Brookfield Basics

Do you remember?? 

Eighteen years ago today our City was hit by a blitzkrieg.  About 3 AM heavy rain turned to snow, and by daylight nearly ten inches of the heavy wet stuff covered most of Waukesha County.  Trees, shrubs and all manner of plant life were devastated by the crushing weight, and though it would melt by the afternoon, the damage was done.  We spent a good part of that summer cleaning up from the storm, and the sound of chain saws reverberated throughout our city for weeks.

But sixty-eight years ago today HISTORY'S Blitzkieg was unleashed, as Adolf Hitler's Wermacht invaded France.  It is impossible today to grasp the stunning impact of this action which ushered in the greatest conflagration in history, re-wrote the world’s geopolitical landscape, and ultimately left FIFTY MILLION dead.  Throughout the 1930’s Europe's intellectual and political elite had coddled Hitler, ignoring Winston Churchill’s insistent and graphic warnings.  They watched as he swallowed Austria and Czechoslovakia, and even acquiesced to his invasion of Poland in 1939.  As long as Hitler gazed eastward - towards Communist Russia, his actions were tolerated, even encouraged.  But on this day his forces lunged westward across the Meuse River, and poured into France.

The French, who for months had been mired in defeatism and denial, awoke to their peril and along with their British Allies, rushed into Belgium to meet the German troops.............. BUT - the Germans weren't there.  The Nazi General Staff had revolutionized warfare with the introduction of their mechanized Panzer Divisions, and they used their mobility to swing far south of Belgium.  There they penetrated the Ardennes forest, out-flanked the Maginot Line, and cut like a scythe through the countryside of France, achieving the most rapid conquest since the days of Alexander.  In six short weeks the Swastika would be hoisted over the Eiffel Tower, plunging La Vielle de Lumiere into the darkness of foreign occupation.

The Allies were stupefied by the pace and depth of the Nazi advance.  In command of the lead Panzer units, General Heinz Guederian defied the frantic pleas of his superiors in Berlin, who begged him to wait for the slower moving German infantry.  The grim tank commander knew better, and growled, “We move or we fail.  Approve the advance or relieve me from command”.  Reflecting on those frenetic days of mayhem and death, Churchill would later say, “The Germans were everywhere – and everywhere were victorious”.

The Nazi occupation of France, while reprehensible, would not even approximate the savagery of their Eastern occupations. England, protected by her Channel, would finally turn to the one man she had long scorned. In London the sixty-five year old Winston Churchill’s time had finally come, and he would stand astride the pages of history like the lion he was.   

For months he would confront his fascist adversary with the only weapons he had - soaring prose and an indomitable will.  His broadcasts originated from an underground London bunker, and were carried to the listening world via the BBC. They stand today as some of the most stirring orations in history, and a profile in political leadership.

Last December I wrote a blog with this same title.  It addressed my thoughts on some fundamentally different approaches to Mid-East peace, and my desire that one of the Presidential candidates would make it a major foreign policy discussion of their campaign.  This posting will deal with the same desire but on a different issue - The United Nations. 

I would love to see one of the three candidates launch a comprehensive debate on the role of the United Nations, and what part the United States can or should play in it.  I believe it is time to acknowledge and understand how hopelessly flawed this body is.  No matter how noble and lofty its self-ascribed goals may be, the UN has proven to be little more than a geopolitical eunech, unable to perform or discharge any of its responsibilities.   For decades it has stood on the sideline flapping its self-righteous jaw and watching as atrocities ranging from the Cambodian Killing Fields of Pol-Pot, to the on-going genocide in sub-Saharan Africa, occured under its very nose.  Can't we bring ourselves to articulate what forty years of evidence has so clearly demonstrated?  Can't we have a political leader that will state the obvious - that the United Nations is simply incapable of conducting meaningful action or change?

In the interests of fairness I will acknowledge that the UN is good at something.  And what it does very well is foster corruption - and I mean corruption on a global, multi-billion dollar scale.  Can any candidate or member of Congress take a breath from the volcanic rhetoric they spew towards the oil business long enough to turn some scrutiny towards the UN? 

The "Oil for Food" scandal which ocurred under the watch of former Secretary General Kofi Anon, was so eggregious and widespread that even he was forced to some mild action.  Anon commissioned former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker to lead an investigation, the conclusion of which was a recommendation for sweeping and systemic reform of the UN's management and oversight systems.  Former United States Ambassador to the UN John Bolton was nearly hounded from office just for trying to bring the suggested reforms to a vote before the UN Budget Committee.  Ultimately, and to his great credit, Bolton was successful. 

Now here is something that we need to pay attention to - and it's a ready made issue for any of our three Presidential Candidates:

The Budget Committe of the United Nations voted by a margin of two to one AGAINST allowing a system of outside auditing to help manage and oversee its affairs.  The countries who voted IN FAVOR of these audits supply ninety-percent of the UN's funding.  The countries voting against the audits supply ten percent.

After the vote John Bolton commented witheringly, "this tells you pretty much everything you need to know about how the UN operates".  Can you even conceive of the tsunami of condemnation that would pour forth from the Beltway if the Chairman of Exxon was to suggest an end to public audits of his company? 

There are many grounds of political philosophy on which one can debate the merits of the UN.  But the biggest reason to oppose it is a practical one - it simply does not work.  By any objective measure one would choose, it is hopelessly dysfunctional, inneffective and corrupt.

I believe this issue is a latent gold mine for any one of the three Presidential candidates.  And it's past time to have an open and comprehensive debate with the American people regarding this institution that we pay for. 

A big thumbs-up to Brookfield Now and Jessica Rasmussen for her article in this week's NOW on the musical group, Sacrifice of Praise.  The three area women mentioned in the article are using their gifts of music and song to minister inside of and beyond their community.  Through their examples of personal courage they offer hope, faith, and a tremendously positive example.

And another big thumbs-up for Jessica's article about the seminar conducted at St. John Vianney on the dangers of the Internet.  The article serves as a sober reminder to all of us, but especially to parents on the dark side of this technology.  And kudos to the parents interviewed for their courage in taking steps they deemed appropriate to safeguard their kids.

These are the kind of articles we need more of.  Please take a few minutes and read them if you have not already done so.  

BUT..........................

A big thumbs-down for the article that did NOT appear.

Once again the superb performance of the Brookfield East Forensics Team went unnoticed.  The Spartans recently defended their 2007 State Championship, and while they did not bring home the Trophy this year, they finished third in this State-wide competition. 

It is time and past time for a feature article on this team, and its long-standing record of consistently outstanding performance.  And a color photo would be nice as well.

In the interests of disclosure, I have no formal association with, nor am I related to anyone involved with the Spartan Forensics Team. 

The four of us recently took a fabulous five-day Florida vacation at a bargain price.  Some life-long friends let us stay at their townhouse, and I cashed in some frequent flyer miles.  The result was a memorable family vacation for pennies on the dollar.

The ocean, beach, pool, and a football were our primary entertainment.  As we watched our kids romp in the surf, their bodies tossed and jangled about like corks in a hot-tub and their laughter carried to us on the the salt-laden spray, I was reminded for the hundredth time that the best fun for kids comes when they are in nature and disconnected from technology.  We managed to get in some activities of educational interest as well.  We climbed a one-hundred foot high lighthouse that was built in 1860, one year before the Civil War began.  We spent a half day hob-nobbing in the super-high rent district, walking down Worth Avenue and South Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach, our mouths agape at the sheer accumulation of wealth.  We window shopped a three million dollar necklace, and toured the old-world beauty of The Breakers Hotel.  Built in the waning days of the nineteenth century, its original clients were the titans of America's industrial age.  Today it is a playground and retreat for the world's wealthy; its art work and appointments alone worth tens of millions.   

But of all our activities, the one I will remember most is our tour of the small marine center at Loggerhead Beach in Jupiter, named after and dedicated to the loggerhead turtles that nest there each year.  Twenty-five years ago Barb and I were hiking up the Leelanau Peninsula in northern Michigan, and came upon a river where the salmon were making their annual up-stream trek.  I was mesmerized by the sight and wrote a poem that night called Falls Run to commemorate it.  And as we toured the marine center, I learned that sea turtles have much in common with salmon. 

A female sea turtle comes ashore to the same beach she was hatched on, and digs holes about two feet deep, laying several "batches" of eggs, with each batch holding 80-100.  Insulated and protected by the sand, the eggs hatch in the summertime.  Once hatched, the tiny turtles - not much more than a few inches long, dig and push their way to the surface of the beach, where predators of the air await to devour them.  Only 1 in 100 will succeed in their mad scramble to the water.  For those that do it is twenty years before they reach sexual maturity and are able to reproduce.  In that time they grow to enormous size (up to 2,000 pounds) and power (able to dive up to 1,000 meters).  They traverse thousands of miles in the great deep that is their home, the very definition of an ancient mariner.  Ultimately, the same force that drives the salmon somehow draws them back to the shallows of their origin to mate, and to come ashore on the same beach from whence their journey began. 

These creatures are so ugly they are cute, and I'll never forget the one they had at the center named Jonah.  The manager of the center so named him because a fish he had caught off the nearby pier actually coughed him up as a not yet digested meal.  He sprinted over to the lab at the center and managed to nurture Jonah to survival.  Jonah will be released in a few weeks, and our friends said they will try and get a picture of that event for us. 

It's always fun to learn new things.  And now the four of us know a lot more about the epic journeis of the great sea turtles. 

I used the title of the book Beach Music by Pat Conroy to help form the title of this blog.

One year ago today the Virginia Tech. Massacre unfolded as a lone psychopath wrote his name into history with the blood of his victims.   

I wrote a three-part series on the horrific event, which even now has all but receeded from our collective consciousness.  The student-victims deserve to be remembered, as well as the lessons this event holds for us as a society.  Below is the link to the first part of that series, which I entitled A Bed of Straw.

Please pause for a moment today and lift up the victims, their families, and our country.

Lest we forget.

http://blogs.brookfieldnow.com/brookfieldbasics/archive/2007/04/23/A-Bed-of-Straw.aspx

I thought that California politics had lost its ability to surprise me.  I was wrong.

Three weeks ago the State Supreme Court of California ruled that "parents do not have a Constitutionial right to home school their children", and if this already challenged ruling stands, parents in the Golden State won't be able to unless first receiving a certification from the State.

Both of our children are in the Elmbrook public schools.  But throughout California and this country, parents choose to home school their kids for a variety of reasons.  Some are based on spiritual convictions, some are based on educational results, and some are just based on the physical safety of their children.  In Los Angeles a primary motivation behind home schooling is to keep kids away from the carcinogen of gangs. But if this ruling stands, these parents won't be able to do so without the certification of some unelected and unaccountable beurocrats in Sacramento.    

In one breathlessly arrogant decision, the "California Nine" took on the combined issues of educational policy, judicial activism, and the political rights of individual families to do what they deem best for their children.  This is enormously significant and something to keep an eye on.  That's because the fate of this gambit in California will determine whether or not this issue grows legs and walks to other parts of the country.

As already stated, the reasons parents choose to home school are many and varied.  While Barb and I may not share those motivations, we believe strongly in the right to freely exercise them.  This ruling from California's High Court stands as not only an insult to them, but an assault upon them.  The assault is even more eggregious coming from an institution whose very purpose is to protect the rights those motivatinos are predicated upon. 

This will be an enormous fight - and one to keep an eye on.

I spent Saturday morning attending the final tours of our High Schools and did my best to answer whatever questions people had about the referendum.  I did not offer advice or direction; I wanted to make myself available for questions.  I enjoyed speaking with one gentleman who, while acknowleding the schools needed a lot, told me why he was not going to support this plan.   

Based on all I have heard and seen, I believe that is one issue upon which there is near unanimity - that the high schools are in need of some significant investment.  How much and what kind is obviously the question.  I have maintained for the last several years that the question of "what to do" is one on which reasonable people can, should, and obviously do disagree.  I have also remarked that this question of "what to do" is like Alexander the Great's Gordian Knot - a complex and seemingly unsolvable puzzle, with no single solution being attractive to a significant majority of our community.  

There is no doubting that there is a large number of residents who feel this plan does not go far ENOUGH.  Just as obviously, there are significant numbers who feel this current plan goes TOO far, and contains spending that is excessive and/or innapropriate.  And to both parties I say a sincere "fair enough".  I do not question the motivations or values of people on either side.  

I support this plan because I am convinced that no group has, can, or will conduct a more thorough and comprehensive analysis of ALL the factors involved (physical - educational - financial - political), and present such a comprehensive and responsible solution that encompasses the gamut of our community's concerns, as has the HSST.  I don't believe this School Board can do it.  I don't believe a future School Board can do it.  And I don't believe a future citizen's group can do it any better.  That doesn't mean I am right - it is just what I have come to believe.  Why?   

The process the Team followed, the comprehensive Program of Specifications used, the level of detail they looked at and evaluated, the number of stakeholders they interviewed, the exhaustive tours of our own and other schools, the expertise of the people on both the HSST and e Progress in the areas of construction, HVAC, and maintenance, the sheer amount of time and scrutiny employed, and the tough and difficult discussions held over the course of seven months - these are the factors that led to my conclusion.

The Board DID make changes to the original HSST recommendation.  That change was the addition of two classrooms at each school, and the enlarging of a fixed number of core instructional classrooms at each school.  There are real and legitimate reasons for this, and of course, grounds to oppose it.  The pros and cons of this were debated over the course of two Open Board Meetings, the content of which is public record.  Financially, these changes meant an increase of $1.1MM over the initial HSST recommendation.  It was the HSST plan, with this change, that the Board umanimously approved.

What the District has spent on maintenance over the last few decades and how such projects are identified, prioritized and chosen, is a matter of public record and a part of each year's publicly discussed and presented budget.  The average annual capital expenditure in the last many years has been a little more than one million dollars, and it is a matter of legitimate debate as to whether the District could have or should have spent more on maintenance.  

As to the operating budget itself, there are four areas that, in my view, constitute "critical mass".  Those four areas are utilities, busing, employee salaries and benefits, and the number of facilities owned and operated by the District. No serious discussion of ANY budget can be held without these areas.  This is not so much a political statement as it is an actuarial reality.  I believe that this Board, future Boards, and this community will have to give hard consideration to ALL of these areas, and I spoke to some of this at the March 4 Candidate Forum.  

As has been stated by the District many times, our High Schools are structurally sound.  Given that, people will decide this on a value proposition basis.  It has met my value test.  We will soon learn if it meets the community's.

Whatever your view, please vote tomorrow.

Thank you.

I took Thursday off to make a long Easter weekend, and since I always try and have a good book in progress, I went to the library in search of same.  I came away with a copy of Unspeakable - Facing Up to Evil in an Age of Genocide and Terror, by Os Guinness. 

Guinness is a graduate of Oxford and has an intellect that can only be described as superior.  Raised in China by his medical missionary parents, they fled the genocide of Mao's Cultural Revolution, to which Guinness lost two beloved brothers.  When he writes of terror and genocide, he does so from personal experience.  This book was written in the immediate aftermath of September 11th, and its premise is a wholistic look at what proper views of and reactions to evil might be.  

Here is a small taste:

"It is our responsibility and our right to come to our own conclusions and form our own convictions.  But the right to believe anything does not mean that anything one believes is right.  The former is freedom of conscience and must always be respected.  The latter idea is nonsense and must often be opposed".  

That's good stuff, and I'll enjoy reading it over the Easter weekend.  And speaking of Easter, the real purpose of this brief post was to wish you and yours a joyous one!!   

Unde Malum - Unde Bene, translated literally from the Latin, means "whence cometh evil - whence cometh good"?

I have been blogging for a year and a half and have addressed matters of history, culture, policy, and sports, with columns ranging from the deadly serious (a three-part series on the Virginia Tech. Massacre), to the political (two-part series on Separation of Church and State), to the adventurous (back-packing through Glacier National Park). 

Right now I need to pull back a bit.  I don't plan to stop, and if Brookfield Now will still have me, I will continue as matters of interest present themselves.  At some point I may return to a weekly schedule, but in the interim there will be fewer columns.  Given that, I would like to devote some of them to matters of interest to you.  So let me know what those topics might be.  

My last two posts were from the heart, and I still feel the enormous loss of William F. Buckley and Brett Favre.  Buckley was and Favre is; well - they are simply larger than life.  And since I believe we need heroic figures in our lives, I shall miss them greatly. 

I have been surprised by and grateful for the number of readers, and I say a sincere "thank you" to all who have stopped in on this page.  That said - I certainly acknowledge that the number of readers does not not necessarily correspond to the level of agreement or approval!

So thanks again everyone - I  had a blast.

Time To Say Good Bye is an operatic duet performed by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli.  It is music of such soul-piercing beauty that I don't want to meet the person who can listen to it and remain unmoved.  I remember it playing in Madison Square Garden as Wayne Gretzky took his final laps around the rink, the greatest performer in the history of team sports humbly acknowledging the tidal wave of tribute pouring down upon him.  I remember The Great One gazing up at his lovely wife, Janet Jones-Gretzky, as she sobbed uncontrollably in the stands.

And now it is time for Packer fans to say good bye.

So many images, so many emotions, so many moments - how can we possibly capture them?  How can we grasp the magnitude of his career?  He was trained by his father in the rural deep South to be strong and courageous, and by his mother to treat everyone with deference and respect.  And what do we say of his records and achievements?  Most wins, most TD's, the League's only three-time MVP who at the age of thirty-eight, was denied an almost surreal fourth MVP only by Tom Brady's record setting year.  These are the components that have punched his first ballot ticket to Canton.  But they do not define him.  

I wrote a piece last fall which claimed that the greatest of the great athletes transcend their game and become part of the social fabric.  They have an ability to ELEVATE us, to take us places we cannot go by ourselves, and in some small way, to ENOBLE us.  I believe Brett did all of these things.  

Here are just a few memories I have enjoyed since Tuesday - memories garnered from a seventeen year scrapbook:

Running hard and in full stride to his left, and firing an across his body, fifty-yard laser beam to Sterling Sharpe to crush the Lions in a road playoff game.  The only other QB that could have made that throw was John Elway.  Not Bradshaw, not Montana, not Brady, not either one of the Mannings - no one else.  It was one of those moments early in his career that made us realize we had something special.

The never to be forgotten Monday night game in Oakland, played just hours after his beloved father had died.  Four-hundred yards and four touchdowns; it wasn't a game so much as a personalized memorial service.  On that night his teammates did not play for the Packers.  And they did not play for the fans.  And they most certainly did not play for their paychecks.  It was obvious to anyone watching that game that they were playing for HIM.

And after the game, with a poignance that was almost tangible, watching him look for Deanna - looking for someplace to put his breaking heart.  And I remember her silently saying with her outstretched arms, "here Brett - put it here".

I see him bounding and gamboling down the field when he broke Marino's record, gleefully shouldering an astonished Greg Jennings for an unrepentant romp on the field, exhibiting the same reaction he probably displayed in the fifth grade.

But as fabulous as these images are, they only tell us why he was great.  They do not explain why we came to love him.

We love Brett because, perhaps more than any superstar we can recall, he is one of us.  The ancient Greeks told us that the essence of heroism is a great figure that is also flawed.  As was Thor by Odin, Brett was gifted by God with the right arm of a hammer, and he used it to win more games than anyone who ever played his position.  But as strong as his arm was, it was not the equal of his courage, his toughness, or the unfettered joy with which he played the game.  

But he had flaws, didn't he?  On the field, he would bedazzle us with his prowess one game, and baffle and frustrate us with his decision making in the next. As a young man he was a partier of Bachnalian proportion, bringing into jeopardy his health, his career, and his relationship with Deanna.  His addiction to Vicadin was well chronicled.  But with Deanna at his side, he responded with his GREATEST triumphs - the termination of his dissipating lifestyle, the defeat of his addicition, and the subordination of his selfish desires to the larger goal of retaining, restoring, and nurturing his FINEST team - Deanna and their girls.

And he did all of this with the curtain pulled back.  He did not invite our gaze, but neither did he forbid it.  Rather, he lived amongst us - he lived transparently.  Of all the remarkable aspects of his career, perhaps the most is that I cannot imagine it unfolding in any other NFL city.

I mentioned earlier a few images I will recall.  But more than any other, I will cherish the scene after the final game of the 2006 season. Standing on the sideline of Soldier Field, clad in the familiar armor of the Pack's road-whites, he was asked if he would return for another campaign.  I see him pausing, struggling to absorb the question.  And then he just broke - he broke down and wept, caring not a fig what anyone might say or think of it.  He stood in the thirsty gaze of the camera and showed us what he was feeling.  He showed us that after nearly two decades in the crucible of fame, adoration, and wealth, that he was still just what his nickname said he was.  He was still just "Country".

We love Brett because he was a rock we could count on every Sunday.

We love him because he is an utterly unaffected and genuine man in an age and an industry full of manikins.

We love him because of the man he became off the field as much as the player he was on it.

Scripture tells us that God looks at our hearts.  And there, I believe, is the final answer.

We love him because of his mighty heart.  

The heart that he not only showed us  - but gave to us.

An American icon died today. William F. Buckley passed in his Stamford, CT. home at the age of eighty-two.

Love him or hate him, and millions did both, he was an unadulterated American classic and the founding father of the modern American conservative movement.  High-minded and haughty, he lived a life of staggering pace and achievment, cramming several lives into one lifetime.      

Buckley was an American Churchill in two ways.  A soaring intellect joined by a matchless wit, his barbs were the delight of his friends and the scourge of his opponents.  More importantly, he was greatly accomplished in so many different areas:  pundit, scholar, member of the intelligence community, essayist, world-class sailor, downhill skiier, and founder and producer of the longest running TV News/Interview Show in history - Firing Line.  He was also the founder and Editor-in-Chief of National Review, the journalistic bastion of American political and cultural conservatism.  His editorial board sessions at NR were the stuff of legend, where a bottle of good scotch was in as much demand as the wits and abilities of his writers.

Of all his accomplishments, many don't know what an incredibly successful novelist he was.  With multiple best-sellers to his credit, his books covered a variety of topics and themes.  His best known were the "Blackford Oakes Series", which  chronicled the times of the Cold War through the eyes of an American CIA Agent of that same name. 

He burst on to the American scene in the 1960's with his seminal and defining work, God and Man at Yale, a book which harshly criticized and exposed the leftist politics and agenda of his Alma Mater.  His intimate and revealing Nearer, My God gave us a look at his personal journey of faith and abiding in the Catholic Church.  He did with a pen what Raphael did with a brush, and I have read few authors whose command of the language and purity of intellect flowed out onto the page with such unaffected beauty and style.  Regardless of your view of him as a public figure, I cannot recommend his writing highly enough.

Sailor, raconteur, author, lover of good food, devoted husband and father, and a man who would go to the stake for a friend; he was more than any one thing an American original.  He lived with an unfettered joy and clarity of purpose achieved by few.  

We are the poorer for his passing.

Last October and November (about seven feet of snow ago), I wrote a two-part series on the coming war over Lake Michigan and the water of the Great Lakes.  Part One dealt with my life-long love affair with Lake Michigan, and tried to put into context the qualitative value it has in our lives.  Part Two dealt with the issue of policy. 

This matter has been and will continue to be more and more in the news.  What has been missing in the debate so far is a rational discussion of conservation.  In my view, this dialogue cannot reasonably take place without a sober evaluation of and hopefully, a change to our wanton ways.

In the summer of 1988 we had a severe and extended drought in SE Wisconsin, and our family learned that year to have a new respect for water.  Since then, we have tried to do our best to treat this most foundational of resources with the respect it deserves.  I am putting together a list of water conservation ideas and techniques, and would appreciate your input to this if you are willing.  I would then look to make the list available to anyone who is interested.  

If there are any matters of public policy where we can say "we are in this together", then surely this is one of them.  

I have been thinking about some of the news stories from Southeastern Wisconsin since the New Year, and while doing so I suddenly thought back to words I will never forget:

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself".

I can still hear the rebuke, more painful than any physical punishment he might have dispensed.  

It was during my High School years, and my Dad said this to me after learning of a particularly regrettable episode of my behavior.  More than any individual I have known, he was able to hold in harmony the seemingly incompatible dynamics of justice and mercy.  He never let the sun go down on his anger, and before that day ended, he connected with me in a way that left me whole and reassured. 

His words hurt so much not because they were a condemnation, but because they were accurate.  He didn't have a harsh or demeaning bone in his body; he was simply sharing with me what he felt was the appropriate response to my behavior, and letting me know that he expected better of me.  The result of his comment was not a disfigurement or scarring of my psyche.  Rather, it was a resolve to conduct myself in such a manner that he would never have cause to repeat it.

A few weeks ago I posted a column entitled The Abolition of Consequence (see link below).  Today I write about the abolition of shame.

We have banished shame from our lexicon.  WHY?

Is it because we live in such progressive times that we have outgrown such antiquated notions?  And if our number one goal is to build people up and to make them feel good about themelves, how can we tolerate such a "negative" emotion?  But as I recall that episode, the remorse I felt, while painful in the immediate, ultimately led to some honest introspection and improved conduct, or at least I like to think it did. 

Certainly there are countless experiences where shame is an utterly innapropriate response, and much inexcusable and horrific damage can be caused through its irresponsible application.  But I think we would all agree that we don't need to look very far today for examples of shameful behavior, and we wonder how we arrived at such a point of cultural meltdown.  In light of that, I pose this question:

If the act of feeling shame is the appropriate response to behavior that is in fact shameful, can it be legitimate and ultimately efficacious to experience it?  And if we acknolwedge that we are ALL capable of behavior that is shameful, is it not a pedal-brake for our own actions as well?

I hope that my son never repeats what I did that time in High School.

But if he does, I hope I have the courage to do say to him what my Dad said to me.

http://blogs.brookfieldnow.com/brookfieldbasics/archive/2007/12/28/the-abolition-of-consequence.aspx

There are any number of red flags that tell us we are getting old.  One of the most tried and true is when you find yourself thinking or saying, "Man - the music kids listen to today is nothing but noise".

Well I'll admit it. I frequently find myself thinking this about much of the contemporary music I hear.  Sometime I will blog on what I believe constitutes good music, why I believe much of today's music is junk, and what I think our youth are missing out on because of it.

The great beauty of an I-Pod is that it only plays what you put on it.  It allows you to listen to a parade of your all-time favorites from any era or genre, and thus simultaneously serves as a filter against all the music you DON'T want to hear.  Great music elevates us in so many ways.  It can create images or remind us of specific times, places, and individuals in our lives.  Beethoven's Ninth Symphony conjures scenes ranging from hellfire and brimstone to a gentrified canter in the English countryside.  Though it was nearly forty years ago, I can still remember where I was and what I was doing the first time I heard Paint it Black by The Stones.  I can still feel the sweat rolling down my face as I back-packed the ascent to Gunsight Pass in Glacier National Park, listening to Song for America by Kansas.

I try to listen to much of the music our daughter likes, both to create connections and to ensure she is not getting into something innappropriate.  And sometimes - EUREKA - we actually hit on something we BOTH like.  She has grudgingly admitted to liking Neil Young and Van Morrison, and a couple of weeks ago, we hit pay dirt again with the song Wish List by Pearl Jam.

I was driving her to school, and I played it a few times as we learned the lyrics and sang together.  At the heart of great modern songs is the rhythm guitar.  Wish List opens with a gentle but insistent chord that builds and changes hue throughout the song.  The lead guitar gently chimes in, sounding almost like church bells.  The lyrics are tremendous; some whimsical and evocative, others more serious and relational.  All of them speak to things the singer has on his "wish list".  Edie Veder's voice is the piston that drives all Pearl Jam songs - a rich baritone with a smoky edge, honed in the bars and clubs of Seattle.  

So now this song is another that will trip the gears of my memory back to a specific event.  I will always recall that drive to school when I hear the song, and always treasure what Lauren said to me when both the song and the ride came to an end.

Instant recall of some of our finest and fondest moments.

Building bridges across generations.

That's just some of what great music can do.

In October I ran an announcement on men's health regarding free prostate cancer screenings and PSA testing that the Medical College was sponsoring.  This time it's an announcement related to women's health.

My mother is eighty-three.  She has osteoporosis and is currently recovering from three compression fractures sustained in  her lower vertebrae.  She was not in an accident and she did not fall.  Because they are so weak and fragile, her bones just broke from normal daily events, like getting out of her shower.  

The bad news is that women are far more prone to this than are men, and that it is painful and debilitating.  The good news is that, as in so many matters related to our health, there is a lot we can DO to avoid it.

Although men can contract this condition, it is most common in post-menopausal women.  But regardless of your age, please consult your physician NOW about this important area of your health, and get his or her advice on what you can be doing in terms of diet, supplements, and exercise to avoid this awful affliction. 

Men - please encourage, and if necessary insist, that the women you love do this.

The time to act is NOW - not when you are eighty-three.  For some basic information on osteoporosis please click no the link below.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteoporosis

I have the day off and spent the morning enjoying small things, like taking our daughter to school, saying hello to her Principal and teachers, and an unhurried cup of coffee while reading the printed version of Brookfield Now.  Later, I have a lunch date with our third-grade son.  I will cherish this, as it could well be the last year he views Dad coming to school as something cool. 

Now before I get into the subject matter of this article, I have some disclaimers. 

I love sports - always have.  I love them as a participant and as a spectator, and was fortunate enough to have a solid, if not spectacular athletic experience in High School.  I remain as physically active as my schedule allows, and coach youth sports every other year.  Our kids enjoy their sports teams, and I state the obvious by recognizing athletics can be an integral part of a young person's physical, psychological, and emotional development.  

But I was struck by something while reading NOW that indicates we are out of balance.    

On page sixteen there is a brief (less than one hundred words) article noting the fact that the Brookfield East High School Forensics Team will be performing at the Elm Grove Public Library, on Thursday February 7th, at 7 PM.  I am glad that the editors of Brookfield Now highlighted this noteworthy event.

But later, beginning on page thirty, we are treated to six full pages of coverage for local sports and athletics, replete with four large pictures, two of which are in color.

I don't begrudge the coverage on sports.  But it is a commentary when the reigning Wisconsin State Champions in Forensics merit a photo-less blurb, compared to what our sports obsessed culture serves up for athletics.  

As mentioned earlier, last year the Spartan Forensics team brought home the State Championship Trophy.  Compare the coverage that team got with what we see when a local sports team plays a regular season game, much less wins a State Title. 

I have seen several students of BOTH High School Forensics Teams speak in public, and comport themselves with dignity and articulation.  These programs instill skills and attitudes in the kids that will last a lifetime, long after muscle and bone and reflexes are unable to do what they once did.

This isn't a criticism of Brookfield NOW, for it only serves what the market wants.

But maybe it's time we start giving some equal time to such achievements, and in so doing, getting back into balance.

An African Basuto proverb says the following:

"If a man does away with his traditional way of living and throws away his good customs, he had better first make certain that he has something of value to replace them".

I thought of this proverb last weekend when I purchased a used set of books entilted "The Children's Classics".  Contained in this worn collection are treasures of literature best intended for young audiences.  Titles such as Black Beauty, Robinson Crusoe, The Arabian Knights, King Arthur, Treasure Island, and many others.  I found the hard-covered set at an estate sale, and they instantly brought back fond memories of my boyood and elementary school days.   

Today we are witnessing the disappearance of the classics from our libraries, and from the bolt of our cultural fabric.  In another generation these titles will not even be recognized, in which case of course, we will cease to call them classics.  There are two questions to be asked in light of this:

  >Does this matter?

  >Have we replaced the passtime of reading and the quality of such content with anything of equal value?

Something of Value is the title of a novel published in 1955 by Robert Ruark, and is the source of the Basuto proverb.  A film of the same name was made in 1957, and starred Signey Poitier and Rock Hudson.  Robert Ruark was a prolific American columnist and author.  He was also a big-game hunter who spent much of his time in Africa.

The Elmbrook Education Foundation is sponsoring its annual fund raising "Have a Ball" party on Saturday February 23, from 7 PM to Midnight at the Elite Fitness and Racquet Center, 13825 West Burleigh Road in Brookfield. 

The Foundation is a private group of citizens which dates back to the 1950's, and its purpose is to support the students and programs of the Elmbrook District Schools.  It does so by raising money via private donations, business contributions, and fund raising events such as the Have A Ball party.  Funds raised by the Foundation are invested directly back into the school community in the form of grants to the District's eleven schools and scholarships for students.  Beginning in 2001, the grants have enabled the purchase of nearly $150,000 of materials and equipment for the schools.  The scholarships are awarded directly to deserving students who exhibit outstanding performance in the areas of academics, leadership, and service to both their schools and our community.  Since its inception, the E.E.F. has given out over $800,000 in scholarships to nearly nine-hundred deserving students.  Last year, twenty-eight High School seniors received scholarships of $1,500.00, and the Foundation plans some major announcements of additional grants later this month. 

The annual winter fund raiser is a significant source of funds for the Foundation, and this year's party will include catering by Eddie Martini's, music by the Brookfield East Jazz Quartet, a silent auction from 7-9 PM, tennis, free-throw shooting contests, and more.  Tickets for the event are $50.00 each and can be purchased in advance by calling 414-319-9851.  The dress is casual and the environment is low key and enjoyable.  It's a great way to have a fun evening out and meet some people, all while putting your money to great work right here in our community.    

If you are interested in learning more about the E.E.F. and the tremendous work it does, please see its web site at:

www.elmbrookeducationfoundation.com

Thanks to the many people who give their time and effort to make the Foundation work in and for our commmunity.

Put it on your calendar - and Have A Ball.

Let's see now...............

An organziation that exempts itself from the very Social Security System that it has bankrupted, and cannot even protect the college age youth in its employ from the improper sexual advances of its own members, is now turning its all-correcting eye to the task of cleaning up Major League Baseball.

Even if you care about what Roger Clemens did or did not inject into his backside, what makes anyone think the United States Congress is going to be able to do anything effective in this regard?

The only thing more pathetic than Barry Bonds saying he didn't do it, is the sight of a bunch of Beltway Suits ginning up their latest wave of self-righteous indignation, and projecting criticism on to Major League Baseball that they would never level at themselves. 

I have become a believer in term limits; a topic I will try and get to later this month.

Cigarettes have been in our news a lot since the New Year.  Last week Wisconsin's new cigarette tax was implemented, and smokers are now sending one dollar per pack in additional tax to Madison.  Now there is talk of a legislative ban on smoking in all public places.   

Mick Jagger was once a student at the London School of Economics, and is renowned in the music industry for his business acumen.  In 1971 he made tax "exiles" of the Rolling Stones by moving the band permanently out of England.  They settled in New York City, and in 1978, released the album Some Girls, which, fueled by hit after smash hit, went multi-platinum.  One of those hits, When the Whip Comes Down, is a tough and gritty anthem about some of the darker sides of the city's sub-culture.  I saw a bit of that sub-culture on a trip there last September.

In the five burroughs, the combination of State and City taxes on cigarettes has risen to such a level that for the most part, people just don't buy them there anymore.  Instead they cross the Hudson to New Jersey or head north to Connecticut; a predictable reaction that is costing the City enormous revenue.  But what I found fascinating was the functioning of a black market that sees people drive to Virginia where tobacco is cheap and taxes on it are low.  They return to the City, their vehicles loaded with smokes, and sell their contraband on the street at a fraction of what a retailer can charge.

This has a lot of people in Gotham City Hall hopping mad about black markets and lost revenue.  But whatever one's reaction, surprise should not be one of them, for people and markets ALWAYS react to economic stimulus; even mega-wealthy rock stars.

I spent nearly six years of my young life addicted to Marlboro Reds, and know first hand what a powerful vice tobacco is.  But despite this, I believe we will ultimately see the revenue Wisconsin collects from this new tax FALL, as enterprising people around our State take action to avoid the new tax, or best of all, quit.

But specifically, this cigarette tax and the proposed ban on smoking is a bit surreal.  Government at every level spends millions in public health campaigns to prevent smoking, while at the very same time, grows ever more addicted to the revenues generated by the very habit it is trying to eradicate. 

The title of another hit song from Some Girls could describe such an approach.

Shattered