http://www.bakersfield.com/...

Currently, I'm living out of the area. I live in the Mid-South. Memphis, Tennessee is one of the worst in the Nation for Gang related crime.

Around here, the majority of it is crook-on-crook. Tennessee has a "Shall Issue" gun permit law, not a "May Issue" law. In the last ten years, since this law has changed, fewer innocent people have been caught up in the Gang violence.

Around the South, there seems to be this "He Needed Killin' " defense that seems to work extremely well with Juries in a Murder Trial. If the one shot dead was a Gang member and the one doing the shooting wasn't, guess what.....? The person gets off in a hurry. Maybe Kern County needs to adopt this philosphy. It seems to be working around here.

Maybe the Gang voilence is still continuing to a lesser extent, but at least they're not involving the general public. These days, they stick to killing each other, for fear of who just might be packin' heat and shoot back. In Wast Tennessee, a little old lady might blow you away for trying to carjack her Buick.

The best thing to happen to West Tennessee was to vote in a "Shall Issue" law, and for normal folks to adopt a "He Needed Killin' " mentality......I've seen the results.

A week ago, I received a phone call from one of my "Boys". He called to tell me that he was accepted into a local University.

Randy is a Senior in High School and one of my Scouts. He was so excited that he was stammering and stuttering as he spoke. Randy is a very bright kid, but has a severe problem with self worth. His family life is quite a chellenge and has taken it's toll on him. He is terribly worried about what people might think of him, because of his Parents deeds. I've known his Parents as long as I've known him. They have their issues.

In the same phone conversation, Randy also asked me if I'd be the Speaker at his Eagle Court of Honor. My knees almost buckled. Normally, this Honor is reserved for the boy's Scoutmaster. I am no longer a Scout Leader, but Randy thinks enough of me to bestow that honor upon me.

Many years ago, when he was just a youngster, he and I put that one to bed between us. I told him that I knew him, as he stood before me. He was a fine young man, and my friend. I knew his Parents because they happened to be HIS Parents. Since a person can't choose their Parents, or control their behavior, it had absolutely no influence over what I thought about him. Since then, he has looked to me as a mentor and friend.

This afternoon, I received and invitation in the mail. It was for an Eagle Court of Honor for another one of my "Boys". Adam is another good kid. He has an extremely good family life, with a Mom and Dad who love him dearly and provide a great home environment. I've also known this young man since he was a percocious youngster.

I was the very first Scout Leader who took away his Pocket Knife and "Whittling Chip". Adam's Dad is somewhat older, and also a Scout Leader. Bill (the Father) is liked by one and all,  because of his personality and great wisdom. Since Adam was a late in life baby, he enjoyed the privilege of being an only child (at home). These two traits allowed Adam to get away with an awful lot. I was the one who held Adam to the same standards as all of the other boys. I'm quite a fair freak, when it comes to kids.

Although his Father, Bill, is a friend of mine, I levied punishment to Adam, as though he were my own Son. (I treat all of my "boys" as though they were my own Sons.) Adam seemed to become attached to me, and we developed a great relationship. Bill once told me that Adam thought that my values (Don't lie, Don't Cheat, Don't Steal, Do Right Things) were the base on which life should be built upon. I told Bill that I believe he's right. Bill told me that he agreed.

These two young men are polar oposites of each other. They are friends. They are also MY; young friends. I love them dearly, and am so proud that I could bust.

This is a living testament to the values of:

Don't Lie,

Don't Cheat,

Don't Steal,

Do Right Things,

Be Fair with everyone...........

I found this on another blog (http://www.fireflyfans.net/... ) and it pretty much hits the nail on the head.... This guy is right.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POL...

Now, most of you guys know that I'm no fan of the Bush administration. But I can't possibly think that this is a good thing. Regardless of who the president is, it seems best to me for a government to present a united front on foreign policy. Now, heavens knows that I don't mean that you have to walk lockstep with the Bush administration (so many bad policies, so little space to bitch about them). But it seems like Pelosi is crafting her own personal foriegn policy. To justify that, she's citing the findings of the Iraq Study Group, and while I think it's a good idea to take that seriously, she can't single-handedly implement its recommendations. Everyone knows that countries have internal political divides, but now we're exporting them to the foreign policy arena, and that just seems like a spectacularly bad idea to me.

What do some of the rest of you think?