Thankful for…

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Blacksmith Mosher A. Harding (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on October 20, 1869, at Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona. His citation reads:

Gallantry in action.

Captain of the Forecastle Thomas Harding (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on June 9, 1864, on board the USS Dacotah. His citation reads:

Served as captain of the forecastle on board the U.S.S. Dacotah on the occasion of the destruction of the blockade runner Pevensey, near Beauford, N.C., 9 June 1864. "Learning that one of the officers in the boat, which was in danger of being, and subsequently was, swamped, could not swim, Harding remarked to him: 'If we are swamped, sir, I shall carry you to the beach or I will never go there myself.' He did not succeed in carrying out his promise, but made desperate efforts to do so, while others thought only of themselves. Such conduct is worthy of appreciation and admiration--a sailor risking his own life to save that of an officer."

First Lieutenant Abram P. Haring (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on February 1, 1864, at Bachelors Creek, North Carolina. His citation reads:

With a command of 11 men, on picket, resisted the attack of an overwhelming force of the enemy.


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I heard something on the news the other morning that I didn’t really agree with. It deals with public schools (as luck would have it, Sonny talked about public schools on his blog this past Monday). It seems there is a law (or about to be a law) that will allow kids being home schooled to play sports for their local public school. I’ve talked this over with a couple of people and it seems that I’m the only one who really has a problem with this. Therefore, let me state up front that… well… maybe I’m wrong. But I keep thinking about this and I keep not really liking it. I get that some people don’t like public schools… I happen to favor public schools, but maybe that’s because I grew up in some great public schools that, in my opinion, were as good (if not better) than any private schools in the area. Maybe I don’t like it because I’ve got family (and friends) who have either worked in public schools or are working in public schools and I don’t like the way some people look down on public schools in general. Let’s be honest here, I’d be willing to bet that on average public school teachers have to deal with a lot of stuff that private school teachers don’t. And, not to get off topic, but let’s not ignore the fact that some private schools started around the same time schools were integrated… so they might not be known for their diversity. Of course there are other private schools (like religious based schools) that have been around for many years and offer a unique form of education that can’t be found in public schools for various reasons. Anyway, I’ll try to get back on topic here… The reason I’m against letting home schooled kids play sports for their local public school is that I feel they should attend the school if they want to play there. To me, a parent deciding to home school a child is a nice way for the parent to say the local public school isn’t good enough. I don’t have a problem with that. I believe parents have the right to decide to home school their child (or send them to a private school)… but I don’t think they should “have their cake and eat it too”. The James Island baseball teams that I played on represented James Island High School. It has been pointed out that the parents of the students being home schooled pay taxes that support the local public schools. That’s true… which is why their children have the option of going to that school. To me, if you choose not to attend then you also choose not to take part in school activities. It’s that simple. And let’s be honest… a lot of people pay taxes for various things they don’t use. It’s one of those things that’s better for the community (which Sonny touched on a little in his post). And really, if you take the “they pay taxes” argument, then shouldn’t local citizens get into games for free (since they, too, pay taxes that support the school)? I think that’s all I’ve got to say on this… I’d like to know your views on this. While I’m at it, I should also tell you I’m against school vouchers (or anything like that)… but that’s a topic for another day.

So… Augusta National is going to have two female members. I never really cared about this for two reasons: #1 – They’re a private club and can therefore invite anyone they want to be a member. And #2 – I’ll never get invited. Honestly, I’m not sure what having female women as members of Augusta National is going to do for the average woman, but whatever. I did see where Martha Burk is declaring this a victory for… well… I think it looks like she is declaring this a victory for her… pretty much saying she made this happen. Let’s be clear here, I’m pretty sure this happened because Augusta National wanted it to happen. And that’s the ONLY reason it happened. I have to tell you that I don’t personally know Martha Burk, so it’s possible that she’s a very nice woman who tries her best to right the wrongs of this world. It’s possible, but I doubt it. Based on what I’ve seen publically from her, I don’t like her. That’s my nice way of saying I think she’s a… well, if I tell you then it won’t be nice anymore. I think she’s the female version of Jesse Jackson, if you know what I mean. Incidentally, I don’t know him personally either. Anyway, I think she did more harm than good when it came to this. Rich people usually don’t like for people to tell them what to do. I will say one of my favorite memories is of her trying to boycott The Masters. She threatened the club and when they wouldn’t back down she said she would go after the sponsors. So what did the club do? Looked her in the eyes and said, “Go for it” (ala Rocky in Rocky III before his second fight with Clubber Lang). The fact that I tend to dislike “boycotts” might be clouding my view of her, but it is what it is. I would like to know your views on this one also. As I said before, I don’t think Augusta National did this because they had to… I think they did this because they wanted to. Having said that… do you think private groups should be allowed to discriminate based on sex? Should Ashley Hall (a local girls-only school) be forced to admit males? Should Columbia College (a school near and dear to my heart, because without it I wouldn’t have my Labor Day family) be forced to become co-ed (and not just for night and weekend classes, but for all classes)? What about fraternities and sororities? I’m all for public institutions/groups/golf courses being open to all people… but I think private groups should have the right to choose their own members. What do you think?

Having said all of that, I don’t want to forget to congratulate Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore on becoming members of Augusta National. I don’t think the club could have chosen two better people (though, like just about everyone else I seemed to have talked about today, I don’t know either of these women personally either). I have been a fan of Condoleezza Rice since her service in the (younger) Bush Administration and love the fact that Darla Moore is a fellow South Carolinian who has donated a ton of money throughout the state. I’m sure the club will be proud to have them as members… not because of the kind of women they are, but because of the kind of people they are.

Speaking of golf… I’m dusting off my clubs and looking forward to the Labor Day Championship (which is very similar to the PGA Championship… just smaller… and with higher scores). I’ve got a good feeling this is going to be the year I win it. Then again, that might just be the Lucky Charms I just ate.


Thankful Thursday

I feel like I’ve talked too much already today, so I’ll try to keep this short. As I was typing this, I decided to have my music playing in the background. For any of you scoring at home, I listened to Mozart, Frank Sinatra and Hootie and the Blowfish… not a bad trifecta if you ask me. As I listened to this great music I tried to figure out how some people seem to be able to easily write-off the importance that the arts play in our schools. Nobody seems to doubt that reading and writing and math and science are all important. And I’d say most people feel history and other social sciences need to be taught. But when it comes to cuts, the arts typically seem to be cut first. Why is this? Why are they not seen as being as important as these other subjects. Let’s be honest, do you know what we call a person who excels in the “core” subjects but doesn’t know anything about the arts? A know-it-all jackass who nobody wants to be around because, in general, “regular” people don’t hang out talking about math (sorry Sonny and Susan). As I said in the comments section of Sonny’s post, my favorite quote from Mr. Holland's Opus is: "Well, I guess you can cut the arts as much as you want, Gene. Sooner or later, these kids aren't going to have anything to read or write about." I’m glad we had classes like Art and Music when I was in school. Do I remember everything I learned in these classes? Of course not… but these classes did give me an appreciation for these subjects and a base knowledge. More importantly, the next great singer might have decided that’s what they wanted to do in life because of their experience in Chorus. The next great artist might have been inspired to do what they do because of what was seen in an Art class. If anything, I’d say the Arts are like your left hand… it might not be the one you consciously focus on throughout the day (assuming you’re right handed), but if you didn’t have it, you’d sure as hell miss it. That’s the Arts. Maybe you take them for granted a little, but life wouldn’t be nearly as fun if they were gone. So I’m thankful for all of Art/Music/Drama/etc… teachers I had throughout the years. And I’m also thankful for the “people in charge” who do recognize the importance of these subjects.