SOMEONE SAID: So ... who is this Yard[D]og?

One early evening a much younger "version" of Yard[D]og busied himself with building dirt roads for toy trucks under a huge Forsythia bush at his parents home in rural Pennsylvania when his grandmother called from the back porch: "Fire Flies out; time to come in."

"Nope!" said the six-year-old as he continued a variety of child-like construction tasks. In response to a seemingly intransigence attitude my usually warm and stately “Grammy” called across the backyard, "Sometimes you're just a yarddog!"

And so "Yarddog" was born right there in his backyard with his imagination and awe along with mud, grass stains and the yellow pollen from those Forsythia bushes.

Since then he has devoted his time to teaching, theatre, writing and non-profits that have assisted the homeless and his own business that seeks to help non-profits become all they can be.

Some time ago he added the two grammatical symbols “[ ]” around a capital “D” in Yarddog giving birth to Yard[D]og. In doing so he seeks to reclaim some of the uniqueness that a six-year-old finds in the wonder of toy trucks and tunnels in the rich York County earth and add to that the faces and lives of those he has since met along the way.

For more information on Yard[D]og he maybe reached HERE.

FAITH TAKES YOU HERE?

When I first read about South Carolina high school principal Eddie Walkers and his resignation from his Columbia school, it seem he was acting simply on a matter of principle. As you know his resignation was triggered by a conflict involving his professional career and religious beliefs.

He was against the formation of a Gay/Straight Alliance Club (GSA) which his school district had told him he was legally bound to allow. Rather than do that, Principal Walker quit. And that was where this bust bin episode ended until we were contacted by the founder of an organization called “Sean’s Last Wish” and its founder, Elke Kennedy.

Come to find out Ms. Kennedy’s son, Sean, was murdered last year in Greenville in an anti-gay hate-crime, the details of which are graphically recounted and the monumental injustice render to the perpetrator recounted in the news of the time. The high school club was founded in part due to a reaction to Sean Kennedy’s murder.

“Sean's last wish recognizes the significant lack of inclusive diversity education for faculty and administrators within our public school systems. The organization has worked with many GSA's throughout South Carolina and North Carolina to raise awareness of issues that impact the lives of these students and will continue our efforts to educate the public about the need for such student clubs and the need to better protect all student populations," says Ms. Kennedy.

So let me get this straight … the formation of the high school club was a reaction to extreme violence against gay youth and Principle Walker resigns! I'm confused. What kind of a faith leads a man to, in essence, say "I'd rather have another murder on my campus than promote understanding?" Perhaps he thinks that sexual orientation is worse than murder? What faith, any faith could possibly do that?

Principal Eddie Walker: today's recipient of the Into The Dust Bin of History Award.