Is there really a threat on your child that a stranger lurks in your neighborhood? Just waiting to kidnap them? Is light rail or other public forms of transportation going to bring an added threat to our children if and when it comes into our community?   Recent studies show that you should be more afraid of family members and/or children’s friends then actual strangers.   It’s safer for your child to use public transportation by themselves, than your child is going... >> more

Written by Ceci Mains I’ve noticed that people tend to get upset by things they can’t control. By and large lately this upset has emerged into complaining and wallowing in self pity crying “that’s not fair!”. Granted it is a natural instinct to be self-seeking, but one generally gets over the “that’s mine!” phase after age three. Right?  There has been much talk lately about certain rights and whether or not someone has or doesn’t... >> more

No tolls, no bridge, no now, no where. No money, no share, no one seems to care.   No life, no growth, yet they want our vote. What has happened to our grand old party?   Running on negativity, fact checks are a rarity. What happened to the capacity to educate the weary?   No tolls are the new abortion. Voting ones ability is subsided by voting on emotion.   Palin is our new leader? Seriously?   What has happened to the American dream? What has... >> more

Since you’ve been gone   Dear Pope John Paul: do you ever look down here, and wonder? Seeing the sites, hearing the sounds? Is there more pain now than before?   Dear Pope John Paul: do you have questions, like how could this happen? Why are we falling deeper away from the truth to restore?   Dear Pope John Paul: did you know the people around you had secrets that slowly were killing truth? Did you see this? Or did they watch you and hold you back from voicing... >> more

The past few weeks have brought me opportunities to speak with young adults about the dangers of sexting. One of those opportunities came at a local private high school. The administration, in hopes of preventing a sexting pandemic at their school, asked me to speak with a group of their teenage students who recently were caught with their pants down…or should I say, with their t-shirts off? Sexting is the newest form of teenage intimacy. Both guys and girls believe that one of the best... >> more

In case you missed this from the Columbian Newspaper following the election: My hope is for our community to come together and support our new elected officials. No matter what side of the aisle you may be on, we have work to do within our community and our country. Looking back on the Bush presidency one of my fondest memories followed September 11, 2001. For it was the first time in my life time that I witnessed our country stand united. People forgot partisan divides, racial... >> more

Nobody is perfect. Everybody makes mistakes. We all make bad decisions and act from poor information. Being human means you and I will fail at some things and cause other people harm. Needing to be perfect is an unenforceable rule. >> more