Bong Hits 4 Jesus? Court says No Way 5-4

I don’t know how many of you have been following the Alaskan high school student’s court case objecting to his suspension from school for unfurling a banner mystically exhorting “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” at a “school sponsored” but off campus event for the 2000 passage of the Olympic torch. As an old high school and college news editor, I’ve followed the issue of school regulated free speech over the years. This particular case is troubling on the surface; the expression did not take place on school property, the speech in question may or may not have been a pro-drug message (okay, of course it was a pro-drug message. So?), and the punishment extended to the student’s family (father was fired from his school district job for supporting his son’s case. He was in maintenance not adminstration. The father later won a $200,000 suit against the school district).

I haven’t gotten to the Court’s web site to read the decisions so I’ll refrain from commenting on the law until then but…shades of things to come I am afraid. CBS News link on Court Speech cases below.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/25/supremecourt/main2974259.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_2974259

Did I mention I was looking for a job?

Greetings to all! Is it Monday? All the nicely dressed folks making their way through Starbucks this morning seem to have “Monday Face” and a driving need for caffeine.  Must be a work day even in this laid back village. I’ve lost a sense of the calendar which I think is a good thing at this stage. Breaking habits of action and thought was another goal for this summer road trip. Another, not yet mentioned, is finding a new career (and not just another job…those are easy enough to come by). The blog title hints at this objective although I haven’t written about it. I also haven’t mentioned anything about why I am currently unemployed and probably will not. I think my work karma is pretty good. No reason to tarnish it by whining and casting stones.

But I am looking for a job. I tore up my old resume as it was of no real value (over a decade old and just a bit yellow due to cheap paper). I’ve been in the same field of endeavor for almost 16 years; grant and program management for HIV/AIDS related health and social programs. When I joined the “cause” in October of 1991, the field was still being defined, the market still open and young, the opportunities for both good work and villiany plenty. It feels like it’s time to move on. Before I do, however, I want to understand why it’s time to move on. Am I simply burned-out? Have all the windmills been jousted and tyrants ousted? Are the problems remaining mundane or lacking a real challenge? Have the wolves that always gather to feed off the sheep of social life won the field? Do I care about the sheep anymore? And why do I think of them as sheep nowadays?

I don’t expect answers any time soon. July is “figure everything out” month. In the meantime, keeping up this blog to sharpen some long lost writing skills and scanning all the employment sites for options is enough for now. I’m still in residence at a wonderful cabin in the pines of NJ and Medford Lakes. A rainy day perfect for reading. I finished John Scalzi’s Ghost Brigade last night. Do check out his weblog, Whatever. It’s alleged to be one of the oldest and most read blogs on the web. My thanks to Dr Keith for introducing me to both Scalzi and Cory Doctorow during my last year at WUSM. Sometime this week I’ll get a reading list posted for summer enlightenment and escape. Suggestions are most welcome along with personal reviews.

http://www.scalzi.com/whatever/

http://www.boingboing.net/

Cory Doctorow’s weblog.

One small note: as I pulled into Starbucks this morning my trip odometer was at (1)999.90. I should trip 2,000 miles right after I pass through the first traffic light on the way back to the cabin. I’m reluctant to suggest that I am anywhere close to being half way through.