21

Right out of the gate, this is not a review of a movie.

It is about a milestone.

I know a man who turns twenty-one years old on April 2.

He's smart.

He's compassionate.

He has a heart of gold.

I know, it's a little cliche. But it's true.

He is loyal and true.

He is everything I once hoped to be.

He is mature beyond his years.

While I have almost certainly disappointed him, he has never disappointed me.

If you are lucky in life, you may meet him someday.

I suspect you may read him first.

He is an aspiring journalist. He is a very good writer.

By now, you may have guessed I know him well.

You are right. I do.

He is Kevin Christopher Jordan. K.C. for short.

He is my son. I love him more than he knows.

Happy Birthday buddy.

You're the best!

Count On It

Kudos to the County Commissioners for approving an optical scan voting system in Lackawanna County. While the county had a difficult time using the system the first time around in '07, the system will prove to be an advantage. An optical scan voting system uses printed ballots. Voters fill-in the circle next to the name of the candidate for whom they wish to vote. The ballot is then placed in a ballot box and counted once at the polls and again at a central location. But the biggest advantage is the ability to visually inspect a ballot. This is significant during a recount. Inspectors can examine a ballot over and over and come to agreement on just what the ballot says. That is crucial in establishing integrity with voters. Commissioners in other counties should have been so wise.

Damage Control

I had the opportunity to listen to Senator Barack Obama's speech on racism. Mr. Obama was introduced by former Senator Harris Wofford of Pennsylvania. I later watched the same speech on television later. The televised speech seemed more inspiring. It must be the same effect of listening to the Kennedy/Nixon denate on radio and watching it on TV. It was a good speech. It was not great. It was not Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. I would have been more impressed if the Senator had delivered the speech without the swirl of controversy surrounding him and his former Pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright. I was left with the impression that the Obama capaign was engaged in damage control, full throttle CYA, not a debate on the issue of race in America. Follow the speech with a major faux pas. After throwing his grandmother under the bus as a racist, he later described her as a "typical white person." Excuse me Senator I am not typical. That's stereotyping and, dare I say it, "racist."