My grandma sent me an e-mail with this story/joke in it.  The e-mail claimed it was a true story, but as I cannot verify the truthfulness of the tale, I'm going to post it as a joke.  Enjoy!

The pastor of a church had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, etc.

The kitty would not come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and pulled it until the tree bent down, he could then reach up and get the kitten.

That's what he did, all the while checking his progress in the car. He then figured if he went just a little bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten. But as he moved the car a little further forward, the rope broke.

The tree went 'boing!' and the kitten instantly sailed through the air - out of sight.

The pastor felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they'd seen a little kitten. No. Nobody had seen a stray kitten.  So he prayed, 'Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping,' and went on about his business.

A few days later he was at the grocery store, and met one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. This woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her, 'Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?'

She replied, 'You won't believe this,' and then told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing.. Then a few days before, the child had begged again, so the Mom finally told her little girl, 'Well, if God gives you a cat, I'll let you keep it.' She told the pastor, 'I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won't believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her.'

I'm sure everyone has heard the verdict: Casey Anthony is found not guilty of all charges except for four counts of lying to the police.  With time served and time off for good behavior, she will be released in less than a week, on July 13th.  Of course, public response has been vocal.  Supporters of Casey Anthony, including a man asking Casey to marry him, were at the courthouse.  Even more people- against Casey Anthony- were present, chanting "Guilty!  Guilty!  Justice for Caylee!" 

Setting aside the various bits of evidence (I'm writing a blog post, not a book!), it seems to come down to what swung the jury's opinion.  Despite multiple jurors admitting they thought she was guilty, the main problem was: not only was there no evidence that Casey murdered Caylee, the prosecution couldn't even answer "when, where, how, and why?" 

I, personally, am a little bit sick that a young girl can be murdered without justice, but I am also very proud of the jury.  They came to a decision based on the evidence they were presented with, not emotion or public opinion.  (I know, I can already hear the disagreement!) 

As always, I'm curious about what you think:
Is Casey Anthony guilty of killing Caylee?
Did the jury come to the right decision? 
Did the prosecutors fail in not providing enough evidence, or did they do the best with what they had? 

Sources:
Carlton, Lindsey. (2011, July 6). "Prosecutor Jeff Ashton: 'I Can Only Assume...Jurors Didn't See What I Saw.'"  FoxNews.com.

CNN. (2011, July 7). "Casey Anthony to be released from jail next week." CNN.com

Fox News. (2011, July 7). "Casey Anthony to be Released from Jail Next Week, Court Rules." FoxNews.com

Lendon, Brad. (2011, July 7). "Toobin: Judge made statement with Anthony sentencing." CNN.com

Lendon, Brad. (2011, July 7). "Tearful Anthony jurors ask prosecutors, where was the evidence?" CNN.com

"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves."  -Abraham Lincoln

"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government." -Edward Abbey

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."  -Thomas Paine

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness.  You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism."  -Erma Bombeck

"In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved." -Franklin D. Roosevelt

"It is amazing how many people seem to think that the government exists to turn their prejudices into laws." -Thomas Sowell

*Note: As with most of the quotes, I've found the author's name online, so I cannot promise that the attribution is correct.
Thanks to the following sources for the quotes:
American Patriot Web.com
QuoteGarden.com
Jesus is Savior.com
Thanks to nixxphotography for the image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2217

I'm sitting in Wal-Mart at the benches by the pharmacy waiting for my prescriptions to be done the other day.  A gentleman around my age was sitting next to me, and started making conversation.  As a polite individual, I closed by book and entered the conversation. 

He started out by complaining about how the general view that Native Americans get special treatment is false.  He's a Native American, and some contretemps with a college had him quite angry.  I'm not sure of the details, and maybe he was treated unfairly.  On the other hand, I really don't think that being a Native American should qualify someone for special treatment. 
I'm sorry, it's just how I feel.

He finished his monologue with the statement that "white people should just go back to Europe."  I was speechless- a very rare occurrence.  It reminded me of Helen Thomas' quote "They should go back to their land" (whether she was referring to those living in Palestine- Jews or not- or just the Jews...I'm not going to get into a debate over the interpretation of her comments). 

I was wondering exactly what year this gentleman wanted us to go back to.  Apparently, it was before Europeans came to America.  But why should everyone move back to where they were living in the 1400's?  Why not the 1200's?  or 1 B.C.? or ten thousand years ago?  Maybe we should all move back to the Mesopotamian cradle where civilization started out?  You know, all 6 billion of us.  How long does a group of people have to live somewhere before they're "allowed" to stay?  Isn't 400 years long enough?

It's a fact of life and history that people migrate.  They expand into new lands, move around, try to find a better place.  I've never been to Europe.  My great-grandparents have never been to Europe.  I've done the family history.  We're not Europeans.  We're Americans.  And I'm staying.

Thanks to Salvatore Vuono to the picture!  Check out his picture portfolio at: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=659