The California Supreme Court just ruled that school officials don’t need reasonable suspicion to stop, question, or search kids. The court said the need for school safety means officials should have the right to “ask questions or conduct an investigation even in the absence of reasonable suspicion.” It also held that principals can “lay the smackdown on kids’ candyasses anytime they’re good-and-damn-ready.”

as all good things come to a close, MJ leaving basketball, the cancelation of News Radio, Chris Farleys untimely death, MJ leaving basketball (the second time), the coolness of SNL… the list goes on. So too, must our shock value entertainment of watching, one of my idles, get kicked in the junk for our entertainment. As I wipe a teary eye, I salute you, Johnny Knoxville, and thank you for taking one for the team. A moment of silence…

It’s after midnight and I’m packing up a bag of old clothes to set out on my porch. In the morning, Amvets will be stopping by to pick up my family’s donation. Every 3 or 4 months they call me and ask me if I have some old clothes I can donate. I always say yes, even if I’m not sure if there are any old clothes in the back of my closet or not. I do that because I know if I dig back there, I’ll find something to give and I can always buy a pack of t-shirts or something during my next Target trip.

Tonight I’m doing it again. I found a few t-shirts that I wore maybe once, a few pull-overs, a sweater I think I got for my birthday, and a pair of jean shorts that don’t fit anymore. So I bagged em up and put them out on my porch.

Now, I’d like to share another story with you. It’s true and it’s one that I’m never going to forget. I’m 5 years old and I’m sitting in Kindergarden. I’m at a table with 6 other kids and the teacher, Ms. Koomer, is telling us about the coloring project she wants us to do. We all pull out our crayons except for the girl next to me. I don’t remember her name, but I do remember that she sometimes came to school dirty. She asked the girl on the other side of her if she could borrow some crayons, and she says no. Then she turns to me and asks me if she can share my crayons to do the coloring. A kid across from me on the other side of the table says, “don’t do it, Mark.” Why he said it I don’t know. Kids can be heart-stoppingly cruel. But I slid my crayons over so they were on her desk and mine. For some reason in my mind I had to rationalize what I did. So I thought to myself, I’ll let her share my crayons, but I won’t touch her. I don’t know why I thought that, but for some reason it was my way of sharing, but still capitulating to the kid across the table in some way or another. The girl said thanks and we went about our coloring. That’s it. That’s the end of the memory, but I know it happened.

That’s why I bag up clothes every 3 months. Because I know there are people out there that don’t have as much. And what breaks my heart most of all is, I know that somewhere out there right now, there is a 5 year old girl with no crayons because her parents can’t afford to buy them for her.

I know bagging up some old clothes isn’t much, but it’s what I can do right now. I’m not one to ask people for stuff, but if you get a chance, some free time, stop by the Amvets Web site and see what they do. And maybe, just maybe call the 1-800 number and ask them to stop by your house the next time they make rounds.

I kinda wish I knew where that little girl was right now. I’m curious about the woman she has become.