Dateline Dayton – Not unlike other areas of this great country, Ohio lately has been on the receiving end of bad publicity. The bombings in Boston, mass shootings elsewhere are the most obvious samples. I wish I knew the reason for this violence. Does it have anything to do with our political correctness, which is removing God and religion from our surroundings, especially schools.

In my essay last week, I rambled about the mess in Steubenville, boys convicted of rape and the lack of any moral conscience within the Steubenville school system. The last two weeks, Cleveland has been in the news – a terrible situation with a positive outcome for three young ladies held captive.

I do not understand this strange decade-long kidnapping. Ariel Castro has a daughter whop visited the house but was not aware anything was out of place?  What about Castro’s two brothers arrested with him. They did not know something terrible was taking place in the house?

Yesterday at my regular high school class breakfast, held every other month,  those questions were raised. At least I’m not alone in questioning why none stepped forward with concerns about Castro’s peculiar behavior.

What of Castro’s neighbors? This I understand better. We have become a secretive society. We no longer know our neighbors. When I was growing up in Piqua, a town of 20,000, I knew every family who lived in every house on both sides of the street on our block. I knew many persons who lived behind us, as well as, some who lived a block over. Back then, if we wanted go anywhere, we walked.  People were not holed up in their homes. They were outside. Today I can only tell you the names of few people on our street. Sad that we become an electronic-centric society, letting machines do our social interacting.

Too bad we are about to spend millions of taxpayer dollars for a trial followed by years in prison or a mental institution. He doesn’t deserve such kid-glove treatment. He should be treated the way he has treated others, but that is not a Christian attitude.

Where did his money come from? Yesterday motorcycles were removed from his property, and the guy was a fired school bus driver. What about background checks for school bus drivers?

A Dead Issue?

Last week an Amber Alert was issued for three young boys who disappeared here in Ohio. Two were found dead. The third has been arrested. I understand when grownups get in a fight and someone ends up getting killed. But young boys? What kind of society are we becoming?

It appears to me we need to bring God back into our everyday life, no matter who is offended.

Mr. Hennessey may be contacted at pmhenn@sbcglobal.net