The Hypersensitivity Disorder

We recently had a tragedy occur in our community. It involved the untimely death of two supposedly perfectly happy married people. The incident was covered by the local newspaper online as news of the event unfolded, and as is common in this day and age, it was discussed on Facebook and in the comment section of the story. After identification of the victims were made public, it was reported that the incident appeared to be a murder/suicide.

Many people were outraged that "assumptions" were made in the newspaper article. Others were angry because comments from one of the victims' Facebook page were used in the story. Others were simply upset that these two poor, unfortunate people could not be allowed to simply rest in peace.

When the story first broke, most of the comments indicated prayer for the family, calls for privacy for the family of the victims and outrage that the event was being reported at all. As the comment section of the story grew, more and more people spoke out in favor of the release of information pertaining to the story even as protests continued to be posted calling for privacy for the victims. In 2014 America, it is unreasonable to assume total privacy will be granted in the event of a newsworthy incident. It is a reporter's job to report, even if the information being communicated is tragic in nature.

Perhaps I am a bit jaded since as a peace officer I took part in investigating crimes and tragic events for almost fifteen years. However, I cannot believe that it takes experience in dealing first hand with horrific events in order to understand the role of basic common sense in putting two and two together after a tragedy, even among the casual but interested observer. I was involved in the investigation of a number of suicides over the years, and if I took anything away from the experience, it was the realization that few close to the victim saw it coming. Attempted suicides were often accompanied by obvious depression, phone calls or text messages to friends and loved ones or other types of cries for help. Successful suicides were most often indicated by a grisly discovery as the result of a welfare check or a neighbor or passerby noticing the presence of blowflies in the interior of the home's windows. Surprise. Most of the loved ones of a suicide victim never saw it coming.

Much like the neighbors of a serial killer who are very often shocked and say things such as, "He was really quiet, he sort of kept to himself", people on the verge of suicide, or for that matter murder/suicide, do not always display indicators that it is imminent. While shock and sorrow after an event such as this are to be expected, outrage as people discuss it should not be. Not in 2014.

What strikes me as curious is that people who are outraged at the reporting of a tragedy involving someone they knew are often the same people who, without apology, watch TMZ or follow online or on television the details of scandalous, lurid or tragic events that involve celebrities or people they don't know. Tiger Woods. Casey Anthony. Robin Williams. Lacy Peterson. What's the difference?

The answer is, there is no difference. News is news, whether it is local or national. People seem to forget that in the 1920s and 1930s, graphic photos of slain gangsters were often published on the front page of the newspaper. Top dollar was paid for photos of Marilyn Monroe's body being loaded into a hearse and Elvis lying in his casket. Scandal and tragedy has always been reported in the media, whether local, national or global. That can't be censored just because the story is about someone who happens to live across town instead of in Los Angeles or Memphis.

While I understand the emotions involved in people asking for privacy after an event like this are real and are often inspired by a state of shock or grief, that must be tempered by the realization that people want to know what happened and the story will be told, no matter how tragic, no matter how much we wish it wasn't true. In an age when we daily use social media to invite people, often people we barely know, into everything from the minutiae to the details of our lives, we shouldn't be surprised when Facebook or the online comment section of the newspaper becomes the proverbial water cooler at which the latest gossip is batted about like a badminton birdie. Even if it involves someone we know. We shouldn't be surprised. Not in 1930, and certainly not in 2014.        

Beef & Cheese Enchilada Casserole Recipe

I thought I'd share a great, easy to make enchilada casserole recipe that I make as often as I can.

Beef & Cheese Enchilada Casserole Recipe

1 lb (or slightly more) hamburger meat

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 small can Tomato sauce (8 oz)

1 cup of milk

1 package McCormick Enchilada Sauce Powder 

Finely diced small sweet onion, sautéed in butter (optional)

1 package of 12- 20 corn tortillas

1 large package shredded cheddar cheese (or Mexican or Fiesta blend)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Mix Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Chicken, Tomato Sauce, Milk and Enchilada sauce Powder in a large mixing bowl.

Brown hamburger, season with garlic powder, salt & pepper and onion powder to season (I use a decent amount of garlic powder). Following browning, drain fat from hamburger with colander.

Add hamburger to mix in bowl and stir in

Add sautéed, diced onion if included

Use 9 x 13 Pyrex glass baking dish, lightly coat bottom of dish with Olive Oil. Smear a very small amount of the mix on bottom of dish (this and the olive oil keeps the tortillas soft)

Tear corn tortillas into small pieces to cover bottom of dish. Then, add a layer of the sauce mix to cover tortillas. Then, sprinkle shredded cheese on top of mix.

Add another layer of torn tortillas on top of cheese. Then, add the remainder of sauce mix on top of the second layer of tortillas and spread to cover tortillas. Do not add 2nd layer of grated cheese at this time.

Place into over for 40-45 minutes. depending on your oven, remove when top is bubbling. .

When timer goes off or mix is bubbling, remove from oven, sprinkle grated cheese on top and put back into oven for 5 minutes.

Remove and enjoy J

Here goes nothing...

I have decided to start a blog, for no particular reason other than a mental exercise for myself. I saw that a friend of mine recently started one, and it inspired me to create one too.

I am a firm believer that it is virtually impossible to change anyone's mind about anything. My purpose for any post will never be to attempt to change anyone's mind on an issue or idea, it will simply be to express my thoughts or opinions on things that happen to make me stop and think as i traipse through this life. My thoughts don't matter any more than anyone else's and I have no dillusions that anything I have is of any particular importance...but sometimes, I just feel like expressing myself. The people who know me best are fully aware of that.

On Facebook, random thoughts or ideas are out there for anyone to see accidentally, just because they happen to log on and see the feed. Anyone who reads what I have to say on here does so with full understanding that you came here on purpose. It's like they say, "If you end up in Port O'Connor, you intended to wind up there".

So, this is notice being served that I am officially entering the blogosphere, with millions of others who obviously have the same need to express themselves occassionally. So, as the title says...here goes nothing.