RiverThoughts

River Thoughts

Last weekend at my favorite park… Hudson Mills

From lobster

taken by Kay, for god knows what reason… but, perhaps the best photo on the internet!

Picasa Web Albums – Bob – october

Hudson Mills, Oct. 11, ‘09

My friend Craig Kivi invited a few of us to join him in a memorial to his wonderful dog, Drake, who passed to a better place a couple of weeks ago… these are the pictures as Drake’s ashes were scattered in the river he loved to fish in with Craig and friends…..

Picasa Web Albums – Bob – Drake’s Memorial

A very good friend of mine recently lost his best friend… his blog is one of the best things on the internet.

You’ll find the first part here:

Golden Drake Outdoors Blog » Craig & Drake’s Journal -

More recent posts about Drake are here:

Golden Drake Outdoors Blog -

If you’ve ever loved a dog…read this.

I just sent the following e/mail to the Board of Education after the Superintendent of schools attempted to force teachers to get lesson plans approved in advance if they intend to let kids listen to a speech by the President..think about this…and do the same if you agree:

“It is really not significant that “parents called” to complain about the President’s speech. To ask teachers to vet their lesson plans in advance because it involves a speech by the President is inappropriate, unless this is done for EVERY speech by any President, living or dead.

The reasons for the objections are transparent, we don’t need to discuss this, if the district folds to this type of pressure from either side of the political spectrum, you’re setting a precedent that is dangerous and destructive to the educational process in this community. Involving our students in core democratic values (democratic as in form of government, not political party) is essential.

Please be aware that this oppression is wrong and unacceptable.

If we censor this speech, will we censor the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats, and Kennedy’s speech in Berlin as well.

How many parents were notified when Bush entered a classroom on 9/11 to read to them, how many were given the opportunity to pull their kids from the class?

Think about what we are doing here, the simplistic answer you give me is not going to fly. Who is the expert on what is right in terms of curriculum, teachers or parents.

I’m a Veteran, my son is a vet from Iraq, we both took an oath to defend the Constitution and the people of the United States with our lives if necessary to support rights under the 1st Amendment… this kind of behavior on the part of our Superintendent is unacceptable.

What do we say to the families whose children came home in flag draped coffins about the fact that the children in our country, in OUR community, are not allowed to listen to a speech given and specifically directed to them by the democratically elected President of our country? What does the Constitution mean in this community.