A Tale of Two Cultures

It was the best of times and it was the worst of times.....and this differently shows there are different values, different cultures out there.

NEW ORLEANS — Authorities say a 17-year-old teenager was charged with aggravated rape and first-degree murder of an 8-month-old child.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office says Arnold T. Ross was taken into custody Saturday. No bond was set.

Ross was arrested after officers responded to a call of an unresponsive infant near Gretna.

The infant, Da-Von Lonzo, was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, according to a news release issued by the sheriff's office.

Authorities say Ross told them he was the boyfriend of the infant's mother and the baby fell down the stairs while he was baby-sitting.

Authorities say Ross later acknowledged that he beat the infant repeatedly when he would not stop crying.

Let that sink in for a few minutes, then take a few more minutes to let the rage subside. Here is a near adult, for all practical purposes he is an adult, charged with watching an infant.

So, instead of caring and nurturing the child, he callously, heinously rapes the baby. Then when it wouldn't stop crying -- he beat the infant repeatedly. This is a deliberate choice of actions, both the rape and the beating.

Words fail me.


Then we have a group of children displaying completely different values -- children raised in a completely different culture.

WRENTHAM, Mass. — It took 101 innings, there were 687 runs scored, and 817 children participated.

The players of the Wrentham Youth Baseball/Softball Association between the ages of 5 and 15 played 36 straight hours of ball over the weekend, raising an estimated $75,000 for charity.

The event, billed by organizers as the world's longest baseball game, began at 8:01 a.m. Saturday and ended at 8:01 p.m. Sunday.

Coordinator Jim Lucas says the post-game handshake took about 10 minutes.

The money, which was still being counted Monday morning, will go to a number of charities, including Curt's Pitch for ALS and the March of Dimes.

The top fund raisers get to attend a lunch with former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling.

The final score was Away 348, Home 339.

Now read that again...a group of children aged 5 to 15 spent hours of their lives playing a game. Nothing new there, but they played the game for a great reason -- other people.

This group of young citizens raised an estimated $75,000 dollars for charities.

My hat is off to these fine young folks, honestly I'm impressed with the effort & dedication it takes to do a fund raiser like this. They are supported and assisted by parents that are living their values, teaching their children to help others, not attack them. My respect goes out to the parents, the community that helped, the volunteers that made this effort such a success.

There are people who will prey on others, there are people who will help others. To the group preying on people, beware. The tide is turning again and people are starting to realize that we don't have to tolerate that behavior. To the group of people helping others, thank you for setting the example. My prayers go out that you can keep up your efforts, that your example will spread and increase, that you realize how significant you actions are.