Well, today is kind of a very special day! Tim and I go into Smooth Sounds Studio in Van Nuys to mix the new songs we recorded for our new musical "The Traveling Companion". I am very excited about the possibilities of producing a storyteller type preview album that features the majority of the songs with a narration and music. In the recording, dear friend Bill Lewis sang and so did David Meinke and a new singer named Danny really impressed us. All of this starts about four'oclock this afternoon and all fingers are crossed that all will go well! I have had several interested parties respond to this musical and Tim has a boyhood acquaintance who now produces musicals professionally will read the show this weekend! So lets us all hope all goes well. It looks like we might get a break from the 100 degree temperatures that we've been having so that should be good as well! On another note, I read with interest that the Congress of the United Stares is about to introduce a constitutional amendment that would bar the burning or destruction of the American Flag! I support it! Now, I can hear all the Free Speech enthusiasts all yelling that this ban will violate the freedom of expression. That grand and wonderful flag has been around long before the Bill of Rights even existed. Freedom is a great thing to defend, but free speech should never cover the destruction or damage or disrespect to the symbol of that freedom. To say that nothing should be excepted from free speech is akin to saying that it's okay to yell "Fire!" in a crowded movie theatre. Sorry, that doesn't fly. I support a constitutional amendment that would protect our flag. Either you love America or you don't! Love it or leave it! That flag has been through a lot! Funny thing, we almost didn't have a Bill of Rights or a Constitution at all. In the beginning, all we had was a very ineffective document called The Articles of Confederation. During the debate for the proposed Constitution, Benjamin Franklin was adamantly opposed to the signing of this document because he felt that the Bill Of Rights, as written, did not go far enough to protect our individual freedoms. He got angry! Really angry! He stormed out of the gathering and all of the remaining Founding Fathers though the document was dead in the water. Without Ben Franklin's support of the Constitution, others who shared his then and there conservative views wouldn't sign either. Those "on the fence" would use Franklin's rebuttal as an excuse to oppose the document itself. The next morning, the patriots were sure that the vote would go badly. Suddenly, a sheepish looking Benjamin Franklin walked back into the chamber and subsequently signed the document. When he was asked what had made him change his mind, the great Benjamin Franklin said "Last night, I had a very mysterious dream-- and in that dream I was told that I must doubt my own certainty-- just a little bit more!" Those are pretty wise words: in every aspect of our lives. Before we cut off family because of an argument, before we blame someone of some perceived grievance of ours, before we vote or otherwise decide anything: let us doubt our own certainty just a little bit more. We are all human. And in being human we make lots of mistakes. An attractive looking apple lost paradise. Prejudice has hurt and even killed millions. The hasty heart is the worst weapon human beings will ever know. Nothing is in stone except a rock! So before we oppose something, let's think about it carefully! Let's not be so quick to let our emotions rule our minds! One more "apple like" conclusion and mistake from an Eden like garden in our lives and we're all finished! Well, until tomorrow!