Across the USA

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Each and every day I read the state-by-state account of what is happening in this great land of ours. I do appreciate that there are millions of people living the right way, but there are just so many negative stories out there. This is from today's news:

Alabama - a 41-year old man was arrested for stabbing his 59-year-old mother to death - they argued about the fact that he pawned her jewelry.

Alaska - A former instructor for the Boys and Girls Club was convicted of having 50,000 pornographic images. He was fired from his job.

Connecticut - A man was charged with running an identity-theft operation stealing mail from over 100 people.

Florida - A man was charged with leaving his two grandchildren in a hot car while he gambled at a casino.

Georgia - A school teacher - 24 year-old woman was arrested for having sex with a 14-year old boy.

Illinois - A man doused his two sons with gasoline and started them on fire.

Maine - A woman embezzled $87,000 from her church.

Kentucky - A woman was arrested at the state fair when a cop spotted her pouring wine into her child's baby bottle.

New Jersey - Two men dressed as ninja warriors were arrested as they delivered threatening letters to drug dealers while brandishing swords.

I suppose that I just don't know what to make of such news. Yet the disturbing part is that it happens each and every day. One story is stranger than the next and the news are filled with disturbing images and horrifying results.

One of my all-time favorite books is The Stand by Stephen King and I like it because society is broken down and re-started after a strange illness. One of the lasting thoughts is that shortly after people were made aware that life had begun again, the crime started. I suppose that the above stories are clear reminders that there are a lot of temptations on the road to freedom. Life is about making decisions and choosing to live one way or another. Every day, it seems that some people decide to make one dumb choice after another.

Makes me long for a national newspaper that would take their Across the USA section and turn it into a log of all the good that is done on a daily basis. Garbage in - garbage out.

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