Wading In

In 1947, a Republican Senator once said that "politics stops at the water's edge." He meant that America was united against its enemies. There would be no politics played at times of war. Little did he know about where this country would go. One of the best memories I have, one of the memories that moves me, that causes my ches tto swell with pride in this country is in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Members of the U.S. Congress, Senators, Representatives, Democrats and Republicans gather on the steps of the Capitol and issue a defiant statement against the perpetrators of this horrendous act of terrorism and talk about how unified we are as a Congress and country. And then, when the press conference is over, they spontaneously break into "God Bless America." Makes me cry to watch it today. See it here . Fast forward to December 2009. A terrorist boards a flight to Detroit and tries to set off a bomb. Passengers and crew grab him and hold him for the authorities....

Grandfathering in the gays By Kelvin Wade December 30, 2009 3:31PM It will truly be a happy new year for some gay couples. Without much fanfare, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 54, a new law that will go into effect in the new year, recognizing out-of-state same-sex marriages with California benefits as long as the nuptials took place before the passed of Proposition 8. So, gay couples married out of state before the passage of Proposition 8 will be considered married in California. Also, according to the new law, same-sex couples married out of state on or after Nov. 5, 2008, 'shall have the same rights, protections, and benefits, and shall be subject to the same responsibilities, obligations, and duties under law' as married couples 'with the sole exception of the designation of 'marriage.' ' So if same-sex couples married out of state prior to Proposition 8's passage, they're considered married in California. If they marrie...

The War on Santa By Kelvin Wade The Other Side, Fairfield Daily Republic December 24, 2009 Have you heard that Santa Claus is a bad role model for children? It seems that some people worry that Santa promotes obesity and he sends the wrong message to today's youth. Some argue the iconic figure should be updated to promote a healthier lifestyle. For a man who drinks 37,500,000 gallons of milk and eats 1.2 billion cookies in one night every year just be thankful Santa isn't bedridden, on oxygen and the North Pole Fire Department doesn't have to knock a wall down from his house just to get him out to his sleigh. Santa is supposed to be plump and jolly. When he laughs his belly is supposed to shake like a bowlful of jelly. Santa with six pack abs is just disturbing. He's not supposed to be a Twilight werewolf; he's supposed to be a kind, rotund, white-haired, old man. A recent Washington Post story interviewed members of Santa America, an organiza...

Kids live in a texting world By Kelvin Wade December 17, 2009 One in seven teens 12-17 years old say they've received nude or near nude photos on their cell phones, according to the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project survey. But when the study looked at just 17-year-olds, the number of them who admitted to 'sexting' was closer to 1 in 3. And the numbers are probably higher considering this study consisted of focus groups of teens and their parents. How many kids are going to admit to this in front of their parents? My 12-year-old granddaughter Lauryn is itching to add texting capability to her phone but I've convinced her mother not to do it. I've already discovered an inappropriate photo of her on her Myspace page and had her remove it. Having seen the kinds of videos and photos Lauryn's friends post, there seems to be some kind of obsession with kids taking 'sexy' pictures of themselves and inviting commentary on them. I can...

Nonprofit targets domestic violence By Kelvin Wade December 10, 2009 2:25PM My introduction to domestic violence came at the age of 9 when I was playing football with my friend Paul in his front yard. A scream from within his house stopped the game cold. Suddenly, the front door swung open and Paul's mother stood in the doorframe, blood trickling from her nose. Behind her, Paul's dad grabbed her by the hair, pulled her back inside and slammed the door shut. Watching the police arrive and take Paul's dad away, I was shocked. Paul was a good friend. My mom had coffee with his mom. They were the all-American family, at least on the outside. I never suspected that anything so awful was going on behind closed doors. One in four women has or will experience domestic violence in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates 3 million women are physically abused by their partner every year. Councilman John Mraz recently put m...