Unca Darrell

JULY 4 / Good work for today

LET'S TAKE A BREAK from giving money to good works and give something more valuable -- our hearts and minds -- to the celebration of the 233rd birthday of the greatest nation in history.

Reflect on the words.

We hold these truths to be self-evident . . . 

What truths? And what does "self-evident" mean?

. . . that all men are created equal . . .

Clever people delight -- delight -- in pointing out that blacks and women were not treated equally in 1776. Does this falsify the proposition that all were "created" equal? Is that proposition true or not? What, if anything, does it imply about social and economic outcomes?

. . . that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights . . . 

What, according to the Founders (including skeptical old Tom Jefferson), is the source of human rights? Do you believe a "Creator" endowed humanity with rights?

JUNE 20 / Go to church tomorrow

YOU NEED a church. If you don't have one, I'll lend you mine -- Kingwood First Baptist.

MAY 30 / A good day for a good work

A GOOD candidate for your charitable consideration today is Children's Emergency Relief International, run by my friend (and next-door neighbor), Dearing L. Garner. He doesn't just talk about helping poor kids. He helps them.. Give him a few bucks online, then hug your own kids and have fun with them.

MAY 23 / A good work for Memorial Day weekend

THIS MEMORIAL DAY weekend, let's remember those who gave the last full measure of devotion. But let's also honor those serving now by reaching out to someone in the military with a card, a letter, or an email. If you don't know someone, let me suggest . . .

MAY 16 / Meeting human needs in His name, without discrimination

THE SALVATION Army offers toys to children at Christmas, scholarships to financially strapped college students, meals during disasters, day camps for inner-city kids, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, senior programs, shelter to those in need, and much more. Give if you can. Then hug your kids and do something that's fun.

 

MAY 9 / "Do my best to do my duty"

 

THE SCOUT OATH

On my honor I will do my best / To do my duty to God and my country / and to obey the Scout Law; / To help other people at all times; / to keep myself physically strong, / mentally awake, and morally straight.

MAY 5 / Name that continent

CLUES: Poverty, AIDS, corruption, civil war, genocide.

Most Africans now live on one dollar per day . . . . Despite a deluge of aid between . . . 1970 and 1998, poverty on the continent skyrocketed from 11 percent of the population to 66 percent . . . . The average African can only expect to live to be about fifty, and half the continent's citizens are under the age of fifteen. In addition to poverty, AIDS, [and] corruption . . . civil war and genocide ravage the continent. Indeed Africa seems constantly embroiled in a steady stream of horrors, the likes of which are not seen anywhere else on the planet. Why? Are Africans innately different from the rest of us?

MAY 2 / Double take

CHECK OUT www.take2videos.org for an interesting Good Work worth a look-see. Talented writer and photographer Karin Muller shoots high-definition video in a world hotspot -- recently Darfur and Gaza -- then turns the raw footage over to participating high schools and colleges. Students are then challenged to cut the tape into useful news or documentary reports. If you like what you see, consider donating.  

APRIL 25 / Yellowstone Academy

THIS WEEK's good work is Yellowstone Academy, a fabulous private school for low-income children in Houston. Visit the Web site, write a check, hug your children.

APRIL 18 / Once more into the breach

THE BUSH-CLINTON Coastal Recovery Fund is still banging the tin cup. Today would be a good time to give a few bucks. Then hug your kids.