O! that this too too solid flesh would melt,
Thaw and resolve itself into a dew;
Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd
His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God!
How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world.
Wm. Shakespeare's Hamlet

A word is dead
When it is said,
Some say.
I say it just
Begins to live
That day.
a poem by Emily Dickinson

I was listening to an editorial on the radio yesterday concerning the appointment of a new Chief Justice to the Supreme Court. The discussion centered around the controvery over whether the Pledge of Allegiance should be deemed unconstitutional. You know, the Pledge of Allegiance, that cornerstone of national loyalty we all, at one time or another, have stood up, hand over heart and recited with pride and conviction in the school auditorium or at some other public gathering. Because the Pledge of Allegiance contains the words "one nation under God" some people in this country are trying to have the whole thing thrown out claiming that the wording brings the debate over God and religion into the mix. These same people would have us believe that since the word God is used in the Pledge of Allegiance then somebody's rights must surely be being stepped on.
Well may I remind these people that this nation is a country founded by religious refugees and to take away the Pledge of Allegiance simply because it contained the word God would be to say that everything those early settlers came to America for -- the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech -- was a farce and a lie and all their sacrificing was for nothing this four hundred or more years later.
If we are going to allow these people to scutinize every document that has the word God in it and claim it unconstitutional, then I suppose the next thing to come before the Supreme Court in question of being unconstitutional will be the Constitution of the United States of America itself. How could The Constitution be unconstitutional??
Maybe we should be looking around for all those who are proud of America and encouraging them to say the Pledge of Allegiance with heartfelt conviction, instead of looking for ways to tear at the fiber of this great country -- a country that was founded on the basic principle of "one nation under God."
S Hamilton

P.S. The answer to the riddle will appear on Thursday of this week. Thanks and hope some of you like the puzzle.....
S Hamilton

After trying to park at school in the parking lots for the last two weeks, I have decided that there has to be something that can be done to alleviate the parking woos at UCO. I get the school at about 10:25 for an 11:00 AM class and this is of course the worst possible time to try and park. I remember from years past that a ten or an eleven o'clock class is going to be a headache all semester but what is one to do when that is the ony time the class is given all day long. I spent 80.00 on a parking permit and have to park at Edmond Public Library or one day I had to park at the Edmond Electric company off of Blvd. I do not mind the walk but I am aftraid of being towed. I would like to complain to the school officiials but who would that be ... can anyone tell me who to compaint to or maybe some one has a suggestion they could offer the person who manages this area on campus. What a Headache and It is hot and I am not happy about the whole mess so I thought I would gripe to everyone about it and maybe I would feel better........ Thanks for listening,
S Hamilton



I also wanted to ask you to think about whether New Orleans should rebuild in its present site or move back away from the soup bowl that they presently occupy. Some say rebuild where the city has always been and others argue why should the feds help pay for N.O. to rebuild in the present site when this horrific catastrophe will inevitably happen again. What do you think??
Thanks,
S Hamilton

The Prisoners, the Warden and the Hats

The warden admits three prisoners into his chambers. He tells them, "One of you fellas is going to have a chance to get out. Here's the deal."I'm going to blindfold all of you, then I'm going to put hats on your heads. I have three white hats and two black hats. Each of you is going to get a hat. You have to figure out which color hat you have to get released."He blindfolds them and puts a hat on each prisoner. They're led out of the room in single file. When the blindfolds are removed, the guy in the back can see the two people in front of him, the guy in the middle can see the one guy in front of him, and the guy in front can see nobody.

TOM: They can't turn around? They have to walk around the prison in this order?

RAY: Right. And they walk around the prison, stopping outside the warden's office. The warden says to the fellow in back, who can see the two people in front of him, and their hats, "Can you tell me what color your hat is?" Don't forget, there are three white hats and two black hats available. The fellow in back says nothing. He doesn't know.The fellow in the middle is asked the same question. He is unable to answer. The guy in the very front, who can see no hats, knows. He says, "I can identify the color of my hat."How does he know?

Think you know?