My 11-year-old daughter Olivia is no different from most kids in at least this one respect; she loves snow! At my home in Nobleboro, we got a solid 10 inches of the white stuff last week. First thing Thursday morning, well, second thing. First thing I spent an hour or so doing snow removal or rather relocation.
Second thing, Olivia asked me to have a snowball fight with her. It was just wet enough snow to make good balls. I put up a good enough fight so she didn’t know I was holding back. We rolled around in it and hugged and in general had a grand old time. Then it was time for what she called making an igloo. Having spent a few years in Alaska, and studying many survival techniques, I explained the difference between an igloo and a snow cave. We made the latter. I built up a large mound and she carved out the cave. She did a great job and we allowed her that night to spend a couple of hours reading in it (she loves to read). I put a blanket over the entrance and she had a flashlight. I watched the cave entrance the entire time from the house to make sure coyotes didn’t drag her away. After a little les than two hours, her mother went out to tell her to come in and found Olivia sleeping comfortably and deeply in her snow cave. Boy was I proud. She might become a real woods woman yet.
On Saturday I took her and my mother to the Lincoln Theater in Damariscotta. We saw a show that was streamed over the internet from Lincoln Center in Manhattan. It was Big Apple Circus, a not-for-profit, performing arts institution doing shows all over the nation. I have never cared for the circus but I must say I was very much impressed by these folks. The acrobatics, the athleticism impressed even me and I am not impressed easily. If you have the chance, I highly recommend going to see this show.
Many of us criticize the Internet, and rightly so, for making our lives much more harried than they ever were before rather than allowing us more free time. This is one example of the Internet making possible something very positive to a community in rural Maine that it never could have experienced otherwise.
Free Speech vs. Verbal Threats
In the Monday December 1 issue of the Journal Tribune, on page two, we published a story about this issue and that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to “weigh in.” Some citizen groups are concerned about first amendment free speech rights. Others are focused on ensuring the safety of all citizens. Sometimes there are goods or rights that are in conflict, and we as a society, guided by our constitution, must decide what rights take precedence over others.
My own view is that a fundamental function of government is to protect the innocent, to ensure to the greatest degree possible, their safety ”“ mine and yours. Although one person posting how he will kill people is not actual violence, it certainly does concern us greatly. However, I am apprehensive to support laws that would make it a crime to scream, “I’ll kill you.”
In a few moments of passion many of us might scream something similar even though we would never carry out the act. I wonder how many people in the midst of a divorce have made empty threats of violence. But the fact is some people do carry out the threats and that is what is of great concern.
Here is what I think the issue is: I’m not aware of any credible evidence that limiting this speech will increase our safety. Moreover, I’m not comfortable sending people to prison for a verbal outburst. Finally, we don’t keep enough truly violent people in jails long enough as it is because we have run out of room for them. So why would we exacerbate the problem?
Rather than prison, let me suggest another avenue for addressing this problem. How about we start teaching civil behavior in our homes and particularly in our politics. Perhaps more people will decide to behave more courteously, respectfully, and find ways to deal with life’s significant problems other than violence. What do you think? Write a letter to the editor and keep the conversation going.
Thanks for reading and have a peaceful, safe week!
— Bruce M. Hardina is the publisher of the Journal Tribune, a singer-songwriter, a philosopher, a student of life and the human experience, a columnist, an entrepreneur and a family man. To comment on his musings, email bhardina@journaltribune.com or mail a note to Journal Tribune, Attn: Bruce Hardina, 457 Alfred St., Biddeford, ME 04005.
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