Happy Birthday, Coach!

There are very few people in the world who make me perk up my ears and really listen to their message. Coach John Wooden, who turned 99 on October 14 is one of those people. From my youth in the 60's following the phenomenal success of the UCLA Bruins to the later years of reading his books and stories about his success as a college player, coach and brilliant life coach, he has been one of the most influential people in my life. Even if it has been from afar.

A few years ago I wrote a column for the paper about Coach Wooden that ran in March, 2001. It is being reprinted here for his birthday. Hoping to see him reach 100!

Life Lessons from a Hoops Legend

by

Roland Tolliver

I am just a common man who is true to his beliefs. John Wooden

Once upon a time in America there was a little watched basketball tournament that usually featured the same team every year, only their opponents would change. The result in ten out of twelve years was the same, including seven consecutive national championships. The NCAA basketball tournament, the Sweet Sixteen, the great office pool parlayed into millions of dollars in gambling was once played before half-filled stadiums, attended mostly by students there to support their schools. Teams like Loyola and Marquette would even win an occasional title, but nothing like the teams from UCLA and their coach, John Wooden. The glamour of players like Pistol Pete Maravich, Elvin Hayes, Austin Carr, and Calvin Murphy would spark interest in their individual talents on other teams, but it was almost always the team play of UCLA that would walk away with another championship.

For the non-sports fan or those that could care less about college basketball or the tournament, there is hope in the message from the most famous messenger to come out of college basketball. This man who would not allow dunking in practice, who kept meticulous notes of every practice, who stressed that the team work as one unit, whose practices were harder than most games, shared his humble message with legions and legends. Men looked to him as a second father, a mentor, and an exemplary role model. Students of the game have tried to imitate him, some more successfully than others. And through it all, no one has been able to attain even a modicum of his accomplishments during their careers.

I recently came across a book simply titled Wooden by Coach John Wooden with Steve Jamison. I have read a great deal about Coach Wooden, including his biography, They Call Me Coach, and I always learn something new from his insights. In this more recent book Coach Wooden shared a list of principles that his father gave him when he graduated from High School in Indiana. In this day of uncertainty among our youth, the high school shootings and the bullying and harassment of fellow students, these lessons can serve as a starting point for parents and children in gaining an appreciation and a respect for life.

In the chapter titled, "The Gift of a Lifetime", Coach Wooden was given an old wrinkled two-dollar bill and a card with a verse on one side by the Reverend Henry Van Dyke that read:

Four things a man must learn to do

If he would make his life more true:

To think without confusion clearly

To love his fellow-man sincerely,

To act from honest motives purely,

To trust in God and Heaven securely.

On the other side of the card it simply said "Seven Things to Do." It read as follows:

1. Be true to yourself.

2. Help others.

3. Make each day your masterpiece.

4. Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.

5. Make friendship a fine art.

6. Build a shelter against a rainy day.

7. Pray for guidance and count and give thanks for your blessings every day.

These principles are timeless and mean as much, if not more today than they ever have. I especially like the idea of making each day a masterpiece, as each of us has the power to do a little better today than yesterday. Each of us has the opportunity to follow the golden rule with each person we meet, treating them as we would like to be treated and most importantly passing this idea on to our children, who in this period of history are in need of our guidance daily.

I don't know if your team is still in the running for the office pool or the on-line contest. Maybe you are like me and just enjoy the sport and root for a favorite team, "Go Spartans!" I like to see a well-contested, fundamentally sound game. One that is fair and exhibits a level of enthusiasm and determination.

No matter who is left to cut down the nets at the end of the final game, there is one more game left to play, one that is more important than all of the ones it took to reach the pinnacle of a basketball season. This is where Coach Wooden's lessons are best suited and where he felt that he should be making the biggest difference in his players' lives. Coach is now 90 years old and most of his former players and the current group tower over him, but he continues to be held in high esteem by those who know him and those who only know the legend. He continues to stand tall with a quiet voice that speaks volumes. For in the end we still have to play the game of life and that is the one that matters most.

Recent Column in The Journal Standard

The Great Health Care Debate

By

Roland Tolliver

Dan, a small business owner in the Chicago area, conscientiously paid his health insurance premium for over twenty years. Each month the bill would come and each month he would cut a check and forward it to the company. About two summers ago the company received the largest order it had ever had. The company was working almost around the clock and he was right alongside them. Thirty days lapsed and he was notified that his policy was cancelled. A couple of months earlier, he found out that his cholesterol was slightly elevated. He had gone in for a physical prior to running a marathon. Dan offered to send in his check, but the company wouldn’t reinstate him for, yes, you guessed it…a pre-existing condition. Dan cannot get health insurance without paying so much that it would create a major financial hardship for his family and his business. Dan favors the “Public Option” in the health care plan as proposed by the government.

Dan’s story is not unique. We, here in Northwest Illinois, are hearing this type of story almost daily. Businesses are downsizing. People are being “walked to the door” and the ranks of the uninsured or underinsured are growing with each lost job. The emergency rooms are becoming more crowded as people seek health care without the insurance or wherewithal to pay the medical costs. Medicaid ranks are growing, even though the state doesn’t have the money to pay existing bills. The number one reason for bankruptcy in our country is because of health care costs from a catastrophic illness or injury. What is our country to do? How will we be able to afford it? And what cost will there be as a nation becomes sicker, grows older and as the Baby Boomer Generation reaches Medicare age?

I had the opportunity to take part in a Health Care Forum in Chicago on September 1, 2009 at the WTTW studio in Chicago. There were only 24 guests invited to be a part of the audience and the panel included Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the Senate Majority Whip; Dr. Jeremy Lazarus of the AMA; Dr. Paul Handel of Health Care Service Corp, the parent company of Blue Cross/ Blue Shield Illinois; and Kevin Scanlan of Metropolitan Chicago Health Council, which represents 140 Chicago area hospitals. The hour long program, which was one of the most civilized I’ve seen, focused on some of the major issues which are currently (and will be) affecting Americans from all walks of life. Those of us in Stephenson County and throughout our region represent a microcosm of what is happening throughout the country and the health care issue is being rabidly debated, but goes much deeper than the rhetoric that is offered on the nightly cable news and on talk radio.

I presented a question to the panel about the problem that rural America faces in recruiting and maintaining physicians. There is currently a shortage of between 7,000-10,000 primary care physicians in America. This number is expected to grow to approximately 50,000 by the year 2020. Whether it is a preference for an urban lifestyle over a rural lifestyle, or whether it is the fact that the average medical student is graduating with a student loan debt load of over $155,000 even before they start in practice, fewer physicians are going into general practice. Another factor in the physician shortage is the cost of malpractice. This is another topic in the national debate, but was not addressed at the forum in Chicago. While the reform of tort laws is certainly an important issue, it is not the only factor for the escalating costs of health care.

The debate will continue to rage on, as it has for many years. Some feel that the current administration is forcing their plan onto the public. There is fear of so-called “death panels” and rationing of health care. In some ways, that is already going on in our country. From experience, however, it is not usually the public insurance, i.e. Medicare, which limits a physician’s ability to practice medicine. Their guidelines are straightforward. It is more often private insurance companies that are making the patients and their physicians “jump through hoops” when it comes to ordering necessary exams, prescribing the best medications for certain conditions as indicated, and being able to perform the procedures needed to allow a patient to live a pain-free or at the least, a more comfortable life.

No matter which side of the health care “debate” that one is on, we cannot deny that something has to be done for coverage of over 46,00,000 uninsured people in America. Neither can we afford to continue driving potential doctors away from the medical profession, because we will have an even greater divide in people receiving health care. We in rural America will suffer the consequences at an even greater percentage than in urban areas. We cannot afford this for our sakes, for the sake of our children and grandchildren and for the sake of our community’s overall well-being.

The questions are difficult and real answers about the cost of health insurance, prescription medications and the cost of poor lifestyle choices affect all of us. Let your voices be heard by writing our Senators and Congressmen. When the President speaks to the joint session of Congress this week, we must remember that it is ultimately up to each of us to make informed choices and take ownership in this issue and in our own health, whenever possible.

To view the Health Care forum, please visit WTTW’s Chicago Tonight website

or go to:http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=42,8,8&vid=090109a

Dr. Roland Tolliver is a podiatrist and freelance writer from Freeport.

Health Care Forum WTTW

I had the fortune of being one of 24 guests invited to take part in a health care forum at WTTW in Chicago on September 1, 2009. The forum was one of the few that I've seen that has been civil, even though there were dissenting sides of the issue present. The forum's expert panel included Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the Senate Majority Whip; Dr. Jeremy Lazarus of the AMA; Dr. Paul Handel of BC/BS's parent company; and Kevin Scanlan of Metro Chicago Healthcare Council.

The questions/comments were relavent to the topic, though a couple of issues were either skirted over or weren't discussed in the 53 minute program. The host was Phil Ponce, longtime Chicago television newsman.

The most heated portion of the debate took place between Sen. Durbin and Dr. Handel. The Public Option, while favored by many, is being hotly contested and dissuaded by the Health Insurance companies. I had the most difficulty swallowing the "reason" why the CEO of Health Care Service Corp, the parent company of BC/BS of Illinois makes over 12 Million Dollars per year.

The consensus seems to be that those who have employer-based health care insurance are happy with it and those who are uninsured or underinsured (or like some of us are paying exorbitant amounts for less than optimal insurance with high deductibles) look at the public option as a way of being able to afford health insurance without going bankrupt or struggling to make ends meet.

There has been, and unfortunately always will be, some form of rationing of health care. It happens here in the USA and in countries with socialized or nationalized health programs. The underlying issue is that no matter what comes down through the House and the Senate, it will end up costing more than we can afford. We can't afford to do nothing, either, though.

Health Care Shortage

The site above tells of the current and projected shortage of doctors in America. The push for national healthcare continually forgets one very important fact. In countries that have nationalized or socialized medicine, the physicians are able to go to medical school for much less cost (and in some countries for free) to medical school if they qualify for admission. American medical students are graduating with an average debt of $150,000. How can a student enter practice knowing that they will not be reimbursed at a rate sufficient to cover even their student loans, let alone the additional costs, such as malpractice. Rural areas, where reimbursement rates are lower, will be hit even harder and are already suffering from a physician shortage.

The problem will only get worse with the proposed healthcare initiative being strong-armed into existence by President Obama. We've had patients that have lived in countries, such as Great Britain, with nationalized health care and they've reported that there was a waiting time for basic services of up to six months or more. Insuring more people will not only overwork existing doctors, but will disinsentivize people from considering going into medicine. If there is change in the cost of going to medical school, it would offer more qualified students a chance to study medicine and create an environment where financial renumeration is not such an overarching issue. Somehow, I don't see the cost of medical school going down anytime soon, though.

Father and Son

This is the first weekend that my son, G., and I have had a father and son weekend where we've stayed overnight somewhere. His soccer team has been competing in the Midwest Soccer Cup in St. Charles, Illinois. They had a tough 2-1 loss this morning, but with two wins yesterday and the point totals, they made it into tomorrow's playoffs as the wild card team. It is fun to watch them grow into young men, the current pretzel tossing contest aside, they've taken to competition with a healthy attitude. They are still at the stage where they are playing for the thrill of playing. They like the competition more than practices, but, hey who doesn't.

I remember fishing and hunting trips with my father. There weren't club soccer teams or traveling baseball teams when I was my son's age. Now there are both and club volleyball, basketball and other sports where the kids play throughout the year. I don't know which is better, or maybe it is just that things are different. The joy of trying various sports and activities is missing sometimes, but the level of competition seems to be at such a higher level than in previous years. Either way it is fun to be with the children throughout these endeavors, either athletics, dance, music, or speech (as any one of the children have done at one time or another).

Time for some sleep, as the next game comes around early in the morning.

The Long Weekend

The Twin Cities were the sight of our recent and rare chance to get away for a few days. We are grateful that our daughter and son-in-law are willing to help out with our special-needs daughter, and our other two younger children. This week is special for the fact that my beloved, Irena, will be 50 on Friday. She didn't want a vacation, or a trip to Hawaii, or a "surprise" party. She wanted to go and have an "Oprah Makeover" as was featured on her show. reVamp Salon in Minneapolis is where Christopher Hopkins and his extraordinary staff of designers, estheticians, among others brought out the "new" Irena. Not that I saw anything wrong with the old version. She literally received the royal treatment and the photos do not lie. It is said a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll stop here...

Bird was the Word

I saw Mark "The Bird" Fidrych pitch at Tiger Stadium five times during the summer of '76. He brought a lot of heart and joy to a city that was already starting on a downward trend. The sold out stadium was raucous on those nights and everyone wanted a curtain call whether he pitched a complete game or left early. The only time I remember the stadium being that much fun was the game where Denny McLain won his 30th game.

Mark made the game fun, not only for those in attendance, but for his teammates, as well. He kept the Tigers in almost every game he pitched that season with a 19-9 record and 2.34 ERA. He pitched 24 complete games that year. That is a career for many of the coddled starters in today's game. Hair flopping, mound grooming, and ball talking were just a few of the styles he brought to the field. None of it would have mattered if he hadn't pitched so well, though. It was a competitive nature and pinpoint accuracy that made him what he was that year.

Unfortunately, fame can be fleeting. He injured his knee jumping over the dugout railing (there was that juvenile streak in the fair-haired boyish charm). He tried to come back too soon and with his mechanics off, he then injured his shoulder. The Bird would only go 10-10 the rest of his career only showing glimpses of the brilliance of 1976.

Just like Mark "The Bird" Fidrych left the game too soon, so did he leave this life too soon. There may be no second acts, but there can definitely be fond memories. Godspeed, Bird, may you fly high, throw straight and bring such joy to the next life.

The Other "R" Word

The following column appeared in the Freeport Focus the week of August 19, 2008 about the time of the release of the movie, Tropic Thunder. It is being reprinted here as today is the Day of Acceptance for people of all abilities. Please click the title link above for more information from the Special Olympics. In light of the condescending remarks of our President on the Jay Leno Show recently, this is indeed a teachable moment for America and the world. Remember to be kind to all you meet.

The Other “R” Word
By
Roland Tolliver

“As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness of others.”
--Robert Schuller

“The best comedy of the Summer,” scream the headlines in the entertainment industry.

“Film critics stand firm against “Tropic Thunder” protests by advocates for the disabled,” states another in The Los Angeles Times.

There are no protests scheduled outside of the Lindo Theater. At least not that I have heard and there doesn’t need to be one. People have every right to view a movie, just like they have the right to sending in there letters to the editor or saying what they want to in the privacy of their own homes. It apparently doesn’t matter that large groups of people are offended or that a derogatory word has become so pervasive in our society that it is regularly used by students and teachers in our school district to refer to anyone who may be a “little slow.”

Just don’t say it in front of me, please. I’m not sure what it is in our society, but people have a tendency to marginalize those that are different from them. There have been endless struggles in our country to excise the cancerous language of prejudice in our society. The Chinese and others of Asian descent were not allowed to marry a Caucasian until well into the 1940’s, when we allied with China during World War II, even though thousands of Chinese died helping to build the Transcontinental Railroad. The Irish were thought to be here only for their brawn during the same time period.

The Japanese were forced into internment camps during WW II, even if they were born in our country. Polish jokes were commonly told to indicate that they were stupid. The African-Americans in this country suffered years of indignity, which is why I cannot comprehend their wanton use of the “N” word in rap songs. I was incredibly surprised by the use of the word “uppity” when a letter to the editor in The Journal-Standard was used to describe Senator Barack Obama. It has such a disparaging connotation that I expected a much more vigorous protest to that particular letter.

That brings us back to the people that have become the most marginalized in our society and the ones that are least able to defend themselves. The assault on people who are mentally challenged in our society is reaching epic proportions. When school-aged students regularly call people “retards” it shows a total lack of understanding. They can, perhaps, claim ignorance. When teachers use the same word in like fashion, it shows a lack of compassion. When Hollywood perpetuates this negative stereotype without regard to the consequences, it shows a level of mean-spiritedness that will only exaggerate the problem. This is where “Tropic Thunder” has crossed the line.

Much of the early press about the movie was for the Robert Downey, Jr. character, who undergoes a “pigmentation process” in order to portray a Black actor in the movie. While this certainly sets another low standard for the industry, it pales in comparison with the discriminatory social commentary in regards to people that are mentally challenged.

The most disturbing aspect the producers and director, Ben Stiller, make with their movie, is that they know it will appeal to young adults and teens, who themselves are still impressionable, and their “Don’t Go Full Retard” mantra will likely become this summer’s movie catchphrase. How does a parent or a sibling or a relative of someone who has brain damage, epilepsy, Down’s Syndrome, autism, or a variety of injuries, illnesses or hereditary conditions that affect the brain explain the rude comments made by the insensitive about them?

Have any of these people ever lived with a child or an adult who “doesn’t fit in”? Have the insensitive people ever been in a store when someone’s brain-damaged child or teen is throwing a temper-tantrum in the middle of an aisle? Do people think that seeing a T-shirt with the above slogan helps the situation? Or are people that unconcerned with the feelings of others these days? It truly makes me sad that people can be so unkind.

I know from which I speak… I’m not a prude. I don’t go around pretending to be the captain of the politically correct police. I have enjoyed some of the movies of Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and the other actors in this movie. I have even seen the mentally challenged in some of their movies portrayed in a positive, sensitive light. What I don’t get, and I admit that I am refusing to see the movie, is how or why their portrayal has gone astray. Are producers and directors that hard up for material that it is now acceptable to denigrate the people in our society who are least able to stand up for their own rights?

Decide for yourselves what to do when it comes to the movie, everyone is in their rights to do so, but think about the implications of encouraging this prejudicial movie to be a financial success. Think about how its message seeps into the brains of the most impressionable segment of our society and how that venom then spews forth in our schools and our community. Think about all of the people that have fought for generations to eliminate social prejudice in our society and how much still exists. Then think hard about giving your hard-earned money to people who still “don’t get it.” Maybe, just maybe, they will get the message we are sending. And then maybe our children, family members, friends and acquaintances will know compassion, understanding and respect in their schools and communities. Maybe!?

Dr. Roland Tolliver is a freelance writer in Freeport. He has been fighting the good fight with his wife and family for their daughter, Claire, and others with mental and intellectual disabilities for more than a decade. He may be reached at rtolliver@kastlepublishing.com or through the blog “Pretzel City Logic.”

Special Olympians Deserve Better

Our President's off-handed attempt at a joke about his bowling has turned into a minor firestorm. I understand that his bowling is pretty weak, but then again so is his recent attempt at being humorous. For those of us with children who have participated in Special Olympics, the comment was another example of how people with special needs are viewed as less worthy of respect. There is a good chance that this is not how he really feels, but oftentimes the true colors of one's opinions come out in the unscripted moments. Grandma used to say that someone can be book smart, but dumb as a piece of coal when it comes to common sense. Looks like this is one of those moments. We can hope that some good comes out of the Presidents' gaffe.

Where Have All the Children Gone?

It doesn't seem possible, but the children do move on. Our friends, Steve and Petra, let us know recently that their son, Jason, has moved to California. He has been interested in writing screenplays and found some people to live with in the L.A. area and has taken the chance to follow his dream. I wouldn't be surprised to see our daughter, Veronica, do the same thing in a few years (once she graduates from college, please!).

When our oldest daughter, Mary, went off to college, it happened so soon after her high school graduation, that in some ways it didn't fully register. She came back with her degree and her fiance, David. They will be married two years in June. Yes, they do grow up much quicker than we imagine. Sometimes, they come home. Sometimes, they move on. I have now lived in Illinois for almost 28 years, though I still feel that Michigan in many ways that it it is still my home state. One of the recent reminders for me was when I went to see the movie, "Gran Torino". The movie was filmed primarily in the Detroit area with the closing scene taking place along Lake Shore Drive/Jefferson Avenue along Lake St. Clair. There were so many memories brought back from that one scene alone. Driving along the lake. Biking along the lake. Running along the lake. Going north toward the last town where I lived, St. Clair Shores, before moving to Chicago in 1981.

The landscape of Detroit has changed so much in the past two decades. Most of these changes began in the 1960's and 1970's after the riots of 1967. The great "White Flight" took homeowners and longtime residents out of the city and to the ever-developing suburbs that were taking shape. The migratory patterns have continued over the years with movement continuing farther north into Oakland and Macomb counties. The farm land of our youth is now the next mall or subdivision. The areas around Lincoln High School and the Van Dyke School District are now lower income housing areas in many cases and the once middle-class is now the lower middle-class or even lower income areas. The school district is now much more integrated than when I left the area in 1981.

We don't get back "home" much anymore. Travel is more difficult with a special-needs daughter and an active family. When I do go home, the old haunting grounds look so different, but the streets remain about the same. I go on auto-pilot and get around just fine, but the landscape is very different, especially the farther out I go. The tract of land where we used to ride our motorcycles has been developed and the woods are mostly gone. The "corner store" is long gone and the mega-stores are taking over the area. What has changed more recently is the vast number of homes for sale, foreclosed or being auctioned off. It was recently announced that approximately an additional 17,000 jobs will be lost in Warren, where I grew up, due to the closing of automotive plants and cost-cutting measures by GM and Chrysler. There will be more than that, though, as the ancillary companies that are related to the auto industry.

Rolling Stone Magazine recently profiled Detroit and the ghost town that it is becoming. Large tracts of land, where even coyotes are now seen roaming, loom desolately between abandoned or run-down houses. Large factories and warehouses sit idly by with broken windows and grafitti-filled walls.

So, where have all the children gone. Whether it is in Northwest Illinois where jobs are becoming more scarce or in my hometown, Detroit, area, the children are moving to where they can make a decent living. We have two younger children still at home. One day they will have to make a decision. Where will the children go?

Even More Photos from No Exit

More Photos from No Exit at North Central College

No Exit

Veronica was in her first major performance at North Central College this past weekend at the new Madden Theatre. The play was No Exit by Jean-Paul Satre and was directed by third year student, Abby Stark. The cast of four performed with zeal for this psychological drama about three people stuck in hell, which is defined as "other people." The following photos were taken after the play and identifies the major characters: Sean Driscoll as Garcin; Veronica Tolliver as Inez; Kathryn Bauer as Estelle; and Kati Riess as the Valet. They should all be proud of the show and their performances.

NIU Moving Forward

The following column was published last year, days after the massacre on Valentine's Day at the DeKalb campus of Northern Illinois University. It is reprinted now as a memorial to those who lost their lives and as a tribute to those who continue to carry on despite the tragedy. God bless.


How Do We Understand the Incomprehensible?
By
Roland Tolliver

“It often happens that the real tragedies of life occur in such an inartistic manner that they hurt us by their crude violence, their absolute incoherence, their absurd want of meaning, their entire lack of style.” --Oscar Wilde

I’m tired of moments of silence, lighting candles and makeshift memorials. Don’t get me wrong. I understand the reason behind them, but I’m just mentally, emotionally and spiritually drained by the need for them. I’m tired of the senseless murders that are happening on our campuses and in our streets. I’m tired of feeling the tightening of the encompassing circle of death, especially as it comes ever closer to home. I’m tired of having to read headlines about deranged or mentally ill individuals who feel that they have to go out in “a blaze of glory” by taking innocent victims with them. Aren’t you tired of it, also?

This time it hit particularly close to home, not only geographically, but personally. One of my daughter Mary’s best friends was scheduled to be in that room for a 3:30 p.m. class. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of students from northwest Illinois attending Northern Illinois University. We keep hearing the refrain, “It isn’t supposed to happen here,” but it has and we feel helpless to stop it. We hear suggestions to arm the instructors or that we should allow concealed weapons, so that students can protect themselves. How? Do we have ROTC members standing in each class with rifles loaded and ready to defend our rights to be educated? Would the massacres at Virginia Tech or at NIU have happened if we had surveillance cameras in every classroom with guards standing ready to intervene?

I feel like I know the instructor who was shot and then chased by the gunman. I’ve known his grandmother for years and she has shared with me his many accomplishments in the world of paleontology. Joe Peterson is working towards his doctorate in a field that most of us probably don’t understand. His passion has been shown at the Burpee Museum and in the discovery and excavation and recovery of Jane, the dinosaur. He was married last summer and was settling into his academic life at Northern. His grandmother always speaks glowingly about him. She says that she doesn’t always understand what it is he does in paleontology, but she has always supported him. I can imagine that one of the last things she would have been worried about was that her grandson would find himself running for his life during a class. He was shot in the shoulder, but what kind of scar will actually be left, knowing that five of his students are dead. Five students who minutes earlier had probably been watching the clock looking forward to Valentine’s Day or to the weekend or just finishing class so they could go to the bathroom. Then all hell breaks loose and the only thing on the mind of more than a hundred students is, “How do I get out of here?” How does a teacher or anyone comprehend this?

What I’m sensing, and this doesn’t come from exhaustive psychosocial analysis, but from just a curiosity about human nature, is that we have moved into a phase of “disconnect” when it comes to this type of senseless killing. Have you noticed the way in which the killers burst into rooms with guns blazing and they start just wiping out innocent victims? Go back to Columbine or Virginia Tech and now to NIU and many other incidents in between and you have this vigilante mentality that permeates the killers. Now, look at the types of video and computer games that have been prevalent among the age-group that has been predominantly responsible for these attacks. These games, like Grand Theft Auto, often depict a person who has the ability to kill without conscience and when you are “killed” in the game, you just start over. I don’t know if the NIU killer was a “gamer,” like the Columbine murderers were, but there are frightening patterns developing among the ones who have killed so many of our students. Boys and young men, especially, seem to lose the ability to separate virtual reality from reality and when one adds mental illness into the equation, it becomes even more volatile.

NIU’s president, John Peters, was very forthcoming in a press conference the day that these innocent students were slaughtered when he said that sometimes there is just no way of preventing this type of tragedy from occurring. When someone is determined enough, they tend to find a way to carry out their plan. And it had to have been planned for him to sit in a hotel room in DeKalb for three days, to purchase the guns in advance, to mail the items and the letter to his girlfriend, and then to proceed to the lecture hall with the concealed weapons. Mental illness or not, he had the wherewithal to follow through with his plan.

How does a bright individual like a Kazmierciak or even a Kaczyinski go from amicable to annihilator of human life? What mental buttons are pushed that lead to such a drastic and tragic transformation? How can one person say he was “just the sweetest guy” in retrospect when he has just blown away unsuspecting people in such a cavalier way? What are we missing here? What piece of the story doesn’t make sense? How do we get to the underlying questions in everyone’s minds: “Why did this happen?”; “Why does it keep happening?”; and “What can we do about it?’

There are no immediate answers, just like there are no easy answers. Those that have stained our innocence often leave us clueless, because they take their own lives before any answers are forthcoming. Those that are left behind, like Joe Peterson, the wounded, those that escaped, and the families of victims are left to painfully ask, “Why?”

Over the Funk

It's been more than a month since posting here and I think that part of it was the melancholy felt by losing another outlet for writing. It was sad to see the demise of The Freeport Focus. There were a number of good, hard-working people who really wanted to see the paper succeed. Unfortunately, the economic downturn and the paucity of regular subscribers cut into the chances of the paper making it. They brought a sensibility to the community and fulfilled a need in covering school board and district issues, community government, county government, and definitely highlighted local athletics and arts.

The Journal Standard picked up the pace with some of their coverage and have done a much better job with their coverage on the web. I especially like what Joe Tamborello has done with the video presentations and his photos tend to be of high quality. There are still too many generic columns by GateHouse contributors that have little to no bearing on our area. There is still a need there that needs to be filled.

How many events have happened since the beginning of the year?! A new President, a miraculous water landing in the Hudson River, a pork-filled "stimulus" plan, further deepening of the recession, and the birth of octuplets. Oh yeah, and Illinois has a new Governor! Blago's gone, but he won't let us forget him, because he is on t.v. every few hours.

There has been no scarcity of faux pauxs in the early days of the Obama administration. Just today another choice for Commerce Secretary has withdrawn his name. Why weren't all of these people truly vetted, especially in the Treasury Department when it comes to who has and hasn't complied with the tax laws? There is also something inherently wrong about having lobbyists or those who have received large donations being nominated for positions like Secretary of Health and Human Services, nee Tom Daschle. And please, President Obama, it comes across as a sign of weakness by declaring, "I screwed up." How about something along the lines of, "I apologize that this candidate was not fully vetted. We have asked him/her to step aside, because we will not tolerate these indiscretions in my administration. We will work to make sure that this does not happen again."

For any regular readers of the newspaper columns, I'll try to stay more up-to-date with postings at this site. Drop me a line and touch base.

A Girl and Her Dog

Claire and Shia, Then and Now

Five years ago, while listening to NPR, I heard a story about service
dogs for children with autism. They were called "companion dogs" and
some of the children were making good progress with social
interaction. While Claire does not officially have autism, she has
symptoms that are similar. We looked at some of the options available.
My wife wasn't too keen on going to Spain for a dog, which is where
the NPR story took place. I would have loved to have gone, but
pragmatism often rules around here. The other locations we found were
in Ohio and California. Ohio's program had a 5-6 year waiting list.
California, well, it might as well have been Spain.

A friend of ours, who knew that we were looking for a companion dog
for Claire, found out about a place called "Working Class Dogs." It
was in McHenry County, Illinois and run by Julianne Taylor, who had
worked at the California location previously. We made an appointment
and about six months later, we were approved for a dog for Claire.
That was about five years ago and after Shia was trained, and we were
trained to handle Shia, she came home with us and our lives have not
been the same since.

What can I say about a dog that seems smarter than I am some days?
Okay, most days. She has this sense of when to seek attention, when to
ask for assistance and when someone just needs to pet her, which is
pretty much any time she is not working for Claire. She is by Claire's
side or at her feet most of the time when they are home together. When
Claire is in school, Shia is just like any other household dog with a
substantially higher dog intelligence level. And when Claire is home,
we'll find Shia right by her side. Whether it is during dinner and
Claire is trying to sneak Shia something off of her plate, or while
watching a movie with the two of them cuddling under a blanket, we'll
typically find one if looking for the other.

Early mornings, when Claire intuitively knows it is time for school,
she'll arise and head to the bathroom. Shia, arouses and heads to our
bedroom, where I feel her cold nose nudging my hand. I'll pet her head
a few times and try to roll back over to go to sleep for a few more
precious minutes. Then I'll feel a paw on my back or at the back of my
head, as she'll try to crawl up into the bed. "Down," I'll say, and
she'll lay on the floor waiting patiently for the next subtle movement
in the bed, knowing that it is time to go out and then time for
breakfast.

Yes, Shia knows the routine, as do we. She has trained us as well as
we have trained her. She will cuddle with anyone who is sitting on the
couch or come and lie at our feet, just to be near someone. She has
her moments when she goes to her kennel for some quiet time, but
bounds down the stairs when she hears someone coming in the door or if
she hears a voice in the kitchen.

So, as I write my last column for The Freeport Focus, I wanted to take
a few minutes to let everyone who has asked or thought about asking
about Claire and Shia, that they are quite the pair. Each day they
bring some joy and laughter into our home. It is hard to remember the
days before Shia came home to be with us, much as it is difficult to
realize that Claire has been free of seizures for more than eight
years. As she celebrates her "Sweet Sixteen" birthday next week, it is
with awe and amazement that I realize how wrong the doctors were about
Claire those many years ago. And as I look at the two of them,
sleeping side by side, I know that there is magic between a girl and
her dog.

And that magic is called love.