The Lord Gave...

I have been listening to, and reading, reports about the Chapman's and the death of Maria Sue. Her memorial service was today. Father, shelter the family and ease their pain.

I also have been thinking about my brother. He would have been 49 this year, but he was killed in a motorcycle crash when he was 17. As a 7 year old kid, I did not understand death was forever. Heck, I didn't even know Jesus. I thought a church was where the Godfather lived. I had a younger brother/older brother fight with him that day and said something when I was told he had died that I regret to this very day, 32 years later. I said, "Good, I'm glad."

My sister, 19 months older than Michael, tells me that I never cried or showed any emotion during the memorial service, or any time immediately after his death. I can remember my mom waking me up in the middle of the night and I can remember that hateful thing I said, but I have no memory of what happened after.

Every so often, the memory of that night comes crashing down and I dissolve in grief and loss. The older I get, the more I miss my big brother. I fear that I will never put behind me the memory of what I said and felt at that time, but I pray that the pain of that memory will pass from me, through the grace of our Lord.

As Michael did not know God when he died, I fear I will not see him on the other side. However, I will always treasure what I remember of him, the good and the bad. I miss you, brother.

Maria Sue, you are with God now, and your family is going through the grieving process. A wise person once said that no parent should have to bury their child. God has a plan and only He knows the ending of things.

"...the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." Job 1:21 (KJV)

Michael French (1959-1976)

Into the darkness

Nasty little storm just South of Phoenix.

What is this thing called rain? Just south of Phoenix, on I-10 is a little community known as Bapchule. It is located on the Gila River Indian Reservation and is about half-way between Phoenix and Casa Grande (or 1/4 of the distance between Phoenix and Tucson).

As I approached Bapchule this morning, I drove through a waterfall. It was raining so hard I could barely see the road in front of the hood of the truck. The windshield wipers didn't stand a chance. The water was coming down so fast it was pooling on the highway faster than it could run off. So we're all doing obscenely excessive rates of speed in ZERO visibility conditions. Luckily I didn't get rear-ended by another truck as I slowed down, and we were through the storm front after about a mile.

The picture is the view out the windshield on the way back toward Phoenix from Casa Grande. It was a glorious weather pattern, even though it totally messed up the afternoon traffic.

7:15am and it's already warm

Good morning from Wickenburg!

It's supposed to be over 100 for the first time this year.

Usually our first 100+ day comes earlier in the month, but we have had wonderful weather up to this point.

Working under the glare from the shiny trailer is no picnic however.

Sunday Morning

Good morning from Moab, UT. Actually just north of there at their local airport. I arrived last night, but was too late to unload, so I waited until this morning to try again. It is a beautiful drive up here!

Hwy 191 North of Moab.

Occasionally, on the Travel Channel, they will show specials about the Southwestern US. I went right through the prettiest parts of it today.

From the rock monoliths of Monument Valley to the high forests of the La-Sal National Forest, and all the rock formations in between. Beautiful country. I'll post pictures as soon as I get them cataloged!

On the road again

I'm on my way out of town to deliver a load of Aviation Gasoline to a small airport in Utah. This should be fun since I've never been to this part of Utah, even though I grew up in the state.

I'll cross over into Utah at Monument Valley and then drive up the East side of the state until I reach Moab.

I'll post pictures and such when I get time!

6 Months For Statutory Rape?

Can someone explain the difference between a female teacher raping a student and a male teacher raping a student?

Today a female teacher was sentenced to 6 months jail time for having a ongoing sexual affair (read statutory rape) with a student.

If a male teacher did that (and they do regularly, unfortunately) the newspapers would be calling it rape (which it is) and howling for his manhood to be removed with a fork and dropped in a meat grinder, with the rest of him to soon follow.

When it's a man doing it, it's "sexual assult," "rape" or harrassment. When it's a woman, suddenly the style book changes and it's a "sexual relationship."

How come we change the words when it is a female adult who takes advantage of a child? I don't care how "hot and sexy" someone looks, if they are under 18, they are a child and you are a sick individual. Statutory Rape is still rape and that's what it is when they are underage.

Dance, Dance, Dance

There is a restaurant/bar/saloon located in Queen Creek that has run afoul of the law in Pinal County. It seems that certain evenings of the week, the owner has a live band playing and the patrons tend to want to dance to the music after eating.

The county swooped in and cited the owner for running an open-air dance hall. He was fined a retarded amount of money every day the dancing occurred.

San Tan Flat dispute heads to courthouse

Court date on dancing set for San Tan Flat

Wednesday, a Pinal County Superior Court judge slapped the county down and told them to stop "creatively interpreting" the meaning of dance hall. The owner runs a restaurant and patrons dance. He does not run a dance hall.

Judge okays dancing at San Tan Flats

The restaurant owner was represented by the Institute for Justice, a Virginia based Civil Liberties group.

Institute for Justice Defeats AZ Dance Ban