Fiftieth Anniversary

Quick, what were you doing when you heard the news?

If you're asking What news?, you're probably under 55 years old. Today, November 22, is the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination in Dallas, Texas.

Those of us old enough can attest that it had the same effect on us as the 9/11 attacks of 2001 had on us--and those born in the interim--all those years ago.

I was in school, getting ready to head home. As a "walker", I had to wait with the other walkers until the buses left with the bus kids. This was a yin/yang type situation: the bus kids got to leave a few minutes before the walkers, but the walkers usually managed to get home before the bus kids. We also got to do stuff for our respective teachers, such as running the day's roll to the office, clapping the dust off the erasers (way cool when you're 6 or 7 and the teacher has given you this responsibility).

The bus kids had were in the process of boarding their rides as I ran the roll to the office for my fifth grade teacher. Another walker, heading back to her classroom from the office, tears on her horrified face, sobbed, "The president's been shot." No way, I thought, unable to fathom such a horrible deed. I knew Lincoln had been assasinated almost a century earlier. But Kennedy? Who would do such a thing?

I had to announce myself several times to the office staff, as students were to physically hand the day's roll to one of the secretaries. Everyone in the office, secretaries, principal, teachers, were listening to a radio in stunned silence.

At home, minutes after leaving school, I found my mom with the TV on, something she rarely watched during the day. She had tears in her eyes and her voice was shaky as she told me the news.

The television stayed on the rest of the day. In a move that was unprecidented for the time, the networks broke from their daily schedules to bring updates on the assasination.

The remainder of the day went by in a numbing blur, the same numbing blur that most of us remember all too well during the days following the 9/11 attacks. Most of us were in shock, wanting this to be a horrible nightmare.

Since JFK's assasination, many things have changed--46 years worth of change. The only JFK sibling left alive is his sister Jean Ann Kennedy. (Note: Jean Ann Kennedy Smith is still alive now, four years after this was originally written.)

It is our duty, whether in memory of that fateful November day in 1963 or the September morning in 2001, to try to make this world a better place for all of us.

If not for the memory of the past, then do it for the future.

Note:This is an updated version of a blog I wrote on November 22, 2009. That version can be seen here.

Va. state Sen. Creigh Deeds Stabbed, Police Suspect Dead Son

Virginia state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath)was stabbed multiple times in what police are investigating as "an attempted murder and suicide," the Washington Post reports. Sen. Deeds' son, Gus Deeds, 24, apparently stabbed the senator, then shot himself Tuesday morning.

Gus Deeds had undergone a psychiatric evaluation Monday, but had not been admitted to a hospital, as there had been no available bed.

To read the entire Washington Post article, click here.

With Food Stamp Reduction, Jacksonville, Fla. Church Helps With Food

On Jacksonville, Florida's Westside sits New Mount Zion Baptist Church. Here, once a week, more than 700 people line up, many arriving while it is still dark out, many from south Georgia or the beach areas of Florida. They gather to collect food for their next meal, The Florida Times-Union reports.

Many of the people served fill boxes, bags, carts - anything - with enough food to last until the next food giveaway or until their next food stamp allotment kicks in.

Several people interviewed by The Florida Times-Union expressed concern with the impending reduction in food stamps slated to begin this month.

To read the entire article, click here.

House Approves Cut In Food Stamp Spending - How Did Your Elected Officials Vote?

In a vote that will adversely affect those relying on food stamps, House Republicans approved "a sweeping overhaul to the nation's food stamp program." The cuts would take $39 billion from the program, thus cutting aid to approximately 4 million people over the next few years, The Washington Post reports.

House Majority Leader Eric I. Cantor (R-Va.) orchestrated strategy to separate funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, of food stamps, from the farm bill. While Cantor acknowledged that many food stamp recipients need assistance, the cuts are required because many people "choose to abuse the system," adding "...[I]t's wrong for hard-working middle-class Americans to pay for that."

Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) stated that the stiffer work requirements would mean "you can no longer sit on your couch...and expect the federal tax payer to feed you."

The House voted 217 to 210.

So, who voted for and against the food stamp bill? Click here for The Washington Post's article on how the vote went.

Unhappy with how your representative voted? Call his or her office, make your voice heard, and remember to vote...

Bay of Pigs' Secret History

How long does information need to remain classified? Sometimes, the answer is fairly obvious: If attacked, we don't necessarily want the attacker to know when, where, and what kind of retaliatory measures will occur. Other times, the information may remained classified beyond its necessity.

In an article first printed in the Washington Post and then reprinted in the Miami Herald, George Will writes that the CIA is holding "only a small amount of still-classified information" dealing with the Bay of Pigs. As with so many events, the 1961 invasion influenced several subsequent events. According to Will, the Bay of Pigs led to the U.S. deepening its involvement in Vietnam, the Cuban Missile Crisis, as well as making "a cameo appearance in the Watergate shambles..."

Meanwhile, fifty-two years after the invasion, the CIA is still holds still-classified information on the Bay of Pigs, while the National Security Archive argues that there is "no important government interest is served" by keeping the information classified.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

Could Your Shampoo Be Putting Your Health At Risk?

Do you know what's in your shampoo? Unless you have a degree in biochemistry, you might have no clue what the ingredients listed on your shampoo bottle really are, or how dangerous they might be. An independent study sponsored by the Center for Environmental Health claimed that the carcinogenic chemical cocamide DEA was found in 98 shampoo products, the Palm Beach Post reports. Among the shampoos listed were several name-brand shampoos, products listed as "organic," as well as shampoos marketed for children.

To read the complete article, click here. To ready the Center for Environmental Health article, which includes a list of the products containing cocamide DEA, click here.

Florida Football Players Tackle Animal Abuse

When one hears the words football players, it's too easy to think of the stereotypical massive men crashing into one another. Add animals to the mix, and many of us think of the stories of dog fighting operations. But a group of high school football palyers are working to change the public's perception of athletes and animals, according to the Ocala Star Banner.

The Humane Society of Marion County's new campaign to fight animal abuse is using the idea that "Only a punk would hurt a dog or cat," and it has many area high school football players helping out. The Humane Society plans to have billboards advocating its anti-abuse message, with photos of the players cuddling kittens and puppies.

Read the complete story here.