When a Picture is Worth More Than a Thousand Words
Read MoreThere’s a saying, that a picture is worth a thousand words.
But there are also occasions when a picture isn’t quite all that it seems.
Roman Catholic Revulsion
Read MoreI was raised in the Roman Catholic Church.
To this day, most of my family are practicing Catholics. I attended Catholic School (Holy Trinity in the Oak Lawn section of Dallas) — the same school run by the priest who gave President Kennedy last rights. I attended mass regularly (strong emphasis on the past tense). I was a member of the Knights of Columbus. I once played on the church soccer team, which was called the “Crusaders” (seriously). My Godfather graduated from the University of Notre Dame. That’s as Catholic as it gets.
When the Worst Thing is to Do Nothing — A Reaction to the Tragedy in Connecticut
WEIGHING THE OPTIONS: TO DO SOMETHING VERSUS NOTHING
The horror of the Connecticut school shooting impacts us on so many emotional levels.
Just about everyone I’ve spoken to, or correspnded with, has endured a gambit of reactions over the past 24 hours since the tragedy — from shock, to anger, to sorrow, to (again) outrage, and ultimately (for some) to a renewed sense of determination.
Today’s column is a difficult one to write. It’s probably the most complicated issue I’ve addressed, to date. I admit experiencing a sort of “writer’s block” to this terrible tragedy, something that doesn’t strike me often. The bottom line is — what is there to say? What can be said?
But as the hours pass, I’ve come to realize that to say nothing is grossly irresponsible. To do nothing, even more so.
Hence, I shall address the Connecticut tragedy in multiple parts. First, there’s a purely emotional reaction to these unfathomable events. As one might expect, these feelings are accompanied by a demand for action. I’ve also included what I believe to be a few partial solutions which seek to reduce the frequency and severity of these horrors.
Once again, this is a terribly difficult problem to face. But we must look to these victims and honor their memory with something better than what we have now. And then, we must look inside ourselves. We must do it. We must do it now. Righteousness demands nothing less.
Stealing John Dillinger’s Pants
Read MoreMy visit to the John Dillinger Museum in Crown Point, Indiana.
Where’s Inspector Clouseau When You Need Him?
A few days ago, I lost everything I have ever written.
Every article — gone.
Every draft — gone.
Two half-completed books — gone.
Hundreds of World Series of Poker official reports — gone.
Thousands of personal photographs — gone.
Basically, everything I’m now working on or have nearly completed as a writer — gone.
So, what happened?
My laptop was stolen.
After spending 24 hours crying and another 48 hours throwing up, my next instinct was to write about the pain this has caused. Even as I sit here now, three days removed from the loss, words cannot express what comes from being severed forever from the emotional reactions I had to different things over the years that were reflected in those very heartfelt writings.
When I felt happy, I usually wrote about it. When I felt sad, I usually wrote about it. And, when I felt angry, I almost always wrote about it. That laptop was a basket case of emotional bedlam.
And now, it’s gone, likely transformed into little more than back-alley barter for the next $50 fix.
Read MoreMy Muse
Marieta Dalla
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