Two schools stand together as an example for all to see

I saw an incredibly beautiful thing Wednesday night.
I went to the community celebration and information session at Marshall High School where Fort Bend ISD officials discussed the details of how the school would host Willowridge High School while the home of the Eagles is undergoing mold remediation and renovation.
Because both schools are below half capacity they both fit together under one roof, albeit rather snugly. When parents and students came together Wednesday night, I witnessed not just the blending of two schools but the open embrace of people of many different races. Predominantly black, white and Hispanic, people of many colors and cultures came together in an open embrace of friendship and acceptance.
In light of the racial strife and tragedy recently in Charlottesville, Va., it was so refreshing and encouraging to see the unity and togetherness demonstrated at Marshall High. It showed what those of us from Fort Bend County have known for years – that we are all part of the same race; the human race. This county prides itself on being one of the most ethnically diverse in the country. That was proven Wednesday night.
There was no Alt-Left, Alt-Right, white supremacy, Black Lives Matter, anti-Confederate, pro-history rhetoric. There were smiles, hugs, gifts, acceptance and unity. Even though the two schools are district rivals, there was no Us vs. Them. It was just us. The two have (temporarily) become one.
Although no one mentioned the current state of national affairs, the contrast between Missouri City and Charlottesville was not lost on anyone that night. With teachers and administrators clad in T-shirts featuring the M atop the W High School logo and Together We Stand printed under it and the pep rally reception given by Marshall, it was clear that the response to adversity is unity, not division.
On Friday that was further demonstrated at the school when area religious leaders and elected officials came together to stand in unity for the two schools. Although my schedule prohibited me from attending that event, it still served as further evidence that we can do more together as a people when we cooperate than we can when we take offense and fight.
There is no doubt that racism is still a huge problem in this country. If it were not, we would not be having these issues or this discussion.
I think we owe it to ourselves, however, to reflect on how far we’ve come since the days of the Civil Rights Movement. Segregation is long over. Our schools, governments and other institutions are integrated – not perfectly, but much better than they’ve been at any time in the past. We have made tremendous progress and continue to do so.
The last thing we need to do is let the violence and rhetoric of a few undo the accomplishments of the many. Ironically, I think what has happened in Charlottesville has not served to divide us but to unite us. In a way we have spoken in one voice that we will not tolerate hate. That’s not what the neo-Nazi white supremacists wanted to accomplish.
The unfortunate backlash to all of this has been an assault on Confederate statues and monuments. This is a knee-jerk reaction and a horrible response. There appears to be a mindset out there that the Confederacy and the Civil War were only about slavery and that the only purpose of the statues and other monuments is to demean blacks.
I don’t see it that way, but I come from a time and place far removed from the Civil War. Whenever I see a monument to the Confederacy, I’m reminded of those who sacrificed everything in this nation’s bloodiest war. I see recognition of sacrifice, commitment, bravery and belief. I also see a vivid reminder that the result of the war was a win for freedom and the unity of this country.
Conversely, although I am white, I can understand how Confederate monuments might make black people feel. I might be just as outraged if Mexicans erected statues of Santa Anna after the Texas Revolution or if people of German descent put up monuments to Hitler after World War II.
When it comes to these monuments, we need to remember that defacing them or tearing them down is a crime and ought to be punished. We have a Constitutional right to free speech and to assemble peacefully. We do not have the right to commit crime. Vandalism is not a form of expression protected by the Constitution and it’s downright un-American.
Before anyone makes an attempt to tear down or remove Confederate monuments we should first understand their context and purpose. Any action should be taken or not taken as the result of a free and democratic process. It is foolish and dangerous to act while in the drunken stupor of runaway political correctness.
America has a very messy and divisive past on many fronts. We cannot sanitize our history or pretend it didn’t happen. We need to be reminded of who we are and where we came from if we are to move forward without repeating the mistakes of our forefathers. If we are to make progress as a people, we need to do it together. We need to focus on what we have in common and our shared values. We must also respect that there is no way to please everyone and there will always be disagreements. We must learn to disagree without being disagreeable.
I think that is what made the events at Marshall High School so beautiful. While much of the country is maligned on issues of race, we are finding strength in unity. It’s powerful and positive and it’s a message the rest of the world should see. Instead of the flashpoint of Charlottesville, we need more ripples of Missouri City and Fort Bend County. This is our example and this is who we are.
I think it’s very fitting that the two schools mascots are the bald eagle and the buffalo, which also happen to be our nation’s symbols. Together we stand!

Glen Campbell will always be Gentle on My Mind as the Rhinestone Cowboy

“I’ve been walkin’ these streets so long, singing the same old song.”
Those lyrics are the first words to one of my favorite songs.
“I know every crack in these dirty sidewalks of Broadway.”
I know every crackle and pop in the album I played over and over as a kid. “Rhinestone Cowboy” was a theme song of my youth. It still makes my heart swell when I hear it. Today my heart breaks as Glen Campbell, the singer who made the song famous, has passed away at the age of 81 from a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Campbell and his music touched my life in many ways. As a kid growing up in the 1970s in rural Colorado, his music was common on the AM radio stations we listened to. I loved his hits and could relate to them in many ways. I took great pride in being a country boy, so naturally the song “Country Boy” connected with me. His “Southern Nights” was also a natural selection in the soundtrack of my youth. “Have you ever felt a Southern night?” Yeah, I have. Every night is a Southern night with me.
Although I’ve always liked songs like “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” it wasn’t until I visited those places as an adult that I really learned to appreciate them. Other songs of his just made me happy. “It’s Only Make Believe,” “Gentle On My Mind,” and “Try a Little Kindness” are just a few that I could never get tired of listening to.
I remember watching “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour” on TV (yeah, I’m that old) and really enjoying the music, the guest stars and the laughter. I remember watching it with my dad. There are not many TV shows that we share a common interest in but that was one of them.
Looking back, I was a die-hard country and western music fan as a kid. I listened to a lot of Willie and Waylon, George and Tammy, Conway and Loretta, Moe and Joe, and tons of other classic legends. The ones that I liked most, however, were the balladeers. You’ve heard of power ballads and anthem rock, well Glen Campbell, John Denver, Eddie Rabbitt and the like were the country anthem singers and the original power balladeers that in many ways paved the way for the rock-n-rollers.
Their genre of country music changed the game for the industry and led to many pop crossovers. There are some who say their type of music was the beginning of the end of classic country and western music. Others credit them as the leaders of country music who took it from honky-tonks to stadiums and arenas. However you look at them, their mark on country music and in my life are indelible.
I moved away from country music in the 1980s. I came back in the early 1990s aboard the Garth Brooks bandwagon. I left it again at the end of the ’90s for contemporary Christian music. Today I like listening to a wide variety of old favorites, as the new music just doesn’t appeal to me. Glen Campbell is pretty prominent in the play list on my iPhone.
I only got to see him in concert one time. He was playing at a church in Denver in 1998. I bought a pair of tickets and emailed a bunch of friends to see if anyone was interested in joining me. I got one reply. It was a snowy evening and we went down, only to find the concert was oversold and seats were hard to come by. We sat on the backs of folding metal chairs against the back wall of the sanctuary. It was uncomfortable but the only way we could see short of standing for the whole show.
Campbell’s daughter performed with him and he sang many of the songs I loved. He did not, however, sing “Rhinestone Cowboy” and that has always disappointed me. Still, I had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the company. You see, the friend who responded to my email is someone who will always be gentle on my mind. I hope that I will always be her country boy and rhinestone cowboy. My date that evening is now my wife of nearly 18 years. It was our first date and a very memorable time.
We were both crushed by the news of Campbell’s passing. He will always have a special place in our hearts and lives. Little did we know at the time that his concert would be the beginning of a lifetime together. Thank you Glen Campbell for the good memories and good times.

Speaking of country music legends
Last week I had the honor of doing a phone interview with Michael Martin Murphey. He is another of the many country artists I grew up listening to. I had “Wildfire” on a 45 and wore it out. I took advantage of the opportunity to thank him for the song and all the wonderful memories it gave me while I was growing up. His reply to me was to not grow up and keep listening. That was timely, as my birthday had just recently passed and I was really feeling my age.
If he can still be a kid at 72 I can certainly continue to do the same 20 years his junior. All I need to do is put on some good old fashioned country and western music and let the good times roll!

Cell phones are deadly weapons of mass distraction

I think the most detrimental invention in modern history is the cellular phone.
The device is a technological marvel and it gives us abilities we could never have imagined at the close of the 20th century, but it has also created a source of distraction that is unparalleled in human history.
While I applaud the Texas Legislature for banning texting and driving in the state, I fear the ban does not go nearly far enough. I have seen a new and even more disturbing trend with drivers engaging in Facetime or Skype conversations while driving down the highway. I can’t begin to tell you how insanely stupid that is. You have got to be a complete moron to have a screen open like that while you are driving. It’s every bit as dangerous as texting while driving or driving drunk.
What is worse is it will lead to people watching videos or scrolling through social media when they should be paying attention to the road around them. Distracted driving is a serious problem people, STOP IT! If you’re behind the wheel of a car in motion, your phone should be turned off or muted and out of your face. You have absolutely no business talking, texting, playing games, watching videos or doing anything else with a cell phone when your hands should be on the wheel and your eyes on the road.
I’ll admit that talking on the phone while driving is a hard habit to break. I’ve been trying to force myself to do it but every once and a while I’ll slip up and answer a call. I’m guilty, so I know of what I speak. Still, I try to make a conscious effort to leave my phone in my pocket whenever I drive anywhere. You should too.
Cars are not the only place cell phones are a problem. Restaurants, schools, grocery stores, sporting events and especially movie theaters are plagued with people addicted to their devices. I seriously wish our local movie theaters would escort people out of the theater who turn their phones on during the show. With the prices we pay for movies these days, I absolutely hate having someone light up their screen to check a text or flip through Facebook. It’s more than distracting; it’s robbing the other paying customers the benefit of a full movie-going experience.
AMC, CineMark and the other theaters owe it to their customers to provide a distraction-free environment. It’s not enough to run the little public service announcements at the start of the flicks; they need to put some teeth into it. If you use your cell phone during a movie you should be expelled from the theater and not given a refund. If that happens often enough maybe people will learn not to use them.
I may be old school in this regard, but I think schools should be cell phone-free environments. They cause way too much distraction and are avenues for cheating. I think detention and suspension from extracurricular activities are appropriate punishments to consider when students use their phones during instruction time. We have the technology to block cell signals. I think it ought to be used in all of our school buildings during instructional hours.
I think it’s ironic that the connectivity we get through cell phones is also leading to some of the biggest disconnects of all time. Face-to-face interaction is becoming a dying art because people appear to be more comfortable facing a screen than another person. Going to a restaurant should be a pleasurable experience. It’s a time to dine and share conversation. It’s not a time to troll social media and scarf your food when it arrives.
There are times when I miss the days of phone booths. I remember when phone calls were personal and private. Now it’s not unusual to walk through a grocery store or retail shop and encounter someone carrying on a conversation in speaker mode so everyone can hear. There is no sense of etiquette and decorum anymore when cell phones are involved.
I wish I had the answer for this problem. Unfortunately, people will be people and until there is a significant change in technology I fear the situation with cell phones will only get worse before it gets better. The more that cell phone technology evolves, the more people will use them and depend on them. That will only increase the distraction factor.
The creation of the cell phone in many ways is a marvelous and wonderful thing when you think about all it allows us to do and enjoy. Unfortunately they to do not come with safeguards and a sense of ethics and responsibility. I almost hate to say it, but I fear we may need to consider legislation at some point to govern use of this technology that has so enveloped our lives.
I am generally opposed to having more government overreach into our personal affairs, but so many people are so careless and distracted that regulation might soon be necessary. That’s the way it has been with the development of many technologies. The automobile gave us great freedom but it also required volumes of governmental control to make it safe. As long as people are doing stupid things with their cell phones that endanger the lives of themselves and others, they will continue to do so unless brought under control.
Honestly, I hate the direction this column is going, but I also hate the thought of having a distracted driver kill or injure me or a loved one. I hate the thought that our schools could be producing graduates who can do little more than manipulate the technology. I hate the thought of interpersonal skills disappearing behind mobile screens.
Before any of this can come to fruition, however, we must first acknowledge these problems and dangers inherent with cellular phones and then focus on solving those issues.

Is it better to be ‘Shaken’ or ‘Unshakeable’ in quest for meaning and value?

Are they coincidences or hidden messages? That is what’s puzzling me.
I’m an avid reader/listener of audio books. They help me pass the time on my commute to and from work each day. Four of the last five books I’ve listened to have had some interesting similarities. Take for example the titles of the first two books, “Unshakeable” by Tony Robbins and “Shaken” by Tim Tebow. More about those in a minute.
The second two are “Angels and Demons” by Dan Brown and “Use of Force” by Brad Thor. Those books, thrillers published 17 years apart, both center on threats against the Vatican.
Getting back to the first two books, I couldn’t help but appreciate the irony of listening to “Unshakeable” followed by “Shaken.” That isn’t where the irony ended.
When I checked “Unshakeable” out of the library, I felt certain I was going to get some powerful, motivational, self-help advice from Robbins, who is an author, entrepreneur, philanthropist and life coach extraordinaire. I found a previous book of his that I listened to a while back to be very helpful. I prepared to be inspired and encouraged to accomplish great things.
What I got was basically a book for millionaires about how to get richer. It was all about wealth-building at a level far above my income and knowledge base. I did get some benefit out of it, but for the most part it was way above my head and my pay grade.
I was somewhat hesitant to listen to “Shaken” and only did so because I was between books that I had on hold at the library. I respect Tim Tebow as an outspoken brother in Christ, but I had to wonder how much motivation and inspiration a young, washed-up quarterback could give to an old guy like me. It turns out there was quite a bit.
“Shaken” was more about his faith journey than his adventures as a journeyman NFL quarterback. Sure, there were plenty of stories and antidotes about his rise to Heisman Trophy winner and being drafted by the Denver Broncos only to be cut loose to the NFL scrapheap a few years later. His story has plenty of ups and downs, not just in football but in many areas of life.
There are plenty of times when he was shaken by life’s twists and turns only to rebound stronger and more determined than before. He draws inspiration from the sick and disabled and in turn inspires them to great things. Although Tebow has been shaken in life, he has proven unshakeable in his love of God and commitment to his faith and love of others.
I clearly learned more about life from the young, has-been quarterback than I did from the elder motivational expert. I don’t mean this as anything bad about Robbins. It means I really didn’t take the time to figure out what his book was about and who his target audience is before listening to it. No doubt if you have the resources, his knowledge and inspiration will make a big difference for you. It didn’t speak to me. Tebow did.
People pay thousands of dollars to attend seminars put on by Robbins. Almost anyone could go to the minor league baseball park where Tebow is toiling on his new dream of playing in the Majors and see him play for just a few bucks. They can get photos, autographs and probably a handshake. People can attend events put on by his foundation or see him at various speaking engagements. More importantly, he is likely to pray with or for you or do something to lift you up.
Someday I’d like to be able to run with the big dogs like Robbins, but I can’t help but feel there is more personal and spiritual satisfaction working in the trenches with someone like Tebow where life is real and authentic and the smallest kind gesture can make a huge difference in someone’s life. I’d rather live boldly for Christ than to live life boldly. Clearly, the “Shaken” life is more meaningful than the “Unshakeable” one.
Moving on, I’d like to talk about the two thrillers I’ve been listening to. Neither one does anything for my spiritual life. They’re kind of my guilty pleasures. Sometimes in the world of fruits, vegetables and lean, white meat you need to be able to sneak a cookie or two. These are my cookies. OK, they’re more like deep-fried moon pies on a stick, but you get the picture.
I started listening to Dan Brown’s “Angels and Demons” more than a month ago – once again while I was between books on hold at the library. It was published in 2000 and the library has multiple copies, so if I didn’t finish I knew I could easily come back to it. I didn’t finish. About half way through it Brad Thor’s newest thriller, “Use of Force,” came up and I paused Brown’s book and listen to Thor’s. One, I was eager to hear the newest adventure of his anti-terrorist agent Scot Harvath. Two, there is a waiting list for it and I can’t renew it, so I wanted to bull through it as quickly as I could. That, and just days before I got to meet Thor at a book signing at Murder By The Book in Houston, so I was extra motivated to dig into it.
Like I said before, both books center around preventing an attack on the Vatican. I can’t begin to tell you how dizzying it is to listen to two fast-paced thrillers with similar objectives. Fortunately I was able to come back to “Angels and Demons” and pick up the story without missing a beat.
So once more I find myself sitting here reviewing the coincidences and ironies of my choices of reading/listening material and wondering if there isn’t some hidden message inside of it. Perhaps it means my mind is craving the next thriller from the master of secret codes and hidden messages, Brad Meltzer. In the meantime, next up is a return to my lifelong favorite author, Clive Cussler, who has recently released “Nighthawk.”
I just hope that book doesn’t take place at the Vatican. If it does I’ll know beyond a doubt that God or someone is sending me a message or at least messing with my head.