22 - The Unger Memorial Library - Plainview Daily Herald

Page 4A - Monday, February 22, 2010 - Plainview Daily Herald http://www.MyPlainview.com
Plainview Daily Herald
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Plainview Daily Herald
A A Unit of of The the Hearst Corporation
Published afternoons (except (except Saturday and and Sunnday) Sunday) and and Sunday Mornings. Mornings
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Sandra Aven Kevin Lewis
Publisher Editor
Sandra Aven, Publisher Danny Andrews, Editor
James Thomas, Publisher Emeritus
MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS and NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE
Superpoked by the gov’t
Soon you’re going to get
your 2010 census form in the
mail. Some people are
upset about it, claiming
that it infringes
on their privacy. I
assume they are not
the same people who
are on Facebook right
now posting pictures
of themselves playing
beer pong nude. Why
is it that some people
seem to care very
much about privacy
and others don’t seem
to care at all?
If you care a lot about
privacy and you’ve got a
driver’s license, the big, bad
government already knows
your name and address,
your birthday, your height,
your eye color, whether you
should wear glasses and if
you’d like to donate your
organs. Your privacy genie
is already out of the bottle.
And the census doesn’t care
about your eye color. As a
matter of fact, it only asks ten
questions. My grocery store
asks for way more information
to apply for a Shopper’s
Discount Card. They wanted
my phone number, a recent
tax return and a thumbprint
before I could save 15 cents
on a can of peas. At my local
convenience store, the
clerk always wants to see
my driver’s license to prove
that I’m 40 years older than
the age required to buy a sixpack
of beer. Compared to
what everyone else wants to
know about you, the census
is a cupcake.
Bought a car? Paid income
taxes? Have a Social Security
number? Got a Frequent Flyer
Card? A passport? A credit
card? A bank account? A
401(k)? On Medicare? Been
in a hospital, gone to a doctor?
Filled out a selective service
form, served in the military,
had a government job,
member of a union, attended
grade school, high school or
college? Got a phone? Get
an electric bill? Registered
with a political party? Have
a library card? Filled out a
job application? Registered
to vote? Get cable TV? Got a
mortgage? Got a divorce?
Your privacy jumped out a
While it is good to let boys
be rough and tumble warriors
with other guys, they should
not be excused from doing
jobs in the house. When my
son was 8, he and his sister
stayed with a sitter while I
took a college class.
Arriving home one night
at 11 p.m., I found a pile of
dirty jeans on my bed with
a note that said, “Mom, I
need clean jeans for school
tomorrow. Thanks.” I started
window and went splat a long,
long time before the census
ever came around. And
all the king’s horses and
all the king’s men can’t
put it back together
again. What privacy are
you trying to save? The
Census Bureau is mailing
you the form. They
already know where you
live. All they want to
know is how many peo-
ple live in your house.
Is that the big secret
you’re keeping from the
Census Bureau? You’re
afraid that they’ll fi nd out
how many college-age kids
you have living at home so
mom can keep doing their
laundry and cooking their
meals and dad can keep buying
their gas? It’s nothing to
be embarrassed about. We’ve
all been there. Besides, anyone
with bad intentions and
a fast computer can fi nd out
all about you quickly, easily
and illegally, right now.
They don’t need the Census
Bureau.
Privacy is one of those
things that sound good. Who
doesn’t want more privacy?
But it’s something no one
had to begin with. Let me
ask all the people complaining
about a lack of privacy:
When did you have all this
privacy that the census is
taking away from you? Oh
yeah, never. The census is
not some new thing the government
just came up with to
“get” you.
As a matter of fact, isn’t
that why Mary and Joseph
went to Bethlehem in the fi rst
place? To be counted in a
census? About the only thing
someone with bad intentions
and a fast computer can’t fi nd
out about you quickly, easily
and illegally right now is
how many people live in your
house this very day.
Maybe, instead of taking
a census, the government
should just get itself a Facebook
page and start friending
people.
(Jim Mullen is the author
of “It Takes a Village Idiot:
Complicating the Simple
Life” and “Baby’s First Tattoo.”
Contact him at jim_
mullen@myway.com)
a wash load before I went to
bed and dried them early the
next morning.
Then I decided that he
needed to learn to wash his
own clothes.
Every 18-year-old should
leave home with certain survival
skills. That includes
laundry, cooking, putting
sheets on a bed (and remembering
to change them
regularly!), house cleaning,
vehicle maintenance and fi -
Saddened by church’s decreased attendance
Preface: Some may fi nd
today’s column offensive,
but sadly I fi nd today’s column
necessary. For those
who fi nd it offensive, at the
end there will be instructions
to follow proper complaint
procedures.
Recently, the necessity
arose to leave church during
its regular a.m. Sunday
activities.
I passed several churches
also in progress and noticed
a decrease in Sunday a.m.
travel activity.
I also noticed that the
amount of attendance in autos
parked has also signifi -
cantly decreased.
Since then I have had opportunity
to speak to members
of other churches and
found that my fi ndings are
true.
Attendance on Sunday
a.m. has decreased and continues
to do so. This caused
curiosity and thus led to an
investigation on my behalf
concerning the why and
wherefores of such occurrences.
The investigation turned
up the following cause for
the consistent downing in
attendance. The cause has
been around for ages and
continues to be highly contagious.
Working in the
medical community, I now
know that the disease can be
referred to as “Sundayitis”
(in Spanish “Domingitis”)
since this is the main hour of
occurrence.
This virus has almost taken
over our world, due to lack
of interest in self inspection.
The onset of the virus begins
on Friday and/or Saturday,
and is fully manifested and
highly noticeable early Sunday
mornings.
The Friday and Saturday
All this news in regard to
the condition of our nation
and all this stuff about health
insurance fi nally gets a little
depressing. So I decided to
do the History
Channel for a
couple of days
and maybe get
break from all
this gloomand-doom
stuff.
It just hap-
pened to be reporting
some
new fi ndings
on King Tut.
What was surprising to
me is old King Tut was not
old at all. In fact, they claim
he became king when he
was nine years old! Now
naturally we assume with all
excuse bank is siphoned
as follows:
•I am too busy
•My family/home
responsibilities prevent
attendance
•I live too far from
church
•Church people are
hypocritical
•They will judge
me
•My job situation
prevents my church attendance
•Church is a clique
•Going to church does not
help me develop spiritually
•I stopped believing in organized
religion
•I don’t like to go alone
•Diffi culty in waking up
•It is the only day I have
to rest
“Sundayitis” peaks on
early Sunday, with some
symptoms as follows:
•Diffi culty in keeping eyes
open, appeared to be glued
together
•Extreme fatigue (of
course not at all related to
staying up into the wee hours
of the morning watching TV,
playing video games, etc.)
•Overall weakness, aching
and pain of bones, muscles
and joints
•Feet extremely sensitive
to movement, preventing
weight bearing activity
•Bed sheets and blankets
begin sticking to the body
•High sensitivity to water
therefore showers and/or
bathes cannot be taken
•No appetite
•Sleepiness overtakes the
affected victim and utterances
are formed, “It’s too late
to go now.” “It’s a bad hair
day.” “I can’t risk catching a
cold, or such.” “
It seems that now when
one in the household gets
the wealth and power kings
had in those days that Tut
was one cool dude and had
it made. They now say Tut
had a club foot and walked
with a crutch. He had a cleft
palate and numerous health
problems, including malaria
most of his life. He supposedly
died at the age of 19.
The scientists claim evidence
exists that he was likely
the offspring of a brother
and sister, which also created
genetic problems and
likely was the cause of most
of his health problems. Statues
of Tut show him to have
an elongated head and feminized
features (whatever that
means.) Tut and all this stuff
was happening around 1323
B.C., which is a while back,
and I would imagine some
“a cold” everybody
stays home to blow
her/his nose.
The illness progresses
until a little prior to
lunch time when a ferocious
appetite ensues.
Following a fast and
furious meal, it is then
siesta time.
Following a large
meal, the need for a little
activity arises. This
need can be fulfi lled in any
of the following and many
other actions, depending on
seasons; watching sports,
washing a vehicle, gardening,
mowing a lawn, snowball
fi ghts or making snow
angel.
In my childhood and youth
years I never recall either
parent asking, “Do you want
to go to church?” or hearing,
“Oh, Honey, it’s OK to stay
up late Saturday, anyway
you can sleep all day tomorrow.”
Miraculously by Monday
a.m. the individual is healed
from head to toe, and come
hail or high water . . . come
snow or ice . . . to work they
will go.
The companionship with
other people is how we can
become what God truly
wants us to be.
It is a potential that needs
to be exercised to grow. He/
she who chooses to not interact
with others, maybe without
realizing it, cuts himself/
herself off from an essential
and central spiritual development.
It seems the word sacrifi
ce is used so loosely
— especially noted in this
season prior to the celebration
of Resurrection Day. I
am amazed and saddened to
hear how many dare compare
anything we might do
of this information might
have some discrepancies.
Something else that always
piqued my imagination
was that many of the fi gures
drawn back in those days of
local citizenry had the face
and head of a jackal. Well,
needless to say a couple of
days of King Tut was just
about my quota. I don’t understand
how they obtained
some of this information
from more than 3,000 years
back, and we can’t seem to
get all the facts on our current
leader. Well, that’s another
issue.
We are supposed to learn
from the past and each generation
is supposed to be
more intelligent. This, I suppose,
is true for the most
part, but it seems some of
to the greatest sacrifi ce of
all.
Without the help and gentle
guidance of and interaction
with others, we might
easily become unbalanced
and then self-centered.
Nothing can compare to
the sacrifi ce of all sacrifi ces.
The ultimate sacrifi ce took
our place on the cross. The
sacrifi cial lamb that lay his
own self down to be crucifi
ed on a cruel rugged cross,
to be lifted and hung in ridicule
and shame, having been
beaten, whipped and spat
upon in taking our blame to
the grave was a true sacrifi
ce.
We can not sacrifi ce a
meal, an action or such in
comparison to the miraculous
happening when Jesus
rose back from the dead and
back to life on the morning
of the third day — victor
over death.
May the event of the Resurrection
lead back to fi lled
churches as we comprehend
and accept that we need the
sacrifi ced Lamb of God, Jesus,
the risen Savior, in our
lives, and for sure we need
each other!
[Anyone offended will
have to take their complaint
to the creator of the tree
that became the cross, that
sent his only son to earth
to die on the cross then to
conquer death and awaits us
who believe such. If I am
wrong then He will correct
me, but until then I will
continue attending church
regularly, not just around
Resurrection Day. And I
will continue fi ghting to rid
“Sundayitis”.]
(Yolanda Godsey Rodriguez
is a Plainview freelance
writer. Contact her at
yesdogyo@sbcglobal.net)
New stuff about old King Tutankhamun
nances.
In our culture, there
has been a transition
time as women went
to work outside their
homes. For a while,
many men were not
prepared to share the
household chores. It
was diffi cult to teach
little boys that they
needed to learn all
those tasks if Dad
was less than enthusiastic
about participating.
Times have changed.
Mom working outside
the home is the norm,
and most men share the
load.
However, boys may
still see some of those
chores as “girl stuff.”
Do not allow that excuse
for skipping out on
these necessary lessons.
If you need more
reasons to see the necessity
of teaching all household
chores to your sons, consider
these: Your daughter-in-law
will love you for having
taught your son to participate
in the care of a home. Your
son will be able to survive
college apartment life without
being shut down by the
health department. Once you
get through the task of teaching
your son how to do the
chores, it will relieve you of
some work.
the problems still keep cropping
up. I never realized the
gold burial mask of King
Tut favored Michael Jackson
so much.
You don’t suppose?
Nah!
At least we are getting another
break from some of the
gloom and doom this week.
The Winter Olympics are
going full blast. I love hearing
and watching so many
young people and their victories
and defeats as they
compete. It has been most
uplifting and inspiring, and
it is a shame we can’t solve
some of our other problems
in a similar fashion.
(John Perry is a Plainview
freelance writer. Contact
him at johnep@suddenlink.net)
Attempting to get boys to start and complete their household chores
And fi nally . . .
The family that works together
has more time to play
together.
And, ultimately, those
families that spend time together,
working and playing,
have fewer problems through
the teen years.
(Carole A. Bell is a Licensed
Professional Counselor
and a retired public
school educator and counselor.)
Remembering the importance and power of prayer
The importance of prayer
is at, or very near, the center
of all things Christian. Most
of us could recite the “God
is great” mealtime prayer,
as well as the “Now I lay me
down to sleep” beddy-bye
petition, before we could
count to 10 or say the “A-B-
Cs.” We’ve pondered the “pray
without ceasing” admonition
and Jesus’ teaching his followers
to spend much time
in prayerful communion.
The Lord’s Prayer, a model
for Christians, has been repeated
by millions across the
centuries.
Many prayers surpass, or
at least equal, the world’s
Jim
Mullen
Village Idiot
Mallard Fillmore
most beautiful literature.
Hebrews 11:1 is a classic example:
“Now faith is the substance
of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not
seen.” Decorated wordsmith
Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote
of prayer with wondrous
lines, among them: “Battering
the gates of heaven with
storms of prayer . . . her eyes
are homes of silent prayer .
. . more things are wrought
by prayer than this world
dreams of.”
It is noted, however, that
words from mortal mouths
do not always come out neatly
packaged. Recalled are
preachers, and others with
microphones in hand, who
VARIETY
John
Perry
Carole
Bell
become tongue entangled or
fail to engage brain before
speaking. We can but trust
that God has a sense of humor,
easily gleaning the intent
from the content.
“Goofs” from church bulletins
feed on preachers’
prayerful pratfalls, and fl eeting
thoughts suggest that
“there but by the Grace of
God go I.”
Two legends are Texas
A&M’s R.C. Slocum, head
coach of the Aggies for 14
seasons, and Baylor’s Grant
Teaff, who held the head position
for 21 years. They still
chuckle at recollections of
pre-game invocations voiced
a few years apart at Baylor
Yolanda
Rodriguez
Stadium.
Teaff remembers the
1975 season opener
that followed Baylor’s
1974 Southwest Conference
championship
season, the Bears’
second in a half-century
of trying. That
miracle-on-the-Brazos
season was still much
on the minds of the
Green and Gold when
the next season rolled
around.
A well-known Texas pastor,
groaning for years when
the Bears’ won only the coin
toss, enthusiastically prayed
for the Almighty to “make us
humble.”
Humble? Baylor? During
57 5 years of Baylor football
prior p to Teaff’s arrival, maintaining
ta humility was seldom
considered. c For the record,
in 32 of those seasons, BU
fi nished in the half of the
conference that made the top
half possible.
Teaff wasn’t sure that he
heard the words correctly,
but he was sure that the Bears
turned the ball over via fumbles
six times that day.
At the post-game interview,
Teaff lightened the
Don
Newbury
Idle American
moment with reference
to the prayer. “God’s
getting’ on up there in
years and maybe not
hearing quite as well,”
Teaff teased. “He obviously
thought the
preacher said, “Make
us fumble.”
The prayer Slocum
most remembers was
during the Aggies’
visit to Waco a few
years later.
Slocum, himself a churchman,
found himself nodding
in affi rmation of the preacher’s
petitions.
He wilted a bit, though,
when it occurred to him that
the man praying was HIS
pastor from Bryan!
The men were model
coaching gentlemen, passionate
mentors who were
committed fi rst to building
lives, then football teams.
Teaff brought respectability
to Baylor football, and
Slocum remains the winningest
coach in school history.
Both have received highest
professional awards and
have come great distances
from their places of birth,
Teaff in Hermleigh, Texas,
Monday, February 22, 2010
Page 4A
and Slocum in Oakdale, La.
They are “as good as it
gets,” and they “keep on
keeping on.” Teaff is now
executive director of the
American Football Coaches
Association, and Slocum is
special advisor to the A&M
president and works with the
A&M Foundation.
He also is the current president
of the AFCA Foundation.
In the words of the old
cowboy trail riders, “they’ll
do to ride the river with.”
Recalled is a story about a
fellow who said to another,
“I’m praying for you.”
“Good,” the other answered,
“ ’cause I need the
prayer, and you need the
practice.”
Sometimes, prayer lists
are shortened. Uncle Mort,
noting that Kenneth Starr
has been named president at
the world’s largest Baptist
university, says Bill Clinton
can put to rest any prayers he
may have had for an honorary
doctorate from Baylor.
(Dr. Don Newbury of
Burleson, president of Howard
Payne University from
1985-97, is a speaker and
author. Contact him at newbury@speakerdoc.com)