Samson's Jawbone

I have boys, so we never followed who Ms America or Ms USA was or what they did. We were not interested. But I have heard that Miss California was runner-up for Miss USA this year. She apparently came in second for having an opinion that was unpopular with some judges. In other words, to be a beautiful and successful role model in our culture one now has to "toe the party-line." As I understand what happened, part of the contest includes an interview, and she was asked her opinion of "gay marriage." She said she thought marriage was between "a man and a woman" [Isn't this the way it has been since the dawn of civilization?] Two judges disagreed and disqualified her. One even excoriated her on his blog. One judge later said that she was "shocked that Miss California had that opinion." I found her shock, shocking. The people of the state the woman represented, the state of California, have overwhelmingly voted against gay marriage. As a mat...

Many of us who live in Greater Binghamton New York, myself included, are still shocked by the mass shooting at the American Civic Association downtown. People outside of this city do not know its history: a century ago the slogan of many immigrants coming into Ellis Island was, "which way E.J." It was the only English phrase many immigrants had learned on their pilgrimage to the American dream. They were asking where they could go to find Endicott-Johnson Corporation, a shoe factory in our town. Binghamton has a legacy of welcoming and assimilating immigrants. Although they might not have specifically heard of Binghamton,and the town may not have have been their destination, the town is a symbol of the hope of America's huddled masses. What went so terribly wrong, then, last Friday, that one of those immigrants lashed out at his fellow immigrants and his new country, then took his life, and why have shootings become all to common across America? Some will no doubt ...