People I Love

This time of year, at Christmas, I like to think about people I am thankful for. This year, since I have a blog, I would like to share my list of people I love, and why I love them.

Here they are, in no particular order:

B. B. King, for his presence and grace, and for his blues music, which I cannot do without.

Elton John, for his righteous conscience, and his ability to write songs which always touch my heart.

Bob Megantz, for his musicianship, his soul and spirit, and his friendship.

Hillary Clinton, for her bravery, her ability to forgive, and for the efforts that make her the first woman to have a shot at the presidency of the U.S.

Jimmy Carter, for his tireless striving toward peace in our world.

For everyone who is involved with the rescue of animals from their abusers.

For all members of the armed forces, who have very difficult jobs and lives, are living away from home and away from their families, whose services are required in times of war and times of peace.

I hope everyone on this list knows how much they are loved and appreciated.

Dear Mr. Bush

Dear Mr. Bush,

I was waiting for someone close to you to tell you this, but since nobody else has, here goes... The word "nuclear" is pronounced "nuke-lee-er", not "nuke-ya-ler".

Thanks for your attention.
Regards,
A concerned citizen

Doing the Right Thing

Is it really so hard for people to do the right thing? Is it because we are lazy that sometimes we don't do the right thing? Or is it because we don't know what the right thing is? Or, is it that we just don't give a damn?

My feeling is that most rules about doing the right thing can be summed up in two bullet points:

• Don't lie.
• Don't cheat.

Let's take the act of littering; people who litter aren't doing the right thing. They are cheating by not throwing their garbage into a garbage can; they throw it wherever they happen to be at the time. What are they thinking? Studies of littering behavior show that most littering is done in the environment where the litterer lives. Why would a person do something to make his or her environment uglier? I don't get it.

Let's take the act of taking something that does not belong to you. You know, stealing. A lot of it is done as shoplifting. Perhaps it's a thrill to do this; I don't know. But it's cheating, pure and simple. You didn't pay for it, but you took it with you anyway. And someone else has to pay for it in the end (the shopkeeper, probably). How can you justify your action? How would you react if it was your shop that I shoplifted from? Would you think I was cheating or not?

Some people who sometimes cheat don't cheat if someone's watching them, but readily cheat if they know they can't get caught. I can sort of understand this behavior. But my question then is do these people have a conscience? Do they believe in God? Do they have any moral fiber at all?

People are strange. People are diverse. People are people.