It is with sadness I write this column expressing my opinion about events that continue in the culture of today. It was on Twitter that I learned of the sudden death of a 27 year old entertainer. Word was cautious at first about the death of Amy Jade Winehouse, but soon, celebrities and many other people began to express their opinions about the life and struggles of the young singer. Later in the day, Judy Farah, known on Twitter as “newsbabe1530” left the following tweet, “The 27 Club, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Kurt Cobain, now Amy Winehouse, all dead at 27.” As the tweets continued, I thought of the young age of those listed; Morrison, Hendrix, Joplin, Jones, Cobain and Winehouse never lived to see their 28th birthday. The use of the names of the entertainers listed above is not to suggest that it is only in the music or entertainment field where people die young as a result of drug abuse. A similar list could be made in almost every vocation and career field. As the music and entertainment industry struggles to find answers to the inner issues that each of those listed have dealt with, I was reminded of a quote from Voltaire, when he said, “What a heavy burden is a name that has become famous too soon.” The question arises then; can we blame the struggles these entertainers had on their fame? Benjamin Franklin said, “Life’s tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.” Other questions can then be asked concerning these untimely deaths. “Are these struggles of addiction a mark of immaturity and only made by the young?” Another question is relevant to our discussion, “Why doesn’t someone wiser or older step in to stop this self-destructive behavior?” For every question asked in recent days there are many answers. There are those who would defend with great passion the position that tells us the addiction to self-destructive behavior is not the fault of the person addicted. Other people could step forward to lay the blame upon society and the stresses under which we are required to live today.
Help is available for any who find they are struggling with addictions. With the development of the Internet, we are discovering an addiction to pornography that is ruining lives in every career field. Society has known for many years the addictions of drugs and alcohol. There are self-help programs, recovery programs, private counselors with a Christian perspective, public health programs, government drug substitution programs, and others who have made a lifetime vocation of seeking to help any and all who is addicted to some substance or way-of-life that will lead to self-destructive behavior.
Families and friends of those who are caught in the trap of addiction and have become slaves to their personal inner struggles, spend many hours and money trying to find ways to assist the people they love in order to change their behavioral pattern of self-destruction. There is nothing as helpless as a person trying to assist a loved one dealing with the types of issues as young Amy had. Reports tell that Amy Winehouse had tried several different rehab treatments, none of which brought about the desired result of freedom from her addictive drug use. She once told a reporter: “I’m of the school of thought where if you can’t sort something out for yourself, no one can help you. Rehab is great for some people but not for others.”
Before we throw a righteous pointed finger into the face of the young and immature, let us all realize that we could also be caught in this same trap of self-destructive behavior. Before we lecture those who are addicted, let us seek the source of the behavior and do all we can to encourage a recovery program that will change the way-of-life of the addict. Communicating love and support as early in life as possible to the ones we love can go a long way toward having success as the temptations of drug, alcohol, and other destructive behaviors are dangled before the eyes of the young. Some people reading this column will push back telling of years of love and support that fell on deft ears as the behavior of the addict grew more severe with each new event.
Too many die too young as a result of addictive self-destructive behavior.
Ray Newman
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Get to know candidates for President of US
In the middle of a hot dry summer in Georgia, there is little doubt that the nominee for the Democrat party for President of the United States of America will be the current president. Many pundits have already pronounced President Obama as the anointed winner in his second run to be the nominee of his party. Opinions will vary as to whether his nomination will mean an automatic second term in the White House.
On the Republican side of the aisle, the field of candidates for the nomination continues to grow. It is hard to predict how many people will ultimately be running to carry the banner for the Republican Party from the primaries into the General Election. National columnists and bloggers are abuzz with rumors of who is in and who is out in regard to being the final winner for the nomination to seek the highest office in the world. The question I am hearing most often these days is the prediction of who among the current field of candidates will be the first to drop out. There seems to be a tie in trying to determine if the first drop out would be Rick Santorum or Newt Gingrich. Neither of these men has yet to gain the momentum that was been expected by their supporters. Almost every conservative column writer is showing Mitt Romney as the front runner in money support as well as poll results. There is a hedge on this prediction, however, by some writers when the as-yet unannounced candidacy of the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, is added to the field of candidates. Fellow Georgian, Herman Cain, has a way of bringing great energy to a crowd and has enjoyed fair success in his fund raising attempts. Former Utah Governor, Ambassador Jon Huntsman, has been able to stir some waves after jumping into the fray. Minnesota Representative, Michele Bachmann, has been able to rise near the top in some of the daily tracking polls. There is some speculation as to whether Sarah Palin, former vice presidential candidate with Senator John McCain, will enter the race. There is Ron Paul who appeals to a certain segment of the population, but has yet to turn that appeal into a prediction of victory for him. Tim Pawlenty shows promise but is struggling to have his message heard. Thaddeus McCotter is also often mentioned as having entered last, and might be the first to drop out. Naming each of these candidates should not be seen as an endorsement or prediction concerning any of them. I have listed them for information only. We continue to hear that others will be joining the race.
With all that is going on in Washington over the increase in the debt ceiling, and other national and international upheavals, some would say it is too early to begin following presidential candidates. I would argue however, that the time is now that we need to become aware of the positions of each candidate in order to make an informed decision when the time comes for voting.
Admittedly, it is early, but it is never too early to begin comparing the values, experience (in and out of government service), platforms and promises of each of the people who would want our vote to become the next President of the United States. With the availability of information via the Internet and with social media on the upswing all the candidates attempt to make known their beliefs and policy convictions in order for everyone who agrees with them to jump on their wagon as they move toward the primary vote next year.
There is no excuse for any person to say they are not informed about candidates. There should be no viable excuse to stay home on Election Day, especially to say that you don’t know the people running for President of the United States of America.
Ray Newman
On the Republican side of the aisle, the field of candidates for the nomination continues to grow. It is hard to predict how many people will ultimately be running to carry the banner for the Republican Party from the primaries into the General Election. National columnists and bloggers are abuzz with rumors of who is in and who is out in regard to being the final winner for the nomination to seek the highest office in the world. The question I am hearing most often these days is the prediction of who among the current field of candidates will be the first to drop out. There seems to be a tie in trying to determine if the first drop out would be Rick Santorum or Newt Gingrich. Neither of these men has yet to gain the momentum that was been expected by their supporters. Almost every conservative column writer is showing Mitt Romney as the front runner in money support as well as poll results. There is a hedge on this prediction, however, by some writers when the as-yet unannounced candidacy of the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, is added to the field of candidates. Fellow Georgian, Herman Cain, has a way of bringing great energy to a crowd and has enjoyed fair success in his fund raising attempts. Former Utah Governor, Ambassador Jon Huntsman, has been able to stir some waves after jumping into the fray. Minnesota Representative, Michele Bachmann, has been able to rise near the top in some of the daily tracking polls. There is some speculation as to whether Sarah Palin, former vice presidential candidate with Senator John McCain, will enter the race. There is Ron Paul who appeals to a certain segment of the population, but has yet to turn that appeal into a prediction of victory for him. Tim Pawlenty shows promise but is struggling to have his message heard. Thaddeus McCotter is also often mentioned as having entered last, and might be the first to drop out. Naming each of these candidates should not be seen as an endorsement or prediction concerning any of them. I have listed them for information only. We continue to hear that others will be joining the race.
With all that is going on in Washington over the increase in the debt ceiling, and other national and international upheavals, some would say it is too early to begin following presidential candidates. I would argue however, that the time is now that we need to become aware of the positions of each candidate in order to make an informed decision when the time comes for voting.
Admittedly, it is early, but it is never too early to begin comparing the values, experience (in and out of government service), platforms and promises of each of the people who would want our vote to become the next President of the United States. With the availability of information via the Internet and with social media on the upswing all the candidates attempt to make known their beliefs and policy convictions in order for everyone who agrees with them to jump on their wagon as they move toward the primary vote next year.
There is no excuse for any person to say they are not informed about candidates. There should be no viable excuse to stay home on Election Day, especially to say that you don’t know the people running for President of the United States of America.
Ray Newman
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