Octavius Catto - Why have I never heard of him?

I was looking up a location on Google Maps for the Philadelphia area, when I found a marker for "Octavius Cato grave". It was the only specific marker in the list; the others being cemeteries and public transportation stops. Curious, I clicked on it (especially since I've never heard of Octavius Catto).

The top of his memorial stone reads "The Forgotten Hero", and this is definitely true. I wish they would have at least mentioned him in high school American history class. He was a leader of the civil rights movement of the 1800's, tirelessly fought for voting rights for blacks, was headmaster of what is now Cheyney University, served as a Major in the Union Army in the Civil War and was assassinated on election day in front of a polling place in Philadelphia! If all that isn't enough to keep him off the "forgotten" list, I don't know what is. Yes, I got all that information from his memorial stone. But I intend to learn more about him. I have found links to a book about Catto (Tasting Freedom by Daniel R. Biddle and Murray Dubin), information about him on ushistory.org, and a biography of him on Temple University's website. All of which I intend to read, the latter two as soon as I am done typing this blog post.

His sheer volume of accomplishments is astounding. (My glances at the other links have gleaned the additional information that he was a founder of an all-black baseball team.) If not for the Internet, I may have never heard of this great American hero!

Food, Toys, and Parental Responsibility

This past week, Santa Clara County (California) supervisors passed a law prohibiting the inclusion of toys in children's meals unless the meal meets certain caloric and sodium guidelines (no more than 485 calories or 600 milligrams of sodium). This is just another step in the ongoing movement to have government take away our choices and our responsibilities.

The most visible target of this ordinance is McDonald's. People see statistics on childhood obesity and want to do something about it. I can understand that. We had so much more physical activity when I was growing up. We had gym class more than once a week (which is how often my teen sons have it). We could join sports without having to make major monetary investments. We walked or biked almost everywhere. We went outside every day. We did yard work. And, yes, we also had McDonald's Happy Meals with toys. The difference there was it was a special occasion to go to McDonald's (or any other restaurant, for that matter). We ate most of our meals at home. Once every two weeks (for us), we would eat out somewhere. Some families ate out once a month, some once a year!

Our lifestyles have changed, and now we are trying to legislate ourselves some easy answers. But there is no "easy answer". Why should we penalize businesses for something that is our own fault? McDonald's (and most other fast-food chains) offer alternatives to the traditional, high-calorie meals. Children can choose (or parents can choose-imagine that, parents actually telling their kids what they will eat instead of having the government choose for them!) chicken nuggets or a hamburger instead of the cheeseburger, apples instead of fries, and juice or milk instead of soda. They still get the prize. And then they can burn off the calories running around the McDonald's Playland. Better yet, they can walk to McDonald's (on their once per two-week excursion).

Independence Day?

What happened to the dream that was America? the United States of America? Would our forebears even recognize their country? Slowly, over the last several years, we have been losing our freedoms. Not enough to always recognize. We are cooked slowly, like the proverbial frog in a pot of water, never attempting to escape. When we have sought to correct the situation, such as flooding Congress with communications to vote against the bailout, we have been ignored. Ignored by our own government, the government that is supposed to represent us. We have been told that we are too stupid to know what we are talking about. They know better. They know what's best for us. That sounds dangerously close to a dictatorship.

If our elected officials won't do what we, the people, ask them to do, then it is time to elect public servants who will. It is time to set term limits, so that our representatives (Senators and Representatives) will not become indoctrinated into the Washington political machine. Time for campaign fund reforms, so that our official our not beholden to companies and organizations instead of the citizens of the United States.

On this Fourth of July-this Independence Day-let us remember what those who have gone before us have paid for our freedom. Let us honor them by taking back our freedoms, before they slip away completely. Let's not allow their dream die because of our own apathy. Let us have a happy Independence Day.

Indian man chained for defying father in marriage | Oddly Enough | Reuters

Indian man chained for defying father in marriage Oddly Enough Reuters

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Martin Luther King, Jr.

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