JustAdvice

Donut Dollies Re-Unite

Judy — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:13:08 +0000

Surely it hasn’t been almost 40 years since I returned from Vietnam. Surely the intervening years didn’t disappear like smoke from a summer campfire. Surely the very real events of my youth haven’t already been relegated to the unreality of history. Surely not, yet I have in my hands a piece of paper that suggests otherwise. This week [...]

Those Inner Conflicts

Judy — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:13:48 +0000

My parents' disagreements had somehow been fused into one personality trait that was now mine

A Name Is Not A Legacy

Judy — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:58:02 +0000

We were sipping coffee in Starbuck’s when I noticed “Luis” etched into the surface of our table. Luis no doubt believed he was making a meaningful statement, but I suspect he didn’t think it through. Besides the mark in the table, Luis left a more telling impression. He left evidence of someone who has no respect [...]

What’s “Self Esteem” Got to do with Probation?

Judy — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:01:21 +0000

I think our fixation on “self esteem” has affected the way probation officers approach the problem of crime and has even contributed to our lack of success. The primary job of sworn peace officers, including probation, is to keep the community safe. Period. Assisting offenders is secondary to that mission. However, because we believe in treatment, we [...]

A Soldier’s Christmas Carol

Judy — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:04:55 +0000

As stewardesses on an international airline, we flew troops into Vietnam at the height of the war. Naturally the flights didn’t stop when holidays were celebrated at home, and my roommate found herself on a military charter bound for Saigon, on December 23, 1968. The cabin was full of young men, and the pain was palpable. I’m [...]

O Christmas Tree …

Judy — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:02:09 +0000

Christmas 1969 was probably my most memorable holiday, but it was definitely not the most enjoyable. Still, what began as a depressing experience was somehow transformed by a fairly insignificant symbol. I was stationed at Camp Enari, near Pleiku, in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam, one of four Red Cross Donut Dollies whose mission was [...]

Dissipation Shows it’s Face

Judy — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:37:10 +0000

When these good-looking teenagers persist in their criminal lifestyles, not many grow up to be the beauties they were intended to be.

House Rules for an 18-year-old

Judy — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:41:21 +0000

Dear JustAdvice, Our 18-year-old daughter lives at home and we give her a car and pay for her upkeep. She recently disappeared for several days without telling us she was leaving and we were frantic because we had no idea where she was or what had happened to her. It turned out she went away with [...]

Just Don’t Feel Guilty?

Judy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:57:26 +0000

While eating lunch, I could hear the people at a nearby table talking about how to get around some rules. I wasn’t eavesdropping, it’s just that the gist of their conversation could be heard by anyone within earshot, whether we liked it or not. One man’s statement eventually rose above the din. He said, “And don’t feel guilty, because everybody does [...]

Asking Inmates Who’s To Blame

Judy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:02:15 +0000

A friend and I were walking by the Sheriff’s Office, re-hashing how the acceptance of personal responsibility actually gives us control over and ownership of our own lives. Although we now seem to have a large contingent of “perennial victims” in our culture, I believe most people still want to be the Captains of their [...]