good job

After sleeping in until almost noon, I began to see what had happened in the world while I was out. Japan is still there and suffering tremendously. Gas is still sky high. Stewie is still my hero :) I ran across some raw dash cam video of the extended chase by north MS and Shelby law enforcement chasing the guys who escaped from a La prison. My brother shared it and I was totally amazed at the precision with which law enforcement from two states worked together to catch these fools. They had tied up a parks and rec worker in a building in Madison county and stolen his truck. They had already killed a man in Alabama. Bottom line was, they had nothing to lose so it went on FOREVER until three cop cars converged on the truck and smashed it then one guy took off running into the woods with a very fast dude on his ass. He lost that one. Now they're both in deep shit and a whole lot of folks are breathing easier. Thank you public servants.

We have very little violence in our community and most of it is totally random like where people are at the wrong place at the wrong time when something bad goes down. Like my friend Todd who was shot and killed as he went to get the mail at his own home. Or Mr. Patterson who was kind enough to give an out of towner sunday assistance with his tow truck, and ended up getting knifed to death at his own station before the escapee from OK went his merry way. I was at church across the street when that happened and I will never forget walking away from that day changed forever. How, I'm not exactly sure. Perhaps a loss of innocence.

I have trouble with the Old Testament sometimes because I just cannot imagine a god who would do that many bad things to people because I'm the peace and love type that believes if you try to do right it's all good because...hey. Nobody's perfect, at least not any of us. That standard was set by somebody much more humble and wise. I particularly love the rowdy part where he turns over the tax tables and gives the government grief. The lookers are already predicting some kind of doom soon because of all the bad things that are happening. I prefer not to think that way simply because I believe that Big Ernie gives second and even third chances to turn around and make amends. Only we the people can do that by changing our priorities and showing some respect for the gifts we were given like our earth. So far most countries are sucking at that about like we are.

I've been in sort of a protracted funk mode because, well I won't bore you with the details. Ya'll probably wouldn't believe it anyway. I read an eloquent piece yesterday written by a young mother in Tokyo talking about how she has psyched herself into not being "scared to death all the time when everybody says you should be." I think about how, in the past, people in other parts of the world have been separated because of a lack of technology and news traveled really slow back then. I remember sitting in my parents' living room on the floor, watching the Vietnam war become a reality on a black and white TV. Another "changed forever" moment.

The sun still isn't shining, at least not here. For those of you who see it today, give this message: "Poopie said please shine over the hill on Pecan Lane."