Second Act by Jauhn Hinkle

     It's said that "in America there are no second acts" And It'd be easy to wrap up this guy's birthday on Memorial Day as "oldest living veteran of Iwo Jima." But it would be coloring a man with only 1 of the crayons in a box that clearly had 64. He was first a "failed rancher/farmer" during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. Although he'd probably say that that was nothing compared to surviving the Spanish Flu that killed more Americans by 1918 than WW1. He would casually discount his multiple engagements in the Pacific Theater with "have you ever met a Marine who landed on Tarawa? Me neither."

     For the next 22 years after the war he walked through fire like a Tin foil wrapped Vulcan as a firefighter. Twenty foot flames around engine 54 and his crew on flash practices... Quite a site. Then as a retiree when many of his colleagues went to golf or fish, dad started preparing a nest egg for his 6 kids by rehabbing "fixer uppers," which were plentiful in the 70s of Imperial Beach.

     He was conservative with his money but liberal with his love. He rarely gave me what I wanted: name brand jeans and shoes, but he always gave me what I needed... An iron clad work ethic, an education, RV travels across this great continent and at least once we ate "mutton" under the branches where a kookaburra sang. This time of year I see a lot of selfie college grad photos. And that is AWESOME! 

     But it's important to keep a perspective on the whole journey and remember that none of us pulls ourselves up entirely by our own boot straps. Everything I've ever accomplished was done by squarely standing on the shoulders of a man who dropped out of junior high sometime around the grade where "long division stopped and they started putting Xs in the Mathematics." He gives me hope as a dad because he WASN'T a perfect man and he never stopped evolving and improving himself and the world around him. Happy Birthday Dad. Your life will always be your greatest Memorial

Two Women, Two Paths

Going Back to 5th Grade by Jerry Hinkle

     I was quite shocked to hear that the Miller, South Dakota School Board's decision to allow the men of Gideons International to distribute New Testament Bibles to 5th graders in their school has been as newsworthy as social media is making it. Perhaps it's because the ACLU is protesting the decision. I don't know. I've heard that the Gideons distributed these same Bibles at Georgia Morse Middle school earlier this year, but have heard no official confirmation of the same!

     One of my hobbies is playing "Are you smarter than a 5th grader" on Facebook. A good deal of the time, I am in fact smarter, other days, not so much. I can tell you one thing. Today's 5th Grader is expected to know all matter of things. From the Dewey Decimal system to the biology that I was struggling with in High School.

     They also have a subject that I never did during my 5th grade term, a subject called "Cultural Studies". This subject covers a lot of ground, from fairy tales, and Mythology from the Ancient Greek, Norse, and Egyptian cultures. They study Hinduism and Buddhism as well. American Religion is still of limits to them. Why is that?

     Some say it's because of a Constitutional separation of Church and State. Funny thing about that is that I've read the Constitution and that phrase never comes up-not once. It seems that the Supreme Court had to go outside the Constitution to a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote referring to a "wall of separation" between church and state. This wall was created, not to keep religion out of the state, however, but to keep the state out of religion.

     It seems to me if the school can teach them how the rest of the world worships, or used to worship, the least they could do is is include the Jewish-Christian God for comparison sake. Of course since I have not been blessed with children of my own, I'll just sit back and pray that the right thing is done by the children of this nation. The ACLU may not like the decision of the Miller School Board, but unless they have a child in that district, they need to let it be. If the parents have a problem, they are quite capable of going to the School Board on their own behalf. Perhaps the ACLU and other like minded groups could have someone passing out a booklet on their beliefs right beside the Gideons. Instead of censoring free speech, they need to join in the discussion-respectfully.

 God be with you and do the best you can!

Miller School Board Approves Gideons Bible

     A Mind of the World staff member found this report on the Black Hills FOX News Facebook page. The little town of Miller, South Dakota, with a population of about 1489 people has a lot of people talking about Bibles in School. Opponents of the move cite Separation of Church and State, while the people in favor compare this to the distribution of condoms. Whether or not the Miller School District does, in fact distribute condoms is unknown!
    " The school board in Miller, South Dakota has voted to allow Gideons International to distribute pocket-sized New Testaments to fifth graders in the district. The South Dakota ACLU has sent a letter to the district protesting that move." 
     This could be a story with legs, and if it moves, you can count on the Mind of the World to follow wherever it leads!

Porn in the USA by Jerald E Hinkle

    Pornography in America has been a big issue ever since the Pilgrims tried to ban it in 1620. OK, I could be wrong, but it's been around a while. One of the problems is that nobody can successfully define what pornography is. The best definition I've ever heard came from the man (I assume) who said "I know it when I see it."

     Because of this, and many other factors, any attempt to ban pornography will be about as successful as alcohol prohibition or the "war on drugs" The real answer people gotta censor themselves, and leave everyone else alone. When I was growing up, pornography took the form of photos in magazines, books, and movies. Now it can be found, if you know where to look, on the computer, possibly even a cell phone. Also depending on the your own definition, you can find it on your own TV set.

     Not everyone sees pornography as a problem. With the passage of time, it's becoming more accepted and part of the mainstream of entertainment. No more plain brown wrappers anymore! There are places where pornography is not accepted, like the workplace and public places, and so forth, but the fact still remains that anyone so inclined can get an eyeful at any time. And it's easier now than ever before.

     Is that a good or bad thing? I don't know for sure. I just know that as far as I go, I try to avoid it as much as possible. I sure don't go out of my way to find it. In my younger days, I was curious about such things. Now, I know all I need to! Some have told me that it's "normal" to look for that kind of stimulation, and perhaps it is. I want something better than normal! I call myself to live under a higher set of principles. The temptation to treat the opposite gender as objects of lust is strong. It's a struggle, but one I take on willingly. Part of being human is struggling with our imperfection.

 

God be with you and do the best you can!