associates just to avoid unwanted solicitors? Why isn't there a law that say all telephone solicitors in the state must pay a tax that covers the cost of everyone who wants that blocking service? Why can't we have the service block their phones from calling us so our friends are not inconvenienced? Better yet, Why don't we just cut out their tongues? BTW I received a number of Veterans Day cards from friends who knew I had served. It really felt good to be given a thank you for serving our country. Chuck Monasmith RHS (65) Still in Richland, The Richland with traffic lights and good water! ~~~ Subj: Comments on Comments From: Patty de la Bretonne '65 Seattle Pia5847@aol.com To: Peggy Hartnett in Sandbox 111 You go girl! Thanks for your comments. To Linda McKnight, in Sandbox 111 I really appreciate your thoughtful and timely remarks here. Thanks. If you're ever up this way, call me. ~ Patty de la Bretonne '65 Seattle ~ ~~~ Subj: Election 2000: Responses and Overview From: Jerry Lewis `73 jlewis@owt.com Responding to Dennis Robertson Beatty "...but then, maybe I am too early. There is a simple solution. Finish the recount and fix the system for the next session. Anyone thinking a re-vote is a solution has just denied 100 million people the..." I agree with that. It's too bad the ballot was confusing (and probably illegal), but it happened and it probably wouldn't be right to re-vote now that everyone knows what the stakes are. "On Albert Gore......It appears you have the majority vote but then once again you are trying to change the rules after the game is over. When you entered this fracas you knew, or should have, that it was the electoral college that counted (right or wrong) and that is the law. Quit your whining and go by the vote. If you don't like it move to New York..." The problem is that if the manual recount does turn up enough votes to unseat Bush, then what? Everyone is peering over the vote counters shoulders so it's likely there won't be fraud. I'm sure the Republican representatives are challenging any questionable counts for Gore. Then should Bush's camp stop whining and go by the vote? Manual recounts are not totally unusual in close elections, and a New York Times says today: "Florida law permits a manual recount when a candidate believes there were errors in an election, and Democrats point out that Governor Bush signed a similar law in Texas." http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/12/politics/12CND-ELECT.html "...came out. It is amazing that Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon had more class than Mr. Clean, the Clinton- Clone. I was buying that one about Nixon too, but Slate reports something different: "Far from "accepting the verdict," close Nixon aides Bob Finch and Len Hall dispatched operatives to investigate voter fraud in several states, as David Greenberg wrote in Slate last month. Within three days of the election, the GOP chairman had called for investigations and recounts in 11 states. Recounts were mounted, grand juries were impaneled, and the FBI was called in. The press also investigated the charges. " http://slate.msn.com/code/PressBox/PressBox.asp?Show=11/9/2000&idMessage=6459 Slate has another interesting article dressed up as a proposed letter from Gore to Bush. It'll never happen, but it's kind of amusing: http://slate.msn.com/Readme/00-11-10/Readme.asp I think it's not a bad idea. Gore should realize that if he manages to pull it off, the next four years are going to be pretty gruesome. I doubt they will be much better for Bush either if he finally prevails. Going by the pattern of the last quarter century, this presidency is likely to be a one-termer followed by a strong candidate from the opposite party who hangs around for a while. I was proposing this scenario since before the election, and believe more strongly in it given the closeness of this contest. I am not alone - hearing good supporting arguments from as diverse places as NPR and newsmax.com (see below). Quoting Mary Ray Henslee: "...you can go into http://www.newsmax.com and..." I'm happy to have your source so I can go evaluate it myself. I went there and found it to be an interesting site. The slant is obviously and in many ways, unrelentingly conservative and Republican leaning. So I would take much of what it says with a scoop of salt. I mean, with several big links about how Clinton/Gore 'undermined American Democracy' and similar, it's hard to miss the slant. Nonetheless, there's some interesting commentary including something that confirmed my suggestion in the previous paragraph: http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2000/11/10/71415.shtml and another about how Bush should pull it out of the fire to save 'his presidency' http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2000/11/12/22914.shtml something that the recount may recast as 'Gore's presidency'. In that article, Christopher Ruddy suggests that Bush listen less to his advisers and go by his gut feelings. As an aside, my wife asked me today which of Bush's expert and knowledgeable advisers is he going to listen to, meaning he may have the 'best' team around - but the buck stops with him. And in between all the conservative reports, there are actually articles by Hillary Clinton, who we all know, and Alexander Cockburn, who as I recall, was the Wall Street Journal's token liberal. I didn't check all of the commentators out, so there might be a few more liberals there. Maybe it's a way for the conservatives to keep an eye on the enemy. They also appeared to be one of the first to report the results of the preliminary hand recount - and their total appears to have been right - the NY Times was reporting a different figure. Anyway, all for now - dinner is waiting. Glad to be writing about something other than source attribution, though after all that complaining, I felt obliged to document everything, which does slow down the process. Oh well. ~Jerry Lewis * jlewis@owt.com * ~ ~ http://www.owt.com/users/jlewis/ ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 113 - *************************************** *************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue #114 ~ November 26, 2000 "Democracy is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequal alike." ~ Plato ~ Contents: Thanksgiving again, Where did this year go? Andrew Eckert (54) The Election Jim Vache Class of '64 One of My Favorite Will Roger's Sayings From: Lynn Noble Padden '74 Chill A Little Dave Doran (72) Sarcasm Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76) Telephone Solicitors Dore Tyler (53) The Electoral College: Checks and Balances From: A Bomber Friend via Chuck Holtz (55) ----------- Subj: Thanksgiving again, Where did this year go? Date: 11/20/2000 From: Andrew Eckert (54) ~ ECKERT1108@aol.com We call things that frighten us "news" and have an insatiable appetite for it, while the things that should make us Grateful, Happy, Relaxed and Loving should be referred to as Life, We rarely even talk about these things! That's amazing! The "news" is not real; Hugs are real! Love is what its all about. This Thanksgiving, focus on the world you have right at your fingertips. The "real" world is made up of friends and work, your cats and your hobbies. The "real" world is full of books, the crabgrass in the yard, and those darn dogs! The time you spend with your children and especially the grand children. Enjoy it, and take a moment to be thankful! Andrew Eckert (54) ~~~~ Subj: The Election From: Jim Vache (64) ~ jvache@willamette.edu I just can't resist. The confusion between politics and law is understandable, but problematic. Both candidates have now switched positions so many times that one cannot isolate the problem. For those who take the position that the "democrats" or hated "liberals"- the latter of which would include F. Roosevelt, H. Truman Magnuson and Jackson, who are the human beings other than Einstein, Hitler and the Emperor of Japan most responsible for there being Bombers after about 1948-hold the monopoly on using the courts to advance a political agenda, think again. One need only examine the opinions of Justices Scalia and Thomas on the big court, or Judge Posner in the 7th circuit to see judicial activists who happen to be conservatives at work. Then go back two generations to examine the work of the court in the 1930's, trumping the "people's will" by crabbed examination of the commerce clause and the due process class to defeat The New Deal. Then go back another generation to the era of substantive due process where the court routinely struck down any form of legislation that balanced the playing field between workers and employees, trashing states rights along the way (the era of judicial supremecy). And so on. I could name and verify dozens of points in the legal process and history where activism ran in a different direction. Here is a test: Should the Court reverse Roe v. Wade AND prohibit the states from enacting "liberal" abortion laws? or another test: should the first Chief Justice Marshall's opinion in Marbury v. Madison (for a unanimous court) that first established the notion of judicial review of legislative acts be disestablished in the canon? The point? I am not sure there is one, except to say that the use and misuse of the judicial process is a tactic that both "sides" use, and it is simply not very compelling to argue that one side is "worse" than the other on this matter. The problem is probably much deeper: we have to resort to law because our normative agreements that form our republic are fading. This comment from a lawyer, no less :). Jim Vache (64) Visiting Professor Willamette University College of Law Salem, Oregon ~~~~ Subj: One of My Favorite Will Roger's Sayings From: Lynn Noble Padden 74) ~ BandLPaden@aol.com That's one of my favorite Will Rogers' sayings. I use it in management classes. [Referring to Quote in issue #113 repeated as follows: "Even if you are on the right track, you'll still get run over if you just sit there." --Will Rogers ] -- Lynn ~~~~ Subj: Chill A Little From: Dave Doran (72) ~ Salt4385@aol.com OK, I never meant to suggest footnotes and bibliographies and I only meant that, if you didn't originate an entire piece and yet wanted to sign your name to it, you should reflect that you are 'borrowing' someone else's thoughts not entirely your own. We know that you probably didn't pen the Gettysburg Address either but when you sign your name to it, it looks silly and might give readers the wrong impression. And why has The Sandbox become so personally snitty anyway? Sheesh! Chill a little. If you have to feel defensive about your opinion re: others then maybe you will want to rethink a bit. Dave Doran (72) ~~~~ Subj: Sarcasm From: Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76) ~ KATHLUC@aol.com I find it curious that Peggy Hartnett (72), Issue 111, thinks my comments are sarcastic. Apparently you either didn't read the letters to which I was replying, or your bias is showing. Kathy Hodgson Lucas (76) ~~~~ Your moderater asks: You've heard a lot about Harry Potter lately. How many of you remember Beatrix Potter? ~~~~ Subj: Telephone Solicitors From: Dore Tyler (53) ~ dee_tee@msn.com Tacoma, WA (in the book) Re: telephone solicitors My sister, Janet (61) forwarded an Email describing an interesting process to discourage the louts. It was a long discourse relating inane and repetitive questions geared toward keeping the (commission paid) caller on the line for as long as (you or) (s)he will tolerate the UNPRODUCTIVE time spent. Hopefully the louts keep lists of unproductive phone numbers and in (as short) time the number of calls will dwindle considerably. I think that a government (attempt at a) solution would open a can of worms that could make an unpleasant meal, given The Gov-mints recent record of producing seemingly needed regulation of peoples behavior that have produced seemingly (?) unintended negative consequences for our dwindling personal freedoms. As my old friend and fellow army inlistee Bob/Mike would say, "that's my opinion, and I'm entitled to it (for now, anyway) Dore Tyler (53) ~ Tacoma, WA (in the book) ~~~~ Subj: The Electoral College: Checks and Balances From: A Bomber Friend via Chuck Holtz ~ chuck2820@hotmail.com One of the things that dismays me about this close election is how many folks think we live in a Democracy - not a Republic. Widespread negative comments about the Electoral College show the public is unaware or unappreciative that the Electoral College is part of our "checks and balances" - -- just like the way we apportion the U.S. Senate. ~~~~ Lots of good things in the hopper already, waiting for issue #115! See you then! -ap ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 114 - *************************************** *************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue #115 ~ November 27, 2000 "Judicial judgment must take deep account of the day before yesterday in order that yesterday may not paralyze today." ~ Felix Frankfurter ~ Supreme Court Justice Contents: Co-Presidents Gary Behymer (64) When Will The Fat Lady Sing? Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 The Big Potty Bob Mattson 64 Our Effect On The Greenhouse Effect Marc Franco (66) Energy: Sources, Costs and Policy Bill Didway (66) A Moment of Peace; Bringing The Election To a Close; Now Let's See Some Leadership Steve Carson (58) ------------------------------------------------------ [Note: The following item was actually sent to us a few weeks ago, but kind of got lost in the melee along with a ballot box or two. Finally though, it did resurface, along with the voting machine that guy was carrying around in the trunk of his car. Hmm... would this idea bring an end to the contesting of the contest or only add more to the contention of it all?] Subj: Co-Presidents From: Gary Behymer (64) ~ bjangary@colfax.com I put this on my business web site [the other] morning. 'Bombers' can participate also (;-) Vote Now! New 'pulse poll'..... http://users.colfax.com/almota/ "George W. Bush & Al Gore should serve as Co-Presidents for the next four years (;-) " Vote Now! "This election's like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." ~ Gary Behymer (64) ~ [Further editorial note: Don't know if Gary still has that poll on his site, but after all, it's the thought that counts. Don't you agree? ~~~~ [The following entry, as you can see was written a couple of weeks ago, but seems just as timely today as it did when freshly penned as the contesting of the contest continues on... and on ... and on.] Subj: When Will The Fat Lady Sing? From: Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 ~ Albany, Oregon bobsown1@hotmail.com Well, here it is, the 14th day of November, and the nation has still not selected a president. But then, I remembered what some wag once said: "It ain't over until the fat lady sings." Does this mean a dearth of singing ladies in Florida? If I didn't "know better," I would hazard a guess as to possible voter fraud in Florida. Voter fraud in the Grapefruit State? Who ever heard of such a thing? New York, yes. Chicago, definitely. But, Florida, no way! Hey, wait a minute. Isn't Gush's brother governor of that state? Makes one wonder. And we thought the Kennedy's were nepotic (don't know if there is such a word, but how else would you describe those who practice nepotism)? No matter the outcome, this election will ensure employment for TV's talking heads for months to come. Even after Leno, Letterman and the rest have given up on the jokes; these other jokes will still be telling us what did or did not happen ad nauseum. And for our foreign exchange student who wondered what this is all about...politics as usual. Who would have thought that the two most boring candidates in recent memory would have had such an exciting election result. Will this mean the end of the electoral college? In some ways, I think it will. In an age where TV networks can "call" an election before any ballots are counted, why not? When the college was first conceived, it was perhaps necessary. You see, not every one could vote back in the "good olde days." One had to be a property owner, or some other equal status. And the voter could not be female or a "person of color." It was definitely white guys only back then. But we have evolved to the point were any citizen in good standing can vote, if they want to. Now, I trust that those of you who have been decrying and/or proclaiming the merits(?) of the various candidates did in fact vote. I certainly hope the talking heads did. No matter who the eventual winner may be, this will certainly be grist for several mills. And it is probably long past time to do some basic election reform. Like shorten the campaign period. Changing the election date may not be a good idea, the time between the actual electoral college vote and the inauguration is needed for a cool down period for all concerned. And is the electoral college really needed? Who do they play? What's their record? What conference are they in? Who's the coach? Who cares? Well, that's my opinion, and I'm entitled to it. Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 - Albany, OR ~~~~ Subj: The Big Potty From: Bob Mattson 64 ~ Rmat683939@aol.com Well, when we would drive south on I- 5 on our way to Fresno, we all wiggle in our seats at the first scent of the pulp mills just north of Albany Oregon. It always ended up DAD!! A good laugh at no one's expense. I'm not too sure of how pristine the Willamette is as it flows through the countryside, but my ears do perk up as I hear on the radio and read in the papers that the big potty, as it flows through stumptown, is once again unsuitable for man and beast. On a heavy flow day the sewers over load the plants that treat the by products of Mickey D's and Natures market and are released untreated into the lovely Willamette. On at least four accusations this last summer, people were warned to steer clear of the waters, for several days at a time. Live reporters would appear on TV sets to inform and protect the public. For what ever reason, perhaps the surface area in the region has diminished because of pavement, population, housing projects, rain water travels the same route as tide and tidbits, to the sewage treatment plants. They can't do what's necessary to safeguard what's determined to be a safe level of treated water into the river. So what. In today's Oregonian there's this piece on the 30 million dollar East Bank Esplanade. Plagues embedded in the trail and floating walkway mark every tenth of a mile to the mouth of the Willamette River. Wait, there's more! Unusual lighted towers indicate where streets used to reach the river, and, if that weren't enough, there will be historic information displayed on them. Don't worry, the latest techniques in the river banks use willow and special grasses can be seen from outlooks and plazas with several pieces of sculptures and restrooms. Lighted for 24 hour use by golly! I guess the draw back is that there's a two hour parking limit in the five acre parking lot located beneath interstate 5. Sadly other improvements have been sunk by the lack of money and the absence of any private-public partnerships. I'll be the first to admit this is a local issue, but, what can they be thinking? I live 35 miles south of Portland, I vote every election, and do my best to choose the most likely candidate. The big potty flows, and flushes into the Mighty Columbia, to the sea, don't forget to jiggle the handle. ~ Bob Mattson 64 ~ ~~~~ Subj: Our Effect On The Greenhouse Effect From: Marc Franco (66) mfranco@uswest.net To Kathy Hodgson Lucas Issue #105 - greenhouse effect Kathy had accused me of showing hysteria in my comments about the greenhouse effect in issue #105. She had said that there is no consensus that the green house effect is being caused by humans "period." Well, you're not quite accurate. Easily 80%- 85% of the world scientists are now convinced of this. As I had commented in my "hysteria," there is certainly evidence out there that might refute the idea of who's causing this phenomenon, but there is a LOT more evidence that confirms it. In the mid- '80's, some scientists refuted the idea that global warming was even going to occur at all. In the mid- '90's, these same scientists admitted that- well, yes, there is global warming, but it's not our fault. Now, more and more people are admitting that- yes, even though the earth certainly has warm and cold cycles all by itself, we are adding to it. We certainly have affected the environment in many other ways. Why is it hard to believe that we are affecting the greenhouse effect as well? Kathy- I have no problem that you accuse me of hysteria. I don;t mind this, because everything I mentioned in my previous article is coming from current scientific thought on the matter. So I understand that when you call me hysterical, you are actually calling the majority of the world scientists who have studied the matter to be hysterical. The fact that you choose to go along with the minority on this is fine. Certainly the minority has been correct before, and the majority wrong- that's why we still have science. But I think that you should understand that the majority of science thought does confirm this. There is LOTS of evidence. As I commented in my previous letter, there are still people who do not believe in evolution. So it is certainly not a surprise that not everybody accepts the human causes of the greenhouse effect, especially when it would slow down economic activity to have to deal with it. ~ Marc Franco (66) ~ ~~~~~ Subj: Energy: Sources, Costs and Policy From: Bill Didway (66) ~ didwaybj@fidalgo.net Tonight I watched the "60 Minutes" episode on the four Snake River dams and how the environmentalist want them removed. I also read an article on Northwest Cable News web page about the need to increase energy production, meaning electricity, to get the Northwest out of impending power shortage. The Skagit Valley Herald had an article in it about rolling brownouts and blackouts in California this summer and how there may be more of them as winter starts dropping the temperatures lower this winter. The Walla Walla-Union Bulletin had another article about coming energy shortages. I think people better wake up and do some hard thinking about what is happening to our energy sources. Until more pipelines are laid we are facing natural gas shortages in the Northwest. Until more power plants are built, two in eastern Washington, we are facing electrical shortages. The proposed power plants use natural gas to make electricity. The Walla Walla article was about wind powered generators. Hydroelectric dams produce at ½ cent per kilowatt hour. Natural gas powered turbines produce electricity at about 3 cents a kilo-hour. The wind machines produce electricity at about 5-6 cents per kilo- hour. In the future if electricity is bought from out of state it can cost up to 15-20 cents per kilo hour. Of course we are dependent on big power lines coming across three states to bring this power in. They have gone down a couple of times in the past five years causing blackouts in California, Oregon, Arizona and Nevada. Where does all this power go? All the western states have big home and business building surges going on for many years. And look at all the size of the average single family home with all its powered appliances and luxury items. Is there a solution to the problem? Yes, but it is many many years down the road. Gee, it would have been nice to have had an energy policy in place these last eight years. ~ Bill Didway (66) ~ ~~~~ Subj: A Moment of Peace; Bringing The Election To a Close; Now Let's See Some Leadership From: Steve Carson (58) - Chicago ~ SteveNitro@aol.com For Andrew Eckert, Thanks for a moment of peace in your comments about Thanksgiving. You are right and a hug from one of my children or grandchildren is truly a joy to savor. I have "dropped out" for the last month leading up to the election to reduce my stress level. Now that we have a new President Elect I will find the comments interesting. Personally I believe that the democrat position of count until we get what we want, changing the rules, disregarding the Florida law, the absurd personal attacks on the Florida Secretary of State make all involved look like idiots. Typical of the Clinton-Gore administration, parse and dissemble every point, attack the weakest element and then try to make that single element overreach the entire point. To Mr. Gore, you lost, handle it. To President Elect Bush. You don't have a mandate and now show us that you can in fact work across the aisles and bring this country some leadership. ~ Steve Carson (58) - Chicago ~ ~~~ Tune in next time for more, including responses from those who remember Beatrix Potter and the things that went on in a certain farmer's garden patch. -ap ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 115 - *************************************** *************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue #116 ~ November 28, 2000 "The only way to make sure people you agree with can speak is to support the rights of people you don't agree with." ~ Eleanor Holmes Norton ~ Contents: U.S. Fails To Elect A President Queen Renounces American Independence Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson - '54 Yes, I Remember Beatrix Potter! Pam Jewett-Bullock (nee Pyle '69) I Remember Beatrix, Too! Bob Rector '62 INSULTING COMPARISON John Allen (Class of '66) Two Questions Ray Wells (54) Three Opinions For the Price of One Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 ------------------------------------------------- U.S. Fails To Elect A President Queen Renounces American Independence Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson - '54 bobsown1@hotmail.com In light of the most recent and current events in Florida, the following is reproduced. It comes from Margret M. Sheehan, a member of a national story telling group. I do not know if it originated from her or if it is something that has been circulating on the web. Only the spelling has been changed to more readily identify the guilty. "To the citizens of the United States of America. "In the light of your failure to elect a president, and to thus gouvern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. "Her Britanic Majesty, Elizabeth RII, will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths and other territories (except Utah, which we do not fancy). "In this accord, His Royal Highness, Charles, Prince of Wales, is dutifully designated as Gouvenor General of the American Colonies, and will dispence with any further chaotic elections. The body known as the Congress of the United States is hereby disbanded, and will disperse immediately. "To aid in the transition to status as a Crown Colony, the following regulations are introduced with immediate effect: "1. All citizens will look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary. Citizens will also check the pronunciation of the word "aluminium." You have been most neglegent in pronunciation of this and several other words, and we find American vocabulary most unacceptable. "2. There is no such thing as "US English." Microsoft will be duly informed on your behalf. "3. You should endeavour to distinguish English and Australian accents. There is a world of difference. "4. Hollywood will be required to cast English actors as the "good guys" in future cinematic efforts. "5. Americans will relearn the original anthem "God Save The Queen," but only after fully completing Task 1, above. We do not wish you to become confused and give up half-way through. "6. The term "American Football" will be eliminated from the vocabulary. The game will be permitted under the name "American Rules Rugby." We would prefer a complete transition to rugby in future, as it is less time consumming, and more economical. "7. To show our good graces, we will allow the continuance of the game of baseball, and will gently train our players in the more simple game. Cricket is too convoluted for most American minds. "8. You will immediately join our declaration of war against Quebec and France, and are permitted the use of nuclear weapons should the other parties give you any "merde." "9. July fourth will no longer be celebrated as a holiday. However, to continue the American penchant for blowing things up, we will allow you to adopt "Guy Fawkes" Day, which is celebrated on 5th November. "p.s. Please tell us who killed JFK. It is driving MI-5 bonkers." See what happens when you can't make up your mind. ~~~~ Yes, I Remember Beatrix Potter! Pam Jewett-Bullock (nee Pyle '69) Topjjb@aol.colm Reply to Our Moderator: REMEMBER Beatrix Potter? Did she GO someplace? Tales of Peter Rabbit graces the miniature book collection shelf in our powder room; the rest of the collection is upstairs in my office. The Beatrix Potter collection is still widely available in bookstores everywhere; and, by all accounts, it's still a big seller, especially at the holidays. Some things never change... ~~~~ I Remember Beatrix, Too! Bob Rector '62 b_rector@owt.com Yes, Yes, Beatrice Potter. (Maybe Harry Potter's great great grandmother?) She began about 1902 to write the stories of Peter Rabbit. The most famous line.... I can never get correct.... but something like..."and don't go near Mr. McGreagor's Vegetable garden!" hummm: wisdom beyond the ages. Note: For folks from Bomberland- Believe it or not, look at the hunting regulations and you will see that Jackrabbits are now protected. You may not shoot them anymore. [Peter Rabbit should be glad to hear that, Bob. By the way, how many of you have read the book, WATERSHIP DOWNS? -ap] ~~~~ INSULTING COMPARISON John Allen (Class of '66) miles2go@cheerful.com I continue to be amused by those liberal Sandbox contributors who enjoy linking the past with the present by suggesting that certain of this country's former Democrat heroes like FDR, Harry Truman, JFK, Scoop Jackson, and Warren Magnuson would have anything whatever to do with the Democrat Party as it exists today. Any one of these men would more likely be inclined to take the Party out back to the woodshed and give it the spanking it so richly deserves for being such an incredibly spoiled child run amok. The only thing those men had in common with Dems of today, was the congenital predilection and innate ability of some for rigging elections. The clearest evidence for this claim is the son of Richard J. Daley of the infamous Chicago "machine," picking up in the year 2000 for his dearly departed father. This is a rare but excellent example of the sins of the father being vested upon (or at least implanted in) the son. In general however, it is an incomparable insult to Democrat Party heritage to mention AlGore in the same breath with names like Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, and Jackson. Perhaps it is instructive that the attempted cross- generational political comparison mentioned above, was offered by a lawyer. Here we find another group of individuals (I would say "professionals" but........really, so few are) who have, during the last 3-4 decades, largely managed to bastardize their industry. In that time, the law has become significantly less a means toward justice and much more a mental obstacle course used by its practitioners (much in the way women use clothes, make-up and hairdos) for the sole purpose of impressing fellow competitors in the ever evolving legal pecking order. Most recently, they have left us to ponder the great questions of life such as what the meaning of "is" is; and we can only wonder how, over 400 years ago, the bard William Shakespeare could have been SO prescient. ~~~~ Two Questions Ray Wells (54) ray@transcribing.com After reading the articles (Sandbox Issue 115) on the Willamette River, and the NW power shortage, I have to ask two questions: 1. Do you suppose that when all that crap from the Willamette River ends up in the Columbia River it might just affect the salmon runs? 2. Is not the Governor of OR a bit out of line to endorse ripping out the snake river dams to "save the salmon" when he has failed to clean up the Willamette River that contributes lethal pollution to the salmon's environment? ~~~~ Three Opinions For the Price of One Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 bobsown1@hotmail.com Albany, Oregon Fellow alum and fellow Oregonian, Bob Mattson (64) writes about the grandiose plans to beautify the Willamette as it flows through "stumptown." Hate to tell you this, Bob, but nothing will do short of paving over downtown and making it a parking lot for Vancouver, USA. Think I mentioned in a previous diatribe, about the way the Willamette flows, and what Albany/Millersburg is called. It is an unfortunate thing that so many people decided to live in the metropolitan area, and thus cause radical changes in the way water courses through. And let us not forget the annual gathering of babbling TV reporters every time Johnson Creek floods. And the poor people who get flooded out each and every year. What is wrong with this picture? Guess they are kin to those whose homes used to make the annual trek from Cairo, Illinois, to New Orleans as "Old Muddy" rose and inundated the land. Some people where just naturally born "flat-landers," just gotta live in an annual flood plain. Not to be outdone, Marc Franco (66) defends his position on global warming with great panace, and just a mild bit of panic Marc, I thought it had been "scientifically" proven that the current temperature and warming trends were attributted to an overabundance of flatulent cows. What's the solution? Simple, eat more beef. But let's not get started down that trail. To all you nay sayers and anti Chicken Littlers, sorry gang, but things they are a changing. Not to worry, as the worst of if won't happen until long after we've left this mortal coil. It may affect our great- great grandchildren, and therein lies the rub. Do we try to fix things for them? Or do we let our children handle it? So, why don't we clean up the mess? Bill Didway (66) reminds us that all is not well in the "power pool." First mistake BPA made was in selling power to California. Now they want us to take down the dams! Well, if we do, so much for the big siphon hose to provide water to LA. We just may have to live without "native" salmon, and that is another can of worms as all hatchery salmon are vile, nasty and evil creatures bent on taking over the river. Thought the original idea there was to create a bigger gene pool, thereby insuring the longevity of the species (salmon, I mean). However, in this era of politically correctness, we must always make amends to the loosing side. No, I don't dispute the repatriations to the improperly interned Japanese Americans during WWII. Especially the way it was done, and some of the unspoken underlying rational for it. Again, that is another story. Back to the dams, and cheap hydroelectric power. It (cheap electricity) is the main reason for the population boom in both Oregon and Washington. It may also prove the downfall if the revisionists have their way. There are some rivers just meant to be used in more ways than one, as there are some meant to run wild. The trick is in identifying which is which. It may not be agreed upon, but so far the Tennessee, Ohio, Missouri, Mississippi, Colorado and Columbia/Snake have shown themselves not to be the ones that run wild. The next thing you know, "they'll" want to dam the Amazon, but only after "they" have depleted the rain forest. And don't get me going on that. Anyway, that's my opinion and I'm entitled to it. Bob (Mike Clowes) Carlson '54 - Albany, OR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 116 - *************************************** *************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue #117 ~ December 10, 2000 "The margin is narrow, but the responsibility is clear." ~ John F. Kennedy ~ "A new poll showed that if the election was held today, people would be confused because it is normally held in November." ~ Kevin Nealon ~ A Reply re: Lawyers and Democrats Jim Vache '64 If They Want Gore So Bad Bob Mattson (64) Electrical Supplies: Bill Didway (66) Science: The Reality of Fact Bill Didway (66) Watership Downs Linda Reining Pitchford (64) Irregularities in the Y2K Presidential Election Dick Epler (52 --------------------------------------------- Subj: A Reply re Lawyers and Democrats From: Jim Vache '64 jvache@willamette.edu Ah, where shall I start regarding "An Insulting Comparison"? I have read the author's fulminations before and wondered what it would be like to be on the receiving end. Now I know. Not pleasant. I shall try to avoid ad hominem attacks, which seem to be the major thrust of the author's wit. I find such attacks distasteful and illogical. It is interesting, however, that the email address is a cite to Robert Frost's famous poem, an essentially optimistic, humanistic paean by the poet who composed another famous poem in honor of that famous liberal JFK. And the email suffix address is "cheerful". hmmm I will start with the reference to the Bard. I assume that he is referring to Jack Cady's line in Henry VI, part II, Act III, scene 2 line 86: "The first thing we'll do, lets kill all the lawyers." Apparently that sentiment is shared by the author, I will assume in a hyperbolic sense. Now, what is interesting is the context. Jack Cady is the leader of a mob bent on destroying the kingdom and creating anarchy. So, those who really agree with this sentiment in the sense that Shakespeare meant it might want to reflect on the irony. The Bard is saying that if you want to destroy the rule of law, start with the lawyers. (Which, of course is precisely what all revolutionaries do.) Prescient indeed: Shakespeare told us something that John Locke proved in his Second Treatise on Government, "Where law ends, tyranny begins." I would like to think that the author of "Insulting Comparison" had caught the meaning of my contribution from another part of the Bard's work: "A plague on both your houses," Romeo and Juliet Act II. Scene 5, line 96, but I suppose that would require the author to recognize that my point was that both sides are playing unwholesome games with the law. But since the democrats/liberals are the only bad people in our current situation, that would not do. The whole question of the role of lawyers in our culture is an important one. It doesn't seem to me that it helps much to propose killing them all. I suspect that the author will be ready next time to trot out the "The Japanese have many fewer lawyers" and "we are suffering from a litigation explosion" and "the trial lawyers have ruined this country" myths. I hope so. I like to debate those issues. My only condition would be that the author be prepared to support his opinions with facts. Like: "the law has become significantly less a means toward justice and much more a mental obstacle course." That, my Bomber friends is an empirical claim. Where is the data? For example, the author might want to examine the decline in the numbers of lawyers serving in state legislatures over the last generation. They (we) aren't writing the laws any more. The author might want to examine the growth in "popular" law making in the last 15 years, a process that completely bypasses the "legal" system or at least reduces the role of lawyers in law making significantly. and so on. Now, about the author's actual response to my comments? My point was that to suggest that the democrats/liberals are the ones who are abusing the legal process and who always do that, as opposed to the noble motives and actions of the Republicans, is just wrong historically. Our author responds to that by objecting to my linkage of the Democratic Party with its past. (Well, that is not exactly what he did. He objects to my supposed linking of Al Gore to the past, which, of course I did not do!) What pray tell, does that have to do with my suggestion? Exactly nothing. It is like saying that the Republicans are bound to perdition because Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew were Republicans. BTW, is it ok for me to mention Spiro in the same breath as Eisenhower, Taft, TR, Cal Coolidge, Lincoln, etc.? Or has he been drummed out of the GOP? Oh, darn it, I forgot about the first Sen McCarthy, too. So, as near as I can tell, that is the response of the author to my comments about the misreading of legal history that is so common among the Rs today. I wonder if the author would care to actually comment on what I wrote? If so, I would request that he establish that I am a " liberal Sandbox contributor". Does he have a way to tell that a person is a liberal? How does he know that I am not a Trotskyite, or a Progressive or Luddite, or a moderate or a Daoist, or a Maoist or a...well, you get the idea. The last response is this: To suggest that it is lawyers who are soley or primarily responsible for the careful parsing of language is again fallacious. I have no respect for the performance of President Clinton during that sorry episode in our history. But, if I remember right, and I am sure that I do, Col. North, a Marine, and President Reagan both anaged to abuse and misuse the language in a similar manner. And, should we forget that while RMN was a lawyer, many of minions who lied o the courts and to Congress were not? Come to think of it LBJ was not a lawyer either, and he had more than his share of problems with truth telling. Respect for the Constitution and the Rule of Law? The greatest Republican of them all suspended the writ of habeus corpus. I end with yet another literature quote. At the heart of the attack in he Sandbox is a claim that the lawyers/democrats/liberals have ruined this country. Robert Bolt speaks to this issue in his immortal play, A Man for All Seasons: (the story of the death of Thomas More): "More: ...The law, Roper, the law. I know what's legal, not what's right. And I'll stick to what's legal. Roper: Then you set man's law above God's! More: No, far below; but let me draw your attention to a fact -I'm not God. The currents and eddies of right and wrong, which you find such plain sailing, I can't navigate. I'm no voyager. But in the thickets of the law, oh, there I'm a forester. Roper: ...You'd give the Devil the benefit of law? More: Yes. What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil? Roper: I'd cut down every law in England to do that! More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you - where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? The country's planted thick with laws from coast to coast -man's laws, not God's - and if you cut them down -and you're just the man to do it - d'you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake. -- regards, Jim Vache '64 ~~~~ Subj: Electrical Supplies: From: Bill Didway (66) didwaybj@fidalgo.net It amazes me that California has such a shortage of electricity now. Before deregulating the people were told that electrical prices would go down. Last thing I read prices have doubled in just the last few months. Energy use is up power production down. To make deregulation work there needs to be an abundance of producers and electricity. A couple of reasons there is a problem is that now is the time to bring down facilities for repair and maintenance. Just between the warm weather and the cold weather but it is colder sooner, power transmission lines have failed for unknown reason, power plants have had unexpected problems, companies shut down at a time when revenues would be less and they would not loose as much money. Usage has gone steadly up as more companies open up, more homes are built, and California wants to put people in electric cars. At least when the utilities were regulated they knew when each would be bringing their units down and work together to rotate the shutdowns to keep the power available. Now in Washington there is the push to deregulate, maybe we already have. In Bellingham a paper/pulp mill is shutting down as electric prices have doubled and they are losing money. It's closing down is causing a company in Burlington to worry that it may have to shutdown for a while also. The domino effect and it could start spreading. Gee I am glad the Clinton/Gore administration had a energy plan in place. Just think what would have happened to us if the hadn't. ~~~~ Subj: If They Want Gore So Bad From: Bob Mattson (64) ~ Rmat683939@aol.com If they want Gore so bad, why didn't they impeach Clinton? How is this election going to play out next time, will we still be able to vote? ~~~~ Subj: Science: The Reality of Fact From: Bill Didway (66) ~ didwaybj@fidalgo.net As I recall being told science is based on fact. If you live long enough you sometimes can see scientific fact changed by new discoveries, thus making the previous fact non-fact. In fact, fact becomes factless. In the '70's we were headed to another ice age. In the '90's we are headed to another greenhouse. Sure makes one comtemplate the facts. ~~~~ Subj: Watership Downs Linda Reining Pitchford (64) ~ Bakersfield, CA Wabbithabit@aol.com Yes, I have read the book and I also saw the "cartoon" that was made of the book. I think the movie came out in the late 80's, early 90's. I read the book in the 80's and I think I still have it. what did you think of the book? it got my "blood" boiling and made me cry in quite a few places. don't think the "cartoon" did the book justice; am not sure how well it did in the theaters, as I saw it on "cable". ~~~~~~~~ Subj: Irregularities in the Y2K Presidential Election From: Dick Epler (52) ~ Mt. Vernon, Oregon depler@ortelco.net December 6, 2000 Most agree that this election is very different from any in modern times. It seems we're treated to a strange new phenomenon every few days. The first anomaly widely reported was the bad call the networks made in calling Florida for Gore even before the polls had closed. Even though I abhor the practice, it's hard for me to fault the networks, given that their prediction techniques had previously worked so well. After all, most of the major polls also got it wrong. Even before that happened, however, a few polls indicated a large and unexplained shift to Gore in the final weekend prior to the election. Couple this with the readiness of the Gore camp to begin challenging the Florida election the very day of the election, and we have to suspect something interesting going on behind the scenes. A month after the election, here's what many believe happened. You can decide if any of this sounds reasonable. Several months ago, the Democrats recognized that, in spite of unprecedented National peace and prosperity, they were in danger of losing the White House. Here's the problem: 1) the nation is still fairly conservative; 2) their candidate, Al Gore, wasn't particularly inspiring and was prone to making dumb mistakes; and 3) their internal polls told them that many in the Democrat base just couldn't bring themselves to vote for Gore. The only good thing was that the polls also indicated such voters wouldn't be voting for Bush either (their choice would be "none of the above"). Most of this was widely reported at the time. At that point they decided to convert the old "Clinton War Room" from defusing bimbo eruptions (basically character assassinations) to the development of strategies for "winning" the election. Computers were used to analyze voter demographics and to perform statistical and probability analyses on the data to indicate where the election would be close enough to influence. Based on the results, a number of pre/post-election strategies were developed to utilize the extensive Clinton spin machinery (basically aggressive lying) for use by the media. Of course, support of the media was assumed. The cornerstone of all spin was to proclaim early and often the need to adhere to "the will of the people" AKA "every vote should count." Two comments: First, NO politician anywhere in history ever really wants to see "the will of the people" decide anything, especially elections. It's the same with polls. No politician, or media person, would pay a nickel to find out what people really think. There are many reasons for taking a poll but that isn't one of them. Most of the time people hire a pollster to see how well people are buying their message and/or to find out what they still need to work on. Nevertheless, "the will of the people" is a nice phrase that many still believe is unique to America and of course, it resonates so well with the media. In truth, however, the framers of our Constitution knew all too well the nature of politicians and so wrote the Constitution to encourage "fairness" in all competitive endeavors. And so, "fairness" is the BEST we can hope for in any election. At least that's what we counsel the third-world nations. Second, deliberate election fraud has been made much easier in modern times since federal voting laws have be changed to make it so easy for people to register, while doing nothing to simplify the purging of the registration lists of those who have moved or expired. This is a big advantage in the big cities. For example, Philadelphia, in the current election, had a population a little less than 1.3 million, where one million were registered as voters. The actual Philly turnout was 70%, mostly because several black precincts had 100% turnout with 99% voting for Gore! Interesting. And then in California and much of the Southwest (think New Mexico), there were many illegal aliens from Mexico who voted overwhelmingly for Gore. Rather than Gore winning the popular vote by 300,000, many believe he actually LOST by over 200,000 to Bush, as the estimate of fictitious votes across the country is estimated to be in the range of 500,000 to 1,000,000. Deliberate fraud, however, was not part of the early strategy sessions. Initially, the Democrat's strategy was simply to make the election as close as possible with legitimate voters. Essentially, that involved a message that ignored the traditional Democratic base (the intelligencia) to focus on three demographic groups, the young, the old, and the great mass of the "don't know and don't care" crowd produced by our public education system (Bomberville excepted). Generally speaking, most of these people, especially in urban areas, are dependent on government support through welfare and social services, i.e., they're made-to-order Democrat victims. Their distinguishing characteristic, however, is their inability to discern the difference between lies and the truth, especially when the lies are fairly aggressive (think Clinton wagging his finger at the camera while saying "I did not have sex with that woman"). As such, they are very susceptible to emotion-based political spin. On the down side they really don't like voting that much. So another key strategy was to target them with strong emotional reasons to vote *against* Bush, and then to make it as easy as possible for them to "correctly" mark their ballots. Even so, as Election Day approached, it looked like Bush was still going to win. And so the word went down to all democratically controlled precincts to get a little creative. Actually, manufacturing additional votes in most black and Hispanic precincts isn't that hard as there are so few Republicans that even if mischief is detected it won't be reported. This explains a number of election day anomalies: it explains why most of the polls were wrong; it explains the large, previously unexplained weekend shift to Gore; it explains Gore getting the popular vote; it explains the large number of intelligent Democrats refusing to make ANY presidential choice; and finally, it explains why Republicans won the Electoral College, which, like the House of Representatives, is a "Constitutional check and balance" device that occasionally helps rural (Republican) voters. Much of this was anticipated by the Gore team and was therefore factored into a post-election strategy. Basically that involved the development of a series of "vote mining" techniques to be used as needed. The first technique was based on the statistical probability that manual recounts will be more productive in high democrat populations (precincts and counties) than in low democrat populations. In Florida, for example, the counties of Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and Broward are highly democratic where Gore won by substantial margins. Normally that would make them ineligible for recount. That is, the recognized purpose of recounts is to contest close votes. So a different basis for the recount had to be manufactured. Anticipating this, on Election Day, the Democrats hired a Texas telemarketing firm to call Democratic voters to suggest they may have voted for Pat Buchanan because of a poorly designed ballot. Then an army of Democrat lawyers, political operatives and union members were sent to Florida to aid the demands for a recount. It worked. Here's how that particular vote mining technique worked: suppose the known error rate of the machines 4% and that the county is 70% Democratic. If the population of the county is 200,000, then a manual recount should result in a 3200 vote differential for Gore. Of course, if the county were evenly split, it would be a wash, as both candidates would get an equal number of votes thereby offsetting each other. Generally speaking, voter demographics suggest that manual recounts should produce additional Democrat votes in any county with large urban populations. Rural populations generally favor the Republicans. Three comments: First, all counting methods are susceptible to error, of which there are two kinds: random and systematic (biased). The key difference is that random errors tend to add to zero; errors of bias produce differences one way or the other. Manual vote counting produces errors of bias according to the prejudices of the counters, but in Florida, the more important effect was to distort the result of the larger population (state or county) by selectively choosing a smaller population (precinct). Machine counting, on the other hand, produces random errors with no net gain for either party (the errors cancel). Obviously, when mining for votes, manual vote counting of selective precincts is a requirement. Second, to ensure deadlines can be met if the machines break, most states have a provision for manual recounts. And finally, the purpose of vote certification deadlines is to minimize the potential for mischief. Given enough time most political operatives will be able to achieve a desired result, if only for a brief time. Unfortunately for the Democrats the initial manual vote count in Florida wasn't producing anywhere close to the number of votes expected. Worse, absentee ballots heavily favored Bush. Enter the strategy of mining for votes in the large stack of "undervote" and "overvote" ballots that were rejected by the machines and by most manual recount procedures as well. From the beginning, this was recognized to be a stretch. As Judge Burton, from Palm Beach, said: "It's impossible to discern voter intent from these ballots." In spite of that, Democrats decided to invent a case for divining the intent of these voters based on dimpled and/or pregnant chads. But again, they didn't want to discern the intent of ALL the voters. The scheme is dependent on counting only those in heavily Democratic precincts. And then of course, some way must be found to neutralize the large absentee military vote. It's important to point out that the overvote stack, where voters voted for two or more presidential candidates is small (essentially a collection of voter mistakes). On the other hand, the undervote stack, where the voter's choice was "none of the above," was huge. Obviously the ONLY place the required votes could come from was this large undervote stack. But they needed more time, which they got from the Florida Supreme Court who essentially usurped the authority of the legislature to change existing law by extending the vote certification deadline and by requiring that the Democrat's vote-mining efforts be included in the final count. That decision has been vacated by the Federal Supreme Court at this writing. Interestingly, only Broward County initially agreed to discern voter intent of the undervote stack by correlating the selection of local candidates with a "divined" choice for President (the God dimple)! And that produced the largest percentage net gain for Gore (470 votes). Yes, this method has promise. So the Gore legal team went to court in an attempt to force other counties to count the undervote using methods adopted by Broward County. But they lost in Judge Saul's circuit court. Enter the Democrat's third vote-mining strategy to throw out ALL (or at least Bush's large absentee vote) from Seminole and Martin counties on a minor technicality. This from the party that that says it wants to "count all the votes." What have we learned here? If Clinton paved the way by showing Democrats how to get away with aggressive lying, Gore has shown how an election can be made close enough to manipulate after the election on several levels. Interestingly enough, neither of these methods are open to Republicans. That's because both are heavily dependent on emotionally based class distinctions aimed at women, blacks, and Hispanics, all artificially created victims of a prosperous society. One of our fellow Bombers, Jim Vache (64), a Constitutional Law Professor at Willamette University College of Law, recently wrote the SandBOX to disparage the confusion between the political and legal arguments currently being fostered on the nation's courts. I couldn't agree more. I submit that this sad state of affairs has accelerated in the last few years and is primarily a product of Clinton's legacy. However, with all due respect to a fellow Bomber, Jim's conclusion that "… we have to resort to law (courts???) because our normative agreements that form our republic are fading," is wrong. I would respectively suggest that the "deeper problem" is that many of our courts have become so politicized that law no longer matters. The Florida Supreme Court decision was based ONLY on political arguments, as there was NO case law, and NO record (complaints and irregularities) for a law interpretation. This is certainly NOT what Justice Marshall (Marbury v. Madison) intended in establishing the doctrine of judicial review. The Federal Supreme Court agreed. And then, of course, we have David Boies lying before the court about dimpled ballots being counted in Illinois (NOT!). Clinton would be proud! -- Dick Epler (52) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 117 - *************************************** *************************************** ******************************************** THE SANDBOX ~ Issue 118 ~ December 25, 2000 Subj: Only 365 Shopping Days Left, unless... From: Sandra Genoway (Jeneaue-Spruksts) ('62) fashdes@prodigy.net Edmonds, WA Hey! There's only 365 shopping days left until Christmas; that is, unless you happen to be an "Old Calendar" Eastern Orthodox Christian. They go by the Julian Calendar for all of their Holy Feast Days, so Christmas 2000 on the Julian Calendar (Dec. 25) is January 7, 2001 on the Gregorian (modern) Calendar, created by the Roman Pope Gregory in the 1500's. Since the Eastern Orthodox Church was a separate entity from the Roman Catholic Church by then, they decided not to follow this new calendar, but to stick to the calendar (Julian) that was in use at the time of Christ. Some more modernist EOC's have, however, changed to following the modern calendar. January 7 is the true Russian Christmas, which was not allowed to be openly celebrated in the Soviet Union during the communist regime, for some 70 years. It was, however, celebrated in secret by those devout Christians in underground churches. The Moscow Patriarchate State Russian Orthodox Church was allowed to have Christmas (for show) on January 7, and other than that, the Soviets or Red Party members only celebrated New Years on January 1 (Gregorian-modern calendar). Now, have I thoroughly confused you? Julian Calendar Christmas is still observed in parts of England and the U.S. Appalachia as "Old Christmas." If you have never had occasion to have a Russian Christmas and share this delightful Holiday with Russians (Russian-Americans, new Russian immigrants), you do not know what you are missing! First, you go to Church on Christmas Eve (January 6) Vigil in the evening, starting at about 6:00 p.m., which is the traditional Russian all- night vigil service, and nowadays lasts about two hours. The church is all decorated and aglow with cathedral chandelier dimmed and large and small candles glowing; there are natural, undecorated Christmas trees (yes, more than one), and evergreen boughs and flowers decorate the walls, door archways, and pertinent Holy Day Icons. The priests and bishop have on their "finest" white, red or gold brocade robes, trimmed in Europa embroidery and braid; their miters twinkling with "jewels." Of course, the parishioners are wearing their finest clothing. The women are in furs, if they have any; the men in their best suits and coats. Of course, there are the younger- styled and also the less "fancy" dressers there, too, and all are welcomed! If you are a lover of fine music, this is where you will hear some; Russian choirs have been renowned throughout history for their beautiful singing and style of music. Even Tchaikovsky wrote liturgical music; Rimsky-Korsakov used parts of the Pascha liturgy in his "Russian Easter," including bells. We are not talking "liturgical chants" here; this is full-scale notes, similar to Western sacred music, but with different sounds, rhythm and tones that cannot be described by me. On Christmas Day, you go back to church for the Christmas-Day Liturgy ("mass"), after which you get together with loved ones and friends in the church hall for the break-Nativity Fast dinner feast, after six weeks of eating only vegetables, fruits, bread and a little wine and oil (only on Sundays and Feast Days), as a period of preparation to greet the Newborn Holy Christ Child. It is also a very good health benefit, as the body and soul are purged during this time of prayer and fasting in spiritual contemplation of Christ's Nativity, and looking forward to His Return. At home, the Christmas tree is set up and decorated on Christmas Eve day (January 6). After going to church on Christmas Eve, the family comes home and eats "kutya," the traditional meal made of cooked cereal with raisins, honey and cinnamon. The table is spread with straw (representation, from the manger) and an Icon of the Nativity scene is placed in the center of the table. According to tradition, wild beasts harm no one on this night, in honor of the Christ Child's Birth. Russians love to party! A Russian Christmas lasts twelve (12) days, during which time people go from home to home in celebration of the season, with their own family on the first day, and starting with the second day, going to their friends' houses to parties and get-togethers. Each day of the twelve, gifts are exchanged with family and friends, starting with the humblest gift on the first day and ending with the most extravagant gift on the twelfth day. Children go from house to house carrying a huge star and singing Christmas carols (Russian carols, called kolyadki, are always spiritual in commemoration of Christ's Birth). At the parties, the vodka flows like water, as well as other "spirits", too, and Russians always serve foods like beluga or salmon caviar, roast goose, duckling, turkey, pheasant, ham, beef, venison, pike and sturgeon fish, and pirogi, which are large pies made with beef or chicken, potatoes, onions, celery, cabbage, rice, sauerkraut, mushrooms, carrots, peas (several or more of any of these ingredients) made in a three-sided baking pan, with one "door" side to get the pie out. Other foods included are Russian pastries (similar to French pastries), torte cakes, honey cakes, rum babas (cakes soaked in rum syrup), krendel cakes, khvorost, or "birch bark" (a deep-fried cookie strip that is twisted and after frying, is dipped in confectioner's sugar), Russian tea cookies, baklava, Russian cream (like ice cream, or like a "charlotte"), and of course, kisel, which is similar to our "smoothies", made with fruit and milk or cream. If you are on a diet, better stay away, because you will be sorely tempted to break it! \ During this time of celebration, no fasting is allowed, except for on the Eve of Theophany, the twelfth night. During the twelve days of celebrations, the clergy come around to the parishioners' homes to bless them with Holy Water, and to join in the festivities. It is the Russian Orthodox Christian tradition that you cannot turn anyone away from your home, especially during these Holy Days, since you may be entertaining Angels, Saints, or even Christ, Himself, unawares. The twelve days of Christmas culminate in the Feast of Theophany; or, Epiphany in the Western world. The eve of Theophany ("Twelfth Night") is a strict fast day when you eat nothing until the first star appears in the heavens that night (pray for a clear night). In Russia, and in Russian communities elsewhere in the world, on the Feast Day, itself, after the Liturgy, the clergy and parishioners proceed to rivers and lakes for the "blessing of the waters". In this procession, banners with icons are carried and censors leave clouds of incense smoke billowing to the heavens. Cannons roar and bells peal as a huge cross is lowered into the holes cut in the ice of the frozen rivers and lakes. After the water is blessed, this Holy Water is then bottled and kept throughout the year until the following Feast Day and is partaken of on an empty stomach, as needed, for spiritual and medicinal purposes. During this blessings of the waters ritual, for spiritual purposes, some people jump into the icy water; in a thousand years' time in Russia there has never been a case of someone getting ill or dying at that time, since the water is infused with the Power of the Holy Spirit and is, itself, Holy. These blessed rivers and lakes are called "Jordans" on that day. The processions are going to the "Jordan", and they commemorate the baptism of Christ Jesus when He went down to the Jordan River and was baptized by St. John, the Baptist, at which time the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) was Manifested, which is why the Feast is called Theophany; that is, the Manifestation of God. It is also a commemoration of the visit of the Magi and the slaughter of the 14,000 infants by Herod's soldiers. It is the culmination of the Christmas season, and in the very early church, was Christmas Day, before a separate Christmas Day was created. The day after Theophany (January 20), the Christmas tree is taken down. So, now, maybe that explains why, on some houses, you see Christmas lights and decorations for many more days after the traditional American Christmas/New Years' Day celebration is over. You may have seen a different kind of "Santa Claus" decoration, too. In addition to the traditional, spiritual Christmas, the Russians also have "Grandfather Frost" who is a white- bearded old man dressed in a long velvet-type robe and coat trimmed in fur and wearing a fur hat. He is accompanied by the "Snow Maiden" who is a beautiful teenage girl lavishly dressed in a decorated and trimmed brocade robe and with a kokoshnik (or huge tiara) on her head, with silver, gold, pearls and jewels embedded in its design. Together, they go about, bringing presents for good little boys and girls, and switches for naughty ones. This Russian Christmas myth is not to be confused with "Father Christmas" of Western European lore, nor with St. Nicholas, who really did exist and became the Patron Saint of many Eastern and Western Christians, and who also is remembered in Holland as "Sinter Klaas" who brings good children presents and naughty children lumps of coal in their shoes on December 6. St. Nicholas was later commercialized into "Santa Claus", after the popularity of the Christmas poem, "T'was The Night Before Christmas", became a holiday tradition. Now you have learned something more of what some other people in America (and in Old Russia, a place in the heart) observe as their Christmas Holiday, and what traditions are celebrated and remembered from year to year. Merry Christmas ("M I P", and Joyeaux Noel) from Sandra Genoway and George Spruksts in Edmonds. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That concludes this issue of THE SANDBOX folks. Please include your class year and maiden name, (if applicable), in all correspondence and subscription requests. You may also include your current locale if you wish. It's easy to join us in the ongoing conversations here. Just send your comments to: THE_SANDBOX@bigfoot.com! We are the Alumni of Richland High School, Richland Washington, AKA Columbia High School, representing classes from 1942 through 2000. Visit the THE SANDBOX website. Al Parker (53) Shippenville, PA Your SANDBOX Host ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~118~ ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø That's it for 2000 ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø OCT, 2000