High on the Hog

Trim Rite is coming. Trim Rite is coming to save the day. At least that is the story. Freeport's economic woes won't be solved by a pork processing plant. We will once again pay more by another company paying less...taxes, set-up fees without having to make a long-ter, commitment to the community. We'll put in the sewer lines, the power cables, internet cables, and roads to service the company. We're promised 200 new jobs. Will there be any concessions that the employees health care providers will be contracted to be local. How many children will be going to school here? Will there be new residents moving to the area or will the employees travel from Sterling and Rockford and then take their hard-earned money back to their malls and grocery stores and pay property taxes to their communities?

Meanwhile we hear the drip...drip...drip... of our solid citizens being let go by other local employers. A few this week from Honeywell. A few next week from Newell. A couple from Cub Food. It is like the old adage about how do you boil a frog... you slowly raise the temperature and the frog keeps adjusting until eventually the heat is high enough that the frog cooks. The employment temperature in our community is slowly rising and many in the community, at least those that haven't bailed out, are starting to sense the change, but until they are affected they don't get out of the boiling water.

Just read the letter from a Honeywell customer to get a feel for the outside world's view of one of our jewels of industry in Freeport. If no one is around to lead it is impossible to have full accountability, prompt decision-making, nor a highly motivated workforce. Management by email just doesn't cut it. Drip...drip...drip... an account here, an account there, and then we're left to wonder, "What went wrong?" The answers are there, but there isn't anyone to let the people who feel an obligation to the company and to the community that they are valuable, important to the company and are vital to the success of not just making switches or whatever, but that they are part of the whole process. When an integral part doesn't feel so integral or one is constantly looking over one's shoulder for the grim reaper of HR it is impossible to do quality work.

Drip...drip...drip.....

Off the Hook and the Feeding Tube

Mitch Albom will once again be writing for the Detroit Free Press. Full details are to follow from the internal investigation after his dalliance with fiction in the world of sports news. Mitch has a loyal following, and I have been one of those following his writing career since he started with the Freep. I was hoping that this was an isolated lapse of judgment on his part and not one of multiple infractions. The reading public, many of whom adore Mitch Albom, vehemently wrote to the paper that they were to lay off of Mitch. Let bygones be bygones they said. Accept his apology and move on the letters said. In a town that seeks some respite from negative publicity, dwindling population and status, and few well-regarded writing figures, except maybe Elmore Leonard, who now spends much of his time in L.A., are starved for some repectability. Mitch provided that with his desire to actually stay in Detroit. He is a multimedia star with television appearances, a radio program on WJR-AM, his bestselling books, Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, both of which were developed into highly-watched television movies., and his twice-weekly column. The Freep couldn't afford to lose their lone star, but on the other hand, they couldn't afford to not fire him if this were not an isolated incident. Perhaps this will be a wake up call for those in print journalism that with the advent of the internet, web logs, and many more people interested in having the truth printed (though many are also only agenda-driven) our respected colleagues in the field of journalism will stick to the guidelines of effective column writing and reporting-"Even if your mother says its so, check it out first!." Welcome back, Mitch. It is no time to be contrite or erudite, give us some pointers on what you have learned and help yourself and us in knowing how to get it right.

It is time for useful and productive dialogue with the Terri Schiavo case. A good friend of mine and fellow columnist, Kristin Podemski, took issue with my point of view for my case against Michael Schiavo. She eloquently and with good insight felt that in this case it was "if you love someone let them go" perspective. In many instances, I would agree with that and have lived through my own family having to consider that option. It was, however, in a situation where the person, my uncle, never regained consciousness from head trauma and brain damage. I still take issue with referring to someone as being in a vegetative state, as this deemphasizes the "human" aspect of a person's life. She also contends that in years past a feeding tube was not an option and thus now can be considered "extraordinary measures" in end-of-life decisions. Using siligistic reasoning it could be concluded that in years past we also didn't have penicillin or other antibiotics and that if someone were dying from infection and didn't make their wishes known then giving antibiotics could be considered "extraordinary measures". I don't understand how it is that if someone is not dying, then you take away their food and water, then that person starves to death or dies of dehydration, is it not murder? Maybe that person cannot express their thoughts, desires or wishes in a way that we can understand, but it doesn't necessisarily mean that that person wanted to die in such a fashion or that they wanted to die at all before their natural order of death. Maybe I am more of a conspiracy theorist, but I do not believe that Michael Schiavo simply wanted to let his wife go because he loved her so deeply, but my opinion is that he wanted to let her go, because she was the only witness to what actually caused her to lose oxygen to her brain and suffer brain damage. There was evidence of damage to her throat upon admission to the hospital initially. There were no changes in her blood chemisty or enzymes that would indicate a heart attack, as has been widely reported in the mainstream media. There are others that contend that she may or not have been bulimic. Kristin pointed out the money that was awarded in the malpractice case has been used for her care, but there are conflicting reports about the level of care that was afforded her. Collaborating witnesses have contended that Michael Schiavo ordered that physical therapy and other care be withheld from Terri after the first year. None of this explains the 13 healing fractures that were evident on the bone scan of which results were allowed to be withheld until 11 years after she first collapsed and 10 years after the scan was obtained. I don't know, Kristin, I am also confused, but my suspicion is that Michael Schiavo had something he wanted to be left unknown and that is the key factor of what put Terri Schiavo in her brain-damaged condition in the first place. The only living person that will ever know is Michael Schiavo and unless he tells us otherwise, we'll never know the whole truth. Hitchcock would have had a hard time coming up with such a story.

25 Hours A Day

Man! Where does the time go? It has been a week since I've been able to get to my own blog site. Let me see. Two columns written on Monday. A science fair project built with my daughter. Two trips to Chicago. A first communion and party. The only thing that seems to be lacking is sleep. Four, maybe five and on occasion even six hours of sleep a night. Too much to do, too little time to do it.
We have a new pope, Benedict XVI as of yesterday. Will he be a transitional Pope that takes us through the next 5 years or so and continue to hold the torch for what John Paul II started, or will he surprise everyone and be more progressive? Let us hope and pray that he doesn't begin to undo the positive that has been developed in the Church over the past 2000 years. It would be easier to give in to the "progrssive liberals" who feel that the Church is behind the times and that we are in need of loosening the reins and the morals of the Church. We need to keep an open dialogue with all faiths and with our Catholic friends, even if they do disagree with the Church's teachings. That doesn't mean that the Church should kowtow to the whims of those who want the Church to be more lenient in its ideals and principles. It is often most difficult to hold firm to the ground when the waves are striking at your foundation. The American Catholic Church needs to be held accountable for the abuses by our clergy and not let it be kept our of sight/out of mind. No one is helped. If we need to bring in more priests from other countries, that might be mor successful in the long run than recruitng any male for the priethood without regard to his tendencies. It will be interesting to see what transpires and if there will be a greater dichotomy in the Church of the "advanced" countries who want the Church to go their way and hold donations and membership as Damocles' sword over the diocesian leaders when the Church doesn't suit them. People tend to forget all of the good that he Church does if it isn't doing what they want for them. Why shold standards be relaxed for receiving communion or being in good graces with the Church? If people choose to sin, that is their own free will. We all do it, but we also have the opportunity for forgiveness if we ask. It is ovious that the relaxation of social morals and mores has really helped our country to be more loving, more giving and more compassionate. We have a long way to go, but we need to have a strong foundation to build on and tearing it down doesn't necessarily equate with progress or a better world.

I Guess I'm Behind the Times

I have a friend who is paralyzed. He told me about how he used to car surf when he was a teenager some thirty years. Another friend told me that her husband used to do the same thing. A friend recently lost his life doing this when he fell off of the car and suffered severe head trauma. I feel like I must be naive. I had honestly never heard of car surfing before this week. It is just something that I never thought of before I heard about the tragic accident and death of a friend. When teens do this, while not comprehensible, one can understand that teens often think that they are invincible. Adults, especially ones with a family, young children, a business, and an established life, make no sense when they decide to try the same thing. I know that I am behind the times in many of the ways of our youth, or even in the ways of the more "adventurous" of our adults, but this is one action that I don't think I will ever understand.

Journalistic Integrity

I read the Detroit Free Press most days. I have Mitch Albom set up on this blog because I have admired and respected his work over the past 20 years for the Free Press. I, like thousands of others, read his column last Sunday about the final four game between MSU and North Carolina. I took it as truth, having no reason to suspect or expect it to be any less than that. He has written heart-touching stories in the past. He wrote Tuesdays with Morrie for crying out loud. It was one of the books that changed peoples's lives, mine included, about appreciating truth and how people should treat one another. He branched out into fiction with the bestseller, The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Apparently, the fiction is now carrying over into his sports section column. I feel a sense of betrayal, a betrayal of trust and of a reader's loyalty. First, it was Bob Greene, another one of my favorite newspaper writers, and now Mitch Albom. There have been others in between as well as before and after, but they were writers that I had not heard of or was not a regular reader. It doesn't make the situations any less important, but I didn't take them as personally. The ethics of writing a column or even a web log are such that if you use a resource, it needs to be acknowledged or referenced and if you are writing fiction it needs to be sufficiently indicated either as satire (such as Royko's columns about Slats Grobnik or my own alter ego, Al Bebach) or noted to be fictitious. If Mr. Albom wants to stick with the fiction genre, then it may be best to continue with novels or plays. If he wishes to continue with fact-based sports reporting or human interest stories, then he needs to tell us the truth and not play games with would've, could've, should've happened stories. I have a feeling that this recent faux paux and almost flip apology will not fully cut it among his readers, especially those of us who have been loyal over the years. It takes more than, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again" to regain that sense of trust. Those are basically the same words my five-year-old uses after hitting his sister, but as we know it tends to happen again, anyways. We'll see if he can regain our trust, or if he'll even get the chance once the internal inquiry is over. I hope he does, but I would understand the consequences if he doesn't. He said of Jayson Blair that in the end it is better to write the truth. He needed to remember his own advice.

The Somnambulant Blogger

Is it really possible to function on four hours of sleep each night? I'm beginning to think that it is. Here I am wide awake at 12:30 a.m. once again in front of the computer and worried because I haven't updated my blog in a few days. Interesting blogs about Pope John Paul II abound in cyberspace. There are a lot of very intelligent people in the universe and a great number of prejudiced or judgmental ones, as well. Many believe, including those of other denominations, that Pope John Paul II was a great man, leader, and visionary. Many Catholics, unfortunately, only look at his stance on abortion, birth control, and homosexuality and say that he was too dogmatic, too conservative, and wonder when priests are going to be allowed to marry or when women can become priests. Why aren't they looking at the 2000+ years of history of the Catholic Church and the many progressive stances that the Pope took against war, economic injustice, relief for third world countries, stances against the death penalty, forgiveness (HE FORGAVE THE MAN WHO SHOT HIM!), his stance against oppression (Was that sound I heard the iron curtain crumbling?), and his courage to stand by his convictions? He realized that the Church was bigger than him, more stalwart than any of us. He embodied the direction that Christ gave His disciples. He was like Peter in that he was rock solid in his devotion to Jesus and helped prepare the way for the future (Second Vatican Council). Pope John Paul II showed us how to live and in the last days, he showed us the courage in how to die. His funeral will be on Friday and this part of the Easter journey will be complete. He will rise again, not to be seen like Jesus, but he will see Jesus in glory. For we are "the Easter people" as he called us and we shall sing "Hallelujah" in his praise for he will always be with us in our hearts. Peace be with Pope John Paul II and also with us.

It's a Small Town, After All

We stood in line for somewhere between one and two hours at the visitation for Colby Smith. Friends, relatives, those from shool and from work, citizens who knew him or knew of him waited patiently talking to one another. What does one say at a time like this. A young, successful man in the prime of his life dies suddenly, tragically and there really are no answers. The family seemed so composed that they were the ones consoling the well-wishers. We were grieving and still are. We are grieving as much for his wife and children as we are for ourselves. We cannot explain and it is seemingly impossible to understand what seems like a senseless loss of life. In one foolhardy moment a life is taken from this world and the ripple is felt throughout the community. I have sat by the bedside of my uncle, who died after crushing his skull in a car accident. He lived for 9 days before he died. We had some time to grieve before the burial. My mother, though, never recovered. She would die almost exactly five years later. Some of us go on, giving in to the sadness, the anger, the doubt at inexplicable times. Some of us bury our feelings, which still find a way out at times in the form of tears, anger, depression, and withdrawal. Those with a stronger faith seem to find a way to cope, sometimes even driven to greater pursuits to honor the dead, and to prove something to themselves. Others give up or stay in a funk that doesn't allow them to move beyond the pain. The pain never leaves, but we can move on with Christ's help and the help of family, friends and loved ones. Sometimes the faith and hope seem eons away, but even as far off as the stars are, they give a glimmer in the sky and shine the brightest when it is the darkest. At least it is something to hang onto when it seems as if tomorrow will never come.

Farewell, Pope John Paul II

Nineteen years ago at the Easter Vigil, I joined the Catholic Church. After going through the RCIA program at Loyola University, I joined the Church in a glorious ceremony at Madonna Della Strata Chapel on the campus of Loyola University in Chicago. The following year, my daughter, Mary, was baptized and joined the Catholic faith in the same chapel. We have only known one pope during our Catholic lifetimes, as have my other four children. We have seen the dedication that he had for life and for peace. We have seen the man stand by his convictions, often in the face of ridicule by those who do not understand the Catholic faith. He endured the scandalous accusations and actual cases of abuse by priests within the Catholic Church. He was instrumental in the fall of the Iron Curtain that oppressed much of Eastern Europe. He was a man who drew crowds in the millions and who connected with our youth like no other person in the world. Now he is gone from our earthly lives. He will be seen as a reconciler, one who reached out to all denominations in search of understanding. He beatified more potential saints than any other pope and served longer than all but two, Pius IX and St. Peter, the original Christian Pope. His papacy is defined by his love of life and his motto, "Be not afraid." He was not afraid of criticism for his deeply held convictions. He was not afraid to stand up for life in the face of a world that is immune to the atrocities of abortion, euthanasia, and genocide. He was not afraid to stand up and speak out for peace in the face of war, murder, social unrest and terrorism. He was not afraid to travel and be among the public even after an assasination attempt. He was not afraid of his physical death or of suffering or pain. He gave us the example of how to live a godly life here on earth. His was a life of compassion, conviction and Christianiaty. One of our most valuable reminders is the Papal blessing that we received for our wedding that hangs in our kitchen. It reminds us that our marriage is truly blessed and that we are to carry out our wedding vows and commitment to one another through our faith in Christ. Pope John Paul II has gone on to his heavenly reward and we are the richer for having been under his divine guidance.

It is Over, but It Has Just Begun

Terri Schindler-Schiavo has died. She was starved to death by judicial fiat. He "loving" husband was by her side, cradling her in his arms as her spirit left her body and she "peacefully completed the death process." What a load of garbage! Michael Schiavo, father of two children with his fiancee and companion for the past nine years while his "wife" lay in a hospice being deprived of rehabilitation at his request, does not make me think of compassion. Personally, he makes me feel sick to my stomach. He's probably counting forward to the day that he can remarry and start his "new life" sans Terri. What have we learned from this? That some courts and judges don't have an inkling what life is about. That a piece of paper that says a couple are married doesn't make a marriage, but can be used as a means of depriving someone of the loving care of parents and siblings who were willing to aid and comfort their daughter/sister. That those who are voiceless are less than human (how many people are actually vegetables?) and are thus disposable. Follow the story of the pediatric euthanasia doctor in the Netherlands for another view of how low we have sunk in the human race.

The Pope lays near death. Terri Schindler-Schiavo is killed. A friend dies a senseless death. The world is spinning right now with the eternal question, WHY? There must be a reason, but as of this moment I will have to keep praying that it either becomes evident or that the reasons become clearer in the future. In the meantime, I'll hug my wife, remind her that I love her and our children and have faith the God will provide for those who are grieving.