1179: It's About Time Brutus See His Therapist Again

You may have seen this flag and phrase around usually on big, loud trucks whose exhaust system may not be 100% up to code. I'm torn because I am for honoring your ancestors and, for better or worse, being a part of the Confederacy or serving in the Confederate military is considered part of your heritage but only if one of your ancestors served. Down in the South, this makes sense as there is the chance your distant relative served for the Confederacy. But are you really flying the Confederate flag because you want to honor your great-great-grandfather or because society generally agrees that the flag is racist?

I live in Kansas and I see people flying the Confederate flag. Kansas was never part of the Confederacy nor would the people who fought and died to keep Kansas from allowing slavery be okay with you flying that flag. It also occurs to me that the people who fly this flag would never, ever, ever fly flags of other countries where their ancestors immigrated from. My ancestors came to Connecticut from Britain, migrated to North Carolina and Tennessee before ultimately winding up in the Little Dixie area of Missouri. Due to those last three places, there is a huge possibility that distant relatives of mine fought for the Confederacy and owned slaves so I think I could get away with flying the Confederate flag.

But I won't because why would I fly another country's flag? If you're not willing to fly the British flag which is more than likely where your ancestors came from, then why fly the Confederate flag? Also, if you have to explain why your flag isn't considered hate speech then maybe you need to get a new icon for your heritage.

Currently everybody who knows Brutus hates him so the odds don't seem to be in his favor.

1178: Why Isn't Wilberforce Eating Dinner?

Chip must get a lot of telemarketer phone calls so that crosses over into the comic strip but I also wonder if Chip holds his cell phone a good foot from his face. I use the speakerphone too but only when I can't use my hands or when there is no one around. Don't tell me that Brutus can't hear--he's only 40-55 years-old depending on which Born Loser timeline you use.

1177: Baltimore Has 99 Problems But Gladys Ain't One

"Freddie Gray died on April 19, one week after he was taken into custody by Baltimore police.

About 30 minutes after he was arrested and thrown into the back of a van, Gray was found, according to officers' accounts, unconscious and unresponsive. His spinal cord had been severely injured and his voice box nearly crushed.

While the investigation into what or who killed Gray continues, protests and riots swept through Baltimore on Monday. Much like in Ferguson, Missouri, following the police killing of teenager Michael Brown last summer, the prevailing questions seem to center on who is responsible for the violence in the streets — but in order to really understand Gray's final days and their aftermath, one must consider his life and the kind of city in which he grew up — the city that would eventually be the death of him."

7 Facts Everyone Needs to Know To Understand What's Happening In Baltimore

As what happens when you work in a school, the Baltimore protests came up in one of my classes. One of the kids offered a solution to end the protests. "Send them back to the cotton fields then maybe they will appreciate what they have."

That. That right there is why they protest. When your first thought on solving the problem of systemic racism in our society is to re-enslave the people who we are being racist to then I don't even know where to begin on where the problem lies in that. Another student even made the comment that there can't be racism because "look at the president."

While most of the blame I place directly on the kid or, more appropriately, his parents, I also feel that the media is to blame. The protests were peaceful throughout the weekend and during the funeral. Barely any mention. But once that CVS went up in flames, media--and therefore the general population--suddenly cared a whole hell of a lot.

So Gladys is just standing in the middle of the house with her arms crossed? I bet she's also going "humph" every few seconds too.

Yeah, that seems healthy.

1176: *Shudder*

It's disturbing when Veeblefester puts his arm around Brutus. It's also disturbing just how much power one tea cozy magnate has but I guess no more disturbing than two brothers controlling a good percentage of a political party.

1175: Are Doughnut and Donut Interchangeable?

A donut isn't going to kill you. Quit shaming your wife and let her do what she wants. It's great if you are concern for her well-being but it is no one's place to tell Gladys or anyone else how to live there life.

You do you, girl. And bring me a donut.

1174: I'm Good At Driving the Carts Too

I was going to comment on this strip on Friday but didn't have time and then on Saturday but I did the Bruce Jenner post instead so I'm going to mention it today. I looked up Kokosing Drive and discovered that it is a real street in Gambier, Ohio. Does Chip live on Kokosing Drive? Does Chip have a friend that lives there? Or does Chip know someone who went to Kenyon College in Gambier and just liked the name?

Some people who went to Kenyon College were President Rutherford B. Hayes, Paul Newman, Bill Watterson and Josh Radnor of How I Met Your Mother. Maybe Bill Watterson lives on Kokosing Drive! Everyone needs to converge on Kokosing Drive right now!!

Veeblefester asks Brutus to go golfing with him all the time. I think Veeblefester only does it because Brutus is bad at golf but still it's a pretty regular thing. I would like to see Brutus take Veeblefester to his favorite golf course and we learn that it's mini-golf.

Who knows. That may have already been done.

1173: I Love Scheduling My Day Around a Golf Tournament

I didn't watch the Bruce Jenner/Diane Sawyer special last night. I don't really need a TV special (or upcoming documentary miniseries) to be told what I already know. I do want to commend Bruce on her bravery for coming out and becoming a role model for a whole group of people who need a role model like her.

I was talking to my mom about Bruce a few weeks ago, I think it was after the Diane Sawyer interview was announced, and she just couldn't believe it. Bruce Jenner had always been like a hero to her. In her college dorm and even after she had me, she had pictures and posters of Bruce Jenner hanging up. She has a Bruce Jenner action figure still in its original package. While she didn't seem to grasp the understanding of why Bruce took so long to come out, she did say that Bruce deserves to be happy. And that's true. Everyone deserves to be happy.

I'm glad that Bruce feels safe coming out and I hope this encourages transphobic people from my mom's generation and younger to be more accepting of the trans community. So many are cast aside or made to feel like less than who they are. It's reported that a trans person is murdered once every three days. And 41% of trans people have attempted suicide which is nine times the average rate. Those numbers are unacceptable--any unjustifiable death is unacceptable but these statistics are preventable starting with parents. Parents shouldn't be their child's first bully and it seems all too often, that is what happens.

I remember when I was in school and the go-to insult was calling someone gay. I did it, my friends did it, everyone did it. Then there came a point where I just stopped. Like a switch in my brain, there came a day when I realized that using 'gay' derogatorily, was mean. I still hear kids say it. In one of my classes, a student constantly make jokes about one of his friends being gay like being gay is the worst thing you could be. I'm sitting across the room going "Seriously? You're an 18-year-old high school senior in the year 2015 and that's your go-to insult?" It's interesting to see all the progress we've made but still be able to see how much we have left to do.

Here's hoping we've progressed even a little bit further.

I know that there is no halftime in golf but the joke seems clunky. How many people glancing at this strip would raise an eyebrow to Gladys' comment about halftime and wonder what the joke is?

Also, aren't most golf tournaments during the day starting at one? That would put halftime in the two, two-thirty area and unless Gladys is using dinner in the "largest meal of the day" sense, two, two-thirty ain't dinner.

1172: They Should Quit While They're Ahead

Brutus doesn't even know how many games his son has played? I realize that Brutus is lazy and would rather sit on his duff and watch sports on TV but I'm lazy too and I would much rather watch my son play a sport that I don't care about.

What's In a (Street) Name?

When Lawrence was originally platted, north-south streets were named for the states in the union starting with the order they were admitted in the east. East-west streets were named after Revolutionary War heroes. The state street names begin with Delaware Street about two blocks west of Haskell Avenue. Interestingly, Oregon Street was placed between Delaware and Haskell sometime before 1960, New York (the 11th State) is where Georgia should be and Georgia has never been added to the city. Connecticut and Massachusetts Streets should be right next to each but are instead separated by Rhode Island (13th State) and New Hampshire (9th State) Streets. There is also no North or South Carolina (a Carolina Street does exist near Lawrence High School however, as does Virginia Street) exists.

After passing Massachusetts Streets, the streets follow the order pretty regularly: Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama, Maine, Missouri, Arkansas, Michigan and Florida. Next should be Texas Street but instead it's Minnesota followed by Colorado and Wisconsin and then Iowa Street (the main north-south thoroughfare through Lawrence) ends the state street naming. Lawrence doesn't have streets named after Alaska, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. And it's been pointed out that if the correct naming had been retained, Kansas Street would be roughly where Iowa Street is, thus making the name a bit more fitting. Instead, Kansas Street is located in the Park Hills Neighborhood off of Louisiana Street.

The east-west streets are now numbered streets after being renamed in 1913. Ironically the numbered streets begin with 2nd Street and not 1st Street. Originally, they were named for Revolutionary War heroes.

Mason Street (should be 1st Street) was probably named for George Mason (1725-1792), one of the Fathers of the Bill of Rights.

An old street sign at 3rd & Indiana in the Pinckney
neighborhood. These old signs are quickly being
replaced with newer ones.

Jay Steet (2nd Street) was probably named for John Jay (1745-1829), influential Founding Father and first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Dane Street (3rd Street) was probably named for Nathan Dane (1752-1835) a Continental Congressman who authorized the Philadelphia Convention to amend the Article of Confederation which later became the United States Constitution.

Reed (4th Street) was probably named for Joseph Reed (1741-1785) who served as a Colonel in the Revolutionary War and later became Secretary of State in New Jersey.

Penn (5th Street) was probably named for John Penn (1741-1788) who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.

5th & Ohio, also in the Pinckney neighborhood.

Pinckney (6th Street, the neighborhood and school) was probably named for Charles Pinckney (1757-1824) who was a governor, Senator and signer of the U.S. Constitution.

Winthrop (7th Street) may have been named after the influential Winthrop family whose members founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony, served as governor of Connecticut and noted Harvard professor.

Henry (8th Street) was probably named after Patrick Henry (1736-1799) a signer of the U.S. Constitution and noted for saying "Give me liberty or give me death."

Warren (9th Street) was probably named for Joseph Warren (1741-1775), a doctor who participated in the Battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill.

Berkeley (10th Street) may have been named for William Berkeley, a governor from Virginia in the 1600s. I couldn't find any noted Revolutionary War era people named Berkeley.

Quincy (11th Street) was probably named for Josiah Quincy, a Revolutionary War soldier who served alongside George Washington.

Hancock (12th Street) was probably named for John Hancock (1737-1793), signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Lee (13th Street) was probably named for Henry Lee III (1756-1818), who would become a Major General and the father to Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

The street signs in Old West and East Lawrence
note the current name and the historic name.

Adams (14th Street) was probably named for Samuel Adams (1722-1803) a Founding Father who would serve as governor of Massachusetts.

Morris (15th Street) was probably named for Robert Morris (1734-1806), a signer of the Declaration, Articles of Confederation and the Constitution and was considered, after George Washington, the most powerful man in America.

Euclid (16th Street) may have been named for Euclid, Ohio, one of the first cities established outside the original Thirteen Colonies. Euclid was founded in 1796 by a lieutenant in the Revolutionary War, David Dille.

Ontario & Sherman (17th Street) Ontario was named for Fort Ontario in Oswego, New York which was one of several forts built by British to protect the east end of Lake Ontario from the French. Sherman was probably named for Roger Sherman (1721-1793), an early lawyer and politician of our country. He was the only person to sign the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution.

Sherman ran from present-day Naismith Drive to Louisiana; Ontario ran from Louisiana to Connecticut.

Rogers & Bews (18th Street) Rogers may have been named for George Rogers Clark (1752-1818), one of the most decorated military officers in the Revolutionary War. I was unable to locate information on the name Bews.

Rogers ran from present-day Naismith Drive to Louisiana; Bews ran from Tennessee to Vermont.

Banks & Leis (19th Street), it's here where the names seem to change from American Revolution honors to Civil War ones. Banks may have been named for Union General Nathaniel Banks (1816-1894) since Banks/19th would've been added after the Civil War. I was unable to verify who Leis might be named for but there was a Civil War solider named John Leis that I found several mentions of.

Senator (20th Street) Clearly I am not going to be able to verify why this street was named Senator. The name could have been chosen to honor Senator James Lane (1814-1866), who moved to Kansas in 1855 and became a staunch abolitionist and Union general, or Senator Stephen Douglas (1816-1861), namesake for the county and prominent politician during the Bleeding Kansas days.

Merchants (21st Street) A common street name, I am unable to determine if this street was named for past businesses that may have been located along this street or to honor someone with the surname Merchants.

22nd & Rhode Island in the Barker
neighborhood.

Carmean & Hosford (22nd Street) I found only minor instances of the names Carmean and Hosford in the Civil War: David Carmean and John Hosford., who you can more about here.

Bishop (23rd Street) I could not find a namesake for what would become the major east-west thoroughfare through Lawrence but found a guy named Richard M. Bishop (1812-1893) who we can all imagine was the namesake. There is a chance that it was named for Reverend William Bishop who presided over the Presbyterian Church from 1858 to 1860.

Not mentioned in this post but Mechanic
Street was probably named for the industrial
businesses centered around it and railroad.

In North Lawrence, east-west streets are your standard city street names, named after trees: Elm, Locust, Walnut, Oak, Hickory, Ash and Maple. There are few street names in honor of people such as Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865), Lyon (Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, 1818-1861, the first Union general killed in the Civil War), Perry (possibly named for John D. Perry, 1815-1895, president of the Kansas Pacific Railroad that was built through North Lawrence), Lake, may have been named for the lake at Bismarck Grove that was stocked with swans every year for the Bismarck Grove Fair, Funston (Edward Funston, 1836-1911, represented Lawrence in the U.S. Congress from 1884 to 1894 and was the father of Medal of Honor recipient Frederick Funston) and Maiden, I was unable to find an origin for this name which probably differs from the Maiden Lane in New York City which was named for the women who lined the street cleaning their laundry in the now-long-gone creek. Another street, Grant Street, was more than likely named for Grant Township, the township North Lawrence sits in which, in turn, was named for Ulysses S. Grant after being annexed to Douglas County in 1870 from southern Sarcoxie Township in Jefferson County.

The north-south streets are now numbered with North 1st, North 2nd, North 3rd to North 9th Streets but before they were numbered they were given state street names that corresponded with  their southern alignment. North 4th was New York Street, North 5th was Pennsylvania, etc. They were renamed with the southern numbered streets in 1913.

Disclaimer: These are based on my own research and may be inaccurate. I have researched each name and consider this list as correct as possible. If you feel that I have erred somewhere, please let me know via the contact form.

1171: In the Not-To-Distance Future...We Could All Be Living In a PixarFilm

Yesterday I went on a field trip with the students to the local grocery store and we talked a lot about the different kinds of jobs that make up the store and make up all the food that is in the store. We talked about the person who grows the food and the person who distributes it which made me think about a Mystery Science Theater 3000 short about truck farming from Encylcopedia Brittanica Films' The Truck Farmer.

Worship the Truck Farmer At the Church of Your Choice!!

I am all for conserving the planet because while I am a huge believer in the "Earth has always and will always be here" mentality, I don't believe that it includes humans. Earth was fine before humans and it will be fine after humans.

The main reason I don't want humans to go to other planets and attempt to colonize them is strictly because of Earth conservation. If we have Mars or the Moon or another place as a "backup Earth" then why save this planet? People who have the ability to will be able to leave while the others remain. I don't want our planet to wind up in some kind of Wall-E scenario because that movie was too long and drawn out and would've worked better as an animated short and I don't want that for our home.